Public companies are required to disclose risks that can affect the business and impact the stock. These disclosures are known as “Risk Factors”. Companies disclose these risks in their yearly (Form 10-K), quarterly earnings (Form 10-Q), or “foreign private issuer” reports (Form 20-F). Risk factors show the challenges a company faces. Investors can consider the worst-case scenarios before making an investment. TipRanks’ Risk Analysis categorizes risks based on proprietary classification algorithms and machine learning.
Ryvyl disclosed 23 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Ryvyl reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.
Risk Overview Q3, 2024
Risk Distribution
48% Finance & Corporate
17% Legal & Regulatory
13% Tech & Innovation
13% Ability to Sell
4% Production
4% Macro & Political
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.
Risk Change Over Time
S&P500 Average
Sector Average
Risks removed
Risks added
Risks changed
Ryvyl Risk Factors
New Risk (0)
Risk Changed (0)
Risk Removed (0)
No changes from previous report
The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.
The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.
Risk Highlights Q3, 2024
Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 11 Risks
Finance & Corporate
With 11 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
23
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
23
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
Recent Changes
1Risks added
0Risks removed
0Risks changed
Since Sep 2024
1Risks added
0Risks removed
0Risks changed
Since Sep 2024
Number of Risk Changed
0
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 3
0
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 3
See the risk highlights of Ryvyl 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 23
Finance & Corporate
Total Risks: 11/23 (48%)Above Sector Average
Share Price & Shareholder Rights2 | 8.7%
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research, about our business, our stock price and our trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our Common Stock depends, in part, on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. While we currently have certain analyst coverage, if one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our Common Stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price could decline. In addition, if our operating results fail to meet the forecast of analysts, our stock price could decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our Common Stock could decrease, which might cause our stock price and trading volume to decline.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
Our executive officers, directors, and principal shareholders maintain the ability to control substantially all matters submitted to shareholders for approval.
As of December 31, 2023, our executive officers, directors, and shareholders who owned more than 5% of our outstanding Common Stock, in the aggregate, beneficially owned 2,229,819 shares of Common Stock representing approximately 36% of our outstanding capital stock. As a result, if these shareholders were to choose to act together, they would be able to control substantially all matters submitted to our shareholders for approval, as well as our management and affairs. For example, these persons, if they choose to act together, would control the election of directors and approval of any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. This concentration of voting power could delay or prevent an acquisition of us on terms that other shareholders may desire.
Accounting & Financial Operations4 | 17.4%
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1
Our operating results may fluctuate significantly as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control, which could cause fluctuations in the price of our securities.
We are subject to the following factors that may negatively affect our operating results:
- our ability to upgrade and develop our systems and infrastructure to accommodate growth; - our ability to attract and retain key personnel in a timely and cost-effective manner; - technical difficulties; - the amount and timing of operating costs and capital expenditures relating to the expansion of our business, operations, and infrastructure; - our ability to identify and enter into relationships with appropriate and qualified third-party providers for necessary development and manufacturing services; - regulation by federal, state, or local governments; - banking industry turmoil and headwinds in the digital asset space; and - general economic conditions, as well as economic conditions specific to the entertainment, theme park, party items, arts and crafts, and packaging industries.
As a result of our lack of any operating history and the nature of the markets in which we compete, it is difficult for us to forecast our revenues or earnings with a high degree of certainty. As a strategic response to changes in the competitive environment, we may from time to time make certain decisions concerning expenditures, pricing, service, or marketing that could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Due to the foregoing factors, our quarterly revenues and operating results are difficult to forecast.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2
Our financial statements may be materially affected as a result of material weaknesses in internal accounting controls.
We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and Nasdaq rules and regulations. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. Effective internal control over financial reporting is necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, is designed to prevent fraud. We must perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal controls over financial reporting to allow management to report on the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting in this Report, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act ("Section 404"). This requires significant management efforts and requires us to incur substantial professional fees and internal costs to expand our accounting and finance functions. Any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation, could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. In addition, any testing by us, as and when required, conducted in connection with Section 404, or any subsequent testing by our independent registered public accounting firm, as and when required, may reveal deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be significant deficiencies or material weaknesses, including the material weakness described below, or that may require prospective or retroactive changes to our financial statements, or may identify other areas for further attention or improvement. Furthermore, we cannot be certain that our efforts will be sufficient to remediate or prevent future material weaknesses or significant deficiencies from occurring.
We have identified control deficiencies in the design and implementation of our internal control over financial reporting that constituted a material weakness. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Any failure to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could adversely affect the results of the period including management evaluations and annual independent registered public accounting firm attestation reports regarding the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting that we will eventually be required to include in our periodic reports that are filed with the SEC. Ineffective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial and other information, which would likely have a negative effect on the trading price of our stock. The material weakness that was identified, which relates to internal control over financial reporting, is as follows:
- Currently, management does not have a complete process in place to fully reconcile the transactions between its operating system (a Company-developed platform) and its general ledger system, at the individual transaction level. This deficiency hampers the Company's ability to timely and accurately identify differences that may require adjustment to its consolidated financial statements.
As described in Item 9A of Part II of this Report, management is in the process of remediating the deficiency described above and intends to take any additional actions as may be deemed appropriate to further strengthen the Company's internal control over financial reporting. However, because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Additionally, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. In the future, we may identify additional material weaknesses that may cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations or result in material misstatements of our financial statements. If we fail to remediate such material weaknesses or if we otherwise fail to establish and maintain effective control over financial reporting, our ability to accurately and timely report our financial results could be adversely affected.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3
The restatement of our historical financial statements has consumed a significant amount of our time and resources and may continue to do so.
As further described in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements, we have restated our consolidated financial statements for the therein. The restatement process was highly time and resource-intensive and involved substantial attention from management, as well as significant legal and accounting costs. Although we have now completed the restatement, we cannot guarantee that we will have no further inquiries from the SEC or The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC ("Nasdaq") regarding our restated consolidated financial statements or matters relating thereto.
Any future inquiries from the SEC or Nasdaq as a result of the restatement of our historical financial statements will, regardless of the outcome, likely consume a significant amount of our resources in addition to those resources already consumed in connection with the restatement itself.
Further, many companies that have been required to restate their historical financial statements have experienced a decline in stock price and stockholder lawsuits related thereto.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4
Our financial statements may be materially affected if our estimates prove to be inaccurate as a result of our limited experience in making critical accounting estimates.
Financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") require the use of estimates, judgments, and assumptions that affect the reported amounts. Actual results may differ materially from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. These estimates, judgments, and assumptions are inherently uncertain, and, if they prove to be wrong, then we face the risk that charges to income will be required. In addition, because we have limited to no operating history and limited experience in making these estimates, judgments, and assumptions, the risk of future charges to income may be greater than if we had more experience in these areas. Any such charges could significantly harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, and the price of our securities.
Debt & Financing3 | 13.0%
Debt & Financing - Risk 1
Adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, including events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults or non-performance by financial institutions, have and could in the future, adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, or prospects.
The funds in our accounts are held in banks or other financial institutions. Our funds held in non-interest bearing and interest-bearing accounts would exceed any applicable Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") insurance limits. Should events, including limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments occur with respect to the banks or other financial institutions that hold our funds, or that affect financial institutions or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, our liquidity may be adversely affected. For example, on March 10, 2023, the FDIC announced that Silicon Valley Bank had been closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. Although we did not have any funds in Silicon Valley Bank or other institutions that have been closed, we cannot guarantee that the banks or other financial institutions that hold our funds will not experience similar issues.
Our business is dependent on our strategic banking relationships to process our electronic transactions. If we are unable to secure or retain a banking partner due to market conditions in the financial services industry, our financial condition will be materially affected.
In addition, investor concerns regarding the U.S. or international financial systems could 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 terms favorable to us could have material adverse impacts on our liquidity, our business, financial condition or results of operations, and our prospects. Our business is dependent on our strategic banking relationships to process our electronic transaction. Our business and our relationships with banking partners has been and may in the future, be adversely impacted by these developments in ways that we cannot predict at this time. There may be additional risks that we have not yet identified, and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to avoid negative consequences directly or indirectly from any failure of one or more banks or other financial institutions.
In February 2024, the Company transitioned its QuickCard product in North America away from terminal-based to app-based processing. This transition coincided with a change in our banking partner that was prompted by recent changes in the compliance environment and banking regulations. The unforeseen abrupt nature of the transition and slow initial adoption of the app-based product has led to a significant decline in processing volume in North America. This in turn has adversely affected revenue in the North America segment and, as a result, management anticipates consolidated revenue for the first quarter of 2024 will be down sequentially by approximately 30 percent overall, which is primarily attributable to this product transition. See Note 17, Subsequent Events, for additional information.
As a result of the developments described above, the Company's liquidity in its North America segment has been adversely impacted in the short term. In direct response, management has devised a plan, which it has assessed as appropriate and sufficient to address the liquidity shortfall in the North America segment. Refer to the "Going Concern" subsection within Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, for details of management's intended plan and further assessment.
Debt & Financing - Risk 2
We may require additional financing to sustain or grow our operations. Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our existing stockholders and investors, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our products and/or product candidates on unfavorable terms to us.
We may seek additional capital through a variety of means, including through private and public equity offerings and debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances, and marketing or licensing arrangements. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, or through the issuance of shares under other types of contracts, or upon the exercise or conversion of outstanding options, warrants, convertible debt or other similar securities, the ownership interests of our stockholders will be diluted, and the terms of such financings may include liquidation or other preferences, anti-dilution rights, conversion and exercise price adjustments and other provisions that adversely affect the rights of our stockholders, including rights, preferences and privileges that are senior to those of our holders of Common Stock in terms of the payment of dividends or in the event of a liquidation. In addition, debt financing, if available, could include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take certain actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures, entering into licensing arrangements, or declaring dividends and may require us to grant security interests in our assets. If we raise additional funds through collaborations, strategic alliances, or marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, product or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financing when needed, we may need to curtail or cease our operations.
Our growth will be dependent on our ability to access additional equity and debt capital. We may seek additional capital through a variety of means, including through private and public equity offerings and debt financings, collaborations, and strategic alliances. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, or through the issuance of shares under other types of contracts, or upon the exercise or conversion of outstanding options, warrants, convertible debt or other similar securities, the ownership interests of our stockholders will be diluted, and the terms of such financings may include liquidation or other preferences, anti-dilution rights, conversion and exercise price adjustments and other provisions that adversely affect the rights of our stockholders, including rights, preferences, and privileges that are senior to those of our holders of Common Stock in terms of the payment of dividends or in the event of a liquidation. In addition, debt financing, if available, could include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take certain actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends and may require us to grant security interests in our assets. If we raise additional funds through collaborations, strategic alliances, or marketing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, products, and services. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financing when needed, we may need to curtail or cease our operations.
Debt & Financing - Risk 3
It may be illegal now, or in the future, to participate in blockchains or utilize similar digital assets in one or more countries, the ruling of which would adversely affect us.
Although currently cryptocurrencies and blockchain-based solutions generally are not regulated or are lightly regulated in most countries, one or more countries such as China and Russia may take regulatory actions in the future that could severely restrict the right to acquire, own, hold, sell or use these digital assets or to exchange for fiat currency. Such restrictions may adversely affect us. Such circumstances could have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue as a going concern or to pursue our new strategy at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects or operations.
Corporate Activity and Growth2 | 8.7%
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1
We may not realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions or investments in joint ventures, or those benefits may be delayed or reduced in their realization.
Acquisitions and investments are likely to be a component of our growth and the development of our business in the future. Acquisitions can broaden and diversify our product concepts. In reviewing potential acquisitions or investments, we target assets or companies that we believe offer attractive products or offerings, the ability for us to leverage our offerings, competencies, or other synergies.
The combination of two or more independent businesses is a complex, costly, and time-consuming process that will require significant management attention and resources. The integration process may disrupt the businesses and, if implemented ineffectively, would limit the expected benefits of the acquisition. The failure to meet the challenges involved in integrating businesses and realizing the anticipated benefits could cause an interruption of, or a loss of momentum in, our activities and could adversely affect our results of operations. The overall integration of the businesses may result in material unanticipated problems, expenses, liabilities, competitive responses, loss of customer and other business relationships, and diversion of management's attention. The difficulties of combining the operations of the companies include, among others:
- the diversion of management's attention to integration matters;- difficulties in achieving anticipated cost savings, synergies, business opportunities, and growth prospects from the combination;- potential challenges in obtaining requisite government regulatory approvals;- difficulties in the integration of operations and systems; and - conforming standards, controls, procedures, accounting and other policies, business cultures, and compensation structures between the two companies.
We cannot be certain that the products and offerings of companies we may acquire, or acquire an interest in, will achieve or maintain popularity with consumers in the future or that any such acquired companies or investments will allow us to market our products more effectively, develop our competencies or to grow our business. In some cases, we expect that the integration of the companies that we may acquire into our operations will create production, marketing and other operating, revenue or cost synergies which will produce greater revenue growth and profitability and, where applicable, cost savings, operating efficiencies and other advantages. However, we cannot be certain that these synergies, efficiencies and cost savings will be realized. Even if achieved, these benefits may be delayed or reduced in their realization. In other cases, we may acquire or invest in companies that we believe have strong and creative management, in which case we may plan to operate them more autonomously rather than fully integrating them into our operations. We cannot be certain that the key talented individuals at these companies will continue to work for us after the acquisition or that they will develop popular and profitable products or services in the future. We cannot guarantee that any acquisition or investment we may make will be successful or beneficial, and acquisitions can consume significant amounts of management attention and other resources, which may negatively impact other aspects of our business.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2
We are subject to increased costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management is required to devote substantial time to new compliance initiatives.
As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting, and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company, including costs associated with public company reporting requirements. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as well as rules subsequently adopted by the SEC and Nasdaq to implement provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, impose significant requirements on public companies, including requiring establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and changes in corporate governance practices. Further, in July 2010, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, or the Dodd-Frank Act, was enacted. There are significant corporate governance and executive compensation related provisions in the Dodd-Frank Act that require the SEC to adopt additional rules and regulations in these areas, such as "say on pay" and proxy access. Stockholder activism, the current political environment and the current high level of government intervention and regulatory reform may lead to substantial new regulations and disclosure obligations, which may lead to additional compliance costs and impact the manner in which we operate our business in ways we cannot currently anticipate. Our management and other personnel will devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance programs and monitoring of public company reporting obligations and as a result of the new corporate governance and executive compensation related rules, regulations and guidelines prompted by the Dodd-Frank Act and further regulations and disclosure obligations expected in the future, we will likely need to devote additional time and costs to comply with such compliance programs and rules. These rules and regulations will cause us to incur significant legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly.
The rules and regulations applicable to public companies have substantially increased our legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time-consuming and costly. If these requirements divert the attention of our management and personnel from other business concerns, they could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. The increased costs will decrease our net income and may require us to reduce costs in other areas of our business or increase the prices of our products or services. For example, these rules and regulations made it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance and we may be required to incur substantial costs in the future to maintain the same or similar coverage. We cannot predict or estimate the amount or timing of additional costs we may incur to respond to these requirements. The impact of these requirements could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our Board, our Board committees or as executive officers.
Legal & Regulatory
Total Risks: 4/23 (17%)Below Sector Average
Litigation & Legal Liabilities1 | 4.3%
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1
Litigation may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
From time to time in the normal course of our business operations, we may become subject to litigation involving intellectual property, data privacy and security, consumer protection, commercial disputes and other matters that may negatively affect our operating results if changes to our business operation are required. We may also be subject to a variety of claims including product warranty, product liability, and consumer protection claims related to product defects, among other litigation. We may also be subject to claims involving health and safety, other environmental impacts, or service disruptions or failures. The cost to defend such litigation may be significant and may require a diversion of our resources. There also may be adverse publicity associated with litigation that could negatively affect customer perception of our business, regardless of whether the allegations are valid or whether we are ultimately found liable. As a result, litigation may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, insurance may not cover existing or future claims, be sufficient to fully compensate us for one or more of such claims or continue to be available on terms acceptable to us. A claim brought against us that is uninsured or underinsured could result in unanticipated costs, thereby adversely affecting our results of operations and resulting in a reduction in the trading price of our stock.
Environmental / Social3 | 13.0%
Environmental / Social - Risk 1
Expectations relating to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations could expose us to potential liabilities, increased costs, and reputational harm.
We are subject to laws, regulations, and other measures that govern a wide range of topics, including those related to matters beyond our core products and services. For instance, new laws, regulations, policies, and international accords relating to ESG matters, including sustainability, climate change, human capital, and diversity, are being developed and formalized in Europe, the U.S., and elsewhere, which may entail specific, target-driven frameworks and/or disclosure requirements. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to adhere to our public statements, comply fully with developing interpretations of ESG laws and regulations, or meet evolving and varied stakeholder expectations and standards could harm our business, reputation, financial condition, and operating results.
Environmental / Social - Risk 2
Data privacy and security concerns relating to our technology and our practices could cause us to incur significant liability and deter current and potential users from using our products and services. Software bugs or defects, security breaches, and attacks on our systems could result in the improper disclosure and use of user data and interference with our users' ability to use our products and services, harming our business operations.
Concerns about our practices with regard to the collection, use, disclosure, or security of personal information or other data-privacy-related matters, even if unfounded, could harm our financial condition, and operating results. Our policies and practices may change over time as expectations regarding privacy and data change. Our products and services involve the storage and transmission of proprietary information, and bugs, theft, misuse, defects, vulnerabilities in our products and services, and security breaches expose us to a risk of loss of this information, improper use and disclosure of such information, litigation, and other potential liability. Systems and control failures, security breaches and/or inadvertent disclosure of user data could result in government and legal exposure, seriously harm our business, and impair our ability to attract and retain customers.
We may experience cyber-attacks and other attempts to gain unauthorized access to our systems. We may experience future security issues, whether due to employee error or malfeasance or system errors or vulnerabilities in our or other parties' systems, which could result in significant legal and financial exposure. We may be unable to anticipate or detect attacks or vulnerabilities or implement adequate preventative measures. Attacks and security issues could also compromise trade secrets and other sensitive information, harming our business. As a result, we may suffer significant legal or financial exposure, which could harm our business, financial condition, and operating results.
Environmental / Social - Risk 3
Privacy regulation is an evolving area and compliance with applicable privacy regulations may increase our operating costs or adversely impact our ability to service our clients and market our products and services.
Because we store, process and use data, some of which contains personal information, we are subject to complex and evolving federal, state, and foreign laws and regulations regarding privacy, data protection, and other matters. While we believe we are currently in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, many of these laws and regulations are subject to change and uncertain interpretation, and could result in investigations, claims, changes to our business practices, increased cost of operations, and declines in user growth, retention, or engagement, any of which could seriously harm our business.
Tech & Innovation
Total Risks: 3/23 (13%)Below Sector Average
Trade Secrets1 | 4.3%
Trade Secrets - Risk 1
Third-party claims of infringement against us could adversely affect our ability to market our products and require us to redesign our products or seek licenses from third parties.
We are susceptible to intellectual property lawsuits that could cause us to incur substantial costs, pay substantial damages, or prohibit us from distributing our products. Whether a product infringes a patent involves complex legal and factual issues, the determination of which is often uncertain. In addition, because patent applications can take many years to issue, there may be applications now pending of which we are unaware, which later may result in issued patents that our products may infringe. If any of our products infringe a valid patent, we could be prevented from distributing that product unless and until we can obtain a license or redesign it to avoid infringement. A license may not be available or may require us to pay substantial royalties. We also may not be successful in any attempt to redesign the product to avoid any infringement. Infringement and other intellectual property claims, with or without merit, can be expensive and time-consuming to litigate, and we may not have the financial and human resources to defend ourselves against any infringement suits that may be brought against us.
We may employ individuals who were previously employed by companies that are developing blockchain or cryptocurrency products and technology, including our competitors or potential competitors. To the extent our employees are involved in research areas which are similar to those areas in which they were involved at their former employers, we may be subject to claims that such employees and/or we have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed the alleged trade secrets or other proprietary information of the former employers. Litigation may be necessary to defend against such claims, which could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management and which may have a material adverse effect on us, even if we are successful in defending such claims.
We also rely in our business on trade secrets, know-how and other proprietary information. We seek to protect this information, in part, through the use of confidentiality agreements with employees, consultants, advisors and others. Nonetheless, we cannot assure you that those agreements will provide adequate protection for our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information and prevent their unauthorized use or disclosure. To the extent that consultants, key employees or other third parties apply technological information independently developed by them or by others to our proposed products, disputes may arise as to the proprietary rights to such information which may not be resolved in our favor. Most of our consultants are employed by or have consulting agreements with third parties and any inventions discovered by such individuals generally will not become our property. There is a risk that other parties may breach confidentiality agreements or that our trade secrets become known or independently discovered by competitors, which could adversely affect us.
Technology2 | 8.7%
Technology - Risk 1
We are increasingly dependent on information technology, and potential cyberattacks, security problems, or other disruption and expanding social media vehicles present new risks.
We rely on information technology networks and systems, including the internet, to process, transmit, and store electronic information, and to manage or support a variety of business processes, including financial transactions and records, billing, and operating data. We may purchase some of our information technology from vendors, on whom our systems will depend, and we rely on commercially available systems, software, tools, and monitoring to provide security for processing, transmission, and storage of confidential operator and other customer information. We depend upon the secure transmission of this information over public networks. Our networks and storage applications could be subject to unauthorized access by hackers or others through cyberattacks, which are rapidly evolving and becoming increasingly sophisticated, or by other means, or may be breached due to operator error, malfeasance or other system disruptions. In some cases, it will be difficult to anticipate or immediately detect such incidents and the damage they cause. Any significant breakdown, invasion, destruction, interruption, or leakage of information from our systems could harm our business.
Further, in the normal course of our business, we collect, store and transmit proprietary and confidential information regarding our customers, employees, and others, including personally identifiable information. An operational failure or breach of security from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats could lead to loss, misuse or unauthorized disclosure of this information about our employees or customers, which may result in regulatory or other legal proceedings, and have a material adverse effect on our business. We also may not have the resources or technical sophistication to anticipate or prevent rapidly evolving types of cyber-attacks. Any such attacks or precautionary measures taken to prevent anticipated attacks may result in increasing costs, including costs for additional technologies, training and third-party consultants. The losses incurred from a breach of data security and operational failures as well as the precautionary measures required to address this evolving risk may adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Technology - Risk 2
The development and acceptance of competing blockchain platforms or technologies may cause consumers to use alternative distributed ledgers or other alternatives.
The development and acceptance of competing blockchain platforms or technologies may cause consumers to use alternative distributed ledgers or an alternative to distributed ledgers altogether. This may adversely affect us and our exposure to various blockchain technologies and prevent us from realizing the anticipated profits from our investments. Such circumstances could have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue as a going concern or to pursue our new strategy at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects or operations.
Ability to Sell
Total Risks: 3/23 (13%)Below Sector Average
Competition1 | 4.3%
Competition - Risk 1
We could face substantial competition, which could reduce our market share and negatively impact our net revenue.
Although we believe there is currently no other company in the payment facilitator industry using, as we are, blockchain infrastructure, notable companies in the payment facilitator industry include PayPal, Stripe, and Square. Many of our payment facilitator competitors are significantly larger than we are and have considerably greater financial, technical, marketing, and other resources than we do. Some competitors may have a lower cost of funds and access to funding sources that are not available to us. We cannot assure you that the competitive pressures we face will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Demand1 | 4.3%
Demand - Risk 1
Low demand for new products and the inability to develop and introduce new products at favorable margins could adversely impact our performance and prospects for future growth.
Our competitive advantage is due in part to our ability to develop and introduce new products in a timely manner at favorable margins. The uncertainties associated with developing and introducing new products, such as market demand and costs of development and production, may impede the successful development and introduction of new products on a consistent basis. Introduction of new technology may result in higher costs to us than that of the technology replaced. That increase in costs, which may continue indefinitely or until increased demand and greater availability in the sources of the new technology drive down its cost, could adversely affect our results of operations. Market acceptance of the new products introduced in recent years and scheduled for introduction in future years may not meet sales expectations due to various factors, such as the failure to accurately predict market demand, end-user preferences, evolving industry standards, or the emergence of new or disruptive technologies. Moreover, the ultimate success and profitability of the new products may depend on our ability to resolve technical and technological challenges in a timely and cost-effective manner. Our investments in productive capacity and commitments to fund advertising and product promotions in connection with these new products could erode profits if those expectations are not met.
Sales & Marketing1 | 4.3%
Sales & Marketing - Risk 1
Added
Our revenue projections related to our new licensing arrangements with payment services providers may not materialize due to customer acquisition and banking compliance issues that are outside of our control.
As part of the Company's plan to diversify its business, it recently launched a new licensing product for its payment processing platform. The Company will generate revenues from these arrangements from use-based license fees that it will charge to the payment services providers. The Company's ability to generate revenues from these licensing arrangements is contingent on the success of the licensees in utilizing and servicing their customers on their platforms, as the licensees will have exclusive control over, among other things, implementation and operations of the point of banking system, procurement of ACH processing solutions, and customer acquisitions.
The licensees will also have control in determining clients and industries utilizing the licensed technology, which requires an understanding of various banking laws and regulations that may impact the licensee's servicing of customer accounts. For example, federal money laundering statutes and Bank Secrecy Act regulations discourage financial institutions from working with operators of certain industries, particularly those with heightened cash reporting obligations and restrictions. As a result, banks may refuse to process certain payments and/or require onerous reporting obligations by payment processors to avoid compliance risk. These and other complexities surrounding banking and payment processing laws may make it difficult for the licensees to acquire customers, thereby negatively impacting the Company's ability to generate revenues from these arrangements.
Production
Total Risks: 1/23 (4%)Below Sector Average
Employment / Personnel1 | 4.3%
Employment / Personnel - Risk 1
The loss of key personnel or the inability of replacements to quickly and successfully perform in their new roles could adversely affect our business.
We depend on the leadership and experience of our relatively small number of key executive management personnel, particularly our Chairman of the Board of Directors (the "Board") and Executive Vice President, Ben Errez, and our Director and Chief Executive Officer, Fredi Nisan. The loss of the services of any of our key executives or any of our executive management members could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects, as we may not be able to find suitable individuals to replace such personnel on a timely basis or without incurring increased costs, or at all. Furthermore, if we lose or terminate the services of one or more of our key employees or if one or more of our current or former executives or key employees joins a competitor or otherwise competes with us, it could impair our business and our ability to successfully implement our business plan. Additionally, if we are unable to hire qualified replacements for our executive and other key positions in a timely fashion, our ability to execute our business plan would be harmed. Even if we can quickly hire qualified replacements, we would expect to experience operational disruptions and inefficiencies during any transition. We believe that our future success will depend on our continued ability to attract and retain highly skilled and qualified personnel. There is a high level of competition for experienced, successful personnel in our industry. Our inability to meet our executive staffing requirements in the future could impair our growth and harm our business.
Macro & Political
Total Risks: 1/23 (4%)Below Sector Average
Economy & Political Environment1 | 4.3%
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1
A prolonged economic downturn could adversely affect our business.
Uncertain global economic conditions could adversely affect our business. The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted some of our clients as they saw reductions in revenues due to business closures which caused our processing volume to decline. Negative global and national economic trends, such as decreased consumer and business spending, high unemployment levels and declining consumer and business confidence, pose challenges to our business and could result in declining revenues, profitability and cash flow. Although we continue to devote significant resources to support our brands, unfavorable economic conditions may negatively affect demand for our products.
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.