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.
UTime disclosed 96 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. UTime reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.
Risk Overview Q1, 2023
Risk Distribution
34% Finance & Corporate
33% Legal & Regulatory
11% Production
9% Macro & Political
7% Tech & Innovation
4% 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
UTime 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 Q1, 2023
Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 33 Risks
Finance & Corporate
With 33 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
96
+2
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
96
+2
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
Recent Changes
2Risks added
0Risks removed
3Risks changed
Since Mar 2023
2Risks added
0Risks removed
3Risks changed
Since Mar 2023
Number of Risk Changed
3
-4
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 3
3
-4
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 3
See the risk highlights of UTime 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 96
Finance & Corporate
Total Risks: 33/96 (34%)Below Sector Average
Share Price & Shareholder Rights18 | 18.8%
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
Added
Recent joint statement by the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or the "PCAOB," rule changes by Nasdaq, and an act passed by the U.S. Senate all call for additional and more stringent criteria to be applied to emerging market companies upon assessing the qualification of their auditors, especially the non-U.S. auditors who are not inspected by the PCAOB. These developments could negatively affect our securities.
On April 21, 2020, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton and PCAOB Chairman William D. Duhnke III, along with other senior SEC staff, released a joint statement highlighting the risks associated with investing in companies based in or have substantial operations in emerging markets including China. The joint statement emphasized the risks associated with lack of access for the PCAOB to inspect auditors and audit work papers in China and higher risks of fraud in emerging markets.
On May 18, 2020, Nasdaq filed three proposals with the SEC to (i) apply a minimum offering size requirement for companies primarily operating in a "Restrictive Market," (ii) adopt a new requirement relating to the qualification of management or the board of directors for Restrictive Market companies, and (iii) apply additional and more stringent criteria to an applicant or listed company based on the qualifications of the company's auditor. On October 4, 2021, the SEC approved Nasdaq's revised proposal for the rule changes.
On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the HFCA Act, requiring a foreign company to certify it is not owned or manipulated by a foreign government if the PCAOB is unable to audit specified reports because the company uses a foreign auditor not subject to PCAOB inspection. If the PCAOB is unable to inspect the company's auditor for three consecutive years, the issuer's securities are prohibited to trade on a national exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. On December 2, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the HFCA Act. On December 18, 2020, the HFCA Act was signed into law.
On June 4, 2020, the U.S. President issued a memorandum ordering the President's working group on financial markets, or the "PWG," to submit a report to the President within 60 days of the date of the memorandum that should include recommendations for actions that can be taken by the executive branch and by the SEC or PCAOB to enforce U.S. regulatory requirements on Chinese companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges and their audit firms.
On August 6, 2020, the PWG released a report recommending that the SEC take steps to implement the five recommendations outlined in the report. In particular, to address companies from jurisdictions that do not provide the PCAOB with sufficient access to fulfill its statutory mandate, or "NCJs", the PWG recommends enhanced listing standards on U.S. stock exchanges. This would require, as a condition to initial and continued exchange listing, PCAOB access to work papers of the principal audit firm for the audit of the listed company. Companies unable to satisfy this standard as a result of governmental restrictions on access to audit work papers and practices in NCJs may satisfy this standard by providing a co-audit from an audit firm with comparable resources and experience where the PCAOB determines it has sufficient access to audit work papers and practices to conduct an appropriate inspection of the co-audit firm. The report permits the new listing standards to provide for a transition period until January 1, 2022 for listed companies, but would apply immediately to new listings once the necessary rulemakings and/or standard-setting are effective.
On August 10, 2020, the SEC announced that SEC Chairman had directed the SEC staff to prepare proposals in response to the PWG Report, and that the SEC was soliciting public comments and information with respect to these proposals. If we are listed on Nasdaq and fail to meet the new listing standards before the deadline specified thereunder due to factors beyond our control, we could face possible de-listing from the Nasdaq Capital Market, deregistration from the SEC, and/or other risks, which may materially and adversely affect, or effectively terminate, the trading of our Ordinary Shares in the United States.
The HFCA Act requires certain issuers of securities to establish that they are not owned or controlled by a foreign government. Specifically, an issuer must make this certification if the PCAOB is unable to audit specified reports because the issuer has retained a foreign public accounting firm not subject to inspection by the PCAOB. Furthermore, if the PCAOB is unable to inspect the issuer's public accounting firm for three consecutive years, the issuer's securities are banned from trade on a national exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States or through other methods.
On March 24, 2021, the SEC announced that it had adopted interim final amendments to implement congressionally mandated submission and disclosure requirements of the HFCA Act. The interim final amendments will apply to registrants that the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report on Forms 10-K, 20-F, 40-F or N-CSR with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that the PCAOB has determined it is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in that jurisdiction. The SEC will implement a process for identifying such a registrant and any such identified registrant will be required to submit documentation to the SEC establishing that it is not owned or controlled by a governmental entity in that foreign jurisdiction, and will also require disclosure in the registrant's annual report regarding the audit arrangements of, and governmental influence on, such a registrant.
On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating HFCA Act, which, if passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and signed into law, would decrease the number of non-inspection years for foreign companies to comply with PCAOB audits from three to two, thus reducing the time period before their securities may be prohibited from trading or delisted.
On September 22, 2021, the PCAOB adopted a final rule implementing the HFCA Act, which provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCA Act, whether the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction.
On November 5, 2021, the SEC approved the PCAOB's Rule 6100, Board Determinations Under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. Rule 6100 provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCA Act, whether it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction.
On December 2, 2021, the SEC issued amendments to finalize rules implementing the submission and disclosure requirements in the HFCA Act, which became effective on January 10, 2022. The rules apply to registrants that the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in foreign jurisdictions.
On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report on its determinations that it is unable to inspect or investigate completely PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and in Hong Kong because of positions taken by mainland China and Hong Kong authorities in those jurisdictions. The PCAOB has made such designations as mandated under the HFCA Act. Pursuant to each annual determination by the PCAOB, the SEC will, on an annual basis, identify issuers that have used non-inspected audit firms and thus are at risk of such suspensions in the future. As of the date of this annual report, our auditor is not subject to the determinations announced by the PCAOB on December 16, 2021. On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB signed the Statement of Protocol (SOP) Agreements with the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and China's Ministry of Finance. The SOP, together with two protocol agreements governing inspections and investigations (together, the "SOP Agreements"), establish a specific, accountable framework to make possible complete inspections and investigations by the PCAOB of audit firms based in mainland China and Hong Kong, as required under U.S. law. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB Board determined that the PCAOB was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong and voted to vacate its previous determinations to the contrary. However, should PRC authorities obstruct or otherwise fail to facilitate the PCAOB's access in the future, the PCAOB Board will consider the need to issue a new determination.
On December 23, 2022, the Accelerating HFCA Act was signed into law, which amended the HFCA Act by requiring the SEC to prohibit an issuer's securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three. On December 29, 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act was signed into law by President Biden. The Consolidated Appropriations Act contained, among other things, an identical provision to Accelerating HFCA Act, which reduces the number of consecutive non-inspection years required for triggering the prohibitions under the HFCA Act from three years to two.
The SEC may propose additional rules or guidance that could impact us if our auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspection in the future.
It remains unclear what the SEC's implementation process related to the above rules will entail or what further actions the SEC, the PCAOB or Nasdaq will take to address these issues and what impact those actions will have on the companies that have significant operations in the PRC and have securities listed on a U.S. stock exchange (including a national securities exchange or over-the-counter stock market). In addition, the above amendments and any additional actions, proceedings, or new rules resulting from these efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could create some uncertainty for investors, the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares could be adversely affected, and we could be delisted if we and our auditor are unable to meet the PCAOB inspection requirement or being required to engage a new audit firm, which would require significant expense and management time.
Furthermore, new laws and regulations or changes in laws and regulations in both the United States and China could affect our ability to list our securities on the Nasdaq Capital Market, which could materially impair the market for and the market price of our securities.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
Changed
Minfei Bao, our founder and director, and Min He will continue to have significant influence over us after our initial public offering, including control over decisions that require the approval of shareholders, which could limit your ability to influence the outcome of matters submitted to shareholders for a vote.
As of the date of this annual report, Minfei Bao beneficially owns 4,380,000 of our ordinary shares, or 32.28% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, through Grandsky Phoenix Limited, a British Virgin Islands company, of which Mr. Bao controls 100% of the equity interest. As of the date of this annual report, Min He, one of our directors, beneficially owns 137,793 of our ordinary shares, or 1.02% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares through HMercury Capital Limited, a British Virgin Islands company, of which Mr. He is the controlling shareholder. As long as Mr. Bao owns or controls a significant amount of our outstanding voting power of our ordinary shares, Mr. Bao, or Mr. Bao and Mr. He, if they act together, has or have the ability to exercise substantial control over all corporate actions requiring shareholder approval, irrespective of how our other shareholders may vote, including:
- the election and removal of directors and the size of our board of directors;- any amendment of our memorandum or articles of association; or - the approval of mergers, consolidations and other significant corporate transactions, including a sale of substantially all of our assets.
Moreover, beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares by Mr. Bao may also adversely affect the trading price of our ordinary shares on Nasdaq to the extent investors perceive disadvantages in owning shares of a company with a controlling shareholder. As a result, this concentration of ownership may not be in the best interests of our other shareholders.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
Changed
Our ordinary shares may be delisted under the HFCA Act if the PCAOB is unable to adequately inspect audit documentation located in China. The delisting of our ordinary shares, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment. Additionally, the inability of the PCAOB to conduct adequate inspections deprives our investors with the benefits of such inspections. Furthermore, on June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, and on December 29, 2022, a legislation entitled "Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023" (the "Consolidated Appropriations Act") was signed into law by President Biden, which contained, among other things, an identical provision to Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act and amended the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act by reducing the period of time for foreign companies to comply with PCAOB audits to two consecutive years, instead of three, thus reducing the time period before our securities may be prohibited from trading or delisted.
The HFCA Act, which was signed into law on December 18, 2020, states if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspection for the PCAOB for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, the SEC shall prohibit our shares from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. On December 2, 2021, the SEC adopted final amendments implementing the disclosure and submission requirements of the HFCA Act, pursuant to which the SEC will identify an issuer as a "Commission-Identified Issuer" if the issuer has filed an annual report containing an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that the PCAOB has determined it is unable to inspect or investigate completely, and will then impose a trading prohibition on an issuer after it is identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for three consecutive years. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report to notify the SEC of its determination that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong.
On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB announced that it had signed the Statement of Protocol with the CSRC and the MOFCOM. The terms of the Statement of Protocol would grant the PCAOB complete access to audit work papers and other information so that it may inspect and investigate PCAOB-registered accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong. According to the PCAOB, its December 2021 determinations under the HFCA ACT remain in effect. The PCAOB is required to reassess these determinations by the end of 2022. Under the PCAOB's rules, a reassessment of a determination under the HFCAA may result in the PCAOB reaffirming, modifying or vacating the determination.
Our auditor Audit Alliance LLP. ("AA"), as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. Our auditor is headquartered in Singapore, and is subject to inspection by the PCAOB on a regular basis.
However, majority of the audit workpapers for our company and the VIE's operations are located in China, and the PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections in China without the approval of Chinese government authorities, but access to audit work and papers may be available in the near future, as a result of the Statement of Proposal. If the PCAOB does gain such access, there is no assurance that it may not later be determined that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate our auditor completely, and investors may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection. Any audit reports not issued by auditors that are completely inspected by the PCAOB, or a lack of PCAOB inspections of audit work undertaken in China that prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating our auditor' audits and their quality control procedures, could result in a lack of assurance that our financial statements and disclosures are adequate and accurate, then such lack of inspection could cause our securities to be delisted from the stock exchange.
Whether the PCAOB will be able to conduct inspections of our auditor before the issuance of our financial statements on the annual report on Form 20-F for the year ending March 31, 2024 which is due by July 31, 2024, or at all, is subject to substantial uncertainty and depends on a number of factors out of our and our auditor's control. If our shares are prohibited from trading in the United States, there is no certainty that we will be able to list on additional non-U.S. exchange to facilitate the trading in our securities. Such a prohibition would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our shares when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with delisting would have a negative impact on the price of our shares. Also, such a prohibition would significantly affect our ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all, which would have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and prospects.
On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed a bill which would reduce the number of consecutive non-inspection years required for triggering the prohibitions under the HFCA Act from three years to two, and on December 29, 2022, a legislation entitled "Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023" (the "Consolidated Appropriations Act") was signed into law by President Biden, which contained, among other things, an identical provision to Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act and amended the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act by reducing the period of time for foreign companies to comply with PCAOB audits to two consecutive years, instead of three, thus reducing the time period before our securities may be prohibited from trading or delisted
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
We are a "controlled company" within the meaning of Nasdaq's Rules and, as a result, may rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to shareholders of other companies.
We are a "controlled company" as defined under Nasdaq's Rules because Mr. Bao holds more than 50% of our voting power, and we continue to be a controlled company upon completion of our initial public offering. For so long as we remain a controlled company under that definition, we are permitted to elect to rely, and may rely, on certain exemptions from the obligation to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including:
- the requirement that our directors must be selected or recommended solely by independent directors; and - the requirement that we have a corporate governance and nominating committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee's purpose and responsibilities.
As a result, 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 Stock Market Rules, if we utilize such exemptions. We currently do not intend to utilize the controlled company exemptions. To the extent we cease to qualify as a controlled company, we will no longer be able to rely on any of these exemptions.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. Federal courts may be limited.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability and substantially all of our assets will be located outside the United States. In addition, most of our directors and officers are nationals or residents of jurisdictions other than the United States and all or a substantial portion of their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon us or our directors or executive officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against us or our directors or officers.
Further, mail addressed to us and received at our registered office will be forwarded unopened to the forwarding address supplied by our directors. Our directors will only receive, open or deal directly with mail which is addressed to them personally (as opposed to mail which is only addressed to us). We, our directors, officers, advisors or service providers (including the organization which provides registered office services in the Cayman Islands) will not bear any responsibility for any delay, howsoever caused, in mail reaching this forwarding address.
Our corporate affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (As Revised) (as the same may be supplemented or amended from time to time) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not technically binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less exhaustive body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, have more fulsome and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. As a result, there may be significantly less protection for investors than is available to investors in companies organized in the United States, particularly Delaware. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders' derivative action in a Federal court of the United States.
The Cayman Islands courts are also unlikely:
- to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States based on the civil liability provisions of United States securities laws; and - to impose liabilities against us, in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, based on the civil liability provisions of United States securities laws that impose liabilities that 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.
Like many jurisdictions in the United States, in certain circumstances Cayman Islands law permits mergers and consolidations between Cayman Islands companies and between Cayman Islands companies and non-Cayman Islands companies (provided that is facilitated by the laws of that other jurisdiction) and any such company may be the surviving entity for the purposes of mergers or the consolidated company for the purposes of consolidations. For these purposes, (a) "merger" means the merging of two or more constituent companies and the vesting of their undertaking, property and liabilities in one of such companies as the surviving company and (b) a "consolidation" means the combination of two or more constituent companies into a consolidated company and the vesting of the undertaking, property and liabilities of such companies to the consolidated company. In order to effect such a merger or consolidation, the directors of each constituent company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation, which must, in most instances, then be authorized by a special resolution (usually a majority of 66 2/3% in value) of the shareholders of each constituent company and such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company's articles of association. A merger between a Cayman parent company and its Cayman subsidiary or subsidiaries does not require authorization by a resolution of shareholders provided a copy of the plan of merger is given to every member of each subsidiary company to be merged (unless waived by such member). For this purpose a subsidiary is a company of which at least 90% of the votes cast at its general meeting are held by the parent company. The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest over a constituent company is required unless this requirement is waived by a court in the Cayman Islands. The plan of merger or consolidation must be filed with the Registrar of Companies who, if satisfied that the requirements of the Companies Act (As Revised) which includes certain other formalities, have been complied with, will register it. The filing must include a declaration as to the solvency of the consolidated or surviving company, a list of the assets and liabilities of each constituent company and an undertaking that a copy of the certificate of merger or consolidation will be given to the members and creditors of each constituent company and published in the Cayman Islands Gazette. Dissenting shareholders have the right to be paid the fair value of their shares (which, if not agreed between the parties, will be determined by the Cayman Islands court) if they follow the required procedures, subject to certain exceptions. Court approval is not required for a merger or consolidation which is effected in compliance with these statutory procedures.
In addition, there are statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction and amalgamation of companies in certain circumstances, provided that the arrangement is approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made, and who must in addition represent two-thirds in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meetings, convened for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder has the right to express to the court the view that the transaction ought not be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it determines that:
- the company is not proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of its corporate authority and the statutory provisions as to the required majority vote have been met;- the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question, the statutory majority are acting bona fide without coercion of the minority to promote interests adverse to those of the class and that the meeting was properly constituted;- the arrangement is such that it may reasonably be approved by an intelligent and honest man of that share class acting in respect of his interest; and - the arrangement is not one which would be more properly sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act, or that would amount to "fraud on the minority."
If the arrangement and reconstruction is approved, the dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights, which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of U.S. corporations, providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares.
In addition, there are further statutory provisions to the effect that, when a take-over offer is made and approved by holders of 90.0% in value of the shares affected (within four months after the making of the offer), the offeror may, within two months following the expiry of such period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, but this is unlikely to succeed unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith, collusion or inequitable treatment of shareholders.
Further, transactions similar to a merger, reconstruction and/or an amalgamation may in some circumstances be achieved through other means to these statutory provisions, such as a share capital exchange, asset acquisition or control, through contractual arrangements, of an operating business.
As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a U.S. company.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
Provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or Cayman Islands law could delay or prevent an acquisition of our company, even if the acquisition may be beneficial to our shareholders, could make it more difficult for you to change management, and could have an adverse effect on the market price of our ordinary shares.
Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control that shareholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which shareholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares. In addition, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempt by our shareholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult to replace or remove our board of directors. Such provisions may reduce the price that investors may be willing to pay for our ordinary shares in the future, which could reduce the market price of our ordinary shares. These provisions include:
- a prohibition on shareholder action through written consent;- a requirement that extraordinary general meetings of shareholders be called only by a majority of the board of directors or, in limited circumstances, by the board upon shareholder requisition;- an advance notice requirement for shareholder proposals and nominations to be brought before an annual general meeting;- the authority of our board of directors to issue preference shares with such terms as our board of directors may determine; and - a requirement of approval of not less than two-thirds of the votes cast by shareholders entitled to vote thereon in order to amend any provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7
Any failure by our VIE or its shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business.
We refer to the shareholders of our VIE as its nominee shareholders because although they remain the holders of equity interests on record in our VIE, pursuant to the terms of the relevant power of attorney, such shareholders have irrevocably authorized our WFOE or any individual duly appointed by WFOE to exercise their rights as a shareholder of the relevant VIE. However, if our VIE or its shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under the contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend additional resources to enforce such arrangements. We may also have to rely on legal remedies under PRC laws, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief, and claiming damages, which we cannot assure, will be effective under PRC law. For example, if the shareholders of our VIE refuse to transfer their equity interest in our VIE to us or our designee if we exercise the purchase option pursuant to these contractual arrangements, or if they otherwise act in bad faith toward us, then we may have to take legal actions to compel them to perform their contractual obligations.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8
The shareholders of our VIE may have potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.
As of the date of this annual report, Mr. Bao and Mr. He hold 96.95% and 3.05% equity interest in UTime SZ, respectively. The shareholders of our VIE may have potential conflicts of interest with us. The shareholders may breach, or cause our VIE to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and our VIE, which would have a material and adverse effect on our ability to determine the most significant economic activities of the VIE and receive economic benefits from it. For example, the shareholders may be able to cause our agreements with our VIE to be performed in a manner adverse to us by, among other things, failing to remit payments due under the contractual arrangements to us on a timely basis. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise the shareholders will act in the best interests of our Company or such conflicts will be resolved in our favor. Currently, we do not have any arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest between the shareholders and our Company. If we cannot resolve any conflict of interest or dispute between us and the shareholders, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of our business and subject us to substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.
Currently, we do not have any arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest between these shareholders and our company, except that we could exercise our purchase option under the exclusive call option agreements with these shareholders to request them to transfer all of their equity interests in the VIE to a PRC entity or individual designated by us, to the extent permitted by PRC law. For Mr. Bao, who is our director and also a major shareholder of the VIE, we rely on him to abide by the laws of the Cayman Islands, which provide that directors and officers owe a fiduciary duty to the company that requires them to act in good faith and in what they believe to be the best interests of the company and not to use their position for personal gains. The shareholders of the VIE have executed powers of attorney to appoint our WFOE to vote on their behalf and exercise voting rights as shareholders of the VIE. If we cannot resolve any conflict of interest or dispute between us and the shareholders of the VIE, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of our business and subject us to substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.
The shareholders of our VIE may be involved in personal disputes with third parties or other incidents that may have an adverse effect on their equity interests in our VIE and the validity or enforceability of our contractual arrangements with our VIE and its shareholder. For example, in the event that one of the shareholders of our VIE divorces his spouse, the spouse may claim that the equity interest of our VIE held by such shareholder is part of their community property and should be divided between such shareholder and his spouse. If such claim is supported by the court, the relevant equity interest may be obtained by the shareholder's spouse or any third party who is not subject to obligations under our contractual arrangements, which could result in a loss of our major influence on the VIE. Similarly, if any of the equity interests of our VIE is inherited by a third party on whom the current contractual arrangements are not binding, we could lose our economic benefits over the VIE or have to incur unpredictable costs to maintain such economic benefits, which could cause significant disruption to our business and operations and harm our financial condition and results of operations.
Although under our current contractual arrangements, each of the spouses of Mr. Bao and Mr. He have executed spousal consent letters, under which each of them agreed that she will not take any actions or raise any claims to interfere with the performance by her spouse of the obligations under these contractual arrangements, including claiming community property ownership on the equity interest, and renounce any and all right and interest related to the equity interest that she may be entitled to under applicable laws. We cannot assure you that these undertakings and arrangements will be complied with or effectively enforced. In the event that any of them is breached or becomes unenforceable and leads to legal proceedings, it could disrupt our business, distract our management's attention and subject us to substantial uncertainties as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 9
If the custodians or authorized users of controlling non-tangible assets of our company, including our corporate chops and seals, fail to fulfill their responsibilities, or misappropriate or misuse these assets, our business and operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Under PRC laws, legal documents for corporate transactions are executed using the chops or seal of the signing entity or with the signature of a legal representative whose designation is registered and filed with the relevant branch of the Administration for Market Regulation.
Although we usually utilize company seals to enter into contracts, the designated legal representatives of our PRC Subsidiary, VIE and UTime GZ have the apparent authority to enter into contracts on behalf of such entities without chops and bind such entities. All designated legal representatives of our PRC Subsidiary, VIE and UTime GZ are members of our senior management team who have signed employment agreements with us or our PRC Subsidiary, VIE and UTime GZ under which they agree to abide by various duties they owe to us. In order to maintain the physical security of our chops and chops of our PRC entities, we generally store these items in secured locations accessible only by the authorized personnel in the legal or finance department of PRC Subsidiary, VIE and UTime GZ. Although we monitor such authorized personnel, there is no assurance such procedures will prevent all instances of abuse or negligence. Accordingly, if any of our authorized personnel misuse or misappropriate our corporate chops or seals, we could encounter difficulties in maintaining control over the relevant entities and experience significant disruption to our operations. If a designated legal representative obtains control of the chops in an effort to obtain control over PRC Subsidiary, VIE and UTime GZ, we or our PRC Subsidiary, VIE and UTime GZ would need to pass a new shareholder or board resolution to designate a new legal representative and we would need to take legal action to seek the return of the chops with the relevant authorities, or otherwise seek legal redress for the violation of the representative's fiduciary duties to us, which could involve significant time and resources and divert management attention away from our regular business. In addition, the affected entity may not be able to recover corporate assets that are sold or transferred out of our control in the event of such a misappropriation if a transferee relies on the apparent authority of the representative and acts in good faith.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 10
The trading prices of our ordinary shares are likely to be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to investors.
The market price of the ordinary shares on Nasdaq may fluctuate after listing as a result of several factors, including the following:
- volatility in the mobile telecommunications and IoT industry, both in China and internationally;- variations in our operating results;- risks relating to our business and industry, including those discussed above;- strategic actions by us or our competitors;- reputational damage from accidents or other adverse events related to our company or its operations;- investor perception of us, the technology sector in which we operate, the investment opportunity associated with the ordinary shares and our future performance;- addition or departure of our executive officers or directors;- changes in financial estimates or publication of research reports by analysts regarding our ordinary shares, other comparable companies or our industry generally;- trading volume of our ordinary shares;- future sales of our ordinary shares by us or our shareholders;- domestic and international economic, legal and regulatory factors unrelated to our performance; or - the release or expiration of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding ordinary shares.
Furthermore, the stock markets often experience significant price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations, as well as general economic, political and market conditions such as recessions or interest rate changes may cause the market price of ordinary shares to decline.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 11
Sales of a substantial number of our ordinary shares in the public market by our existing shareholders could cause our share price to fall.
Sales of a substantial number of our ordinary shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales might occur, could depress the market price of our ordinary shares and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We are unable to predict the effect that sales may have on the prevailing market price of our ordinary shares. All of the ordinary shares owned by our directors, officers and existing shareholders are subject to lock-up agreements with the underwriters in our initial public offering that restrict the shareholders' ability to transfer our ordinary shares until after October 3, 2021. Substantially all of our outstanding ordinary shares will become eligible for unrestricted sale upon expiration of the lock-up period. In addition, ordinary shares issued or issuable upon exercise of options and warrants vested as of the expiration of the lock-up period will be eligible for sale at that time. Sales of ordinary shares by these shareholders could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of our ordinary shares.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 12
There are no assurance that our securities, including our ordinary shares, will continue to be listed or, if listed, that we will be able to comply with the continued listing standards of Nasdaq, which could limit investors' ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
Even though our ordinary shares are currently listed on the NASDAQ, we cannot assure you that we will be able to meet NASDAQ's continued listing requirement or maintain other listing standards. If our ordinary shares are delisted by NASDAQ, and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, then, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
- less liquid trading market for our securities;- more limited market quotations for our securities;- determination that our ordinary shares are a "penny stock" that requires brokers to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly resulting in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;- more limited research coverage by stock analysts;- loss of reputation; and - more difficult and more expensive equity financings in the future.
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as "covered securities." If our ordinary shares remain listed on NASDAQ, our ordinary shares will be covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. If our securities were no longer listed on NASDAQ and therefore not "covered securities", we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 13
Future issuance of our ordinary shares could cause dilution of ownership interests and adversely affect our stock price.
We may choose to raise additional capital due to market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. To the extent that additional capital is raised through the sale of our equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of such securities could result in further dilution to our shareholders or result in downward pressure on the price of our ordinary shares
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 14
Shares eligible for future sale may depress our stock price.
As of the date of this annual report, we had 8,267,793 ordinary shares outstanding. All of the ordinary shares of held by affiliates are restricted or control securities under Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act. Sales of ordinary shares under Rule 144 or another exemption under the Securities Act or pursuant to a registration statement could have a material adverse effect on the price of the ordinary shares and could impair our ability to raise additional capital through the sale of equity securities.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 15
We may issue preference shares to investor that grant them superior rights than holders of our ordinary shares without obtaining shareholder approval.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorize our board of directors to issue one or more series of preference shares and set the terms of the preference shares without seeking any further approval from our shareholders. Any preference shares that are issued may rank ahead of our ordinary shares, in terms of dividends, liquidation rights and voting rights.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 16
If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research reports about us, if they adversely change their recommendations regarding our ordinary shares or if our operating results do not meet their expectations, the price of our ordinary shares could decline.
The trading market for our ordinary shares will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about us, our business, our market or our competitors. Securities and industry analysts currently publish limited research on us. If there is limited or no securities or industry analyst coverage of our company, the market price and trading volume of our ordinary shares would likely be negatively impacted. Moreover, if any of the analysts who may cover us downgrade our ordinary shares, provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors or if our operating results or prospects do not meet their expectations, the market price of our ordinary shares could decline. If any of the analysts who may cover us were to cease coverage or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 17
Do Mobile is non-compliant with respect to certain issuances of its share capital and may be subject to regulatory action by the Registrar of Companies and Ministry of Corporate Affairs, which could adversely affect our business operations and profitability.
Do Mobile, being an Indian company, is required to comply with certain procedures with respect to its share capital. However, there have been some lapses on the part of Do Mobile with respect to its share capital. Procedural lapses include but are not limited to:
a) Under the extant provisions of Companies Act, 2013, an Indian company cannot issue and allot shares in excess of its authorized share capital. The board of directors of Do Mobile at their meeting dated December 15, 2017 had approved and allotted 483,940 shares of Rs. 10 to Bridgetime. The authorized share capital of Do Mobile as on December 15, 2017 was Rs. 35,000,000. Whereas, on account of the aforesaid allotment the paid-up share capital of Do Mobile increased to Rs. 35,509,150, which was in excess of its then authorized share capital of Rs. 35,000,000.
b) There have been certain inconsistencies regarding historical increases in authorized share capital of Do Mobile from Rs. 35,000,000 to Rs. 50,000,000.
c) In terms of Section 89 of the Companies Act, 2013 read with the Companies (Management and Administration) Rules, 2014, a person whose name is entered in the register of members of a company but who does not hold the beneficial interest in such shares must file a declaration to such effect with the company in the prescribed form. Further, every person holding beneficial interest in shares of a company must file with the company, a declaration disclosing such interest in the prescribed form. Such declarations are to be noted by the company in its register of members and make filings with the Registrar of Companies evidencing the same. Ms. Grover held 1 share of Do Mobile as a nominee of Bridgetime, parent company of Do Mobile, and her name was entered in the register of members. Thus, Ms. Grover had the registered ownership and Bridgetime Limited has beneficial ownership of said 1 share. No declaration with respect to registered and beneficial ownership of 1 share has been made by Ms. Grover and Bridgetime Limited respectively, nor has Do Mobile made any filing in this regard with the Registrar of Companies. Pursuant to Ms. Grover's resignation, the said share was transfer to Ms. Aayushi Gautam who is now its registered owner while Bridgetime Limited continues to the beneficial owner of the said share. A declaration with respect to the registered and beneficial ownership of this one share is yet to be made by Do Mobile with the Registrar of Companies.
Do Mobile may be subject to regulatory action by the Registrar of Companies and Ministry of Corporate Affairs on account of the aforesaid non-compliances in relation to issuance of its share capital, thus exposing it to certain fines and penalties. Directors and key management of Do Mobile are also liable for such non-compliance and may be subjected to fines and penalties.
In addition to the aforesaid, Do Mobile has not maintained its statutory registers and minutes of the meetings of the board of directors and shareholders as mandated under the extant provisions of the Companies Act, 2013. Do Mobile has also not been in compliance with regard to the holding of its board meetings at regular intervals as provided under the Companies Act, 2013 read with rules and regulations made thereunder.
While no penalties have been imposed on Do Mobile for the aforesaid non-compliance thus far, Do Mobile cannot assure that any regulatory authorities will not impose any penalty on Do Mobile or will not take any penal action with respect to the aforesaid non-compliance. If any adverse actions are taken against Do Mobile, results of operations and profitability of Do Mobile could be adversely affected.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 18
Do Mobile is delayed in complying with reporting guidelines under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management (Non-debt Instruments) Rules, 2019 (which replaced erstwhile Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or issue of security by a person resident outside India) Regulations, 2017) and may be subject to regulatory action by the Reserve Bank of India, which could adversely affect our business and operations.
Under the extant provisions of Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 read with Foreign Exchange Management (Non-debt Instruments) Rules, 2019, every Indian company receiving foreign direct investment for issuance of shares shall within a period of 30 days from the date of issue of shares to the foreign entity file a form FC-GPR (now part of Single Entity Master Form) with the Reserve Bank of India. There has been some delay on the part of Do Mobile in complying with aforesaid filing of form FC-GPR within the stipulated timelines. Also, in terms of the Foreign Exchange Management (Non-debt Instruments) Rules, 2019, an Indian company receiving foreign direct investment must file an annual report titled ‘Foreign Liabilities and Assets' ("FLA") on or before July 15 of each year. Do Mobile has not filed its FLA for the financial year 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 with the Reserve Bank of India. While no penalties have been imposed on Do Mobile for the aforesaid non-compliances thus far; there cannot be any assurance that Reserve Bank of India will not impose any penalty on Do Mobile or will not take any penal action in relation aforesaid non-compliances. If any penalties or other penal measures are enforced, this could adversely affect our business and operations.
Accounting & Financial Operations4 | 4.2%
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1
We are a holding company, and will rely on dividends paid by our subsidiaries for our cash needs. Any limitation on the ability of our subsidiaries to make dividend payments to us, or any tax implications of making dividend payments to us, could limit our ability to pay our parent company expenses or pay dividends to holders of our ordinary shares.
We are a holding company and conduct substantially all of our business through our operating subsidiaries, including limited liability companies established in China and in India. We will rely on dividends paid by our subsidiaries for our cash needs, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and other cash distributions to our shareholders, to service any debt we may incur and to pay our operating expenses.
We rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC Subsidiary to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, and any limitation on the ability of our PRC Subsidiary to make payments to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business. If our PRC Subsidiary incurs debt on its own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us. Under PRC laws and regulations, our PRC Subsidiary, which is a wholly foreign-owned enterprise, may pay dividends only out of its accumulated profits as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, a wholly foreign-owned enterprise is required to set aside at least 10% of its accumulated after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a certain statutory reserve fund, until the aggregate amount of such fund reaches 50% of its registered capital. Such reserve funds cannot be distributed to us as dividends. At its discretion, a wholly foreign-owned enterprise may allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to an enterprise expansion fund, or a staff welfare and bonus fund.
Our PRC Subsidiary generates primarily all of its revenue in Renminbi, which is not freely convertible into other currencies. As result, any restriction on currency exchange may limit the ability of our PRC Subsidiary to use its Renminbi revenues to pay dividends to us. The PRC government may continue to strengthen its capital controls, and more restrictions and substantial vetting process may be put forward by State Administration of Foreign Exchange (the "SAFE") for cross-border transactions falling under both the current account and the capital account. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC Subsidiary to pay dividends or make other kinds of payments to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business.
In addition, the Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules provide that a withholding tax rate of up to 10% will be applicable to dividends payable by Chinese companies to non-PRC-resident enterprises unless otherwise exempted or reduced according to treaties or arrangements between the PRC central government and governments of other countries or regions where the non-PRC resident enterprises are incorporated. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiary to pay dividends or make other distributions to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business.
With respect to Do Mobile, our Indian subsidiary, any limitation on declaration and payment of dividend may create a barrier for us to meet our cash and financing requirements and this could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business. As per the extant provisions of Indian laws and regulations, our Indian subsidiary (being a wholly foreign owned company), may pay dividends only out of its profits from the current year or previous years or its free reserves subject to the treatment and adjustment prescribed in applicable Indian law, i.e., the Companies Act, 2013. Pursuant to applicable Indian taxation law until March 31, 2020, it was necessary for our Indian subsidiary to pay tax on the dividend declared and distributed to the shareholders and, a non-resident shareholder of an Indian company was not liable to pay any tax in India on the dividends received by it. However, Finance Act, 2020 (which became effective on April 1, 2020) amends certain provisions relating to taxation of dividends declared by Indian companies, and provides that any distribution of dividend from April 1, 2020 onwards will only be subject to tax in the hands of the recipient shareholder and the Indian companies are not required to pay any tax on the dividend declared and distributed to the shareholders. Furthermore, non-resident shareholders would now be paying tax on the dividend income as per the rate prescribed under the relevant double taxation avoidance agreements or Indian law, whichever is more beneficial. The said amendments shall entitle foreign investors to claim credit in their country of residence of tax paid in India in respect of dividend distributed by domestic companies. The change in the tax regime by Indian Government regarding payment of taxes may increase tax burden in the hands of the parent company of our Indian Subsidiary.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2
We have incurred significant losses and we may continue to experience losses in the future.
We have incurred significant losses in the past. In fiscal year 2022 and 2023, respectively, we had losses from operations of RMB34.5 million and RMB84.0 million (US$12.2 million), and net losses of RMB39.3 million and RMB90.0 million (US$13.1 million). We also had net cash used by operating activities of RMB20.9 million in fiscal year 2022, and cash used in operations of RMB15.1 million (US$2.2 million) in fiscal year 2023. We may continue to have an adverse effect on our shareholders' equity and working capital in the future.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to generate profits or positive cash flow from operating activities in the future. Our ability to achieve profitability depends in large part on our ability to manage our costs and expenses. We intend to manage and control our costs and expenses as a proportion of our total revenues, but there can be no assurance that we will achieve this goal. We may experience losses in the future due to our continued investments in technology, talent, content and other initiatives. In addition, our ability to achieve and sustain profitability is affected by various factors, some of which are beyond our control, such as changes in macroeconomic and regulatory environment or competitive dynamics in the industry. Accordingly, you should not rely on our financial results of any prior period as an indication of our future performance.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3
Our management and auditors identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting that, if not properly remediated, could result in material misstatements in our consolidated financial statements that could cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information and have a negative effect on the trading price of our ordinary shares.
Prior to our initial public offering, we were a private company with limited accounting personnel and other resources with which we address our internal control over financial reporting. In connection with the audits of our consolidated financial statements included in this annual report, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified two material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. A "material weakness" is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
We did not maintain appropriately designed entity-level controls impacting the control environment, risk assessment procedures, and effective monitoring controls to prevent or detect material misstatements to the consolidated financial statements. These deficiencies were attributed to: (i) our lack of sufficient qualified financial reporting and accounting personnel with an appropriate knowledge under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("U.S. GAAP"), and (ii) our lack of comprehensive accounting policies and procedures manual in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We are taking remedial measures to improve the effectiveness of our controls, including by hiring additional accounting and finance personnel and by seeking to engage an outside consultant. The existence of material weaknesses is an indication that there is a more than remote likelihood that a material misstatement of our financial statements will not be prevented or detected in a future period, and the process of designing and implementing effective internal controls and procedures will be a continual effort that may require us to expend significant resources to establish and maintain a system of controls that is adequate to satisfy our reporting obligations as a public company. We cannot assure you that the measures we take will be sufficient to remediate the material weaknesses identified by our management and Audit Alliance LLP or that we will implement and maintain adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future in order to avoid additional material weaknesses or controlled deficiencies in our internal control over financing reporting. If our remediation efforts are not successful or other material weaknesses or control deficiencies occur in the future, we may be unable to report our financial results accurately or on a timely basis, which could cause our reported financial results to be materially misstated and result in the loss of investor confidence and cause the trading price of our ordinary shares to decline. Moreover, ineffective controls could significantly hinder our ability to prevent fraud.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4
Our internal controls over financial reporting may not be effective and our independent registered public accounting firm may not be able to certify as to their effectiveness, which could have a significant and adverse effect on our business and reputation.
We will be in a continuing process of developing, establishing, and maintaining internal controls and procedures that will allow our independent registered public accounting firm to attest to, our internal controls over financial reporting if and when required to do so under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Although our independent registered public accounting firm is not required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act until the date we are no longer an emerging growth company and neither a large accelerated filer nor an accelerated filer, our management will be required to report on our internal controls over financial reporting under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. If we fail to achieve and maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, we would not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal controls over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. At such time, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event it is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed or operating. Moreover, our testing, or the subsequent testing by our independent registered public accounting firm, may reveal other material weaknesses or that the material weaknesses described above have not been fully remediated. If we do not remediate the material weaknesses described above, or if other material weaknesses are identified or we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in a timely manner, our reported financial results could be materially misstated or could subsequently require restatement, we could receive an adverse opinion regarding our internal controls over financial reporting from our independent registered public accounting firm and we could be subject to investigations or sanctions by regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources, and the market price of our ordinary shares could decline.
Debt & Financing8 | 8.3%
Debt & Financing - Risk 1
The agreements governing the loan facilities we currently have contain restrictions and limitations that could significantly affect our ability to operate our business, raise capital, as well as significantly affect our liquidity, and therefore could adversely affect our results of operations.
We have incurred certain indebtedness under loan facilities with various lenders including Shenzhen Rural Commercial Bank ("SRCB") and China Resources Bank of Zhuhai Co., Ltd ("CRBZ").
Covenants governing our loan facilities with SRCB and CRBZ restrict, among other things, our ability to:
- incur or permit to exist any additional indebtedness;- guarantee or otherwise become liable with respect to the obligations of another party or entity;- acquire any assets, except in the ordinary course of business, or make any investments;- use the loan hereunder for investment in fixed assets or equity, or for investment in securities or futures market; and - complete a merger, division, transfer of equity and creditor's rights, external investment, material increase of debt financing, or a sale of all or substantially all of our assets.
We have been subject to certain financial covenants from our lenders. Our credit agreements with SRCB require us to meet certain monthly revenue targets, each for a term of three years. These credit agreements require us to maintain monthly revenue at least RMB3.0 million (US$0.5 million). Such monthly revenue amounts shall be deposited into an account established by UTime SZ and under the supervision of SRCB. UTime SZ may withdraw funds from such account only after ensuring that the applicable principal and interest of the SRCB loans are paid off as they become due on a monthly basis. Apart from the aforementioned restriction, UTime SZ is able to fully control the funds in the supervision account. However, if UTime SZ fails to meet the minimum monthly revenue covenant in the credit agreement, SRCB shall have the right to raise the interest rate by 50% from the date of funding (i.e. July 16, 2021) or to accelerate the loan.
In addition to the above-mentioned financial covenants, the SRCB and CRBZ loan documents contain customary events of default, including but not limited to: non-payment of principal, interest and fees or other amounts; violation of covenants; inaccuracy of representations and warranties; and certain bankruptcy and other insolvency events. If UTime SZ is in breach of any of these credit agreements, the applicable lender shall have the right to dispose of the collateral in accordance with the law.
Our ability to comply with these and other provisions under our outstanding loans may be affected by events beyond our control. Although as of the date of this annual report, we believe we are in compliance with all of our loan covenants, such covenants and obligations are ongoing, and the breach of any such covenants or obligations not otherwise waived or cured could result in a default under the applicable debt obligations and could trigger acceleration of those obligations.
Any defaults under our loan arrangements could adversely affect our growth, our financial condition, our results of operations and our ability to make payments on our debt. The ability to make payments of principal and interest on indebtedness will depend on our financial condition, which is subject to general economic conditions, industry cycles and financial, business and other factors affecting our operations, many of which are beyond our control. If sufficient cash flow is not generated from operations to service such debt, we may be required, among other things, to:
- seek additional financing in the debt or equity markets;- delay, curtail or abandon altogether our research & development or investment plans;- refinance or restructure all or a portion of our indebtedness; or - sell selected assets.
Such measures might be insufficient to service the indebtedness. In addition, any such financing, refinancing or sale of assets may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. In addition, we may not be able to grow market share, take advantage of future opportunities or respond to competitive pressures or unanticipated requirements, which could negatively impact our business, operating results and financial condition.
Debt & Financing - Risk 2
Defaults under either of our loan agreements with each of SRCB and CRBZ could result in a substantial loss of our assets.
Historically, we have mortgaged our assets to obtain loans with various banking institutions. We have mortgaged our office owned by UTime SZ and pledged accounts receivables equal to RMB22,500,000 (US$3.5 million) owned by UTime SZ under our credit agreement with CCB, which was terminated in November 2020. Additionally, we have mortgaged our office owned by UTime SZ under our credit agreement with CRBZ. See "Item 5. Operating And Financial Review And Prospects- Liquidity and Capital Resources - Financing Activities."
A failure to repay any of the indebtedness under either of our loan agreements with SRCB or CRBZ as they become due or to otherwise comply with the covenants contained in any of such agreements could result in an event of default thereunder. If not cured or waived, an event of default under any of such agreements could enable the lender thereunder to declare all borrowings outstanding on such debt, together with accrued and unpaid interest and fees, to be due and payable and terminate all commitments to extend further credit. Such lenders could also elect to foreclose on our assets securing such debt. In such an event, the Company may not be able to refinance or repay all of its indebtedness, pay dividends or have sufficient liquidity to meet operating and capital expenditure requirements. Any such acceleration could cause us to lose a substantial portion of our assets and will substantially adversely affect our ability to continue our operations.
Debt & Financing - Risk 3
We have engaged in transactions with related parties, and such transactions present possible conflicts of interest that could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
We have entered into a number of transactions with related parties, including our significant shareholders and directors. For example, we have entered into several transactions with persons or our founder and a director of us, Minfei Bao, where we borrowed funds from him for additional working capital demand. See "Item 7. Major Shareholders And Related Party Transactions - B. Related Party Transactions - Loans from Mr. Bao". We may in the future enter into additional transactions with entities in which members of our board of directors and other related parties hold ownership interests.
Transactions with related parties present potential for conflicts of interest, as the interests of related party may not align with the interests of our shareholders. Although we believe that these transactions were in our best interests, we cannot assure you that these transactions were entered into on terms as favorable to us as those that could have been obtained in an arms-length transaction. We may also engage in transactions with related parties in the future. These transactions, individually or in the aggregate, may have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations or may result in government enforcement actions or other litigation.
Debt & Financing - Risk 4
Because material amounts of our funds are held in banks where only limited protection on deposit accounts is required, the failure of any bank in which we deposit our funds could result in a loss of those funds to the extent exceeding the amounts protected and could, depending on the amount involved, affect our ability to continue in business.
At March 31, 2023, we had cash on hand of $10.5 million. Of that amount, approximately $10.4 million was held in banks and other financial institutions in Hong Kong, and $0.1 million in the PRC. The Hong Kong government provides deposit protection up to a maximum amount of HK$500,000 (approximately U.S.$63,698 based on the midpoint exchange rate for October 28, 2022 reported by "Historical Exchange Rates" at http://www.oanda.com/fx-for-business/historical-rates) for each depositor in any individual bank in Hong Kong. We understand that in the event of a bank failure of a bank in the PRC, a PRC-government agency is to provide some, unspecified, protections of deposit accounts to individual depositors. After three interest rate hikes in 2011, there were recommendations in early 2012 from China's economists that a formal insurance system from China's central bank is necessary to protect depositors' assets. On May 1, 2015, the new "Deposit Insurance Regulations" became effective in the PRC and provide that the maximum protection would be up to RMB500,000 (including principal and interest) per depositor per insured financial institution. Depending upon the amounts of funds we have on deposit in a Hong Kong or mainland China financial institution that fails, our inability to have immediate access to our cash, and the lack of deposit protection in excess of applicable protection limits, could impair our operations, and, if we are not able to access needed funds to pay our suppliers, employees and other creditors, we may be unable to continue in business.
Debt & Financing - Risk 5
We may need to raise additional capital or obtain loans from financial institutions from time to time and our operations could be curtailed if we are unable to obtain the required additional funding when needed. We may not be able to do so when necessary, and/or the terms of any financings may not be advantageous to us.
As of the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022 and 2023, respectively, we had accumulated deficit of RMB88.3 million and RMB175.9 million (US$25.6 million). Due to our accumulated deficit, we may need to obtain additional funding from outside sources, including from the sales of our securities, grants or other forms of financing. Our accumulated deficit increases the difficulty in completing such sales or securing alternative sources of funding, and there can be no assurances that we will be able to obtain such funding on favorable terms or at all. If we are unable to obtain sufficient financing from the sale of our securities or from alternative sources, we may be required to reduce, defer or discontinue certain of our research and development and operating activities or we may not be able to continue as a going concern. If we cannot continue as a going concern, our shareholders may lose their entire investment in our ordinary shares. Future reports from our independent registered public accounting firm may contain statements expressing doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Debt & Financing - Risk 6
We do not hold direct equity interest in the VIE. We rely on contractual arrangements with our VIE and its shareholders for a large portion of our business operations, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control.
UTime Limited is a Cayman Islands holding company and does not hold direct equity interest in the VIE. We have relied and expect to continue to rely on contractual arrangements with our VIE and its shareholders to conduct certain of our key businesses. These contractual arrangements may not be as effective as the control provided by having a direct ownership in our VIE. For example, our VIE and its shareholders could breach their contractual arrangements with us by, among other things, failing to conduct their operations in an acceptable manner or taking other actions that are detrimental to our interests. We have no direct or indirect equity interests in the VIE or any of its subsidiaries.
If we had direct ownership of our VIE, we would be able to exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the board of directors of our VIE, which in turn could implement changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at the management and operational level. However, under the current contractual arrangements, we rely on the performance by our VIE and its shareholders of their obligations under the contracts to exercise control over our VIE. The shareholders of our consolidated VIE may not act in the best interests of our Company or may not perform their obligations under these contracts. Such risks exist throughout the period in which we intend to operate certain portions of our business through the contractual arrangements with our VIE. All of these contractual arrangements are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in the PRC. The legal environment in the PRC is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions, such as the United States. If any disputes relating to these contracts remains unresolved, we will have to enforce our rights under these contracts through the operations of PRC laws and arbitration, litigation and other legal proceedings and therefore will be subject to uncertainties in the PRC legal system. In the event we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to determine the most significant economic activities of the VIE and we may be precluded from operating our business, which would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Therefore, our contractual arrangements with our VIE may not be as effective in ensuring our control over the relevant portion of our business operations as direct ownership would be. If we are unable to assert our contractual control rights over the assets of the VIE that conduct all or substantially all of our operations, our ordinary shares may decline in value or become worthless.
Debt & Financing - Risk 7
We may lose the ability to use and enjoy assets held by our VIE that are material to the operation of certain portion of our business if our VIE goes bankrupt or becomes subject to a dissolution or liquidation proceeding.
As part of our contractual arrangements with our VIE, our VIE and its subsidiaries hold certain assets that are material to the operation of certain portion of our business, including intellectual property and premise. If our VIE goes bankrupt and all or part of its assets become subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors, we may be unable to continue some or all of our business activities, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Under the contractual arrangements, our VIE may not, in any manner, sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of its assets or legal or beneficial interests in the business without our prior consent. However, in the event that the shareholders breach this obligation and voluntarily liquidate our VIE, or our VIE declares bankruptcy, or all or part of its assets become subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors, we may be unable to continue some or all of our operations, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, if our VIE or its subsidiaries undergo a voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceeding, its shareholders or unrelated third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of its assets, hindering our ability to operate our business, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Debt & Financing - Risk 8
We face uncertainty with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises by their non-PRC holding companies.
On December 10, 2009, SAT issued the Notice on Strengthening Administration of Enterprise Income Tax for Share Transfers by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises, or SAT Circular 698, with retroactive effect from January 1, 2008. Pursuant to the SAT Circular 698, where a non-resident enterprise transfers the equity interests of a PRC resident enterprise indirectly by disposition of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, or an Indirect Transfer, and such overseas holding company is located in a tax jurisdiction that: (i) has an effective tax rate less than 12.5% or (ii) does not tax foreign income of its residents, the non-resident enterprise, being the transferor, shall report to the competent tax authority of the PRC resident enterprise this Indirect Transfer.
On February 3, 2015, the SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Several Issues Relating to Enterprise Income Tax of Transfers of Assets between Non-resident Enterprises, or SAT Bulletin 7. SAT Bulletin 7 has introduced a new tax regime that is significantly different from the previous one under former SAT Circular 698 (which was repealed by the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Matters Concerning Withholding of Income Tax of Non-resident Enterprises at Source by SAT). SAT Bulletin 7 extends its tax jurisdiction to not only Indirect Transfers set forth under former SAT Circular 698 but also transactions involving transfer of other taxable assets through offshore transfer of a foreign intermediate holding company. In addition, SAT Bulletin 7 provides clearer criteria than former SAT Circular 698 for assessment of reasonable commercial purposes and has introduced safe harbors for internal group restructurings and the purchase and sale of equity of a same listed foreign enterprise by a non-resident enterprise through a public securities market. SAT Bulletin 7 also brings challenges to both foreign transferor and transferee (or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer) of taxable assets. Where a non-resident enterprise transfers taxable assets indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, which is an Indirect Transfer, the non-resident enterprise, being the transferor, or the transferee, or the PRC entity that directly owns the taxable assets, may report such Indirect Transfer to the relevant tax authority. Using a "substance over form" principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such Indirect Transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise. Both the transferor and the transferee may be subject to penalties under PRC tax laws if the transferee fails to withhold the taxes and the transferor fails to pay the taxes. However, according to the aforesaid safe harbor rule, the PRC tax would not be applicable to the transfer by any non-resident enterprise of our ordinary shares acquired and sold on public securities markets.
On October 17, 2017, SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Concerning the Withholding of Non-resident Enterprise Income Tax at Source, or SAT Bulletin 37, which, among others, repealed the Circular 698 on December 1, 2017. SAT Bulletin 37 further details and clarifies the tax withholding methods in respect of income of non-resident enterprises under Circular 698. And certain rules stipulated in SAT Bulletin 7 are replaced by SAT Bulletin 37. Where the non-resident enterprise fails to declare the tax payable pursuant to Article 39 of the Enterprise Income Tax Law, the tax authority may order it to pay the tax due within required time limits, and the non-resident enterprise shall declare and pay the tax payable within such time limits specified by the tax authority; however, if the non-resident enterprise voluntarily declares and pays the tax payable before the tax authority orders it to do so within required time limits, it shall be deemed that such enterprise has paid the tax in time.
We face uncertainties as to the reporting and other implications of certain past and future transactions where PRC taxable assets are involved, such as offshore restructuring, sale of the shares in our offshore subsidiaries and investments. Our company may be subject to withholding obligations if our company is transferee in such transactions, under SAT Bulletin 37 and SAT Bulletin 7. For transfer of shares in our company by investors who are non-PRC resident enterprises, our PRC Subsidiary may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with SAT Bulletin 37 and SAT Bulletin 7 or to request the relevant transferors from whom we purchase taxable assets to comply with these circulars, or to establish that our company should not be taxed under these circulars, which may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Corporate Activity and Growth3 | 3.1%
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1
We may not be able to consolidate the financial results of some of our affiliated companies or such consolidation could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
A substantial majority of our business is conducted through UTime SZ, which currently is considered for accounting purposes as a VIE, and we are considered as the primary beneficiary, enabling us to consolidate our financial results in our consolidated financial statements. In the event that in the future the VIE would no longer meet the definition of a VIE, or we are deemed not to be the primary beneficiary, we would not be able to consolidate line by line the VIE's financial results in our consolidated financial statements for PRC purposes. Also, if in the future an affiliate company becomes a VIE and we become the primary beneficiary, we would be required to consolidate that entity's financial results in our consolidated financial statements for PRC purposes. If such entity's financial results were negative, this could have a corresponding negative impact on our operating results for PRC purposes. However, any material variations in the accounting principles, practices, and methods used in preparing financial statements for PRC purposes from the principles, practices, and methods generally accepted in the United States and in the SEC accounting regulations must be discussed, quantified, and reconciled in financial statements for the United States and SEC purposes.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2
We may not be able to successfully sustain our growth strategy into new geographic markets and innovative consumer electronic products. Inability to effectively manage growth, our current and planned resources and related issues could materially and adversely affect our business of and impact future financial performance.
We have experienced rapid growth since we commenced operations. Our rapid expansion may expose us to new challenges and risks. Currently we are not involved in any other business vertical and are solely dependent upon revenue from its mobile handset business. In the event, our mobile handset vertical becomes vulnerable due to any unforeseen circumstance or we become unable to successfully augment our existing business of sale of mobile handsets, then our business and financial condition could material adverse effect. Even if we introduce any new service or product as a part of its business operations, it may take time to establish in a highly competitive Asian market, hence, there can be no assurance that we will be able to achieve its intended return on investments.
A further principal component of our growth strategy is to expand the geographical scope of our business. This growth strategy will require deployment of additional funds and resources, continued expansion and enhancement of our infrastructure and technology, improvement of our operational and financial systems and controls, and will also entail procuring additional approvals, permissions and licenses from regulatory authorities. This will put strain on our funds position and there will always be a requirement of infusion of additional capital. For example, we currently manage all of our human resources functions with a traditional and basic system and expect that we will need to upgrade our current system as we continue to increase our headcount. We also need to expand, train and manage our growing employee base. In addition, our management will be required to obtain, maintain or expand relationships with mobile chipset manufacturers, mobile device OEMs and mobile operators, as well as other third-party business partners. We cannot assure you that our current and planned personnel, infrastructure, systems, procedures and controls will be adequate to support our expanding operations. As we enter new markets, such expansion may subject us to various challenges, including those relating to our lack of familiarity with the culture, legal regulations and economic conditions of the new regions, difficulties in selection and appointment of distributors, display centers, staffing and managing such operations. The risks involved in entering new geographical markets may be higher than expected, and we may face significant competition in such markets. By expanding into new markets, we may be exposed to significant liabilities and could lose some or all of our investment in such regions. If we fail to manage our expansion effectively, our business, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected. Any delay or non-availability of additional capital will also impact our growth curve and may lead to stagnation and loss of business.
Continuous expansion also involves challenges relating to recruitment, training and retention of human resources of caliber. Failure to train and retain employees may result in attrition, which will put pressure on us for recruitment, which may also lead to increased human resource costs, which may also impact our financial position.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 3
We may undertake acquisitions, investments, joint ventures or other strategic alliances in the future, which could expose us to new operational, regulatory and market risks. In addition, such future undertakings may not be successful, which may adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.
We intend to grow both organically by expanding our current business lines and geographic coverage and through acquisitions, investments, joint ventures or other strategic alliances if the appropriate opportunities arise. These potential business plans, acquisitions, investments, joint ventures and strategic alliances may expose us to new operational, regulatory and market risks, as well as risks associated with additional capital requirements. In addition, we may not be able to identify suitable future acquisition or investment candidates or joint venture or alliance partners. Even if we identify suitable candidates or partners, we may be unable to complete an acquisition, investment or alliance on terms commercially acceptable to us. If we fail to identify appropriate candidates or partners, or complete desired acquisitions, investments or alliances, we may not be able to implement our strategies effectively or efficiently.
In addition, our ability to successfully integrate acquired companies and their operations may be adversely affected by a number of factors, including, among others, the ability to capitalize on anticipated synergies, diversion of resources and management's attention, difficulties in retaining personnel of the acquired companies, unanticipated problems or legal liabilities and tax and accounting issues. If we fail to integrate any acquired company efficiently, our earnings, revenues, gross margins, operating margins and business operations could be adversely affected. The integration of acquired companies is a complex, time-consuming and expensive process.
Legal & Regulatory
Total Risks: 32/96 (33%)Above Sector Average
Regulation21 | 21.9%
Regulation - Risk 1
We are subject to supervision and regulation by the Reserve Bank of India (or "RBI") and the Department of Telecommunication, and any non-compliance may adversely impact our business.
Do Mobile is a wholly owned subsidiary of a foreign company. The foreign investment in India is regulated by the Reserve Bank of India and business of telecommunication is regulated by the Department of Telecommunication. Currently, the business of Do Mobile falls within the meaning of "manufacturing sector." Foreign investment in manufacturing sector is automatically permitted and an Indian company can sell its products, without obtaining any government permission. Any change in legislative and regulatory requirements may impact the business activity of Do Mobile and may also lead to higher cost of compliance. This may adversely impact our business.
Regulation - Risk 2
Our operating results may be adversely affected by law and regulations to which we are subject.
We are required to comply with central, state, local and foreign laws and regulations governing the protection of the environment and occupational health and safety, including laws stringent norms prescribed by Bureau of Indian Standards and Department of Telecommunication. We cannot assure you that we will at all times be in complete compliance with such laws, regulations and norms. If we violate or fail to comply with the requirements, we could be fined or otherwise sanctioned by regulators. In some instances, such a fine or sanction could be material. In addition, these requirements may become more stringent over time and we cannot assure you that we will not incur material costs or liabilities in the future. These could include new regulations that we may be unable to comply with and this will impact our business.
Moreover, there are number of taxes and other levies imposed at the level of the Central Government and State Government in India. These include: (i) income tax; (ii) goods and service tax; (iii) state duty; (iv) stamp duty charges; and (v) other taxes and surcharges. These tax rates may increase in future creating more financial burden on us and may affect our overall tax efficiency. Additional tax exposure could adversely affect its business and results of operations.
Regulation - Risk 3
Our business activities in India could be subject to Indian competition laws, and any violation or alleged violation thereof may negatively impact our operations.
The Competition Commission of India ("CCI") is the market regulator in India and the Competition Act, 2002 specifically provides that any agreement which restricts the production, supply, distribution, acquisition or control of goods or provision of services, which causes or is likely to cause an appreciable adverse effect on competition (AAEC) within India, is prohibited and void. Anti-competitive agreements may include horizontal and vertical agreements. The definition of the term ‘agreement' envisaged under the Competition Act, 2002 is wide enough to include any tacit or explicit practice, any arrangement, understanding or action in concert. Any company entering into such kind of agreements may come under the investigation by CCI, and if found violating provisions of the Competition Act, 2002, may be subjected to prosecution and penalty which may extend to 10% of the turnover of preceding 3 financial years. Therefore, any exclusive supply or exclusive distribution agreement(s) may lead to competition law concerns.
Further, any combinations, such as merger, amalgamation, acquisition or similar arrangement, which meet a certain asset/turnover threshold as prescribed in the Competition Act, 2002 mandates CCI approval which involves complex filing requirements. CCI has extra territorial jurisdiction, to investigate, order inquiry and pass order, in respect of the acts taken place outside India which has or may have appreciable adverse effect in India.
Therefore, our business activities of are also subject to the provisions of the Competition Act, 2002 and any violation or alleged violation thereof may seriously impact our operations and business and our parent companies.
Regulation - Risk 4
As a foreign private issuer, we are subject to different U.S. securities laws and NASDAQ governance standards than domestic U.S. issuers. This may afford less protection to holders of our ordinary shares, and you may not receive corporate and company information and disclosure that you are accustomed to receiving or in a manner in which you are accustomed to receiving it.
As a foreign private issuer, the rules governing the information that we disclose differ from those governing U.S. corporations pursuant to the Exchange Act. Although we intend to report quarterly financial results and report certain material events, we are not required to file quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or provide current reports on Form 8-K disclosing significant events within four days of their occurrence and our quarterly or current reports may contain less information than required for domestic issuers. In addition, we are exempt from the SEC's proxy rules, and proxy statements that we distribute will not be subject to review by the SEC. Our exemption from Section 16 rules regarding sales of ordinary shares by insiders means that you will have less data in this regard than shareholders of U.S. companies that are subject to the Exchange Act. As a result, you may not have all the data that you are accustomed to having when making investment decisions with respect to U.S. public companies.
As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from complying with certain corporate governance requirements of the NASDAQ applicable to a U.S. issuer. As the corporate governance standards applicable to us are different than those applicable to domestic U.S. issuers, you may not have the same protections afforded under U.S. law and the Nasdaq Stock Market rules as shareholders of companies that do not have such exemptions.
Regulation - Risk 5
Any foreign direct investment in Do Mobile from an entity of a country, which shares a land border with India or the beneficial owner of an investment into India who is situated in or is a citizen of any such country, shall invest only with governmental approval. Any delay in obtaining such governmental approval could adversely affect business operations and cash flow position of Do Mobile.
Do Mobile liquidity and its working capital requirements are mainly met through foreign direct investment. Do Mobile's potential investors are either based out of China, or such investments are from persons or entities whose ultimate beneficial ownership is situated in or is from a citizen of such countries which share land borders with India including China. Additionally, as per current corporate structure, Mr. Bao Minfei, who is a citizen of China, holds ultimate beneficial ownership in Do Mobile indirectly through various subsidiaries. The Government of India vide Notification S.O. 1278 (E) dated April 22, 2020 (i.e., Foreign Exchange Management (Non-debt Instruments) Amendment Rules, 2020) introduced a crucial amendment in the provisions of the FEMA Rules and has now stipulated that any investment by an entity of a country, which shares land border with India, or where the beneficial owner of an investment into India is situated in or is a citizen of any such country, can be made only upon seeking prior approval of the Government of India. These restrictions will also apply in the case of transfer of ownership. Although Mr. Bao's existing beneficial ownership in Do Mobile is not subject to approval, any new investment in Do Mobile by a Chinese entity or Chinese citizen or entities that are beneficially owned by Chinese entities or citizens, will be subject to prior approval of the Government of India. The Government of India will grant approval depending upon the facts and circumstances of each case. Any delay in receipt of such approvals, will adversely impact operations and cash flow position of Do Mobile and will put Do Mobile in a challenging position.
Regulation - Risk 6
As an "emerging growth company" under the JOBS Act, we are allowed to postpone the date by which we must comply with some of the laws and regulations intended to protect investors and to reduce the amount of information we provide in our reports filed with the SEC, which could undermine investor confidence in our company and adversely affect the market price of our ordinary shares.
For so long as we remain an "emerging growth company" as defined in the JOBS Act, we have taken and intend to continue to take advantage of certain exemptions from various requirements that are applicable to public companies that are not "emerging growth companies" including:
- being permitted to provide only two years of audited financial statements, in addition to any required unaudited interim financial statements, with correspondingly reduced "Item 5. Operating And Financial Review And Prospects" disclosure;- not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements for the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting provided by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002;- not being required to comply with any requirements adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board requiring mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor's report in which the auditor would be required to provide additional information about the audit and our financial statements; - reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation; and - not being required to hold a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation or seek shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
We have taken and intend to continue to take advantage of certain of these exemptions until we are no longer an "emerging growth company." We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
Regulation - Risk 7
Do Mobile is subject to new certification regulations for mobile handsets introduced by the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India.
The Department of Telecommunication, Government of India ("DOT") is a nodal regulator to regulate the telecommunication industry in India. DOT issues several regulations and guidelines to govern the telecommunication market. Since Do Mobile is involved in marketing and selling of mobile handset, the business activity of Do Mobile falls within the ambit of telecommunication.
Recently, the Telecommunication Engineering Centre of DOT has notified the Procedure for Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecommunication ("Certification Procedures") vide its notification dated October 2, 2018 as per the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and the Indian Telegraph Rules, 1951. The Certification Procedure has been enforced in phases. Phase-I came into effect from October 1, 2019 for the telecom equipment covered under Simplified Certification Scheme prescribed by the Government of India (i.e. SCS) which inter alia included two wire telecom equipment, modem, G3 fax machine, ISDN CPE and in respect of certain telecom equipment under General Certification Scheme prescribed by the Government of India (i.e. GCS) which inter alia included cord-less phones and PABX. Thereafter, Phase II was enforced from October 1, 2020 and covered equipment which inter alia covered transmission terminal equipment, PON (passive optical network) family of broadband equipment and feedback devises. The DOT vide its notification dated September 22, 2021 has announced mandatory certification of certain equipment under Phase III and Phase IV with effect from July 01, 2022 and February 01, 2022 respectively. However, DOT vide an amendment notification dated January 31, 2022 has extended the date of mandatory certification of Phase IV products from February 01, 2022 to July 01, 2022. DOT through another amendment notification dated June 13, 2022 has extended the date of mandatory certification of Phase III and Phase IV products by one year i.e. from July 01, 2022 to July 01, 2023.
In accordance with the Certification Procedures, every original equipment manufacturer, importer and dealer of the telecom equipment (i.e., mobile phones) engaged in sale or import of any telecom equipment in India is required to mandatorily obtain a certificate from Telecommunication Engineering Centre and mark or affix the equipment with the appropriate certification label. Additionally, in order to obtain the Certification, it is mandatory that the equipment needs to be tested only from a designated Conformance Assessment Body ("CAB") or recognized CAB of Mutual Recognition Agreement partner country. The Certification Procedures mandate the certification of mobile handsets manufactured by mobile manufacturers and mobile manufacturer cannot sell the mobile handsets without such certification.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) also carries out compulsory registration of specified goods (including mobile phones) under the Electronics and Information Technology (Requirement for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2012, as amended, which is similar to Certification Procedures prescribed by DOT.
In order to address the regulatory overlap with respect to mandatory testing procedures, recently, the DOT (in consultation with MEITY) vide its notification dated May 24, 2022 ("Exemption Notification"), has exempted ‘Mobile user equipment/ mobile handset' from prior mandatory testing and certification in respect of parameters as determined by the concerned authority.
Do Mobile is not engaged in manufacturing mobile handsets and outsources such manufacture to third-party manufacturers. We believe post the Exemption Notification, the Certification Procedures as prescribed by DOT will not be applicable to such third-party manufacturers. However, third-party manufacturers will still be required to obtain certification as prescribed by MEITY. The cost of obtaining the certification will result in an increase of the cost of mobile handsets and thus, may impact sales of mobile handsets of Do Mobile. Therefore, we will be required to more carefully assess the market when launching new models of our products.
Regulation - Risk 8
Changed
We may be required to obtain permission or approval or other compliance procedures from Chinese authorities to operate and issue ordinary shares to foreign investors in our offering and/or listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market, and if required, if we or the VIE or the VIE's subsidiaries are not able to obtain such permission or approval in a timely manner, our ordinary shares may substantially decline in value and become worthless.
The General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the Opinions on Severe and Lawful Crackdown on Illegal Securities Activities, which was available to the public on July 6, 2021. These opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities and the supervision on overseas listings by China-based companies. These opinions proposed to take effective measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems, to deal with the risks and incidents facing China-based overseas-listed companies and the demand for cybersecurity and data privacy protection. The aforementioned policies and any related implementation rules to be enacted may subject us to additional compliance requirement in the future. As of the date of this annual report, we have not received or denied any permission from the PRC authorities regarding our listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. As these opinions were recently issued, official guidance and interpretation of the opinions remain unclear in several respects at this time. Therefore, we cannot assure you that we will remain fully compliant with all new regulatory requirements of these opinions or any future implementation rules on a timely basis, or at all. We face uncertainty about future actions by the PRC government that could significantly affect the operating company's financial performance and the enforceability of the VIE Agreements.
The General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the Opinions on Severe and Lawful Crackdown on Illegal Securities Activities, which was available to the public on July 6, 2021. These opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities and the supervision on overseas listings by China-based companies. These opinions proposed to take effective measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems, to deal with the risks and incidents facing China-based overseas-listed companies and the demand for cybersecurity and data privacy protection. The aforementioned policies and any related implementation rules to be enacted may subject us to additional compliance requirement in the future. As of the date of this annual report, we have not received or denied any permission from the PRC authorities regarding our listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. As these opinions were recently issued, official guidance and interpretation of the opinions remain unclear in several respects at this time. Therefore, we cannot assure you that we will remain fully compliant with all new regulatory requirements of these opinions or any future implementation rules on a timely basis, or at all. We face uncertainty about future actions by the PRC government that could significantly affect the operating company's financial performance and the enforceability of the VIE Agreements.
In addition, on February 24, 2023, the CSRC, together with Ministry of Finance of the PRC, National Administration of State Secrets Protection and National Archives Administration of China, revised the Provisions on Strengthening Confidentiality and Archives Administration for Overseas Securities Offering and Listing which was issued by the CSRC, National Administration of State Secrets Protection and National Archives Administration of China in 2009, or the Provisions. The revised Provisions is issued under the title the Provisions on Strengthening Confidentiality and Archives Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, and came into effect on March 31, 2023 together with the Trial Measures. One of the major revisions to the revised Provisions is expanding its application to cover indirect overseas offering and listing, as is consistent with the Trial Measures. The revised Provisions require that, including but not limited to (a) a domestic company that plans to, either directly or indirectly through its overseas listed entity, publicly disclose or provide to relevant individuals or entities including securities companies, securities service providers and overseas regulators, any documents and materials that contain state secrets or working secrets of government agencies, shall first obtain approval from competent authorities according to law, and file with the secrecy administrative department at the same level; and (b) domestic company that plans to, either directly or indirectly through its overseas listed entity, publicly disclose or provide to relevant individuals and entities including securities companies, securities service providers and overseas regulators, any other documents and materials that, if leaked, will be detrimental to national security or public interest, shall strictly fulfill relevant procedures stipulated by applicable national regulations. Where a PRC domestic company, after completing the relevant procedures, provides to securities companies, securities service providers or other entities with any documents and materials that contain state secrets or working secrets of government agencies, or any other documents and materials that would be detrimental to national security or public interest if leaked, a non-disclosure agreement must be signed between the provider and receiver of such information according to the relevant PRC laws and regulations, which must specify, among others, the obligations and liabilities on confidentiality held by such securities companies and securities service providers. Specifically, when a PRC domestic company provides accounting archives or copies of accounting archives to any entities including securities companies, securities service providers or overseas regulators and individuals, it must complete the due procedures in compliance with applicable national regulations.
As of the date of this annual report, no currently effective laws or regulations in the PRC explicitly require us to seek approval from the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities for our offering and/or list on the NASDAQ Capital Market, nor has we, any of our subsidiaries or the VIE or the VIE's subsidiaries received any inquiry, notice, warning or sanctions regarding our planned offering from the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities. We believe that we are not required to obtain permission or approval from Chinese authorities to operate and issue these ordinary shares to foreign investors or list on the NASDAQ Capital Market based on the PRC laws, regulations and rules currently in effect. There is also the possibility that we may not be able to obtain or maintain such approval or that we inadvertently concluded that such approval was not required. Any failure of us to fully comply with new regulatory requirements may significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to continue to offer our ordinary shares, cause significant disruption to our business operations, and severely damage our reputation, which would materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations and cause our ordinary shares to significantly decline in value or become worthless.
Regulation - Risk 9
We are subject to various anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and U.K., PRC and Indian anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws; any determination that we have violated such laws could damage our business and reputation, limit our ability to bid for certain business opportunities, and subject us to significant criminal and civil penalties, civil litigation (such as shareholder derivative suits), and commercial liabilities.
We are subject to anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws in the United States, United Kingdom, China, and India that prohibit certain improper payments made directly or indirectly to government departments, agencies, and instrumentalities; officials of those government departments, agencies, and instrumentalities; political parties and their officials; candidates for political office; officials of public international organizations; persons acting on behalf of the foregoing; and commercial counterparties. These laws include the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the PRC Criminal Law, the PRC Anti-Unfair Competition Law, the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 of India, the Indian Penal Code, 1860, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 and anti-corruption laws in various Indian states.
We are engaged in business in a number of countries that are regarded as posing significant risks of corruption. Of particular note, we conduct operations, have agreements with state-controlled enterprises and other third parties and make sales in the PRC, and we have research and development activities in India, each of which may be exposed to corruption risk. It is our policy to implement safeguards and procedures to prohibit these practices by our employees, officers, directors, or by third parties acting on our behalf. However, we cannot rule out the risk that any of our employees, officers, directors, or third parties acting on our behalf may engage in breaches of our policies or anti-corruption laws, for which we might be held responsible.
Allegations of violations of these anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws, and investigation into such allegations, could negatively affect our reputation, business, operating results, and financial condition. The violation of these laws may result in substantial monetary and even criminal sanctions, follow-on civil litigation (such as shareholder derivative suits), and monitoring of our compliance program by the United States or other governments, each of which could negatively affect our reputation, business, operating results, and financial condition. In addition, the United States or other governments may seek to hold us liable for violations of these laws committed by companies in which we invest or acquire.
Regulation - Risk 10
UTime Limited is a holding company with no material operation. We conduct substantially all of our operations through the VIE and its subsidiaries, and we rely on contractual arrangements with the VIE and its shareholders to operate our business. If the PRC government deems that the agreements that establish the structure for operating some of our operations in China do not comply with PRC regulations relating to the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.
We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands and our PRC Subsidiary is considered foreign-invested enterprise. As a holding company with no material operations of our own, we conduct a substantial majority of our operations through the VIE and its subsidiaries. In December 2018, UTime HK established a wholly owned subsidiary in China, UTime WFOE, our wholly-owned foreign enterprise ("WFOE"). In March 2019, we obtained control over UTime SZ via UTime WFOE by entering into a series of contractual arrangements with UTime SZ, our VIE, and its shareholder. In August 2019, the amended and restated contractual agreements were entered into among UTime SZ, our VIE, and its shareholders, which were further amended and restated in September 2019.
UTime WFOE has entered into a series of contractual arrangements with our VIE and its shareholders, respectively, which enable us to (i) determine the most significant economic activities of the VIE, (ii) receive substantially all of the economic benefits of our VIE, and (iii) have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests and assets in our VIE when and to the extent permitted by PRC laws. As a result of these contractual arrangements, we have control over and are considered the primary beneficiary of our VIE for accounting purposes and hence consolidate its financial results into our consolidated financial statements under U.S. GAAP. See "Item 4A. - History and Corporate Structure - Contractual Arrangements with the VIE and its Respective Shareholders" for further details.
In the opinion of B&D Law Firm, our PRC legal counsel, (i) the ownership structures of the VIE in China and UTime WFOE, both currently and immediately after giving effect to our initial public offering, comply with all existing PRC laws and regulations; and (ii) the contractual arrangements between UTime WFOE, our VIE and its shareholders governed by PRC law are valid, binding and enforceable, and will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect. However, our PRC legal counsel has also advised us that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules. The contractual arrangements have not been tested in a court of law. Accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities may ultimately take a view that is contrary to the opinion of our PRC legal counsel. It is uncertain whether any new PRC laws or regulations relating to the VIE structure will be adopted or if adopted, what they would provide. If we or our VIE is found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion to take action in dealing with such violations or failures, including:
- revoking the business license and/or operating licenses of our WFOE or our VIE;- discontinuing or placing restrictions or onerous conditions on our operations through any transactions between our WFOE and our VIE;- imposing fines, confiscating the income from our WFOE or our VIE, or imposing other requirements with which we or our VIE may not be able to comply;- requiring us to restructure our ownership structure or operations, including terminating the contractual arrangements with our VIE and deregistering the equity pledges of our VIE, which in turn would affect our ability to consolidate, derive economic interests from, or determine the most significant economic activities of the VIE; or - restricting or prohibiting our use of the proceeds of our initial public offering to finance our business and operations in China.
Furthermore, new PRC laws, rules and regulations may be introduced to impose additional requirements that may be applicable to our corporate structure and contractual arrangements. See "Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure-Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the newly enacted PRC Foreign Investment Law and its Implementation Regulations and how they may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance, business operations and financial results." Occurrence of any of these events could materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition and results of operations.
The imposition of any of these penalties would result in a material and adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business and the market price of our ordinary shares. In addition, it is unclear what impact the PRC government actions would have on us and on our ability to consolidate the financial results of our VIE in our consolidated financial statements, if the PRC government authorities were to find our legal structure and contractual arrangements to be in violation of PRC laws and regulations, or if these regulations change or are interpreted differently in the future. If the imposition of any of these government actions causes us to lose our right to direct the activities of our VIE or our right to receive substantially all the economic benefits and residual returns from our VIE and we are not able to restructure our ownership structure and operations in a satisfactory manner, we would no longer be able to consolidate the financial results of our VIE in our consolidated financial statements, which may cause the value of our ordinary shares to significantly decline or even become worthless. Either of these results, or any other significant penalties that might be imposed on us in this event, would have a material change in our operation and a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations, could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer ordinary shares to investors and could cause the value of our ordinary shares to significantly decline or be worthless.
Regulation - Risk 11
We are subject to various changing laws and regulations regarding regulatory matters, corporate governance and public disclosure that have increased both our costs and the risk of non-compliance.
We are subject to rules and regulations by various governing bodies, including, for example, the SEC, which is charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable law. Our efforts to comply with new and changing laws and regulations have resulted in and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities.
Moreover, because these laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and governance practices. If we fail to address and comply with these regulations and any subsequent changes, we may be subject to penalty and our business may be harmed.
Regulation - Risk 12
Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the newly enacted PRC Foreign Investment Law and its Implementation Regulations and how they may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance, business operations and financial results.
On March 15, 2019, the National People's Congress approved the Foreign Investment Law, which took effect on January 1, 2020. On December 26, 2019, the Regulation on the Implementation of the Foreign Investment Law of the People's Republic of China, was issued by the State Council and came into force on January 1, 2020. The Foreign Investment Law defines the "foreign investment" as the investment activities in China conducted directly or indirectly by foreign investors in the following manners: (i) a foreign investor, individually or collectively with other investors establishes a foreign-invested enterprise within China; (ii) a foreign investor acquires stock shares, equity shares, shares in assets, or other like rights and interests of an enterprise within China; (iii) a foreign investor, individually or collectively with other investors, invests and establishes new projects within China; and (iv) a foreign investor invests through other approaches as stipulated by laws, administrative regulations, or otherwise regulated by the State Council. Since the Foreign Investment Law is relatively new, uncertainties exist in relation to its interpretation and implementation. The Foreign Investment Law does not explicitly classify whether variable interest entities that are controlled through contractual arrangements would be deemed as foreign invested enterprises if they are ultimately "controlled" by foreign investors. The VIE structure, has been adopted by many PRC-based companies, including us. Though these regulations do not explicitly classify contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment, there is no assurance that foreign investment via contractual arrangements would not be interpreted as a type of indirect foreign investment activities under the definition in the future. In addition, it has a catch-all provision under definition of "foreign investment" that includes investments made by foreign investors in China through other means as provided by laws, administrative regulations or the State Council. The Foreign Investment Law still leaves leeway for future laws, administrative regulations or provisions of the State Council to provide for contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment. Therefore, there can be no assurance that our control over our VIE through contractual arrangements will not be deemed as foreign investment in the future under the PRC laws and regulations.
The Foreign Investment Law grants national treatment to foreign-invested entities, except for those foreign-invested entities that operate in industries specified as either "restricted" or "prohibited" from foreign investment in a "negative list". The Foreign Investment Law provides that foreign-invested entities operating in "restricted" or "prohibited" industries will require market entry clearance and other approvals from relevant PRC government authorities. On December 27, 2021, the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC (the "MOFCOM") and the National Development and Reform Commission (the "NDRC") jointly issued the latest version of Negative List (Edition 2021), which became effective on January 1, 2022. See "Regulations - Regulations relating to Foreign Investment - The Guidance Catalogue of Industries for Foreign Investment". Currently, our business related to the operation of designing, manufacturing and marketing mobile communication devices, and selling a variety of related accessories falls within the permitted category. However, we cannot assure you that our current operations or any newly-developed business in the future will still deemed to be "permitted" in the "negative list", which may be promulgated or be amended from time to time by the MOFCOM and the NDRC. If our control over our VIE through contractual arrangements are deemed as foreign investment in the future, and any business of our VIE is "restricted" or "prohibited" from foreign investment under the "negative list" promulgated or amended in the future, we may be deemed to be in violation of the Foreign Investment Law, the contractual arrangements that allow us to have control over our VIE may be deemed as invalid and illegal, and we may be required to unwind such contractual arrangements and/or restructure our business operations, any of which may have a material adverse effect on our business operation.
Furthermore, if future laws, administrative regulations or provisions mandate further actions to be taken by companies with respect to existing contractual arrangements, we may face substantial uncertainties as to whether we can complete such actions in a timely manner, or at all. Failure to take timely and appropriate measures to cope with any of these or similar regulatory compliance challenges could materially and adversely affect our current corporate structure and business operations.
Regulation - Risk 13
Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system and changes in laws and regulations in China could adversely affect us.
We conduct our business primarily through the VIE and its subsidiaries. Our operations in China are governed by PRC laws and regulations. The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions under the civil law system may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value. In addition, any new or changes in PRC laws and regulations related to foreign investment in China could affect the business environment and our ability to operate our business in China.
From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. Any administrative and court proceedings in China may be protracted, resulting in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention. Since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory provisions and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. These uncertainties may impede our ability to enforce the contracts into which we have entered and could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules, some of which are not published on a timely basis or at all and may have retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of any of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Such unpredictability towards our contractual, property and procedural rights could adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.
Regulation - Risk 14
The PRC government exerts substantial influence over the manner in which we conduct our business activities. The PRC government may also intervene or influence our operations at any time, which could result in a material change in our operations and our ordinary shares could decline in value or become worthless.
We are currently not required to obtain approval from Chinese authorities to list on U.S. exchanges nor the execution of contractual arrangements with the VIE ("VIE Agreements"), however, if our VIE or the holding company were required to obtain approval in the future and were denied permission from Chinese authorities to list on U.S. exchanges, we will not be able to continue listing on U.S. exchange, continue to offer ordinary shares to investors. The loss of permission or denial will have a material, negative impact on our investors and would likely significantly reduce of our price of ordinary shares.
The Chinese government has exercised and continues to exercise substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through regulation and state ownership. Our ability to operate in the PRC may be significantly harmed by changes in its laws and regulations, including those relating to taxation, environmental regulations, land use rights, property and other matters. The central or local governments of these jurisdictions may impose new, stricter regulations or interpretations of existing regulations that would require additional expenditures and efforts on our part to ensure our compliance with such regulations or interpretations. Accordingly, government actions in the future, including regional or local variations in the implementation of economic policies, could have a significant effect on economic conditions in China or particular regions thereof, and could require us to divest ourselves of any interest we then hold in our operations in China.
For example, the Chinese cybersecurity regulator announced on July 2, 2021, that it had begun an investigation of a U.S.-listed company with Chinese operations and two days later ordered that the company's app be removed from smartphone app stores. Similarly, our business segments may be subject to various government and regulatory interference in the regions in which we operate. We could be subject to regulation by various political and regulatory entities, including various local and municipal agencies and government sub-divisions. We may incur increased costs necessary to comply with existing and newly adopted laws and regulations or penalties for any failure to comply.
Furthermore, it is uncertain when and whether we will be required to obtain permission from the PRC government to list on U.S. exchanges or enter into VIE Agreements in the future, and even when such permission is obtained, whether it will be denied or rescinded. Although we are currently not required to obtain permission from any of the PRC central or local government to obtain such permission and has not received any denial to list on the U.S. exchange and or enter into VIE Agreements, our operations could be adversely affected, directly or indirectly, by existing or future laws and regulations relating to our business or industry. Recent statements by the Chinese government indicating an intent, and the PRC government may take actions to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in PRC-based issuers, which could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer ordinary shares to investors and cause the value of our ordinary shares to significantly decline or become worthless.
Regulation - Risk 15
Our contractual arrangements are governed by PRC laws. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC laws, and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures, which may not protect you as much as those of other jurisdictions, such as the United States.
All of the agreements under our contractual arrangements are governed by PRC laws and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in China. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC laws and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal system in the PRC is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. See "Risks Related to Doing Business in China -Changes in China's economic, political or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations." Meanwhile, there is very little precedent and formal guidance as to how contractual arrangements in the context of a VIE should be interpreted or enforced under PRC laws. There remain significant uncertainties regarding the ultimate outcome of such arbitration should legal action become necessary. In addition, under PRC laws, rulings by arbitrators are final, parties cannot appeal the arbitration results in courts, and if the losing parties fail to carry out the arbitration awards within a prescribed time limit, the prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards in PRC courts through arbitration award recognition proceedings, which would require additional expenses and delay. In the event we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, or if we suffer significant delays or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to determine the most significant economic activities of the VIE, and our ability to conduct our business may be negatively affected.
Regulation - Risk 16
PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from making loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC operating subsidiaries.
As an offshore holding company of our PRC Subsidiary, we may make loans to our PRC Subsidiary, our VIE and the VIE's subsidiaries, or may make additional capital contributions to our PRC Subsidiary, subject to satisfaction of applicable governmental registration and approval requirements.
Any loans we extend to our PRC Subsidiary, which are treated as foreign-invested enterprises under PRC law, cannot exceed the statutory limit and must be registered with the local counterpart of the SAFE.
We may also decide to finance our PRC Subsidiary by means of capital contributions. According to the relevant PRC regulations on foreign-invested enterprises in China, these capital contributions are subject to registration with or approval by local Administration for Market Regulation ("AMR"). In addition, the PRC government also restricts the convertibility of foreign currencies into Renminbi and use of the proceeds. On March 30, 2015, SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming the Administration of Foreign Exchange Settlement of Capital of Foreign-invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 19, which took effect and replaced certain previous SAFE regulations from June 1, 2015. SAFE further promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming and Standardizing the Foreign Exchange Settlement Management Policy of Capital Account, or SAFE Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, which, among other things, amend certain provisions of SAFE Circular 19. According to SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16, the flow and use of the Renminbi capital converted from foreign currency denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company is regulated such that Renminbi capital may not be used for business beyond its business scope or to provide loans to persons other than affiliates unless otherwise permitted under its business scope. Violations of the applicable circulars and rules may result in severe penalties, including substantial fines as set forth in the Foreign Exchange Administration Regulations. If our VIE requires financial support from us or our WOS in the future and we find it necessary to use foreign currency-denominated capital to provide such financial support, our ability to fund our VIE's operations will be subject to statutory limits and restrictions, including those described above. These circulars may limit our ability to transfer any foreign currency we hold, including the net proceeds from our initial public offering, to our VIE and our PRC subsidiary, which may adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business in China. Despite the restrictions under these SAFE circulars, our PRC Subsidiary may use its income in Renminbi generated from their operations to finance the VIE through entrustment loans to the VIE or loans to the VIE's shareholders for the purpose of making capital contributions to the VIE. In addition, our PRC Subsidiary can use Renminbi funds converted from foreign currency registered capital to carry out any activities within their normal course of business and business scope. On October 23, 2019, the SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Further Promoting the Convenience of Cross-border Trade and Investment, or the SAFE Circular 28, which, among other things, allows all foreign-invested companies to use Renminbi converted from foreign currency-denominated capital for equity investments in China, as long as the equity investment is genuine, does not violate applicable laws, and complies with the negative list on foreign investment.
In light of the various requirements imposed by PRC regulations on loans to, and direct investment in, PRC entities by offshore holding companies, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary government registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans to our PRC Subsidiary or our VIE or future capital contributions by us to our PRC Subsidiary. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to use the proceeds we expect to receive from our future offering and to capitalize or otherwise fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.
Regulation - Risk 17
The approval of or filing and reporting with the CSRC or other PRC government authorities may be required in connection with our overseas offerings under PRC law, and, if required, we cannot predict whether or for how long we will be able to obtain such approval or complete such filing and reporting procedures.
The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies requires an overseas special purpose vehicle formed for listing purposes through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies and controlled by PRC companies or individuals to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle's securities on an overseas stock exchange. However, the application of the M&A Rules remains unclear.
Our PRC legal counsel has advised us based on their understanding of the current PRC laws, rules and regulations that the CSRC's approval is not required for the listing and trading of our ordinary shares on NASDAQ in the context of our initial public offering, given that: (i) our PRC Subsidiary was incorporated as wholly foreign-owned enterprises by means of direct investment rather than by merger or acquisition of equity interest or assets of a PRC domestic company owned by PRC companies or individuals as defined under the M&A Rules that are our beneficial owners; and (ii) no provision in the M&A Rules clearly classifies contractual arrangements as a type of transaction subject to the M&A Rules.
However, our PRC legal counsel has further advised us that there remains some uncertainty as to how the M&A Rules will be interpreted or implemented in the context of an overseas offering and its opinions summarized above are subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules. The interpretation and application of the regulations remain unclear, and our future overseas offerings may ultimately require approval of the CSRC. If the CSRC approval is required, it is uncertain whether we can or how long it will take us to obtain the approval and, even if we obtain such CSRC approval, the approval could be rescinded. Any failure to obtain or delay in obtaining the CSRC approval for any of our future overseas offerings, or a rescission of such approval if obtained by us, would subject us to sanctions imposed by the CSRC or other PRC regulatory authorities, which could include fines and penalties on our operations in China, restrictions or limitations on our ability to pay dividends outside of China, and other forms of sanctions that may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities, or the Opinions, which was made available to the public on July 6, 2021. The Opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities, and the need to strengthen the supervision over overseas listings by Chinese companies. Pursuant to the Opinions, Chinese regulators are required to accelerate rulemaking related to the overseas issuance and listing of securities, and update the existing laws and regulations related to data security, cross-border data flow, and management of confidential information. As the Opinions was recently issued, there are great uncertainties with respect to the interpretation and implementation thereof. The Chinese government may promulgate relevant laws, rules and regulations that may impose additional and significant obligations and liabilities on overseas listed Chinese companies regarding data security, cross-border data flow, and compliance with China's securities laws. These laws and regulations can be complex and stringent, and many are subject to change and uncertain interpretation, which could result in claims, change to our data and other business practices, regulatory investigations, penalties, increased cost of operations, or declines in user growth or engagement, or otherwise affect our business. It is uncertain whether or how these new laws, rules and regulations and the interpretation and implementation thereof may affect us, but among other things, our ability and the ability of our subsidiaries to obtain external financing through the issuance of equity securities overseas could be negatively affected.
Numerous regulations, guidelines and other measures are expected to be adopted under the umbrella of or in addition to the Cybersecurity Law and Data Security Law. Effective measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems will be taken to deal with the risks and incidents of China-concept overseas listed companies, and cybersecurity and data privacy protection requirements and similar matters. On July 10, 2021, the CAC issued a revised draft of the Measures for Cybersecurity Review for public comments. Further, on On December 28, 2021, thirteen PRC regulatory agencies, namely, the CAC, the NDRC, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of State Security, the Ministry of Finance, MOFCOM, SAMR, CSRC, the People's Bank of China, the National Radio and Television Administration, National Administration of State Secrets Protection and the National Cryptography Administration, jointly adopted and published the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021), which became effective on February 15, 2022. The Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021) authorized the relevant government authorities to conduct cybersecurity review on a range of activities that affect or may affect national security, and required that, among others, in addition to "operator of critical information infrastructure" any "operator of network platform" holding personal information of more than one million users which seeks to list in a foreign stock exchange should also be subject to cybersecurity review, and further elaborated the factors to be considered when assessing the national security risks of the relevant activities. On November 14, 2021, the CAC released the Regulations on Network Data Security (draft for public comments), or the draft Regulations on Network Data Security, which reiterates that data processors that process the personal information of more than one million users listing in a foreign country should apply for a cybersecurity review. The draft Regulations on Network Data Security will accept public comments until December 13, 2021. We do not believe the VIE or the VIE's subsidiaries are among the "operator of critical information infrastructure," "data processor" carrying out data processing activities that affect or may affect national security, or "operator of network platform" holding personal information of more than one million users as mentioned above, however, the revised draft Regulations on Network Data Security is in the process of being formulated and subject to further changes, and the Opinions remain unclear on how it will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant PRC governmental authorities.
On July 7, 2022, the CAC promulgated the Outbound Data Transfer Security Assessment Measures, which became effective on September 1, 2022. According to the Outbound Data Transfer Security Assessment Measures, to provide data abroad under any of the following circumstances, a data processor shall declare security assessment for its outbound data transfer to the CAC through the local cyberspace administration at the provincial level: (i) where the data processor will provide important data abroad; (ii) where operator of critical information infrastructure or the data processor processing the personal information of more than one million individuals will provide personal information abroad; (iii) where the data processor who has provided personal information of 100,000 individuals or sensitive personal information of 10,000 individuals in total abroad since January 1 of the previous year, will provide personal information abroad; and (iv) other circumstances where the security assessment is required as prescribed by the CAC. Prior to declaring security assessment for outbound data transfer, the data processor shall conduct self-assessment on the risks of the outbound data transfer. For outbound data transfers that have been carried out before the effectiveness of the Outbound Data Transfer Security Assessment Measures, if it is not in compliance with these measures, rectification shall be completed within six months starting from September 1, 2022. Since the Outbound Data Transfer Security Assessment Measures is extremely new, there remain substantial uncertainties about its interpretation and implementation, it is unclear whether we shall declare a security assessment. As of the date of this annual report, we have not received any penalty, investigation or warning with respect to our business operation from the CAC, nor have we received any notice or instructions from the CAC requiring us to declare a security assessment. If it is determined in the future that we are required to declare a security assessment, it is uncertain whether we can or how long it will take us to complete such declaration or rectification.
On February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated the Trial Administrative Measures of the Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (the "Trial Measures") and five supporting guidelines, which became effective on March 31, 2023. According to the Trial Measures, among other requirements, any domestic companies that seek to offer or list securities overseas, both directly and indirectly, should fulfil the filing procedures with the CSRC within three business days after the submission of the overseas offering and listing application. The Trial Measures provide that if an issuer meets both of the following criteria, the overseas offering and listing of securities conducted by such issuer shall be determined as an indirect overseas offering and listing by a PRC domestic enterprise and is therefore subject to the filing and reporting requirements as required thereunder: (i) any of the operating revenue, total profits, total assets or net assets of the PRC domestic enterprise(s) of the issuer in the most recent fiscal year accounts for more than 50% of the corresponding item in the issuer's audited consolidated financial statements for the same period; and (ii) the main parts of the issuer's operation activities are conducted in mainland China, or the principal operation premises are located in mainland China, or the majority of senior management personnel in charge of its business operations and management are PRC citizens or have habitual residences located in mainland China. The Trial Measures further stipulate that the determination as to whether a PRC domestic company is indirectly offering and listing securities in an overseas market shall be made on a substance-over-form basis. According to one of the Guidelines for Overseas Listing, where an issuer does not fall within the circumstances as stipulated aforementioned, but the risk factors disclosed in the submitted listing application documents pursuant to the relevant overseas market regulations are mainly related to mainland China, the securities companies and the PRC counsels of the issuer shall, act in accordance with the Trial Measures for Overseas Listing and follow the principle of substance-over-form, conduct comprehensive demonstration and identification with regard to whether the issuer falls within the scope which is subject to the filing requirements under the Trial Measures for Overseas Listing. If a PRC company fails to complete required filing procedures or conceals any material fact or falsifies any major content in its filing documents, such PRC company may be subject to administrative penalties, such as order to rectify, warnings, fines, and its controlling shareholders, actual controllers, the person directly in charge and other directly liable persons may also be subject to administrative penalties, such as warnings and fines. On the same day, the CSRC also held a press conference for the release of the Trial Measures and issued the Notice on Administration for the Filing of Overseas Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, which, among others, clarifies that PRC domestic companies that have already been listed overseas on or before the effective date of the Trial Measures for Overseas Listing (i.e., March 31, 2023) can be deemed as existing issuers, or the Existing Issuers. Existing Issuers are not required to complete the filling procedures immediately for their historical offerings and listing, and they are required to file with the CSRC when they conduct subsequent financing activities We do not believe that we are required to obtain the approval from or complete the filing with the CSRC because we became a public company before the Trial Measures went into effect. If in the future we are going to conduct any offering or financing in the U.S., we will complete filing procedures with the CSRC pursuant to the requirements of the Trial Measures. In addition, we have not received any formal inquiry, notice, warning, sanction, or objection from the CSRC with respect our listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market.
In addition, on February 24, 2023, the CSRC, together with Ministry of Finance of the PRC, National Administration of State Secrets Protection and National Archives Administration of China, revised the Provisions on Strengthening Confidentiality and Archives Administration for Overseas Securities Offering and Listing which was issued by the CSRC, National Administration of State Secrets Protection and National Archives Administration of China in 2009, or the Provisions. The revised Provisions is issued under the title the Provisions on Strengthening Confidentiality and Archives Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, and came into effect on March 31, 2023 together with the Trial Measures. One of the major revisions to the revised Provisions is expanding its application to cover indirect overseas offering and listing, as is consistent with the Trial Measures. The revised Provisions require that, including but not limited to (a) a domestic company that plans to, either directly or indirectly through its overseas listed entity, publicly disclose or provide to relevant individuals or entities including securities companies, securities service providers and overseas regulators, any documents and materials that contain state secrets or working secrets of government agencies, shall first obtain approval from competent authorities according to law, and file with the secrecy administrative department at the same level; and (b) domestic company that plans to, either directly or indirectly through its overseas listed entity, publicly disclose or provide to relevant individuals and entities including securities companies, securities service providers and overseas regulators, any other documents and materials that, if leaked, will be detrimental to national security or public interest, shall strictly fulfill relevant procedures stipulated by applicable national regulations. Where a PRC domestic company, after completing the relevant procedures, provides to securities companies, securities service providers or other entities with any documents and materials that contain state secrets or working secrets of government agencies, or any other documents and materials that would be detrimental to national security or public interest if leaked, a non-disclosure agreement must be signed between the provider and receiver of such information according to the relevant PRC laws and regulations, which must specify, among others, the obligations and liabilities on confidentiality held by such securities companies and securities service providers. Specifically, when a PRC domestic company provides accounting archives or copies of accounting archives to any entities including securities companies, securities service providers or overseas regulators and individuals, it must complete the due procedures in compliance with applicable national regulations.
Uncertainties regarding the enforcement of laws and the fact that rules and regulations in China can change quickly with little advance notice, along with the risk that the Chinese government may intervene or influence operations of the VIE or the VIE's subsidiaries at any time, or may exert more control over offerings conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers could result in a material change in our operations, financial performance and/or the value of our ordinary shares or impair our ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all. We cannot assure you that any new rules or regulations promulgated in the future will not impose additional requirements on us. If it is determined in the future that approval and filing from the CSRC or other regulatory authorities or other procedures, such as a cybersecurity review, are required for our future overseas offerings, it is uncertain whether we can or how long it will take us to obtain such approval or complete such filing procedures and any such approval or filing could be rescinded or rejected. Any failure to obtain or delay in obtaining such approval or completing such filing procedures for our overseas offerings, or a rescission of any such approval or filing if obtained by us, would subject us to sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC regulatory authorities for failure to seek CSRC approval or filing or other government review or authorization for our overseas offerings. These regulatory authorities may impose fines and penalties on our operations in China, limit our ability to pay dividends outside of China, limit our operating privileges in China, delay or restrict the repatriation of the proceeds from our overseas offerings into China or take other actions that could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects, as well as the trading price of our listed ordinary shares. The CSRC or other PRC regulatory authorities also may take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt our overseas offerings before settlement and delivery of the shares offered. Consequently, if investors engage in market trading or other activities in anticipation of and prior to settlement and delivery, they do so at the risk that settlement and delivery may not occur. In addition, if the CSRC or other regulatory authorities later promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain their approvals or accomplish the required filing or other regulatory procedures for our prior overseas offerings, we may be unable to obtain a waiver of such approval requirements, if and when procedures are established to obtain such a waiver. Any uncertainties or negative publicity regarding such approval requirement could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, reputation, and the trading price of our listed ordinary shares.
Regulation - Risk 18
There are uncertainties under the PRC laws relating to the procedures for U.S. regulators to investigate and collect evidence from companies located in the PRC.
According to Article 177 of the newly amended PRC Securities Law which became effective in March 2020 (the "Article 177"), the securities regulatory authority of the PRC State Council may collaborate with securities regulatory authorities of other countries or regions in order to monitor and oversee cross border securities activities. Article 177 further provides that overseas securities regulatory authorities are not allowed to carry out investigation and evidence collection directly within the territory of the PRC, and that any Chinese entities and individuals are not allowed to provide documents or materials related to securities business activities to overseas agencies without prior consent of the securities regulatory authority of the PRC State Council and the competent departments of the PRC State Council.
Our PRC legal counsel, B&D Law Firm, has advised us of their understanding that (i) the Article 177 is applicable in the limited circumstances related to direct investigation or evidence collection conducted by overseas authorities within the territory of the PRC (in such case, the foregoing activities are required to be conducted through collaboration with or by obtaining prior consent of competent Chinese authorities); (ii) from the view of the internal logical relations of the Article 177, it seems that the Article 177 does not limit or prohibit the Company, as a company duly incorporated in Cayman Islands and to be listed on NASDAQ, from providing the required documents or information to NASDAQ or the SEC pursuant to applicable Listing Rules and U.S. securities laws; and (iii) as the Article 177 is relatively new and there is no implementing rules or regulations which have been published regarding application of the Article 177, it remains unclear how the law will be interpreted, implemented or applied by the Chinese Securities Regulatory Commission or other relevant government authorities. As of the date hereof, we are not aware of any implementing rules or regulations which have been published regarding application of Article 177. However, we cannot assure you that relevant PRC government agencies, including the securities regulatory authority of the PRC State Council, would reach the same conclusion as we do. As such, there are uncertainties as to the procedures and time requirement for the U.S. regulators to bring about investigations and evidence collection within the territory of the PRC.
Our principal business operation is conducted in the PRC. In the event that the U.S. regulators carry out investigation on us and there is a need to conduct investigation or collect evidence within the territory of the PRC, the U.S. regulators may not be able to carry out such investigation or evidence collection directly in the PRC under the PRC laws. The U.S. regulators may consider cross-border cooperation with securities regulatory authority of the PRC by way of judicial assistance, diplomatic channels or regulatory cooperation mechanism established with the securities regulatory authority of the PRC. However, there is no assurance that the U.S. regulators could succeed in establishing such cross-border cooperation in a specific case or could establish the cooperation in a timely manner. If U.S. regulators are unable to conduct such investigations, such U.S. regulators may determine to suspend and ultimately delist our ordinary shares from the Nasdaq Capital Market or choose to suspend or de-register our SEC registration.
Regulation - Risk 19
The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for some acquisitions of PRC companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China.
The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, and other recently adopted regulations and rules concerning mergers and acquisitions established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time consuming and complex. For example, the M&A Rules require that MOFCOM be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise, if (i) any important industry is concerned, (ii) such transaction involves factors that impact or may impact national economic security, or (iii) such transaction will lead to a change in control of a domestic enterprise which holds a famous trademark or PRC time-honored brand. Moreover, the Anti-Monopoly Law promulgated by the SCNPC effective in 2008 requires that transactions which are deemed concentrations and involve parties with specified turnover thresholds (i.e., during the previous fiscal year, (i) the total global turnover of all operators participating in the transaction exceeds RMB10 billion (US$1.5 billion) and at least two of these operators each had a turnover of more than RMB400 million (US$60.9 million) within China, or (ii) the total turnover within China of all the operators participating in the concentration exceeded RMB2 billion, and at least two of these operators each had a turnover of more than RMB400 million (US$60.9 million) within China) must be cleared by MOFCOM before they can be completed.
In addition, in 2011, the General Office of the State Council promulgated a Notice on Establishing the Security Review System for Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, also known as Circular 6, which officially established a security review system for mergers and acquisitions of domestic enterprises by foreign investors. Further, MOFCOM promulgated the Regulations on Implementation of Security Review System for the Merger and Acquisition of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, effective 2011, to implement Circular 6. Under Circular 6, a security review is required for mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors having "national defense and security" concerns and mergers and acquisitions by which foreign investors may acquire the "de facto control" of domestic enterprises with "national security" concerns. Under the foregoing MOFCOM regulations, MOFCOM will focus on the substance and actual impact of the transaction when deciding whether a specific merger or acquisition is subject to security review. If MOFCOM decides that a specific merger or acquisition is subject to a security review, it will submit it to the Inter-Ministerial Panel, an authority established under Circular 6 led by the NDRC, and MOFCOM under the leadership of the State Council, to carry out security review. The regulations prohibit foreign investors from bypassing the security review by structuring transactions through trusts, indirect investments, leases, loans, control through contractual arrangements or offshore transactions. Moreover, the Anti-Monopoly Law requires that the MOFCOM shall be notified in advance of any concentration of undertaking if certain thresholds are triggered.
In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions could be time consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from MOFCOM or its local counterparts may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share. It is unclear whether our business would be deemed to be in an industry that raises "national defense and security" or "national security" concerns. However, MOFCOM or other government agencies may publish explanations in the future determining that our business is in an industry subject to the security review, in which case our future acquisitions in China, including those by way of entering into contractual control arrangements with target entities, may be closely scrutinized or prohibited. There is no assurance that, if we plan to make an acquisition, we can obtain such approval from the MOFCOM or any other relevant PRC governmental authorities for our mergers and acquisitions, and if we fail to obtain those approvals, we may be required to suspend our acquisition and be subject to penalties. Any uncertainties regarding such approval requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and corporate structure. Any action by the PRC government to exert more oversight and control over foreign investment in China-based companies could result in a material change in our operation, cause the value of our ordinary shares to significantly decline or become worthless, and significantly limit, or completely hinder our ability to continue to offer our ordinary shares to investors.
Regulation - Risk 20
PRC regulations relating to the establishment of offshore special purpose companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident beneficial owners or our PRC Subsidiary to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC Subsidiary, limit our PRC Subsidiary's ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits to us, or may otherwise adversely affect us.
In July 2014, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents' Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment Through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, and its implementation guidelines, to replace the Circular on Several Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Residents to Engage in Return Investments via Overseas Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 75, which ceased to be effective upon the promulgation of SAFE Circular 37. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents (including PRC individuals and PRC corporate entities) to register with SAFE or its local branches in connection with their direct or indirect offshore investment activities. SAFE Circular 37 is applicable to our shareholders who are PRC residents and may be applicable to any offshore acquisitions that we make in the future.
Under SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who make, or have prior to the implementation of SAFE Circular 37 made, direct or indirect investments in offshore special purpose vehicles, or SPVs, will be required to register such investments with SAFE or its local branches. In addition, any PRC resident who is a direct or indirect shareholder of a SPV, is required to update its filed registration with the local branch of SAFE with respect to that SPV, to reflect any material change. Moreover, any subsidiary of such SPV in China is required to urge the PRC resident shareholders to update their registration with the local branch of SAFE. If any PRC shareholder of such SPV fails to make the required registration or to update the previously filed registration, the subsidiary of such SPV in China may be prohibited from distributing its profits or the proceeds from any capital reduction, share transfer or liquidation to the SPV, and the SPV may also be prohibited from making additional capital contributions into its subsidiary in China. On February 13, 2015, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Further Simplifying and Improving the Policies Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Direct Investment, or SAFE Circular 13, which became effective on June 1, 2015. Under SAFE Circular 13, applications for foreign exchange registration of inbound foreign direct investments and outbound overseas direct investments, including those required under SAFE Circular 37, will be filed with qualified banks instead of SAFE. The qualified banks will directly examine the applications and accept registrations under the supervision of SAFE.
If our shareholders who are PRC residents or entities do not complete their registration with the local SAFE branches, our PRC Subsidiary may be prohibited from distributing their profits and any proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation to us, and we may be restricted in our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC Subsidiary. Moreover, failure to comply with SAFE registration requirements could result in liability under PRC laws for evasion of applicable foreign exchange restrictions.
Mr. Bao and Mr. He, who indirectly hold a majority of our shares, and who are known to us as being PRC residents have completed the initial SAFE registration in connection with our financings and will update their registration filings with SAFE under SAFE Circular 37 when any changes should be registered under SAFE Circular 37.
However, we may not at all times be fully aware or informed of the identities of all our shareholders or beneficial owners that are required to make or update such registrations, and we cannot compel our beneficial owners to comply with SAFE registration requirements. As a result, we cannot assure you that all of our shareholders or beneficial owners who are PRC residents or entities have complied with, and will in the future make or obtain any applicable registrations or approvals required by, SAFE regulations. Failure by such shareholders or beneficial owners to comply with SAFE regulations or failure by us to amend the foreign exchange registrations of our PRC Subsidiary, could subject us to fines or legal sanctions, restrict our overseas or cross-border investment activities, limit our subsidiary's ability to make distributions or pay dividends or affect our ownership structure, which could adversely affect our business and prospects.
Regulation - Risk 21
Any failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration requirements for employee stock incentive plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.
In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notices on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plans of Overseas Publicly Listed Company, or SAFE Circular 7. Under SAFE Circular 7 and other relevant rules and regulations, PRC residents who participate in stock incentive plan in an overseas publicly listed company are required to register with SAFE or its local branches and complete certain other procedures. Participants of a stock incentive plan who are PRC residents must retain a qualified PRC agent, which could be a PRC subsidiary of such overseas publicly listed company or another qualified institution selected by such PRC subsidiary, to conduct the SAFE registration and other procedures with respect to the stock incentive plan on behalf of its participants. Such participants must also retain an overseas entrusted institution to handle matters in connection with their exercise of share-based awards, the purchase and sale of corresponding shares or interests and fund transfers. In addition, the PRC agent is required to amend the SAFE registration with respect to the stock incentive plan if there is any material change to the stock incentive plan, the PRC agent or the overseas entrusted institution or other material changes. We and our PRC employees who have been granted share-based awards are subject to SAFE Circular 7 and other relevant rules and regulations these regulations.Failure of our PRC share-based award holders to complete their SAFE registrations may subject these PRC residents to fines and legal sanctions and may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital into our PRC subsidiary, limit our PRC subsidiary's ability to distribute dividends to us, adopt additional incentive plans for our directors or employees under PRC law or otherwise materially adversely affect our business. As of the date of this annual report, we are preparing for such SAFE registrations for PRC share-based award holders.
In addition, the State Administration of Taxation, or the SAT, has issued certain circulars concerning employee share options and restricted shares. Under these circulars, our employees working in China who exercise share options or are granted restricted shares will be subject to PRC individual income tax. Our PRC subsidiary has obligations to file documents related to employee share options or restricted shares with relevant tax authorities and to withhold individual income taxes of those employees who exercise their share options. If our employees fail to pay or we fail to withhold their income taxes according to relevant laws and regulations, we may face sanctions imposed by the tax authorities or other PRC government authorities.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities3 | 3.1%
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1
You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing actions in China against us or our management named in this report based on foreign laws.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, we conduct substantially most of our operations in China and substantially most of our assets are located in China. In addition, most of our senior executive officers and directors, including Mr. Minfei Bao, Mr, Yihuang Chen, Mr. Honggang Cao, Ms. Na Cai, Mr. Hengcong Qiu, Mr. Shibin Yu, Mr. Xiaoqian Jia, and Mr. Hailin Xie, are PRC nationals and reside within China for a significant portion of the time. As a result, it may be difficult for you to effect service of process upon us or those persons inside mainland China. It may also be difficult for you to enforce in U.S. courts judgments obtained in U.S. courts based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against us and our officers and directors who reside and whose assets are located outside the United States. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands or the PRC would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against us or such persons predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state.
The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other forms of reciprocity with the United States that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, the PRC courts will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC laws or national sovereignty, security or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States.
See also "Risks Related to our Corporate Structure - Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. Federal courts may be limited" for risks associated with investing in us as a Cayman Islands company.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 2
We may be adversely affected by product liability exposure claims.
We face an inherent business risk of exposure to product liability claims in the event that our products fail to perform to their specifications. In case of any product liability claim, we may need to incur significant expenditure in defending any such claims. We may incur losses relating to these claims or the defense of these claims.
We may also be required to participate in recalls involving our mobile products, if any prove to be defective, or we may voluntarily initiate a recall or make payments related to such claims as a result of various industry or business practices or the need to maintain good customer relationships. Such a recall would result in a diversion of resources. Where defective designs or defective components parts cause significant bodily damage or injury, our liability risks will increase.
We do not maintain product liability insurance, and to the extent we do obtain such insurance in the future, we cannot assure investors that it will be sufficient to cover all product liability claims, that such claims will not exceed our insurance coverage limits or that such insurance will continue to be available on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. Any product liability claim brought against us could have a material adverse effect on the results of our operations.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 3
We could be impacted by unfavorable results of legal proceedings, including the pending proceeding against Do Mobile, and may, from time to time, be involved in future litigation in which substantial monetary damages are sought.
The Company is subject to various legal proceedings and claims that have arisen in the ordinary course of business, from time to time, and new claims may arise in the future.
On September 17, 2018, Wukai Song, the majority shareholder in Bridgetime, filed a complaint with the NCLT against Ekta Grover and Yunchuan Li, the directors of Do Mobile at the time, alleging mismanagement of corporate affairs, embezzlement of funds and absenting themselves from the management of Do Mobile. Further, Mr. Song sought the following relief from the NCLT:
- prevent Ms. Grover and Mr. Li from exercising any of their powers as directors of Do Mobile;- restrain Ms. Grover and Mr. Li from operating the bank account of Do Mobile and restraining DBS Bank from acting on the instructions of Ms. Grover and Mr. Li;- permit the company secretary of Do Mobile to carry out the daily affairs of Do Mobile, which are ordinarily carried out by the directors of a company, until a new board of directors of Do Mobile is constituted and to file an application seeking extension of the date for holding an annual general meeting beyond September 30, 2018;- appoint Mr. Amit Kumar and Mr. Huiyun Chen as interim directors of Do Mobile; and - direct Ms. Grover and Mr. Li, directors of Do Mobile, to hand over all documents and material related to Do Mobile in their possession, back to Do Mobile and sign all statutory documents and filings to be made for the time period when they were acting as directors of Do Mobile.
On November 16, 2018 and November 15, 2018, Ms. Grover and Mr. Li, respectively, filed an answer with the NCLT. Further, on November 17, 2018, Mr. Wukai Song filed an application for interim relief seeking removal of Ms. Grover and Mr. Li from the board of directors of Do Mobile.
On September 30, 2019, the NCLT issued its interim order, which allowed Mr. Wukai Song to carry out certain statutory compliances of Do Mobile, and the NCLT has also directed Ms. Grover, director of Do Mobile, to handover the digital signature of directors to Mr. Wukai Song for carrying out said statutory compliances and undertaking its business pending resolution of the litigation.
Since the litigation involves Ms. Ekta Grover and Mr. Li Yunchuan, who were the directors of Do Mobile, and who resigned on December 24, 2020 and March 3, 2021 respectively, such directors could no longer attend to the affairs of Do Mobile. As a result, Do Mobile did not have an effective board and was facing significant challenges in its daily operation. For instance, Do Mobile was unable to undertake certain corporate actions, such as: (a) convening and holding board meetings of Do Mobile as mandatorily required under the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 every year; (b) convening an annual general meeting where among other things, the Do Mobile shareholders approve and adopt the financial statements of Do Mobile as required under the Companies Act, 2013; (c) reporting annual compliances with the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 through various e-forms with the office of the Registrar of Companies, Ministry of Corporate Affairs; (d) submitting an annual report titled ‘Foreign Liabilities and Assets' each year as required by companies receiving foreign direct investment and other related compliances under Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999; and (e) maintenance of statutory registers as required under various applicable laws.
Do Mobile was also made a party to two other matters initiated in connection with the aforesaid matter before the NCLT. These matters, which were filed at Tis Hazari court (district court) in Delhi, India were (i) Do Mobile Pvt. Ltd. v. DBS Bank Ltd. (civil suit no. 813/2019); and (ii) Ekta Grover v. Do Mobile India Pvt. Ltd. (civil suit no. 917/2019).
The above-mentioned instances of non-compliance expose Do Mobile to potential fines and penalties. Do Mobile directors and officers may also be prosecuted for such non-compliance under the official-in-default doctrine in the Companies Act, 2013, should they fail to undertake their statutory duties to act in the best interest of Do Mobile.
The litigation against Ekta Grover and Yunchuan Li is still pending before Delhi Bench of the NCLT and the last date of hearing in this matter was on September 23, 2021. However, the matter could not be taken up on the designated date and has been postponed. The next of date of hearing is yet to be announced. Do Mobile is awaiting intimation regarding the revised date of hearing in this matter. In order to amicably settle such ongoing litigation between Do Mobile and its directors, Do Mobile and Ms. Grover have entered into a settlement agreement, dated January 16, 2020 ("Settlement Agreement"). In terms of the Settlement Agreement, Do Mobile and Ms. Grover have arrived at the following understanding:
- Ms. Grover has agreed to withdraw the litigation initiated by her against Do Mobile at the Tis Hazari court. She has also agreed not to file any claim before any tribunal or court against Do Mobile and its officers in future. In furtherance of the aforesaid, Ms. Grover has filed a withdrawal application in relation to the matter of Ekta Grover v. Do Mobile India Pvt. Ltd. (civil suit no. 917/2019) before Tis Hazari Court, New Delhi, India, consequent to which the said matter has been disposed-off as settled/ withdrawn by the Tis Hazari Court, Delhi, India vide its order dated February 23, 2021.
- Do Mobile has agreed to withdraw the name of Ms. Grover from the ongoing litigation before the NCLT by filing a withdrawal application before the NCLT. Do Mobile has also agreed that it will not file any claim against Ms. Grover pursuant to her resignation from the board of directors of Do Mobile. Mr. Wukai Song (through his authorized representative) filed a withdrawal application before the NCLT on January 21, 2021 requesting it to permit unconditional withdrawal of the petition filed by him against Ms. Grover and Mr. Li in their capacity as the directors of Do Mobile due to his inability to pursue the matter in light of the restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the NCLT has yet to pass an order allowing the application and the requested withdrawal of the petition.
- In consideration of the settlement so arrived, Do Mobile has issued a post-dated cheque dated April 10, 2020 for INR 5,00,000/- (Indian Rupees Five Lakhs Only) to Ms. Grover towards her full and final settlement of all claims against Do Mobile. However, this cheque could not be en-cashed due to the lockdown. Consequently, Do Mobile issued another cheque for the same amount dated January 10, 2021 which has been en-cashed by Ms. Ekta Grover.
- Ms. Grover also agreed to cooperate in the appointment of new directors of Do Mobile as recommended by Do Mobile.
- Do Mobile also agreed to change its registered office, which was situated at 3A/41, First Floor, WEA, Sat Nagar, Karol Bagh, New Delhi, India, to another location. The registered office of Do Mobile is now located at House No. 25, Street No. 7, Goyala Vihar, Near Saint Thomas School, New Delhi - 110071. Necessary filings with the jurisdictional Registrar of Companies have been made in this regard by Do Mobile.
The matter of Do Mobile Pvt. Ltd. v. DBS Bank Ltd. (civil suit no. 813/2019) was initiated by Mr. Li in the Tis Hazari district court to seek revival of the authority granted to him and Ms. Grover to operate the bank account of Do Mobile. Since the dispute regarding the powers of Mr. Li and Ms. Grover in their capacity as directors of Do Mobile was pending before the NCLT, the district court refused to grant any interim relief to the then directors of Do Mobile. An application seeking withdrawal of the matter was filed by Do Mobile on April 1, 2021. The court vide its order dated June 3, 2022 has allowed the application requesting withdrawal of the suit and the matter stands dismissed.
Since the litigation commenced, all major decisions for Do Mobile have been made by the Company's group headquarters in Shenzhen, China. Such decisions include those relating to the type and quantum of products to be released in the market. Furthermore, all sales are being made and the marketing strategy for Do Mobile is being formulated from the corporate headquarter in Shenzhen, China. However, Do Mobile is making its own decisions relating to customer acquisition, recruitment of sales forces and office administration.
In order to avoid operational challenges in Do Mobile on account of ongoing litigation at the NCLT, the Company nominated the following persons to manage the daily operations of Do Mobile:
- Andy Liu, Vice President of Overseas Department at UTime SZ, managed daily external affairs related to clients, vendors, products, sales & purchase, marketing, business development, etc. from October 2019 until his resignation in August 2020. Since Mr. Liu's resignation, Mr. Wukai Song has been managing these affairs at Do Mobile.
- Wukai Song manages daily internal affairs related to finance, human resource, office administration, etc.
- Do Mobile has also appointed another officer in India, Tarun Garg, to manage the banking and accounting operations of Do Mobile, as its Finance Head with effect from June 1 2020. He is working in close coordination with Shibin Yu, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, and Wendy Long, an accountant from corporate headquarters in Shenzhen, China. In addition to this, Tarun Garg is also assisting Wukai Song in relation to day-to-day operations of the Do Mobile in India.
In order to avoid operational challenges due to the on-going litigation in the NCLT, effective December 18, 2020, Do Mobile appointed two new directors on its board, Mr. Song and Aayushi Gautam. The board of Do Mobile at that point in time consisted of two directors, Mr. Song and Ms. Gautam. Ms. Grover and Mr. Li both have resigned from their directorship in Do Mobile with effect from December 24, 2020 and March 3, 2021 respectively. Further, one share of Do Mobile which was held by Ms. Grover has been transferred by her to Ms. Aayushi Gautam. Do Mobile has also appointed Mr. Tarun Garg as its Finance Head, effective June 1, 2020. As a result of the constitution of a new board of directors, Do Mobile has been able to overcome its operational challenges. Do Mobile appointed Mr. Tarun Garg as an additional director on its board with effect from August 9, 2022. Thereafter, Ms. Aayushi Gautam resigned from her directorship in Do Mobile with effect from September 10, 2022. At present, the board of Do Mobile consists of two directors, Mr. Song and Mr. Garg.
Regarding the construction contract dispute between UTime GZ and Guizhou Branch of Guangdong Jian ‘an Fire Electromechanical Engineering Co., Ltd ("Guangdong Jian'an"), on December 1, 2021, the People's Court of Honghuagang District of Zunyi City, Guizhou Province ("Honghuagang Court") issued the civil judgment (No. (2021) Qian 0302 Min Chu 20364 ), ruling that the defendant UTime GZ shall pay the amount of RMB 2,230,293.46 to the plaintiff Guangdong Jian'an within 10 days from the effective date of the judgment. On December 24, 2021, Utime GZ has appealed to the Intermediate People's Court of Zunyi City, Guizhou Province ("Zunyi Intermediate Court"). On April 25, 2022, the Intermediate People's Court of Zunyi City issued a civil ruling (No. (2022) Qian 03 Min Zhong 642). The Zunyi Intermediate Court held that the facts determined in the first instance were basically unclear and ruled to revoke the civil judgment of No. (2021) Qian 0302 Min Chu 20364. The case was remanded to the Honghuagang Court for retrial. On December 22, 2022, Honghuagang Court issued the civil judgment (No. (2022) Qian 0302 Min Chu 9108) after retrial, ruling that UTime GZ shall pay the amount of RMB 2,230,293.46 to the plaintiff Guangdong Jian'an within 10 days from the effective date of the judgment. Utime GZ has appealed to Zunyi Intermediate Court. On April 26, 2023, the Zunyi Intermediate Court issued a civil ruling (No. (2023) Qian 03 Min Zhong No. 671). The Zunyi Intermediate Court rejected the appeal and upheld the original judgment. On May 29, 2023, Guangdong Jian'an, Utime GZ, Jietongda and Utime SZ entered into the Implementation of Settlement Agreement based on the civil judgment (No. (2022) Qian 0302 Minchu 9108), with Utime SZ as the guarantor. According to the Implementation of Settlement Agreement, with regard to the payment of RMB 223,0293.46 and the first instance case acceptance fee of RMB 25,440, starting from June 2023, Utime GZ and Jietongda promise to pay RMB 300,000 Guangdong Jian'an before the end of each month ("Settlement Payment"), and complete the above payment before the end of January 2024. If either Utime SZ and Jietongda fails to make payment in accordance with this agreement, Guangdong Jian'an has the right to resume enforcement of all outstanding payments. As of the date of this annual report, the Settlement Payment has been being paid by Jietongda.
Utime SZ and Dongguan Qinling Electronic Technology Co., Ltd ("Dongguan Qinling") had a sales contract dispute case. On September 29, 2020, People's Court of Futian District of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province ("Futian Court") issued the civil judgment (No.(2019)Yue 0304 Min Chu 51640), ruling that the defendant Dongguan Qinling should return the loan amount of RMB 300,000 and pay relevant interest to the plaintiff Utime SZ within 10 days from the effective date of the judgment. As of the date of this annual report, Dongguan Qinling has not actually performed the judgment, and has not paid any payment and interest to Utime SZ. Furthermore, the business license of Dongguan Qinling has been revoked, and it is unable for Dongguan Qinling to perform this judgment for now.
Besides, there is a case for sales contract dispute between UTime SZ and Jiangsu Jutai Technology Co., Ltd ("Jiangsu Jutai"). On July 27, 2022, Futian Court issued the civil judgment (No. (2021) Yue 0304 Min Chu 41025), ruling that 1) confirming that the "Procurement Framework Contract" (Contract No. CG20201231001) and "Purchase Order Contract" (Order No. SUTPOORD2020121921045) signed between the plaintiff UTime SZ and the defendant Jiangsu Jutai were terminated on March 12, 2021; 2) The defendant Jiangsu Jutai shall compensate the plaintiff UTime SZ with a loss of RMB 239,547 within ten days from the effective date of the judgment; 3) The defendant Jiangsu Jutai shall pay a guarantee fee of RMB 700 and a lawyer's fee of RMB 30,000 to the plaintiff UTime SZ within ten days from the effective date of the judgment. On June 28, 2023, UTime SZ and Jiangsu Jutai entered into a Settlement Agreement based on the civil judgment (No. (2021)Yue 0304 Min Chu 41025). According to the Settlement Agreement, Jiangsu Jutai shall pay the full amount of the judgment amount of RMB 243,222.3 (calculated at 90% of the judgment amount, "Settlement Amount") to UTime SZ in a lump sum before June 30, 2023. Jiangsu Jutai paid the Settlement Amount to UTime SZ on June 30, 2023.
Utime SZ and Shenzhen Wanhua Supply Chain Co., Ltd ("Shenzhen Wanhua") had a entrustment agreement contract dispute case. On March 31, 2023, People's Court of Shenzhen Qianhai Cooperation Zone, Guangdong Province issued the civil judgment ((No. (2023) Yue 0391 Min Chu 762), ruling that 1) the defendant Shenzhen Wanhua shall pay the plaintiff UTime SZ USD 76,639.91 within seven days from the effective date of the judgment; 2) the defendant Shenzhen Wanhua shall compensate the plaintiff UTime SZ for the overdue payment loss within seven days from the effective date of the judgment (the calculation method for the overdue payment loss is based on USD 76,639.91 , and from December 14, 2022, it shall be paid according to the same period US dollar loan interest rate standard of Bank of China until the actual settlement date). As of the date of this annual report, Shenzhen Wanhua has not actually performed the judgment, and has not paid any payment and interest to Utime SZ.
UTime SZ and Shenzhen Zhonghang Jiayikang Electronics Co., Ltd. ("Jiayikang") had a sales contract dispute. Jiayikang requests the judgment to 1) order the defendant UTime SZ to repay the outstanding payment to the plaintiff Jiayikang, totaling RMB 2,224,638.78; 2) order to calculate the loss of overdue payment from March 1, 2020 to the date when the principal of the loan has been fully repaid, with RMB 2,224,638.78 as the base number and 50% higher than the standard of one-year loan market quotation rate published by the National Interbank lending market Center authorized by the People's Bank of China: the current loss of overdue payment is temporarily calculated to be RMB 354,736.94 by December 15, 2022. As of the date of this annual report, the judgment of the first instance of this case has not been issued.
Regardless of the merit of particular claims, litigation may be expensive, time consuming, disruptive to our operations and distracting to management. For instance, if such litigation against Do Mobile stays pending, there will be no effective board of Do Mobile, which may lead to serious complications for Do Mobile. Continued non-compliance may impact Do Mobile's operations negatively, which could result in the imposition of substantial penalties by the government and lead to prosecution of our management. Therefore, our business operations could be negatively impacted by unfavorable results of legal proceedings.
In addition, we may from time to time be involved in future litigation in which substantial monetary damages are sought. Litigation claims may relate to intellectual property, contracts, employment, securities and other matters arising out of the conduct of our current and past business activities. Any claims, whether with or without merit, could be time consuming, expensive to defend and could divert management's attention and resources. We may maintain insurance against some, but not all, of these potential claims, and the levels of insurance we do maintain may not be adequate to fully cover any and all losses. Nonetheless, the results of any future litigation or claims are inherently unpredictable, and such outcomes could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash from operating activities or financial condition.
Taxation & Government Incentives8 | 8.3%
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 1
There are significant uncertainties under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law relating to the withholding tax liabilities of our PRC Subsidiary, and dividends payable by our PRC Subsidiary to us through our Hong Kong subsidiary may not qualify to enjoy certain treaty benefits.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and as such rely on dividends and other distributions on equity from our PRC Subsidiary to satisfy part of our liquidity requirements. Pursuant to the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, a withholding tax rate of 10% currently applies to dividends paid by a PRC "resident enterprise" to a foreign enterprise investor, unless any such foreign investor's jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty with China that provides for preferential tax treatment.
Pursuant to the Arrangement between the Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Tax Evasion on Income, or the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement came into effect on December 8, 2006, and four conventions implemented as of June 11, 2008, December 20, 2010, December 29, 2015 and December 6, 2019, such withholding tax rate may be lowered to 5% if a Hong Kong resident enterprise owns no less than 25% of a PRC enterprise. Under the Circular on Certain Issues with Respect to the Enforcement of Dividend Provisions in Tax Treaties issued in February 2009 by the SAT, the taxpayer needs to satisfy certain conditions to enjoy the benefits under a tax treaty. These conditions include: (i) the taxpayer must be the beneficial owner of the relevant dividends, and (ii) the corporate shareholder to receive dividends from the PRC Subsidiary must have met the direct ownership thresholds during the 12 consecutive months preceding the receipt of the dividends. However, if the main purpose of an offshore arrangement is to obtain a preferential tax treatment, the PRC tax authorities have the discretion to adjust the preferential tax rate enjoyed by the relevant offshore entity. Further, the SAT promulgated the Notice on How to Understand and Recognize the "Beneficial Owner" in Tax Treaties in 2009, which limits the "beneficial owner" to individuals, enterprises or other organizations normally engaged in substantive operations, and sets forth certain detailed factors in determining "beneficial owner" status; and based on the Announcement on Certain Issues with Respect to the "Beneficial Owner" in Tax Treaties, issued on February 3, 2018, and effective on April 1, 2018, that the business activities conducted by the applicant do not constitute substantive business activities is one of the factors which are not conductive to the determination of an applicant's status as a "beneficial owner".
In addition, the Administrative Measures for Non-Resident Enterprises to Enjoy Treatments under Tax Treaties, or SAT Public Notice No.60, which became effective in August 2015, require non-resident enterprises to determine whether they are qualified to enjoy the preferential tax treatment under the tax treaties and file relevant report and materials with the tax authorities. In October 2019, the State Administration of Taxation (SAT) issued the Announcement of the SAT on Issuing the Measures for the Administration of Non-resident Taxpayers' Enjoyment of Treaty Benefits (SAT Public Notice No.35), which took effect on January 1, 2020, while SAT Public Notice No.60 will be abolished at the same time. SAT Public Notice No.35 stipulates that non-resident taxpayers can enjoy tax treaty benefits via the "self-assessment of eligibility, claiming treaty benefits, retaining documents for inspection" mechanism. There are also other conditions for enjoying the reduced withholding tax rate according to other relevant tax rules and regulations. As of March 31, 2023 and 2022, we did not record any withholding tax on the retained earnings of our subsidiaries in the PRC as we intended to re-invest all earnings generated from our PRC Subsidiary for the operation and expansion of our business in China, and we intend to continue this practice in the foreseeable future. Should our tax policy change to allow for offshore distribution of our earnings, we would be subject to a significant withholding tax. We cannot assure you that our determination regarding our qualification to enjoy the preferential tax treatment will not be challenged by the relevant tax authority or we will be able to complete the necessary filings with the relevant tax authority and enjoy the preferential withholding tax rate of 5% under the Double Taxation Arrangement with respect to dividends to be paid by our PRC Subsidiary to UTime HK, our Hong Kong subsidiary.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 2
If our preferential tax treatments are revoked, become unavailable or if the calculation of our tax liability is successfully challenged by the PRC tax authorities, we may be required to pay tax, interest and penalties in excess of our tax provisions, and our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
The PRC government has provided tax incentives to our VIE. These incentives include reduced enterprise income tax rates. For example, under the Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, the statutory enterprise income tax rate is 25%. However, the income tax of an enterprise that has been determined to be a high and new technology enterprise can be reduced to a preferential rate of 15%, and the certificate of a high and new technology enterprise is valid for three years.
Our VIE has obtained the Certificate of High and New Technology Enterprise since November 2, 2015, which is renewed on December 23, 2021 and is thus eligible to enjoy a preferential tax rate of 15% for the periods presented, to the extent it has taxable income under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law. Any increase in the enterprise income tax rate applicable to our VIE in China, or any discontinuation or retroactive or future reduction of any of the preferential tax treatments currently enjoyed by our VIE, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, in the ordinary course of our business, we are subject to complex income tax and other tax regulations and significant judgment is required in the determination of a provision for income taxes. Although we believe our tax provisions are reasonable, if the PRC tax authorities successfully challenge our position and we are required to pay tax, interest and penalties in excess of our tax provisions, our financial condition and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 3
Discontinuation of any of the government subsidies or imposition of any additional taxes and surcharges could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Our VIE and UTime GZ have received various financial subsidies from PRC local government authorities. The financial subsidies result from discretionary incentives and policies adopted by PRC local government authorities. Meanwhile, to promote our productions and operations, our VIE and UTime GZ built cooperative relations with government authorities, based on which financial subsidies and a series of other governmental supports are provided for the purpose of facilitation of more tax payment to the local tax authorities. In order to attract investment, the Management Committee of Guizhou Xinpu Economic Development Zone offers preferential policies to UTime GZ, the PRC Subsidiary of our VIE, to establish its operations in Xinpu Economic Development Zone. As of the date of this annual report, UTime GZ has received subsidies of approximately RMB1.2 million (US$0.2 million) in the form of logistics and employees' rent subsidies for public rental housing from the Management Committee of Guizhou Xinpu Economic Development Zone. However, local governments may decide to change, withdraw or discontinue such financial subsidies at any time. The discontinuation of such financial subsidies or imposition of any additional taxes could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 4
If we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC income tax purposes, such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders.
Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with "de facto management body" within the PRC is considered a "resident enterprise" and will be subject to the enterprise income tax on its global income at the rate of 25%. The implementation rules define the term "de facto management body" as the body that exercises full and substantial control and overall management over the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. In 2009, the State Administration of Taxation, or SAT, issued the Circular on Issues Concerning the Identification of Chinese-Controlled Overseas Registered Enterprises as Resident Enterprises in Accordance With the Actual Standards of Organizational Management, known as SAT Circular 82, which has been revised by the Decision of the State Administration of Taxation on Issuing the Lists of Invalid and Abolished Tax Departmental Rules and Taxation Normative Documents on December 29, 2017 and by the Decision of the State Council on Cancellation and Delegation of a Batch of Administrative Examination and Approval Items on November 8, 2013. Circular 82 has provided certain specific criteria for determining whether the "de facto management body" of a PRC-controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. Further to SAT Circular 82, the SAT issued the Administrative Measures for Enterprise Income Tax of PRC-Controlled Offshore Incorporated Resident Enterprises (Trial), or SAT Bulletin 45, effective 2011, to provide more guidance on the implementation of SAT Circular 82. SAT Bulletin 45 clarified certain issues in the areas of resident status determination, post-determination administration and competent tax authorities' procedures.
According to SAT Circular 82, an offshore incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having its "de facto management body" in China and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its global income only if all of the following conditions are met: (i) the places where the senior management and senior management departments responsible for the daily production, operation and management of the enterprise perform their duties are mainly located within the territory of the PRC; (ii) decisions relating to the enterprise's financial matters (such as money borrowing, lending, financing and financial risk management) and human resource matters (such as appointment, dismissal and salary and wages) are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel in the PRC; (iii) the enterprise's primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholder resolutions, are located or maintained in the PRC; and (iv) at least 50% of voting board members or senior executives habitually reside in the PRC. Although SAT Circular 82 and SAT Bulletin 45 only apply to offshore incorporated enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups and not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the determination criteria set forth therein may reflect the SAT's general position on how the term "de facto management body" could be applied in determining the tax resident status of offshore enterprises, regardless of whether they are controlled by PRC enterprises, individuals or foreigners.
In addition, the SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues concerning the Determination of Resident Enterprises Based on the Standards of Actual Management Institutions in January 2014 to provide more guidance on the implementation of SAT Circular 82. This bulletin further provides that, among other things, an entity that is classified as a "resident enterprise" in accordance with the circular shall file the application for classifying its status of residential enterprise with the local tax authorities where its main domestic investors are registered. From the year in which the entity is determined to be a "resident enterprise," any dividend, profit and other equity investment gain shall be taxed in accordance with the enterprise income tax law and its implementing rules.
We believe that none of our entities outside of China is a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. See "Regulation - Regulations on Tax - PRC Enterprise Income Tax". However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term "de facto management body." Our PRC legal counsel has also advised us that there is a risk that the PRC tax authorities may deem us as a PRC resident enterprise since a substantial majority of the members of our management team are located in China. If the PRC tax authorities determine that we are a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, we will be subject to the enterprise income tax on our global income at the rate of 25% and we will be required to comply with PRC enterprise income tax reporting obligations. In addition, we may be required to withhold a 10% withholding tax from dividends we pay to our shareholders that are non-resident enterprises, and non-resident enterprise shareholders may be subject to PRC tax on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ordinary shares, if such income is treated as sourced from within the PRC. Furthermore, if we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends payable to our non-PRC individual shareholders and any gain realized on the transfer of ordinary shares by such shareholders may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 20% unless a reduced rate is available under an applicable tax treaty. It is unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of our company would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise. Any such tax may reduce the returns on your investment in the ordinary shares.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 5
Contractual arrangements in relation to our VIE may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities and they may determine that we or our VIE owes additional taxes, which could negatively affect our financial condition and the value of your investment.
Under applicable PRC laws and regulations, arrangements and transactions among related parties may be subject to audit or challenge by the PRC tax authorities. We could face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that the VIE contractual arrangements were not entered into on an arm's length basis in such a way as to result in an impermissible reduction in taxes under applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, and adjust the income of our VIE in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could, among other things, result in a reduction of expense deductions recorded by our VIE for PRC tax purposes, which could in turn increase its tax liabilities without reducing our WFOE's tax expenses. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment fees and other penalties on our VIE for the adjusted but unpaid taxes according to the applicable regulations. Our financial position could be materially and adversely affected if our VIE's tax liabilities increase or if it is required to pay late payment fees and other penalties.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 6
Change in the tax regime in India will increase tax burden on us.
Bridgetime Limited holds 99.99% shareholding in Do Mobile in India. Until March 31, 2020, a non-resident shareholder of an Indian company was not liable to pay any tax in India on the dividends received by it. However, with the introduction of the Finance Act, 2020 (which became effective from April 1, 2020), non-resident shareholders will now be paying tax on the dividend income distributed by an Indian company from April 1, 2020 onwards as per the rate prescribed under the relevant double taxation avoidance agreements or Indian law, whichever is more beneficial. Accordingly, this will increase tax burden on Bridgetime Limited. Further, there are number of taxes and other levies imposed at the level of the Central Government and State Government in India. In addition to income tax, it includes: (i) goods and service tax; (ii) stamp duty charges; and (iii) surcharges and cess. These tax rates may increase in future creating more financial burden on Do Mobile and may affect the overall tax efficiency of Do Mobile. Additional tax exposure could adversely affect its business and results of operations.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 7
We may become subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands, which would negatively affect our results.
We have received an undertaking from the Financial Secretary of the Cayman Islands that, in accordance with section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, until the date falling 20 years after October 15, 2018, being the date of such undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations shall apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax shall be payable (i) on or in respect of the shares, debentures or other obligations of our company or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by our company to its members or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of our company. If we otherwise were to become subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. See "Item 10.E. Taxation - Cayman Islands Taxation".
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 8
If we are classified as a passive foreign investment company, United States taxpayers who own our ordinary shares may have adverse United States federal income tax consequences.
A non-U.S. corporation such as ourselves will be classified as a passive foreign investment company ("PFIC") for any taxable year if, for such year, either - At least 75% of our gross income for the year is passive income; or - The average percentage of our assets (determined at the end of each quarter) during the taxable year which produce passive income or which are held for the production of passive income is at least 50%.
Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business) and gains from the disposition of passive assets.
If we are determined to be a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. taxpayer who holds our ordinary shares, the U.S. taxpayer may be subject to increased U.S. federal income tax liability and may be subject to additional reporting requirements.
Taking the amount of cash we raised in our initial public offering into account, together with any other assets held for the production of passive income, it is possible that, for our 2021 taxable year or for any subsequent year, more than 50% of our assets may be assets which produce passive income. We will make this determination following the end of any particular tax year. Although the law in this regard is unclear, we treat our consolidated affiliated entities as being owned by us for United States federal income tax purposes, not only because we exercise effective control over the operation of such entities but also because we are entitled to substantially all of their economic benefits. For purposes of the PFIC analysis, in general, a non-U.S. corporation is deemed to own its pro rata share of the gross income and assets of any entity in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the equity by value.
For a more detailed discussion of the application of the PFIC rules to us and the consequences to U.S. taxpayers if we were determined to be a PFIC, see "Taxation - Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations - Passive Foreign Investment Company".
Production
Total Risks: 11/96 (11%)Below Sector Average
Manufacturing1 | 1.0%
Manufacturing - Risk 1
Compromised product quality of our mobile products may damage our brand and reputation of and customers could stop using our mobile handsets
Quality of any product plays a vital role towards its demand and any failure to maintain quality standards may impact sales and revenues. Much of the mobile products we sell, for instance, the mobile handsets sold by Do Mobile, are being manufactured by third party vendors. Though we conduct frequent vendor inspections in an effort to ensure that these vendors adhere to our prescribed quality standards; however, there remains an element of risk about the quality of mobile handsets as we cannot guarantee that our inspections will capture all existing or latent defects. Our inability to maintain the quality of our products, may materially impact our reputation and business.
Employment / Personnel5 | 5.2%
Employment / Personnel - Risk 1
Inadequacy of skilled personnel may lead to decline in sales of mobile phones by us.
Competition in our industry for qualified employees, especially technical employees, is intense, and our competitors directly target our employees from time to time. We have also experienced employees leaving us to start competing businesses or to join the in-house research and development teams of our customers. The loss of the technical knowledge and industry expertise of any of these individuals could seriously impede our success. Moreover, the loss of these individuals, particularly to a competitor, some of which are in a position to offer greater compensation, and any resulting loss of customers or trade secrets and technological expertise could further lead to a reduction in our market share and adversely affect our business. If we are required to increase the compensation payable to our qualified employees to compete with certain competitors with greater resources than we have or to discourage employees from leaving us to start competing businesses, our operating expenses will increase which, in turn, will adversely affect our results or operations.
Moreover, our sales team plays a pivotal role in the success of the business of every organization. The unique and important role of sales is to bridge the gap between the potential customer's needs and the products/services that the organization offers that can fulfil their needs. Every organization strives to have best sales team who possess skill set for understanding consumer behavior and consumer needs and excellent communication skill. Our growth strategy places significant dependence on the experience and the continued efforts of our sales executives. There has always been dearth of such skilled sales personnel, and we may need to incur significant expenditure for attracting skilled sales personnel and for retaining its existing sales team. We may not be able to retain our existing sales team or attract and recruit new sales executives in the future. This may result in drop in sale of mobile handsets and will consequently have an adverse effect on our revenue and sustained growth.
Employment / Personnel - Risk 2
Our success depends substantially on the continuing efforts of our senior executives and other key personnel, and our business may be severely disrupted if we lose their services.
Our future success heavily depends upon the continued services of our senior executives and other key employees. In particular, we rely on the expertise, experience, customer relationships and reputation of Minfei Bao, our founder and a director serving on the Board of Directors. We currently do not maintain key man life insurance for any of the senior members of our management team or other key employees. If one or more of our senior executives or key employees are unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, it could disrupt our business operations, and we may not be able to replace them easily or at all. In addition, competition for senior executives and key employees in our industry is intense, and we may be unable to retain our senior executives and key employees or attract and retain new senior executive and key employees in the future, in which case our business may be severely disrupted, and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
If any of our senior executives or key employees joins a competitor or forms a competing company, it may lose customers, know-how and other key employees and staff members to them. Also, if any of our business development managers, who generally keep a close relationship with our customers, joins a competitor or forms a competing company, we may lose customers, and our net revenues may be materially and adversely affected. Additionally, there could be unauthorized disclosure or use of our technical knowledge, practices or procedures by such employees. All of our executives and key employees have entered into employment agreements with us that contain non-competition provisions, non-solicitation and nondisclosure covenants. However, if any dispute arises between our executive officers or key employees and us, such non-competition, non-solicitation and nondisclosure provisions might not provide effective protection to us, especially in China, where most of these executive officers and key employees reside, in light of the uncertainties with China's legal system.
Employment / Personnel - Risk 3
Failure to make adequate contributions to various government-sponsored employee benefits plans as required by PRC laws and regulations may subject us to penalties.
Companies operating in China are required to participate in various government-sponsored employee benefit plans, including certain social insurance, housing provident funds and other welfare-oriented payment obligations, and contribute to the plans in amounts equal to certain percentages of salaries, including bonuses and allowances, of employees up to a maximum amount specified by the local government from time to time at locations where the labor relations between us and our employees are based. The laws and regulations on employee benefit plans have not been enforced consistently by the local governments in China given the different levels of economic development in different locations. Following local common practice, we do not pay certain social insurance or housing fund contributions for each of our employees and the amount we paid was lower than the requirements of relevant PRC regulations. Therefore, in our consolidated financial statements, we have made an estimate and accrued a provision in relation to the potential make-up of our contributions for these plans. If we are determined by local authorities to have failed to make adequate contributions to any employee benefits as required by relevant PRC laws and regulations, we may face late fees or fines in relation to the underpaid employee benefits. As a result, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
Employment / Personnel - Risk 4
Increases in labor costs and enforcement of stricter labor laws and regulations in the PRC may adversely affect our business and our profitability.
China's overall economy and the average wage in China have increased in recent years and are expected to continue to grow. The average wage level for our employees has also increased in recent years. We expect that our labor costs, including wages and employee benefits, will continue to increase. Unless we are able to pass on these increased labor costs to those who pay for our services, our profitability and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
In addition, we have been subject to stricter regulatory requirements in terms of entering into labor contracts with our employees and paying various statutory employee benefits, including pensions, housing fund, medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance to designated government agencies for the benefit of our employees. Pursuant to the PRC Labor Contract Law and its implementation rules, employers are subject to stricter requirements in terms of signing labor contracts, minimum wages, paying remuneration, determining the term of employee's probation and unilaterally terminating labor contracts. In the event that we decide to terminate some of our employees or otherwise change our employment or labor practices, the PRC Labor Contract Law and its implementation rules may limit our ability to effect those changes in a desirable or cost-effective manner, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
In October 2010, the SCNPC promulgated the Law on Social Insurance of the PRC, effective on July 1, 2011. On April 3, 1999, the State Council promulgated the Regulations on the Administration of Housing Provident Fund, which was amended on March 24, 2002. Companies registered and operating in China are required under the Law on Social Insurance of the PRC and the Regulations on the Administration of Housing Provident Fund to apply for social insurance registration and housing fund deposit registration within 30 days of their establishment and to pay for their employees different social insurance including pension insurance, medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance to the extent required by law. We could be subject to orders by the competent labor authorities for rectification and failure to comply with the orders which may further subject us to administrative fines. See "Regulations - Regulations on Labor Protection".
As the interpretation and implementation of labor-related laws and regulations are still evolving, we cannot assure you that our employment practices do not and will not violate labor-related laws and regulations in China, which may subject us to labor disputes or government investigations. We cannot assure you that we have complied or will be able to comply with all labor-related law and regulations including those relating to obligations to make social insurance payments and contribute to the housing provident funds. If we are deemed to have violated relevant labor laws and regulations, we could be required to provide additional compensation to our employees and our business, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected.
Employment / Personnel - Risk 5
Non-compliance with the Indian labor law requirements may invite criminal and civil actions against us in India.
India has stringent labor legislation that protects the interests of workers, including legislation that govern relationships with employees, in such areas as minimum wage and maximum working hours, overtime, working conditions, and hiring and terminating of employees. Do Mobile is irregular in labor law compliances, primarily relating to maintenance of statutory records and registers. Do Mobile has not obtained any registration under applicable Shops and Establishment Act, wherever applicable. Furthermore, Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, mandatorily requires companies to have a defined policy on Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace and must set up an Internal Complaints Committee to redress grievances related to sexual harassment. Do Mobile neither has any defined written policy on Prevention of Sexual Harassment nor have constituted any Internal Complaints Committee to redress the issues relating to sexual harassment at workplace. Any non-compliance of applicable labor laws, will expose Do Mobile and its key managerial personnel to penalties and fines which may impact our operations and growth.
Supply Chain3 | 3.1%
Supply Chain - Risk 1
We are dependent on raw materials and mobile device components from off shore entities and from local markets, and an increase in their cost could have an adverse effect on our business.
The stability or variability in the prices of materials or components depends on various factors which could have an adverse effect on our business and accordingly, a major fluctuation should not be ruled out in the future. Several components used in handsets sold by us are sourced from offshore companies, primarily from China. The price and availability of the materials or components depends on several factors beyond our control, including supplier's preferability, overall economic conditions, production levels, market demand for such material, production and transportation cost, duties, taxes and trade restrictions. Any impact on supply of components for any reason whatsoever will have direct impact on our business.
Supply Chain - Risk 2
We depend on third party service providers for logistics and aftersales services, and any failure of our third party service providers to perform may have a material negative impact on our business.
We outsource all of our transportation and logistics services, as well as after-sale services, for our products to third-party service providers. We rely on these outsourcing partners to bring our products to our customers and provide after sale services. While these arrangements allow us to focus on our main business, they also reduce our direct control over the logistics and aftersales services provided to our customers. Any failure of our logistics partners to perform may have a material negative impact on the timely delivery of our products and customer satisfaction. In addition, logistics in our primary locations or transit to final destinations may be disrupted for a variety of reasons including, natural and man-made disasters, information technology system failures, commercial disputes, military actions or economic, business, labor, environmental, public health, or political issues. We may also be unable to pass any increase in logistics costs to our customers. Errors that occur in product maintenance processes can compromise our products and services, adversely affect customer experience, and harm our business.
Supply Chain - Risk 3
We rely on outsourcing manufacturers to produce a majority of our products. If we encounter issues with them, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
We rely on outsourcing manufacturers to produce a majority of our products. However, the volume of orders designated to a specific manufacturer is likely to vary from year-to-year and project-to-project, especially since we generally do not enter into exclusive relationship with the manufacturers and we do not have long-term or fixed-term purchase commitments with any of our outsourcing manufacturers. A major manufacturer in one year may not provide the same amount of products to us in any subsequent year. The products each manufacturer supplies us may decline or vary our customer orders change over time. Additionally, our contracts with these manufacturers can be terminated at any time. Therefore, we may not be able to maintain a long-term cooperative relationship with our outsourcing manufacturers for our existing products. We may also experience operational difficulties with our outsourcing manufacturers, including reductions in the availability of production capacity, failure to comply with product specifications, insufficient quality control, failure to meet production deadlines, increases in manufacturing costs and longer lead time. Our outsourcing manufacturers may experience disruptions in their manufacturing operations due to equipment breakdowns, labor strikes or shortages, natural disasters, component or material shortages, cost increases, violation of environmental, health or safety laws and regulations, or other problems. We may be unable to pass the cost increases to our customers. We may have disputes with our outsourcing manufacturers, which may result in litigation expenses, divert our management's attention and cause supply shortages to us. In addition, we may not be able to identify outsourcing manufacturers who are capable of producing new products we target to launch in the future.
Costs2 | 2.1%
Costs - Risk 1
Our international expansion is subject to a variety of costs and risks and we may not be successful, which could adversely affect our profitability and operating results.
We intend to expand or enter into new geographic markets, such as the United States and Canada, where we have limited or no experience in marketing, selling our products and deploying our services. International expansion has required and will continue to require us to invest significant capital and other resources and our efforts may not be successful. Our expansion may be subject to risks such as: brand awareness, sales and distribution network, differences in customer preference, political and economic instability, trade restrictions, difficulties in forming and managing local staff and teams, lesser degrees of intellectual property protection.
The occurrence of any of these risks could negatively affect our international business and consequently our business and operating results. In addition, the concern over these risks may also prevent us from entering into or releasing certain of our products in certain markets.
Costs - Risk 2
We face certain risks relating to the real properties that we lease.
We lease real properties from third parties primarily for our office and processing workshops being used in China, and most of our lease agreements for these properties have not been registered with the PRC governmental authorities as required by PRC laws. Although the failure to do so does not in itself invalidate the leases, we may be ordered by the PRC government authorities to rectify such noncompliance and, if such noncompliance were not rectified within a given period of time, we may be subject to fines imposed by PRC government authorities ranging from RMB1,000 and RMB10,000 for each lease agreement that has not been registered with the relevant PRC governmental authorities.
Most of the proof of ownership or proof of right to lease in relation to our leased real properties have not been provided to us by the relevant lessors. Therefore, we cannot assure you that such lessors are entitled to lease the relevant real properties to us. If the lessors are not entitled to lease the real properties to us and the owners of such real properties decline to ratify the lease agreements between us and the respective lessors, we may not be able to enforce our rights to keep leasing such properties under the respective lease agreements against the owners. As of the date of this annual report, we are not aware of any claim or challenge brought by any third parties concerning the use of our leased properties. If our lease agreements are claimed as null and void by third parties who are the real owners of such leased real properties, we could be required to vacate the properties, in the event of which we could only initiate the claim against the lessors under relevant lease agreements for indemnities for their breach of the relevant leasing agreements.
Furthermore, the registered office of UTime SZ is 64D-403, Tian Zhan Building F2, Tian'an Che Kung Temple Industrial Zone, Xiangmi Lake, Futian District, Shenzhen, while the principal executive office is located at 7th Floor, Building 5A, Shenzhen Software Industry Base, Nanshan District, Shenzhen. According to PRC laws, rules and regulations, a company shall register its main office as registered office. Where a company fails to undergo the relevant modification registration in accordance with relevant regulations for any modification of the contents of company registration, the company registration authority shall order the company to register within a prescribed time limit, and, if the company fails to do so, impose a fine of not less than RMB10,000 but not more than RMB100,000 on the company.
We cannot assure you that suitable alternative locations are readily available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, and if we are unable to relocate our offices or processing workshops in a timely manner, our operations may be interrupted.
Macro & Political
Total Risks: 9/96 (9%)Below Sector Average
Economy & Political Environment3 | 3.1%
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1
Changes in China's economic, political or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.
Substantially most of our assets and operations are located in China. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be influenced to a significant degree by political, economic and social conditions in China generally. The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the level of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. Although the Chinese government has implemented measures emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduction of state ownership of productive assets, and the establishment of improved corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of productive assets in China is still owned by the government. In addition, the Chinese government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The Chinese government also exercises significant control over China's economic growth through allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy, and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.
While the Chinese economy has experienced significant growth over the past decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy, and the rate of growth has been slowing since 2012. Any adverse changes in economic conditions in China, in the policies of the Chinese government or in the laws and regulations in China could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of China. Such developments could adversely affect our business and operating results, lead to reduction in demand for our services and adversely affect our competitive position. The Chinese government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures may benefit the overall Chinese economy, but may have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations. In addition, in the past the Chinese government has implemented certain measures, including interest rate adjustment, to control the pace of economic growth. These measures may cause decreased economic activity in China, which may adversely affect our business and operating results.
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 2
Controversies affecting China's trade with the United States could harm our operations.
In July 2018 and again in September 2018, the United States imposed tariffs on a wide range of products and other goods from China. In May 2019, negotiations on tariffs and other trade matters between the United States and China came to a halt, and both sides escalated the trade dispute. In June 2019, trade talks resumed between the United States and China, and the United States indicated it would not impose additional tariffs at this time. Although negotiation resumed in the second half of 2019 between the United States and China and the two countries reached a trade deal in January 2020, it is possible the United States will impose additional tariffs. Given our major manufacturing in China, the imposition of tariffs by the United States presents negative effect for us. Tariffs that have already been announced and implemented have covered certain of our products. The trade controversy between the United States and China is still evolving, and we cannot predict future trade policy. However, future tariffs could cover more or all of our products, resulting in an adverse effect on our operations, including customer demand from the United States.
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 3
Our business is substantially affected by prevailing economic, political and other prevailing conditions in India, and any downshift or perceived downshift in the Indian economy could negatively impact our business.
Do Mobile is a company incorporated in India, and the substantial portion of our assets and employees are located in India. Therefore, we are highly dependent on prevailing economic conditions in India and its operational results are significantly affected by factors influencing the Indian economy. Factors that may adversely affect the Indian economy, and hence results of our operations, may include:
a) any increase in foreign exchange rates;b) any increase in interest rates or the inflation;c) any scarcity of credit or other financing in India, resulting in an adverse impact on economic conditions in India and scarcity of financing of our business developments and expansions;d) per capita income;e) changes in Indian tax rates and other monetary policies;f) political instability, terrorism or military conflict in India or in countries in the region or globally including India's neighboring countries;g) occurrence of natural or man-made disasters;h) prevailing regional or global economic conditions, including in India's principal export markets; and i) other significant regulatory or economic developments in or affecting India or its telecom sector.
Any downshift or perceived downshift in the Indian economy could negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.
International Operations1 | 1.0%
International Operations - Risk 1
The international nature of our business exposes us to risks that could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We conduct our business throughout the world in multiple locations. Our corporate structure also spans multiple jurisdictions, with our parent company incorporated in the Cayman Islands and structured as a holding company and intermediate and operating subsidiaries incorporated in mainland China, Hong Kong and India. As a result, we are exposed to risks typically associated with conducting business internationally, many of which are beyond our control. These risks include, among others:
- significant currency fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and other currencies in which we transact business;- difficulty in identifying appropriate mobile chipset manufacturers, mobile device OEMs, mobile operators and/or joint venture partners, and establishing and maintaining good relationships with them;- legal uncertainty owing to the overlap and inconsistencies of different legal regimes, problems in asserting contractual or other rights across international borders and the burden and expense of complying with the laws and regulations of various jurisdictions;- potentially adverse tax consequences, such as scrutiny of transfer pricing arrangements by authorities in the countries in which we operate;- adverse effect of inflation and increase in labor costs;- current and future tariffs and other trade barriers, including restrictions on technology and data transfers;- general global economic downturn;- unexpected changes in political environment and regulatory requirements; and - terrorist attacks and other acts of violence or war.
The potential for war or terrorist attacks may also cause uncertainty and cause our business to suffer in ways that we cannot predict. Our business could also be adversely affected by the outbreaks of epidemics in China and globally, such as the coronavirus which originated in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019, Ebola virus disease, H1N1 flu, H7N9 flu, avian flu, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, or other epidemics. Past occurrences of epidemics have caused different degrees of damage to the national and local economies in India. A recurrence of an outbreak of any kind of epidemic could cause a slowdown in the levels of economic activity generally, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Should major public health issues, including pandemics, arise, we could be adversely affected by more stringent employee travel restrictions, additional limitations in freight services, governmental actions limiting the movement of products between regions, delays in production ramps of new products and disruptions in the operations of our component suppliers.
The occurrence of any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Furthermore, we are in the process of implementing policies and procedures designed to facilitate compliance with laws and regulations in various jurisdictions applicable to us, but there can be no assurance that our employees, contractors or agents will not violate such laws and regulations or our policies. Any such violations could, individually or in the aggregate, materially and adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
Natural and Human Disruptions2 | 2.1%
Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 1
The outbreak of the coronavirus in China, India and across the world may have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our business could be materially and adversely affected by the outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 ("COVID-19" or the "coronavirus"), or the coronavirus, in China. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" and on March 10, 2020, declared it to be a pandemic. Actions taken around the world to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus include restrictions on travel, and quarantines in certain areas, and forced closures for certain types of public places and businesses. The coronavirus and actions taken to mitigate it have had and are expected to continue to have an adverse impact on the economies and financial markets of many countries, including the geographical area in which the Company operates.
Our headquarters (Shenzhen) and our factory (Guizhou) are located in China. As this virus is transmitted between humans, the Chinese government has imposed travel restrictions in certain parts of the country and several businesses operating in China have scaled back operations. Although COVID-19 has gradually eased around the world, the lasting effect of the coronavirus outbreak could materially disrupt our business and operations, slow down the overall economy, curtail consumer spending, interrupt our sources of supply, and make it difficult to adequately staff our operations. As a result, our operating results, financial condition and cash flows could be materially adversely impacted.
In China, the government has been implementing a "Zero-Covid" policy since the coronavirus started, which policy entails very strict quarantine or unexpected lockdown measures with little advance notice. Since its implementation, and in particular with respect to the Omicron outbreak, the impact of the "Zero-Covid" policy on the Company's business, financial condition, and results of operations include, but are not limited to, the following:
Our headquarters (Shenzhen) and our factory (Guizhou), located in China, have suffered strict quarantine measures and lockdown. In particular, from March 2022 to November 2022, our headquarters (Shenzhen) and our factory (Guizhou) have experienced quarantine-related shutdowns for about 15 business days and 10 business days, respectively. Additionally, about one-third of the Company's employees from each department have experienced quarantine periods ranging from 3 days to 17 days. The key operating activities of the Company's business, including design, testing and manufacturing, have been heavily disrupted by the unexpected quarantine. Even though the Company has implemented certain procedures to mitigate the negative impact of quarantine, such as remote work options, online meetings, etc., these procedures have also limited employees' contributions. Accordingly, the Company's operational efficiency has diminished significantly.
Due to the domestic and global travel restrictions, the Company has been forced to significantly reduce both domestic and international business travel. From March 2022 until January 2023, the Company's business travel activities dropped approximately 60%, and only one international business trip occurred. Travel restrictions have been negatively impacting the Company's business expansion activities in Mexico and Japan, since the Company has been struggling to deploy its own team to Mexico to commence its operational expansion and has to maintain a minimum level of business activities there, and to visit or invite Japan client on site.
The coronavirus is impacting several areas of the world, including Asia and the United States. Many factories in China closed during February 2020 at the mandate of the Chinese government and did not reopen until March 2020. This has impacted the manufacturing productivity of our factories as well as those of our suppliers, and therefore the amount of inventory we receive and can ship to customers. The Chinese government stopped enforcing the Zero Covid policy in January 2023, and we have resumed normal operations since March 2023. We are doing everything we can to keep customer production running and to keep things as smooth and stable as possible. However, the coronavirus could negatively impact our sales performance, our vendors and suppliers.
The impact of COVID-19 on our business, financial condition, and results of operations include, but are not limited to, the following:
- The outbreak of Omicron (a variant of Covid) since January 2022 also adversely affected our business. Our headquarters (Shenzhen) and our factory (Guizhou), located in China, have suffered strict quarantine measures and lockdown. In particular, from March 2022 until now, its headquarters (Shenzhen) and its factory (Guizhou) have experienced quarantine-related shutdowns for about 15 business days and 10 business days, respectively. About one-third of the Company's employees from each department experienced quarantine periods ranging from 3 days to 17 days. Our logistics channels were also negatively impacted by the outbreak of Omicron and the quarantine and travel restrictions due to the strict policy. Total revenue for fiscal year ended March 31, 2023 is approximately US$1.9 million less than previously expected. The Company continued suffering delayed orders of about US$2.2 million until since April 2022, which were restarted in February 2023 and has fully delivered by the Company to the customers by June 2023.
- On March 24, 2020, the Indian government ordered a 21-day nationwide lockdown, followed by another order on April 14, 2020 and which was extended until May 31, 2020 with numerous relaxations which inter alia permitted opening of businesses and offices with certain restrictions. On May 30, 2020, the Indian government further extended the lockdown in specific areas identified as "containment zones" until June 30, 2020 and permitted the re-opening of the economy in a phased manner in areas outside the containment zones. The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs announced that from July 1, 2020 to July 30, 2020, lockdown measures were only imposed in containment zones. In all other areas, most activities were permitted. From August 1, 2020, night curfews were removed and all inter-and intra-state travel and transportation was permitted. However, the respective state/union territory governments have been empowered to prohibit activities in areas outside containment zones or impose such restrictions as deemed necessary to contain the spread of COVID-19, which has slowed down the rate of resumption of business activities. Due to the lockdown, our operations in India were halted for several weeks. Since May 11, 2020, we resumed our sales operations in various parts of India (except those falling under containment zones). While the Indian government lifted the lockdown throughout India and took requisite steps to bring back the Indian economy on track in early 2021, a second larger outbreak of COVID-19 occurred in India in March 2021. To curb the spread of the virus, various state governments have announced lockdowns and imposed curbs on movement and economic activities of different time periods. The lockdown in Delhi, the capital of India, has been lifted to a large extent. While the governments of each affected state have commenced easing the lockdown restrictions, the same may be extended or made stringent to control the spread of COVID-19. Such restrictions on continued business activities will have a detrimental impact on our business in India.
- Our logistics channels have been negatively impacted by the outbreak, which may delay our products delivery. As a result, our revenue and account receivables outside of India has been negatively impacted in fiscal year 2021, 2022 and 2023. Some of our orders have been delayed due to nationwide lockdowns in Mainland China, Europe, the United States, South America and Africa. However, to date, none of these orders have been returned or cancelled. We had no delayed orders excluding India before October 2020. However, from October 2020 to April 2021, delayed orders started to increase again due to the worsened situation relating to COVID-19 outside China. Although we had approximately US$1.2 million orders delayed by COVID-19 as of early April 2021, we have managed to complete all of them and we have no additional orders delayed by COVID-19 as of the date of this annual report.
- Some of our customers have been and could continue to be negatively impacted by the outbreak, which may reduce their orders. Our customers may reduce their future purchases from us if they are not able to complete the manufacture of their products due to the shortage of components from other suppliers. Although to date, none of our customers have terminated contracts with us, our revenue and income has been and may continue to be negatively impacted.
- The situation may worsen if the COVID-19 outbreak continues. Certain of our customers have requested, and additional customers may request, additional time to pay us or fail to pay us on time, or at all, which may require us to record additional allowances. We are currently working with customers on finalizing payment schedules and have not experienced significant collection issues so far. We will continue to closely monitor our collections.
- The global stock markets have experienced, and may continue to experience, significant decline from the COVID-19 outbreak. It is possible that the price of our ordinary shares will decline significantly after the date of this report, in which case you may lose your investment.
Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 2
Added
If the chops of our PRC subsidiary and the VIE are not kept safely, are stolen or are used by unauthorized persons or for unauthorized purposes, the corporate governance of these entities could be severely and adversely compromised.
In China, a company chop or seal serves as the legal representation of the company towards third parties even when unaccompanied by a signature. Each legally registered company in China is required to maintain a company chop, which must be registered with the local Public Security Bureau. In addition to this mandatory company chop, companies may have several other chops which can be used for specific purposes. The chops of our PRC subsidiary, the VIE and its subsidiaries generally held securely by personnel designated or approved by us in accordance with our internal control procedures. To the extent those chops are not kept safe, are stolen or are used by unauthorized persons or for unauthorized purposes, the corporate governance of these entities could be severely and adversely compromised and those corporate entities may be bound to abide by the terms of any documents so chopped, even if they were chopped by an individual who lacked the requisite power and authority to do so.
Capital Markets3 | 3.1%
Capital Markets - Risk 1
Changes in international trade policies, trade dispute or the emergence of a trade war, may have a material adverse effect on our business.
Political events, international trade disputes, and other business interruptions could harm or disrupt international commerce and the global economy, and could have a material adverse effect on us and our customers, service providers, network carriers and other partners.
International trade disputes could result in tariffs and other protectionist measures that could adversely affect our business. Tariffs could increase the cost of the goods and products which could affect consumers' discretionary spending levels and therefore adversely impact our business. In addition, political uncertainty surrounding international trade disputes and the potential of the escalation to trade war and global recession could have a negative effect on consumer confidence, which could adversely affect our business.
Capital Markets - Risk 2
Fluctuations in exchange rates could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.
The conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies, including U.S. dollars, is based on rates set by the People's Bank of China. The Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. The value of Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies is affected by changes in China's political and economic conditions and by China's foreign exchange policies, among other things. We cannot assure you that Renminbi will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the future. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future.
Significant revaluation of the Renminbi may have a material and adverse effect on your investment. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars we receive from our initial public offering into Renminbi for our operations, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert our Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us.
Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. To date, we have not entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert Renminbi into foreign currency.
Capital Markets - Risk 3
Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to utilize our net revenues effectively and affect the value of your investment.
The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the Renminbi into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We receive substantially all of our revenues in Renminbi. Under our current corporate structure, our Cayman Islands exempted company primarily relies on dividend payments from our PRC Subsidiary to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval of SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. Specifically, under the existing exchange restrictions, without prior approval of SAFE, cash generated from the operations of our PRC Subsidiary in China may be used to pay dividends to our company. However, approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. As a result, we need to obtain SAFE approval to use cash generated from the operations of our PRC Subsidiary, VIE and UTime GZ to pay off their respective debt in a currency other than Renminbi owed to entities outside China, or to make other capital expenditure payments outside China in a currency other than Renminbi.
In light of the flood of capital outflows of China in 2016 due to the weakening RMB, the PRC government has imposed more restrictive foreign exchange policies and stepped up scrutiny of major outbound capital movement including overseas direct investment. More restrictions and substantial vetting process are put in place by SAFE to regulate cross-border transactions falling under the capital account. If any of our shareholders regulated by such policies fails to satisfy the applicable overseas direct investment filing or approval requirement timely or at all, it may be subject to penalties from the relevant PRC authorities. The PRC government may at its discretion further restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy our foreign currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders.
Tech & Innovation
Total Risks: 7/96 (7%)Below Sector Average
Innovation / R&D2 | 2.1%
Innovation / R&D - Risk 1
Our expansion into new product categories and scenarios, and substantial increases in product lines may expose us to new challenges and more risks.
We strive to continue to expand and diversify our product offerings to cover additional scenarios in the mobile or IoT era. Expanding into new product categories and scenarios outside of the mobile phone and accessories category, such as to wearable devices, speakers and related consumer electronics and substantially increasing our product lines involve new risks and challenges. Our potential lack of familiarity with new products and scenarios and the lack of relevant customer data relating to these products may make it more difficult for us to anticipate user demand and preferences. We may misjudge market demand, resulting in inventory buildup and possible inventory write-downs. We may not be able to effectively control our costs and expenses in rolling out these new product categories and scenarios. We may have certain quality issues and experience higher return rates on new products, receive more customer complaints and face costly product liability claims, such as injury allegedly or actually caused by our products, which would harm our brand and reputation as well as our financial performance.
Furthermore, we may need to price our new products more aggressively to penetrate new markets, and gain market share or remain competitive. It may be difficult for us to achieve profitability in the new product categories and our profit margin, if any, may be lower than we anticipate, which would adversely affect our overall profitability and results of operations.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 2
We operate in a rapidly evolving industry. If we fail to keep up with technological developments and changing requirements of our customers, business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
The mobile industry is rapidly evolving and subject to continuous technological developments. Our success depends on our ability to keep up with these technological developments and the resulting changes in customers' demands. There may also be changes in the industry landscape as different types of platforms compete with one another for market share. If we do not adapt our software and service platform solutions to such changes in an effective and timely manner as more mobile operating system platforms become available in the future, we may suffer a loss in market share. Given that we operate in a rapidly evolving industry, we also need to continuously invest significant resources in research and development in order to enhance our existing products and to respond to changes in customer preference, new challenges and industry changes in a timely and effective manner. If we fail to keep up with technological developments and continue to innovate to meet the needs of our customers, our software and service platform solutions may become less attractive to customers, which in turn may adversely affect our reputation, competitiveness, results of operations and prospects.
Trade Secrets1 | 1.0%
Trade Secrets - Risk 1
We may not be able to continue to use or adequately protect our intellectual property rights, which could harm our business reputation and competitive position.
We believe that patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyright, software registration and other intellectual property we use are important to our business. We rely on a combination of patent, trademark, copyright, software registration and trade secret protection laws in China, the United States, the Philippines, Kenya and other jurisdictions, as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions to protect our intellectual property and brand name. Risks related to mis-branded counterfeit, unlawful copying can lead to security problems, loss of consumer confidence, losing out on the brand image, reputation and goodwill. Presently, "Do Mobile" is not a registered trademark in India. Any failure by us to maintain or protect our intellectual property rights, including any unauthorized use of our intellectual property by third parties or use of "UTime" or "Do Mobile" as a company name to conduct software or services business, may adversely affect our current and future revenues and our reputation.
In addition, the validity, enforceability and scope of protection available under intellectual property laws with respect to the mobile and Internet industries in China, where a significant part of our business and operations are located, are uncertain and still evolving. Implementation and enforcement of PRC intellectual property-related laws have historically been deficient, ineffective and hampered by corruption and local protectionism. Accordingly, protection of intellectual property rights in China may not be as effective as in the United States or other countries. Furthermore, policing unauthorized use of proprietary technology is difficult and expensive, and we may need to resort to litigation to enforce or defend patents issued to us or to determine the enforceability, scope and validity of our proprietary rights or those of others. Such litigation and an adverse determination in any such litigation, if any, could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention, which could harm our business and competitive position.
We also may be required to enter into license agreements with certain third parties to use their intellectual property for our business operations. If such third parties fail to perform under these license agreements or if the agreements are terminated for any reason, our business and results of operations may be negatively impacted. Furthermore, if we are deemed to be using third parties' intellectual property without due authorization, we may become subject to legal proceedings or sanctions, which may be time-consuming and costly to defend, divert management attention and resources or require us to enter into licensing agreements, which may not be available on commercial terms, or at all.
Cyber Security1 | 1.0%
Cyber Security - Risk 1
Security and privacy breaches may expose us to liability and harm our reputation and business.
As part of our business, we may receive and process information about our employees, customers and partners, and we may store (or contract with third parties to store) our customers' data. There are numerous laws governing privacy and the storage, sharing, use, disclosure and protection of personally identifiable information and user data. Specifically, personally identifiable and other confidential information is increasingly subject to legislation and regulations in numerous domestic and international jurisdictions. The regulatory framework for privacy protection in China and worldwide, including India and the United States, is currently evolving and is likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. We could be adversely affected if legislation or regulations in China and elsewhere on the world where we have business operations are expanded to require changes in business practices or privacy policies, or if the relevant governmental authorities in China and elsewhere on the world where we have business operations interpret or implement their legislation or regulations in ways that negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
For example, in the PRC, governmental authorities have enacted a series of laws and regulations to enhance the protection of privacy and data. The Civil Code of the PRC (issued by the PRC National People's Congress on May 28, 2020 and effective from January 1, 2021) provides legal basis for privacy and personal information infringement claims under the Chinese civil laws. PRC regulators, including the CAC, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Public Security, have been increasingly focused on regulation in data security and data protection. The PRC regulatory requirements regarding cybersecurity are evolving. For instance, various regulatory bodies in China, including the CAC the Ministry of Public Security and the State Administration for Market Regulation, have enforced data privacy and protection laws and regulations with varying and evolving standards and interpretations. On November 7, 2016, the Standing Committee of the PRC National People's Congress issued the Cybersecurity Law of the PRC, or Cybersecurity Law, which became effective on June 1, 2017.The Cybersecurity Law is the first PRC law that systematically lays out the regulatory requirements on cybersecurity and data protection, subjecting many previously under-regulated or unregulated activities in cyberspace to government scrutiny. The Cybersecurity Law requires network operators to perform certain functions related to cybersecurity protection and the strengthening of network information management. For instance, under the Cybersecurity Law, network operators of key information infrastructure, including network operators of key information infrastructures in public communications and information industry, generally shall, during their operations in the PRC, store the personal information and important data collected and produced within the territory of the PRC and their purchase of network products and services that may affect national securities shall be subject to national cybersecurity review. Pursuant to the Cybersecurity Law, network operators must not, without users' consent, collect their personal information, and may only collect users' personal information necessary to provide their services. Providers are also obliged to provide security maintenance for their products and services and shall comply with provisions regarding the protection of personal information as stipulated under the relevant laws and regulations. The legal consequences of violation of the Cybersecurity Law include penalties of warning, confiscation of illegal income, suspension of related business, winding up for rectification, shutting down the websites, and revocation of business license or relevant permits.
Further, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the PRC promulgated the PRC Data Security Law on June 10, 2021, which became effective from September 1, 2021. Also, the PRC Personal Information Protection Law was enacted on August 20, 2021, which became effective on November 1, 2021.These two laws, together with the Cybersecurity Law, form the over-arching framework that governs data protection and cybersecurity in China. The Cybersecurity Law has a focus on cybersecurity and the protection of the critical information infrastructure, while the PRC Data Security Law focuses on regulating "important data" and data processing activities that would have an impact on national security. The PRC Personal Information Protection Law focuses on protecting personal information. See "Item 4. Information on the Company-B. Business Overview-Regulations-Regulation on Information Security and Censorship."
Following the promulgation of the above laws, the PRC governmental authorities have enacted or are in the process of formulating a series of regulations and policies to enhance the protection of cybersecurity, data security and personal information. On October 29, 2021, the CAC published the Safety Assessment Measures for Data Outbound Transfer (Draft for Comments). On November 14, 2021, the CAC published the Regulations of Cyber Data Security Management (Draft for Comments), requiring that, among others, data processors handling important data or the data processors to be listed overseas to complete an annual data security assessment and file a data security assessment report to applicable regulators. On December 28, 2021, the CAC and other PRC governmental authorities jointly released the Measures for Cybersecurity Review, which took effect on February 15, 2022, requiring that, among others, operators of "critical information infrastructure" or data processors holding over one million users' personal information which intends to be listed in a foreign country are subject to a cybersecurity review. On November 14, 2021, the CAC released the Regulations on Network Data Security (draft for public comments), or the draft Regulations on Network Data Security, which reiterates that data processors that process the personal information of more than one million users listing in a foreign country should apply for a cybersecurity review. Currently, the draft Regulations on Network Data Security has been released for public comment only, and its implementation provisions and anticipated adoption or effective date remains substantially uncertain and may be subject to change. On July 7 2022, the CAC published the Safety Assessment Measures for Data Outbound Transfer, which took effect on September 1, 2022. See "Item 4. Information on the Company-B. Business Overview-Regulations-Regulation on Information Security and Censorship."
Compliance with the Cybersecurity Law, the PRC National Security Law, the Data Security Law, the Cybersecurity Review Measures, the Personal Information Protection Law, as well as additional laws and regulations that PRC regulatory bodies may enact in the future, may result in additional expenses to us and subject us to negative publicity, which could harm our reputation among customers and negatively affect the trading price of our ordinary shares in the future. As of the date of this annual report, we do not expect that the current PRC laws on cybersecurity or data security would have a material adverse impact on our business operations and our offering. We do not believe the VIE or the VIE's subsidiaries are among the "operator of critical information infrastructure," "data processor" carrying out data processing activities that affect or may affect national security, or "operator of network platform" holding personal information of more than one million users as mentioned above, and we have not been involved in any investigations on cybersecurity or data security initiated by related governmental regulatory authorities, and we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, or sanction in such respect.
However, there remains uncertainty as to how these laws and regulations will be interpreted or implemented and whether the PRC regulatory agencies, including the CAC, may adopt new laws, regulations, rules, or detailed implementation and interpretation related to the PRC laws on cybersecurity or data security. We cannot assure you that PRC regulatory agencies, including the CAC, would take the same view as we do, and we cannot assure you that we will comply with such regulations in all respects and we may be ordered to rectify or terminate any actions that are deemed illegal by regulatory authorities or face other penalties, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operation. If any such new laws, regulations, rules, or implementation and interpretation comes into effect, we will take all reasonable measures and actions to comply with and to minimize the adverse effect of such laws on us.
While we take security measures relating to service platform solutions, specifically, and our operations, generally, those measures may not prevent security breaches that could harm our business and we cannot assure you that the measures we have taken or will take are adequate under the Cybersecurity Law and other relevant laws and regulations. Advances in computer capabilities, inadequate technology or facility security measures or other factors may result in a compromise or breach of our systems and the data we store and process. Our security measures may be breached as a result of actions by third parties or employee error or malfeasance. A party who is able to circumvent our security measures or exploit inadequacies in our security measures, could, among other things, misappropriate proprietary information (including information about our employees, customers and partners and our customers' information), cause the loss or disclosure of some or all of this information, cause interruptions in our operations or our customers' or expose our customers to computer viruses or other disruptions or vulnerabilities. Any compromise of our systems or the data it stores or processes could result in a loss of confidence in the security of our service platform solutions, damage our reputation, disrupt our business, lead to legal liability and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, a compromise of our systems could remain undetected for an extended period of time, exacerbating the impact of that compromise. Actual or perceived vulnerabilities may lead to claims against us by our customers, partners or other third parties, which could be material. While our customer agreements typically contain provisions that seek to limit our liability, there is no assurance these provisions will be enforceable and effective under applicable law. In addition, the cost and operational consequences of implementing further data protection measures could be significant.
Technology3 | 3.1%
Technology - Risk 1
We are vulnerable to technology infrastructure failures, which could harm our reputation and business.
We rely on our technology infrastructure for many functions, including selling our service platform solutions, supporting our customers and billing, collecting and making payments. We also rely on our own technology infrastructure, which is located on a third-party site, as well as the technology infrastructure of third parties, to provide some of our back-end services. This technology infrastructure may be vulnerable to damage or interruption from natural disasters, power loss, telecommunication failures, terrorist attacks, computer intrusions and viruses, software errors, computer denial-of-service attacks and other events. A significant number of the systems making up this infrastructure are not redundant, and our disaster recovery planning is not sufficient for every eventuality. This technology infrastructure is also subject to break-ins, sabotage and intentional acts of vandalism by internal employees, contractors and third parties. Despite any precautions we or our third-party partners may take, such problems could result in, among other consequences, interruptions in our services and loss of data, which could harm our reputation, business and financial condition. We do not carry business interruption insurance sufficient to protect us from all losses that may result from interruptions in our services as a result of technology infrastructure failures or to cover all contingencies. Any interruption in the availability of our websites and on-line interactions with customers and partners would create a large volume of questions and complaints that would need to be addressed by our support personnel. If our support personnel cannot meet this demand, customer and partner satisfaction levels may fall, which in turn could cause additional claims, reduced revenue, reputation damage or loss of customers.
Technology - Risk 2
Our use of open source software could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results and cash flow.
Certain of our technology and our suppliers' technology may contain or may be derived from "open source" software, which, under certain open source licenses, may offer accessibility to a portion of a product's source code and may expose related intellectual property to adverse licensing conditions. Licensing of such technology may impose certain obligations on us if we were to distribute derivative works of the open source software. For example, these obligations may require us to make source code for derivative works available or license such derivative works under a particular type of license that is different from what we customarily use to license our technology. While we believe we have taken appropriate steps and employ adequate controls to protect our intellectual property rights, our use of open source software presents risks that, if we inappropriately use open source software, we may be required to reengineer our technology, discontinue the sale of our technology, release the source code of our proprietary technology to the public at no cost or take other remedial actions, which could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition. There is a risk that open source licenses could be construed in a way that could impose unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to commercialize our products or solutions, which could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.
Technology - Risk 3
Introduction of 5G compatible mobile handsets and other new technologies may be expensive, and if we are unable to provide 5G compatible mobile handsets, our business will suffer.
In the Indian market, 5th Generation (5G) cellular network technology is being unveiled and once 5G tenders are issued, mobile manufacturing companies are required to update the technology to make 5G compatible mobile handsets. Updating to 5G technology will be a costly affair for us. In order to remain in business and ahead of competition, we will need to upgrade their handsets or otherwise integrate 5G capabilities into its products and services so as to provide 5G services. If we are not able to provide 5G compatible mobile handsets, then its market share will get significantly eroded, thus having material adverse effect on its operations and revenues.
Ability to Sell
Total Risks: 4/96 (4%)Below Sector Average
Competition1 | 1.0%
Competition - Risk 1
We face intense competition from onshore and offshore third party software providers in the mobile phone market, and, if we are unable to compete effectively, we may lose customers and our revenues may decline. The lack of technological development and increase in competition may lead to a decline in our sustainable growth.
The mobile phone market is highly fragmented and competitive, and we expect competition to persist and intensify from both existing competitors and new market entrants. We believe that the principal competitive factors in our industry are reliability and efficiency, performance, product features and functionality, development complexity and time-to-market, price, support for multiple architectures and processors, interoperability with other systems, support for emerging industry and customer standards and protocols and levels of training, technical services and customer support.
The market in which we operate is highly competitive and is subject to frequent changes due to technological improvements and advancements, availability of new and alternative services and frequently changing client preferences and demands. Our ability to anticipate changes in technology and regulatory standards and to develop and introduce new and enhanced products successfully on a timely basis will be a significant factor in our ability to grow and to remain competitive. The development and acquisition of technology requires substantial investments, and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to achieve the technological advances that may be necessary for us to remain competitive. If we fail to update the technology used in their handsets, it will be challenging for us to experience sustained growth in both existing and new markets and consequently, we may lose our market share and revenue.
Demand1 | 1.0%
Demand - Risk 1
We generate a significant portion of our net revenues from a small number of major customers and key projects and any loss of business from these customers or key projects could reduce our net revenues and significantly harm our business.
We have derived, and believe that in the foreseeable future we will continue to derive, a significant portion of our net revenues from a small number of major customers and key projects. Our top three customers in fiscal year 2022 accounted for approximately 42.3%, 19.8% and 5.5% of our net revenues in fiscal year 2022. For the year ended March 31, 2023, our top three customers accounted for approximately 22.2%, 12.9% and 12.9% of our net revenues.
Our ability to maintain close relationships with our major customers is essential to the growth and profitability of our business. However, the volume of work performed for a specific customer is likely to vary from year-to-year and project-to-project, especially since we are generally not the exclusive service solutions provider for our customers, some of our customers have in-house research and development capabilities, and we do not have long-term purchase commitments from any of our customers. A major customer in one year may not provide the same level of net revenues for us in any subsequent year. The products we provide to our customers, and the net revenues and income from those products, may decline or vary as the type and quantity of products changes over time. In addition, reliance on any individual customer for a significant portion of our net revenues may give that customer a degree of pricing leverage when negotiating contracts and terms of service with us.
In addition, a number of factors not within our control could cause the loss of, or reduction in, business or revenues from any customer, and these factors are not predictable. These factors include, among others, a customer's decision to re-negotiate the royalty payment of a contract if the volume of unit sales exceeds original expectations, pricing pressure from competitors, a change in a customer's business strategy, or failure of a mobile chipset manufacturer or mobile device OEM to develop competitive products. Our customers may also choose to pursue alternative technologies and develop alternative products in addition to, or in lieu of, our products, either on their own or in collaboration with others, including our competitors. The loss of any major customer or key project, or a significant decrease in the volume of customer demand or the price at which we sell our products to customers, could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Sales & Marketing1 | 1.0%
Sales & Marketing - Risk 1
We may lose our foreign private issuer status in the future, which could result in significant additional costs and expenses.
We could cease to be a foreign private issuer if a majority of our outstanding voting securities are directly or indirectly held of record by U.S. residents and we fail to meet additional requirements necessary to avoid loss of foreign private issuer status. The regulatory and compliance costs to us under U.S. securities laws as a U.S. domestic issuer may be significantly higher than costs we incur as a foreign private issuer, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.
Brand / Reputation1 | 1.0%
Brand / Reputation - Risk 1
If we become directly subject to the scrutiny, criticism, and negative publicity involving U.S.-listed Chinese companies, we may have to expend significant resources to investigate and resolve the matter which could harm our business operations, stock price, and reputation.
U.S. public companies that have substantially all of their operations in China have been the subject of intense scrutiny, criticism, and negative publicity by investors, financial commentators, and regulatory agencies, such as the SEC. Much of the scrutiny, criticism, and negative publicity has centered on financial and accounting irregularities and mistakes, a lack of effective internal controls over financial accounting, inadequate corporate governance policies or a lack of adherence thereto and, in many cases, allegations of fraud. As a result of the scrutiny, criticism, and negative publicity, the publicly traded stock of many U.S. listed Chinese companies sharply decreased in value and, in some cases, has become virtually worthless. Many of these companies are now subject to shareholder lawsuits and SEC enforcement actions and are conducting internal and external investigations into the allegations. It is not clear what effect this sector-wide scrutiny, criticism, and negative publicity will have on us, our business, and the price of our ordinary shares. If we become the subject of any unfavorable allegations, whether such allegations are proven to be true or untrue, we will have to expend significant resources to investigate such allegations and/or defend our company. This situation will be costly and time consuming and distract our management from developing our business. If such allegations are not proven to be groundless, we and our business operations will be severely affected and you could sustain a significant decline in the value of our ordinary shares.
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.