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Patria Investments Ltd. (PAX)
:PAX
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Risk Overview Q4, 2023
Risk Distribution
58% Finance & Corporate
18% Macro & Political
16% Legal & Regulatory
3% Tech & Innovation
3% Production
1% 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
Patria Investments 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 53 Risks
Finance & Corporate
With 53 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
92
+4
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 31
92
+4
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 31
Recent Changes
1Risks added
1Risks removed
4Risks changed
Since Dec 2023
1Risks added
1Risks removed
4Risks changed
Since Dec 2023
Number of Risk Changed
4
+4
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 3
4
+4
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 3
See the risk highlights of Patria Investments 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 92
Finance & Corporate
Total Risks: 53/92 (58%)Above Sector Average
Share Price & Shareholder Rights19 | 20.7%
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
Patria Holdings owns Class A common shares and the majority of our issued and outstanding Class B common shares, which represent approximately 83.2% of the voting power of our issued share capital, and controls all matters requiring shareholder approval. Patria Holdings' ownership and voting power limits your ability to influence corporate matters.Changed
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
Class A common shares eligible for sale may cause the market price of our Class A common shares to drop significantly.Changed
The market price of our Class A common shares may decline as a result of sales of a large number of our Class A common shares in the market (including Class A common shares created upon conversion of Class B common shares) or the perception that these sales may occur. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate.
As of December 31, 2023, we had outstanding 55,308,508 Class A common shares and 92,945,430 Class B common shares. The Class A common shares sold in our initial public offering are freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act by persons other than our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 of the Securities Act.
Our existing shareholders or entities controlled by them or their permitted transferees are able to sell their shares in the public market from time to time without registering them, subject to certain limitations on the timing, amount and method of those sales imposed by regulations promulgated by the SEC. If our controlling shareholders, the affiliated entities controlled by them or their permitted transferees were to sell a large number of Class A common shares, the market price of our Class A common shares may decline significantly. In addition, the perception in the public markets that sales by them might occur may also cause the trading price of our Class A common shares to decline.
Sales of a substantial number of our Class A common shares or the perception that such sales may occur could cause our market price to fall or make it more difficult for you to sell your Class A common shares at a time and price that you deem appropriate.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
Our dual class capital structure means our shares will not be included in certain indices. We cannot predict the impact this may have on our share price.In 2017, FTSE Russell, S&P Dow Jones and MSCI announced changes to their eligibility criteria for inclusion of shares of public companies on certain indices to exclude companies with multiple classes of common shares from being added to such indices. FTSE Russell announced plans to require new constituents of its indices to have at least 5% of their voting rights in the hands of public stockholders, whereas S&P Dow Jones announced that companies with multiple share classes, such as ours, will not be eligible for inclusion in the S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600, which together make up the S&P Composite 1500. MSCI also opened public consultations on their treatment of no-vote and multi-class structures and has determined that it would launch new set of indexes that could give investors an alternative to avoid companies based on voting rights. We cannot assure you that other stock indices will not take a similar approach to FTSE Russell, S&P Dow Jones and MSCI in the future. Under the announced policies, our dual class capital structure would make us ineligible for inclusion in any of these indices and, as a result, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and other investment vehicles that attempt to passively track these indices will not invest in our shares. These policies are new and it is unclear what effect, if any, they will have on the valuations of publicly traded companies excluded from the indices, but it is possible that they may depress these valuations compared to those of other similar companies that are included. Exclusion from indices could make our Class A common shares less attractive to investors and, as a result, the market price of our Class A common shares could be adversely affected.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
The dual class structure of our share capital has the effect of concentrating voting control with Patria Holdings; this will limit or preclude your ability to influence corporate matters.Each Class A common share entitles its holder to one vote per share, and each Class B common share entitles its holder to 10 votes per share, so long as the total voting power of the issued and outstanding Class B common shares is at least 10% of the total voting power of shares outstanding. Due to the ten-to-one voting ratio between our Class B and Class A common shares, Patria Holdings, the beneficial owner of the majority of our Class B common shares controls the voting power of our common shares and therefore will be able to control all matters submitted to our shareholders so long as the total voting power of the issued and outstanding Class B common shares is at least 10% of the voting power of shares outstanding.
In addition, our Articles of Association provide that at any time when there are Class A common shares in issue, additional Class B common shares may only be issued pursuant to (1) a share split, subdivision of shares or similar transaction or where a dividend or other distribution is paid by the issue of shares or rights to acquire shares or following capitalization of profits, (2) a merger, consolidation, or other business combination involving the issuance of Class B common shares as full or partial consideration or (3) an issuance of Class A common shares, whereby holders of the Class B common shares are entitled to purchase a number of Class B common shares that would allow them to maintain their proportional ownership interests in Patria (following an offer by us to each holder of Class B common shares to issue to such holder, upon the same economic terms and at the same price, such number of Class B common shares as would ensure such holder may maintain a proportional ownership interest in Patria pursuant to our Articles of Association).
Future transfers by holders of Class B common shares will generally result in those shares converting to Class A common shares, subject to limited exceptions, such as certain transfers effected to permitted transferees or for estate planning or charitable purposes. The conversion of Class B common shares to Class A common shares will have the effect, over time, of increasing the relative voting power of those holders of Class B common shares who retain their shares in the long term.
In light of the above provisions relating to the issuance of additional Class B common shares, the fact that future transfers by holders of Class B common shares will generally result in those shares converting to Class A common shares, subject to limited exceptions as provided in the Articles of Association, as well as the ten-to-one voting ratio of our Class B common shares and Class A common shares, holders of our Class B common shares in many situations maintain control of all matters requiring shareholder approval. This concentrated control limits or precludes your ability to influence corporate matters for the foreseeable future. For a description of our dual class structure, see "Item 10. Additional Information-B. Memorandum and Articles of Association-Voting Rights."
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability. The rights of our shareholders, including with respect to fiduciary duties and corporate opportunities, may be different from the rights of shareholders governed by the laws of U.S. jurisdictions.We are a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability. Our corporate affairs are governed by our Articles of Association and by the laws of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders and the responsibilities of members of our board of directors may be different from the rights of shareholders and responsibilities of directors in companies governed by the laws of U.S. jurisdictions. In particular, as a matter of Cayman Islands law, directors of a Cayman Islands company owe fiduciary duties to the company and separately a duty of care, diligence and skill to the company. Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties:
- duty to act in good faith in what the director or officer believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole;- duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose;- directors should not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion;- duty to exercise powers fairly as between different sections of shareholders;- duty to exercise independent judgment; and - duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests.
With respect to the duty of directors to avoid conflicts of interest, our Articles of Association have modified the obligation mentioned above by providing that a director must disclose the nature and extent of his or her interest in any contract or arrangement, and following such disclosure and subject to any separate requirement under applicable law or the listing rules of the Nasdaq, and unless disqualified by the chairman of the relevant meeting, such director may vote in respect of any transaction or arrangement in which he or she is interested and may be counted in the quorum at the meeting. Conversely, under Delaware corporate law, a director has a fiduciary duty to the corporation and its stockholders (made up of two components) and the director's duties prohibit self-dealing by a director and mandate that the best interest of the corporation and its shareholders take precedence over any interest possessed by a director, officer or controlling shareholder and not shared by the shareholders generally. See "Item 10. Additional Information-B. Memorandum and Articles of Association-Principal Differences between Cayman Islands and U.S. Corporate Law."
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
Our Articles of Association restrict shareholders from bringing legal action against our officers and directors.Our Articles of Association contain a broad waiver by our shareholders of any claim or right of action, both individually and on our behalf, against any of our officers or directors. Subject to Section 14 of the Securities Act, which renders void any purported waiver of the provisions of the Securities Act, the waiver applies to any action taken by an officer or director, or the failure of an officer or director to take any action, in the performance of his or her duties, except with respect to any matter involving any dishonesty, willful default or fraud on the part of the officer or director. This waiver limits the right of shareholders to assert claims against our officers and directors unless the act or failure to act involves fraud or dishonesty.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7
As a foreign private issuer, we have different disclosure and other requirements than U.S. domestic registrants.As a foreign private issuer, we are subject to different disclosure and other requirements than domestic U.S. registrants. For example, as a foreign private issuer, in the United States, we are not subject to the same disclosure requirements as a domestic U.S. registrant under the Exchange Act, including the requirements to prepare and issue quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or to file current reports on Form 8-K upon the occurrence of specified significant events, the proxy rules applicable to domestic U.S. registrants under Section 14 of the Exchange Act or the insider reporting and short-swing profit rules applicable to domestic U.S. registrants under Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we rely on exemptions from certain U.S. rules which permit us to follow Cayman Islands legal requirements rather than certain of the requirements that are applicable to U.S. domestic registrants.
We follow Cayman Islands laws and regulations that are applicable to Cayman Islands companies. However, Cayman Islands laws and regulations applicable to Cayman Islands companies do not contain any provisions comparable to the U.S. proxy rules, the U.S. rules relating to the filing of reports on Form 10-Q or 8-K or the U.S. rules relating to liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time, as referred to above.
Furthermore, foreign private issuers are required to file their annual report on Form 20-F within 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 Fair Disclosure, aimed at preventing issuers from making selective disclosures of material information, although we are subject to Cayman Islands laws and regulations having substantially the same effect as Regulation Fair Disclosure. As a result of the above, even though we are required to furnish reports on Form 6-K disclosing the limited information which we have made or are required to make public pursuant to Cayman Islands law, or which we are required to distribute to shareholders generally, and that is material to us, you may not receive information of the same type or amount that is required to be disclosed to shareholders of a U.S. company.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8
As a foreign private issuer, we 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 common shares.Section 5605 of the Nasdaq equity rules requires listed companies to have, among other things, a majority of their board members be independent, and to have independent director oversight of executive compensation, nomination of directors and corporate governance matters. As a foreign private issuer, however, we are permitted to follow, and we do follow, home country practice in lieu of the above requirements. See "Item 10. Additional Information-B. Memorandum and Articles of Association-Principal Differences between Cayman Islands and U.S. Corporate Law."
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 9
We may lose our foreign private issuer status which would then require us to comply with the Exchange Act's domestic reporting regime and cause us to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses.In order to maintain our current status as a foreign private issuer, either (1) more than 50% of our Class A common shares must be either directly or indirectly owned of record by nonresidents of the United States or (2)(a) a majority of our executive officers or directors may not be U.S. citizens or residents, (b) more than 50% of our assets cannot be located in the United States and (c) our business must be administered principally outside the United States. If we lose this status, 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 costs we will incur as a foreign private issuer.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 10
Our shareholders may face difficulties in protecting their interests because we are a Cayman Islands exempted company.Our corporate affairs are governed by our Articles of Association, by the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands (the "Companies Act") and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under the laws of the Cayman Islands are not as clearly defined as under statutes or judicial precedent in existence in jurisdictions in the United States. Therefore, you may have more difficulty protecting your interests than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction in the United States, due to the comparatively less formal nature of Cayman Islands law in this area.
While Cayman Islands law allows a dissenting shareholder to express the shareholder's view that a court-sanctioned reorganization of a Cayman Islands company would not provide fair value for the shareholder's shares, Cayman Islands statutory law does not specifically provide for shareholder appraisal rights in connection with a merger or consolidation of a company that takes place by way of a scheme of arrangement. This may make it more difficult for you to assess the value of any consideration you may receive in such a merger or consolidation or to require that the acquirer give you additional consideration if you believe the consideration offered is insufficient. However, Cayman Islands statutory law provides a mechanism for a dissenting shareholder in a merger or consolidation that does not take place by way of a scheme of arrangement to apply to the Grand Court for a determination of the fair value of the dissenter's shares if it is not possible for the company and the dissenter to agree on a fair price within the time limits prescribed.
Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies (such as us) have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records and accounts or to obtain copies of lists of shareholders. Our directors have discretion under our 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 information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.
Subject to limited exceptions, under Cayman Islands' law, a minority shareholder may not bring a derivative action against the board of directors. Class actions are not recognized in the Cayman Islands, but groups of shareholders with identical interests may bring representative proceedings, which are similar.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 11
We are a "controlled company" within the meaning of the rules of the Nasdaq corporate governance rules and, as a result, qualify for and rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. You will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to such requirements.Patria Holdings beneficially owns the majority of our Class B common shares, representing 83.2% of the voting power of our outstanding share capital. As a result, we are a "controlled company" within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of the Nasdaq corporate governance rules. Under these rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power in the election of directors is held by an individual, group or another company is a "controlled company" and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements. For example, controlled companies:
- are not required to have a board that is composed of a majority of "independent directors," as defined under the rules of such exchange;- are not required to have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors; and - are not required to have a nominating and corporate governance committee that is composed entirely of independent directors.
We currently rely on these exemptions. As a result, the majority of the directors on our board are not independent. In addition, other than our audit committee, none of the committees of our board consist entirely of independent directors. Accordingly, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of the Nasdaq.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 12
We have granted the holder of our Class B common shares preemptive rights to acquire shares that we may sell in the future, which may impair our ability to raise funds.Under our Memorandum and Articles of Association, the holder of our Class B common shares, Patria Holdings, is entitled to preemptive rights to purchase additional common shares in the event that there is an increase in our share capital and additional common shares are issued, upon the same economic terms and at the same price, in order to maintain its proportional ownership interests, which is approximately 55.4% of our outstanding shares, respectively. The exercise by the holder of our Class B common shares of its preemptive rights may impair our ability to raise funds, or adversely affect the terms on which we are able to raise funds, as we may not be able to offer to new investors the quantity of our shares that they may desire to purchase. For more information see "Item 10. Additional Information-B. Memorandum and Articles of Association-Preemptive or Similar Rights."
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 13
If securities or industry analysts do not continue to publish research, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research, about our business, the price of our Class A common shares and our trading volume could decline.The trading market for our Class A common shares depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our Class A common shares or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price of our Class A common shares would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our Class A common shares could decrease, which might cause the price of our Class A common shares and trading volume to decline.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 14
We are subject to increasing scrutiny from certain investors with respect to the societal and environmental impact of investments made by our funds, which may constrain capital deployment opportunities for our funds and adversely impact our ability to raise capital from such investors.In recent years, certain investors, including public pension funds, have placed increasing importance on the potential negative impacts of investments made by the private equity and other funds to which they commit capital, including with respect to environmental, social, and governance matters. Certain investors have also demonstrated increased demands and expectations with respect to existing investments, including by urging asset managers to take certain actions that could adversely impact the value of an investment, or refrain from taking certain actions that could improve the value of an investment. At times, investors have conditioned future capital commitments on the taking or refraining from taking of such actions. Increased focus and activism related to environmental, social, governance, and similar matters may constrain our capital deployment opportunities, and the demands of certain investors, including public pension funds, may further limit the types of investments that are available to our funds. In addition, investors, including public pension funds, which represent an important portion of our funds' investor bases, may decide to withdraw previously committed capital from our funds (where such withdrawal is permitted) or to not commit capital to future fundraises as a result of their assessment of our approach to and consideration of the social and environmental cost of investments made by our funds. To the extent our access to capital from investors, including public pension funds, is impaired, we may not be able to maintain or increase the size of our funds or raise sufficient capital for new funds, which may adversely impact our revenues.
In addition, environmental, social, and governance matters and concerns relating to the use of misleading labels and marketing materials in relation to investment products have been the subject of increased focus by regulatory authorities in the EU. For example, in 2021 requirements under Regulation (EU) 2019/2088, also known as the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation or SFDR, came into force. The SFDR was introduced to improve transparency in the market for sustainable investment products, to prevent greenwashing and to increase transparency around sustainability claims made by, among others, fund and asset managers. In 2022, the EU Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852) entered into force. The Taxonomy Regulation establishes a framework for classifying whether an economic activity is "environmentally sustainable." As a result of these and other legislative initiatives, we may be required to provide additional disclosure to EU-based investors in our funds with respect to environmental, social, and governance matters.
Although we strive to improve our assessment and monitoring of environmental, social, and governance matters regarding our different funds and their investments, in order to pertinently address regulatory and investor expectations, we may fail to do so successfully. Our approach intends to timely identify and address financially material environmental, social, and governance matters. However, we are subject to increasing scrutiny and enhanced requirements on such matters, which may result in constraints to certain capital deployment opportunities for our funds and adversely impact our ability to raise additional capital.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 15
There can be no assurance that we will not be a passive foreign investment company, or "PFIC," for any taxable year, which could subject United States investors in our Class A common shares to significant adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.Under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the "Code," we will be a PFIC for any taxable year in which either (1) 75% or more of our gross income consists of "passive income," or (2) 50% or more of the average quarterly value of our assets consists of assets that produce, or are held for the production of, "passive income." For this purpose, subject to certain exceptions, passive income includes interest, dividends, rents, gains from the sale or exchange of property that gives rise to such income, gains from the sale of partnership interests and gains from transactions in commodities. We do not believe we were a PFIC for our 2023 taxable year. However, there can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service, or the "IRS," will agree with our conclusion. Moreover, our PFIC status is a factual determination that is made on an annual basis. Whether we will be a PFIC in 2024 or in any future year is uncertain because, among other things, our PFIC status depends on the composition of our income and assets and the market value of our assets from time to time (which may be determined, in part, by reference to the market price of our Class A common shares). In addition, it is uncertain whether certain types of income we derive are characterized as passive income for purposes of determining our PFIC status. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will not be a PFIC for any taxable year.
If we were a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder (as defined in "Item 10. Additional Information-E. Taxation-Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations for U.S. Holders") held our Class A common shares (assuming such U.S. Holder has not made and maintained a timely election described under "Item 10. Additional Information-E. Taxation-Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations for U.S. Holders"), gain recognized by the U.S. Holder on a sale or other disposition (including certain pledges) of the Class A common shares would be allocated ratably over the U.S. Holder's holding period for the Class A common shares. The amounts allocated to the taxable year of the sale or other disposition and to any year before we became a PFIC would be taxed as ordinary income. The amount allocated to each other taxable year would be subject to tax at the highest rate in effect for individuals or corporations, as appropriate, for that taxable year, and an interest charge would be imposed on the tax on such amounts. Further, to the extent that any distributions received by a U.S. Holder on its Class A common shares during a taxable year exceed 125% of the average of the annual distributions on such Class A common shares received during the preceding three years or the U.S. Holder's holding period, whichever is shorter, those distributions would be subject to taxation in the same manner as gain. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors concerning our potential PFIC status and the potential application of the PFIC rules.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 16
We have anti-takeover provisions in our Articles of Association that may discourage a change of control.Our Articles of Association contain provisions that could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us without the consent of our board of directors. These provisions provide for:
- the ability of our board of directors to determine the powers, preferences and rights of preference shares and to cause us to issue the preference shares without shareholder approval; and - a two-class common share structure, as a result of which Patria Holdings generally will be able to control the outcome of all matters requiring shareholder approval, including the election of directors and significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or other sale of our company or its assets.
These provisions could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if the third party's offer may be considered beneficial by many shareholders. As a result, shareholders may be limited in their ability to obtain a premium for their Class A common shares. See "Item 10. Additional Information-B. Memorandum and Articles of Association" for a discussion of these provisions.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 17
United States civil liabilities and certain judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable.We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and substantially all of our assets are located outside of the United States. In addition, the majority of our directors and officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the United States. A substantial portion of the assets of these persons is located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult to effect service of process within the United States upon these persons. It may also be difficult 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 who are not resident in the United States and the substantial majority of whose assets are located outside of the United States.
We have been advised by our Cayman Islands legal counsel, Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (1) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state; and (2) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state, to the extent that the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given, provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, and or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 18
Judgments of Brazilian courts to enforce our obligations with respect to our Class A common shares may be payable only in reais. The exchange rate in force at the time may not offer non-Brazilian investors full compensation for any claim arising from our obligations.Most of our assets are located in Brazil. If proceedings are brought in the courts of Brazil seeking to enforce our obligations in respect of our Class A common shares, we may not be required to discharge our obligations in a currency other than the real. Under Brazilian exchange control laws, an obligation in Brazil to pay amounts denominated in a currency other than the real may only be satisfied in Brazilian currency at the exchange rate, as determined by the Central Bank, in effect on the date (1) of actual payment, (2) on which such judgment is rendered, or (3) on which collection or enforcement proceedings are started against us, and such amounts are then adjusted to reflect exchange rate variations through the effective payment date. The then-prevailing exchange rate may not afford non-Brazilian investors with full compensation for any claim arising out of or related to our obligations under the Class A common shares.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 19
Our Class A common shares may not be a suitable investment for all investors, as investment in our Class A common shares presents risks and the possibility of financial losses.The investment in our Class A common shares is subject to risks. Investors who wish to invest in our Class A common shares are thus subject to asset losses, including loss of the entire value of their investment, as well as other risks, including those related to our Class A common shares, us, the sector in which we operate, our shareholder structure and the general macroeconomic environment in Brazil and Chile, among other risks.
Each potential investor in our Class A common shares must therefore determine the suitability of that investment in light of its own circumstances. In particular, each potential investor should:
- have sufficient knowledge and experience to make a meaningful evaluation of our Class A common shares, the merits and risks of investing in our Class A common shares and the information contained in this annual report;- have access to, and knowledge of, appropriate analytical tools to evaluate, in the context of its particular financial situation, an investment in our Class A common shares and the impact our Class A common shares will have on its overall investment portfolio;- have sufficient financial resources and liquidity to bear all of the risks of an investment in our Class A common shares;- understand thoroughly the terms of our Class A common shares and be familiar with the behavior of any relevant indices and financial markets; and - be able to evaluate (either alone or with the help of a financial adviser) possible scenarios for economic, interest rate and other factors that may affect its investment and its ability to bear the applicable risks.
Accounting & Financial Operations4 | 4.3%
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1
Our revenue, earnings, net income and cash flow can all vary materially and be volatile from time to time, which may make it difficult for us to achieve steady earnings growth on a quarterly basis and may cause the price of our Class A common shares to decline.Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2
We intend to pay dividends to holders of our common shares, but our ability to do so is subject to our results of operations, distributable reserves and solvency requirements; we are not required to pay dividends on our Class A common shares and holders of our Class A common shares have no recourse if dividends are not paid.Our intention to pay to holders of common shares dividends representing approximately 85% of our Distributable Earnings is subject to adjustment as our board of directors determines to be necessary or appropriate to provide for the conduct of our business, to make appropriate investments in our business and our funds, to comply with applicable law, any of our debt instruments or other agreements, or to provide for future cash requirements such as tax-related payments, clawback obligations and dividends to shareholders for any ensuing quarter. The declaration and payment of any dividends are at the sole discretion of our board of directors, and may change at any time, including, without limitation, to eliminate such dividends entirely.
Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our board of directors (or by resolution passed by a simple majority of the voting rights entitled to vote at a general meeting) and will depend upon our results of operations, financial condition, distributable reserves, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors our board of directors deems relevant. We are not required to pay dividends on our common shares, and holders of our common shares have no recourse if dividends are not declared. Our ability to pay dividends may be further restricted by the terms of any of our future debt or preferred securities. Additionally, because we are a holding company, our ability to pay dividends on our common shares may be limited by restrictions on the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make distributions to us, including restrictions that may be imposed under the terms of the agreements governing our funds' and their portfolio companies' indebtedness. There is no assurance that future dividends will be paid, and if dividends are paid, there is no assurance with respect to the amount of any such dividend. See "Item 10. Additional Information-B. Memorandum and Articles of Association-Dividends and Capitalization of Profits."
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3
In the past, we identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and, if we fail to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately report our results of operations, meet our reporting obligations and/or prevent fraud.In the past, we have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, and we cannot provide assurance that significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting will not be identified in the future. In addition, if we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, as accounting standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. For further information, see "Item 15. Controls and Procedures-D. Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting." If we fail to maintain an effective internal control environment, we could suffer material misstatements in our financial statements, fail to meet our reporting obligations or fail to prevent fraud, which would likely cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information. This could, in turn, limit our access to capital markets, harm our results of operations, and lead to a decline in the trading price of our Class A common shares. 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 Nasdaq, regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions.
We are subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which requires, among other things, that we establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. Under the current rules of the SEC, we are required to perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal controls over financial reporting to allow management to assess their effectiveness. Our testing may in the future reveal deficiencies in our internal controls that are deemed to be material weaknesses or significant deficiencies and render our internal controls over financial reporting ineffective. If we or our management identifies material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be additional material weaknesses, the market price of our Class A common shares may decline and we may be subject to investigations or sanctions by the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or "FINRA," or other regulatory authorities as well as result in litigation.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4
The financial projections of our funds' portfolio companies as well as our own projections could prove inaccurate.The capital structure of a fund's portfolio company is generally set up at the time of the fund's investment in the portfolio company based on, among other factors, financial projects prepared by the portfolio company's management. These projected operating results will normally be based primarily on judgments of the management of the portfolio companies, which are also used as a basis for our own financial projections. In all cases, projections are only estimates of future results that are based upon assumptions made at the time that the projections are developed. General economic conditions, which are not predictable, along with other factors, may cause actual performance to fall short of such the financial projections. Because of the leverage we typically employ in our investments, this could cause a substantial decrease in the value of our equity holdings in the portfolio company. The inaccuracy of financial projections could thus cause our funds' performance as well as our own overall performance to fall short of our expectations.
Debt & Financing23 | 25.0%
Debt & Financing - Risk 1
We may need to raise additional capital in the future by issuing securities, use our Class A common shares as acquisition consideration, or enter into corporate transactions with an effect similar to a merger, which may dilute your interest in our share capital and affect the trading price of our Class A common shares.Changed
Debt & Financing - Risk 2
Our funds may be forced to dispose of investments at a disadvantageous time.Our funds may make investments of which they do not advantageously dispose of prior to the date the applicable fund is dissolved, either by expiration of such fund's term or otherwise. Although we generally expect that our funds will dispose of investments prior to dissolution or that investments will be suitable for in-kind distribution at dissolution, we may not be able to do so. The general partners of our funds have only a limited ability to extend the term of the fund with the consent of fund investors or the advisory board of the fund, as applicable, and therefore, we may be required to sell, distribute or otherwise dispose of investments at a disadvantageous time prior to dissolution. This would result in a lower than expected return on the investments and, perhaps, on the fund itself.
Debt & Financing - Risk 3
Investments by our funds in the power and energy industries may involve various operational, construction, regulatory and market risks.The development, operation and maintenance of power and energy generation facilities involves many risks, including, as applicable, labor issues, start-up risks, breakdown or failure of facilities, lack of sufficient capital to maintain the facilities and the dependence on a specific fuel source. Power and energy generation facilities in which our funds invest are also subject to risks associated with volatility in the price of fuel sources and the impact of unusual or adverse weather conditions or other natural events, as well as the risk of performance below expected levels of output, efficiency or reliability. The occurrence of any such items could result in lost revenues and/or increased expenses. In turn, such developments could impair a portfolio company's ability to repay its debt or conduct its operations. We may also choose or be required to decommission a power generation facility or other asset. The decommissioning process could be protracted and result in the occurrence of significant financial and/or regulatory obligations or other uncertainties.
Our power and energy sector portfolio companies may also face construction risks typical for power generation and related infrastructure businesses. Such developments could result in substantial unanticipated delays or expenses and, under certain circumstances, could prevent completion of construction activities once undertaken. Delays in the completion of any power project may result in lost revenues or increased expenses, including higher operation and maintenance costs related to such portfolio company.
The power and energy sectors are the subject of substantial and complex laws, rules and regulation by various federal and state regulatory agencies. Failure to comply with applicable laws, rules and regulations could result in the prevention of operation of certain facilities or the prevention of the sale of such a facility to a third party, as well as the loss of certain rate authority, refund liability, penalties and other remedies, all of which could result in additional costs to a portfolio company and adversely affect the investment results. Any governmental policy changes encouraging or discouraging resource extraction could have the effect of changing energy prices, which could have a negative impact on certain of our investments. In addition, in recent years, there has been an increased focus by investors and other market participants on energy sustainability and increased activism, including through divestment of existing investments, with respect to sustainability-focused investing by asset managers, which could have a negative impact on our ability to exit certain of our energy investments or adversely affect the expected returns of new investment opportunities.
Our businesses that invest in the energy industry also may focus on investments in businesses involved in oil and gas exploration and development, which can be a speculative business involving a high degree of risk, including: (1) the use of new technologies; (2) reliance on estimates of oil and gas reserves in the evaluation of available geological, geophysical, engineering and economic data for each reservoir; and (3) encountering unexpected formations or pressures, premature declines of reservoirs, blowouts, equipment failures and other accidents in completing wells and otherwise, cratering, sour gas releases, uncontrollable flows of oil, natural gas or well fluids, adverse weather conditions, pollution, fires, spills and other environmental risks.
In addition, the performance of the investments made by our credit and equity funds in the energy and natural resources markets are also subject to a high degree of market risk, as such investments are likely to be directly or indirectly substantially dependent upon prevailing prices of oil, natural gas and other commodities. Oil and natural gas prices are subject to wide fluctuation in response to factors beyond the control of us or our funds' portfolio companies, including relatively minor changes in the supply and demand for oil and natural gas, market uncertainty, the level of consumer product demand, weather conditions, climate initiatives, governmental regulation, the price and availability of alternative fuels, political and economic conditions in oil-producing countries, the supply of such commodities and overall domestic and foreign economic conditions. These factors make it difficult to predict future commodity price movements with any certainty.
Certain of our portfolio companies in the power and energy industries may enter into power purchase agreements, or "PPAs." Payments by power purchasers to our portfolio companies pursuant to their respective PPAs may provide the majority of such companies' cash flows. There can be no assurance that any or all of the power purchasers will fulfill their obligations under their PPAs or that a power purchaser will not become bankrupt or that upon any such bankruptcy its obligations under its respective PPA will not be rejected by a bankruptcy trustee. The failure of a power purchaser to fulfill its obligations under any PPA or the termination of any PPA may have a material adverse effect on the investment of any of our funds in a project that has such PPAs as the major provider of cash flows for that investment.
Finally, certain investments by our funds in the power and energy industries may be particularly sensitive to weather and climate conditions. For example, solar power generators rely on the frequency and intensity of sunlight, wind turbines rely on the frequency and intensity of the wind, and companies focused on biomass rely on the production of crops, which can be adversely affected by droughts and other weather conditions.
Debt & Financing - Risk 4
Investments in infrastructure, private equity, real estate and certain other assets may expose us to increased environmental liabilities that are inherent in the ownership of real assets.Ownership of real assets in our funds or vehicles may increase our risk of civil liability under environmental laws that impose, regardless of fault, joint and several liability for the cost of remediating contamination and compensation for damages. In addition, changes in environmental laws or regulations or the environmental condition of an investment may create liabilities that did not exist at the time of acquisition. Even in cases where we are indemnified by a seller against liabilities arising out of violations of environmental laws and regulations, there can be no assurance as to the financial viability of the seller to satisfy such indemnities or our ability to achieve enforcement of such indemnities.
This civil strict liability regime - that seeks recovery of environmental damage - is distinguished from administrative and criminal liabilities, which require identification of willful misconduct or fault and can result in sanctions by issuance of notices of violation by environmental agencies or conviction for environmental crime, briefly explained as follow. This means certain of our portfolio companies are subject to various federal, state and municipal laws and regulations relating to the protection of environment, including pollution, disposal of materials and chemical substances, protected areas, contamination of soil and groundwater, among other impacts to the environment. These laws and regulations are enforced by various governmental authorities.
Noncompliance with those laws and regulations may subject the violator to administrative and criminal sanctions, in addition to the obligation to repair or to pay damages caused to the environment and third parties. In this regard, we may be liable for violations by third parties hired to dispose of the waste of certain of our portfolio companies. Moreover, pursuant to Brazilian environmental laws and regulations, the piercing of the corporate veil of a company may occur in order to ensure enough financial resources for the recovery of damages caused against the environment under the civil liability regime.
Debt & Financing - Risk 5
Certain of our investment funds may invest in securities of companies that are experiencing significant financial or business difficulties, including companies involved in bankruptcy or other reorganization and liquidation proceedings. Such investments are subject to a greater risk of poor performance or loss.Certain of our investment funds may invest in business enterprises involved in workouts, liquidations, spinoffs, reorganizations, bankruptcies and similar transactions and may purchase high-risk receivables. An investment in such business enterprises entails the risk that the transaction in which such business enterprise is involved either will be unsuccessful, will take considerable time or will result in a distribution of cash or a new security the value of which will be less than the purchase price to the fund of the security or other financial instrument in respect of which such distribution is received. In addition, if an anticipated transaction does not in fact occur, the fund may be required to sell its investment at a loss. Investments in troubled companies may also be adversely affected by Brazilian laws relating to, among other things, fraudulent conveyances, voidable preferences, lender liability and a bankruptcy court's discretionary power to disallow, subordinate or disenfranchise particular claims. Investments in securities and private claims of troubled companies made in connection with an attempt to influence a restructuring proposal or plan of reorganization in a bankruptcy case may also involve substantial litigation. Because there is substantial uncertainty concerning the outcome of transactions involving financially troubled companies, there is a potential risk of loss by a fund of its entire investment in such company. Moreover, a major economic recession could have a materially adverse impact on the value of such securities. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may also decrease the value and liquidity of securities rated below investment grade or otherwise adversely affect our reputation.
Debt & Financing - Risk 6
Our infrastructure, private equity and real estate funds are subject to the risks inherent in the ownership and operation of infrastructure, private equity and real estate and the construction and development of infrastructure, private equity and real estate.Investments in our infrastructure, private equity and real estate funds will be subject to the risks inherent in the ownership and operation of infrastructure, private equity and real estate and real estate-related businesses and assets, including the deterioration of infrastructure, private equity and real estate fundamentals. These risks include but are not limited to, those associated with the burdens of ownership of real property, general and local economic conditions, changes in the supply of and demand for competing properties in an area (as a result, for instance, of overbuilding), fluctuations in the average occupancy and room rates for hotel properties, operating income, the financial resources of tenants, changes in building, environmental, zoning and other laws, casualty or condemnation losses, energy and supply shortages, various uninsured or uninsurable risks, natural disasters, changes in government regulations (such as rent control or operational licenses), changes in real property tax rates, changes in income tax rates, changes in interest rates, the reduced availability of mortgage funds which may render the sale or refinancing of properties difficult or impracticable, increased mortgage defaults, increases in borrowing rates, changes to the taxation of business entities and the deductibility of corporate interest expense or other applicable tax exemptions or benefits, negative developments in the economy that depress travel activity, environmental liabilities, contingent liabilities on disposition of assets, acts of god, terrorist attacks, war, climate change and other factors that are beyond our control. Risks from climate change include both (1) physical risks, such as rise in temperature, sea-level rise, changes in precipitation patterns, fluctuations in water levels or more frequent occurrence of extreme temperatures, droughts or other extreme meteorological phenomena, such as cyclones or hurricanes and (2) transitional risks, such as changes in laws, regulations, policies, obligations, social attitudes and customer preferences relating to the transition to a lower-carbon economy, which could adversely impact our business and prospects. In addition, if our infrastructure, private equity and real estate funds acquire direct or indirect interests in undeveloped land or underdeveloped real property, which may often be non-income producing, they will be subject to the risks normally associated with such assets and development activities, including risks relating to the availability and timely receipt of zoning and other regulatory or environmental approvals and licenses, the cost and timely completion of construction (including risks beyond the control of our fund, such as weather or labor conditions or material shortages) and the availability of both construction and permanent financing on favorable terms. In addition, our real estate funds may also make investments in real estate projects and/or otherwise participate in financing opportunities relating to residential real estate assets or portfolios thereof from time to time, which may be more highly susceptible to adverse changes in prevailing economic and/or market conditions and present additional risks relative to the ownership and operation of commercial infrastructure, private equity or real estate assets.
Debt & Financing - Risk 7
Risk management activities may adversely affect the return on our funds' investments.When managing our exposure to market risks, we may (on our own behalf or on behalf of our funds) from time to time determine to use forward contracts, options, swaps, caps, collars and floors or pursue other strategies or use other forms of derivative instruments to limit our exposure to changes in the relative values of investments that may result from market developments, including changes in prevailing interest rates, currency exchange rates and commodity prices. We are exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and we may enter into derivatives transactions to manage our exposure to exchange rate risk from time to time. The success of any hedging or other derivative transactions generally will depend on our ability to correctly predict market changes, the degree of correlation between price movements of a derivative instrument, the position being hedged, the creditworthiness of the counterparty and other factors. As a result, while we may enter into a transaction in order to reduce our exposure to market risks, the transaction may result in poorer overall investment performance than if it had not been executed. Such transactions may also limit the opportunity for gain if the value of a hedged position increases.
While such hedging arrangements may reduce certain risks, such arrangements themselves may entail certain other risks. These arrangements may require the posting of cash collateral at a time when a fund has insufficient cash or illiquid assets such that the posting of the cash is either impossible or requires the sale of assets at prices that do not reflect their underlying value. Moreover, these hedging arrangements may generate significant transaction costs, including potential tax costs, that reduce the returns generated by a fund. Finally, regulatory agencies may in the future require certain foreign exchange products to be subject to mandatory clearing, which could increase the cost of entering into currency hedges.
Debt & Financing - Risk 8
Third-party investors in our investment funds with commitment-based structures may not satisfy their contractual obligation to fund capital calls when requested by us, which could adversely affect a fund's operations and performance.Investors in all of our funds make capital commitments to those funds that we are entitled to call from those investors at any time during prescribed periods. We depend on investors fulfilling their commitments when we call capital from them in order for those funds to consummate investments and otherwise pay their obligations (for example, management fees) when due. A default by an investor may also limit a fund's availability to incur borrowings and avail itself of what would otherwise have been available credit. We have not had investors fail to honor capital calls to any meaningful extent. Any investor that did not fund a capital call would generally be subject to several possible penalties, including having a significant amount of its existing investment forfeited in that fund. However, the impact of the forfeiture penalty is directly correlated to the amount of capital previously invested by the investor in the fund and if an investor has invested little or no capital, for instance, early in the life of the fund, then the forfeiture penalty may not be as meaningful. Third-party investors in private equity, infrastructure, credit and real estate funds typically use distributions from prior investments to meet future capital calls. In cases where valuations of investors' existing investments fall and the pace of distributions slows, investors may be unable to make new commitments to third-party managed investment funds such as those advised by us. If investors were to fail to satisfy a significant amount of capital calls for any particular fund or funds, the operation and performance of those funds could be materially and adversely affected.
Debt & Financing - Risk 9
Investors in our open-ended funds may redeem their investments in these funds. In addition, the investment management agreements that may be offered by us related to separately managed accounts may permit the investor to terminate our management of such account on short notice. Lastly, investors in our other investment funds have the right to cause these investment funds to be dissolved. Any of these events would lead to a decrease in our revenues, which could be substantial.Investors in certain of our credit and public equities funds may generally redeem their investments on a periodic basis subject to the applicable fund's specific redemption provisions. In a declining market some of these funds may experience declines in value, and the pace of redemptions and consequent reduction in our assets under management could accelerate. Such declines in value may be both provoked and exacerbated by margin calls and forced selling of assets. To the extent appropriate and permissible under a fund's constituent documents, we may limit or suspend redemptions during a redemption period, which may have a reputational impact on us. The decrease in revenues that would result from significant redemptions in such funds could have a material adverse effect on our business, revenues, net income and cash flows.
We currently manage a portion of investor assets through separately managed accounts whereby we may earn management and/or incentive fees, and we intend to continue to seek additional separately managed account mandates. The investment management agreements we enter into in connection with managing separately managed accounts on behalf of certain clients may be terminated by such clients.
The governing agreements of many of our investment funds provide that, subject to certain conditions, third party investors in those funds have the right to remove the general partner of the fund or to accelerate the termination date of the investment fund without cause by a specified percentage vote, resulting in a reduction in management fees we would earn from such investment funds and a significant reduction in the amounts of performance allocations and incentive fees from those funds. Performance allocations and incentive fees could be significantly reduced as a result of our inability to maximize the value of investments by an investment fund during the liquidation process or in the event of the triggering of a "clawback" obligation. In addition, the governing agreements of most of our investment funds, such as limited partnership agreements and private placement memoranda, provide that in the event certain "key persons" in our investment funds do not meet specified time commitments with regard to managing the fund, then investors in certain funds have the right to vote to terminate the investment period by a specified percentage vote in accordance with specified procedures or accelerate the withdrawal of their capital on an investor-by-investor basis, or the fund's investment period will automatically terminate and a specified percentage vote of investors is required to restart it. In addition to having a significant negative impact on our revenue, net income and cash flow, the occurrence of such an event with respect to any of our investment funds would likely result in significant reputational damage to us.
Debt & Financing - Risk 10
Investments by our investment funds will in many cases rank junior to investments made by others.In most cases, the companies in which our investment funds invest will have indebtedness or equity securities, or may be permitted to incur indebtedness or to issue equity securities, that rank senior to our investment. By their terms, such instruments may provide that their holders are entitled to receive payments of dividends, interest or principal on or before the dates on which payments are to be made in respect of our investment. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a company in which an investment is made, holders of securities ranking senior to our investment would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before distributions could be made in respect of our investment. After repaying senior security holders, the Company may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying amounts owed in respect of our investment. To the extent that any assets remain, holders of claims that rank equally with our investment would be entitled to share on an equal and ratable basis in distributions that are made out of those assets. Also, during periods of financial distress or following an insolvency, the ability of our investment funds to influence a company's affairs and to take actions to protect their investments may be substantially less than that of the senior creditors.
Debt & Financing - Risk 11
Our investments in prospective portfolio companies may be risky, and you could lose all or part of your investment.We are guided in our strategic efforts by our investment focus, which is to acquire control or joint control equity investments in medium to large Latin American companies that require change. Overleveraged, distressed, underperforming or small regional or family-owned situations will also be considered. Such businesses will be subject to increased exposure to adverse economic factors such as a significant rise in local interest rates, a severe downturn in the relevant country's economy or deterioration in the condition of such portfolio company or its industry. In the event that such portfolio company is unable to generate sufficient cash flow to meet principal and interest payments on its indebtedness, the value of our equity investment in such portfolio company could be significantly reduced or even eliminated. Unfavorable economic conditions also could increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us. These events could prevent us from increasing investments and harm our operating results.
An investment strategy focused primarily on privately held companies presents certain challenges, including the lack of available information about these companies, a dependence on the talents and efforts of only a few key portfolio company personnel and a greater vulnerability to economic downturns.
Generally, little public information exists about privately held companies, and we will be required to rely on the ability of our investment professionals to obtain adequate information to evaluate the potential returns from investing in these companies. If we are unable to uncover all material information about these companies, we may not make a fully informed investment decision, and we may lose money on our investments. Also, privately held companies frequently have less diverse product lines and smaller market presence than larger competitors. These factors could affect our investment returns.
In addition, while it is not our intended investment focus, we may in the future purchase interests in companies that we do not control, including joint ventures and minority interests in such companies. Such purchases would be subject to risk we could not control.
Debt & Financing - Risk 12
Our investment funds may make investments in companies that we do not control.Investments by certain of our investment funds may include debt instruments and equity securities of companies that we do not control. Such investments will be subject to the risk that the Company in which the investment is made may make business, financial or management decisions with which we do not agree or that the majority stakeholders or the management of the Company may take risks or otherwise act in a manner that does not serve our interests. In addition, to the extent we hold only a minority equity interest in a company, we may lack affirmative control rights, which may diminish our ability to influence the Company's affairs in a manner intended to enhance the value of our investment in the Company, including with respect to the form and timing of an exit. If any of the foregoing were to occur, the values of investments by our investment funds could decrease and our financial condition, results of operations and cash flow could suffer as a result.
Debt & Financing - Risk 13
Interest rates on our and our portfolio companies' outstanding financial instruments might be subject to change based on regulatory developments, which could adversely affect our revenue, expenses and the value of those financial instruments.LIBOR and certain other floating rate benchmark indices, including, without limitation, the Euro Interbank Offered Rate, Tokyo Interbank Offered Rate, Hong Kong Interbank Offered Rate and Singapore Interbank Offered Rate, or collectively, "IBORs" are the subject of recent national, international and regulatory guidance and proposals for reform. On March 5, 2021, these reforms and other pressures caused the ICE Benchmark Administration, or the "IBA," the administrator of LIBOR, to announce that it will cease publication of certain types of LIBOR after December 31, 2021. The United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority, or the "FCA," which regulates LIBOR, separately announced its intention to use new powers under the UK version of the Benchmarks Regulation to require continued publication of certain types of LIBOR on a synthetic basis under the end of 2022. The purpose of synthetic LIBOR is to enable parties to continue to use LIBOR in certain legacy contracts for a limited period. 1-month and 6-month synthetic sterling LIBOR ceased permanently at the end of March 2023. In November 2022, the FCA announced that will use its powers to compel publication of 3-month synthetic sterling LIBOR until the end of March 2024, after which it will cease permanently. In April 2023, the FCA announced that will require IBA to publish synthetic USD LIBOR for each of the 1-, 3- and 6-month tenors until 30 September 2024. Regulators, industry groups and certain committees, such as the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, or "ARRC," have, among other things, published recommended fallback language for LIBOR-linked financial instruments, identified recommended alternatives for certain LIBOR rates, such as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, or "SOFR," as the recommended alternative to U.S. Dollar LIBOR, and proposed implementations of the recommended alternatives in floating rate financial instruments.
In addition, meaningful time and effort is required to transition to the use of new benchmark rates, including with respect to the negotiation and implementation of any necessary changes to existing contractual arrangements and the implementation of changes to our systems and processes. We are actively evaluating the operational and other impacts of such changes and managing transition efforts accordingly.
It is currently unknown the extent to which these recommendations and proposals will be broadly accepted, whether they will continue to evolve, and what the effect of their implementation may be on the markets for floating-rate financial instruments. At this time, it is not possible to predict the effect that these developments or any discontinuance, modification or other reforms may have on LIBOR, other benchmarks or floating-rate debt instruments, including our floating-rate debt. Any such discontinuance, modification, alternative reference rates or other reforms may materially adversely affect market rates of interest and the value of securities and other financial arrangements. These uncertainties, proposals and actions to resolve them, and their ultimate resolution also could negatively impact our funding costs, loan and other asset values, asset-liability management strategies, and other aspects of our business and financial results. As a result, interest rates on financial instruments tied to LIBOR rates, including those where we or our funds are exposed as lender or borrower, as well as the revenue and expenses associated with those financial instruments, may be adversely affected. No assurance can be provided that the uncertainties around the transition from LIBOR or their resolution will not adversely affect such financial instruments.
Debt & Financing - Risk 14
Our asset management business depends in large part on our ability to raise capital from third-party investors. A failure to raise capital from third-party investors on attractive fee terms or at all, would impact our ability to collect management fees or deploy such capital into investments and potentially collect performance allocations, which would materially reduce our revenue and cash flow and adversely affect our financial condition.Our ability to raise capital from third-party investors depends on a number of factors, including certain factors that are outside our control. Certain factors, such as the performance of the stock market and the asset allocation rules or investment policies to which such third-party investors are subject, could inhibit or restrict the ability of third-party investors to make investments in our investment funds or the asset classes in which our investment funds invest. In addition, volatility in the valuations of investments, has in the past and may in the future affect our ability to raise capital from third-party investors. To the extent periods of volatility are coupled with a lack of realizations from investors' existing private equity, infrastructure, credit and real estate portfolios, such investors may be left with disproportionately outsized remaining commitments to a number of investment funds, which significantly limits such investors' ability to make new commitments to third-party managed investment funds such as those managed by us.
Our ability to raise new funds could similarly be hampered if the general appeal of private equity and other alternative investments were to decline. An investment in a limited partner interest in a private equity fund is more illiquid and the returns on such investment may be more volatile than an investment in securities for which there is a more active and transparent market. In periods of positive markets and low volatility, for example, investors may favor passive investment strategies such as index funds over our actively managed investment vehicles. Alternative investments could also fall into disfavor as a result of concerns about liquidity and short-term performance. Such concerns could be exhibited, in particular, by public pension funds, which have historically been among the largest investors in alternative assets. Many public pension funds are significantly underfunded and their funding problems have been, and may in the future be, exacerbated by an economic downturn and/or governmental policies or measures. Concerns with liquidity could cause such public pension funds to reevaluate the appropriateness of alternative investments. Although a number of investors, including certain public pension funds, have increased their allocations to the alternative investments asset class in recent years, there is no assurance that this will continue or that our ability to raise capital from investors will not be hampered.
Moreover, certain institutional investors are demonstrating a preference to in-source their own investment professionals and to make direct investments in alternative assets without the assistance of private equity advisers like us. Such institutional investors may become our competitors and could cease to be our clients. As some existing investors cease or significantly curtail making commitments to alternative investment funds, we may need to identify and attract new investors in order to maintain or increase the size of our investment funds. There are no assurances that we can find or secure commitments from those new investors or that the fee terms of the commitments from such new investors will be consistent with the fees historically paid to us by our investors. If economic conditions were to deteriorate or if we are unable to find new investors, we might raise less than our desired amount for a given fund. Further, as we seek to expand into other asset classes, we may be unable to raise a sufficient amount of capital to adequately support such businesses. A failure to successfully raise capital could materially reduce our revenue and cash flow and adversely affect our financial condition.
In connection with raising new funds or making further investments in existing funds, we negotiate terms for such funds and investments with existing and potential investors. The outcome of such negotiations could result in our agreement to terms that are materially less favorable to us than for prior funds we have managed or funds managed by our competitors, including with respect to management fees, incentive fees and/or performance fees, which could have an adverse impact on our revenues. Such terms could also restrict our ability to raise investment funds with investment objectives or strategies that compete with existing funds, add additional expenses and obligations for us in managing the fund or increase our potential liabilities, all of which could ultimately reduce our revenues. In addition, certain institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds and public pension funds, have demonstrated an increased preference for alternatives to the traditional investment fund structure, such as managed accounts, smaller funds and co-investment vehicles. There can be no assurance that such alternatives will be as profitable for us as the traditional investment fund structure, or as to the impact such a trend could have on the cost of our operations or profitability if we were to implement these alternative investment structures. In addition, certain institutional investors have publicly criticized certain fund fee and expense structures, including management fees and transaction and advisory fees. Although we have no obligation to modify any of our fees with respect to our existing funds, we may experience pressure to do so in our funds. For example, we have confronted and expect to continue to confront requests from a variety of investors and groups representing investors to decrease fees, which could result in a reduction in the fees and performance allocations and incentive fees we earn.
Debt & Financing - Risk 15
Poor performance of our investment funds would cause a decline in our revenue, income and cash flow, may obligate us to repay performance allocations previously paid to us, and could adversely affect our ability to raise capital for future investment funds.In the event that any of our investment funds were to perform poorly, our revenue, income and cash flow would decline because the value of our assets under management would decrease, which would result in a reduction in management fees, and our investment returns would decrease, resulting in a reduction in the performance allocations and incentive fees we earn. Moreover, we could experience losses on our investments of our own principal as a result of poor investment performance by our investment funds. Furthermore, if, as a result of poor performance of later investments in a carry fund's life, the fund does not achieve certain investment returns for the fund over its life, we will be obligated to repay the amount by which performance allocations that were previously distributed to us exceed the amount to which the relevant general partner is ultimately entitled.
Poor performance of our investment funds could make it more difficult for us to raise new capital. Investors in funds might decline to invest in future investment funds we raise and investors in hedge funds or other investment funds might withdraw their investments as a result of poor performance of the investment funds in which they are invested. Investors and potential investors in our funds continually assess our investment funds' performance, and our ability to raise capital for existing and future investment funds and avoid excessive redemption levels will depend on our investment funds' continued satisfactory performance. Accordingly, poor fund performance may deter future investment in our funds and thereby decrease the capital invested in our funds and ultimately, our management fee revenue. Alternatively, in the face of poor fund performance, investors could demand lower fees or fee concessions for existing or future funds which would likewise decrease our revenue.
Debt & Financing - Risk 16
The due diligence process that we undertake in connection with investments by our investment funds may not reveal all facts and issues that may be relevant in connection with an investment.When evaluating a potential business or asset for investment, we conduct due diligence that we deem reasonable and appropriate based on the facts and circumstances applicable to such investment. When conducting due diligence, we may be required to evaluate important and complex issues, including but not limited to those related to business, financial, credit risk, tax, accounting, ESG, legal and regulatory and macroeconomic trends. With respect to ESG, the nature and scope of our diligence will vary based on the investment, but may include a review of, among other things: air and water pollution, diversity, employee health and safety, accounting standards and bribery and corruption. Outside consultants, legal advisers, accountants and investment banks may be involved in the due diligence process in varying degrees depending on the type of investment. The due diligence investigation that we will carry out with respect to any investment opportunity may not reveal or highlight all relevant facts (including fraud) or risks that may be necessary or helpful in evaluating such investment opportunity and we may not identify or foresee future developments that could have a material adverse effect on an investment, including, for example, potential factors, such as technological disruption of a specific company or asset, or an entire industry. Further, some matters covered by our diligence, such as ESG, are continuously evolving and we may not accurately or fully anticipate such evolution. In addition, when conducting due diligence on investments, including with respect to investments made by our funds, we rely on the resources available to us and information supplied by third parties, including information provided by the target of the investment. The information we receive from third parties may not be accurate or complete and therefore we may not have all the relevant facts and information necessary to properly assess and monitor our funds' investment.
Debt & Financing - Risk 17
The historical returns attributable to our funds should not be considered as indicative of the future results of our funds or of our future results or of any returns expected on an investment in Class A common shares.The historical and potential future returns of the investment funds that we manage are not directly linked to returns on our Class A common shares. Therefore, any continued positive performance of the investment funds that we manage will not necessarily result in positive returns on an investment in our Class A common shares. However, poor performance of the investment funds that we manage would cause a decline in our revenue from such investment funds, and would therefore have a negative effect on our performance and in all likelihood the returns on an investment in our Class A common shares.
Moreover, with respect to the historical returns of our investment funds:
- we may create new funds in the future that reflect a different asset mix and different investment strategies, as well as a varied geographic and industry exposure as compared to our present funds, and any such new funds could have different returns from our existing or previous funds;- despite periods of volatility, market conditions have been largely favorable in recent years, which has helped to generate positive performance, particularly in our private equity, infrastructure, credit and real estate businesses, but there can be no assurance that such conditions will repeat or that our current or future investment funds will avail themselves of comparable market conditions;- the rates of returns of our carry funds reflect unrealized gains as of the applicable measurement date that may never be realized, which may adversely affect the ultimate value realized from those funds' investments;- competition for investment opportunities resulting from, among other things, the increased amount of capital invested in alternative investment funds continues to increase;- our investment funds' returns in some years benefited from investment opportunities and general market conditions that may not repeat themselves, our current or future investment funds might not be able to avail themselves of comparable investment opportunities or market conditions, and the circumstances under which our current or future funds may make future investments may differ significantly from those conditions prevailing in the past;- newly established funds may generate lower returns during the period in which they initially deploy their capital; and - the rates of return reflect our historical cost structure, which may vary in the future due to various factors elsewhere in this annual report and other factors beyond our control, including changes in laws.
The future internal rate of return for any current or future fund may vary considerably from the historical internal rate of return generated by any particular fund, or for our funds as a whole. In addition, future returns will be affected by the applicable risks described elsewhere in annual report, including risks of the industries and businesses in which a particular fund invests.
Debt & Financing - Risk 18
We may use borrowings to finance our business, exposing us to risks.We may use borrowings to finance our business operations in the future. Although we do not have any outstanding indebtedness as of the date of this annual report, we may enter in the future into facility agreements, issue notes, or enter into other financing arrangements, each of which could result in higher costs. We may also issue equity, which would dilute existing shareholders. Further, we may choose to repay any future borrowings using cash on hand, cash provided by our continuing operations or cash from the sale of our assets, each of which could reduce the amount of cash available to facilitate the growth and expansion of our businesses and pay dividends to our shareholders and operating expenses and other obligations as they arise. In order to obtain any future borrowings, we depend on the willingness and ability of financial institutions such as global banks to extend credit to us on favorable terms, and on our ability to access the debt and equity capital markets, which can be volatile. There is no guarantee that such financial institutions will extend credit to us or that we will be able to access the capital markets to obtain borrowings.
Debt & Financing - Risk 19
Valuation methodologies for certain assets in our funds can be subject to significant subjectivity and the fair value of assets established pursuant to such methodologies may never be realized, which could result in significant losses for our funds and the reduction of performance revenues.Our investment funds make investments in illiquid investments or financial instruments for which there is little, if any, market activity. We determine the value of such investments and financial instruments based on the fair value of such investments. The fair value of such investments and financial instruments is generally determined using a primary methodology and corroborated by a secondary methodology. Methodologies are used on a consistent basis and described in the investment funds' valuation policies.
The determination of fair value using these methodologies takes into consideration a range of factors including, but not limited to, the price at which the investment was acquired, the nature of the investment, local market conditions, trading values on public exchanges for comparable securities, current and projected operating performance and financing transactions subsequent to the acquisition of the investment. These valuation methodologies involve a significant degree of management judgment. For example, as to investments that we share with another sponsor, we may apply a different valuation methodology than the other sponsor does or derive a different value than the other sponsor has derived on the same investment. These differences might cause some investors to question our valuations.
Because there is significant uncertainty in the valuation of, or in the stability of the value of, illiquid investments, the fair values of such investments as reflected in an investment fund's net asset value do not necessarily reflect the prices that would actually be obtained by us on behalf of the investment fund when such investments are realized. Realizations at values significantly lower than the values at which investments have been reflected in prior fund net asset values would result in reduced gains or losses for the applicable fund, a decline in certain asset management fees and the reduction in potential performance allocations and incentive fees. Changes in values of investments from quarter to quarter may result in volatility in our investment funds' net asset value, our investment in, or fees from, those funds and the results of operations and cash flow that we report from period to period. Further, a situation where asset values turn out to be materially different than values reflected in prior fund net asset values could cause investors to lose confidence in us, which would in turn result in difficulty in raising additional funds or redemptions from our hedge funds.
Debt & Financing - Risk 20
Conflicts of interest may arise in our allocation of co-investment opportunities.Potential conflicts will arise with respect to our decisions regarding how to allocate co-investment opportunities among investors and the terms of any such co-investments. As a general matter, our allocation of co-investment opportunities is within our discretion and there can be no assurance that co-investment opportunities of any particular type or amount will become available to any of our investors. We may take into account a variety of factors and considerations we deem relevant in allocating co-investment opportunities, including, without limitation, whether a potential co-investor has expressed an interest in evaluating co-investment opportunities, our assessment of a potential co-investor's ability to invest an amount of capital that fits the needs of the investment and our assessment of a potential co-investor's ability to commit to a co-investment opportunity within the required time frame of the particular transaction.
The investment advisers of our funds may have an incentive to provide potential co-investment opportunities to certain investors in lieu of others and/or in lieu of an allocation to our funds (including, for example, as part of an investor's overall strategic relationship with us) if such allocations are expected to generate relatively greater fees or performance allocations to us than would arise if such co-investment opportunities were allocated otherwise.
Co-investment arrangements may be structured through one or more of our investment vehicles, and in such circumstances co-investors will generally bear the costs and expenses thereof (which may lead to conflicts of interest regarding the allocation of costs and expenses between such co-investors and investors in our funds). The terms of any such existing and future co-investment vehicles may differ materially, and in some instances may be more favorable to us, than the terms of certain of our funds or prior co-investment vehicles, and such different terms may create an incentive for us to allocate a greater or lesser percentage of an investment opportunity to such co-investment vehicles. There can be no assurance that any conflicts of interest will be resolved in favor of any particular investment funds or investors (including any applicable co-investors).
Debt & Financing - Risk 21
Our failure to deal appropriately with conflicts of interest in our investment business could damage our reputation and adversely affect our businesses.As we have expanded and as we continue to expand the number and scope of our businesses, we increasingly confront potential conflicts of interest relating to our funds' investment activities. Investment manager conflicts of interest continue to be a significant area of focus for regulators and the media. Because of our size and the variety of businesses and investment strategies that we pursue, we may face a higher degree of scrutiny compared with investment managers that are smaller or focus on fewer asset classes. Certain of our funds may have overlapping investment objectives, including funds that have different fee structures and/or investment strategies that are more narrowly focused, and potential conflicts may arise with respect to allocation of investment opportunities among those funds to the extent the fund documents do not mandate a specific investment allocation. For example, we may allocate an investment opportunity that is appropriate for two or more investment funds in a manner that excludes one or more funds or results in a disproportionate allocation based on factors or criteria that we determine, such as the sourcing of the transaction, the specific nature of the investment or the size and type of the investment, among other factors.
We may also decide to provide a co-investment opportunity to certain investors in lieu of allocating a piece of the investment to our funds. In addition, the challenge of allocating investment opportunities to certain funds may be exacerbated as we expand our business to include more lines of business, including more public vehicles. Allocating investment opportunities appropriately frequently involves significant and subjective judgments. The risk that fund investors could challenge allocation decisions as inconsistent with our obligations under applicable law, governing fund agreements or our own policies cannot be eliminated. In addition, the perception of noncompliance with such requirements or policies could harm our reputation with fund investors.
We may also cause different funds to invest in a single portfolio company, for example, where the fund that made an initial investment no longer has capital available to invest. We may also cause different funds that we manage to purchase different classes of securities in the same portfolio company. A decision to acquire material nonpublic information about a company while pursuing an investment opportunity for a particular fund gives rise to a potential conflict of interest when it results in our having to restrict the ability of other funds to take any action. Our affiliates may be service providers or counterparties to our funds or portfolio companies and receive fees or other compensation for services that are not shared with our fund investors. In such instances, we may be incentivized to cause our funds or portfolio companies to purchase such services from our affiliates rather than an unaffiliated service provider despite the fact that a third-party service provider could potentially provide higher-quality services or offer them at a lower cost. In addition, conflicts of interest may exist in the valuation of our investments and regarding decisions about the allocation of specific investment and co-investment opportunities among us, our funds and our affiliates, as well as the allocation of fees and expenses among us, our funds and their portfolio companies, and our affiliates. Lastly, in certain, infrequent instances we may purchase an investment alongside one of our investment funds or sell an investment to one of our investment funds and conflicts may arise in respect of the allocation, pricing and timing of such investments and the ultimate disposition of such investments. A failure to appropriately deal with these, among other, conflicts, could negatively impact our reputation and ability to raise additional funds or result in potential litigation or regulatory action against us.
Debt & Financing - Risk 22
An increase in interest rates and other changes in the debt financing markets could negatively impact the ability of our funds and their portfolio companies to obtain attractive financing or refinancing and could increase the cost of such financing if it is obtained, which could lead to lower-yielding investments and potentially decrease our net income.Our business and the businesses of the companies in which we invest are materially affected by changes in interest rates and other changes affecting the debt financing markets throughout the world. A period of sharply rising interest rates could create downward pressure on the price of real estate, increase the cost and availability of debt financing for the transactions our funds pursue and decrease the value of fixed-rate debt investments made by our funds, each of which may have an adverse impact on our business. In addition, a significant contraction or weakening in the market for debt financing or other adverse change relating to the terms of debt financing (such as, for example, higher equity requirements and/or more restrictive covenants), particularly in the area of acquisition financings for private equity and real estate transactions, could have a material adverse impact on our business. For example, a portion of the indebtedness used to finance certain fund investments often includes high-yield debt securities issued in the capital markets. Availability of capital from the high-yield debt markets is subject to significant volatility as well as to sharp changes in interest rates, and there may be times when our funds or their portfolio companies might not be able to access those markets at attractive rates, or at all, when completing an investment.
During 2022 and until the date hereof, the global markets have experienced significant increases in interest rates, which impact the interest rates applicable to public and private debt financings. In addition, adverse developments that affect financial institutions, such as events involving liquidity that are rumored or actual, have in the past and may in the future lead to bank failures and market-wide liquidity problems. For example, on March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank ("SVB") was closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") as receiver. Similarly, on March 12, 2023, Signature Bank and Silvergate Capital Corp. were each swept into receivership. The results of events or concerns that involve one or more of these factors could include a variety of material and adverse impacts on our ability to obtain financing, and on our current and projected business operations and our financial condition and results of operations. Any instability in the banking and financing markets could limit the availability of funds for financing activities or result in less favorable commercial financing terms, including higher interest rates or costs and tighter financial and operating covenants, or systemic limitations on access to credit and liquidity sources, thereby making it more difficult for us to acquire financing on acceptable terms or at all. An increase in interest rates may also adversely impact the profitability and return on projects we consider, and may cause us to decide not to pursue certain business opportunities.
If our funds are unable to obtain committed debt financing for potential acquisitions, can only obtain debt financing at an increased interest rate or on unfavorable terms or if the ability to deduct corporate interest expense is substantially limited, our funds may face increased competition from strategic buyers of assets who may have an overall lower cost of capital or the ability to benefit from a higher amount of cost savings following an acquisition, or may have difficulty completing otherwise profitable acquisitions or may generate profits that are lower than would otherwise be the case, each of which could lead to a decrease in our revenues. In addition, rising interest rates, coupled with periods of significant equity and credit market volatility may potentially make it more difficult for us to find attractive opportunities for our funds to exit and realize value from their existing investments.
Our funds' portfolio companies also regularly utilize the corporate debt markets in order to obtain financing for their operations. To the extent monetary policy, tax or other regulatory changes or difficult credit markets render such financing difficult to obtain, more expensive or otherwise less attractive, this may also negatively impact the financial results of those portfolio companies and, therefore, the investment returns on our funds. In addition, to the extent that market conditions and/or tax or other regulatory changes make it difficult or impossible to refinance debt that is maturing in the near term, some of our funds' portfolio companies may be unable to repay such debt at maturity and may be forced to sell assets, undergo a recapitalization or seek bankruptcy protection.
Debt & Financing - Risk 23
We may, in our sole discretion, decrease the percentage or amount of fees paid by the funds directly or indirectly to us, or even fully waive the payment of such fees for a determined period of time or until the maturity of our funds. If we determine to decrease or waive such fees or otherwise alter our current fee structure, our profit margins and results of operations could be adversely affected.Our profit margins and net income are dependent in significant part on our ability to maintain current fee levels for the products and services that our asset managers offer, and in particular, on our funds' receipt of asset and performance-based fees, which may vary substantially from year to year. There has been a trend toward lower fees in many segments of the asset management industry, there is fee pressure in many portions of the active equity and fixed income industry, driven in part by inflows into low-fee passive asset management products, and we face continued market pressure with respect to fee levels for many products. In addition, in the ordinary course of our business, we may, in our sole discretion, decrease the percentage or amount of fees paid by our funds directly or indirectly to us, and may also fully waive the payment of such fees, or limit total expenses, on certain products or services for a determined period of time or until the maturity of our funds, to manage fund expenses, or for other reasons, and to help retain or increase managed assets. Although we have no obligation to modify any of our fees with respect to our existing funds, we have experienced and may continue to experience pressure to do so. More recently, institutional investors have been increasing pressure to reduce management and investment fees charged by external managers, whether through direct reductions, deferrals, rebates or other means. In addition, we may be asked by investors to waive or defer fees for various reasons, including during economic downturns or as a result of poor performance of our funds. No assurances can be given that we will be able to maintain our current fee structure. Competition could lead to our asset managers reducing the fees that they charge their clients for products and services. See "-The asset management business is subject to substantial and increasingly intense competition." In addition, our asset managers may be required to reduce their fee levels, or restructure the fees they charge, because of, among other things, regulatory initiatives or proceedings that are either industry-wide or specifically targeted, or court decisions. A reduction in the fees that our asset managers charge for their products and services will reduce our revenues and could reduce our net income. These factors also could inhibit our ability to increase fees for certain products.
Our AUM can generate very different revenues per dollar of managed assets based on factors such as the type of asset managed (alternative assets and equity assets generally produce greater revenues than fixed income assets), the type of client (institutional clients generally pay lower fees than other clients), the type of asset management product or service provided and the fee schedule of the asset manager providing the service. A shift in the mix of our AUM from higher revenue-generating assets to lower revenue-generating assets may result in a decrease in our revenues even if our aggregate level of AUM remains unchanged or increases. Products that use fee structures based on investment performance may also vary significantly from period to period, depending on the investment performance of the particular product. No assurances can be given that our funds will be able to maintain current fee structures or levels. A decrease in our revenues, without a commensurate reduction in expenses, will reduce our net income.
Corporate Activity and Growth7 | 7.6%
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1
If we cannot make the necessary investments to keep pace with rapid developments and change in our industry, the use of our services could decline, reducing our revenues.Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2
If we are unable to consummate or successfully integrate additional development opportunities, acquisitions or joint ventures, we may not be able to implement our growth strategy successfully.Our growth strategy is based, in part, on the selective development or acquisition of asset management portfolios, businesses or other businesses complementary to our business where we think we can add substantial value or generate substantial returns in Brazil, Chile and in certain countries of Latin America. The success of this strategy will depend on, among other things: (1) the availability of suitable opportunities, (2) the level of competition from other companies that may have greater financial resources, (3) our ability to value potential development or acquisition opportunities accurately and negotiate acceptable terms for those opportunities, (4) our ability to obtain requisite approvals and licenses from the relevant governmental authorities and to comply with applicable laws and regulations without incurring undue costs and delays and (5) our ability to identify and enter into mutually beneficial relationships with venture partners. Moreover, even if we are able to identify and successfully complete an acquisition, we may encounter unexpected difficulties or incur unexpected costs associated with integrating and overseeing the operations of the new businesses. If we are not successful in implementing our growth strategy, our business, financial results and the market price for our Class A common shares may be adversely affected.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 3
Our organizational documents do not limit our ability to enter into new lines of businesses, and we may expand into new investment strategies, geographic markets and businesses, each of which may result in additional risks and uncertainties in our businesses.Our plan, to the extent that market conditions permit, is to continue to grow our investment businesses and expand into new investment strategies, geographic markets and businesses. Our organizational documents do not limit us to investment management businesses. Accordingly, we have pursued and may continue to pursue growth through acquisitions of asset managers and other investment management companies, acquisitions of critical business partners, or other strategic initiatives. To the extent we make strategic investments or acquisitions, undertake other strategic initiatives or enter into a new line of business, we will face numerous risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with (1) the required investment of capital and other resources, (2) the possibility that we have insufficient expertise to engage in such activities profitably or without incurring inappropriate amounts of risk, (3) the diversion of management's attention from our core businesses, (4) assumption of liabilities in any acquired business, (5) the disruption of our ongoing businesses, (6) the increasing demands on or issues related to the combining or integrating operational and management systems and controls, (7) compliance with additional regulatory requirements and (8) the broadening of our geographic footprint, including the risks associated with conducting operations in several jurisdictions.
Entry into certain lines of business may subject us to new laws and regulations with which we are not familiar, or from which we are currently exempt, and may lead to increased litigation, including tax and regulatory risk. For example, we have increasingly undertaken business initiatives to offer credit funds, constructivist funds (investment in public equity applying the private equity modus operandi) funds and publicly-traded real estate funds (known in Brazil as a Fundo de Investimento Imobiliário, or "FII") and to increase the number and type of investment products we offer to family offices and high net worth individuals. These activities have and will continue to impose additional compliance burdens on us and could also subject us to enhanced regulatory scrutiny and expose us to greater reputation and litigation risks. In addition, if a new business generates insufficient revenues or if we are unable to efficiently manage our expanded operations or to successfully overcome the challenges we may face in expanding into new geographic regions in Latin America, our results of operations will be adversely affected. Our strategic initiatives may include, among other things, initiatives seeking to expand our and our portfolio companies' management capabilities, which require a robust legal and compliance framework, and entry into joint ventures, which may require us to be dependent on, and subject us to liability, losses or reputational damage relating to, systems, controls and personnel that are not under our control.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 4
We may pursue large or otherwise complex investments, which involve enhanced business, regulatory, legal, environmental and other risks.A number of our funds, including our real estate, infrastructure, credit and private equity funds, have invested and intend to continue to invest in large transactions or transactions that otherwise have substantial business, regulatory or legal complexity. In addition, as we raise new funds, such funds' mandates may include investing in such transactions. Such investments involve enhanced risks. For example, larger or otherwise complex transactions may be more difficult, expensive and time-consuming to finance and execute. In addition, managing or realizing value from such investments may be more difficult as a result of, among other things, a limited universe of potential acquirers. In addition, larger or otherwise complex transactions may entail a higher level of scrutiny by regulators, labor unions and other third parties, as well as a greater risk of unknown and/or contingent liabilities. Any of these factors could increase the risk that our larger or more complex investments could be less successful and in turn harm the performance of our funds.
Larger transactions may be structured as "consortium transactions" due to the size of the investment and the amount of capital required to be invested. A consortium transaction involves an equity investment in which two or more investors serve together or collectively as equity sponsors. Consortium transactions generally entail a reduced level of control by us over the investment because governance rights must be shared with the other investors. Accordingly, we may not be able to control decisions relating to the investment, including decisions relating to the management and operation of the Company and the timing and nature of any exit, which could result in the risks described in "-Our investment funds may make investments in companies that we do not control." In addition, the consequences to our investment funds of an unsuccessful larger investment could be more severe given the size of the investment.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 5
Our asset management activities primarily involve investments in relatively high-risk, illiquid assets, and we may fail to realize any profits from these activities for a considerable period of time or lose some or all of our principal investments.Our investment funds primarily invest in securities that are not publicly traded. In many cases, our investment funds may be prohibited by contract or by applicable securities laws from selling such securities or a period of time. Our investment funds will generally not be able to sell these securities publicly unless their sale is registered under applicable securities laws, or unless an exemption from such registration is available. The ability of many of our investment funds, particularly our private equity funds, to dispose of investments is heavily dependent on the public equity markets. For example, the ability to realize any value from an investment may depend upon the ability to complete an initial public offering of the portfolio company in which such investment is held. Even if the securities are publicly traded, large holdings of securities can often be disposed of only over a substantial length of time, exposing the investment returns to risks of downward movement in market prices during the intended disposition period. Moreover, because the investment strategy of many of our funds, particularly our private equity, infrastructure, credit and real estate funds, often entails our having representation on our funds' public portfolio company boards, our funds may be restricted in their ability to effect such sales during certain time periods. Accordingly, under certain conditions, our investment funds may be forced to either sell securities at lower prices than they had expected to realize or defer-potentially for a considerable period of time-sales that they had planned to make. We have made and expect to continue to make significant principal investments in our current and future investment funds. Contributing capital to these investment funds is risky, and we may lose some or the entire principal amount of our investments.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 6
We expect to continue to make investments in companies that are based in Latin America, which may expose us to additional risks not typically associated with investing in companies that are based in the United States.Our investment funds generally invest their assets in the equity, debt, loans or other securities of issuers located in Latin America, including in Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Argentina. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve certain factors not typically associated with investing in U.S. securities, including risks relating to:
- currency exchange matters, including fluctuations in currency exchange rates and costs associated with conversion of investment principal and income from one currency into another;- less developed or efficient financial markets than in the United States, which may lead to potential price volatility and relative liquidity;- the absence of uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and disclosure requirements and less government supervision and regulation;- changes in laws or clarifications to existing laws that could impact our tax treaty positions, which could adversely impact the returns on our investments;- a less developed legal or regulatory environment, differences in the legal and regulatory environment or enhanced legal and regulatory compliance;- heightened exposure to corruption risk in non-U.S. markets;- political hostility to investments by foreign or private equity investors;- reliance on a more limited number of commodity inputs, service providers and/or distribution mechanisms;- higher rates of inflation;- higher transaction costs;- difficulty in enforcing contractual obligations;- fewer investor protections and less publicly available information in respect of companies in non-U.S. markets;- certain economic and political risks, including potential exchange control regulations and restrictions on non-U.S. investments and repatriation of profits on investments or of capital invested, the risks of political, economic or social instability, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation and adverse economic and political developments; and - the possible imposition of non-U.S. taxes or withholding on income and gains recognized with respect to such securities.
There can be no assurance that adverse developments with respect to such risks will not adversely affect our assets that are held in certain countries or the returns from these assets. See "-Inflation and government measures to curb inflation may adversely affect the economies and capital markets in some of the countries in which we operate, and as a result, harm our business and the trading price of our Class A common shares."
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 7
Our investments in infrastructure assets may expose us to increased risks that are inherent in the ownership of real assets.Investments in infrastructure assets may expose us to increased risks that are inherent in the ownership of real estate assets, such as:
- Ownership of infrastructure assets may present risk of liability for personal and property injury or impose significant operating challenges and costs with respect to, for example, compliance with zoning, environmental or other applicable laws;- Infrastructure asset investments may face development and construction risks including, without limitation: (1) labor disputes, shortages of material and skilled labor, or work stoppages; (2) slower than projected construction progress and the unavailability or late delivery of necessary equipment: (3) less than optimal coordination with public utilities in the relocation of their facilities; (4) adverse weather conditions and unexpected construction conditions; (5) accidents or the breakdown or failure of construction equipment or processes; (6) catastrophic events such as explosions, fires, terrorist activities and other similar events; and (7) delays in the issuance of the licenses and approvals needed for the development of the infrastructure. These risks could result in substantial unanticipated delays or expenses (which may exceed expected or forecasted budgets) and, under certain circumstances, could prevent completion of construction activities once undertaken. Certain infrastructure asset investments may remain in development or construction phases for a prolonged period and, accordingly, may not be cash-generative for a prolonged period. Recourse against the contractor may be subject to liability caps or may be subject to default or insolvency on the part of the contractor. Investments under development or investments acquired to be developed may receive little or no cash flow from the date of acquisition through the date of completion of development and may experience operating deficits after the date of completion. Market conditions may change during the course of construction that make such development less attractive than at the time it was commenced. In addition, there are risks inherent in the construction work that may give rise to claims or demands against a fund's portfolio company. When completing an acquisition or making an investment in a project to be developed, value may be ascribed to infrastructure projects that do not achieve successful implementation, potentially resulting in a lower than expected internal rate of return over the life of the investment or in a total loss of the capital invested in such infrastructure project;- The operation of infrastructure assets is exposed to potential unplanned interruptions caused by significant catastrophic or force majeure events. These risks could, among other effects, adversely impact the cash flows available from investments in infrastructure assets, cause personal injury or loss of life, damage property, or instigate disruptions of service. In addition, the cost of repairing or replacing damaged assets could be considerable. Repeated or prolonged service interruptions may result in permanent loss of customers, litigation, or penalties for regulatory or contractual noncompliance. Chile lies on the Nazca tectonic plate, making it one of the world's most seismically active regions. Our financial and operating performance in Chile may be adversely affected by force majeure events, such as natural disasters. Natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods may cause widespread damage which could impair the asset quality of our loan portfolio and could have an adverse impact on the economy of the affected region. Force majeure events that are incapable of, or too costly to, cure may also have a permanent adverse effect on an investment;- The management of the business or operations of an infrastructure asset may be contracted to a third-party management company unaffiliated with us. Although it would be possible to replace any such operator, the failure of such operator to adequately perform its duties or to act in ways that are in our best interest, or the breach by an operator of applicable agreements or laws, rules and regulations, could have an adverse effect on the investment's financial condition or results of operations. Infrastructure investments may involve the subcontracting of design and construction activities in respect of projects, and as a result our investments, are subject to the risks that contractual provisions passing liabilities to a subcontractor could be ineffective, the subcontractor fails to perform services which it has agreed to perform and the subcontractor becomes insolvent; and - Infrastructure projects may have a substantial environmental impact. Land acquisition is often a significant issue when building a new project. Community and environmental groups may raise protests, which may be successful in attracting publicity and persuading governments to take action. Infrastructure projects may attract strong opposition from environmental groups for allegedly generating greater levels of air or water pollution, poor visual impact, effects on local population, flora and fauna, etc. Further, there can be no guarantee that all costs and risks regarding compliance with environmental laws and regulations can be identified. Standards are set by these laws and regulations regarding certain aspects of health and environmental quality, and they provide for penalties and other liabilities for the violation of such standards, and establish, in certain circumstances, joint and several obligations to remediate and rehabilitate current and former facilities and locations where operations are, or were, conducted or where materials were disposed of. New and more stringent environmental and health and safety laws, regulations and permit requirements or stricter interpretations of current laws or regulations could (1) impose substantial additional costs on potential infrastructure investments, (2) create liabilities which did not exist at the time of an acquisition and that could not have been foreseen and (3) otherwise place a fund investment at a competitive disadvantage compared to alternative forms of infrastructure. Required expenditures for environmental compliance have adversely impacted investment returns in a number of segments of the infrastructure industry. Certain industries will continue to face considerable oversight from environmental regulatory authorities and significant influence from non-governmental organizations and special interest groups. Compliance with such current or future environmental requirements does not ensure that the operations of certain invested companies will not cause injury to the environment or to people under all circumstances. Moreover, failure to comply with any such requirements could have a material adverse effect on a fund investment, and there can be no assurance that certain fund investments will at all times comply with all applicable environmental laws, regulations and permit requirements. Past practices or future operations of certain fund investments could also result in material personal injury or property damage claims. Any noncompliance with these laws and regulations could subject the infrastructure funds and their properties to material penalties or other liabilities. In addition, infrastructure funds may be exposed to substantial risk of loss from environmental claims arising from certain of their investments involving undisclosed or unknown environmental, health or other related matters.
Infrastructure investments often involve an ongoing commitment to a municipal, state, federal or foreign government or regulatory agencies. The nature of these obligations expose us to a higher level of regulatory control than typically imposed on other businesses and may require us to rely on complex government licenses, concessions, leases or contracts, which may be difficult to obtain or maintain. Delay in obtaining or failure to obtain and maintain in full force and effect any regulatory approvals, or amendments thereto, or delay or failure to satisfy any regulatory conditions or other applicable requirements could prevent operation of a facility or sales to third parties or could result in additional costs to our infrastructure portfolio companies. Infrastructure investments may require operators to manage such investments and such operators' failure to comply with laws, including prohibitions against bribing of government officials, may adversely affect the value of such investments and cause us serious reputational and legal harm. Revenues for such investments may rely on contractual agreements for the provision of services with a limited number of counterparties, and are consequently subject to counterparty default risk. The operations and cash flow of infrastructure investments are also more sensitive to inflation and, in certain cases, commodity price risk. Furthermore, services provided by infrastructure investments may be subject to rate regulations by government entities that determine or limit prices that may be charged. Similarly, users of applicable services or government entities in response to such users may react negatively to any adjustments in rates and thus reduce the profitability of such infrastructure investments.
Macro & Political
Total Risks: 17/92 (18%)Above Sector Average
Economy & Political Environment10 | 10.9%
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1
Adverse economic and market conditions may adversely affect the amount of cash generated by our businesses, and in turn, our ability to pay dividends to our shareholders.Economy & Political Environment - Risk 2
Governments have a high degree of influence in Brazil, Chile and the other economies in which we operate. The effects of this influence and political and economic conditions in Brazil, Chile and other Latin American countries could harm us and the trading price of our Class A common shares.Governments in many of the markets in which we currently, or may in the future, operate frequently exercise significant influence over their respective economies and occasionally make significant changes in policy and regulations. Government actions to control inflation and other policies and regulations have often involved, among other measures, increases or decreases in interest rates, changes in fiscal policies, wage and price controls, foreign exchange rate controls, blocking access to bank accounts, currency devaluations, capital controls and import and export restrictions. We have no control over and cannot predict what measures or policies governments may take in the future. We and the market price of our securities may be harmed by changes in government policies, as well as general economic factors, including, without limitation:
- growth or downturn of the relevant economy;- interest rates and monetary policies;- exchange rates and currency fluctuations;- inflation;- liquidity of the capital and lending markets;- import and export controls;- exchange controls and restrictions on remittances abroad and payments of dividends;- modifications to laws and regulations according to political, social and economic interests;- fiscal policy and changes in tax laws and related interpretations by tax authorities;- economic, political and social instability, including general strikes and mass demonstrations;- the regulatory framework governing the financial services industry;- labor and social security regulations;- energy and water shortages and rationing;- commodity prices;- public health, including as a result of epidemics and pandemics;- changes in demographics; and - other political, diplomatic, social and economic developments in or affecting Latin America.
Uncertainty over whether Brazil and other Latin American governments will implement reforms or changes in policy or regulation affecting these or other factors in the future may affect economic performance and contribute to economic uncertainty in Latin America, such as increased tax uncertainty regarding the tax authorities' interpretations of applicable tax laws and exemptions, which may have an adverse effect on our activities and consequently our operating results, and may also adversely affect the trading price of our Class A common shares.
In addition, recent economic and political instability in Brazil in general has led to a negative perception of the Brazilian economy and higher volatility in the Brazilian securities markets, which also may adversely affect us and our Class A common shares. See "-The ongoing economic uncertainty and political instability in Brazil, including as a result of ongoing corruption investigations, may harm us and the price of our Class A common shares" and "Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects-A. Operating results-Significant Factors Affecting our Results of Operations-Latin American Macroeconomic Environment."
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 3
Infrastructure and workforce deficiency in Latin America may impact economic growth and have a material adverse effect on us.Our performance depends on the overall health and growth of the Latin American economy, especially in Brazil and Chile. Brazilian GDP growth has fluctuated over the past years, with growth of 1.3% in 2017, 1.8% in 2018, and 1.2% in 2019, a contraction of 3.9% in 2020 and a growth of 4.6% and 2.9% in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, Brazilian GDP grew by 2.9%. In 2022 and 2023, Chilean GDP grew by 2.4% and 0.2% with an unemployment rate of 7.9% and 8.5% as of December 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Growth is limited by inadequate infrastructure, including potential energy shortages and deficient transportation, logistics and telecommunication sectors, general strikes, the lack of a qualified labor force, and the lack of private and public investments in these areas, which limit productivity and efficiency. Any of these factors could lead to labor market volatility and generally impact income, purchasing power and consumption levels, which could limit growth and ultimately have a material adverse effect on us.
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 4
The ongoing economic uncertainty and political instability in Brazil, including as a result of ongoing corruption investigations, may harm us and the price of our Class A common shares.Brazil's political environment has historically influenced, and continues to influence, the performance of the country's economy. Political crises have affected and continue to affect the confidence of investors and the general public, which have historically resulted in economic deceleration and heightened volatility in the securities offered by companies with significant operations in Brazil.
The recent economic instability in Brazil have contributed to a decline in market confidence in the Brazilian economy. Various ongoing investigations into allegations of money laundering and corruption being conducted by the Office of the Brazilian Federal Prosecutor, including the largest of such investigations, known as "Operação Lava Jato," have negatively impacted the Brazilian economy and political environment. The potential outcome of these investigations is uncertain, but they have already had an adverse impact on the image and reputation of the implicated companies, and on the general market perception of the Brazilian economy. We cannot predict whether the ongoing investigations will result in further political and economic instability, or if new allegations against government officials and/or executives of private companies will arise in the future. A number of senior politicians, including current and former members of Congress and the Executive Branch, and high-ranking executive officers of major corporations and state-owned companies in Brazil were arrested, convicted of various charges relating to corruption, entered into plea agreements with federal prosecutors and/or have resigned or been removed from their positions as a result of these Lava Jato investigations. These individuals are alleged to have accepted bribes by means of kickbacks on contracts granted by the government to several infrastructure, oil and gas and construction companies. The profits of these kickbacks allegedly financed the political campaigns of political parties, for which funds were unaccounted or not publicly disclosed. These funds were also allegedly directed toward the personal enrichment of certain individuals. The effects of Lava Jato as well as other ongoing corruption-related investigations resulted in an adverse impact on the image and reputation of the companies that have been implicated as well as on the general market perception of the Brazilian economy, political environment and capital markets. We have no control over, and cannot predict, whether such investigations or allegations will lead to further political and economic instability or whether new allegations against government officials will arise in the future.
It is expected that the new Brazilian federal government may propose the general terms of fiscal reform to stimulate the economy and reduce the forecasted budget deficit for 2024 and following years, but it is uncertain whether the Brazilian government will be able to gather the required support in the Brazilian Congress to pass additional specific reforms. We cannot predict which policies the Brazilian federal government may adopt or change or the effect that any such policies might have on our business and on the Brazilian economy. In addition, the Brazilian government is incurring significant levels of debt to finance measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and other campaign proposals of the new Brazilian president, which is expected to continue to increase the Brazilian budget deficit. Any such new policies or changes to current policies, including measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, may have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.
Any of the above factors may create additional political uncertainty, which could harm the Brazilian economy and, consequently, our business, and could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and the trading price of our Class A common shares.
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 5
Inflation and government measures to curb inflation may adversely affect the economies and capital markets in some of the countries in which we operate, and as a result, harm our business and the trading price of our Class A common shares.In the past, high levels of inflation have adversely affected the economies and financial markets of some of the countries in which we operate, particularly Argentina and Brazil, and the ability of their governments to create conditions that stimulate or maintain economic growth. Moreover, governmental measures to curb inflation and speculation about possible future governmental measures have contributed to the negative economic impact of inflation and have created general economic uncertainty and heightened volatility in the capital markets. As part of these measures, governments have at times maintained a restrictive monetary policy and high interest rates that has limited the availability of credit and economic growth. In 2023, elevated interest rates in Brazil have contained the rise of inflation, but uncertainty remains as to the continued inflationary pressures resulting from the indirect impacts of conflicts, such as the ongoing wars in Israel and Ukraine, on global supply chains.
According to the National Consumer Price Index (Índice Nacional de Preços ao Consumidor Amplo), or "IPCA," which is published by the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística), or the "IBGE," Brazilian inflation rates were 4.6%, 5.8% and 10.1% for the years ended as of December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Brazil may experience high levels of inflation in the future and inflationary pressures may lead to the Brazilian government's intervening in the economy and introducing policies that could harm our business and the trading price of our Class A common shares. One of the tools used by the Brazilian government to control inflation levels is its monetary policy, specifically relating to interest rates. An increase in the interest rate restricts the availability of credit and reduces economic growth, and vice versa. During recent years there has been significant volatility in the official Brazilian interest rate, which ranged from 14.25% on December 31, 2015 to 2.00% on August 5, 2020. This rate is set by the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank (Comitê de Política Monetária), or "COPOM." On March 17, 2021, the COPOM raised the SELIC rate to 2.75% and further raised the SELIC rate to 3.50% on May 5, 2021, to 4.25% on June 16, 2021, to 5.25% on August 4, 2021, to 6.25% on September 22, 2021, to 7.75% on October 27, 2021, to 9.25% on December 8, 2021, to 10.75% on February 2, 2022, to 11.75% on March 16, 2022, to 12.75% on May 4, 2022, to 13.25% on June 15, 2022 and to 13.75% on August 3, 2022. In 2023, COPOM reversed this trend, decreasing the SELIC rate to 13.25% on August 3, 2023, to 12.75% on September 21, 2023, to 12.25% on November 3, 2023, to 11.75% on December 14, 2023, to 11.25% on February 1, 2024 and to 10.75% on March 21, 2024. As of April 26, 2024, the SELIC rate was 10.75%. Conversely, more lenient government and Central Bank policies and interest rate decreases have triggered and may continue to trigger increases in inflation in the future and, consequently, may lead to increased volatility and the need for sudden and significant interest rate increases, which could negatively affect us and increase our funds and their portfolio companies indebtedness. Any change in interest rates, in particular any volatile swings, can adversely affect our growth, results of operations and financial condition, as well as our funds and their portfolio companies.
In addition, Argentina has been considered highly inflationary under U.S. GAAP and also under IFRS. Although inflation rates in certain of the other countries in which we operate have been relatively low in the recent past, we cannot assure you that this trend will continue. The measures taken by the governments of these countries to control inflation have often included maintaining a tight monetary policy with high interest rates, thereby restricting the availability of credit and retarding economic growth. Inflation, measures to combat inflation and public speculation about possible additional actions have also contributed materially to economic uncertainty in many of these countries and to heightened volatility in their securities markets. Periods of higher inflation may also slow the growth rate of local economies that could lead to reduced demand for our products and services as well as those of our portfolio companies' businesses. Inflation is also likely to increase some costs and expenses of our portfolio companies' businesses, which they may not be able to fully pass on to customers and could adversely affect our operating margins and operating income.
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 6
Political, legal, regulatory and economic uncertainty arising from social unrest and the resulting social reforms, as well as the enactment of Chile's new constitution could adversely impact our business.During October 2019, growing public concern over perceived social inequality led to a rise in social unrest. The social unrest caused commercial disruptions throughout the country, especially in Santiago and other major cities, including Valparaíso and Concepción. After three weeks of nationwide protests, the Chilean government announced in November 2019 that it would initiate a process to draft a new constitution for Chile. When the government announced the process of enacting a new constitution, there was increased volatility in the Chilean stock market and exchange rate fluctuations that resulted in a weakening of the Chilean peso against the U.S. dollar. The share prices on local banks and bond spreads suffered significant declines in the market. In November 2020, a referendum was held to vote on two matters: (1) whether a new constitution should be enacted and (2) if so, whether a constituent convention should be composed of an elected mixed assembly of current Congress members and newly elected persons or entirely composed of newly elected citizens. This referendum resulted in ample support for convening a fully elected constitutional convention to draft Chile's new constitution. The election of the members of this convention was held in April 2021. In July 2021, the convention began the process of drafting Chile's new constitution. Each new article of the constitution will have to be approved by two-thirds of the convention, a rule that was ratified in September 2021 by the convention itself. The constitutional convention had approximately one year, from July 4 2021 to July 4, 2022, to complete the draft of the constitution. An exit referendum with compulsory participation took place to ratify or reject the proposal of new constitution drafted by the convention. The draft of the new constitution was rejected by a large majority of voters (around 62%). Due to the rejection of the draft, a new constitutional process began. The new constitutional process started in January 2023 with the enactment of the new law and continued with the appointment of commissions in March 2023, the election of the constitutional council on May 7, 2023 and a popular vote on a new draft constitution on December 17, 2023, which was rejected by 55% of the votes. No assurance can be given that any changes to the constitution or that disruptions in the political and economic climate in Chile will not adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 7
Our growth, portfolio asset quality and profitability may be adversely affected by macroeconomic and political conditions in Chile.A substantial number of our investment portfolio assets and companies are located in Chile. Chile's economy has experienced significant volatility in recent decades, characterized, in some cases, by slow or regressive growth and declining investment. This volatility resulted in fluctuations in the investment levels and in the relative economic strength of various segments of the economies in which we operate. The Chilean economy may not continue to grow at similar rates as in the past, or future developments may negatively affect Chile's overall levels of economic activity.
Negative and fluctuating economic conditions, such as slowing or negative growth and a changing interest rate and inflationary environment, may impact our profitability by reducing our portfolio companies operational margins and leading to decreased demand for their products and services. Negative and fluctuating economic conditions in Chile, including as a result of fiscal and monetary adjustments during 2022 and 2023 could also result in increased public debt and instability in Chile's banking system and the Chilean economy as a whole, particularly since commercial banks' exposure to government debt is high in Chile.
Our revenues are also subject to risk of loss from unfavorable political and diplomatic developments, social instability, international conflicts, and changes in governmental policies, including expropriation, international ownership legislation, and tax policies. Fluctuations in copper prices, including as a result of potential downturns in Chinese demand, may give rise to volatility in the Chilean financial markets and cause further economic instability in the country. Natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods may cause widespread damage which could also impair the asset quality of our loan portfolio and could have an adverse impact on the economy of the affected region. Our growth, portfolio quality and profitability may be adversely affected by volatile macroeconomic and political conditions in Chile. Any material change to United States trade policy with respect to Chile could also have a material adverse effect on the economy, which could in turn materially harm our financial condition and results of operations.
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 8
Difficult market and geopolitical conditions can adversely affect our business in many ways, each of which could materially reduce our revenue, earnings and cash flow and adversely affect our financial prospects and condition.Our business is materially affected by financial market and economic conditions and events throughout the world-particularly in Brazil, Chile and other Latin American countries-that are outside our control. We may not be able to or may choose not to manage our exposure to these conditions and/or events. Such conditions and/or events can adversely affect our business in many ways, including by reducing the ability of our funds to raise or deploy capital, reducing the value or performance of the investments made by our funds and making it more difficult to fund opportunities for our funds to exist and realize value from existing investment. This could in turn materially reduce our revenue, earnings and cash flow and adversely affect our financial prospects and condition. In addition, in the face of a difficult market or economic environment, we may need to reduce our fixed costs and other expenses in order to maintain profitability, including by cutting back or eliminating the use of certain services or service providers, or terminating the employment of a significant number of our personnel that, in each case, could be important to our business and without which our operating results could be adversely affected. A failure to manage or reduce our costs and other expenses within a time frame sufficient to match any decrease in profitability would adversely affect our operating performance.
Turmoil in the global financial markets driven by factors such as rising interest rates, inflation, and events such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic can provoke significant volatility of equity and debt securities prices. This can have a material and rapid impact on our mark-to-market valuations, particularly with respect to our public holdings and credit investments. As publicly traded equity securities may represent a proportion of the assets of many of our carry funds, stock market volatility, including a sharp decline in the stock market, such as those experienced since 2020, may adversely affect our results, including our revenues and net income. In addition, our public equity holdings have at times been concentrated in a few positions, thereby making our unrealized mark-to-market valuations particularly sensitive to sharp changes in the price of any of these positions. Further, although the equity markets are not the only means by which we exit investments, should we experience another period of challenging equity markets, our funds may experience increased difficulty in realizing value from investments.
Certain trends and conditions in financial markets may influence our ability to raise new capital which may negatively impact our growth in Assets Under Management and Revenues. For example, the direction of interest rates in individual countries may impact the level of demand from local investors for certain investment products. In periods of higher interest rates in countries such as Brazil and Chile, it may be more difficult for us to raise new capital in strategies targeting local investors. Likewise changes in the actual or target asset allocations of our investors, driven by factors such as a sudden drop to public equity markets or adjustments to risk profiles, could temporarily or permanently impact their ability to make new commitments to our funds.
Geopolitical concerns and other global events, including, without limitation, trade conflict, national and international political circumstances (including wars, terrorist acts or security operations) and pandemics, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic, or other severe public health events, have contributed and may continue to contribute to volatility in global equity and debt markets. The past few years brought significant geopolitical concerns, including, among other things, continued trade tensions, most notably between China and the U.S., resulting from the implementation of tariffs by the U.S. and retaliatory tariffs by other countries on the U.S., continued tensions with North Korea over its ballistic missile testing and nuclear programs, ongoing hostilities in the Middle East and the possibility of their escalation, political tension and uncertainty in Latin America and continued uncertainty regarding the United Kingdom's ("U.K.") withdrawal from the European Union and the war in Ukraine. Such concerns have contributed and may continue to contribute to volatility in global equity and debt markets.
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus in many countries continues to adversely impact global commercial activity and has contributed to significant volatility in financial markets. The global impact of the outbreak has continued to evolve, and, as new variants continue to be identified in additional countries, many countries have reacted by instituting new quarantines and restrictions on travel. Such actions continue to create disruption in global supply chains, and adversely impact a number of industries, such as transportation, hospitality and entertainment. The outbreak could continue to have an adverse impact on economic and market conditions. The rapid development and fluidity of this situation preclude any prediction as to the ultimate adverse impact of the novel coronavirus. Nevertheless, coronavirus presents material uncertainty and risk with respect to our and our funds' performance and financial results.
In addition to the factors described above, other factors described herein may affect market, economic and geopolitical conditions, and thereby adversely affect our business include, without limitation:
- economic slowdown in Brazil, Chile and internationally;- changes in interest rates and/or a lack of availability of credit in Brazil, Chile and internationally;- commodity price volatility;- foreign exchange volatility;- public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic; and - changes in law and/or regulation, and uncertainty regarding government and regulatory policy.
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 9
A period of economic slowdown, which may be across one or more industries, sectors or geographies, could contribute to adverse operating performance for certain of our funds' investments, which would adversely affect our operating results and cash flows.We have experienced buoyant markets and positive economic conditions in certain markets. Although such conditions have increasingly made it more difficult and competitive to find suitable capital deployment opportunities for our funds, they may also contribute to positive operating performance at our funds' portfolio companies. To the extent global markets enter a period of slower growth relative to recent years, such period of economic slowdown (which may be across one or more industries, sectors or geographies), may contribute to poor financial results at our funds' portfolio companies, which may result in lower investment returns for our funds. For example, periods of economic weakness have in the past and may in the future contribute to a decline in commodity prices and/or volatility in the oil and natural gas markets, each of which would have an adverse effect on our energy investments. The performance of our funds' portfolio companies would also likely be negatively impacted if pressure on wages and other inputs increasingly pressure profit margins. To the extent the performance of those portfolio companies (as well as valuation multiples) does not improve, our funds may sell those assets at values that are less than we projected or even a loss, thereby significantly affecting those investment funds' performance. In addition, as the governing agreements of our funds contain only limited requirements regarding diversification of fund investments (by, for example, sector or geographic region), during periods of economic slowdown in certain sectors or regions, the impact on our funds may be exacerbated by concentration of investments in such sector or region. As a result, our ability to raise new funds, as well as our operating results and cash flows could be adversely affected.
In addition, during periods of weakness, our funds' portfolio companies may also have difficulty expanding their businesses and operations or meeting their debt service obligations or other expenses as they become due, including expenses payable to us. Furthermore, such negative market conditions could potentially result in a portfolio company entering bankruptcy proceedings, thereby potentially resulting in a complete loss of the fund's investment in such portfolio company and a significant negative impact to the investment fund's performance and consequently to our operating results and cash flow, as well as to our reputation. In addition, negative market conditions would also increase the risk of default with respect to investments held by our funds that have significant debt investments, such as our credit-focused funds.
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 10
The ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine may have repercussions on the world's geopolitical and economic scenarios.The ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine has provoked strong reactions from the United States, the U.K., the EU and various other countries around the world, including from the members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or "NATO." Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine beginning on February 24, 2022, the United States, the U.K., the EU and other countries announced broad economic sanctions against Russia, including financial measures such as freezing Russia's central bank assets, limiting its ability to access its dollar reserves, the U.S., the EU and the U.K. have also banned people and businesses from dealings with the Russian central bank, its finance ministry and its wealth funds, selected Russian banks will also be removed from Swift messaging system, which enables the smooth transfer of money across borders. Other sanctions by the U.K. include major Russian banks from the U.K. financial system, stopping them from accessing sterling and clearing payments, preventing major Russian companies and the country from raising finances or borrowing money on the U.K. markets, and establishing limits on deposits Russians can make at U.K. banks. The U.S., the EU and the U.K. adopted personal measures, such as sanctions on individuals with close ties to Mr. Putin, and placed visa restrictions on several oligarchs, as well as their family members and close associates, and froze their assets.
While the precise effect of the ongoing armed conflict and these sanctions on the Russian and global economies remains uncertain, should tensions continue to increase, markets may face continued volatility as well as economic and security consequences including, but not limited to, supply shortages of different kinds, increases in prices of commodities, including piped gas, oil and agricultural goods, among others. Given that Russia and Ukraine are among the largest grain exporters in the world, impacts on financial markets, inflation, interest rates, unemployment and other matters could affect the global economy that is currently recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Particularly, these effects could result in increased inflation in Brazil and in measures by the Brazilian government to contain inflation, such as raising the basic interest rate (SELIC), which could materially impact the cost of debt and third-party capital for financing and investing activities across industries.
In October 2023, the state of Israel was the target of an attack by the terrorist group Hamas, which led to the death of a number of civilians. As a result, Israel declared war on Hamas and conflicts commenced in Israel and the Gaza strip. Although the conflict is still developing, other world leaders have declared support to Israel, including through the commitment of funds and military personnel and capabilities. It is unclear whether the conflict and its underlying uncertainties will be contained or resolved, and what effects they may have on the global political and economic conditions in the long term.
Other potential consequences include, but are not limited to, growth in the number of popular uprisings in the region, increased political discontent, especially in the regions most affected by the conflict or economic sanctions, an increase in cyberterrorism activities and attacks, exodus to regions close to the areas of conflict and an increase in the number of refugees fleeing across Europe, among other unforeseen social and humanitarian effects.
As a company that operates globally, the adverse effects-global or localized-of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and/or economic sanctions and import and/or export controls to be imposed on the Russian government by the United States, the U.K., the EU or others, could materially affect our operations, expansion plans, and ultimately our results. See "-We are subject to anti-corruption, anti-bribery, anti-money laundering and sanctions laws and regulations in Brazil, Chile, the United States and in the various countries in which we operate. Violations of any such laws or regulations could have a material adverse impact on our reputation and results of operations and financial condition."
International Operations2 | 2.2%
International Operations - Risk 1
Developments and the perceptions of risks in other countries, including other emerging markets, the United States and Europe, may harm the economy of Brazil, Chile and the other countries in which we operate and the trading price of our Class A common shares.International Operations - Risk 2
We may not be successful in expanding our operations in Latin America, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.We currently operate and may operate in the future in regions and countries in Latin America where we have little or no experience, and we may not be able to expand our investment activities in these markets successfully. As we expand our operations into Latin American markets, including new geographies, we may have difficulty adapting to unknown circumstances and conditions. We may seek to expand our operations in Latin America, including new geographies, through acquisitions of asset managers and other investment management companies in the region, which may be financed using a portion of the proceeds of our initial public offering or through other sources of financing. In order to remain competitive, we must be proactive and prepared to implement necessary resources when growth opportunities present themselves, whether as a result of a business acquisition or rapidly increasing business activities in particular markets or regions. Local regulatory environments may vary widely in terms of scope, adequacy and sophistication. We may also encounter other risks of doing business in Latin America, including: (1) difficulties and costs associated with complying with a variety of complex domestic and foreign laws, regulations and treaties; (2) changes in legislative or regulatory requirements; (3) price and currency exchange controls; (4) political instability, including nationalization and expropriation; (5) trade restrictions, including timing delays associated with customs procedures, tariffs and import or export licensing requirements; (6) taxes; and (7) difficulties in enforcing our intellectual property rights. We cannot assure you that the political, fiscal or legal regimes in the countries in which we operate or expect to operate, will not increase our compliance costs or otherwise adversely affect our geographic expansion efforts, which may harm our results of operations or financial conditions. See "-We expect to continue to make investments in companies that are based in Latin America, which may expose us to additional risks not typically associated with investing in companies that are based in the United States." No assurance can be provided that we will be able to obtain capital resources to fund our expansion strategy on acceptable terms or at all. If we are not successful in implementing or funding our expansion strategy, our business, financial results and the market price for our Class A common shares may be adversely affected.
Natural and Human Disruptions2 | 2.2%
Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 1
The global outbreak of COVID-19 caused severe disruptions in Latin America and global economies, and as a result, has adversely impacted our performance and results of operations. Other pandemics, epidemics and similar crises may also adversely impact our performance and results of operations.Changed
Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 2
Climate change can create transition risks, physical risks and other risks that could adversely affect us.Added
Climate-related risks can be an aggravating factor for the types of traditional risks that we encounter in the ordinary course of business, including without limitation the risks described in this "Risk Factors" section. Climate change may impact our market share through physical and transition risks. Risks associated with climate change are gaining increasing social, regulatory, economic and political relevance globally.
We strive to monitor increased regulatory compliance with climate-related risks that may result from the increased focus, pace, breadth, and depth of regulatory expectations requiring implementation in short time frames across multiple jurisdictions and from changes in public policy, laws, and regulations, of climate change and related environmental sustainability matters. However, our efforts may not be successful in mitigating such climate-related risks. Climate-related risks are assessed considering internationally recognized sustainability standards and frameworks.
Based on the current global regulatory and market dynamics, we continue evolving how we assess climate-related risks for Patria and the investments made by the funds we manage. Throughout a defined process, climate-related issues are considered in our investments where we assess climate-related risks at different moments and in different levels of depth in the due diligence stage of new investments. Aspects such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, climate-related risks and opportunities, applicable climate-related KPIs for the management stage, and governance, strategy and risk mitigation measures are being evaluated, and recommendations addressed through comprehensive action plans. In our investments, we also seek to monitor KPIs related to GHG emissions, climate-related risks, and other climate change considerations. Over 80% of our private equity and infrastructure portfolio had their greenhouse gas emissions measured in 2022 and 2023.
Although it is not possible at this time to predict how new laws or regulations would impact our business, any future requirements imposing carbon pricing schemes, carbon taxes, emission control, or emission reduction obligations on the operations or activities performed by us, our portfolio companies or third parties hired to support our business may significantly impact our activities, such as increased compliance costs, impact on supply chain, implications for our employees' health, among others, which could limit our ability to pursue certain business opportunities and invest in certain business segments, products and services, each of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, failure to comply with such laws and regulations could result in liabilities or penalties that could significantly impact our operation and financial condition.
Capital Markets3 | 3.3%
Capital Markets - Risk 1
We are exposed to certain risks that are particular to investing in emerging and other markets.Capital Markets - Risk 2
Exchange rate instability may have adverse effects on the Brazilian economy, our business and the trading price of our Class A common shares.Our functional currency is the U.S. dollar. The Brazilian currency has been historically volatile and has been devalued frequently over the past three decades. Throughout this period, the Brazilian government has implemented various economic plans and used various exchange rate policies, including sudden devaluations, periodic mini-devaluations (during which the frequency of adjustments has ranged from daily to monthly), exchange controls, dual exchange rate markets and a floating exchange rate system. Although long-term depreciation of the real is generally linked to the rate of inflation in Brazil, depreciation of the real occurring over shorter periods of time has resulted in significant variations in the exchange rate between the real, the U.S. dollar and other currencies. In 2021, the real depreciated 7% to R$5.581 per US$1.00 on December 31, 2021. In 2022, the real appreciated 6.5% to R$5.218 per US$1.00 on December 31, 2022. The real/U.S. dollar exchange rate reported by the Central Bank was R$4.841 per US$1.00 on December 31, 2023, which reflected a 7.2% appreciation of the real against the U.S. dollar during 2023 due to fluctuating macroeconomic conditions. As of April 25, 2024, the real/U.S. dollar exchange rate reported by the Central Bank was R$5.167 per US$1.00, a depreciation of 6.7% of the real since December 31, 2023. There can be no assurance that the real will not appreciate or further depreciate against the U.S. dollar or other currencies in the future.
A devaluation of the real relative to the U.S. dollar could create inflationary pressures in Brazil and cause the Brazilian government to, among other measures, increase interest rates. Any depreciation of the real may generally restrict access to the international capital markets. It would also reduce the U.S. dollar value of our results of operations. Restrictive macroeconomic policies could reduce the stability of the Brazilian economy and harm our results of operations and profitability. In addition, domestic and international reactions to restrictive economic policies could have a negative impact on the Brazilian economy. These policies and any reactions to them may harm us by curtailing access to foreign financial markets and prompting further government intervention. A devaluation of the real relative to the U.S. dollar may also, as in the context of the current economic slowdown, decrease consumer spending, increase deflationary pressures and reduce economic growth.
On the other hand, an appreciation of the real relative to the U.S. dollar and other foreign currencies may deteriorate the Brazilian foreign exchange current accounts. Depending on the circumstances, either devaluation or appreciation of the real relative to the U.S. dollar and other foreign currencies could restrict the growth of the Brazilian economy, and affect our business, results of operations and profitability.
Capital Markets - Risk 3
We are subject to significant foreign currency exchange controls and currency devaluation in certain countries in which we operate.Certain Latin American economies have experienced shortages in foreign currency reserves and their respective governments have adopted restrictions on the ability to transfer funds out of the country and convert local currencies into U.S. dollars. This may increase our costs and limit our ability to convert local currency into U.S. dollars and transfer funds out of certain countries, including for the purchase of dollar-denominated inputs, the payment of dividends or the payment of interest or principal on our outstanding debt. In the event that any of our subsidiaries are unable to transfer funds to us due to currency restrictions, we are responsible for any resulting shortfall.
Since September 2019, the current Argentine government has tightened restrictions on capital flows and imposed exchange controls and transfer restrictions, substantially limiting the ability of companies to retain foreign currency or make payments outside of Argentina. Furthermore, the Central Bank of Argentina implemented regulations requiring its prior approval for certain foreign exchange transactions otherwise authorized to be carried out under the applicable regulations, such as dividend payments or repayment of principal of inter-company loans as well as the import of goods. As a consequence of the reimposition of exchange controls, the spread between the official exchange rate and other exchange rates resulting implicitly from certain capital market operations usually effected to obtain U.S. dollars has broadened significantly. The implementation of the abovementioned measures could impact our ability to transfer funds outside of Argentina and may prevent or delay payments that our Argentine portfolio companies are required to make outside Argentina. As a result, if we are prohibited from transferring funds out of Argentina, or if we become subject to similar restrictions in other countries in which we operate, our results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. In addition, the continuing devaluation of the Argentine peso since the end of 2015 has led to higher inflation levels, has significantly reduced competitiveness, real wages and consumption and has had a negative impact on businesses whose success is dependent on domestic market demand and supplies payable in foreign currency. Further currency devaluations in any of the countries in which we operate could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Legal & Regulatory
Total Risks: 15/92 (16%)Below Sector Average
Regulation9 | 9.8%
Regulation - Risk 1
We rely on complex exemptions from statutes in conducting our asset management activities.Regulation - Risk 2
Certain policies and procedures implemented to mitigate potential conflicts of interest and address certain regulatory requirements may reduce the synergies across our various businesses.Because of our various lines of asset management businesses, we may be subject to certain conflicts of interest and subject to greater regulatory oversight and more legal and contractual restrictions than that to which we would otherwise be subject if we had just one line of business. For example, we may cause funds that we manage in different lines of business to purchase different classes of securities in the same portfolio company, such as if one of our credit funds acquired a debt security issued by the same company in which one of our private equity funds owns common equity securities, or we may cause funds that we manage in different lines of business to purchase securities in the same portfolio company, such as if one of our constructivist equity funds acquired an equity security issued by the same company in which one of our private equity funds owns equity securities. A direct conflict of interest could arise between the debt holders and the equity holders or among funds that we manage in different lines of business, if such a company were to develop insolvency concerns, and we would have to carefully manage that conflict. To mitigate these conflicts and address regulatory, legal and contractual requirements across our various businesses, we have implemented certain policies and procedures (for example, information walls) that may reduce the positive synergies that we cultivate across these businesses for purposes of identifying and managing attractive investments. For example, we may come into possession of material nonpublic information with respect to issuers in which we may be considering making an investment or issuers in which our affiliates may hold an interest. As a consequence of such policies and procedures, we may be precluded from providing such information or other ideas to our other lines of business that might be of benefit to them.
Regulation - Risk 3
Requirements associated with being a public company in the United States require significant company resources and management attention.We are subject to certain reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the "Exchange Act," and the other rules and regulations of the SEC and Nasdaq. We are also subject to various other regulatory requirements, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal, accounting and financial compliance costs and to make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, we expect these rules and regulations to make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantial costs to maintain the same or similar coverage. New rules and regulations relating to information disclosure, financial reporting and controls and corporate governance, which could be adopted by the SEC, Nasdaq or other regulatory bodies or exchange entities from time to time, could result in a significant increase in legal, accounting and other compliance costs and make certain corporate activities more time-consuming and costly, which could materially affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. These rules and regulations may also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers.
These obligations also require substantial attention from our senior management and could divert their attention away from the day-to-day management of our business. Given that most of the individuals who now constitute our management team have limited experience managing a publicly traded company and complying with the increasingly complex laws pertaining to public companies, initially, these new obligations could demand even greater attention. These cost increases and the diversion of management's attention could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Regulation - Risk 4
We are subject to anti-corruption, anti-bribery, anti-money laundering and sanctions laws and regulations in Brazil, Chile, the United States and in the various countries in which we operate. Violations of any such laws or regulations could have a material adverse impact on our reputation and results of operations and financial condition.We operate in jurisdictions that have a high risk of corruption and we are subject to anti-corruption, anti-bribery anti-money laundering and sanctions laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the Brazilian Federal Law No. 12,846/2013, or the "Clean Company Act," the Brazilian Federal Law No. 9,613/1998, the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, or the "FCPA," and the Bribery Act 2010 of the United Kingdom, or the "Bribery Act," as well as the Chilean Laws No. 19,913 and No. 20,393, and the Chilean Criminal Code. Each of the Clean Company Act, the FCPA and the Bribery Act imposes liability against companies who engage in bribery of government officials, either directly or through intermediaries. We have a compliance program that is designed to manage the risks of doing business in light of these new and existing legal and regulatory requirements. If we, our direct or indirect shareholders, directors, officers, employees and other third-parties are not in compliance with anti-corruption, anti-bribery, anti-money laundering and sanctions laws and regulations we may be subject to criminal liability, administrative and civil lawsuits, significant fines and penalties, forfeiture of significant assets, as well as reputational harm to us or to our portfolio companies.
The military actions undertaken by Russian military forces against Ukraine in February 2022 resulted in the imposition of financial and economic sanctions by the European Union, the U.S., the United Kingdom and other countries and organizations against officials, individuals, regions, and industries due to the Russian-Ukrainian War. Such sanctions, together with any additional measure that may be adopted in connection with this situation, may, in various ways, constrain Russian- and Ukrainian-related transactions. Our ability to engage in activity with certain consumer and institutional businesses in Russia and Ukraine or involving certain Russian or Ukrainian businesses and customers would be dependent in part upon whether such engagement is restricted under any current or expected U.S., EU, U.K. or other countries sanctions and laws. Our ability to engage would be further impaired in the event other countries were to become involved in the conflict and, as result, be subjected to sanctions or similar restrictions.
We do not have a physical presence in Russia and Ukraine and we understand that our direct exposure to the war, Russian or Ukrainian markets, investors and assets is not material and therefore does not represent a sanctions-related risk or a material risk in general. Despite the foregoing, our client base and investments are broad by nature, which means that certain of our investors have as personnel or beneficial owners certain Russian nationals, officials or individuals who might be included in certain international sanctions lists due to their proximity to or relationship with Russia and its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Furthermore, certain of our funds hold indirect minority stakes in companies or other assets that might be subject to certain restrictions under sanctions administered by the United States or other jurisdictions. These investments do not represent the main strategy of the respective funds and represent a de minimis share of assets under management, and we understand that all required disclosures have been provided to regulators. We believe that these investments and relationships are in compliance with sanctions laws and regulations applicable to the Company.
Violations of anti-corruption, export control and sanctions laws and regulations are punishable by civil penalties, including fines, denial of export privileges, injunctions, asset seizures, debarment from government contracts and revocations or restrictions of licenses, as well as criminal fines and imprisonment. There can be no assurance that all of our employees, consultants, agents or other associated persons will not take actions in violation of these laws and regulations, and that our procedures will effectively prevent us from violating these regulations in every transaction in which we may engage or provide a defense to any alleged violation. In particular, we may be held liable for the actions that our local strategic partners take inside or outside of the United States, even though our partners may not be subject to these laws. Such a violation, even if our policies prohibit it, could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, results of operations and financial condition.
Regulators may increase enforcement of these obligations, which may require us to adjust our compliance and anti-money laundering programs, including the procedures we use to verify the identity of our clients and to monitor our transactions. Regulators may reexamine the transaction volume thresholds at which we must obtain and keep applicable records, verify identities of customers, and report any change in such thresholds to the applicable regulatory authorities, which could result in increased costs in order to comply with these legal and regulatory requirements. Costs associated with fines or enforcement actions, changes in compliance requirements, or limitations on our ability to grow could harm our business, and any new requirements or changes to existing requirements could impose significant costs, result in delays to planned products or services improvements, make it more difficult to obtain new clients and reduce the attractiveness of our products and services. As a result, allegations of improper conduct as well as negative publicity and press speculation about us or our investment advisor or investment management companies, as well as portfolio companies, or the private equity industry in general, whether or not valid, may harm our reputation, which may be more damaging to our business than to other types of businesses.
In Uruguay, as a portfolio manager, Patria Investments Uruguay S.A. is subject to the Anti-Money Laundering Regulations of Uruguay, or the "Uruguay AML Regime." The Uruguay AML Regime requires entities to maintain and enforce policies and procedures for the prevention and reporting of suspicious transactions, as well as know-your-client procedures.
Regulation - Risk 5
If we were deemed to be an "investment company" under the Investment Company Act, applicable restrictions could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.We intend to continue to conduct our operations so that the Company will not be deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Rule 3a-1 under the Investment Company Act generally provides that an entity will not be deemed to be an "investment company" for purposes of the Investment Company Act if: (1) it does not hold itself out as being engaged primarily, and does not propose to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading securities and (2) consolidating the entity's wholly owned subsidiaries (within the meaning of the Investment Company Act), no more than 45% of the value of its assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) consists of, and no more than 45% of its net income after taxes (for the past four fiscal quarters combined) is derived from, securities other than U.S. government securities, securities issued by employees' securities companies, securities issued by qualifying majority owned subsidiaries of such entity and securities issued by qualifying companies that are controlled primarily by such entity.
We believe that we are engaged primarily in the business of providing asset management services and not in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. We also believe that the primary source of income from each of our businesses is properly characterized as income earned in exchange for the provision of services. We hold ourselves out as an asset management firm and do not propose to engage primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Accordingly, we do not believe that the Company is an "orthodox" investment company as defined in the Investment Company Act and described in clause (1) in the first sentence of the preceding paragraph. Furthermore, the Company's assets, consolidated with its wholly owned subsidiaries (within the meaning of the Investment Company Act), consist primarily of (1) property, plant and equipment, (2) fee receivables for services rendered, (3) intangible assets that are not securities (4) goodwill, and (5) other assets that we believe would not be considered securities for purposes of the Investment Company Act. Therefore, we believe that, consolidating the Company's wholly owned subsidiaries (within the meaning of the Investment Company Act), no more than 45% of the value of its assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) consists of, and no more than 45% of its net income after taxes (for the past four fiscal quarters combined) is derived from, securities other than U.S. government securities, securities issued by employees' securities companies, securities issued by qualifying majority owned subsidiaries of the Company and securities issued by qualifying companies that are controlled primarily by the Company. Accordingly, we do not believe the Company is an inadvertent investment company by virtue of the 45% test in Rule 3a-1 under the Investment Company Act as described in clause (2) in the first sentence of the preceding paragraph. In addition, we believe the Company is not an investment company under section 3(b)(1) of the Investment Company Act because it is primarily engaged in a non-investment company business.
However, our subsidiaries have a significant number of investment securities, and we expect to make investments in other investment securities from time to time. We monitor these holdings regularly to confirm our continued compliance with the assets and income test described above. The need to comply with this test may cause us to restrict our business and subsidiaries with respect to the assets in which we can invest and/or the types of securities we may issue, to sell investment securities, including on unfavorable terms, to acquire assets or businesses that could change the nature of our business or to potentially take other actions that may be viewed as adverse to the holders of our Class A common stock, in order to conduct our business in a manner that does not subject us to the registration and other requirements of the Investment Company Act.
If anything were to happen which would cause the Company to be deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we might lose our ability to raise money in the U.S. capital markets and from U.S. lenders, and additional restrictions under the Investment Company Act could apply to us, all of which could make it impractical for us to continue our business as currently conducted. This would materially and adversely affect the value of your Class A common shares and our ability to pay dividends in respect of our common shares
Regulation - Risk 6
If we are required to register under the Investment Advisers Act, our ability to conduct business could be materially adversely affected.The U.S. Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, or the "Investment Advisers Act," contains substantive legal requirements that regulate the manner in which "investment advisers" required to register under the Investment Advisers Act are permitted to conduct their business activities. We believe that we, together with our subsidiaries, to the extent any such entities act as investment advisers within the meaning of the Investment Advisers Act, qualify for exemptions from registration thereunder, including exemptions for non-U.S. investment advisers whose only U.S. clients are private funds that are generally managed outside the United States and for non-U.S. investment advisers with only a small number of U.S. clients with limited assets under management.
Although exempt from registration under the Investment Advisers Act, we or certain of our subsidiaries may still be required to file reports with the SEC as "exempt reporting advisers" pursuant to the terms of the registration exemption on which they rely. Provisions of the Investment Advisers Act that apply only to registered investment advisers do not apply to exempt reporting advisers. However, exempt reporting advisers are subject to some of the requirements and regulations of the Investment Advisers Act, including, among other things, fiduciary duties to advisory clients, recordkeeping and regulatory reporting requirements, disclosure obligations, limitations on agency cross and principal transactions between an adviser and its advisory clients, anti-corruption rules relating to investors associated with U.S. state or local governments, and general anti-fraud prohibitions. In addition, the SEC is authorized under the Investment Advisers Act to require exempt reporting advisers, including those affiliated with us or our subsidiaries, to maintain records and provide reports, and to examine these advisers' records.
While we believe our current practices do not require us or any of our subsidiaries to register as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act, if a regulator were to disagree with our analysis with respect to any portion of our business, we or a subsidiary may be required to register as an investment adviser and to comply with the Investment Advisers Act. Registering as an investment adviser could adversely affect our method of operation and revenues. For example, registered investment advisers under the Investment Advisers Act are subject to burdensome compliance requirements with respect to, among other things, reporting and recordkeeping, custody of client assets, advertising and performance information, conflicts of interests, restrictions on affiliate transactions, advisory contracts, and aggregation and allocation of client trades. It could be difficult for us to comply with these obligations without meaningful changes to our business operations, and there is no guarantee that we could do so successfully. If we were ever deemed to be subject to, and in noncompliance with, Investment Advisers Act requirements, we could also be subject to various penalties, including administrative or judicial proceedings that might result in censure, fines, civil penalties, cease-and-desist orders or other adverse consequences, as well as private rights of action, any of which could materially adversely affect our business.
Regulation - Risk 7
Certain of our portfolio companies may face restrictions and penalties, and may be subject to proceedings, under the Brazilian Consumer Protection Code in the future.Brazil has a series of strict consumer protection laws, referred to collectively as the Brazilian Consumer Protection Code (Código de Defesa do Consumidor), or the "Consumer Protection Code." These laws apply only to instances where there is a supplier, on the one part, the supply of a product or provision of a service under the contract and an end user, on the other part. If the person or entity acquires supplies that will be used in its manufacturing process, it should not be considered "end user" of the respective inputs. Brazilian courts may find that the rules of the Consumer Protection Code apply to instances of exception where a company acquiring the products for its supply chain are considered vulnerable in the areas of technology, finance and law. They include protection against misleading and deceptive advertising, protection against coercive or unfair business practices and protection in the formation and interpretation of contracts, usually in the form of civil liabilities and administrative penalties for violations. In addition, the Consumer Protection Code provides a series of contractual clauses that may be found to be legally insufficient to reduce or limit a supplier's liability towards consumers; involve a waiver or disposal of rights; transfer liability to third parties; establish obligations on consumers that are non-equitable or abusive, or that lack good faith, among others.
These penalties are often levied by the Brazilian Consumer Protection Authorities (Órgãos de Proteção e Defesa do Consumidor), or "PROCONs" – local consumer bodies, which oversee consumer issues on a district-by-district basis. Companies that operate across Brazil may face penalties from multiple PROCONs, as well as from the National Secretariat for Consumers (Secretaria Nacional do Consumidor). Should the consumer protection agencies identify a violation of the Consumer Protection Code, said authorities could impose the penalties set forth in section 56 of the Consumer Protection Code (the most common is a fine that varies from R$800.00 up to R$9.5 million, depending on the size of the company, the advantage obtained as result of the practice and the seriousness of the infraction). Consumers may also file civil lawsuits seeking compensation for damages. Companies may settle claims made by consumers via PROCONs by paying compensation for violations directly to consumers and through a mechanism that allows them to adjust their conduct, called a conduct adjustment agreement (Termo de Ajustamento de Conduta), or "TAC."
Brazilian public prosecutors may also commence investigations of alleged violations of consumer rights and require companies to enter into TACs. Companies that violate TACs face potential enforcement proceedings and other potential penalties such as fines, as set forth in the relevant TAC. Brazilian public prosecutors may also file public civil actions against companies who violate consumer rights or competition rules, seeking strict adherence to the consumer protection laws and compensation for any damages to consumers. In certain cases, certain of our funds or portfolio companies may also face investigations and/or sanctions by the Brazilian Federal Antitrust Agency (Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica), in the event our business practices are found to affect the competitiveness of the markets in which we operate.
In addition, certain of our funds and portfolio companies may also be subject to legal proceedings by current and/or former consumers alleging breaches of rights granted by the Consumer Protection Code. Even if unsuccessful, these claims may cause negative publicity, entail substantial expenses and divert the time and attention of our management or the management of certain of our portfolio companies, materially adversely affecting our results of operations and financial condition.
Regulation - Risk 8
The Cayman Islands Economic Substance Act may affect our operations.The Cayman Islands has enacted the International Tax Co-operation (Economic Substance) Act (As Revised), or the "Cayman Economic Substance Act." We are required to comply with the Cayman Economic Substance Act. As we are a Cayman Islands company, compliance obligations include filing annual notifications for us, which need to state whether we are carrying out any relevant activities and, if so, whether we have satisfied economic substance tests to the extent required under the Cayman Economic Substance Act. We may need to allocate additional resources to comply with the requirements under the Cayman Economic Substance Act, and may have to make changes to our operations in order to comply with all requirements under the Cayman Economic Substance Act. Failure to satisfy these requirements may subject us to penalties under the Cayman Economic Substance Act.
The Cayman Islands Tax Information Authority shall impose a penalty of CI$10,000 (or US$12,500) on a relevant entity for failing to satisfy the economic substance test or CI$100,000 (or US$125,000) if it is not satisfied in the subsequent financial year after the initial notice of failure. Following failure after two consecutive years, the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands may make an order requiring the relevant entity to take specified action to satisfy the economic substance test or ordering that it is defunct or shall be struck off.
Regulation - Risk 9
Extensive regulation of our businesses affects our activities and creates the potential for significant liabilities and penalties. The possibility of increased regulatory focus could result in additional burdens on our business.Our business is subject to extensive regulation, including periodic examinations, by governmental agencies and self-regulatory organizations in the jurisdictions in which we operate around the world. These authorities have regulatory powers dealing with many aspects of financial services, including the authority to grant, and in specific circumstances to cancel, permissions to carry on particular activities. Many of these regulators, including Brazilian and foreign government agencies and self-regulatory organizations are also empowered to conduct investigations and administrative proceedings that can result in fines, suspensions of personnel, changes in policies, procedures or disclosure or other sanctions, including the issuance of cease-and-desist orders, the suspension or expulsion of an investment adviser from registration or memberships or the commencement of a civil or criminal lawsuit against us or our personnel.
Moreover, the financial services industry in recent years has been the subject of heightened scrutiny, and U.S. and Brazilian regulators have specifically focused on private equity. In that connection, in recent years the SEC's stated examination priorities have included, among other things, private equity firms' disclosure and collection of fees and allocation of expenses, their marketing and valuation practices, allocation of investment opportunities, prevention of insider trading, and policies and procedures with respect to conflicts of interest and compliance measures customized to the actual circumstances. We regularly are subject to requests for information and informal or formal investigations by the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission (Comissão de Valores Mobiliários), or "CVM," and other regulatory authorities related to the other jurisdictions in which we operate, as well as the Brazilian internal revenue service (Receita Federal do Brasil) and other tax revenue agencies, as well as self-regulating authorities, such as the Brazilian Financial and Capital Markets Association (Associação Brasileira das Entidades dos Mercados Financeiro e de Capitais), or "ANBIMA" and the Brazilian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (Associação Brasileira de Private Equity e Venture Capital), or ABVCAP, with which we routinely cooperate, and which have included review of historical practices that were previously examined. Such investigations have previously and may in the future result in deficiency letters, penalties and other sanctions.
We are currently subject to a comprehensive regulatory regime and the ongoing requirements related to our registration as asset managers and administrators in: (i) Brazil with the CVM; (ii) Chile with (1) the Financial Markets Commission (Comisión Para el Mercado Financiero), or "CMF," both for Moneda S.A. Administradora General de Fondos and Moneda Corredores de Bolsa Ltda.; (2) the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, for Moneda USA, Inc. and (3) the Financial Services Commission of the British Virgin Islands, for Moneda International Inc.; (iii) Uruguay with the Central Bank of Uruguay; and (iv) the United Kingdom with the FCA. We have also obtained our registration as a distributor of certain securities with the CVM, which may result in additional liability and operational requirements. There is significant uncertainty regarding the allocation of responsibilities and functions performed by asset managers, administrators and distributors under Brazilian law and related rules and regulations.
Actions and initiatives by the CVM, the CMF or other regulators can have an adverse effect on our financial results, including as a result of the imposition of a sanction, a limitation on our or our personnel's activities, or changing our historic practices. Even if an investigation or proceeding did not result in a sanction or the sanction imposed against us or our personnel by a regulator were small in monetary amount, the adverse publicity relating to the investigation, proceeding or imposition of these sanctions could harm our reputation and cause us to lose existing clients or fail to gain new clients.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities2 | 2.2%
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1
Contingent liabilities could harm fund performance.Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 2
We are subject to substantial litigation risks and may face significant liabilities and damage to our professional reputation as a result of litigation allegations and negative publicity.In recent years, the volume of claims and amount of damages claimed in litigation and regulatory proceedings against the financial services industry in general have been increasing and are generally expected to continue to increase in the future. The investment decisions we make in our asset management business and the activities of our investment professionals on behalf of portfolio companies may subject the companies, funds and us to the risk of third-party litigation arising from investor dissatisfaction with the performance of those investment funds, alleged conflicts of interest, the suitability or manner of distribution of our products, the activities of our funds' portfolio companies, including labor, tax, criminal and environmental claims related thereto, as well as a variety of other litigation claims.
In addition, Brazilian authorities and/or courts may, in some cases, apply legal doctrines such as piercing the corporate veil or enact legal statutes that impose joint and several liability or secondary liability, holding controlling shareholders and other companies of an economic group jointly liable for labor, social security, consumer related and environmental obligations, even in the absence of fraudulent conduct. Accordingly, our portfolio companies and our funds may be subject to judicial and administrative proceedings related to debts, contingencies or liabilities related to our portfolio companies as a whole, and we may ultimately be liable for those debts, contingencies and liabilities if we do not successfully defend ourselves in such proceedings.
The costs and effects of pending and future litigation, investigations or similar matters, or adverse facts and developments related thereto, could materially affect our business, financial position and results of operations. From time to time we, our funds and our funds' public portfolio companies may be subject to securities class action lawsuits by shareholders, as well as class action lawsuits that challenge our acquisition transactions and/or attempt to enjoin them.
In addition, to the extent investors in our investment funds suffer losses resulting from fraud, gross negligence, willful misconduct or other similar misconduct, investors may have remedies against us, our investment funds, our senior managing directors or our affiliates under the relevant securities laws. While the general partners and investment advisers to our investment funds, including their directors, officers, other employees and affiliates, are generally indemnified to the fullest extent permitted by law with respect to their conduct in connection with the management of the business and affairs of our investment funds, such indemnity does not extend to actions determined to have involved fraud, gross negligence, willful misconduct or other similar misconduct.
The activities of our capital markets services business may also subject us to the risk of liabilities to our clients and third parties, including our clients' shareholders, under securities or other laws in connection with transactions in which we participate.
If any private lawsuits or regulatory actions were brought against us and resulted in a finding of substantial legal liability, it could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations or cause significant reputational harm to us, which could seriously harm our business. We depend to a large extent on our business relationships and our reputation for integrity and high-caliber professional services to attract and retain investors and to pursue investment opportunities for our funds. As a result, allegations of improper conduct by private litigants, regulators, or employees, whether the ultimate outcome is favorable or unfavorable to us, as well as negative publicity and press speculation about us, our investment activities, our lines of business or distribution channels, our workplace environment, or the private equity industry in general, whether or not valid, may harm our reputation, which may be more damaging to our business than to other types of businesses.
Further, disputes might arise in relation to the business activities of certain of our portfolio companies or the performance of the service providers thereunder. To the extent that any client of our portfolio companies or their service providers disagrees with us on the quality of the products or services, terms and conditions of the payment or other provisions of such services, we may face claims, disputes, litigation or other proceedings initiated by such clients against us. We may incur substantial expenses and require significant attention of management in defending against these claims, regardless of their merit. We could also face damage to our reputation as a result of such claims, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.
Taxation & Government Incentives3 | 3.3%
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 1
Changes in relevant tax laws, regulations or treaties or an adverse interpretation of these items by tax authorities could adversely impact our effective tax rate and tax liability.Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 2
We are subject to review by taxing authorities, and an incorrect interpretation by us of tax rules and regulations may have a material adverse effect on us.Our activities require the use of estimates and interpretations of complex tax rules and regulations and are subject to review by taxing authorities and/or courts. We and funds managed by us are subject to the income and investment tax laws of Brazil, Chile and the other jurisdictions in which we operate. These tax rules are complex and subject to different interpretations by the taxpayer, relevant governmental taxing authorities and courts, leading to disputes which are sometimes subject to prolonged evaluation periods until a final resolution is reached. In making investment decisions or in establishing a provision for income tax expense and filing returns, we must make judgments and interpretations about the application of these inherently complex tax rules. If the judgment, estimates and assumptions we use in making our investment decisions or in preparing our tax returns are subsequently found to be incorrect, there could be a material adverse effect on us. The interpretations of Brazilian and Chilean taxing authorities and/courts and the other jurisdictions in which we operate are unpredictable and frequently involve disputes, which introduces further uncertainty and risk leading to increased tax burden.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 3
Changes in taxes, including the corporate tax rate, in Chile and Uruguay may have an adverse effect on us and our portfolio companies.The Chilean Government enacted various tax reforms in 2014, 2016 and 2020 in order to finance greater social expenditures. The most relevant change was the rise of the corporate tax rate to 27% in 2018. There is currently discussion of another tax reform to finance the growing deficit. The Government is expected to send a new bill to Congress on certain tax reforms, which has not been disclosed as of the date of this annual report. We cannot predict at this time if these reforms or discussions will have a material impact on our business or portfolio companies or if further tax reforms will be implemented in the future. In addition, the effective corporate tax rate of our portfolio companies located in Chile could rise in the future, which may have an adverse impact on our results of operations.
Environmental / Social1 | 1.1%
Environmental / Social - Risk 1
Rapidly developing and changing global privacy laws and regulations could increase compliance costs and subject us to enforcement risks and reputational damage.Tech & Innovation
Total Risks: 3/92 (3%)Below Sector Average
Trade Secrets1 | 1.1%
Trade Secrets - Risk 1
We may not be able to successfully manage our intellectual property and may be subject to infringement claims.Cyber Security1 | 1.1%
Cyber Security - Risk 1
Cybersecurity risks could result in the loss of data, interruptions in our business, damage to our reputation, and subject us to regulatory actions and/or lawsuits, increased costs and financial losses, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.Technology1 | 1.1%
Technology - Risk 1
Our operations are highly dependent on the information system and technology infrastructure that supports our business and on a number of external service providers for certain key market information and data, technology, processing and supporting functions.Production
Total Risks: 3/92 (3%)Below Sector Average
Employment / Personnel2 | 2.2%
Employment / Personnel - Risk 1
We depend on our key senior managing directors, and the loss of their services would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.Employment / Personnel - Risk 2
Misconduct of our employees, consultants or subcontractors could harm us by impairing our ability to attract and retain clients and subjecting us to significant legal liability and reputational harm. Fraud and other deceptive practices or other misconduct at our funds' portfolio companies could similarly subject us to liability and reputational damage and also harm performance.Our employees, consultants and subcontractors could engage in misconduct that adversely affects our business. We are subject to a number of obligations and standards arising from our asset management business and our authority over the assets managed by our asset management business. The violation of these obligations and standards by any of our employees, consultants and subcontractors would adversely affect our clients and us. Our business often requires that we deal with confidential matters of great significance to companies in which we may invest. If our employees, consultants and subcontractors were to improperly use or disclose confidential information, we could suffer serious harm to our reputation, financial position and current and future business relationships. Detecting or deterring employee misconduct is not always possible, and the extensive precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in all cases. If one of our employees, consultants and subcontractors were to engage in misconduct or were to be accused of such misconduct, our business and our reputation could be adversely affected.
In recent years, regulatory authorities across various jurisdictions, such as Brazil the United States and the United Kingdom, among others, have increasingly focused on enhancing and enforcing anti-bribery laws, such as the Clean Company Act, FCPA and the Bribery Act. While we have developed and implemented policies and procedures designed to ensure strict compliance by us and our personnel with such laws, such policies and procedures may not be effective in all instances to prevent violations. Any determination that we have violated the Clean Company Act, the FCPA, the anti-bribery laws or other applicable anti-corruption laws could subject us to, among other things, civil and criminal penalties or material fines, profit disgorgement, injunctions on future conduct, securities litigation and a general loss of investor confidence, any one of which could adversely affect our business prospects, financial position or the market value of our Class A common shares.
In addition, we may also be adversely affected if there is misconduct by personnel of portfolio companies in which our funds invest. For example, financial fraud or other deceptive practices at our funds' portfolio companies, or failures by personnel at our funds' portfolio companies to comply with anti-bribery, trade sanctions, anti-harassment or other legal and regulatory requirements, could subject us to, among other things, civil and criminal penalties or material fines, profit disgorgement, injunctions on future conduct and securities litigation, and could also cause significant reputational and business harm to us. Such misconduct may undermine our due diligence efforts with respect to such portfolio companies and could negatively affect the valuations of the investments by our funds in such portfolio companies. In addition, we may face an increased risk of such misconduct resulting from our emphasis in making investments in Latin America.
Supply Chain1 | 1.1%
Supply Chain - Risk 1
We are subject to risks in using prime brokers, custodians, counterparties, administrators and other agents.Ability to Sell
Total Risks: 1/92 (1%)Below Sector Average
Competition1 | 1.1%
Competition - Risk 1
The asset management business is subject to substantial and increasingly intense competition.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.