UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 20-F
(Mark One)
☐ REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(B) OR 12(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, 2021
OR
☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
OR
☐ SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period
from to
Commission file number: 001-38309
AGM Group Holdings Inc.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
British Virgin Islands
(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
c/o Creative Consultants (Hong Kong) Limited
Room 1502-3 15/F., Connaught Commercial Building, 185 Wanchai
Road
Wanchai, Hong Kong
(Address of principal executive offices)
Wenjie Tang, Chief Executive Officer
+86-010-65020507
wj.tang@agmprime.com
c/o Creative Consultants (Hong Kong) Limited
Room 1502-3 15/F., Connaught Commercial Building, 185 Wanchai
Road
Wanchai, Hong Kong
(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
Symbol(s) |
|
Name
of each exchange on which registered |
Class
A ordinary shares, par value $0.001 per share |
|
AGMH |
|
The
Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (Nasdaq Capital Market) |
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to
Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to
Section 15(d) of the Act: None
Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s
classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period
covered by the annual report: 24,254,842 shares of Class A ordinary
shares and 2,100,000 shares of Class B ordinary shares issued and
outstanding as of December 31, 2021.
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 and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every
Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant
to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter)
during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter
period that the registrant was required to submit and post
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.
☐
Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has
used to prepare the financial statements included in
this filing:
U.S. GAAP ☒ |
|
International
Financial Reporting Standards as issued |
|
Other ☐ |
|
|
by
the International Accounting Standards Board ☐ |
|
|
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 Securities Exchange Act of 1934).
☐ 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
Table of Contents
Conventions Used in this Annual Report
Except where the context otherwise requires and for purposes of
this annual report on Form 20-F only, “we,” “us,” “our
company,” “Company,” “our” and “AGM Holdings” refer to:
|
● |
AGM
Group Holdings Inc., a British Virgin Islands company limited by
shares (“AGM Holdings” when individually referenced); |
|
|
|
|
● |
AGM
Defi Tech Limited., a Hong Kong SAR limited company (“AGM Defi
Tech” when individually referenced) and a wholly-owned subsidiary
of AGM Holdings;; |
|
|
|
|
● |
AGM
Defi Lab Pte Limited, a Singapore company (“AGM Defi Lab” when
individually referenced) and a wholly-owned subsidiary of AGM
Holdings; |
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|
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● |
AGM
Technology Limited, a Hong Kong SAR limited company (“AGM HK” when
individually referenced) and a wholly-owned subsidiary of AGM
Holdings; |
|
|
|
|
● |
AGM
Software Service LTD, a British Virgin Islands company limited by
shares (“AGM Software” when individually referenced) and a
wholly-owned subsidiary of AGM Holdings; |
|
|
|
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● |
Beijing
Keen Sense Technology Service Co., Ltd., a company formed under the
law of People’s Republic of China and a wholly-owned subsidiary of
AGM Defi Tech; |
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|
|
|
● |
AGM
Tianjin Construction Development Co., Ltd. (“AGM Tianjin”) (also
referred to as 天津安高盟建设发展有限公司 in China), formerly known as
AGM Tianjin Construction Development Co., Ltd. (or 深圳安高盟金融科技服务有限公司
in China), a wholly foreign-owned enterprise (“WFOE”) formed under
the laws of the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) and a
wholly-owned subsidiary of AGM HK; |
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|
|
|
● |
Beijing
AnGaoMeng Technology Service Co., Ltd. (“AGM Beijing”) (also
referred to as 北京安高盟科技服务有限公司 in China), a PRC company and a
wholly-owned subsidiary of AGM Tianjin; |
|
|
|
|
● |
Nanjing
Lucun Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (“Nanjing Lucun”), a PRC company and
a wholly-owned subsidiary of AGM HK. |
This annual report contains translations of certain RMB amounts
into U.S. dollar amounts at a specified rate solely for the
convenience of the reader. The Consolidated Balance Sheets
balances, with the exception of equity at December 31, 2021 and
2020, were translated at RMB6.3757 and RMB6.5378 to $1.00,
respectively. The equity accounts were stated at their historical
rate. The average translation rates applied to the Consolidated
Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income and the
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December
31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 were RMB6.4515, RMB6.9003, and RMB6.9074 to
$1.00, respectively.
We obtained the industry and market data used in this annual report
or any document incorporated by reference from industry
publications, research, surveys and studies conducted by third
parties and our own internal estimates based on our management’s
knowledge and experience in the markets in which we operate. We did
not, directly or indirectly, sponsor or participate in the
publication of such materials, and these materials are not
incorporated in this annual report other than to the extent
specifically cited in this annual report. We have sought to provide
current information in this annual report and believe that the
statistics provided in this annual report remain up-to-date and
reliable, and these materials are not incorporated in this annual
report other than to the extent specifically cited in this annual
report.
SPECIAL CAUTIONARY NOTICE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
Certain matters discussed in this report may constitute
forward-looking statements for purposes of the Securities Act of
1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and involve
known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may
cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be
materially different from the future results, performance or
achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. The words “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,”
“believe,” “seek,” “estimate,” and similar expressions are intended
to identify such forward-looking statements. Our actual results may
differ materially from the results anticipated in these
forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including,
without limitation, those discussed under “Item 3. Key
Information—Risk Factors,” “Item 4. Information on the Company,”
“Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects,” and
elsewhere in this report, as well as factors which may be
identified from time to time in our other filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) or in the documents
where such forward-looking statements appear. All written or oral
forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly
qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements.
The forward-looking statements contained in this report reflect our
views and assumptions only as of the date this report is signed.
Except as required by law, we assume no responsibility for updating
any forward-looking statements.
EXPLANATORY
NOTE
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Please
carefully consider the risks discussed under “Item 3. Key
Information – D. Risk Factors” in this annual report beginning on
page 2. We provide the following disclosure to help investors
better understand our operations in China and the associated
risks.
AGM Group Holdings Inc., or AGM, is a holding company incorporated
in the British Virgin Islands, or the BVI. As a holding company
with no material operations, AGM conducts a substantial majority of
its operations through its subsidiaries established in the People’s
Republic of China, or the PRC or China. However, neither the
holding company nor any of the Company’s Chinese subsidiaries
conduct any operations through contractual arrangements with a
variable interest entity based in China. Investors in our Class A
ordinary shares should be aware that they may never directly hold
equity interests in the PRC operating entities, but rather
purchasing equity solely in AGM Group Holdings Inc., our BVI
holding company. Furthermore, shareholders may face difficulties
enforcing their legal rights under United States securities laws
against our directors and officers who are located outside of the
United States. See “Risk Factors – Risks Related to Doing
Business in China – Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal
system could adversely affect us” on page 17 of this annual
report.
Our equity structure is a direct holding structure. Within our
direct holding structure, the cross-border transfer of funds within
our corporate entities is legal and compliant with the laws and
regulations of the PRC. After the foreign investors’ funds enter
AGM, the funds can be directly transferred to the PRC operating
companies through its subsidiaries. Specifically, AGM is permitted
under the BVI laws to provide funding to our subsidiaries in the
PRC, Hong Kong and Singapore through loans or capital contributions
without restrictions on the amount of the funds, subject to
satisfaction of applicable government registration, approval and
filing requirements. Each of our subsidiaries in the Hong Kong and
Singapore is also permitted under the laws of Hong Kong and
Singapore to provide funding to AGM through dividend distribution
without restrictions on the amount of the funds. Current PRC
regulations permit our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to the
Company only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined
in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. As
of the date hereof, there have not been any transfers, dividends or
distributions made between the holding company, its subsidiaries,
and to investors. Furthermore, as of the date hereof, no cash
generated from one subsidiary is used to fund another subsidiary’s
operations and we do not anticipate any difficulties or limitations
on our ability to transfer cash between subsidiaries. We have also
not installed any cash management policies that dictate the amount
of such funds and how such funds are transferred. For the
foreseeable future, we intend to use the earnings for our business
operations and as a result, we do not intend to distribute earnings
or pay any cash dividends. See “Transfers of Cash to and from Our
Subsidiaries” on page vi of this annual report.
Because our operations are primarily located in the PRC and Hong
Kong through our subsidiaries, we are subject to certain legal and
operational risks associated with our operations in China,
including changes in the legal, political and economic policies of
the Chinese government, the relations between China and the United
States, or Chinese or United States regulations may materially and
adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of
operations. PRC laws and regulations governing our current business
operations are sometimes vague and uncertain, and therefore, these
risks may result in a material change in our operations and the
value of our Class A ordinary shares, or could significantly limit
or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer our
securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to
significantly decline or be worthless. Recently, the PRC government
initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate
business operations in China with little advance notice, including
cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market,
enhancing supervision over China-based companies listed overseas
using a variable interest entity structure, adopting new measures
to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding the
efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. We do not believe that
our subsidiaries are directly subject to these regulatory actions
or statements, as we have not implemented any monopolistic behavior
and our business does not involve the collection of user data or
implicate cybersecurity. As of the date hereof, no relevant laws or
regulations in the PRC explicitly require us to seek approval from
the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, or any
other PRC governmental authorities for future offerings, nor has
our BVI holding company or any of our subsidiaries received any
inquiry, notice, warning or sanctions regarding previous offerings
from the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities. However,
since these statements and regulatory actions by the PRC government
are newly published and official guidance and related
implementation rules have not been issued, it is highly uncertain
how soon legislative or administrative regulation making bodies
will respond and what existing or new laws or regulations or
detailed implementations and interpretations will be modified or
promulgated, if any, and the potential impact such modified or new
laws and regulations will have on our daily business operation, the
ability to accept foreign investments and list on an U.S. or other
foreign exchange. The Standing Committee of the National People’s
Congress, or the SCNPC, or other PRC regulatory authorities may in
the future promulgate laws, regulations or implementing rules that
requires our company or any of our subsidiaries to obtain
regulatory approval from Chinese authorities before future
offerings in the U.S. In other words, although the Company is
currently not required to obtain permission from any of the PRC
federal or local government to obtain such permission and has not
received any denial to list on the U.S. exchange, our operations
could be adversely affected, directly or indirectly; our ability to
offer, or continue to offer, securities to investors would be
potentially hindered and the value of our securities might
significantly decline or be worthless, by existing or future laws
and regulations relating to its business or industry or by
intervene or interruption by PRC governmental authorities, if we or
our subsidiaries (i) do not receive or maintain such permissions or
approvals, (ii) inadvertently conclude that such permissions or
approvals are not required, (iii) applicable laws, regulations, or
interpretations change and we are required to obtain such
permissions or approvals in the future, or (iv) any intervention or
interruption by PRC governmental with little advance notice.
Summary of Risk Factors
Investing in our Class A ordinary shares involves significant
risks. Below please find a summary of the principal risks we face,
organized under relevant headings. These risks are discussed more
fully under “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors”
beginning on page 2 of this annual report.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
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● |
Our
business could be materially harmed by the ongoing coronavirus
(COVID-19) pandemic (see “Risk Factors – Risks Related to Our
Business and Industry – The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely
impacted, and poses risks to, our business, the nature and extent
of which are highly uncertain and unpredictable” on page 7 of
this annual report); |
|
● |
We
might require additional capital to support business growth (see
“Risk Factors – Risks Related to Our Business and Industry – We
might require additional capital to support business growth, and
this capital might not be available on acceptable terms, if at
all” on page 7 of this annual report); |
|
● |
Unauthorized
disclosure of sensitive or confidential customer information or our
failure or the perception by our customers that we failed to comply
with privacy laws or properly address privacy concerns could harm
our business and standing with our customers (see “Risk Factors
– Risks Related to Our Business and Industry – Unauthorized
disclosure of sensitive or confidential customer information or our
failure or the perception by our customers that we failed to comply
with privacy laws or properly address privacy concerns could harm
our business and standing with our customers” on page 9 of this
annual report); |
|
● |
Our
bitcoin mining machine business faces a number of uncertainties in
technology, regulations and operations (see “Risk Factors –
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry – Significant
contributors to the bitcoin network could propose amendments to its
protocols and software which, if accepted and authorized, could
negatively impact our business and operations” on page 2 of
this annual report). |
Risks Related to Doing Business in China (for a
more detailed discussion, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk
Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China”
on page 13 of this annual report)
|
● |
We may rely on dividends paid by our subsidiaries
for our cash needs. Any limitation on the ability of our
subsidiaries to make dividend payments to us, or any tax
implications of making dividend payments to us, could limit our
ability to pay our parent company expenses or pay dividends to
holders of our Class A ordinary shares (see “Risk Factors – We
are a holding company, and will rely on dividends paid by our
subsidiaries for our cash needs. Any limitation on the ability of
our subsidiaries to make dividend payments to us, or any tax
implications of making dividend payments to us, could limit our
ability to pay our parent company expenses or pay dividends to
holders of our Class A ordinary shares” on page 13 of this
annual report); |
|
● |
The Chinese government exerts substantial
influence over the manner in which we must conduct our business
activities and may intervene or influence our operations at any
time with little advance notice, which could result in a material
change in our operations and the value of our Class A Ordinary
Shares (see “Risk Factors –The Chinese government exerts
substantial influence over the manner in which we must conduct our
business activities and may intervene or influence our operations
at any time with little advance notice, which could result in a
material change in our operations and the value of our Class A
Ordinary Shares” on page 14 of this annual report); |
|
● |
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
(see “Risk Factors – 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” on page 16 of this annual report); |
|
● |
China’s
legal system is evolving and has inherent uncertainties that could
limit the legal protection available to you (see “Risk Factors –
Risks Related to Doing Business in China – Uncertainties with
respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us” on
page 17 of this annual report); |
|
● |
We
may be exposed to liabilities under the Foreign Corrupt Practices
Act and Chinese anti-corruption law (see “Risk Factors – Risks
Related to Doing Business in China – We may be exposed to
liabilities under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Chinese
anti-corruption law” on page 20 of this annual
report); |
|
● |
The
regulation of Internet website operators in China is subject to
interpretation, and our operation of online trading platform and
education programs could be harmed if we are deemed to have
violated applicable laws and regulations (see “Risk Factors –
Risks Related to Doing Business in China – The regulation of
Internet website operators in China is subject to interpretation,
and our operation of online trading platform and education programs
could be harmed if we are deemed to have violated applicable laws
and regulations” on page 21 of this annual report); |
|
● |
The
recent joint statement by the SEC and the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (United States), or the “PCAOB,” proposed
rule changes submitted 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 the trading of our Class A
ordinary shares (see “Risk Factors – Risks Related to Doing
Business in China – The recent joint statement by the SEC and
PCAOB, proposed rule changes submitted 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 the trading of our Class A
ordinary shares” on page 24 of this annual report); |
|
● |
The
approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission may be
required in connection with future offerings, and, if required, we
cannot predict whether we will be able to obtain such approval (see
“Risk Factors – Risks Related to Doing Business in China – The
approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission may be
required in connection with future offerings, and, if required, we
cannot predict whether we will be able to obtain such approval”
on page 16 of this annual report); |
Risks Related to Our Capital Structure and Class A Ordinary
Shares China (for a more detailed discussion, see
“Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to
Doing Business in China” on page 13 of this annual
report)
|
● |
The
dual-class structure of our ordinary shares has the effect of
concentrating voting control with certain shareholders, including
our executive officers, employees and directors and their
affiliates, which will limit your ability to influence the outcome
of important transactions, including a change in control (see
“Risk Factors – Risks Related to Our Capital Structure and Class
A Ordinary Shares – The dual-class structure of our ordinary shares
has the effect of concentrating voting control with certain
shareholders, including our executive officers, employees and
directors and their affiliates, which will limit your ability to
influence the outcome of important transactions, including a change
in control” on page 25 of this annual report); |
|
● |
The
laws of the British Virgin Islands provide little protection for
minority shareholders, so minority shareholders will have little or
no recourse if they are dissatisfied with the conduct of our
affairs (see “Risk Factors – Risks Related to Our Capital
Structure and Class A Ordinary Shares – The laws of the British
Virgin Islands provide little protection for minority shareholders,
so minority shareholders will have little or no recourse if they
are dissatisfied with the conduct of our affairs” on page 25 of
this annual report); |
|
● |
The
market price of our Class A ordinary shares may be volatile or may
decline regardless of our operating performance (see “Risk
Factors – Risks Related to Our Capital Structure and Class A
Ordinary Shares – The trading price of our Class A Ordinary Shares
has been, and is likely to continue to be, volatile; you might not
be able to sell your shares at or above the price that you paid for
them and we may not be able to stop the decline of our stock
price” on page 26 of this annual report); |
|
● |
The
exercise of the warrants issued on December 14, 2021 may further
dilute the Class A ordinary shares and adversely impact the price
of our Class A ordinary shares (see “Risk Factors – Risks
Related to Our Capital Structure and Class A Ordinary Shares – The
exercise of the warrants issued on December 14, 2021 may further
dilute the ordinary shares and adversely impact the price of our
Class A ordinary shares” on page 28 of this annual
report). |
Legal and Operational Risks of Operating in the PRC
Because our operations are primarily located in the PRC and Hong
Kong through our subsidiaries, we are subject to certain legal and
operational risks associated with our operations in China,
including changes in the legal, political and economic policies of
the Chinese government, the relations between China and the United
States, or Chinese or United States regulations may materially and
adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of
operations. PRC laws and regulations governing our current business
operations are sometimes vague and uncertain, and therefore, these
risks may result in a material change in our operations and the
value of our Class A ordinary shares, or could significantly limit
or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer our
securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to
significantly decline or be worthless. Recently, the PRC government
initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate
business operations in China with little advance notice, including
cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market,
enhancing supervision over China-based companies listed overseas
using a variable interest entity structure, adopting new measures
to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding the
efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. We do not believe that
our subsidiaries are directly subject to these regulatory actions
or statements, as we have not implemented any monopolistic behavior
and our business does not involve the collection of user data or
implicate cybersecurity. As of the date of this annual report, no
relevant laws or regulations in the PRC explicitly require us to
seek approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or
the CSRC, or any other PRC governmental authorities for future
offerings, nor has our BVI holding company or any of our
subsidiaries received any inquiry, notice, warning or sanctions
regarding previous offerings from the CSRC or any other PRC
governmental authorities. However, since these statements and
regulatory actions by the PRC government are newly published and
official guidance and related implementation rules have not been
issued, it is highly uncertain how soon legislative or
administrative regulation making bodies will respond and what
existing or new laws or regulations or detailed implementations and
interpretations will be modified or promulgated, if any, and the
potential impact such modified or new laws and regulations will
have on our daily business operation, the ability to accept foreign
investments and list on an U.S. or other foreign exchange. The
Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, or the SCNPC,
or other PRC regulatory authorities may in the future promulgate
laws, regulations or implementing rules that requires our company
or any of our subsidiaries to obtain regulatory approval from
Chinese authorities before future offerings in the U.S.
For a more detailed discussion, see “Risk Factors – Risks
Related to Doing Business in China” beginning on page 13 of
this annual report.
Transfers of Cash to and from Our Subsidiaries
AGM Group Holdings Inc. is a holding company with no operations of
its own. We conduct our operations in China and Hong Kong primarily
through our subsidiaries in China, Hong Kong SAR and Singapore. We
may rely on dividends to be paid by our subsidiaries in Singapore,
China and Hong Kong SAR to fund our cash and financing
requirements, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and
other cash distributions to our shareholders, to service any debt
we may incur and to pay our operating expenses. If our subsidiaries
incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments
governing the debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends or
make other distributions to us.
Our equity structure is a direct holding structure. Within our
direct holding structure, the cross-border transfer of funds within
our corporate entities is legal and compliant with the laws and
regulations of the PRC. After the foreign investors’ funds enter
AGM, the funds can be directly transferred to the PRC operating
companies through its subsidiaries. Specifically, AGM Group
Holdings Inc. is permitted under the BVI laws to provide funding to
our subsidiaries in Singapore, China and Hong Kong SAR through
loans or capital contributions without restrictions on the amount
of the funds, subject to satisfaction of applicable government
registration, approval and filing requirements. AGM Defi Tech
Limited and AGM Technology Limited are also permitted under the
laws of Hong Kong to provide funding to AGM Group Holdings Inc.
through dividend distribution without restrictions on the amount of
the funds. As of the date hereof, there have not been any
transfers, dividends or distributions made between the holding
company, its subsidiaries, and to investors.
We currently intend to retain all available funds and future
earnings, if any, for the operation and expansion of our business
and do not anticipate declaring or paying any dividends in the
foreseeable future. Any future determination related to our
dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our Board of
Directors after considering our financial condition, results of
operations, capital requirements, contractual requirements,
business prospects and other factors the Board of Directors deems
relevant, and subject to the restrictions contained in any future
financing instruments.
Subject to the BVI Business Companies Act and our bylaws, our Board
of Directors may authorize and declare a dividend to shareholders
at such time and of such an amount as they think fit if they are
satisfied, on reasonable grounds, that immediately following the
dividend the value of our assets will exceed our liabilities and we
will be able to pay our debts as they become due.
Under the current practice of the Inland Revenue Department of
Hong Kong, no tax is payable in Hong Kong in respect of
dividends paid by us. The laws and regulations of the PRC do not
currently have any material impact on transfer of cash from AGM
Group Holdings Inc. to AGM Defi Tech Limited and AGM Technology
Limited, or from AGM Defi Tech Limited and AGM Technology Limited
to AGM Group Holdings Inc. There are no restrictions or limitation
under the laws of Hong Kong imposed on the conversion of HK dollar
into foreign currencies and the remittance of currencies out of
Hong Kong or across borders and to U.S investors.
Current PRC regulations permit our PRC subsidiaries to pay
dividends to AGM Defi Tech Limited and AGM Technology Limited only
out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance
with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition,
each of our subsidiaries in China is required to set aside at least
10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory
reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital.
Each of such entity in China is also required to further set aside
a portion of its after-tax profits to fund the employee welfare
fund, although the amount to be set aside, if any, is determined at
the discretion of its board of directors. Although the statutory
reserves can be used, among other ways, to increase the registered
capital and eliminate future losses in excess of retained earnings
of the respective companies, the reserve funds are not
distributable as cash dividends except in the event of
liquidation.
To address persistent capital outflows and the RMB’s depreciation
against the U.S. dollar in the fourth quarter of 2016, the People’s
Bank of China and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or
SAFE, have implemented a series of capital control measures in the
subsequent months, including stricter vetting procedures for
China-based companies to remit foreign currency for overseas
acquisitions, dividend payments and shareholder loan repayments.
The PRC government may continue to strengthen its capital controls
and our PRC subsidiaries’ dividends and other distributions may be
subject to tightened scrutiny in the future. The PRC government
also imposes controls on the conversion of RMB into foreign
currencies and the remittance of currencies out of the PRC.
Therefore, we may experience difficulties in completing the
administrative procedures necessary to obtain and remit foreign
currency for the payment of dividends from our profits, if any.
Furthermore, if our subsidiaries in the PRC incur debt on their own
in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict
their ability to pay dividends or make other payments. If we or our
subsidiaries are unable to receive all of the revenues from our
operations, we may be unable to pay dividends on our Class A
ordinary shares.
Cash dividends, if any, on our Class A ordinary shares will be paid
in U.S. dollars. If we are considered a PRC tax resident enterprise
for tax purposes, any dividends we pay to our overseas shareholders
may be regarded as China-sourced income and as a result may be
subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of up to 10.0%.
In order for us to pay dividends to our shareholders, we will rely
on payments made from our PRC subsidiaries, i.e., Beijing Keen
Sense Technology Service Co., Ltd. to AGM Defi Tech Limited, AGM
Tianjing Construction Development Co., Ltd. and Nanjing Lucun
Semiconductor Co., Ltd. to AGM Technology Limited, and from AGM
Defi Tech Limited and AGM Technology Limited to AGM Group Holdings
Inc. Certain payments from our PRC subsidiaries in Hong Kong are
subject to PRC taxes, including business taxes and VAT. As of the
date hereof, our PRC subsidiaries have not made any transfers or
distributions. As of the date hereof, no cash or asset transfers
have occurred among the Company and its subsidiaries. We do not
expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
Furthermore, as of the date hereof, no cash generated from one
subsidiary is used to fund another subsidiary’s operations and we
do not anticipate any difficulties or limitations on our ability to
transfer cash between subsidiaries. We have also not installed any
cash management policies that dictate the amount of such funds and
how such funds are transferred.
Implications of Holding Foreign Company Accountable Act
On March 24, 2021, the SEC adopted interim final rules relating to
the implementation of certain disclosure and documentation
requirements of the HFCAA. An identified issuer will be required to
comply with these rules if the SEC identifies it as having a
“non-inspection” year under a process to be subsequently
established by the SEC. In June 2021, the Senate passed the
Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which, if
signed into law, would reduce the time period for the delisting of
foreign companies under the HFCAA to two consecutive years instead
of three years. If our auditor cannot be inspected by the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board, or the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), for two consecutive years,
the trading of our securities on any U.S. national securities
exchanges, as well as any over-the-counter trading in the U.S.,
will be prohibited. 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 PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely
registered public accounting firms located in a foreign
jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities
in that jurisdiction. On December 2, 2021, the SEC issued
amendments to finalize rules implementing the submission and
disclosure requirements in the HFCA Act. The rules apply to
registrants that the SEC identifies as having filed an annual
report with an audit report issued by a registered public
accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that
PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a
position taken by an authority in foreign jurisdictions. On
December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report on its determinations
that it is unable to inspect or investigate completely
PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland
China and in Hong Kong, because of positions taken by PRC
authorities in those jurisdictions.
Each of JLKZ CPA LLP, the independent registered public accounting
firm that issues the audit report for the fiscal years ended
December 31, 2020 and 2019 included elsewhere in this annual
report, and TPS Thayer LLC, the independent registered public
account firm that issued the audit report for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2021 included elsewhere in this annual report, as an
auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States
and a firm registered with the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the
United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular
inspections to assess such auditor’s compliance with the applicable
professional standards. JLKZ CPA LLP is headquartered in Flushing,
New York, and is subject to inspection by the PCAOB on a regular
basis. TPS Thayer LLC is headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, and is
subject to inspection by the PCAOB on a regular basis. Therefore,
we believe JLKZ CPA LLP and TPS Thayer LLC are not subject to the
determinations as to the inability to inspect or investigate
registered firms completely announced by the PCAOB on December 16,
2021. However, as more stringent criteria have been imposed by the
SEC and the PCAOB, recently, which would add uncertainties to
future offerings, and 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. See “The recent joint statement by the SEC and
PCAOB, proposed rule changes submitted 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 the trading of our Class A
ordinary shares” on page 22 of this annual report.
PRC Regulatory Permissions
We and our operating subsidiaries currently have received all
material permissions and approvals required for our operations in
compliance with the relevant PRC laws and regulations in the PRC,
including the business licenses of our operating subsidiaries.
The business license is a permit issued by Administration for
Market Regulation that allows the company to conduct specific
business within the government’s geographical jurisdiction. Each of
our PRC subsidiaries has received its business license. As of the
date hereof, except for the business licenses mentioned here, AGM
Group Holdings Inc. and our PRC subsidiaries are not required to
obtain any other permissions or approvals from any Chinese
authorities to operate the business. However, applicable laws and
regulations may be tightened, and new laws or regulations may be
introduced to impose additional government approval, license, and
permit requirements. If we or our subsidiaries fail to obtain and
maintain such approvals, licenses, or permits required for our
business, inadvertently conclude that such approval is not
required, or respond to changes in the regulatory environment, we
or our subsidiaries could be subject to liabilities, penalties, and
operational disruption, which may materially and adversely affect
our business, operating results, financial condition and the value
of our Class A ordinary shares, significantly limit or completely
hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to
investors, or cause such securities to significantly decline in
value or become worthless.
On August 8, 2006, six PRC regulatory agencies jointly adopted
the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises
by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, which came into effect
on September 8, 2006 and were amended on June 22, 2009.
The M&A Rules requires that an offshore special purpose vehicle
formed for overseas listing purposes and controlled directly or
indirectly by PRC Citizens shall obtain the approval of the China
Securities Regulatory Commission prior to overseas listing and
trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas
stock exchange. Based on our understanding of the Chinese laws and
regulations in effect at the time of this annual report, we will
not be required to submit an application to the CSRC for its
approval of future offerings and the trading of Class A ordinary
shares on the Nasdaq under the M&A Rules. However, there
remains some uncertainty as to how the M&A Rules will be
interpreted or implemented, and the requirement standard may change
when new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations
and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules are
installed. We cannot assure you that relevant Chinese government
agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion.
Recently, the General Office of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State
Council jointly issued the Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down on
Illegal Securities Activities, which were made available to the
public on July 6, 2021. The Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down on
Illegal Securities Activities emphasized the need to strengthen the
administration over illegal securities activities, and the need to
strengthen the supervision over overseas listings by Chinese
companies. Pursuant to the Opinions, Chinese regulators are
required to accelerate rulemaking related to the overseas issuance
and listing of securities, and update the existing laws and
regulations related to data security, cross-border data flow, and
management of confidential information. Numerous regulations,
guidelines and other measures are expected to be adopted under the
umbrella of or in addition to the Cybersecurity Law and Data
Security Law. As of the date hereof, no official guidance or
related implementation rules have been issued. As a result, the
Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities
remain unclear on how they will be interpreted, amended and
implemented by the relevant PRC governmental authorities.
On December 24, 2021, the CSRC, together with other relevant
government authorities in China issued the Provisions of the State
Council on the Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and
Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments), and the
Measures for the Filing of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing
by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments) (“Draft Overseas Listing
Regulations”). The Draft Overseas Listing Regulations requires that
a PRC domestic enterprise seeking to issue and list its shares
overseas (“Overseas Issuance and Listing”) shall complete the
filing procedures of and submit the relevant information to CSRC.
The Overseas Issuance and Listing includes direct and indirect
issuance and listing. Where an enterprise whose principal business
activities are conducted in PRC seeks to issue and list its shares
in the name of an overseas enterprise (“Overseas Issuer”) on the
basis of the equity, assets, income or other similar rights and
interests of the relevant PRC domestic enterprise, such activities
shall be deemed an indirect overseas issuance and listing (“
Indirect Overseas Issuance and Listing”) under the Draft Overseas
Listing Regulations. Therefore, future offerings could be deemed an
Indirect Overseas Issuance and Listing under the Draft Overseas
Listing Regulations. As such, the Company would be required to
complete the filing procedures of and submit the relevant
information to CSRC after the Draft Overseas Listing Regulations
become effective.
On December 28, 2021, the CAC and other relevant PRC governmental
authorities jointly promulgated the Cybersecurity Review Measures
(the “new Cybersecurity Review Measures”) which took effect on
February 15, 2022 and replaced the original Cybersecurity Review
Measures. Pursuant to the new Cybersecurity Review Measures, if
critical information infrastructure operators purchase network
products and services, or network platform operators conduct data
processing activities that affect or may affect national security,
they will be subject to cybersecurity review. A network platform
operator holding more than one million users/users’ individual
information also shall be subject to cybersecurity review before
listing abroad. The cybersecurity review will evaluate, among
others, the risk of critical information infrastructure, core data,
important data, or a large amount of personal information being
influenced, controlled or maliciously used by foreign governments
and risk of network data security after going public overseas.
We believe that neither we nor our subsidiaries are currently
required to obtain permission from any of the PRC authorities to
operate and issue our Class A ordinary shares to foreign investors,
or required to obtain permission or approval from the CSRC,
Cyberspace Administration of China (“CAC”) or any other
governmental agency. Recently, however, the General Office of the
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General
Office of the State Council jointly issued the “Opinions on
Severely Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities According
to Law,” or the “Opinions,” which were made available to the public
on July 6, 2021. The Opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the
administration over illegal securities activities and the need to
strengthen the supervision over overseas listings by Chinese
companies. Effective measures, such as promoting the construction
of relevant regulatory systems, will be taken to deal with the
risks and incidents of China-concept overseas listed companies,
cybersecurity, data privacy protection requirements, and similar
matters. The Opinions and any related implementing rules to be
enacted may subject us to compliance requirements in the future.
Given the current regulatory environment in the PRC, we are still
subject to the uncertainty of different interpretation and
enforcement of the rules and regulations in the PRC adverse to us,
which may take place quickly with little advance notice. See
“The Opinions recently issued by the General Office of the
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General
Office of the State Council may subject us to additional compliance
requirement in the future” on page 24 of this annual
report.
We believe that we will not be subject to the Cybersecurity Review
Measures that became effective on February 15, 2022 under the CAC,
because we currently do not have over one million users’ personal
information and do not anticipate that we will be collecting over
one million users’ personal information in the foreseeable future,
which we understand might otherwise subject us to the Cybersecurity
Review Measures. We are also not subject to network data security
review by the CAC if the Draft Regulations on the Network Data
Security Administration are enacted as proposed, since we currently
do not have over one million users’ personal information and do not
collect data that affects or may affect national security and we do
not anticipate that we will be collecting over one million users’
personal information or data that affects or may affect national
security in the foreseeable future, which we understand might
otherwise subject us to the Security Administration Draft.
Moreover, we believe that no relevant laws or regulations in the
PRC explicitly requires us to seek approval from the China
Securities Regulatory Commission for our overseas listing plan. As
of the date of this annual report, we and our PRC subsidiaries have
not received any inquiry, notice, warning, or sanctions regarding
our planned overseas listing from the China Securities Regulatory
Commission or any other PRC governmental authorities. However,
since these statements and regulatory actions by the PRC government
are newly published and official guidance and related
implementation rules have not been issued, it is highly uncertain
how soon legislative or administrative regulation making bodies
will respond and what existing or new laws or regulations or
detailed implementations and interpretations will be modified or
promulgated, if any, and the potential impact such modified or new
laws and regulations will have on our daily business operation, the
ability to accept foreign investments and list on an U.S. or other
foreign exchange. The Standing Committee of the National People’s
Congress, or the SCNPC, or other PRC regulatory authorities may in
the future promulgate laws, regulations or implementing rules that
requires our company or any of our subsidiaries to obtain
regulatory approval from Chinese authorities before future
offerings in the U.S. In other words, although the Company is
currently not required to obtain permission from any of the PRC
federal or local government to obtain such permission and has not
received any denial to list on the U.S. exchange, our operations
could be adversely affected, directly or indirectly; our ability to
offer, or continue to offer, securities to investors would be
potentially hindered and the value of our securities might
significantly decline or be worthless, by existing or future laws
and regulations relating to its business or industry or by
intervene or interruption by PRC governmental authorities, if we or
our subsidiaries (i) do not receive or maintain such permissions or
approvals, (ii) inadvertently conclude that such permissions or
approvals are not required, (iii) applicable laws, regulations, or
interpretations change and we are required to obtain such
permissions or approvals in the future, or (iv) any intervention or
interruption by PRC governmental with little advance notice. For
more details, see “Risk Factors – Risks Related to Doing
Business in China – The Chinese government exerts substantial
influence over the manner in which we must conduct our business
activities. We are currently not required to obtain approval from
Chinese authorities to list on U.S exchanges, however, if our
subsidiaries or the holding company were required to obtain
approval in the future and were denied permission from Chinese
authorities to list on U.S. exchanges, we will not be able to
continue listing on U.S. exchange, which would materially affect
the interest of the investors” on page 14 of this annual
report.
As of the date hereof, we and our PRC subsidiaries
have received from PRC authorities all requisite licenses,
permissions or approvals needed to engage in the businesses
currently conducted in China, and no permission or
approval has been denied. The following table provides details
on the licenses and permissions held by our PRC subsidiaries.
Approval |
|
Recipient |
|
Issuing
body |
|
Validity |
Business
License |
|
Beijing
Keen Sense Technology Service Co., Ltd. |
|
Beijing
Municipal Administration for Market Regulation |
|
October
20, 2051 |
Business
License |
|
AGM
Tianjing Construction Development Co., Ltd. |
|
Tianjing
Municipal Administration for Market Regulation |
|
October
12, 2065 |
Business
License |
|
Nanjing
Lucun Semiconductor Co., Ltd. |
|
Nanjing
Municipal Administration for Market Regulation |
|
Indefinite |
Business
License |
|
Beijing
AnGaoMeng Technology Service Co., Ltd. |
|
Beijing
Municipal Administration for Market Regulation |
|
November
12, 2035 |
PART I
Item 1.
Identity of Directors, Senior Management and
Advisers
Not applicable for annual reports on Form 20-F.
Item 2.
Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable
Not applicable for annual reports on Form 20-F.
Item 3.
Key Information
A. Selected Financial Data
The following table presents the selected consolidated financial
information for our company. The selected consolidated statements
of operations and comprehensive income (loss) data for the three
years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, and the selected
consolidated balance sheets data as of December 31, 2021 and 2020
have been derived from our audited consolidated financial
statements, which are included in this annual report beginning on
page F-1. Our historical results do not necessarily indicate
results expected for any future periods. The selected consolidated
financial data should be read in conjunction with, and are
qualified in their entirety by reference to, our audited
consolidated financial statements and related notes and
“Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” below.
Our audited consolidated financial statements are prepared and
presented in accordance with US GAAP.
(All amounts in U.S. dollars, except Dividend per share in Renminbi
and Shares outstanding)
|
|
For the Years Ended December 31, |
|
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
Statement of operation data: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenues, net |
|
$ |
36,709,931 |
|
|
$ |
53,305 |
|
|
$ |
330,000 |
|
Gross profit |
|
$ |
6,597,568 |
|
|
$ |
14,771 |
|
|
$ |
286,944 |
|
Operating expenses |
|
$ |
1,643,710 |
|
|
$ |
1,027,920 |
|
|
$ |
1,496,818 |
|
Income (loss) from operations |
|
$ |
4,953,858 |
|
|
$ |
(1,013,149 |
) |
|
$ |
(1,209,874 |
) |
Other non-operating income/(expense),
net |
|
$ |
3,996 |
|
|
$ |
(7,656 |
) |
|
$ |
(211,422 |
) |
Provision for income taxes
expenses |
|
$ |
(1,406,159 |
) |
|
$ |
(76,343 |
) |
|
$ |
(64,615 |
) |
Net income/(loss) from continued
operations |
|
$ |
3,551,695 |
|
|
$ |
(1,097,148 |
) |
|
$ |
(1,485,911 |
) |
Net gain (loss) from discontinued
operations |
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
25,500 |
|
|
$ |
(76,944 |
) |
Continued income/(loss) per share, basic |
|
$ |
0.17 |
|
|
$ |
(0.05 |
) |
|
$ |
(0.07 |
) |
Continued income/(loss) per share, diluted |
|
|
0.17 |
|
|
|
(0.05 |
) |
|
|
(0.07 |
) |
Discontinued income/(loss) per share, basic |
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
0.00 |
|
|
$ |
(0.00 |
) |
Discontinued income/(loss) per share, diluted |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
0.00 |
|
|
|
(0.00 |
) |
Weighted average Class A ordinary
shares outstanding, basic |
|
$ |
21,491,291 |
|
|
$ |
21,787,892 |
|
|
$ |
21,298,540 |
|
Weighted average Class A ordinary
shares outstanding, diluted |
|
|
21,511,469 |
|
|
|
21,787,892 |
|
|
|
21,298,540 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance sheet
data: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current assets |
|
$ |
87,319,271 |
|
|
$ |
6,202,131 |
|
|
$ |
7,305,317 |
|
Total assets |
|
$ |
88,020,889 |
|
|
$ |
6,231,564 |
|
|
$ |
14,514,013 |
|
Current liabilities |
|
$ |
62,819,301 |
|
|
$ |
2,538,955 |
|
|
$ |
2,662,888 |
|
Total liabilities |
|
$ |
62,967,113 |
|
|
$ |
2,538,955 |
|
|
$ |
2,662,888 |
|
Total equity |
|
$ |
25,053,776 |
|
|
$ |
3,692,610 |
|
|
$ |
11,851,125 |
|
B. Capitalization and Indebtedness
Not applicable for annual reports on Form 20-F.
C. Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds
Not applicable for annual reports on Form 20-F.
D. Risk Factors
Risks Related to Our
Business and Industry
We have a limited operating history in a new and evolving
market, which makes it difficult to evaluate our future
prospects.
The software industry is developing rapidly. The regulatory
framework for this market is also evolving and may remain uncertain
for the foreseeable future. Potential users may have difficulty
distinguishing our services from those of our competitors.
Convincing potential new users of the value of our services is
critical to the success of our business.
Our company was incorporated on April 27, 2015 and have a limited
operating history. As our business develops or in response to
competition, we may continue to introduce new features or make
adjustments to our existing services and our business model. Any
significant change to our business model may not achieve expected
results and may have a material and adverse impact on our financial
conditions and results of operations. It is therefore difficult to
effectively assess our future prospects. You should consider our
business and prospects in light of the risks and challenges we
encounter or may encounter in this developing and rapidly evolving
market. These risks and challenges include our ability to, among
other things:
|
● |
navigate
an evolving regulatory environment; |
|
|
|
|
● |
expand
the user base; |
|
|
|
|
● |
broaden
our services; |
|
|
|
|
● |
increase
awareness of our brand and continue to develop customer
loyalty; |
|
● |
enhance
our risk management capabilities; |
|
|
|
|
● |
raise
sufficient capital to sustain and expand our business; |
|
|
|
|
● |
attract,
retain and motivate qualified personnel; |
|
|
|
|
● |
upgrade
our technology to support additional research and development of
new services; |
|
|
|
|
● |
improve
our operational efficiency; |
|
|
|
|
● |
cultivate
a vibrant online social trading system; |
|
|
|
|
● |
maintain
the security of our platform and the confidentiality of the
information provided and utilized across our platform; |
|
|
|
|
● |
attract,
retain and motivate talented employees; and |
|
|
|
|
● |
defend
ourselves against litigation, regulatory, intellectual property,
privacy or other claims. |
If we fail to educate potential users about the value of our
software, if the software market does not develop as we expect, or
if we fail to address the needs of our target market, or other
risks and challenges, our business and results of operations will
be harmed.
Significant contributors to the bitcoin network could propose
amendments to its protocols and software which, if accepted and
authorized, could negatively impact our business and
operations.
A small group of individuals contribute to the Bitcoin Core Project
on GitHub.com, which is a leading source of quasi-governance that
works to ensure that the bitcoin blockchain remains decentralized
and governed by consensus. According to its website, “Bitcoin Core
is an open source project which maintains and releases Bitcoin
client software called ‘Bitcoin Core.’ It is a direct descendant of
the original Bitcoin software client released by Satoshi Nakamoto
after he published the famous Bitcoin whitepaper.” Bitcoin Core is
powered by an open-source development community, but it is
maintained by a small group of maintainers and leading
contributors.
This group of contributors is currently headed by Wladimir J. van
der Laan, the current lead maintainer. These individuals can
propose refinements or improvements 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. Proposals for upgrades
and discussions relating thereto take place on online forums. For
example, there is an ongoing debate regarding altering the
blockchain by increasing the size of blocks to accommodate a larger
volume of transactions.
The open-source structure of the bitcoin network protocol may
result in inconsistent and perhaps even ineffective changes to the
bitcoin protocol. Failed upgrades or maintenance to the protocol
could damage the bitcoin network, which could adversely affect our
business and the results of our operations.
The bitcoin network operates based on an open-source protocol
maintained by contributors, largely on the Bitcoin Core project on
GitHub. As an open source project, bitcoin is not represented by an
official organization or authority. As the bitcoin network protocol
is not sold and its use does not generate revenues for
contributors, contributors are generally not compensated for
maintaining and updating the bitcoin network protocol. Although the
MIT Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative funds the current
maintainer Wladimir J. van der Laan, among others, this type of
financial incentive is not typical. The lack of guaranteed
financial incentive for contributors to maintain or develop the
bitcoin network and the lack of guaranteed resources to adequately
address emerging issues with the bitcoin network may reduce
incentives to address the issues adequately or in a timely manner.
Changes to a digital asset network which we sell mining machine on
may adversely affect an investment in us.
If demand for bitcoin declines, or if another cryptocurrency
replaces bitcoin as the most prominent cryptocurrency, our business
and the results of our operations could suffer
materially.
Although bitcoin is presently the most prominent cryptocurrency, it
is possible that another cryptocurrency could supplant it as the
most prominent cryptocurrency, which could have a materially
negative effect of the demand for bitcoin and, therefore, on its
conversion spot price. Alternatively, the demand for bitcoin may
fall for other reasons unknown to the Company.
Our ability to adopt technology in response to changing
security needs or trends poses a challenge to the safekeeping of
our digital assets.
The history of digital asset exchanges has shown that exchanges and
large holders of digital assets must adapt to technological change
in order to secure and safeguard their digital assets. We rely on
third party storage solutions and “cold storage” of our digital
wallets to safeguard our digital assets from theft, loss,
destruction or other issues relating to hackers and technological
attack; however, malicious actors may be able to intercept our
digital assets in the process of selling them. Further, we may move
our digital assets to various exchanges to exchange them for fiat
currency, which will require us to rely on the security protocols
of these exchanges to safeguard our digital assets. While these
exchanges purport to be secure, and while we believe them to be so,
no security system is perfect and malicious actors may be able to
intercept our digital assets while we are in the process of selling
them via such exchanges. Given the growth in their size and their
relatively unregulated nature, we believe these exchanges will
become a more appealing target for malicious actors. To the extent
we are unable to identify and mitigate or stop new security
threats, our machines may be subject to theft, loss, destruction or
other attack, which could adversely affect an investment in
us.
We have an evolving business model which is subject to
various uncertainties.
As bitcoin assets may become more widely available, we expect the
services and products associated with them to evolve. In order to
stay current with the industry, our business model may need to
evolve as well. From time to time, we may modify aspects of our
business model relating to our strategy. We cannot offer any
assurance that these or any other modifications will be successful
or will not result in harm to our business. We may not be able to
manage growth effectively, which could damage our reputation, limit
our growth and negatively affect our operating results. Further, we
cannot provide any assurance that we will successfully identify all
emerging trends and growth opportunities in this business sector,
and we may lose out on those opportunities. Such circumstances
could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects or
operations.
The development and acceptance of cryptographic and
algorithmic protocols governing the issuance of and transactions in
cryptocurrencies is subject to a variety of factors that are
difficult to evaluate.
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 bitcoin assets based upon a
computer-generated mathematical and/or cryptographic protocol.
Large-scale acceptance of cryptocurrencies 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. The factors include, but are not limited to:
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continued
worldwide growth in the adoption and use of cryptocurrencies as a
medium to exchange; |
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governmental
and quasi-governmental regulation of cryptocurrencies and their
use, or restrictions on or regulation of access to and operation of
the network or similar bitcoin systems; |
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changes
in consumer demographics and public tastes and
preferences; |
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the
maintenance and development of the open-source software protocol of
the network; |
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the
increased consolidation of contributors to the bitcoin blockchain
through mining pools; |
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the
availability and popularity of other forms or methods of buying and
selling goods and services, including new means of using fiat
currencies; |
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the
use of the networks supporting cryptocurrencies for developing
smart contracts and distributed applications; |
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general
economic conditions and the regulatory environment relating to
cryptocurrencies; and |
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negative
consumer sentiment and perception of bitcoin specifically and
cryptocurrencies generally. |
The outcome of these factors could have negative effects 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 as well as potentially negative
effect on the value of any bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies we
mine or otherwise acquire or hold for our own account, which would
harm investors in our securities.
Banks and financial institutions may not provide banking
services, or may cut off services, to businesses that engage in
bitcoin-related activities or that accept cryptocurrencies as
payment, including financial institutions of investors in our
securities.
A number of companies that engage in bitcoin and/or other
bitcoin-related activities have been unable to find banks or
financial institutions that are willing to provide them with bank
accounts and other services. Similarly, a number of companies and
individuals or businesses associated with cryptocurrencies may have
had and may continue to have their existing bank accounts closed or
services discontinued with financial institutions in response to
government action, particularly in China, where regulatory response
to cryptocurrencies has been to exclude their use for ordinary
consumer transactions within its jurisdiction.
Subject to such restrictions, we also may be unable to obtain or
maintain these services for our business. The difficulty that many
businesses that provide bitcoin and/or derivatives on other
bitcoin-related activities have and may continue to have in finding
banks and financial institutions willing to provide them services
may be decreasing the usefulness of cryptocurrencies as a payment
system and harming public perception of cryptocurrencies and could
decrease their usefulness and harm their public perception in the
future.
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 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 products
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 a cryptocurrency known as “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 products. Our marketing
efforts to help grow our business may not be effective.
If our marketing efforts are not successful in promoting awareness
of our clients, or if we are not able to cost-effectively manage
our marketing expenses, our results of operations could be
adversely affected. If our marketing efforts are successful in
increasing awareness of our business, this could also lead to
increased public scrutiny of our business and increase the
likelihood of third parties bringing legal proceedings against us.
Any of the foregoing risks could harm our business, financial
condition and results of operations.
Acceptance and/or widespread use of bitcoin is
uncertain.
Currently, there is a relatively limited use of any bitcoin in the
retail and commercial marketplace, thus contributing to price
volatility that could adversely affect an investment in our
securities. Banks and other established financial institutions may
refuse to process funds for bitcoin transactions, process wire
transfers to or from bitcoin exchanges, bitcoin-related companies
or service providers, or maintain accounts for persons or entities
transacting in bitcoin. Conversely, a significant portion of
bitcoin demand is generated by investors seeking a long-term store
of value or speculators seeking to profit from the short- or
long-term holding of the asset. Price volatility undermines any
bitcoin’s role as a medium of exchange, as retailers are much less
likely to accept it as a form of payment. Market capitalization for
a bitcoin as a medium of exchange and payment method may always be
low.
The relative lack of acceptance of bitcoins in the retail and
commercial marketplace, or a reduction of such use, limits the
ability of end users to use them to pay for goods and services.
Such lack of acceptance or decline in acceptances 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.
The development and acceptance of competing blockchain
platforms or technologies may cause consumers to use alternative
distributed ledgers or other alternatives.
The development and acceptance of competing blockchain platforms or
technologies may cause consumers to use alternative distributed
ledgers or an alternative to distributed ledgers altogether. Our
business utilizes presently existent digital ledgers and
blockchains and we could face difficulty adapting to emergent
digital ledgers, blockchains, or alternatives thereto. This may
adversely affect us and our exposure to various blockchain
technologies and prevent us from realizing the anticipated profits
from our investments. Such circumstances could have a material
adverse effect on our ability to continue as a going concern or to
pursue our business strategy at all, which could have a material
adverse effect on our business, prospects or operations.
We may not adequately respond to price fluctuations and
rapidly changing technology, which may negatively affect our
business.
Competitive conditions within the bitcoin industry require that we
use sophisticated technology in the operation of our business. The
industry for blockchain technology is characterized by rapid
technological changes, new product introductions, enhancements and
evolving industry standards. New technologies, techniques or
products could emerge that might offer better performance than the
software and other technologies we currently utilize, and we may
have to manage transitions to these new technologies to remain
competitive. We may not be successful, generally or relative to our
competitors in the bitcoin industry, in timely implementing new
technology into our systems, or doing so in a cost-effective
manner. During the course of implementing any such new technology
into our operations, we may experience system interruptions and
failures during such implementation. Furthermore, there can be no
assurances that we will recognize, in a timely manner or at all,
the benefits that we may expect as a result of our implementing new
technology into our operations. As a result, our business and
operations may suffer, and there may be adverse effects on the
price of our common stock.
We are dependent on our major customers for the majority of
our revenues. The loss of one or more significant customers could
adversely affect our financial condition, prospects and results of
operations.
For the year ended December 31, 2021, we had seven major customers,
which accounted for an aggregate of 88.98% of total revenue. For
the year ended December 31, 2020, we had one major customer that
accounted for all of the total revenues. If we were to lose any key
alliances over a relatively short period of time or if one of our
largest customers fails to pay or delays in paying a significant
amount of our outstanding receivables, we could experience an
adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of
operations, cash flows and prospects. Additionally, changes in
ownership of our customers may result in the loss of, or reduction
in, business from those customers, which could materially and
adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of
operations and prospects.
We are dependent on a limited number of suppliers, and delays in
deliveries or increases in the cost could harm our business,
results of operations and financial condition.
Our ability to meet our customers’ demand for our service depends
upon obtaining adequate supplies on a timely basis. We have
established relationships with a limited number of suppliers. For
the year ended December 31, 2021, we had three major suppliers,
which accounted for an aggregate of 98.49% of total cost of
revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2020, we only had one
supplier, which accounted for all of our cost of revenue. Should
any of our current suppliers be unable to deliver their service or
otherwise fail to deliver in a timely manner and at acceptable
prices and quality, we would have to identify and quality
replacements from alternative sources of supply. However, the
process of qualifying new suppliers for complex components is also
lengthy and could have a material adverse effect on our business,
financial condition and results of operations. Additionally,
increase in costs may adversely impact demand for our services or
the results of our business operations.
Any failure to offer high-quality product support may
adversely affect our relationships with our customers and our
financial results.
In deploying and using our solutions, our customers depend on our
support services team to resolve complex technical and operational
issues. We may be unable to respond quickly enough to accommodate
short-term increases in customer demand for product support. We
also may be unable to modify the nature, scope and delivery of our
product support to compete with changes in product support services
provided by our competitors. Increased customer demand for product
support, without corresponding revenue, could increase costs and
adversely affect our operating results. Our sales are highly
dependent on our business reputation and on positive
recommendations from our existing customers. Any failure to
maintain high-quality product support, or a market perception that
we do not maintain high-quality product support, could adversely
affect our reputation, our ability to sell our solutions to
existing and prospective customers, our business, operating
results, and financial position.
We might require additional capital to support business
growth, and this capital might not be available on acceptable
terms, if at all.
We intend to continue to make investments to support our business
growth and may require additional funds to respond to business
challenges, including the need to develop new features or enhance
our existing solutions, improve our operating infrastructure or
acquire complementary businesses and technologies. Accordingly, we
may need to engage in equity or debt financings to secure
additional funds. If we raise additional funds through further
issuances of equity or convertible debt securities, our existing
stockholders could suffer significant dilution, and any new equity
securities we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges
superior to those of holders of our Class A ordinary shares. Any
debt financing secured by us in the future could involve
restrictive covenants relating to our capital raising activities
and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more
difficult for us to obtain additional capital and to pursue
business opportunities, including potential acquisitions. In
addition, we may not be able to obtain additional financing on
terms favorable to us, or at all. If we are unable to obtain
adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us, when
we require it, our ability to continue to support our business
growth and to respond to business challenges could be significantly
impaired.
Our financial and operating performance may be
adversely affected by epidemics, natural disasters and other
catastrophes.
Our business could be materially and adversely affected by
the outbreak of epidemics including but not limited to the novel
coronavirus (COVID-19), swine influenza, avian influenza, middle
east respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) and severe acute respiratory
syndrome (SARS-CoV). Our financial and operating performance may be
adversely affected by epidemics such as the on-going COVID-19,
natural disasters and other catastrophes. Our business could be
materially and adversely affected in the event that the slowdown or
suspension carries for a long period of time. The restrictive
measures against the on-going COVID-19 outbreak adversely affected
and slowed down the national economic development. Any prolonged
restrictive measures in order to control the contagious disease or
other adverse public health developments in China or our targeted
markets may have a material and adverse effect on our business
operations.
Similarly, natural disasters, wars (including the potential
of war), terrorist activity (including threats of terrorist
activity), social unrest and heightened travel security measures
instituted in response, and travel-related accidents, as well as
geopolitical uncertainty and international conflict, will affect
travel volume and may in turn have a material adverse effect on our
business and results of operations. In addition, we may not be
adequately prepared in contingency planning or recovery capability
in relation to a major incident or crisis, and as a result, our
operational continuity may be adversely and materially affected,
which in turn may harm our reputation.
The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted, and
poses risks to, our business, the nature and extent of which are
highly uncertain and unpredictable.
In recent months, the continued, global spread
of COVID-19 has led to disruption and volatility in the
global capital markets, which has increased the cost of, and
adversely impacted access to, capital (including the commercial
paper markets) and increased economic uncertainty. It is likely
that the pandemic will cause an economic slowdown of potentially
extended duration, and it is possible that it could cause a global
recession.
COVID-19 is adversely affecting, and is expected to continue
to adversely affect, certain elements of our business, including as
a result of impacts associated with preventive and precautionary
measures that we, other businesses, our communities and governments
are taking. Due to these impacts and measures, we have experienced
and expect to continue to experience delays in our internal product
development and unpredictable reductions in demand for certain of
our products and services. Our employees have been required to work
from home or not go into their offices. Such restrictions are
slowly being lifted. If the pandemic continues and conditions
worsen, we expect to experience additional adverse impacts on our
operational and commercial activities and customer orders, which
adverse impacts may be material, and it remains uncertain what
impact these adverse impacts would have on future sales and
customer orders even if conditions begin to improve. In addition to
existing travel restrictions, jurisdictions may continue to close
borders, impose prolonged quarantines and further restrict travel
and business activity, which could significantly impact our ability
to support our operations and customers. Further, such travel
restrictions and slowed-down business activities may affect the
operation of our customer and result in decrease of our products
and services, which could adversely affect our financial results.
Due to the speed with which the COVID-19 situation is
developing, the global breadth of its spread and the range of
governmental and community reactions thereto, there is uncertainty
around its duration and ultimate impact; therefore, any negative
impact on our overall financial and operating results (including
without limitation our liquidity) cannot be reasonably estimated at
this time, but the pandemic could lead to extended disruption of
economic activity and the impact on our financial and operating
results could be material.
If we are not able to continue to innovate or if we fail to
adapt to changes in our industry, our business, financial condition
and results of operations would be materially and adversely
affected.
The software industry is characterized by rapidly changing
technology, evolving industry standards, new service introductions
and changing customer demands. Furthermore, our competitors are
constantly developing innovations in online marketing,
communications, social networking and other services to enhance
users’ online experience. We continue to invest significant
resources in our infrastructure, research and development and other
areas in order to introduce more content and enhance our existing
services that will attract more users to our software. The changes
and developments taking place in our industry may also require us
to re-evaluate our business model and adopt significant changes to
our long-term strategies and business plan. Our failure to innovate
and adapt to these changes would have a material adverse effect on
our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we are unable to maintain existing clients, attract new
clients or broaden our market, our business and results of
operations will be adversely affected.
We intend to continue to dedicate significant resources to our user
acquisition efforts, including establishing new acquisition
channels, particularly as we continue to grow and introduce new
services. The overall number of users may be affected by several
factors, including our brand recognition and reputation, the
effectiveness of our risk control, the efficiency of our platform,
the macroeconomic environment and other factors. Currently, we
promote our brand through direct communications with schools and
learning centers. However, we do we have sufficient human resource
to market our services, which will result in an increase in
operation cost. If we are unable to broaden our market or attract
new users, or if the existing users do not continue to use our
software, we might be unable to increase our revenues as we expect,
and our business and results of operations may be adversely
affected.
If we do not compete effectively, our results of operations
could be harmed.
The market of software is in rapid growth due to rapid growth of
actual and predicted demand. The market, thus, has become more
competitive. For our commodity trading platform, we compete with
traditional financial institutions and other online trading
platforms. For our education software, we compete with schools and
learning centers and online education programs. Our competitors
operate with different business models, have different cost
structures or participate selectively in different market segments.
They may ultimately prove more successful or more adaptable to new
regulatory, technological and other developments. Some of our
current and potential competitors have significantly more
financial, technical, marketing and other resources than we do and
may be able to devote greater resources to the development,
promotion, sale and support of their platforms. Our competitors may
also have longer operating histories, more extensive customer
bases, greater brand recognition and brand loyalty and broader
partner relationships than us. Additionally, a current or potential
competitor may acquire one or more of our existing competitors or
form a strategic alliance with one or more of our competitors. Our
competitors may be better at developing new services, offering more
attractive investment returns or lower fees, responding faster to
new technologies and undertaking more extensive and effective
marketing campaigns. In response to competition and in order to
grow or maintain the client base, we may have to offer more content
and features in the software or charge lower fees, which could
materially and adversely affect our business and results of
operations. If we are unable to compete with such companies and
meet the need for innovation in our industry, the demand for our
service could stagnate or substantially decline, we could
experience reduced revenues or our services could fail to achieve
or maintain more widespread market acceptance, any of which could
harm our business and results of operations.
If we fail to promote and maintain our brand in an effective
and cost-efficient way, our business and results of operations may
be harmed.
We believe that developing and maintaining awareness of our brand
effectively is critical to attracting new and retaining existing
clients. Successful promotion of our brand and our ability to
attract clients depend largely on the effectiveness of our
marketing efforts and the success of the channels we use to promote
our services. It is likely that our future marketing efforts will
require us to incur significant additional expenses. These efforts
may not result in increased revenues in the immediate future or at
all and, even if they do, any increases in revenues may not offset
the expenses incurred. If we fail to successfully promote and
maintain our brand while incurring substantial expenses, our
results of operations and financial condition would be adversely
affected, which may impair our ability to grow our business.
Unauthorized disclosure of sensitive or confidential customer
information or our failure or the perception by our customers that
we failed to comply with privacy laws or properly address privacy
concerns could harm our business and standing with our
customers.
We collect, store, process, and use certain personal information
and other user data in our business. A significant risk associated
with our business is the secure transmission of confidential
information over public networks. The perception of privacy
concerns, whether or not valid, may adversely affect our business
and results of operations. We must ensure that any processing,
collection, use, storage, dissemination, transfer and disposal of
data for which we are responsible complies with relevant data
protection and privacy laws. The protection of our customer,
employee and company data is critical to us. We rely on
commercially available systems, software, tools and monitoring to
provide secure processing, transmission and storage of confidential
customer information. Despite the security measures we have in
place, our facilities and systems, and those of our third-party
service providers, may be vulnerable to security breaches, acts of
vandalism, computer viruses, misplaced or lost data, programming or
human errors, or other similar events. Any security breach, or any
perceived failure involving the misappropriation, loss or other
unauthorized disclosure of confidential information, as well as any
failure or perceived failure to comply with laws, policies, legal
obligations or industry standards regarding data privacy and
protection, whether by us or our vendors, could damage our
reputation, expose us to litigation risk and liability, subject us
to negative publicity, disrupt our operations and harm our
business. We cannot assure you that our security measures will
prevent security breaches or that failure to prevent them will not
have a material adverse effect on our business. Further, we do not
carry cybersecurity insurance to compensate for any losses that may
result from any breach of security. Therefore, our results of
operations or financial condition may be materially adversely
affected if our existing general liability policies did not cover a
security breach.
New lines of business or new services may subject us to
additional risks.
From time to time, we may implement new lines of business or offer
new services within existing lines of business. There are
substantial risks and uncertainties associated with these efforts,
particularly in instances where the markets are not fully
developed. In developing and marketing new lines of business and/or
new services, we may invest significant time and resources. Initial
timetables for the introduction and development of new lines of
business and/or new services may not be achieved and price and
profitability targets may not prove feasible. External factors,
such as compliance with regulations, competitive alternatives and
shifting market preferences, may also impact the successful
implementation of a new line of business or a new service.
Furthermore, any new line of business and/or new service could have
a significant impact on the effectiveness of our system of internal
controls. Failure to successfully manage these risks in the
development and implementation of new lines of business or new
services could have a material adverse effect on our business,
results of operations and financial condition.
We may not be able to prevent others from unauthorized use of
our intellectual property, which could harm our business and
competitive position.
We regard our trademarks, copyrights, domain names, know-how,
proprietary technologies and similar intellectual property as
critical to our success, and we rely on a combination of
intellectual property laws and contractual arrangements, including
confidentiality, invention assignment and non-compete agreements
with our employees and others to protect our proprietary rights. We
have purchased and registered with the National Copyright
Administration of PRC certain copyrights. See “Item 4. Information
on the Company – Intellectual Property.” Despite these measures,
any of our intellectual property rights could be challenged,
invalidated, circumvented or misappropriated, or such intellectual
property may not be sufficient to provide us with competitive
advantages. In addition, because of the rapid pace of technological
change in our industry, parts of our business rely on technologies
developed or licensed by third parties, and we may not be able to
obtain or continue to obtain licenses and technologies from these
third parties on reasonable terms, or at all.
It is often difficult to register, maintain and enforce
intellectual property rights in China. Statutory laws and
regulations are subject to judicial interpretation and enforcement
and may not be applied consistently due to the lack of clear
guidance on statutory interpretation. Confidentiality, invention
assignment and non-compete agreements may be breached by
counterparties, and there may not be adequate remedies available to
us for any such breach. Accordingly, we may not be able to
effectively protect our intellectual property rights or to enforce
our contractual rights in China. Preventing any unauthorized use of
our intellectual property is difficult and costly and the steps we
take may be inadequate to prevent the misappropriation of our
intellectual property. In the event that we resort to litigation to
enforce our intellectual property rights, such litigation could
result in substantial costs and a diversion of our managerial and
financial resources. We can provide no assurance that we will
prevail in such litigation. In addition, our trade secrets may be
leaked or otherwise become available to, or be independently
discovered by, our competitors. To the extent that our employees or
consultants use intellectual property owned by others in their work
for us, disputes may arise as to the rights in related know-how and
inventions. Any failure in protecting or enforcing our intellectual
property rights could have a material adverse effect on our
business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be subject to intellectual property infringement
claims, which may be expensive to defend and may disrupt our
business and operations.
We cannot be certain that our operations or any aspects of our
business do not or will not infringe upon or otherwise violate
trademarks, patents, copyrights, know-how or other intellectual
property rights held by third parties. We may be from time to time
in the future subject to legal proceedings and claims relating to
the intellectual property rights of others. In addition, there may
be third-party trademarks, patents, copyrights, know-how or other
intellectual property rights that are infringed by our services or
other aspects of our business without our awareness. Holders of
such intellectual property rights may seek to enforce such
intellectual property rights against us in China, the United States
or other jurisdictions. If any third-party infringement claims are
brought against us, we may be forced to divert management’s time
and other resources from our business and operations to defend
against these claims, regardless of their merits.
Additionally, the application and interpretation of China’s
intellectual property right laws and the procedures and standards
for granting trademarks, patents, copyrights, know-how or other
intellectual property rights in China are still evolving and are
uncertain, and we cannot assure you that PRC courts or regulatory
authorities would agree with our analysis. If we were found to have
violated the intellectual property rights of others, we may be
subject to liability for our infringement activities or may be
prohibited from using such intellectual property, and we may incur
licensing fees or be forced to develop alternatives of our own. As
a result, our business and results of operations may be materially
and adversely affected.
From time to time, we may evaluate and potentially consummate
strategic investments or acquisitions, which could require
significant management attention, disrupt our business and
adversely affect our financial results.
We may evaluate and consider strategic investments, combinations,
acquisitions or alliances to further increase the value of our
services and better serve our clients. These transactions could be
material to our financial condition and results of operations if
consummated. If we are able to identify an appropriate business
opportunity, we may not be able to successfully consummate the
transaction and, even if we do consummate such a transaction, we
may be unable to obtain the benefits or avoid the difficulties and
risks of such transaction.
Strategic investments or acquisitions will involve risks commonly
encountered in business relationships, including:
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difficulties
in assimilating and integrating the operations, personnel, systems,
data, technologies, products and services of the acquired
business; |
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inability
of the acquired technologies, products or businesses to achieve
expected levels of revenue, profitability, productivity or other
benefits; |
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difficulties
in retaining, training, motivating and integrating key
personnel; |
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diversion
of management’s time and resources from our normal daily
operations; |
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difficulties
in successfully incorporating licensed or acquired technology and
rights into our services; |
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difficulties
in maintaining uniform standards, controls, procedures and policies
within the combined organizations; |
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difficulties
in retaining relationships with clients, employees and suppliers of
the acquired business; |
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risks
of entering markets in which we have limited or no prior
experience; |
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regulatory
risks, including remaining in good standing with existing
regulatory bodies or receiving any necessary pre-closing or
post-closing approvals, as well as being subject to new regulators
with oversight over an acquired business; |
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assumption
of contractual obligations that contain terms that are not
beneficial to us, require us to license or waive intellectual
property rights or increase our risk for liability; |
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failure
to successfully further develop the acquired
technology; |
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liability
for activities of the acquired business before the acquisition,
including intellectual property infringement claims, violations of
laws, commercial disputes, tax liabilities and other known and
unknown liabilities; |
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potential
disruptions to our ongoing businesses; and |
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unexpected
costs and unknown risks and liabilities associated with strategic
investments or acquisitions. |
We may not make any investments or acquisitions, or any future
investments or acquisitions may not be successful, may not benefit
our business strategy, may not generate sufficient revenues to
offset the associated acquisition costs or may not otherwise result
in the intended benefits. In addition, we cannot assure you that
any future investment in or acquisition of new businesses or
technology will lead to the successful development of new or
enhanced services or that any new or enhanced services, if
developed, will achieve market acceptance or prove to be
profitable.
Our business depends on the continued efforts of our senior
management. If one or more of our key executives were unable or
unwilling to continue in their present positions, our business may
be severely disrupted.
Our business operations depend on the continued services of our
senior management, particularly the executive officers named in
this annual report. While we have provided different incentives to
our management, we cannot assure you that we can continue to retain
their services. If one or more of our key executives were unable or
unwilling to continue in their present positions, we may not be
able to replace them easily or at all, our future growth may be
constrained, our business may be severely disrupted and our
financial condition and results of operations may be materially and
adversely affected, and we may incur additional expenses to
recruit, train and retain qualified personnel. In addition,
although we have entered into confidentiality and non-competition
agreements with our management, there is no assurance that any
member of our management team will not join our competitors or form
a competing business. If any dispute arises between our current or
former officers and us, we may have to incur substantial costs and
expenses in order to enforce such agreements in China or we may be
unable to enforce them at all.
Competition for employees is intense, and we may not be able
to attract and retain the qualified and skilled employees needed to
support our business.
We believe our success depends on the efforts and talent of our
employees, including software engineering, financial and marketing
personnel. Our future success depends on our continued ability to
attract, develop, motivate and retain qualified and skilled
employees. Competition for highly skilled technical, and financial
personnel is extremely intense. We may not be able to hire and
retain these personnel at compensation levels consistent with our
existing compensation and salary structure. Some of the companies
with which we compete for experienced employees have greater
resources than we have and may be able to offer more attractive
terms of employment.
A lack of insurance could expose us to significant costs and
business disruption.
We have not yet purchased insurance to cover our assets and
property of our business, which could leave our business
inadequately protected from loss. If we were to incur substantial
losses or liabilities due to fire, explosions, floods, other
natural disasters or accidents or business interruption, our
results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Furthermore, Insurance companies in China currently do not offer as
extensive an array of insurance products as insurance companies in
more developed economies. Currently, we do not have any business
liability or disruption insurance to cover our operations. We have
determined that the costs of insuring for these risks and the
difficulties associated with acquiring such insurance on
commercially reasonable terms make it impractical for us to have
such insurance. Any uninsured business disruptions may result in
our incurring substantial costs.
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal
control over financial reporting. If we fail to implement and
maintain an effective system of internal control, we may be
unable to accurately report our operating results, meet our
reporting obligations or prevent fraud.
As required by Form 20-F, our management is required to assess the
effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting
and include a report in our annual report on Form 20-F. In
preparing our consolidated financial statements for the years ended
December 31, 2021 and 2020, our management identified material
weaknesses in our internal control over financial
reporting, as defined in the standards established by the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board of the United States, and other
significant deficiencies. 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 weaknesses identified are as follows: (i) no
sufficient personnel with appropriate levels of accounting
knowledge and experience to address complex U.S. GAAP accounting
issues and to prepare and review financial statements and related
disclosures under U.S. GAAP; (ii) ineffective oversight of our
financial reporting and internal control by those charged
with governance; and (iii) inadequate design of internal
control over the preparation of the financial statements being
audited. These material weaknesses remained as of December 31,
2021. As a result of inherent limitations, our internal
control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect
misstatements, errors or omissions.
In addition, once we cease to be an “emerging growth company” as
such term is defined under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act,
or JOBS Act, Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and
related rules promulgated by the SEC, we will be subject to Section
404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, pursuant to which 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, 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 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, 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 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Generally, if we fail to
achieve and maintain an effective internal
control environment, we could suffer material misstatements,
errors or omissions 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, and harm our results
of operations. 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.
Risks Related to Doing
Business in China
We are a holding company, and will rely on dividends paid by
our subsidiaries for our cash needs. Any limitation on the ability
of our subsidiaries to make dividend payments to us, or any tax
implications of making dividend payments to us, could limit our
ability to pay our parent company expenses or pay dividends to
holders of our Class A ordinary shares.
We are a BVI holding company and conduct substantially all of our
business through our subsidiaries in China. Although neither the
holding company nor any of the Company’s Chinese subsidiaries
conduct any operations through contractual arrangements with a
variable interest entity based in China, we may rely on dividends
to be paid by our PRC subsidiaries to fund our cash and financing
requirements, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and
other cash distributions to our shareholders, to service any debt
we may incur and to pay our operating expenses. If our PRC
subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the
instruments governing the debt may restrict our PRC subsidiaries’
ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us.
Under PRC laws and regulations, our PRC subsidiaries may pay
dividends only out of their accumulated profits as determined in
accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In
addition, wholly foreign-owned enterprises are required to set
aside at least 10% of their accumulated after-tax profits each
year, if any, to fund a certain statutory reserve fund, until the
aggregate amount of such fund reaches 50% of its registered
capital.
Our PRC subsidiaries generate primarily all of their revenue in
Renminbi, which is not freely convertible into other currencies. As
a result, any restriction on currency exchange may limit the
ability of any one of our PRC subsidiaries to use its Renminbi
revenues to pay dividends to us. The PRC government may continue to
strengthen its capital controls, and more restrictions and
substantial vetting process may be put forward by SAFE for
cross-border transactions falling under both the current account
and the capital account. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC
subsidiary to pay dividends or make other kinds of payments to us
could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make
investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our
business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our
business.
In addition, the Enterprise Income Tax Law, or EIT, and its
implementation rules provide that a withholding tax rate of up to
10% will be applicable to dividends payable by Chinese companies to
non-PRC-resident enterprises unless otherwise exempted or reduced
according to treaties or arrangements between the PRC central
government and governments of other countries or regions where the
non-PRC resident enterprises are incorporated. Any limitation on
the ability of our PRC subsidiary to pay dividends or make other
distributions to us could materially and adversely limit our
ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be
beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and
conduct our business.
Pursuant to the Arrangement between Mainland China and the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double
Taxation and Tax Evasion on Income, or the Double Tax Avoidance
Arrangement, the 10% withholding tax rate may be lowered to 5% if a
Hong Kong resident enterprise owns no less than 25% of a PRC
entity. However, the 5% withholding tax rate does not automatically
apply and certain requirements must be satisfied, including,
without limitation, that (a) the Hong Kong entity must be the
beneficial owner of the relevant dividends; and (b) the Hong Kong
entity must directly hold no less than 25% share ownership in the
PRC entity during the 12 consecutive months preceding its receipt
of the dividends. In current practice, a Hong Kong entity must
obtain a tax resident certificate from the Hong Kong tax authority
to apply for the 5% lower PRC withholding tax rate. As the Hong
Kong tax authority will issue such a tax resident certificate on a
case-by-case basis, we cannot assure you that we will be able to
obtain the tax resident certificate from the relevant Hong Kong tax
authority and enjoy the preferential withholding tax rate of 5%
under the Double Taxation Arrangement with respect to dividends to
be paid by our PRC subsidiaries to their immediate holding
companies, AGM Defi Tech Limited and AGM Technology Limited. As of
the date hereof, Beijing Keen Sense Technology Service Co., Ltd.,
AGM Tianjing Construction Development Co., Ltd. and Nanjing Lucun
Semiconductor Co. Ltd. currently do not have plans to declare and
pay dividends to AGM Defi Tech Limited and AGM Technology Limited
and we have not applied for the tax resident certificate from the
relevant Hong Kong tax authority. AGM Defi Tech Limited and AGM
Technology Limited intend to apply for the tax resident certificate
when Beijing Keen Sense Technology Service Co., Ltd., AGM Tianjing
Construction Development Co., Ltd. and Nanjing Lucun Semiconductor
Co. Ltd. plan to declare and pay dividends to them. When Beijing
Keen Sense Technology Service Co., Ltd., AGM Tianjing Construction
Development Co., Ltd. and Nanjing Lucun Semiconductor Co. Ltd. plan
to declare and pay dividends to AGM Defi Tech Limited and AGM
Technology Limited and when we intend to apply for the tax
resident certificate from the relevant Hong Kong tax authority, we
plan to inform the investors through SEC filings, such as a current
report on Form 6-K, prior to such actions.
The Chinese government exerts substantial influence over the
manner in which we must conduct our business activities. We
are currently not required to obtain approval from Chinese
authorities to list on U.S exchanges, however, if our holding
company or subsidiaries were required to obtain approval in the
future and were denied permission from Chinese authorities to list
on U.S. exchanges, we will not be able to continue listing on U.S.
exchange, which would materially affect the interest of the
investors.
The Chinese government has exercised and can continue to exercise
substantial control to intervene on virtually every sector of the
Chinese economy through regulation and state ownership, and as a
result, it can influence the manner in which we must conduct our
business activities and effect material changes in our operations
or the value of the Class A ordinary shares we are registering in
this resale. Under the current government leadership, the
government of the PRC has been pursuing reform policies which have
adversely affected China-based operating companies whose securities
are listed in the United States, with significant policies changes
being made from time to time without notice. There are substantial
uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC
laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the laws and
regulations governing our business, or the enforcement and
performance of our contractual arrangements with borrowers in the
event of the imposition of statutory liens, death, bankruptcy or
criminal proceedings. Our ability to operate in China may be harmed
by changes in its laws and regulations, including those relating to
taxation, environmental regulations, land use rights, property and
other matters. The central or local governments of these
jurisdictions may impose new, stricter regulations or
interpretations of existing regulations that would require
additional expenditures and efforts on our part to ensure our
compliance with such regulations or interpretations. Accordingly,
government actions in the future, including any decision not to
continue to support recent economic reforms and to return to a more
centrally planned economy or regional or local variations in the
implementation of economic policies, could have a significant
effect on economic conditions in China or particular regions
thereof, and could require us to divest ourselves of any interest
we then hold in Chinese properties.
Given recent statements by the Chinese government indicating an
intent to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are
conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based
issuers, any such action could significantly limit or completely
hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to
investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly
decline or become worthless.
Recently, the General Office of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State
Council jointly issued the Opinions on Severely Cracking Down on
Illegal Securities Activities According to Law, or the Opinions,
which was made available to the public on July 6, 2021. The
Opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over
illegal securities activities, and the need to strengthen the
supervision over overseas listings by Chinese companies. Effective
measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory
systems, will be taken to deal with the risks and incidents of
China-concept overseas listed companies. As of the date hereof, we
have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, or sanctions from
PRC government authorities in connection with the Opinions.
On June 10, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s
Congress of China, or the SCNPC, promulgated the PRC Data Security
Law, which took effect in September 2021. The PRC Data Security Law
imposes data security and privacy obligations on entities and
individuals carrying out data activities, and introduces a data
classification and hierarchical protection system based on the
importance of data in economic and social development, and the
degree of harm it will cause to national security, public
interests, or legitimate rights and interests of individuals or
organizations when such data is tampered with, destroyed, leaked,
illegally acquired or used. The PRC Data Security Law also provides
for a national security review procedure for data activities that
may affect national security and imposes export restrictions on
certain data an information.
In early July 2021, regulatory authorities in China launched
cybersecurity investigations with regard to several China-based
companies that are listed in the United States. The Chinese
cybersecurity regulator announced on July 2 that it had begun an
investigation of Didi Global Inc. (NYSE: DIDI) and two days later
ordered that the company’s app be removed from smartphone app
stores. On July 5, 2021, the Chinese cybersecurity regulator
launched the same investigation on two other Internet platforms,
China’s Full Truck Alliance of Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. (NYSE:
YMM) and Boss of KANZHUN LIMITED (Nasdaq: BZ). On July 24, 2021,
the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central
Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly
released the Guidelines for Further Easing the Burden of Excessive
Homework and Off-campus Tutoring for Students at the Stage of
Compulsory Education, pursuant to which foreign investment in such
firms via mergers and acquisitions, franchise development, and
variable interest entities are banned from this sector.
On August 17, 2021, the State Council promulgated the Regulations
on the Protection of the Security of Critical Information
Infrastructure, or the Regulations, which took effect on September
1, 2021. The Regulations supplement and specify the provisions on
the security of critical information infrastructure as stated in
the Cybersecurity Review Measures. The Regulations provide, among
others, that protection department of certain industry or sector
shall notify the operator of the critical information
infrastructure in time after the identification of certain critical
information infrastructure.
On August 20, 2021, the SCNPC promulgated the Personal Information
Protection Law of the PRC, or the Personal Information Protection
Law, which took effect in November 2021. As the first systematic
and comprehensive law specifically for the protection of personal
information in the PRC, the Personal Information Protection Law
provides, among others, that (i) an individual’s consent shall be
obtained to use sensitive personal information, such as biometric
characteristics and individual location tracking, (ii) personal
information operators using sensitive personal information shall
notify individuals of the necessity of such use and impact on the
individual’s rights, and (iii) where personal information operators
reject an individual’s request to exercise his or her rights, the
individual may file a lawsuit with a People’s Court.
As such, the Company’s business segments may be subject to various
government and regulatory interference in the provinces in which
they operate. The Company could be subject to regulation by various
political and regulatory entities, including various local and
municipal agencies and government sub-divisions. The Company may
incur increased costs necessary to comply with existing and newly
adopted laws and regulations or penalties for any failure to
comply. Additionally, the governmental and regulatory interference
could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer
or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of
such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.
Furthermore, it is uncertain when and whether the Company will be
required to obtain permission from the PRC government to list on
U.S. exchanges in the future, and even when such permission is
obtained, whether it will be denied or rescinded. Although the
Company is currently not required to obtain permission from any of
the PRC federal or local government to obtain such permission and
has not received any denial to list on the U.S. exchange, our
operations could be adversely affected, directly or indirectly, by
existing or future laws and regulations relating to its business or
industry.
On December 24, 2021, the CSRC, together with other relevant
government authorities in China issued the Provisions of the State
Council on the Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and
Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments), and the
Measures for the Filing of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing
by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments) (“Draft Overseas Listing
Regulations”). The Draft Overseas Listing Regulations requires that
a PRC domestic enterprise seeking to issue and list its shares
overseas (“Overseas Issuance and Listing”) shall complete the
filing procedures of and submit the relevant information to CSRC.
The Overseas Issuance and Listing includes direct and indirect
issuance and listing. Where an enterprise whose principal business
activities are conducted in PRC seeks to issue and list its shares
in the name of an overseas enterprise (“Overseas Issuer”) on the
basis of the equity, assets, income or other similar rights and
interests of the relevant PRC domestic enterprise, such activities
shall be deemed an indirect overseas issuance and listing
(“Indirect Overseas Issuance and Listing”) under the Draft Overseas
Listing Regulations. Therefore, the proposed listing would be
deemed an Indirect Overseas Issuance and Listing under the Draft
Overseas Listing Regulations. As such, the Company would be
required to complete the filing procedures of and submit the
relevant information to CSRC after the Draft Overseas Listing
Regulations become effective.
In addition, on December 28, 2021, the CAC, the National
Development and Reform Commission (“NDRC”), and several other
administrations jointly issued the revised Measures for
Cybersecurity Review, or the Revised Review Measures, which became
effective and has replaced the existing Measures for Cybersecurity
Review on February 15, 2022. According to the Revised Review
Measures, if an “online platform operator” that is in possession of
personal data of more than one million users intends to list in a
foreign country, it must apply for a cybersecurity review. Based on
a set of Q&A published on the official website of the State
Cipher Code Administration in connection with the issuance of the
Revised Review Measures, an official of the said administration
indicated that an online platform operator should apply for a
cybersecurity review prior to the submission of its listing
application with non-PRC securities regulators. Given the recency
of the issuance of the Revised Review Measures and their pending
effectiveness, there is a general lack of guidance and substantial
uncertainties exist with respect to their interpretation and
implementation. For example, it is unclear whether the requirement
of cybersecurity review applies to follow-on offerings by an
“online platform operator” that is in possession of personal data
of more than one million users where the offshore holding company
of such operator is already listed overseas. Furthermore, the CAC
released the draft of the Regulations on Network Data Security
Management in November 2021 for public consultation, which among
other things, stipulates that a data processor listed overseas must
conduct an annual data security review by itself or by engaging a
data security service provider and submit the annual data security
review report for a given year to the municipal cybersecurity
department before January 31 of the following year. If
the draft Regulations on Network Data Security Management are
enacted in the current form, we, as an overseas listed company,
will be required to carry out an annual data security review and
comply with the relevant reporting obligations.
We have been closely monitoring the development in the regulatory
landscape in China, particularly regarding the requirement of
approvals, including on a retrospective basis, from the CSRC, the
CAC or other PRC authorities with respect to future offerings, as
well as regarding any annual data security review or other
procedures that may be imposed on us. If any approval, review or
other procedure is in fact required, we are not able to guarantee
that we will obtain such approval or complete such review or other
procedure timely or at all. For any approval that we may be able to
obtain, it could nevertheless be revoked and the terms of its
issuance may impose restrictions on our operations and future
offerings relating to our securities.
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 Enterprises
by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC
regulatory agencies in 2006 and amended in 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 the anti-monopoly law enforcement agency be notified
in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which
a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise.
For example, the M&A Rules require that MOFCOM be notified in
advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a
foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise, if
(i) any important industry is concerned, (ii) such
transaction involves factors that impact or may impact national
economic security, or (iii) such transaction will lead to a
change in control of a domestic enterprise which holds a famous
trademark or PRC time-honored brand. Moreover, the PRC
Anti-Monopoly Law promulgated by the Standing Committee of the
National People’s Congress effective 2008 requires that
transactions which are deemed concentrations and involve parties
with specified turnover thresholds (i.e., during the previous
fiscal year, (i) the total global turnover of all operators
participating in the transaction exceeds RMB10 billion and at
least two of these operators each had a turnover of more than
RMB400 million within China, or (ii) the total turnover
within China of all the operators participating in the
concentration exceeded RMB2 billion, and at least two of these
operators each had a turnover of more than RMB400 million
within China) must be cleared by the anti-monopoly enforcement
authority before they can be completed. In addition, in 2011, the
General Office of the State Council promulgated a Notice on
Establishing the Security Review System for Mergers and
Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, also
known as Circular 6, which officially established a security review
system for mergers and acquisitions of domestic enterprises by
foreign investors. Further, MOFCOM promulgated the Regulations on
Implementation of Security Review System for the Merger and
Acquisition of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, effective
2011, to implement Circular 6. Under Circular 6, a security review
is required for mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors
having “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and
acquisitions by which foreign investors may acquire the “de facto
control” of domestic enterprises with “national security” concerns.
Under the foregoing MOFCOM regulations, MOFCOM will focus on the
substance and actual impact of the transaction when deciding
whether a specific merger or acquisition is subject to security
review. If MOFCOM decides that a specific merger or acquisition is
subject to a security review, it will submit it to the
Inter-Ministerial Panel, an authority established under Circular 6
led by the National Development and Reform Commission, and MOFCOM
under the leadership of the State Council, to carry out security
review. The regulations prohibit foreign investors from bypassing
the security review by structuring transactions through trusts,
indirect investments, leases, loans, control through contractual
arrangements or offshore transactions. There is no explicit
provision or official interpretation stating that the merging or
acquisition of a company engaged in the internet content business
requires security review, and there is no requirement that
acquisitions completed prior to the promulgation of the Security
Review Circular are subject to MOFCOM review.
In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary
businesses. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned
regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions
could be time consuming, and any required approval processes,
including obtaining approval from MOFCOM or its local counterparts
may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions. We
believe that it is unlikely that our business would be deemed to be
in an industry that raises “national defense and security” or
“national security” concerns. However, MOFCOM or other government
agencies may publish explanations in the future determining that
our business is in an industry subject to the security review, in
which case our future acquisitions in China, including those by way
of entering into contractual control arrangements with target
entities, may be closely scrutinized or prohibited.
You may have difficulty enforcing judgments obtained against
us.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the
British Virgin Islands, and substantially all of our assets are
located outside of the United States. Virtually all of our assets
and a substantial portion of our current business operations are
conducted in the PRC. In addition, almost all of our directors and
officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the
United States. A substantial portion of the assets of these persons
is located outside the United States. As a result, it may be
difficult for you to bring an action against these individuals
within the United States. It may also be difficult for you to
enforce the U.S. courts judgments obtained in U.S. courts,
including judgments based on the civil liability provisions of the
U.S. federal securities laws against us and our officers and
directors, many of whom are not residents in the United States, and
whose significant part of assets are located outside of the United
States.
In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the
British Virgin Islands or the PRC, respectively, would recognize or
enforce judgments of U.S. courts against us or such persons
predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities
laws of the United States or any state. In addition, it is
uncertain whether such British Virgin Islands or PRC courts would
entertain original actions brought in the courts of the British
Virgin Islands or the PRC against us or such persons predicated
upon the securities laws of the United States or any state.
The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided
for under the Chinese Civil Procedure Law. Chinese courts may
recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the
requirements of the Chinese Civil Procedure Law based either on
treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made
or in reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any
treaties or other agreements with the British Virgin Islands or the
United States that provide for the reciprocal recognition and
enforcement of foreign judgments. As a result, it is uncertain
whether a Chinese court would enforce a judgment rendered by a
court in either of these two jurisdictions.
The United States and the British Virgin Islands do not have a
treaty providing for reciprocal recognition and enforcement of
judgments of courts of the United States in civil and commercial
matters and that a final judgment for the payment of money rendered
by any general or state court in the United States based on civil
liability, whether or not predicated solely upon the U.S. federal
securities laws, may not be enforceable in the British Virgin
Islands. A final and conclusive judgment obtained in U.S. federal
or state courts under which a sum of money is payable as
compensatory damages (i.e., not being a sum claimed by a revenue
authority for taxes or other charges of a similar nature by a
governmental authority, or in respect of a fine or penalty or
multiple or punitive damages) may be the subject of an action on a
debt in the court of the British Virgin Islands.
The approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission
may be required in connection with future offerings, and, if
required, we cannot predict whether we will be able to obtain such
approval.
The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies
by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC
regulatory agencies requires an overseas special purpose vehicle
formed for listing purposes through acquisitions of PRC domestic
companies and controlled by PRC companies or individuals to obtain
the approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the
CSRC, prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose
vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange.
We believe that the CSRC’s approval is not required for the trading
of our Class A ordinary shares on Nasdaq in the context of future
offerings, given that: (i) our PRC subsidiary was incorporated
as a wholly foreign-owned enterprise by means of direct investment
rather than by merger or acquisition of equity interest or assets
of a PRC domestic company owned by PRC companies or individuals as
defined under the M&A Rules that are our beneficial
owners; (ii) the CSRC currently has not issued any definitive
rule or interpretation concerning whether offerings like ours
under our past offerings are subject to the M&A Rules; and
(iii) no provision in the M&A Rules clearly
classifies contractual arrangements as a type of transaction
subject to the M&A Rules.
However, there remain some uncertainties as to how the M&A
Rules will be interpreted or implemented in the context of an
overseas offering and its opinions summarized above are subject to
any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed
implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the
M&A Rules. We cannot assure you that relevant PRC government
agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as we
do. If it is determined that CSRC approval is required for future
offerings, we may face sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC
regulatory agencies for failure to seek CSRC approval for future
offerings. These sanctions may include fines and penalties on our
operations in the PRC, limitations on our operating privileges in
the PRC, delays in or restrictions on the repatriation of the
proceeds from future offerings into the PRC, restrictions on or
prohibition of the payments or remittance of dividends by our PRC
subsidiary, or other actions that could have a material and adverse
effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations,
reputation and prospects, as well as the trading price of our
Class A ordinary shares. Furthermore, the CSRC or other PRC
regulatory agencies may also take actions requiring us, or making
it advisable for us, to halt future offerings before the settlement
and delivery of the Class A ordinary shares that we may offer
in the future.
The PRC laws and regulations governing the Company’s business
operations are sometimes vague and uncertain. Any changes in such
PRC laws and regulations as well as in the PRC economic, political,
and social conditions may have a material and adverse effect on the
PRC economy, and in turn the Company’s business.
There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation
and application of the PRC laws and regulations, including but not
limited to the laws and regulations governing the Company’s
business, or the enforcement and performance of the Company’s
arrangements with customers in the event of the imposition of
statutory liens, death, bankruptcy, and criminal proceedings. The
Company and any future subsidiaries are considered foreign persons
or foreign funded enterprises under the PRC laws, and as a result,
the Company is required to comply with the PRC laws and
regulations. These laws and regulations are sometimes vague and may
be subject to future changes, and their official interpretation and
enforcement may involve substantial uncertainty.
Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could
adversely affect us.
The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written
statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions under
the civil law system may be cited for reference but have limited
precedential value.
In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive
system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in
general. The overall effect of legislation over the past three
decades has significantly enhanced the protections afforded to
various forms of foreign investments in China. However, China has
not developed a fully integrated legal system, and recently enacted
laws and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of
economic activities in China. In particular, the PRC legal system
is based on written statutes and prior court decisions have limited
value as precedents. Since these laws and regulations are
relatively new and the PRC legal system continues to rapidly
evolve, the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules may
not be uniform and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules
involves uncertainties. These uncertainties may affect our judgment
on the relevance of legal requirements and our ability to enforce
our contractual rights or tort claims. In addition, the regulatory
uncertainties may be exploited through unmerited or frivolous legal
actions or threats in attempts to extract payments or benefits from
us. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on
government policies and internal rules, some of which are not
published on a timely basis or at all and may have a retroactive
effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of any of
these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. In
addition, any administrative and court proceedings in China may be
protracted, resulting in substantial costs and diversion of
resources and management attention.
In particular, PRC laws and regulations concerning the businesses
that we are involved in are developing and evolving. Although we
have taken measures to comply with the laws and regulations that
are applicable to our business operations and avoid conducting any
non-compliant activities under the applicable laws and regulations,
the PRC governmental authorities may promulgate new laws and
regulations regulating the industry in the future. We cannot assure
you that our practice would not be deemed to violate any new PRC
laws or regulations relating to the industry. Moreover,
developments in the industry may lead to changes in PRC laws,
regulations and policies or in the interpretation and application
of existing laws, regulations and policies that may limit or
restrict online reading marketplaces like us, which could
materially and adversely affect our business and operations.
Adverse changes in political and economic policies of the PRC
government could have a material adverse effect on the overall
economic growth of China, which could reduce the demand for our
services and materially and adversely affect our competitive
position.
Substantially all of our business operations and R&D are
conducted in China. Accordingly, our business, results of
operations, financial condition and prospects are subject to
economic, political and legal developments in China. Although the
Chinese economy is no longer a planned economy, the PRC government
continues to exercise significant control over China’s economic
growth through direct allocation of resources, monetary and tax
policies, and a host of other government policies such as those
that encourage or restrict investment in certain industries by
foreign investors, control the exchange between RMB and foreign
currencies, and regulate the growth of the general or specific
market. These government involvements have been instrumental in
China’s significant growth in the past 30 years. In response to the
recent global and Chinese economic downturn, the PRC government has
adopted policy measures aimed at stimulating the economic growth in
China. We voluntarily ceased our forex trading brokerage business
and suspended all activities on AGMTrade, a trading network
platform, to ensure compliance with PRC laws, regulations and
policies. While we do not foresee our business will be further
restricted or affected by the PRC laws and regulations, we may need
to further revise our business model to remain compliant. If any
aspect of the PRC government’s policies limits the growth of our
industry or otherwise negatively affects our business, our growth
rate or strategy, our results of operations could be adversely
affected as a result.
A severe or prolonged downturn in the Chinese or global
economy could materially and adversely affect our business 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. In particular, general economic factors and
conditions in China or worldwide, including the general interest
rate environment and unemployment rates, may affect our customer’s
participation in forex trading. Economic conditions in China are
sensitive to global economic conditions. There is considerable
uncertainty over the long-term effects of the 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. If present Chinese and global economic uncertainties
persist, many of our customers may reduce the service they require
from us. Adverse economic conditions could also reduce the number
of customers seeking our service, as well as their ability to make
payments. Should any of these situations occur, our net revenues
will decline, and our business and financial conditions will be
negatively impacted. Additionally, continued turbulence in the
international markets may adversely affect our ability to access
the capital markets to meet liquidity needs.
The recent outbreak of war in Ukraine has already affected global
economic markets, and the uncertain resolution of this conflict
could result in protracted and/or severe damage to the global
economy. Russia’s recent military interventions in Ukraine have led
to, and may lead to, additional sanctions being levied by the
United States, European Union and other countries against Russia.
Russia’s military incursion and the resulting sanctions could
adversely affect global energy and financial markets and thus could
affect our customers’ business and our business, even though we do
not have any direct exposure to Russia or the adjoining geographic
regions. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions,
and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict, but
could be substantial. Any such disruptions caused by Russian
military action or resulting sanctions may magnify the impact of
other risks described in this section. We cannot predict the
progress or outcome of the situation in Ukraine, as the conflict
and governmental reactions are rapidly developing and beyond their
control. Prolonged unrest, intensified military activities, or more
extensive sanctions impacting the region could have a material
adverse effect on the global economy, and such effect could in turn
have a material adverse effect on the operations, results of
operations, financial condition, liquidity and business outlook of
our business.
In addition, continued turbulence in the international markets may
adversely affect our ability to access capital markets to meet
liquidity needs.
Labor laws in the PRC may adversely affect our business and
results of operations.
On June 29, 2007, the PRC government promulgated a new labor law,
namely, the Labor Contract Law of the PRC, which became effective
on January 1, 2008, which was further amended on December 28, 2012
(effective July 1, 2013). The Labor Contract Law imposes greater
liabilities on employers and significantly affects the cost of an
employer’s decision to reduce its workforce. Further, it requires
certain terminations be based upon seniority and not merit. In the
event we decide to significantly change or decrease our workforce,
the Labor Contract Law could adversely affect our ability to enact
such changes in a manner that is most advantageous to our business
or in a timely and cost-effective manner, thus materially and
adversely affecting our financial condition and results of
operations. The Labor Contract Law also mandates that employers
provide social welfare packages to all employees, increasing our
labor costs. To the extent competitors from outside China are not
affected by such requirements, we could be at a comparative
disadvantage.
Under the Enterprise Income Tax Law, we may be classified as
a “Resident Enterprise” of China. Such classification will likely
result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC
stockholders.
China passed an Enterprise Income Tax Law (the “EIT Law”) and
implementing rules, both of which became effective on January 1,
2008. Under the EIT Law, an enterprise established outside of China
with “de facto management bodies” within China is considered a
“resident enterprise,” meaning that it can be treated in a manner
similar to a Chinese enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes.
The implementing rules of the EIT Law define de facto management as
“substantial and overall management and control over the production
and operations, personnel, accounting, and properties” of the
enterprise.
On April 22, 2009, the State Administration of Taxation of China
issued the Notice Concerning Relevant Issues Regarding Cognizance
of Chinese Investment Controlled Enterprises Incorporated Offshore
as Resident Enterprises pursuant to Criteria of de facto Management
Bodies, or the Notice, further interpreting the application of the
EIT Law and its implementation to offshore entities controlled by a
Chinese enterprise or group. Pursuant to the Notice, an enterprise
incorporated in an offshore jurisdiction and controlled by a
Chinese enterprise or group will be classified as a
“non-domestically incorporated resident enterprise” if (i) its
senior management in charge of daily operations reside or perform
their duties mainly in China; (ii) its financial or personnel
decisions are made or approved by bodies or persons in China; (iii)
its substantial assets and properties, accounting books, corporate
stamps, board and stockholder minutes are kept in China; and (iv)
at least half of its directors with voting rights or senior
management are often resident in China. A resident enterprise would
be subject to an enterprise income tax rate of 25% on its worldwide
income and must pay a withholding tax at a rate of 10% when paying
dividends to its non-PRC stockholders. However, it remains unclear
as to how tax authorities will determine tax residency based on the
facts of each case.
If the PRC tax authorities determine that we are a “resident
enterprise” for PRC enterprise income tax purposes, a number of
unfavorable PRC tax consequences could follow. First, we may be
subject to the enterprise income tax at a rate of 25% on our
worldwide taxable income as well as PRC enterprise income tax
reporting obligations. In our case, this would mean that income
such as non-China source income would be subject to PRC enterprise
income tax at a rate of 25%. Currently, approximately 82% of our
revenue is non-China source income, so could be adversely affected.
Second, under the EIT Law and its implementing rules, dividends
paid to us from our PRC subsidiaries would qualify as “tax-exempt
income.” Finally, it is possible that future guidance issued with
respect to the new “resident enterprise” classification could
result in a situation in which a 10% withholding tax is imposed on
dividends we pay to our non-PRC stockholders and with respect to
gains derived by our non-PRC stockholders from transferring our
shares.
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.
The State Administration of Foreign Exchange, 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, on July 4, 2014, which replaced the former circular
commonly known as “SAFE Circular 75” promulgated by SAFE on October
21, 2005. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents to register with
local branches of SAFE in connection with their direct
establishment or indirect control of an offshore entity, for the
purpose of overseas investment and financing. Moreover, failure to
comply with the various SAFE registration requirement could result
in liability under PRC law for evasion of foreign exchange
controls. According to the Notice on Further Simplifying and
Improving Policies for the Foreign Exchange Administration of
Direct Investment (the “2015 Notice”) released on February 13, 2015
by SAFE, local banks will examine and handle foreign exchange
registration for overseas direct investment, including the initial
foreign exchange registration and amendment registration, under
SAFE Circular 37 from June 1, 2015.
We have not filed SAFE Circular 37 reports on behalf of our
shareholders who are PRC residents before. The failure of our
beneficial owners who are PRC residents to register or amend their
SAFE registrations in a timely manner pursuant to SAFE Circular 37
and subsequent implementation rules, or the failure of future
beneficial owners of our company who are PRC residents to comply
with the registration procedures set forth in SAFE Circular 37 and
subsequent implementation rules, may subject such beneficial owners
or our PRC subsidiaries to fines and legal sanctions. Furthermore,
it is unclear how SAFE Circular 37 and the 2015 Notice, and any
future regulation concerning offshore or cross-border transactions,
will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant PRC
government authorities, we cannot predict how these regulations
will affect our business operations or future strategy. Failure to
register or comply with relevant requirements may also limit our
ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiaries
and limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends to
our company. These risks may have a material adverse effect on our
business, financial condition and results of operations.
A change in trading rules of the trading exchanges could
adversely affect our revenue and profitability.
We are under the supervision of various trading exchanges such as
the China Financial Futures Exchange, which provide trading
platforms and set trading model and rules for all participants
on the exchanges. Those exchanges formulate their trading
rules covering various aspects of trading, including but not
limited to, commission and fee rates, leverage ratio, trade
settlement procedures, membership qualifications, risk control
mechanism, as well as information management. Those trading
exchanges usually adjust their trading rules in response to
changing market conditions and changes to these rules may
adversely affect our revenue or business. In addition, futures
companies have discretion to set the fee rates and the adjustments
of the fee rates will have an impact on our income and
profitability.
We may be exposed to liabilities under the Foreign Corrupt
Practices Act and Chinese anti-corruption law.
We are subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA,
and other laws that prohibit improper payments or offers of
payments to foreign governments and their officials and political
parties by U.S. persons and issuers as defined by the statute for
the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. We are also subject
to Chinese anti-corruption laws, which strictly prohibit the
payment of bribes to government officials. We have operations,
agreements with third parties, and make sales in China, which may
experience corruption. Our activities in China create the risk of
unauthorized payments or offers of payments by one of the
employees, consultants or distributors of our company, because
these parties are not always subject to our control. We are in
process of implementing an anticorruption program, which prohibits
the offering or giving of anything of value to foreign officials,
directly or indirectly, for the purpose of obtaining or retaining
business. The anticorruption program also requires that clauses
mandating compliance with our policy be included in all contracts
with foreign sales agents, sales consultants and distributors and
that they certify their compliance with our policy annually. It
further requires that all hospitality involving promotion of sales
to foreign governments and government-owned or controlled entities
be in accordance with specified guidelines. In the meantime, we
believe to date we have complied in all material respects with the
provisions of the FCPA and Chinese anti-corruption law.
However, our existing safeguards and any future improvements may
prove to be less than effective, and the employees, consultants or
distributors of our Company may engage in conduct for which we
might be held responsible. Violations of the FCPA or Chinese
anti-corruption law may result in severe criminal or civil
sanctions, and we may be subject to other liabilities, which could
negatively affect our business, operating results and financial
condition. In addition, the government may seek to hold our Company
liable for successor liability FCPA violations committed by
companies in which we invest or that we acquire.
Since our operations and assets are located in the PRC,
shareholders may find it difficult to enforce a U.S. judgment
against the assets of our company, our directors and executive
officers.
Our operations and assets are located in the PRC. In addition, most
of our executive officers and directors are non-residents of the
U.S., and substantially all the assets of such persons are located
outside the U.S. As a result, it could be difficult for investors
to effect service of process in the U.S., or to enforce a judgment
obtained in the U.S. against us or any of these persons.
Regulatory bodies of the United States may be limited in
their ability to conduct investigations or inspections of our
operations in China.
From time to time, we may receive requests from certain U.S.
agencies to investigate or inspect our operations, or to otherwise
provide information. While we will be compliant with these requests
from these regulators, there is no guarantee that such requests
will be honored by those entities who provide services to us or
with whom we associate, especially as those entities are located in
China. Furthermore, an on-site inspection of our facilities by any
of these regulators may be limited or entirely prohibited. Such
inspections, though permitted by us and our affiliates, are subject
to the capricious nature of Chinese enforcers, and may therefore be
impossible to facilitate.
The regulation of Internet website operators in China is
subject to interpretation, and our operation of online trading
platform and education programs could be harmed if we are deemed to
have violated applicable laws and regulations.
The interpretation and application of existing Chinese laws and
regulations, the stated positions of the main governing authority,
the MIIT, and the possibility of adopting new laws or regulations
have created significant uncertainties regarding the legality of
the businesses and activities of Chinese companies with Internet
operations. In particular, according to the Internet Information
Services Administrative Measures promulgated by the State Council
on September 25, 2000, the activities of Internet content providers
are regulated by various Chinese governmental authorities,
including, the MOE, the State Administration of Radio, Film and
Television, the General Administration of Press and Publication, or
GAPP, and the Ministry of Culture, or MOC, depending on the
specific activities conducted by the Internet content provider. In
addition, MIIT promulgated a notice titled “Notice on Strengthening
Management of Foreign Investment in Operating Value-Added Telecom
Services” on July 13, 2006, which prohibits PRC Internet content
providers from leasing, transferring or selling their ICP licenses
or providing facilities or other resources to foreign investors.
The notice states that PRC Internet content providers (or their
shareholders) should directly own the trademarks and domain names
for websites operated by them, as well as servers and other
infrastructure used to support these websites and a PRC Internet
content provider’s failure to comply with the notice by
November 1, 2006 may result in revocation of its ICP
license.
Except for our corporate website (www.agmprime.com), we only
have contractual control over our websites, as the domains are held
by our subsidiaries. Among the subsidiaries which holds domain
names, AGM Beijing is subject to the PRC laws and regulations. AGM
Beijing has submitted ICP filings with the MIIT for all the domain
names it holds. However, AGM Beijing may be deemed to be providing
commercial internet information services, which would require AGM
Beijing to obtain an ICP License. An ICP License is a value-added
telecommunications business operating license required for
provision of commercial internet information services. Furthermore,
as we are providing service through mobile applications to mobile
device users, it is uncertain if AGM Beijing will be required to
obtain a separate operating license in addition to the ICP License.
Although we believe that not obtaining an ICP License or such
separate license is in line with the current market practice, there
can be no assurance that we will not be required to apply for an
operating license for our mobile applications in the future.
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 law.
Under the Enterprise Income Tax 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 relevant tax
treaties, 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. See “Item 4. Information on
the Company – Regulation — Regulations on Tax.” 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. It is unclear whether if we or any of our subsidiaries
established outside China are considered a PRC resident enterprise,
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 subject to PRC tax, the value
of your investment in our Class A ordinary shares may decline
significantly.
Restrictions on currency exchange may limit PRC investors’
ability to make investment.
In response to the persistent capital outflow in China and RMB’s
depreciation against U.S. dollar in the fourth quarter of 2016, the
PBOC and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE,
have implemented a series of capital control measures over recent
months, including stricter vetting procedures for Chinese citizens
to transfer foreign currency overseas and for China-based companies
to remit foreign currency for overseas acquisitions, dividend
payments and shareholder loan repayments. For instance, on January
26, 2017, SAFE issued the Notice of State Administration of Foreign
Exchange on Improving the Check of Authenticity and Compliance to
Further Promote Foreign Exchange Control, or the SAFE Circular 3,
which stipulates several capital control measures with respect to
the outbound remittance of profit from domestic entities to
offshore entities, including (i) under the principle of genuine
transaction, banks shall check board resolutions regarding profit
distribution, the original version of tax filing records and
audited financial statements; and (ii) domestic entities shall hold
income to account for previous years’ losses before remitting the
profits. The PRC government may continue to strengthen its capital
controls, and more restrictions and substantial vetting process may
be put in place by SAFE for cross-border transactions falling under
both the current account and the capital account. Any limitation on
the ability of our PRC investors to make capital contribution or
make other kinds of payments to us could materially and adversely
limit our ability to grow.
The recent joint statement by the SEC and PCAOB, proposed
rule changes submitted 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 the trading of our Class A
ordinary shares.
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 minimum offering size requirement for companies
primarily operating in “Restrictive Market”, (ii) adopt a new
requirement relating to the qualification of management or board of
director 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 auditors.
On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the Holding Foreign
Companies Accountable Act 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 U.S.
stock exchange. On December 2, 2020, the U.S. House of
Representatives approved the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable
Act. On December 18, 2020, the Holding Foreign Companies
Accountable Act was signed into law.
On March 24, 2021, the SEC announced that it had adopted
interim final amendments to implement congressionally mandated
submission and disclosure requirements of the Act. The interim
final amendments will apply to registrants that the SEC identifies
as having filed an annual report on Forms 10-K, 20-F, 40-F or N-CSR
with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm
that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that the PCAOB has
determined it is unable to inspect or investigate completely
because of a position taken by an authority in that jurisdiction.
The SEC will implement a process for identifying such a registrant
and any such identified registrant will be required to submit
documentation to the SEC establishing that it is not owned or
controlled by a governmental entity in that foreign jurisdiction,
and will also require disclosure in the registrant’s annual report
regarding the audit arrangements of, and governmental influence on,
such a registrant.
On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed a bill which, if
passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and signed into law,
would reduce 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 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 PCAOB is
unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public
accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a
position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction.
On December 2, 2021, the SEC issued amendments to finalize rules
implementing the submission and disclosure requirements in the HFCA
Act. The rules apply to registrants that the SEC identifies as
having filed an annual report with an audit report issued by a
registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign
jurisdiction and that PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate
completely because of a position taken by an authority in foreign
jurisdictions.
On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a Determination Report which
found that the PCAOB is 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.
The lack of access to the PCAOB inspection in China prevents the
PCAOB from fully evaluating audits and quality control procedures
of the auditors based in China. As a result, the investors may be
deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. The inability
of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes it
more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of these accounting
firms’ audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared
to auditors outside of China that are subject to the PCAOB
inspections, which could cause existing and potential investors in
our stock to lose confidence in our audit procedures and reported
financial information and the quality of our financial
statements.
Each of JLKZ CPA LLP, the independent registered public accounting
firm that issues the audit report for the fiscal years ended
December 31, 2020 and 2019 included elsewhere in this annual
report, and TPS Thayer LLC, the independent registered public
account firm that issued the audit report for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2021 included elsewhere in this annual report. as an
auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States
and a firm registered with the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the
United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular
inspections to assess such auditor’s compliance with the applicable
professional standards. JLKZ CPA LLP is headquartered in Flushing,
New York, and is subject to inspection by the PCAOB on a regular
basis. TPS Thayer LLC is headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, and is
subject to inspection by the PCAOB on a regular basis. Therefore,
we believe JLKZ CPA LLP and TPS Thayer LLC are not subject to the
determinations as to the inability to inspect or investigate
registered firms completely announced by the PCAOB on December 16,
2021
However, recent developments with respect to audits of China-based
companies create uncertainty about the ability of each of JLKZ CPA
LLP and TPS Thayer LLC to fully cooperate with the PCAOB’s request
for audit workpapers without the approval of the Chinese
authorities. 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.
In the event it is later determined that the PCAOB is unable to
inspect or investigate completely the Company’s auditor because of
a position taken by an authority in a foreign jurisdiction, then
such lack of inspection could cause trading in the Company’s
securities to be prohibited under the HFCAA ultimately result in a
determination by a securities exchange to delist the Company’s
securities. It remains unclear what the SEC’s implementation
process related to the above rules will entail or what further
actions the SEC, the PCAOB or Nasdaq will take to address these
issues and what impact those actions will have on U.S. companies
that have significant operations in the PRC and have securities
listed on a U.S. stock exchange. In addition, the above amendments
and any additional actions, proceedings, or new
rules resulting from these efforts to increase U.S. regulatory
access to audit information could create some uncertainty for
investors, the market price of our Class A ordinary shares could be
adversely affected, and we could be delisted if we and our auditor
are unable to meet the PCAOB inspection requirement or being
required to engage a new audit firm, which would require
significant expense and management time.
Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of
Chinese laws and regulations could limit the legal protections
available to us.
The PRC legal system is based on written statutes and prior court
decisions have limited value as precedents. Since these laws and
regulations are relatively new and the PRC legal system continues
to rapidly evolve, the legal system in China, including risks and
uncertainties regarding the enforcement of laws and that rules and
regulations in China can change quickly with little advance notice,
and the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules are not
always uniform and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules
involves uncertainties.
Therefore, these risks may result in a material change in business
operations, significant depreciation of the value of our Class A
ordinary shares, or a complete hinderance of our ability to offer
or continue to offer our securities to investors. Recently, the
Chinese government initiated a series of regulatory actions and
statements to regulate business operations in China with little
advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in
the securities market, enhancing supervision over China-based
companies listed overseas using a VIE structure, adopting new
measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and
expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. Since these
statements and regulatory actions are new, it is highly uncertain
how soon legislative or administrative regulation making bodies
will respond and what existing or new laws or regulations or
detailed implementations and interpretations will be modified or
promulgated, if any, and the potential impact such modified or new
laws and regulations will have on our daily business operation, the
ability to accept foreign investments and list on an U.S. or other
foreign exchange.
Although we have taken measures to comply with the laws and
regulations that are applicable to our business operations,
including the regulatory principles raised by the CBRC, and
avoiding conducting any activities that may be deemed as illegal
fund-raising, forming capital pool or providing guarantee to
investors under the current applicable laws and regulations, the
PRC government authority may promulgate new laws and regulations
regulating the direct lending service industry in the future. We
cannot assure you that our practices would not be deemed to violate
any PRC laws or regulations relating to illegal fund-raising,
forming capital pools or the provision of credit enhancement
services. Moreover, we cannot rule out the possibility that the PRC
government will institute a license requirement covering our
industry at some point in the future. If such a licensing regime
were introduced, we cannot assure you that we would be able to
obtain any newly required license in a timely manner, or at all,
which could materially and adversely affect our business and impede
our ability to continue our operations.
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 legal 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 be aware of our
violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the
violation. Such uncertainties, including uncertainty over the scope
and effect of our contractual, property (including intellectual
property) and procedural rights, could materially and adversely
affect our business and impede our ability to continue our
operations.
The Opinions recently issued by the General Office of the
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General
Office of the State Council may subject us to additional compliance
requirement in the future.
Recently, the General Office of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State
Council jointly issued the Opinions, which were made available to
the public on July 6, 2021. The Opinions emphasized the need to
strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities
and the supervision on overseas listings by China-based companies.
These opinions proposed to take effective measures, such as
promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems, to deal
with the risks and incidents facing China-based overseas-listed
companies and the demand for cybersecurity and data privacy
protection. The aforementioned policies and any related
implementation rules to be enacted may subject us to additional
compliance requirement in the future. As the Opinions were recently
issued, official guidance and interpretation of the Opinions remain
unclear in several respects at this time. Therefore, we cannot
assure you that we will remain fully compliant with all new
regulatory requirements of the Opinions or any future
implementation rules on a timely basis, or at all.
Risks Related to Our
Capital Structure and Class A Ordinary Shares
The dual-class structure of our ordinary shares has the
effect of concentrating voting control with certain shareholders,
including our executive officers, employees and directors and their
affiliates, which will limit your ability to influence the outcome
of important transactions, including a change in
control.
Under our memorandum and articles of association, we are authorized
to issue 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares of $0.001 par value
per share and 200,000,000 Class B ordinary shares of $0.001 par
value per share. As of the date of this report, there are
24,254,842 Class A ordinary shares and 2,100,000 Class B ordinary
shares issued and outstanding. Each of our Class B ordinary
shares has five (5) votes per share, and each of our Class A
ordinary shares has one (1) vote per share. Because of the
five-to-one voting ratio between our Class B ordinary shares and
Class A ordinary shares, the holders of our Class B ordinary shares
collectively control a majority of the combined voting power of our
ordinary shares and therefore are able to control all matters
submitted to our shareholders for approval even when the shares of
Class B ordinary shares represent a minority of all outstanding
shares of our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares.
These holders of our Class B ordinary shares may also have
interests that differ from yours and may vote in a way with which
you disagree and which may be adverse to your interests. The
directors and executive officers beneficially own a majority of the
outstanding Class A ordinary shares and all of the outstanding
Class B ordinary shares as of the date hereof. As of the date
hereof, our directors and executive officers directly and
indirectly hold an aggregate of approximately 74.93% of the
combined voting power of Class A and Class B ordinary shares. Our
directors and executive officers have voting and dispositive power
of all the outstanding Class B ordinary shares. Mr. Wenjie Tang,
our CEO, holds approximately 68.59% of the combined voting power of
Class A and Class B ordinary shares. This concentrated control may
have the effect of delaying, preventing or deterring a change in
control of our company, could deprive our shareholders of an
opportunity to receive a premium for their ordinary shares as part
of a sales of our company and might ultimately affect the market
price of our Class A Ordinary Shares.
British Virgin Islands companies may not be able to initiate
shareholder derivative actions, thereby depriving shareholders of
the ability to protect their interests.
British Virgin Islands companies may not have standing to initiate
a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United
States. The circumstances in which any such action may be brought,
and the procedures and defenses that may be available in respect to
any such action, may result in the rights of shareholders of a
British Virgin Islands company being more limited than those of
shareholders of a company organized in the United States.
Accordingly, shareholders may have fewer alternatives available to
them if they believe that corporate wrongdoing has occurred. The
British Virgin Islands courts are also unlikely to recognize or
enforce against us judgments of courts in the United States based
on certain liability provisions of U.S. securities law; and to
impose liabilities against us, in original actions brought in the
British Virgin Islands, based on certain liability provisions of
U.S. securities laws that are penal in nature. There is no
statutory recognition in the British Virgin Islands of judgments
obtained in the United States, although the courts of the British
Virgin Islands will generally recognize and enforce the non-penal
judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without
retrial on the merits. This means that even if shareholders were to
sue us successfully, they may not be able to recover anything to
make up for the losses suffered.
The laws of the British Virgin Islands provide little
protection for minority shareholders, so minority shareholders will
have little or no recourse if they are dissatisfied with the
conduct of our affairs.
Under the law of the British Virgin Islands, there is little
statutory law for the protection of minority shareholders other
than the provisions of the BVI Business Companies Act (the “BVI
Act”) dealing with shareholder remedies. The principal protection
under statutory law is that shareholders may bring an action to
enforce the company’s memorandum and articles of association.
Shareholders are entitled to have the affairs of the company
conducted in accordance with the general law and the company’s
memorandum and articles of association.
There are common law rights for the protection of shareholders that
may be invoked, largely dependent on English company law, since the
common law of the British Virgin Islands for business companies is
limited. Under the general rule pursuant to English company law
known as the rule in Foss v. Harbottle, a court will generally
refuse to interfere with the management of a company at the
insistence of a minority of its shareholders who express
dissatisfaction with the conduct of the company’s affairs by the
majority or the board of directors. However, every shareholder is
entitled to have the affairs of the company conducted properly
according to law and the constituent documents of the corporation.
As such, if those who control the company have persistently
disregarded the requirements of company law or the provisions of
the company’s memorandum and articles of association, then the
courts will grant relief. Generally, the areas in which the courts
will intervene are the following: (1) an act complained of which is
outside the scope of the authorized business or is illegal or not
capable of ratification by the majority; (2) acts that constitute
fraud on the minority where the wrongdoers control the company; (3)
acts that infringe on the personal rights of the shareholders, such
as the right to vote; and (4) where the company has not complied
with provisions requiring approval of a special or extraordinary
majority of shareholders, which are more limited than the rights
afforded minority shareholders under the laws of many states in the
United States.
The trading price of our Class A Ordinary Shares has been,
and is likely to continue to be, volatile; you might not be able to
sell your shares at or above the price that you paid for them and
we may not be able to stop the decline of our stock
price.
The trading price of our Class A ordinary shares has been, and is
likely to continue to be, volatile, and may be influenced by
numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control; you might
not be able to sell your shares at or above the price that you paid
for them. Factors that could cause volatility in the market
price of our common stock include, but are not limited to:
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the
financial projections we may provide to the public, any changes in
these projections or our failure to meet these
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actions
of securities analysts who initiate or maintain coverage of us,
changes in financial estimates by any securities analysts who
follow our company, or our failure to meet these estimates or the
expectations of investors; |
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announcements
by us or our competitors of significant services or features,
technical innovations, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint
ventures, or capital commitments; |
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price
and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market, including as a
result of trends in the economy as a whole; |
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other
events or factors, including those resulting from war or incidents
of terrorism, or responses to these events |
In addition, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and
volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the
market prices of equity securities of many companies. Stock prices
of many companies have fluctuated in a manner unrelated or
disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies.
In the past, stockholders have filed securities class action
litigation following periods of market volatility. If we were to
become involved in securities litigation, it could subject us to
substantial costs, divert resources and the attention of management
from our business, and adversely affect our business.
We are a “foreign private issuer,” and our disclosure
obligations differ from those of U.S. domestic reporting companies.
As a result, we may not provide you the same information as U.S.
domestic reporting companies or we may provide information at
different times, which may make it more difficult for you to
evaluate our performance.
We are a foreign private issuer and, as a result, we are not
subject to the same requirements as U.S. domestic issuers. Under
the Exchange Act, we will be subject to reporting obligations that,
to some extent, are more lenient and less frequent than those of
U.S. domestic reporting companies. For example, we will not be
required to issue quarterly reports or proxy statements. We will
not be required to disclose detailed individual executive
compensation information. Furthermore, our directors and executive
officers will not be required to report equity holdings under
Section 16 of the Exchange Act and will not be subject to the
insider short-swing profit disclosure and recovery regime.
As a foreign private issuer, we will also be exempt from the
requirements of Regulation FD (Fair Disclosure) which, generally,
are meant to ensure that select groups of investors are not privy
to specific information about an issuer before other investors.
However, we will still be subject to the anti-fraud and
anti-manipulation rules of the SEC, such as Rule 10b-5 under the
Exchange Act. Since many of the disclosure obligations imposed on
us as a foreign private issuer differ from those imposed on U.S.
domestic reporting companies, you should not expect to receive the
same information about us and at the same time as the information
provided by U.S. domestic reporting companies.
Additionally, as a company listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, we
are subject to the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards.
However, Nasdaq rules permit a foreign private issuer like us
to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country.
Certain corporate governance practices in the British Virgin
Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly from
the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards. We have followed
and intend to follow British Virgin Islands corporate governance
practices in lieu of the corporate governance requirements of the
Nasdaq Capital Market that listed companies must obtain its
shareholders’ approval of certain transactions other than public
offerings (Nasdaq rule 5635(d)). As a result of our reliance on the
“foreign private issuer” exemptions, our shareholders may be
afforded less protection than they otherwise would enjoy under the
Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards applicable to U.S.
domestic issuers.
We are an “emerging growth company,” and we cannot be certain
if the reduced reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth
companies will make our Class A Ordinary Shares less attractive to
investors.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart
Our Business Startups Act, or the JOBS Act. For as long as we
continue to be an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of
exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable
to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies,
including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation
requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced
disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our
periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the
requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive
compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute
payments not previously approved. We could be an emerging growth
company for up to five years, although we could lose that status
sooner if our revenues exceed $1 billion, if we issue more than $1
billion in non-convertible debt in a three-year period, or if the
market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates
exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which
case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the
following December 31. We cannot predict if investors will find our
Class A ordinary shares less attractive because we may rely on
these exemptions. If some investors find our Class A ordinary
shares less attractive as a result, there may be a less active
trading market for our Class A ordinary shares and our stock price
may be more volatile.
Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can also delay
adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as
those standards apply to private companies. We have irrevocably
elected not to avail our company of this exemption from new or
revised accounting standards and, therefore, will be subject to the
same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies
that are not emerging growth companies.
We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable
future.
We currently intend to retain any future earnings to finance the
operation and expansion of our business, and we do not expect to
declare or pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. As a
result, you may only receive a return on your investment in our
Class A ordinary shares if the market price of our Class A ordinary
shares increases.
The requirements of being a public company may strain our
resources and divert management’s attention.
As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange
Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Act, the listing
requirements of the securities exchange on which we list, and other
applicable securities rules and regulations. Despite recent reforms
made possible by the JOBS Act, compliance with these rules and
regulations will nonetheless increase our legal and financial
compliance costs, make some activities more difficult,
time-consuming or costly and increase demand on our systems and
resources, particularly after we are no longer an “emerging growth
company.” The Exchange Act requires, among other things, that we
file annual, quarterly, and current reports with respect to our
business and operating results.
As a result of disclosure of information in this annual report and
in filings required of a public company, our business and financial
condition will become more visible, which we believe may result in
threatened or actual litigation, including by competitors and other
third parties. If such claims are successful, our business and
operating results could be harmed, and even if the 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 adversely affect our business,
brand and reputation and results of operations.
We also expect that being a public company and these new rules and
regulations will make it more expensive for us to obtain director
and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept
reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain
coverage. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to
attract and retain qualified members of our Board of Directors,
particularly to serve on our audit committee and compensation
committee, and qualified executive officers.
The obligation to disclose information publicly may put us at
a disadvantage to competitors that are private
companies.
As a publicly listed company, we are required to file periodic
reports with the SEC upon the occurrence of matters that are
material to our company and shareholders. In some cases, we will
need to disclose material agreements or results of financial
operations that we would not be required to disclose if we were a
private company. Our competitors may have access to this
information, which would otherwise be confidential. This may give
them advantages in competing with our company. Similarly, as a
U.S.-listed public company, we will be governed by U.S. laws that
our competitors, which are mostly private Chinese companies, are
not required to follow. To the extent compliance with U.S. laws
increases our expenses or decreases our competitiveness against
such companies, our public listing could affect our results of
operations.
The exercise of the Warrants issued on December 14, 2021 may
further dilute the Class A ordinary shares and adversely impact the
price of our Class A ordinary shares.
As of the date of this annual report, we had 24,254,842 Class A
ordinary shares outstanding. Up to an additional 1,652,175
Class A ordinary shares (approximately 6.81% of our issued and
outstanding shares) may be issued pursuant to the exercise of the
warrants issued on December 14, 2021. Such issuance will cause a
reduction in the proportionate ownership and voting power of all
other shareholders. Additionally, we cannot assure you that the
holders of such warrants will be able to sell the Class A ordinary
shares at a price per shares that is equal to or greater than the
exercise price paid by such holders.
Securities analysts may not cover our Class A ordinary shares
and this may have a negative impact on the market price of our
Class A ordinary shares.
The trading market for our Class A ordinary shares will depend, in
part, on the research and reports that securities or industry
analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any
control over independent analysts (provided that we have engaged
various non-independent analysts). We do not currently have and may
never obtain research coverage by independent securities and
industry analysts. If no independent securities or industry
analysts commence coverage of us, the trading price for our Class A
ordinary shares would be negatively impacted. If we obtain
independent securities or industry analyst coverage and if one or
more of the analysts who covers us downgrades our Class A ordinary
shares, changes their opinion of our Class A ordinary shares or
publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business,
our share price would likely decline. If one or more of these
analysts ceases coverage of us or fails to publish reports on us
regularly, demand for our Class A ordinary shares could decrease
and we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could
cause the price and trading volume of our Class A ordinary shares
to decline.
Item 4.
Information on the Company
A. History and
Development of the Company
AGM Group Holdings Inc. (“AGM Holdings”) was incorporated on April
27, 2015 under the laws of the British Virgin Islands (“BVI”).
AGM Technology Limited (“AGM HK”) was incorporated on May 21, 2015
under the law of Hong Kong. AGM HK is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
AGM Holdings and its principal activity is providing our core
service to customers.
AGM Tianjin Construction Development Co., Ltd. (“AGM Tianjin”) was
incorporated on October 13, 2015 in Shenzhen under the laws of the
People’s Republic of China. AGM Tianjing a wholly-owned subsidiary
of AGM HK. AGM Tianjin was incorporated for the purpose of being a
holding company for the equity interests in PRC. AGM Tianjin did
not conduct any operations or own any material assets or
liabilities except for cash, insignificant expense and the 100% of
the equity interests in AGM Beijing.
Beijing AnGaoMeng Technology Service Co., Ltd. (“AGM Beijing”) was
incorporated on November 13, 2015 in Beijing under the laws of the
People’s Republic of China. AGM Beijing is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of AGM Tianjin and its principal activities include
software design, technology transfer, technology consulting,
technology promotion and data processing AGM Beijing holds an ICP
filing for our online trading platform and education programs. AGM
Beijing was incorporated in Beijing because almost all of our
employees were and still are located in Beijing. In order to comply
with the PRC law regarding employee’s social benefits, which are
regulated separately in each city or province, it is more practical
for us to locate our office in Beijing so that we can pay for the
employees’ social benefits with the local government agency.
AGM Software Service LTD (“AGM Software”) was incorporated on June
14, 2017 under the laws of BVI. AGM Software is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of AGM Holdings and its principal activity will be
assisting AGM HK in providing our core technology services to
customers.
On July 26, 2019, AGM Holdings acquired 100% of the equity interest
in Anyi Network, Inc. (“Anyi Network”), and in consideration
therefor, AGM Holdings paid $400,000 in cash and issued an
aggregate of 475,000 Class A ordinary shares of AGM Holdings to the
shareholders of Anyi Network.
On April 16, 2019, AGMTrade UK LTD (“AGM UK”), a wholly owned
subsidiary incorporated on July 18, 2017, was dissolved under the
law of England and Wales. On November 20, 2019, AGM Trade Global
PTY LTD (“AGM Australia”), a wholly owned subsidiary incorporated
on July 25, 2017, was dissolved under the law of Australia. On
October 8, 2019, AGM Holdings transferred its 100% ownership of
AGMClub Service Limited (“AGMClub”), a Hong Kong company
incorporated on August 14, 2017. On August 15, 2019, AGM Global
Asset Management Limited (“AGM Global”), a wholly owned subsidiary
acquired on May 24, 2018, was dissolved under the law of Cayman
Islands. AGM UK, AGM Australia, AGMClub and AGM Global were for
business development purposes. They are holding companies and have
not engaged any substantial businesses. As the business strategies
developed, AGM Holdings wound up AGM UK, AGM Australia, AGMClub and
AGM Global.
On May 19, 2020, Nanjing XinGaoMeng Software Technology Co., Ltd.
(“AGM Nanjing”), an indirectly wholly owned subsidiary incorporated
on September 28, 2016, was dissolved under the law of PRC. AGM
Nanjing was a holding company and did not have any substantial
assets or liabilities
On December 14, 2020, AGM Holdings sold all the equity interest of
Anyi Network by entering into a share purchase agreement with
certain buyers, pursuant to which the Company sold to the buyers
100% equity interest in Anyi Network in exchange for a total
consideration of $8,000,000, payable in the form of canceling
475,000 Class A ordinary shares of AGM Holdings held by the buyers,
valued at $16.00 per share, and payment of $400,000 in cash. The
disposition of Anyi Network includes the disposition of the
subsidiaries of Anyi Network.
On October 19, 2020, AGM Tianjin International Financial Leasing
Co. Ltd. (“AGM Leasing”) was incorporated in the People’s Republic
of China under the laws of the People’s Republic of China. AGM
Leasing is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AGM HK and a wholly
foreign-owned entity under the PRC laws. AGM Leasing was
incorporated for the purpose of conducting financial leasing
services for the Company. AGM Leasing did not conduct any
operations or own any material assets or liabilities. AGM Leasing
was dissolved in July 2021.
On August 8, 2021, AGM Defi Lab Pte Limited (“AGM Defi Lab”) was
incorporated under the law of Singapore. AGM Defi Lab is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of AGM Holdings and its principal activity
is to provide software development and consulting services in Asian
areas.
On July 30, 2021, AGM Defi Tech Limited (“AGM Defi Tech”) was
incorporated under the law of Hong Kong. AGM Defi Tech is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of AGM Holdings and its principal activity
is to provide software development and consulting services in Asian
areas.
On October 21, 2021, Beijing Keen Sense Technology Service Co.,
Ltd. (“Beijing Keen Sense”) was incorporated in the People’s
Republic of China under the laws of the People’s Republic of China.
Beijing Keen Sense is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AGM Defi Tech
and a wholly foreign-owned entity under the PRC laws. Beijing Keen
Sense was incorporated for the purpose of hiring personnel and
talents in fintech and blockchain areas and provide related
development and research services.
On June 17, 2021, Nanjing Lucun Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (“Nanjing
Lucun”) was incorporated in the People’s Republic of China under
the laws of the People’s Republic of China. Nanjing Lucun is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of AGM HK and a wholly foreign-owned entity
under the PRC laws. Nanjing Lucun was incorporated for the purpose
of producing high-performance hardware and computing equipment.
B. Business
Overview
We are a technology company. Our products and services include: 1)
a futures trading solution catering to clients using MetaTrader 5;
2) FXSC, a retail-orientated online trading education website; 3) a
foreign exchange (“Forex”) trading system that provides services to
financial institutions outside of China; and 4) technology hardware
research and development, manufacture, and sales. Our mission is to
become one of the key participants and contributors in the
global technology hardware supply chain and fintech blockchain
ecosystem.
Futures trading system
In September 2019, we completed our development of a futures
trading software which integrates future trading API with
MetaTrader 5, a well-known and advanced trading software. However,
during the third quarter of 2020, most futures brokers started
to accept a new third-party software API connection method in order
to comply with newly enacted futures regulations and policies in
China about the trading terminal API pass-through regulation, which
requires “pass through monitoring”. Brokers will need to know
exactly who to use API from what third-party software since,
traditionally, brokers did not need to collect such information.
All other software products on the market are required to comply
with the new rule. Accordingly, we were obligated to upgrade and
transform the system to enable this new API connection method. We
completed the upgrading and transformation of the system at the end
of first quarter of 2021. We plan to conduct new trials and
improve the solutions based on feedbacks. This service is currently
managed through AGM Defi Tech.
FXSC, a retail-orientated online trading education
website
In July 2020, we launched FXSC a subscription-based online trading
education and social trading network platform for Forex traders.
FXSC provides trading education to users through interactive
trading simulation and trading contests, which enable users to
choose and participate in available contests and compete for prizes
in a real-time streamed, interactive demo trading environment. FXSC
also provides demo trading, also referred to as virtual trading,
paper trading, or trading simulation, which is designed to give
users, especially the ones with limited knowledge and skills, a
risk-free trading environment to get familiar with the markets and
trading tools. We plan to charge subscription fees directly to
end-users for using the social and educational features of the
platform. In addition, through partnership with brokers that
integrate its accounts management system with FXSC, we plan to
charge brokers a per client monthly service fee for their clients
using FXSC. The launch of FXSC is expected to build our brand. This
service is currently managed through AGM Defi Tech.
Forex trading system
Prior to September 2018, we provided Forex trading services,
including computer program technical support and solution services
and trading platform application services, through a combination of
in-house developed systems and applications, and the licensed
trading platform MetaTrader. In addition, we were engaged in
Forex trading brokerage business and generated revenue from gains
and losses from trades and Forex brokerage fees and
commissions. At the time, our clients were retail
clients and brokerage firms located in China. We voluntarily
discontinued the Forex trading system due to a policy position by
the PRC government that would no longer support the Forex trading
related business and would restrain certain accounts holding the
deposits payable. In December 2021, we commenced the sale of our
trading system software to our brokerage clients and partners that
are not located in P.RC region. This service is currently managed
through AGM Defi Tech.
Technology hardware research and development, manufacture, and
sales
In third quarter of 2021, we formed the company’s new growth
strategy and the decision to enter into the ASIC chip research and
development to be conducted through AGM HK. In August 2021, we
announced the launch of our first ASIC crypto Miner - KOI MINER C16
(“C16”). C16 is equipped with the C3012 chip made by Semiconductor
Manufacturing International Corp.’s N+1 process. C16 has a hash
rate up to 113 TH/s and a power efficiency ratio of 30 J/T,
supporting the mining of Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and other
cryptocurrencies.
The competition of cryptocurrencies mining equipment has grown
intense in recent years. Our main competitors are Bitmain, a
multinational semiconductor company, Canaan, a supercomputing
solutions provider, and MicroBT, a technology company
based on block chain and artificial intelligence, all of which are
located in China and have both ASIC research and development
capacities and deep supply chain connections in China.
C16’s parameters have surpassed our competitors’ models, including:
Antminer S19 pro of Bitmain, which has a power consumption of 3250W
and hash rate of 104TH/S, and AvalonMiner1246 of Canaan,
which has an A1246 hash rate of 90TH/S, power
consumption of 3420W and power efficiency of 38J/T, and Whatminer
M30S ++ of MicroBT, which has a hash rate of
112TH/S, power consumption of 3472 W and power
efficiency of 31 J/T. Since the launch of C16, we have
received orders from buyers in the United States, Canada and
Europe.
Recent Development
Termination of Equity Transfer Agreement with Yushu Kingo City
Real Estate Development Co., Ltd.
On January 16, 2020, AGM Tianjin entered into an equity transfer
agreement (the “Equity Transfer Agreement”) with all the
shareholders of Yushu Kingo City Real Estate Development Co., Ltd.
(“Yushu Kingo”), who collectively owns 100% of the equity interest
in Yushu Kingo, pursuant to which agreement, in exchange for 100%
of the equity interest in Yushu Kingo, AGM Tianjin
agreed to pay $20,000,000 in cash and cause AGM Holdings
to issue 2,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, valued at $15 per
share, subject to the terms and conditions of the Agreement. AGM
Tianjin made advance payments in the amount of $4,937,663.72 (the
“Advance Payment”).
On April 6, 2021, AGM Tianjin, Yushu Kingo and its shareholders
entered into a supplement agreement (“Supplement Agreement”) to the
Equity Transfer Agreement. Pursuant to the Supplement Agreement, if
AGM Tianjin decided not to proceed with the acquisition
contemplated by the Equity Transfer Agreement and terminate such
agreement on or before October 31, 2021, Yushu Kingo’s shareholders
shall return the Advance Payment and pay an additional 10% interest
to AGM Tianjin. If Yushu Kingo’s shareholders are unable to make
such payment, Yushu Kingo’s shareholders agreed to transfer the
titles of real properties of Yushu Kingo to AGM Tianjin, valued
with a 20% discount to market price. The parties further agreed to
conduct a new evaluation of Yushu Kingo’s assets and to enter into
supplement agreement based on such evaluation.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the quarantine and travel
restrictions in China, and the massive economic disruption as a
result, Yushu Kingo was not able to complete its construction
projects and the audit and due diligence of Yushu Kingo was not
completed on time. On October 4, 2021, AGM Tianjin terminated the
Equity Transfer Agreement and Supplement Agreement with the Yushu
Kingo and its shareholders. On October 20, 2021, AGM Tianjin
entered into an agreement on transfer of creditor rights with a
non-affiliated third party (the “Buyer”). Pursuant to the Transfer
Agreement, AGM Tianjin agrees to sell to the Buyer all of its
rights and obligations under the Equity Transfer Agreement and the
Supplement Agreement, namely, the right to receive the Advance
Payment plus interest, for a total purchase price of $5,000,000
(the “Purchase Price”), $2,500,000 of which will be payable on or
before December 31, 2021 and the remaining $2,500,000 will be
payable on or before June 30, 2022. The Buyer agrees, in the event
it fails to pay the Purchase Price on time, to pay as damages for
breach of contract an amount equal to four times China’s loan prime
rate (LPR) of the Purchase Price due.
Memorandum of Understanding with GMTK Global Pty Ltd.
On July 15, 2020, AGM HK entered into a Memorandum of Understanding
with GMTK Global Pty Ltd., an Australia-based brokerage firm, to
jointly promote the Company’s newly launched online trading
education and social trading network platform FXSC in the Australia
market.
By the end of March 2021, the Company has completed three
rounds of tests with GMTK Global Pty Ltd. The purpose of test was
to confirm the integration of GMTK Global Pty Ltd’s account
management system with our FXSC user center and live contest data
synchronization. The final partnership contract was delayed due to
two reasons: (1) more tests will need to be conducted; and (2) GMTK
needs additional time to update its account management system per
Australian newly imposed CFD trading rules; the upgrade was near
completion and we expect the execute the final partnership contract
in 2022.
Letter of Intent with the shareholders of Safe Gold Financial
Holdings Limited
On August 7, 2020, AGM HK entered into a letter of intent with the
shareholders of Safe Gold Financial Holdings Limited ("Safe Gold")
to acquire 100 percent equity interest in Safe Gold and its wholly
owned subsidiary Safe Gold Securities and Futures Limited ("Safe
Gold SF"), for a proposed total consideration of all-cash
transaction that equals the combined net asset value for Safe Gold
and Safe Gold SF as of June 30, 2020, plus a premium of HK$8.5
million, deducting a due from shareholders of HK$14 million,
subject to certain adjustments and definitive agreements at the
closing.
Safe Gold is a Hong Kong-based financial services company which,
through its wholly-owned subsidiary Safe Gold SF, holds Hong Kong
Financial Services Licenses Type 1 (Dealing of Securities), Type 2
(Dealing in Futures Contracts), Type 4 (Advertising on Securities),
Type 5 (Advertising on Futures Contracts), and Type 9 (Asset
Management). Safe Gold is also a participant and trading right
holder of both HKEX and HKFE.
Private Placement
In July 2020, we consummated a private placement offering whereby
the Company entered into private placement subscription agreements
with certain investors. Pursuant to the Subscription Agreements, in
which we issued an aggregate of 40,235 Class A ordinary shares to
the investors, at a purchase price of $16.6 per share, for an
aggregate amount of $667,901. All of the Shares were issued to non
U.S. persons (as that term is defined in Regulation S of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended) in an offshore transaction
relying on Regulation S and/or Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended.
Disposition of Anyi Network, Inc.
On December 14, 2020, we disposed of Anyi Network by entering into
a share purchase agreement with Haiyan Huang, Feng Zhi and Yinglu
Gao (the “Buyers”), pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell to
the Buyers 100% equity interest in Anyi Network, including its
subsidiaries, in exchange for a total consideration of $8,000,000,
payable in the form of canceling 475,000 Class A ordinary shares of
AGM Holdings held by the Buyers, valued at $16.00 per share, and
payment of $400,000 in cash.
Strategic Partnership with HighSharp (Shenzhen Gaorui)
Electronic Technology Co., Ltd
As part of our plan to expand into the hardware production
business, in September 2021, we entered into a strategic
partnership agreement with HighSharp (Shenzhen Gaorui) Electronic
Technology Co., Ltd (“HighSharp”), a fabless integrated circuit
designer that provides advanced semiconductor solutions for
supercomputing hardware, pursuant to which, for a six-month period
until March 25, 2022, HighSharp will provide the latest ASIC chip
technology and manufacturing services to us and we will be
responsible for client development on a global basis, with a target
to generate orders of at least US$100 million during the six-month
term until March 25, 2022. If we and HighSharp achieve the
respective targets, we and HighSharp plan to form a joint venture,
joined by HighSharp’s key R&D team members, with the goal to
integrate next generation product research and development into
fabless integrated circuit design capabilities that provide
advanced semiconductor solutions for supercomputing hardware. AGM
Group Holdings, Inc. will own 60% of the equity and HighSharp will
own 40% of the equity in the joint venture.
Change of Board of Directors
On April 30, 2021, Tingfu Xie tendered his resignation as director,
the chairman of the Nominating Committee, and a member of the Audit
Committee and the Compensation Committee of the Company, effective
April 30, 2021. On the same day, at the recommendation of the
Nominating Committee and the Compensation Committee, the Board of
Directors approved and confirmed the appointment of Jing Shi as the
succeeding director, the chairwoman of the Nominating Committee and
a member of the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee of
the Company, effective April 30, 2021.
On May 7, 2021, the Board of Directors appointed Dr. Bo Zhu as the
Chief Strategy Officer.
On July 12, 2021, the Board of Directors and the Compensation
Committee of approved and confirmed the appointment of Chenjun Li
as the Co-Chief Executive Officer, effective July 12, 2021. On
September 15, 2021, the Board of Directors also approved the
appointment of Chenjun Li as the director and the Chairman of the
Board to replace Bin Cao, whose employment agreement with the
Company expired on May 19, 2021.
On September 23, 2021, Zhihe Yang tendered his
resignation as the Chief Financial Officer of the Company,
effective September 23, 2021. On September 24, 2021, the
Board of Directors appointed Mr. Steven Yuan Ning
Sim as the succeeding Chief Financial Officer of the Company,
effective September 24, 2021.
Registered Direct Offering and Concurrent Private
Placement
On December 14, 2021, pursuant to a securities purchase agreement
(the “Purchase Agreement”) with certain institutional investors
(the “Purchasers”) dated December 10, 2021, the Company closed (a)
a registered direct offering for the sale of 2,898,552 of its Class
A ordinary shares, par value US$0.001 per share, and (b) a
concurrent private placement, for the sale of unregistered warrants
to purchase up to 1,449,276 Class A ordinary shares (the “Investor
Warrants”), for gross proceeds of approximately US$20 million. The
purchase price for each Share and the corresponding half of one
Investor Warrant is US$6.90. The Investor Warrants will be
exercisable immediately from the date of issuance and have an
exercise price of US$8.30 per share. The Investor Warrants will
expire 3.5 years from the date of issuance. Each Investor Warrant
contains anti-dilution provisions to reflect share dividends and
splits or other similar transactions, as described in the Investor
Warrants.
Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the Class A ordinary shares
were issued to the Purchasers in a registered direct offering and
registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
“Securities Act”), pursuant to a prospectus supplement to the
Company’s currently effective registration statement on Form F-3
(File No. 333-236897), which was initially filed with the SEC on
March 5, 2020 and declared effective by the SEC on May 28, 2020.
The Company filed the prospectus supplement for the Registered
Direct Offering on December 13, 2021.
The Company issued the Investor Warrants to the Purchasers in a
concurrent private placement pursuant to an exemption from the
registration requirements of the Securities Act contained in
Section 4(a)(2) thereof and/or Regulation D thereunder (the
“Private Placement,” and together with the Registered Direct
Offering, the “Offering”).
FT Global Capital, Inc. (the “Placement Agent”) acted as the
exclusive placement agent in connection with the Offering under the
terms of the Placement Agency Agreement, dated December 10, 2021
between it and the Company (the “Placement Agency Agreement”) and,
at closing of the Offering, received a cash fee equal to 7.5% of
the aggregate gross proceeds raised in the Offering as well as
reimbursement of certain costs and expenses of up to US$80,000.
Additionally, the Company issued to the Placement Agent or its
designees warrants (the “Placement Agent Warrants,” and together
with the Investor Warrants, the “Warrants”) for the purchase of
202,899 Class A ordinary shares with an exercise price of US$8.30
per share, and with a term expiring 3.5 years from the date of
issuance. The Placement Agent Warrants shall have the same
registration rights as the Investor Warrants issued to the
Purchasers in the Offering. The Placement Agent is also entitled to
additional tail compensation for any financings consummated by the
Company within the 12-month period following the termination of the
Placement Agency Agreement, to the extent such financing is
provided to the Company by investors that the Placement Agent had
“wall-crossed” on behalf of the Company in connection with the
Offering.
The Company has agreed to file and maintain with the SEC a
registration statement (the “Registration Statement”) to register
the Warrants and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the
Warrants (the “Warrant Shares”) within 30 calendar days from the
closing of the Offering and to use its best efforts to cause such
registration statement to become effective within 60 calendar days
following the closing of the Offering (or, in the event of a review
by the SEC, within 120 calendar days).
The Company agreed in the Purchase Agreement that it would not
issue any Class A ordinary shares or Class A ordinary share
equivalents for sixty (60) days following the closing of the
Offering subject to certain exceptions. The Company agreed in the
Placement Agency Agreement that it would not issue any Class A
ordinary shares or Class A ordinary share equivalents for one
hundred twenty (120) days following the closing of the Offering
without the consent of the Placement Agent, subject to certain
exceptions.
The Company agreed in the Purchase Agreement that it will not issue
any Class A ordinary shares or Class A ordinary share equivalents
involve in a Variable Rate Transaction (as defined in the Purchase
Agreement) until the earlier of (x) the date the initial
Registration Statement is declared effective by the SEC and (y) the
date as of which all of the holders of Investor Warrants may sell
all of the Investor Warrant Shares without restriction pursuant to
Rule 144 (including, without limitation, volume restrictions) and
without the need for current public information required by Rule
144(c)(1) (or Rule 144(i)(2), if applicable). The Company further
agreed that until the first anniversary of the earlier of (x) or
(y) above, it would not issue or enter into any agreement to issue
any Class A ordinary shares or Class A ordinary share equivalents
unless the Purchasers are offered a participation right, subject to
certain terms and conditions as set forth in the Purchase
Agreement, to subscribe, on a pro rata basis, for up to 50% of the
securities offered in such offering.
Concurrently with the execution of the Purchase Agreement, the
officers and directors of the Company and shareholders of the
Company holding 5% or more of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares
entered into lock-up agreements (the “Lock-Up Agreements”) pursuant
to which they have agreed, among other things, not to sell or
dispose of any Class A ordinary shares which are or will be
beneficially owned by them for one hundred twenty (120) days
following the closing of the Offering, as well as similar lock-up
agreements pursuant to the Placement Agency Agreement restricting
sales of Class A ordinary shares for ninety (90) days after the
closing of the Offering.
Change of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
On April 5, 2022, the Company notified its independent registered
public accounting firm, JLKZ CPA LLP its decision to dismiss JLKZ
CPA LLP as the Company’s auditor. The Audit Committee and the Board
of Directors of the Company ratified the appointment of TPS
Thayer LLC as its new independent registered public accounting
firm to audit the Company’s financial statements.
The COVID-19 Pandemic
We are monitoring the global outbreak and spread of the novel
strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) and taking steps in an
effort to identify and mitigate the adverse impacts on, and risks
to, our business (including but not limited to our employees,
customers, other business partners, our manufacturing capabilities
and capacity and our distribution channels) posed by its spread and
the governmental and community reactions thereto. We continue to
assess and update our business continuity plans in the context of
this pandemic, including taking steps in an effort to help keep our
workforces healthy and safe. The spread of COVID-19 has
caused us to modify our business practices (including employee
travel, employee work locations in certain cases, and cancellation
of physical participation in certain meetings, events and
conferences), and we expect to take further actions as may be
required or recommended by government authorities or as we
determine are in the best interests of our employees, customers and
other business partners. We are also working with our suppliers to
understand the existing and future negative impacts to our supply
chain and take actions in an effort to mitigate such impacts. Due
to the speed with which the COVID-19 situation is
developing, the global breadth of its spread and the range of
governmental and community reactions thereto, there is uncertainty
around its duration and ultimate impact; therefore, any negative
impact on our overall financial and operating results (including
without limitation our liquidity) cannot be reasonably estimated at
this time, but the pandemic could lead to extended disruption of
economic activity and the impact on our financial and operating
results could be material. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to our
Business—The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted, and poses
risks to, our business, the nature and extent of which are highly
uncertain and unpredictable.”
Sales Channels and Long-Term Opportunities
Due to our limited operating history, we have not developed a
comprehensive marketing strategy. For fintech software, currently
we are marketing our services through direct communication with
potential broker or institutional clients. As for retail trading
education, retail trading software and website service, we plan to
acquire seed clients from partnership with brokers that integrating
accounts system with FXSC. Furthermore, we plan to use search
engine marketing, search engine optimization, inherent virus
marketing features developed within our products and social network
marketing to targeted users. We believe the brand value will
develop rapidly as our product inherently bring more educational
value to retail clients as comparing to competitors’ product.
Customers and Suppliers
Customers
Our main clients are institutional clients. We consider our major
customers to be those customers that accounted for more than 10% of
sales revenue. We had seven major customers during the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2021, which accounted for an aggregate of 88.98%
of our sales revenue. We only had one customer during the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2020, which accounted for all of our sales
revenue.
Suppliers
We consider our major supplier to be those suppliers that accounted
for more than 10% of our cost of revenue. We had three major
suppliers during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, which
accounted for an aggregate of 98.49% of our cost of revenue. We
only had one supplier during the fiscal year ended December 31,
2020, which accounted for all of our cost of revenue.
Employees
As of December 31, 2021, we have a total of 22 full-time employees.
Our employees are not represented by a labor organization or
covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We believe that we
maintain a good working relationship with our employees, and we
have not experienced any significant labor disputes. We are
required under PRC law to make contributions to employee benefit
plans at specified percentages of the salaries, bonuses and certain
allowances of our employees, up to a maximum amount specified by
the local government from time to time. As required by regulations
in China, we participate in various employee social security plans
that are organized by local governments.
Legal Proceedings
As of the date hereof, there is no legal proceeding pending or
threatened against to which we are a party of. However, from time
to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal
proceedings which arise in the ordinary course of business.
Litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse
result in these or other matters may arise.
Regulations
Regulation of Internet Information Services
Internet information services are regulated by the Administrative
Measures on Internet Information Services, or the ICP Measures,
promulgated on September 25, 2000 by the State Council and amended
on January 8, 2011. “Internet information services” are defined as
services that provide information to online users through the
internet. Internet information services providers, also called
Internet content providers, or ICPs, that provide commercial
services are required to obtain an operating license from the MIIT
or its provincial counterpart.
To the extent the internet information services provided relate to
certain matters, including news, publication, education or medical
and health care (including pharmaceutical products and medical
equipment), approvals must also be obtained from the relevant
industry regulators in accordance with the laws, rules and
regulations governing those industries.
Regulation of Internet Content
The PRC government has promulgated measures relating to Internet
content through various ministries and agencies, including the
MIIT, the News Office of the State Council, the Ministry of Culture
and the General Administration of Press and Publication. In
addition to various approval and license requirements, these
measures specifically prohibit internet activities that result in
the dissemination of any content which is found to contain
pornography, promote gambling or violence, instigate crimes,
undermine public morality or the cultural traditions of the PRC or
compromise State security or secrets. ICPs must monitor and control
the information posted on their websites. If any prohibited content
is found, they must remove such content immediately, keep a record
of it and report to the relevant authorities. If an ICP violates
these measures, the PRC government may impose fines and revoke any
relevant business operation licenses.
Regulation of Internet Security
The Decision in Relation to Protection of the Internet Security
enacted by the SCNPC on December 28, 2000 provides that the
following activities conducted through the Internet are subject to
criminal punishment:
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gaining
improper entry into a computer or system of strategic
importance; |
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disseminating
politically disruptive information or obscenities; |
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leaking
State secrets; |
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spreading
false commercial information; or |
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infringing
intellectual property rights. |
The Administrative Measures on the Security Protection of Computer
Information Network with International Connections, issued by the
Ministry of Public Security on December 16, 1997 and amended on
January 8, 2011, prohibit the use of the Internet in a manner that
would result in the leakage of State secrets or the spread of
socially destabilizing content. If an ICP violates these measures,
the Ministry of Public Security and the local security bureaus may
revoke its operating license and shut down its websites.
Regulation Relating to Privacy Protection
Under the ICP Measures, ICPs are prohibited from producing,
copying, publishing or distributing information that is humiliating
or defamatory to others or that infringes upon the lawful rights
and interests of others. Depending on the nature of the violation,
ICPs may face criminal charges or sanctions by PRC security
authorities for such acts, and may be ordered to suspend
temporarily their services or have their licenses revoked.
Under the Several Provisions on Regulating the Market Order of
Internet Information Services, issued by the MIIT on December 29,
2011, ICPs are also prohibited from collecting any user personal
information or providing any such information to third parties
without the consent of a user. ICPs must expressly inform the users
of the method, content and purpose of the collection and processing
of such user personal information and may only collect such
information necessary for its services. ICPs are also required to
properly maintain the user personal information, and in case of any
leak or likely leak of the user personal information, ICPs must
take remedial measures immediately and report any material leak to
the telecommunications regulatory authority.
In addition, the Decision on Strengthening Network Information
Protection promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National
People’s Congress on December 28, 2012 emphasizes the need to
protect electronic information that contains individual
identification information and other private data. The decision
requires ICPs to establish and publish policies regarding the
collection and use of personal electronic information and to take
necessary measures to ensure the security of the information and to
prevent leakage, damage or loss. Furthermore, MIIT’s Rules on
Protection of Personal Information of Telecommunications and
Internet Users promulgated on July 16, 2013 contain detailed
requirements on the use and collection of personal information as
well as the security measures to be taken by ICPs.
The PRC government retains the power and authority to order ICPs to
provide an Internet user’s personal information if such user posts
any prohibited content or engages in any illegal activities through
the Internet.
Regulations on Intellectual Property Rights
Patent. Patents in the PRC are principally protected under
the Patent Law of the PRC. The duration of a patent right is either
10 years or 20 years from the date of application, depending on the
type of patent right.
Copyright. Copyright in the PRC, including copyrighted
software, is principally protected under the Copyright Law of the
PRC and related rules and regulations. Under the Copyright Law, the
term of protection for copyrighted software is 50 years.
Trademark. Registered trademarks are protected under the
Trademark Law of the PRC and related rules and regulations.
Trademarks are registered with the Trademark Office of the SAIC.
Where registration is sought for a trademark that is identical or
similar to another trademark which has already been registered or
given preliminary examination and approval for use in the same or
similar category of commodities or services, the application for
registration of such trademark may be rejected. Trademark
registrations are effective for a renewable ten-year period, unless
otherwise revoked. We are in the process of having our trademark
registered in PRC, and we have registered some trademarks in Hong
Kong.
Domain Names. Domain name registrations are handled through
domain name service agencies established under the relevant
regulations, and applicants become domain name holders upon
successful registration.
Regulations on Dividend Distributions
One of our PRC subsidiaries, AGM Tianjin, is a wholly foreign-owned
enterprise under the PRC law. The principal regulations governing
the distribution of dividends paid by wholly foreign-owned
enterprises include:
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Corporate
Law (1993) as amended in 2005 and 2013; |
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The
Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise Law (1986), as amended in
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The
Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise Law Implementation Regulations
(1990), as amended in 2001; and |
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The
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Under these regulations, wholly foreign-owned enterprises in China
may pay dividends only out of their accumulated profits, if any, as
determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and
regulations. In addition, an enterprise in China is required to set
aside at least 10% of its after-tax profit based on PRC accounting
standards each year to its general reserves until its cumulative
total reserve funds reaches 50% of its registered capital. Our
Company’s reserve fund has not yet reached this level. The board of
directors of a wholly foreign-owned enterprise has the discretion
to allocate a portion of its after-tax profits to its employee
welfare and bonus funds. These reserve funds, however, may not be
distributed as cash dividends.
On March 16, 2007, the National People’s Congress enacted the
Enterprise Income Tax Law, and on December 6, 2007, the State
Council issued the Implementation Regulations on the Enterprise
Income Tax Law, both of which became effective on January 1, 2008.
Under this law and its implementation regulations, dividends
payable by a foreign-invested enterprise in the PRC to its foreign
investor who is a non-resident enterprise will be subject to a 10%
withholding tax, unless any such foreign investor’s jurisdiction of
incorporation has a tax treaty with the PRC that provides for a
lower withholding tax rate.
Nevertheless, AGM Tianjin currently do not have assets or operation
of business, and we have no present plans to declare dividends and
plan to retain our earnings to continue to grow our business.
Regulations on Tax
PRC Enterprise Income Tax
The PRC enterprise income tax, or EIT, is calculated based on the
taxable income determined under the applicable EIT Law and its
implementation rules, which became effective on January 1, 2008.
The EIT Law imposes a uniform enterprise income tax rate of 25% on
all resident enterprises in China, including foreign-invested
enterprises.
Uncertainties exist with respect to how the EIT Law applies to our
tax residence status and our offshore subsidiaries. Under the EIT
Law, an enterprise established outside of China with a “de facto
management body” within China is considered a “resident
enterprise,” which means that it is treated in a manner similar to
a Chinese enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes. Although
the implementation rules of the EIT Law define “de facto management
body” as a managing body that exercises substantive and overall
management and control over the production and business, personnel,
accounting books and assets of an enterprise, the only official
guidance for this definition currently available is set forth in
Circular 82 issued by the State Administration of Taxation, which
provides guidance on the determination of the tax residence status
of a Chinese-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise, defined
as an enterprise that is incorporated under the laws of a foreign
country or territory and that has a PRC enterprise or enterprise
group as its primary controlling shareholder.
According to Circular 82, a Chinese-controlled offshore
incorporated enterprise will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by
virtue of having a “de facto management body” in China and will be
subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its worldwide income only
if all of the following criteria are met:
|
● |
the
primary location of the day-to-day operational management is in the
PRC; |
|
|
|
|
● |
decisions
relating to the enterprise’s financial and human resource matters
are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel
in the PRC; |
|
|
|
|
● |
the
enterprise’s primary assets, accounting books and records, company
seals, and board and shareholders meeting minutes are located or
maintained in the PRC; and |
|
|
|
|
● |
50%
or more of voting board members or senior executives habitually
reside in the PRC. |
We believe that we meet the conditions outlined in the immediately
preceding paragraph and should be treated as a “resident
enterprise” for PRC tax purposes if the criteria for “de facto
management body” as set forth in Circular 82 were deemed applicable
to us. However, as the tax residency status of an enterprise is
subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and
uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term
“de facto management body” as applicable to our offshore entities,
we will continue to monitor our tax status. See “Risk Factors —
Risks Related to Doing Business in China — Under the
Enterprise Income Tax Law, we may be classified as a “Resident
Enterprise” of China. Such classification will likely result in
unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC
stockholders.”
In the event that we or any of our offshore subsidiaries is
considered to be a PRC resident enterprise: (1) we or our offshore
subsidiaries, as the case may be, may be subject to the PRC
enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% on our worldwide taxable
income; (2) dividend income that we or our offshore subsidiaries,
as the case may be, receive from our PRC subsidiaries may be exempt
from the PRC withholding tax; and (3) dividends paid to our
overseas shareholders who are non-PRC resident enterprises as well
as gains realized by such shareholders from the transfer of our
shares may be regarded as PRC-sourced income and as a result be
subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of up to 10%, and
similarly, dividends paid to our overseas shareholders who are
non-PRC resident individuals, as well as gains realized by such
shareholders from the transfer of our shares, may be regarded as
PRC-sourced income and as a result be subject to PRC withholding
tax at a rate of 20%, subject to the provision of any applicable
agreement for the avoidance of double taxation.
Under SAT Circular 698 and Bulletin 7, if a non-resident enterprise
transfers “PRC taxable assets” of a PRC resident enterprise
indirectly by disposition of the equity interests of an overseas
non-public holding company without reasonable commercial purpose,
the parties involved in the indirect transfer of the PRC taxable
assets and the PRC resident enterprise whose equity is transferred
indirectly, may report such equity transfer matter to the PRC
competent tax authority of the PRC resident enterprise. 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 disposition may be
subject to a PRC withholding tax rate of up to 10%. Circular 698
also provides that, where a non-PRC resident enterprise transfers
its equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise to its related
parties at a price which is not on an arm’s length basis and
results in reducing the taxable income, the relevant tax authority
has the power to make a reasonable adjustment as to the taxable
income of the transaction. Circular 698 was retroactively effective
on January 1, 2008. On February 3, 2015, the State Administration
of Taxation released SAT Bulletin 7 to amend and clarify several
issues related to Circular 698. According to SAT Bulletin 7, the
term “PRC taxable assets” includes assets attributed to an
establishment in China, immoveable properties located in China, and
equity investments in PRC resident enterprises; and when
determining whether there is a “reasonable commercial purpose” of
the transaction arrangement, factors to be taken into consideration
include: whether the main value of the equity interest of the
relevant offshore enterprise derives from PRC taxable assets;
whether the assets of the relevant offshore enterprise mainly
consists of direct or indirect investment in China or if its income
mainly derives from China; whether the offshore enterprise and its
subsidiaries directly or indirectly holding PRC taxable assets have
real commercial nature which is evidenced by their actual function
and risk exposure; the duration of existence of the business model
and organizational structure; the replicability of the transaction
by direct transfer of PRC taxable assets; and the tax situation of
such indirect transfer and applicable tax treaties or similar
arrangements. If Circular 698 and Bulletin 7 were determined by the
tax authorities to be applicable to us, our offshore subsidiaries
and our non-resident enterprise investors, we, our offshore
subsidiaries and our non-resident enterprise investors might be
required to expend valuable resources to comply with this circular,
which may materially and adversely affect us or our non-resident
enterprise investors. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing
Business in China — We and our shareholders face uncertainties
with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC
resident enterprises or other assets attributed to a PRC
establishment of a non-PRC company, or other assets attributable to
a PRC establishment of a non-PRC company.”
Under applicable PRC laws, payers of PRC-sourced income to non-PRC
residents are generally obligated to withhold PRC income taxes from
the payment. In the event of a failure to withhold, the non-PRC
residents are required to pay such taxes on their own. Failure to
comply with the tax payment obligations by the non-PRC residents
will result in penalties, including full payment of taxes owed,
fines and default interest on those taxes.
PRC Value-added Tax
Pursuant to the Pilot Measure for Imposition of Value-Added Tax to
Replace Business Tax for Transport and Shipping Industry and Some
of the Modern Service Industries, promulgated by the Ministry of
Finance and the State Administration of Taxation on November 16,
2011 (the “PilotMeasure”),any entity or individual conducting
business in some modern service industry, such as the service we
are engaging in, is generally required to pay a value-added tax, or
VAT, at the rate of 6% on the revenues generated from providing
such services. A taxpayer is allowed to offset the qualified input
VAT paid on taxable purchases against the output VAT chargeable on
the modern services provided.
On March 30, 2016, the Ministry of Finance and the State
Administration of Taxation promulgated the Notice of the Ministry
of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation on Overall
Implementation of the Pilot Program of Replacing Business Tax with
Value-added Tax. Pursuant to this notice, from May 1, 2016, a
value-added tax will generally be imposed to replace the business
tax in the construction industry, real estate industry, finance
industry, consumer service industry and other industries on a
nationwide basis.
SAFE Circular 37
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, on July 4, 2014, which replaced the
former circular commonly known as “SAFE Circular 75” promulgated by
SAFE on October 21, 2005. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents
to register with local branches of SAFE in connection with their
direct establishment or indirect control of an offshore entity, for
the purpose of overseas investment and financing, with such PRC
residents’ legally owned assets or equity interests in domestic
enterprises or offshore assets or interests, referred to in SAFE
Circular 37 as a “special purpose vehicle.” SAFE Circular 37
further requires amendment to the registration in the event of any
significant changes with respect to the special purpose vehicle,
such as increase or decrease of capital contributed by PRC
individuals, share transfer or exchange, merger, division or other
material event. In the event that a PRC shareholder holding
interests in a special purpose vehicle fails to fulfill the
required SAFE registration, the PRC subsidiaries of that special
purpose vehicle may be prohibited from making profit distributions
to the offshore parent and from carrying out subsequent
cross-border foreign exchange activities, and the special purpose
vehicle may be restricted in its ability to contribute additional
capital into its PRC subsidiary. Furthermore, failure to comply
with the various SAFE registration requirements described above
could result in liability under PRC law for evasion of foreign
exchange controls.
Share Option Rules
Under the Administration Measures on Individual Foreign Exchange
Control issued by the PBOC on December 25, 2006, all foreign
exchange matters involved in employee share ownership plans and
share option plans in which PRC citizens participate require
approval from SAFE or its authorized branch. Pursuant to SAFE
Circular 37, PRC residents who participate in share incentive plans
in overseas non-publicly-listed companies may submit applications
to SAFE or its local branches for the foreign exchange registration
with respect to offshore special purpose companies. In addition,
under the Notices on Issues concerning the Foreign Exchange
Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Share
Incentive Plans of Overseas Publicly-Listed Companies, or the Share
Option Rules, issued by SAFE on February 15, 2012, PRC residents
who are granted shares or share options by companies listed on
overseas stock exchanges under share incentive plans are required
to (i) register with SAFE or its local branches, (ii) retain a
qualified PRC agent, which may be a PRC subsidiary of the overseas
listed company or another qualified institution selected by the PRC
subsidiary, to conduct the SAFE registration and other procedures
with respect to the share incentive plans on behalf of the
participants, and (iii) retain an overseas institution to handle
matters in connection with their exercise of share options,
purchase and sale of shares or interests and funds transfers.
Employment Laws
In accordance with the PRC National Labor Law, which became
effective in January 1995, and the PRC Labor Contract Law, which
became effective in January 2008, as amended subsequently in 2012,
employers must execute written labor contracts with full-time
employees in order to establish an employment relationship. All
employers must compensate their employees equal to at least the
local minimum wage standards. All employers are required to
establish a system for labor safety and sanitation, strictly abide
by state rules and standards and provide employees with appropriate
workplace safety training. In addition, employers in China are
obliged to pay contributions to the social insurance plan and the
housing fund plan for employees. We have contributed to the basic
and minimum social insurance plan. Due to a high employee turnover
rate in our industry, it is difficult for us to comply fully with
the law. While we believe that we have made adequate provision of
such outstanding amounts of contributions to such plans in our
financial statements, any failure to make sufficient payments to
such plans would be in violation of applicable PRC laws and
regulations and, if we are found to be in violation of such laws
and regulations, we could be required to make up the contributions
for such plans as well as to pay late fees and fines.
C. Organizational structure.
Below is a chart illustrating our corporate structure:
D. Property, Plant and Equipment
Intellectual Property
We regard our intellectual property rights as critical to our
operations. We rely on a combination of patents, copyrights,
trademarks and trade secret laws to protect our intellectual
property. As of December 31, 2021, we had two registered
trademarks in China and owned ten domain names.
Property and Equipment
As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, property and equipment, net
consisted of the following:
|
|
December 31,
2021 |
|
|
December 31,
2020 |
|
Electronic
equipment |
|
$ |
168,308 |
|
|
$ |
163,891 |
|
Office
equipment |
|
|
14,391 |
|
|
|
14,034 |
|
Leasehold
improvement |
|
|
339,657 |
|
|
|
- |
|
Total
property and equipment |
|
|
522,356 |
|
|
|
177,925 |
|
Less:
accumulated depreciation |
|
|
(199,959 |
) |
|
|
(158,605 |
) |
Total
property and equipment, net |
|
$ |
322,397 |
|
|
$ |
19,320 |
|
Depreciation expenses for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2021,
2020 and 2019 were $36,883, $31,957 and $48,793, respectively.
There was no impairment recorded for these property and equipment
for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019.
Lease commitments
We lease offices and residential properties for employee’s
dormitories Rent expenses for the years ended December 31, 2021,
2020 and 2019 were $51,239, $91,043 and $173,259, respectively. The
Company has future minimum lease obligations as of
December 31, 2021 as follows:
|
|
Commitment
Amount |
|
Year of 2022 |
|
$ |
52,700 |
|
Year of 2023 |
|
|
- |
|
Year of 2024 |
|
|
- |
|
Year of 2025 |
|
|
- |
|
Thereafter |
|
|
- |
|
Less: lease
commitments on terminations |
|
|
- |
|
Total |
|
$ |
52,700 |
|
Item 4A. |
Unresolved Staff Comments |
None.
Item 5. |
Operating and Financial Review and Prospects |
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our
financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with
our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes
included elsewhere in this annual report. This discussion contains
forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.
Our actual results and the timing of selected events could differ
materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking
statements as a result of various factors, including those set
forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this annual
report.
A. Operating Results.
Revenue
We derive revenue from the sales of the following three items: (1)
cryptocurrency mining machine and standardized computing equipment,
(2) technical support plans, (3) software customization services,
and bundle of products or services that may include a combination
of these items. We enter into contracts with customers that include
promises to transfer various products and services, which are
generally capable of being distinct and accounted for as separate
performance obligations. Revenue is recognized when the promised
goods or services are transferred to customers, in an amount that
reflects the consideration allocated to the respective performance
obligation. We record and recognize revenues from both products and
services in one account, which is presented as revenues and
revenues from related parties in the accompanying consolidated
statements of operations and comprehensive income. During 2021,
2020 and 2019, we derive revenue from the sale of the following
three items:
|
(1) |
Sales
of Cryptocurrency Mining Machine and Standardized Computing
Equipment |
We recognize product revenues on a gross basis as we are
responsible to fulfill the promise to provide specified goods.
Revenue is recognized at a point in time upon the transfer of
control of products to customers.
|
(2) |
Technical
Support Plans |
We sell technical support plans either as a package with the sale
of software products or separately on its own. Each technical
support plan has a contractual period of one year. Revenue is
recognized over a period of time throughout the contract period for
the technical support plan, generally is recognized over twelve
months period. However, we did not record this revenue stream on
total revenue for December 31, 2021 since we discontinued business
related to these services in 2020.
|
(3) |
Software
Customization Services |
We deliver our software customization services by developing
customized features on software products to suit customers’ special
needs. Upon receiving the purchase request from the customers, we
design, develop, test, and implement the specified features to our
software products. We also include a one-year technical support
plan specifically for the developed feature(s).
Customers are able to request and purchase the service together
with a purchase of our software product, or separately if the
customer has our software products in-use. Revenue is recognized at
a point in time upon customers’ acceptance of the feature(s), and
revenue for the technical support plan is recognized over its
service term, which generally is for twelve months period.
Costs and Expenses
We primarily incur the following costs and expenses:
Costs of revenues. Cost of revenues primarily consist of:
(1) cost of product revenue, which includes direct costs of
cryptocurrency mining machine, standardized computing equipment and
software products; labor costs and employee benefits for software
development, data testing, bug fixes and hacker prevention;
research and development expenses; (2) cost of services and other
revenue, which reflects direct costs associated with providing
services, including data center and support costs related to
delivering online services.
Selling, general and administrative expenses. Selling,
general and administrative expenses consist primarily of
compensation expense for our corporate staff and personnel
supporting our corporate staff, marketing costs, office supplies,
welfare expenses, training expenses, professional fees (including
consulting, audit and legal fees), travel and business hospitality
expenses. Selling, general and administrative expenses also include
depreciation and amortization expenses. We record property and
equipment at cost and calculate depreciation using the
straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of our assets,
which generally range from three to five years.
Research and development expenses. Research and development
costs are expensed as incurred. The costs primarily consist of the
wage expenses incurred to continuously improve and upgrade our
services.
Bad debt expenses. Based on our periodic review of accounts
receivable balances, we adjusted the allowance for doubtful
accounts after considering management’s evaluation of the
collectability of individual receivable balances, including the
analysis of subsequent collections, the customers’ collection
history, the write-off of uncollectible receivables against the
existing reserve, and recent economic events.
Results of Operations
|
|
For The Years Ended
December 31, |
|
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenues |
|
|
36,709,931 |
|
|
|
53,305 |
|
|
|
330,000 |
|
Cost of Revenues |
|
|
(30,112,363 |
) |
|
|
(38,534 |
) |
|
|
(43,056 |
) |
Gross profit |
|
|
6,597,568 |
|
|
|
14,771 |
|
|
|
286,944 |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Operating
expenses |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Selling, general & administrative
expenses |
|
|
1,607,393 |
|
|
|
964,470 |
|
|
|
1,369,701 |
|
Research and
development expenses |
|
|
36,317 |
|
|
|
63,450 |
|
|
|
127,117 |
|
Total
operating expenses |
|
|
1,643,710 |
|
|
|
1,027,920 |
|
|
|
1,496,818 |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Income/(Loss) from
operations |
|
|
4,953,858 |
|
|
|
(1,013,149 |
) |
|
|
(1,209,874 |
) |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Other
income/(expenses) |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Other income |
|
|
47,167 |
|
|
|
1,687 |
|
|
|
118,709 |
|
Other expenses |
|
|
(43,171 |
) |
|
|
(9,343 |
) |
|
|
(363,815 |
) |
Gain on equity
method investment |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
33,684 |
|
Total
other income/(expense) |
|
|
3,996 |
|
|
|
(7,656 |
) |
|
|
(211,422 |
) |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Income/(Loss) from
continuing operations before provision of income taxes |
|
|
4,957,854 |
|
|
|
(1,020,805 |
) |
|
|
(1,421,296 |
) |
Provision for
income taxes expenses |
|
|
(1,406,159 |
) |
|
|
(76,343 |
) |
|
|
(64,615 |
) |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Net income/(loss)
from continuing operations |
|
|
3,551,695 |
|
|
|
(1,097,148 |
) |
|
|
(1,485,911 |
) |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Discontinued
operations |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Loss from discontinued operations, net
of income tax |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
(322,490 |
) |
|
|
(76,944 |
) |
Gain from
disposal |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
347,990 |
|
|
|
- |
|
Income/(loss) from
discontinued operations, net of income tax |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
25,500 |
|
|
|
(76,944 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income/(loss) |
|
$ |
3,551,695 |
|
|
$ |
(1,071,648 |
) |
|
$ |
(1,562,855 |
) |
Revenues
Our total revenues increased by $36,656,626 or 68,768%, from
$53,305 in fiscal 2020 to $36,709,931 in fiscal 2021. All of our
total revenues for both fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2020 generated from
third parties and no revenues incurred from related party. The
increase was primarily due to the surging sales revenues from
cryptocurrency mining machine and standardized computing equipment
sales since 2021.
Our total revenues decreased by $276,695 or 84%, from $330,000 in
fiscal 2019 to $53,305 in fiscal 2020. All of our total revenues
for both fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019 generated from third parties
and no revenues incurred from related party. The decrease in
revenues was primarily due to the continued business. During
2020 and 2019, we developed new products and services using
technology derived from the discontinued business. These newly
developed products and services have not started to contribute to
our revenue stream.
Cost of Revenues and Gross Margin
Cost of revenues increased by $30,073,829 or 78,045%, from $38,534
in fiscal 2020 to $30,112,363 for the fiscal 2021. The increase was
primarily due to the increase in procurement costs of
cryptocurrency mining machines and standardized computing equipment
for fiscal 2021. Gross margin for fiscal 2021 was 18%, as compared
to 28% for fiscal 2020. The gross margin of sales cryptocurrency
mining machine and standardized computing equipment was a little
bit lower than the business in 2020.
Cost of revenues decreased by $4,522 or 11%, from $43,056 in fiscal
2019 to $38,534 for the fiscal 2020. The decrease of cost of
revenue was primarily attributable to in line with decrease of
revenues. Gross margin for fiscal 2020 was 28%, as compared to 87%
for fiscal 2019. The decreased in gross margin of continuing
operations was primarily due to higher cost in the wage, payroll
taxes and higher overhead costs.
Selling, General and Administrative expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses consist primarily of
sales and administrative employee-related expenses, professional
fees, travel costs, research and development costs, and other
corporate expenses. Selling, general and administrative expenses
were $1,607,393 for the year of 2021, an increase of $642,923, or
67% from December 31, 2020 to December 31, 2021. The increase was
primarily due to expenses related to an establishment of a new
wholly foreign-owned enterprise in fiscal 2021.
Selling, general and administrative expenses consist primarily of
sales and administrative employee-related expenses, professional
fees, travel costs, research and development costs, and other
corporate expenses. Selling, general and administrative expenses
were $964,470 for the year of 2020, a decrease of $405,231, or 30%
from December 31, 2019 to December 31, 2020. The decrease in
selling, general and administrative expenses was primarily due to
decrease in payroll expense, depreciation and amortization
expenses, and advertising and marketing expenses, reflecting the
down sized of our business in fiscal 2020.
Research and Development Expenses
We incurred $36,317 and $63,450 in research and development in
fiscal 2021 and 2020, respectively. Research and development
expenses decreased by $27,133, or 43%, for fiscal 2021 compared to
fiscal 2020. The decrease was primarily due to the decrease in
FinTech R&D. We have not invested in cryptocurrency mining
machine R&D. Research and development expenses decreased by
$63,667, or 50%, for fiscal 2020 compared to fiscal 2019.
Bad debt expense
We did not have bad debt expense in fiscal 2021, 2020 and 2019. We
collected all the accounts receivables as of December 31, 2020, due
to our sales arrangement usually requires advanced payment. We did
not make bad debt provision for accounts receivables as of December
31, 2021 since the customers were with good credit and the accounts
receivable were within the term of credit.
Loss from operations
As a result of the factors described above, operating income was
$4,953,858 for fiscal 2021, compared to operation loss was
$1,013,149 for fiscal 2020, an increase in operation income of
$5,967,007, or 589%. Our operation loss in fiscal 2020 was
$1,013,149, compared to operating loss was $1,209,874 for fiscal
2019, a decrease in operation loss of $196,725, or 16%.
Other expenses
For fiscal 2021, other income, net of other expense, were $3,996,
compared to other expenses, net of other income, were $7,656 for
fiscal 2020, a change of $11,652. The decrease of other expenses
was primarily attributable to foreign exchange income.
For fiscal 2020, other expense, net of other income, were $7,656,
compared to 211,422 for fiscal 2019, a change of $203,766. The
decrease of other expense was primarily attributable to a decrease
of gain on foreign currency transactions and other non-operating
income. We also incurred a non-operating expense on impairment of
disposal of $1,517.
Loss from continuing operations
As a result of the foregoing, our income from continuing operations
was $3,551,695, or $0.17 per share (basic and diluted), for the
year ended December 31, 2021, as compared with loss from continuing
operations of $1,097,148, or $(0.05) per share (basic and diluted),
for the year ended December 31, 2020. Our loss from continuing
operating was $1,485,911 for fiscal 2019, or $(0.07) per share
(basic and diluted), for the year ended December 31, 2019.
Income Tax
For fiscal 2021, we had provision for income tax of $1,406,159, an
increase of $1,329,816, or 1,742%, as compared to expense for
income tax of $76,343 for fiscal 2020. The increase is primarily
due to increase income before provision of income taxes.
For fiscal 2020, we had provision for income tax of $76,343, an
increase of $11,728, or 18%, as compared to expense for income tax
of $64,615 for fiscal 2019. The increase is primarily due to
recording of tax liability of $76,343 and tax liability of $64,615
in relation to uncertain tax positions for the uncertainty
surrounding the PRC residency of our non-PRC entities for the years
ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.
Gain (loss) from discontinued operation, net of income
taxes
Our gain from discontinued operations was nil, or $0.00 per share
(basic and diluted), for the year ended December 31, 2021, as
compared with a income from discontinued operations of $25,500, or
$(0.00) for the year ended December 31, 2020. Our loss
from discontinued operations was $76,944, or $(0.00) per share
(basic and diluted), for the year ended December 31, 2019.
The summarized operating result of discontinued operation included
our consolidated statements of operation is as follows:
|
|
For The Years Ended December 31, |
|
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
Revenues |
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
237,431 |
|
|
$ |
379,630 |
|
Cost of revenues |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
160,810 |
|
|
|
199,888 |
|
Gross profit |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
76,621 |
|
|
|
179,742 |
|
Operating expenses |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
353,219 |
|
|
|
196,060 |
|
Other income,
net |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
(45,125 |
) |
|
|
(2,240 |
) |
Loss before income taxes |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
(321,723 |
) |
|
|
(18,558 |
) |
Income tax
expense |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
767 |
|
|
|
58,386 |
|
Loss from discontinued operations |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
(322,490 |
) |
|
|
(76,944 |
) |
Gain from
disposal, net of taxes |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
347,990 |
|
|
|
- |
|
Total
income/(loss) from discontinued operations |
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
25,500 |
|
|
$ |
(76,944 |
) |
We realized a gain of $347,990 from the disposal of 100% equity of
Anyi Network including its subsidiaries and offset by a loss of
$322,490 from discontinued operation of the year ended December 31,
2020. As the result, total gain amounted $25,500 from discontinued
operation for the year ended December 31, 2020.
We reclassified Anyi Network and its subsidiaries as discontinued
operation and recorded a loss of $76,944 from discontinued
operation in the year ended December 31, 2019.
Net loss
As a result of the factors described above, our net income for
fiscal 2021 was $3,551,695, compared to net loss of $1,071,648 for
fiscal 2020, a decrease in net loss of $4,623,343, or 431%. Our net
loss for fiscal 2019 was $1,562,855, a decrease in net loss of
$491,207, or 31%.
Foreign currency translation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements are presented in
United States dollar (“$”), which is the reporting currency of us.
The functional currency of AGM Group Holdings, Inc., AGM Technology
Limited, AGM Defi Tech Ltd., our subsidiaries established pursuant
to the laws of Hong Kong, AGM DEFI LAB PTE. Ltd., our subsidiary
established pursuant to the laws of Singapore, and AGM Software
Services Ltd, our subsidiary established pursuant to the laws of
the British Virgin Islands are United States dollar. The functional
currency of AGM Tianjin Construction Development Co, Ltd., Beijing
AnGaoMeng Technology Service Co., Ltd., Nanjing Lucun Semiconductor
Co. Ltd., our indirect subsidiaries established pursuant to the
laws of China, are Renminbi (“RMB”). For the subsidiaries whose
functional currencies are RMB, results of operations and cash flows
are translated at average exchange rates during the period, assets
and liabilities are translated at the exchange rate at the end of
the period, and equity is translated at historical exchange
rates.
The Consolidated Balance Sheets balances, with the exception of
equity at December 31, 2021 and 2020, were translated at RMB6.3757
and RMB6.5378 to $1.00, respectively. The equity accounts were
stated at their historical rate. The average translation rates
applied to the Consolidated Statements of Operations and
Comprehensive Income and the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 were
RMB6.4514, RMB6.9003 and RMB6.9074 to $1.00, respectively.
Net gains and losses resulting from foreign exchange translations
are included in the Comprehensive income on the consolidated
statements of operations. As a result of foreign currency
translations, which are a non-cash adjustment, we reported a
foreign currency translation gain/(loss) of $169,472, $(154,768)
and $95,060 for the. This non-cash loss had the effect of
increasing our reported comprehensive income or loss.
B. Liquidity and Capital Resources.
Liquidity
For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
Liquidity is the ability of a company to generate funds to support
our current and future operations, satisfy our obligations and
otherwise operate on an ongoing basis. As of December 31, 2021 and
December 31, 2020, we had working capital of $24.5 million and $3.7
million, including cash and cash equivalents of $18.4 million and
$0.7 million, respectively. As a result, we believe that our
current cash and cash to be generated from our operations will be
sufficient to meet our working capital needs for at least the next
twelve months. We are not dependent upon the access to borrow loans
from our related parties. We plan to expand our business to
implement our growth strategies to broaden our service and
strengthen our position in the marketplace.
The following table sets forth a summary of changes in our working
capital from December 31, 2020 to December 31, 2021:
|
|
December 31, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
|
|
|
|
Percentage |
|
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
Change |
|
|
Change |
|
Working capital: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total current assets |
|
$ |
87,319,271 |
|
|
$ |
6,202,131 |
|
|
$ |
81,117,140 |
|
|
|
1,308 |
% |
Total current
liabilities |
|
|
62,819,301 |
|
|
|
2,538,955 |
|
|
|
60,280,346 |
|
|
|
2,374 |
% |
Working
capital |
|
$ |
24,499,970 |
|
|
$ |
3,663,176 |
|
|
$ |
20,836,794 |
|
|
|
569 |
% |
Because the exchange rate conversion is different for the
consolidated balance sheets and the consolidated statements of cash
flows, the changes in assets and liabilities reflected on the
consolidated statements of cash flows are not necessarily
identical with the comparable changes reflected on the consolidated
balance sheets.
Cash Flow Summary
The following table sets forth certain items in our consolidated
statements of cash flows for 2021, 2020 and 2019.
|
|
For The Years Ended December 31, |
|
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash used in operating
activities |
|
|
(1,854,458 |
) |
|
|
(1,652,022 |
) |
|
|
(196,393 |
) |
Net cash used in investing
activities |
|
|
(339,657 |
) |
|
|
(1,195 |
) |
|
|
(5,010,387 |
) |
Net cash provided by financing
activities |
|
|
19,558,681 |
|
|
|
111,878 |
|
|
|
(526,329 |
) |
Effect of exchange rate changes on
cash and cash equivalents |
|
|
397,451 |
|
|
|
129,375 |
|
|
|
(55,667 |
) |
Net change in cash and cash
equivalents |
|
|
17,762,017 |
|
|
|
(1,411,964 |
) |
|
|
(5,788,776 |
) |
Cash and cash
equivalents, beginning of the year |
|
|
664,605 |
|
|
|
2,076,569 |
|
|
|
7,865,345 |
|
Cash and cash equivalents, end of the
year |
|
|
18,426,622 |
|
|
|
664,605 |
|
|
|
2,076,569 |
|
Less cash and
cash equivalents of discontinued operations–end of year |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
613,979 |
|
Cash and cash
equivalents of continuing operations–end of year |
|
$ |
18,426,622 |
|
|
$ |
664,605 |
|
|
$ |
1,462,590 |
|
We have cash and cash equivalents held in financial institutions in
the following countries (regions):
|
|
December 31, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
Country (Region) |
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
China (Mainland) |
|
$ |
16,566,953 |
|
|
$ |
148,747 |
|
China (Hong Kong) |
|
|
1,599,983 |
|
|
|
271,212 |
|
Singapore |
|
|
259,686 |
|
|
|
244,646 |
|
Total
cash and cash equivalents |
|
$ |
18,426,622 |
|
|
$ |
664,605 |
|
Operating
Activities:
Net cash used in operating activities of continuing operations was
$1,854,458 for fiscal 2021, primarily due to a net income of
$3,551,695. The adjustments for changes in assets and liabilities
primarily included (i) an increase of advances to suppliers of
$40,485,521, (ii) an increase of inventories of $22,433,140, offset
by (iii) a decrease of advances from customers of $42,231,914 and
(iv) a decrease of accounts payable of $14,111,595.
Net cash used in operating activities of continuing operations was
$1,355,330 (total of $1,652,022 including discontinued operations
of $296,692), for fiscal 2020, primarily due to a net loss of
$1,071,648 adjusted by a gain on discontinued operations of
$25,500, adjusted by non-cash gain from disposal of subsidiary of
$347,990 and working capital primarily included depreciation and
amortization expenses of $33,437. The adjustments for changes in
assets and liabilities primarily included (i) prepaid expenses and
other current assets of $103,145, (ii) accounts payable of $1,763,
and (iii) accrued expenses and other current liabilities of
$48,537.
Net cash used in operating activities of continuing operations was
$160,926 (total of $196,393 including discontinued operations of
$35,467), for fiscal 2019, primarily due to a net loss from
continuing operations of $1,485,911 and adjusted by non-cash
working capital primarily included depreciation and amortization
expenses of $50,273 and a gain on equity method investment of
$33,684. The adjustments for changes in assets and liabilities
primarily included (i) prepaid expenses and other current assets of
$347,763, (ii) accounts payable of $76,441, and (iv) accrued
expenses and other current liabilities of $1,042,072.
Net cash used in operating activities of discontinued operations
was nil, $296,692 and $35,467 in fiscal 2021, 2020 and 2019,
respectively.
Investing
Activities:
Net cash used in investing activities of continuing operations was
$339,657 for the leasehold improvement in fiscal 2021.
Net cash used in investing activities of continuing operations was
$810 for the purchase of office equipment in fiscal 2020.
Net cash used in investing activities of continuing operations was
$4,976,431 for fiscal 2019. It was attributable to the purchase of
office equipment for $700, an acquisition of subsidiaries in cash
of $400,000, an advance deposit for intent acquisition of
$4,937,664 and offset by the proceeds from sales of equity
investment of $361,933.
Net cash used in investing activities from discontinued operations
was $385 and $33,956 for fiscal 2020 and 2019, respectively. There
was no net cash provided or used by investing activities of
discontinued operations for fiscal 2021.
Financing
Activities:
Net cash provided by financing activities was of continuing
operations $19,558,681 for fiscal 2021. It was mainly attributable
to proceeds from issuance of Class A ordinary shares of $17,639,999
and proceeds from short-term borrowings of $1,568,455.
Net cash provided by financing activities was of continuing
operations $198,226 for fiscal 2020. It was attributable to
proceeds from issuance of Class A ordinary shares of $667,901 and
borrowings from related parties of $125,212, offset by repayment of
related party loans and advances of $594,887.
Net cash used in financing activities was of continuing operations
$580,297 for fiscal 2019. It was attributable to repayment of
related party loans and advances of $587,120 and offset by
borrowings from related parties of $6,823.
Net cash used by financing activities of discontinued operations
was $86,348 for fiscal 2020. Net cash provided by financing
activities of discontinued operations of $53,968 for fiscal 2019.
There was no net cash provided by or used in financing activities
of discontinued operations for fiscal 2021.
We expect to incur additional costs associated with becoming a
public company in the United States, primarily due to increased
expenses related to accounting and tax services, legal expenses and
investor and stockholder-related expenses. These additional
long-term expenses may require us to seek other sources of
financing, such as additional borrowings or public or private
equity or debt capital. The availability of these other sources of
financing will depend upon our financial condition and results of
operations as well as prevailing market conditions and may not be
available on terms reasonably acceptable to us or at all.
Regulatory Restrictions on Capital Injections
If we conduct offerings in the future, we plan to use proceeds from
such offerings to fund our business from time to time. In order to
do so, we will be required to comply with the following Chinese
regulations regarding capital injections to foreign-invested
enterprises.
Chinese regulations relating to investments in offshore companies
by Chinese residents. SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant
Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents’
Financing and Round trip Investment through Offshore Special
Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, on July 4, 2014. SAFE
Circular 37 requires Chinese residents to register and update
certain investments in companies incorporated outside of China with
their local SAFE branch. SAFE also subsequently issued various
guidance and rules regarding the implementation of SAFE Circular
37, which imposed obligations on Chinese subsidiaries of offshore
companies to coordinate with and supervise any Chinese-resident
beneficial owners of offshore entities in relation to the SAFE
registration process.
We may not be aware of the identities of all of our beneficial
owners who are Chinese residents. We do not have control over our
beneficial owners and cannot assure you that all of our Chinese
-resident beneficial owners will comply with SAFE Circular 37 and
subsequent implementation rules. The failure of our beneficial
owners who are Chinese residents to register or amend their SAFE
registrations in a timely manner pursuant to SAFE Circular 37 and
subsequent implementation rules, or the failure of future
beneficial owners of our Company who are Chinese residents to
comply with the registration procedures set forth in SAFE Circular
37 and subsequent implementation rules, may subject such beneficial
owners or our Chinese subsidiaries to fines and legal sanctions,
which may be substantial. Failure to register may also limit our
ability to contribute additional capital to our Chinese
subsidiaries and limit our Chinese subsidiaries’ ability to
distribute dividends to our Company. These risks may have a
material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and
results of operations.
China regulates loans to and direct investment in Chinese entities
by offshore holding companies and there is governmental control of
currency conversion. We are an offshore holding company conducting
our operations in China through our wholly owned subsidiaries. As
an offshore holding company, we may make loans and additional
contributions to subsidiaries subject to certain government
authorities’ registration and/or approvals, including MOFCOM, SAIC
and SAFE, or their local counterparts.
Any loan to subsidiaries, which is treated as a foreign-invested
enterprise under Chinese law, is subject to Chinese regulations and
foreign exchange loan registrations. In January 2003, the China
State Development and Reform Commission, SAFE and Ministry of
Finance jointly promulgated the Circular on The Interim Provisions
on the Management of Foreign Debts, or the Circular 28, limiting
the total amount of foreign debt a foreign-invested enterprise may
incur to the difference between the amount of total investment
approved by the Ministry of Commerce or its local counterpart for
such enterprise and the amount of registered capital of such
enterprise, and requiring registration of any such loans with SAFE.
On January 11, 2017, the People’s Bank of China (the “PBOC”),
promulgated the Circular on Matters concerning the Macro-Prudential
Management of Full-Covered Cross-Border Financing, or the PBOC
Circular 9. Pursuant to PBOC Circular 9, the foreign debt upper
limit for both foreign-invested companies and domestic-invested
companies is calculated as twice the net asset of such companies.
As to net assets, the companies shall take the net assets value
stated in their latest audited financial statement. The PBOC
Circular 9 does not supersede the Circular 28. It provides a
one-year transitional period from its promulgation date for
foreign-invested companies, during which foreign-invested
companies, such as our WFOE, could choose their calculation method
of foreign debt upper limit based on either the Foreign Debts
Provisions or the PBOC Circular 9. The transitional period ended on
January 11, 2018. Upon its expiry, pursuant to the PBOC Circular 9,
the PBOC and SAFE will determine the cross-border financing
administration mechanism for the foreign-invested enterprises after
evaluating the overall implementation of the PBOC Circular 9. As of
the date hereof, neither PBOC nor SAFE has promulgated and made
public any further rules, regulations, notices or circulars in this
regard. It is uncertain which mechanism will be adopted by PBOC and
SAFE in the future and what statutory limits will be imposed on us
when providing loans to our PRC subsidiaries.
We may choose to finance subsidiaries by means of capital
contributions. These capital contributions must be registered with
the Ministry of Commerce or its local counterpart. In March 2015,
SAFE issued the Circular Concerning the Reform of the
Administration of the Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of
Foreign-Invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular No.19, which became
effective in June 2015. SAFE Circular No.19 regulates the
conversion by a foreign-invested enterprise of foreign currency
registered capital into RMB by restricting how the converted RMB
may be used. Furthermore, SAFE promulgated a circular in June 2016,
SAFE Circular No.16, which further revises some clauses in the SAFE
Circular No.19. SAFE Circular No. 19 and No.16 provide that the
capital-account foreign exchange incomes of a domestic enterprise
shall not be used for expenditures that are forbidden by relevant
laws and regulations, for purposes that are not included in the
business scope approved by the applicable government authority,
shall not be used for direct or indirect equity investments within
China or for any other kind of investment except
principal-guaranteed wealth-management products, unless otherwise
prescribed by other laws and regulations, shall not be used for
issuing RMB entrusted loans (except included in the business scope
approved by the applicable government authority or issuing RMB
entrusted loans to affiliated enterprises), repaying
inter-enterprise loans, repaying bank loans which has been
refinanced to third parties, issuing RMB loans to non-affiliated
enterprises unless expressly permitted in the business scope and
shall not be used to purchase real estate that is not for personal
use except if we are a real estate enterprise. In addition, SAFE
supervises the flow and use of the RMB capital converted from
foreign currency registered capital of a foreign-invested company
by further focusing on ex post facto supervision and violations.
Previously, for FIEs the increase of capital contribution shall be
approved by MOFCOM. In 2016, the approval was changed to
registration. Currently, China is holding more open and tolerate
attitude toward FIEs. Even with more and more open policy toward
FDI and FIEs, Circulars mentioned above may still have some limit
on our ability to use the net proceeds from future offerings to
invest in or acquire any other Chinese companies in China, which
may adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and
expand our business in China.
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the
coronavirus outbreak a “Public Health Emergency of International
Concern” and on March 10, 2020, declared it to be a pandemic.
Actions taken around the world to help mitigate the spread of the
coronavirus include restrictions on travel, and quarantines in
certain areas, and forced closures for certain types of public
places and businesses. The coronavirus and actions taken to
mitigate it have had and are expected to continue to have an
adverse impact on the economies and financial markets of many
countries, including the geographical area in which we operate.
While it is unknown how long these conditions will last and what
the complete financial effect will be to us, to date, we are not
expecting to experience any adverse effects other than:
1. Difficulty in communicating with potential acquisition
targets.
2. Fund-raising events may be limited.
Additionally, it is possible that estimates made in the financial
statements have been, or will be, materially and adversely impacted
in the near term as a result of these conditions, including the
ability to raise additional funding.
Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2021 and 2020
The following table provides certain selected balance sheets
comparisons as of December 31, 2021 and December 31,
2020:
|
|
December 31, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
|
Increase |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
(Decrease) |
|
|
% |
|
Cash and cash
equivalents |
|
$ |
18,426,622 |
|
|
$ |
664,605 |
|
|
$ |
17,762,017 |
|
|
|
>100 |
% |
Accounts receivable |
|
|
2,608,325 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
2,608,325 |
|
|
|
>100 |
% |
Inventories |
|
|
22,433,140 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
22,433,140 |
|
|
|
>100 |
% |
Advances to suppliers |
|
|
40,485,521 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
40,485,521 |
|
|
|
>100 |
% |
Prepayment and other current
assets |
|
|
3,326,425 |
|
|
|
5,420,916 |
|
|
|
(2,094,491 |
) |
|
|
(39 |
)% |
Due from
related parties |
|
|
39,238 |
|
|
|
116,610 |
|
|
|
(77,372 |
) |
|
|
>100 |
% |
Total
current assets |
|
|
87,319,271 |
|
|
|
6,202,131 |
|
|
|
81,194,512 |
|
|
|
>100 |
% |
Property and equipment, net |
|
|
322,397 |
|
|
|
19,320 |
|
|
|
303,077 |
|
|
|
>100 |
% |
Intangible assets, net |
|
|
8,633 |
|
|
|
10,113 |
|
|
|
(1,480 |
) |
|
|
(15 |
)% |
Operating lease right-of-use
assets |
|
|
241,554 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
241,554 |
|
|
|
>100 |
% |
Deferred tax
asset |
|
|
129,034 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
129,034 |
|
|
|
>100 |
% |
Total
non-current assets |
|
|
701,618 |
|
|
|
29,433 |
|
|
|
672,185 |
|
|
|
>100 |
% |
Total
assets |
|
$ |
88,020,889 |
|
|
$ |
6,231,564 |
|
|
$ |
81,789,325 |
|
|
|
>100 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Short-term borrowings |
|
$ |
1,568,455 |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
1,568,455 |
|
|
|
>100 |
% |
Accounts payable |
|
|
14,116,569 |
|
|
|
4,974 |
|
|
|
14,111,595 |
|
|
|
>100 |
% |
Accrued expenses and other
payables |
|
|
3,597,440 |
|
|
|
1,819,545 |
|
|
|
1,777,895 |
|
|
|
98 |
% |
Advance from customers |
|
|
42,231,914 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
42,231,914 |
|
|
|
>100 |
% |
Due to related parties |
|
|
1,215,573 |
|
|
|
714,436 |
|
|
|
501,137 |
|
|
|
70 |
% |
Deferred revenue - current |
|
|
38,111 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
>100 |
% |
Operating lease
liabilities, current |
|
|
51,239 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
51,239 |
|
|
|
>100 |
% |
Total current liabilities |
|
|
62,819,301 |
|
|
|
2,538,955 |
|
|
|
60,280,346 |
|
|
|
>100 |
% |
Operating lease
liabilities, non-current |
|
|
147,812 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
147,812 |
|
|
|
>100 |
% |
Total
liabilities |
|
$ |
62,967,113 |
|
|
$ |
2,538,955 |
|
|
$ |
60,428,158 |
|
|
|
>100 |
% |
Cash
As of December 31, 2021, we have a total of $18,426,622 in cash and
cash equivalents, among which $16,566,953 was held inside China
(Mainland), and $1,859,669 was held outside of China (Mainland). As
of December 31, 2020, we have a total of $664,605 in cash and cash
equivalents, among which $148,747 was held inside China (Mainland),
and $515,858 was held outside of China (Mainland). We have not
transferred and do not plan to transfer our cash in RMB outside of
China (Mainland) in order to avoid unnecessary currency exchange
cost. Our subsidiaries in China (Mainland) incur expenses from time
to time, and we have spent and plan to spend our cash in RMB to
cover those expenses.
Prepaid expenses and other current assets, net
As of December 31, 2021, balances of prepayment and other current
assets were $3,326,425, a decrease of $2,094,491, compared to
$5,420,916 as of December 31, 2020. The decrease was primarily due
to fund returned from intent acquisition, partially offset by
increase of prepaid input VAT of 2,848,547, as shown in the
following table.
|
|
December 31, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
Prepaid expenses |
|
$ |
51,301 |
|
|
$ |
54,466 |
|
Note receivable |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
400,000 |
|
Advance deposit for intent
acquisition |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
4,937,664 |
|
Short-term borrowing |
|
|
400,000 |
|
|
|
- |
|
Prepaid input VAT |
|
|
2,848,547 |
|
|
|
- |
|
Deposits and
others |
|
|
26,577 |
|
|
|
28,786 |
|
Total
prepayment and other current assets |
|
$ |
3,326,425 |
|
|
$ |
5,420,916 |
|
Current assets
Current assets as of December 31, 2021 totaled $87,319,271, an
increase of $81,194,512 from our December 31, 2020 balance. The
increase was primarily resulted from a $40,485,521 increase in
advance to suppliers, a $22,433,140 increase in inventories and a
$17,762,017 increase in cash and cash equivalents.
Accrued liabilities and other payables
Accrued liabilities and other payables mainly included wages
payable, VAT payable, income tax payable, deposit payables and
other payables. Accrued liabilities and other payables as of
December 31, 2021 were $3,597,440, an increase of $1,777,895,
compared to $1,819,545 as of December 31, 2020.
Credit
Facility
We mainly finance our operations through proceeds borrowed from
related parties. As of December 31, 2021, due to related parties
were $1,215,573, an increase of $501,137, compared to $714,436 as
of December 31, 2020. Due to related parties as of December 31,
2020 and 2019 include:
|
|
December 31, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
Zhentao Jiang |
|
$ |
1,119,465 |
|
|
$ |
712,485 |
|
Yufeng Mi |
|
|
2,000 |
|
|
|
1,951 |
|
Yang Cao |
|
|
94,108 |
|
|
|
- |
|
Total
due to related parties |
|
$ |
1,215,573 |
|
|
$ |
714,436 |
|
|
|
December 31, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
Wenjie Tang |
|
|
39,238 |
|
|
|
116,610 |
|
Total
due from related parties |
|
$ |
39,238 |
|
|
$ |
116,610 |
|
The balance of due to related parties represents expenses incurred
by related parties in the ordinary course of business and expenses
related parties paid on behalf of us. These loans are interest
free, unsecured and repayable on demand.
From time to time, we borrowed $907,135 from related parties and
repaid $517,670 to related parties in the year ended December 31,
2021. We borrowed $241,822 from related parties and repaid $594,887
to related parties in the year ended December 31, 2020. We borrowed
$6,823 from related parties and repaid $587,120 to related parties
in the year ended December 31, 2019.
Critical Accounting
Policies
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results
of operations are based upon our audited consolidated financial
statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation
of these audited consolidated financial statements requires us to
make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of
assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. We evaluate our
estimates on an ongoing basis, including those related to revenue
recognition and income taxes. We base our estimates on our
historical experience and on various other assumptions that we
believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of
which form the basis for making the judgments we make about the
carrying values of our assets and liabilities that are not readily
apparent from other sources. Because these estimates can vary
depending on the situation, actual results may differ from the
estimates.
The critical accounting policies summarized in this section are
discussed in further detail in the notes to the audited
consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this
annual report. Management believes that the application of these
policies on a consistent basis enables us to provide useful and
reliable financial information about our operating results and
financial condition.
Revenue
Recognition
We adopted Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 606,
Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”) for all years
presented. The core principle of this new revenue standard is that
a company should recognize revenue when control of the promised
goods or services is transferred to the customers, in an amount
that reflects the consideration to which We expect to be entitled
in exchange for those goods or services. The following five steps
are applied to achieve that core principle by us in determination
of revenue recognition:
|
● |
Step
1: Identify the contract(s) with the customer; |
|
|
|
|
● |
Step
2: Identify the performance obligations in the
contract; |
|
|
|
|
● |
Step
3: Determine the transaction price; |
|
|
|
|
● |
Step
4: Allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in
the contract; and |
|
|
|
|
● |
Step
5: Recognize revenue when or as we satisfie a performance
obligation. |
We are a blockchain hardware machine and software developer,
engaging in research, development and sales of cryptocurrency
mining machine and standardized computing equipment.
The transaction price is allocated to each performance obligation
on a relative standalone selling price basis. The transaction price
allocated to each performance obligation is recognized when that
performance obligation is satisfied, at a point in time or over
time as appropriate.
We derive revenue from the sale of cryptocurrency mining machine
and standardized computing equipment, technical support plans and
software customization services for the years ended December 31,
2021, 2020 and 2019. We began the business transformation to became
a blockchain hardware machine and software developer in 2021. We
enter into contracts with customers that include promises to
transfer various products and services, which are generally capable
of being distinct and accounted for as separate performance
obligations. Revenue is recognized when the promised goods or
services are transferred to customers, in an amount that reflects
the consideration allocated to the respective performance
obligation. We recorded and recognized revenues from both products
and services in one account, which we present as revenues and
revenues from related parties in the accompanying consolidated
statements of operations and comprehensive income.
Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S.
GAAP requires management to make estimates and judgments that
affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure
of contingent assets and liabilities on the date of the financial
statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during
the reporting period. We base our estimates and judgments on
historical experience and on various other assumptions and
information that are believed to be reasonable under the
circumstances. Estimates and assumptions of future events and their
effects cannot be perceived with certainty and, accordingly, these
estimates may change as new events occur, as more experience is
acquired, as additional information is obtained and as our
operating environment changes. Significant estimates and
assumptions by management include, among others, useful lives and
impairment of long-lived assets, allowance for doubtful accounts,
income taxes including the valuation allowance for deferred tax
assets. While we believe that the estimates and assumptions used in
the preparation of the financial statements are appropriate, actual
results could differ from those estimates. Estimates and
assumptions are periodically reviewed and the effects of revisions
are reflected in the financial statements in the period they are
determined to be necessary.
Fair Value of Financial
Instruments
We follow the provisions of Accounting Standards Codification
(“ASC”) 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC 820”).
It clarifies the definition of fair value, prescribes methods for
measuring fair value, and establishes a fair value hierarchy to
classify the inputs used in measuring fair value as follows:
Level 1-Inputs are unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for
identical assets or liabilities available at the measurement
date.
Level 2-Inputs are unadjusted quoted prices for similar assets and
liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or
similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active,
inputs other than quoted prices that are observable, and inputs
derived from or corroborated by observable market data.
Level 3-Inputs are unobservable inputs which reflect the reporting
entity’s own assumptions on what assumptions the market
participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on
the best available information.
The carrying amounts reported in the accompanying consolidated
balance sheets for cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable,
advance to suppliers, prepayment and other current assets,
short-term borrowings, accounts payable, accrued expenses and other
payables and due to related parties approximate their fair value
based on the short-term maturity of these instruments.
Recent Accounting
Pronouncements
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, “Financial
Instruments – Credit Losses”, which will require the measurement of
all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the
reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions,
and reasonable and supportable forecasts. Subsequently, the FASB
issued ASU No. 2018-19, Codification Improvements to Topic 326, to
clarify that receivables arising from operating leases are within
the scope of lease accounting standards. Further, the FASB issued
ASU No. 2019-04, ASU 2019-05, ASU 2019-10, ASU 2019-11 and ASU
2020-02 to provide additional guidance on the credit losses
standard. The ASU is effective for public company for fiscal years,
and interim periods within those fiscal years beginning after
December 15, 2019. For all other entities including emerging growth
companies, the ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after
December 15, 2020, and interim periods within fiscal years
beginning after December 15, 2021. Early application is permitted
for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years,
beginning after December 15, 2018. We have adopted ASU 2016-13
since January 1, 2021, the impact of which on our consolidated
financial statements was immaterial.
Recently issued ASUs by the FASB, except for the ones mentioned
above, are not expected to have a significant impact on our
consolidated results of operations or financial position. Other
accounting standards that have been issued or proposed by FASB that
do not require adoption until a future date are not expected to
have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements
upon adoption. We do not discuss recent pronouncements that are not
anticipated to have an impact on or are unrelated to our
consolidated financial condition, results of operations, cash
flows, or disclosures.
C. Research and Development, Patent and Licenses,
etc.
Please refer to “Item 4. Information on the Company – D. Property,
Plant and Equipment – Intellectual Property.”
D. Trend Information.
Other than as disclosed elsewhere in this annual report, we are not
aware of any trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments or events
that are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our net
revenues, income from continuing operations, profitability,
liquidity or capital resources, or that would cause reported
financial information not necessarily to be indicative of future
operating results or financial condition or results of
operations.
E. Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements.
There were no off-balance sheet arrangements for the fiscal years
ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, or that in the opinion of
management are likely to have, a current or future material effect
on our financial condition or results of operations.
Item 6. |
Directors, Senior Management and Employees |
|
A. |
Directors and
Management |
The following table provides information regarding our executive
officers and directors as of the date hereof:
Name |
|
Age |
|
Position(s) |
Chenjun
Li |
|
39 |
|
Co-Chief
Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board |
Wenjie
Tang |
|
40 |
|
Co-Chief
Executive Officer and Director |
Steven
Sim |
|
44 |
|
Chief
Financial Officer |
Yufeng
Mi |
|
45 |
|
Chief
Technology Officer |
Bo
Zhu |
|
35 |
|
Chief
Strategy Officer |
Jialin
Liu |
|
63 |
|
Independent
Director and Chairman of Compensation Committee. |
Jing
Shi |
|
37 |
|
Independent
Director and Chairman of Nominating Committee |
Fangjie
Wang |
|
32 |
|
Independent
Director and the Chairwoman of the Audit Committee |
Yafang
Wang |
|
44 |
|
Secretary
of the Board |
The business address of each of the officers and directors is c/o
Creative Consultants (Hong Kong) Limited Room 1502-3 15/F.,
Connaught Commercial Building, Wanchai, Hong Kong.
Chenjun Li. Mr. Li is an expert in the sector of fintech and
blockchain-oriented ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit),
possessing over 10 years of experience in credit card and credit
card related systems and 8 years of experience in
blockchain-oriented ASIC and other blockchain applications. He is
proficient in software development, and has expertise using
open-source technology system and operating system principles. Mr.
Li started his career at Shanghai Huateng Software System Co., Ltd.
and Tonglian Payment Network Service Co., where he served for 7
years and took the responsibilities of module development, joint
debugging and testing, identifying problems, and bug fixes,
designing, developing the integrated management platform of the
Agricultural Bank of China’s Credit Card Center in addition to its
core system, designing and developing of the second-generation
system of China UnionPay II and overseeing system architecture,
system analysis, quality control, and follow-up planning, among
others. From 2013 to 2021, Mr. Li served as the Chief Technology
Officer at Shenzhen HighSharp Electronics Ltd., where he was
responsible for not only constructing and designing R&D of
SMIC's 55nm ASIC, TSMC's 16nm ASIC chip, Samsung's 10nm ASIC chip,
and SMIC's N+1 ASIC chip, but also the algorithm design, system
design, algorithm verification and system verification of
high-performance ASIC and the entire solution. Mr. Li obtained his
bachelor’s degree in computer science and technology from Tongji
University in 2005.
Wenjie Tang. Mr. Tang is the co-founder of our Company
and has served as Chief Executive Officer since the beginning and
serve as director of the Company commencing February 9, 2018.
Before co-founding our subsidiary AGM Beijing, he co-founded and
held the Chief Executive Officer position in Beijing Miteke
Technology Co. Ltd. from 2011 to 2015, and was Chief Representative
and Chief Business Officer in MeiZhi Huangqiu Beijing Technology
Co. Ltd. from 2009 to 2011. Mr. Tang earned his master’s degree in
Economics from Tufts University in Boston, and his bachelor’s
degree in Economics from Shanghai Fudan University. He is a
Certified Financial Analyst (level 3 candidate), and has passed
series 3 of the National Commodities Futures Examination in the
United States. Mr. Tang has 16 years of experience in forex and
futures trading, more than 19 years of experience in stock and
futures investment. He also has a profound understanding of the
operation principles, market microstructure, macro trading, trading
system and risk control.
Steven Yuan Ning Sim. Mr. Sim has over 15 years of
audit and financial management experience. Mr. Sim has served
as the Chief Financial Officer of Pintec Technology Holdings
Limited (Nasdaq: PT), an independent financial solutions provider
in China, since October 2016. Mr. Sim has also served as an
independent director of Skillful Craftsman Education Technology
Limited (Nasdaq: EDTK), a provider of online education and
technology services in China, since March 2021. Previously,
Mr. Sim served as vice president of finance at Sohu.com Inc.
from 2014 to 2016. From 2011 to 2014, he served as chief financial
officer at Leyou Inc., a leading multi-channel baby and maternity
platform in China. Mr. Sim served in various capacities at
leading public accounting firms including Deloitte &
Touche in Beijing, KPMG Europe LLP in London, and Ernst &
Young and BDO Raffles in Singapore between 2001 and 2010.
Mr. Sim obtained his bachelor’s degree in applied accounting
from Oxford Brooks University in 2002 and his MBA degree from
European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD) in 2010.
Mr. Sim is a member of the Association of Chartered Certified
Accountants (ACCA).
Yufeng Mi. Mr. Mi has served as Chief Technology
Officer since the beginning. Before co-founding our subsidiary AGM
Beijing, he co-founded Beijing Miteke Technology Co. Ltd. with
Wenjie Tang and was the IT department manager in MeiZhi Huangqiu
Beijing Technology Co. Ltd. from 2011 to 2015. Mr. Mi earned his
master’s degree in Computer Science from Université Pierre et Marie
Currie, his master’s degree in finance from Université Dauphine,
and his bachelor’s degree in communication technology from Shanghai
Jiaotong University. He is a Certified Financial Analyst (level 1)
in the United States and a Financial Risk Manager. Mr. Mi is
experienced in B2C e-commerce, forex and futures trading system,
and trading system design.
Bo Zhu. Mr. Zhu possesses an in-depth understanding of the
blockchain technology application, as well as a well-known
reputation and extensive network within the industry due to the
extended time spent in high-performance computing research in the
past years.
Jialin Liu. Mr. Liu has served as our Independent
Director and Chairman of Compensation Committee since March 2017.
He has been the Chairman of the Board of Profit Well Gold
Investment (Beijing) Co., Ltd. since 2006. He earned his bachelor’s
degree from Central University of Finance and Economics. He is very
experienced with administrative management and finance.
Jing Shi. Ms. Shi has been the Assistant to CEO at
Dingyi Group since August 2019. Ms. Shi has had extensive
experience at various investment companies with regard to financial
management and account operations. From July 2018 to June 2019, Ms.
Shi was in charge of all the financial operations at Baowan
Capital. Ms. Shi started her career as a member of its Capital
Settlement Office in 2011, at the prestigious China General Nuclear
Power Corporation, where she would eventually advance to senior
management within 5 years. From July 2012 to June 2015, she was an
accountant at the New Project Department. From July 2015 to July
2018, Ms. Shi served as a Senior Manager at the Investment and
Development Center, where she managed all aspects of financial
operations of the company. Ms. Shi acquired her Bachelor’s Degree
in Investment Management from the Central University of Finance and
Economics in 2009, and her Master’s Degree from the Chinese Academy
of Fiscal Sciences in 2011.
Fangjie Wang. Ms. Wang has been working as an Audit Manager
at Beijing Hua Long Ding Jia Certified Public Accountants Co., Ltd
since March 2018. Prior to that, she worked at Zhongxinghua
Certified Public Accountants LLP as an Audit Assistant from August
2017 to February 2018. She worked as the Lecturer of International
Economics and Trade at Hubei Vocational Technical Institute from
June 2016 to July 2017. She interned as a teacher of Ecological
Tourism at Adult Education Academy of Guangxi Normal University.
She interned as an assistant at Tian Jia Bing Academy of Guangxi
Normal University from June 2014 to March 2016. From August 2013 to
May 2014, she worked as an Internal Assistant to Duty Manager at
Xiaogan Branch of Agricultural Bank of China. Ms. Wang graduated
from Guangxi Normal University in 2016 and received a master’s
degree in Management. Before that, she received a bachelor’s degree
in International Economics and Trade from Hubei University. Ms.
Fangjie Wang is an accounting expert and is experienced with
establishing effective internal control system. There are no family
relationships between Fangjie Wang and any other employees or
members of the Board of Directors of the Company.
Yafang Wang. Ms. Wang has been the Assistant to the Chairman
of the Board at Beijing AnGaoMeng Technology Service Co., Ltd.
since May 2015, where she translates financial and legal documents,
updates statistical data, and provides administrative support to
the Chairman. From April 2012 to May 2015, Ms. Wang worked as a
researcher at Beijing Tongzhou New City Investment &
Operation Co., Ltd. where her job responsibilities were mainly
consisted of searching and collecting urban construction data and
real estate trend, preparing Real Estate Weekly for the company,
and translating and updating the company’s English website. Prior
to that, Ms. Wang was a translator at HVS from June 2011 to
December 2011 and an editor at Commercial Express of Embassies and
Overseas Agencies form June 2007 to December 2010, where she edited
and translated reports and publications. Ms. Wang obtained her
bachelor’s degree from Beijing Foreign Studies University in
English major in 2005, and an associate degree in public relations
from Jilin University in 1997. Ms. Huang has extensive experience
in business administration and is proficient in English. There are
no family relationships between Yafang Wang and any other employee
or member of the board of directors of the Company.
Election of Officers
Our executive officers are appointed by, and serve at the
discretion of, our Board of Directors. There is no family
relationship among any of our directors or executive officers.
Board of Directors and Board Committees
Our Board of Directors currently consists of five directors, a
majority of whom are independent as such term is defined by the
Nasdaq Capital Market.
The directors are re-elected at our general meeting of shareholders
every year.
A director may vote in respect of any contract or transaction in
which he is interested, provided, however that the nature of the
interest of any director in any such contract or transaction shall
be disclosed by him at or prior to its consideration and any vote
on that matter. A general notice or disclosure to the directors or
otherwise contained in the minutes of a meeting or a written
resolution of the directors or any committee thereof of the nature
of a director’s interest shall be sufficient disclosure and after
such general notice it shall not be necessary to give special
notice relating to any particular transaction. A director may be
counted for a quorum upon a motion in respect of any contract or
arrangement which he shall make with our company, or in which he is
so interested and may vote on such motion.
We do not have a lead independent director because of the foregoing
reason and also because we believe our independent directors are
encouraged to freely voice their opinions on a relatively small
company board. We believe this leadership structure is appropriate
because we are a relatively small company in the process of listing
on a public exchange; as such we deem it appropriate to be able to
benefit from the guidance of Mr. Jiang as our Chair of the Board
and Mr. Tang as our principal executive officer and director. Our
Board of Directors plays a key role in our risk oversight. The
Board of Directors makes all relevant Company decisions. As a
smaller company with a small board of directors, we believe it is
appropriate to have the involvement and input of all of our
directors in risk oversight matters.
Board Committees
The business and affairs of the company are managed under the
direction of our Board of Directors. We have conducted Board
meetings regularly since inception. Each of our directors has
attended all meetings either in person, via telephone conference,
or through written consent for special meetings. In addition to the
contact information in this annual report, the Board of Directors
has adopted procedures for communication with the officers and
directors on September 15, 2017. Stockholders will be given
specific information on how he/she can direct communications to the
officers and directors of the Company at our annual stockholders’
meetings. All communications from stockholders are relayed to the
members of the Board of Directors.
Board Committees
We have established and adopted charters for three standing
committees under the Board of Directors: the Audit Committee, the
Compensation Committee, the Nominating Committee. Each Committee
consists of only independent directors of the Company.
|
● |
Audit
Committee: Fangjie Wang (Chair), Jing Shi, Jialin
Liu |
|
|
|
|
● |
Compensation
Committee: Jialin Liu (Chair), Jing Shi, Fangjie
Wang |
|
|
|
|
● |
Nominating
Committee: Jing Shi (Chair), Fangjie Wang, Jialin
Liu |
The Board of Directors also adopted an insider trading policy that
allows insiders to sell securities of the Company pursuant to
pre-arranged trading plans.
Effective October 23, 2000, the SEC adopted rules related to
insider trading. One of these rules, Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, provides an exemption to the
insider trading rules in the form of an affirmative defense. Rule
10b5-1 recognizes the creation of formal programs under which
executives and other insiders may sell the securities of publicly
traded companies on a regular basis pursuant to written plans that
are entered into at a time when the plan participants are not aware
of material non-public information and that otherwise comply with
the requirements of Rule 10b5-1.
Audit
Committee
Our Audit Committee consisted of Ms. Fangjie Wang, Mr. Jialin Liu
and Ms. Jing Shi. Ms. Fangjie Wang is the chairman of our audit
committee. We have determined that Ms. Fangjie Wang, Mr. Jialin Liu
and Ms. Jing Shi satisfy the “independence” requirements of Nasdaq
Rule 5605 and Rule 10A-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934. Our Board of Directors has determined that Ms. Wang qualifies
as an audit committee financial expert and has the accounting or
financial management expertise as required under Item 407(d)(5)(ii)
and (iii) of Regulation S-K. The audit committee will oversee our
accounting and financial reporting processes and the audits of the
financial statements of our company. The audit committee will be
responsible for, among other things:
|
● |
appointing
the independent auditors and pre-approving all auditing and
non-auditing services permitted to be performed by the independent
auditors; |
|
|
|
|
● |
reviewing
with the independent auditors any audit problems or difficulties
and management’s response; |
|
|
|
|
● |
discussing
the annual audited financial statements with management and the
independent auditors; |
|
|
|
|
● |
reviewing
the adequacy and effectiveness of our accounting and internal
control policies and procedures and any steps taken to monitor and
control major financial risk exposures; |
|
|
|
|
● |
reviewing
and approving all proposed related party transactions; |
|
|
|
|
● |
meeting
separately and periodically with management and the independent
auditors; and |
|
|
|
|
● |
monitoring
compliance with our code of business conduct and ethics, including
reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our procedures to
ensure proper compliance. |
Compensation
Committee
Our compensation committee consists of Mr. Jialin Liu, Ms. Fangjie
Wang and Ms. Jing Shi. Mr. Jialin Liu is the chairman of our
compensation committee. We have determined that Mr. Jialin Liu, Ms.
Fangjie Wang and Ms. Jing Shi satisfy the “independence”
requirements under Nasdaq Rule 5605. The compensation committee
will assist the Board of Directors in reviewing and approving the
compensation structure, including all forms of compensation,
relating to our directors and executive officers. Our chief
executive officer may not be present at any committee meeting
during which his compensation is deliberated. The compensation
committee will be responsible for, among other things:
|
● |
reviewing
and approving, or recommending to the Board of Directors for its
approval, the compensation for our chief executive officer and
other executive officers; |
|
|
|
|
● |
reviewing
and recommending to the Board of Directors for determination with
respect to the compensation of our non-employee
directors; |
|
|
|
|
● |
reviewing
periodically and approving any incentive compensation or equity
plans, programs or similar arrangements; and |
|
|
|
|
● |
selecting
compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser only after
taking into consideration all factors relevant to that person’s
independence from management. |
Nominating
Committee
Our nominating committee consists of Ms. Jing Shi, Ms. Fangjie Wang
and Mr. Jialin Liu. Ms. Jing Shi is the chairperson of our
nominating committee. We have determined that Ms. Jing Shi, Ms.
Fangjie Wang and Mr. Jialin Liu satisfy the “independence”
requirements under Nasdaq Rule 5605. The nominating committee will
assist the Board of Directors in selecting individuals qualified to
become our directors and in determining the composition of the
board and its committees. The nominating committee will be
responsible for, among other things:
|
● |
selecting
and recommending to the board nominees for election by the
shareholders or appointment by the Board of Directors; |
|
|
|
|
● |
reviewing
annually with the Board of Directors the current composition of the
Board of Directors with regards to characteristics such as
independence, knowledge, skills, experience and
diversity; |
|
|
|
|
● |
making
recommendations on the frequency and structure of board meetings
and monitoring the functioning of the committees of the Board of
Directors; and |
|
|
|
|
● |
advising
the Board of Directors periodically with regards to significant
developments in the law and practice of corporate governance as
well as our compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and
making recommendations to the Board of Directors on all matters of
corporate governance and on any remedial action to be
taken. |
Copy of our committee charters are also available on our website at
www.agmprime.com.
Duties of Directors
Under British Virgin Islands law, our directors have a duty to act
honestly, in good faith and with a view to our best interests. Our
directors also have a duty to exercise the care, diligence and
skills that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in
comparable circumstances. In fulfilling their duty of care to us,
our directors must ensure compliance with our memorandum and
articles of association. We have the right to seek damages if a
duty owed by our directors is breached.
The functions and powers of our Board of Directors include, among
others:
|
● |
appointing
officers and determining the term of office of the
officers; |
|
|
|
|
● |
authorizing
the payment of donations to religious, charitable, public or other
bodies, clubs, funds or associations as deemed
advisable; |
|
|
|
|
● |
exercising
the borrowing powers of the company and mortgaging the property of
the company; |
|
|
|
|
● |
executing
checks, promissory notes and other negotiable instruments on behalf
of the company; and |
|
|
|
|
● |
maintaining
or registering a register of mortgages, charges or other
encumbrances of the company. |
Interested Transactions
A director may vote, attend a board meeting or sign a document on
our behalf with respect to any contract or transaction in which he
or she is interested. A director must promptly disclose the
interest to all other directors after becoming aware of the fact
that he or she is interested in a transaction we have entered into
or are to enter into. A general notice or disclosure to the Board
of Directors or otherwise contained in the minutes of a meeting or
a written resolution of the Board of Directors or any committee of
the Board of Directors that a director is a shareholder, director,
officer or trustee of any specified firm or company and is to be
regarded as interested in any transaction with such firm or company
will be sufficient disclosure, and, after such general notice, it
will not be necessary to give special notice relating to any
particular transaction.
Remuneration and Borrowing
The directors may receive such remuneration as our Board of
Directors may determine from time to time. Each director is
entitled to be repaid or prepaid all traveling, hotel and
incidental expenses reasonably incurred or expected to be incurred
in attending meetings of our Board of Directors or committees of
our Board of Directors or shareholder meetings or otherwise in
connection with the discharge of his or her duties as a director.
The compensation committee will assist the directors in reviewing
and approving the compensation structure for the directors. Our
Board of Directors may exercise all the powers of the company to
borrow money and to mortgage or charge our undertakings and
property or any part thereof, to issue debentures, debenture stock
and other securities whenever money is borrowed or as security for
any debt, liability or obligation of the company or of any third
party.
Qualification
There are no membership qualifications for directors. Further,
there are no share ownership qualifications for directors unless so
fixed by us in a general meeting. There are no other arrangements
or understandings pursuant to which our directors are selected or
nominated.
Limitation of Director and Officer Liability
Under British Virgin Islands law, each of our directors and
officers, in performing his or her functions, is required to act
honestly and in good faith with a view to our best interests and
exercise the care, diligence and skill that a reasonably prudent
person would exercise in comparable circumstances. British Virgin
Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s
memorandum and articles of association may provide for
indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any
indemnification may be held by the British Virgin Islands courts to
be contrary to public policy (for example, a provision for
indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of
committing a crime).
Under our memorandum and articles of association, we may indemnify
our directors, officers and liquidators against all expenses,
including legal fees, and against all judgments, fines and amounts
paid in settlement and reasonably incurred in connection with
civil, criminal, administrative or investigative proceedings to
which they are party or are threatened to be made a party by reason
of their acting as our director, officer or liquidator. To be
entitled to indemnification, these persons must have acted honestly
and in good faith with a view to the best interest of the company
and, in the case of criminal proceedings, they must have had no
reasonable cause to believe their conduct was unlawful. The
decision of our Board of Directors as to whether such a person
acted honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests
of the company and as to whether the person had no reasonable to
cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful is, in the
absence of fraud, sufficient for the purposes of the
indemnification, unless a question of law is involved. The
termination of any proceedings by any judgment, order, settlement,
conviction or the entry of a nolle prosequi does
not, by itself, create a presumption that a director did not act
honestly and in good faith and with a view to our best interests or
that the director had reasonable cause to believe that his or her
conduct was unlawful. Such limitation of liability does not affect
the availability of equitable remedies such as injunctive relief or
rescission. These provisions will not limit the liability of
directors under United States federal securities laws.
We may indemnify anyone serving at our request as a director of
another entity against all expenses, including legal fees, and
against all judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement and
reasonably incurred in connection with legal, administrative or
investigative proceedings. To be entitled to indemnification, such
a person must have acted honestly and in good faith with the view
to our best interests and, in the case of criminal proceedings,
must have had no reasonable cause to believe that his or her
conduct was unlawful. The decision of our Board of Directors as to
whether the person acted honestly and in good faith with a view to
our best interests and as to whether the director had no reasonable
cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful, is in the
absence of fraud sufficient for the purposes of indemnification,
unless a question of law is involved. The termination of any
proceedings by any judgment, order, settlement, conviction or the
entry of no plea does not, by itself, create a presumption that the
person did not act honestly and in good faith and with a view to
our best interests or that the person had reasonable cause to
believe that his or her conduct was unlawful.
We may purchase and maintain insurance in relation to any of our
directors or officers against any liability asserted against the
directors or officers and incurred by the directors or officers in
that capacity, whether or not we have or would have had the power
to indemnify the directors or officers against the liability as
provided in our memorandum and articles of association.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act may be permitted for our directors, officers or
persons controlling our company under the foregoing provisions, we
have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC, such
indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the
Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Involvement in Certain Legal Proceedings
To the best of our knowledge, none of our directors or officers has
been convicted in a criminal proceeding, excluding traffic
violations or similar misdemeanors, nor has any been a party to any
judicial or administrative proceeding during the past five years
that resulted in a judgment, decree or final order enjoining the
person from future violations of, or prohibiting activities subject
to, federal or state securities laws, or a finding of any violation
of federal or state securities laws, except for matters that were
dismissed without sanction or settlement. Except as set forth in
our discussion below in “Related Party Transactions,” our directors
and officers have not been involved in any transactions with us or
any of our affiliates or associates which are required to be
disclosed pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Insider Trading Policy
The Board of Directors also adopted an insider trading policy that
allows insiders to sell securities of the Company pursuant to
pre-arranged trading plans.
This insider trading policy was put into place because effective
October 23, 2000, the SEC adopted rules related to insider trading.
One of these rules, Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended, provides an exemption to the insider trading
rules in the form of an affirmative defense. Rule 10b5-1 recognizes
the creation of formal programs under which executives and other
insiders may sell the securities of publicly traded companies on a
regular basis pursuant to written plans that are entered into at a
time when the plan participants are not aware of material
non-public information and that otherwise comply with the
requirements of Rule 10b5-1.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and other Corporate
Governance Policies
We have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics that applies
to our directors, officers and employees. Our standards are in
writing and have been posted on our website at www.agmprime.com.
The following is a summation of the key points of the Code of
Ethics we adopted:
|
● |
Honest
and ethical conduct, including ethical handling of actual or
apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional
relationships; |
|
|
|
|
● |
Full,
fair, accurate, timely, and understandable disclosure reports and
documents that a small business issuer files with, or submits to,
the SEC and in other public communications made by our
Company; |
|
|
|
|
● |
Full
compliance with applicable government laws, rules and
regulations; |
|
|
|
|
● |
The
prompt internal reporting of violations of the code to an
appropriate person or persons identified in the code;
and |
|
|
|
|
● |
Accountability
for adherence to the code. |
B. Compensation
Executive Compensation
The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors determined the
compensation to be paid to our executive officers based on our
financial and operating performance and prospects, and
contributions made by the officers to our success. And our
compensation committee approved our salary and benefit plans. Each
of the named officers will be measured by a series of performance
criteria by the Board of Directors, or the compensation committee
on a yearly basis. Such criteria will be set forth based on certain
objective parameters such as job characteristics, required
professionalism, management skills, interpersonal skills, related
experience, personal performance and overall corporate
performance.
Our employment agreements with our officers generally provide for
employment for a specific term and pay annual salary, health
insurance, pension insurance, and paid vacation and family leave
time. The agreement may be terminated by either party as permitted
by law. In the event of a breach or termination of the agreement by
our company, we may be obligated to pay the employee twice the
ordinary statutory rate. In the event of a breach or termination
causing loss to our company by the employee, the employee may be
required to indemnify us against loss. We have executed employment
agreements with Mr. Chenjun Li, Mr. Wenjie Tang, Mr. Yufeng Mi, Mr.
Steven Sim, Mr. Bo Zhu, and Ms. Yafang Wang.
The following table presents summary information regarding the
total compensation awarded to, earned by, or paid to each of the
named executive officers for services rendered to us for the years
ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.
Name and Principal Position |
|
Fiscal Year
or Period |
|
|
Salary
($) |
|
|
Bonus
($) |
|
|
Stock
Awards
($) |
|
|
All Other
Compensation
($) |
|
|
Total
($) |
|
Wenjie
Tang |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
|
42,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
42,000 |
|
Co-Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
|
40,200 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
40,200 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chenjun Li |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Co-Chief Executive
Officer(1) |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Guofu Zhang |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Former Chief Financial
Officer(2) |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
|
54,448 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
54,448 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Zhihe Yang |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Former Chief Financial
Officer(3) |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
|
15,861 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
15,861 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Steven Sim |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
|
9,411 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
9,411 |
|
Chief Financial
Officer(4) |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Xiaoding Wu |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Former Chief Operating
Officer(5) |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
|
29,820 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
29,820 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yufeng Mi |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
|
30,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
30,000 |
|
Chief Technology Officer |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
|
11,225 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
11,225 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bo Zhu |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
|
80,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
80,000 |
|
Chief Strategy Officer |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yafang Wang |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
|
20,706 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
20,706 |
|
Secretary of the Board |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
|
20,916 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
20,916 |
|
(1) |
Chenjun Li was appointed as
Co-Chief Executive officer, effective July 12, 2021. |
|
|
(2) |
Guofu Zhang resigned as Chief
Financial Officer in October 2020, effective October 14,
2020. |
|
|
(3) |
Zhihe
Yang resigned as Chief Financial Officer on September 23, 2021,
effective September 23, 2021. |
|
|
(4) |
Steven Sim was appointed by the Board of Directors as
the Chief Financial Officer, effective September 24,
2021. |
|
|
(5) |
Xiaoding Wu resigned as Chief
Operating Officer in December 2020, effective December 31,
2020. |
Director Compensation
All directors hold office until the next annual meeting of
shareholders at which they are re-elected and until their
successors have been duly elected and qualified. Officers are
elected by and serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors.
Employee directors are entitled receive compensation for their
services. Non-employee directors are entitled to receive a set
amount of cash fee for serving as directors. In addition,
non-employee directors are entitled to receive compensation for
their actual travel expenses for each Board of Directors meeting
attended, and any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in
connection with their services provided in such capacity. We have
entered into agreements with our directors Chenjun Li, Fangjie
Wang, Jialin Liu and Jing Shi. In addition, our director Wenjie
Tang receives compensation for his service as an officer of the
Company. He has not received and will not receive compensation as a
director of the Company.
The table below indicates the compensations we paid to our Board of
Directors in their capacity as directors for fiscal years 2021 and
2020:
Name |
|
Fiscal Year or Period |
|
|
Salary
($) |
|
|
Bonus
($) |
|
|
Stock
Awards
($) |
|
|
All Other
Compensation
($) |
|
|
Total
($) |
|
Chenjun Li |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
Chairman
of the Board(1) |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bin Cao |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
|
40,500 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
40,500 |
|
Former
Chairman of the Board(1) |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
|
52,800 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
52,800 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wenjie Tang |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
Director(2) |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fangjie Wang |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
|
11,763 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
11,763 |
|
Independent Director and Chairman of Audit Committee |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
|
10,616 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
10,616 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jialin Liu |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
|
10,201 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
10,201 |
|
Independent Director and Chairman of Compensation Committee |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
|
8,847 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
8,847 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jing Shi |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
|
20,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
20,000 |
|
Independent
Director and Chairman of Nominating
Committee(3) |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tingfu
Xie(3) |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
|
5,882 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
5,882 |
|
Former Independent Director and Chairman of Nominating
Committee |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
|
10,616 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
10,616 |
|
(1) |
The
employment agreement between the Company and Mr. Bin Cao, expired
on May 19, 2021. Mr. Cao continued to serve on an at-will basis
after expiration through September 10, 2021, when the Board of
Directors determined not to extend Mr. Cao’s employment and to
remove Mr. Cao from all position of the Company.
On September 15, 2021, the Board of Directors approved
the appointment of Chenjun Li as the director and the Chairman of
the Board to replace Bin Cao. |
|
|
(2) |
Wenjie
Tang is a director and the co-Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Tang
receives an annual salary for his service as the co-CEO. He does
not receive any compensation as a director. |
|
|
(3) |
On
April 30, 2021, Tingfu Xie tendered his resignation as director,
the chairman of the Nominating Committee, and a member of the Audit
Committee and the Compensation Committee of the Company, effective
April 30, 2021. Ms. Jing Shi was appointed as the succeeding
director, the chairwoman of the Nominating Committee and a member
of the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee of the
Company, effective April 30, 2021. |
Item 7. |
Major Shareholders and Related Party
Transactions |
Major Shareholders
The following table sets forth information with respect to
beneficial ownership of our Class A ordinary shares and Class B
ordinary shares as of the date of this report by:
|
● |
Each
person who is known by us to beneficially own more than 5% of our
outstanding Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary
shares; |
|
|
|
|
● |
Each
of our director, director nominees and named executive officers;
and |
|
|
|
|
● |
All
directors and named executive officers as a group. |
Our company is authorized to issue 200,000,000 Class A ordinary
shares of $0.001 par value per share and 200,000,000 Class B
ordinary shares of $0.001 par value per share. The number and
percentage of ordinary shares beneficially owned are based on
24,254,842 Class A ordinary shares of $0.001 par value per share
and 2,100,000 Class B ordinary shares of $0.001 par value per share
issued and outstanding as of the date of this report. Information
with respect to beneficial ownership has been furnished by each
director, officer or beneficial owner of more than 5% of our Class
A ordinary shares and/or Class B ordinary shares. Beneficial
ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and
generally requires that such person have voting or investment power
with respect to securities. In computing the number of Class A
ordinary shares and/or Class B ordinary shares beneficially owned
by a person listed below and the percentage ownership of such
person, Class A ordinary shares underlying options, warrants or
convertible securities held by each such person that are
exercisable or convertible within 60 days of April 6, 2021 are
deemed outstanding, but are not deemed outstanding for computing
the percentage ownership of any other person. Except as otherwise
indicated in the footnotes to this table, or as required by
applicable community property laws, all persons listed have sole
voting and investment power for all Class A ordinary shares and
Class B ordinary shares shown as beneficially owned by them. Unless
otherwise indicated in the footnotes, the address for each
principal shareholder is in the care of our Company c/o Creative
Consultants (Hong Kong) Limited, Room 1502-3 15/F., Connaught
Commercial Building, 185 Wanchai Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong. As of
the date hereof, we have 195 registered shareholders of record of
Class A ordinary shares and 2 registered shareholders of record of
Class B ordinary shares.
Named Executive Officers and Directors |
|
Amount of
Beneficial
Ownership
(Class A) |
|
|
Percentage
Ownership
(Class A) |
|
|
Amount of
Beneficial
Ownership
(Class B) |
|
|
Percentage
Ownership
(Class B) |
|
|
Combined
Voting
Power
of Class A
and
Class B |
|
|
Combined
Voting
Power of
Class A
and
Class B
Ordinary
Shares as a
Percentage(3) |
|
Directors and Named Executive Officers: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chenjun Li, Chairman of the Board |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
Wenije
Tang, Chief Executive Officer and
Director(1) |
|
|
6,500,000 |
|
|
|
26.80 |
% |
|
|
1,500,000 |
|
|
|
71.42 |
% |
|
|
14,000,000 |
|
|
|
40.28 |
% |
Steven Sim, Chief Financial Officer |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
Yufeng
Mi, Chief Technology Officer(2) |
|
|
600,000 |
|
|
|
2.47 |
% |
|
|
600,000 |
|
|
|
28.57 |
% |
|
|
3,600,000 |
|
|
|
10.36 |
% |
Bo
Zhu, Chief Strategy Officer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
% |
Yafang Wang, Secretary of the Board |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
Jing
Shi, Independent Director and Chairwoman of Nominating
Committee |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
Fangjie Wang, Independent Director and Chairman of Audit
Committee |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
Jialin Liu, Independent Director and Chairman of Compensation
Committee |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
0 |
% |
All directors and executive officers as a group
(9 persons) |
|
|
7,100,000 |
|
|
|
29.27 |
% |
|
|
2,100,000 |
|
|
|
100 |
% |
|
|
17,600,000 |
|
|
|
50.64 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5% Beneficial Owners: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
None |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
Wenjie Tang holds and 1,500,000 Class B ordinary
shares. Defi Tech Holdings Ltd., a company formed under the laws of
Hong Kong SAR, holds 1,500,000 Class A ordinary shares. Wenjie Tang
is the sole shareholder and director of Defi Tech Holdings Ltd. and
therefore is deemed the beneficial owner of the 1,500,000 Class A
ordinary shares held by Defi Tech Holdings Ltd. In addition,
Firebull Tech Limited, a company formed under the laws of Hong Kong
SAR, holds 5,000,000 Class A ordinary shares. Wenjie Tang has the
voting and dispositive power of and therefore is deemed the
beneficial owner of the 5,000,000 Class A ordinary shares held by
Firebull Tech Limited. |
(2) |
Yufeng Mi holds 600,000 Class B ordinary shares.
GMT Tech Holdings Limited, a company formed under the laws of Hong
Kong SAR, holds 600,000 Class A ordinary shares. Yufeng Mi is the
sole shareholder and director of GMT Tech Holdings Limited and
therefore is deemed the beneficial owner of the 600,000 Class A
ordinary shares held by GMT Tech Holdings Limited. |
|
|
(3) |
Each
Class B ordinary share in the Company confers upon the shareholder
the right to five (5) votes at a meeting of the shareholders of the
Company or on any resolution of shareholders. Holders of our Class
B ordinary share will vote together with holders of our Class A
ordinary share as a single class on all matters presented to our
shareholders for their vote approval. |
Related Party Transactions
As of December 31, 2021, related parties of the Company consist of
the following:
Name
of Related Party |
|
Nature
of Relationship |
Zhentao
Jiang |
|
Former
Director and principal shareholder |
Wenjie
Tang |
|
Chief
Executive Officer (“CEO”), Director, and shareholder |
Yufeng
Mi |
|
Chief
Technical Officer (“CTO”) and shareholder |
Yang
Cao |
|
Director
of Nanjing Lucun |
Due to related parties
The Company mainly finance its operations through proceeds borrowed
from related parties. As of December 31, 2021 and December 31,
2020, due to related parties consisted the following:
|
|
December 31, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
Zhentao Jiang |
|
$ |
1,119,465 |
|
|
$ |
712,485 |
|
Yufeng Mi |
|
|
2,000 |
|
|
|
1,951 |
|
Yang Cao |
|
|
94,108 |
|
|
|
- |
|
Total due to
related parties |
|
$ |
1,215,573 |
|
|
$ |
714,436 |
|
The balance of due to related parties represents expenses incurred
by related parties in the ordinary course of business. These
amounts are interest free, unsecured and could be settled on
demand.
From time to time, the Company borrowed $907,135 from related
parties and repaid $517,670 to related parties in the year ended
December 31, 2021. The Company borrowed $241,822 from related
parties and repaid $594,887 to related parties in the year ended
December 31, 2020.
Due from related parties
As of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, due from related
parties consisted the following:
|
|
December 31, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
Wenjie Tang |
|
|
39,238 |
|
|
|
116,610 |
|
Total due from
related parties |
|
$ |
39,238 |
|
|
$ |
116,610 |
|
Amounts due from related parties are interest free, unsecured and
could be settled on demand. For the years ended December 31, 2020
and 2021, related parties totally borrowed 116,610 and $39,238 from
the Company, respectively.
Item 8. Financial Information
A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial
Information
Please refer to Item 18.
Legal and Administrative Proceedings
To the best of our knowledge, none of our directors or officers has
been convicted in a criminal proceeding, excluding traffic
violations or similar misdemeanors, nor has any been a party to any
judicial or administrative proceeding during the past five years
that resulted in a judgment, decree or final order enjoining the
person from future violations of, or prohibiting activities subject
to, federal or state securities laws, or a finding of any violation
of federal or state securities laws, except for matters that were
dismissed without sanction or settlement. Except as set forth in
our discussion below in “Related Party Transactions,” our directors
and officers have not been involved in any transactions with us or
any of our affiliates or associates which are required to be
disclosed pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Dividend Policy
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our Class A
ordinary shares. We anticipate that we will retain any earnings to
support operations and to finance the growth and development of our
business. Therefore, we do not expect to pay cash dividends in the
foreseeable future. Any future determination relating to our
dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our Board of
Directors and will depend on a number of factors, including future
earnings, capital requirements, financial conditions and future
prospects and other factors the Board of Directors may deem
relevant.
Under British Virgin Islands law and our memorandum and articles of
association, the Board of Directors may only authorize the payment
of a dividend or another distribution if the directors are
satisfied on reasonable grounds that, immediately after the
dividend or other distribution is paid, the value of the company’s
assets will exceed its liabilities and the company will be able to
pay its debts as they fall due. The resolution of directors
authorizing the payment of the dividend or other distribution must
contain a statement that, in the directors’ opinion, the company
will satisfy these two tests immediately after the payment of the
dividend or other distribution.
If we determine to pay dividends on any of our Class A ordinary
shares in the future, as a holding company, we will be dependent on
receipt of funds from our operating subsidiaries. Current Hong Kong
regulations permit our HK subsidiary, AGM HK to pay dividends to
AGM Holdings only out of profits available for distribution.
Withholding tax regarding dividends is exempted in Hong Kong.
Current PRC regulations permit our PRC subsidiaries to pay
dividends to AGM HK only out of their accumulated profits, if any,
determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and
regulations. In addition, each of our subsidiaries in China is
required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each
year, if any, to fund a statutory reserve until such reserve
reaches 50% of its registered capital. Each of our subsidiaries in
China is also required to further set aside a portion of its
after-tax profits to fund the employee welfare fund, although the
amount to be set aside, if any, is determined at the discretion of
its board of directors. Although the statutory reserves can be
used, among other ways, to increase the registered capital and
eliminate future losses in excess of retained earnings of the
respective companies, the reserve funds are not distributable as
cash dividends except in the event of liquidation.
In addition, pursuant to the EIT Law and its implementation rules,
dividends generated after January 1, 2008 and distributed to us by
our PRC subsidiaries are subject to withholding tax at a rate of
10% unless otherwise exempted or reduced according to treaties or
arrangements between the PRC central government and governments of
other countries or regions where the non-PRC-resident enterprises
are incorporated.
Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of
current account items, including profit distributions, interest
payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange
transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior
approval of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE,
by complying with certain procedural requirements. Specifically,
under the existing exchange restrictions, without prior approval of
SAFE, cash generated from the operations in China may be used to
pay dividends to our company.
B. Significant Changes
We have not experienced any significant changes since the date of
our audited consolidated financial statements included in this
annual report.
Item 9. The Offer and Listing
A. Offer and listing details
Not applicable for annual reports on Form 20-F.
B. Plan of distribution
Not applicable for annual reports on Form 20-F.
C. Markets
Our Class A ordinary shares are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market
under the symbol “AGMH.”
On January 31, 2020, we received a written notice from the Listing
Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”)
indicating that we were not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule
5550(a)(3), which requires the Company to have at least 300 public
holders for continued listing by Nasdaq. The notification has no
immediate effect on the Company’s Nasdaq listing.
Subsequently, we submitted to Nasdaq a plan to regain
compliance. On March 26, 2020, we received an extension until July
29, 2020 to regain compliance with Listing Rules
5550(a)(3). During the compliance period, the Company’s
shares of common stock continued to be listed and traded on The
Nasdaq Capital Market. To regain compliance, the Company must have
at least 300 public holders during this 180-day grace period.
On July 23, 2020, the Company received a letter from the
Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq, confirming that
the Company has regained compliance with Listing Rule 5550(a)(3)
and the matter was closed.
D. Selling shareholders
Not applicable for annual reports on Form 20-F.
E. Dilution
Not applicable for annual reports on Form 20-F.
F. Expenses of the issue
Not applicable for annual reports on Form 20-F.
Item 10. Additional Information
A. Share capital
Not applicable for annual reports on Form 20-F.
B. Memorandum and articles of association
AGM Holdings was incorporated on April 27, 2015 under the BVI
Companies Act, 2004 as a company limited by shares. As of the date
of hereof, the Company is authorized to issue 200,000,000 Class A
ordinary shares of $0.001 par value per share and 200,000,000 Class
B ordinary shares of $0.001 par value per share. As of the date of
this report, there are 24,254,842 Class A ordinary shares and
2,100,000 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding.
Our memorandum and articles of association do not permit a director
to decide what compensation he or she will receive. All decisions
about the compensation of directors will be recommended by the
compensation committee, upon its formation, and approved by the
Board of Directors as a whole, both acting only when a quorum of
members is present.
The following are summaries of the material provisions of our
memorandum and articles of association and the BVI Act, insofar as
they relate to the material terms of our Class A ordinary shares.
As a convenience to potential investors, we provide the below
description of BVI law and our memorandum and articles of
association together with a comparison to similar features under
Delaware law.
Class A Ordinary Shares
General
Each Class A ordinary share in the Company confers upon the
shareholder the right to one vote per share at a meeting of the
shareholders of the Company or on any resolution of shareholders.
Holders of our Class A Ordinary Share will vote together with
holders of our Class B ordinary shares as a single class on all
matters presented to our shareholders for their vote approval.
Each Class A ordinary share in the Company confers upon the
shareholder the right to an equal share in any dividend paid by the
Company.
Each Class A ordinary share in the Company confers upon the
shareholder the right to an equal share in the distribution of the
surplus assets of the Company on its liquidation.
All of our issued Class A ordinary shares are fully paid and
non-assessable. Certificates representing the Class A ordinary
shares are issued in registered form. Our shareholders who are
non-residents of the British Virgin Islands may freely hold and
vote their Class A ordinary shares.
Class B Ordinary Shares
General
Each Class B ordinary share in the Company confers upon the
shareholder the right to five votes at a meeting of the
shareholders of the Company or on any resolution of shareholders.
Holders of our Class B ordinary share will vote together with
holders of our Class A ordinary share as a single class on all
matters presented to our shareholders for their vote approval.
No Class B ordinary share may be sold, assigned, transferred,
alienated, commuted, anticipated, or otherwise disposed of
(including by will or the laws of descent and distribution), or
pledged or hypothecated as collateral for a loan or as security for
the performance of any obligation, or be otherwise encumbered, and
are not subject to attachment, garnishment, execution or other
legal or equitable process, and any attempt to do so shall be null
and void.
Each Class B ordinary share shall only be issued to the Company’s
or its subsidiaries’ employees or those entities of which its
principal shareholder is an employee of the Company or its
subsidiaries. Shareholder’s termination of employment with the
Company or its subsidiaries shall immediately result in the
cancellation of any and all issued and outstanding shares of Class
B ordinary shares held by such shareholder on the date of
termination.
Sale, assignment, transfer, alienation, or otherwise disposition of
any Class A ordinary share by common shareholder of Class B
ordinary shares shall immediately result in the cancellation of
equal number of shares of Class B ordinary share on the date of
such disposition.
Shareholder(s) of Class B ordinary share in the Company shall
not:
|
● |
receive
the right to any dividend paid by the Company; |
|
|
|
|
● |
receive
the right to any distribution of the surplus assets of the Company
on its liquidation. |
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for the Class A ordinary shares
and Class B ordinary shares is VStock Transfer, LLC, 18 Lafayette
Pace, Woodmere, NY 11598.
Distributions
The holders of our Class A ordinary shares are entitled to such
dividends or other distributions as may be authorized by our
Board of Directors, subject to the BVI Act and our memorandum and
articles of association.
Shareholders’ voting rights
Any action required or permitted to be taken by the shareholders
must be taken at a duly called meeting of the shareholders entitled
to vote on such action. At each meeting of shareholders, each
shareholder who is present in person or by proxy (or, in the case
of a shareholder being a corporation, by its duly authorized
representative) will have one vote for each Class A ordinary share
or five votes for each Class B ordinary share. Holders of our Class
A ordinary shares will vote together with holders of our Class B
ordinary shares as a single class on all matters presented to our
shareholders for their vote approval. An action that may be taken
by the shareholders at a meeting may also be taken by a resolution
of shareholders consented to in writing.
Election of directors
Delaware law permits cumulative voting for the election of
directors only if expressly authorized in the certificate of
incorporation. The laws of the British Virgin Islands do not
specifically prohibit or restrict the creation of cumulative voting
rights for the election of our directors. Cumulative voting is not
a concept that is accepted as a common practice in the British
Virgin Islands, and we have made no provisions in our memorandum
and articles of association to allow cumulative voting for
elections of directors.
Meetings of shareholders
Any of our directors may convene a meeting of shareholders at any
time and in any manner and place the director considers necessary
or desirable. The director convening a meeting must not give less
than seven days’ notice of the meeting to those shareholders whose
names appear as shareholders in the register of shareholders on the
date of the notice and are entitled to vote at the meeting, and the
other directors. Our Board of Directors must convene a meeting of
shareholders upon the written request of shareholders entitled to
exercise 30% or more of the voting rights in respect of the matter
for which the meeting is requested within 28 days of receiving the
written request. A meeting of shareholders held in contravention of
the requirement to give notice is valid if shareholders holding at
least 90% of the total voting rights on all the matters to be
considered at the meeting have waived notice of the meeting and,
for this purpose, the presence of a shareholder at the meeting
shall constitute waiver in relation to all the shares which that
shareholder holds.
The quorum for a meeting of shareholders is duly constituted if, at
the beginning of the meeting, there are present in person or by
proxy not less than 50% of the votes of the shares (or class or
series of shares) entitled to vote on the resolutions to be
considered at the meeting. A quorum may comprise a single
shareholder or proxy. If within two hours from the time appointed
for the meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting, if convened
upon the requisition of the shareholders, will be
dissolved. In any other case, it will stand adjourned to the
next business day in the jurisdiction in which the meeting was to
have been held at the same time and place or to such other time and
place as the directors may determine, and if at the adjourned
meeting there are present within one hour from the time appointed
for the meeting in person or by proxy not less than one third of
the votes of the shares or each class or series of shares entitle
to vote on the matter to be considered by the meeting, those
present will constitute a quorum but otherwise the meeting will be
dissolved.
Meetings of directors
Our business and affairs are managed by our Board of Directors, who
will make decisions by voting on resolutions of directors. Our
directors are free to meet at such times and in such manner and
places within or outside the BVI as the directors determine to be
necessary or desirable A director must be given not less than 3
days’ notice of a meeting of directors. At any meeting of
directors, a quorum will be present if not less than one half of
the total number of directors is present, unless there are only 2
directors in which case the quorum is 2. An action that may be
taken by the directors at a meeting may also be taken by a
resolution of directors consented to in writing by a majority of
the directors. A person other than an individual which is a
shareholder may by a resolution of its directors or other governing
body authorize any individual it thinks fit to act as its
representative at any meeting of shareholders. The duly authorized
representative shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on
behalf of the person which he represents as that person could
exercise if it were an individual.
Protection of minority shareholders
We would normally expect British Virgin Islands courts to follow
English case law precedents, which would permit a minority
shareholder to commence a representative action, or derivative
actions in our name, to challenge (1) an act which is ultra vires
or illegal, (2) an act which constitutes a fraud against the
minority by parties in control of us, (3) an infringement of
individual rights of the minority shareholder (such as the right to
vote and pre-emptive rights), and (4) an irregularity in the
passing of a resolution which requires a special or extraordinary
majority of the shareholders.
Pre-emptive rights
There are no pre-emptive rights applicable to the issue by us of
new Class A ordinary shares under either British Virgin Islands law
or our memorandum and articles of association.
Transfer of Class A Ordinary Shares
Subject to the restrictions in our memorandum and articles of
association and applicable securities laws, any of our shareholders
may transfer all or any of his or her Class A ordinary shares by
written instrument of transfer signed by the transferor and
containing the name and address of the transferee. Our Board of
Directors may not resolve to refuse or delay the transfer of any
Class A ordinary shares or Class B ordinary shares unless the
shareholder has failed to pay an amount due in respect of it.
Liquidation
If we are wound up and the assets available for distribution among
our shareholders are more than sufficient to repay all amounts paid
to us on account of the issue of shares immediately prior to the
winding up, the excess shall be distributable pari passu among
those shareholders in proportion to the amount paid up immediately
prior to the winding up on the shares held by them, respectively.
If we are wound up and the assets available for distribution among
the shareholders as such are insufficient to repay the whole of the
amounts paid to us on account of the issue of shares, those assets
shall be distributed so that, to the greatest extent possible, the
losses shall be borne by the shareholders in proportion to the
amounts paid up immediately prior to the winding up on the shares
held by them, respectively. If we are wound up, the liquidator
appointed by us may, in accordance with the BVI Act, divide among
our shareholders in specie or kind the whole or any part of our
assets (whether they shall consist of property of the same kind or
not) and may, for such purpose, set such value as the liquidator
deems fair upon any property to be divided and may determine how
such division shall be carried out as between the shareholders or
different classes of shareholders.
Calls on Class A Ordinary Shares and forfeiture of Class A
Ordinary Shares
Our Board of Directors may from time to time make calls upon
shareholders for any amounts unpaid on their Class A ordinary
shares in a notice served to such shareholders at least 14 days
prior to the specified date of payment. Where such a notice has
been issued its requirements have not been complied with, the
directors may, at any time before the tender of payment, forfeit
and cancel the Class A ordinary shares to which the notice
relates.
Issuance of Class A Ordinary Shares
Subject to the provisions of the BVI Act, our Board of Directors
may authorize the issuance of shares at such times, to such
persons, for such consideration and on such terms as they may
determine by a resolution of directors, subject to the BVI Act, our
memorandum and articles of association and any applicable
requirements imposed from time to time by the SEC, The Nasdaq
Capital Market or any recognized stock exchange on which our
securities are listed.
Variation of rights
All or any of the rights attached to any class of shares may,
subject to the provisions of the BVI Act, be varied only with the
consent in writing of, or pursuant to a resolution passed at a
meeting by the holders of more than 50% of the issued shares of
that class.
Changes in the number of shares we are authorized to issue and
those in issue
We may from time to time by resolution of our Board of
Directors:
|
● |
amend
our memorandum of association to increase or decrease the maximum
number of shares we are authorized to issue; |
|
|
|
|
● |
subject
to our memorandum of association, divide our authorized and issued
shares into a larger number of shares; and |
|
|
|
|
● |
subject
to our memorandum of association, combine our authorized and issued
shares into a smaller number of shares. |
Inspection of books and records
Under the BVI Act, holders of our Class A ordinary shares are
entitled, upon giving written notice to us, to inspect (i) our
memorandum and articles of association, (ii) our register of
shareholders, (iii) our register of directors and (iv) minutes of
meetings and resolutions of our shareholders, and to make copies
and take extracts from these documents and records. However, our
directors can refuse access if they are satisfied that to allow
such access would be contrary to our interests.
Rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders
There are no limitations imposed by our memorandum and articles of
association on the rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders
to hold or exercise voting rights on our shares. In addition, there
are no provisions in our memorandum and articles of association
governing the ownership threshold above which shareholder ownership
must be disclosed.
C. Material contracts
Other than those described in this annual report, we have not
entered into any material agreements other than in the ordinary
course of business.
D. Exchange controls
Regulations on Foreign Currency Exchange
The principal regulations governing foreign currency exchange in
China are the Foreign Exchange Administration Regulations, most
recently amended in August 2008. Under the PRC foreign exchange
regulations, payments of current account items, such as profit
distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related
foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies
without prior approval from SAFE by complying with certain
procedural requirements. By contrast, approval from or registration
with appropriate government authorities is required where RMB is to
be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay
capital account items, such as direct investments, repayment of
foreign currency-denominated loans, repatriation of investments and
investments in securities outside of China.
In November 2012, SAFE promulgated the Circular of Further
Improving and Adjusting Foreign Exchange Administration Policies on
Foreign Direct Investment, which substantially amends and
simplifies the current foreign exchange procedure. Pursuant to this
circular, the opening of various special purpose foreign exchange
accounts, such as pre-establishment expenses accounts, foreign
exchange capital accounts and guarantee accounts, the reinvestment
of RMB proceeds derived by foreign investors in the PRC, and
remittance of foreign exchange profits and dividends by a
foreign-invested enterprise to its foreign shareholders no longer
require the approval or verification of SAFE, and multiple capital
accounts for the same entity may be opened in different provinces,
which was not possible previously. In addition, SAFE promulgated
another circular in May 2013, which specifies that the
administration by SAFE or its local branches over direct investment
by foreign investors in the PRC must be conducted by way of
registration and banks must process foreign exchange business
relating to the direct investment in the PRC based on the
registration information provided by SAFE and its branches. On
February 28, 2015, SAFE promulgated the Notice on Further
Simplifying and Improving the Administration of the Foreign
Exchange Concerning Direct Investment, or SAFE Notice 13. After
SAFE Notice 13 became effective on June 1, 2015, instead of
applying for approvals regarding foreign exchange registrations of
foreign direct investment and overseas direct investment from SAFE,
entities and individuals may apply for such foreign exchange
registrations from qualified banks. The qualified banks, under the
supervision of SAFE, may directly review the applications and
conduct the registration.
On March 30, 2015, SAFE promulgated Circular 19, which expands a
pilot reform of the administration of the settlement of the foreign
exchange capitals of foreign-invested enterprises nationwide.
Circular 19 came into force and replaced both previous Circular 142
and Circular 36 on June 1, 2015. On June 9, 2016, SAFE promulgated
Circular 16 to further expand and strengthen such reform. Under
Circular 19 and Circular 16, foreign-invested enterprises in the
PRC are allowed to use their foreign exchange funds under capital
accounts and RMB funds from exchange settlement for expenditure
under current accounts within its business scope or expenditure
under capital accounts permitted by laws and regulations, except
that such funds shall not be used for (i) expenditure beyond the
enterprise’s business scope or expenditure prohibited by laws and
regulations; (ii) investments in securities or other investments
than banks’ principal-secured products; (iii) granting of loans to
non-affiliated enterprises, except where it is expressly permitted
in the business license; and (iv) construction or purchase of real
estate for purposes other than self-use (except for real estate
enterprises).
In January 2017, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Further Improving
Reform of Foreign Exchange Administration and Optimizing
Genuineness and Compliance Verification, or SAFE Circular 3, which
stipulates several capital control measures with respect to the
outbound remittance of profit from domestic entities to offshore
entities, including (i) under the principle of genuine transaction,
banks shall check board resolutions regarding profit distribution,
the original version of tax filing records and audited financial
statements; and (ii) domestic entities shall hold income to account
for previous years’ losses before remitting the profits. Further,
according to SAFE Circular 3, domestic entities shall make detailed
explanations of the sources of capital and utilization
arrangements, and provide board resolutions, contracts and other
proof when completing the registration procedures in connection
with an outbound investment.
Regulations on Foreign Exchange Registration of Overseas
Investment by PRC Residents
SAFE issued SAFE Circular on Relevant Issues Relating to Domestic
Resident’s Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment
through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, that became
effective in July 2014, replacing the previous SAFE Circular 75.
SAFE Circular 37 regulates foreign exchange matters in relation to
the use of special purpose vehicles, or SPVs, by PRC residents or
entities to seek offshore investment and financing or conduct round
trip investment in China. Under SAFE Circular 37, a SPV refers to
an offshore entity established or controlled, directly or
indirectly, by PRC residents or entities for the purpose of seeking
offshore financing or making offshore investment, using legitimate
onshore or offshore assets or interests, while “round trip
investment” refers to direct investment in China by PRC residents
or entities through SPVs, namely, establishing foreign-invested
enterprises to obtain the ownership, control rights and management
rights. SAFE Circular 37 provides that, before making contribution
into an SPV, PRC residents or entities are required to complete
foreign exchange registration with SAFE or its local branch. SAFE
promulgated the Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving the
Administration of the Foreign Exchange Concerning Direct Investment
in February 2015, which took effect on June 1, 2015. This notice
has amended SAFE Circular 37 requiring PRC residents or entities to
register with qualified banks rather than SAFE or its local branch
in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore
entity established for the purpose of overseas investment or
financing.
PRC residents or entities who had contributed legitimate onshore or
offshore interests or assets to SPVs but had not obtained
registration as required before the implementation of the SAFE
Circular 37 must register their ownership interests or control in
the SPVs with qualified banks. An amendment to the registration is
required if there is a material change with respect to the SPV
registered, such as any change of basic information (including
change of the PRC residents, name and operation term), increases or
decreases in investment amount, transfers or exchanges of shares,
and mergers or divisions. Failure to comply with the registration
procedures set forth in SAFE Circular 37 and the subsequent notice,
or making misrepresentation on or failure to disclose controllers
of the foreign-invested enterprise that is established through
round-trip investment, may result in restrictions being imposed on
the foreign exchange activities of the relevant foreign-invested
enterprise, including payment of dividends and other distributions,
such as proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or
liquidation, to its offshore parent or affiliate, and the capital
inflow from the offshore parent, and may also subject relevant PRC
residents or entities to penalties under PRC foreign exchange
administration regulations.
We are aware that our PRC resident beneficial owners subject to
these registration requirements have registered with the Beijing
SAFE branch and/or qualified banks to reflect the recent changes to
our corporate structure.
E. Taxation
The following brief description of Chinese enterprise laws is
designed to highlight the enterprise-level taxation on our
earnings, which will affect the amount of dividends, if any, we are
ultimately able to pay to our shareholders.
PRC enterprise income tax is calculated based on taxable income
determined under PRC accounting principles. The Enterprise Income
Tax Law (the “EIT Law”), effective as of January 1, 2008,
enterprises pay a unified income tax rate of 25% and unified tax
deduction standards are applied equally to both domestic-invested
enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises. Under the EIT Law, an
enterprise established outside of the PRC with “de facto management
bodies” within the PRC is considered a resident enterprise and will
normally be subject to the enterprise income tax at the rate of 25%
on its global income. If the PRC tax authorities subsequently
determine that AGM Holding and its subsidiaries in PRC or any
future non-PRC subsidiary should be classified as a PRC resident
enterprise, then such entity’s global income will be subject to PRC
income tax at a tax rate of 25%. In addition, under the EIT Law,
payments from the subsidiaries in PRC to us may be subject to a
withholding tax. The EIT Law currently provides for a withholding
tax rate of 20%. If AGM Holdings or any of its subsidiaries in PRC
is deemed to be a non-resident enterprise, then it will be subject
to a withholding tax at the rate of 20% on any dividends paid by
its Chinese subsidiaries to such entity. In practice, the tax
authorities typically impose the withholding tax rate of 10% rate,
as prescribed in the implementation regulations; however, there can
be no guarantee that this practice will continue as more guidance
is provided by relevant government authorities. We are actively
monitoring the proposed withholding tax and are evaluating
appropriate organizational changes to minimize the corresponding
tax impact.
According to the Sino-U.S. Tax Treaty which was effective on
January 1, 1987 and aimed to avoid double taxation disadvantage,
income that is incurred in one nation should be taxed by that
nation and exempted from the other nation, but for the dividend
that is generated in China and distributed to foreigner in other
nations, a rate 10% tax will be charged.
Our company will have to withhold that tax when we are distributing
dividends to our foreign investors. If we do not fulfill this duty,
we will receive a fine up to five times of the amount we are
supposed to pay as tax or other administrative penalties from
government. The worst case could be criminal charge of tax evasion
to responsible persons. The criminal penalty for this offense
depends on the tax amount the offender evaded, and the maximum
penalty will be 3-7 years imprisonment plus fine.
PRC Value Added Tax
Pursuant to the Provisional Regulation of China on Value Added Tax
and its implementing rules, issued in December 1993, all entities
and individuals that are engaged in the businesses of sales of
goods, provision of repair and placement services and importation
of goods into China are generally subject to a VAT at a rate of 17%
(with the exception of certain goods which are subject to a rate of
13%) of the gross sales proceeds received, less any VAT already
paid or borne by the taxpayer on the goods or services purchased by
it and utilized in the production of goods or provisions of
services that have generated the gross sales proceeds.
PRC Business Tax
Companies in China are generally subject to business tax and
related surcharges by various local tax authorities at rates
ranging from 3% to 20% on revenue generated from providing services
and revenue generated from the transfer of intangibles. However,
since May 1st of 2016, the Business Tax has been incorporated into
Value Added Tax in China, which means there will be no more
Business Tax and accordingly some business operations previously
taxed in the name of Business Tax will be taxed in the manner of
VAT thereafter. In general, this newly implemented policy is
intended to relieve many companies from heavy taxes under currently
slowing down economy. In the case of AGM Holdings’ Chinese
subsidiaries, even though the VAT rate is 17%, with the deductibles
the company may get in the business process, it will bear less
burden than previous Business Tax.
British Virgin Islands Taxation
Under the BVI Act as currently in effect, a holder of ordinary
shares who is not a resident of the British Virgin Islands is
exempt from British Virgin Islands income tax on dividends paid
with respect to the Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary
shares and a holder of Class A ordinary shares and/or Class B
ordinary shares is not required to pay any income tax in the
British Virgin Islands on gains realized during that year on sale
or disposal of such shares. The laws of the British Virgin Islands
do not impose a withholding tax on dividends paid by a company
incorporated or re-registered under the BVI Act.
There are no capital gains, gift or inheritance taxes levied by the
British Virgin Islands government on companies incorporated or
re-registered under the BVI Act. In addition, shares of companies
incorporated or re-registered under the BVI Act are not subject to
transfer taxes, stamp duties or similar charges.
There is no income tax treaty or convention currently in effect
between the United States and the British Virgin Islands or between
China and the British Virgin Islands.
United States Federal Income Taxation
The following does not address the tax consequences to any
particular investor or to persons in special tax situations such
as:
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banks; |
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institutions; |
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insurance
companies; |
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regulated
investment companies; |
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real
estate investment trusts; |
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broker-dealers; |
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traders
that elect to mark-to-market; |
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U.S.
expatriates; |
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tax-exempt
entities; |
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persons
liable for alternative minimum tax; |
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persons
holding our Class A ordinary shares as part of a straddle, hedging,
conversion or integrated transaction; |
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persons
that actually or constructively own 10% or more of our voting
shares; |
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persons
who acquired our Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise
of any employee share option or otherwise as consideration;
or |
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persons
holding our Class A ordinary shares through partnerships or other
pass-through entities. |
Prospective purchasers are urged to consult their own tax advisors
about the application of the U.S. Federal tax rules to their
particular circumstances as well as the state, local, foreign and
other tax consequences to them of the purchase, ownership and
disposition of our Class A ordinary shares.
Tax Treaties
As above mentioned, according to the Sino-U.S. Tax Treaty which was
effective on January 1st, 1987 and aimed to avoid double taxation
disadvantage, income that is incurred in one nation should be taxed
by that nation and exempted from the other nation, but for the
dividend that is generated in China and distributed to foreigners
in other nations, a rate 10% tax will be charged.
Taxation of Dividends and Other Distributions on our Class A
ordinary shares
Subject to the passive foreign investment company rules discussed
below, the gross amount of distributions made by us to you with
respect to the Class A ordinary shares (including the amount of any
taxes withheld therefrom) will generally be includable in your
gross income as dividend income on the date of receipt by you, but
only to the extent that the distribution is paid out of our current
or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S.
federal income tax principles). The dividends will not be eligible
for the dividends-received deduction allowed to corporations in
respect of dividends received from other U.S. corporations.
With respect to non-corporate U.S. Holders, including individual
U.S. Holders, dividends will be taxed at the lower capital gains
rate applicable to qualified dividend income, provided that
(1) the Class A ordinary shares are readily tradable on an
established securities market in the United States, or we are
eligible for the benefits of an approved qualifying income tax
treaty with the United States that includes an exchange of
information program, (2) we are not a passive foreign
investment company (as discussed below) for either our taxable year
in which the dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year, and
(3) certain holding period requirements are met. Under U.S.
Internal Revenue Service authority, the Class A ordinary shares are
considered for purpose of clause (1) above to be readily
tradable on an established securities market in the United States
if they are listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market. You are urged to
consult your tax advisors regarding the availability of the lower
rate for dividends paid with respect to our Class A ordinary
shares, including the effects of any change in law.
Dividends will constitute foreign source income for foreign tax
credit limitation purposes. If the dividends are taxed as qualified
dividend income (as discussed above), the amount of the dividend
taken into account for purposes of calculating the foreign tax
credit limitation will be limited to the gross amount of the
dividend, multiplied by the reduced rate divided by the highest
rate of tax normally applicable to dividends. The limitation on
foreign taxes eligible for credit is calculated separately with
respect to specific classes of income. For this purpose, dividends
distributed by us with respect to our Class A ordinary shares will
constitute “passive category income” but could, in the case of
certain U.S. Holders, constitute “general category income.”
To the extent that the amount of the distribution exceeds our
current and accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under
U.S. federal income tax principles), it will be treated first as a
tax-free return of your tax basis in your Class A ordinary shares,
and to the extent the amount of the distribution exceeds your tax
basis, the excess will be taxed as capital gain. We do not intend
to calculate our earnings and profits under U.S. federal income tax
principles. Therefore, a U.S. Holder should expect that a
distribution will be treated as a dividend even if that
distribution would otherwise be treated as a non-taxable return of
capital or as capital gain under the rules described above.
Taxation of Dispositions of Class A Ordinary Shares
Subject to the passive foreign investment company rules discussed
below, you will recognize taxable gain or loss on any sale,
exchange or other taxable disposition of a share equal to the
difference between the amount realized (in U.S. dollars) for the
share and your tax basis (in U.S. dollars) in the Class A ordinary
shares. The gain or loss will be capital gain or loss. If you are a
non-corporate U.S. Holder, including an individual U.S. Holder, who
has held the Class A ordinary shares for more than one year, you
will be eligible for reduced tax rates of 0% (for individuals in
the 10% or 15% tax brackets), 20% (for individuals in the 39.6% tax
brackets) or 15% for all other individuals. The deductibility of
capital losses is subject to limitations. Any such gain or loss
that you recognize will generally be treated as United States
source income or loss for foreign tax credit limitation
purposes.
Passive Foreign Investment Company
Based on our current and anticipated operations and the composition
of our assets, we do not expect to be a passive foreign
investment company, or PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes
for our current taxable year ending December 31, 2021. Our actual
PFIC status for the current taxable year ending December 31, 2021
will not be determinable until the close of such taxable year and,
accordingly, there is no guarantee that we will not be a PFIC for
the current taxable year. Because PFIC status is a factual
determination for each taxable year which cannot be made until the
close of the taxable year. A non-U.S. corporation is considered a
PFIC for any taxable year if either:
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least 75% of its gross income is passive income, defined as income
from interest, dividends, rents, royalties, gains on property
producing foreign personal holding company income and certain other
income that does not involve the active conduct of a trade or
business; or |
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at
least 50% of the value of its assets (based on an average of the
quarterly values of the assets during a taxable year) is
attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production
of passive income (the “asset test”). |
We will be treated as owning our proportionate share of the assets
and earning our proportionate share of the income of any other
corporation in which we own, directly or indirectly, at least 25%
(by value) of the stock.
We must make a separate determination each year as to whether we
are a PFIC. As a result, our PFIC status may change. In particular,
because the value of our assets for purposes of the asset test will
generally be determined based on the market price of our Class
A ordinary shares, our PFIC status will depend in large part on the
market price of our Class A ordinary shares. Accordingly,
fluctuations in the market price of the Class A ordinary shares may
cause us to become a PFIC. If we are a PFIC for any year during
which you hold Class A ordinary shares, we will continue to be
treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which you hold
Class A ordinary shares. However, if we cease to be a PFIC, you may
avoid some of the adverse effects of the PFIC regime by making a
“deemed sale” election with respect to the Class A ordinary
shares.
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which you hold Class A
ordinary shares, you will be subject to special tax rules with
respect to any “excess distribution” that you receive and any gain
you realize from a sale or other disposition (including a pledge)
of the Class A ordinary shares, unless you make a “mark-to-market”
election as discussed below. Distributions you receive in a taxable
year that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions
you received during the shorter of the three preceding taxable
years or your holding period for the Class A ordinary shares will
be treated as an excess distribution. Under these special tax
rules:
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the
excess distribution or gain will be allocated ratably over your
holding period for the Class A ordinary shares; |
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the
amount allocated to the current taxable year, and any taxable year
prior to the first taxable year in which we were a PFIC, will be
treated as ordinary income, and |
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the
amount allocated to each other year will be subject to the highest
tax rate in effect for that year and the interest charge generally
applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the resulting
tax attributable to each such year. |
The tax liability for amounts allocated to years prior to the year
of disposition or “excess distribution” cannot be offset by any net
operating losses for such years, and gains (but not losses)
realized on the sale of the Class A ordinary shares cannot be
treated as capital, even if you hold the Class A ordinary shares as
capital assets.
A U.S. Holder of “marketable stock” (as defined below) in a PFIC
may make a mark-to-market election for such stock to elect out of
the tax treatment discussed above. If you make a mark-to-market
election for the Class A ordinary shares, you will include in
income each year an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair
market value of the ordinary shares as of the close of your taxable
year over your adjusted basis in such Class A ordinary shares. You
are allowed a deduction for the excess, if any, of the adjusted
basis of the Class A ordinary shares over their fair market value
as of the close of the taxable year. However, deductions are
allowable only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains on the
Class A ordinary shares included in your income for prior taxable
years. Amounts included in your income under a mark-to-market
election, as well as gain on the actual sale or other disposition
of the Class A ordinary shares, are treated as ordinary income.
Ordinary loss treatment also applies to the deductible portion of
any mark-to-market loss on the Class A ordinary shares, as well as
to any loss realized on the actual sale or disposition of the Class
A ordinary shares, to the extent that the amount of such loss does
not exceed the net mark-to-market gains previously included for
such Class A ordinary shares. Your basis in the Class A ordinary
shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts.
If you make a valid mark-to-market election, the tax rules that
apply to distributions by corporations which are not PFICs would
apply to distributions by us, except that the lower applicable
capital gains rate for qualified dividend income discussed above
under “Taxation of Dividends and Other Distributions on our Class A
ordinary shares” generally would not apply.
The mark-to-market election is available only for “marketable
stock”, which is stock that is traded in other than de minimis
quantities on at least 15 days during each calendar quarter
(“regularly traded”) on a qualified exchange or other market (as
defined in applicable U.S. Treasury regulations), including The
Nasdaq Capital Market. If the Class A ordinary shares are regularly
traded on The Nasdaq Capital Market and if you are a holder of
Class A ordinary shares, the mark-to-market election would be
available to you were we to be or become a PFIC.
Alternatively, a U.S. Holder of stock in a PFIC may make a
“qualified electing fund” election with respect to such PFIC to
elect out of the tax treatment discussed above. A U.S. Holder who
makes a valid qualified electing fund election with respect to a
PFIC will generally include in gross income for a taxable year such
holder’s pro rata share of the corporation’s earnings and profits
for the taxable year. However, the qualified electing fund election
is available only if such PFIC provides such U.S. Holder with
certain information regarding its earnings and profits as required
under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations. We do not currently
intend to prepare or provide the information that would enable you
to make a qualified electing fund election. If you hold Class A
ordinary shares in any year in which we are a PFIC, you will be
required to file U.S. Internal Revenue Service Form 8621 regarding
distributions received on the Class A ordinary shares and any gain
realized on the disposition of the Class A ordinary shares.
You are urged to consult your tax advisors regarding the
application of the PFIC rules to your investment in our Class A
ordinary shares and the elections discussed above.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Dividend payments with respect to our Class A ordinary shares and
proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of our Class A
ordinary shares may be subject to information reporting to the U.S.
Internal Revenue Service and possible U.S. backup withholding at a
current rate of 28%. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to
a U.S. Holder who furnishes a correct taxpayer identification
number and makes any other required certification on U.S. Internal
Revenue Service Form W-9 or who is otherwise exempt from backup
withholding. U.S. Holders who are required to establish their
exempt status generally must provide such certification on U.S.
Internal Revenue Service Form W-9. U.S. Holders are urged to
consult their tax advisors regarding the application of the U.S.
information reporting and backup withholding rules.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as
backup withholding may be credited against your U.S. federal income
tax liability, and you may obtain a refund of any excess amounts
withheld under the backup withholding rules by filing the
appropriate claim for refund with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service
and furnishing any required information.
Under the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act of 2010,
certain United States Holders are required to report information
relating to Class A ordinary shares, subject to certain exceptions
(including an exception for Class A ordinary shares held in
accounts maintained by certain financial institutions), by
attaching a complete Internal Revenue Service Form 8938, Statement
of Specified Foreign Financial Assets, with their tax return for
each year in which they hold Class A ordinary shares. U.S. Holders
are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application
of the U.S. information reporting and backup withholding rules.
F. Dividends and paying agents
Not applicable for annual reports on Form 20-F.
G. Statement by experts
Not applicable for annual reports on Form 20-F.
H. Documents on display
We are subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act.
In accordance with these requirements, the Company files reports
and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any
materials filed with the SEC at the Public Reference Room at 100 F
Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information on
the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at
1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains a web site
at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports and other
information regarding registrants that file electronically with the
SEC.
I. Subsidiary Information
Not applicable.
Item 11.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market
Risk
As of the latest fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, we had
immaterial derivative financial instruments (open FX positions with
a total fair value of $0) and did not have any derivative commodity
instruments. Our other financial instruments, including cash and
cash equivalents, transaction monetary assets held for clients, net
accounts receivable, prepaid expenses and other current assets,
accounts payable, deposits payable, accrued expenses and other
current liabilities, advance from customers, and income tax
payable, are exposed to certain market risk such as foreign
currency risk and interest rate risk. Our overall risk management
program focuses on preservation of capital and the unpredictability
of financial markets and has sought to minimize potential adverse
effects on our financial performance and position. Our other
financial instruments primarily include cash and cash equivalents,
accounts receivable and accounts payable for whose carrying values
approximate to their fair value due to the short term nature of
these balances. Therefore, we do not expect our other financial
instruments to be exposed to material impacts from market risk.
However, we have still summarized the relevant market risk and its
potential impacts to our other financial instruments as below:
Foreign Currency Exchange Risk
While our reporting currency is the U.S. Dollar, some of our
consolidated financial liability instruments are in the functional
currency of RMB. As a result, we are exposed to foreign exchange
risk as our results of operations may be affected by fluctuations
in the exchange rate between the U.S. Dollar and the RMB. If the
RMB depreciates against the U.S. Dollar, the value of our RMB
liabilities as expressed in our U.S. Dollar financial statements
will decline. Assets and liabilities are translated at exchange
rates at the balance sheet dates and revenue and expenses are
translated at the average exchange rates and shareholders’ equity
is translated at historical exchange rates. Any resulting
translation adjustments are not included in determining net income
but are included in determining other comprehensive income, a
component of shareholders’ equity. We have not entered into any
hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign
exchange risk.
The value of the RMB against the U.S. dollar and other currencies
is affected by, among other things, changes in China’s political
and economic conditions. Since July 2005, the RMB has not been
pegged to the U.S. dollar and, although the People’s Bank of China
regularly intervenes in the foreign exchange market to prevent
significant short-term fluctuations in the exchange rate, the RMB
may appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the
U.S. dollar or the Euro in the medium to long term. Moreover, it is
possible that in the future, PRC authorities may lift restrictions
on fluctuations in RMB exchange rate and lessen intervention in the
foreign exchange market.
We estimated that as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, a 10%
appreciation in RMB against the U.S. dollar would have resulted in
a decrease of $3,759,650 and $90,174 to our financial liabilities
denominated in RMB and would have resulted in a corresponding
decrease in our consolidated comprehensive loss, respectively. As
of December 31, 2021 and 2020, our financial assets denominated in
RMB were material and therefore may be subject to material market
fluctuation.
Item 12. Description of Securities Other than Equity
Securities
We do not have securities other than equity securities issued and
outstanding. We do not have any American Depositary Shares.
PART II
Item 13. Defaults, Dividend Arrearages and
Delinquencies
We do not have any material defaults in the payment of principal,
interest, or any installments under a sinking or purchase
fund.
Item 14. Material Modifications to the Rights of Securities
Holders and Use of Proceeds
Material Modifications to the Rights of Security Holders
There have been no material modifications to the rights of our
security holders.
Use of Proceeds
Not applicable.
Item 15. Controls and Procedures
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Evaluation
of Disclosure Controls and Procedures. |
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining
adequate internal control over financial reporting. The Exchange
Act in Rule 13a-15(f ) and 15d-15(f ) defines this as a process
designed by, or under the supervision of, the company’s principal
executive and principal financial officers and effected by the
Board of Directors, management and other personnel, to provide
reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial
reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external
purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles and includes those policies and procedures that:
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pertain
to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail,
accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of
the assets of the company; |
|
● |
provide
reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to
permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and
expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with
authorizations of management and directors of the company;
and |
|
|
|
|
● |
provide
reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of
unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the company’s
assets that may have a material effect on the financial
statements. |
Under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, our management
assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial
reporting as of December 31, 2021. In making this assessment, our
management used the criteria, established in Internal
Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).
|
(b) |
Management’s
annual report on internal control over financial
reporting. |
Based on its assessment, our management concluded that as of
December 31, 2021, our disclosure controls and procedures were not
effective to ensure that material information is recorded,
processed, summarized and reported by our management on a timely
basis in order to comply with our disclosure obligations under the
Exchange Act.
In preparing our consolidated financial statements for the years
ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, our management identified
material weaknesses in our internal control over
financial reporting, as defined in the standards established by the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board of the United States, and
other significant deficiencies. 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 weaknesses
identified are as follows: (i) no sufficient personnel with
appropriate levels of accounting knowledge and experience to
address complex U.S. GAAP accounting issues and to prepare and
review financial statements and related disclosures under U.S.
GAAP; (ii) ineffective oversight of our financial reporting
and internal control by those charged with governance;
and (iii) inadequate design of internal control over the
preparation of the financial statements being audited. These
material weaknesses remained as of December 31, 2021. As a result
of inherent limitations, our internal control over
financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements, errors
or omissions.
To remedy our previously identified material weakness, we have
undertaken and will continue to undertake steps to strengthen
our internal control over financial reporting, including:
(i) hiring more qualified resources including financial controller,
equipped with relevant U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting experience and
qualifications to strengthen the financial reporting function and
to set up a financial and system control framework, (ii)
implementing regular and continuous U.S. GAAP accounting and
financial reporting training programs for our accounting and
financial reporting personnel, (iii) establishing effective
oversight and clarifying reporting requirements
for non-recurring and complex transactions to ensure
consolidated financial statements and related disclosures are
accurate, complete and in compliance with SEC reporting
requirements, and (iv) enhancing an internal audit function as well
as engaging an external consulting firm to help us assess our
compliance readiness under rule 13a-15 of the Exchange
Act and improve overall internal control. However, such
measures have not been fully implemented and we concluded that the
material weakness in our internal control over financial
reporting had not been remediated as of December 31, 2021.
This annual report does not include an attestation report of the
Company’s Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm as we
qualified as an “emerging growth company” as defined under
the JOBS Act as of December 31, 2021.
|
(c) |
Attestation
report of the registered public accounting firm. |
Not applicable.
|
(d) |
Changes
in internal control over financial reporting. |
There have been no changes in our internal controls over financial
reporting occurred during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021,
that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to
materially affect, our internal control over financial
reporting.
Item 15T. Controls and Procedures
Not applicable.
Item 16. [Reserved]
Item 16A. Audit Committee Financial Expert
The Company’s Board of Directors has determined that Fangjie Wang
qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” in accordance
with applicable Nasdaq Capital Market standards. The Company’s
Board of Directors has also determined that members of the Audit
Committee are all “independent” in accordance with the applicable
Nasdaq Capital Market standards.
Item 16B. Code of Ethics
The Company has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that
applies to the Company’s directors, officers, employees and
advisors. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is attached as an
exhibit to this annual report. Copy of the Code of Business Conduct
and Ethics is also available on our website at
www.agmprime.com.
Item 16C. Principal Accountant Fees and Services
TPS Thayer LLC was appointed by the Company to serve as its
independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal years
ended December 31, 2021. JLKZ CPA LLP was appointed by the Company
to serve as its independent registered public accounting firm for
fiscal years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019. Audit services
provided by JLKZ CPA LLP for fiscal years ended December 31, 2020
and 2019 included the examination of the consolidated financial
statements of the Company; and services related to periodic filings
made with the SEC.
Fees Paid to Independent Registered Public Accounting
Firm
Audit Fees
TPS Thayer LLC’s fee for the annual audit of our financial
statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 was
$120,000. JLKZ CPA LLP’s fee for the annual audit of our financial
statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 was
$90,000.
Audit-Related Fees
The Company has not paid TPS Thayer LLC for audit-related services
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.
The Company has not paid JLKZ CPA LLP for audit-related services
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020.
Tax Fees
The Company has not paid TPS Thayer LLC for tax services for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. The Company has not paid JLKZ
CPA LLP for tax services for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2020.
All Other Fees
The Company has not paid TPS Thayer LLC for any other services in
fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. The Company has not paid JLKZ
CPA LLP for any other services in fiscal year ended December 31,
2020.
Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies
Before TPS Thayer LLC and JLKZ CPA LLP were engaged by the Company
to render audit or non-audit services, the engagement was approved
by the Company’s audit committee. All services rendered by TPS
Thayer LLC and JLKZ CPA LLP have been so approved.
Item 16D. Exemptions from the Listing Standards for Audit
Committees
Not applicable.
Item 16E. Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and
Affiliated Purchasers
Neither the Company nor any affiliated purchaser has purchased any
shares or other units of any class of the Company’s equity
securities registered by the Company pursuant to Section 12 of the
Securities Exchange Act during the fiscal year ended December 31,
2021.
Item 16F. Change in Registrant’s Certifying
Accountant
Not applicable.
Item 16G. Corporate Governance
As a company listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, we are subject to
the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards. However, Nasdaq
rules 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 corporate
governance listing standards.
We currently follow and intend to continue to follow Cayman Islands
corporate governance practices in lieu of the corporate governance
requirements of the Nasdaq that listed companies must obtain its
shareholders’ approval of certain transactions other than public
offerings (Nasdaq rule 5635(d)). To the extent we choose to follow
home country practice in the future, our shareholders may be
afforded less protection than they otherwise would under the Nasdaq
corporate governance listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic
issuers. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks
Related to Our Capital Structure and Class A Ordinary Shares— We
are a “foreign private issuer,” and our disclosure obligations
differ from those of U.S. domestic reporting companies. As a
result, we may not provide you the same information as U.S.
domestic reporting companies or we may provide information at
different times, which may make it more difficult for you to
evaluate our performance.”
Item 16H. Mine Safety Disclosure
Not applicable.
Item 16I. Disclosure
Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent
Inspections.
Not applicable.
PART III
Item 17. Financial Statements
See Item 18.
Item 18. Financial Statements
Our consolidated financial statements are included at the end of
this annual report, beginning with page F-1.
Item 19. Exhibits
Exhibit No. |
|
Description of Exhibit |
|
|
|
1.1 |
|
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of AGM
Group Holdings Inc., filed as exhibit 3.2 to the Form F-1 filed on
May 15, 2017 and incorporate by reference herein |
|
|
|
2.1 |
|
Form of Warrant, filed as exhibit 4.1 to the Form 6-K filed on
December 13, 2021 and incorporate by reference
herein |
|
|
|
2.2 |
|
Form of Placement Agent Warrant, filed as exhibit 4.2 to the Form
6-K filed on December 13, 2021 and incorporate by reference
herein |
|
|
|
4.1 |
|
English translation of Employment Agreement with Wenjie Tang, filed
as exhibit 4.1 to the Form 20-F filed on April 22, 2022 and
incorporate by reference herein |
|
|
|
4.2 |
|
English translation of Employment Agreement with Zhihe Yang, filed
as exhibit 10.2 to the Form 6-K filed on October 16, 2020 and
incorporate by reference herein |
|
|
|
4.3* |
|
English translation of Employment Agreement with Yufeng Mi, filed
as exhibit 4.3 to the Form 20-F filed on April 22, 2022 and
incorporate by reference herein |
|
|
|
4.4* |
|
English translation of Employment Agreement with Bin Cao, filed as
exhibit 4.4 to the Form 20-F filed on April 22, 2022 and
incorporate by reference herein |
|
|
|
4.5* |
|
English translation of Employment Agreement with Yafang Wang, filed
as exhibit 4.4 to the Form 20-F filed on April 22, 2022 and
incorporate by reference herein |
|
|
|
4.6 |
|
English translation of Agreement with Jialin Liu, filed as exhibit
10.14 to the Form F-1 filed on September 28, 2017 and incorporate
by reference herein |
|
|
|
4.7 |
|
English translation of Agreement with Tingfu Xie, filed as exhibit
10.15 to the Form F-1 filed on September 28, 2017 and incorporate
by reference herein |
|
|
|
4.8 |
|
English translation of Agreement with Fangjie Wang, filed as
exhibit 10.2 to the Form 6-K filed on January 9, 2019 and
incorporate by reference herein |
|
|
|
4.9 |
|
English
translation of Equity Transfer Agreement with Yushu Kingo City Real
Estate Development Co., Ltd. dated January 16, 2020, filed as
exhibit 10.1 to the Form 6-K filed on January 22, 2020 and
incorporate by reference herein |
|
|
|
4.10 |
|
Share Purchase Agreement, dated December 14, 2020, filed as exhibit
10.1 to the Form 6-K filed on December 31, 2020 and incorporate by
reference herein |
|
|
|
4.11 |
|
Promissory Note, dated December 14, 2020, filed as exhibit 10.2 to
the Form 6-K filed on December 31, 2020 and incorporate by
reference herein |
|
|
|
4.12 |
|
English
translation of Equity Transfer Agreement with Yushu Kingo City Real
Estate Development Co., Ltd. Dated April 6, 2021, filed as exhibit
10.1 to the Form 6-K filed on April 9, 2021 and incorporate by
reference herein |
|
|
|
4.13 |
|
Offer Letter to Jing Shi, dated April 30, 2021, filed as exhibit
10.1 to the Form 6-K filed on May 6, 2021 and incorporate by
reference herein |
|
|
|
4.14 |
|
Employment
Agreement with Bo Zhu, dated May 6, 2021, filed as exhibit 10.1 to
the Form 6-K filed on May 10, 2021 and incorporate by reference
herein |
4.15 |
|
Employment
Agreement with Chenjun Li, dated July 12, 2021, filed as exhibit
10.1 to the Form 6-K filed on July 16, 2021 and incorporate by
reference herein |
|
|
|
4.16 |
|
Employment Agreement with Steven Sim, dated September 24, 2021,
filed as exhibit 10.1 to the Form 6-K filed on September 28, 2021
and incorporate by reference herein |
|
|
|
4.17 |
|
Transfer
Agreement with Yushu Kingo City Real Estate Development Co., Ltd.,
dated October 20, 2021, filed as exhibit 10.1 to the Form 6-K filed
on October 22, 2021 and incorporate by reference
herein |
|
|
|
4.18 |
|
Placement
Agency Agreement, dated December 10, 2021, filed as exhibit 10.1 to
the Form 6-K filed on December 13, 2021 and incorporate by
reference herein |
|
|
|
4.19 |
|
Form of Securities Purchase Agreement, dated December 10, 2021,
filed as exhibit 10.2 to the Form 6-K filed on December 13, 2021
and incorporate by reference herein |
|
|
|
4.20 |
|
Form of Registration Rights Agreement, dated December 10, 2021,
filed as exhibit 10.3 to the Form 6-K filed on December 13, 2021
and incorporate by reference herein |
|
|
|
4.21 |
|
Form of Lock-up Agreement, dated December 10, 2021, filed as
exhibit 10.4 to the Form 6-K filed on December 13, 2021 and
incorporate by reference herein |
* |
Filed with
this annual report on Form 20-F |
|
|
** |
Furnished
with this annual report on Form 20-F |
SIGNATURES
The registrant hereby certifies that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form 20-F and that it has duly caused
and authorized the undersigned to sign this annual report on its
behalf.
|
AGM
GROUP HOLDINGS INC. |
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Wenjie
Tang |
|
|
Name: |
Wenjie
Tang |
|
|
Title: |
Co-Chief
Executive Officer |
Date: May 16, 2022
AGM GROUP HOLDINGS INC.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and Shareholders
AGM Group Holdings Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of AGM
Group Holdings Inc.(“the Company”), as of December 31, 2021 and the
related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive
income, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the year
then ended and the related notes (collectively referred to as the
“financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements
present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated
financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021 and the
consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for the
year ended December 31, 2021, in conformity with U.S generally
accepted accounting principles.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's
management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the
Company's financial statements based on our audit. We are a public
accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be
independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S.
federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of
the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the
PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit
to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial
statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error
or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged
to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial
reporting. As part of our audit, we are required to obtain an
understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not
for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of
the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of
material misstatements of the financial statements, whether due to
error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those
risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis,
evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial
statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting
principles used and significant estimates made by management, as
well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial
statements. We believe that our audit provided a reasonable basis
for our opinion.
/s/ TPS Thayer, LLC
We have served as the Company's auditor since 2022
Sugar Land, Texas
May 16, 2022
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
|
To: |
The Board of Directors and
Stockholders of |
AGM Group Holdings, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of AGM
Group Holdings, Inc. and subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”)
as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the related consolidated
statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for
each of the three years ended December 31, 2020, and the related
notes (collectively referred to as the financial statements). In
our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all
material respects, the financial position of the Company as of
December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the results of its operations and
its cash flows for each of the three years ended December 31, 2020,
in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States of America.
Explanatory Paragraph Regarding Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming
that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in
Note 3 to the financial statements, the Company had incurred
substantial losses during the year, which raises substantial doubt
about its ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plan
in regards to these matters are described in Note 3. These
financial statements do not include any adjustments that might
result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s
management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the
Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public
accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be
independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S.
federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of
the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the
PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit
to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial
statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error
or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged
to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial
reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an
understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not
for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of
the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of
material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to
error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those
risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis,
evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial
statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting
principles used and significant estimates made by management, as
well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial
statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis
for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The Critical Audit Matter communicated below is a matter arising
from the current period audit of the financial statements that was
communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee
and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material
to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially
challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. We determined that
there are no critical audit matters.
/s/ JLKZ CPA LLP
JLKZ CPA LLP
Flushing, New York
April 22, 2021
We have served as the Company’s auditor since February 2019.
AGM GROUP HOLDINGS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Amounts in US$, except for number of shares)
|
|
December 31, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ASSETS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
CURRENT ASSETS: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and
cash equivalents |
|
$ |
18,426,622 |
|
|
$ |
664,605 |
|
Accounts receivable,
net |
|
|
2,608,325 |
|
|
|
-
|
|
Inventories |
|
|
22,433,140 |
|
|
|
-
|
|
Advances to
suppliers |
|
|
40,485,521 |
|
|
|
-
|
|
Prepayment and other
current assets |
|
|
3,326,425 |
|
|
|
5,420,916 |
|
Due
from related parties |
|
|
39,238 |
|
|
|
116,610 |
|
Total
current assets |
|
|
87,319,271 |
|
|
|
6,202,131 |
|
NON - CURRENT
ASSETS: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Property and
equipment, net |
|
|
322,397 |
|
|
|
19,320 |
|
Intangible assets,
net |
|
|
8,633 |
|
|
|
10,113 |
|
Operating lease
right-of-use assets |
|
|
241,554 |
|
|
|
-
|
|
Deferred tax assets |
|
|
129,034 |
|
|
|
-
|
|
Total
non - current assets |
|
|
701,618 |
|
|
|
29,433 |
|
TOTAL ASSETS |
|
$ |
88,020,889 |
|
|
$ |
6,231,564 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CURRENT
LIABILITIES: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Short-term
borrowings |
|
$ |
1,568,455 |
|
|
$ |
-
|
|
Accounts
payable |
|
|
14,116,569 |
|
|
|
4,974 |
|
Accrued expenses and
other payables |
|
|
3,597,440 |
|
|
|
1,819,545 |
|
Advances from
customers |
|
|
42,231,914 |
|
|
|
-
|
|
Due to related
parties |
|
|
1,215,573 |
|
|
|
714,436 |
|
Deferred government
grant - current |
|
|
38,111 |
|
|
|
-
|
|
Operating lease liabilities - current |
|
|
51,239 |
|
|
|
-
|
|
Total
current liabilities |
|
|
62,819,301 |
|
|
|
2,538,955 |
|
NON - CURRENT
LIABILITIES: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deferred government grant - non current |
|
|
147,812 |
|
|
|
-
|
|
Total
non - current liabilities |
|
|
147,812 |
|
|
|
-
|
|
TOTAL LIABILITIES |
|
$ |
62,967,113 |
|
|
$ |
2,538,955 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SHAREHOLDERS’
EQUITY: |
|
  |