Public companies are required to disclose risks that can affect the business and impact the stock. These disclosures are known as “Risk Factors”. Companies disclose these risks in their yearly (Form 10-K), quarterly earnings (Form 10-Q), or “foreign private issuer” reports (Form 20-F). Risk factors show the challenges a company faces. Investors can consider the worst-case scenarios before making an investment. TipRanks’ Risk Analysis categorizes risks based on proprietary classification algorithms and machine learning.
NetCapital disclosed 17 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. NetCapital reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.
Risk Overview Q3, 2024
Risk Distribution
71% Finance & Corporate
29% Legal & Regulatory
0% Tech & Innovation
0% Production
0% Ability to Sell
0% Macro & Political
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.
Risk Change Over Time
2022
Q4
S&P500 Average
Sector Average
Risks removed
Risks added
Risks changed
NetCapital Risk Factors
New Risk (0)
Risk Changed (0)
Risk Removed (0)
No changes from previous report
The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.
The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.
Risk Highlights Q3, 2024
Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 12 Risks
Finance & Corporate
With 12 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
17
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
17
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
Recent Changes
4Risks added
0Risks removed
1Risks changed
Since Oct 2024
4Risks added
0Risks removed
1Risks changed
Since Oct 2024
Number of Risk Changed
1
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 3
1
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 3
See the risk highlights of NetCapital 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 17
Finance & Corporate
Total Risks: 12/17 (71%)Above Sector Average
Share Price & Shareholder Rights8 | 47.1%
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
Added
Our business and operations could be negatively affected if we become subject to any securities litigation or shareholder activism, which could cause us to incur significant expense, hinder execution of business and growth strategy and impact our stock price.
In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company's securities, securities class action litigation has often been brought against that company. Shareholder activism, which could take many forms or arise in a variety of situations, has been increasing recently. Volatility in the stock price of our Common Stock or other reasons may in the future cause us to become the target of securities litigation or shareholder activism. Securities litigation and shareholder activism, including potential proxy contests, could result in substantial costs and divert management's attention and the attention and resources of our board of directors (our "Board") from our business. Additionally, such securities litigation and shareholder activism could give rise to perceived uncertainties as to our future, adversely affect our relationships with service providers and make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified personnel. Also, we may be required to incur significant legal fees and other expenses related to any securities litigation and activist shareholder matters. Further, our stock price could be subject to significant fluctuation or otherwise be adversely affected by the events, risks and uncertainties of any securities litigation and shareholder activism.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
Changed
Our ability to have our securities traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market is subject to us meeting applicable listing criteria.
We are currently listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC ("Nasdaq"), a national securities exchange. Nasdaq requires companies desiring to list their common stock to meet certain listing criteria including total number of shareholders: minimum stock price, total value of public float, and in some cases total shareholders' equity and market capitalization. Our failure to meet such applicable listing criteria could prevent us from listing our common stock on the Nasdaq. In the event we are unable to have our shares traded on Nasdaq, our common stock could potentially trade on the OTCQX or the OTCQB, each of which is generally considered less liquid and more volatile than the Nasdaq. Our failure to have our shares traded on the Nasdaq could make it more difficult for you to trade our shares, could prevent our common stock trading on a frequent and liquid basis and could result in the value of our common stock being less than it would be if we were able to list our shares on the Nasdaq.
As previously disclosed on a Current Report on Form 8-K filed by us, Nasdaq had previously notified us on September 1, 2023 that we were not in compliance with the Nasdaq's Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) the "Bid Price Rule") because it failed to maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days. Further as of July 22, 2024, Nasdaq determined that that our securities had a closing bid price of $0.10 or less for ten consecutive trading days and as a result, Nasdaq delivered written notice to the Company on July 23, 2024 under which it advised us that Nasdaq has determined to delist our securities from The Nasdaq Capital Market. We requested a hearing to appeal Nasdaq's delisting determination. On August 19, 2024, we received a notice from The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC ("Nasdaq"), dated August 19, 2024, informing us that we had regained compliance with the "Bid Price Rule for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market, as the bid price of our common stock closed at or above $1.00 per share for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days since August 2, 2024. As a result of our demonstrated compliance with Nasdaq's continued listing requirements, such aforementioned hearing was cancelled.
Although our common stock is currently listed on Nasdaq, we may not be able to continue to meet the exchange's minimum listing requirements or those of any other national exchange. The Listing Rules of Nasdaq require listing issuers to comply with certain standards in order to remain listed on its exchange. If, for any reason, we should fail to maintain compliance with these listing standards and Nasdaq should delist our securities from trading on its exchange and we are unable to obtain listing on another national securities exchange, a reduction in some or all of the following may occur, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our shareholders:
- the liquidity of our common stock; - the market price of our common stock; - our ability to obtain financing for the continuation of our operations; - the number of institutional and general investors that will consider investing in our common stock; - the number of investors in general that will consider investing in our common stock; - the number of market makers in our common stock; - the availability of information concerning the trading prices and volume of our common stock; and - the number of broker-dealers willing to execute trades in shares of our common stock.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
Our issuance of common stock upon the exercise of options granted under our 2021 Equity Incentive Plan and our 2023 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan may dilute all other stockholders.
We have issued options to purchase 2,202,000 shares of common stock under our 2021 Equity Incentive Plan and our 2023 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan and we expect to issue options to purchase the remaining 98,000 shares of common stock in the future to officers, directors, employees and consultants under our 2023 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan. Any such issuances of common stock underlying stock options may cause stockholders to experience dilution of their ownership interests and the per share value of our common stock to decline. As options are forfeited we plan to reissue options to other officers, directors, employees and consultants.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business or our market, or if they change their recommendations regarding our securities adversely, the price of our common stock or warrants and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock may be influenced by the research and reports that securities or industry analysts may publish about us, our business, our market or our competitors. If any of the analysts who may cover us change their recommendation regarding our securities adversely, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, the price of our common stock or warrants would likely decline. If any analyst who may cover us was to cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the price of our common stock or warrants or trading volume to decline.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
The market price of our common stock is highly volatile and could be subject to volatility related or unrelated to our operations.
You should consider an investment in our securities to be risky, and you should invest in our securities only if you can withstand a significant loss and wide fluctuations in the market value of your investment. Some factors that may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate, in addition to the other risks mentioned in this "Risk Factors" section and elsewhere in this prospectus, are:
- actual or anticipated fluctuations in quarterly funding portal revenues or operating results, whether in our operations or in those of our competitors;- changes in financial estimates or opinions by research analysts, either with respect to us or other fintech companies; - our failure to accelerate user growth or new issuer growth; - any failure to meet investor or analyst expectations; - the public's reaction to our press releases, other public announcements and our filings with the SEC; - actual or anticipated changes in domestic or worldwide economic, political or market conditions, such as recessions; - changes in the consumer spending environment; - terrorist acts; - changes in laws or regulations, or new interpretations or applications of laws and regulations, that are applicable to our business; - changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations or principles; - short sales, hedging and other derivative transactions in the shares of our common stock; - future sales or issuances of our common stock, including sales or issuances by us, our directors or executive officers and our significant stockholders; - our dividend policy; - changes in the market valuations of other fintech companies; - actions by stockholders; - various market factors or perceived market factors, including rumors, involving us, our vendors and clients, whether accurate or not; - announcements by us or our competitors of new locations, technological advances, significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, divestitures, joint ventures or other strategic initiatives; and - a loss of a key member of management.
The stock markets in general have experienced substantial volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of individual companies. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock in any market that develops for it. In addition, our stock price may be influenced by trading activity in our common stock as a result of market commentary (including commentary that may be unreliable or incomplete in some cases); changes in expectations about our business, our creditworthiness or investor confidence generally; or actions by stockholders and others seeking to influence our business strategies.
In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company's securities, stockholders have instituted class action securities litigation against those companies. Such litigation, if instituted, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management attention and resources, which would significantly harm our profitability and reputation.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
We may conduct future offerings of our common stock and pay debt obligations with our common stock which may diminish our investors' pro rata ownership and depress our stock price.
We reserve the right to make future offers and sales, either public or private, of our securities, including shares of our common stock or securities convertible into common stock at prices differing from the price of the common stock previously issued. In the event that any such future sales of securities are affected or we use our common stock to pay principal or interest on our debt obligations, an investor's pro rata ownership interest may be reduced to the extent of any such future sales.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7
We recently sold a substantial number of shares of our common stock and warrants to purchase common stock in a public offering, which could cause the price of our common stock to decline.
In a December 2023 offering, we sold 4,800,000 shares of common stock, pre-funded warrants to purchase up to 11,200,000 shares of our common stock and common stock warrants to purchase up to 32,000,000 shares of common stock. In May 2024, we induced some of the warrant holders to exercise their warrants, and we issued additional warrants to purchase up to 28,640,000 shares of our common stock. The existence of the potential additional shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such additional shares may be in the market, could adversely affect the price of our common stock. We cannot predict the effect, if any, that market sales of those shares of common stock or the availability of those shares of common stock for sale will have on the market price of our common stock.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8
There can be no assurance that we will be able to comply with Nasdaq's continued listing standards, a failure of which could result in a delisting of our common stock and warrants.
Nasdaq requires that the trading price of a company's listed stock on Nasdaq remain above one dollar in order for such stock to remain listed. If a listed stock trades below one dollar for more than 30 consecutive trading days, then it is subject to delisting from Nasdaq. In addition, to maintain a listing on Nasdaq, we must satisfy minimum financial and other continued listing requirements and standards, including those regarding director independence and independent committee requirements, minimum stockholders' equity, and certain corporate governance requirements. If we are unable to satisfy these requirements or standards, we could be subject to delisting, which would have a negative effect on the price of our common stock and warrants and would impair your ability to sell or purchase our common stock when you wish to do so. In the event of a delisting, we would expect to take actions to restore our compliance with the listing requirements, but we can provide no assurance that any such action taken by us would allow our common stock to become listed again, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our common stock, prevent our common stock from dropping below the minimum bid price requirement, or prevent future non-compliance with the listing requirements.
Accounting & Financial Operations2 | 11.8%
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1
We do not expect to pay dividends and investors should not buy our common stock expecting to receive dividends.
We have not paid any dividends on our common stock in the past, and do not anticipate that we will declare or pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. Consequently, you will only realize an economic gain on your investment in our common stock if the price appreciates. You should not purchase our common stock expecting to receive cash dividends. Since we do not pay dividends, then you may have a limited ability to liquidate or receive any payment on your investment. Therefore, our failure to pay dividends may cause you to not see any return on your investment even if we are successful in our business operations. In addition, because we do not pay dividends we may have trouble raising additional funds, which could affect our ability to expand our business operations.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2
Failure to maintain effective internal control over our financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act could cause our financial reports to be inaccurate.
We are required pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, to maintain internal control over financial reporting and to assess and report on the effectiveness of those controls. This assessment includes disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting. Although we prepare our financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, our internal accounting controls may not meet all standards applicable to companies with publicly traded securities. If we fail to implement any required improvements to our disclosure controls and procedures, we may be obligated to report control deficiencies in which case, we could become subject to regulatory sanction or investigation. Further, these outcomes could damage investor confidence in the accuracy and reliability of our financial statements.
Debt & Financing1 | 5.9%
Debt & Financing - Risk 1
Added
A significant portion of our total assets are held in equity securities of early-stage companies, which securities are illiquid and subject to volatility, which factors could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Payment related to the consulting and advisory services provided by Netcapital Advisors is often made through equity stakes from such customers. As of October 31, 2024 and April 30, 2024, approximately $25.4 million and $25.3 million, respectively, of our holdings are issued by companies whose securities do not trade on public markets. The securities issued are typically in private companies with no established trading market for their securities, that often have limited operating histories, limited operating cash, and negative cash flows. Additionally, these securities are primarily restricted, and are subject to legal holding periods pursuant to Rule 144 or other applicable exemptions. The stock price of such issuers is often volatile, unpredictable, and with limited liquidity, and the value of such securities on the date of receipt compared to the date when we are able to legally sell the securities may decrease significantly. The value ascribed to our assets in our financial statements as of a particular date may be materially greater than or less than the value that would be realized if our assets were to be liquidated as of such date. Accordingly, the value of such holdings may change over time due to factors that we do not control, such as issuance of securities by such companies at lower prices or other market factors. One such example of a change in value occurred in the period ended January 31, 2024, we recognized an unrealized loss of approximately $2.7 million on the value of our equity securities due to the decline in value of a single issuer, which represented an impairment of more than 80% of the previous value of our holdings in such issuer, which resulted in a reduction of our retained earnings. Changes to the value of our holdings could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Corporate Activity and Growth1 | 5.9%
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1
Added
Our financial situation creates doubt whether we will continue as a going concern.
At October 31, 2024, we had negative working capital of $2,615,585 and for the six months ended October 31, 2024, we had an operating loss of $4,747,671 and net cash used in operating activities amounted to $3,451,087. There can be no assurances that we will be able to achieve a level of revenues adequate to generate sufficient cash flow from operations or additional financing through private placements, public offerings and/or bank financing necessary to support our working capital requirements. Our management has turned our focus to our funding portal business, and we plan to use our funding portal experience to build a broker-dealer business, initially for Regulation A and Regulation D offerings. We plan to continue to seek to raise money from private placements, public offerings and/or bank financing. Our management has determined, based on its recent history and the negative cash flow from operations, that it is unlikely that its plan will sufficiently alleviate or mitigate, to a sufficient level, the relevant conditions or events noted above. To the extent that funds generated from any private placements, public offerings and/or bank financing, if available, are insufficient, we will have to raise additional working capital. No assurance can be given that additional financing will be available, or if available, will be on acceptable terms. Accordingly, our management has concluded that these conditions raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. There can be no assurance that we will be able to achieve our business plan objectives or be able to achieve or maintain cash-flow-positive operating results. If we unable to generate adequate funds from operations or raise sufficient additional funds, we may not be able to repay our existing debt, continue to operate our business network, respond to competitive pressures or fund our operations. As a result, we may be required to significantly reduce, reorganize, discontinue or shut down our operations.
Legal & Regulatory
Total Risks: 5/17 (29%)Above Sector Average
Regulation3 | 17.6%
Regulation - Risk 1
Our compliance with complicated U.S. regulations concerning corporate governance and public disclosure is expensive and diverts management's attention from our core business, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
As a publicly reporting company, we are faced with expensive, complicated and evolving disclosure, governance and compliance laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd-Frank Act, and Nasdaq rules. As a result of the complexity involved in complying with the applicable rules and regulations, our management's attention may be diverted from other business concerns, which could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. We may need to hire more personnel in the future or engage outside consultants, which will increase our operating expenses, to assist us in complying with these requirements.
In addition, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies, increasing legal and financial compliance costs, and making some activities more time-consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We intend to invest substantial resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management's time and attention from business operations to compliance activities. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to their application and practice, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us, and our business may be harmed.
Regulation - Risk 2
Added
Regulatory and legal uncertainties could harm our business.
The securities businesses are heavily regulated. Firms in financial service industries have been subject to an increasingly regulated environment over recent years, and penalties and fines sought by regulatory authorities have increased accordingly. Our funding portal and proposed broker-dealer subsidiaries are subject to extensive regulations. Regulatory bodies include, but are not limited to, the SEC, FINRA, and the Nasdaq Stock Market. Our mode of operation and profitability may be directly affected by additional legislation changes in rules promulgated by various government agencies and self-regulatory organizations that oversee our businesses, and changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws and rules. Noncompliance with applicable laws or regulations could result in sanctions being levied against us, including fines and censures, suspension or expulsion from a certain jurisdiction or market or the revocation or limitation of licenses. Noncompliance with applicable laws or regulations could adversely affect our reputation, prospects, revenues and earnings. In addition, changes in current laws or regulations or in governmental policies could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Stock exchanges, other self-regulatory organizations and state securities commissions can censure, fine, issue cease-and-desist orders, suspend or expel a funding portal, broker-dealer or any of its officers or employees. Our ability to comply with all applicable laws and rules is largely dependent on our internal systems to ensure compliance, as well as our ability to attract and retain qualified compliance personnel. We could be subject to disciplinary or other actions in the future due to claimed noncompliance, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. To continue to operate, we may have to comply with the regulatory controls of each jurisdiction in which we conduct, or intend to conduct business, the requirements of which may not be clearly defined.
Regulation - Risk 3
FINRA sales practice requirements may limit a stockholder's ability to buy and sell our securities.
FINRA has adopted rules that require that in recommending an investment to a customer, a broker-dealer must have reasonable grounds for believing that the investment is suitable for that customer. Prior to recommending speculative, low-priced securities to their non-institutional customers, broker-dealers must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the customer's financial status, tax status, investment objectives and other information. The FINRA requirements may make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that their customers buy our common stock or our warrants, which may have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in our securities. As a result, fewer broker-dealers may be willing to make a market in our common stock or our warrants, reducing a stockholder's ability to resell shares of our common stock and warrants.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities2 | 11.8%
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1
Limitations on liability and indemnification matters.
As permitted by the corporate laws of the state of Utah, our articles of incorporation include a provision to eliminate the personal liability of our directors for monetary damages for breach or alleged breach of their fiduciary duties as directors, subject to certain exceptions. In addition, our bylaws provide that we are required to indemnify our officers and directors under certain circumstances, including those circumstances in which indemnification would otherwise be discretionary, and we will be required to advance expenses to our officers and directors as incurred in connection with proceedings against them for which they may be indemnified. If we are required to indemnify, both for the costs of their defense in any action or to pay monetary damages upon a finding of a court or in any settlement, our business and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 2
Claims for indemnification by our directors and officers may reduce our available funds to satisfy successful third-party claims against us and may reduce the amount of money available to us.
Our articles of incorporation and bylaws provide that we will indemnify our directors and officers, in each case to the fullest extent permitted by Utah law.
In addition, as permitted by the Utah Business Corporation Act, our bylaws and the indemnification agreements that we have entered into with our directors and officers provide that:
- we will indemnify our directors and officers for serving us in those capacities or for serving other business enterprises at our request, to the fullest extent permitted by Utah law. Utah law provides that a corporation may indemnify such person if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the registrant and, with respect to any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe such person's conduct was unlawful; - we may, in our discretion, indemnify employees and agents in those circumstances where indemnification is permitted by applicable law; - we are required to advance expenses, as incurred, to our directors and officers in connection with defending a proceeding, except that such directors or officers shall undertake to repay such advances if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to indemnification; - we will not be obligated pursuant to our bylaws to indemnify a person with respect to proceedings initiated by that person against us or our other indemnitees, except with respect to proceedings authorized by our board of directors, or Board, or brought to enforce a right to indemnification; - the rights conferred in our bylaws are not exclusive, and we are authorized to enter into indemnification agreements with our directors, officers, employees and agents and to obtain insurance to indemnify such persons; and - we may not retroactively amend our bylaw provisions to reduce our indemnification obligations to directors, officers, employees and agents.
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.