UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 20-F
(Mark One)
☐ REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
OR
☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 20202022
OR
☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from ________________ to ________________
OR
☐ SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of event requiring this shell company report
Commission file number: 001-39337
EBANG INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS INC.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
Cayman Islands
(Jurisdiction of incorporation)incorporation or organization)
Building 7, No. 5 Nangonghe Road, Linping Street12 Marina View, #20-02B, Asia Square Tower 2, Singapore, 018961
Yuhang District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311100
People’s Republic of China
(Address of principal executive offices)
Mr. Dong Hu
Chief Executive Officer
Building 7, No. 5, Nangonghe Road, Linping Street12 Marina View, #20-02B, Asia Square Tower 2, Singapore, 018961
Yuhang District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311100
People’s Republic of China
Tel: +86 571-8817-6197
Email: ir@ebang.com.cnir@ebang.com
(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class | Trading | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
| Class A ordinary shares, par value HK$ | EBON | Nasdaq Global Select Market |
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
(Title of Class)
Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act:
None
(Title of Class)
Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital stock or common stock as of the close of business covered by the annual report.
An aggregate of 185,835,3376,543,938.22 ordinary shares, representing 139,209,5544,989,746.22 Class A ordinary shares, par value HK$0.0010.03 per share, and 46,625,7831,554,192 Class B ordinary Shares, par value HK$0.0010.03 per share, as of April 29, 2021.27, 2023.
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
☐ Yes ☒ No
If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
☐ Yes ☒ No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
☒ Yes ☐ No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).
☒ Yes ☐ No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Emerging growth company | ☒ |
If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☒
† The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:
| US GAAP ☒ | International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board ☐ | Other ☐ |
If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow.
☐ Item 17 ☐ Item 18
If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
☐ Yes ☒ No
(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.
☐ Yes ☐ No
EBANG INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS INC.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
i
ii
INTRODUCTION
In this annual report, otherwise indicated or unless the context otherwise requires,
| ● | “ASICs” are to application-specific ICs, meaning ICs designed for a specific application; |
| ● | “China” and the “PRC” are to the People’s Republic of China, excluding, for the purposes of this annual report only, Taiwan, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region; | |
| ● | “Fintech” means financial technology; |
| ● | “ICs” or “chips” are to integrated circuits; |
| ● | “PRC operating subsidiaries” are to, for the purpose of this annual report, primarily, Zhejiang Ebang Communication Technology Co., Ltd. (“Zhejiang Ebang”), Zhejiang Ebang Information Technology Co., Ltd. (“Ebang IT”), Hangzhou Dewang Information Technology Co., Ltd. (“Hangzhou Dewang”), Hangzhou Yibang Botong Technology Co., Ltd. (“Hangzhou Yibang Botong”), Shanghai Yijiaxin IC Design Co., Ltd. (“Shanghai Yijiaxin”) and Hangzhou Zhenghao Information Technology Co., Ltd.; |
| ● | “PRC subsidiaries” are to, for the purpose of this annual report, primarily, PRC operating subsidiaries, Hangzhou Ebang Hongfa Technology Co., Ltd. (“Ebang Hongfa”), Hangzhou Bangyun Information Technology Co., Ltd. (formerly known as Yunnan Ebang Information Technology Co., Ltd.) (“Hangzhou Bangyun”), and Hangzhou Ebang Shuotai Technology Co., Ltd. (“Hangzhou Ebang Shuotai”) ; |
| ● | “operating subsidiaries” are to, for the purpose of this annual report, primarily, PRC operating subsidiaries, Ebonex Australia Pty Ltd (“Ebonex Australia”), Ebon Management Australia Pty Limited (“Ebon Management Australia”), Compass Global Holdings Pty Ltd (“Compass Global”), Ebang Communications (HK) Technology Limited (formerly known as Hong Kong Bite Co., Limited) (“HK Ebang Communications”), HongKong Ebang Digital Technology Limited (“HK Ebang Digital”) and Ebon Management Pte. Ltd.; |
| ● | “shares” or “Class A ordinary shares” refer to our Class A ordinary shares, par value HK$0.03 per share; |
| ● | “US$,” “U.S. Dollars,” “$” and “dollars” refer to the legal currency of the United States; and |
| ● | “we,” “us,” “our company,” the “Company,” “Ebang” and “our” refer to Ebang International Holdings Inc., our Cayman Islands holding company and from time to time, in the context of describing our business, our operations and consolidated financial information, Ebang International Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries. |
We are a Cayman Islands holding company and conduct all of our operations through our operating subsidiaries. Investors in our shares are not purchasing equity securities of our operating subsidiaries but instead are purchasing equity securities of a Cayman Islands holding company. Ebang does not conduct its business through the variable interest entity (“VIE”) structure. As most of our operations are conducted through our PRC operating subsidiaries, we face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties related to doing business in China. Since the PRC legal system continues to evolve, there are risks arising from the legal system in China, which include uncertainties regarding new legislation, regulations or interpretations governing our business activities, which may be promulgated or adopted; there is a risk that the Chinese government may intervene or influence our operations at any time, or may exert more control over offerings conducted in Hong Kong and overseas, which could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of our securities; we also face risks associated with regulatory approvals on offerings conducted overseas and foreign investment in China-based issuers, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, and oversight on cybersecurity and data privacy, which may negatively impact our ability to conduct certain businesses, access foreign investments, or list on a foreign stock exchange. In particular, it is now illegal to engage in digital asset transactions including Bitcoin mining operations in China, the ruling of which may adversely affect us.
iii
In addition, in connection with our previous issuance of securities to foreign investors, under current PRC laws, regulations and regulatory rules, as of the date of this annual report, we and our PRC subsidiaries, (i) are not required to obtain permissions from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”), (ii) are not required to go through cybersecurity review by the Cyberspace Administration of China, or the CAC, and (iii) have not been asked to obtain or were denied such permissions by any PRC authority. However, the PRC government has recently indicated an intent to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers. For more detailed information, see “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Conducting Business in China—We may be required to obtain approval or subject to filings or other requirements from the CSRC or other PRC regulatory authorities in connection with our offshore offerings under PRC law, and we cannot predict whether or for how long we will be able to complete such filing.”
Furthermore, as more stringent criteria have been imposed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) recently, our securities may be prohibited from trading on a national exchange or over-the-counter under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the “HFCAA”) and related regulations, if the PCAOB is unable to inspect our auditors for two consecutive years beginning in 2022. As a result, an exchange may determine to delist our securities. The PCAOB issued a Determination Report on December 16, 2021 which found that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in: (1) mainland China of the People’s Republic of China because of a position taken by one or more authorities in mainland China; and (2) Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in Hong Kong. Furthermore, the PCAOB’s report identified the specific registered public accounting firms which were subject to these determinations. On December 29, 2022, legislation entitled “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023” (the “Consolidated Appropriations Act”), was signed into law, which reduces the number of consecutive non- inspection years required for triggering the prohibitions under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act from three years to two. On August 26, 2022, the CSRC, the Ministry of Finance of the PRC (the “MOF”), and the PCAOB signed a Statement of Protocol (the “Protocol”) governing inspections and investigations of audit firms based in mainland China and Hong Kong, taking the first step toward opening access for the PCAOB to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong. Pursuant to the fact sheet with respect to the Protocol disclosed by the SEC, the PCAOB shall have independent discretion to select any issuer audits for inspection or investigation and has the unfettered ability to transfer information to the SEC. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB determined that it 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. Our financial statements have been audited by an independent registered public accounting firm that is headquartered in the United States who is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess an auditor’s compliance with the applicable professional standards, and has been inspected by the PCAOB on a regular basis. Our auditor is not among the PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in the PRC or Hong Kong that are subject to PCAOB’s determination on December 16, 2021 of having been unable to inspect or investigate completely. As of the date of this annual report, we have not been identified by the SEC as a commission-identified issuer under the HFCAA. However, there is a risk that our auditor cannot be inspected by the PCAOB in the future. The lack of inspection could cause trading in our securities to be prohibited under the HFCAA, and, as a result, The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) may determine to delist our securities, which may cause the value of our securities to decline or become worthless. See risks disclosed under “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Conducting Business in China— The recent joint statement by the SEC and the PCAOB, rule changes by Nasdaq, and the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act 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 add uncertainties to our continued listing or future offerings of our securities in the U.S.”
iv
ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES
We are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands to take advantage of certain benefits associated with being a Cayman Islands exempted company:
| ● | political and economic stability; |
| ● | an effective judicial system; |
| ● | a favorable tax system; |
| ● | the absence of exchange control or currency restrictions; and |
| ● | the availability of professional and support services. |
However, certain disadvantages accompany incorporation in the Cayman Islands. These disadvantages include, but are not limited to, the following:
| ● | the Cayman Islands has a less exhaustive body of securities laws than the United States and these securities laws provide significantly less protection to investors; and |
| ● | Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the federal courts of the United States. |
Our constitutional documents do not contain provisions requiring that disputes, including those arising under the securities laws of the United States, between us, our officers, directors and shareholders, be arbitrated.
To date, we have conducted a majority of our operations outside the United States, and a majority of our assets are located outside the United States. Substantially all of our officers are nationals or residents of jurisdictions other than the United States and a substantial portion of their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for a shareholder to effect service of process within the United States upon us or these persons, or to enforce against us or them judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.
We have appointed Cogency Global Inc., located at 122 East, 42nd Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10168, as our agent upon whom process may be served in any action brought against us under the securities laws of the United States.
Cayman Islands
There is uncertainty as to whether the courts in the Cayman Islands would (1) recognize or enforce judgments of United States courts obtained against us or our directors or officers to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States; or (2) entertain original actions brought in each respective jurisdiction against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States.
v
Although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the federal or state courts of the United States (and the Cayman Islands are not a party to any treaties for the reciprocal enforcement or recognition of such judgments), the courts of the Cayman Islands would recognize as a valid judgment, a final and conclusive judgment in personam obtained in the federal or state courts in the United States under which a sum of money is payable (other than a sum of money payable in respect of multiple damages, taxes or other charges of a like nature or in respect of a fine or other penalty) or, in certain circumstances, an in personam judgment for non-monetary relief, and would give a judgment based thereon provided that (a) such courts had proper jurisdiction over the parties subject to such judgment, (b) such courts did not contravene the rules of natural justice of the Cayman Islands, (c) such judgment was not obtained by fraud, (d) the enforcement of the judgment would not be contrary to the public policy of the Cayman Islands, (e) no new admissible evidence relevant to the action is submitted prior to the rendering of the judgment by the courts of the Cayman Islands, and (f) there is due compliance with the correct procedures under the laws of the Cayman Islands. However, the Cayman Islands courts are unlikely to enforce a punitive judgment of a United States court predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws in the United States without retrial on the merits if such judgment is determined by the courts of the Cayman Islands to give rise to obligations to make payments that may be regarded as fines, penalties or punitive in nature. Because such a determination has not yet been made by a court of the Cayman Islands, it is uncertain whether such civil liability judgments from United States courts would be enforceable in the Cayman Islands. A Cayman Islands court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
The PRC
The PRC Civil Procedures Law governs the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with 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.
The PRC does not have any treaties or other agreements with the United States or the Cayman Islands that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, courts in the PRC will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they determine that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC law or national sovereignty, security or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States or the Cayman Islands. Under the PRC Civil Procedures Law, foreign shareholders may originate actions based on PRC law against us in the PRC, if they can establish sufficient nexus to the PRC for a PRC court to have jurisdiction, and meet other procedural requirements, including, among others, the plaintiff must have a direct interest in the case, and there must be a concrete claim, a factual basis and a cause for the suit.
In addition, it will be difficult for U.S. shareholders to originate actions against us in China in accordance with PRC laws because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and it will be difficult for U.S. shareholders, by virtue only of holding our ordinary shares, to establish a connection to China for a PRC court to have jurisdiction as required under the PRC Civil Procedures Law.
For a detailed description of risks related to enforceability of civil liabilities, please refer to risks disclosed under “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Other Risks Relating to Our Business Operations—Certain judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable” and “—You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law and conduct our operations primarily in emerging markets.”
vi
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This annual report on Form 20-F contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements.“forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Many of the forward-looking statements contained in this annual report can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “expect,” “should,” “plan,” “intend,” “will,” “estimate” and “potential,” among others.
Forward-looking statements appear in a number of places in this annual report and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding ourEbang International Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries’ intent, belief or current expectations. Forward-looking statements are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various factors, including, but not limited to, those identified under the section “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk factors” in this annual report. These risks and uncertainties include factors relating to:
| ● | our goals and strategies; |
| ● | our business and operating strategies and plans for the development of existing and new businesses, ability to implement such strategies and plans and expected time; |
| ● | our future business development, financial condition and results of operations; |
| ● | expected changes in our revenues, costs or expenditures; |
| ● | our dividend policy; |
| ● | our expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of our products and services; |
| ● | our expectations regarding our relationships with customers and business partners; |
| ● | the trends in, expected growth in and market size of the blockchain |
| ● | our ability to maintain and enhance our market position; |
| ● | our ability to continue to develop new technologies and/or upgrade our existing technologies; |
| ● | developments in, or changes to, laws, regulations, governmental policies, incentives and taxation affecting our operations, in particular in the blockchain |
| ● | relevant governmental policies and regulations relating to our businesses and industry; |
| ● | competitive environment, competitive landscape and potential competitor behavior in our industry; overall industry outlook in our industry; |
| ● | our ability to attract, train and retain executives and other employees; |
| ● | the development of the global financial and capital markets; |
| ● | fluctuations in inflation, interest rates and exchange rates; |
| ● | general business, political, social and economic conditions in | |
| ● | assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing; and | |
| ● | other factors discussed under “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk factors” in this annual report. |
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update them in light of new information or future developments or to release publicly any revisions to these statements in order to reflect later events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
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vii
PART I
ITEM 1. IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS
| A. | Directors and senior management |
Not applicable.
| B. |
Not applicable.
| C. |
Not applicable.
ITEM 2. OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE
| A. | Offer statistics |
Not applicable.
| B. | Method and expected timetable |
Not applicable.
ITEM 3. KEY INFORMATION
As a Cayman Islands holding company, Ebang relies on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by its operating subsidiaries for cash and financing requirements, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and other cash distributions to its shareholders or to service any expenses it may incur. Our subsidiaries’, including PRC subsidiaries’, ability to distribute dividends is based upon their distributable earnings. Current PRC regulations permit our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to their respective shareholders only out of their accumulated profits, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, under PRC law, our PRC subsidiaries are required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund certain statutory reserve funds until such reserve funds reach 50% of its registered capital. And the after-tax profits shall be used to cover the loss that the PRC subsidiaries made in previous financial year before any statutory reserve is drawn therefrom, if the statutory reserve is insufficient to cover such loss. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. If each of our PRC subsidiaries incurs debt on its own behalf in the future, the instruments governing such debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends to Ebang. According to the relevant PRC regulations on Foreign Exchange Administration of the Overseas Direct Investment of Domestic Institutions, the operating subsidiaries of Ebang who remit dividends to Ebang shall, on the basis of the approval document issued by the competent administrative department of overseas direct investment (SAFE and its branch offices) and the foreign exchange registration certificate for overseas direct investment, handle the formalities for the outward remittance of funds for overseas direct investment at a designated foreign exchange bank. The designated foreign exchange bank shall handle the formalities for the domestic institution after an authenticity check.
To date, there have not been any such dividends or other distributions from our PRC subsidiaries to our subsidiaries located outside of China. In addition, as of the date of this annual report, PRC subsidiaries have never issued any dividends or distributions to Ebang or its shareholders outside of China. Furthermore, as of the date of this annual report, neither Ebang nor any of its subsidiaries have ever paid dividends or made distributions to U.S. investors. For risks relating to the fund flows of our operations in China, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry—Our corporate structure may restrict our ability to receive dividends from, and transfer funds to, our PRC operating subsidiaries, which could restrict our ability to act in response to changing market conditions in a timely manner.”
1
Ebang is permitted under PRC laws and regulations as an offshore holding company to provide funding to its PRC subsidiaries in China through shareholder loans or capital contributions, subject to satisfaction of applicable government registration, approval and filing requirements. According to the relevant PRC regulations on foreign-invested enterprises in China, there are no quantity limits on Ebang’s ability to make capital contributions to its PRC subsidiaries. However, our PRC subsidiaries may not procure loans which exceed one of the following criteria: (i) the difference between their respective registered capital and total investment amount as recorded in the Foreign Investment Comprehensive Management Information System; or (ii) the upper limit of risk-weighted outstanding cross-border financings, which equals to the capital or net assets multiplied by the cross-border financing leverage ratio multiplied by the macro-prudential adjustment parameter.
The following table presents the cash flows from Ebang to its subsidiaries for the periods indicated:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | ||||||||||
| US$ | US$ | US$ | ||||||||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||||||||
| Transfers from Ebang to its subsidiaries | 49,241 | 196,985 | - | |||||||||
Cash flows are principally transferred between Ebang and its subsidiaries as operating cash support, of which neither entity demands repayment. To date, Ebang has not provided any loan to its subsidiaries.
Cash transfers between the subsidiaries are managed by our management, who decides how cash is allocated among subsidiaries based on the subsidiaries’ business development and operational needs. To date, no transfer of assets other than cash has occurred between the Company and its subsidiaries. We do not anticipate that our subsidiaries will pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
As of date of this annual report, we have never faced difficulties or limitations on our ability to transfer cash to our subsidiaries, across borders and to U.S. investors. Currently, there are no restrictions on the ability of our subsidiaries to distribute earnings or pay dividends subject to there being sufficient distributable reserves and having relevant foreign exchange registration certificate obtained, as applicable. In the future, cash proceeds raised from overseas financing activities may continue to be transferred by Ebang to the subsidiaries via capital contribution or shareholder loans, as the case may be. We intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings for the development and growth of our business overseas. We do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future.
All share and price per share information in this annual report has been adjusted to reflect our one-for-thirty reverse stock split of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, which became effective upon shareholder approval at the Company’s extraordinary general meeting on November 20, 2022 at 8:00 a.m. (Singapore Time).
2
| A. |
| B. | Capitalization and indebtedness |
Not applicable.
| C. | Reasons for the offer and use of proceeds |
Not applicable.
| D. | Risk factors |
Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected if any of the risks described below occur. As a result, the market price of our commonClass A ordinary shares, par value HK$0.03 per share (the “Class A Ordinary Shares”) could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. This annual report also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. See “Forward-Looking Statements.” The risks below are not the only ones facing ourthe Company. Additional risks not currently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also adversely affect us. The following risk factors have been grouped as follows:
| a) |
| ||
| ||
| Risks relating to conducting business in China; |
| b) | Risks relating to our | |
| c) | Risks relating to our business operations; |
| d) | Risks relating to our securities; and | |
| e) | General risks. |
Summary of Key Risks
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, discussed in more detail below. These risks include, among others, the following key risks:
| ● | It is now illegal to engage in digital asset transactions including Bitcoin mining operations in China, the ruling of which may adversely affect us |
| ● | Changes in China’s economic, political or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition |
| ● | Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to you and us |
| ● | Our corporate structure may restrict our ability to receive dividends from, and transfer funds to, our PRC operating subsidiaries, which could restrict our ability to act in response to changing market conditions in a timely manner |
| ● | We may be subject to the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and dividends payable to our foreign investors and gains on the sale of our Class A ordinary shares by our foreign investors may become subject to PRC tax | |
| ● | We may be required to obtain approval or subject to filings or other requirements from the CSRC or other PRC regulatory authorities in connection with our offshore offerings under PRC law, and we cannot predict whether or for how long we will be able to complete such filing |
3
| ● | We are subject to risks associated with legal, political or other conditions or developments regarding holding, using or mining of Bitcoins, which could negatively affect our business, results of operations and financial position |
| ● | The current regulatory environment in foreign markets, and any adverse changes in those environments, could have material adverse impacts on our blockchain products business and our Fintech business |
| ● | The future development and growth of cryptocurrency is subject to a variety of factors that are difficult to predict and evaluate. If cryptocurrency does not grow as we expect, our business, operating results, and financial condition could be adversely affected | |
| ● | We may face challenges in regard to stringent licensing and regulatory requirements in the money services business we operate | |
| ● | We are also exposed to financial and technological risks in the money service business which calls for a high and strict standard of compliance in managing such risks and adequate infrastructures in place in which failure of managing these risks will be adverse to our business |
| ● | Our results of operations have been and are expected to continue to be significantly impacted by the fluctuation of |
| ● | We have derived and may continue to derive a significant portion of our revenues from our Bitcoin mining machines business. If the market for Bitcoin mining machines ceases to exist or diminishes significantly, our business, results of operations and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected |
| ● | The industries in which we operate and which we intend to operate in the future are characterized by constant changes. If we fail to continuously innovate and to provide products that meet the expectations of our customers, we may be unable to attract new customers or retain existing customers, and hence our business and results of operations may be adversely affected |
| ● | We |
| ● | We may not |
| ● | Our |
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| We have been involved, and may continue to be involved, in disputes, claims or proceedings arising from our operations or class actions from time to time, which could result in significant liabilities and reputational harm and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations |
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| ● | The recent joint statement by the SEC and the PCAOB, rule changes by Nasdaq, and the HFCAA and related regulations, all call for additional and more stringent criteria to be applied to emerging market companies upon assessing the qualification of |
| ● | Because we do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future, you must rely on price appreciation of our Class A ordinary shares for return on your investment |
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| ● | You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and |
| ● | Our dual-class voting structure will limit your ability to |
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| ● | We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act and may |
| ● | We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to United States domestic public companies |
| ● | We have in the past incurred and continue to incur losses and negative cash flows from operating activities, and we may not achieve or sustain profitability |
Risks Relating to Our Limited Operating HistoryConducting Business in China
It is now illegal to engage in digital asset transactions including Bitcoin mining operations in China, the ruling of which may adversely affect us
China has now taken harsh regulatory action to ban cryptocurrency mining operations and Financial Position
We have into severely restrict the past incurredright to acquire, own, hold, sell or use these Bitcoin assets or to exchange them for fiat currency. Such restrictions may adversely affect us as the large-scale use of digital assets as a means of exchange is presently confined to certain regions globally. Ongoing and continue to incur losses and negative cash flows from operating activities, and wefuture regulatory actions may not achieve or sustain profitability
We incurred a loss from operations of US$31.1 million, US$50.6 million and US$26.6 million in 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. We generated gross profit of US$24.4 million in 2018 and incurred a gross loss of US$30.6 million and US$2.9 million in 2019 and 2020. We had negative cash flows from operating activities of US$108.2 million, US$13.3 million and US$15.8 million for 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. In addition, we have received significant non-recurring tax rebates from local governments in the past, but we cannot assure you that we will continue to receive significant tax rebates or other discretionary government grants in the future. Even if we are eligible for any additional tax rebates or other government grants, we cannot assure you of the timing and the amount of any such rebates or other grants. To the extent that we do not receive any additional tax rebates or other government grants, our financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. We cannot assure you that we will be able to generate net profit or positive cash flow from operating activities in the future. Our ability to achieve profitability will depend in large part onimpact our ability to control expenses and manage our growth effectively, to achieve a more stable performance given the significant fluctuation and volatility of the Bitcoin price and Bitcoin mining machine business, and to maintain our competitive advantage in the Bitcoin markets. We expect to continue to make investments in the developmentoperate, and expansion of our business, which will place significant demands on our management and our operational and financial resources. Continuous expansion may increase the complexity of our business, and we may encounter various difficulties. We may fail to develop and improve our operational, financial and management controls, enhance our financial reporting systems and procedures, recruit, train and retain highly skilled personnel, or maintain customer satisfaction to effectively support and manage our growth. If we invest substantial time and resources to expand our operations but fail to manage the growth of our business and capitalize on our growth opportunities effectively, we may not be able to achieve profitability, and our business, results of operations and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected.
Our limited operating history and our volatile historical results of operationssuch actions could make it difficult for us to forecast our business and assess the seasonality and volatility in our business
We began producing and selling our own brand mining machines in December 2016. We generated US$319.0 million, US$109.1 million and US$19.0 million in revenue in 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. As we have suffered from the significant drop in the average Bitcoin price historically, we cannot assure you that we will be able to gain revenue growth or that we will not experience another significant decline.
As the market for Bitcoin mining machines is relatively nascent and still rapidly evolving, we cannot forecast longer-term demand or order patterns for our products. Because of our limited operating history and historical data, as well as the limited visibility into future demand trends for our products, we may not be able to accurately forecast our future total revenue and budget our operating expenses accordingly. As most of our expenses are fixed in the short-term or incurred in advance of anticipated total revenue, we may not be able to adjust our expenses in a timely manner in order to offset any shortfall in revenue.
Our business is subject to the varying order patterns of the Bitcoin mining machine market. In addition, many of the regions in which our products are purchased have varying holiday seasons that differ from traditional patterns observed by other semiconductor suppliers and these seasonal buying patterns can impact our sales. We have experienced fluctuations in orders during our limited operating history, and we expect such volatility to occur in the future. Our volatile historical results of operations could make it difficult to assess the impact of seasonal factors on our business. If we or any of our third-party manufacturing service providers are unable to increase production of new or existing products to meet any increases in demand due to seasonality or other factors, our total revenue would be adversely affected and our reputation with our customers may be damaged. Conversely, if we overestimate customer demand, we may reduce our orders or delay shipments of our products from units forecasted, and our total revenue in a particular period could be lower than expected.
Our business requires significant financial resources and we may need additional capital but may not be able to obtain it in a timely manner and on favorable terms or at all
We had negative cash flows from operating activities of US$108.2 million, US$13.3 million and US$15.8 million for 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. We have in the past financed our working capital needs primarily with our net cash from operating activities, capital contributions by shareholders and bank borrowings.
We may require additional cash resources due to the future growth, development and expansion of our business. Our future capital requirements may be substantial as we seek to expand our operations, diversify our product offering, and pursue acquisitions and equity investments. In addition, we incurred accrued payables of US$21.9 million and accounts payable of US$2.8 million as of December 31, 2020. If our cash resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may be required to seek to issue additional equity or debt securities or obtain new or expanded credit facilities or enter into additional factoring arrangements.
Our ability to obtain external financing in the future is subject to a variety of uncertainties, including our future financial condition, results of operations and cash flows and the liquidity of international capital and lending markets. In addition, our loan agreements may contain financial covenants that restrictaffect our ability to incur additional indebtednesscontinue as a going concern or to distribute dividends. Any indebtedness that we may incur in the future may also contain operating and financial covenants that could further restrictpursue our operations. There can be no assurance that financing will be available in a timely manner or in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, or at all. A large amount of bank borrowings and other debt may result in a significant increase in interest expense while at the same time exposing us to increased interest rate risks. Equity financings could result in dilution to our shareholders, and the securities issued in future financings may have rights, preferences and privileges that are senior to those of our ordinary shares. Any failure to raise needed funds on terms favorable to us, orbusiness strategy at all, which could severely restrict our liquidity as well as have a material adverse effect on our business, resultsprospects or operations.
On May 21, 2021, the Financial Stability and Development Committee of operations and financial condition.
Risks Relatingthe State Council in China proposed to Our Cryptocurrency, Blockchain and Mining Related Businesses
Our results of operations have been and are expected to continue to be significantly impacted by the fluctuation of Bitcoin price, and in particular, significantly and negatively impacted by sharp Bitcoin price decreases
Our mining machines are currently designed primarily for Bitcoin mining. The demand for, and pricing of, our mining machines are therefore affected by the expected economic returns of“crack down on Bitcoin mining activities, whichand trading.” However, it was not until September 15, 2021, as described below, that all digital asset transactions were banned in turn are primarily driven by, among other factors, the Bitcoin price. The price of Bitcoin has experienced significant fluctuations over its short existence and may continueChina. In May 2021, local governments began to fluctuate significantlyissue corresponding measures in the future. Accordingsuccession to Bitcoin.com, Bitcoin prices ranged from approximately US$3,733 per coin as of December 31, 2018, US$7,174 per coin as of December 31, 2019, to US$28,968 per coin as of December 31, 2020. Accordingrespond to the same source, from January 1, 2020central government, including Xinjiang Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture Development and Reform Commission issuing a notice on the immediate shutdown of enterprises engaged in cryptocurrency mining on June 9, 2021. On June 18, 2021, according to December 31, 2020, the highest Bitcoin price was approximately US$28,968 per coinpublic media report - Sichuan Provincial Development and Reform Commission and Sichuan Energy Bureau issued a notice on the shutdown of cryptocurrency mining projects with the deadline of June 25, 2021. On September 3, 2021, the newly issued Notification of Overhauling the Mining Activity of Cryptocurrency (or the Notification No. 1283) banned all new cryptocurrency operations in China and set forth penalties on a going forward basis for all of the PRC. On September 15, 2021, the People’s Bank of China, the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, and the lowest was US$4,982 per coin. In particular,State Administration of Foreign Exchange jointly issued the Bitcoin price had risen significantly since the fourth quarterCircular on Further Preventing and Disposing of 2020Risks in Virtual Currency Trading and reached US$58,918 per coin as of March 31, 2021. The decreaseSpeculation (Yin Fa [2021] No.237), which clarified that virtual currency-related business activities in the Bitcoin price in 2018China and the first quarter of 2019 resulted in a material decrease in our sales volume and in the average selling price of our Bitcoin mining machines. Although the Bitcoin price started to recover in the second quarter of 2019. Our operations generally lag behind increases in Bitcoin price, and we recorded a revenue of US$109.1 million in 2019. In the first three quarters of 2020, the Bitcoin price had fluctuated, while in the fourth quarter of 2020, it increased significantly. As a result, our business and results of operations were adversely affected by the global market panics over the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.
We expect our results of operations to continue to be affected by the Bitcoin price, as we generated 96.3%, 82.4% and 42.3% of our revenue from sales of our Bitcoin mining machines and related accessories in 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively, and 2.4% and 14.4% and 48.1% from provision of mining machine hosting services inby an overseas virtual currency exchange to a Chinese resident via the same periods, respectively. Any future significant reductions in the price of BitcoinInternet will likely have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations andbe considered as illegal financial condition. We cannot assure you that the Bitcoin price will remain high enough to sustain the demand for our Bitcoin mining machines or that the Bitcoin price will not decline significantly in the future. Furthermore, fluctuations in the Bitcoin price can have an immediate impact on the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares even before our financial performance is affected, if at all.activities.
In addition to the market volatility, various other factors, mostly beyond our control, could impact the Bitcoin price. For example, the usage of Bitcoins in the retail and commercial marketplace is relatively low in comparison with the usage for speculation, which contributes to Bitcoin price volatility.
If the Bitcoin price or Bitcoin network transaction fees drop and fail to recover, the expected economic return of Bitcoin mining activities will diminish, thereby resulting in a decrease in demand for our Bitcoin mining machines. As a result, we may need to reduce the price of our Bitcoin mining machines. At the same time, if transaction fees increase to such an extent as to discourage users from using Bitcoins as a medium of exchange, it may decrease the transaction volumeconsideration of the Bitcoin networkPRC government’s attitude and may affect the demand for our Bitcoin mining machines and hosting services. In addition, any shortage of power supply due to government control measures or other reasons, and any increase in energy costs, would raise the costs of Bitcoin mining. This in turn could affect our customers’ expected economic return for mining activities and the demand for and pricing of our current Bitcoin mining machines and hosting services.
Furthermore, fluctuations in the Bitcoin price may affect the value of our inventory as well as the provision we make to the inventory as we manage our inventory based on, among others, the sales forecast of our Bitcoin mining machines. As we generally increase our procurement volume and stock up finished goods for the launch of new products or we expect a surge of demand of Bitcoin mining machines, a significant drop in the Bitcoin price can lead to a lower expected sales price and excessive inventory, which in turn will lead to impairment losses with respect to such inventory. For example, in 2018 and 2019, as a result of the significant drop in the Bitcoin price, we recorded write-downs for the potentially obsolete, slow-moving inventory and lower of cost or market adjustment of US$61.8 million and US$6.3 million in cost of revenues, respectively, which in turn had a significant negative impact on our profitability. In 2020, we also recorded write-downs for the potentially obsolete, slow-moving inventory and lower of cost or market adjustment of US$3.6 million for the same reason. If the Bitcoin price drops significantly in the future, we may need to make similar write-downs again. To the extent that we are able to sell such inventory above its carrying value, our gross profit may also be inflated by such write down.
The Bitcoin price drop also adversely impacted the ability of our customers who purchased our Bitcoin mining products to make payments. We offered sales on credit to some of our customers in response to the Bitcoin price drop in 2018, 2019 and 2020 and may continue to offer credit sales when the Bitcoin price drops significantly. Additionally, if the Bitcoin price drops significantly in the future, we may need to offer to certain of our customers price concession, even if we generally do not offer a price concession to customers. See “Management’s discussion and analysis on financial condition and results of operations—Critical Accounting Policies—Revenue recognition” for details. For example, we accepted a lower amount of consideration for sales to certain of our significant longstanding customers in China to maintain a good customer relationship when the Bitcoin price dropped significantly in 2018, and thus provided price concession of US$12.1 million to such customers in 2018. We did not provide price concession to customers in 2019 and 2020. However, we cannot assure you thatintentional business plan, we will not provide such price concessionconduct any cryptocurrency mining operations or cryptocurrency trading operations in mainland PRC. We do not have any mining operation in the future. If we provide any price concession to our customers in the future, our revenuesPRC and results of operations may be adversely affected.
We have derived and may continue to derive a significant portion of our revenues from our Bitcoin mining machines business. If the market for Bitcoin mining machines ceases to exist or diminishes significantly, our business, results of operations and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected
We have generated, and expect to generate in the foreseeable future, a significant portion of our revenues from sales of our Bitcoin mining machines. Sales of our Bitcoin mining machines and related accessories accounted for 96.3%, 82.4% and 42.3% of our revenues in 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. Revenues from provision ofhalted all mining machine hosting services also accounted for 2.4%, 14.4% and 48.1% of our revenues in 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. If the market for Bitcoin mining machines ceases to exist or diminishes significantly, we would experience a significant loss of sales, cancelation of orders, or loss of customers for our Bitcoin mining machines. Adverse factors that may affect the market for Bitcoin mining machines include:
If we cannot maintain the scale and profitability of the sales of our Bitcoin mining machines and, at the same time, successfully expand ourcustody business in other application markets, our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospectsChina in April 2021. While we do not believe the PRC governmental authorities will suffer. Furthermore, excess inventory, inventory markdowns, brand image deterioration and margin squeeze caused by declining economic returns for minersseek to impose retroactive fines, penalties or pricing competition for our Bitcoin mining machines could all have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The industries in which we operate and which we intend to operate in the future are characterized by constant changes. If we fail to continuously innovate and to provide products that meet the expectations of our customers, we may be unable to attract new customers or retain existing customers, and hence our business and results of operations may be adversely affected
The industries in which we operate and intend to operate in the future are characterized by constant changes, including rapid technological evolution, continual shifts in customer demands, frequent introductions of new products and solutions and constant emergence of new industry standards and practices. Thus, our success will depend, in part, on our ability to respond to these changes in a cost-effective and timely manner. We need to anticipate the emergence of new technologies and assess their market acceptance. We also need to invest significant resources in research and development in order to keep our products competitive in the market.
However, research and development activities are inherently uncertain, and we might encounter practical difficulties in commercializing our research and development results,which could result in excessive research and development expenses or delays. Given the fast pace with which blockchain has been and will continue to be developed, we may not be able to timely upgrade our technologies in an efficient and cost-effective manner, or at all. In addition, new developments in AI, deep learning, Internet-of-things, computer vision, blockchain and cryptocurrency could render our products obsolete or unattractive.If we are unable to keep up with the technological developments and anticipate market trends, or if new technologies render our technologies or solutions obsolete, customers may no longer be attracted to our products and services. As a result, our business, results of operations and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected.
Increasing mining difficulty and decreasing mining rewards could result in downward pressure on the expected economic returns on Bitcoin mining
The difficulty of Bitcoin mining, or the amount of computational resources required for a set amount of reward for recording a new block, directly affects the expected economic returns for Bitcoin miners, which in turn affects the demand for our Bitcoin mining machines. Bitcoin mining difficulty is a measure of how much computing power is required to record a new block, and it is affected by the total amount of computing power in the Bitcoin network. The Bitcoin algorithm is designed so that one block is generated, on average, every ten minutes, no matter how much computing power is in the network. Thus, as more computing power joins the network, and assuming the rate of block creation does not change (remaining at one block generated every ten minutes), the amount of computing power required to generate each block and hence the mining difficulty increases. In other words, based on the current design of the Bitcoin network, Bitcoin mining difficulty would increase together with the total computing power available in the Bitcoin network, which is in turn affected by the number of Bitcoin mining machines in operation. For example, Bitcoin mining difficulty would increase based on increases in the total computing power available in the Bitcoin network, which is in turn affected by the number of Bitcoin mining machines in operation. From January 2017 to December 2020, Bitcoin mining difficulty increased by approximately 55 times, according to BTC.com. As a result, a strong growth in sales of our Bitcoin mining machines can contribute to further growth in the total computing power in the network, thereby driving up the difficulty of Bitcoin mining and resulting in downward pressure on the expected economic return of Bitcoin mining and the demand for, and pricing of, our products.
In addition, the number of Bitcoins awarded for solving a block in the blockchain halves approximately every four years until the estimated complete depletion of Bitcoin by around the year 2140. In each of 2013, 2014 and 2015, approximately 25 Bitcoins were awarded for each block solved. The number of Bitcoins awarded for solving a block halved in 2016 to 12.5 Bitcoins per block, and halved again in May 2020 to 6.25 Bitcoins per block. We have experienced declined demand for Bitcoin mining machines since the Bitcoin halving event in May 2020 as the mining rewards were slashed and the expected economic returns on Bitcoin mining was adversely affected.
Aside from mining rewards, transaction fees are another form of incentive for participation in Bitcoin verification processes. Bitcoin users may offer to pay a discretionary Bitcoin transaction fee to the network member who solves the block and adds that user’s transaction to the blockchain to incentivize prioritizing that user’s transaction. Transaction fees are discretionary, so if the transaction fees were to become the only or primary income for Bitcoin mining activities in the future, the expected economic returns from Bitcoin mining and therefore the demand for our products will decrease significantly, which will result in a significant negative impact on our business and results of operations.
Our business growth is dependent on the development of blockchain technology and applications, particularly in the field of Bitcoin
We derive our revenue predominantly from our blockchain products business. The development of blockchain technology is still in a relatively early stage, andsanctions, there can be no assurance that blockchain applications, including those in the fields of cryptocurrencies and other areas such as AI, will gain wide market acceptance. Any blockchain applicationthey may become redundant or obsolete with the introduction of new competing technologies or products. If market acceptance or confidence in blockchain technology is lost or reduced for any reason, such as due to cybersecurity issues, the demand for our existing or future blockchain products may decline.
Our blockchain products business depends significantly on the development of cryptocurrency applications, in particular, Bitcoin applications, as all of our mining machines are currently designed for Bitcoin mining. The cryptocurrency market is rapidly and continuously evolving. Any actual or perceived adverse development in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies can significantly affect market demand for mining activities and mining machines. In addition, any event or rumor that generates negative publicity for the cryptocurrency market could hinder the development and reduce market acceptance of cryptocurrency applications. Under such circumstances, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
Adverse changes in the regulatory environment in the PRC market could have a material adverse impact on our blockchain products business
Our revenue from sales in the PRC market accounted for 91.4%, 87.5% and 99.8% of our total revenue in 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. Our blockchain products business could therefore be significantly affected by, among other things, the regulatory developments in the PRC. Governmental authorities are likely to continue to issue new laws, rules and regulations governing the cryptocurrency industry we operate in and enhance enforcement of existing laws, rules and regulations. For example, Xinjiang, an autonomous region in northwest China, warned local Bitcoin mining enterprises that were operating illegally to close their operations before August 30, 2018 and the People’s Bank of China, or the PBOC, imposed a ban in September 2017 prohibiting financial institutions from engaging in initial coin offering transactions. Some jurisdictions, including the PRC, restrict various uses of cryptocurrencies, including the use of cryptocurrencies as a medium of exchange, the conversion between cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies or between cryptocurrencies, the provision of trading and other services related to cryptocurrencies by financial institutions and payment institutions, and initial coin offerings and other means of capital raising based on cryptocurrencies. In addition, cryptocurrencies may be used by market participants for black market transactions, to conduct fraud, money laundering and terrorism-funding, tax evasion, economic sanction evasion or other illegal activities. As a result, governments maynot seek to regulate, restrict, control or ban the mining, use, holding and transferring of cryptocurrencies. We may not be able to eliminate all instances where other parties use our products to engage in money laundering or other illegal or improper activities. We cannot assure you that we will successfully detect all money laundering or other illegal or improper activities which may adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.
With advances in technology, cryptocurrencies are likely to undergo significant changes in the future. It remains uncertain whether Bitcoin will be able to cope with, or benefit from, those changes. In addition, as Bitcoin mining employs sophisticated and high computing power devices that need to consume large amounts of electricity to operate, future developments in the regulation of energy consumption, including possible restrictions on energy usage in the jurisdictions where we sell our products, may also affect our business operations and the demand for our current Bitcoin mining machines. There has been negative public reaction to surrounding the environmental impact of Bitcoin mining, particularly the large consumption of electricity, and governments of various jurisdictions have responded. For example, in the United States, certain local governments of the state of Washington have discussed measures to address the environmental impacts of Bitcoin-related operations, such as the high electricity consumption of Bitcoin mining activities.
Furthermore, we are in the process of developing mining machines for other cryptocurrencies, and we plan to expand our current mining machine hosting services to establish mining farms which would allow us to engage in both hosting services for third parties and proprietary Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency mining activities to mine cryptocurrencies for ourselves. We also intend to set up a cryptocurrency trading exchange to provide cryptocurrency trading related services to cryptocurrency communities in the near feature in overseas jurisdictions. However, relevant restrictions from existing and future regulations on mining, holding, using, or transferring of cryptocurrencies may adversely affect our future business operations and results of operations. For example, although mining activities have not been explicitly prohibited by the PRC government, any further order of the PRC government to limit cryptocurrency mining may result in a crackdown on the cryptocurrency market and adversely affect our mining machine sales, potential mining activities and other cryptocurrency-related businesses. Furthermore, as advised by our PRC legal advisor, the PRC government has prohibited entities from establishing cryptocurrency exchanges and engaging in cryptocurrency trading businesses. Although we plan to conduct potential cryptocurrency trading related services in overseas jurisdictions to the extent feasible, any further order of the PRC government to block access to foreign platforms that enable centralized trading of cryptocurrencies in China may materially and adversely affect our business expansion plans and prospects. It is possible that the cryptocurrency market may respond to such regulations by moving to other countries or changing its practices to comply. However, it is unclear how various countries will regulate the blockchain or how the market will respond to such regulations. If any jurisdictions impose limitations on the mining, use, holding or transferring of cryptocurrencies or any cryptocurrency-related activity, our business prospects, operations and financial results may be negatively impacted.
In addition, our plan to expand our current mining machine hosting services to establish and operate mining farms, either for the provision of hosting services to third parties or for our proprietary mining activities, may be affected adversely by laws and regulations on securities and the financial regulatory environment in China and other jurisdictions we operate. For example, if cryptocurrencies or the mining of cryptocurrencies are regarded or reclassified retroactively as securities by various governmental authorities, our distribution of cryptocurrencies to potential members of our mining farms is likely to be deemed as issuance of cryptocurrencies to investors for financing purpose and thus prohibited under the PRC laws.do so. Any such regulations, if implemented, will cause us to incur additional compliance costs and have a material adverse effect on our future business operations.
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There are risks to foreign investors in Chinese companies
The current regulatory environmentChinese government implements the management systems of pre-establishment national treatment and negative list for foreign investment. Pre-establishment national treatment refers to the treatment given to foreign investors and their investments during the investment access stage, which is not lower than that given to their domestic counterparts; negative list for foreign investment refers to special administrative measures for the restricted or prohibited access of foreign investment in foreign markets,specific fields as stipulated by the Chinese government.
Pursuant to the Special Administrative Measures for Foreign Investment Access (2021 Edition), or the 2021 Edition Negative List, issued by The Ministry of Commerce of the PRC (the “MOFCOM”) and any adverse changes in that environment, could have a material adverse impactthe National Development and Reform Commission (the “NDRC”) on our blockchain products business and our planned cryptocurrency exchange and financial service platform businesses
We currently export our products to various overseas markets and intend to developDecember 27, 2021, which came into effect on January 1, 2022, our business and operations in jurisdictions outsidedoes not fall into the PRCNegative List. However, the 2021 Edition Negative List regulates that “Fields not mentioned in the future. We also intend to set up cryptocurrency trading exchanges outside the PRC to provide cryptocurrency trading related services to cryptocurrency communities, including, but not limited to, Canada, Australia and Singapore. We currently have no plans to establish our cryptocurrency trading exchange or online brokerage businesses in the United States. Our blockchain products business and planned cryptocurrency and financial services platform businesses could therefore be significantly affected by regulatory developments in jurisdictions outside the PRC, including the United States and such other jurisdictions. Although we have no immediate plans to operate such businesses in the United States, governmental authorities, including those in the United States and such other jurisdictions, oversee certain aspects of the cryptocurrency markets, have taken actions based on current laws and regulations, and are likely to continue to issue new laws, rules and regulations governing the cryptocurrency industry in which we operate and may operate in the future. As a result, and as discussed further below, existing and future regulations affecting the mining, holding, using, or transferring of cryptocurrencies may adversely affect our future business operations and results of operations, and could even result in our or our customers’ liabilityNegative List for activities conducted by our customers.
As described under “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulatory Overview of United States,” United States federal and state securities laws may specifically limit our ability and the ability of our customers to use our blockchain and telecommunications products where these operations are conducted in connection with cryptocurrencies that are considered “securities” for purposes of U.S. law. We have begun developing new chips for mining cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin, and the likely status of these cryptocurrencies as securities could limit distributions, transfers, or other actions involving such cryptocurrencies, including mining, in the United States. For example, the distribution of cryptocurrencies to miners through the mining process could be deemed to involve an illegal offering or distribution of securities subject to federal or state law. In addition, miners on cryptocurrency networks could, under certain circumstances, be viewed as statutory underwriters or as “brokers” subject to regulation under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. This could require us or our customers to change, limit, or cease their mining operations, register as broker-dealers and comply with applicable law, orForeign Investment Access shall be subject to penalties, including fines. administration under the principle of consistency for domestic and foreign investments. The relevant provisions of the Negative List for Market Access shall apply to domestic and foreign investors on a unified basis.”
In addition, we could have liabilitybased on the Negative List for facilitating their illegal activities.
Further, cryptocurrencies are subjectMarket Access (2022) which became effective on March 12, 2022, “the Catalogue for Guidance on Industrial Restructuring shall be included in the Negative List for Market Access”; plus, according to additional U.S. laws and regulations related to transactions in commodities as enforced by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, and to money transmission, money service business, anti-money laundering, and know-your-customer activities as enforced by the DepartmentDecision of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN,State Council on Promulgating and by state governments. We or our customers could be subjectImplementing the “Temporary Provisions on Promoting Industrial Structure Adjustment,” valid from December 2, 2005, “In principle, the ‘Guidance Catalogue for the Industrial Structure Adjustment “shall apply to regulatory restrictions or regulatory actions based on these laws and regulations.
Any restrictions imposed by a foreign government could force us to restructure operations, perhaps significantly, which could result in significant costs and inefficiencies that harm our profitability, or even cause us to cease operations in the applicable jurisdiction. Cryptocurrency is a recent technological innovation and the regulatory schemes to which cryptocurrency and the related exchange may be subject have not been fully explored or developed by foreign jurisdictions. Thus, cryptocurrency faces an uncertain regulatory landscape in many foreign jurisdictions. Various foreign jurisdictions may from time to time adopt laws, regulations or directives that affect our cryptocurrency businesses. Due in part to its international nature and the nascent stagevarious types of regulation, along with the limited experience with cryptocurrency, and language barriers between international journalists, translators and regulators, information regarding the regulation of cryptocurrency in various jurisdictions may be incomplete, inaccurate or unreliable. As both the regulatory landscape develops and journalistic familiarity with cryptocurrency increases, mainstream media’s understanding of cryptocurrency and the regulation thereof may improve. As we enter into the markets in Canada, Australia, and Singapore, we expect to continue to monitor the local regulations regarding cryptocurrency and financial service platforms and retain local regulatory counsels.
We expect that regulation of our current and planned business operations will vary from country to country as well as within countries. We cannot assure you that we will be familiar with local laws and regulations at all times when we establish cryptocurrency and financial services platform businesses or develop any other business and operations in a foreign country. An increase in the regulation of such operations may affect our proposed businesses by increasing compliance costs or prohibiting certain or all of our proposed activities. In addition, existing and proposed laws and regulations can delay or impede the development of new products, result in negative publicity, decrease demand for our products, require significant management time and attention, and subject us to claims or other remedies, including fines or demands that we modify or cease existing business practices.
In addition, any action brought against us or our customers by a foreign regulator, or by an individual in a private action, based on foreign law could cause us or our customers to incur significant legal expenses and divert our management’s attention from the operationenterprises inside China.” “The industries of the business. If our or our customers’ operations are found to be in violation of any laws and regulations, we or they may be subject to penalties associated witheliminated category under the violation, including civil and criminal penalties, damages and fines. This could in turn require us to curtail or cease all or some operations. Regulatory action or regulatory change could also decrease demand‘Guidance Catalogue for our products and services, which would be harmfulthe Industrial Structure Adjustment’ shall apply to the successforeign investment enterprises.” and “Investments are prohibited from being contributed to projects under the eliminated category.” Furthermore, the NDRC released on December 30, 2021 its No. 49 Decree, announcing that the Decision of our business.
If we are unable to manage our growth or execute our strategies effectively, our business, results of operationsthe National Development and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected
We are inReform Commission on Amending the process of developing ICsGuiding Catalog for Industrial Restructuring (2019 Version) (the “Amended Catalog”). The Amended Catalog added ‘virtual currency mining other cryptocurrencies in order to adapt our future models of mining machines to other cryptocurrencies promptly and efficiently when all the Bitcoins have been discovered or Bitcoin is replaced by other cryptocurrencies as the mainstream cryptocurrency. We began to provide mining machine hosting services in 2017 and intend to leverage our experience in the mining machine industry to establish mining farms and provide cryptocurrency trading-related servicesactivities’ to the cryptocurrency community in order to diversify our offerings. We also intend to set up cryptocurrency trading exchanges outsideeliminated category of ’1. outdated production processing and equipment’ under the PRC to provide cryptocurrency trading related services to cryptocurrency communities, including, but not limited to, Canada, Australia and Singapore, which we have been developing since August 2020. We may fail to successfully execute our expansion plan due to our limited resources and other reasons beyond our control. For example, the gain we obtain from running mining farms may not cover their operating expenses due to a prolonged depression of cryptocurrency prices, and our cryptocurrency trading related services may be unable to compete effectively with other similar services already available to the cryptocurrency community. Should we fail to successfully manage our growth or implement our strategies, the resources we allocate to the new business lines will be wasted, and our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
Each of our subsidiaries in Canada, Australia and Singapore have a limited operating history, which makes it hard for us to evaluate their ability to generate revenue through operations, and to date, each of them has not generated revenue from any commercially available blockchain-based products or services
Our subsidiaries in Canada, Australia and Singapore were recently formed from August to October 2020 for the purpose of establishing our cryptocurrency exchanges and online brokerages. Their limited operating history and the relative immaturity of the blockchain industry make it difficult for us to evaluate their current business and future prospects. They have encountered, and will continue to encounter, risks and difficulties frequently experienced by growing companies in rapidly developing and changing industries, including challenges in forecasting accuracy, determining appropriate uses of their limited resources, gaining market acceptance, managing a complex and evolving regulatory landscape and developing new products. These subsidiaries’ current or future operating model may require changes in order for them to scale their operations efficiently and be successful. Investors in our securities should consider the business and prospects of our overseas subsidiaries in these countries in light of the risks and difficulties they face as early-stage companies focused on developing products in the field of financial technology.
The development and operation of our cryptocurrency exchanges and online brokerages will likely require, technology and intellectual property rights
The ability of to operate our cryptocurrency exchanges and online brokerages may depend on technology and intellectual property rights that we may license from unaffiliated third parties. If for any reason we fail to comply with our obligations under an applicable license agreement, or are unable to provide or fail to provide the technology and intellectual property that we or any licensee requires, our operations would be negatively affected, which would have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial condition.
We may not successfully develop, market or launch any cryptocurrency exchanges or online brokerages
We have established wholly-owned subsidiaries in Singapore, Canada and Australia in preparation for establishing cryptocurrency exchanges since August 2020. In September 2020, we have received the Money Service Business License from the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, which will allow us to engage in foreign exchange trading, digital currency transferring and dealing in virtual currencies in Canada, and we are in the process of applying for relevant licenses and approvals for our subsidiaries in Singapore and Australia. However, we are only at an initial preparatory stage of executing our plan to launch blockchain-enabled financial business or online brokerages. Also, there is no guarantee that we will receive any additional required approvals and licenses for our proposed business in Singapore, Canada and Australia in a timely manner or on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or that we will commence the proposed business as planned, or at all. Our current plan is to launch our operations in these countries in early 2022. However, if our expectations as to the costs and timelines of our investment and operations at these countries or our execution of business plan prove incorrect, we may incur additional expenses or losses. Additionally, as we have limited experience in operating the proposed business, we will need to obtain additional management, regulatory compliance technical expertise and devote substantial time and effort to these initiatives, which may not be as profitable as we expected or at all. We also need to obtain additional capital resources to pursue development of cryptocurrency exchanges or online brokerages, and we may not be successful in raising that capital. In addition, we may face relevant restrictions from existing and future regulations in connection with our expansion into this new line of business. While we have been closely monitoring the development of the relevant regulations and have been in communication with regulatory authorities, this new business initiative may not be viable due to regulatory concerns. Our plan to develop, market or launch any cryptocurrency exchanges or online brokerages may suffer significant delays in our efforts and may ultimately not be successful. It is possible that the launch of our cryptocurrency exchanges and/or online brokerages may never occur, and even if the proposed business is successfully developed, it is possible that it will not be accessed or utilized by a sufficient number of users or will otherwise not achieve viable business scale or market acceptance.
If Bitcoin is replaced by other cryptocurrencies as the mainstream cryptocurrency, we will lose the market for our current mining machines and our results of operations will be materially and adversely affected
Although we have begun to develop new chips for mining other cryptocurrencies, all of our revenue from sales of cryptocurrency mining machines was generated from the sale of mining machines designed for Bitcoin mining in 2018, 2019 and 2020. We face the risk that other cryptocurrencies could replace Bitcoin as the largest cryptocurrency, which may in turn negatively impact the value of Bitcoin and diminish interest in mining Bitcoin. Acceptance of Bitcoin may decline due to various reasons such as the following:
If fewer people accept Bitcoin currency or fewer merchants accept Bitcoin as a payment method, Bitcoin may decline in value. Although Bitcoin is currently the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, a substantial amount of Bitcoin-related transactions may be speculation-related and a technological breakthrough in the form of a better cryptocurrency is a continuous threat. Other cryptocurrencies may be designed with algorithms that are not compatible with the kind of computing done by ASIC chip mining machines. If such a cryptocurrency were to become dominant, our existing technological know-how may not be applicable in creating hardware for participants in that cryptocurrency network, and we may face greater competition from new players. In addition, since the value of and support for Bitcoin depend entirely on the community using it, any disagreement between the users may result in the splitting of the network to support other cryptocurrencies and the users may sell all their Bitcoins and switch to other cryptocurrencies. As a result, our mining machines and our results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.
We rely on a limited number of third parties to fabricate our ASIC chips, which are the core technology used in our mining machines
The ASIC chip is the key component of a mining machine as it determines the efficiency of the device. Currently, only a small number of wafer foundries in the world are capable of producing the highly sophisticated silicon wafers used for ASIC chips.original Catalog. Therefore, the ability to source high-quality wafers is a major barrier to entry for new entrantsforeign investment enterprises are prohibited from virtual currency activities and has provided us with a great competitive advantage in the market.
In 2018 and 2019, all of our ASIC wafers were fabricated by Samsung. We have historically purchased ASIC wafers through a supply arrangement with an intermediary that directly purchases ASIC chips from Samsung as Samsung’s approved customer. Such intermediary was our largest supplier in 2018. We principally purchased ASIC chips either directly from Samsung or through another intermediary that purchased from Samsung in 2019 and 2020. We have entered into an agreement with Samsung, effective May 2018, for developing ASIC chips, and we are working directly with Samsung on a development project for our second generation 10 nm ASIC chip. However, this agreement does not guarantee that Samsung will reserve foundry capacity for us, which we believe is in line with market arrangements with other wafer foundries. As such, there are risks that Samsung may be unable to accept our purchase orders or continue their supply of ASIC wafers to us. Such changes may result in delays to our production, which could negatively affect our reputation and results of operations.
In order to reduce our reliance on Samsung, we have established working relations with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Limited, or TSMC, since November 2017 and are in discussions with other major wafer foundries for possible future orders. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to continue to source ASIC wafers from Samsung or TSMC on the same or similar terms or in a timely manner, or start to source ASIC wafers from other suppliers. In addition, replacing a supplier may require that we divert attention and resources away from our business. We may also suffer lower gross profit margins if we fail to pass on any additional costs to our customers. As a result, a change in our relationship with Samsung or TSMC could have a significant negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operation.
We depend on a limited number of suppliers to allocate to us a portion of their manufacturing capacity sufficient to meet our needs, to produce products of acceptable quality and at acceptable final test yields, and to deliver those products to us on a timely basis and at acceptable prices. These suppliers may raise prices or may be unable to meet our required capacity for any reason, such as shortages or delays in the shipment of semiconductor equipment or raw materials required to manufacture our ICs. In addition, our business relationships with them may deteriorate. For example, in November 2019, we brought a legal action against a then-major supplier for breach of contract for delivering defective products. Under such circumstances, we may not be able to obtain the required capacity and would have to seek alternative suppliers, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Moreover, it is possible that other customers of these suppliers that are larger and/or better financed than we are, or that have long-term contracts with them, may receive preferential treatment in terms of capacity allocation or pricing. In addition, if we do not accurately forecast our capacity needs, these suppliers may not have available capacity to meet our immediate needs or we may be required to pay higher costs to fulfill those needs, either of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In particular, the production of our ASICs may require advanced IC fabrication technologies. Foundries other than Samsung or TSMC, however, might not have sufficient production capacity for such technologies, or at all, to meet our requirements. This may expose us to risks associated with engaging new foundries. For example, using foundries with which we have not established relationships could expose us to potentially unfavorable pricing, unsatisfactory quality or insufficient capacity allocation.
Other risks associated with the concentration of third-party foundry suppliers include limited control over delivery schedules and quality assurance, lack of capacity in periods of excess demand, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and limited ability to manage inventory and parts. In particular, although we have entered into confidentiality agreements with our third-party foundry suppliers for the protection of our intellectual property, it may not protect our intellectual property with the same degree of care as we use to protect our intellectual property. If we fail to properly manage any of these risks, our business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. Moreover, if Samsung or TSMC suffers any damage to its facilities, suspends manufacturing operations, loses benefits under material agreements, experiences power outages or computer virus attacks, lacks sufficient capacity to manufacture our products, encounters financial difficulties, is unable to secure necessary raw materials from its suppliers or suffers any other disruption or reduction in efficiency, we may encounter supply delays or disruptions. Further, the recent trade disputes between Japan and South Korea could materially and adversely affect Samsung’s supply of ASIC wafers. In July 2019, Japan decided to restrict exports to South Korea of certain materials used in memory chips. Such measures created massive pressures on the production activities of Samsung. If such trade tensions continue escalating without a resolution and Samsung cannot secure alternative supply of key materials that are banned by Japan, Samsung’s ability to supply us with adequate ASIC wafers, which are the core components of our mining machines, may be jeopardized, and as a result, our business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
Failure at tape-out or failure to achieve the expected final test yields for our ASIC chips could negatively impact our results of operations
The tape-out process is a critical milestone in our business. A successful tape-out means all the stages in the design and verification process of our ASIC chips have been completed, and the chip design is ready to be sent for manufacturing. The tape-out process requires considerable investment in time and resources and close cooperation with the wafer foundry, and repeated failures can significantly increase our costs, lengthen our product development period and delay our product launch. If the tape-out or testing of a new ASIC chip design fails, either as a result of design flaws by our research and development team or problems with production or the testing process by the wafer foundry, we may incur considerable costs and expenses to fix or restart the design process. Such obstacles may decrease our profitability or delay the launch of new products.
Once tape-out is successful, the ASIC design is sent for manufacturing, and the final test yield is a measurement of the production success rate. The final test yield is a function of both product design, which is developed by us, and process technology, which typically belongs to a third-party foundry, such as Samsung and TSMC in our case. Low final test yields can result from a product design deficiency or a process technology failure or a combination of both. As such, we may not be able to identify problems causing low final test yields until our product designs go to the manufacturing stage, which may substantially increase our per unit costs and delay the launch of new products.
For example, if either Samsung or TSMC experiences manufacturing inefficiencies or encounters disruptions, errors or difficulties during production, we may fail to achieve acceptable final test yields or experience product delivery delays. We cannot guarantee that Samsung and TSMC will be able to develop, obtain or successfully implement process technologies needed to manufacture future generations of our mining machines on a timely basis. Moreover, during the periods in which foundries are implementing new process technologies, their manufacturing facilities may not be fully productive. A substantial delay in the technology transitions to smaller geometry process technologies could have a material and adverse effect on us, particularly if our competitors transition to such technologies before us.
In addition, resolution of yield problems requires cooperation among us, Samsung or TSMC, and packaging and testing partners. We cannot assure you that the cooperation will be successful and that any yield problem can be fixed.
If any person, institution or a pool of them acting in concert obtains control of more than 50% of the processing power active on the Bitcoin network, such person, institution or a pool of them could prevent new transactions from gaining confirmations, halt payments between users, and reverse previously completed transactions, which would erode user confidence in Bitcoin
If the award of Bitcoins for solving blocks and transaction fees for recording transactions are not sufficiently high to incentivize miners, miners may cease expending processing power to solve blocks. Miners ceasing operations would reduce the collective processing power on the Bitcoin network, which would adversely affect the confirmation process for transactions and make the Bitcoin network more vulnerable to any person, institution or a pool of them which has obtained over 50% control over the computing power on the Bitcoin network. In such event, such person, institution or a pool of them could prevent new transactions from gaining confirmation, halt payments between users, and reverse previously completed transactions. Such changes or any reduction in confidence in the confirmation process or processing power of the Bitcoin network may erode user confidence in Bitcoin, which would decrease the demand for our products.
The decentralized nature of Bitcoin may be subject to challenges, which could negatively affect our results of operations
A key reason for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to have attracted many new and committed users in a short period of time is its decentralized nature, or the lack of control by a central authority. However, there are divergent views on the decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies. For example, there are claims that most of the actual services and businesses built within the Bitcoin ecosystem are in fact centralized since they are run by specific people, in specific locations, with specific computer systems, and that they are susceptible to specific regulations. Individuals, companies or groups, as well as Bitcoin exchanges that control vast amounts of Bitcoin can affect the market price of Bitcoin. Furthermore, mining equipment production and mining pool locations may become centralized. The concerns or skepticism about the decentralized nature of Bitcoin may cause customers to lose confidence in the Bitcoin industry’s prospects. This in turn could adversely affect the market demand for our mining machines and our business. Furthermore, the possibility that a person or a coordinated group of people may gain more than 50% control of the process power active on Bitcoin and be able to manipulate transactions, despite the intended decentralized structure, may also erode confidence in Bitcoin. Our business, prospects and results of operations therefore may adversely be affected by the divergent views on the decentralized nature of Bitcoin.
Change of Bitcoin algorithms and mining mechanisms may materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations
Our ASIC chips are designed for proof-of-work, or POW, mechanism, which the Bitcoin network uses to validate Bitcoin transactions. Many people within the Bitcoin community believe that POW is a foundation within Bitcoin’s code that would not be changed. However, there have been debates on mechanism change to avoid the “de facto control” by a great majority of the network computing power. With the possibility of a change in rule or protocol of the Bitcoin network, if our Bitcoin mining machines cannot be modified to accommodate any such changes, our mining machines will not be able to meet customer demand, and the results of our operations will be significantly affected. For more details, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Cryptocurrency, Blockchain and Mining Related Businesses—The administrators of the Bitcoin network’s source code could propose amendments to the Bitcoin network’s protocols and software that, if accepted and authorized by the Bitcoin network’s community, could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition” and “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Cryptocurrency, Blockchain and Mining Related Businesses—The acceptance of Bitcoin network software patches or upgrades by a significant, but not overwhelming, percentage of the users and miners in the Bitcoin network could result in a “fork” in the blockchain, resulting in the operation of two separate networks that cannot be merged. The existence of forked blockchains could erode user confidence in Bitcoin and could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.”
We face risks associated with the expansion of our blockchain products business operations overseas and if we are unable to effectively manage such risks, our business growth and profitability may be negatively affected
We intend to grow our blockchain products business in part by expanding our sales network and operations internationally beyond China. Our expansion plans include possibly establishing an assembly facility and offices for sales, research and development and other operations in the United States and the European Union. However, there are risks associated with such global expansion plans, including:
If we are unable to effectively manage such risks, we may encounter difficulties in our overseas expansion plans and our business, reputation, results of operations and financial condition may be impaired.
We plan to increase our export of mining machines to the United States and the European Union in the future, which may be subject to high tariff rates resulting from protectionism trade policies, and as a result, our future sales volumes, profitability and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected
Historically, only a small portion of our mining machines were exported to the United States. Going forward we plan to increase our export of mining machines to the U.S. market. However, the United States and China have recently been involved in controversy over trade barriers in China that have threatened a trade war between these two countries, and have implemented or proposed to implement tariffs on certain imported products. Though the United States had not announced any trade policies that may directly impact the export of our mining machines as of the date of this annual report, we cannot accurately predict whether any anti-dumping duties, tariffs or quota fees will be imposed on our mining machines by the United States in the future. Any export requirements, tariffs, taxes and other restrictions and charges imposed by the United States on our mining machines could significantly increase our customers’ purchase costs of our mining machines and make our mining machines less competitive in the U.S. market. As a result, our future sales volumes, profitability and results of operations could be adversely affected.
In addition, we also intend to increase our export of mining machines to the European Union in the future. However, the worldwide populism trend that calls for protectionism trade policy and potential international trade disputes could cause turbulence in the international markets. These government policies or trade barriers could increase the prices of our mining machines and cause us to lose our sales and market share to our competitors in these countries.
We may be unable to make the substantial research and development investments that are required to remain competitive in our business
Advances in blockchain technology and AI technology have led to increased demand for ICs of higher speed and power efficiency for solving computational problems of increasing complexity. We intend to broaden our product offerings to include other applications. We are committed to investing in new product development in order to stay competitive in our markets. Driven by market demand, we intend to continue to broaden and enhance our product portfolio in order to deliver the most effective products to our customers. Nevertheless, if we are unable to generate enough revenue or raise enough capital to make adequate research and development investments going forward, our product development and relevant research and development initiatives may be restricted or delayed, or we may not be able to keep pace with the latest market trends and satisfy our customers’ needs, which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations. Furthermore, our substantial research and development expenditures may not yield the expected results that enable us to roll out new products, which in turn will harm our prospects and results of operations.
Our blockchain customers rely on a steady and inexpensive power supply for operating mining farms and running mining hardware. Failure to access a large quantity of power at reasonable costs could significantly increase their operating expenses and adversely affect their demand for our mining machines
Many of our blockchain customers engage in the cryptocurrency mining business. Cryptocurrency mining consumes a significant amount of energy power to process the computations and cool down the mining hardware. Therefore, a steady and inexpensive power supply is critical to cryptocurrency mining. There can be no assurance that the operations of our blockchain customers will not be affected by power shortages or an increase in energy prices in the future. In particular, the power supply could be disrupted by natural disasters, such as floods, mudslides and earthquakes, or other similar events beyond the control of our customers. Further, certain of our customers may experience power shortages due to seasonal variations in the supply of certain types of power such as hydroelectricity. Power shortages, power outages or increased power prices could adversely affect mining farm businesses of our blockchain customers and reduce the expected market demand for our mining machines significantly. Under such circumstances, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
In addition, as we provide mining machine hosting services to our customers and intend to establish and operate mining farms to provide hosting services for third parties and engage in proprietary Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency mining activities to mine cryptocurrencies for ourselves in the near future, any increase in energy prices or a shortage in power supply in locations where our future mining farms are located may increase our potential mining costs and reduce the expected economic returns from our proprietary mining operation significantly.
We rely on a limited number of third parties for IC packaging and testing services
Fabrication of IC chips requires specialized services to process the silicon wafers into IC chips by packaging them and to test their proper functioning. We rely on a limited number of production partners for such packaging and testing services. We have worked closely with world-class outsourced semiconductor assembly and test, or OSAT, companies on a limited number of specialized production partners exposes us to a number of risks, including difficulties in finding alternate suppliers, capacity shortages or delays, lack of control or oversight in timing, quality or costs, and misuse of our intellectual property. If any such problems arise with our OSAT partners, we may experience delays in our production and delivery timeline, inadequate quality control of our products or excessive costs and expenses. As a result, our financial condition, results of operation, reputation and business may be adversely affected.
Cryptocurrencies face significant scaling obstacles that can lead to high fees or slowed transaction settlement times, and attempts to increase the transaction processing capacity may not be effective
Many cryptocurrency networks face significant scaling challenges. A number of solutions have been promoted recently to resolve this problem, including segregated witness, Lightening Network and the introduction of Bitcoin Cash. However, there is no assurance that the cryptocurrencies community will accept these solutions or these solutions will effectively resolve these problems.
As the use of cryptocurrency networks increases without a corresponding increase in throughput of the networks, average fees and settlement times can increase significantly. Bitcoin’s network, for example, has been, at times, at capacity, which has led to very high transaction fees. Increased fees and decreased settlement speeds could preclude certain use cases for Bitcoins (e.g., micropayments), and can reduce demand for and the market price of Bitcoins, which could adversely affect the market demand for our mining machines. There is no guarantee that any of the mechanisms in place or being explored for increasing the scale of settlement of Bitcoin transactions will be effective, or how long they will take to become effective, which could adversely affect the market demand for our mining machines.
Cryptocurrency exchanges and wallets, and to a lesser extent, a cryptocurrency blockchain itself, may suffer from hacking and fraud risks, which may adversely erode user confidence in cryptocurrencies and reduce demand for our mining machines
Cryptocurrency transactions are entirely digital and, as with any virtual system, face risk from hackers, malware and operational glitches. For example, hackers can target cryptocurrency exchanges, wallets, and custodians to gain unauthorized access to the private keys associated with the wallet addresses where cryptocurrencies are stored. Cryptocurrency transactions and accounts are not insured by any type of government program and cryptocurrency transactions generally are permanent by design of the networks. Certain features of cryptocurrency networks, such as decentralization, the open source protocols, and the reliance on peer-to-peer connectivity, may increase the risk of fraud or cyber-attack by potentially reducing the likelihood of a coordinated response. Cryptocurrencies have suffered from hacking risks and several cryptocurrency exchanges and miners have reported cryptocurrency losses, which highlight concerns over the security of cryptocurrencies and in turn affect the demand and the market price of cryptocurrencies. In addition, while cryptocurrencies use private key encryption to verify owners and register transactions, fraudsters and scammers may attempt to sell false cryptocurrencies. These risks may adversely affect the operation of the cryptocurrency network which would erode user confidence in cryptocurrencies, which would negatively affect demand for our mining machines.
The administrators of the Bitcoin network’s source code could propose amendments to the Bitcoin network’s protocols and software that, if accepted and authorized by the Bitcoin network’s community, could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition
The Bitcoin network is based on a cryptographic, algorithmic protocol that governs the end-user-to-end-user interactions between computers connected to the Bitcoin network. A loosely organized group can propose amendments to the Bitcoin network’s source code through one or more software upgrades that alter the protocols and software that govern the Bitcoin network and the properties of Bitcoins, including the irreversibility of transactions and limitations on the mining of new Bitcoins. To the extent that a significant majority of the users and miners on the Bitcoin network install such software upgrade(s), the Bitcoin network would be subject to new protocols and software that may render our mining machines less desirable, which in turn may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. If less than a significant majority of the users and miners on the Bitcoin network install such software upgrade(s), the Bitcoin network could “fork.”
The acceptance of Bitcoin network software patches or upgrades by a significant, but not overwhelming, percentage of the users and miners in the Bitcoin network could result in a “fork” in the blockchain, resulting in the operation of two separate networks that cannot be merged. The existence of forked blockchains could erode user confidence in Bitcoin and could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition
Bitcoin is based on open source software and has no official developer or group of developers that formally controls the Bitcoin network. Any individual can download the Bitcoin network software and make any desired modifications, which are proposed to users and miners on the Bitcoin network through software downloads and upgrades. However, miners and users must consent to those software modifications by downloading the altered software or upgrade implementing the changes; otherwise, the changes do not become part of the Bitcoin network. Since the Bitcoin network’s inception, changes to the Bitcoin network have been accepted by the vast majority of users and miners, ensuring that the Bitcoin network remains a coherent economic system. However, a developer or group of developers could potentially propose a modification to the Bitcoin network that is not accepted by a vast majority of miners and users, but that is nonetheless accepted by a substantial population of participants in the Bitcoin network. In such a case, a fork in the blockchain could develop and two separate Bitcoin networks could result, one running the pre-modification software program and the other running the modified version. An example is the introduction of Bitcoin Cash in mid-2017. This kind of split in the Bitcoin network could erode user confidence in the stability of the Bitcoin network, which could negatively affect the demand for our mining machines.
Our Bitcoin mining machines use open source software and hardware as their basic controller system, which may subject us to certain risks
We use open source software and hardware in our Bitcoin mining machines. For example, our mining machine controller open source software needs to be installed on open source, which servescustody business are banned in China as the basic controller system for our mining machines, and we expect to continue to use open source software and hardwarewell.
Changes in the future. We may face claims from others claiming ownership of,China’s economic, political or seeking to enforce the terms of, an open source license, including by demanding the release of the open source software, derivative works or our proprietary source code that was developed using such software. These claims could also result in litigation, requiring us to purchase a costly license or to devote additional research and development resources to change our technologies, either of which would have a negative effect on our business and operating results. In addition, if the license terms for the open source software we utilize change, we may be forced to re-engineer or discontinue our solutions or incur additional costs.
Cryptocurrency assets and transactions may be subject to further taxation in the future
In recent years, the rise of cryptocurrency prices and transaction volume has attracted the attention of tax authorities. As the laws governing cryptocurrencies are still evolving, the tax treatment of cryptocurrencies in various jurisdictions are subject to change. While some countries intend to or have imposed taxation on cryptocurrency assets and transactions, other tax authorities are silent. As there is considerable uncertainty over the taxation of cryptocurrencies, we cannot guarantee that the cryptocurrency assets and transactions denominated in cryptocurrencies will not be subject to further taxation in the future, including but not limited to additional taxes and increased tax rate. These events could reduce the economic return of cryptocurrency and increase the holding costs of cryptocurrency assets, which could materially and adversely affect the businesses and financial performances of our blockchain customers engaging in cryptocurrency mining businesses, and in turn could have material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
In addition, as we intend to establish operating mining farms, which will allow us to engage in both mining machine hosting services for third parties and proprietary Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency mining activities to mine cryptocurrencies for ourselves in the near future, these events could also reduce the expected economic returns from our proprietary mining operation significantly.
Bitcoin mining activities are energy-intensive, which may restrict the geographic locations of miners and have a negative environmental impact
Bitcoin mining activities are inherently energy-intensive and electricity costs account for a significant portion of the overall mining costs. The availability and cost of electricity will restrict the geographic locations of mining activities. Any shortage of electricity supply or increase in electricity cost in a jurisdiction may negatively impact the viability and the expected economic return for Bitcoin mining activities in that jurisdiction, which may in turn decrease the sales of our Bitcoin mining machines in that jurisdiction.
In addition, the significant consumption of electricity may have a negative environmental impact, including contribution to climate change, which may give rise to public opinion against allowing the use of electricity for Bitcoin mining activitiessocial conditions or government measures restricting or prohibiting the use of electricity for Bitcoin mining activities. Any such development in the jurisdictions where we sell our Bitcoin mining machines could lower the demand for our products, which in turn would have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Other Risks Relating to Our Business Operations
The global coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak has caused significant disruptions in our business, which we expect may continue to materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition
The outbreak of COVID-19 has spread throughout the world. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global pandemic. Many businesses and social activities in China and other countries and regions have been severely disrupted in the first quarter of 2020, including those of our suppliers, customers and employees. This global outbreak has also caused market panics, which materially and negatively affected the global financial markets, such as the plunge of global stocks on major stock exchanges in March 2020. Such disruption and the potential slowdown of the world’s economy in 2020 and beyond could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. We and our customers experienced and may continue to experience significant business disruptions and suspension of operations due to quarantine measures to contain the spread of the pandemic, which may cause shortage in the supply of raw materials, reduce our production capacity, increase the likelihood of default from our customers and delay our product delivery. The pandemic has also led to great volatility in the Bitcoin price, which may negatively affect the demand for our mining machines both in terms of the price and the quantity.
Our business operation was also disrupted, and may continue to be disrupted, if any of our employees are suspected of having contracted any contagious disease or condition, since it could require our employees to be quarantined or our offices and production to be closed down and disinfected. In 2020, the pandemic disrupted logistics necessary to import and export and slowed down our expansions. The overall production capacity for silicon wafers decreased due to shutdown of the factories and shelter-in-place orders issued by the governments. Our research and development facilities in Wuhan and Shanghai were closed until late 2020 and we paused research and development activities for months in early 2020. All of these had, and may continue to, have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition in the near term. We are closely monitoring the development of the COVID-19 pandemic and continuously evaluating any further potential impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition, which we believe will depend on the duration and degree of the pandemic. If the outbreak persists or escalates, we may be subject to further negative impact on our business operations and financial condition.
High customer concentration exposes us to all of the risks faced by our major customers and may subject us to significant fluctuations or declines in revenues
Our customers include both enterprises and individuals. A limited number of our major customers, however, have contributed a significant portion of our revenues in the past. Our revenue from the top three largest customers accounted for approximately 34%, 34% and 50% of our total revenues in 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. Our revenue from the top ten largest customers accounted for approximately 57%, 58% and 91% of our total revenues in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Although we continually seek to diversify our customer base, we cannot assure you that the proportion of the revenue contribution from these customers to our total revenues will decrease in the near future. We offer credit sales to our major, long-term customers. Dependence on a limited number of major customers will expose us to the risks of substantial losses and may increase our account receivables and extend its turn over days if any of them reduces or even ceases business collaborations with us. Specifically, any one of the following events, among others, may cause material fluctuations or declines in our revenues and have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects:
If we fail to maintain relationships with these major customers, and if we are unable to find replacement customers on commercially desirable terms or in a timely manner or at all, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.
We have been involved, and may continue to be involved, in disputes, claims or proceedings arising from our operations or class actions from time to time, which could result in significant liabilities and reputational harm and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations
We have been, and in the future may continue to be, involved in disputes, claims or proceedings arising out of our operations. For example, we are currently involved in several ongoing civil actions in relation to our sales of mining machines to several customers and our procurement of ASIC wafers from a supplier. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview —Legal Proceedings.” In addition, we may have disagreements with regulatory bodies in the course of our operations, which may subject us to administrative proceedings and unfavorable orders, directives or decrees that may result in financial losses. Ongoing disputes, claims or proceedings may divert our management’s attention and consume their time and our other resources.
In the past, shareholders of public companies have often brought securities class action suits against an issuer following periods of instability in the market price of an issuer’s securities, or after the publication of third-party research reports. Recently, a negative research report was published about us by Hindenburg Research in April 2021. Currently, we have been made aware of one or more classes of purported plaintiffs threatening or having filed lawsuits. As of the date of this annual report, we have not been formally served. If properly served, we plan to vigorously defend. However, any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, any disputes, claims or proceedings which are initially not of material importance may escalate and become important to us, due to a variety of factors, such as the facts and circumstances of the cases, the likelihood of loss, the monetary amount at stake and the parties involved. As of the date of this annual report, we are not able to quantify the likelihood or amount of exposure from any of these potential actions.
Negative publicity arising from disputes, claims or proceedings may damage our reputation and adversely affect the image of our brands and products. In addition, if any verdict or award is rendered against us, we could be required to pay significant monetary damages, assume other liabilities and even to suspend or terminate the related business ventures or projects. Consequently, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.
The average selling prices of certain products may decrease from time to time due to technological advancement and we may not be able to pass onto our suppliers such decreases, which may in turn adversely affect our profitability
The IC design industry is characterized by rapid launches of new products, continuous technological advancements and changing market trends and customer preferences, all of which translate to a shorter life cycle and a decrease in the average selling prices of products over time. For example, the average selling price per unit for our E12 bitcoin mining machines decreased from US$948 in 2019 to US$681 in 2020, and the average selling price per TH/s decreased from US$22 in 2019 to US$15 in 2020. Because we compete in the environment of rapidly-evolving technology advancement and market trends and developments of the IC design industry, we cannot assume you that we will be able to pass on any decrease in average selling prices of our products to our suppliers. If the average selling prices of our products unusually or significantly decrease and such decreases cannot be offset by a corresponding decrease in the prices of the principal components of our products, our gross profit margins may be materially and adversely affected, which in turn, may adversely affect our profitability.
We may not be able to price our products at our desired margins as a result of any decrease in our bargaining power or changes in market conditions
We set prices for our mining machines and telecommunication products based on a number of internal and external factors, such as the cost of production, the technological contents of our products, market conditions, and competition we face. Our ability to set favorable prices at our desired margins and to accurately estimate costs, among other factors, has a significant impact on our profitability. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain our pricing or bargaining power or that our gross profit margin will not be driven down by market conditions or other factors. If we see higher pricing pressure due to intensified competition from other manufacturers as our competitors’ products may be more technologically advanced or energy-efficient, decreases in prices to our customers in the end market or any other reasons, or if we otherwise lose bargaining power due to weaker demand for our products, we may need to reduce the prices and lower the margins of our products and we may even be unable to continue to market our products at all. Moreover, we may not be able to accurately estimate our costs or pass on all or part of any increase in our costs of production, in particular the costs of raw materials, components and
We are exposed to credit risks and concentration of credit risks in relation to defaults from counterparties
There are credit risks associated with our business. In particular, a drop in the Bitcoin price may also result in lower economic returns for mining activities of our blockchain customers and adversely affect their businesses and financial conditions, which may further affect their credit profiles and their ability to settle our accounts receivables. Although we generally require our blockchain customers to make full payment for our mining machines before delivery of products, in 2018 we began offering credit sales to customers in China. As of December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020, our net accounts receivable was US$21.6 million, US$8.1 million and US$7.2 million, respectively, and we recorded allowance for doubtful accounts of US$1.8 million, US$1.8 million and US$4.8 million as of the same dates.
In addition, we also face concentration of credit risks associated with our business. Our exposure to credit risk is influenced mainly by the individual characteristics of each customer as well as the industry or country in which the customers operate and is concentrated on a few customers. As of December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020, 33%, 15% and 24% of our total accounts receivables were due from one of our customers, respectively, and approximately 71%, 42% and 53% of our accounts receivables were attributable to three of our customers, respectively.
Although we monitor our exposure to credit risk on an ongoing basis and make periodic judgment on impairment of overdue receivables based on the likelihood of collectability, we cannot assure you that all of our counterparties are creditworthy and reputable and will not default on payments in the future. If we encounter significant delays or defaults in payment by our customers or are otherwise unable to recover our accounts receivables, our cash flow, liquidity and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.
The businesses that we are pursuing through certain of our subsidiaries’ initiatives are novel and subject to technical, operational, financial, regulatory, legal, reputational and marketing risks
We have and may continue to acquire interests in various businesses, including financial technology companies, broker-dealers, and digital currency transfer and payment businesses. We have limited experience with the operation of such businesses. In some countries the licensing requirements and regulations expressly cover companies engaged in digital currency activities; in others it is not clear whether or how the existing laws and regulations apply to digital currency activities. Licenses and registrations that we may be required to obtain may subject us to various anti-money laundering, know-your-customer, record-keeping, reporting and capital and bonding requirements, limitations on the investment of customer funds, and inspection by regulatory agencies. These are areas in which we do not have substantial experience and which are subject to the risks of new and novel businesses, including technical, operational, financial, regulatory, legal and reputational risks, as well as the risk that we may be unable to market, license or sell our technology successfully or profitably. The occurrence of any such risks, any such penalties, or even allegations of criminal or civil misconduct, could have a material adverse effect on us and on our financial results and business.
Our prepayments to suppliers may subject us to counterparty risk associated with such suppliers and negatively affect our liquidity
We are required to prepay some of our suppliers before the service is provided to secure the supplier’s production capacity. The amount of our prepayments may significantly increase as we continue to pursue technological advancement. We are subject to counterparty risk exposure to our suppliers. Any failure by our suppliers to perform their contract obligations on a timely manner and/or with our requested quality may result in us not being able to fulfill customers’ orders accordingly. In such event, we may not be able to regain the prepayment in a timely manner or in full, even though our suppliers are obligated to return such prepayments under specified circumstances as previously agreed upon. Furthermore, if the cash outflows for the prepayments significantly exceed the cash inflows during any period, our future liquidity position will be adversely affected.
If we fail to maintain appropriate inventory levels in line with the approximate level of demand for our products, we could lose sales or face excessive inventory risks and holding costs
To operate our business successfully and meet our customers’ demands and expectations, we must maintain a certain level of finished goods inventory to ensure immediate delivery when required. We are also required to maintain an appropriate level of raw materials for our production. However, forecasts are inherently uncertain. If our forecasted demand is lower than what eventually transpires, we may not be able to maintain an adequate inventory level of our finished goods or produce our products in a timely manner, and we may lose sales and market share to our competitors. On the other hand, we may also be exposed to increased inventory risks due to accumulated excess inventory of our products or raw materials, parts and components for our products. Excess inventory levels may lead to increases in inventory holding costs, risks of inventory obsolescence and provisions for write-downs, which will materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In order to maintain an appropriate inventory level of finished goods and raw materials to meet market demand, we adjust our procurement amount and production schedule from time to time based on customers’ orders and anticipated demand. We also carry out an inventory review and an aging analysis on a regular basis. We make provision for obsolete and slow-moving inventory of raw materials and finished goods that are no longer suitable for use in production or sale. However, we cannot guarantee that these measures will always be effective and that we will be able to maintain an appropriate inventory level. We may also be exposed to the risk of holding excessive inventory, including older generation mining machines that are less marketable as well as older ASIC chips which may increase our inventory holding costs and subject us to the risk of inventory obsolescence or write-offs, whichpolicies could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. For example, we recorded write-down for the potentially obsolete, slow-moving inventorycondition
Most of our revenues were and, lowera lot of cost or market adjustment of US$61.8 million and US$6.3 million in 2018 and 2019, respectively, primarily due to the decreaserevenues, in the market priceforeseeable future, are expected to be derived in China, and a lot of the Bitcoin. In 2020, we also recorded write-downs for the potentially obsolete, slow-moving inventory and lower of cost or market adjustment of US$3.6 million for the same reason. If we cannot maintain an appropriate inventory level, we may lose sales and market share to our competitors.
Shortages in, or rises in the prices of, the components of our mining machines may adversely affect our business
Given the long production period to manufacture, assemble, and deliver certain components and products, problems could arise in planning production and managing inventory levels that could seriously interrupt our operations, including the possibility of defective parts, an increase in component costs, delays in delivery schedules, and shortages of components. In addition to ASIC chips, the components we use for our mining machines include printed circuit boards, or PCBs, other electronic components, fans, and aluminum casings. The productionmost of our mining machines also requires certain ancillary equipment and components such as controllers, power adaptors, and connectors. The production ofmanufacturing, is conducted in China. Accordingly, our current products depends on obtaining adequate supplies of these components on a timely basis and at competitive prices. We do not typically maintain large inventory of the components, and rather purchase them on an “as-needed” basis from various third-party component manufacturers that satisfy our quality standards and meet our production requirements. We may have to turn to less reputable suppliers if we cannot source adequate components from our regular suppliers. Under such circumstances, the quality of the components may suffer and could cause performance issues in our mining machines.
Shortages of components could result in reduced production or delays in production, as well as an increase in production costs, which may negatively affect our ability to fulfill orders or make timely shipments to blockchain customers, as well as our customer relationships and profitability. Component shortages may also increase our costs of goods sold because we may be required to pay higher prices for components in short supply, or redesign or reconfigure products to accommodate for the substitute components, without being able to pass such cost to our blockchain customers. As a result, our business, prospects, results of operations and reputation couldfinancial condition may be materiallyinfluenced to a significant degree by political, economic and social conditions in China generally and by continued economic growth in China as a whole. The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the degree of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. Although the PRC 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 strategically allocating resources, controlling the 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. 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 any product defects.
We may fail to anticipate or adapt to technology innovations in a timely manner, or at all
The blockchain and telecommunications markets are experiencing rapid technological changes. Failure to anticipate technology innovations or adapt to such innovations in a timely manner, or at all, may result in our products becoming obsolete at sudden and unpredictable intervals and, accordingly, our products may become unmarketable. To maintain the relevancy of our products, we have actively invested in product planning and research and development. The process of developing and marketing new products is inherently complex and involves significant uncertainties. There are a number of risks, including the following:
Any failure to anticipate the next-generation technology roadmap or changes in customer preferences ortax regulations. In addition, in the past the Chinese government has implemented certain measures, including interest rate increases, to timely develop new or enhancedcontrol the pace of economic growth. These measures may cause decreased economic activity in China, and since 2012, and in particular in 2020 as a result of COVID-19, China’s economic growth slowed down. Any prolonged slowdown in the Chinese economy may reduce the demand for our products in response could result in decreased revenue and market share. In particular, we may experience difficulties with product design, product development, marketing or certification, which could result in excessive researchservices and development expenses and capital expenditure, delays or prevent our introduction of new or enhanced products. Furthermore, our research and development efforts may not yield the expected results, or may prove to be futile due to the lack of market demand.
We require various approvals, licenses, permits and certifications to operate our business. If we fail to obtain or renew any of these approvals, licenses, permits or certifications, it could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operationsoperations.
6
In accordance with
Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to you and us
The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value. The PRC legal system is evolving rapidly, but its current slate of laws may not be sufficient to cover all aspects of the economic activities in the jurisdictionsChina, including such activities that relate to or have an impact on our business. Implementation and interpretations of laws, regulations and rules are not always undertaken in a uniform matter (some of which we operate, we are requiredcan change rapidly with little advance notice) and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involves uncertainties.
From time to maintain various approvals, licenses, permits and certifications in order to operate our business or engage in the business we plan to enter into. Complying with such laws and regulations may require substantial expenses, any non-compliance may expose us to liability. In the event of that government authorities consider us to be in non-compliance,time, we may have to incurresort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. However, since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant expensesdiscretion in interpreting and divert substantial management time to rectify the incidents. If we fail to obtain all the necessary approvals, licenses, permitsimplementing statutory and certifications, wecontractual terms, it may be subjectmore difficult to finesevaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules (some of which are not published in a timely manner or the suspension of operations of the facilities that do not have the requisite approvals, licenses, permits or certifications, which would adversely affect our reputation, business and results of operations. See “Regulation” for further details on the requisite approvals license permits and certifications.
We have previously made sales to Iran, which is subject to sanctions and other regulations administered by the United States
Iran is subject to a comprehensive sanctions program administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, and shipments of products subject to the Export Administration Regulations promulgated by the Bureau of Industry and Security, or BIS, in the Commerce Department are also subject to restrictions. In 2016 and 2017, we engaged in transactions that included the sale and/or delivery of our products to Iran under circumstancesat all) that may involve breaches of U.S. sanctions and export control laws. On August 2, 2018, we disclosed these transactions to both OFAC and BIS by our submission of Voluntary Self Disclosures, or VSDs. On January 25, 2019, BIS closed the VSD withhave a Warning Letter and no penalty. On March 4, 2019, OFAC closed the VSD with a Cautionary Letter and no penalty.
While we have implemented internal control measures to mitigate our risk exposure to international sanctions, sanctions laws and regulations are constantly evolving, and new persons and entities are regularly added to the list of Sanctioned Persons. Further, new requirements or restrictions could come into effect which might increase the scrutiny on our business or result in one or more of our business activities being deemed to have violated sanctions. Our business and reputation could be adversely affected if the authorities of the United States, the European Union, the United Nations, Australia or any other jurisdictions were to determine that any of our future activities constitutes a violation of the sanctions they impose or provides a basis for a sanctions designation of our group.
We had historically experienced decrease in our telecommunications business and if we are unable to continue to operate our telecommunications business successfully, we may suspend or cease our telecommunication business entirely
Revenues from our telecommunications business were US$3.7 million, US$3.3 million and US$1.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. In December 2020, we sold all our equity ownership in Hangzhou Yiquansheng Communication Technology Co., Ltd., which provided technology services in the telecommunication sector and had incurred losses since its incorporation, to an affiliate controlled by Mr. Dong Hu, our chairman of the board of directors and Chief Executive Officer. Our telecommunications business will likely continue to be driven by the development of the communications industry in China, government policies, technological changes, user preference, and many other factors beyond our control. There is no guarantee that we will be able to maintain the competitiveness of our products or continue to operate our telecommunications business successfully as a key source of revenue. If we fail to grow our telecommunications business organically, we may suspend or cease such business line entirely.
Any disruption in our business relationship with our major telecommunications products customers as a result of market consolidation or otherwise will adversely affect our sales and market share in the telecommunications market
The telecommunications industry has experienced and may continue to experience significant consolidation. The merger and expansion of participants will enable them to maximize their economies of scale to provide more competitive prices and invest a larger amount of resources into research and development. Our telecommunication products are primarily sold to major telecommunications service providers and institutional customers in China. Consolidation of our customers may mean that we could lose out in price and non-price competition and lead to a significant reduction of market share.retroactive effect. As a result, we may not always be aware of any potential violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Such uncertainties, including unpredictability towards the scope and effect of our businesscontractual, property (including intellectual property) and results of operationsprocedural rights, and any failure to respond to changes in the telecommunications market could be materially and adversely affected.
We typically engage third-party agents to manage certain aspects of our business dealings with telecommunications products customers, and our business relationship with them may be adversely affected by any actual or perceived misconduct of our agents, over whom we have limited control. For example,regulatory environment in 2018, a local court in China convicted an employee of a major telecommunications products customer for taking bribes from a group of business partners, including our agents, and as a result, we have been blacklisted by such customer until the end of 2020. Although we are no longer blacklisted by such customer due to lapse of time, any future disruption of our business relationship with major telecommunications products customers could materially and adversely affect our business and resultsimpede our ability to continue our operations.
In addition, the PRC governmental authorities may intervene or influence our operations at any time, or may exert more control over offerings conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers, which could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer Class A ordinary shares to investors and cause the value of operations.such shares to significant decline or be worthless.
The telecommunications industry is subject to extensive and evolving laws and regulations
We may be directlyA severe or indirectly affected by changes in government regulations relating to the telecommunications and broadcast industriesprolonged downturn in the PRCglobal or the U.S. Failure to comply with the relevant laws and regulations could subject us to severe penalties, which could have a significant impact on our cash flow. Moreover, the change of laws and regulations may render our current products illegal and require us to invest additional resources into the research and development of new products in compliance with the laws. As a result, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected. For example, in January 2021 the New York Stock Exchange LLC, or NYSE announced to delist three Chinese telecommunication companies based on guidance that the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control provided to the NYSE. We are uncertain whether such actions will have further impact on our business or the Chinese telecommunication industry in general.
Our customers are also subject to laws and regulations applicable to the telecommunications and broadcast industries in the PRC. As they change their products to adapt to any change of telecommunications and broadcast laws, this may also require us to modify our products to fit their new products. Such modified or newly adopted laws and regulations could, directly or indirectly, affect the pricing, distribution and required standards of our telecommunications products and services and may have a material adverse impact on our business.
If we fail to maintain an effective quality control system, our business could be materially and adversely affected
We place great emphasis on product quality and adhere to stringent quality control measures and have obtained quality control certifications for our products. To meet our customers’ requirements and expectations for the quality and safety of our products, we have adopted a stringent quality control system to ensure that every step of the production process is strictly monitored and managed. Failure to maintain an effective quality control system or to obtain or renew our quality standards certifications may result in a decrease in demand for our products or cancellation or loss of purchase orders from our customers. Moreover, our reputation could be impaired. As a result, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
The quality of our products and services relies on third party suppliers and service providers we engage. If we fail to provide satisfactory services or maintain their service levels, iteconomy could materially and adversely affect our business reputation,and our financial condition
Although the Chinese economy has grown steadily in the past decade, there is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and resultsfiscal policies adopted by the People’s Bank of operations
We rely on third-party suppliersChina and service providers to provide quality productsfinancial authorities of some of the world’s leading economies, including the United States and services to customers,China. The proposed tariffs by the U.S. government and our brandthe potential of a trade war between the U.S. and reputation may be harmed by actions taken by them that are beyond our control. DespiteChina could dampen the measures wegrowth prospects of the Chinese and global economy. There have taken to ensurebeen concerns over unrest and terrorist threats in the quality of productsMiddle East, Europe and services provided by third-party suppliersAfrica, which have resulted in volatility in oil and service providers, to the extent that there are manufacturing defects beyond our control, or our third-party suppliers and service providers are unable to maintain the efficiency of their production facilities, supply sufficient components or raw materials in a timely manner, or provide satisfactory services to our customers, we may suffer reputational damage, and our brand image, business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
Our production facilities may be unable to maintain efficiency, encounter problems in ramping up production or otherwiseother markets. There have difficulty meeting our production requirements
Our future growth will depend upon our ability to maintain efficient operations at our existing production facilities and our ability to expand our production capacity as needed. The average utilization rate of our SMT production lines was 85.6%, 81.7%, 40.1% for 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. The utilization rate of our production facilities depends primarilyalso been concerns on the demand for our products and the availability and maintenance of our equipment but may also be affected by other factors, such as the availability of employees, a stable supply of electricity, seasonal factors and changes in environmental laws and regulations. In order to meet our customers’ demands and advancements in technology, we maintain and upgrade our equipment periodically. The pandemic in 2020 has negatively affected our production facilities and the utilization rate of our production facilities in 2020 decreased significantly. If the pandemic continues or we are unable to maintain our production facilities’ efficiency, we may be unable to fulfill our purchase orders in a timely manner, or at all. This would negatively impact our reputation, business and results of operations.
As we continue to grow and expand our business, we expect to acquire additional production lines and possibly a new production facility to increase our production capacity. If we are unable to acquire the necessary equipment or production facility at an acceptable price, or at all, we may not be successful in achieving our business expansion plans.
We have not obtained the construction works commencement permit and the real property ownership certificate for our production facility in Wuhai, and as a result, our production activities, business, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected if we are required to rectify this incident
To construct a production facility, we must obtain permits, licenses, certificatesrelationship among China and other approvals from the relevant administrative authorities at various stages of land acquisition and construction. Obtaining such approvals may require substantial expense, and any non-compliance may expose us to liability.
As of the date of this annual report, we have not obtained the construction works commencement permit for the construction work carried out in our production facility in Wuhai, and as a result, we had not obtained the real property ownership certificate for this production facility. As advised by our PRC legal advisors, we may be required by relevant PRC government authority to rectify this incident or may be subject to monetary penalties,Asian countries, which may disrupt our schedule of development and production activities to be carried out on this production facility. We are currently in the process of rectifying this incident. Although we do not expect any material obstacle in obtaining the real property ownership certificate for this production facility and the relevant governmental authority permits us to carry out production activities during the period of application for real property ownership certificate, we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain such certificate as soon as we expected or that we will not be required to suspend production in the future. If there is any delay in obtaining the real property ownership certificate for this production facility, we may be required to suspend our production for a certain period of time or even vacate the relevant property, and as a result, we may experience loss of revenue and may incur significant costs for relocation and therefore our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
We rely on third-party logistics service providers to deliver our products. Disruption in logistics may prevent us from meeting customer demand and our business, results of operations and financial condition may suffer as a result
We engage third-party logistics service providers to deliver the ICs from our production partners to our assembly plant and our products from our warehouses to our customers. Disputes with or termination of our contractual relationships with one or more of our logistics service providers could result in delayed delivery of products or increased costs. There can be no assurance that we can continue or extend relationships with our current logistics service providers on terms acceptable to us, or that we will be able to establish relationships with new logistics service providers to ensure accurate, timely and cost-efficient delivery services. If we are unable to maintain or develop good relationships with our preferred logistics service providers, it may inhibit our ability to offer products in sufficient quantities, on a timely basis, or at prices acceptable to our consumers. If there is any breakdown in our relationships with our preferred logistics service providers, we cannot assure you that no interruptions in our product delivery would occur or that they would not materially and adversely affect our business, prospects and results of operations.
As we do not have any direct control over these logistics service providers, we cannot guarantee their quality of service. In addition, services provided by these logistics service providers could be interrupted by unforeseen events beyond our control, such as poor handling provided by these logistics service providers, natural disasters, pandemics, adverse weather conditions, riots and labor strikes. If there is any delay in delivery, damage to products or any other issue, we may lose customers and sales and our brand image may be tarnished.
We face intense industry competition
As a fabless IC design company in the blockchain hardware industry, we operate in a highly competitive environment. Our competitors include companies that may have a larger market share, greater brand recognition, broader international customer base, greater financial resources or other competitive advantages. We anticipate that competition will increase as cryptocurrencies gain greater acceptance and more players join the market. Furthermore, we anticipate encountering new competition as we expand our sales and operations to new locations geographically and into wider applications of blockchain, cryptocurrency mining and mining farm operations. We also compete in the communication network devices industry in China with respect to our telecommunications business. Some of our competitors in this industry include larger, more well-established companies with greater economies of scale and more bargaining power with suppliers.
Strong competition in the market may require us to lower our prices, increase our sales and marketing expenses or otherwise invest greater resources to maintain or gain market share as needed to adequately compete. Such efforts may negatively impact our profitability. If we are unable to effectively adapt to changes or developments in the competitive landscape, our business, financial conditions and results of operations may be adversely affected.
We may encounter difficulties in recruiting and retaining key personnel
Our future growth and success depend, to a significant extent, on the continuing service and contribution of our engineers and senior management personnel. Many of these key personnel are highly skilled and experienced and are difficult to recruit and retain, particularly as we seek to expand our business with respect to the mining machines. Competition for recruiting qualified personnel is intense and recruiting personnel with the combination of skills and attributes required to execute our business strategy may be difficult, time-consuming and expensive. As a result, the loss of any key personnel or failure to recruit, train or retain qualified personnel could have a significant negative impact on our operations.
We have and may increasingly become a target for public scrutiny, including complaints to regulatory agencies, negative media coverage, and malicious allegations, all of which could severely damage our reputation and materially and adversely affect our business and prospects
We have been a target for public scrutiny, including complaints to regulatory agencies, negative media coverage, and malicious allegations. For example, in October 2018, a group of individuals initiated a complaint against one of our blockchain customers, alleging that the funds that this customer used to purchase mining machines from Zhejiang Ebang Communication Technology Co., Ltd., or Zhejiang Ebang, one of our PRC subsidiaries, were illegal proceeds from commercial fraud committed by this customer. Although we believe that these allegations are not true, negative publicity surrounding this incident had adversely affected our reputation. Certain features of cryptocurrency networks, such as decentralization, independence from sovereignty and anonymity of transactions, create the possibility of heightened attention from the public, regulators and the media. Heightened regulatory and public concerns over us and cryptocurrency-related issues may subject us to additional legal and social responsibilities and increased scrutiny and negative publicity over these issues, due to our leading position in the industry. From time to time, these allegations, regardless of their veracity, may result in consumer dissatisfaction, public protests or negative publicity, which could resultintensify potential conflicts in government inquiry or substantial harmrelation to our brand, reputationterritorial disputes. The ongoing war between Russian and operations.
Moreover, as our business expands and grows, both organically and through acquisitions of and investmentsUkraine has escalated global geopolitical tensions when Russia launched a large-scale land invasion into Ukraine in other businesses, domestically and internationally, we may be exposedFebruary 2022. Economic conditions in China are sensitive to heightened public scrutiny in jurisdictions where we already operateglobal economic conditions, as well as changes in new jurisdictions where we may operate. There is no assurance that we would not become a target for regulatorydomestic economic and political policies and the expected or public scrutinyperceived overall economic growth rate in China. Any severe or prolonged slowdown in the futureglobal or that scrutiny and public exposure would not severely damage our reputation as well as our business and prospects.
WeChinese economy may face difficulties in protecting our intellectual property rights
We rely on our intellectual property rights, in particular, our patents, software copyrights and our registered IC layout designs of our ASIC chips. Even though we have successfully registered certain of our intellectual property rights in the PRC, it may be possible for a third party to imitate or use our intellectual property rights without authorization. Additionally, we have developed and utilized some intellectual property that has not been registered. If a third party misuses or misappropriates our intellectual property, we may not be able to easily differentiate our products from the others in the market. As a result, we may be forced into an adverse price competition that reduces our profit margin. As we develop new technologies, we will need to continue to apply for intellectual property rights protections. There is no guarantee that we will be able to obtain valid and enforceable intellectual property rights in the PRC or in other relevant jurisdictions as needed. Even when we are able to obtain such protections, there is no guarantee that we will be able to effectively enforce our rights.
In this respect, we may incur expenses and efforts to monitor and enforce our intellectual property rights. Infringement of our intellectual property rights and the resulting diversion of resources to protect such rights through litigation or other means could also adversely affect our profitability.
Product defects resulting in a large-scale product recall or product liability claims against us could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and reputationfinancial condition.
We manufacture products in accordance with internationally accepted quality standards and specifications provided by our customers. However, we cannot assure you that all products produced by us are free of defects. Consequently, any product defects identified by our customers or end users might erode our reputation and negatively affect our customer relationships and future business. Product defects may also result in product returns and large-scale product recalls or product liability claims against us for substantial damages. For example, we are currently involved in an ongoing lawsuit against us in relation to our sales of mining machines to an individual customer who alleged that, among other things, our products did not meet advertised performance and product quality specifications. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview —Legal Proceedings.” Such claims, irrespective of the outcomes or the merits, would likely be time-consuming and costly to defend and could divert significant resources and management attention. Furthermore, even if we are able to defend any such claim successfully, we cannot assure you that our customers will not lose confidence in our products or that our future relationships with our customers will not be damaged. As a result, our business, results of operations, reputation and brand image could be materially and adversely affected by any product defects.
Power shortages, labor disputes and other factors may result in constraints on our production activities
Historically, we have not experienced constraints on our production activities, including at our assembly plant, due to power shortages, labor disputes or other factors. However, there can be no assurance that our operations will not be affected by power shortages, labor disputes or other factors in the future, thereby causing material production disruptions and delays in our delivery schedule. In such event, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
Cyber-security incidents, including data security breaches or computer viruses, could harm our business by disrupting our delivery of services, damaging our reputation or exposing us to liability
We receive, process, store and transmit, often electronically, the data of our customers and others, much of which is confidential. Unauthorized access to our computer systems or stored data could result in the theft, including cyber-theft, or improper disclosure of confidential information, and the deletion or modification of records could cause interruptions in our operations. These cyber-security risks increase when we transmit information from one location to another, including over the Internet or other electronic networks. Despite the security measures we have implemented, our facilities, systems and procedures, and those of our third-party service providers, may be vulnerable to security breaches, acts of vandalism, software viruses, misplaced or lost data, programming or human errors or other similar events which may disrupt our delivery of services or expose the confidential information of our customers and others. Any security breach involving the misappropriation, loss or other unauthorized disclosure or use of confidential information of our customers or others, whether by us or a third party, could subject us to civil and criminal penalties, have a negative impact on our reputation, or expose us to liability to our customers, third parties or government authorities. We are not aware of such breaches to date. Any of these developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we suffer failure or disruption in our information systems, our ability to effectively manage our business operations could be adversely affected
We use information systems to obtain, process, analyze and manage data crucial to our business such as our enterprise resource planning system. We use these systems to, among other things, monitor the daily operations of our business, maintain operating and financial data, manage our distribution network as well as manage our research and development activities, production operations and quality control systems. Any system damage or failure that interrupts data input, retrieval or transmission or increases service time could disrupt our normal operations. In particular, our operations could be disrupted if such damage or failure includes any security breach caused by hacking or cyber-security incidents, involves efforts to gain unauthorized access to our information or systems, or causes intentional malfunctions, loss or corruption of data, software or hardware, the intentional or inadvertent transmission of computer viruses and similar events or third-party actions. There can be no assurance that we will be able to effectively handle a failure of our information systems, or that we will be able to restore our operational capacity in a timely manner to avoid disruption to our business. The occurrence of any of these events could adversely affect our ability to effectively manage our business operations and negatively impact our reputation.
We may be subject to liability in connection with industrial accidents at our manufacturing facilities
Due to the nature of our operations, we are subject to the risks of potential liability associated with industrial accidents at our production facilities. We cannot assure you that industrial accidents, whether due to malfunction of equipment or other reasons, will not occur in the future at our production facilities. Under such circumstances, we may be subject to employee claims for compensation or penalties imposed by relevant government authorities and may suffer damage to our reputation. In addition, we may experience interruptions in our operations or may be required to change the manner in which we operate, as a result of governmental investigations or the implementation of safety measures due to accidents. Any of the foregoing events could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We currently do not have insurance coverage covering all risks related to our business and operations
We do not maintain insurance policies covering all of our business risks, such as risks relating to properties, receivables, goods in transit and public liability. There is no assurance that the insurance coverage we do have would be sufficient to cover our potential losses. See the section headed “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview——Insurance” for more information on the insurance policies maintained by us. In the event there is any damage to these items, we would have to pay for the difference ourselves where our cash flow and liquidity could be negatively affected.
If we fail to comply with labor, work safety or environmental regulations, we could be exposed to penalties, fines, suspensions or action in other forms
Our operations are subject to the labor, work safety and environmental protection laws and regulations promulgated by the PRC government. These laws and regulations require us to pay social insurance, maintain safe working conditions and adopt effective measures to control and properly dispose of solid waste and other environmental pollutants. We could be exposed to penalties, fines, suspensions or actions in other forms if we fail to comply with these laws and regulations. The laws and regulations in the PRC may be amended from time to time and changes in those laws and regulations may cause us to incur additional costs in order to comply with the more stringent rules. In the event that changes to existing laws and regulations require us to incur additional compliance costs or require costly changes to our production process, our costs could increase and we may suffer a decline in sales for certain products, as a result of which our business, financial conditions and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Our business operations and international expansion are subject to geopolitical risks
Our business operation and international expansion is subject to geopolitical risks. We mainly rely on our production partners in South Korea and Taiwan, including Samsung and TSMC, for the fabrication, testing and packaging of our ASICs. Any significant deterioration in the cross-strait relationship may have a negative impact on the ability of our production partners in Taiwan to fulfill their contractual obligations and ship the ASICs to us, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Also, we are at an initial preparatory stage of executing our plan to launch blockchain-enabled financial businesses to capture the growth opportunity along the value chain of the blockchain industry outside of the PRC, specifically in Canada, Australia and Singapore. Any significant deterioration in the relationship between China and any of these countries may have a material and adverse effect on our proposed business operations in these countries.
In addition, there might be significant changes to United States trade policies, treaties and tariffs, including trade policies and tariffs regarding the PRC. China may respond by imposing retaliatory trade measures against the United States. In 2018, the United States was the largest country outside the PRC by sales contribution to which we sold our Bitcoin mining machines. Further, we rely on suppliers in the United States for the supply of certain equipment and tools, such as our electronic design automation, a development tool. If the United States restricts or prohibits the importation of ASICs or related products from China, our international expansion may be negatively affected. If China imposes retaliatory trade measures that affect the importation of the equipment and tools we require, we may face difficulty in our production. In both cases, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
Increases in labor costs and enforcement of stricter labor laws and regulations in the PRC and our PRC subsidiaries’ additional payments of statutory employee benefits may adversely affect our business and profitability
The average wage in China has increased in recent years and is expected to continue to grow. The average wage level for our PRC subsidiaries’ employees has also increased in recent years. We expect that our PRC subsidiaries’ labor costs, including wages and employee benefits, will continue to increase. Unless we are able to pass on these increased labor costs to our customers, our profitability and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
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In addition, weour PRC subsidiaries 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 funds, medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance to designated government agencies for the benefit of our PRC subsidiaries’ 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 weour PRC subsidiaries decide to terminate some of our PRC subsidiaries’ employees or otherwise change ourtheir employment or labor practices, the PRC Labor Contract Law and its implementation rules may limit ourtheir ability to effect those changes in a desirable or cost-effective manner, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Pursuant to PRC laws and regulations, companies registered and operating in China are required 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. WeOur PRC subsidiaries have not fully paid social insurance and housing provident funds for all of ourtheir employees due to inconsistency in implementation or interpretation of the relevant PRC laws and regulations among government authorities in the PRC and, in some cases, voluntary decisions by the relevant employees. Recently, asAs the PRC government enhancedmay enhance its enforcement measures relating to social insurance and housing fund deposit collection, weour PRC subsidiaries may be required to make up the contributions for ourtheir employees, and may be further subjected to late fees payment and administrative fines, which may materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. As the interpretation and implementation of labor-related laws and regulations are still evolving, we cannot assure you that our PRC subsidiaries’ current 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. In addition, we may incur additional expenses in order to comply with such laws and regulations, which may adversely affect our business and profitability.
The determination of the fair value changes of our financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss requires the use of estimates that are based on unobservable inputs, and therefore inherently involves a certain degree of uncertainty
We use significant unobservable inputs, such as discount rate, expected rate of return, expected volatility and risk-free interest rate, in valuing our financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss including bank wealth management products. The fair value change of financial assets at fair value through profit or loss may affect our financial position and results of operations. Accordingly, such determination requires us to make significant estimates, which may be subject to material changes, and therefore inherently involves a certain degree of uncertainty. Factors beyond our control such as general economic condition and changes in market interest rates may influence and cause adverse changes to the estimates we use and thereby affect the fair value of our financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss, which in return may adversely affect our results of operation and financial condition.
Our deferred tax assets are subject to accounting uncertainties
In the application of our accounting policies, our management is required to make judgments, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amounts of certain assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Therefore, actual results may differ from these accounting estimates. As of December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020, the carrying value of our total deferred tax assets was US$0.6 million, US$8.54 million and US$0, respectively. Based on our accounting policies, deferred tax assets are recognized to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits will be available against which the temporary differences can be utilized. The realization of a deferred tax asset mainly depends on our management’s estimate as to whether sufficient future profits will be available in the future. Management’s assessment is constantly reviewed and additional deferred tax assets are recognized if it becomes probable that future taxable profits will allow the deferred tax assets to be recovered. If sufficient future taxable profits are not expected to be generated or are less than expected, a material reversal of deferred tax assets may arise in future periods.
Any change or discontinuation of preferential tax treatment we currently enjoy would increase our tax charge
Our PRC subsidiaries are subject to the PRC corporate income tax at a standard rate of 25% on their taxable income, but in 2018, 2019 and 2020, preferential tax treatment was available to three of our PRC subsidiaries. Zhejiang Ebang was recognized as a “High-tech Enterprise” for 2018, 2019 and 2020, and Hangzhou Dewang was recognized as a “High-tech Enterprise” for 2018, 2019 and 2020, which allowed them to apply an income tax rate of 15% during respective periods. Zhejiang Ebang Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Ebang IT, was qualified as a software enterprise in 2018, and thus was entitled to a five-year tax holiday (full exemption for the first two years and a 50% reduction in the standard income tax rate for the following three years) in 2018 until its software enterprise qualification ended in 2019.
We cannot assure you that the PRC policies on preferential tax treatments will not change or that the current preferential tax treatments we enjoy or will be entitled to enjoy will not be canceled. Moreover, we cannot assure you that our PRC subsidiaries will be able to renew the same preferential tax treatments upon expiration. If any such change, cancelation or discontinuation of preferential tax treatment occurs, the relevant PRC subsidiaries will be subject to the PRC enterprise income tax, or EIT, at a rate of 25% on taxable income. As a result, the increase in our tax charge could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.
The audit report included in this annual report is prepared by auditor who might not be fully inspected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and, as such, you may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection
Our independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report included in our annual report, as auditors of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or the PCAOB, is required by the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess its compliance with the laws of the United States and professional standards.
Because we have substantial operations within the PRC and the PCAOB might be unable to conduct full inspections of the work of our independent registered public accounting firm as it relates to those operations without the approval of the Chinese authorities, our independent registered public accounting firm might not be inspected fully by the PCAOB. This lack of PCAOB inspections in the PRC prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating our independent registered public accounting firm’s audits and its quality control procedures. As a result, investors may be deprived of the benefits of PCAOB inspections.
On May 24, 2013, the PCAOB announced that it had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on Enforcement Cooperation with the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, and the Ministry of Finance which establishes a cooperative framework between the parties for the production and exchange of audit documents relevant to investigations in the United States and China. On inspection, it appears that the PCAOB continues to be in discussions with the Mainland China regulators to permit inspections of audit firms that are registered with the PCAOB in relation to the audit of Chinese companies that trade on U.S. exchanges.
On December 7, 2018, the SEC and the PCAOB issued a joint statement highlighting continued challenges faced by the U.S. regulators in their oversight of financial statement audits of U.S.-listed companies with significant operations in China. In a statement issued on December 9, 2019, the SEC reiterated concerns over the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of the audit firm work papers with respect to U.S.-listed companies that have operations in China, and emphasized the importance of audit quality in emerging markets, such as China. On April 21, 2020, the Chairman of the SEC, Chairman of the PCAOB and certain other SEC divisional heads jointly issued a public statement, reminding the investors that with respect to investments in companies that are based in or have substantial operations in many emerging markets, including China, there is substantially greater risk of incomplete or misleading disclosures and, in the event of investor harm, substantially less recourse, in comparison to U.S. domestic companies. The joint statement reinforced past statements of the SEC and the PCAOB on matters including the difficulty to inspect audit work papers in China and its potential harm to investors. These public statements reflect a heightened regulatory interest in this issue. However, it remains unclear what further actions the SEC and the PCAOB will take to address the concerns and the impact on Chinese companies listed in the United States.
Inspections of other firms that the PCAOB has conducted outside the PRC have identified deficiencies in those firms’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct full inspections of auditors in the PRC makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our independent registered public accounting firm’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of the PRC that are subject to PCAOB inspections. Investors may lose confidence in our reported financial information and procedures and the quality of our financial statements.
As part of a continued regulatory focus in the United States on access to audit and other information currently protected by national law, in particular China, in June 2019, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced bills in both houses of the U.S. Congress, and passed requiring the SEC to maintain a list of issuers for which the PCAOB is not able to inspect or investigate an auditor report issued by a foreign public accounting firm. The proposed Ensuring Quality Information and Transparency for Abroad-Based Listings on our Exchanges (EQUITABLE) Act prescribes more stringent disclosure requirements for these issuers and, beginning in 2025, the delisting from U.S. national securities exchanges, such as the Nasdaq Stock Market, of issuers included on the SEC’s list for three consecutive years. On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the Kennedy Bill, which includes requirements similar to those in the EQUITABLE Act requiring the SEC to identify issuers whose audit reports are prepared by auditors that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate because of restrictions imposed by non-U.S. authorities. The Kennedy Bill would also require public companies on the SEC’s list to certify that they are not owned or controlled by a foreign government and make certain additional disclosures on foreign ownership and control of such issuers in their SEC filings. The Kennedy Bill was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on December 2, 2020 and was signed into law by the U.S. President on December 18, 2020.The Kennedy Bill would amend the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to require the SEC to prohibit securities of any U.S.-listed companies from being listed on any of the U.S. securities exchanges, such as the Nasdaq Stock Market, or traded “over-the-counter”, if the registrant’s financial statements have been audited by an accounting firm branch or office that is not subject to PCAOB inspection for a period of three consecutive years after the Kennedy Bill becomes effective. Enactment of the Kennedy Bill or any other similar legislations or efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could cause investor uncertainty for affected issuers, including us, and the stock price could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, enactment of these legislations may result in prohibitions on the trading of our Class A ordinary shares on the Nasdaq Stock Market, if our auditors fail to meet the PCAOB inspection requirement in time.
Fluctuations in exchange rates could affect our results of operations and reduce the value of your investment
We primarily operate in China. Our reporting currency is denominated in U.S. dollars. We are exposed to currency risks primarily through sales and purchases which give rise to receivables, payables and cash balances that are denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of the operations to which the transaction relates. We are therefore subject to the risk of fluctuations in the exchange rate of U.S. dollars against Hong Kong dollars, Renminbi and Euros. The value of U.S. dollars against Hong Kong dollars, Renminbi and Euros fluctuates and is subject to changes resulting from the PRC government’s policies and depends to a large extent on domestic and international economic and political developments, as well as supply and demand in the local market. With the development of the foreign exchange market and progress toward interest rate liberalization and Renminbi internationalization, the PRC government may in the future announce further changes to the exchange rate system, and we cannot assure you that Renminbi will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against Hong Kong dollars, U.S dollars or Euros in the future.
We incurred a foreign exchange loss of US$0.4 million and US$0.3 million in 2018 and 2020, and foreign exchange gains of US5.7 million in 2019. We had currency translation losses of US$11.4 million and US$1.2 million in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and a gain of US$2.0 million in 2020, recognized in other comprehensive loss. Such currency translation gains or losses resulted from exchange differences on translation of financial statements of our entities using currencies other than U.S. dollars as their functional currencies, net of nil tax.
In addition, should Renminbi appreciate against other currencies, the value of the proceeds from any future financings, which are to be converted from U.S. dollars or other currencies into Renminbi, would be reduced and might accordingly hinder our business development due to the reduced amount of funds raised. On the other hand, in the event of devaluation of Renminbi, the dividend payments of our company, which are to be paid in U.S. dollars after conversion of the distributable profit denominated in Renminbi, would be reduced. Hence, substantial fluctuation in the currency exchange rate of Renminbi may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and the value of your investment in our Class A ordinary shares.
If we grant employees share options or other equity incentives in the future, our net income could be adversely affected.
We have adopted our 2020 Share Incentive Plan, effective upon the completion of our initial public offering, and may grant options in the future. We are required to account for share-based compensation expenses in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation, which generally requires a company to recognize, as an expense, the fair value of share options and other equity incentives to employees based on the fair value of equity awards on the date of the grant, with the compensation expense recognized over the period in which the recipient is required to provide service in exchange for the equity award. If we grant options or other equity incentives in the future, we could incur significant compensation charges and our results of operations could be adversely affected.
If we fail to implement and maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may be unable to accurately or timely report our results of operations or prevent fraud, and investor confidence and the market price of our Class A ordinary shares may be materially and adversely affected
In the course of preparing and auditing our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified one material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. As defined in the standards established by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board of the United States, a “material weakness” is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. The material weakness identified are related to the lack of sufficient accounting personnel with appropriate experience and knowledge in financial reporting in accordance with U.S.GAAP. We intend to implement a number of measures to address these material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. We cannot assure you, however, that these measures may fully address these deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting or that we may conclude that they have been fully remedied.
Since our initial public offering, we have become a public company in the United States subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or Section 404, requires that we include a report of management on our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report on Form 20-F beginning with our second annual report on Form 20-F after becoming a public company. In addition, once we cease to be an “emerging growth company” as such term is defined in the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm must attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Our management may conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective. Moreover, even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, our independent registered public accounting firm, after conducting its own independent testing, may issue a report that is qualified if it is not satisfied with our internal controls or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us. In addition, as a public company, our reporting obligations may place a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable future. We may be unable to timely complete our evaluation testing and any required remediation. During the course of documenting and testing our internal control procedures, in order to satisfy the requirements of Section 404, we may identify other weaknesses and deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting.
In addition, if we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, as these standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404. Generally, if we fail to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment, we could suffer material misstatements in our financial statements and fail to meet our reporting obligations, which would likely cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information. This could in turn limit our access to capital markets, harm our results of operations, and lead to a decline in the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares. Additionally, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could expose us to increased risk of fraud or misuse of corporate assets and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which we list, regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions. We may also be required to restate our financial statements from prior periods.
Risks Relating to Conducting Business in China
We may be adversely affected by inflation or labor shortage in China
In recent years, the PRC economy has experienced periods of rapid expansion and highly fluctuating rates of inflation. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the year-over-year percent changes in the consumer price index for December 2018, 20192020, 2021 and 20202022 were increases of 1.9%0.2%, 4.5%1.5% and 0.2%1.8%, respectively. Although we have not been materially affected by inflation in the past, we may be affected if PRC experiences higher rates of inflation in the future. It is uncertain when the general price level may increase or decrease sharply in the future. Moreover, the significant economic growth in China has resulted in a general increase in labor costs and shortage of low-cost labor. Inflation may cause our production cost to continue to increase. If we are unable to pass on the increase in production cost to our customers, we may suffer a decrease in profitability and a loss of customers and our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Our corporate structure may restrict our ability to receive dividends from, and transfer funds to, our PRC operating subsidiaries, which could restrict our ability to act in response to changing market conditions in a timely manner
We are a Cayman Islands holding company and a certain portion of our operations are conducted through our operating subsidiaries. The ability of our operating subsidiaries to make dividend and other payments to us may be restricted by factors that include changes in applicable foreign exchange and other laws and regulations.
In particular, under the PRC law, each of our PRC operating subsidiaries may only pay dividends after 10% of its net profit has been set aside as reserve funds, unless such reserves have reached at least 50% of its registered capital. In addition, the profit available for distribution from our PRC operating subsidiaries is determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the PRC. This calculation may differ if it were performed in accordance with U.S. GAAP. As a result, we may not have sufficient distributions from our PRC operating subsidiaries to enable necessary profit distributions to our shareholders in the future, which would be based upon our financial statements prepared under U.S. GAAP.
Distributions by our PRC operating subsidiaries to us other than as dividends may be subject to governmental approval and taxation. Any transfer of funds from our company to our PRC operating subsidiaries, either as a shareholder loan or as an increase in registered capital, is subject to registration or approval of PRC governmental authorities, including the relevant administration of foreign exchange and/or the relevant examining and approval authority. These limitations on the free flow of funds between us and our PRC subsidiaries could restrict our ability to act in response to changing market conditions in a timely manner.
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We may be subject to EIT on our worldwide income if our company or any of our subsidiaries were considered a PRC “resident enterprise” under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, or the EIT Law
Under the EIT Law and its implementation rules, enterprises established outside of the PRC with “de facto management bodies” within the PRC are considered a “resident enterprise” and will be subject to EIT at a rate of 25% on their worldwide income. The implementation rules under EIT define the term “de facto management bodies” as “establishments that carry out substantial and overall management and control over the production, operation, personnel, accounting, properties, etc. of an enterprise.” The State Administration of Taxation of the PRC, or the SAT promulgated the Notice Regarding the Determination of Chinese-Controlled Offshore Incorporated Enterprises as PRC Tax Resident Enterprises on the Basis of De Facto Management Bodies, or Circular 82, on April 22, 2009, whichas amended on November 8, 2013, provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management body” of a Chinese-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise is located in the PRC. On July 27, 2011, the SAT issued the Measures for Administration of Income Tax of Chinese Controlled Resident Enterprises Incorporated Overseas (Trial), or Circular 45, as amended on June 15, 2018, to supplement Circular 82 and other tax laws and regulations. Circular 45 clarifies certain issues relating to resident status determination. Although Circular 82 and Circular 45 apply only to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC group companies and not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the determining criteria set forth in Circular 82 and Circular 45 may reflect the SAT’s general position on how the “de facto management body” test should be applied in determining the tax resident status of offshore enterprises, regardless of whether they are controlled by PRC enterprises or individuals or foreign enterprises. A substantial majority of our senior management team is located in China. If our company or any of our subsidiaries were considered to be a PRC “resident enterprise,” we would be subject to EIT at a rate of 25% on our worldwide income, which could materially reduce our net income.
Dividends payable to our foreign investors and gains on the sale of our Class A ordinary shares by our foreign investors may become subject to PRC tax
Under the EIT Law and its implementation regulations issued by the State Council, a 10% PRC withholding tax is applicable to dividends payable to investors that are non-resident enterprises, which do not have an establishment or place of business in the PRC or which have such establishment or place of business but the dividends are not effectively connected with such establishment or place of business, to the extent such dividends are derived from sources within the PRC. Similarly, any gain realized on the transfer of our Class A ordinary shares by such investors is also subject to PRC tax at a current rate of 10%, subject to any reduction or exemption set forth in applicable tax treaties or under applicable tax arrangements between jurisdictions, if such gain is regarded as income derived from sources within the PRC. If we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends paid on our Class A ordinary shares, and any gain realized from the transfer of our Class A ordinary shares, would be treated as income derived from sources within the PRC and would as a result be subject to PRC taxation. Furthermore, if we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends payable to individual investors who are non-PRC residents and any gain realized on the transfer of our Class A ordinary shares by such investors may be subject to PRC tax at a current rate of 20%, subject to any reduction or exemption set forth in applicable tax treaties or under applicable tax arrangements between jurisdictions. If we or any of our subsidiaries established outside China are considered a PRC resident enterprise, it is unclear whether holders of our Class A ordinary shares would be able to claim the benefit of income tax treaties or agreements entered into between China and other countries or areas. If dividends payable to our non-PRC investors, or gains from the transfer of our Class A ordinary shares by such investors, are deemed as income derived from sources within the PRC and thus are subject to PRC tax, the value of your investment in our Class A ordinary shares may decline significantly.
Any adverse changes of any preferential tax treatments and government grants that may be available to us in the future could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We have benefited from preferential tax treatments from the government and government grants, such as “high-tech enterprise” tax status and VAT tax refund. We cannot assure you that we are able to meet the relevant requirements and be re-granted the preferential tax treatments and government grants upon their expiration, or to apply for other preferential tax treatments or government grants. The policies regarding the preferential tax treatments and government grants are subject to change and termination. The government authorities may decide to reduce, eliminate or cancel our tax preferences at any time. Therefore, we cannot assure you of the continued availability of such tax preferences or government grants which we currently enjoy. The discontinuation, reduction or delay of the preferential tax treatments and government grants could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. For more detailed information, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Operating Results—Key Components of Results of Operations—Taxation”.
PRC regulations relating to investments in offshore companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC-resident beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiaries to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries or limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits
In July 2014, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the PRC, or SAFE, promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents’ Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, which replaces the previous SAFE Circular 75. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents, including PRC individuals and PRC corporate entities, to register with SAFE or its local branches in connection with their direct or indirect offshore investment activities. SAFE Circular 37 is applicable to our shareholders who are PRC residents and may be applicable to any offshore acquisitions that we may make in the future.
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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, are required to register such investments with SAFE or its local branches. In addition, any PRC resident who is a direct or indirect shareholder of an SPV, is required to update its registration with the local branch of SAFE with respect to that SPV, to reflect any material change. Moreover, any subsidiary of such SPV in China is required to urge the PRC resident shareholders to update their registration with the local branch of SAFE to reflect any material change. If any PRC resident shareholder of such SPV fails to make the required registration or to update the registration, the subsidiary of such SPV in China may be prohibited from distributing its profits or the proceeds from any capital reduction, share transfer or liquidation to the SPV, and the SPV may also be prohibited from making additional capital contributions into its subsidiaries in China. In February 2015, SAFE promulgated a Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Foreign Exchange Administration Policy on Direct Investment, or SAFE Notice 13. Under SAFE Notice 13, applications for foreign exchange registration of inbound foreign direct investments and outbound direct investments, including those required under SAFE Circular 37, must be filed with qualified banks instead of SAFE. Qualified banks should examine the applications and accept registrations under the supervision of SAFE. We have used our bestcommercially reasonable efforts to notify PRC residents or entities who directly or indirectly hold shares in our Cayman Islands holding company and who are known to us as being PRC residents to complete the foreign exchange registrations. However, we may not be informed of the identities of all the PRC residents or entities holding direct or indirect interest in our company, nor can we compel our beneficial owners to comply with SAFE registration requirements. We cannot assure you that all other shareholders or beneficial owners of ours who are PRC residents or entities have complied with, and will in the future make, obtain or update 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 subsidiaries, could subject us to fines or legal sanctions, restrict our overseas or cross-border investment activities, limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to make distributions or pay dividends to us or affect our ownership structure, which could adversely affect our business and prospects.
Furthermore, as these foreign exchange and outbound investment related regulations are relatively new and their interpretation and implementation has been constantly evolving, it is unclear how these regulations, and any future regulation concerning offshore or cross-border investments and transactions, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant government authorities. For example, we may be subject to a more stringent review and approval process with respect to our foreign exchange activities, such as remittance of dividends and foreign-currency-denominated borrowings, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. We cannot assure you that we have complied or will be able to comply with all applicable foreign exchange and outbound investment related regulations. In addition, if we decide to acquire a PRC domestic company, we cannot assure you that we or the owners of such company, as the case may be, will be able to obtain the necessary approvals or complete the necessary filings and registrations required by the foreign exchange regulations. This may restrict our ability to implement our acquisition strategy and could adversely affect our business and prospects.
We and our shareholders face uncertainties with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises or other assets attributed to a Chinese establishment of a non-Chinese company, or immovable properties located in China owned by non-Chinese companies
In February 2015, SAT issued a Public Notice Regarding Certain Corporate Income Tax Matters on Indirect Transfer of Properties by Non-Tax Resident Enterprises, or SAT Public Notice 7. SAT Public Notice 7 extends its tax jurisdiction to transactions involving transfer of other taxable assets through offshore transfer of a foreign intermediate holding company. In addition, SAT Public Notice 7 provides clear criteria for assessment of reasonable commercial purposes and has introduced safe harbors for internal group restructurings and the purchase and sale of equity through a public securities market. SAT Public Notice 7 also brings challenges to both foreign transferor and transferee (or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer) of taxable assets. In October 2017, SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Concerning the Withholding of Non-resident Enterprise Income Tax at Source, or SAT Bulletin 37, which came into effect on December 1, 2017. The SAT Bulletin 37 further clarifies the practice and procedure of the withholding of non-resident EIT. 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 as either transferor or transferee, or the PRC entity that directly owns the taxable assets, may report such Indirect Transfer to the relevant tax authority. Using a “substance over form” principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer other than transfer of shares acquired and sold on public markets may be subject to EIT, 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%. 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.
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We face uncertainties as to the reporting and other implications of certain past and future transactions that involve PRC taxable assets, such as offshore restructuring, sale of the shares in our offshore subsidiaries and investments. Our company may be subject to filing obligations or taxed if our company is transferor in such transactions and may be subject to withholding obligations if our company is transferee in such transactions, under SAT Public Notice 7 or SAT Bulletin 37, or both.
We are subject to PRC restrictions on currency exchange
Some of our revenues and expenses are denominated in Renminbi. The Renminbi is currently convertible under the “current account,” which includes dividends, trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, but not under the “capital account,” which includes foreign direct investment and loans, including loans we may secure from our onshore subsidiaries. Currently, certain of our PRC subsidiaries may purchase foreign currency for settlement of “current account transactions,” including payment of dividends to us, without the approval of the SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, the relevant PRC governmental authorities may limit or eliminate our ability to purchase foreign currencies in the future for current account transactions. Foreign exchange transactions under the capital account remain subject to limitations and require approvals from, or registration with, the SAFE and other relevant PRC governmental authorities. Since a part of our future net income and cash flow will be denominated in Renminbi, any existing and future restrictions on currency exchange may limit our ability to utilize cash generated in Renminbi to fund our business activities outside of the PRC or pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders, including holders of our Class A ordinary shares, and may limit our ability to obtain foreign currency through debt or equity financing for our subsidiaries.
If the custodians or authorized users of our controlling non-tangible assets, including chops and seals, fail to fulfill their responsibilities, or misappropriate or misuse these assets, our business and operations may be materially and adversely affected
Under PRC law, legal documents for corporate transactions, including agreements and contracts such as the leases and sales contracts that our business relies on, are executed using the chop or seal of the signing entity or with the signature of a legal representative whose designation is registered and filed with the relevant local branch of the market supervision administration.
In order to maintain the physical security of our chops and the chops of our PRC entities,subsidiaries, we generally store these items in secured locations accessible only by the authorized personnel of each of our PRC subsidiarysubsidiaries and consolidated entities. 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 any of our PRC subsidiarysubsidiaries or consolidated entities, we, our PRC subsidiaries or consolidated entities 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, apply for new 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.
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The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for some acquisitions of Chinese 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 Companies by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in August 2006 and amended in June 2009, and some other 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, including requirements in some instances that shall obtained an approval from the Ministry of Commerce, or the MOFCOM, in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise. 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 addition, the Safety Review System for Merger and Acquisition of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors issued by the MOFCOM that became effective in September 2011 specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors that raise “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions through which foreign investors may acquire de facto control over domestic enterprises that raise “national security” concerns are subject to strict review by the MOFCOM, and the rules prohibit any activities attempting to bypass a security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions could be time consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the MOFCOM or its local counterparts may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share.
We may be required to obtain approval or subject to filings or other requirements from the CSRC or other PRC regulatory authorities in connection with our offshore offerings under PRC law, and we cannot predict whether or for how long we will be able to complete such filing
On July 6, 2021, the relevant PRC government authorities issued the Opinions on Strictly Scrutinizing Illegal Securities Activities in Accordance with the Law. These opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities and the supervision on overseas listings by China-based companies, to improve relevant laws and regulations on data security, cross-border data transmission, and confidential information management, and provided that efforts will be made to revise the regulations on strengthening the confidentiality and file management relating to the offering and listing of securities overseas, and proposed to take effective measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems to deal with the risks and incidents faced by China-based overseas-listed companies.
On February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated Trial Administrative Measures of the Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (the “Overseas Listing Trial Measures”) and five related guidelines, which became effective on March 31, 2023. The Overseas Listing Trial Measures comprehensively improve and reform the existing regulatory regime for overseas offering and listing of PRC domestic companies’ securities and will regulate both direct and indirect overseas offering and listing of PRC domestic companies’ securities through a filing-based regulatory regime.
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Pursuant to the Overseas Listing Trial Measures, PRC domestic companies that seek to offer and list securities in overseas markets, either through direct or indirect means, are required to go through the filing procedure with the CSRC and report relevant information. The Overseas Listing Trial Measures provides that if the issuer meets both of the following criteria, the overseas securities offering and listing conducted by such issuer will be deemed as an indirect overseas listing by PRC domestic companies: (i) 50% or more of any of the issuer’s operating revenue, total profit, total assets or net assets as documented in its audited consolidated financial statements for the most recent fiscal year is accounted for by domestic companies; and (ii) the main parts of the issuer’s business activities are conducted in mainland China, or its main place(s) of business are located in mainland China, or the majority of senior management staff in charge of its business operations and management are PRC citizens or have their usual place(s) of residence located in mainland China. Besides, the determination as to indirect overseas listing by PRC domestic companies, shall be made on a substance over form basis. Subsequent securities offerings of an issuer in the same overseas market where it has previously offered and listed securities shall be filed with the CSRC within 3 working days after the offering is completed, and Subsequent securities offerings and listings of an issuer in other overseas markets than where it has offered and listed shall be filed with the CSRC within 3 working days after the relevant application is submitted overseas. If a domestic company fails to fulfill the filing procedure, the CSRC shall order rectification, issue warnings to such domestic company, and impose a fine; directly liable persons-in-charge and other directly liable persons shall be warned and each imposed a fine. According to Circular on the Arrangements for the Filing-based Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies issued by the CSRC on February 17, 2023, from the implementation date of the Overseas Listing Trial Measures, domestic enterprises subject to the scope of filing that have offered shares or been listed overseas, or have met the following conditions shall be deemed as “existing enterprises”, which are not required to go through the filing immediately but shall be required to do so if they involve in re-financing and other filing matters in the future.
Based on the aforementioned criteria, we may be deemed as a PRC domestic company and our offshore offerings may be deemed as an indirect overseas listing by PRC domestic companies. Since we had already completed overseas offering prior to the effective date of the Overseas Listing Trial Measures, we should be deemed as an “existing enterprise” and not be required to go through the filing immediately. Only when we involve in re-financing and other filing matters will we be required to complete such filling with the CSRC. If so, we cannot assure you that we could meet such requirements or complete such filing in a timely manner. Any failure may restrict our ability to complete the proposed offshore offerings, which would have a material adverse effect on our business and financial positions. Further, as the Overseas Listing Trial Measures was recently promulgated, there remains substantial uncertainties as to its interpretation and implementation and how it may impact our ability to raise or utilize fund for business operation.
On December 28, 2021, the CAC, the NDRC, the MIIT, and several other administrations jointly promulgated the Cybersecurity Review Measures ( the “Cybersecurity Measures”), which became effective on February 15, 2022. The Cybersecurity Measures has replaced its previous version promulgated on April 13, 2020. According to the Cybersecurity Measures, among others, (i) an application for cybersecurity review shall be made by an issuer who is a network platform operator holding personal information of more than one million users before such issuer applies to list securities on a foreign stock exchange; and (ii) the relevant PRC governmental authorities may initiate cybersecurity review if such governmental authorities determine that the issuer’s network products or services, or data processing activities affect or may affect national security. On the bases that (i) the Cybersecurity Measures was promulgated recently, (ii) the exact scope of “network platform operator” under the Cybersecurity Measures remains unclear, and (iii) there are substantial uncertainties on the interpretation and application of the Cybersecurity Measures, there can be no assurance that we would be required to apply for such cybersecurity review for our offshore offerings. Any failure in completion of a cybersecurity review may result in administrative penalties, including fines, a shut-down of our business, revocation of requisite licenses, as well as reputational damage or legal proceedings or actions against us, which may have material adverse effects on our business, financial condition and results of operations. As of the date of this annual report, we have not been involved in any formal investigations on cybersecurity review made by the CAC on such basis.
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In addition, 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, including the cybersecurity review under the enacted version of the revised Measures for Cybersecurity Review and the draft of Regulations on the Network Data Security, are required for our offshore 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 offshore 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 authorization for our offshore 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 offshore 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 securities. The CSRC or other PRC regulatory authorities also may take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt our offshore 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 offshore 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 securities.
We face regulatory uncertainties in China that could restrict our ability to grant share incentive awards to our employees or consultants who are PRC citizens.citizens
Pursuant to the Notices on Issues concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in a Stock Incentive Plan of an Overseas Publicly-Listed Company issued by SAFE on February 15, 2012, or Circular 7, a qualified PRC agent (which could be the PRC subsidiary of the overseas-listed company) is required to file, on behalf of “domestic individuals” (both PRC residents and non-PRC residents who reside in China for a continuous period of not less than one year, excluding the foreign diplomatic personnel and representatives of international organizations) who are granted shares or share options by the overseas-listed company according to its share incentive plan, an application with SAFE to conduct SAFE registration with respect to such share incentive plan, and obtain approval for an annual allowance with respect to the purchase of foreign exchange in connection with the share purchase or share option exercise. Such PRC individuals’ foreign exchange income received from the sale of shares and dividends distributed by the overseas listed company and any other income shall be fully remitted into a collective foreign currency account in China, which is opened and managed by the PRC domestic agent before distribution to such individuals. In addition, such domestic individuals must also retain an overseas entrusted institution to handle matters in connection with their exercise of share options and their purchase and sale of shares. The PRC domestic agent also needs to update registration with SAFE within three months after the overseas-listed company materially changes its share incentive plan or make any new share incentive plans.
We have adopted our Amended and Restated 2020 Share Incentive Plan (the “2020 Plan”), effective upon the completion of our initial public offering, and our 2021 Share Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”), effective upon shareholder approval at the 2021 annual general meeting of shareholders held on December 15, 2021. As of the date of this annual report, we have granted 189,066 restricted share awards under the 2020 Plan and we did not grant any awards under the 2021 Plan. We may grant optionsshare incentive awards under both or either plan in the future. When we do, from time to time, we need to apply for or update our registration with SAFE or its local branches on behalf of our employees or consultants who receive options or other equity-based incentive grants under ourthe 2020 Plan, 2021 Plan or future share incentive planplans we may adopt or material changes in our share incentive plan.such plan(s). However, we may not always be able to make applications or update our registration on behalf of our employees or consultants who hold any type of share incentive awards in compliance with Circular 7, nor can we ensure you that such applications or update of registration will be successful. If we or the participants of our share incentive planplan(s) who are PRC citizens fail to comply with Circular 7, we and/or such participants of our share incentive planplan(s) may be subject to fines and legal sanctions, there may be additional restrictions on the ability of such participants to exercise their share options or remit proceeds gained from sale of their shares into China, and we may be prevented from further granting share incentive awards under our share incentive planplan(s) to our employees or consultants who are PRC citizens.
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Our Hong Kong subsidiaries could become subject to the direct oversight of the PRC government at any time if the National laws of mainland China are applied to Hong Kong
The national laws of the PRC (the “National Laws”), including, but not limited to (i) the Cybersecurity Review Measures which became effective on February 15, 2022; and (ii) approval by the CSRC or any other Chinese regulatory authority to approve or permit our offering of securities in the U.S., do not currently apply to our Hong Kong subsidiaries, except for those set forth below. However, due to the uncertainty of the PRC legal system and changes in laws, regulations or policies, including how these laws, regulations or policies would be interpreted or implemented, and the national laws applicable in Hong Kong, the Basic Law might be revised in the future.
Pursuant to Article 18 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the PRC (the “Basic Law”), “The laws in force in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall be the Basic Law, the laws previously in force in Hong Kong as provided for in Article 8 of this Law, and the laws enacted by the legislature of the Region. National laws shall not be applied in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region except for those listed in Annex III to the Basic Law. The laws listed therein shall be applied locally by way of promulgation or legislation by the Region. Also, regarding the Annex III and several Instruments of the Basic Law, National Laws, which have applied in Hong Kong until now are as following:
Resolution on the Capital, Calendar, National Anthem and National Flag of the PRC; Resolution on the National Day of the PRC; Declaration of the Government of the PRC on the Territorial Sea; Nationality Law of the PRC; Regulations of the PRC Concerning Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities; Law of the PRC on the National Flag; Regulations of the PRC Concerning Consular Privileges and Immunities; Law of the PRC on the National Emblem; Law of the PRC on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone; Law of the PRC on Garrisoning the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Law of the PRC on the Exclusive Economic Zone and the Continental Shelf; Law of the PRC on Judicial Immunity from Compulsory Measures Concerning the Property of Foreign Central Banks; and Law of the PRC on the National Anthem; Law of the PRC on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
The CSRC released, on December 24, 2021, the Provisions of the State Council on the Administration of Domestic Companies Offering Securities for Overseas Listing (Revision Draft for Comments) (the “Provisions”) and the Administrative Measures for the Filing of Domestic Companies Seeking Overseas Securities Offering and Listing (the “Measures”) for public comment. According to the Provisions and Measures, “Domestic companies that seek to offer and list securities in overseas markets shall fulfill the filing procedure with the securities regulatory agency under the State Council and report relevant information;” and “An overseas offering and listing is prohibited under any of the following circumstances: (1) if the intended securities offering and listing falls under specific clauses in national laws and regulations and relevant provisions prohibiting such financing activities.” Furthermore, the Cybersecurity Review Measures (2021) was officially released to the public on December 28, 2021 and became effective on February 15, 2022. According to the Cybersecurity Review Measures (2021), “To go public abroad, an online platform operator who possesses the personal information of more than 1 million users shall declare to the Office of Cybersecurity Review for cybersecurity review.”
As of the date of this annual report, we have two wholly-owned subsidiaries and operating entities established in Hong Kong, Ebang Communications (HK) Technology Limited, or HK Ebang Communications, principally for the trading of blockchain chips; and HongKong Ebang Digital Technology Limited, or HK Ebang Digital, principally for cryptocurrency exchange businesses. Neither entities have established any subsidiary or branch in PRC or have committed any business operations in PRC. For additional information, see “Item 4. Information of the Company – C. Organizational Structure.”
Based on the aforementioned Basic Law, our Hong Kong subsidiaries are not subject to the Cybersecurity Measures and the Provisions and the Measures. However, due to the uncertainty of the PRC legal system and changes in laws, regulations or policies, including how these laws, regulations or policies would be interpreted or implemented, the national laws applicable in Hong Kong in the Basic Law might be revised in the future. Therefore, we cannot assure you that we will not be affected by the foregoing or relevant laws, regulations or policies in the future. If there are any changes to the foregoing laws, regulations and policies, or if any new laws, regulations, and policies, etc., would be published, we would manage to comply with the changed laws, regulations and policies. However, we could not guarantee that the relevant laws, regulations, or policies would not be applied retroactively, so we might face penalties, and our reputation and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
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Risks Relating to Our Fintech and Blockchain Product Businesses
We are subject to risks associated with legal, political or other conditions or developments regarding holding, using or mining of Bitcoin, which could negatively affect our business, results of operations and financial position
Our customers are based globally. As such, changes in government policies, taxes, general economic and fiscal conditions, as well as political, diplomatic or social events, expose us to financial and business risks. In particular, changes in domestic or overseas policies and laws regarding holding, using and/or mining of Bitcoin could result in an adverse effect on our business operations and results of operations. Moreover, if any domestic or international jurisdiction where we operate or sell our Bitcoin mining machines prohibits or restricts Bitcoin mining activities, we may face legal and other liabilities and will experience a material loss of revenue.
There are significant uncertainties regarding future regulations pertaining to the holding, using or mining of Bitcoin, which may adversely affect our results of operations. While Bitcoin has gradually gained more market acceptance and attention, it is anonymous and may be used for black market transactions, money laundering, illegal activities or tax evasion. As a result, governments may seek to regulate, restrict, control or ban the holding, use mining holding of Bitcoin. In addition, due to compliance risk, cost, government regulation or public pressure, banks and financial institutions may not provide banking services, or may cut off services, to businesses that provide cryptocurrency-related services or that accept cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, as payment. Our existing policies and procedures for the detection and prevention of money laundering and terrorism-funding activities through our business activities have only been adopted in recent years and may not completely eliminate instances in which we or our products may be used by other parties to engage in money laundering and other illegal or improper activities. We cannot assure you that there will not be a failure in detecting money laundering or other illegal or improper activities which may adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.
With advances in technology, cryptocurrencies are likely to undergo significant changes in the future. It remains uncertain whether Bitcoin will be able to cope with, or benefit from, those changes. In addition, as Bitcoin mining employs sophisticated and high computing power devices that need to consume large amounts of electricity to operate, future developments in the regulation of energy consumption, including possible restrictions on energy usage in the jurisdictions where we sell our products, may also affect our business operations and the demand for our current Bitcoin mining machines. There has been negative public reaction to the environmental impact of Bitcoin mining, particularly the large consumption of electricity, and governments of various jurisdictions have responded. For example, pursuant to the Notification No. 1283, new virtual currency mining projects are forbidden to apply for electricity facility installation, and the electricity facility installation shall be strictly reviewed. It is not permissible to supply power to virtual currency mining enterprises in any name, and all applications for electricity facility installation projects in progress shall be stopped. In the United States, certain local governments of the state of Washington have discussed measures to address the environmental impacts of Bitcoin-related operations, such as the high electricity consumption of Bitcoin mining activities. Any legislation and increased regulation regarding climate change could impose significant costs on us and our suppliers, including costs related to increased energy requirements, capital equipment, environmental monitoring and reporting, and other costs to comply with such regulations. Specifically, imposition of a carbon tax or other regulatory fee in a jurisdiction where we operate or on electricity that we purchase could result in substantially higher energy costs, and due to the significant amount of electrical power required to operate cryptocurrency mining machines, could in turn put our facilities at a competitive disadvantage. Any future climate change regulations could also negatively impact our ability to compete with companies situated in areas not subject to such limitations. Given the political significance and uncertainty around the impact of climate change and how it should be addressed, we cannot predict how legislation and regulation will affect our financial condition, operating performance and ability to compete. Furthermore, even without such regulation, increased awareness and any adverse publicity in the global marketplace about potential impacts on climate change by us or other companies in our industry could harm our reputation. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
The further development and acceptance of digital asset networks and other digital assets, which represent a new and rapidly changing industry, are subject to a variety of factors that are difficult to evaluate. The slowing or stopping of the development or acceptance of digital asset systems may adversely affect an investment in us
The use of cryptocurrencies to, among other things, buy and sell goods and services and complete transactions, is part of a new and rapidly evolving industry that employs cryptocurrency assets, including Bitcoin, based upon a computer-generated mathematical or cryptographic protocol. Large-scale acceptance of Bitcoin as a means of payment has not, and may never, occur. The growth of this industry in general, and the use of Bitcoin in particular, is subject to a high degree of uncertainty, and the slowing or stopping of the development or acceptance of developing protocols may occur unpredictably.
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Recent events in the industry, such as filing for and seeking protection of Chapter 11 proceedings by major market participants, may have significant impact on further development and acceptance of digital asset networks and digital assets as they exposed how unpredictable and turbulent the digital assets industry can be. Specifically, the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy filings of digital asset exchanges FTX Trading Ltd., et al. (“FTX”) (including its affiliated hedge fund, Alameda Research LLC) was unexpected and significantly reduced confidence in the digital assets industry as it was one of the largest and considered among safest digital asset trading platforms. Furthermore, it also revealed potential systemic risks and industry contagion as a significant number of other major market participants were affected by FTX’s Chapter 11 filing – namely, among others, BlockFi Inc., et al. (“BlockFi”), as one of the largest digital asset lending companies. At this time, we believe that there are no significant exposures of our business to any of the industry participants who have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to date; however, such failure of key institutions in the cryptocurrency asset industry highlights the risk of systemic interconnectedness between major market participants and the effect it could have on the industry as a whole.
The closure and temporary shutdown of major digital asset exchanges and trading platforms, such as FTX, due to fraud or business failure, has disrupted investor confidence in cryptocurrencies and led to a rapid escalation of enforcement action taken by various regulatory authorities against participants in the digital asset industry. Thus, the failures of key market participants and systemic contagion risk are expected to, as a consequence, invite more intense and frequent regulatory scrutiny. All of this could have a negative impact on further development, confidence in, and acceptance of digital asset networks and digital assets, including Bitcoin.
Other factors that could affect further development and acceptance of digital asset networks and other digital assets include, but are not limited to:
| ● | increased universal adoption and use of Bitcoin as a medium of exchange; |
| ● | governmental and quasi-governmental regulation of Bitcoin and its use, or restrictions on or regulation of access to and operation of the Bitcoin network or similar cryptocurrency systems and platforms; |
| ● | changes in consumer demographics and public tastes and preferences; |
| ● | the maintenance and development of the open-source software protocol of the Bitcoin network; |
| ● | the increased consolidation of contributors to the Bitcoin blockchain through Bitcoin mining pools; |
| ● | the availability and popularity of other cryptocurrencies and other forms or methods of buying and selling goods and services, including new means of using fiat currencies; |
| ● | the use of the networks supporting cryptocurrencies for developing smart contracts and distributed applications; |
| ● | general economic conditions and the regulatory environment relating to cryptocurrencies and other digital assets; |
| ● | environmental or tax restrictions, excise taxes or other additional costs on the use of electricity to mine bitcoin; |
| ● | an increase in Bitcoin transaction costs and any related reduction in the use of and demand for Bitcoin; and |
| ● | negative consumer sentiment and perception of bitcoin specifically or cryptocurrencies generally. |
We may face several risks due to disruptions in the digital asset markets, including but not limited to, the risk from depreciation in our stock price, financing risk, risk of increased losses or impairments in our investments or other assets, risks of legal proceedings and government investigations, and risks from price declines or price volatility of digital assets
In the second half of 2022 and beginning of 2023, some well-known digital asset market participants, including digital asset lenders Celsius Network LLC, et al. (“Celsius”), Voyager Digital Ltd., et al. (“Voyager”), Three Arrows Capital (“Three Arrows”) and Genesis Global Holdco, LLC, et al. (“Genesis”) declared bankruptcy, resulting in a loss of confidence in participants of the digital asset ecosystem and negative publicity surrounding digital assets more broadly. In November 2022, FTX, the third largest digital asset exchange by volume at the time, halted customer withdrawals and shortly thereafter, FTX and its subsidiaries filed for bankruptcy.
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In addition, in February 2023, the SEC entered into a settlement agreement with cryptocurrency exchange Payward Ventures, Inc. and Payward Trading Ltd. (doing business as, and hereinafter, “Kraken”) for failing to register its “staking-as-a-service” program as a securities offering in violation of Section 5 of the Securities Act. Pursuant to the settlement agreement, Kraken agreed to cease operations of its staking program in the U.S. and pay the SEC $30 million in fines.
In response to these events, the digital asset markets, including the market for Bitcoin specifically, have experienced extreme price volatility and several other entities in the digital asset industry have been, and may continue to be, negatively affected, further undermining confidence in the digital asset market and in Bitcoin. These events have also negatively impacted the liquidity of the digital asset market as certain entities affiliated with FTX engaged in significant trading activity. If the liquidity of the digital asset market continues to be negatively impacted by these events, digital asset prices (including the price of Bitcoin) may continue to experience significant volatility and confidence in the digital asset market may be further undermined. These events are continuing to develop and it is not possible to predict at this time all of the risks that they may pose to us, our service providers or the digital asset industry as a whole.
Although we had not been materially and adversely affected by the downfall of FTX or any of the above-mentioned cryptocurrency companies, nor have we had any material assets that may not be recovered or may otherwise be lost or misappropriated due to the bankruptcies, the failure or insolvency of large exchanges like FTX have caused and ma continue to cause the price of Bitcoin to fall and decrease confidence in the ecosystem, which could adversely affect an investment in us. Such market volatility and decrease in Bitcoin price have had a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition and we expect our results of operations to continue to be affected by the Bitcoin price as the results of our operations are significantly tied to the price of Bitcoin. If we do not continue adjusting our short-term strategy to optimize our operating efficiency in the current dynamic market conditions, such market conditions could have a further negative result on our business, prospects or operations.
The current regulatory environment in foreign markets, and any adverse changes in those environments, could have material adverse impacts on our blockchain products business and our Fintech business
We currently export our products to various overseas markets, have established two cryptocurrency exchange platforms and one cross-border payment and foreign exchange platform, and we intend to further develop our business and operations in the future to provide Fintech businesses in overseas jurisdictions, including, but not limited to, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, the Bahamas, the United States and Malaysia. Our blockchain products business and Fintech businesses could therefore be significantly affected by regulatory developments in jurisdictions outside the PRC, including the United States and other jurisdictions.
Certain aspects of our business are subject to extensive laws, rules, regulations, policies and legal and regulatory guidance, including those governing securities, commodities, cryptocurrency asset custody, exchange and transfer, data governance, data protection, cybersecurity and tax. Many of these legal and regulatory regimes were adopted prior to the advent of the Internet, mobile technologies, cryptocurrency assets and related technologies. As a result, they do not contemplate or address unique issues associated with the crypto economy, are subject to significant uncertainty, and vary widely across federal, state and local laws, including the PRC and international jurisdictions. These legal and regulatory regimes, including the laws, rules and regulations thereunder, evolve frequently and may be modified, interpreted and applied in an inconsistent manner from one jurisdiction to another, and may conflict with one another. Moreover, the complexity and evolving nature of certain aspects of our business and the significant uncertainty surrounding the regulation of the crypto economy require us to exercise our judgement as to whether certain laws, rules and regulations apply to us, and it is possible that governmental bodies and regulators may disagree with our conclusions. In addition, governmental authorities that oversee certain aspects of the cryptocurrency markets, including those in the United States and other jurisdictions, have taken actions based on current laws and regulations, and are likely to continue to issue new laws, rules and regulations governing the cryptocurrency industry in which we currently operate and may operate in the future. As a result, and as discussed further in “- We are subject to risks associated with legal, political or other conditions or developments regarding holding, using or mining of Bitcoin, which could negatively affect our business, results of operations and financial position,” existing and future regulations affecting the mining, holding, using, or transferring of cryptocurrencies may adversely affect our future business operations and results of operations, could subject us to significant fines and other regulatory consequences, and could result in our or our customers’ liability for activities conducted by our customers.
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As described under “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulatory Overview of United States,” United States federal and state securities laws may specifically limit our ability and the ability of our customers to use our blockchain and telecommunications products where these operations are conducted in connection with cryptocurrencies that are considered “securities” for purposes of United States laws. We have designed new chips for mining cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin, and the likely status of these cryptocurrencies as securities could limit distributions, transfers, or other actions involving such cryptocurrencies, including mining, in the United States. For example, the distribution of cryptocurrencies to miners through the mining process could be deemed to involve an illegal offering or distribution of securities subject to United States federal or state laws. In addition, miners on cryptocurrency networks could, under certain circumstances, be viewed as statutory underwriters or as “brokers” subject to regulation under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. This could require us or our customers to change, limit, or cease their mining operations, register as broker-dealers and comply with applicable laws, or be subject to penalties, including fines, or other regulatory consequences. In addition, we could face liability for facilitating their illegal activities.
Further, if Bitcoin, Ethereum, or any other supported cryptocurrency or other digital asset is deemed to be a security under any United States federal, state, or foreign jurisdiction, or in a proceeding in a court of law or otherwise, it may have adverse consequences for such supported cryptocurrency or other digital asset, which could adversely affect our business, prospects, operations or financial condition. For instance, all transactions in such supported cryptocurrency or other digital asset would have to be registered with the SEC or other foreign authority, or conducted in accordance with an exemption from registration, which could severely limit its liquidity, usability and transactability. Moreover, the networks on which such supported cryptocurrency or digital assets are utilized may be required to be regulated as securities intermediaries, and subject to applicable rules, which could effectively render the network impracticable for its existing purposes. Further, it could draw negative publicity and a decline in the general acceptance of the cryptocurrency or other digital asset. Also, it may make it difficult for such supported cryptocurrency or other digital asset to be traded, cleared, and custodied as compared to other cryptocurrency or other digital assets that are not considered to be securities. Specifically, even if transactions in a cryptocurrency or other digital asset were registered with the SEC or conducted in accordance with an exemption from registration, the current intermediary-based framework for securities trading, clearances and settlements is not consistent with the operations of the digital asset market. For example, under current SEC guidance, cryptocurrency and other digital asset securities cannot be held on behalf of customers by broker-dealers that also support custody of traditional securities; and the SEC has not permitted public permissionless blockchain-based clearance and settlement systems for securities.
In addition, cryptocurrencies and other digital assets are, in certain instances, subject to additional U.S. laws and regulations related to transactions in commodities as enforced by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, and to money transmission, money service business, anti-money laundering, and know-your-customer activities as enforced by the Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, and by state governments. We or our customers could be subject to regulatory restrictions or regulatory actions based on these laws and regulations.
Under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, a company may fall within the definition of an investment company under section 3(c)(1)(A) thereof if it is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities, or under section 3(a)(1)(C) thereof if it is engaged or proposes to engage in business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding, or trading in securities, and owns or proposes to acquire “investment securities” (as defined) having a value exceeding 40% of its total assets (exclusive of government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. There is no authoritative law, rule or binding guidance published by the SEC regarding the status of digital assets as “securities” or “investment securities” under the Investment Company Act. Although we believe that we are not engaged in the business of investing, reinvesting, or trading in investment securities, and we do not hold ourselves out as being primarily engaged, or proposing to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities, to the extent the digital assets which we own or otherwise acquire may be deemed “securities” or “investment securities” by the SEC or a court of competent jurisdiction, we may meet the definition of an investment company. If we fall within the definition of an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we would be required to register with the SEC. If an investment company fails to register, it likely would have to stop doing almost all business, and its contracts would become voidable. Generally non-U.S. issuers may not register as an investment company without an SEC order.
Cryptocurrencies and digital assets are recent technological innovations, and the regulatory schemes to which digital assets and their related exchanges may be subject have not been fully explored or developed by foreign jurisdictions. Thus, cryptocurrencies and other digital assets face an uncertain regulatory landscape in many foreign jurisdictions. Various foreign jurisdictions may from time to time adopt laws, regulations or directives that affect our cryptocurrency businesses. Due in part to its international nature and the nascent stage of regulation, along with the limited experience with cryptocurrencies and digital assets, and language barriers between international journalists, translators and regulators, information regarding the regulation of cryptocurrencies and other digital assets in various jurisdictions may be incomplete, inaccurate or unreliable. As both the regulatory landscape develops and journalistic familiarity with cryptocurrencies and other digital assets increase, mainstream media’s understanding of cryptocurrencies, digital assets, and the regulation thereof may improve. As we enter into the markets in Australia, Singapore, the Bahamas, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the United States, we have retained local regulatory counsel and expect to continue to monitor the local regulations regarding cryptocurrencies, digital assets, and financial service platforms.
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We expect that regulations governing our current and planned business operations will vary from country to country as well as within countries. We cannot assure you that we will be familiar with local laws and regulations at all times when we establish digital asset and financial services platform businesses or develop any other business and operations in a foreign country. An increase in the regulation of such operations may affect our proposed businesses by increasing compliance costs or prohibiting certain or all of our proposed activities. In addition, existing and proposed laws and regulations can delay or impede the development of new products, result in negative publicity, decrease demand for our products, require significant management time and attention, and subject us to claims or other remedies, including fines or demands that we modify or cease existing business practices.
Furthermore, any action brought against us or our customers by a foreign regulator, or by an individual in a private action, based on foreign law could cause us or our customers to incur significant legal expenses and divert our management’s attention from the operation of the business. If our or our customers’ operations are found to be in violation of any laws and regulations, we or they may be subject to penalties associated with the violation, including civil and criminal penalties, damages and fines. This could in turn require us to curtail or cease all or some operations. Regulatory action or regulatory change could also decrease demand for our products and services, which would be harmful to the success of our business.
The future development and growth of the cryptocurrency and digital assets industry is subject to a variety of factors that are difficult to predict and evaluate. If the cryptocurrency and digital assets industry does not grow as we expect, our business, operating results, and financial condition could be adversely affected
Cryptocurrency assets built on blockchain technology were only introduced in 2008 and remain in the early stages of development. In addition, different digital assets are designed for different purposes. Bitcoin, for instance, was designed to serve as a peer-to-peer electronic cash system, while Ethereum was designed to be a smart contract and decentralized application platform. Many other digital asset networks, ranging from cloud computing to tokenized securities networks, have only recently been established. The further growth and development of any digital assets and their underlying networks and other cryptographic and algorithmic protocols governing the creation, transfer, and usage of digital assets represent a new and evolving paradigm that is subject to a variety of factors that are difficult to evaluate, including:
| ● | many digital asset networks have limited operating histories, have not been validated in production, and are still in the process of developing and making significant decisions that will affect the design, supply, issuance, functionality, and governance of their respective digital assets and underlying blockchain networks, any of which could adversely affect their respective digital assets; |
| ● | many digital asset networks are in the process of implementing software upgrades and other changes to their protocols, which could introduce bugs, security risks, or adversely affect the respective digital asset networks; |
| ● | several large and prominent networks, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, are developing new features to address fundamental speed, scalability, and energy usage issues. If these issues are not successfully addressed, or are unable to receive widespread adoption, it could adversely affect the underlying cryptocurrency and other digital assets; |
| ● | security issues, bugs, and software errors have been identified with many digital assets and their underlying blockchain networks, some of which have been exploited by malicious actors. There are also inherent security weaknesses in some digital assets, such as when creators of certain digital asset networks use procedures that could allow hackers to counterfeit tokens. Any weaknesses identified with a digital asset could adversely affect its price, security, liquidity, and adoption. If a malicious actor or botnet (a volunteer or hacked collection of computers controlled by networked software coordinating the actions of the computers) obtains a majority of the compute or staking power on a digital asset network, as has happened in the past, it may be able to manipulate transactions, which could cause financial losses to holders, damage the network’s reputation and security, and adversely affect its value; | |
| ● | the development of new technologies for mining, such as improved ASICs, or changes in industry patterns, such as the consolidation of mining power in a small number of large mining farms, could reduce the security of blockchain networks, lead to increased liquid supply of digital assets, and reduce a digital asset’s price and attractiveness; |
| ● | if rewards and transaction fees for miners or validators are not sufficiently high to attract and retain miners, a digital asset network’s security and speed may be adversely affected, increasing the likelihood of a malicious attack; |
| ● | the governance of many decentralized blockchain networks is by voluntary consensus and open competition, and many developers are not directly compensated for their contributions. As a result, there may be a lack of consensus or clarity on the governance of any particular cryptocurrency network, a lack of incentives for developers to maintain or develop the network, and other unforeseen issues, any of which could result in unexpected or undesirable errors, bugs, or changes, or stymie such network’s utility and ability to respond to challenges and grow; and |
| ● | many digital asset networks are in the early stages of developing partnerships and collaborations, all of which may not succeed and adversely affect the usability and adoption of the respective digital assets. |
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Various other technical issues have also been uncovered from time to time that resulted in disabled functionalities, exposure of certain users’ personal information, theft of users’ assets, and other negative consequences, and which required resolution with the attention and efforts of their global miner, user, and development communities. If any such risks or other risks materialize, and in particular if they are not resolved, the development and growth of the digital asset space may be significantly affected and, as a result, our business, operating results, and financial condition could be adversely affected.
We may face challenges in regard to stringent licensing and regulatory requirements in the money services business we operate
The money services business industry is relatively competitive in the jurisdictions we carry out or intend to carry out such businesses. Apart from the fierce competition we may face in this area, we may also face difficulty in penetrating the market. Regulators in various countries are imposing stricter licensing requirements towards new entrants. For instance, the Malaysian regulatory body is not only taking into consideration the aspect of compliance in granting the relevant licenses but also the value proposition of a business plan. The same is observed in Hong Kong and Australia, in which the relevant regulator requires a business plan as a prerequisite of granting a license. The Australian regulatory body imposes strict and ongoing obligations upon licensees of AFS licenses, including, among others, the requirement to report transfer instructions by users and the business’ compliance with its obligations under anti-money laundering laws.
Given the current approach by those countries that we conduct or intend to conduct business in, we might face uncertainty in connection with obtaining necessary licenses and approval before carrying out our money services business. The procedures and processes of obtaining such licenses and approval requires financial, human, and infrastructural resources. In the event that such licenses and approval are not granted by the relevant bodies, we might suffer from a loss even before the commencement of money services business in jurisdictions in which we intend to carry out such business. The risk disclosed herein is not abrogated upon the obtainment of requisite licenses and approval. As various countries seek to regulate the industry in a more comprehensive manner, more legal requirements may be put in place to maintain licenses and approval. The uncertainty of such future regulations also poses a substantial risk to us, which may adversely affect our business operations.
We are also exposed to financial and technological risks in the money service business which calls for a high and strict standard of compliance in managing such risks and adequate infrastructures in place in which failure of managing these risks will be adverse to our business
In light of the various regulatory and compliance requirements in place with regards to money services businesses, we are expected to prepare and provide all mechanisms and infrastructures in order to meet such requirements. The provision of these mechanisms and infrastructures must be done even in the license application stage, which include, inter alia, safekeeping users’ funds, data protection, anti-money laundering, consumer protection and preventing cyber and financial crimes. The need of these infrastructures connotes to having policies in place, which may include Know-Your-Customer (KYC) procedures and a robust technological system which can aid the identification, prevention and mitigation of such risks in the carrying out of money services businesses.
As discussed, the risks of running a money services business are multifaceted. The failure to provide and maintain such infrastructure could mean two things; firstly, we may face the risk of failing to obtain the relevant approval and license from the regulators, in countries where we intend to obtain such licenses such as Malaysia; and secondly, even if license and approval have been obtained previously, for example, we have obtained relevant licenses in Hong Kong and Australia, we may face penalties imposed by regulators which may include but are not limited to suspension, revocation, and termination of such licenses and approval should we breach any regulatory and compliance requirements. In addition to any threat to our licenses in the event of a breach, regulators also have the power to enforce pecuniary measures, including but not limited to significant fines and the commencement of legal proceedings. The possibility of such actions presents a financial, commercial, human resources and reputational risk to money services businesses, which must be mitigated by adequate funding, operational infrastructure and strict compliance controls. Failure to manage such risks may result in an adverse effect to our business operations.
Any decrease in our receipt of fees and charges, or limitations on our fees and charges, could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition
Our cross-border payment solutions include a variety of fees and charges associated with transactions. If the users of our products and services decrease their transaction activities, or the extent to which they use alternative services, our revenue in connection with the cross border payment business could be materially adversely affected. In addition, several market factors can affect the amount of our fees and charges, including the market for similar charges for competitive products. Furthermore, regulators in relevant jurisdictions in which we conduct or intend to conduct our cross-border payment business have scrutinized the electronic payments industry’s pricing, charges and other practices related to its customers. Any restrictions on our ability to price our products and services could materially and adversely affect our revenue.
In order to remain competitive and to continue to increase our revenues and earnings, we must continually and quickly update our services, a process that could result in higher costs and the loss of revenues, earnings and customers if the new services do not perform as intended or are not accepted in the marketplace
The payments technology industry in which we compete is characterized by rapid technological change, new product introductions, evolving industry standards and changing customer needs. In order to remain competitive, we are continually involved in a number of projects, including the development of new platforms, mobile payment applications, e-commerce services and other new offerings emerging in the payments technology industry. These projects carry the risks associated with any development effort, including cost overruns, delays in delivery and performance problems. In the payments technology markets, these risks are even more acute. Any delay in the delivery of new services or the failure to differentiate our services could render our services less desirable to customers, or possibly even obsolete.
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Our cross-border payment business depends on our relationships with banks and other financial institutions around the world, which may impose fees, restrictions and compliance burdens on us that make our operations more difficult or expensive
Our cross-border payment business includes facilitation of payment and foreign exchange solutions, primarily cross-border, cross-currency transactions, for small and medium size enterprises and other organizations. Increased regulation and compliance requirements are impacting these businesses by making it more costly for us to provide our solutions or by making it more cumbersome for businesses to do business with us. Any factors that increase the cost of cross-border trade for us or our customers or that restrict, delay, or make cross-border trade more difficult or impractical, such as trade policy (including restrictions arising out of the Russian and Ukrainian conflict) or higher tariffs, could negatively impact our revenues and harm our business. We may also have difficulty establishing or maintaining banking relationships needed to conduct our services due to banks’ policies.
Future developments regarding the treatment of digital assets for U.S. and foreign tax purposes could adversely impact our business
Due to the new and evolving nature of digital assets and the absence of comprehensive legal and tax guidance with respect to digital asset products, services and transactions, many significant aspects of the U.S. and foreign tax treatment of transactions involving digital assets, such as the purchase and sale of cryptocurrency assets on our platform, as well as the provision of staking rewards and other cryptocurrency asset incentives, are uncertain, and it is unclear whether, when and what guidance may be issued in the future on the treatment of cryptocurrency asset transactions for U.S. and foreign income tax purposes.
In 2014, the IRS released Notice 2014-21, discussing certain aspects of “virtual currency” for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, in particular, stating that such virtual currency (i) is “property,” (ii) is not “currency” for purposes of the rules relating to foreign currency gain or loss, and (iii) may be held as a capital asset. In 2019, the IRS released Revenue Ruling 2019-24 and a set of “Frequently Asked Questions” (which have been periodically updated), that provide additional guidance, including guidance to the effect that, under certain circumstances, hard forks of digital currencies are taxable events giving rise to ordinary income and guidance with respect to the determination of the tax basis of virtual currency. However, this guidance does not address other significant aspects of the U.S. federal income tax treatment of digital assets and related transactions.
There continues to be uncertainty with respect to the timing, character and amount of income inclusions for various digital asset transactions including, but not limited to lending and borrowing digital assets, staking rewards and other digital asset incentives that we offer. Although we believe our treatment of digital asset transactions for federal income tax purposes is consistent with existing guidance provided by the IRS and existing U.S. federal income tax principles, because of the rapidly evolving nature of digital asset innovations and the increasing variety and complexity of digital asset transactions and products, it is possible the IRS and various U.S. states may disagree with our treatment of certain digital asset offerings for U.S. tax purposes, which could adversely affect our customers and the vitality of our business and platforms.
There can be no assurance that the IRS, the U.S. state revenue agencies or other foreign tax authorities, will not alter their respective positions with respect to digital assets in the future or that a court would uphold the treatment set forth in existing guidance. It also is unclear what additional guidance may be issued in the future on the treatment of existing digital asset transactions and future digital asset innovations for purposes of U.S. tax or other foreign tax regulations. Any such alteration of existing IRS, U.S. state and foreign tax authority positions or additional guidance regarding digital asset products and transactions could result in adverse tax consequences for holders of digital assets and could have an adverse effect on the value of digital assets and the broader digital asset markets. Future technological and operational developments that may arise with respect to digital assets may increase the uncertainty with respect to the treatment of digital assets for U.S. and foreign tax purposes. The uncertainty regarding tax treatment of digital asset transactions impacts our customers, and could impact our business, both domestically and abroad.
Our results of operations have been and are expected to continue to be significantly impacted by the fluctuation of cryptocurrency prices, especially the price of Bitcoin
Our mining machines are currently designed primarily for Bitcoin mining. The demand for, and pricing of, our mining machines are therefore affected by the expected economic returns of Bitcoin mining activities, which in turn are primarily driven by, among other factors, the Bitcoin price. The price of Bitcoin has experienced significant fluctuations over its short existence and may continue to fluctuate significantly in the future.
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We expect our results of operations to continue to be affected by cryptocurrency prices and global cryptocurrency market environment and development trends, as we generated 42.3%, 77.3% and 79.8% of our revenue from sales of our Bitcoin mining machines and related accessories in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively, and 48.1%, 5.5% and nil from provision of mining machine hosting services in the same periods, respectively. We have halted all mining machine custody services in the PRC at the end of April 2021. With the launch of our two cryptocurrency exchange platforms, and our plan to develop and operate future cryptocurrency exchange platforms, we anticipate that we will generate an increasing amount of our total revenue from transaction fees on our platforms in connection with the purchase, sale, and trading of cryptocurrency assets by our customers. Due to the continued decline in cryptocurrency prices and major cryptocurrency exchange platforms declaring bankruptcy in 2022, which negatively impacted the crypto currency trading market, we have not generated material revenue from our cryptocurrency exchange products and services. As such, any declines in the volume of cryptocurrency assets transactions, the price of cryptocurrency assets, or market liquidity for cryptocurrency assets generally will likely have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. We cannot assure you that the Bitcoin price or Bitcoin network transaction fees will remain high enough to sustain the demand for our Bitcoin mining machines or that cryptocurrency prices will not decline significantly in the future. At the same time, if transaction fees increase to such an extent as to discourage users from using cryptocurrency as a medium of exchange, it may decrease the transaction volume of the digital assets and may affect the demand for our Bitcoin mining machines and cryptocurrency exchange businesses. Furthermore, fluctuations in cryptocurrency prices, especially in Bitcoin price, can have an immediate impact on the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares even before our financial performance is affected, if at all.
In addition to the market volatility, various other factors, mostly beyond our control, could impact cryptocurrency prices. For example, the usage of cryptocurrency in the retail and commercial marketplace is relatively low in comparison with the usage for speculation, which contributes to cryptocurrency price volatility. Renowned persons, including social media influencers, may also publicly discuss their holdings (or the holdings of companies with which they are affiliated) of cryptocurrency or their intent to buy or sell large quantities of cryptocurrency. At a minimum, these public statements delivered through social media, such as Twitter, may cause cryptocurrency prices to experience significant volatility.
In addition, any shortage of power supply due to government control measures or other reasons, and any increase in energy costs, would raise the costs of Bitcoin mining. This in turn could affect our customers’ expected economic return for mining activities and the demand for and pricing of our current Bitcoin mining machines and future hosting services.
Furthermore, fluctuations in the Bitcoin price may affect the value of our inventory as well as the provision we make to the inventory as we manage our inventory based on, among others, the sales forecast of our Bitcoin mining machines. As we generally increase our procurement volume and stock up finished goods for the launch of new products or we expect a surge of demand of Bitcoin mining machines, a significant drop in the Bitcoin price can lead to a lower expected sales price and excessive inventory, which in turn will lead to impairment losses with respect to such inventory. For example, in 2020, 2021 and 2022, as a result of the significant fluctuation of the Bitcoin price, we recorded write-downs for the potentially obsolete, slow-moving inventory and lower of cost or market adjustment of US$3.6 million, US$2.2 million and US$6.5 million and in cost of revenues, respectively, which in turn had a significant negative impact on our profitability. If the Bitcoin price drops significantly in the future, we may need to make similar write-downs again. To the extent that we are able to sell such inventory above its carrying value, our gross profit may also be inflated by such write down.
The Bitcoin price drop also adversely impacted the ability of our customers who purchased our Bitcoin mining products to make payments. We offered sales on credit to some of our customers in response to the Bitcoin price drop in 2020, 2021 and 2022 and may continue to offer credit sales when the Bitcoin price drops significantly. Additionally, if the Bitcoin price drops significantly in the future, we may need to offer to certain of our customers price concession, even if we generally do not offer price concessions to customers. We did not provide price concessions to customers in 2020, 2021 and 2022. However, we cannot assure you that we will not provide such price concession in the future. If we provide any price concession to our customers in the future, our revenues and results of operations may be adversely affected.
We have derived and may continue to derive a significant portion of our revenues from our Bitcoin mining machines business. If the market for Bitcoin mining machines ceases to exist or diminishes significantly, our business, results of operations and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected
We have generated, and expect to generate in the foreseeable future, a significant portion of our revenues from sales of our Bitcoin mining machines. Sales of our Bitcoin mining machines and related accessories accounted for 42.3%, 77.3% and 79.8% of our revenues in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. Revenues from provision of mining machine hosting services accounted for 48.1%, 5.5% and nil of our revenues in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively, as we have halted all mining machine custody services in the PRC at the end of April 2021. If the market for Bitcoin mining machines ceases to exist or diminishes significantly, we would experience a significant loss of sales, cancelation of orders, or loss of customers for our Bitcoin mining machines. Adverse factors that may affect the market for Bitcoin mining machines include:
| ● | Another cryptocurrency, especially one that is not created using the same mining processes as Bitcoin, displaces Bitcoin as the mainstream cryptocurrency, thereby causing Bitcoin to lose value or become worthless, which could adversely affect the sustainability of our business. |
| ● | Bitcoin fails to gain wide market acceptance and fails to become a generally accepted medium of exchange in the global economy due to certain inherent limitations to cryptocurrencies. | |
| ● | Over time, the reward for Bitcoin mining will decline in terms of the amount of Bitcoin awarded, which may reduce the incentive to mine Bitcoin. Specifically, a recent halving event occurred in May 2020, and Bitcoins are expected to be fully mined out by the year of 2140. Therefore, Bitcoin mining machines may become less productive as the available rewards for Bitcoin mining continue to decrease. |
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If we cannot maintain the scale and profitability of the sales of our Bitcoin mining machines and, at the same time, successfully expand our business in other application markets, our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects will suffer. Furthermore, excess inventory, inventory markdowns, brand image deterioration and margin squeeze caused by declining economic returns for miners or pricing competition for our Bitcoin mining machines could all have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Further, while historically, China was a location of significant digital asset mining at low electric power rates, China’s and other foreign countries’ governments have taken action to prohibit or significantly restrict digital asset mining. For example, in May and June of 2021, in their efforts to curb digital asset trading and mining, regulators in several Chinese Provinces, including Qinghai, Inner Mongolia and Sichuan, announced policies to curb or ban local digital asset mining operations. Within a month following the ban announcement, the price of Bitcoin experienced a drop of over 30%. Additionally, in January 2022, the Central Bank of Russia called for a ban on cryptocurrency activities ranging from mining to trading. Whether or not the lack of mining activity domestically or internationally will negatively impact miner manufacturing and the development, price, availability of new and enhanced mining equipment is unknown. Should China or other countries that currently restrict digital asset mining eliminate such restrictions or actually seek to enhance such mining activity, or should other jurisdictions follow suit, the likely decrease in mining activity would likely reduce our revenue and profitability, and it is possible that our industry may not be able to withstand the sudden and extreme loss of mining power.
The industries in which we operate and which we intend to operate in the future are characterized by constant changes. If we fail to continuously innovate and to provide products that meet the expectations of our customers, we may be unable to attract new customers or retain existing customers, and hence our business and results of operations may be adversely affected
The industries in which we operate and intend to operate in the future are characterized by constant changes, including rapid technological evolution, continual shifts in customer demands, frequent introductions of new products and solutions and constant emergence of new industry standards and practices. Thus, our success will depend, in part, on our ability to respond to these changes in a cost-effective and timely manner. To maintain the relevancy of our products and to continue to broaden and enhance our product portfolio for delivering the most effective products to our customers, we have actively invested in product planning and research and development. The process of developing and marketing new products is inherently complex and involves significant uncertainties, including the following:
| ● | our product planning efforts may fail resulting in the development or commercialization of new technologies or ideas; |
| ● | our research and development efforts may fail to translate new product plans into commercially feasible products; |
| ● | our new technologies or new products may not be well received by consumers; |
| ● | we may not have adequate funding and resources necessary for continual investments in product planning and research and development; |
| ● | our products may become obsolete due to rapid advancements in technology and changes in consumer preferences; and |
| ● | our newly developed technologies may not be protected as proprietary intellectual property rights. |
Any failure to anticipate the next-generation technology roadmap or changes in customer preferences or to timely develop new or enhanced products in response could result in decreased revenue and market share. In particular, we may experience difficulties with product design, product development, marketing or certification, which could result in excessive research and development expenses and capital expenditure, delays or prevent our introduction of new or enhanced products. Furthermore, our research and development efforts may not yield the expected results, or may prove to be futile due to the lack of market demand.
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Increasing mining difficulty and decreasing mining rewards could result in downward pressure on the expected economic returns on Bitcoin mining
The difficulty of Bitcoin mining, or the amount of computational resources required for a set amount of reward for recording a new block, directly affects the expected economic returns for Bitcoin miners, which in turn affects the demand for our Bitcoin mining machines. Bitcoin mining difficulty is a measure of how much computing power is required to record a new block, and it is affected by the total amount of computing power in the Bitcoin network. The Bitcoin algorithm is designed so that one block is generated, on average, every ten minutes, no matter how much computing power is in the network. Thus, as more computing power joins the network, and assuming the rate of block creation does not change (remaining at one block generated every ten minutes), the amount of computing power required to generate each block and hence the mining difficulty increases. In other words, based on the current design of the Bitcoin network, Bitcoin mining difficulty would increase together with the total computing power available in the Bitcoin network, which is in turn affected by the number of Bitcoin mining machines in operation. For example, Bitcoin mining difficulty would increase based on increases in the total computing power available in the Bitcoin network, which is in turn affected by the number of Bitcoin mining machines in operation. From January 2017 to December 2022, Bitcoin mining difficulty increased by approximately 105 times, according to BTC.com. As a result, a strong growth in sales of our Bitcoin mining machines can contribute to further growth in the total computing power in the network, thereby driving up the difficulty of Bitcoin mining and resulting in downward pressure on the expected economic return of Bitcoin mining and the demand for, and pricing of, our products.
In addition, the number of Bitcoin awarded for solving a block in the blockchain halves approximately every four years until the estimated complete depletion of Bitcoin by around the year 2140. In each of 2013, 2014 and 2015, approximately 25 Bitcoin were awarded for each block solved. The number of Bitcoin awarded for solving a block halved in 2016 to 12.5 Bitcoin per block, and halved again in May 2020 to 6.25 Bitcoin per block. We have experienced declined demand for Bitcoin mining machines since the Bitcoin halving event in May 2020 as the mining rewards were slashed and the expected economic returns on Bitcoin mining was adversely affected.
Aside from mining rewards, transaction fees are another form of incentive for participation in Bitcoin verification processes. Bitcoin users may offer to pay a discretionary Bitcoin transaction fee to the network member who solves the block and adds that user’s transaction to the blockchain to incentivize prioritizing that user’s transaction. Transaction fees are discretionary, so if the transaction fees were to become the only or primary income for Bitcoin mining activities in the future, the expected economic returns from Bitcoin mining and therefore the demand for our products will decrease significantly, which will result in a significant negative impact on our business and results of operations.
Our business growth is dependent on the development of blockchain technology and applications, particularly in the field of Bitcoin
We derive our revenue predominantly from our blockchain products business. The development of blockchain technology is still in a relatively early stage, and there can be no assurance that blockchain applications, including those in the fields of cryptocurrencies and other areas such as artificial intelligence, will gain wide market acceptance. Any blockchain application may become redundant or obsolete with the introduction of new competing technologies or products. If market acceptance or confidence in blockchain technology is lost or reduced for any reason, such as due to cybersecurity issues, the demand for our existing or future blockchain products may decline.
Our blockchain products business depends significantly on the development of cryptocurrency applications, in particular, Bitcoin applications, as all of our mining machines are currently designed for Bitcoin mining. The cryptocurrency market is rapidly and continuously evolving. Any actual or perceived adverse development in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies can significantly affect market demand for mining activities, mining machines and cryptocurrency transactions. In addition, any event or rumor that generates negative publicity for the cryptocurrency market could hinder the development and reduce market acceptance of cryptocurrency applications. Under such circumstances, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
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If we are unable to manage our growth or execute our strategies effectively, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected
We are in the process of developing integrated circuits (the “ICs”) for mining other cryptocurrencies in order to adapt our future models of mining machines to other cryptocurrencies promptly and efficiently when all the Bitcoins have been discovered or Bitcoin is replaced by other cryptocurrencies as mainstream cryptocurrencies. We began to provide mining machine hosting services in 2017 and intend to leverage our experience in the mining machine industry to establish mining farms and provide cryptocurrency exchange services to the cryptocurrency community in order to diversify our offerings. We have halted all mining machine custody services in the PRC at the end of April 2021, and we are in the process of locating and/or constructing compliant mining farms in North America. As of the date of this annual report, we have established two cryptocurrency exchange platforms and one cross-border payment and foreign exchange platform outside the PRC; have received the Money Services Business (MSB) License in Canada; received registration approval as digital currency exchange, acquired a company with an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL) and registration approval as an independent remittance dealer in Australia; received the Money Service Operator (MSO) License, Type 4 and 9 licenses, the Trust or Company Service Provider (TCSP) license and registration approval as a Trust Company in Hong Kong, and received registration as a Digital Asset Business and a Firm Dealing in Securities as Agent or Principal, Arranging Deals, Managing Securities and Advising on Securities in the Bahamas; and we are in the process of obtaining relevant licenses and approvals for our subsidiaries in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia to engage in additional Fintech businesses. We may fail to successfully execute our expansion plan due to our limited resources and other reasons beyond our control. For example, the gain we obtain from running mining farms may not cover their operating expenses due to a prolonged depression of cryptocurrency prices, and our Fintech related services may be unable to compete effectively with other similar services already available to the Fintech community. Should we fail to successfully manage our growth or implement our strategies, the resources we allocate to the new business lines will be wasted, and our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
Each of our subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the Bahamas, New Zealand, the United States and Malaysia have a limited operating history, which makes it hard for us to evaluate their abilities to generate revenue through operations, and to date, each of them has not generated material revenue from any commercially available blockchain products or Fintech services
Our subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the Bahamas, New Zealand, the United States and Malaysia were recently formed between August 2020 and February 2023 for the purpose of establishing our blockchain and Fintech businesses. Their limited operating history and the relative immaturity of the blockchain and Fintech industry make it difficult for us to evaluate their current business and future prospects. They have encountered, and will continue to encounter, risks and difficulties frequently experienced by growing companies in rapidly developing and changing industries, including challenges in forecasting accuracy, determining appropriate uses of their limited resources, gaining market acceptance, managing a complex and evolving regulatory landscape and developing new products. These subsidiaries’ current or future operating model may require changes in order for them to scale their operations efficiently and be successful. Investors in our securities should consider the business and prospects of our overseas subsidiaries in these countries in light of the risks and difficulties they face as early-stage companies focused on developing products in the field of financial technology.
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We may not successfully develop, market or launch any future Fintech businesses or continue operating our existing Fintech businesses
In April 2021, we launched our first self-developed proprietary cryptocurrency exchange platform Ebonex and another self-developed proprietary cryptocurrency exchange platform in February 2022, we also branded Ebonex in Australia. In March 2022, we established a cross-border payment and foreign exchange business, through the acquisition of a company with an AFSL for engaging in financial services in Australia. As of the date of this annual report, these businesses have only been accessed and/or utilized by a small number of users and have not generated material revenue. In September 2020, we received the MSB License from the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, which allows us to engage in foreign exchange dealing, money transferring and dealing in virtual currencies in Canada. In December 2021 and March 2022, we received registration approval from the AUSTRAC as a digital currency exchange and acquired a company with an AFSL for engaging in financial services in Australia. In September and December 2021, we received the TCSP Licenses from the Companies Registry of Hong Kong, which allows us to carry on a trust or company service business in Hong Kong. In January 2022, we have received registration approval as a Trust Company by the Companies Registry of Hong Kong, which allows us to engage in trust related business in Hong Kong. In September 2022, we received the Type 4 and 9 licenses from the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong, which allows us to carry on advising on securities and asset management service. In November 2022, we received registration as a Firm Dealing in Securities as Agent or Principal, Arranging Deals, Managing Securities and Advising on Securities from Securities Commission of The Bahamas, which allows us to carry on securities activities in and from the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. In January 2023, we received registration as a Digital Asset Business from Securities Commission of The Bahamas, which allows us to carry on digital asset business activities in and from the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. In March 2023, we received the MSO license from Customs and Excise Department in Hong Kong, which allows us to operate money changing and remittance services. In April 2023, we received another registration approval from the AUSTRAC as a digital currency exchange and registration approval as an independent remittance dealer on the AUSTRAC Remittance Sector Register. We are in the process of obtaining relevant licenses and approvals for our subsidiaries in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia to engage in additional Fintech businesses and we are at an initial preparatory stage of the construction of regulatory compliant mining farms in North America. There is no guarantee that we will receive any additional required approvals and licenses for our proposed businesses in such jurisdictions in a timely manner or on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or that we will commence the proposed businesses as planned, if at all. Additionally, as we have limited experience in operating the proposed business, we will need to obtain additional management, regulatory compliance technical expertise and devote substantial time and effort to these initiatives, which may not be as profitable as we expected or at all. We will also need to obtain additional capital resources to pursue development of Fintech businesses, and we may not be successful in raising that capital. In addition, we may face relevant restrictions from existing and future regulations in connection with our expansion into this line of business. While we have been closely monitoring the development of the relevant regulations and have been in communication with regulatory authorities, this business initiative may not be viable due to regulatory concerns. Our plan to develop, market or launch any future cryptocurrency exchanges or to continue operating our existing cryptocurrency exchanges may suffer significant delays in our efforts and may ultimately not be successful. It is possible that the launch of our future Fintech businesses may never occur, and even if the proposed business is successfully developed, it is possible that it will not be accessed or utilized by a sufficient number of users or will otherwise not achieve a viable business scale or market acceptance.
We depend on major mobile operating systems and third-party platforms for the distribution of certain products and services. If Google Play, the Apple App Store, or other platforms prevent customers from downloading our apps, our ability to grow may be adversely affected
We rely upon third-party platforms for the distribution of certain products and services. Our Ebonex apps are provided to eligible users as free applications through both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, and are also accessible via mobile and traditional websites. The Google Play Store and Apple App Store are global application distribution platforms and the main distribution channels for our apps. As such, the promotion, distribution, and operation of our apps are subject to the respective platforms’ terms and policies for application developers, which are very broad and subject to frequent changes and re-interpretation. Further, these distribution platforms often contain restrictions related to cryptocurrency assets that are uncertain, broadly construed, and can limit the nature and scope of services that can be offered. If our products are found to be in violation of any such terms and conditions, we may no longer be able to offer our products through such third-party platforms. There can be no guarantee that third-party platforms will continue to support our product offerings, or that customers will be able to continue to use our products. Any changes, bugs, technical or regulatory issues with third-party platforms, our relationships with mobile manufacturers and carriers, or changes to their terms of service or policies could degrade our products’ functionalities, reduce or eliminate our ability to distribute our products, give preferential treatment to competitive products, limit our ability to deliver high quality offerings, or impose fees or other charges, any of which could affect our product usage and harm our business.
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Our intellectual property rights are valuable, and any inability to protect them could adversely impact our business, operating results, and financial condition
Our business depends in large part on our proprietary technology and our brand. We rely on, and expect to continue to rely on, a combination of patent, trademark, trade dress, domain name, copyright, and trade secrets, as well as confidentiality and license agreements with our employees, contractors, consultants, and third parties with whom we have relationships, to establish and protect our brand and other intellectual property rights. However, our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights may not be sufficient or effective. Our proprietary technology and trade secrets could be lost through misappropriation or breach of our confidentiality and license agreements, and any of our intellectual property rights may be challenged, which could result in them being narrowed in scope or declared invalid or unenforceable. There can be no assurance that our intellectual property rights will be sufficient to protect against others offering products, services, or technologies that are substantially similar to ours and that compete with our business. As a result, we may be forced into an adverse price competition that reduces our profit margin.
Our ability to successfully defend intellectual property challenges from competitors and other parties may depend, in part, on our ability to counter-assert our patents defensively. Effective protection of our intellectual property may be expensive and difficult to maintain, both in terms of application and registration costs as well as the costs of defending and enforcing those rights. As we have grown, we have sought to obtain and protect our intellectual property rights in an increasing number of countries, a process that can be expensive and may not always be successful. In some instances, patent applications or patents may be abandoned or allowed to lapse, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in a relevant jurisdiction. Further, intellectual property protection may not be available to us in every country in which our products and services are available. For example, some foreign countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner must grant licenses to third parties. In addition, many countries limit the enforceability of patents against certain third parties, including government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, patents may provide limited or no benefit. We may also agree to license our patents to third parties as part of various patent pools and open patent projects. Those licenses may diminish our ability, though, to counter-assert our patents against certain parties that may bring claims against us. Even when we are able to obtain intellectual property rights protections, there is no guarantee that we will be able to effectively enforce our rights. In this respect, we may incur expenses and efforts to monitor and enforce our intellectual property rights. Infringement of our intellectual property rights and the resulting diversion of resources to protect such rights through litigation or other means could also adversely affect our profitability.
If Bitcoin is replaced by other cryptocurrencies as the mainstream cryptocurrency, we will lose the market for our current mining machines and our results of operations will be materially and adversely affected
Although we have begun to develop new chips for mining other cryptocurrencies, all of our revenue from sales of cryptocurrency mining machines was generated from the sale of mining machines designed for Bitcoin mining in 2020, 2021 and 2022. We face the risk that other cryptocurrencies could replace Bitcoin as the largest cryptocurrency, which may in turn negatively impact the value of Bitcoin and diminish interest in mining Bitcoin. Acceptance of Bitcoin may decline due to various reasons such as the following:
| ● | potential changes in Bitcoin’s algorithms or source code that may negatively impact user acceptance; |
| ● | patches, upgrades, attacks or hacking of Bitcoin’s infrastructure that may undermine user interest or confidence; |
| ● | usage of Bitcoin for illicit or illegal activities by bad actors that may erode public perception of Bitcoin; or |
| ● | hacking, fraud or other problems with Bitcoin exchanges, wallets or other related infrastructure, that may negatively impact user confidence. |
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If fewer people accept Bitcoin currency or fewer merchants accept Bitcoin as a payment method, Bitcoin may decline in value. Although Bitcoin is currently the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, a substantial amount of Bitcoin-related transactions may be speculation-related and a technological breakthrough in the form of a preferred cryptocurrency is a continuous threat. Digital asset technology is rapidly advancing and changing and new digital assets are created regularly. New digital assets competing with the digital assets we specialize in (such as Bitcoin) may increase in popularity and in turn cause a decline in the value of Bitcoin, which may in turn lead to a decline in the Bitcoin network and our ability to generate revenue from our current mining activities. This may include the development of so-called central bank digital currencies (CBCDs). Many governments around the world, and central banks are reportedly considering or studying the potential for CBCDs, including the Australian federal government and the Reserve Bank of Australia and the United States Federal Reserve. Other cryptocurrencies may be designed with algorithms that are not compatible with the kind of computing done by ASIC chip mining machines. If such a cryptocurrency were to become dominant, our existing technological know-how may not be applicable in creating hardware for participants in that cryptocurrency network, and we may face greater competition from new players. In addition, since the value of and support for Bitcoin depend entirely on the community using it, any disagreement between the users may result in the splitting of the network to support other cryptocurrencies and the users may sell all their Bitcoin and switch to other cryptocurrencies. As a result, our mining machines and our results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.
We rely on a limited number of third parties to fabricate our ASIC chips, which are the core technology used in our mining machines
The ASIC chip is the key component of a mining machine as it determines the efficiency of the device. Currently, only a small number of wafer foundries in the world are capable of producing the highly sophisticated silicon wafers used for ASIC chips. Therefore, the ability to source high-quality wafers is a major barrier to entry for new entrants and has provided us with a great competitive advantage in the market.
In 2020, 2021 and 2022, all of our ASIC wafers were fabricated by Samsung. We principally purchased ASIC chips either directly from Samsung or through intermediaries that purchased from Samsung. However, this arrangement does not guarantee that Samsung will reserve foundry capacity for us, which we believe is in line with market arrangements with other wafer foundries. As such, there are risks that Samsung may be unable to accept our purchase orders or continue their supply of ASIC wafers to us. Such changes may result in delays to our production, which could negatively affect our reputation and results of operations.
In order to diversify our ASIC chips suppliers, we have established working relations with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Limited, or TSMC, since November 2017. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to continue to source ASIC wafers from Samsung or TSMC on the same or similar terms or in a timely manner, or start to source ASIC wafers from other suppliers. In addition, replacing a supplier may require that we divert attention and resources away from our business. We may also suffer lower gross profit margins if we fail to pass on any additional costs to our customers. As a result, a change in our relationship with Samsung or TSMC could have a significant negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operation.
We depend on a limited number of suppliers to allocate to us a portion of their manufacturing capacity sufficient to meet our needs, to produce products of acceptable quality and at acceptable final test yields, and to deliver those products to us on a timely basis and at acceptable prices. These suppliers may raise prices or may be unable to meet our required capacity for any reason, such as shortages or delays in the shipment of semiconductor equipment or raw materials required to manufacture our ICs. In particular, we have experienced a global shortage in semiconductors from 2021 to the first half of 2022, which has and may continue to adversely impact the production activity and capacity of our third-party foundry partners. If these third-party foundry partners fail to succeed in their technology migration or secure enough semiconductors, they will not be able to deliver to us qualified ICs in a sufficient amount, which will significantly affect our technological advancement and shipment of Bitcoin mining machines. This could in turn result in lost sales and have a material adverse effect on our relationships with our customers and on our business and financial condition. In addition, our business relationships with the suppliers may deteriorate. For example, in November 2019, we brought a legal action against a then-major supplier for breach of contract for delivering defective products. Under such circumstances, we may not be able to obtain the required capacity and would have to seek alternative suppliers, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Moreover, it is possible that other customers of these suppliers that are larger and/or better financed than we are, or that have long-term contracts with them, may receive preferential treatment in terms of capacity allocation or pricing. In addition, if we do not accurately forecast our capacity needs, these suppliers may not have available capacity to meet our immediate needs or we may be required to pay higher costs to fulfill those needs, either of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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In particular, the production of our ASICs may require advanced IC fabrication technologies. Foundries other than Samsung or TSMC, however, might not have sufficient production capacity for such technologies, or at all, to meet our requirements. This may expose us to risks associated with engaging new foundries. For example, using foundries with which we have not established relationships could expose us to potentially unfavorable pricing, unsatisfactory quality or insufficient capacity allocation.
Other risks associated with the concentration of third-party foundry suppliers include limited control over delivery schedules and quality assurance, lack of capacity in periods of excess demand, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and limited ability to manage inventory and parts. In particular, although we have entered into confidentiality agreements with our third-party foundry suppliers for the protection of our intellectual property, it may not protect our intellectual property with the same degree of care as we use to protect our intellectual property. If we fail to properly manage any of these risks, our business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. Moreover, if Samsung or TSMC suffers any damage to its facilities, suspends manufacturing operations, loses benefits under material agreements, experiences power outages or computer virus attacks, lacks sufficient capacity to manufacture our products, encounters financial difficulties, is unable to secure necessary raw materials from its suppliers or suffers any other disruption or reduction in efficiency, we may encounter supply delays or disruptions.
We rely on a limited number of third parties for IC packaging and testing services
Fabrication of IC chips requires specialized services to process the silicon wafers into IC chips by packaging them and to test their proper functioning. We rely on a limited number of production partners for such packaging and testing services. We have worked closely with world-class outsourced semiconductor assembly and test, or OSAT, companies on a limited number of specialized production partners exposes us to a number of risks, including difficulties in finding alternate suppliers, capacity shortages or delays, lack of control or oversight in timing, quality or costs, and misuse of our intellectual property. If any such problems arise with our OSAT partners, we may experience delays in our production and delivery timeline, inadequate quality control of our products or excessive costs and expenses. As a result, our financial condition, results of operation, reputation and business may be adversely affected.
Failure at tape-out or failure to achieve the expected final test yields for our ASIC chips could negatively impact our results of operations
The tape-out process is a critical milestone in our business. A successful tape-out means all the stages in the design and verification process of our ASIC chips have been completed, and the chip design is ready to be sent for manufacturing. The tape-out process requires considerable investment in time and resources and close cooperation with the wafer foundry, and repeated failures can significantly increase our costs, lengthen our product development period and delay our product launch. If the tape-out or testing of a new ASIC chip design fails, either as a result of design flaws by our research and development team or problems with production or the testing process by the wafer foundry, we may incur considerable costs and expenses to fix or restart the design process. Such obstacles may decrease our profitability or delay the launch of new products.
Once tape-out is successful, the ASIC design is sent for manufacturing, and the final test yield is a measurement of the production success rate. The final test yield is a function of both product design, which is developed by us, and process technology, which typically belongs to a third-party foundry, such as Samsung and TSMC in our case. Low final test yields can result from a product design deficiency or a process technology failure or a combination of both. As such, we may not be able to identify problems causing low final test yields until our product designs go to the manufacturing stage, which may substantially increase our per unit costs and delay the launch of new products.
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For example, if either Samsung or TSMC experiences manufacturing inefficiencies or encounters disruptions, errors or difficulties during production, we may fail to achieve acceptable final test yields or experience product delivery delays. We cannot guarantee that Samsung and TSMC will be able to develop, obtain or successfully implement process technologies needed to manufacture future generations of our mining machines on a timely basis. Moreover, during the periods in which foundries are implementing new process technologies, their manufacturing facilities may not be fully productive. A substantial delay in the technology transitions to smaller geometry process technologies could have a material and adverse effect on us, particularly if our competitors transition to such technologies before us.
In addition, resolution of yield problems requires cooperation among us, Samsung or TSMC, and packaging and testing partners. We cannot assure you that the cooperation will be successful and that any yield problem can be fixed.
If any person, institution or a pool of them acting in concert obtains control of more than 50% of the processing power active on the Bitcoin network, such person, institution or a pool of them could prevent new transactions from gaining confirmations, halt payments between users, and reverse previously completed transactions, which would erode user confidence in Bitcoin
If the awards of Bitcoin for solving blocks and transaction fees for recording transactions are not sufficiently high to incentivize miners, miners may cease expending processing power to solve blocks. Miners ceasing operations would reduce the collective processing power on the Bitcoin network, which would adversely affect the confirmation process for transactions and make the Bitcoin network more vulnerable to any person, institution or a pool of them which has obtained over 50% control over the computing power on the Bitcoin network. In such event, such person, institution or a pool of them could prevent new transactions from gaining confirmation, halt payments between users, and reverse previously completed transactions. Such changes or any reduction in confidence in the confirmation process or processing power of the Bitcoin network may erode user confidence in Bitcoin, which would decrease the demand for our products.
The decentralized nature of cryptocurrency may be subject to challenges, which could negatively affect our results of operations
A key reason for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to have attracted many new and committed users in a short period of time is its decentralized nature, or the lack of control by a central authority. However, there are divergent views on the decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies. For example, there are claims that most of the actual services and businesses built within the cryptocurrency ecosystem are in fact centralized since they are run by specific people, in specific locations, with specific computer systems, and that they are susceptible to specific regulations. Individuals, companies or groups, as well as cryptocurrency exchanges that control vast amounts of cryptocurrency can affect cryptocurrency’s market prices. Furthermore, mining equipment production and mining pool locations may become centralized. The concerns or skepticism about the decentralized nature of Bitcoin may cause customers to lose confidence in the cryptocurrency industry’s prospects. This in turn could adversely affect the market demand for our mining machines, the operation of our cryptocurrency exchanges and our business. Furthermore, the possibility that a person or a coordinated group of people may gain more than 50% control of the process power active on Bitcoin and be able to manipulate transactions, despite the intended decentralized structure, may also erode confidence in Bitcoin. Our business, prospects and results of operations therefore may adversely be affected by the divergent views on the decentralized nature of Bitcoin.
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Change of Bitcoin algorithms and mining mechanisms may materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations
Our ASIC chips are designed for proof-of-work, or POW, mechanism, which the Bitcoin network uses to validate Bitcoin transactions. Many within the Bitcoin community believe that POW is a foundation within Bitcoin’s code that would not be changed. However, there have been debates on mechanism change to avoid the “de facto control” by a great majority of the network computing power. POW validation consumes large amounts of computing power and electricity. Proof-of-stake validation is a more recent development, which involves the validator losing part of its cryptocurrency holdings if it fails to correctly validate a block. While there are some drawbacks to proof-of-stake, it requires far less energy than proof-of-work. Cryptocurrencies whose transactions are validated on a proof-of-stake basis do not require miners. Future cryptocurrencies may utilize proof-of-stake rather than proof-of work, meaning that there will be less opportunity for miners to earn rewards. With the possibility of a change in rule or protocol of the Bitcoin network, if our Bitcoin mining machines cannot be modified to accommodate any such changes, our mining machines will not be able to meet customer demand, and the results of our operations will be significantly affected. For more details, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Cryptocurrency, Blockchain and Mining Related Businesses—The administrators of the Bitcoin network’s source code could propose amendments to the Bitcoin network’s protocols and software that, if accepted and authorized by the Bitcoin network’s community, could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition” and “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Cryptocurrency, Blockchain and Mining Related Businesses—The acceptance of Bitcoin network software patches or upgrades by a significant, but not overwhelming, percentage of the users and miners in the Bitcoin network could result in a “fork” in the blockchain, resulting in the operation of two separate networks that cannot be merged. The existence of forked blockchains could erode user confidence in Bitcoin and could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.”
We face risks associated with the expansion of our blockchain products and Fintech business operations overseas and if we are unable to effectively manage such risks, our business growth and profitability may be negatively affected
We intend to grow our blockchain products and Fintech businesses in part by expanding our sales network and operations internationally. Currently, we mainly rely on our production partners in South Korea and Taiwan, including Samsung and TSMC, for the fabrication, testing and packaging of our ASICs. Any significant deterioration in the cross-strait relationship may have a negative impact on the ability of our production partners in Taiwan to fulfill their contractual obligations and ship the ASICs to us, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our expansion plans also include possibly establishing an assembly facility and offices for sales, research and development and other operations in the United States; and we are at an initial preparatory stage of establishing other cryptocurrency exchange platforms in Hong Kong and overseas. Any significant deterioration in the relationship between China and any of these countries and region may have a material and adverse effect on our proposed business operations in these jurisdictions. However, there are risks associated with such global expansion plans, including:
| ● | high costs of investment to establish a presence in a new market and manage international operations; |
| ● | competition in unfamiliar markets; |
| ● | foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; |
| ● | regulatory differences and difficulties in ensuring compliance with multi-national legal requirements and multi-national operations; |
| ● | changes in economic, legal, political or other local conditions in new markets; |
| ● | our limited customer base and limited sales and relationships with international customers; |
| ● | competitors in the overseas markets may be more dominant and have stronger ties with customers and greater financial and other resources; |
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| ● | challenges in managing our international sales channels effectively; |
| ● | difficulties in and costs of exporting products overseas while complying with the different commercial, legal and regulatory requirements of the overseas markets in which we offer our products; |
| ● | difficulty in ensuring that our customers comply with the sanctions imposed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, on various foreign states, organizations and individuals; |
| ● | inability to obtain, maintain or enforce intellectual property rights; |
| ● | inability to effectively enforce contractual or legal rights or intellectual property rights in certain jurisdictions under which we operate; and |
| ● | governmental policies favoring domestic companies in certain foreign markets or trade barriers including export requirements, tariffs, taxes and other restrictions and charges. In particular, a worldwide trend in favor of nationalism and protectionist trade policy and the ongoing trade dispute between the United States and China as well as other potential international trade disputes could cause turbulence in international markets. These government policies or trade barriers could increase the prices of our products and make us less competitive in such countries. |
If we are unable to effectively manage such risks, we may encounter difficulties in our overseas expansion plans and our business, reputation, results of operations and financial condition may be impaired.
We plan to increase our export of mining machines to the United States and the European Union in the future, which may be subject to high tariff rates resulting from protectionism trade policies, and as a result, our future sales volumes, profitability and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected
Historically, only a small portion of our mining machines were exported to the United States. Going forward we plan to increase our export of mining machines to the U.S. market. However, the United States and China have recently been involved in controversy over trade barriers in China that have threatened a trade war between these two countries, and have implemented or proposed to implement tariffs on certain imported products. Although the United States had not announced any trade policies that may directly impact the export of our mining machines as of the date of this annual report, we cannot accurately predict whether any anti-dumping duties, tariffs or quota fees will be imposed on our mining machines by the United States in the future. Any export requirements, tariffs, taxes and other restrictions and charges imposed by the United States on our mining machines could significantly increase our customers’ purchase costs of our mining machines and make our mining machines less competitive in the U.S. market. As a result, our future sales volumes, profitability and results of operations could be adversely affected.
In addition, we also intend to increase our export of mining machines to the European Union in the future. However, the worldwide populism trend that calls for protectionism trade policy and potential international trade disputes could cause turbulence in the international markets. These government policies or trade barriers could increase the prices of our mining machines and cause us to lose our sales and market share to our competitors in these countries.
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Our blockchain customers rely on a steady and inexpensive power supply for operating mining farms and running mining hardware. Failure to access a large quantity of power at reasonable costs could significantly increase their operating expenses and adversely affect their demand for our mining machines
Many of our blockchain customers engage in the cryptocurrency mining business. Cryptocurrency mining consumes a significant amount of energy power to process the computations and cool down the mining hardware. Therefore, a steady and inexpensive power supply is critical to cryptocurrency mining. There can be no assurance that the operations of our blockchain customers will not be affected by power shortages or an increase in energy prices in the future. In particular, the power supply could be disrupted by natural disasters, such as floods, mudslides and earthquakes, or other similar events beyond the control of our customers. Further, certain of our customers may experience power shortages due to seasonal variations in the supply of certain types of power such as hydroelectricity. Power shortages, power outages or increased power prices could adversely affect mining farm businesses of our blockchain customers and reduce the expected market demand for our mining machines significantly. Under such circumstances, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
In addition, as we intend to establish and operate mining farms to provide hosting services for third parties and engage in proprietary Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency mining activities to mine cryptocurrencies for ourselves in the near future, any increase in energy prices or a shortage in power supply in locations where our future mining farms are located may increase our potential mining costs and reduce the expected economic returns from our proprietary mining operation significantly.
The average selling prices of certain products may decrease from time to time due to technological advancement and we may not be able to pass onto our suppliers such decreases, which may in turn adversely affect our profitability
The IC design industry is characterized by rapid launches of new products, continuous technological advancements and changing market trends and customer preferences, all of which translate to a shorter life cycle and a decrease in the average selling prices of products over time. Because we compete in the environment of rapidly-evolving technology advancement and market trends and developments of the IC design industry, we cannot assume that we will be able to pass on any decrease in average selling prices of our products to our suppliers. If the average selling prices of our products unusually or significantly decrease and such decreases cannot be offset by a corresponding decrease in the prices of the principal components of our products, our gross profit margins may be materially and adversely affected, which in turn, may adversely affect our profitability.
We may not be able to price our products at our desired margins as a result of any decrease in our bargaining power or changes in market conditions
We set prices for our mining machines and telecommunication products based on a number of internal and external factors, such as the cost of production, the technological contents of our products, market conditions, and competition we face. Our ability to set favorable prices at our desired margins and to accurately estimate costs, among other factors, has a significant impact on our profitability. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain our pricing or bargaining power or that our gross profit margin will not be driven down by market conditions or other factors. If we see higher pricing pressure due to intensified competition from other manufacturers as our competitors’ products may be more technologically advanced or energy-efficient, decreases in prices to our customers in the end market or any other reasons, or if we otherwise lose bargaining power due to weaker demand for our products, we may need to reduce the prices and lower the margins of our products and we may even be unable to continue to market our products at all. Moreover, we may not be able to accurately estimate our costs or pass on all or part of any increase in our costs of production, in particular the costs of raw materials, components and parts, to our customers.
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Shortages in, or rises in the prices of, the components of our mining machines may adversely affect our business
Given the long production period to manufacture, assemble, and deliver certain components and products, problems could arise in planning production and managing inventory levels that could seriously interrupt our operations, including the possibility of defective parts, an increase in component costs, delays in delivery schedules, and shortages of components. In addition to ASIC chips, the components we use for our mining machines include printed circuit boards, or PCBs, other electronic components, fans, and aluminum casings. The production of our mining machines also requires certain ancillary equipment and components such as controllers, power adaptors, and connectors. The production of our current products depends on obtaining adequate supplies of these components on a timely basis and at competitive prices. We do not typically maintain large inventory of the components, and rather purchase them on an “as-needed” basis from various third-party component manufacturers that satisfy our quality standards and meet our production requirements. We may have to turn to less reputable suppliers if we cannot source adequate components from our regular suppliers. Under such circumstances, the quality of the components may suffer and could cause performance issues in our mining machines.
Shortages of components could result in reduced production or delays in production, as well as an increase in production costs, which may negatively affect our ability to fulfill orders or make timely shipments to blockchain customers, as well as our customer relationships and profitability. Component shortages may also increase our costs of goods sold because we may be required to pay higher prices for components in short supply, or redesign or reconfigure products to accommodate for the substitute components, without being able to pass such cost to our blockchain customers. As a result, our business, results of operations and reputation could be materially and adversely affected by any product defects.
Cryptocurrency exchanges and wallets, and to a lesser extent, cryptocurrency blockchains themselves, may be susceptible to hacking and fraud risks, which may adversely erode user confidence in cryptocurrencies, and adversely impact our brand and reputation and our business, operating results, and financial condition
Cryptocurrency transactions are entirely digital and, as with any virtual system, face risk from hackers, malware and operational glitches. For example, hackers can target cryptocurrency exchanges, wallets, and custodians to gain unauthorized access to the private keys associated with the wallet addresses where cryptocurrencies are stored. Cryptocurrency transactions and accounts are not insured by any type of government program and cryptocurrency transactions generally are immutable by design. Certain features of cryptocurrency networks, such as decentralization, open source protocols, and reliance on peer-to-peer connectivity, may increase the risk of fraud or cyber attack by potentially reducing the likelihood of a coordinated response. Cryptocurrencies have been susceptible to hacking and several cryptocurrency exchanges and miners have reported cryptocurrency losses, which highlights concern over the security of cryptocurrencies and in turn affect the demand and the market price of cryptocurrencies. In addition, while cryptocurrencies use private key encryption to verify owners and register transactions, scammers and other bad actors may attempt to sell fraudulent digital assets. The techniques used to obtain unauthorized, improper, or illegal access to systems and information (including customers’ personal data and digital assets), disable or degrade services, or sabotage systems are constantly evolving, may be difficult to detect quickly, and often are not recognized or detected until after they have been launched against a target. Additionally, certain threats are designed to remain dormant or undetectable until launched against a target and we may not be able to implement adequate preventative or protective measures. These risks may adversely affect the operation of the cryptocurrency network which would erode user confidence in digital assets, or in the use of technology to conduct financial transactions, which could negatively impact us, including the market perception of the effectiveness of our security measures, the technology infrastructure of our exchange platforms, and the demand for our mining machines.
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In particular, our cryptocurrency exchange business involves the collection, storage, processing, and transmission of confidential information, customer, employee, service provider, and other personal data, as well as information required to access customer assets. We have built our reputation on the premise that our platforms offer customers a secure way to purchase, store, and transact in digital assets. As a result, any actual or perceived security breach of our exchange platforms or our third-party partners may:
| ● | harm our reputation and brand; |
| ● | result in our systems or services being unavailable and interrupt our operations; |
| ● | result in improper disclosure of data and violations of applicable privacy and data protection laws; |
| ● | result in significant regulatory scrutiny, investigations, fines, penalties, and other legal, regulatory, and financial exposure; |
| ● | cause us to incur significant remediation costs; |
| ● | lead to theft or irretrievable loss of our or our customers’ fiat currencies or digital assets; |
| ● | reduce customer confidence in, or decreased use of, our products and services; |
| ● | divert the attention of management from the operation of our business; |
| ● | result in significant compensation or contractual penalties from us to our customers or third parties as a result of losses to them or claims by them; and |
| ● | adversely affect our business and operating results. |
Although we have developed systems and processes designed to protect the data we manage, prevent data loss and other security breaches, effectively respond to known and potential risks, and expect to continue to expend significant resources to bolster these protections, there can be no assurance that these security measures will provide absolute security or prevent breaches or attacks. As of the date of this annual report, we have not experienced breaches of our security measures, however, we may experience in the future, breaches of our security measures due to human error, malfeasance, insider threats, system errors, vulnerabilities, or other irregularities. Certain types of cyberattacks could harm us even if our systems are left undisturbed. Unauthorized parties may attempt to gain access to our systems and facilities, as well as those of our customers, partners, and third-party service providers, through various means, including hacking, social engineering, phishing, and attempting to fraudulently induce individuals (including employees, service providers, and customers) into disclosing usernames, passwords, payment card information, digital wallet information or other sensitive information, which may in turn be used to access our information technology systems and customers’ digital assets. Threats can come from a variety of sources, including criminal hackers, hacktivists, state-sponsored intrusions, industrial espionage, and insiders. Certain threat actors may be supported by significant financial and technological resources, making them even more sophisticated and difficult to detect. We may also acquire other companies that expose us to unexpected security risks or increase costs to improve the security posture of the acquired company. As a result, our costs and the resources we devote to protecting against these advanced threats and their consequences may continue to increase over time.
From time to time, we may encounter technical issues in connection with the integration of supported digital assets and changes and upgrades to their underlying networks, which could adversely affect our business
A variety of front and back-end technical and development work is required to implement our wallet, custody, trading, staking and other solutions for our customers, and to integrate our supported digital assets with our existing technical infrastructure. For certain digital assets, a significant amount of development work is required and there is no guarantee that we will be able to successfully integrate any existing or future digital assets. In addition, such integration may introduce software errors or weaknesses into our platforms, including into our existing infrastructure. Even if such integration is initially successful, any number of technical changes, software upgrades, soft or hard forks, cybersecurity incidents, or other changes to the underlying blockchain network may occur from time to time, causing incompatibility, technical issues, disruptions, or security weaknesses to our platforms. If we are unable to identify, troubleshoot and resolve any such issues successfully, we may no longer be able to support such digital assets, our customers’ assets may be frozen or lost, the security of our hot, warm, or cold wallets may be compromised, and our platforms and technical infrastructure may be affected, all of which could adversely impact our business.
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Failure to comply with anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”) and similar laws associated with our activities outside of the United States, could subject us to penalties and other adverse consequences
We operate an international business and may have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies or state-owned or affiliated entities. We are subject to the FCPA, and other applicable anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws in certain countries in which we conduct activities. The FCPA prohibits providing, offering, promising, or authorizing, directly or indirectly, anything of value to government officials, political parties, or political candidates for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or securing any improper business advantage. In addition, U.S. public companies are required to maintain records that accurately and fairly represent their transactions and have an adequate system of internal accounting controls.
In many foreign countries, including countries in which we may conduct business, it may be a local custom that businesses engage in practices that are prohibited by the FCPA, or other applicable laws and regulations. We face significant risks if we or any of our directors, officers, employees, contractors, agents or other partners or representatives fail to comply with these laws and governmental authorities in the United States and elsewhere could seek to impose substantial civil and/or criminal fines and penalties which could have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, operating results, prospects and financial condition.
Any violation of the FCPA, other applicable anti-corruption laws, or anti-money laundering laws could result in whistleblower complaints, adverse media coverage, investigations, loss of export privileges, severe criminal or civil sanctions and, in the case of the FCPA, suspension or debarment from U.S. government contracts, any of which could have a materially adverse effect on our reputation, business, operating results, prospects and financial condition. In addition, responding to any enforcement action or internal investigation related to alleged misconduct may result in a significant diversion of management’s attention and resources and significant defense costs and other professional fees.
There is a lack of liquid markets for cryptocurrencies, and blockchain-based assets are susceptible to potential manipulation
Cryptocurrencies and other digital assets that are represented and trade on a ledger-based platform may not necessarily benefit from viable trading markets. Stock exchanges have listing requirements and vet issuers, requiring them to be subjected to rigorous listing standards and rules; and monitor investors transacting on such platform for fraud and other improprieties. These conditions may not necessarily be replicated on a distributed ledger platform, depending on the platform’s controls and other policies. The more lax a distributed ledger platform is about vetting issuers of cryptocurrency and other digital assets or users that transact on the platform, the higher the potential risk for fraud or the manipulation of the ledger due to a control event. These factors may decrease liquidity or volume or may otherwise increase volatility of investment securities or other assets trading on a ledger-based system, which may adversely affect us. Such circumstances could have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue as a going concern or to pursue our business strategy at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects or operations, and potentially the value of any Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies or digital assets we acquire or hold for our own account, and so could harm investors.
Cryptocurrencies face significant scaling obstacles that can lead to high fees or delayed transaction settlement times, and attempts to increase transaction processing capacity may not be effective
Many cryptocurrency networks face significant scaling challenges. As the Bitcoin network continues to develop and grow, certain technical issues might be uncovered, and the troubleshooting and resolution of such issues requires the attention and efforts of Bitcoin’s global development community. A number of second layer technology solutions have been recently promoted to resolve this problem by, among other things, enabling faster transactions: in August 2017, the Bitcoin network underwent a hard fork that resulted in the creation of a new digital asset network called Bitcoin Cash. This hard fork was contentious, and as a result some users of the Bitcoin Cash network may harbor ill will toward the Bitcoin network. These users may attempt to negatively impact the use or adoption of the Bitcoin network. Also in August 2017, the Bitcoin network was upgraded with a technical feature known as “Segregated Witness” that, among other things, potentially doubles the transactions per second that can be handled on-chain and enables so-called second layer solutions, such as the Lightning Network or payment channels, that have the potential to substantially increase transaction throughput (i.e., millions of transactions per second). As of the date of this annual report, digital wallets and intermediaries that support Segregated Witness or Lightning Network-like technologies do not yet have material adoption. In 2021, the Bitcoin protocol implemented the Taproot upgrade to add enhanced support for complex transactions on the network such as multi-signature transactions, which require two or more parties to execute a transaction on the Bitcoin network. Prior to the upgrade, multi-signature transactions were historically slow, expensive, and easily identifiable. Taproot is intended to reduce the amount of data written to a block and makes multi-signature transactions indistinguishable from regular transactions, adding an enhanced layer of privacy. This upgrade may fail to work as expected, which could lead to a decline in support and price of Bitcoin. Unfortunately, there is no assurance that the digital asset community will accept these solutions or that these solutions will work as expected or effectively resolve these problems.
As the use of digital asset networks increases without a corresponding increase in throughput of the networks, average fees and settlement times can increase significantly. Bitcoin’s network, for example, has been, at times, at capacity, which has led to very high transaction fees. Increased fees and decreased settlement speeds could preclude certain use cases for Bitcoin (e.g., micropayments), and can reduce demand for and the market price of Bitcoin, which could adversely affect the market demand for our mining machines. There is no guarantee that any of the mechanisms already in place or being explored for increasing the scale of settlement of Bitcoin transactions will be effective, or how long they will take to become effective, which could adversely affect the market demand for our mining machines.
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The administrators of the Bitcoin network’s source code could propose amendments to the Bitcoin network’s protocols and software that, if accepted and authorized by the Bitcoin network’s community, could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition
The Bitcoin network is based on a cryptographic, algorithmic protocol that governs the end-user-to-end-user interactions between computers connected to the Bitcoin network. A loosely organized group can propose amendments to the Bitcoin network’s source code through one or more software upgrades that alter the protocols and software that govern the Bitcoin network and the properties of Bitcoin, including the irreversibility of transactions and limitations on the mining of new Bitcoin. To the extent a significant majority of the users and miners on the Bitcoin network accept and authorize such software upgrade(s), the Bitcoin network would be subject to new protocols and software that may render our mining machines less desirable, which in turn may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. If less than a significant majority of the users and miners on the Bitcoin network install any such software upgrade(s), the Bitcoin network could fork.
The acceptance of Bitcoin network software patches or upgrades by a significant, but not overwhelming, percentage of the users and miners in the Bitcoin network could result in a “fork” in the blockchain, resulting in the operation of two separate networks that cannot be merged. The existence of forked blockchains could erode user confidence in Bitcoin and could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition
Bitcoin is based on open source software and has no official developer or group of developers that formally controls the Bitcoin network. Any individual can download the Bitcoin network software and make any desired modifications, which are proposed to users and miners on the Bitcoin network through software downloads and upgrades. However, miners and users must consent to those software modifications by downloading the altered software or upgrade implementing the changes; otherwise, the changes do not become part of the Bitcoin network. Since the Bitcoin network’s inception, changes to the Bitcoin network have been accepted by the vast majority of users and miners, ensuring that the Bitcoin network remains a coherent economic system. However, a developer or group of developers could potentially propose a modification to the Bitcoin network that is not accepted by a vast majority of miners and users, but that is nonetheless accepted by a substantial population of participants in the Bitcoin network. In such a case, a “fork” in the blockchain could develop and two separate Bitcoin networks could result, one running the pre-modification software program and the other running the modified version. An example is the introduction of Bitcoin Cash in mid-2017. This hard fork was contentious, and as a result some users of the Bitcoin Cash network may harbor ill will toward the Bitcoin Network. These users may attempt to negatively impact the use or adoption of the Bitcoin Network. This kind of hard fork split in the Bitcoin network was contentious, and as a result may erode user confidence in the stability of the Bitcoin network, may cause some Bitcoin Network users to negatively affect the use or adoption, and could negatively affect the demand for our mining machines.
Our Bitcoin mining machines use open source software and hardware as their basic controller system, which may subject us to certain risks
We use open source software and hardware in our Bitcoin mining machines. For example, our mining machine controller open source software needs to be installed on open source, which serves as the basic controller system for our mining machines, and we expect to continue to use open source software and hardware in the future. Open source software is generally freely accessible, usable and modifiable, and is made available to the general public on an “as-is” basis under the terms of a non-negotiable license. As a result, we may from time to time face claims from others claiming ownership of, or seeking to enforce the terms of, an open source license, including by demanding the release of the open source software, derivative works or our proprietary source code that was developed using such software. These claims could also result in litigation, requiring us to purchase a costly license or to devote additional research and development resources to change our technologies, either of which would have a negative effect on our business and operating results. In addition, if the license terms for the open source software we utilize change, we may be forced to re-engineer or discontinue our solutions or incur additional costs.
Bitcoin mining activities are energy-intensive, which may restrict the geographic locations of miners and have a negative environmental impact
Bitcoin mining activities are inherently energy-intensive and electricity costs account for a significant portion of the overall mining costs. The availability and cost of electricity will restrict the geographic locations of mining activities. Any shortage of electricity supply or increase in electricity cost in a jurisdiction may negatively impact the viability and the expected economic return for Bitcoin mining activities in that jurisdiction, which may in turn decrease the sales of our Bitcoin mining machines in that jurisdiction.
Further, our mining equipment will only be valuable and so our business model can only be successful if the costs, including electrical power costs, associated with Bitcoin mining are lower than the price of Bitcoin itself. As a result, mining operations can only be successful if miners can obtain sufficient electrical power for their geographical sites on a cost-effective basis, and the establishment of new mining data centers and demand for our mining equipment requires miners to find sites where that is the case. Even if our electrical power costs do not increase, significant fluctuations in, and any prolonged periods of, low Bitcoin prices may also cause the electrical supply to no longer be cost-effective.
Because there has been limited precedent set for financial accounting of Bitcoin and other Bitcoin assets, the determination that we have made for how to account for Bitcoin assets transactions may be subject to change
Because there has been limited precedent set for the financial accounting of cryptocurrencies and related revenue recognition and no official guidance has yet been provided by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the PCAOB or the SEC, it is unclear how companies may in the future be required to account for Bitcoin transactions and assets and related revenue recognition. A change in regulatory or financial accounting standards could result in the necessity to change our accounting methods and restate our financial statements. Such a restatement could negatively impact our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operation. Such circumstances would also have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue as a going concern or to pursue our business strategy at all, which would potentially have a material adverse effect on the value of any cryptocurrencies we hold or expects to acquire for our own account and harm investors.
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We have an evolving business model and strategy
Our business model has significantly evolved since our incorporation and we expect it to continue to do so in the future. As blockchain and Fintech businesses become more widely available, we expect their services and products to evolve. In order to stay current with our industry, our business model will also need to evolve. As a result, from time to time, we may modify aspects of our business model relating to our strategy, including pursuing business opportunities outside of the blockchain and Fintech industry, including the sustainable energy industry. We cannot offer any assurance that these or any other modifications will be successful or will not result in harm to our business. These modifications may increase the complexity of our business and place significant strain on our management, personnel, operations, systems, technical performance, financial resources and internal financial control and reporting functions. We may not be able to manage growth effectively, which could damage our reputation, limit our growth and adversely affect our operating results. Further, we cannot provide any assurance that we will successfully identify all emerging trends and growth opportunities within the blockchain and Fintech industry or the industry sectors into which we will venture and we may lose out on such opportunities. Such circumstances could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.
Significant disruptions of information technology systems or security breaches could materially adversely affect our business
We are increasingly dependent upon information technology systems, infrastructure, and data to operate our business. In the ordinary course of business, we collect, store, and transmit large amounts of confidential information (including, among other things, trade secrets or other intellectual property, proprietary business information and personal information). It is critical that we do so in a secure manner to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of such confidential information. We also have outsourced elements of our operations to third parties, and as a result, we manage a number of third-party vendors who may or could have access to our confidential information. Attacks on information technology systems are increasing in their frequency, levels of persistence, sophistication, and intensity, and they are being conducted by increasingly sophisticated and organized groups and individuals with a wide range of motives and expertise. The size and complexity of our information technology systems, and those of third-party vendors with whom we contract, and the large amounts of confidential information stored on those systems, make such systems vulnerable to service interruptions or to security breaches from inadvertent or intentional actions by our employees, third-party vendors, and/or business partners, or from cyber-attacks by malicious third parties. Cyber-attacks could include the deployment of harmful malware, ransomware, denial-of-service attacks, social engineering, and other means to affect service reliability and threaten the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information.
Significant disruptions of our information technology systems, or those of our third-party vendors, or security breaches could materially adversely affect our business operations and/or result in the loss, misappropriation and/or unauthorized access, use or disclosure of, or the prevention of access to, confidential information, including, among other things, trade secrets or other intellectual property, proprietary business information and personal information, and could result in financial, legal, business and reputational harm to us. The Company continually assesses these threats and makes investments to increase internal protection, detection, and response capabilities, as well as ensure the Company’s third-party providers have required capabilities and controls, to address this risk.
Any failure or perceived failure by us or any third-party collaborators, service providers, contractors or consultants to comply with our privacy, confidentiality, data security or similar obligations to third parties, or any data security incidents or other security breaches that result in the unauthorized access, release or transfer of sensitive information, including personally identifiable information, may result in governmental investigations, enforcement actions, regulatory fines, litigation or public statements against us, could cause third parties to lose trust in us or could result in claims by third parties asserting that we have breached our privacy, confidentiality, data security or similar obligations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition or results of operations. Moreover, data security incidents and other security breaches can be difficult to detect, and any delay in identifying them may lead to increased harm. To date, the Company has not experienced any material impact to the business or operations resulting from information or cybersecurity attacks; however, because of the frequently changing attack techniques, along with the increased volume and sophistication of the attacks, there is the potential for the Company to be adversely impacted. While we have implemented data security measures intended to protect our information technology systems and infrastructure, there can be no assurance that such measures will successfully prevent service interruptions or data security incidents.
Other Risks Relating to Our Business Operations
We face risks related to health epidemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations
Our business could be materially and adversely affected by health epidemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic originated in Wuhan city at the end of 2019 and other outbreaks affecting the jurisdictions in which we operate. Health epidemics may cause market panics, which materially and negatively affected the global financial markets. Such disruption and the potential slowdown of the world’s economy in 2023 and beyond could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. We and our customers experienced and may continue to experience significant business disruptions and suspension of operations due to various government restrictions put in place to attempt to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the large-scale lock-downs implemented during fiscal year 2022, which have caused and may continue to cause shortages in the supply of raw materials, reduction in our production capacity, increase in the likelihood of default from our customers and product delivery delays. The pandemic has also led to great volatility in the Bitcoin price, which has adversely affected and may continue to negatively affect the demand for our mining machines both in terms of the price and the quantity.
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Our third-party manufacturers, suppliers, sub-contractors and customers have been and will continue to be disrupted by worker absenteeism, quarantines, restrictions on employees’ ability to work, office and factory closures, disruptions to ports and other shipping infrastructure, border closures, or other travel or health-related restrictions. Depending on the magnitude of such effects on our supply chain, shipments of parts from our manufacturers and suppliers, have been and may continue to be delayed. Supply chain disruptions could therefore negatively impact our operations.
The effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine and vaccination programs remains to be verified worldwide, including against variants of the virus. The sweeping nature of the COVID-19 pandemic makes it extremely difficult to predict how the company’s business and operations will be affected in the longer run. So far, the likely overall economic impact of the pandemic is widely viewed as highly negative to the global economy.
High customer concentration exposes us to all of the risks faced by our major customers and may subject us to significant fluctuations or declines in revenues
Our customers include both enterprises and individuals. A limited number of our major customers, however, have contributed a significant portion of our revenues in the past. Our revenue from the top ten largest customers accounted for approximately 91%, 81% and 88% of our total revenues in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Although we continually seek to diversify our customer base, we cannot assure you that the proportion of the revenue contribution from these customers to our total revenues will decrease in the near future. We offer credit sales to our major, long-term customers. Dependence on a limited number of major customers will expose us to the risks of substantial losses and may increase our account receivables and extend its turn over days if any of them reduces or even ceases business collaborations with us. Specifically, any one of the following events, among others, may cause material fluctuations or declines in our revenues and have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects:
| ● | an overall decline in the business of one or more of our significant customers; |
| ● | the decision by one or more of our significant customers to switch to our competitors; |
| ● | the reduction in the prices of our mining machines agreed by one or more of our significant customers; or |
| ● | the failure or inability of any of our significant customers to make timely payment for our services. |
If we fail to maintain relationships with these major customers, and if we are unable to find replacement customers on commercially desirable terms or in a timely manner or at all, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.
We have been involved, and may continue to be involved, in disputes, claims or proceedings arising from our operations or class actions from time to time, which could result in significant liabilities and reputational harm and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations
We have been, and in the future may continue to be, involved in disputes, claims or proceedings arising out of our operations. For example, we are currently involved in several ongoing civil actions in relation to our sales of mining machines, among others, to a customer and our procurement of ASIC wafers from a supplier. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview —Legal Proceedings.” In addition, we may have disagreements with regulatory bodies in the course of our operations, which may subject us to administrative proceedings and unfavorable orders, directives or decrees that may result in financial losses. Ongoing disputes, claims or proceedings may divert our management’s attention and consume their time and our other resources.
In the past, shareholders of public companies have often brought securities class action suits against an issuer following periods of instability in the market price of an issuer’s securities, or after the publication of third-party research reports. As of the date of this annual report, we are not aware of any lawsuits threatened or filed against us based on any alleged violation of securities laws. We cannot assure you that there would not be any future claims against us or that we would successfully defend against them. Any such suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation, result in share price volatility and a loss of customers, and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. Even if claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the resources of our management and require significant expenditures, which could prevent us from competing effectively and could have an adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, any disputes, claims or proceedings which are initially not of material importance may escalate and become important to us, due to a variety of factors, such as the facts and circumstances of the cases, the likelihood of loss, the monetary amount at stake and the parties involved. As of the date of this annual report, we are not able to quantify the likelihood or amount of exposure from any of these potential actions.
Negative publicity arising from disputes, claims or proceedings may damage our reputation and adversely affect the image of our brands and products. In addition, if any verdict or award is rendered against us, we could be required to pay significant monetary damages, assume other liabilities and even to suspend or terminate the related business ventures or projects. Consequently, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.
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We are exposed to credit risks and concentration of credit risks in relation to defaults from counterparties
There are credit risks associated with our business. In particular, a drop in the Bitcoin price may also result in lower economic returns for mining activities of our blockchain customers and adversely affect their businesses and financial conditions, which may further affect their credit profiles and their ability to settle our accounts receivables. Although we generally require our blockchain customers to make full payment for our mining machines before delivery of products, we provide credit sales to customers when the market is sluggish. As for our telecommunication product sales, we always use credit sales. As of December 31, 2021 and 2022, our net accounts receivable US$9.9 million and US$3.3 million, respectively, and we recorded allowance for doubtful accounts of US$4.6 million and US$3.5 million, as of the same dates.
In addition, we also face concentration of credit risks associated with our business. Our exposure to credit risk is influenced mainly by the individual characteristics of each customer as well as the industry or country in which the customers operate and is concentrated on a few customers. As of December 31, 2021 and 2022, 13% and 20% of our total accounts receivables were due from one of our customers, respectively.
Although we monitor our exposure to credit risk on an ongoing basis and make periodic judgment on impairment of overdue receivables based on the likelihood of collectability, we cannot assure you that all of our counterparties are creditworthy and reputable and will not default on payments in the future. If we encounter significant delays or defaults in payment by our customers or are otherwise unable to recover our accounts receivables, our cash flow, liquidity and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.
The businesses that we are pursuing through certain of our subsidiaries’ initiatives are novel and subject to technical, operational, financial, regulatory, legal, reputational and marketing risks and we cannot assure you that such acquisitions or strategic alliances may be successfully implemented
We have and may continue to acquire interests in various businesses, including financial technology companies, broker-dealers, and digital currency transfer and payment businesses. We have limited experience with the operation of such businesses. In some countries the licensing requirements and regulations expressly cover companies engaged in digital currency activities; in others it is not clear whether or how the existing laws and regulations apply to digital currency activities. Licenses and registrations that we may be required to obtain may subject us to various anti-money laundering, know-your-customer, record-keeping, reporting and capital and bonding requirements, limitations on the investment of customer funds, and inspection by regulatory agencies. These are areas in which we do not have substantial experience and which are subject to the risks of new and novel businesses, including technical, operational, financial, regulatory, legal and reputational risks, as well as the risk that we may be unable to market, license or sell our technology successfully or profitably. The occurrence of any such risks, any such penalties, or even allegations of criminal or civil misconduct, could have a material adverse effect on us and on our financial results and business.
We may look for other potential acquisitions or strategic alliances in the future to expand our business. However, we may not be able to find suitable acquisition candidates, complete acquisitions on favorable terms, if at all, or integrate any acquired business, products or technologies into our operations. If we do complete acquisitions, they may be viewed negatively by customers or investors and they may not enable us to strengthen our competitive position or achieve our goals. In addition, any acquisitions that we make could lead to difficulties in integrating personnel, technologies and operations from the acquired businesses and in retaining and motivating key personnel from these businesses. Moreover, acquisitions may disrupt our ongoing operations, divert management from day-to-day responsibilities and increase our expenses. Future acquisitions may reduce our cash available for operations and other uses, and could result in increases in amortization expenses related to identifiable intangible assets acquired, potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities or the incurrence of debt. We cannot predict the number, timing or size of future acquisitions, or the effect that any such acquisitions might have on our operating results.
Our prepayments to suppliers may subject us to counterparty risk associated with such suppliers and negatively affect our liquidity
We are required to prepay some of our suppliers before the service is provided to secure the supplier’s production capacity. As of December 31, 2021 and 2022, the outstanding balance of prepayments we made to our third-party foundry partners amounted to US$1.1 million and US$1.2 million, respectively. The amount of our prepayments may significantly increase as we continue to pursue technological advancement. We are subject to counterparty risk exposure to our suppliers. Any failure by our suppliers to perform their contract obligations on a timely manner and/or with our requested quality may result in us not being able to fulfill customers’ orders accordingly. In such event, we may not be able to regain the prepayment in a timely manner or in full, even though our suppliers are obligated to return such prepayments under specified circumstances as previously agreed upon. Furthermore, if the cash outflows for the prepayments significantly exceed the cash inflows during any period, our future liquidity position will be adversely affected.
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If we experience difficulty in collecting our trade receivables, our liquidity, financial condition and results of operations would be negatively impacted.
We derive our revenues from the sale of products and are subject to counterparty risks such as our customer’s inability to pay. As of December 31, 2021 and 2022, our trade receivables amounted to US$9.9 million and US$3.3 million, respectively. There can be no assurance that we will be able to collect our trade receivables on a timely basis, and our trade receivable turnover days may increase, which in turn could materially and adversely affect our liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.
If we fail to maintain appropriate inventory levels in line with the approximate level of demand for our products, we could lose sales or face excessive inventory risks and holding costs
To operate our business successfully and meet our customers’ demands and expectations, we must maintain a certain level of finished goods inventory to ensure immediate delivery when required. We are also required to maintain an appropriate level of raw materials for our production. However, forecasts are inherently uncertain. If our forecasted demand is lower than what eventually transpires, we may not be able to maintain an adequate inventory level of our finished goods or produce our products in a timely manner, and we may lose sales and market share to our competitors. On the other hand, we may also be exposed to increased inventory risks due to accumulated excess inventory of our products or raw materials, parts and components for our products. Excess inventory levels may lead to increases in inventory holding costs, risks of inventory obsolescence and provisions for write-downs, which will materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In order to maintain an appropriate inventory level of finished goods and raw materials to meet market demand, we adjust our procurement amount and production schedule from time to time based on customers’ orders and anticipated demand. We also carry out an inventory review and an aging analysis on a regular basis. We make provision for obsolete and slow-moving inventory of raw materials and finished goods that are no longer suitable for use in production or sale. However, we cannot guarantee that these measures will always be effective and that we will be able to maintain an appropriate inventory level. We may also be exposed to the risk of holding excessive inventory, including older generation mining machines that are less marketable as well as older ASIC chips which may increase our inventory holding costs and subject us to the risk of inventory obsolescence or write-offs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. For example, we recorded write-down for the potentially obsolete, slow-moving inventory and lower of cost or market adjustment of US$3.6 million, US$2.2 million and US$6.5 million in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. If we cannot maintain an appropriate inventory level, we may lose sales and market share to our competitors.
We require various approvals, licenses, permits and certifications to operate our business. If we fail to obtain or renew any of these approvals, licenses, permits or certifications, it could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations
In accordance with the laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which we operate, we are required to maintain various approvals, licenses, permits and certifications in order to operate our business or engage in the business we plan to enter into. Complying with such laws and regulations may require substantial expenses, any non-compliance may expose us to liability. In the event of that government authorities consider us to be in non-compliance, we may have to incur significant expenses and divert substantial management time to rectify the incidents. If we fail to obtain all the necessary approvals, licenses, permits and certifications, we may be subject to fines, sanctions, revocation of licenses or permits to operate our business, or the suspension of operations of the facilities that do not have the requisite approvals, licenses, permits or certifications, which would adversely affect our reputation, business and results of operations. See “Regulation” for further details on the requisite approvals license permits and certifications.
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We have previously made sales to Iran, which is subject to sanctions, and our interactions with a blockchain may expose us to SDN and other regulations administered by the United States
Iran is subject to a comprehensive sanctions program administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, and shipments of products subject to the Export Administration Regulations promulgated by the Bureau of Industry and Security, or BIS, in the Commerce Department are also subject to restrictions. In 2016 and 2017, we engaged in transactions that included the sale and/or delivery of our products to Iran under circumstances that may involve breaches of U.S. sanctions and export control laws. On August 2, 2018, we disclosed these transactions to both OFAC and BIS by our submission of Voluntary Self Disclosures, or VSDs. On January 25, 2019, BIS closed the VSD with a Warning Letter and no penalty. On March 4, 2019, OFAC closed the VSD with a Cautionary Letter and no penalty.
OFAC requires us to not conduct business with persons named on its specially designated nationals (“SDN”) list. However, because of the pseudonymous nature of blockchain transactions we may inadvertently and without our knowledge engage in transactions with persons named on OFAC’s SDN list or from countries on OFAC’s sanctioned countries’ list. While we have implemented internal control measures to mitigate our risk exposure to international sanctions, sanctions laws and regulations are constantly evolving, new persons and entities are regularly added to the list of SDN list, and we may not be adequately capable of determining the ultimate identity of the individual with whom we transact with respect to selling cryptocurrency assets. Further, new requirements or restrictions could come into effect which might increase the scrutiny on our business or result in one or more of our business activities being deemed to have violated sanctions. To the extent government enforcement authorities enforce these and other laws and regulations that are impacted by decentralized distributed ledger technology, or if they were to determine that any of our future activities constitutes a violation of the sanctions they impose or provides a basis for a sanctions designation of us, we may be subject to investigation, administrative or court proceedings, and civil or criminal monetary fines and penalties, all of which could harm our reputation and affect the value of our ordinary shares.
We had historically experienced a decrease in our telecommunications business and if we are unable to continue to operate our telecommunications business successfully, we may suspend or cease our telecommunication business entirely
Revenues from our telecommunications business were US$1.6 million, US$8.6 million and US$3.7 million, for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. In December 2020, we sold all our equity ownership in Hangzhou Yiquansheng Communication Technology Co., Ltd., which provided technology services in the telecommunication sector and had incurred losses since its incorporation, to an affiliate controlled by Mr. Dong Hu, our chairman of the board of directors and Chief Executive Officer. Our telecommunications business will likely continue to be driven by the development of the communications industry in China, government policies, technological changes, user preference, and many other factors beyond our control. There is no guarantee that we will be able to maintain the competitiveness of our products or continue to operate our telecommunications business successfully as a key source of revenue. If we fail to grow our telecommunications business organically, we may suspend or cease such business line entirely.
Any disruption in our business relationship with our major telecommunications products customers as a result of market consolidation or otherwise will adversely affect our sales and market share in the telecommunications market
The telecommunications industry has experienced and may continue to experience significant consolidation. The merger and expansion of participants will enable them to maximize their economies of scale to provide more competitive prices and invest a larger amount of resources into research and development. Our telecommunication products are primarily sold to major telecommunications service providers and institutional customers in China. Consolidation of our customers may mean that we could lose out in price and non-price competition and lead to a significant reduction of market share. As a result, our business and results of operations in the telecommunications market could be materially and adversely affected.
We typically engage third-party agents to manage certain aspects of our business dealings with telecommunications products customers, and our business relationship with them may be adversely affected by any actual or perceived misconduct of our agents, over whom we have limited control. For example, in 2018, a local court in China convicted an employee of a major telecommunications products customer for taking bribes from a group of business partners, including our agents, and as a result, we have been blacklisted by such customer until the end of 2020. Although we are no longer blacklisted by such customer due to lapse of time, any future disruption of our business relationship with major telecommunications products customers could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
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The telecommunications industry is subject to extensive and evolving laws and regulations
We may be directly or indirectly affected by changes in government regulations relating to the telecommunications and broadcast industries in the PRC or the U.S. Failure to comply with the relevant laws and regulations could subject us to severe penalties, which could have a significant impact on our cash flow. Moreover, the change of laws and regulations may render our current products illegal and require us to invest additional resources into the research and development of new products in compliance with the laws. As a result, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected. For example, in January 2021 the New York Stock Exchange LLC, or NYSE announced to delist three Chinese telecommunication companies based on guidance that the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control provided to the NYSE. We are uncertain whether such actions will have further impact on our business or the Chinese telecommunication industry in general.
Our customers are also subject to laws and regulations applicable to the telecommunications and broadcast industries in the PRC. As they change their products to adapt to any change of telecommunications and broadcast laws, this may also require us to modify our products to fit their new products. Such modified or newly adopted laws and regulations could, directly or indirectly, affect the pricing, distribution and required standards of our telecommunications products and services and may have a material adverse impact on our business.
If we fail to maintain an effective quality control system, our business could be materially and adversely affected
We place great emphasis on product quality and adhere to stringent quality control measures and have obtained quality control certifications for our products. To meet our customers’ requirements and expectations for the quality and safety of our products, we have adopted a stringent quality control system to ensure that every step of the production process is strictly monitored and managed. Failure to maintain an effective quality control system or to obtain or renew our quality standards certifications may result in a decrease in demand for our products or cancellation or loss of purchase orders from our customers. Moreover, our reputation could be impaired. As a result, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
The quality of our products and services relies on third party suppliers and service providers we engage. If we fail to provide satisfactory services or maintain their service levels, it could materially and adversely affect our business, reputation, financial condition and results of operations
We rely on third-party suppliers and service providers to provide quality products and services to customers, and our brand and reputation may be harmed by actions taken by them that are beyond our control. Despite the measures we have taken to ensure the quality of products and services provided by third-party suppliers and service providers, to the extent that there are manufacturing defects beyond our control, or our third-party suppliers and service providers are unable to maintain the efficiency of their production facilities, supply sufficient components or raw materials in a timely manner, or provide satisfactory services to our customers, we may suffer reputational damage, and our brand image, business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
Our production facilities may be unable to maintain efficiency, encounter problems in ramping up production or otherwise have difficulty meeting our production requirements
Our future growth will depend upon our ability to maintain efficient operations at our existing production facilities and our ability to expand our production capacity as needed. The average utilization rate of our surface mount technology (SMT) production lines was 40.1%, 34.7% and 26.5% for 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. The utilization rate of our production facilities depends primarily on the demand for our products and the availability and maintenance of our equipment but may also be affected by other factors, such as the availability of employees, a stable supply of electricity, seasonal factors and changes in environmental laws and regulations. In order to meet our customers’ demands and advancements in technology, we maintain and upgrade our equipment periodically. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2022 continued to negatively affect our production facilities and the utilization rate of our production facilities in 2022. If the pandemic continues or we are unable to maintain our production facilities’ efficiency, we may be unable to fulfill our purchase orders in a timely manner, or at all. This would negatively impact our reputation, business and results of operations.
As we continue to grow and expand our business, we expect to acquire additional production lines and possibly a new production facility to increase our production capacity. If we are unable to acquire the necessary equipment or production facility at an acceptable price, or at all, we may not be successful in achieving our business expansion plans.
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We rely on third-party logistics service providers to deliver our products. Disruption in logistics may prevent us from meeting customer demand and our business, results of operations and financial condition may suffer as a result
We engage third-party logistics service providers to deliver the ICs from our production partners to our assembly plant and our products from our warehouses to our customers. Disputes with or termination of our contractual relationships with one or more of our logistics service providers could result in delayed delivery of products or increased costs. There can be no assurance that we can continue or extend relationships with our current logistics service providers on terms acceptable to us, or that we will be able to establish relationships with new logistics service providers to ensure accurate, timely and cost-efficient delivery services. If we are unable to maintain or develop good relationships with our preferred logistics service providers, it may inhibit our ability to offer products in sufficient quantities, on a timely basis, or at prices acceptable to our consumers. If there is any breakdown in our relationships with our preferred logistics service providers, we cannot assure you that no interruptions in our product delivery would occur or that they would not materially and adversely affect our business, prospects and results of operations.
As we do not have any direct control over these logistics service providers, we cannot guarantee their quality of service. In addition, services provided by these logistics service providers could be interrupted by unforeseen events beyond our control, such as poor handling provided by these logistics service providers, natural disasters, pandemics, adverse weather conditions, riots and labor strikes. If there is any delay in delivery, damage to products or any other issue, we may lose customers and sales and our brand image may be tarnished.
We face intense industry competition
As a blockchain and Fintech technology company, we operate in a highly competitive environment. Our competitors include companies that may have a larger market share, greater brand recognition, broader international customer base, greater financial resources or other competitive advantages. We anticipate that competition will increase as blockchain and Fintech gain greater acceptance and more players join the market. Furthermore, we anticipate encountering new competition as we expand our sales and operations to new locations geographically and into wider applications of cryptocurrency mining and mining farm operations, blockchain and Fintech businesses. We also compete in the communication network devices industry in China with respect to our telecommunications business. Some of our competitors in this industry include larger, more well-established companies with greater economies of scale and more bargaining power with suppliers.
Strong competition in the market may require us to lower our prices, increase our sales and marketing expenses or otherwise invest greater resources to maintain or gain market share as needed to adequately compete. Such efforts may negatively impact our profitability. If we are unable to effectively adapt to changes or developments in the competitive landscape, our business, financial conditions and results of operations may be adversely affected.
Competition from central bank digital currencies (“CBDCs”) could adversely affect the value of Bitcoin and other digital assets
Central banks in some countries have started to introduce digital forms of legal tender. For example, China’s CBDC project was made available to consumers in January 2022, and governments from Russia to the European Union have been discussing potential creation of new digital currencies. A 2021 survey of central banks by the Bank for International Settlements found that 86% are actively researching the potential for CBDCs, 60% were experimenting with the technology and 14% were deploying pilot projects. Whether or not they incorporate blockchain or similar technology, CBDCs, as legal tender in the issuing jurisdiction, could have an advantage in competing with, or replace, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as a medium of exchange or store of value. As a result, the value of Bitcoin could decrease, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results.
We have and may increasingly become a target for public scrutiny, including complaints to regulatory agencies, negative media coverage, and malicious allegations, all of which could severely damage our reputation and materially and adversely affect our business and prospects
We have been and may continue to be a target for public scrutiny, including complaints to regulatory agencies, negative media coverage, and malicious allegations, which had adversely affected and may adversely affect our reputation. Certain features of cryptocurrency networks, such as decentralization, independence from sovereignty and anonymity of transactions, create the possibility of heightened attention from the public, regulators and the media. Heightened regulatory and public concerns over us and cryptocurrency-related issues may subject us to additional legal and social responsibilities and increased scrutiny and negative publicity over these issues, due to our leading position in the industry. From time to time, these allegations, regardless of their veracity, may result in consumer dissatisfaction, public protests or negative publicity, which could result in government inquiry or substantial harm to our brand, reputation and operations.
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Moreover, as our business expands and grows, both organically and through acquisitions of and investments in other businesses, domestically and internationally, we may be exposed to heightened public scrutiny in jurisdictions where we already operate as well as in new jurisdictions where we may operate. 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 our stock price. There is no assurance that we would not become a target for regulatory or public scrutiny in the future or that scrutiny and public exposure would not severely damage our reputation as well as our business and prospects. 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 growing 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 stock.
In addition, cryptocurrency asset platforms are relatively new. Many of our cryptocurrency exchange competitors are unlicensed, unregulated, operate without supervision by any governmental authorities, and do not provide the public with significant information regarding their ownership structure, management team, corporate practices, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance. Since the inception of the crypto economy, numerous cryptocurrency assets platforms have also been sued, investigated, or shut down due to fraud, manipulative practices, business failure, security breaches and government mandated regulation. In many of these instances, customers of these platforms were not compensated or made whole for their losses. In addition, there have been reports that a significant amount of cryptocurrency asset trading volume on cryptocurrency asset platforms is fabricated and false in nature, with a specific focus on unregulated platforms located outside the United States. Such reports may indicate that the market for cryptocurrency asset platform activities is significantly smaller than otherwise understood.
For example, in the second half of 2022 and beginning of 2023, each of Celsius Network, Voyager Digital Ltd., Three Arrows Capital and Genesis declared bankruptcy, resulting in a loss of confidence in participants of the digital asset ecosystem and negative publicity surrounding digital assets more broadly. In November 2022, FTX, the third largest digital asset exchange by volume at the time, halted customer withdrawals and shortly thereafter, FTX and its subsidiaries filed for bankruptcy.
In response to these events, the digital asset markets, including the market for Bitcoin specifically, have experienced extreme price volatility and several other entities in the digital asset industry have been, and may continue to be, negatively affected, further undermining confidence in the digital assets markets and in bitcoin. These events have also negatively impacted the liquidity of the digital assets markets as certain entities affiliated with FTX engaged in significant trading activity. If the liquidity of the digital assets markets continues to be negatively impacted by these events, digital asset prices (including the price of Bitcoin) may continue to experience significant volatility and confidence in the digital asset markets may be further undermined. These events are continuing to develop and it is not possible to predict at this time all of the risks that they may pose to us, our service providers or on the digital asset industry as a whole.
Negative perception, a lack of stability and standardized regulation in the crypto economy, and the closure or temporary shutdown of cryptocurrency asset platforms, and associated losses suffered by customers may reduce confidence in the crypto economy and result in greater volatility of the prices of assets, including significant depreciation in value. Any of these events could harm an adverse impact on our business.
Product defects resulting in a large-scale product recall or product liability claims against us could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and reputation
We manufacture products in accordance with internationally accepted quality standards and specifications provided by our customers. However, we cannot assure you that all products produced by us are free of defects. Consequently, any product defects identified by our customers or end users might erode our reputation and negatively affect our customer relationships and future business. Product defects may also result in product returns and large-scale product recalls or product liability claims against us for substantial damages. Such claims, irrespective of the outcomes or the merits, would likely be time-consuming and costly to defend and could divert significant resources and management attention. Furthermore, even if we are able to defend any such claim successfully, we cannot assure you that our customers will not lose confidence in our products or that our future relationships with our customers will not be damaged. As a result, our business, results of operations, reputation and brand image could be materially and adversely affected by any product defects.
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Power shortages, labor disputes and other factors may result in constraints on our production activities
Historically, we have not experienced constraints on our production activities, including at our assembly plant, due to power shortages, labor disputes or other factors. However, there can be no assurance that our operations will not be affected by power shortages, labor disputes or other factors in the future, thereby causing material production disruptions and delays in our delivery schedule. In such event, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
Cyber-security incidents, including data security breaches or computer viruses, could harm our business by disrupting our delivery of services, damaging our reputation or exposing us to liability
We receive, process, store and transmit, often electronically, the data of our customers and others, much of which is confidential. Unauthorized access to our computer systems or stored data could result in the theft, including cyber-theft, or improper disclosure of confidential information, and the deletion or modification of records could cause interruptions in our operations. These cyber-security risks increase when we transmit information from one location to another, including over the Internet or other electronic networks. Despite the security measures we have implemented, our facilities, systems and procedures, and those of our third-party service providers, may be vulnerable to security breaches, acts of vandalism, software viruses, misplaced or lost data, programming or human errors or other similar events which may disrupt our delivery of services or expose the confidential information of our customers and others. Any security breach involving the misappropriation, loss or other unauthorized disclosure or use of confidential information of our customers or others, whether by us or a third party, could subject us to civil and criminal penalties, have a negative impact on our reputation, or expose us to liability to our customers, third parties or government authorities. We are not aware of such breaches to date. Any of these developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we suffer failure or disruption in our information systems, our ability to effectively manage our business operations could be adversely affected
We use information systems to obtain, process, analyze and manage data crucial to our business such as our enterprise resource planning system. We use these systems to, among other things, monitor the daily operations of our business, maintain operating and financial data, manage our distribution network as well as manage our research and development activities, production operations and quality control systems. Any system damage or failure that interrupts data input, retrieval or transmission or increases service time could disrupt our normal operations. In particular, our operations could be disrupted if such damage or failure includes any security breach caused by hacking or cyber-security incidents, involves efforts to gain unauthorized access to our information or systems, or causes intentional malfunctions, loss or corruption of data, software or hardware, the intentional or inadvertent transmission of computer viruses and similar events or third-party actions. There can be no assurance that we will be able to effectively handle a failure of our information systems, or that we will be able to restore our operational capacity in a timely manner to avoid disruption to our business. The occurrence of any of these events could adversely affect our ability to effectively manage our business operations and negatively impact our reputation.
We may be subject to liability in connection with industrial accidents at our manufacturing facilities
Due to the nature of our operations, we are subject to the risks of potential liability associated with industrial accidents at our production facilities. We cannot assure you that industrial accidents, whether due to malfunction of equipment or other reasons, will not occur in the future at our production facilities. Under such circumstances, we may be subject to employee claims for compensation or penalties imposed by relevant government authorities and may suffer damage to our reputation. In addition, we may experience interruptions in our operations or may be required to change the manner in which we operate, as a result of governmental investigations or the implementation of safety measures due to accidents. Any of the foregoing events could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We currently do not have insurance coverage covering all risks related to our business and operations
We do not maintain insurance policies covering all of our business risks, such as risks relating to properties, receivables, goods in transit and public liability. There is no assurance that the insurance coverage we do have would be sufficient to cover our potential losses. See the section headed “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview——Insurance” for more information on the insurance policies maintained by us. In the event there is any damage to these items, we would have to pay for the difference ourselves where our cash flow and liquidity could be negatively affected.
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If we fail to comply with labor, work safety or environmental regulations, we could be exposed to penalties, fines, suspensions or action in other forms
Our operations are subject to the labor, work safety and environmental protection laws and regulations promulgated by the PRC government. These laws and regulations require us to pay social insurance, maintain safe working conditions and adopt effective measures to control and properly dispose of solid waste and other environmental pollutants. We could be exposed to penalties, fines, suspensions or actions in other forms if we fail to comply with these laws and regulations. The laws and regulations in the PRC may be amended from time to time and changes in those laws and regulations may cause us to incur additional costs in order to comply with the more stringent rules. In the event that changes to existing laws and regulations require us to incur additional compliance costs or require costly changes to our production process, our costs could increase and we may suffer a decline in sales for certain products, as a result of which our business, financial conditions and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
The determination of the fair value changes of our financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss requires the use of estimates that are based on unobservable inputs, and therefore inherently involves a certain degree of uncertainty
We use significant unobservable inputs, such as discount rate, expected rate of return, expected volatility and risk-free interest rate, in valuing our financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss including bank wealth management products. The fair value change of financial assets at fair value through profit or loss may affect our financial position and results of operations. Accordingly, such determination requires us to make significant estimates, which may be subject to material changes, and therefore inherently involves a certain degree of uncertainty. Factors beyond our control such as general economic condition and changes in market interest rates may influence and cause adverse changes to the estimates we use and thereby affect the fair value of our financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss, which in return may adversely affect our results of operation and financial condition.
The loss of any member of our senior management team, or our failure to attract, train and retain qualified personnel, especially our design and technical personnel, could impair our ability to grow our business and effectively execute our business strategy.
Since our inception, the growth and expansion of our business operations have been dependent upon the business strategies and foresight of our senior management. Our future success depends, in large part, on the continued contributions of our senior management team, specifically Mr. Dong Hu.
In addition, our future success depends on our ability to retain, attract and incentivize qualified personnel, including our management, sales, marketing, finance and especially research and development personnel. As the driver of our technological and product innovations, our research and development personnel represent a very significant asset of ours. As the technology in the semiconductor and blockchain industries are advancing at a quick pace, there is an increasing need for skilled engineers. Many companies across the world are struggling to find suitable candidates for their research and development positions. The process of hiring employees with the combination of skills and characteristics required to implement our strategy can be extremely competitive and time-consuming. We cannot assure you that we will be able to attract adequate personnel as we continue to pursue our business strategies.
Moreover, we cannot assure you that we will be able to retain key existing employees. The loss of any of our founder, senior management or research and development team members could harm our ability to implement our business strategies and respond to the rapidly changing market conditions in which we operate, or could result in other operating risks. The loss of one or more of our key employees, especially our key design and technical personnel, or our inability to retain, attract and motivate qualified design and technical personnel, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our corporate actions are significantly influenced by our principal shareholders, including Dong Hu, our chairman of the board of director, chief executive officer and chief financial officer, who have the ability to exert significant influence over important corporate matters that require approval of shareholders while their interests may differ from those of the other shareholders. This may deprive you of the opportunity to receive a premium for your Class A Ordinary Shares and materially reduce the value of your investment.
Our share capital is designated into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, par value HK$0.03 per share (“Class B ordinary shares”). Each Class A ordinary share is entitled to one vote and each Class B ordinary share is entitled to twenty (20) votes at general meetings of our shareholders. Dong Hu, our chairman of the board of directors, chief executive officer and chief financial officer, beneficially owns 100% of our Class B ordinary shares, representing approximately 86.8% of the aggregate voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital as of December 31, 2022. However, the interests of our chairman of the board of directors, chief executive officer and chief financial officer may differ from the interests of other shareholders. This concentration of ownership and the protective provisions in our second amended and restated articles of association (the “Articles”) may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could have the dual effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and reducing the price of our Class A ordinary shares. We may not be able to enter into other transactions that could be beneficial to us without the consent of our chairman of the board of directors, chief executive officer and chief financial officer. As a result of the foregoing, the value of your investment could be materially reduced.
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Any change or discontinuation of preferential tax treatment we currently enjoy would increase our tax charge
Our PRC subsidiaries are subject to the PRC corporate income tax at a standard rate of 25% on their taxable income, but in 2020, 2021 and 2022, preferential tax treatment was available to three (3) of our PRC subsidiaries. Zhejiang Ebang obtained the “high-tech enterprise” tax status in November 2017, which reduced its statutory income tax rate to 15% from November 2017 to November 2020. Zhejiang Ebang further re-applied and obtained the “high-tech enterprise” tax status for three years from December 2020. Hangzhou Dewang Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Hangzhou Dewang, obtained the “high-tech enterprise” tax status in November 2018, which reduced its statutory income tax rate to 15% from November 2018 to November 2021. Hangzhou Dewang further re-applied and obtained the tax status “high-tech enterprise” tax for the three-year period start from December 2021. In addition, Zhejiang Ebang Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Ebang IT, obtained the “high-tech enterprise” tax status in December 2021, which reduced its statutory income tax rate to 15% from December 2021 to December 2023.
We cannot assure you that the PRC policies on preferential tax treatments will not change or that the current preferential tax treatments we enjoy or will be entitled to enjoy will not be canceled. Moreover, we cannot assure you that our PRC subsidiaries will be able to renew the same preferential tax treatments upon expiration. If any such change, cancelation or discontinuation of preferential tax treatment occurs, the relevant PRC subsidiaries will be subject to the PRC enterprise income tax, or EIT, at a rate of 25% on taxable income. As a result, the increase in our tax charge could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.
The recent joint statement by the SEC and the PCAOB, rule changes by Nasdaq, and the HFCAA and related regulations, 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 add uncertainties to our continued listing or future offerings of our securities in the U.S.
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 HFCAA requiring a foreign company to certify it is not owned or controlled 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 auditors for three consecutive years, the issuer’s securities are prohibited to trade on a national exchange. On December 2, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the HFCAA. On December 18, 2020, the HFCAA was signed into law.
On March 24, 2021, the SEC adopted interim final rules relating to the implementation of certain disclosure and documentation requirements of the HFCAA.
On September 22, 2021, the PCAOB adopted a final rule implementing the HFCAA, which provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCAA, whether the board of directors of a company 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.
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On December 2, 2021, the SEC adopted amendments to finalize rules implementing the submission and disclosure requirements in the HFCAA.
On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report on its determinations that it was unable to inspect or investigate completely PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in the PRC and in Hong Kong because of positions taken by the PRC and Hong Kong authorities in those jurisdictions.
On August 26, 2022, the CSRC, MOF, and the PCAOB signed the Protocol, governing inspections and investigations of audit firms based in China and Hong Kong, taking the first step toward opening access for the PCAOB to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in the PRC and Hong Kong. Pursuant to the fact sheet with respect to the Protocol disclosed by the SEC, the PCAOB shall have independent discretion to select any issuer audits for inspection or investigation and has the unfettered ability to transfer information to the SEC.
On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB determined that it was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong and vacated 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 may consider the need to issue a new determination.
On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, and on December 29, 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023 was signed into law, which contained, among other things, an identical provision to the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which reduces the number of consecutive non-inspection years required for triggering the prohibitions under the HFCAA from three years to two.
Our financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2022 have been audited by our U.S.-based auditor, MaloneBailey, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm that is headquartered in the United States with offices in Beijing and Shenzhen. MaloneBailey, LLP is not among the PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in the PRC or Hong Kong that are subject to PCAOB’s determination on December 16, 2021 of having been unable to inspect or investigate completely. As of the date of this annual report, we have not been identified by the SEC as a commission-identified issuer under the HFCAA. However, we cannot assure you whether Nasdaq or regulatory authorities would apply additional and more stringent criteria to us after considering the effectiveness of our auditor’s audit procedures and quality control procedures, adequacy of personnel and training, or sufficiency of resources, geographic reach or experience as it relates to the audit of our financial statements. Furthermore, the HFCAA and related laws, which now require 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, may result in the delisting of our Class A ordinary shares or the prohibition of trading in our securities in the future if the PCAOB is unable to inspect our auditor at such future time. Delisting may cause a significant decrease in or a total loss of the value of our securities. Although a shareholder’s ownership of our Company may not decrease directly from delisting, the ownership may become worth much less, or, in some cases, lose its entire value.
We incur significant costs and demands upon management and accounting and finance resources as a result of complying with the laws and regulations affecting public companies; if we fail to maintain proper and effective internal controls, our ability to produce accurate and timely financial statements and otherwise make timely and accurate public disclosure could be impaired, which could harm our operating results, our ability to operate our business and our reputation.
As a public reporting company, we are required to, among other things, maintain a system of effective internal control over financial reporting. Ensuring that we have adequate internal financial and accounting controls and procedures in place so that we can produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis is a costly and time-consuming effort that needs to be re-evaluated frequently. Substantial work will continue to be required to further implement, document, assess, test and remediate our system of internal controls. As of December 31, 2022, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective and management determined that we did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting due to a material weakness. Management is undertaking actions to remediate the material weaknesses, but there is no assurance they will be remediated this year. See “Item 15. Control and Procedures—Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.”
If our internal control over financial reporting or our disclosure controls are not effective, we may be unable to issue our financial statements in a timely manner, we may be unable to obtain the required audit or review of our financial statements by our independent registered public accounting firm in a timely manner or we may be otherwise unable to comply with the periodic reporting requirements of the SEC, our ordinary shares listing on Nasdaq could be suspended or terminated and our share price could materially suffer. In addition, we or members of our management could be subject to investigation and sanction by the SEC and other regulatory authorities and to shareholder lawsuits, which could impose significant additional costs on us and divert management attention.
Fluctuations in exchange rates could affect our results of operations and reduce the value of your investment
We primarily operate in China. Our reporting currency is denominated in U.S. dollars. We are exposed to currency risks primarily through sales and purchases which give rise to receivables, payables and cash balances that are denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of the operations to which the transaction relates. We are therefore subject to the risk of fluctuations in the exchange rate of U.S. dollars against Australian dollars, Hong Kong dollars, Renminbi, South Korean won and Euros. The value of U.S. dollars against Australian dollars, Hong Kong dollars, Renminbi, South Korean won and Euros fluctuates and is subject to changes resulting from the PRC government’s policies and depends to a large extent on domestic and international economic and political developments, as well as supply and demand in the local market. With the development of the foreign exchange market and progress toward interest rate liberalization and Renminbi internationalization, the PRC government may in the future announce further changes to the exchange rate system, and we cannot assure you that Renminbi will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against Australian dollars, Hong Kong dollars, South Korean won, U.S dollars or Euros in the future.
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We incurred a foreign exchange gain of US$1.8 million in 2021, and a foreign exchange loss of US$0.3 million and US$2.2 million in 2020 and 2022, respectively. We had currency translation gains of US$2.0 million and US$1.0 million in 2020 and 2021, respectively, recognized in other comprehensive gain, and currency transaction loss of US$5.3 million in 2022, which is recognized in other comprehensive loss. Such currency translation gains or losses resulted from exchange differences on translation of financial statements of our entities using currencies other than U.S. dollars as their functional currencies, net of nil tax.
In addition, should Renminbi appreciate against other currencies, the value of the proceeds from any future financings, which are to be converted from U.S. dollars or other currencies into Renminbi, would be reduced and might accordingly hinder our business development due to the reduced amount of funds raised. On the other hand, in the event of devaluation of Renminbi, the dividend payments of our company, which are to be paid in U.S. dollars after conversion of the distributable profit denominated in Renminbi, would be reduced. Hence, substantial fluctuation in the currency exchange rate of Renminbi may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and the value of your investment in our Class A ordinary shares.
Risks Relating to Our Securities
Because we do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future, you must rely on price appreciation of our Class A ordinary shares for return on your investment
We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business. As a result, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Therefore, you should not rely on an investment in the Class A ordinary shares as a source for any future dividend income.
Our board of directors has complete discretion as to whether to distribute dividends. Even if our board of directors decides to declare and pay dividends, the timing, amount and form of future dividends, if any, will depend on, among other things, our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, the amount of distributions, if any, received by us from our subsidiary, our financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. Accordingly, the return on your investment in our Class A ordinary shares will likely depend entirely upon any future price appreciation of the Class A ordinary shares. There is no guarantee that the Class A ordinary shares will appreciate in value or even maintain the price at which you purchased the Class A ordinary shares. You may not realize a return on your investment in our Class A ordinary shares and you may even lose your entire investment in our Class A ordinary shares.
There can be no assurance that we will not be classified as a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares and related warrants
A non-U.S. corporation, such as our company, will be classified as a “passive foreign investment company,” or PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year if either (1) at least 75% of its gross income for such year consists of certain types of “passive” income or the “income test”; or (2) at least 50% of the value of its assets (generally based on an average of the quarterly values of the assets) during such year is attributable to assets that produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income, or the “asset test.” Based on the current and expected composition of our income and assets and value of our assets and projections as to the value of our Class A ordinary shares, we do not presently expect to be a PFIC for the current taxable year. However, no assurance can be given in this regard because the determination of whether we are or will become a PFIC for any taxable year is a fact-intensive inquiry made on an annual basis that depends, in part, upon the composition of our income and assets, which may change over time if we expand and diversify our product offerings. Fluctuations in the market price of our Class A ordinary shares may cause us to be or become a PFIC for the current or subsequent taxable years because the value of our assets for the purpose of the asset test may be determined by reference to the market price of our Class A ordinary shares (which has been and may continue to be volatile). The composition of our income and assets may also be affected by how, and how quickly, we use our liquid assets and the cash.
If we were to be or become a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder (as defined in “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations”) holds our Class A ordinary shares or warrants, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could apply to such U.S. Holder. See “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”
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Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of associationArticles contain anti-takeover provisions that could have a material adverse effect on the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of associationArticles contain provisions to limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company or cause us to engage in change-of-control transactions. These provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transaction. Our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our shareholders, to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to fix their designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our ordinary shares. Preferred shares could be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. If our board of directors decides to issue preferred shares, the price of our Class A ordinary shares may fall and the voting and other rights of the holders of our Class A ordinary shares may be materially and adversely affected.
You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law and conduct our operations primarily in emerging markets
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Our corporate affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association,Articles, the Companies Act (2021 Revision)(Revised) of the Cayman Islands 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 comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from the common law of England, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding, on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands have a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. Some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States.
Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like us have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records or to obtain copies of lists of shareholders of these companies. Our directors have discretion under our articles of associationArticles to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.
Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, differ significantly from requirements for companies incorporated in other jurisdictions such as the United States. If we choose to follow home country practice in the future, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under rules and regulations applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.
In addition, we conduct substantially all of our business operations in emerging markets, including China, and substantially all of our directors and senior management are based in China. The SEC, U.S. Department of Justice, or the DOJ, and other authorities often have substantial difficulties in bringing and enforcing actions against non-U.S. companies and non-U.S. persons, including company directors and officers, in certain emerging markets, including China. Additionally, our public shareholders may have limited rights and few practical remedies in emerging markets where we operate, as shareholder claims that are common in the United States, including class action securities law and fraud claims, generally are difficult or impossible to pursue as a matter of law or practicality in many emerging markets, including China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles for the SEC, the DOJ and other U.S. authorities to obtaining information needed for shareholder investigations or litigation. Although the competent authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with the securities regulatory authorities of another country or region to implement cross-border supervision and administration, the regulatory cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the United States has not been efficient in the absence of a mutual and practical cooperation mechanism. According to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law which became effective in March 2020, no foreign securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC. Accordingly, without the consent of the competent PRC securities regulators and relevant authorities, no organization or individual may provide the documents and materials relating to securities business activities to foreign securities regulators.
As a result of all of the above, our 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 company incorporated in the United States.
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As a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from the Nasdaq Stock Market listing standards; these practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with the relevant listing standards
As a Cayman Islands company listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, we are subject to the Nasdaq Stock Market listing standards.standards (“Nasdaq Rules”). However, the Nasdaq Stock Market listing standardsRules permit a foreign private issuer like us to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country. Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly from the Nasdaq Stock Market listing standards (“Nasdaq Rules”).Rules. We currently follow home country practice in lieu of the requirements under the Nasdaq Rules with respect to certain corporate governance standards. For example, based on home country practice, we are not required to seek shareholder approval for issuance of 20% or more of our outstanding ordinary shares or voting power in a private offering (as defined by Nasdaq Rules). and we are not required to host an annual general meeting of shareholders each year. Accordingly, our shareholders may not be provided with the benefits of certain corporate governance requirements of the Nasdaq Rules.
Cayman Islands economic substance requirements may have an effect on our business and operations.operations
PursuantThe Cayman Islands, together with several other non-European Union jurisdictions, have introduced legislation aimed at addressing concerns raised by the Council of the European Union as to offshore structures engaged in certain activities which attract profits without real economic activity. With effect from January 1, 2019, the International Tax CooperationCo-operation (Economic Substance) Act (2020 Revision) (as amended) of the Cayman Islands, or the ES(As Revised) (the “Substance Act that”) came into force on January 1, 2019, a “relevant entity” is required to satisfy the economic substance test set out in the ES Act. A “relevant entity” includes an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands as is our company. Based onintroducing certain economic substance requirements for in-scope Cayman Islands entities which are engaged in certain “relevant activities,” which in the current interpretationcase of the ES Act, we believe thatexempted companies incorporated before January 1, 2019, will apply in respect of financial years commencing July 1, 2019, onwards. As our company, Ebang International Holdings Inc., is a pure equity holdingCayman Islands company, since it only holds equity participation in other entities and only earns dividends and capital gains. Accordingly, for so long ascompliance obligations include filing annual notifications, which need to state whether our company Ebang International Holdings Inc.,is carrying out any relevant activities and if so, whether our company has satisfied economic substance tests to the extent required under the Substance Act. As it is a “pure equity holding company”,new regime, it is onlyanticipated that the Substance Act will evolve and be subject to the minimum substance requirements, which require usfurther clarification and amendments. We may need to (1)allocate additional resources to keep updated with these developments, and may have to make changes to our operations in order to comply with all applicable filing requirements under the Companies Act, Cap. 22 (Act 3 of 1961, as consolidated and revised) of the Cayman Islands; and (2) has adequate human resources and adequate premises in the Cayman Islands for holding and managing equity participations in other entities. However, there can be no assurance that we will not beSubstance Act. Failure to satisfy these requirements may subject us to more requirementspenalties under the ESSubstance Act. Uncertainties over the interpretation and implementation of the ES Act may have an adverse impact on our business and operations.
Our dual-class voting structure will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that holders of our Class A ordinary shares may view as beneficial.beneficial
We have a dual-class share structure such that our ordinary shares consist of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Holders of Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote per share, while holdersthe sole holder of Class B ordinary shares areis entitled to 20 votes per share. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof, while Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon any sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of any Class B ordinary shares by a holder thereof to any non-affiliate of such holder, each of such Class B ordinary shares will be automatically and immediately converted into one Class A ordinary share.
Mr. Dong Hu, our founder, chairman of the board of directors, chief executive officer and chief executivefinancial officer, beneficially owns all of our issued Class B ordinary shares. These Class B ordinary shares will constituteconstituted approximately 25.1 %23.8% of our total issued and outstanding share capital and 87.0%86.2% of the aggregate voting power of our total issued and outstanding share capital.capital as of April 27, 2023. As a result of the dual-class share structure and the concentration of ownership, Mr. Dong Hu has a considerable influence over matters such as decisions regarding mergers and consolidations, election of directors and other significant corporate actions. He may take actions that are not in the best interest of us or our other shareholders. This concentration of ownership may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could have the effect of depriving our other shareholders of the opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and may reduce the price of our Class A ordinary shares. This concentrated control will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any potential merger, takeover or other change of control transactions that holders of Class A ordinary shares may view as beneficial.
We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Nasdaq Stock Market Listing Rules, and, as a result, can rely on exemptions fromIn addition, certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to shareholders of other companies.
We are a “controlled company” as defined under the Nasdaq Stock Market Listing Rules as Mr. Dong Hu, our founder, chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer, owns more than 50% of our total voting power. 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 corporate governance rules. As a result, you may not have the same protection afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to these corporate governance requirements.
The dual-class structure of our ordinary shares may adversely affect the trading market for our Class A ordinary shares.
Certain shareholder advisory firms have announced changes to their eligibility criteria for inclusion of shares of public companies on certain indices, including the S&P 500, to exclude companies with multiple classes of shares and companies whose public shareholders hold no more than 5% of total voting power from being added to such indices. In addition, severalSeveral shareholder advisory firms have also announced their opposition to the use of multiple class structures. As a result, the dual-class structure of our ordinary shares may prevent the inclusion of our Class A ordinary shares in such indices and may cause shareholder advisory firms to publish negative commentary about our corporate governance practices or otherwise seek to cause us to change our capital structure. Any such exclusion from indices could result in a less active trading market for our Class A ordinary shares. Any actions or publications by shareholder advisory firms critical of our corporate governance practices or capital structure could also adversely affect the value of our Class A ordinary shares.
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We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Nasdaq Rules, and, as a result, can rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to shareholders of other companies
We are a “controlled company” as defined under the Nasdaq Rules as Mr. Dong Hu, our founder, chairman of the board of directors, chief executive officer and chief financial officer, owns more than 50% of our total voting power. 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 corporate governance rules. As a result, you may not have the same protection afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to these corporate governance requirements.
Certain judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable
We are a Cayman Islands company and the majority of our assets are located outside of the United States. The most significant portion of our operations is conducted in China. In addition, a majority of our current directors and officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the United States. Substantially all of the assets of these persons may be located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the United States in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the U.S. federal securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and of China may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers.
We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the SecuritiesJumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the “JOBS Act”) and may take advantage of certain reduced reporting requirements
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, most significantly, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 for so long as we are an emerging growth company until the fifth anniversary from the date of our initial listing.
The JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company does not need to comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards until such date that a private company is otherwise required to comply with such new or revised accounting standards. However, we have elected to “opt out” of this provision and, as a result, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards as required when they are adopted for public companies. This decision to opt out of the extended transition period under the JOBS Act is irrevocable.
We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to United States domestic public companies
Because we are a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including:
| ● | the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K with the SEC; |
| ● | the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents, or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; |
| ● | the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and |
| ● | the selective disclosure rules by issuers of material nonpublic information under Regulation FD. |
We have and plan to continue to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, we publish our results on a semi-annual basis through press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Nasdaq Global Select Market. Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely than that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information that would be made available to you were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.
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Certain data and information in this annual report were obtained from third-party sources and were not independently verified by us
This annual report in particular the industry data reproduced from Frost & Sullivan, contains certain data and information that have been derived from third-party reports, either commissioned by us or publicly accessible, and other publicly available sources. Statistical data in these sources of information also include projections based on a number of assumptions. The countries where we operate property markets may not grow at the rate projected by such statistical data, or at all. The failure of our industry to grow at the projected rate may have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, the complex and changing nature of the broad macroeconomic factors discussed in this annual report may result in significant uncertainties for any projections or estimates relating to the growth prospects or future condition of our market. Furthermore, if any one or more of the assumptions underlying the market data is later found to be incorrect, actual results may differ from the projections based on these assumptions.
We have not independently verified the data and information contained in such third-party publications and reports. Data and information contained in such third-party publications and reports may be collected using third-party methodologies, which may differ from the data collection methods used by us. In addition, these industry publications and reports generally indicate that the information contained therein was believed to be reliable, but do not guarantee the accuracy and completeness of such information. You should therefore not place undue reliance on such information.
General Risk Factors
We have in the past incurred and continue to incur losses and negative cash flows from operating activities, and we may not achieve or sustain profitability
We incurred a loss from operations of US$26.6 million and US$48.0 million in 2020 and 2022, respectively, while we generated an income from operations of US$2.0 million in 2021. We incurred a gross loss of US$2.9 million in 2020, and generated gross profit of US$29.2 million and US$15.4 million in 2021 and 2022, respectively. We had negative cash flows from operating activities of US$15.8 million and US$14.1 million for 2020 and 2021, respectively and positive cash flows from operating activities of US$2.1 million for 2022. In addition, we have received significant non-recurring tax rebates from local governments in the past, but we cannot assure you that we will continue to receive significant tax rebates or other discretionary government grants in the future. Even if we are eligible for any additional tax rebates or other government grants, we cannot assure you of the timing and the amount of any such rebates or other grants. To the extent that we do not receive any additional tax rebates or other government grants, our financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. We cannot assure you that we will be able to generate net profit or positive cash flow from operating activities in the future. Our ability to achieve profitability will depend in large part on our ability to control expenses and manage our growth effectively, to achieve a more stable performance given the significant fluctuation and volatility of the Bitcoin price and Bitcoin mining machine business, and to maintain our competitive advantage in the Bitcoin markets. We expect to continue to make investments in the development and expansion of our business, which will place significant demands on our management and our operational and financial resources. Continuous expansion may increase the complexity of our business, and we may encounter various difficulties. We may fail to develop and improve our operational, financial and management controls, enhance our financial reporting systems and procedures, recruit, train and retain highly skilled personnel, or maintain customer satisfaction to effectively support and manage our growth. If we invest substantial time and resources to expand our operations but fail to manage the growth of our business and capitalize on our growth opportunities effectively, we may not be able to achieve profitability, and our business, results of operations and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected.
Our limited operating history and our volatile historical results of operations could make it difficult for us to forecast our business and assess the seasonality and volatility in our business
We began producing and selling our own brand mining machines in December 2016. We generated US$19.0 million, US$51.5 million and US$32.3 million, in revenue in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. As we have suffered from the significant drop in the average Bitcoin price historically, we cannot assure you that we will be able to gain revenue growth or that we will not experience another significant decline.
As the market for Bitcoin mining machines is relatively nascent and still rapidly evolving, we cannot forecast longer-term demand or order patterns for our products. Because of our limited operating history and historical data, as well as the limited visibility into future demand trends for our products, we may not be able to accurately forecast our future total revenue and budget our operating expenses accordingly. As most of our expenses are fixed in the short-term or incurred in advance of anticipated total revenue, we may not be able to adjust our expenses in a timely manner in order to offset any shortfall in revenue.
Our business is subject to the varying order patterns of the Bitcoin mining machine market. In addition, many of the regions in which our products are purchased have varying holiday seasons that differ from traditional patterns observed by other semiconductor suppliers and these seasonal buying patterns can impact our sales. We have experienced fluctuations in orders during our limited operating history, and we expect such volatility to occur in the future. Our volatile historical results of operations could make it difficult to assess the impact of seasonal factors on our business. If we or any of our third-party manufacturing service providers are unable to increase production of new or existing products to meet any increases in demand due to seasonality or other factors, our total revenue would be adversely affected and our reputation with our customers may be damaged. Conversely, if we overestimate customer demand, we may reduce our orders or delay shipments of our products from units forecasted, and our total revenue in a particular period could be lower than expected.
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Our business requires significant financial resources and we may need additional capital but may not be able to obtain it in a timely manner and on favorable terms or at all
We had negative cash flows from operating activities of US$15.8 million and US$14.1 million for 2020 and 2021, respectively and positive cash flows from operating activities of US$2.1 million for 2022. We have in the past financed our working capital needs primarily with our net cash from operating activities, capital contributions by shareholders and bank borrowings.
We may require additional cash resources due to the future growth, development and expansion of our business. Our future capital requirements may be substantial as we seek to expand our operations, diversify our product offering, and pursue acquisitions and equity investments. In addition, we incurred accrued payables of US$11.5 million and accounts payable of US$1.5 million as of December 31, 2022. If our cash resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may be required to seek to issue additional equity or debt securities or obtain new or expanded credit facilities or enter into additional factoring arrangements.
Our ability to obtain external financing in the future is subject to a variety of uncertainties, including our future financial condition, results of operations and cash flows and the liquidity of international capital and lending markets. In addition, our loan agreements may contain financial covenants that restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness or to distribute dividends. Any indebtedness that we may incur in the future may also contain operating and financial covenants that could further restrict our operations. There can be no assurance that financing will be available in a timely manner or in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, or at all. A large amount of bank borrowings and other debt may result in a significant increase in interest expense while at the same time exposing us to increased interest rate risks. Equity financings could result in dilution to our shareholders, and the securities issued in future financings may have rights, preferences and privileges that are senior to those of our ordinary shares. Any failure to raise needed funds on terms favorable to us, or at all, could severely restrict our liquidity as well as have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Third parties have claimed and may, from time to time, assert or claim that we infringed their intellectual property rights and any failure to protect our intellectual property rights could have a material adverse impact on our business
We operate in an industry where participants own a large number of patents and other intellectual property rights that are material to operations and will vigorously pursue, protect and defend these rights. Our competitors or other third parties may allege to own intellectual property rights and interests that could potentially conflict with our own. It is difficult to monitor all of the patent applications and other intellectual property rights protection registrations or applications that may be filed in the PRC or in other relevant jurisdictions. If we offer products that may potentially infringe on such pending applications and the applications are granted, third parties may initiate intellectual infringement claims against us. For example, we are currently involved in an ongoing civil litigation claim against us and four other defendants in relation to potential infringement of intellectual property rights.
As we expand our operations with new products and into new markets, the chances of encountering infringement claims by third parties will increase. We may incur substantial costs in defending or settling such disputes and such actions could divert significant resources and management attention. In addition, some of our customer agreements in the future may require us to indemnify and defend our customers from third-party infringement claims and to pay damages in the case of adverse rulings. As such, claims of this sort also could harm our relationships with our customers and may deter future customers from doing business with us. If securities analysts and investors regard these announcements as negative, the market price of our Class A ordinary shares may decline. We do not know whether we could prevail in any such proceeding given the complex technical issues and inherent uncertainties involved in IP litigation. If any such claim against us is successful, we may not have a legal right to continue to manufacture and sell the relevant products that are found to have incorporated the disputed intellectual property. The success of such claims may alsopending or future proceedings result in an increaseadverse outcome, we could be required to:
| ● | cease the manufacturing, use or sale of the infringing products, processes or technologies; |
| ● | stop shipment to certain geographic areas; |
| ● | pay substantial damages for infringement; |
| ● | expend significant resources to develop non-infringing processes, technologies or products; |
| ● | license technology from the third-party claiming infringement, which license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all; |
| ● | cross-license our technology to a competitor in order to resolve an infringement claim, which could weaken our ability to compete with that competitor; or |
| ● | pay substantial damages to our customers to discontinue their use of or replace infringing products sold to them with non-infringing products. |
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Even if intellectual property claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our costs, including additional royalties, licensing fees or further researchfavor, these claims, and development coststhe time and resources necessary to develop non-infringing alternatives,resolve them, could divert the resources of our management and negatively affect our profitability.require significant expenditures. Moreover, such claims, whether successful or not, may cause significant damage to our reputation and a loss of customers, as a resultcustomers. Any of whichthe foregoing could prevent us from competing effectively and could have an adverse effect on our business, operating results, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.financial condition.
If we are unable to maintain or enhance our brand recognition, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected
Maintaining and enhancing the recognition, image and acceptance of our brand are important to our ability to differentiate our products from and to compete effectively with our peers. Our brand image, however, could be jeopardized if we fail to maintain high product quality, pioneer and keep pace with evolving technology trends, or timely fulfill the orders for our products. If we fail to promote our brand or to maintain or enhance our brand recognition and awareness among our customers, or if we are subject to events or negative allegations affecting our brand image or the publicly perceived position of our brand, our business, operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected.
Changes in international trade policies
If counterfeit products are sold under our brand names and international barriers to trade, or the escalation of political tensions between the United States and China, may have an adverse effect ontrademarks, our business
We exported our products to a number of countries outside of the PRC and derive sales from exporting to those countries, and we intend to continue to sell our current and future products to countries outside of the PRC. Further, we rely on certain overseas suppliers, including suppliers in the United States, for the supply of certain equipment and tools, such as our electronic design automation, a development tool. Changes to trade policies, treaties and tariffs, any escalation in existing trade tensions or the advent of a trade war, or news and rumors of the escalation of a potential trade war, in or affecting the jurisdictions in which we operate and to which we sell our products, or the perception that these changes could occur, could adversely affect the financial and economic conditions in those jurisdictions, as well as our international sales, financial condition and results of operations.
Political tensions between the United States and China have escalated due to, among other things, the COVID-19 outbreak, the PRC National People’s Congress’ passage of Hong Kong national security legislation, sanctions imposed by the U.S. Department of Treasury on certain officials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the central government of the PRC and the executive orders issued by former U.S. President Donald J. Trump in August 2020 that prohibit certain transactions with ByteDance Ltd., Tencent Holdings Ltd. and the respective subsidiaries of such companies. Rising political tensions could reduce levels of trades, investments, technological exchanges and other economic activities between the two major economies, which would have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, there have been recent media reports on deliberations within the U.S. government regarding potentially limiting or restricting China-based companies from accessing U.S. capital markets. If any such deliberations were to materialize, the resulting legislation may have a material and adverse impact on the stock performance of China-based issuers listed in the United States. It is currently unclear whether the proposed or additional legislations would be enacted that would have the effect of potentially limiting or restricting China-based companies from accessing U.S. capital markets.
Any global systemic economicreputation and financial crisisresults could negatively affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition
Any prolonged slowdown in the Chinese or global economy may have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition. For example, the global financial markets have experienced significant disruptions since 2008 and the United States, Europe and other economies have experienced periods of recession. The recovery from the lows of 2008 and 2009 has been uneven and there are new challenges, including the escalation of the European sovereign debt crisis from 2011 and the slowdown of the PRC’s economic growth since 2012, which may continue. The market panics over the global outbreak of coronavirus COVID-19 and the drop in oil price havebe materially and negatively affected the global financial marketsadversely affected.
Third-party merchants and dealers are separately responsible for sourcing counterfeit products that are sold under our brand names and trademarks. Counterfeit products may be defective or inferior in March 2020,quality as compared to authentic products. If our customers are not satisfied by counterfeit products sold under our brand names and trademarks, we may be subject to reputational damage. We believe our brand and reputation are important to our success and our competitive position. The discovery of counterfeit products sold under our brand names and trademarks may severally damage our reputation and cause customers to refrain from making future purchases from us, which may cause a potential slowdown of the world’s economy. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry—The recent global coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak has caused significant disruptions in our business, which we expect willwould materially and adversely affect our results ofbusiness operations and financial condition.” Additionally, there is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the world’s leading economies, including the United States and the PRC. There have also been concerns over unrest in Ukraine, the Middle East and Africa, which have resulted in volatility in financial and other markets. There have also been concerns over the United Kingdom leaving the European Union as well as the significant potential changes to United States trade policies, treaties and tariffs, including trade policies and tariffs regarding the PRC. There have also been concerns about the economic effect of the tensions in the relationship between the PRC and surrounding Asian countries. There were and could be in the future a number of domino effects from such turmoil on our business, including significant decreases in orders from our customers; insolvency of key suppliers resulting in product delays; inability of customers to obtain credit to finance purchases of our products and/or customer insolvencies; and counterparty failures negatively impacting our operations. Any systemic economic or financial crisis could cause revenues for the semiconductor industry as a whole to decline dramatically and could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.
results.
We face risks of unexpected events, including natural disasters, acts of God and occurrence of epidemics, which could severely disrupt our business operations
Natural disasters, epidemics and other acts of God which are beyond our control may adversely affect the economy, infrastructure and livelihood of the people in China and in other territories in which we operate and may materially and adversely affect our operations, as our primary facilities and offices are located in China and we have other facilities and offices outside of China. Material damage to, or the loss of, such facilities due to fire, severe weather, flood, earthquake, or other acts of God or cause may not be adequately covered by proceeds of our insurance coverage and could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations. Any outbreaks of contagious disease, acts of war or terrorist attacks may cause damage or disruption to our business, our employees and our markets, any of which could adversely impact our business and results of operations.
Changes in China’s economic, political or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition
Substantially all of our revenues were and, in a foreseeable future, are expected to be derived in China, and most of our operations, including all of our manufacturing, is conducted in China. Accordingly, our business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition may be influenced to a significant degree by political, economic and social conditions in China generally and by continued economic growth in China as a whole. The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the degree of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. Although the PRC 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 strategically allocating resources, controlling the 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. As a result, changes in economic conditions and government policies could adversely affect our business and operating results, lead to reduction in demand for our services and adversely affect our competitive position.
Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to you and us
The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value. Our PRC legal system is evolving rapidly, but its current slate of laws may not be sufficient to cover all aspects of the economic activities in China, including such activities that relate to or have an impact on our business. Implementation and interpretations of laws, regulations and rules are not always undertaken in a uniform matter and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involves uncertainties.
From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. However, since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules (some of which are not published in a timely manner or at all) that may have a retroactive effect. As a result, we may not always be aware of any potential violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Such uncertainties, including unpredictability towards the scope and effect of our contractual, property (including intellectual property) and procedural rights, and any failure to respond to changes in the regulatory environment in China could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.
A severe or prolonged downturn in China’s economy and political tensions between the United States and China could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations
The global macroeconomic environment is facing challenges, including a new wave of quantitative easing by the U.S. Federal Reserve due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the economic slowdown in the Eurozone since 2014 and the uncertain impact of “Brexit.” The growth of China’s economy has slowed down since 2012 and such slowdown may continue. The outbreak of coronavirus COVID-19 in China has resulted in a severe disruption of social and economic activities in China, which may result in a potential slowdown of China’s economy in 2020 and beyond. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry—The recent global coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak has caused significant disruptions in our business, which we expect will materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.” In addition, there is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the world’s leading economies, including the United States and China. There have also been concerns on the relationship between China and other countries, including the surrounding Asian countries and the United States. In March 2018, the former U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum entering the United States. In June 2018, he announced further tariffs targeting goods imported from China. Subsequently, China and the U.S. each imposed tariffs to the extent that adversely affected trade between the two countries. In October 2019, the former U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced that China and the United States had reached a tentative agreement for the first phase of a trade deal, under which China agreed to purchase up to US$50.0 billion of American products and services, while the United States agreed to suspend new tariffs. Such agreement was signed in January 2020. It remains unclear what impact these tariff negotiations may have or what further actions the two countries may take. Moreover, political tensions between the United States and China have escalated as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and the PRC National People’s Congress’ decision on Hong Kong national security legislation. Rising political tensions could reduce levels of trades, investments, technological exchanges and other economic activities between the two major economies, which would have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets. Any of the circumstances would have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. See “—We plan to increase our export of mining machines to the United States and the European Union in the future, which may be subject to high tariff rates resulting from protectionism trade policies, and as a result, our future sales volumes, profitability and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected.” Furthermore, there have been recent media reports on deliberations within the U.S. government regarding limiting or restricting China-based companies from accessing U.S. capital markets. If any such deliberations were to materialize, the resulting legislation may have a material adverse impact on the stock performance of China-based issuers listed in the United States.
The trading price of our Class A ordinary shares may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to investors
The trading price of our Class A ordinary shares has been volatile since our Class A ordinary shares began to trade on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on June 26, 2020. The trading price of our Class A ordinary shares couldhas previously and may in the future fluctuate widely due to factors beyond our control. This volatility may happenoccur because of broad market and industry factors, like the performance and fluctuation of the market prices of other companies with business operations located mainly in China that have listed their securities in the United States.States as well as factors related to the cryptocurrency industry and pricing of cryptocurrencies generally. A number of Chinese companies have listed or are in the process of listing (or attempting to list) their securities on U.S. stock markets. The securities of some of these companies have experienced significant volatility, including price declines in connection with their initial public offerings. The trading performances of these Chinese companies’ securities after their offerings may affect the attitudes of investors toward Chinese companies listed in the United States in general and consequently may impact the trading performance of the Class A ordinary shares, regardless of our actual operating performance.
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In addition to market and industry factors, the price and trading volume for the Class A ordinary shares may be highly volatile for factors specific to our own operations, including the following:
| ● | variations in our revenues, earnings and cash flow; | |
| ● | changes in the operating performance or market valuations of other cryptocurrency related companies; |
| ● | announcements of new investments, acquisitions, strategic partnerships or joint ventures by us or our competitors; |
| ● | announcements of new services and expansions by us or our competitors; |
| ● | changes in financial estimates by securities analysts; |
| ● | detrimental adverse publicity about us, our services or our industry; |
| ● | additions or departures of key personnel; | |
| ● | fluctuations of exchange rates between |
| ● | release of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding equity securities or sales of additional equity securities; |
| ● | potential litigation or regulatory investigations; and | |
| ● | general economic or political conditions in China or elsewhere in the world. |
Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and price at which the Class A ordinary shares will trade.
Additionally, any negative news or perceptions about inadequate corporate governance practices or fraudulent accounting, corporate structure or other matters of other Chinese companies may also negatively affect the attitudes of investors towards Chinese companies in general, including us, regardless of whether we have engaged in any inappropriate activities. In particular, the global financial crisis and the ensuing economic recessions in many countries have contributed and may continue to contribute to extreme volatility in the global stock markets. These broad market and industry fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. Volatility or a lack of positive performance in our Class A ordinary shares price may also adversely affect our ability to retain key employees, most of whom may be granted options or other equity incentives in the future.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding our Class A ordinary shares, the market price for the Class A ordinary shares and trading volume could decline
The trading market for our Class A ordinary shares will be influenced by research or reports that industry or securities analysts publish about our business. If one or more analysts who cover us downgrade our Class A ordinary shares, the market price for our Class A ordinary shares would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease to cover us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the market price or trading volume for our Class A ordinary shares to decline.
We will continue to incur increased costs as a public company, which could lower our profits or make it more difficult to run a business.business
As a public company, we have incurred significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company to ensure that we comply with the various requirements on corporate governance practices imposed by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and Nasdaq Global Select Market. For example, we have increased the number of independent directors and adopt policies regarding internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures. We have also incurincurred additional costs associated with our public company reporting requirements. We expect that these rules and regulations will continue to cause us to incur elevated legal and financial compliance costs, devote substantial management effort to ensure compliance and make some corporate activities more time-consuming and costly. We are currently evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these rules and regulations, and we cannot predict or estimate with any degree of certainty the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs.
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ITEM 4. INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY
| A. | History and development of the company |
In January 2010, Mr. Dong Hu, our founder, chairman of the board of directors, chief executive officer and chief executivefinancial officer, founded Zhejiang Ebang Communication Technology Co., Ltd., or Zhejiang Ebang, which established Zhejiang Ebang Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Ebang IT in August 2010, to conduct development and sales of communications network access devices and related equipment. In early 2014, in view of the burgeoning opportunities in the blockchain industry, we began to conduct research and feasibility studies on the blockchain business and develop blockchain computing equipment. In August 2015, Zhejiang Ebang was listed in China on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations Co., Ltd., or the NEEQ. In August 2016, we acquired 51.05% of the equity interest in Hangzhou Dewang Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Hangzhou Dewang, through our capital injection in Hangzhou Dewang. In March 2018, Zhejiang Ebang was delisted from the NEEQ in preparation for the reorganization.
On May 17, 2018, we incorporated Ebang International Holdings Inc., our holding company, as an exempted company with limited liability in the Cayman Islands. In 2018, we underwent a series of corporate reorganizations for our initial public offering, including the incorporation of our company as the listing vehicle, incorporation of our oversea holding companies and issuance of shares to shareholders of Ebang Hongfa to reflect their respective shareholdings before the reorganization. We completed the reorganization in May 2018.
On June 26, 2020, our Class A ordinary shares commenced trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “EBON.” We raised approximately US$91.7 million in net proceeds after deducting underwriting commissions and the offering expenses payable by us from our initial public offering.
From August 2020 to October 2020,April 2023, to expand our blockchain-enabled financialFintech businesses globally, we established our subsidiaries in Canada, Australia, Ebon PTY LTDSingapore, Hong Kong, the Bahamas, New Zealand and Malaysia. As of the date of this annual report, we have established two cryptocurrency exchange platforms and one cross-border payment and foreign exchange platform outside the PRC, received the MSB License in Canada, registration approval as digital currency exchange, acquired a company with an AFSL and registration approval as an independent remittance dealer in Australia, EBONEX PTE.LTD.in Singaporethe MSO License, Type 4 and Ebang Communication Limited9 licenses, TCSP license and registration approval as a Trust Company in Canada.Hong Kong, registration as a Digital Asset Business and a Firm Dealing in Securities as Agent or Principal, Arranging Deals, Managing Securities and Advising on Securities in the Bahamas.
Corporate Information
Our principal executive offices are located at Building 7, No. 5, Nangonghe Road, Linping Street, Yuhang District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.12 Marina View, #20-02B, Asia Square Tower 2, Singapore, 018961. Our telephone number at this address is +86 571-8817-6197. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive, P.O. Box 2681, Grand Cayman KY1-1111.
Investors should submit any inquiries to the address and telephone number of our principal executive offices. Our corporate website is http://www.ebang.com.cnwww.ebang.com. Our agent for service of process in the United States is located at 122 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10168, United States.
| B. | Business Overview |
We areAs a leading ASICglobal blockchain technology and Fintech company, we have strong application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip design company and a leading manufacturer of high-performance Bitcoin mining machines in the global market. We have strong ASIC chip design capability underpinned by nearly a decadecapability. With years of industry experience and expertise, in the telecommunications business. We believe we are one of the few fabless IC design companies with the advanced technology to independently design ASIC chips, established access to third-party wafer foundry capacity andhave become a proven in-house capability to produce blockchain and telecommunications products. We have dedicated our technology and efforts to ASIC applications for Bitcoin mining machines and were a leadingglobal Bitcoin mining machine producer in the global market.
Leveragingproducer. Based on our deep understanding of the cryptocurrencyFintech industry and strong blockchain technology as applied to ASIC chip design,compliance with laws and regulations in various jurisdictions, we have launched professional, convenient and innovative Fintech service platforms.
We strive to expand into the upstream and downstream markets of the blockchain and cryptocurrencyFintech industry value chain to diversify our offerings and achieve a more stable financial performance. We intend to startperformance, by starting with the cryptocurrency mining and farming business, as well as cryptocurrency trading exchange business, as described below, and explore applying blockchain technologyexpanding into financial services industries. In April 2021,further Fintech businesses. As of the date of this annual report, we launched our self-developed proprietaryhave established two cryptocurrency exchange platform Ebonex. platforms and one cross-border payment and foreign exchange platform.
We believe our extensive experience in the blockchain and cryptocurrencyFintech industry positions us well in our future endeavors. We intend to continue to concentrate our efforts in our cryptocurrencyblockchain and blockchainFintech related businesses in 2021.2023, specifically in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Malaysia. Although we have not generated substantial revenue from such businesses to date, we carefully selected these countries and/or regions because of what we believe to be a Fintech-friendly regulatory environment.
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In addition,Overseas Expansion
From August 2020 to February 2023, we established our wholly-owned subsidiaries in Canada, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Bahamas, New Zealand and Malaysia to apply for Fintech business related licenses and wholly-owned subsidiaries in the United States in accelerating the construction of compliant mining farms in North America. We carefully selected these countries and/or regions because of what we believe to be a Fintech-friendly regulatory environment. We are at an initial preparatory stage of executing our plan to launch blockchain-enabled financialFintech businesses to capture the growth opportunity along the value chain of the blockchain industry outside of the PRC, specifically in Canada, Australia and Singapore. Although we have not generated any revenues from such businesses to date, we carefully selected these countries because of what we believe to be a cryptocurrency-friendly regulatory environment, access to cryptocurrency enthusiast communities and relatively lower application cost. We currently have no plans to establish our cryptocurrency trading exchange or online brokerage businesses in the United States.
Overseas Expansion
In August 2020, we established wholly-owned subsidiaries in Singapore and Canada in preparation for establishing cryptocurrency exchanges. In October 2020, we established a wholly-owned subsidiary in Australia to apply for an Australian financial services license with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (the Australian Government body that regulates the Australian financial services industry) and for registration with AUSTRAC (the Australian Government body that regulates bitcoin exchanges). We carefully selected these countries because of what we believe to be a cryptocurrency-friendly regulatory environment, access to cryptocurrency enthusiast communities and relatively lower application cost. We are at an initial preparatory stage of executing our plan to launch blockchain-enabled financial business to capture the growth opportunity along the value chain of the blockchainFintech industry. As of the date of this annual report, we have received the Money Service BusinessMSB License from the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, which will allowallows us to engage in foreign exchange trading, digital currencydealing, money transferring and dealing in virtual currencies in Canada,Canada; registration approval from AUSTRAC as digital currency exchange, which allows us to provide cryptocurrency exchange services in Australia; acquired a company with an AFSL for engaging in financial services in Australia; registration approval as an independent remittance dealer on the AUSTRAC Remittance Sector Register, which allows us to provide remittance services in Australia; the TCSP license and registration approval as a Trust Company from the Company Registry in Hong Kong, which allows us to carry on a trust or company service business; the MSO license from the Customs and Excise Department in Hong Kong, which allows us to operate money changing and remittance services; the Type 4 and 9 licenses from the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong, which allows us to carry on advising on securities and asset management service; registered as a Digital Asset Business and a Firm Dealing in Securities as Agent or Principal, Arranging Deals, Managing Securities and Advising on Securities from the Securities Commission of the Bahamas, which allows us to carry on digital asset business activities and securities activities in and from the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. In April 2021, we launched our first self-developed proprietary cryptocurrency exchange platform Ebonex and in February 2022, we launched another self-developed proprietary cryptocurrency exchange platform, also branded Ebonex, in Australia. On top of that, in March 2022, we established a cross-border payment and foreign exchange business in Australia, through the acquisition of an Australian company with an AFSL, and in the fourth quarter of 2022, we launched our self-developed proprietary cross-border payment and foreign exchange platform, EbonFX, targeting qualified investors subject to compliance with applicable laws in the jurisdictions EbonFX operates. We are also in the process of obtaining additional and/or relevant licenses and approvals for our subsidiaries in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and Australia. We expect that it will take approximately six months and 12 months (subject to change due to COVID-19) to obtain such licenses in Australia and Singapore, respectively, subject to approvals from local authorities, which is typical for such applications; ifMalaysia. If and once obtained, thesethe licenses will allow us to operate cryptocurrency exchanges in these countriesadditional Fintech businesses in such jurisdictions.countries and regions. Meanwhile, we are focused on application development, regulatory compliance and talent recruitment to ramp up execution of our new business plans for the expansion in these countries. We expect such ramp-up will support our future operations and our compliance with local rules and regulations. Our expenses to date to implement our new business plans, including establishing in Canada, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Bahamas, New Zealand, the United States and SingaporeMalaysia, have not been significant, but we expect that we will require an initial investment of approximately US$4.0 million formainly on server rentals, application development, regulatory compliance, and talent acquisition and offices rentals to set up cryptocurrency exchangesblockchain and Fintech businesses in the abovementioned countries.countries and regions. There is no guarantee that we will receive any additional required approvals and licenses for our proposed business in these countriesjurisdictions in a timely manner or on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or that we will commence the proposed business as planned, or at all. Our current plan is to launchIf our operation in these countries in early 2022. However, if our expectations as to the costs and timelines of our investment and operations at these countriesjurisdictions or our execution of business plan proveproves incorrect, we may incur additional expenses or losses. Additionally, to maintain our operational focus and based on a reassessment of our priorities, we do not plan to pursue expansion plans in New Zealand at this time.
Any restrictions imposed by a foreign government could force us to restructure operations, perhaps significantly, which could result in significant costs and inefficiencies that harm our profitability, or even cause us to cease operations in the applicable jurisdiction. CryptocurrencyFintech is a recent technological innovation and the regulatory schemes to which cryptocurrency and the related exchangeFintech businesses may be subject have not been fully explored or developed by foreign jurisdictions. Thus, cryptocurrencyFintech faces an uncertain regulatory landscape in many foreign jurisdictions. Various foreign jurisdictions may from time to time adopt laws, regulations or directives that affect our cryptocurrencyFintech businesses. Due in part to its international nature and the nascent stage of regulation, along with the limited experience with cryptocurrency,Fintech, and language barriers between international journalists, translators and regulators, information regarding the regulation of cryptocurrencyFintech in various jurisdictions may be incomplete, inaccurate or unreliable. As both the regulatory landscape develops and journalistic familiarity with cryptocurrencyFintech increases, mainstream media’s understanding of cryptocurrencyFintech and the regulation thereof may improve. As we enter into the markets in Canada, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Bahamas, New Zealand, the United States and Singapore,Malaysia, we expect to continue to monitor the local regulations regarding cryptocurrency and financialFintech service platforms and retain local regulatory counsels. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Cryptocurrency, Blockchain and Mining Related Businesses—The current regulatory environment in foreign markets, and any adverse changes in that environment,those environments, could have a material adverse impactimpacts on our blockchain products business and our planned cryptocurrency exchange and financial service platform businesses,Fintech business,” “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—If we are unable to manage our growth or execute our strategies effectively, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected” and “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—We may not successfully develop, market or launch any cryptocurrency exchangesfuture Fintech businesses or online brokerages”continue operating our existing Fintech businesses” for details of the associated risks.
Recent Financings
In November 2020, we launched a follow-on offering of 8,000,000 units (the “November 2020 Offering”), with each unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one-half of one Class A ordinary share, which was subsequently completed in January 2021 with full subscription, resulting in aggregate net proceeds of approximately US$39.2 million (excluding any exercise of the warrants included in such units). All of such warrants were subsequently exercised in connection with the Warrant Inducement Offering (described below).
In February 2021, we launched and completed a second offering for an aggregate of 19,200,000 units (the “February 2021 Offering”), with each unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one-half of one Class A ordinary share, resulting in aggregate net proceeds of approximately US$90 million (excluding any exercise of the warrants included in such units). All of such warrants were subsequently exercised in connection with the Warrant Inducement Offering.
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In February 2021, we also entered into inducement agreements with certain investors (the “Holders”) to induce them to exercise the warrants issued to them in connection with the November 2020 Offering and the February 2021 Offering for all 13,600,000 Class A ordinary shares available for exercise thereunder (the “Warrant Inducement Offering”). The Holders exercised these warrants, in full, and were issued 13,600,000 Class A ordinary shares as a result of such exercises, with the Company receiving aggregate net proceeds of approximately US$68 million after deducting sales commissions payable to the warrant solicitation agents and related expenses of approximately US$4.4 million. Additionally, as consideration for their exercise of such warrants, we issued to the Holders the new warrants, which are exercisable, anytime within five (5) years from the date on which they became exercisable, at an exercise price of US$11.06 per share, for an aggregate of up to the 13,600,000 Class A ordinary shares.
In April 2021, we launched and completed a third offering for an aggregate of 14,000,000 units, with each unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one-half of one Class A ordinary share, resulting in aggregate net proceeds of approximately US$80 million (excluding any exercise of the warrants included in such units).
Our Value Proposition
We are adesign fabless IC designer engagedICs in the front-end and back-end, of IC design, which are the major components of the IC product development chain. We currently dedicate our technology and expertise in IC design for our blockchain products business and telecommunication products business.
The following diagram illustrates the general process of IC design and production for our blockchain and telecommunications products businesses:
We independently design and develop our blockchain and telecommunications products in-house, including the design of proprietary ASIC chips for our cryptocurrency mining machines. Front-end IC design and back-end IC design are the key parts of the IC design process. We determine the parameters of the IC chip, establish the basic logic of the design, map out the initial plan for the physical layout, and conduct back-end verification on the design. Our strong design capability has ensured that we have achieved a 100% tape-out success rate to date. We then closely partner with industry-leading third-party suppliers to fabricate, test and package the IC products we design. Leveraging our long-established experience and know-how in producing telecommunications products, we have also established in-house production capabilities to conduct PCB assembly and system assembly for both mining machines and a wide range of telecommunications products. We believe our outstanding technical expertise and production experience in IC development chain enables us to continuously introduce ICs of higher performance and power efficiency for application in both the blockchain and telecommunications fields.
Currently, we have two self-developed cryptocurrency exchange platforms operating under the brand name Ebonex, and we support users to buy and/or sell digital assets through Ebonex. Our customers include retail users and institutions. We aim to establish a global blockchain financial service platform, with services to be provided to each countries and regions in which we operate under their respective laws and regulations.
Ebonex is based on our self-developed trading system, which provides a highly available, high-concurrency trade match service system. We have embedded robust anti-money laundering (“AML”), Know Your Customer (“KYC”), Know Your Transaction (“KYT”) and asset custody third-party services in Ebonex to protect user assets and ensure that users’ access meets regulatory standards. We believe users can experience stable system services, convenient deposits and withdrawals, smooth trading and diversified digital asset services on Ebonex. We are committed to building a world-leading comprehensive digital asset service platform to meet the asset service needs of cryptocurrency asset users worldwide while complying with the current laws, regulations, and legal standards to which we are subject, as well as additional laws, regulations and legal standards that may be introduced in the future.
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As part of our growth and diversification strategy, we acquired an Australian company which owned financial services business with an ASFL in March 2022. The strategic acquisition provides immediate scale, capability and expertise to facilitate us into entering the global financial markets, and together with our strong internal technological capabilities, we have successfully launched a self-developed proprietary cross-border payment and foreign exchange platform, EbonFX. The cross-border payment and foreign exchange business offers a comprehensive range of cost-effective payment and risk management solutions to businesses looking to manage their currency exposure and streamline their international payments, whilst satisfying local regulatory and compliance requirements. Backed by our network of established partnerships with banks and government regulated financial institutions around the world, EbonFX is a ASIC-licensed and regulated platform that enables its customers to transact safely and securely with confidence at any time in 39 currencies across the world.
Our approach to international payments is centered around providing our customers with reliable, convenient and cost-effective ways to transact from anywhere, at anytime, and on any device. We strive to make international payments simple and easy for our customers, offering personalized service and tailored solutions to meet the unique needs of each customer. Our team of experienced foreign exchange specialists provide guidance and support on navigating the complexities of the currency markets. We continuously monitor the currency markets to stay up to date on the latest trends and ensure our rates are competitive and give us the edge to help clients make informed decisions about their currency transactions and save money when sending and receiving foreign currencies. Our multi-currency balance capability enables our customers to hold and manage multiple currencies in a single account, which makes it easier for them to receive, send and manage their global currency needs and reduces the need for multiple bank accounts. In addition, we help manage foreign exchange (FX) risks for our customers through a range of tailored hedging strategies (e.g., forwards and options) to help them manage their foreign currency exposures. When developing a risk management strategy, our team of experts take the time to identify the specific risks clients face by understanding their business operations, cash flows, and exposures to foreign currency risks.
The customers are at the heart of our business. We understand the first-hand impact of high FX margin, fees and banking costs on customers’ profit margins, and seek out to build a better solution for businesses and individuals operating across borders, improving on the constraints of the current global financial system.
Our Blockchain Products Business
Our blockchain products business isconsists primarily comprised of Bitcoin mining machine sales and mining machine hosting services.sales.
Bitcoin Mining Machine Products
Our technology and expertise in ASIC applications is primarily dedicated to our blockchain products business, which consists predominantly of the design, development, production and sales of our proprietary ASIC-based Bitcoin mining machines under the Ebit brand. Our Ebit Bitcoin mining machines feature our proprietary ASICs, and the ASICs are integrated with components procured by us.
Since the beginning of our ASIC designing business, we have successfully and independently completed the design of 14nm, 12nm, 10nm, 8nm, 7nm and 6nm ASICs.ASIC chips. Our existing ASIC chips are targeted at solving Bitcoin’s cryptographic algorithms incorporating the latest technology. Since the launch of our first mining machine with 10nm ASIC chips in 2017, we have introduced mining machines with second generation 10nm ASIC chips in 2019 and mining machines with 8nm ASIC chips in 2020; and we plan to introduce mining machines tohave successfully and independently completed the market with second generation 8nmdesign of 6nm ASIC chips and 6nm ASIC chips in 2021. We have also completed the design phase of a chip for simultaneous Litecoin and Dogecoin mining and we expect a rollout of such chips in 2021. We currently focus on developing our proprietary 5nm5nm-optimized ASIC chips and optimized mining machines for non-Bitcoin cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum and Filecoin.Litecoin. We will continue to devote significant resources to new innovations applying blockchain technology.technology and further determine the timeline for launching these products based on market demands and conditions.
We have also designed our hardware architecture to optimize the computing power of our ASIC chips while efficiently consuming energy. This includes incorporating heat dissipation technology, such as high-grade aluminum cases and customized heat sinks and fans. All of our mining machine products incorporate built-in controllers so they can operate as standalone devices. Our products utilize automatic cluster management software system for intelligent tracking and monitoring of the operation status of the device, which provides convenience for large-scale set-ups with multiple devices. Our products are also configured to allow for simplified software and internet connection setup, thereby reducing installation and configuration time.
We continuously introduce new series of Bitcoin mining machines incorporating the latest development of ASIC design and process technology. We also produce and sell Bitcoin mining machine accessories and offer ancillary service to our customers to assist their operations.
Existing Mining Machine Products
The table below describes the key mining machine products that we have sold:
Our Fintech businesses
During 2020,Our Fintech businesses is primarily comprised of cryptocurrency exchange and cross-border payment businesses.
Our Cryptocurrency Exchange Business
In April 2021, we sold 11,230 Bitcoin mining machines.
Mining Machine Products Under Development
Our current mining machine products are designed for Bitcoin mining.launched our first self-developed proprietary cryptocurrency exchange platform Ebonex and in February 2022, we launched another self-developed proprietary cryptocurrency exchange platform, also branded Ebonex, in Australia. We areplan to launch additional trading platforms in the processjurisdictions into which we are expanding. All core technologies of developing ASIC chips for a new generation of mining machines for Bitcoin mining,Ebonex are independently and completely developed by us with our own independent intellectual property rights. Ebonex strictly prohibits domestic resident users in China, as well as mining machines for other cryptocurrencies. The table below shows productsindividuals and institutions in sanctioned countries, to open accounts and trade. As of December 31, 2022, immaterial revenue has been generated from the operations of Ebonex.
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We invest heavily in compliance tools. In addition to robust AML, KYC, and KYT programs, we have currentlyintroduced professional service providers, such as real-time account reconciliation platforms, digital asset custodians, biometric digital KYC platforms, financial market data and infrastructure providers, and liquidity providers, in development.Ebonex to meet regulatory requirements, protect user assets and ensure smooth trading experience. These features also allow us to quickly adapt to emerging threats in the crypto economy, build scenarios and typologies around specific transaction types, and gives us the flexibility to support new products and services.
Our ultimate objective through our Ebonex platform is to provide secure, fast, efficient and stable multi-currency and multi-mode trading services to a global audience. We have increased our investment in marketing and sales, and have assembled a dedicated marketing and growth team in our regions of operation. We expect that we will obtain more cryptocurrency exchange users and institutional users in the countries and/or regions where we operate in the future. With the expansion of our operations and marketing activities, we have begun to attract users and generate revenue from user transactions.
Our Cross-Border Payment and Foreign Exchange Business
In March 2022, we established our cross-border payment and foreign exchange business. This was achieved through acquiring an established specialist cross-border payment company that has been successfully running for over 10 years in Australia. Since the acquisition, we have successfully launched our self-developed proprietary cross-border payment and foreign exchange platform, EbonFX, and fostered strong collaborative relationships with prominent international banks. This enables us to offer our clients a comprehensive, one-stop service, from website registration to safe and secure cross-border payment in multiple currencies. These transformational efforts have been instrumental in propelling us forward within the increasingly competitive Fintech market space. Our new, modern, and robust platform, designed with reliability and scalability in mind, positions us perfectly for growth.
Through EbonFX, clients can access competitive foreign exchange rates, fees and services in the market. On top of this, our dedicated service team, comprised of FX market specialists and experienced professionals, offers tailored solutions to mitigate FX risks for our customers and help protect their profitability. Our customers are able to access our cross-border payment services across multiple currencies that can be sent to over 180 countries and territories. Some of the key benefits of using EbonFX to transact cross-border payment include that it is a simple and intuitive online portal available 24/7, its access to competitive FX rates in real-time, FX professionals on-call and hedging & FX risk management.
We understand the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations that may have on the profitability of our customers’ businesses. Our range of solutions includes (but is not limited to) the following:
| ● | ||||
| Forwards: An FX forward is a transaction where the |
| ● | Options: EbonFX offers wholesale clients option contracts in foreign exchange. These options are derivatives and they give the buyer of the contract the right (but not the obligation) to buy or sell a currency at a pre-agreed exchange rate on a predetermined date in the future. |
Mining Machine Hosting Services
| ● | Market orders: EbonFX provides a facility for where our customer may place an order at a rate nominated by the customer, which may or may not be filled depending on prevailing market conditions and will include a margin determined by EbonFX. |
We began our mining machine hosting services in 2017 to diversify our offerings. Our mining machine hosting services enablemonitor rates across all international time zones and once the customer’s target FX rate is reached, the order is automatically executed. This eliminates the need for any customers to operate their mining machines remotely in a cost-effective manner. We help customers set up and configurate their mining machines and monitorcontinually watch the daily operation of these mining machines on our hosting site where the utility cost is relatively low. We also provide routine maintenance services to our customers. We currently provide our mining machine hosting services only to those who have purchased mining machines from us.currency exchange rates 24/7. In essence, EbonFX provides customer-centric cross-border payment services.
We typically enter into separate service agreements with buyers of our mining machines for the hosting services. We charge customers a hosting services fee, which is negotiated case by case and usually in proportion to the utility consumption of each customer’s mining machines that we host. The revenues from our mining machine hosting services was US$9.1 million in 2020. The average service fee per kWh was generally US$0.04 per kWh throughout 2020.
Our Telecommunications Business
We entered the telecommunications business in 2010. Our communications network devices mainly focus on the access layer, which is the entry point for providing access to the telecommunications network for end users. Our products are broadly grouped under the following product lines, as well as related parts and accessories:
| ● | Fiber-Optic Communication Access Devices. Our fiber-optic communication access devices are mainly used by |
| ● | Enterprise Convergent Terminals. Our enterprise convergent terminal products are designed to provide complete informatization service for enterprises |
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Our Customers
Blockchain Products Business
Our customer base for sales of our Ebit mining machines is comprised of both enterprises and individual buyers. We generally do not enter into long term agreements with our mining machine customers. Sales are typically made on one-off sales contract or purchase order bases. Generally, we either require prepayment in full or offer alternate payment plans for customers to prepay a certain percentage with the remainder to be settled after delivery of the products.products and we have extended credit sales to certain customers since 2018. Substantially all of the customers of our mining machine hosting services arebefore we halted such services in the PRC were customers who have purchased our mining machines.
In 2020, 2021 and 2022, a significant portion of our mining machine customers were located in China. All of our mining machines are distributed through direct sales. Nevertheless, we do not restrict resales of our mining machine products by our customers, so some of our customers in China may resell purchased products to end users or other buyers located in overseas markets. Our revenues generated from sales to customers in China represent 99.8%, 100.0% and 91.6% of our total revenues in 2020. 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Cryptocurrency Exchange Business
Our revenuestarget users mainly include retail users as well as institutions. By providing them with digital asset services and infrastructure, we generate revenue through fees and commissions including transaction commissions, handling fees, transaction spreads, system implementation fees, revenue sharing, and service fees.
Since our cryptocurrency exchange is in the early stages of operation and has only had a short history, as of December 31, 2022, we have generated immaterial revenue from salessuch operations. However, we believe that with our experience in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry, continuous research and development, and technology accumulation, as well as the expansion of our marketing and operation activities, we will further drive our competitive position and obtain relevant operating revenue in the near future.
Cross-Border Payment and Foreign Exchange Business
Tapping into the existing client base of our acquired Australian cross-border payment and foreign exchange business and aiming to customers outsideexpand beyond the existing client pool, we are mainly targeting retailers, wholesalers, small businesses, importers and exporters. Most importers and exporters are aware of China/salesthe effects that fluctuations in exchange rates can have on the profitability of mining machines deliveredtheir businesses. Currency movements are also important to overseas end users,individuals such as customers/usersexpatriates and high net worth individuals, and those looking to make international investments. With our global business network, we are continuously looking to serve customers in North America, Central AsiaAustralia and the Southeast Asia, represent 0.2% in 2020.beyond.
Telecommunications Business
Our telecommunications products are mainly sold in China under the brand name “EBANG” through direct sales. Our customer base for our telecommunications products primarily includes major telecommunications service providers in China.
We do not have any long-term or exclusive agreement with our telecommunications product customers. Sales to our enterprises customers are generally made on one-off sales contract or purchase order bases with a credit period of one to nine months. We generally enter into framework agreement with the major telecommunications service providers in China with a credit period up to one year. We typically require payments to be made in installments upon delivery of the products. We encourage our sales representatives to negotiate shorter credit periods to reduce our credit risk.
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Research and Development
We have historically and continue to place strong emphasis on research and development. We consider research and development capability as a crucial factor to our success and our ability to develop innovative and competitive products to meet the technological requirements of customers. As of December 31, 2020,2022, our research and development team was comprised of 79126 employees, or approximately 38.5%42.4% of our total number of employees, based across our offices in China.employees. Our research and development expenses were US$8.55.1 million in 2020.2022.
Our research and development team is overseen by our Chairman, CEO and CEO,CFO, Mr. Dong Hu. Within our research and development team, we have a specialized ASIC chip design team focused on designing ASIC chips for the development of cutting-edge mining machine products and for other blockchain research and development projects that utilize ASIC chips. The other members of our research and development team focus on non-ASIC aspects of mining machine products, telecommunications products and new applications for blockchain technology. As part of our business strategy to expand into other markets, in addition to developing more advanced mining machines for cryptocurrency mining, we are currently undertaking several new research and development projects in blockchain technology, such as blockchain solutions for medical recordkeeping and financial services management.
Our research and development team tracks, evaluates and anticipates the latest industry developments and customers’ needs in determining our research and development project focus and new product roadmap. We will continue to enhance ourorganization demonstrates strong research and development capabilities in blockchain technology.the Fintech sector, with a focus on cryptocurrency and cross-border payment. Our highly skilled R&D team excels in monitoring and assessing user needs, market trends, and industry advancements, guiding the direction of our projects and product roadmaps while identifying growth opportunities and potential challenges in the rapidly evolving Fintech landscape. With an unwavering commitment to innovation, we stay ahead of the curve, transforming our technological expertise in payment technology, cryptocurrencies, and regulatory frameworks into competitive products and services. Furthermore, our expert team of market analysts in the cross-border payment domain employs a comprehensive research approach, merging valuable market intelligence with thorough analysis, ensuring our clients have access to first-rate information and well-informed investment decisions.
Production
Our Fabless Model
We do not directly manufacture ICs used for our products. Instead, we utilize what is known as a fabless model, whereby we conduct front-end and back-end designs of our IC chips, which are then manufactured, packaged and tested by world-class wafer foundry and OSAT partners we cooperate with. Under the fabless model, we are able to leverage the expertise of industry leaders that are certified by the ISO in such areas as fabrication, assembly, quality control and assurance, reliability and testing. In addition, the fabless model allows us to avoid many of the significant costs and risks associated with owning and operating various fabrication and packaging and testing facilities. Our fabrication partner is responsible for procurement of the majority of the raw materials used in the production of our ICs. As a result, we can focus our resources on research and development, product design and additional quality assurances.
Wafer Fabrication
We primarily work with an IC fabrication partner to ascertain their production resource that can be allocated to us before we place an order according to our business need. After we place our orders, and once they accept our orders, we are required to prepay in full in order to secure production capacity. TheSubject to sufficient production capacity, wafers arewere delivered in an average of approximately three to four months from the time we placeplaced our order.order prior to the global outbreak of COVID-19; however, since such outbreak, we have experienced production capacity shortages and shipment delays from the IC fabrication partner.
We principally purchased wafers for our ASIC chips from Samsung, and also began to work with TSMC in 2017 on the development of a new ASIC chip and established a relationship and are in discussions with two other major wafer foundries in order to diversify our supplier sources and to gain access to additional capacity for future ASIC chips. We will seek to procure wafers from either or both of these two wafer foundries in the event that our current suppliers are unable to accept or fulfil our purchase orders or otherwise continue supply us wafers. While we continue to seek opportunities to improve our supply chain, we face concentration risks, as we currently depend on two suppliers for our wafers. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry—we rely on a limited number of third parties to fabricate our ASIC chips, which are the core technology used in our mining machines.”
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Packaging and Testing
After the wafers are manufactured, they are shipped to an OSAT company for packaging into IC chips, which are then tested to ensure the required quality assurance procedures are all met. Properly tested IC chips are then delivered to our production facilities for mounting and assembly.
We procure IC packaging and testing services from leading OSAT companies, including STATS ChipPAC. In 2018, in order to keep up with our increasing production demand, we began working with PTI. STATS ChipPAC is controlled by Jiangsu Changjiang Electronics Technology Co., Ltd. and its various subsidiaries, or JCET, which along with PTI are among the largest OSAT companies in the world.
Assembly Plant
We have in-house capabilities to produce our blockchain and telecommunications products at our production facilities. These include PCB assembly to create the mounted circuit boards once the IC chips have been manufactured, and general assembly to integrate the circuit boards with other components and parts for assembling the final products.
We procure certain raw materials, components and parts, such as electronic components, metal cases, cables, antennae and packaging materials, which are used by us for the assembly of PCBs and our final products. We typically maintain three or four different suppliers for most of our raw materials, components and parts. We generally place purchase orders with our suppliers based on our estimated purchase orders and production schedule. The lead time for procurement iswas generally one to four months.months prior to the global outbreak of COVID-19; however, since such outbreak, we have experienced raw material shortages and shipment delays from our suppliers. We are typically required to pay our suppliers before or upon delivery of the raw materials, components and parts. We closely monitor the quality of all raw materials provided by our suppliers to ensure that all raw materials comply with the stringent requirements of our customers. For more information, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Quality Control.”
We outsource some of our production to third-party subcontractors in order to meet additional capacity needs. We currently maintain a working relationship with approximately four to five third-party subcontractors for PCB and general system assembly. The terms of our subcontracting arrangement are set out in individual written work orders, and the amount of work outsourced is determined on an as-needed basis. To maintain our product standards, we institute strict quality control measures with our third-party subcontractors. These measures include requiring product testing at various stages of production and utilizing our proprietary software to record and report the quality testing results.
Production Facilities
We operate twoone production facilitiesfacility in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, and Wuhai, Inner Mongolia with a gross floor area of 7,344 and 14,200.26 square meters, respectively. Our production facility is capable of assembling mining machines and telecommunications products. The Hangzhou production facilitywhich houses three SMT production lines and twothree general assembly lines, and Wuhai production facility houses one SMT production line and one general assembly line, respectively, as of December 31, 2020.2022.
SMT production lines are responsible for PCB assembly, which is a key process for both our mining machine and telecommunications products. The maximum output volume of our in-house production facilities is largely dictated by the production capacity of our SMT production lines in Hangzhou. As of December 31, 2020, we owned four SMT production lines with an aggregate of up to 1171 SMT production hours per month. The average utilization rate of our SMT production lines was 85.6%40.1%, 81.7%, 40.1%34.7% and 26.5% for 2018, 20192020, 2021 and 2020,2022, respectively.
We outsourceHistorically, we outsourced some of our SMT production activities to third-party subcontractors in order to meet additional capacity needs. For the years ended December 31, 20182020, 2021 and 2019 and 2020,2022, our outsourced productive SMT production volume amounted to approximately 75.0%8.4%, 69.2%, 8.4%27.4% and nil of our total in-house and outsourced productive SMT production volume, respectively.
We plan to expand our production capacity by constructing a new production facility in Yuhang District, Hangzhou and installing two additional new SMT production lines in place of the two older SMT production lines. We commenced the construction of our new production facility toward the end of 2019 and expect to commence its operation by the end of 2021.
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Quality Control
We place great emphasis on the importance of quality control in every aspect of our business. We produce our products in accordance with our strict quality control system and quality standards. We obtained all the material quality control certifications in the PRC for our products or production facilities. From sourcing of raw materials, production, delivery and installation, each stage of the production process is subject to our quality control procedures for both in-house production and outsourced third-party production.
We have implemented various quality-control checks into our production process and the IC fabrication process by our production partners. In addition, we provide timely and effective after-sales services and support to our users. We have quality control personnel based at each of our production facilities. They are part of our production department and are led by our quality control supervisor. The quality control team is primarily responsible for monitoring the quality of procurement raw materials, production process and finished products and supervising the product testing. We have our own on-site quality control staff to inspect each stage of the production process. The quality control staff inspects semi-finished products at various stages of the production process to ensure their compliance with our internal quality control standards and measures. This helps us detect defects during the production process and take steps to rectify those defects, where appropriate. For outsourced production, we require that all third-party contractors utilize a software system we provide to track, test and record each product made for us using unique identifying barcodes on the products so that we can review the testing results of their products. Our third-party contractors also agree to allow us to conduct sample testing of their products and random spot checks of their facilities. We require final testing on the products before their delivery to our customers to ensure the products meet the specifications and requirements of its customers.
After-Sales Services and Warranties
We provide installation services of communication network devices to our customers depending upon the products purchased and the type of customer. Our mining machines are configured by the end-users using our instruction manual.
For our mining machines, we provide a six-month warranty for the overall machine and a one-year warranty for the power supplies. During the warranty period, we provide maintenance and after-sale services, which include technical support, equipment repair and maintenance. In connection with warranty service, the customer will courier the hardware to us, and we will ship the machine back to the customer once repairs are completed. Our service hotline is available seven days a week between 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and we offer on-site maintenance services as needed.
For our telecommunications products, we typically provide a 12 to 36-month warranty depending on the type of customer and product. During the warranty period, we provide maintenance and after-sale services, which include technical support, system and network resting, equipment repair and maintenance. Our service hotline is available seven days a week between 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and we offer on-site maintenance services as needed.
Sales and Marketing
Historically, the marketing of our blockchain and Fintech products was done through word of mouth, press releases of our product launches and exhibitions when we launch a new product. Certain of our available products are also advertised on our website which is updated periodically. From time to time, we maintain a presence on social media in order to raise awareness of our brand. We have not relied heavily on sales force for advertising and marketing of our blockchain products, as most of our customers approach us proactively.
For our telecommunications products, we obtain supplier contracts through bidding processes held by the major telecommunications service providers in China, in order to become an approved supplier. We set up sales offices in the provinces with large distribution scale according to the winning bids. Our sales offices also serve the surrounding provinces to form an effective sales network.
Competition
CompetitionOur company operates in multiple vertical business areas, including integrated circuits (IC), mining machine production, and Fintech, which encompasses both cryptocurrency and cross-border payment sectors. The competitive landscape in each of these verticals is characterized by various challenges and opportunities.
We compete primarilyIn the vertical field of integrated circuit (IC), we face competition from both more mature companies and new entrants. Some of these competitors may possess advantages such as stronger brand recognition, greater access to capital, longer industry tenure, more established relationships with suppliers or customers, and more extensive resources. Our competitive strategy in this domain focuses on continuous innovation, cutting-edge technology, and high-quality products.
In the other majorvertical field of mining machine producers and potentiallyproduction,, we primarily compete with other leading manufacturers, as well as any potential new players which may overcomeentrants capable of overcoming the highsignificant barriers ofto entry, in particularparticularly in technology and access to wafer foundry capacity. We seekOur approach to competecompetition in this sector emphasizes on technology and service quality, withensuring our competitors.products remain at the forefront of the market.
Our competitors also include many well-known domesticIn the vertical field of Fintech, including cryptocurrency and international players in blockchaincross-border payment, a diversified and cryptocurrency industry.dynamic competitive landscape has emerged since the late 2000s. We expect that competition in the Bitcoin mining industry will continue to be intense as we compete not only with existing players that have been focused on Bitcoin mining, but also new entrants that include well-established players in the semiconductor industry, and players who were not predisposed to this industry in the past. We also expect that we may face competition from existingnumerous well-known participants, ranging from large, established financial incumbents to smaller early-stage Fintech providers and new cryptocurrency farming and cryptocurrency trading related service providerscompanies native to the crypto economy, such as well as non-cryptocurrency blockchain application providers.decentralized exchanges. In the IC industry,cross-border payment business, we expect to faceencounter competition from existingvarious entities, including traditional banks, payment processing companies, and new playersFintech startups that are more established than us. Some of these competitors may alsooffer diverse payment solutions and services for seamless cross-border transactions and international payment processing. Despite this competitive landscape, our strengths in innovation, technology, and adaptability have stronger brand names, greater access to capital, longer histories, longer relationships with their suppliers or customers and more resources than we do.positioned us as a formidable player in this field.
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We anticipate that the intensity of competition across all verticals will persist, driven by rapid technological advancements and the emergence of new market entrants. By maintaining a focus on innovation, research and development, and strategic partnerships, we aim to navigate the dynamic competitive landscapes in the integrated circuits, mining machine production, and Fintech industries. Our ability to adapt and commitment to delivering high-quality technology and services will be crucial in differentiating ourselves from competitors and ensuring sustainable growth across all our business verticals.
Intellectual Property
We rely on a combination of copyright, trademark, patent and other proprietary technology and contractual restrictions on disclosure to protect our intellectual property rights. We enter into relevant confidentiality agreements or provisions with our employees and certain customers and suppliers and rely on such confidentiality agreements or provisions and other protection of our technical know-how to maintain our technical advantages in our products and design.
As of the date of this annual report, we hadhave registered 5158 patents, seven10 IC layout designs and 5665 software copyrights, with an additional 2333 patent applications and three software copyright applications in the PRC. Our key intellectual property achievements include multiple generations of ASIC chips, including our proprietary 10 nm ASIC chip, which was used by us for introducing to market the first commercially available mining machine that incorporates 10 nm ASIC chips among major mining machine producers.
On November 27, 2020, we obtained an exclusive license of a key patent in the Bitcoin mining industry, which license granted us with the exclusive right to use the patent in South Korea and export the product from South Korea to other countries. On January 1, 2022, we obtained another license which granted us with the right to use the patent in the United States and export the product from the United States to other countries. The core of this patent is AsicBoost, a method that can increase performance of Bitcoin mining by about 20%. The performance gain is achieved through a high-level optimization of the Bitcoin mining algorithm which allows for drastic reduction in gate count on the mining chip.
Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy or otherwise obtain and use our technology. Monitoring unauthorized use of our technology is difficult and costly, and we cannot be certain that the steps we have taken will prevent misappropriation of our technology. From time to time, we may have to resort to litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights, which could result in substantial costs and diversion of our resources.
Through the use of licensing arrangements, we utilize various technologies, software and other intellectual property that were developed by third parties. During the course of product design and manufacturing, we incorporate certain third-party technologies or implement technical or commercial standards, practices or intellectual property which require licenses from wafer foundries. These licenses allow us to use or access the wafer foundries’ technologies and intellectual property rights in connection with the making of photomask for our ASIC chips. We have also purchased licenses for various design software from third parties to conduct our IC chip design. These license grants were usually perpetual and irrevocable on a project-by-project basis. Third parties may initiate litigation against us alleging infringement of their proprietary rights or breach of a licensing agreement or declaring their non-infringement of our intellectual property rights. If third parties prevail on such claims, and if we fail to develop non-infringing technology or license the infringed or similar technology or cure the breach on a timely basis, our business could be harmed. Moreover, even if we are able to license the infringed or similar technology, license fees could be substantial and may adversely affect our results of operations.
See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry—We may face difficulties in protecting our intellectual property rights” and “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry—Third parties have claimed and may, from time to time, assert or claim that we infringed their intellectual property rights and any failure to protect our intellectual property rights could have a material adverse impact on our business.”
Insurance
Besides the PRC government-mandated social insurance and housing provident fund schemes and motor vehicle insurance, we do not maintain any insurance covering our properties, equipment, inventory or employees, and we do not carry any business interruption or product liability insurance or any third-party liability insurance to cover claims in respect of personal injuries or any damages arising from accidents on our properties or in relation to our operations. We believe that our insurance coverage is adequate and is in line with industry practice.
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Environmental Matters
We have received GB/T24001-2016/ISO 14001:2015 environmental management system certification, which is valid until September 11, 20212024 and subject to renewal. Due to the nature of our business, our operational activities do not directly generate industrial pollutants, and we did not incur significant cost for compliance with applicable environmental protection laws and regulations in 2018, 20192020, 2021 and 2020.2022.
Legal Proceedings
We may from time to time be subject to various legal, arbitration or administrative proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business, such as proceedings in respect of disputes with suppliers or customers and labor disputes. As of the date of this annual report, we are party to the following legal, arbitration or administrative proceedings, regulatory inquiries or investigations made or pending that we believe are material to our business and results:
On January 29, 2019, we filed a civil action in the Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court against one of our customers. The defendant had purchased from us, and we had delivered, 90,000 mining machines for a total price of RMB453.6 million (approximately US$65.1 million) pursuant to an executed sales contract. The defendant has paid RMB380 million (approximately US$54.5 million), and we were seeking the payment of the balance of RMB73.6 million (approximately US$10.6 million) plus interest and legal expenses. On August 15, 2019, the defendant filed a counterclaim against us, primarily alleging incompletion of delivery of products and seeking return of the payment of the alleged undelivered products plus interest and legal expenses. On October 15, 2020, the Zhejiang High People’s Court ruled that this case shall be tried in the Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court. As of the date of this annual report, the case is still under review by the court.
On March 18, 2019, we filed a civil action in the Baoshan Intermediate People’s Court against one of our customers. The defendant had purchased from us, and we had delivered, 10,000 mining machines for a total price of RMB50.4 million (approximately US$7.2 million). The defendant has paid RMB20 million (approximately US$2.9 million), and we were seeking the payment of the outstanding balance of RMB30.4 million (approximately US$4.4 million). On September 23, 2019, the defendant filed a counterclaim against us, primarily alleging failure to deliver products and seeking return of the payment of the alleged undelivered products plus interest and legal expenses. On December 29, 2020, the court dismissed the counterclaim and rendered a judgement in our favor where it held that the defendant should pay the outstanding balance of RMB30.4 million (approximately US$4.4 million) within 30 days of the date of such judgement. On January 12, 2021, we received a notice from the Baoshan Intermediate People’s Court that the defendant had appealed such judgement to Yunnan High People’s Court. As of the date of this annual report, the case is still pending before the high court.
On November 22, 2019, we brought a claim in the Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court against one of our customers and the ultimate beneficial owner of the mining machines in connection with our sales of 80,000 mining machines for an amount of RMB 403.2 million (approximately US$57.9 million) pursuant to a sales contract and a supplementary contract, alleging that the defendants only paid RMB12.5 million (approximately US$1.8 million) of the total balance and seeking full payment of the outstanding RMB282.2 million (approximately US$40.5 million) balance plus interest and hold both defendants jointly and severally liable. We subsequently withdrew such claim in order to amend the pleading and add one more defendant. On December 8, 2020, the Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court approved such withdrawal. On December 24, 2020, we filed a new claim in the Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court based on the same cause of action. As of the date of this annual report, the case is still under review by the court.
On November 19, 2019, we filed a civil action in the High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Court of First Instance against a then-major supplier, alleging breach of contract for delivering defective products and seeking damages in the sum of US$25.1 million plus interest and costs. As of the date of this annual report, the case is still under review by the court.
REGULATION
Regulatory Overview of the PRC
We are engaged in the research and development, production and sales of blockchain and telecommunications products in the PRC. The following sets forth a summary, which dodoes not purport to be complete, of the relevant PRC regulatory authorities and PRC laws, regulations and government policies that are applicable to our business operations in the PRC.
Competent Regulatory Authorities
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the PRC, or the MIIT, and its departments are in charge of the industrial and information technology sectors at the national level. The MIIT formulates and directs the implementation of industrial sector planning, industrial policies and standards; monitors the daily operations of industrial sector; promotes the development and independent innovation of major technical equipment; manages the communications industry, guiding and advancing the construction of information technology infrastructures; and coordinates the safeguarding of national information technology security, while in charging of the approval of network access licenses (including trial), telecommunications business operation licenses, specifications and standards for organizational implementation software and system integration services, and radio transmission equipment type approval certificates. The local Commissions of Economy and Information Technology are the competent authorities in charge of the industrial and information technology sectors at the local level.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the PRC is in charge of mandatory product certification activities, and the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the PRC, or the CNCA, is in charge of the organization, implementation, supervision, management and overall coordination of mandatory product certification activities at the national level. The local Quality and Technology Supervision Bureaus and various Entry and Exit Inspection and Quarantine Offices are responsible for the supervision, management and enforcement of mandatory product certification activities in their relevant local areas.
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The National Copyright Administration of the PRC is in charge of the management of software copyright registration. The Copyright Protection Center of China and its local software registration offices are responsible for software registration.
The MOFCOM and its local bureaus are responsible for supervising and managing the establishment of overseas companies for foreign investment.
The NDRC and its local bureaus are responsible for providing macro guidance, comprehensive services and overall supervision over outbound investments.
The General Administration of Customs of the PRC, or the PRC Customs, and its local bureaus are responsible for the supervision of import and export trade, registration of customs declaration enterprises, approvals of bonded premises, and other relevant matters.
SAFE and its local bureaus are responsible for the supervision and management of foreign exchange receipts and payments or foreign exchange operational activities carried out by PRC institutions and individuals, and foreign exchange receipts and payments or foreign exchange operational activities carried out in the PRC by foreign institutions and individuals.
The State Administration of Work Safety and its local bureaus are responsible for the supervision and management of work safety activities.
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the PRC and its local bureaus are responsible for the management of environmental protection activities, while the local bureaus also supervise and manage the protection of resources, prevention of pollution and other matters on environmental protection in the local areas.
The China Semiconductor Industry Association is a national industrial and non-profit social organization, consisting of entities, experts and other related enterprises and institutions engaged in the manufacturing, design, scientific research, development, operation, application and education of integrated circuits, semiconductor discrete devices, semiconductor materials and equipment.
Regulations and Government Policies Relating to the IC and Blockchain Industries
Pursuant to the Circular on Prevention of Risks Associated with Bitcoin, or the Circular, jointly promulgated by the People’s Bank Of China, or the PBOC, the MIIT, the China Banking Regulatory Commission, the CSRC and the China Insurance Regulatory Commission on December 3, 2013, Bitcoin shall be considered a kind of virtual commodity in nature, which does not have the same legal status with fiat currencies and shall not be used and circulated in the market as currency. This circular also provides that financial institutions and payment institutions shall not engage in businesses related to Bitcoin.
Pursuant to the Announcement on Prevention of Risks from Offering and Financing of Cryptocurrencies promulgated by seven PRC governmental authorities including the PBOC on September 4, 2017, illegal activities in offering and financing of cryptocurrencies, including initial coin offerings (ICOs), are forbidden in the PRC because such activities may be considered to constitute illegal offering of securities or illegal fundraising. This announcement further provides that financial institutions and payment institutions shall not engage in businesses related to cryptocurrency offering or financing transactions.
There is no prohibition under PRC laws and regulations currently in effect on the possession of Bitcoin by PRC citizens and organizations.
Purchase and running of computing hardware by PRC citizens or organizations for the purpose of Bitcoin mining in China do not violate any PRC laws and regulations currently in effect. PRC citizens and organizations are not prohibited from engaging in Bitcoin mining activities in China. Design, production, sale (including both wholesale and retail) of computing hardware used for Bitcoin mining, including BPUs, in China, or sale (including both wholesale and retail) or export of such computing hardware from China, do not violate any provisions of any PRC laws and regulations currently in effect, provided that such activities shall comply with the general regulatory rules in relation to the administration of industry and commerce registration, taxation, fire control and environmental protection and the relevant policies and requirements imposed by any PRC governmental authorities.
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As demonstrated by the Circular of the State Council on Printing and Distributing Policies for Encouraging the Development of the Software and IC Industries issued on June 24, 2000, the PRC continues to enact policies encouraging new and advanced technology and supporting the software and IC industries.
On January 28, 2011, the State Council issued the Circular of the State Council on Printing and Distributing Policies for Further Encouraging the Development of the Software Industry and the Integrated Circuit Industry, or the Circular, which aims to formulate a series of policies for the purposes of further optimizing development environment for the software industry and integrated circuit industry, increasing the quality and the level of industry development and cultivating a number of influential and strong leading enterprises in these industries. The Circular addresses topics including fiscal tax policies, investment and financing policies, research and development policies, import and export policies, talent policies, intellectual property policies and market policies.
On June 24, 2014, the State Council issued the Outline for Promoting the Development of the National Integrated Circuit Industry, which highlights that great efforts shall be put on the development of the IC design industry. By focusing on the industrial chain of key areas and strengthening IC design, software development, system integration, collaborative innovation in contents and services, the goal is to drive the development of the manufacturing industry through the rapid growth of the design industry.
On June 8, 2015, the NDRC issued the Notice on Implementing Major Engineering Packages in Emerging Industries. The Notice highlights the efforts in developing IC construction infrastructures, focusing on enhancing the level of advanced technology, design industry concentration ratio and industrial chain supporting ability, selecting areas with more mature technology, good industrial base and wide application potential, and accelerating the industrialization of high performance IC products.
On May 4, 2016, the Ministry of Finance of the PRC, the SAT, NDRC and the MIIT, jointly released the Notice on Enterprise Income Tax Preferential Policies for Software and IC Enterprises. This Notice specifically stipulates the preferential policies on EIT related to IC manufacturing enterprises, IC design enterprises, software enterprises, key software enterprises within the national planning layout and IC design enterprises.
On December 15, 2016, the State Council issued the Notice of the 13th Five-Year Plan for National Informatization. This notice highlights the need to strengthen the layout of strategic innovative technologies, including blockchain technology, as well as others such as enhanced quantum communications, future networks, brain-like computing, artificial intelligence, holographic display, virtual display, big data cognitive analysis, new nonvolatile storage, driverless vehicles and gene editing.
On July 8, 2017, the State Council issued the Notice on Issuing New Generation AI Development Plan. This notice points out that advancing the integration of blockchain technology and artificial intelligence and establishing a new social credit system will significantly minimize the cost and risk of interpersonal communications.
In August 2017, the State Council issued the Guidance on Further Expanding and Upgrading Information Consumption Potential for Sustained Release of Domestic Demand, which highlights and encourages the use of open source code to develop personalized software and the launch of trial applications using new technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence.
In October 2017, the General Office of the State Council issued the Guiding Opinions on Actively Promoting Supply Chain Innovation and Application, which highlights and promotes the research of using emerging technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence to establish a credit evaluation mechanism based on supply chain.
In November 2017, the State Council issued the Guiding Opinions on Deepening Internet + Advanced Manufacturing Industry to Develop Industrial Internet which promotes the research and exploration of applications of emerging technologies in industrial Internet, such as edge computing, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, and blockchain technology.
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On May 21, 2021, the Financial Stability and Development Committee of the State Council in China proposed to “crack down on Bitcoin mining and trading.” However, it was not until September 15, 2021, as described below, that all digital asset transactions were banned in China.
In May 2021, local governments began to issue corresponding measures in succession to respond to the central government, including Xinjiang Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture Development and Reform Commission issuing a notice on the immediate shutdown of enterprises engaged in cryptocurrency mining on June 9, 2021.
On June 18, 2021, according to the public media report - Sichuan Provincial Development and Reform Commission and Sichuan Energy Bureau issued a notice on the shutdown of cryptocurrency mining projects with the deadline of June 25, 2021. On September 3, 2021, the newly issued Notification of Overhauling the Mining Activity of Cryptocurrency (or the Notification No. 1283) banned all new cryptocurrency operations in China and set forth penalties on a going forward basis for all of the PRC.
Pursuant to the Circular on Further Preventing and Disposing of Risks in Virtual Currency Trading and Speculation (Yin Fa [2021] No.237) promulgated by ten PRC governmental authorities including the PBOC on September 15, 2021, virtual currency-related business activities in China and the provision of services by an overseas virtual currency exchange to a Chinese resident via the Internet will be considered as illegal financial activities.
Laws and Regulations Relating to Industry Qualifications
Pursuant to the Telecommunications Regulations of the PRC issued on September 25, 2000 and last amended on February 6, 2016 and the Administrative Measures for the Network Access of Telecommunications Equipment issued on May 10, 2001 and last amended on September 23, 2014, the State implements a network access system that covers telecommunications terminal equipment, wireless communications equipment and network interconnection equipment connected to public telecommunications networks. A network access license issued by the MIIT shall be obtained for telecommunications equipment implementing network access. Without a network access license, such equipment is not allowed to be connected to a public telecommunications network for use nor to be sold domestically.
Pursuant to the Regulations on Administration of Mandatory Product Certification issued on July 3, 2009 and effected on September 1, 2009, producers, sellers or importers of products included in the product catalog shall entrust a certification agency designated by the CNCA to certify the products produced, sold or imported thereby.
Pursuant to the Regulations of the PRC for the Administration of Radio Operation promulgated on September 11, 1993, last amended on November 11, 2016 and effected on December 1, 2016, in addition to micro-power short-range radio transmitting equipment, any other radio transmitting equipment that is manufactured or imported for sale or use domestically shall apply to the state authority in charge of radio regulation for approval.
Laws and Regulations Relating to Work Safety
The Work Safety Law of the PRC, issued on June 29, 2002, last amended on August 31, 2014June 10, 2021, and effective DecemberSeptember 1, 2014,2021, provides that production and business operation entities shall abide by this lawentity must comply with the Work Safety Law and other laws and regulations concerningrelated to work safety, strengthen work safety management;management, establish and improve a work safety responsibility system and work safety rules and systems for all employees, increase efforts to guarantee the input of funds, materials, technology, and rules;personnel in work safety, improve work safety conditions; promoteconditions, strengthen standardization and informatization of work safety, standardizationconstruct a dual prevention mechanism consisting of graded management and control of safety risks and examination and control of potential risks, improve the risk prevention and resolution mechanism, raise work safety levels, so as toand ensure work safety. Production and business operation entities shall have the conditions for work safety as specified in this law and relevant laws, regulations, national standards or industrial specifications. Production and business operation entities that do not have such conditions are not allowed to engage in production or operation activities. Breach of the Work Safety Law of the PRC will incur various penalties, according to the specific circumstances.
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Laws and Regulations Relating to Product Quality
Pursuant to the Product Quality Law of the PRC (2018 Version), issued and promulgated on February 22, 1993, last amended on and effective December 29, 2018, producers shall be responsible for the quality of their products. Product quality shall satisfy the following requirements: no unreasonable danger to personal safety and the safety of property shall exist; where there are national or industry standards for protection of health, personal safety and the safety of property, such standards shall be complied with. If the products of a producer or seller do not comply with the national or industry standards for protection of health or personal safety or the safety of property, orders shall be issued to cease their production or sale and products that have been illegally produced or sold shall be confiscated. A fine shall be imposed equal to an amount greater than the value of the products that have been illegally produced or sold (hereafter including products already sold and goods not yet sold) but less than three times the value of the products; where there is illegal income, the illegal income shall be confiscated; where the circumstances are serious, the business license shall be revoked; where the case constitutes a crime, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with law. If a producer or a seller is found to mix impurities or imitations into products, or to pass fake goods off as genuine ones or shoddy products as good ones or sub-standard products as standard ones, such producer or seller shall be ordered to stop production or selling; the products illegally produced or sold shall be confiscated and a fine not less than 50% of but not more than three times the value of the products illegally produced or sold shall be imposed concurrently; if there are illegal proceeds, such proceeds shall be confiscated concurrently; if the circumstances are serious, the business license shall be revoked; if the case constitutes a crime, criminal liability shall be investigated in accordance with the law.
Pursuant to the PRC Regulations on Administration of Radio Operation, issued on September 11, 1993, last amended on November 11, 2016 and effective December 1, 2016, the manufacture or import of radio transmission devices that are required to obtain approval must meet the provisions of the relevant laws, national standards and relevant regulations of the state authority in charge of radio regulation and comply with the technical standards regarding approved radio transmission devices. The approval number shall be labeled on the devices. The competent authorities for radio regulation may order anyone who violates this regulation by manufacturing or importing radio transmission devices to be sold or used domestically without obtaining the requisite approval to rectify and may impose a fine between RMB50,000 and RMB200,000; for those refusing to rectify, authorities may confiscate the radio transmission devices that have not obtained approval and impose a fine between RMB200,000 and RMB1,000,000.
Pursuant to the Regulation of Telecommunications of the PRC (2016 Version) (issued and effective on February 6, 2016), anyone who violates the provisions of this regulation in lowering product quality or performance after obtaining the telecommunications equipment network access license shall be subject to punishment by the product quality supervision authorities pursuant to the provisions of the relevant laws and administrative regulations.
Laws and Regulations Relating to Industry Standards
The Measures on Administration of Information System Integration and Service Qualification Identification (Interim) is the industrial regulation as recognized by the China Information Technology Industry Federation, targeting information systems integration and service qualification identification. In particular, information system integration qualification is the objective evaluation standard for enterprises engaged in information systems integration and service comprehensive ability and level. According to the Notice on the Management of Computer Information System Integration Industry issued by the MIIT on December 29, 2018 and became effective on the same day, information system integration qualification was expressly cancelled by the State Council in 2014.
The Technical Requirements for Access Network Multi-service Access Platform, or MSAP, is a communications industrial standard on access network multi-service access platform, stipulating MSAP system’s requirements in network location and function model. In addition, the Safety of Information Technology Equipment (Part 1) and the Radio Disturbance Limits and Measurement Methods for Information Technology Equipment is the national standard of information technology equipment.
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The Technical Requirements and Test Methods of Lightning Resistibility for Telecommunications Terminal Equipment is the industry standard for telecommunications equipment.
Laws and Regulations Relating to Other Business Areas
Trade
Pursuant to the Foreign Trade Law of the PRC, issued on May 12, 1994, last amended on and effective November 7, 2016, foreign trade operators engaged in import or export of goods or technologies shall file records with the foreign trade department of the State Council or its authorized agencies, unless otherwise stipulated by the laws, administrative regulations or the foreign trade department of the State Council. Specific measures for record filing shall be stipulated by the foreign trade department of the State Council. PRC Customs shall not process import and export declaration and clearance formalities for foreign trade operators who have not filed records in accordance with the provisions.
Foreign Exchange
Pursuant to the Regulation on Administration of Foreign Exchange of the PRC promulgated by the State Council on January 29, 1996 and last amended on and effective August 5, 2008, other regulations issued by SAFE and other relevant government authorities, Renminbi is freely convertible into other currencies for current account items such as trade related receipts and payments, interest payments and dividends; as for capital account items such as direct investment, loans and portfolio investment, the prior approval of SAFE is required to convert Renminbi into other currencies and transfer the converted currencies out of the PRC. Transactions in the PRC are subject to payment in Renminbi. Pursuant to relevant regulations and laws, after a domestic company gets listed overseas, if any of its domestic shareholders intends to increase or decrease overseas shares, the domestic shareholder shall handle overseas shareholding registration formalities with the local foreign exchange authority within twenty working days prior to the intended share increase or decrease.
Pursuant to the Notice on Administration of Foreign Exchange Involved in Offshore Investment, Financing and Round-Trip Investment Conducted by Domestic Residents Through Special Purpose Vehicles, which was promulgated by SAFE and went into effect on July 4, 2014, prior to making capital contribution in a special purpose vehicle by a PRC resident using its legitimate assets or interests in the PRC or overseas, the PRC resident shall apply to the foreign exchange bureau for completion of foreign exchange registration formalities for overseas investments. A “domestic entity” referred to in this notice shall mean enterprise and institutional legal persons and any other economic organizations established in the PRC pursuant to the law; a “PRC resident individual” shall mean a PRC citizen holding a PRC resident identity document, military personnel identity document or armed police personnel identity document, and any foreign individual who does not hold a PRC identity document but normally resides in the PRC due to economic reasons.
Pursuant to the Notice on Further Simplification and Improvement of Foreign Exchange Administration Policies for Direct Investment, promulgated by SAFE on February 13, 2015 and effective June 1, 2015, two administrative approval matters, including foreign exchange registration approval under domestic direct investment and foreign exchange registration approval under overseas direct investment, shall be reviewed and processed directly by banks. SAFE and its local bureaus shall implement indirect supervision through the foreign exchange registration with banks for direct investment.
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Pursuant to the Notice of SAFE on Reforming the Mode of Management of Settlement of Foreign Exchange Capital of Foreign-Funded Investment Enterprises promulgated on March 30, 2015 and effective June 1, 2015, and the Notice of SAFE on Reforming and Regulating the Policies for Administration of Foreign Exchange Settlement under the Capital Account promulgated on and effective June 9, 2016, the system of voluntary foreign exchange settlement is implemented for the foreign exchange earnings of foreign exchange capital of foreign-invested enterprises. Foreign exchange capital in a foreign-invested enterprise capital account, for which the monetary contribution has been confirmed by SAFE (or for which the monetary contribution has been registered for account entry), may be settled at a bank as required by the actual management needs of the enterprise. The voluntary settlement ratio of foreign-invested enterprise foreign exchange capital projects has been temporarily set at 100%. SAFE may make adjustments to the said ratio at appropriate times based on the status of the international balance of payments. In addition, foreign exchange earnings under capital projects and the Renminbi funds obtained from the exchange settlements thereof shall not be used by foreign-invested enterprises for the following purposes: (1) direct or indirect payments of expenditures exceeding its business scope or those being prohibited by the laws and regulations of the PRC; (2) direct or indirect uses in securities investments or investments other than capital-protected banking products (except as otherwise expressly provided); (3) issuance of loans to non-affiliated enterprises (excluding those that are expressly permitted within their business scope); and (4) construction or purchase of real estate not for personal use (except for real estate enterprises).
Foreign Investment
In March 2019, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the PRC passed the Foreign Investment Law of the People’s Republic of China, or the Foreign Investment Law. Among other things, the Foreign Investment Law defines the “foreign investment” as the investment activities in China conducted by foreign individuals, enterprises and other organizations, or the Foreign Investors, in a direct or indirect manner. The PRC governmental authorities will administrate foreign investment by applying the principal of pre-entry national treatment together with a negative list, to be specific, the Foreign Investors are prohibited from making any investments in the fields catalogued into prohibited industries for foreign investment based on the negative list, while they are allowed to make investments in the restricted industries provided that all the requirements and conditions as set forth in the negative list have been satisfied; when the Foreign Investors make investments in the fields other than those included in the negative list, the national treatment principle shall apply.
Pursuant to the Special Administrative Measures for Access of Foreign Investment (2020Access (2021 Edition), or the 20202021 Edition Negative list,List, issued by the MOFCOM and the NDRC on June 23, 2020December 27, 2021 which came into effect on July 23, 2020,January 1, 2022, our business does not fall into the negative list and is permitted for foreign investment. However, the 2021 Edition Negative List regulates that “Fields not mentioned in the Negative List for Foreign Investment Access shall be subject to administration under the principle of consistency for domestic and foreign investments. The relevant provisions of the Negative List for Market Access shall apply to domestic and foreign investors on a unified basis.”
In addition, based on the Negative List for Market Access (2022), “the Catalogue for Guidance on Industrial Restructuring shall be included in the Negative List for Market Access”; plus, according to the Decision of the State Council on Promulgating and Implementing the “Temporary Provisions on Promoting Industrial Structure Adjustment,” valid from December 2, 2005, “In principle, the ‘Guidance Catalogue for the Industrial Structure Adjustment “shall apply to various types of enterprises inside China.” “The industries of the eliminated category under the ‘Guidance Catalogue for the Industrial Structure Adjustment’ shall apply to the foreign investment enterprises.” and “Investments are prohibited from being contributed to projects under the eliminated category.” What’s more, the NDRC released on December 30, 2021 its No. 49 Decree, announcing that the Decision of the National Development and Reform Commission on Amending the Guiding Catalog for Industrial Restructuring (2019 Version) (the “Amended Catalog”). The Amended Catalog added ‘virtual currency mining activities’ to the eliminated category of ’1. outdated production processing and equipment ‘under the original Catalog.”. Therefore, the foreign investment enterprises are prohibited from virtual currency activities and our Bitcoin mining business are banned in China as well.
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Outbound Investment
Pursuant to the Measures for Administration of Overseas Investment of Enterprises promulgated by the NDRC on December 26, 2017 and effective March 1, 2018, investors shall perform procedures such as overseas investment project approval and filing, report relevant information, and cooperate in supervision and inspections when they conduct overseas investments. Projects subject to approval by the NDRC are sensitive projects developed by investors, either directly or through their control of overseas enterprises. Projects subject to filing are non-sensitive projects directly developed by investors, in which the investors directly invest assets or equities, or provide financing or guarantees.
Pursuant to the Measures for Administration of Overseas Investment Management promulgated on September 6, 2014 and effective October 6, 2014, filing and approval are managed by the MOFCOM and its provincial bureaus in light of the different circumstances of overseas investments of enterprises. Approval is required for enterprises conducting overseas investments involving sensitive countries and regions or sensitive industries. Filing will be administered for enterprises conducting overseas investments in other circumstances.
Laws and Regulations Relating to Environmental Protection
Pursuant to the Environmental Protection Law of the PRC issued on December 26, 1989, amended on April 24, 2014 and effective January 1, 2015, entities that cause environmental pollution and other public nuisances shall adopt effective measures to prevent the pollution of and hazards caused to the environment. Construction projects shall be equipped with constructional environmental protection facilities, which must be simultaneously designed, built and put into operation with the main part of the construction. Enterprises discharging pollutants must report to and register with the relevant authorities in accordance with the provisions of the competent environmental protection authority under the State Council. The competent environmental protection authority shall record unlawful environmental acts of enterprises in the social credit file, and disclose information in a timely manner. Enterprises and other producers and operators unlawfully discharging pollutants shall be fined and ordered to take corrective measures. For those refusing to make corrections, the competent authority may, starting from the day after the date of ordering correction, continuously impose daily fines based on the sum of the original fine. Enterprises and other producers and operators, which discharge pollutants exceeding the pollutant discharge standard or key pollutant gross discharge control thresholds, may be ordered by the competent environmental protection authority above the provincial level to take measures such as restricting production, suspending production and rectification. Serious cases may be reported to and approved by the competent government authority, resulting in orders of suspension or shutdown of operations.
Pursuant to the Environmental Impact Assessment Law of the PRC issued on October 28, 2002, amended on and effective December 29, 2018, the PRC government implemented an environmental impact evaluation system, which classifies and manages the environmental impact evaluation of construction projects based on the degree of environmental impact caused by construction projects.
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Pursuant to the Administrative Regulations on Environmental Protection in Construction Projects promulgated on November 11, 1998 and amended on July 16, 2017, construction projects are classified and environmental impact reports, environmental impact statements or environmental impact registration forms shall be compiled based on the extent of environmental impact of construction projects. For a construction project for which an environmental impact report or environmental impact statement is prepared, its matching environmental protection facilities may go into production or be delivered for use only after they pass the acceptance check; and they may not go into production or be delivered for use if no acceptance check is made for them or they fail to pass the acceptance check. Where a construction project goes into production or is delivered for use without the completion of construction of matching environmental protection facilities required for the construction project, without going through acceptance checks or without passing the acceptance checks in violation of the provisions hereof, or fraud is committed in the acceptance check of the environmental protection facilities, the competent administrative department of environmental protection at or above the county level shall order the construction unit to effect rectification within a specified time limit and impose a fine of more than RMB 200,000 but less than RMB 1 million against it; if it fails to effect rectification within the time limit, a fine of more than RMB 1 million but less than RMB 2 million shall be imposed; the person in charge who is held directly liable and other liable persons shall be subject to a fine of more than RMB 50,000 but less than RMB 200,000; if material environmental pollution or ecological damage is caused, the construction unit will be ordered to stop production or use of the construction project, or be ordered to close down upon approval by the people’s government with the authority of approval.
Laws and Regulations Relating to Taxation
Enterprise Income Tax
Pursuant to the EIT Law promulgated on March 16, 2007, amended on and effective December 29, 2018, and the Regulation on Implementation of the Enterprise Income Tax Law of the PRC, or the EIT Implementation Rules, issued on December 6, 2007 and amended on and effective April 23, 2019, EIT shall be applicable at a uniform rate of 25% to all resident or non-resident enterprises. EIT shall be payable by a resident enterprise for income sourced within or outside the PRC. EIT shall be payable by a non-resident enterprise, for income sourced within the PRC by its institutions or premises established in the PRC, and for income sourced outside the PRC for which the institutions or premises established in the PRC have a de facto relationship. Where the non-resident enterprise has no institutions or premises established in the PRC or has income bearing no de facto relationship with the institution or premises established, EIT shall be payable by the non-resident enterprise only for income sourced within the PRC.
Pursuant to the Administrative Measures on the Accreditation of High and New Technology Enterprises accredited high and new technology may make declarations under and benefit from tax concession policies in accordance with relevant regulations including the EIT Law and the EIT Implementation Rules, the Law of the PRC on Administration of Levying and Collection of Taxes and the Regulation of Implementation of the Law of the PRC on Administration of Levying and Collection of Taxes.
Pursuant to the Notice on Enterprise Income Tax Policies for Further Encouraging the Development of Software and Integrated Circuit Industries, IC production enterprises with an IC production line below 0.8 micrometer (inclusive), after accreditation, shall be entitled to a tax concession period beginning in the profit-making year that is prior to December 31, 2017, for which EIT shall be exempted for the first and second years and be reduced by 50% in the third to fifth years. In addition, IC production enterprises with an IC production line below 0.25 micrometer or an investment of over RMB8 billion, after accreditation, shall be entitled to a reduced EIT tax rate at 15%, and, for those with an operation period of over 15 years, the tax concession period shall be deemed to start from the profit-making year prior to December 31, 2017, for which EIT shall be exempted in the first to fifth years and be reduced by 50% in the sixth to tenth years. As for IC design enterprises newly established within the PRC and eligible software enterprises, upon accreditation, the tax concession period shall be deemed to start from the profit-making year prior to December 31, 2017, for which EIT shall be exempted for the first and second years and be reduced by 50% in the third to fifth years.
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Value-Added Tax
Pursuant to the Provisional Regulation on Value-Added Tax of the PRC (“VAT Provisional Regulation”) promulgated by the State Council, as amended on November 10, 2008, January 8, 2011, February 6, 2016 and November 19, 2017 and effective November 19, 2017, all entities and individuals in the PRC engaging in the sales of goods, provision of processing services, repairs and replacement services, sales services, intangible assets, real estate and the importation of goods are required to pay value added tax, or VAT. Unless otherwise stated,According to VAT Provisional Regulation, taxpayers that sell goods, labor services or tangible personal property leasing services or import goods and do not fall within the ratescope as specified in Item 2, Item 4 and Item 5 of Article 2 of VAT Provisional Regulation shall be subject to a 17%. tax rate; taxpayers that sell transport services, postal services, basic telecommunications services, construction services, or real property leasing services, sell real property, transfer the land use right, or sell or import the goods listed below shall be subject to an 11% tax rate: (1) such agricultural products as grain, edible vegetable oil, and common salt; (2) tap water, heat supply, air-conditioning, hot water, gas, liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas, dimethyl ether, methane and civil-use coal products; (3) books, newspapers, magazines, audio-visual products, and electronic publications; (4) feeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, agricultural machineries and mulching films; and (5) other goods specified by the State Council; taxpayers that sell services or intangible assets and do not fall within the scope as specified in Item1, Item 2 and Item 5 of Article 2 of VAT Provisional Regulation shall be subject to a 6% tax rate.
Pursuant to the Notice on Value-Added Tax Policies of Software Products released by the Ministry of Finance and the SAT on October 13, 2011, a general taxpayer who sells self-developed and self-produced software products, and subject to VAT shall be collected at a rate of over 3% may, after being taxed at the fixed tax rate of 17%, enjoy and the refund-upon-collection policy shall be applied to the part VAT refund.in excess of 3% of their actual tax burden.
According to the Circular of the Ministry of Finance and the SAT on Adjusting Value-added Tax Rates promulgated on April 4, 2018, and effective May 1, 2018, where a taxpayer engages in a taxable sales activity for the value-added tax purpose or imports goods, the previous applicable 17% and 11% tax rates are lowered to 16% and 10% respectively.
According to the Circular on Policies to Deepen Value-added Tax Reform promulgated by the Ministry of Finance, the SAT, and the General Administration of Customs on March 20, 2019, and effective April 1, 2019, where a taxpayer engages in a taxable sales activity for the value-added tax purpose or imports goods, the previous applicable 16% and 10% tax rates are lowered to 13% and 9% respectively.
According to Announcement of the Ministry of Finance and the State Taxation Administration to Further Step up the Application of End-of-Period Excess Input Value-Added Tax Credit Refund Policies issued by the Ministry of Finance and the SAT on March 21, 2022 and effective on April 1, 2022, Starting from the tax filing period of April 2022, an eligible enterprise in the manufacturing and other sectors may apply to the competent tax authority for a refund of its incremental VAT credit amount; starting from the tax filing period of July 2022, an eligible medium-sized enterprise in the manufacturing and other sectors may apply to the competent tax authority for a lump-sum refund of its existing VAT credit amount; and starting from the tax filing period of October 2022, an eligible large enterprise in the manufacturing and other sectors may apply to the competent tax authority for a lump-sum refund of its existing VAT credit amount.
Tax on Dividends
Pursuant to the EIT Law and the EIT Implementation Rules, except as otherwise provided by relevant tax treaties with the PRC government, dividends paid by foreign-invested investment enterprises to foreign investors which are non-resident enterprises and which have not established or operated premises in the PRC, or which have established or operated premises but where their income has no de facto relationship with such establishment or operation of premises shall be subject to a withholding tax of 10%. Pursuant to the Arrangement between Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income entered into between the PRC government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, where the beneficial owner is a company directly holding at least 25% of the equity interest of the company paying the dividends, the tax charged shall not exceed 5% of the distributed dividends. In any other case, the tax charged shall not exceed 10% of the distributed dividends.
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Pursuant to the Announcement on Issues Relating to “Beneficial Owner” in Tax Treaties promulgated by the SAT on February 3, 2018 and came effective April 1, 2018, a “beneficial owner” shall mean a person who has ownership and control over the income, and the rights and property from which the income is derived. Upon the determination of the “beneficial owner” status of a resident of the treaty counterparty who needs to enjoy the tax treaty benefits (hereinafter referred to as the “applicant”), a comprehensive analysis shall be conducted taking into account the actual conditions of the specific case. In general, the following factors are unfavorable for the determination of “beneficial owner” status of an applicant: (1) the applicant is obligated to pay 50% or more of the income, within 12 months from its receipt, to a resident of a third country (region), where the term “obligated” includes agreed obligations and de facto payment for which there is no agreed obligation; (2) the business activities undertaken by the applicant do not constitute substantive business activities, where substantive business activities shall include manufacturing, distribution and management activities of a substantive nature, the determination of whether the business activities undertaken by the applicant are of a substantive nature shall be based on the functions actually performed and the risks borne, and investment holding management activities of a substantive nature undertaken by the applicant may constitute substantive business activities (where the applicant undertakes investment holding management activities which do not constitute substantive business activities, and simultaneously undertakes other business activities, if such other business activities are not sufficiently significant, these shall not constitute substantive business activities); (3) the treaty counterparty country (region) does not levy, or exempts tax on the relevant income, or levies tax but with a very low actual tax rate; (4) in addition to the loan contract based on which interest is derived and paid, there exists other loans or deposit contracts between the creditor and the third party, of which factors such as the amount, interest rate and date of execution are similar; and (5) in addition to the transfer contract for rights to use such as copyright, patent, technology, from which the royalties are derived and paid, there exists other transfer contracts for rights to use or ownership in relation to copyright, patent, technology between the applicant and a third party.
Pursuant to the Notice of the SAT on the Relevant Issues Concerning the Implementation of Dividend Clauses in Tax Treaties promulgated by the SAT and effective February 20, 2009, all of the following conditions shall be satisfied before the concession tax rate in a tax treaty can be enjoyed: (1) the tax resident obtaining dividends shall be restricted to the company as provided in the tax treaty; (2) among all the ownership equity interests and voting shares of the PRC resident company, the proportion directly owned by the tax resident complies with the prescribed proportions under the tax treaty; and (3) the proportion of the equity interests of the PRC resident company directly owned by such tax resident complies with, at all times within the twelve months before obtaining the dividends, the proportions specified in the tax treaty.
Pursuant to the Announcement of the State Taxation Administration on Issuing the Administrative Measures for Entitlement to Treaty Benefits for Non-resident Taxpayers promulgated by the SAT on October 14, 2019 and effective January 1, 2020, entitlement to treaty benefits for non-resident taxpayers shall be handled by means of “self-judgment of eligibility, declaration of entitlement, and retention of relevant materials for future reference”. Where non-resident taxpayers judge by themselves that they meet the conditions for entitlement to treaty benefits, they may obtain such entitlement themselves at the time of making tax declarations, or at the time of making withholding declarations via withholding agents. At the same time, they shall collect, gather and retain relevant materials for future reference in accordance with the provisions of these Measures, and shall accept the follow-up administration of tax authorities. Relevant information proving the status of “beneficial owner” shall be retained in the case of entitlement to dividends, interest and treaty benefits of royalty clauses.
Laws and Regulations Relating to Labor and Social Security
Pursuant to the Labor Law of the PRC promulgated on July 5, 1994 and amended on and effective December 29, 2018, companies must negotiate and enter into employment contracts with their employees based on the principle of fairness. Companies must establish and strengthen an employment hygiene system, strictly implement the national labor safety and health rules and standards, deliver occupational health and safety education to employees, prevent work-related accidents, and reduce occupational hazards. In addition, employers and employees shall purchase social insurances and pay for social insurance fees in compliance with applicable PRC laws.
Labor Contracts
The Labor Contract Law of the PRC, which was promulgated on June 29, 2007 and subsequently amended on December 28, 2012 and effective July 1, 2013, serves as the primary law regulating the labor contract relationship between companies and employees. Pursuant to this law, an employment relationship is established between the employer and the worker since the day of employment. The employer shall execute a written employment contract with the worker. Furthermore, to safeguard the legal rights and interests of workers, the way to calculate compensation for the probation period and for damages shall be subject to the provisions of the law.
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Social Security and Housing Provident Fund
As required under the Social Insurance Law of the PRC promulgated on October 28, 2010, and amended on and effective December 29, 2018, the Regulation on Work-Related Injury Insurance promulgated on April 27, 2003, amended on December 20, 2010 and effective January 1, 2011, the Provisional Measures on Insurance for Maternity of Employees promulgated on and effective December 14, 1994 and implemented on January 1, 1995, and the Regulation on Administration of Housing Provident Funds promulgated on April 3, 1994 and last amended on and effective March 24, 2019, employers and employees within the PRC shall pay for social insurance fees and housing provident funds in compliance with applicable PRC laws.
Laws and Regulations Relating to Intellectual Property
Trademarks
Pursuant to the Trademark Law of the PRC promulgated on August 23, 1982, amended on April 23, 2019 and effective November 1, 2019 and the Regulation on Implementation of the Trademark Law of the PRC promulgated on August 3, 2002, amended on April 29, 2014 and effective May 1, 2014, the right to the exclusive use of a registered trademark is limited to the approved trademark registration, and to goods for which the use of the trademark has been approved. The period of validity of registered trademarks lasts for ten years from the day of registration approval. Absent the authorization by the owner of the registered trademark, the use of the registered trademark or a similar trademark on the same category of goods or similar goods constitutes an infringement of the right to exclusive use of the registered trademark. The infringer shall, in accordance with the relevant regulations, cease the infringement activities, take correction actions, and compensate for losses.
Patents
Pursuant to the Patent Law of the PRC promulgated on March 12, 1984, last amended on December 27, 2008 and effective October 1, 2009, and the Rules for the Implementation of the Patent Law of the PRC amended on January 9, 2010 and effective February 1, 2010, after the grant of the patent right for inventions and utility models, except otherwise regulated under the Patent Law, no entity or individual may, without the authorization of the patent owner, exploit such patent, that is to manufacture, use, offer to sell, sell or import the patented product, or use the patented process, and use, offer to sell, sell or import products directly obtained from such patented process, for production or business purposes. After the patent right is granted for a design, no unit or individual shall, without the authorization of the patent owner, exploit such patent, that is to manufacture, offer to sell, sell, or import any product containing such patented design for production or business purposes. Where infringement has been established, the infringer shall, in accordance with the relevant regulations, be ordered to cease the infringement activities, take corrective actions, and compensate for losses.
Copyrights
Pursuant to the Copyright Law of the PRC promulgated on September 7, 1990, last amended on February 26, 2010November 11, 2020, and effective AprilJune 1, 2010,2021, works of PRC citizens, legal persons or otherunincorporated organizations shall, regardless of whether they have been published, be entitled to the copyright pursuant to this law. Works include written works; oral works; musical, dramatic, opera, dance, acrobatic and artistic works; visual arts, architectural works; photographic works; film works and works created using methods similar to film-making;audiovisual works; graphical works and modeling works such as engineering design graphs, product design graphs, maps and schematic diagrams; computer software; and other works stipulated by legal and administrative regulations.intellectual achievements that meet the characteristics of works.
Pursuant to the Regulation on Protection of Computer Software promulgated on December 20, 2001, last amended on January 30, 2013 and effective date on March 1, 2013, software copyright is conferred on the software development completion date. The protection period for a software copyright of a legal person or other organizations lasts for 50 years, concluding on the day of December 31 in the 50th year after the initial release of the software. However, in the case where the software has not been released within 50 years from its development completion date, protection shall no longer be offered by these regulations. A software copyright holder may register with competent software registration authority under the State Council Copyright Administrative Department. Registration certification documents issued by the competent software registration authority serve as the prima facie proof of such registration.
IC Layout Designs
Pursuant to the Regulation on the Protection of Integrated Circuit Layout Designs promulgated on April 2, 2001 and implemented on October 1, 2001, and the Protection of Integrated Circuit Layout Designs Regulations Implementing Rules promulgated on September 18, 2001 and effective October 1, 2001, layout design proprietary right holders enjoy the following proprietary rights: to duplicate the whole or any part of the protected layout designs that is original; to make commercial use of the protected layout designs, ICs containing such layout designs, or items containing such ICs.
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Regulatory Overview of Australia
We are engaged in cryptocurrencies and foreign exchange business in Australia. Our corporate entities engaged in these businesses were established and registered in Australia and have adopted measures to ensure compliance with its regulatory obligations.
Existing regulatory framework on foreign exchange and crypto assets
While the regulation of foreign exchange business has long been settled in Australia, the same cannot be said for cryptocurrency. In any event, cryptocurrencies or digital currencies, and cryptocurrency exchanges are legal in Australia.
Financial products and services offered in Australia are generally regulated by imposing obligations on the sellers or distributors of the product. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) oversee different aspects of the foreign exchange and crypto asset ecosystem of Australia and at this stage, there is currently no clear, holistic policy that directly regulates crypto assets (cryptocurrencies/digital currencies) or Crypto Asset Secondary Service Providers (CASSP) in Australia.
It can be said at this stage that the existing regulatory framework for crypto assets is composed of a patchwork of obligations drawn from various parts of Australian laws, including the Corporations Act 2001 (Corporations Act), Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (AML/CTF Act), and the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.
In essence, if the crypto asset is a financial product and a designated service, it will fall within the ambit of the Corporations Act and the AML/CTF Act, but if it is not a financial product, then it is considered a consumer product subject to the Australian Consumer Law under the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Government bodies and laws on foreign exchange and crypto assets and exchanges
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) are the two (2) primary regulators of foreign exchange contracts and crypto assets and exchanges.
ASIC and the Corporations Act and the ASIC Act
ASIC is the government regulator for among others, corporations, financial markets, and the financial services industry of Australia and administers the Corporations Act and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 (ASIC Act), which embody the regulatory obligations on the industry it supervises. ASIC imposes the requirement to hold an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL) before engaging in financial services (in relation to financial products) in Australia.
We hold an AFSL that authorizes us to deal in and provide general financial product advice in relation to among others, foreign exchange contractse.g., FX Forward and Options Contracts, and non-cash payment products (NCP).
While there have been no changes recently to the laws governing foreign exchange contracts, NCP products have received some attention in relation to crypto or digital assets. An NCP is described as an arrangement through which a party makes payments, or causes payments to be made, other than by the physical delivery of Australian or foreign currency. Examples include stored value cards, electronic cash and direct debit services.
An intermediary that arranges for the issue of an NCP facility may need an AFS License or be a Representative of an AFS licensee. However, just because a crypto asset is what is used to complete a transaction does not necessarily mean that the crypto asset is an NCP facility as it will depend on the rights and obligations associated with the asset.
According to ASIC’s INFO 225, if the asset provides the holder with a right to use the asset to make a payment, it is likely to be an NCP facility. An arrangement is also likely to be an NCP if for example a person offers an arrangement where payments can be made using a crypto asset but fiat currency is sent to recipients.
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Australian Financial Services License (AFSL)
As an AFS Licensee engaged in financial services in Australia, in particular, advising and dealing in foreign exchange contracts and non-cash payment products, we are subject to general obligations under the Corporations Act, including among others, providing financial services efficiently, honestly and fairly; having in place adequate arrangements for the management of conflicts of interest; complying with our license conditions and financial services laws; having adequate human, financial and technological resources; maintaining a dispute resolution system for retail clients; and ensuring that our representatives are adequately trained and competent. Additionally, we must have adequate risk management systems in place. ASIC requires all AFS Licensees to have their compliance arrangements in relation to these obligations to be audited on an annual basis.
ASIC initiatives concerning crypto assets
The Australian government has publicly stated that it is committed to ensuring that consumers can buy, sell, and store crypto assets using Australian crypto asset secondary service providers.
In October 2021, ASIC amended Information Sheet (INFO 225) in relation to crypto assets to help understand the obligations under the Corporations Act and the ASIC Act.
Based on INFO 225, Australian laws apply where the crypto asset is promoted or sold in Australia, including from offshore. As such, the use of offshore or decentralized structures does not mean that Australian laws do not apply or can be ignored and encourages entities to build their products and services in a way that complies with the intention of the laws in place to safeguard consumers and the integrity of financial markets in Australia.
Furthermore, INFO 225 provides that it is incumbent on issuers to determine if issuing the crypto asset falls within the definition of a ‘financial product’ under the Corporations Act and if so, the need to hold an AFSL or to obtain authorization will apply and the product will be regulated by ASIC, failure to do so may trigger legal action from ASIC against those companies without AFSL or authorization.
Whether a crypto asset is considered a financial product depends on its use, as primarily defined in section 763A of the Corporations Act.
With regards to the ASIC Act, it prohibits engagement in misleading or deceptive conduct in the course of operating a crypto asset business whether a financial product is involved or not.
AUSTRAC and the AML/CTF Act
AUSTRAC is the Australian Government agency responsible for preventing, detecting, and responding to criminal abuse of the financial system to protect the Australian community from serious and organized crime. AUSTRAC also regulates certain business activities in the financial, bullion and gambling sectors. These business activities are called designated services and have been identified because they pose a risk for money laundering and terrorism financing.
Presently, Australia’s cryptocurrency regulations under the AML/CTF Act and regulations, require digital currency exchanges (DCE) to register with AUSTRAC. The regulations require entities acting as exchanges, or providing registrable exchange type services, to identify and verify their users, maintain records, and comply with government AML/CTF reporting obligations.
One of our business entities in Australia has been registered as a Digital Currency Exchange Provider with AUSTRAC and complies with the regulatory obligations imposed by AUSTRAC under the Anti Money-Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (AML/CTF Act), including among others, having an AML/CTF Program; identifying the types of money laundering and terrorist financing risks that may be faced by the business and the consequences of non-compliance; reporting on suspicious matters; and keeping records for the prescribed period.
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Australian Government recent regulatory objectives for crypto assets
The Australian Government is committed to ensuring that consumers can engage (buy, sell, and store) crypto assets using Australian CASSP with confidence and has announced in October 2021 that it intends to regulate the digital asset market by imposing a licensing (marketing and financial services) regime.
As articulated by the Australian Government, the proposed licensing regime is designed to provide a framework for minimum standards of conduct, including for custody of private keys and the suitability of key persons to be operating secondary service provider businesses (through fit and proper person tests).
These changes will provide regulatory clarity and give confidence to both consumers and businesses.
On March 21, 2022, the Australian Government issued a “policy paper” advising that it intends to:
| 1. | Establish a market licensing regime for crypto exchanges – aimed to ensure that consumers can trust the exchanges they use to buy cryptocurrencies; and |
| 2. | Introduce custody arrangements for cryptocurrency exchanges – aimed to ensure that crypto investors who hold their crypto on exchange can always access their money by introducing custody requirements for crypto assets. |
The policy paper named the following existing Government initiatives, all drawing on benefits of innovation in Australia.
| ● | The Government Digital Economy Strategy is designed to position Australia to be a top 10 digital economy and society by 2030 through AUD1.2 billion of strategic investment. |
| ● | The National Blockchain Roadmap 2020-2025 highlights the potential of blockchain technology across the Australian economy. |
| ● | AUD60 million in funding to the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre (DFCRC) to bring together fintech, industry, research, regulatory stakeholders to capitalize on the financial sector transformation arising from the digitization of assets. |
| ● | The Blockchain Pilot Grants program provided AUD5.6 million to two blockchain projects. |
| ● | The Australian Border Force has undertaken a successful blockchain trial to digitize trade processes. |
| ● | Implemented an anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing framework for crypto asset secondary service providers via AUSTRAC’s digital currency exchange register. |
| ● | Commitment to investigating the feasibility of a central bank digital currency, the potential of Decentralised Autonomous Organisations and reviewing the taxation of digital transactions and assets. |
Following an announcement by the Australian Government in August 2022 that it will be commencing consultation with stakeholders on a new regulatory regime for the cryptocurrency/digital assets sector, the Department of the Treasury (the “Treasury”) released its ‘Token Mapping Consultation Paper’ (Consultation Paper) in February 2023. The Consultation Paper invited feedback from the industry on how to address matters such as the existing gaps in regulatory framework and to inform future licensing and policy decisions in the cryptocurrency sector. Following the Token Mapping exercise, the Treasury is expected to release a consultation paper on the design of a licensing and custody framework for CASSP in mid-2023.
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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
The ACCC is an independent Commonwealth statutory authority whose role is to enforce the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. The ACCC provides guidance to consumers about buying and sending fiat and crypto currencies and can intervene in cases involving misleading and deceptive conduct.
The Australian Taxation Office and taxation laws on crypto or digital currencies
While the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has provided some guidance on the income tax treatment of crypto and digital assets and has adopted some legislative reform with regards to Goods and Services Tax, this has been limited to crypto ownership in Australia.
The inability of the ATO to provide comprehensive binding guidance is due, in part, to the fact that crypto includes a broad range of tokens and other “things” with different rights, entitlement and obligations. As such, without a specific crypto regime it is difficult for the ATO to administer the law in a consistent and sensible way.
Board of Taxation review
In March 2022, the Board of Taxation (the “Board”) commenced a review into the appropriate policy framework for the taxation of digital transactions and digital assets, including cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The Board was required to report back to the Government by December 31, 2022 in accordance with the Consultation Guide. However, according to the latest announcement by the Board on its official website, the Board is now asked to report back to the Government by September 30, 2023. Whilst the outcome of the final report released to the public, the terms of reference for the review requires the Board to, among others, consider whether or not any changes to Australia’s taxation laws and/or their administration are warranted in the context of digital assets and transactions, both for retail and wholesale investors.
It is said that the review signals an increasing desire for Australia to be at the forefront of technology and innovation. Meanwhile, in considering the tax and accounting process of these digital assets, the industry is expected to have recourse to the guidelines provided by the ATO.
The Australian Sanctions Office (ASO)
The following is a brief summary of the sanctions regime imposed by the Australian Government. This summary does not intend to set out the laws and regulations relating to Australia’s sanctions regime in their entirety.
ASO is the Australian Government’s sanctions regulator and it operates under Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). ASO is tasked with, among others, providing guidance on Australian sanctions law and works with other government agencies to monitor compliance with sanctions legislation. Australia adopts both the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions regimes and the Australian autonomous sanctions regimes as a matter of international law as well as a matter of Australian foreign policy. Penalties for breaching sanctions laws include up to ten years in prison and substantial fines.
Australia has in March and April 2022 extended its autonomous sanctions in relation to Russia. These sanctions measures are aimed at restrictions on exports and commercial activities, including providing and dealing with assets of designated persons or entities, and restrictions on certain imports including arms material, energy products such as oil, and gold. However, Sanctions Permits may be issued, subject to certain criteria.
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Regulatory Overview of United States
The following sets forth a description of certain laws, regulations and government policies relating to cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency mining in the United States, which we consider a key market for our overseas business; however, we do not have any current plans to operate any regulated business in the United States.business.
We are not aware of any law that currently makes it per se illegal for a natural person or entity simply to possess, sell, or trade Bitcoin on its own behalf in connection with lawful transactions in the United States, provided that any transaction complies generally with applicable law. We are also not aware of any United States federal law that currently prohibits any legal entity or natural person from importing blockchain processing units, or BPUs, into the United States or manufacturing or selling BPUs within the United States. Nonetheless, in the United States, both the federal government and individual states have regulations in place that govern the offer, sale, and transmission of various types of cryptocurrency, including but not limited to Bitcoin, and the legal status of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies and digital assets continues to evolve. Nevertheless, the United States currently hosts a complex and rapidly evolving regulatory environment and we are subject to a wide range of laws and regulations enacted by U.S. federal, state and local governments, governmental agencies and regulatory authorities, including the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the SEC, the Federal Trade Commission, or the FTC, and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, or FinCEN. Other regulatory bodies, governmental or semi-governmental, have shown an interest in regulating or investigating companies engaged in the blockchain or cryptocurrency businesses.
The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, has taken the position that crypto currencies,cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, are “commodities” covered by the Commodity Exchange Act and subject to regulation by the CFTC. In March 2018, a United States federal court affirmed the CFTC’s authority to regulate cryptocurrencies. This means that the CFTC has jurisdiction over any futures, options or derivatives contracts involving cryptocurrencies as well as any fraud or manipulation involving cryptocurrencies in the spot market. Our products are not intended to be used either for any futures, options or derivatives trading or to enable fraud or manipulation. However, to the extent that any mining activity using our products were to be deemed a form of fraud or manipulation, or our products were otherwise used for fraud or manipulation, we could potentially be subject to regulatory or private actions related to those uses.
In addition, while the SEC has taken the position that Bitcoin, Ether, and certain cryptocurrencies subject to significant operational restrictions are not “securities” regulated by the federal securities laws, it is likely that the SEC willwould view almost all other cryptocurrencies other(other than Bitcoin and EtherEther) that can be mined to be “securities,” based on their status as “investment contracts” under the guidance provided by the SEC “Framework for ‘Investment Contract’ Analysis of Digital Assets,” and the application of the test under SEC v. W. J. Howey Co., 328 U.S. 293 (1946) (the “Howey test”) to cryptocurrencies. It is similarly likely that these other cryptocurrencies will be treated as securities under the laws of the individual states.
The status of additionalmost currently-existing cryptocurrencies and other digital assets as securities could impose significant restrictions on us or our customers with operations that are located in the United States or involve United States residents. Typically, offerings and distributions of securities in the United States are required to register with the SEC under the Securities Act and, in compliance with state law, with applicable state regulators. If the offering of a cryptocurrency or digital asset that can be mined using our products is deemed a security, miners may be required to cease mining that cryptocurrency or digital asset, which would negatively affect our business. In addition, if the Company were viewed as facilitating an illegal distribution of a cryptocurrency or digital asset, the Company could have liability associated with its product sales. Further, even if a cryptocurrency or digital asset that is considered to be a security is legally distributed under the USU.S. federal and state securities laws, the miners of that cryptocurrency or digital asset could be viewed as statutory underwriters or as “brokers” subject to regulation under the Exchange Act because they are effecting transactions in those securities for a fee (i.e., mining rewards). This outcome would again potentially reduce the viability of our product sales and could also result in the Company incurring liability. Any of these developments could limit the future development of our business. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry—Risks Relating to Our Cryptocurrency, Blockchain and Mining Related Businesses— The current regulatory environment in foreign markets, and any adverse changes in that environment,those environments, could have a material adverse impactimpacts on our blockchain products business and our planned cryptocurrency exchange and financial service platform businesses.Fintech business.”
Further, the Department
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Under Section 5 of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network,Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914, which currently prohibits “unfair methods of competition in or affecting commerce, and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce,” the FTC is authorized to “prevent persons, partnerships, or corporations, except banks [and certain other entities] from using unfair methods of competition in or affecting commerce and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.” Based upon a new “Policy Statement Regarding the Scope of Unfair Methods of Competition Under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act” issued on November 10, 2022, the FTC may now use Section 5 of the FTC Act to regulate “conduct that tends to cause potential harm similar to an antitrust violation, but that may or may not be covered by the literal language of the antitrust laws or that may or may not fall into a ‘gap’ in those laws.” In response, the FTC has been increasing its scrutiny of the digital assets sector, and has initiated various investigations into certain acts and practices of entities participating in the digital assets sector.
Further, FinCEN regulates “money transmitters,” including certain administrators and exchangers of cryptocurrencies, and state laws also regulate money transmission; more generally, cryptocurrency transactions may implicate a variety of federal and state laws designed to counter money laundering. In that regard it should be noted that U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin has indicated that federal regulators are specifically looking for potential money laundering activities involving cryptocurrency.
In addition, since there has been limited precedent set for the financial accounting of digital assets, it is unclear how we will be required to account for digital asset transactions (i.e. receiving or selling Bitcoin) or digital assets themselves. Internal Revenue Service Notice 2014-21 states that at federal level, “the sale or exchange of convertible virtual currency, or the use of convertible virtual currency to pay for goods or services in a real-world economy transaction, has tax consequences that may result in a tax liability.” Under Notice 2014-21, cryptocurrencies and other digital assets are treated as “property” for U.S. federal tax purposes and this position was reaffirmed by the IRS in a reminder issued in March 2018 (IR-2018-71). In 2019, the IRS further released Revenue Ruling 2019-24 and a set of “Frequently Asked Questions” (which have been periodically updated), that provide additional guidance, including guidance to the effect that, under certain circumstances, hard forks of digital currencies are taxable events giving rise to ordinary income and guidance with respect to the determination of the tax basis of virtual currency. However, this guidance does not address other significant aspects of the U.S. federal income tax treatment of cryptocurrency assets and related transactions. Mining, selling, and transacting in cryptocurrencies and other digital assets are all potentially taxable events for U.S. federal income tax purposes. U.S.United States state taxing authorities may adopt similar views on the taxability of cryptocurrencies.cryptocurrencies and other digital assets.
Even considering the foregoing, regulations may substantially change in the future and it is presently not possible to know how regulations will apply to our businesses, or when they will be effective. As the regulatory and legal environment evolves, we may become subject to new laws and further regulation by the SEC and other agencies, which may affect our mining and other activities. For instance, various bills have been proposed in the U.S. Congress related to our business, which may be adopted and have an impact on us. Additionally, governmental agencies and regulatory authorities, such as the SEC, the CFTC, the FTC and the FinCEN may also enact regulations related to our business, which may have an impact on us. For example, the U.S. Department of the Treasury is expected to announce regulations pursuant to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in November 2021, which requires digital-asset brokers to turn over information on their clients’ transactions to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. For example, if the Treasury Department were to classify Bitcoin miners as brokers for purposes of these rules, or impose an excise tax on electricity usage by digital asset miners, as described in General Explanations of the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2024 Revenue Proposals released by the Department of the Treasury on March 9, 2023, those actions would have an adverse impact on our business.
Sanctions Laws and Regulations
Following is a summary of the sanctions regime imposed by the United States. This summary does not intend to set out the laws and regulations relating to the United States sanctions in their entirety.
Treasury RegulationsTrade Controls
OFAC is the primary agency responsible for administering U.S. sanctions programs against targeted countries, entities, and individuals. “Primary” U.S. sanctions applyOur business activities are subject to “U.S. persons” or activities involving a U.S. nexus (such as funds transfers in U.S. currency or activities involving U.S. origin goods, software, technology or services even if performed by non-U.S. persons), and “secondary” U.S. sanctions apply extraterritorially to the activities of non-U.S. persons even when the transaction has no U.S. nexus. Generally, U.S. persons are defined as entities organizedvarious restrictions under U.S. law (suchexport and similar laws and regulations, as companieswell as various economic and their U.S. subsidiaries); any U.S. entity’s domestictrade sanctions administered by OFAC. Further, various countries regulate the import of certain technology and foreign branches (sanctions against Iran and Cuba also applyhave enacted or could enact laws that could limit our ability to U.S. companies’ foreign subsidiaries or other non-U.S. entities owned or controlled by U.S. persons); U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens (“green card” holder), regardless of their locationprovide customers with our products in those countries.
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Economic sanction laws in the world;U.S. and other jurisdictions prohibit or otherwise restrict us and our officers, directors, and employees from engaging in transactions in, or relating to, certain countries, territories, individuals, physically present inand entities. In the United States;U.S., OFAC, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. branches orDepartment of Commerce administer and enforce laws, executive orders, and regulations establishing U.S. subsidiaries of non-U.S. companies.
Depending oneconomic and trade sanctions. Such sanctions prohibit, among other things, transactions with, and the sanctions program and/or parties involved, U.S. law also may require a U.S. company or a U.S. person to “block,” or freeze, any assets or property interests owned, controlled or held for the benefit of a sanctioned country, entity, or individual when such assets or property interests are in the United States or within the possession or control of a U.S. person. Upon such blocking, no transaction may be undertaken or effected with respect to the asset/property interest — no payments, benefits, provision of services or other dealings or other type of performance (in case of contracts/agreements) — except pursuant to, an authorization or license from OFAC.
OFAC’s comprehensive sanctions programs currently apply to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela,certain countries, territories, individuals, and the Crimea region of Russia/Ukraine, or the Comprehensively Sanctioned Countries. OFAC’s limited programs apply to Belarus, Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Russia, Ukraine, Yemen and Zimbabwe. OFAC also prohibits virtually all business dealings withentities. These persons and entities identified ininclude specially designated nationals and other persons and entities targeted by OFAC sanctions programs. The lists of OFAC-restricted countries, territories, individuals, and entities, including the listList of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons, maintainedas such list may be amended from time to time, can be found on the OFAC website at https://ofac.treasury.gov/. In addition, certain programs administered by OFAC prohibit dealing with individuals or the SDN List. Entities that a party on the SDN List owns (defined as a direct or indirect ownership interest of 50% or more, individually orentities in the aggregate) are also blocked,certain countries regardless of whether that entity is expressly namedsuch individuals or entities appear on the SDN List. Additionally, U.S. persons, wherever located, are prohibited from approving, financing, facilitating,lists maintained by OFAC. These types of sanctions and similar laws and regulations in non-U.S. jurisdictions may significantly restrict our business activities in certain countries or guaranteeing any transaction by a non-U.S. person where the transaction byterritories. The economic sanctions and related laws of different jurisdictions in which we conduct business also may conflict with one another, such that non-U.S. person wouldcompliance with all applicable laws may be prohibited if performed by a U.S. persondifficult. Failure to comply with OFAC or within the United States.other relevant sanctions could have serious legal and reputational consequences, including civil and criminal penalties.
Export Control Regulations
The purpose of the export control regulations is to control exports and re-exports for purposes of national security, foreign policy, short supply, reduction of nuclear proliferation, limitation of chemical or biological warfare, antiterrorism, crime control, enforcement of economic embargoes, compliance with United Nations resolutions and other purposes. These laws apply to both the export of tangible products as well as the export of technology, technical data, software, trade secrets and similar types of information. These programs are administered by various U.S. agencies. Sanctions for violations of these regulations include civil and criminal penalties — criminal sanctions are often imposed on both corporate defendants and officers, directors and employees of the corporation in their personal capacities.
Export Administration Regulations
In the United States, the principal program for the federal regulation of exports is under the U.S. Export Administration Regulations, or the EAR. The EAR controls the export and re-export of U.S.-origin products and technologies from the United States. The EAR prohibits the export of certain goods, software and technologies identified therein to specific foreign countries or require exporters to obtain export licenses for the export of such items. The EAR incorporate the Commerce Control List, a list of approximately 3,000 items, which are subject to export restrictions. Items on the Commerce Control List are prohibited from export to certain destinations unless an export license is issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Items on the Commerce Control List include products, software and technology. Examples of products that are subject to export licensing include electronic navigation control systems, computer aided design devices (CAD-CAM), high performance computers, network components (routers, hubs, servers), computerized telecommunications switches and high performance composite materials. The EAR also control the “re-export” of products manufactured in foreign countries which incorporate more than a de minimis amount of U.S. content or which are based on certain U.S. –origin technologies. Finally, the EAR also prohibit the export of any item that will be used in any prohibited end-use.
| C. | Organizational structure |
We are an exempted company incorporated pursuant to the laws of Cayman Islands. We operate and own our assets directly and indirectly through a number of subsidiaries.
Ebang International Holdings Inc. is a holding company incorporated in Cayman Islands which does not have substantive operations. We conduct our businesses through our subsidiaries. Our principal subsidiaries consist of the following entities (in chronological order based on their dates of incorporation):
| ● | Zhejiang Ebang Communication Technology Co., Ltd., or Zhejiang Ebang, our majority-owned subsidiary and an onshore holding company established in the PRC on January 21, 2010, principally for holding our businesses in the design, manufacture and sale of telecommunications and blockchain processing equipment; |
| ● | Zhejiang Ebang Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Ebang IT, our majority-owned subsidiary and an operating entity established in the PRC on August 11, 2010, principally for the design, manufacture and sale of telecommunications and blockchain processing equipment; |
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| ● | Hangzhou Dewang Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Hangzhou Dewang, our majority-owned subsidiary and an operating entity established in the PRC on December 31, 2015, principally for the design and manufacture of blockchain chips; |
| ● | Ebang Communications (HK) Technology Limited, or HK Ebang Communications, formerly known as Hong Kong Bite Co., Ltd., our wholly-owned subsidiary and an operating entity established in Hong Kong on February 12, 2016, principally for the trading of blockchain chips; |
| ● | ||
| ● | Compass Global Holdings Pty Ltd, or Compass Global, which became our wholly-owned subsidiary in Australia through acquisition on |
As of the date of this annual report, we conduct our business operations primarily through 18 major subsidiaries and our subsidiaries in Korea, Australia, Singapore and Canada. Hong Kong Ebang Digital Technology Limited, Hangzhou Ebang Shuotai Technology Co., Ltd., or Ebang Shuotai, and Shanghai Yijiaxin IC Design Co., Ltd. do not have any substantive operations.
The chart below summarizes our corporate structure and identifies the principal subsidiaries described above as of the date of this annual report:
| (1) | The remaining 48.95% equity interests are owned by Huzhou Meiman Investment Management LLP, an unaffiliated third party. |
| (2) | On December 16, 2020, an affiliate controlled by Mr. Dong Hu, our chairman of the board of directors, chief executive officer and |
| (3) | There is another Hong Kong entity within the Group named Ebang Trust Limited, whose ultimate parent is Ebang International Holdings Inc. |
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| D. | Property, plants and equipment |
Our business operation is headquartered in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. We also currently occupy properties in other locations in China, including (1) other research and development bases in Shanghai and Wuhan, (2) twoone production facilitiesfacility in Hangzhou and Wuhai, and (3) sales offices in Hangzhou, Shijiazhuang, Changsha, Guangzhou, Taizhou and Shenyang. We also currently occupy properties in other locations outside of China primarily in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and the Bahamas to operate and expand the Fintech businesses.
In addition, we are constructing our new headquarters in YuhangLinping District, Hangzhou which will comprise expanded production, research and development and office space, among other uses, in order to support our business growth. We have also acquired land and have substantially completed construction of the building for this new assembly facility in Wuhai, Inner Mongolia. For more information on our expansion plan and the related properties, see “—Owned Properties.”
Leased Properties
The total gross floor area, or GFA, of our leased properties is approximately 13,8039,043 square meters, or sq.m, outour of which, approximately 7,3441,391 sq.m are for production facilitiesleased outside of China primarily in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and 6,459the Bahamas. These leased properties are used for research and development, sales and other offices. Our lease agreements typicallymainly have a term of one to threefour years.
Owned Properties
As of December 31, 2020,2022, we owned properties in threetwo locations in China with a total GFA of approximately 48,087.6833,888.08 sq.m. The following table sets forth the GFA of all properties owned by us:
| Location | Approximate GFA | |||
| (sq.m.) | ||||
| Wuhan, Hubei (research and development center) | 390.68 | |||
| Total | ||||
We believe that we have adequate facilities, through a combination of leased and owned properties, to accommodate our business operations and future expansion plans.
ITEM 4A. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Not applicable.
ITEM 5. OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS
Unless otherwise stated, the discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operation in this section apply to our financial information as prepared according to U.S. GAAP. You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and operating results in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this annual report. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results and the timing of selected events may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors.”
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| A. | Operating results |
Overview
We areAs a leading ASICglobal blockchain technology and Fintech company, we have strong application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip design company and a leading manufacturer of high-performance Bitcoin mining machines in the global market. We have strong ASIC chip design capability underpinned by nearly a decadecapability. With years of industry experience and expertise, in the telecommunications business. We believe we are one of the few fabless IC design companies with the advanced technology to independently design ASIC chips, established access to third-party wafer foundry capacity andhave become a proven in-house capability to produce blockchain and telecommunications products. We have dedicated our technology and efforts to ASIC applications forglobal Bitcoin mining machines.
Leveragingmachine producer. Based on our deep understanding of the cryptocurrencyFintech industry and strong blockchain technology as applied to ASIC chip design,compliance with laws and regulations in various jurisdictions, we have launched professional, convenient and innovative Fintech service platforms.
We strive to expand into the upstream and downstream markets of the blockchain and cryptocurrencyFintech industry value chain to diversify our offerings and achieve a more stable financial performance. We intend to startperformance, by starting with the cryptocurrency mining and farming business, as well as cryptocurrency trading exchange business, as described below, and explore applying blockchain technologyexpanding into financial services industries. In April 2021,further Fintech businesses. As of the date of this annual report, we launched our self-developed proprietaryhave established two cryptocurrency exchange platform Ebonex. platforms and one cross-border payment and foreign exchange platform.
We believe our extensive experience in the blockchain and cryptocurrencyFintech industry positions us well in our future endeavors. We intend to continue to concentrate our efforts in our cryptocurrencyblockchain and blockchainFintech related businesses in 2021.
In addition, we are at an initial preparatory stage of executing our plan to launch blockchain-enabled financial businesses to capture the growth opportunity along the value chain of the blockchain industry outside of the PRC,2023, specifically in Canada,Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Singapore.Malaysia. Although we have not generated any revenuessubstantial revenue from such businesses to date, we carefully selected these countries and/or regions because of what we believe to be a cryptocurrency-friendlyFintech-friendly regulatory environment, access to cryptocurrency enthusiast communities and relatively lower application cost. We currently have no plans to establish our cryptocurrency trading exchange or online brokerage businesses in the United States.environment.
Key Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations
In addition to the general factors affecting the Chinese and global economy and our industry, our results of operations and financial condition are affected by a number of industry- and company-specific factors, including those set out below:
Expected economic returns on Bitcoin mining activities and fluctuation of Bitcoin price especially
Our revenues primarily consist of proceeds of sales of Bitcoin mining machines, which are, in general, determined by the demand and pricing of our Bitcoin mining machines. An increase in the economic return of Bitcoin mining activities would generally stimulate the demand and average selling price for our Bitcoin mining machines, and vice versa. An increase in the Bitcoin price is the most significant factor that could increase the expected economic returns generated by Bitcoin mining activities. Other factors that may increase the economic return of Bitcoin mining activities include, among others, increase in transaction fees, decrease in electricity costs or other operating costs, increase in computing power and efficiency of mining machines, reduction of difficulties of mining activities and increase in number of Bitcoin awarded for mining activities.
Historically, fluctuation of the Bitcoin price significantly affected our results of operations and financial condition; in particular, a significant drop in Bitcoin price resulted in a material negative effect on the global financial market and our results of operation. We generated revenues of US$307.1 million from our blockchain products business in 2018, mainly attributable to the increase in user needs for mining machines with better performance in terms of computing power, efficiency and heat radiation, among others, and the general increase in market demand in response to high Bitcoin price in 2017. Due to the significant drop in the average Bitcoin price in 2018COVID-19 pandemic and the first quarterBitcoin halving event that occurred in 2020, the economic return of 2019,Bitcoin mining activities was further reduced as awards from solving a block was halved, which also affected the demand for our Bitcoin mining machines. As a result, our revenues from our blockchain products business decreased significantly to US$89.98.0 million in 2019.2020. In addition,2021, the sustained outbreak of COVID-19 continued to disrupt our raw material supplies. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the price of Bitcoin has maintained at a high level with volatility, and investors returned to cryptocurrency and blockchain investment, which had a positive impact on the market. As a result, we generated revenues of US$39.8 million from our blockchain products business in 2021. With the continuous decline in Bitcoin prices in 2022, continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic and large cryptocurrency exchanges declaring bankruptcy starting the second half of 2022, investors have once again begun to invest cautiously. The shortage of overseas raw material supply has not improved, leading to a decline in our blockchain product revenue to US$25.8 million. We expect the volatility of the Bitcoin price to continue, which may significantly affect our business of operations and financial condition. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry—Our results of operations also generally lag behindhave been and are expected to continue to be significantly impacted by the changefluctuation of cryptocurrency prices, especially the Bitcoin price. Historically, a strong increase in the Bitcoin price in late 2017 drove the significant increase in both the demand for and the average selling price of our Bitcoin mining machines in the first half of 2018, and a sudden decrease in the Bitcoin price in 2018 led to a lower demand and average selling price of Bitcoin mining machines in late 2018 and the first quarter of 2019. The average price of Bitcoins experienced recovery from the second quarter of 2019, but the market panics over the global outbreak of COVID-19 caused a drastic drop in the Bitcoin price in March 2020.Bitcoin”. We expect our business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected by the global market panics in the near term. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry—The recent global coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak has caused significant disruptions in our business, which we expect willmay continue to materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.” The Bitcoin price has regained most of the ground since the drastic drop in March and experienced a significant increase since April 2020. We expect the volatility of the Bitcoin price to continue, which may significantly affect our business of operations and financial condition. Additionally, due to the recent Bitcoin halving event that occurred in May 2020, the economic return of Bitcoin mining activities was further reduced as awards from solving a block was halved, which may affect the demand for our Bitcoin mining machines. Due to the above influence, our revenues from our blockchain products business decreased significantly to US$8.0 million in 2020.
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A decrease in the expected economic returns of Bitcoin mining activities and the Bitcoin price may also lead to increase in inventory write-down and credit sales as a result of stagnant demand and decrease in average selling price for our Bitcoin mining machines, which may significantly affect our gross margin and extend the billing cycle of our products. The pandemic, the halving event in 2020 and trade sanctions from various countries led some investors to exercise caution. For example, due to the significant decrease of the average Bitcoin price in 2018 and the first quarter of 2019, we recorded write-down for the potentially obsolete, slow-moving inventory and lower of cost or market adjustment of US$61.83.6 million, US$2.2 million and US$6.36.5 million in 2018, 2019, respectively,2020, 2021 and recorded net loss of US$11.8 million2022, respectively. If we cannot maintain an appropriate inventory level, we may lose sales and US$41.1 million for the same periods, respectively. Meanwhile, the Bitcoin halving event in May 2020 also led the decrease in the demand of Bitcoin mining machines, we recorded write-down for the potentially obsolete, slow-moving inventory and lower of cost or market adjustment of $3.6 million and net loss of $32.1 million in 2020.share to our competitors.
Such Bitcoin price drop also led to our offering of credit sales to certain customers in China, instead of full prepayment before delivery of products. In 2018, we reflected the reduction of revenue associated with credit sales as price concession on our consolidated financial statements, and the amount of price concession provided to our customers was US$12.1 million. We did not provide price concession in 2019 and 2020.
Bitcoin price fluctuated significantly in the past few years and resulted in a corresponding fluctuation in our sale of Bitcoin mining machines. We expect that the Bitcoin price may continue to fluctuate in the future, and as such, we would expect to continue to experience a significant corresponding fluctuation in both sales volumes and average selling prices of Bitcoin mining machines, as well as write-down of inventory, which may erode our profitability in the case of a significant Bitcoin price drop.
Market demand for our mining machines and development of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency markets, especially Bitcoin market
Our current blockchain product is designed for Bitcoin mining. According to the F&S report, sales of Bitcoin computing hardware, the majority of which comprise sales of Bitcoin mining machines, have surged at a CAGR of 61.3% from approximately US$0.2 billion in 2015 to approximately US$1.4 billion in 2019 and are expected to further increase at a CAGR of 24.8% to approximately US$4.3 billion in 2024. Because market demand is dependent on the development of the blockchain technology, as well as innovations in cryptocurrency applications, our results of operations will significantly depend on our ability to keep pace with market demand to attract new customers or retain existing customers as well as to maintain or increase our market share. Our results of operations will also be significantly affected by developments in overall blockchain technology and cryptocurrency markets, and in particular, the Bitcoin market. The Bitcoin market may be affected by various factors, including, among others the Bitcoin price and expected return on Bitcoin related activities such as mining and trading, different views regarding the decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies, acceptance of cryptocurrencies as an investment instrument as well as a currency for payment, competing cryptocurrencies to Bitcoin, and changes in the Bitcoin algorithm and the mechanism of mining.
Performance and cost of our products
The pricing of and demand for our Bitcoin mining machines are closely related to their performance. In general, more advanced process technologies, such as the 7 nm and 8 nm process technology we designed, can accommodate designs that produce ASICs with higher power efficiency. The introduction of new process and design technologies also enables us to gradually lower the production costs of ASICs with comparable computing power. However, the application of such process technologies also commands high initial setup costs, particularly when the new production techniques first become available, which translates to higher per unit costs. We arehave successfully and independently completed the design of 6nm ASIC chips and the design of a chip for simultaneous Litecoin and Dogecoin mining in the process of designing 5 nm process technology.2021. We currently focus on developing our proprietary 5nm-optimized ASIC chips and optimized mining machines for non-Bitcoin cryptocurrencies such as Litecoin. As a result, our new generation ASICs using the most advanced process technologies will need to achieve strong sales in order to justify the initial setup costs of the new production techniques and maintain our profitability. At the same time, as the most advanced production capabilities of IC foundries ramp up, the initial high unit cost for IC fabrication may also decrease, which will likely translate to lower fabrication costs and a positive effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Competitiveness in research and development
We are a leading ASICblockchain technology company with strong application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip design company,capability, and research and development is key to the success of our blockchain and telecommunications products. Our research and development expenses were US$43.58.5 million, US$13.46.6 million and US$8.55.1 million in 2018, 20192020, 2021 and 2020.2022, respectively. The research and development expenses is not as much as expect to invested isdecreased due to the global outbreak of the COVID-19, worldwide, such aswhich resulted in, among others, travel restrictions, mandatory quarantines to our professional staff, and the shortage of raw materials supply shortages from our overseas suppliers for research and development. Even so,development, which in turn resulted in lower research and development expenses. Notwithstanding COVID-19, we have resumed our R & Dresearch and development activities in the second half of 2020, and through unremitting efforts, we launched our first self-developed proprietary cryptocurrency exchange platform Ebonex in April 2021 and another self-developed proprietary cryptocurrency exchange platform, also branded Ebonex, in Australia in February 2022. Our exchange is designed to provide users with secure, fast, efficient, and stable trading services in multiple currencies and modes. In order to coordinate the year, anddevelopment of our cross-border payment business, we launched our independently developed platform EbonFX in 2022. We will continue to focus on enhancing our product planning and research and development capabilities to enable us to introduce or improve products that can well address evolving customer needs in a timely manner. As existing competitors may introduce new technologies or provide more competitive offerings and more companies may enter the market to compete with us, competition may intensify in the future and consequently our competitiveness and market share may be affected. As a result, our ability to continue offering new and enhanced ASIC chips for Bitcoin mining as well as competitive products and technologies will have a significant impact on our results of operations.
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Regulatory environment
We sell mining machines to customers in China and overseas markets. We have historically generated most of our revenues in our blockchain products business from customers in China. We intend to grow our overseas sales in the future. In addition, we also intend to expand into certain new business, such as cryptocurrency mining business and cryptocurrency exchange business. As such, we need to make efforts and incur costs to comply with laws and regulations relating to our business in various jurisdictions. We are subject to certain regulatory uncertainties. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry—Adverse changes It is now illegal to engage in digital asset transactions including Bitcoin mining operations in China, the regulatory environmentruling of which may adversely affect us”, “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors— Changes in the PRC marketChina’s economic, political or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse impacteffect on our blockchain products business”business, results of operations and financial condition”, “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our BusinessCryptocurrency, Blockchain and Industry—Mining Related Businesses—The current regulatory environment in foreign markets, and any adverse changes in that environment,those environments, could have a material adverse impactimpacts on our blockchain products business and our planned cryptocurrency exchange and financial service platform businesses”Fintech business” and “—Overseas Expansion” below. If the PRC government or a government in any other jurisdiction changes its policy or regulations to prevent or limit the development of Bitcoin or cryptocurrencies generally, the price of Bitcoin and the demand for our mining machines as well as the future development of our proposed cryptocurrency related business would decrease or fail, and our business operations and financial results could be adversely affected. Therefore, our ability to comply with government policies and regulations, and to anticipate and respond to potential changes in government policies and regulations will have a significant impact on our business operations and our overall results of operations.
Production capacity
As a fabless IC design company, we outsource the fabrication process of our ICs to third-party foundry partners, and we outsource the testing and packaging process to third-party testing and packaging partners. We work closely with a limited number of such production partners. We have access to two of the world’s leading wafer foundries. We are also in discussions with another two of the world’s major wafer foundries, in hopes to diversify our supplier sources. We cannot guarantee that our third-party production partners will be able to meet our manufacturing requirements or capacity or that they will not raise their prices. As a result, our ability to quickly respond to market demand and meet production timelines, as well as to price our products competitively, is highly dependent on our collaboration with third-party production partners. If our production partners are unable to meet our production capacity requirements or deliver products that meet our quality standards on a timely basis, our results of operations will be adversely affected. We may also incur significant cash outflow at the early stages of our production process because we are required to make prepayments to some of our third-party production partners to secure their production capacity beforehand, which may affect our liquidity position. In addition, any failure by our third-party production partners to perform their obligations in a timely manner may subject us to counterparty risk and make it difficult or impossible for us to fulfill our customers’ orders, which would harm our reputation and negatively affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
With our long-established experience and know-how in producing telecommunications products, we have established in-house production capabilities to conduct PCB assembly and system assembly for both mining machines and a wide range of telecommunications products. The volume of our in-house production facilities to conduct PCB assembly and system assembly is largely dictated by the production capacity of our SMT production lines in Hangzhou. We also outsourced some of our production to third-party subcontractors to meet our additional production needs. Our future growth will depend, in part, on our ability to maintain efficient operations at our existing production facilities, our ability to expand our production capacity as needed and the performance of our subcontractors when we are required to outsource part of our production. We seek sufficient production capacity and effectively adjust our production equipment to produce different types of products. We are currently expanding our production capacity by constructing new production facilities, which we expect will increase our capital expenditures and affect our results of operations. Our future growth and results of operations will be affected by our investment in and continual maintenance and upgrading of production facilities.
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Expansion and diversification of our product and service offerings
Our blockchain products business has historically contributed most of our revenues. We intend to diversify our product and service offerings and achieve more stable performance by expanding into the upstream and downstream markets of the blockchain technology and cryptocurrencyFintech industry value chain. We believe if successful, the success ofdevelopment our new businesses will be a key driver for our stable and sustainable growth in the future. We intend to expand our mining machine hosting services and establish mining farms overseas to provide centralized services to miners. We also intend to commence proprietary Bitcoin mining overseas by employing our own mining machine inventory during the market downcycles, the success of which depends on many factors, such as the advancement of computing efficiency, the fluctuation of cryptocurrency prices and the popularity of cryptocurrencies in real economy. We expect the costs for preparation and commencement of our proprietary mining to mainly include energy consumption fees.
We also have begun exploring and developing a cryptocurrency trading exchange business.business by launching our self-developed proprietary cryptocurrency exchange platform in 2021. We have set up subsidiariescontinuously apply for compliance licenses in Singapore, Canada and Australia, and initiated preparatory work, including applying for the relevant regulatory approvals and licenses,strictly selected regions to operatefacilitate our cryptocurrency trading exchanges in these countries.Fintech businesses. As of the date of this annual report, we have received the Money Service Business License from the Financial Transactionsestablished two cryptocurrency exchange platforms and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, which will allow us to engage ina cross-border payment and foreign exchange trading, digital currency transferring and dealing in virtual currencies in Canada. We currently have no plans to establish our cryptocurrency trading exchange or online brokerage businesses in the United States.business. See “—Overseas Expansion” below. We expect that it will take approximately two months and between twelve months to obtain such licenses in Australia and Singapore, respectively, subject to approvals from local authorities, which is typical for such applications; if and once obtained, these licenses will allow us to operate cryptocurrency exchanges in the abovementioned countries. Meanwhile, we are focused on application development, regulatory compliance and talent recruitment to ramp up execution of our newFintech business plans.plans for the expansion in these countries. We expect such ramp-up will support our future operations and our compliance with local rules and regulations. Although the costs we have incurred thus far in preparation and commencement of such businesses have not been significant, and we have not commenced business operations in such countries, we expect that we will require an initial investment of approximately US$4.0 million for server rentals, application development, regulatory compliance and talent acquisition in order to set up cryptocurrency exchanges in the abovementioned countries. Our current plan is to launch our operation in these countries in early 2022. However, if our expectations as to the costs and timelines of our investment and operations at these countriesjurisdictions or our execution of business plan prove incorrect, we may incur additional expenses or losses.
We also intend to explore the application of blockchain technology into non-cryptocurrency industries, such as the financial services and healthcare industries. Although we have accumulated extensive industry experience and knowledge in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology industries, we are only at an initial preparatoryearly stage of executing our plan to launch blockchain-enabled financial business. As a result, our ability to apply our accumulated industry knowledge and operational experience to these new businesses will be critical to our future business growth and prospects. The addition of new businesses such as proprietary mining and operating cryptocurrency exchanges, if successful, may help improve our gross margin and general profitability. Commencement of new businesses, however, may also incur significant costs and experience a prolonged ramp-up period. If any adverse development in such new businesses arises, our results of operations and prospects may be significantly and negatively affected. We may not be able to develop those new businesses as successfully as contemplated, or at all.
Product mix
We develop, manufacture and sell a range of blockchain and telecommunications products. The sales of blockchain products accounted for, 96.3%42.3%, 82.4%,77.3% and 42.3%79.8% of our total revenues for 2018, 20192020, 2021 and 2020,2022, respectively, and the sales of telecommunications products accounted for 1.2%8.6%, 3.1%,16.7% and 8.6%11.6% of our total revenues for 2018, 20192020, 2021 and 2020.2022. With the fluctuationvolatility of bitcoinBitcoin price and the stagnation of industrial chain caused by the epidemic situation,COVID-19, the performance of our blockchain product business has fluctuated significantly. Our profitability and financial performance could be affected by the mix of products manufactured and sold in a particular period. In 2022, we have launched cryptocurrency currency exchanges and cross-border payment businesses, as we are still at an early stage of development of this business sector, the Fintech service businesses accounted for only 8.3% of our total revenue.
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Overseas Expansion
InFrom August 2020 to February 2023, we established our wholly-owned subsidiaries in Canada, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Bahamas, New Zealand and Canada in preparation for establishing cryptocurrency exchanges. In October 2020, we established a wholly-owned subsidiary in AustraliaMalaysia to apply for an Australian financial services license withFintech business related licenses and wholly-owned subsidiaries in the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (the Australian Government body that regulatesUnited States in accelerating the Australian financial services industry) and for registration with AUSTRAC (the Australian Government body that regulates bitcoin exchanges).construction of compliant mining farms in North America. We carefully selected these countries and/or regions because of what we believe to be a cryptocurrency-friendlyFintech-friendly regulatory environment, access to cryptocurrency enthusiast communities and relatively lower application cost.environment. We are at an initial preparatory stage of executing our plan to launch blockchain-enabled financial businessFintech businesses to capture the growth opportunity along the value chain of the blockchain and Fintech industry. As of the date of this annual report, we have received the Money Service BusinessMSB License from the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, which will allowallows us to engage in foreign exchange trading, digital currencydealing, money transferring and dealing in virtual currencies in Canada,Canada; registration approval from AUSTRAC as digital currency exchange, which allows us to provide cryptocurrency exchange services in Australia; acquired a company with an AFSL for engaging in financial services in Australia; registration approval as an independent remittance dealer on the AUSTRAC Remittance Sector Register, which allows us to provide remittance services in Australia; the TCSP license and registration approval as a Trust Company from the Company Registry in Hong Kong, which allows us to carry on a trust or company service business; the MSO license from the Customs and Excise Department in Hong Kong, which allows us to operate money changing and remittance services; the Type 4 and 9 licenses from the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong, which allows us to carry on advising on securities and asset management service; registered as a Digital Asset Business and a Firm Dealing in Securities as Agent or Principal, Arranging Deals, Managing Securities and Advising on Securities from the Securities Commission of the Bahamas, which allows us to carry on digital asset business activities and securities activities in and from the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. In April 2021, we launched our first self-developed proprietary cryptocurrency exchange platform Ebonex and in February 2022, we launched another self-developed proprietary cryptocurrency exchange platform, also branded Ebonex, in Australia. On top of that, in March 2022, we established a cross-border payment and foreign exchange business in Australia, through the acquisition of an Australian company with an AFSL, and in the fourth quarter of 2022, we launched our self-developed proprietary cross-border payment and foreign exchange platform, EbonFX, targeting qualified investors subject to compliance with applicable laws in the jurisdictions EbonFX operates. We are also in the process of obtaining additional and/or relevant licenses and approvals for our subsidiaries in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and Australia. We expect that it will take approximately six months and 12 months (subject to change due to COVID-19) to obtain such licenses in Australia and Singapore, respectively, subject to approvals from local authorities, which is typical for such applications; ifMalaysia. If and once obtained, thesethe licenses will allow us to operate cryptocurrency exchanges in these countriesadditional Fintech businesses in such jurisdictions.countries and regions. Meanwhile, we are focused on application development, regulatory compliance and talent recruitment to ramp up execution of our new business plans for the expansion in these countries. We expect such ramp-up will support our future operations and our compliance with local rules and regulations. Our expenses to date to implement our new business plans, including establishing and acquiring subsidiaries in Canada, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Bahamas, New Zealand, the United States and SingaporeMalaysia, have not been significant, but we expect that we will require an initial investment of approximately US$4.0 million formainly on server rentals, application development, regulatory compliance, and talent acquisition and offices rentals to set up cryptocurrency exchangesblockchain and Fintech businesses in the abovementioned countries.countries and regions. There is no guarantee that we will receive any additional required approvals and licenses for our proposed business in these countriesjurisdictions in a timely manner or on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or that we will commence the proposed business as planned, or at all. Our current plan is to launchIf our operation in these countries in early 2022. However, if our expectations as to the costs and timelines of our investment and operations at these countriesjurisdictions or our execution of business plan proveproves incorrect, we may incur additional expenses or losses.
CryptocurrencyAny restrictions imposed by a foreign government could force us to restructure operations, perhaps significantly, which could result in significant costs and inefficiencies that harm our profitability, or even cause us to cease operations in the applicable jurisdiction. Fintech is a recent technological innovation and the regulatory schemes to which cryptocurrency and the related exchangeFintech businesses may be subject have not been fully explored or developed by foreign jurisdictions. Thus, cryptocurrencyFintech faces an uncertain regulatory landscape in many foreign jurisdictions. Various foreign jurisdictions may from time to time adopt laws, regulations or directives that affect our cryptocurrencyFintech businesses. Due in part to its international nature and the nascent stage of regulation, along with the limited experience with cryptocurrency,Fintech, and language barriers between international journalists, translators and regulators, information regarding the regulation of cryptocurrencyFintech in various jurisdictions may be incomplete, inaccurate or unreliable. As both the regulatory landscape develops and journalistic familiarity with cryptocurrencyFintech increases, mainstream media’s understanding of cryptocurrencyFintech and the regulation thereof may improve. As we enter into the markets in Canada, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Bahamas, New Zealand, the United States and Singapore,Malaysia, we expect to continue to monitor the local regulations regarding cryptocurrency and financialFintech service platforms and retain local regulatory counsels. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Overseas Expansion,” “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—The current regulatory environment in foreign markets, and any adverse changes in that environment, could have a material adverse impact on our blockchain products business and our planned cryptocurrency exchange and financial service platform businesses,” “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Cryptocurrency, Blockchain and Mining Related Businesses —IfBusinesses—The current regulatory environment in foreign markets, and any adverse changes in those environments, could have material adverse impacts on our blockchain products business and our Fintech business,” “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—If we are unable to manage our growth or execute our strategies effectively, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected” and “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Cryptocurrency, Blockchain and Mining Related Businesses —We We may not successfully develop, market or launch any cryptocurrency exchangesfuture Fintech businesses or online brokerages”continue operating our existing Fintech businesses” for details of the associated risks.
Recent Developments
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In November 2020, we launched a follow-on offering of 8,000,000 units, with each unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one-half of one Class A ordinary share, which was subsequently completed in January 2021 with full subscription, resulting in aggregate net proceeds of US$39.2 million (excluding any exercise of the warrants included in such units). All of such warrants were subsequently exercised in connection with the Warrant Inducement Offering (described below).
In February 2021, we launched and completed another offering for an aggregate of 19,200,000 units, with each unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one-half of one Class A ordinary share, resulting in aggregate net proceeds of approximately US$90 million (excluding any exercise of the warrants included in such units). All of such warrants were subsequently exercised in connection with the Warrant Inducement Offering.
In February 2021, we also entered into inducement agreements with certain investors to induce them to exercise the warrants issued to them in connection with the November 2020 Offering and the February 2021 Offering for all 13,600,000 Class A ordinary shares available for exercise thereunder. The Holders exercised these warrants, in full, and were issued 13,600,000 Class A ordinary shares as a result of such exercises, with the Company receiving aggregate net proceeds of approximately US$68 million after deducting sales commissions payable to the warrant solicitation agents and related expenses of approximately US$4.4 million. Additionally, as consideration for their exercise of such warrants, we issued to the Holders the new warrants, which are exercisable, anytime within five (5) years from the date on which they became exercisable, at an exercise price of US$11.06 per share, for an aggregate of up to the 13,600,000 Class A ordinary shares.
In March 2021, we launched and completed a third offering for an aggregate of 14,000,000 units, with each unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one-half of one Class A ordinary share, resulting in aggregate net proceeds of approximately US$80 million (excluding any exercise of the warrants included in such units).
Key Components of Results of Operations
Revenues
Revenues represent the sales of goods supplied and services provided to customers in our blockchain products and telecommunications businesses, and provision of services to our customers, primarily mining machine hosting services.services and the newly established Fintech businesses. We generatedused to generate revenues primarily from our blockchain products business and mining machine hosting service, mainly including sales of Bitcoin mining machines and related accessories and mining machine hosting services. The revenue contribution from our blockchain products business decreased in 2019 as compared to 2018, primarily due to significant dropHowever, we have halted all mining machine custody services in the average Bitcoin price in 2018 andPRC at the first quarterend of 2019.April 2021. The revenue contribution from our blockchain products business decreased in 2020 as compared to 2019, primarily due to the combined impact of COVID-19 and Bitcoin halving event whichin 2020 significantly affected the expected returns on Bitcoin related activities such as mining, and in turn resulted in a much lower demand and average selling price of our Bitcoin mining machines. In 2021, the spreading of COVID-19 continued to disrupt our raw material supplies; however, the price of Bitcoin has maintained at a high level with volatility, and investors returned to digital currency and blockchain investment, which had a positive impact on the market. Our revenue in 2021 therefore increased significantly compared with 2020. With the continuous decline in Bitcoin prices in 2022, as well as the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic and large cryptocurrency exchanges declaring bankruptcy starting the second half of 2022, investors have once again begun to invest cautiously. The shortage of overseas raw material supply has not improved, resulting in a decrease in our blockchain product revenue compared to the previous year.
The following table sets forth the breakdown of our revenues by category, both in absolute amount and as a percentage of total revenues for each category for the periods indicated:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| US$ | % | US$ | % | US$ | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands, except percentages) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Product sales – Bitcoin mining machines and related accessories | 307,127 | 96.3 | 89,919 | 82.4 | 8,039 | 42.3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Product sales – Telecommunications | 3,730 | 1.2 | 3,336 | 3.1 | 1,638 | 8.6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Service – Management and maintenance(1) | 8,185 | 2.5 | 15,804 | 14.5 | 9,327 | 49.1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 319,042 | 100 | 109,060 | 100 | 19,004 | 100 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| US$ | % | US$ | % | US$ | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands, except percentages) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Product sales – Bitcoin mining machines and related accessories | 8,039 | 42.3 | 39,756 | 77.3 | 25,800 | 79.8 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Product sales – Telecommunications | 1,638 | 8.6 | 8,567 | 16.7 | 3,737 | 11.6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Service – Management and maintenance(1) | 9,327 | 49.1 | 3,127 | 6.0 | 86 | 0.3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Service - Fintech | - | - | - | - | 2,705 | 8.3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 19,004 | 100 | 51,450 | 100 | 32,328 | 100 | ||||||||||||||||||