ATIF ATIF Holdings Ltd

Item 3. KEY INFORMATION

A. [Reserved]

B. Capitalization and Indebtedness

Not Applicable.

C. Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

Not Applicable.

D. Risk Factors

Risks Relating to our Business

We have a limited operating history and are subject to the risks encountered by early-stage companies.

We have only been in business since November 2015. We did not generate any revenue until the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016. We launched AT Consulting Center, which offers financial and advisory services to our clients in August 2018 and acquired CNNM, a media and news platform, in September 2018. As a start-up company, our business strategies and model are constantly being tested by the market and operating results, and we pursue to adjust our allocation of resources accordingly. As such, our business may be subject to significant fluctuations in operating results in terms of amounts of revenues and percentages of total with respect to the business segments.

We are, and expect for the foreseeable future to be, subject to all the risks and uncertainties, inherent in a new business and in an industry which is in the early stages of development in China. As a result, we must establish many functions necessary to operate a business, including expanding our managerial and administrative structure, assessing and implementing our marketing program, implementing financial systems and controls and personnel recruitment. Accordingly, you should consider our prospects in light of the costs, uncertainties, delays, and difficulties frequently encountered by companies with a limited operating history. These risks and challenges are, among other things:

Our future growth will depend substantially on our ability to address these and the other risks described in this annual report. If we do not successfully address these risks, our business would be significantly harmed.

We have incurred net losses for the fiscal years ended July 31, 2021 and 2020 and expect losses to continue in the near future.

For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2021 and 2020, we incurred net loss of $9.0 million and $17.3 million, respectively. Our operations have been adversely affected by the effect of COVID-19. In addition, the PRC has recently issued statements that may have the effect of slowing down our business consulting services of assisting PRC companies to go public in the United States. As a result, until the PRC further clarifies its views and regulations regarding PRC companies seeking to go public in the United States, and PRC companies are comfortable with the business climate and seeking our services, we anticipate that we continue to experience losses in the future.

We need additional capital.

As at July 31, 2021, we had cash of $5.6 million. We will continue to incur costs to fund our operations and will need to raise capital for working capital until our revenues increase. As a result, we will be required to raise capital for our operations primarily through equity offerings which may dilute existing shareholders. No assurance can be given that we will be able to raise capital through equity offerings which could have a substantial dilutive effect to existing shareholders.

If we do not continue to satisfy the Nasdaq Capital Market continued listing requirements, our Ordinary Shares could be delisted.

The listing of our Ordinary Shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market is contingent on our compliance with the Nasdaq Capital Market’s conditions for continued listing. On December 16, 2020, we received notice from The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) indicating we were not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement of $1.00 per share under the Nasdaq Listing Rules. In addition, on December 17, 2020, we received notice from Nasdaq stating that because we had not yet filed our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended July 31, 2020 (the “Form 20-F”) by its due date, we were no longer in compliance with Listing Rule which requires listed companies to timely file all required periodic financial reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission. On December 31, 2020, we filed our Form 20-F with the SEC and on January 28, 2021 Nasdaq provided us confirmation that our closing bid price traded over $1.00 for ten consecutive business days.

On July 26, 2021, we received another notice from Nasdaq indicating we that were not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement of $1.00 per share under the Nasdaq Listing Rules. The July 26, 2021 notice indicated that we had 180 calendar days, or until January 24, 2022, to regain compliance with the Listing Rules. On August 23, 2021, we effected the Reverse Split in order to the meet the minimum bid price of $1.00 in order to the meet the minimum bid price of $1.00. On September 14, 2021, we received confirmation from Nasdaq that our closing bid price traded over $1.00 for ten consecutive business days. Accordingly, we are now in compliance with the Nasdaq Listing Rules.

In the future, should we fail to meet the Nasdaq Listing Rules, we may be subject to delisting by Nasdaq. In the event our Ordinary Shares are no longer listed for trading on the Nasdaq Capital Markets, our trading volume and share price may decrease and we may experience difficulties in raising capital which could materially affect our operations and financial results. Further, delisting from the Nasdaq Capital Market could also have other negative effects, including potential loss of confidence by partners, lenders, suppliers and employees. Finally, delisting could make it harder for us to raise capital and sell securities.

We may lose our foreign private issuer status in the future, which could result in significant additional costs and expenses.

In order for us to maintain our current status as a foreign private issuer, a majority of our Ordinary Shares must be either directly or indirectly owned by non-residents of the United States, unless we also satisfy all of the additional requirements necessary to preserve this status including (i) a majority of our Board of Directors and management are located outside the United States; (ii) more than 50 percent of our assets are located outside the United States; and (iii) our business is administered principally outside of the United States. We may in the future lose our foreign private issuer status if a majority of our Ordinary Shares is held in the United States and we fail to meet the additional requirements necessary to avoid loss of foreign private issuer status. The regulatory and compliance costs under U.S. federal securities laws as a U.S. domestic issuer may be significantly more than the costs incurred as a foreign private issuer. If we are no longer deemed to be a foreign private issuer, we will be required to file periodic and current reports and registration statements on U.S. domestic issuer forms with the SEC, which are more detailed and extensive than the forms available to a foreign private issuer. In addition, we may lose the ability to rely upon certain exemptions from the Nasdaq Capital Market’s corporate governance requirements that are available to foreign private issuers.

Our historical financial results may not be indicative of our future performance.

We may not be able to sustain our historical rapid growth and/or may not be able to grow our business at all. Our net revenue increased from $3.6 million for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2017 and $5.3 million for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2018. However, our net revenue decreased to $0.9 million, $0.6 million and $3.1 million for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Our net income was $0.6 million for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2017, $1.9 million for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2018, and $0.4 million for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019, and decreased to a net loss of $17.3 million for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020, and a net loss of $9.0 million for the year ended July 31, 2021. However, our historical growth rate, limited history of operation, changes to business operations, among other factors, make it difficult to evaluate our prospects.

The consolidated financial statements included herein contain disclosures that express substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, indicating the possibility that we may not be able to operate in the future.

The consolidated financial statements included in this annual report have been prepared on a going concern basis, which assumes that we will continue to operate in the future in the normal course of business. Based on our working capital position, losses incurred and working capital requirements at July 31, 2021, these factors indicate the existence of an uncertainty that raises substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern and is dependent on our ability to raise additional working capital through debt or equity financings.

For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2021, our revenue and net loss from continuing operations was approximately $0.9 million and $2.4 million, respectively, largely as a result of tightening of U.S. legislation and public listing rules to curb some small Chinese companies to access the U.S. capital markets which adversely affected the confidence of our potential customers.

The decrease in revenues and loss of profitability have caused uncertainty about our ability to continue as a going concern for the next twelve months from the date of this report.

In light of the foregoing, our independent registered public accounting firm has included an explanatory paragraph expressing substantial doubt relating to our ability to continue as a going concern in its report on our consolidated financial statements for the year ended July 31, 2021. The inclusion of a going concern explanatory paragraph may negatively impact the trading price of our securities, have an adverse impact on our relationship with third parties with whom we do business, including our customers, vendors and employees, and could make it challenging and difficult for us to raise additional debt or equity financing to the extent needed, all of which could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.

For additional information on the above-referenced accounting standards and matters affecting our ability to continue as a going concern, see Note 2 of the financial statements included in this report and the discussion included in Item 5 of this report, respectively.

We may incur liability for unpaid taxes, including interest and penalties.

In the normal course of business, we may be subject to challenges from various PRC taxing authorities regarding the amounts of taxes due. The PRC taxing authorities may take the position that we owe more taxes than we have paid. We recorded tax liabilities of $0.1 million and $0.7 million as of July 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, for the possible underpayment of income and business taxes. It is possible that our tax for past taxes may be higher than those amounts if the PRC authorities determine that we are subject to penalties or that we have not paid the correct amount. Although our management believes it may be able to negotiate with local PRC taxing authorities a reduction to any amounts that such authorities may believe are due and a reduction to any interest or penalties thereon, we have no guarantee that we will be able to negotiate such a reduction. To the extent we are able to negotiate such amounts, national-level taxing authorities may take the position that localities are without power to reduce such liabilities, and such PRC taxing authorities may attempt to collect unpaid taxes, interest and penalties in amounts greatly exceeding management’s estimates.

We face business disruption and related risks resulting from the recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), which could have a material adverse effect on our business plan.

Our financial consulting services to small and mid-size enterprises (“SMEs”) and the businesses of the SMEs could be disrupted and materially adversely affected by the recent outbreak of COVID-19. As a result of measures imposed by the China governments in affected regions, businesses and schools have been suspended due to quarantines intended to contain this outbreak. The spread of COVID-19 from China to other countries has resulted in the Director General of the World Health Organization declaring the outbreak of COVID-19 as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), based on the advice of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations (2005), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. issued a warning on February 25, 2020 regarding the likely spread of COVID-19 to the U.S. While the COVID-19 outbreak is still in very early stages, international stock markets have begun to reflect the uncertainty associated with the slow-down in the Chinese economy and the reduced levels of international travel experienced since the beginning of January and the significant declines in the Dow Industrial Average at the end of February and beginning of March 2020 was largely attributed to the effects of COVID-19. We are still assessing our business plans and the impact COVID-19 may have on our ability to provide financial consulting services to SMEs and to the SMEs’ businesses, but there can be no assurance that this analysis will enable us to avoid part or all of any impact from the spread of COVID-19 or its consequences, including downturns in business sentiment generally or in our sector in particular. In addition, no assurance can be given that there would not be a future outbreak of COVID-19 which may result in additional quarantine and other measures taken to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which may materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in the U.S. capital markets could make our services less attractive to our clients and adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Our consulting services help our clients based in mainland China become public companies. We are expanding our consulting services to include Chinese domestic exchanges and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, but currently, all of our former and current clients have chosen to go public in the U.S. We believe this is due to the more flexible rules provided by the U.S. OTC markets and exchanges than the Chinese domestic exchanges, as well as the attractive financing and growth opportunities the U.S. capital market, which has remained relatively stable comparing to the Chinese capital market, are perceived to be able to provide to the Chinese enterprises. As a result, our going public consulting business has flourished since its inception in 2015. However, changes in the U.S. capital markets could make our service less desirable to Chinese enterprises. For example, if the U.S. OTC markets and exchanges make their rules more stringent to Chinese enterprises, then fewer Chinese enterprises will be able to use our consulting services to go public in the U.S., and our business and financial condition will be adversely affected as a result.

Because we lack a diversified client base, a severe or prolonged downturn in Chinese economy could materially and adversely affect our business and our financial condition.

Our goal is to become an international business serving clients throughout Asia, but as of the date of this annual report all our former and current clients are based in mainland China. Accordingly, we do not have a geographically diversified client base, and there will be a potentially devastating effect on our business if the Chinese economy experiences a severe or prolonged downturn.

Failure to maintain or enhance our brand or image could have a material and adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We believe our “ATIF” brand is associated with a well-recognized, integrated consulting services company in the market that it operates, with comprehensive personalized one-stop consulting services to suit our clients’ needs. Our brand is integral to our sales and marketing efforts. Our continued success in maintaining and enhancing our brand and image depends to a large extent on our ability to satisfy customers’ needs by further developing and maintaining quality of services across our operations, as well as our ability to respond to competitive pressures. If we are unable to satisfy customers’ needs or if our public image or reputation were otherwise diminished, our business transactions with our clients may decline, which could in turn adversely affect our results of operations.

We may not be successful in implementing important new strategic initiatives, which may have an adverse impact on our business and financial results.

There is no assurance that we will be able to implement important strategic initiatives in accordance with our expectations, which may result in an adverse impact on our business and financial results. Our new strategic initiatives, AT Consulting Center and CNNM, which were launched in 2018, and the investment and financing analysis reporting business, which was launched in July 2019, are designed to create growth, improve our results of operations and drive long-term shareholder value. However, our management may lack required experience, knowledge, insight, or human and capital resources to carry out the effective implementation to expand into new spaces outside the financial consulting industry. As such, we may not be able to realize our expected growth, and our business and financial results will be adversely impacted.

Increasing competition within our industry could have an impact on our business prospects.

The financial consulting market is an industry where new competitors can easily enter into since there are no significant barriers to entry. Competing companies may have significantly greater financial and other resources than we do and may offer services that are more attractive to companies seeking funds; increased competition would have a negative impact on both our revenues and our profit margins.

Our results of operations and cash flows may fluctuate due to the non-recurring nature of our going public consulting services provided to our clients.

We generated the bulk of our total revenues from going public consulting services provided to small and medium-sized enterprises in China. Unlike other service businesses that have the potential of retaining their clients for long-term and recurring services, our consulting contractual relationships with our clients usually last for 12 months; there is no recurring business from our clients once they become public companies. Therefore, we face the constant challenge of identifying and recruiting new clients in order to maintain our operations and cash flows, which are difficult for us to predict from year to year.

In addition, even though we screen our prospective clients carefully before entering into service agreements, occasionally we have to discontinue our consulting services due to a variety of unforeseeable reasons such as the client’s shortage in funds, disagreements regarding the going public process, and changes in the client’s business and expectations, among others. Due to the fact that our consulting fee is paid on installments, we will not be able to realize the complete contracted amounts under these circumstances, without getting into potentially costly litigations.

Arbitration proceedings, legal proceedings, investigations, and other claims or disputes, which are costly to defend and, if determined adversely to us, could require us to pay fines or damages, undertake remedial measures, or prevent us from taking certain actions, any of which could adversely affect our business.

In the course of our business, we are, and in the future may be, a party to arbitration proceedings, legal proceedings, investigations, and other claims or disputes, which have related and may relate to subjects including commercial transactions, intellectual property, securities, employee relations, or compliance with applicable laws and regulations. We are engaged in a lawsuit relating to certain engagement agreements we had in connection with our and LGC’s initial public offering. While we believe that such claims against us is without merit and that we have factual and legal defenses to the petitioner’s claim, this and other arbitration proceedings, legal proceedings, and investigations are inherently uncertain and we cannot predict their duration, scope, outcome, or consequences. There can be no assurance that this or any such matters that have been or may in the future be brought against us will be resolved favorably.

As the operator of a website atifchina.com, we may be subject to damages resulting from unauthorized access or hacking and other cyber risks.

Hacking is the process of attempting to gain or successfully gaining unauthorized access to computer system. As with any website, our website may be subject to hacking regardless of whether we have in place securities systems which limit access to our platform. When a person engages in website hacking, he or she takes control of the website from the website owner. Password hacking is obtaining a user’s secret password from data that has been stored in or transmitted by a computer system. Computer hacking is obtaining access to and viewing, creating or editing material without authorization. Hackers can bring a website down by causing large numbers of users to seek to access the website without the knowledge of the users, which is known as denial-of-service hacking. Despite our disclaimers, injured parties may seek to obtain damages from us for their loss. Thus, in additional to any financial or reputation losses that we may sustain, it is possible that a court or administrative body may hold us liable for damages sustained by others. Any such losses could materially impair our financial condition and our ability to conduct business.

If we fail to hire, train, and retain qualified managerial and other employees, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

We place substantial reliance on the consulting and financial service industry experience and knowledge of our senior management team as well as their relationships with other industry participants. The loss of the services of one or more members of our senior management could hinder our ability to effectively manage our business and implement our growth strategies. Finding suitable replacements for our current senior management could be difficult, and competition for such personnel of similar experience is intense. If we fail to retain our senior management, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Our consulting service personnel are critical to maintaining the quality and consistency of our services, brand, and reputation. It is important for us to attract qualified managerial and other employees who have experience in consulting services and are committed to our service approach. There may be a limited supply of such qualified individuals. We must hire and train qualified managerial and other employees on a timely basis to keep pace with our rapid growth while maintaining consistent quality of services across our operations. We must also provide continuous training to our managerial and other employees so that they are equipped with up-to-date knowledge of various aspects of our operations and can meet our demand for high-quality services. If we fail to do so, the quality of our services may decrease, which in turn, may cause a negative perception of our brand and adversely affect our business.

Any failure to protect our trademarks and other intellectual property rights could have a negative impact on our business.

We believe our trademarks, “亞洲時代” in Hong Kong, “ATIF” in Hong Kong and China, “亚洲时代” in China, “CNNM” in Hong Kong “INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF FINANCE” in Hong Kong, “IPOEX” in China, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Singapore, and is also in the process of registration with the trademark office of Korea, and other intellectual property rights are critical to our success. Any unauthorized use of our trademarks and other intellectual property rights could harm our competitive advantages and business. Historically, China has not protected intellectual property rights to the same extent as the United States, and infringement of intellectual property rights continues to pose a serious risk of doing business in China. Monitoring and preventing unauthorized use are difficult. The measures we take to protect our intellectual property rights may not be adequate. Furthermore, the application of laws governing intellectual property rights in China and abroad is uncertain and evolving, and could involve substantial risks to us. If we are unable to adequately protect our brand, trademarks and other intellectual property rights, we may lose these rights and our business may suffer materially.

As internet domain name rights are not rigorously regulated or enforced in China, other companies may incorporate in their domain names elements similar in writing or pronunciation to the “ATIF”, “CNNM,” and “INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF FINANCE,” and “IPOEX” trademarks or their Chinese equivalents. This may result in confusion between those companies and our company and may lead to the dilution of our brand value, which could adversely affect our business.

Risks Relating to Doing Business in China

The PRC’s stock regulators statements regarding PRC companies seeking listing abroad, such as the United States, may adversely affect our business.

Recently, the PRC has stated that it plans to propose new rules that would ban companies with large amounts of sensitive consumer data from going public in the U.S. which could deter PRC company tech firms to list abroad. The PRC has primarily focused on firms in the internet, telecommunications and education industry from listing abroad due to political or national-security concerns. As a result of these statements, this position by the PRC could adversely affect our business consulting services which assist PRC companies to go public in the United States.

A severe or prolonged downturn in the global or Chinese economy could materially and adversely affect our business and our financial condition.

Although the Chinese economy has grown steadily in the past decade, there is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies adopted by the People’s Bank of China and financial authorities of some of the world’s leading economies, including the United States and China. There have been concerns over unrest and terrorist threats in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa, which have resulted in volatility in oil and other markets. There have also been concerns on the relationship among China and other Asian countries, which may result in or intensify potential conflicts in relation to territorial disputes. Economic conditions in China are sensitive to global economic conditions, as well as changes in domestic economic and political policies and the expected or perceived overall economic growth rate in China. Any severe or prolonged slowdown in the global or Chinese economy may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The recent state government interference into business activities on U.S. listed Chinese companies may negatively impact our existing and future operations in China.

Recently, the Chinese government announced that it would step up supervision of Chinese companies listed offshore. Under the new measures, China will improve regulation of cross-border data flows and security, crack down on illegal activity in the securities market and punish fraudulent securities issuance, market manipulation and insider trading, China will also check sources of funding for securities investment and control leverage ratios. The Cyberspace Administration of China (“CAC”) has also opened a cybersecurity probe into several U.S.-listed tech giants focusing on anti-monopoly, financial technology regulation and more recently, with the passage of the Data Security Law, how companies collect, store, process and transfer data.

We are headquartered and have operations in China. We currently do not, and we do not plan to use variable interest entities to execute our business plan or to conduct our China-based operations. However, because we have operations in China, there is always a risk that the Chinese government may in the future seek to intervene or influence operations of any company with any level of operations in China, including its ability to offer securities to investors, list its securities on a U.S. or other foreign exchange, conduct its business or accept foreign investment. In light of China’s recent announcements, there are risks and uncertainties which we cannot foresee for the time being, and rules and regulations in China can change quickly with little or no advance notice. The Chinese government may intervene or influence the Company’s current and future operations in China at any time, or may exert more control over offerings conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in issuers likes ourselves.

If any or all of the foregoing were to occur, this could lead to a material change in our operations and/or the value of its common stock and/or significantly limit or completely hinder its ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.

Increases in labor costs in the PRC may adversely affect our business and our profitability.

China’s economy has experienced increases in labor costs in recent years. China’s overall economy and the average wages in China are expected to continue to grow. The average wage level for our employees has also increased in recent years. We expect that our labor costs, including wages and employee benefits, will continue to increase. Our consulting service is heavy on labor costs, as the main cost of our business is compensation and benefits for our professionals. Unless we are able to pass on these increased labor costs to our customers by increasing prices for our services, our profitability and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, we have been subject to stricter regulatory requirements in terms of entering into labor contracts with our employees and paying various statutory employee benefits, including pensions, housing fund, medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance to designated government agencies for the benefit of our employees. Pursuant to the PRC Labor Contract Law, or the Labor Contract Law, that became effective in January 2008, its implementing rules that became effective in September 2008 and its amendments that became effective in July 2013, employers are subject to stricter requirements in terms of signing labor contracts, minimum wages, paying remuneration, determining the term of employees’ probation and unilaterally terminating labor contracts. In the event that we decide to terminate some of our employees or otherwise change our employment or labor practices, the Labor Contract Law and its implementing rules may limit our ability to effect those changes in a desirable or cost-effective manner, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

As the interpretation and implementation of labor-related laws and regulations are still evolving, we cannot assure you that our employment practice does not and will not violate labor-related laws and regulations in China, which may subject us to labor disputes or government investigations. If we are deemed to have violated relevant labor laws and regulations, we could be required to provide additional compensation to our employees and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

There are uncertainties under the Foreign Investment Law relating to the status of businesses in China controlled by foreign invested projects primarily through contractual arrangements, such as our business.

The MOFCOM, and the National Development and Reform Commission, or “NDRC,” promulgated the Special Measures for Foreign Investment Access (2019 version), or the “2019 Negative List,” on June 30, 2019, which took effective on July 30, 2019, and promulgated the Special Measures for Foreign Investment Access (2020 version), or the “2020 Negative List,” on June 23, 2020, which took effective on July 23, 2020. According to the 2019 Negative List and the 2020 Negative List, the financial consulting service sector, in which we are currently engaged in business operations, is not deemed to be either “restricted” or “prohibited” for foreign investors. The MOFCOM and NDRC, however, publish new Catalogues from time to time that may change the scope of the “negative list,” and as such it is uncertain whether future Catalogues may re-classify the financial consulting service sector in the “negative list.”

The MOFCOM published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law in January 2015, or the “2015 FIL Draft,” which expanded the definition of foreign investment and introduced the principle of “actual control” in determining whether a company is considered an FIE. On March 15, 2019, the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress approved the Foreign Investment Law of the PRC, or the “FIL,” which came into effect on January 1, 2020, repealing simultaneously the Law of the PRC on Sino-foreign Equity Joint Ventures, the Law of the PRC on Wholly Foreign-owned Enterprises, and the Law of the PRC on Sino-foreign Cooperative Joint Ventures, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations. Pursuant to the FIL, foreign investment refers to any investment activity directly or indirectly carried out by foreign natural persons, enterprises, or other organizations, including investment in new construction project, establishment of foreign funded enterprise or increase of investment, merger and acquisition, and investment in any other way stipulated under laws, administrative regulations, or provisions of the State Council.

If we are deemed to have a non-PRC entity as a controlling shareholder, we may become subject to restrictions on foreign investment, which may materially impact the viability of our current and future operations. Specifically, we may be required to modify our corporate structure, change our current scope of operations, obtain approvals or face penalties or other additional requirements, compared to entities which do have PRC controlling shareholders. Uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of FIL and how it may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations.

It is uncertain whether we would be considered as ultimately controlled by Chinese parties. A majority of our outstanding voting securities are currently owned by PRC citizens. It is uncertain, however, if this would be sufficient to give them control over us under the FIL. If future revisions or implementation rules of the FIL mandate further actions, such as the MOFCOM market entry clearance or certain restructuring of our corporate structure and operations, there may be substantial uncertainties as to whether we can complete these actions in a timely manner, if at all, and our business and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

Changes in the policies of the PRC government could have a significant impact upon our ability to operate profitably in the PRC.

Currently, we conduct substantially all our operations in the PRC. Accordingly, economic, political, and legal developments in the PRC will significantly affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects. Policies of the PRC government can have significant effects on economic conditions in the PRC and the ability of businesses to operate profitably. Our ability to operate profitably in the PRC may be adversely affected by changes in policies by the PRC government, including changes in laws, regulations or their interpretation that may affect our ability to operate as currently contemplated.

Because our business is dependent upon government policies that encourage a market-based economy, change in the political or economic climate in the PRC may impair our ability to operate profitably, if at all.

Although the PRC government has been pursuing a number of economic reform policies for more than two decades, the PRC government continues to exercise significant control over economic growth in the PRC. Because of the nature of our business, we are dependent upon the PRC government pursuing policies that encourage private ownership of businesses. Restrictions on private ownership of businesses would affect the securities business in general and businesses using real estate service in particular. We cannot assure you that the PRC government will pursue policies favoring a market-oriented economy or that existing policies will not be significantly altered, especially in the event of a change in leadership, social or political disruption, or other circumstances affecting political, economic, and social life in the PRC.

PRC laws and regulations governing our current business operations are sometimes vague and uncertain and any changes in such laws and regulations may impair our ability to operate profitably.

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 and the enforcement and performance of our arrangements with customers in certain circumstances. The laws and regulations are sometimes vague and may be subject to future changes, and their official interpretation and enforcement may involve substantial uncertainty. The effectiveness and interpretation of newly enacted laws or regulations, including amendments to existing laws and regulations, may be delayed, and our business may be affected if we rely on laws and regulations which are subsequently adopted or interpreted in a manner different from our understanding of these laws and regulations. New laws and regulations that affect existing and proposed future businesses may also be applied retroactively. We cannot predict what effect the interpretation of existing or new PRC laws or regulations may have on our business.

We are not in compliance with the PRC’s regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents, and as a result, we and our shareholders may be subject to severe penalties if we are not able to remediate the non-compliance.

In July 2014, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration Over the Overseas Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment by Domestic Residents Via Special Purpose Vehicles, or Circular 37, which replaced Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents’ Corporate Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Offshore Special Purpose Vehicles, or Circular 75. 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, referred to in Circular 37 as a “special purpose vehicle” for the purpose of holding domestic or offshore assets or interests. Circular 37 further requires amendment to a PRC resident’s registration in the event of any significant changes with respect to the special purpose vehicle, such as an increase or decrease in the capital contributed by PRC individuals, share transfer or exchange, merger, division or other material event. Under these regulations, PRC residents’ failure to comply with specified registration procedures may result in restrictions being imposed on the foreign exchange activities of the relevant PRC entity, including the payment of dividends and other distributions to its offshore parent, as well as restrictions on capital inflows from the offshore entity to the PRC entity, including restrictions on its ability to contribute additional capital to its PRC subsidiaries. Further, failure to comply with the SAFE registration requirements could result in penalties under PRC law for evasion of foreign exchange regulations.

We have requested our shareholders who are Chinese residents to make the necessary applications, filings, and amendments as required under Circular 37 and other related rules. However, we cannot provide any assurances that all of our shareholders who are Chinese residents will comply with our request to make or obtain any applicable registration. Any failure by any of our shareholders who is a PRC resident, or is controlled by a PRC resident, to comply with relevant requirements under these regulations could subject us to fines or sanctions imposed by the PRC government, including restrictions on Huaya’s ability to pay dividends or make distributions to us and on our ability to increase our investment in Huaya.

We are not in compliance with the PRC’s regulations relating to employees’ housing funds, and as a result, we and our shareholders may be subject to penalties if we are not able to remediate the non-compliance.

In accordance with the Regulations on Management of Housing Provident Fund (the “Regulations of HPF”), which were promulgated by the PRC State Council on April 3, 1999, and last amended on March 24, 2002, employers must register at the designated administrative centers and open bank accounts for employees’ housing funds deposits. Employers and employees are also required to pay and deposit housing funds, in an amount no less than 5% of the monthly average salary of each of the employees in the preceding year in full and on time. Huaya has registered at the designated administrative centers and opened bank accounts for its employees’ housing funds deposits. However, Huaya has not deposited the housing funds for all the employees with an amount no less than 5% of the monthly average salary of the employee in compliance with the relevant regulations since June 2019, which might subject us to pay and deposit housing funds in full and on time within the prescribed time limit by relevant authorities. If we fail to do so, relevant authorities could file applications to competent courts for compulsory enforcement of payment and deposit.

Because our business is conducted in RMB and the price of our Ordinary Shares is quoted in U.S. dollars, changes in currency conversion rates may affect the value of your investments.

Our business is conducted in the PRC, our books and records are maintained in RMB, which is the currency of the PRC, and the financial statements that we file with the SEC and provide to our shareholders are presented in U.S. dollars. Changes in the exchange rate between the RMB and U.S. dollar affect the value of our assets and the results of our operations in U.S. dollars. The value of the RMB against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate and is affected by, among other things, changes in the PRC’s political and economic conditions and perceived changes in the economy of the PRC and the United States. Any significant revaluation of the RMB may materially and adversely affect our cash flows, revenue, and financial condition.

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, or the EIT Law, we may be classified as a “resident enterprise” of China, which could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders.

The EIT Law and its implementing rules provide that enterprises established outside of China whose “de facto management bodies” are located in China are considered “resident enterprises” under PRC tax laws. The implementing rules promulgated under the EIT Law define the term “de facto management bodies” as a management body which substantially manages, or has control over the business, personnel, finance and assets of an enterprise. In April 2009, the State Administration of Taxation, or SAT, issued a notice, known as SAT Notice 82, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether a PRC-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having a “de facto management body” in China. However, there are no further detailed rules or precedents governing the procedures and specific criteria for determining “de facto management body.” Although our board of directors and management are located in the PRC, it is unclear if the PRC tax authorities would determine that we should be classified as a PRC “resident enterprise.”

If we are deemed as a PRC “resident enterprise,” we will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on our worldwide income at a uniform tax rate of 25%, although dividends distributed to us from our existing PRC subsidiary and any other PRC subsidiaries which we may establish from time to time could be exempt from the PRC dividend withholding tax due to our PRC “resident recipient” status. This could have a material and adverse effect on our overall effective tax rate, our income tax expenses, and our net income. Furthermore, dividends, if any, paid to our shareholders may be decreased as a result of the decrease in distributable profits. In addition, if we were considered a PRC “resident enterprise”, any dividends we pay to our non-PRC investors, and the gains realized from the transfer of our Ordinary Shares may be considered income derived from sources within the PRC and be subject to PRC tax, at a rate of 10% in the case of non-PRC enterprises or 20% in the case of non-PRC individuals (in each case, subject to the provisions of any applicable tax treaty). It is unclear whether holders of our Ordinary Shares would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise. This could have a material and adverse effect on the value of your investment in us and the price of our Ordinary Shares.

There are significant uncertainties under the EIT Law relating to the withholding tax liabilities of our PRC subsidiary, and dividends payable by our PRC subsidiary to our offshore subsidiaries may not qualify to enjoy certain treaty benefits.

Under the EIT Law and its implementation rules, the profits of a foreign invested enterprise generated through operations, which are distributed to its immediate holding company outside the PRC, will be subject to a withholding tax rate of 10%. Pursuant to a special arrangement between Hong Kong and the PRC, such rate may be reduced to 5% if a Hong Kong resident enterprise owns more than 25% of the equity interest in the PRC company. Our PRC subsidiary is wholly-owned by our Hong Kong subsidiary. Moreover, under the Notice of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues regarding the Administration of the Dividend Provision in Tax Treaties promulgated on February 20, 2009, the tax payer needs to satisfy certain conditions to enjoy the benefits under a tax treaty. These beneficial owners of the relevant dividends and the corporate shareholder to receive dividends from the PRC subsidiary must have continuously met the direct ownership thresholds during the 12 consecutive months preceding the receipt of the dividends. Pursuant to the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Relating to “Beneficial Owner” in Tax Treaties promulgated by SAT on February 3, 2018 and became effective on April 1, 2018, certain detailed factors are set forth and a beneficial ownership analysis will be applied in light of the actual circumstances of the specific cases in determining the “beneficial owner” status under the relevant tax treaty and whether or not to grant tax treaty benefits. In current practice, a Hong Kong enterprise must obtain a tax resident certificate from the relevant 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. As of the date of this annual report, we have not commenced the application process for a Hong Kong tax resident certificate from the relevant Hong Kong tax authority, and there is no assurance that we will be granted such a Hong Kong tax resident certificate.

Even after we obtain the Hong Kong tax resident certificate, we are required by applicable tax laws and regulations to file required forms and materials with relevant PRC tax authorities to prove that we can enjoy 5% lower PRC withholding tax rate. ATIF HK intends to obtain the required materials and file with the relevant tax authorities when it plans to declare and pay dividends, but there is no assurance that the PRC tax authorities will approve the 5% withholding tax rate on dividends received from ATIF HK.

PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from making loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

Any funds we transfer to our PRC subsidiary, either as a shareholder loan or as an increase in registered capital, are subject to approval by or registration with relevant governmental authorities in China. According to the relevant PRC regulations on foreign-invested enterprises, or FIEs, the combined amount of offshore capital contributions and loans cannot exceed the FIE’s approved total investment amount. Any capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary must be filed with MOFCOM or its local counterparts, and registered with a local bank authorized by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE. In addition, (a) any loan provided by us to WFOE, which is a FIE, cannot exceed the difference between its total investment amount and registered capital, and must be registered with SAFE or its local counterparts, and (b) any loan provided by us to our VIE which is a domestic PRC entity, over a certain threshold, must be approved by the relevant government authorities and must be registered with SAFE or its local counterparts. Given that the registered capital and total investment amount of WFOE are currently the same, if we seek to make a capital contribution to WFOE we must first apply to increase both its registered capital and total investment amount, while if we seek to provide a loan to WFOE, we must first increase its total investment amount. Although we currently do not have any immediate plans to utilize the proceeds from our initial public offering (“IPO”) to make capital contribution into WFOE or provide any loan to WFOE or to our VIE, if we seek to do so in the future, we may not be able to obtain the required government approvals or complete the required registrations on a timely basis, if at all. If we fail to receive such approvals or complete such registrations, our ability to use the proceeds of our IPO and to capitalize our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

On March 30, 2015, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Reforming the Management Approach Regarding the Foreign Exchange Capital Settlement of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 19. SAFE Circular 19 launched a nationwide reform of the administration of the settlement of the foreign exchange capitals of FIEs and allows FIEs to settle their foreign exchange capital at their discretion, but continues to prohibit FIEs from using the RMB fund converted from their foreign exchange capitals for expenditure beyond their business scopes, providing entrusted loans or repaying loans between non-financial enterprises. Violations of these Circulars could result in severe monetary or other penalties. SAFE Circular 19 and relevant foreign exchange regulatory rules may significantly limit our ability to use RMB converted from the net proceeds of our IPO to fund the establishment of new entities in China by our consolidated affiliates, to invest in or acquire any other PRC companies through our PRC subsidiary or consolidated affiliates or to establish new consolidated affiliates in the PRC, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

If we become directly subject to the scrutiny, criticism, and negative publicity involving U.S.-listed Chinese companies, we may have to expend significant resources to investigate and resolve the matter which could harm our business operations, stock price, and reputation.

U.S. public companies that have substantially all of their operations in China have been the subject of intense scrutiny, criticism, and negative publicity by investors, financial commentators, and regulatory agencies, such as the SEC. Much of the scrutiny, criticism, and negative publicity has centered on financial and accounting irregularities and mistakes, a lack of effective internal controls over financial accounting, inadequate corporate governance policies or a lack of adherence thereto, and, in many cases, allegations of fraud. As a result of the scrutiny, criticism, and negative publicity, the publicly traded stock of many U.S. listed Chinese companies sharply decreased in value and, in some cases, has become virtually worthless. Many of these companies are now subject to shareholder lawsuits and SEC enforcement actions and are conducting internal and external investigations into the allegations. It is not clear what effect this sector-wide scrutiny, criticism, and negative publicity will have on us, our business, and our stock price. If we become the subject of any unfavorable allegations, whether such allegations are proven to be true or untrue, we will have to expend significant resources to investigate such allegations and/or defend our company. This situation will be costly and time consuming and distract our management from growing our business. If such allegations are not proven to be groundless, we and our business operations will be severely affected and you could sustain a significant decline in the value of our stock.

The disclosures in our reports and other filings with the SEC and our other public pronouncements are not subject to the scrutiny of any regulatory bodies in the PRC.

We are regulated by the SEC and our reports and other filings with the SEC are subject to SEC review in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). Our SEC reports and other disclosures and public pronouncements are not subject to the review or scrutiny of any PRC regulatory authority. For example, the disclosure in our SEC reports and other filings are not subject to the review by the China Securities Regulatory Commission, a PRC regulator that is responsible for oversight of the capital markets in China. Accordingly, you should review our SEC reports, filings, and our other public pronouncements with the understanding that no local regulator has done any review of us, our SEC reports, other filings or any of our other public pronouncements.

The failure to comply with PRC regulations relating to mergers and acquisitions of domestic entities by offshore special purpose vehicles may subject us to severe fines or penalties and create other regulatory uncertainties regarding our corporate structure.

On August 8, 2006, MOFCOM, joined by the CSRC, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, the SAT, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (the “SAIC”), and SAFE, jointly promulgated regulations entitled the Provisions Regarding Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Entities by Foreign Investors (the “M&A Rules”), which took effect as of September 8, 2006, and as amended on June 22, 2009. The M&A Rules stipulate that foreign investors shall comply with the M&A Rules when they purchase equity interests of a domestic company or subscribe the increased capital of a domestic company, and thus changing the nature of the domestic company into a foreign-invested enterprise, when the foreign investors establish a foreign-invested enterprise in the PRC, purchase the assets of a domestic company and operate the assets, or when the foreign investors purchase the assets of a domestic company, establish a foreign-invested enterprise by injecting such assets, and operate the assets. As for merger and acquisition of a domestic company with a related party relationship by a domestic company, enterprise or natural person in the name of an overseas company legitimately incorporated or controlled by the domestic company, enterprise of natural person, such merger and acquisition shall be subject to examination and approval of MOFCOM. The parties involved shall not use domestic investment by foreign investment enterprises or other methods to circumvent the requirement of examination and approval. These regulations, among other things, have certain provisions that require offshore special purpose vehicles formed for the purpose of acquiring PRC domestic companies and controlled directly or indirectly by PRC individuals and companies, to obtain the approval of MOFCOM prior to engaging in such acquisitions and to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to publicly listing their securities on an overseas stock market and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. On September 21, 2006, the CSRC published on its official website a notice specifying the documents and materials that are required to be submitted for obtaining CSRC approval.

The application of the M&A Rules with respect to our corporate structure remains unclear, with no current consensus existing among leading PRC law firms regarding the scope and applicability of the M&A Rules. Thus, it is possible that the appropriate PRC government agencies, including MOFCOM, would deem that the M&A Rules required us or our entities in China to obtain approval from MOFCOM or other PRC regulatory agencies. If the CSRC, MOFCOM, or another PRC regulatory agency determines that government approval was required, or if prior CSRC approval for overseas financings is required and not obtained, we may face severe regulatory actions or other sanctions from MOFCOM, the CSRC, or other PRC regulatory agencies. In such event, these regulatory agencies may impose fines or other penalties on our operations in the PRC, limit our operating privileges in the PRC, delay or restrict the repatriation of the proceeds from overseas financings into the PRC, restrict or prohibit payment or remittance of dividends to us, or take other actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation, and prospects, as well as the trading price of our Ordinary Shares. The CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies may also take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to delay or cancel overseas financings, to restructure our current corporate structure, or to seek regulatory approvals that may be difficult or costly to obtain.

The M&A Rules, along with certain foreign exchange regulations discussed below, will be interpreted or implemented by the relevant government authorities in connection with our future offshore financings or acquisitions, and we cannot predict how they will affect our acquisition strategy.

Risks Relating to the Trading Market

The Warrants we sold in a Private Placement Completed on November 5, 2020 contain repricing features which may have the effect of limiting our ordinary share price and make it more expensive to raise capital in the future.

In a November 5, 2020, private placement, we sold warrants to purchase 869,565 Ordinary Shares at an exercise of $5.50 per Ordinary Share. Each warrant will expire five years from the date of issuance. After one-year, the exercise price may reset to the closing bid price if it is lower than the exercise price then in effect. In addition, the warrant exercise price may be subject to adjustment in the event that we issue certain securities at prices below the then exercise price. Until these warrants all exercised, these repricing exercise features may have the effect of limiting our ordinary share price and make it more expensive to raise capital in the future.

Sales of a significant number of our Ordinary Shares in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could depress the market price of our Ordinary Shares.

In connection with a private placement of warrants to purchase 869,565 Ordinary Shares that closed on November 5, 2020, we have filed a registration statement allowing the holders of the warrants to resale the Ordinary Shares that they may acquire upon the exercise thereof in the public market. The exercise of the warrants and subsequent sales of those Ordinary Shares in the public market could depress the market price of our Ordinary Shares and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We cannot predict the effect that future sales of our Ordinary Shares would have on the market price of our Ordinary Shares.

Our largest shareholder owns approximately 55.0% of our Ordinary Shares, which will allow him the ability to elect directors and approve matters requiring shareholder approval by way of resolution of members.

Mr. Jun Liu, who is our President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, is currently the beneficial owner of 5,280,960 ordinary shares (as adjusted to reflect the Reverse Split), or 55.0% of our current outstanding Ordinary Shares (36.0% directly held by Tianzhen Investments Limited, an entity 100% owned by Mr. Liu, and the remaining 19.0% that may be deemed to be beneficially owned by Mr. Liu through the assignment of a proxy agreement entered with Eno Group Limited on September 30, 2018 to Tianzhen Investments Limited on February 10, 2021). Mr. Liu has the power to elect all directors and approve all matters requiring shareholder approval without the votes of any other shareholder, significant influence over a decision to enter into any corporate transaction, and the ability to prevent any transaction that requires the approval of shareholders, regardless of whether or not our directors or other shareholders believe that such a transaction is in our best interests. Such concentration of voting power could have the effect of delaying, deterring, or preventing a change of control or other business combination, which could, in turn, have an adverse effect on the market price of our Ordinary Shares or prevent our shareholders from realizing a premium over the then-prevailing market price for their Ordinary Shares. 

Since we are deemed a “controlled company” under the Nasdaq listing rules, we may follow certain exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that could adversely affect our public shareholders.

Our largest shareholder owns more than a majority of the voting power of our outstanding ordinary shares. Under the Nasdaq listing rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group, or another company is a “controlled company” and is permitted to phase in its compliance with the independent committee requirements. Although we do not intend to rely on the “controlled company” exemptions under the Nasdaq listing rules even though we are deemed a “controlled company,” we could elect to rely on these exemptions in the future. If we were to elect to rely on the “controlled company” exemptions, a majority of the members of our board of directors might not be independent directors and our nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees might not consist entirely of independent directors. Accordingly, if we rely on the exemptions, during the period we remain a controlled company and during any transition period following a time when we are no longer a controlled company, you would not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq.

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 Ordinary Shares if the market price of our Ordinary Shares increases.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud.

We are subject to reporting obligations under the U.S. securities laws. The Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, adopted rules requiring every public company to include a management report on such company’s internal controls over financial reporting in its annual report, which contains management’s assessment of the effectiveness of the company’s internal controls over financial reporting. As we are an “emerging growth company,” we are expected to first include a management report on our internal controls over financial reporting in our annual report in the second fiscal year end following the effectiveness of our IPO. As such, these requirements are expected to first apply to our annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ending on July 31, 2021. Our management may conclude that our internal controls over our financial reporting are not effective. Moreover, even if our management concludes that our internal controls over financial reporting are effective, our independent registered public accounting firm may still decline to attest to our management’s assessment or 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. Our reporting obligations as a public company will place a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable future.

Prior to our IPO, we were a private company with limited accounting personnel and other resources with which to address our internal controls and procedures. We plan to remedy our material weaknesses and other control deficiencies in time to meet the deadline imposed by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. If we fail to timely achieve or maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, we may not be able to conclude that we have effective internal controls over financial reporting. Moreover, effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and are important to help prevent fraud. As a result, our failure to achieve and maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting could result in the loss of investor confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, which in turn could harm our business and negatively impact the trading price of our Ordinary Shares. Furthermore, we anticipate that we will incur considerable costs and devote significant management time and efforts and other resources to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if the publish a negative report regarding our Ordinary Shares, the price of our Ordinary Shares and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our Ordinary Shares may depend in part on the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade us, the price of our Ordinary Shares would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause the price of our Ordinary Shares and the trading volume to decline.

The market price of our Ordinary Shares may be volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance.

The market price of our Ordinary Shares may fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:

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.

Because we are an “emerging growth company,” we may not be subject to requirements that other public companies are subject to, which could affect investor confidence in us and our Ordinary Shares.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure and other requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, most significantly, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for so long as we are an emerging growth company. As a result, if we elect not to comply with such auditor attestation requirements, our investors may not have access to certain information they may deem important. After we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” we expect to incur significant additional expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance increased disclosure requirements.

If we cease to qualify as a foreign private issuer, we would be required to comply fully with the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, and we would incur significant additional legal, accounting, and other expenses that we would not incur as a foreign private issuer.

As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from the rules under the Exchange Act prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our officers, directors, and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we are not required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as United States domestic issuers, and we are not required to disclose in our periodic reports all of the information that United States domestic issuers are required to disclose. We may cease to qualify as a foreign private issuer in the future and therefore be subject to such requirements.

Because we are a foreign private issuer and are exempt from certain Nasdaq corporate governance standards applicable to U.S. issuers, you will have less protection than you would have if we were a domestic issuer.

Nasdaq Listing Rule requires listed companies to have, among other things, a majority of their board members be independent. As a foreign private issuer, however, we are permitted to, and we may, follow home country practice in lieu of the above requirements, or we may choose to comply with the Nasdaq requirement within one year of listing. The corporate governance practice in our home country, the BVI, does not require a majority of our board to consist of independent directors. Since a majority of our board of directors may not consist of independent directors, fewer board members may be exercising independent judgment and the level of board oversight on the management of our company may decrease as a result. In addition, the Nasdaq listing rules also require U.S. domestic issuers to have a compensation committee, a nominating/corporate governance committee composed entirely of independent directors, and an audit committee with a minimum of three members. We, as a foreign private issuer, are not subject to these requirements. The Nasdaq listing rules may require shareholder approval for certain corporate matters, such as requiring that shareholders be given the opportunity to vote on all equity compensation plans and material revisions to those plans, certain ordinary share issuances. We intend to comply with the requirements of Nasdaq Listing Rules in determining whether shareholder approval is required on such matters and to appoint a nominating and corporate governance committee. However, we may consider following home country practice in lieu of the requirements under the Nasdaq listing rules with respect to certain corporate governance standards which may afford less protection to investors.

Anti-takeover provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may discourage, delay, or prevent a change in control.

Some provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may discourage, delay, or prevent a change in control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including, among other things, the following:

Because we are a BVI company and substantially all of our business is conducted in the PRC, you may be unable to bring an action against us or our officers and directors or to enforce any judgment you may obtain.

We are incorporated in the BVI and conduct our operations primarily in China, and substantially all of our assets are located outside of the United States. In addition, almost all of our directors and officers reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the United States in the event that you believe we have violated your rights, either under United States federal or state securities laws or otherwise, or if you have a claim against us. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the BVI and of China may not permit you to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers.

Our board of directors may decline to register transfers of ordinary shares in certain circumstances.

Our board of directors may, in its sole discretion, decline to register any transfer of any Ordinary Share issued in certificated form, which is not fully paid up or on which we have a lien. Our directors may also decline to register any transfer of any share issued in certificated form in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the share is to be transferred does not exceed four. A shareholder wishing to transfer its Ordinary Shares is liable to pay to the Company a fee of such maximum sum as Nasdaq Capital Market may determine to be payable, or such lesser sum as our board of directors may from time to time require in respect thereof. 

If our directors refuse to register a transfer they shall, within one month after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged, send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of such refusal. The registration of transfers may, on 14 days’ notice being given by advertisement in such one or more newspapers or by electronic means, be suspended and the register closed at such times and for such periods as our board of directors may from time to time determine, provided, however, that the registration of transfers shall not be suspended nor the register closed for more than 30 days in any year.

Certain types of class or derivative actions generally available under U.S. law may not be available as a result of the fact that we are incorporated in the BVI. As a result, the rights of shareholders may be limited.

Whilst statutory provisions do exist in British Virgin Islands law for derivative actions to be brought in certain circumstances, these rights may be more limited than the rights afforded to minority shareholders under the laws of states in the United States and shareholders of BVI companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a court of the United States. Furthermore, questions of interpretation of our memorandum and articles of association will be questions of BVI law and determined by the BVI courts. In any event, the circumstances in which any such action may be brought, if at all, and the procedures and defenses that may be available in respect to any such action, may result in the rights of shareholders of a BVI 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 BVI 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 or to impose liabilities against us, in original actions brought in the BVI, based on certain liability provisions of U.S. securities laws that are penal in nature.

There is no statutory recognition in the BVI of judgments obtained in the United States, although the courts of the BVI will in certain circumstances recognize such a foreign judgment and treat it as a cause of action in itself which may be sued upon as a debt at common law so that no retrial of the issues would be necessary provided that:

In appropriate circumstances, a BVI Court may give effect in the British Virgin Islands to other kinds of final foreign judgments such as declaratory orders, orders for performance of contracts and injunctions.

A 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 an act passed by the U.S. Senate all call for additional and more stringent criteria to be applied to emerging market companies upon assessing the qualification of their auditors, especially the non-U.S. auditors who are not inspected by the PCAOB. These developments could add uncertainties to our continued listing on Nasdaq in the future.

On April 21, 2020, the SEC and PCAOB released a joint statement highlighting the risks associated with investing in companies based in or having substantial operations in emerging markets including China. The joint statement emphasized the risks associated with lack of access for the PCAOB to inspect auditors and audit work papers in China and higher risks of fraud in emerging markets.

On May 18, 2020, Nasdaq filed three proposals with the SEC to (i) apply a minimum offering size requirement for companies primarily operating in a “Restrictive Market,” (ii) adopt a new requirement relating to the qualification of management or the board of directors for Restrictive Market companies, and (iii) apply additional and more stringent criteria to an applicant or listed company based on the qualifications of the company’s auditor.

On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the Holding Foreign Companies Accountability Act (“HFCA Act”) an act requiring a foreign company to certify it is not owned or manipulated by a foreign government if the PCAOB is unable to audit specified reports because the company uses a foreign auditor not subject to PCAOB inspection. If the PCAOB is unable to inspect the company’s auditor for three (3) consecutive “non-inspection” years, the issuer’s securities are prohibited to trade on a national exchange.

On March 24, 2021, the SEC announced that it adopted interim final amendments to implement congressionally mandated submission and disclosure requirements of the HFCA Act. Under the new requirements, certain companies must establish that they are not owned or controlled by a foreign government entity and disclose any foreign government influence. These interim final amendments will apply to registrants that (i) 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 where (ii) the PCAOB has determined that it is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in that foreign jurisdiction. The interim final amendments define such registrants as “Commission-Identified Issuers” (CIIs). The interim final amendments will also apply to “Commission-Identified Foreign Issuers” (CIFIs), a subset of CIIs who are foreign issuers (as defined under the Exchange Act). CIFIs are subject to additional disclosure requirements under the HFCA Act. The SEC will implement a process to identify which registrants and is assessing how to implement other requirements of the HFCA Act, including the listing and trading prohibition requirements described above.

On June 4, 2020, the U.S. President issued a memorandum ordering the President’s working group on financial markets to submit a report to the President within 60 days of the date of the memorandum that should include recommendations for actions that can be taken by the executive branch and by the SEC or PCAOB to enforce U.S. regulatory requirements on Chinese companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges and their audit firms. However, it remains unclear what further actions, if any, the U.S. executive branch, the SEC, and PCAOB will take to address the problem.

On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act which, if enacted, would decrease the number of non-inspection years from three years to two, thus reducing the time period before our securities may be delisted or prohibited from trading.

On November 5, 2021, the SEC approved PCAOB Rule 6100, Board Determination Under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountability Act, effective immediately. The rule establishes “a framework for the PCAOB’s determinations under the HFCA Act that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by an authority in that jurisdiction.”

On December 2, 2021, the SEC adopted amendments to finalize rules implementing the submission and disclosures in the HFCA Act. The SEC will identify Commission-Identified Issuers for fiscal years beginning after Dec. 18, 2020. A Commission-Identified Issuer will be required to comply with the submission and disclosure requirements in the annual report for each year in which it was identified. If a registrant is identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer based on its annual report for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2021, the registrant will be required to comply with the submission or disclosure requirements in its annual report filing covering the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2022.

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, 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 firm’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to the PCAOB inspections, which could cause investors and potential investors in our ordinary shares to lose confidence in our audit procedures and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.

Our auditor, ZH CPA, LLC, is an independent registered public accounting firm with the PCAOB, and as an auditor of publicly traded companies in the U.S., is subject to laws in the U.S. pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. Our auditor has been inspected by the PCAOB on a regular basis. However, the above recent developments have added uncertainties to our continued listing on Nasdaq in the future, to which Nasdaq may apply additional and more stringent criteria after considering the effectiveness of our auditor’s audit and quality control procedures, adequacy of personnel and training, sufficiency of resources, geographic reach, and experience as related to our audit.

We cannot assure you that we will not be identified by the SEC as an issuer whose audit report is prepared by auditors that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate. We cannot assure you that, once we have a “non-inspection” year, we will be able to take remedial measures in a timely manner.

As a result of the foregoing legislative and regulatory developments in the United States, and we cannot assure you that we will always be able to maintain the listing of our ordinary shares on a national stock exchange in the U.S., such as the Nasdaq Stock Market, or that you will always be allowed to trade our ordinary shares.

Recent statements by the SEC on the PRC’s guidance and restrictions on China-based companies seeking to raise capital in the United States may raise scrutiny as to our operations and SEC disclosures.

In light of the PRC providing new guidance to and restrictions on China-based companies raising capital offshore, including PRC government-led cybersecurity reviews, the Chairman of the SEC has requested his staff to review disclosures from offshore issuers associated with China-based operating companies in connection with the filing of registration statements in the United States. In particular, the SEC Chairman was concerned about an investor’s understanding of a VIE contract structure. We previously conducted our going public related consulting service business through Qianhai utilizing a VIE contract structure which relationship was terminated in February 2021. In connection with our internal reorganization in January and February 2021, we terminated the Qianhai VIE agreements. The termination of the Qianhai VIE agreements did not discontinue our public listing related consulting service business, because such consulting service business has been transferred to Huaya to serve the client located in China and to ATIF Inc. to serve the clients located within the United States. Currently, we plan to use Huaya, a wholly owned subsidiary of ATIF, to continue to provide consulting services to our clients located in the PRC, and we do not plan to use variable interest entities to execute our business plan and to conduct our China-based operations in the near term. However, since we have business operations in China, there is always a risk that the Chinese government may in the future seek to intervene or influence operations of any company with any level of operations in China, including its ability to offer securities to investors, list its securities on a U.S. or other foreign exchange, conduct its business or accept foreign investment. If we conduct business in the PRC in the future with a PRC entity using a VIE contract structure, that business structure may subject us to further review by the SEC.

You may have more difficulty protecting your interests than you would as a shareholder of a U.S. corporation.

Our corporate affairs are governed by the provisions of our memorandum and articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time, the BVI Business Companies Act, 2004 as amended from time to time (the “BVI Act”) and the common law of the BVI. The rights of shareholders and the statutory duties and fiduciary responsibilities of our directors and officers under BVI law may not be clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedents in some jurisdictions in the United States, and some states (such as Delaware) have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law.

These rights and responsibilities are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the BVI Act and the common law of the BVI. The common law of the BVI is derived in part from judicial precedent in the BVI as well as from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the BVI. In addition, BVI law does not make a distinction between public and private companies and some of the protections and safeguards (such as statutory pre-emption rights, save to the extent expressly provided for in the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) that investors may expect to find in relation to a public company are not provided for under BVI law.

There may be less publicly available information about us than is regularly published by or about U.S. issuers. Also, the BVI regulations governing the securities of BVI companies may not be as extensive as those in effect in the United States, and the BVI law and regulations regarding corporate governance matters may not be as protective of minority shareholders as state corporation laws in the United States. Therefore, you may have more difficulty protecting your interests in connection with actions taken by our directors and officers or our principal shareholders than you would as a shareholder of a corporation incorporated in the United States.

The laws of BVI provide limited protections for minority shareholders, so minority shareholders will not have the same options as to recourse in comparison to the United States if the shareholders are dissatisfied with the conduct of our affairs.

Under the laws of the BVI there is limited statutory protection of minority shareholders other than the provisions of the BVI Act dealing with shareholder remedies. The principal protections under BVI statutory law are derivative actions, actions brought by one or more shareholders for relief from unfair prejudice, oppression and unfair discrimination and/or to enforce the BVI Act or the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Shareholders are entitled to have the affairs of the company conducted in accordance with the BVI Act and the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, and are entitled to payment of the fair value of their respective shares upon dissenting from certain enumerated corporate transactions.

The common law of the BVI is derived in part from judicial precedent in the BVI as well as from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the BVI. 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 BVI is less extensive than that of England. 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 seek to have the affairs of the company conducted properly according to law and the constitutional documents of the company. 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 may grant relief. Generally, the areas in which the courts will intervene are the following: (i) a company is acting or proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of its authority; (ii) the act complained of, although not beyond the scope of the authority, could only be effected if duly authorized by more than the number of votes which have actually been obtained; (iii) the individual rights of the plaintiff shareholder have been infringed or are about to be infringed; or (iv) those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.”

These rights may be more limited than the rights afforded to minority shareholders under the laws of states in the United States.

There are no pre-emptive rights in favor of holders of ordinary shares so you may not be able to participate in future equity offerings.

There are no pre-emptive rights applicable under the BVI Act or the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association in favor of holders of ordinary shares in respect of further issues of shares of any class. Consequently, you will not be entitled under applicable law to participate in any such future offerings of further ordinary shares or any preferred or other classes of shares.

If we are classified as a passive foreign investment company, United States taxpayers who own our Ordinary Shares may have adverse United States federal income tax consequences.

A non-U.S. corporation such as ourselves will be classified as a passive foreign investment company, which is known as a PFIC, for any taxable year if, for such year, either

Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business), and gains from the disposition of passive assets.

If we are determined to be a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. taxpayer who holds our ordinary shares, the U.S. taxpayer may be subject to increased U.S. federal income tax liability and may be subject to additional reporting requirements.

Depending on the amount of assets held for the production of passive income, it is possible that, for our 2021 taxable year or for any subsequent year, more than 50% of our assets may be assets which produce passive income. We will make this determination following the end of any particular tax year. For purposes of the PFIC analysis, in general, according to Internal Revenue Code Section 1297(c), a non-U.S. corporation is deemed to own its pro rata share of the gross income and assets of any entity in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the stock by value.

For a more detailed discussion of the application of the PFIC rules to us and the consequences to U.S. taxpayers if we were determined to be a PFIC, see “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation—United States Federal Income Taxation—Passive Foreign Investment Company.”