Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (Form: 20-F, Received: 05/24/2016 16:42:53)

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ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F


(Mark One)
o		REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(B) OR 12(G) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
OR
ý		ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016
OR
o		TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
OR
o		SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of event requiring this shell company report……………

For the transition period from to

Commission file number 001-36614

Alibaba Group Holding Limited

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Cayman Islands

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

c/o Alibaba Group Services Limited
26/F Tower One, Times Square
1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay
Hong Kong

(Address of principal executive offices)

Timothy A. Steinert, Esq., General Counsel and Secretary
Telephone: +852-2215-5100
Facsimile: +852-2215-5200
Alibaba Group Holding Limited
c/o Alibaba Group Services Limited
26/F Tower One, Times Square
1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay
Hong Kong

(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class		Name of each exchange on which registered

Ordinary Shares, par value US$0.000025 per share
American Depositary Shares, each representing one Ordinary Share		New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act: None

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer's classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report: 2,473,927,859 Ordinary Shares

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

ý Yes o No

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

o Yes ý No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

ý Yes o No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

ý Yes o No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of "accelerated filer and large accelerated filer" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):


Large accelerated filer ý		Accelerated filer o		Non-accelerated filer o

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:


U.S. GAAP ý		International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board o		Other o

If "Other" has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow.

o Item 17 o Item 18

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934).

o Yes ý No

(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.

o Yes o No

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		Page

	PART I
ITEM 1	IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS	1
ITEM 2	OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE	1
ITEM 3	KEY INFORMATION	1
ITEM 4	INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY	55
ITEM 4A.	UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS	106
ITEM 5	OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS	106
ITEM 6	DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES	151
ITEM 7	MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS	170
ITEM 8	FINANCIAL INFORMATION	186
ITEM 9	THE OFFER AND LISTING	189
ITEM 10	ADDITIONAL INFORMATION	190
ITEM 11	QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK	198
ITEM 12	DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES	200
	PART II
ITEM 13	DEFAULTS, DIVIDEND ARREARAGES AND DELINQUENCIES	202
ITEM 14	MATERIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE RIGHTS OF SECURITY HOLDERS AND USE OF PROCEEDS	202
ITEM 15	CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES	202
ITEM 16A.	AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT	203
ITEM 16B.	CODE OF ETHICS	203
ITEM 16C.	PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES	203
ITEM 16D.	EXEMPTIONS FROM THE LISTING STANDARDS FOR AUDIT COMMITTEE	203
ITEM 16E.	PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS	203
ITEM 16F.	CHANGE IN REGISTRANT'S CERTIFYING ACCOUNTANT	204
ITEM 16G.	CORPORATE GOVERNANCE	204
ITEM 16H.	MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE	205
	PART III
ITEM 17	FINANCIAL STATEMENTS	206
ITEM 18	FINANCIAL STATEMENTS	206
ITEM 19	EXHIBITS	206

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CONVENTIONS THAT APPLY TO THIS ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 20-F

Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this annual report on Form 20-F to:

•: "active buyers" in a given period are to user accounts that confirmed one or more orders on the relevant marketplace in that period, regardless of whether or not the buyer and seller settle the transaction;
•: "active sellers" in a given period are to seller accounts (representing storefronts) that had one or more orders confirmed by a buyer on the relevant marketplace in that period and that were active at the end of the period, regardless of whether the buyer or seller settle the transaction;
•: "ADSs" are to the American depositary shares, each of which represents one ordinary share;
•: "Alipay" are to Alipay.com Co., Ltd., a company with which we have a long-term contractual relationship and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ant Financial Services or, where the context requires, its predecessor entities. We do not have any interest or control over either Ant Financial Services or Alipay;
•: "Alipay annual active users" are to Alipay user accounts with one or more successful transactions during the past twelve months;
•: "Ant Financial Services" are to Zhejiang Ant Small and Micro Financial Services Group Co., Ltd. (formerly referred to as Small and Micro Financial Services Company), a company organized under the laws of the PRC;
•: "Cainiao Network" are to Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Limited, an affiliate in which we own approximately 47% equity interest as of March 31, 2016, together with its subsidiaries, including Cainiao Network Technology Co., Ltd.;
•: "China" and the "PRC" are to the People's Republic of China, excluding, for the purposes of this annual report only, Taiwan and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau;
•: "China retail marketplaces" are to Taobao Marketplace, Tmall and Juhuasuan, collectively. Promotional slots on Juhuasuan may only be purchased by Taobao Marketplace and Tmall merchants, and transactions from traffic originating on Juhuasuan are completed on the merchants' storefronts on Taobao Marketplace or Tmall. For this reason, depending on the context, we may refer only to Taobao Marketplace and Tmall when discussing certain aspects of our China retail marketplaces business;
•: "GMV" are to the value of confirmed orders of products and services on our marketplaces, regardless of how, or whether, the buyer and seller settle the transaction. Unless otherwise stated, GMV in reference to our marketplaces includes only GMV transacted on our China retail marketplaces. GMV generated from traffic through Juhuasuan is recorded as either Taobao Marketplace GMV or Tmall GMV depending on which of these two marketplaces the transaction is completed. Our calculation of GMV for our China retail marketplaces includes shipping charges paid by buyers to sellers. As a prudential matter aimed at eliminating any influence on our GMV of potentially fraudulent transactions, we exclude from our calculation of GMV transactions in certain product categories over certain amounts and transactions by buyers in certain product categories over a certain amount per day. The translation of annual GMV in RMB for the year ended March 31, 2016 into U.S. dollar amount represents the sum of GMV in U.S. dollars reported for the quarters ended June 30, September 30, and December 31, 2015 and March 31, 2016, each converted from the RMB amounts at the exchange rate as of the end of each relevant quarter;
•: "ISVs" are to independent software vendors;
•: "mobile GMV" are to that portion of GMV generated by orders that were confirmed using a mobile app or mobile browser;
•: "mobile MAUs" in a given month are to the number of unique mobile devices that were used to visit or access certain of our mobile applications at least once during that month;

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•: "mobile monetization rate" are to mobile revenue from China commerce retail expressed as a percentage of mobile GMV for a given period;
•: "mobile revenue" are to that portion of revenue generated by online marketing services delivered on a mobile app or mobile browser, and commissions on mobile GMV settled through Alipay with merchants, as captured by our online auction system, real-time bidding system and other settlement systems;
•: "monetization rate" are to revenue from China commerce retail expressed as a percentage of GMV for a given period;
•: "orders" are to each confirmed order from a transaction between a buyer and a seller for products and services on our China retail marketplaces, even if such order includes multiple items, during the specified period, whether or not the transaction is settled;
•: "retail marketplaces" are to Taobao Marketplace, Tmall, Juhuasuan and AliExpress, collectively;
•: "RMB" and "Renminbi" are to the legal currency of China;
•: "SMEs" are to small and medium-sized enterprises;
•: "SoftBank" are to SoftBank Group Corp. (formerly known as SoftBank Corp. before July 2, 2015), SBBM Corporation and SB China Holdings Pte Ltd., collectively;
•: "tier 1 and tier 2 cities" are to 28 cities in China, as categorized by AliResearch, our research division. Based on national divisions of administrative areas in China as of the end of 2014, AliResearch categorizes over 2,200 cities, city-level regions and counties in China into six tiers, based on online shopping potential composite index, which takes into account GDP, population, retail sales of consumer goods, household disposable income, and number of Internet users;
•: "variable interest entities" are to our variable interest entities that are 100% owned by PRC citizens or by PRC entities owned by PRC citizens, where applicable, that hold the Internet content provider licenses, or ICP licenses, or other business operation licenses or approvals, and generally operate the various websites for our Internet businesses or other businesses in which foreign investment is restricted or prohibited, and are consolidated into our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP as if they were our wholly-owned subsidiaries;
•: "we," "us," "our company" and "our" are to Alibaba Group Holding Limited and its consolidated subsidiaries and its affiliated consolidated entities, including our variable interest entities and their subsidiaries;
•: "wholesale marketplaces" are to 1688.com and Alibaba.com, collectively;
•: "Yahoo" are to Yahoo! Inc. and Aabaco Holdings Hong Kong Limited (formerly known as Yahoo! Hong Kong Holdings Limited), collectively; and
•: "US$," "dollars" and "U.S. dollars" are to the legal currency of the United States.

Our reporting currency is the Renminbi. This annual report contains translations of Renminbi amounts into U.S. dollars for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations of Renminbi into U.S. dollars were made at RMB6.4480 to US$1.00, the exchange rate set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board on March 31, 2016. We make no representation that the Renminbi or U.S. dollar amounts referred to in this annual report could have been or could be converted into U.S. dollars or Renminbi, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all. On May 20, 2016, the noon buying rate for Renminbi was RMB6.5485 to US$1.00.

iii

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This annual report on Form 20-F contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements based on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about us, our industry and the regulatory environment in which we and companies integral to our ecosystem operate. All statements other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made under the "safe harbor" provision under Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In some cases, these forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to" or other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements included in this annual report relate to, among others:

•: our growth strategies;
•: our future business development, results of operations and financial condition;
•: trends in online and mobile commerce, both globally and in the PRC;
•: competition in our industry;
•: fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in China and globally;
•: expected changes in our revenues and certain cost and expense items and our operating margins;
•: the regulatory environment in which we and companies integral to our ecosystem operate; and
•: assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing.

The global and PRC Internet, retail, wholesale, online and mobile commerce, media and entertainment, cloud computing and data industries market may not grow at the rates projected by market data, or at all. The failure of these industries or markets to grow at the projected rates may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and the market price of our ADSs. If any one or more of the assumptions underlying the market data turns out to be incorrect, actual results may differ from the projections based on these assumptions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements made in this annual report relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this annual report. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this annual report and the documents that we have referred to in this annual report completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect.

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PART I

ITEM 1 IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS

Not Applicable.

ITEM 2 OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE

Not Applicable.

ITEM 3 KEY INFORMATION

A. Selected Financial Data

The selected consolidated statements of operations data for the years ended March 31, 2014, 2015 and 2016, and the selected consolidated balance sheet data as of March 31, 2015 and 2016 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report. Our selected consolidated statements of operations data for the years ended March 31, 2012 and 2013 and the selected consolidated balance sheet data as of March 31, 2012, 2013 and 2014 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements not included in this annual report. Our financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or U.S. GAAP.

The following selected consolidated financial data for the periods and as of the dates indicated are qualified by reference to and should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes and "Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects," both of which are included elsewhere in this annual report.

Our historical results for any prior period do not necessarily indicate our results to be expected for any future period.

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Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:

	Year ended March 31,

	2012			2013			2014			2015			2016
	RMB			RMB			RMB			RMB			RMB			US$
	(in millions, except per share data)
Revenue
China commerce		15,637			29,167			45,132			62,937			84,321			13,077
International commerce		3,765			4,160			4,851			6,486			7,629			1,183
Cloud computing		515			650			773			1,271			3,019			468
Others		108			540			1,748			5,510			6,174			958

Total		20,025			34,517			52,504			76,204			101,143			15,686
Cost of revenue		(6,554	)		(9,719	)		(13,369	)		(23,834	)		(34,355	)		(5,328	)
Product development expenses		(2,897	)		(3,753	)		(5,093	)		(10,658	)		(13,788	)		(2,138	)
Sales and marketing expenses		(3,058	)		(3,613	)		(4,545	)		(8,513	)		(11,307	)		(1,753	)
General and administrative expenses ⁽¹⁾		(2,211	)		(2,889	)		(4,218	)		(7,800	)		(9,205	)		(1,428	)
Amortization of intangible assets		(155	)		(130	)		(315	)		(2,089	)		(2,931	)		(455	)
Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets		(135	)		(175	)		(44	)		(175	)		(455	)		(71	)
Yahoo TIPLA amendment payment ⁽²⁾		—			(3,487	)		—			—			—			—

Income from operations		5,015			10,751			24,920			23,135			29,102			4,513
Interest and investment income, net		258			39			1,648			9,455			52,254			8,104
Interest expense		(68	)		(1,572	)		(2,195	)		(2,750	)		(1,946	)		(301	)
Other income, net		327			894			2,429			2,486			2,058			319

Income before income tax and share of results of equity investees		5,532			10,112			26,802			32,326			81,468			12,635
Income tax expenses		(842	)		(1,457	)		(3,196	)		(6,416	)		(8,449	)		(1,310	)
Share of results of equity investees		(25	)		(6	)		(203	)		(1,590	)		(1,730	)		(269	)

Net income		4,665			8,649			23,403			24,320			71,289			11,056
Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interests		(437	)		(117	)		(88	)		(59	)		171			27

Net income attributable to Alibaba Group Holding Limited		4,228			8,532			23,315			24,261			71,460			11,083
Accretion of convertible preference shares ⁽³⁾		—			(17	)		(31	)		(15	)		—			—
Dividends accrued on convertible preference shares ⁽³⁾		—			(111	)		(208	)		(97	)		—			—

Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders		4,228			8,404			23,076			24,149			71,460			11,083



Earnings per share/ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders:
Basic		1.71			3.66			10.61			10.33			29.07			4.51
Diluted		1.67			3.57			10.00			9.70			27.89			4.33
Weighted average number of shares used in computing earnings per share:
Basic		2,479			2,294			2,175			2,337			2,458
Diluted		2,522			2,389			2,332			2,500			2,562
Supplemental information: ⁽⁴⁾
Non-GAAP EBITDA		7,274			16,607			30,731			40,753			52,340			8,117
Non-GAAP net income		6,452			13,869			28,274			34,981			42,741			6,629
Non-GAAP diluted EPS		2.38			5.76			12.09			13.97			16.75			2.60
Free cash flow		8,752			19,745			32,269			48,121			51,279			7,953

(1): In fiscal year 2014, these expenses included an equity-settled donation expense of RMB1,269 million relating to the grant of options to purchase 50,000,000 of our ordinary shares to a non-profit organization designated by Jack Ma and Joe Tsai.
(2): We entered into the Yahoo TIPLA in October 2005, pursuant to which we paid royalty fees to Yahoo. We and Yahoo amended the existing TIPLA in September 2012, pursuant to which we made a lump sum payment in the amount of US$550 million.

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(3): Upon the completion of our initial public offering in September 2014, all of our then outstanding convertible preference shares were converted into ordinary shares.
(4): See "Non-GAAP Measures" below.

Non-GAAP Measures

We use non-GAAP EBITDA, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS and free cash flow, each a non-GAAP financial measure, in evaluating our operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes.

We believe that non-GAAP EBITDA, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP diluted EPS help identify underlying trends in our business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of certain income or expenses that we include in income from operations, net income and diluted EPS. We believe that non-GAAP EBITDA, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP diluted EPS provide useful information about our core operating results, enhance the overall understanding of our past performance and future prospects and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by our management in its financial and operational decision-making.

We consider free cash flow to be a liquidity measure that provides useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash generated by our business that can be used for strategic corporate transactions, including investing in our new business initiatives, making strategic investments and acquisitions and strengthening our balance sheet.

Non-GAAP EBITDA, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS and free cash flow should not be considered in isolation or construed as an alternative to income from operations, net income, diluted EPS, cash flows or any other measure of performance or as an indicator of our operating performance. These non-GAAP financial measures presented here may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Other companies may calculate similarly titled measures differently, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures to our data.

Non-GAAP EBITDA represents net income before (i) interest and investment income, net, interest expense, other income, net, income tax expenses and share of results of equity investees, (ii) certain non-cash expenses, consisting of share-based compensation expense, amortization, depreciation, impairment of goodwill and intangible assets as well as (iii) one-time expense items consisting of the Yahoo TIPLA amendment payment and an equity-settled donation expense that we do not believe are reflective of our core operating performance during the periods presented.

Non-GAAP net income represents net income before share-based compensation expense, amortization, impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and investments, gain on deemed disposals/disposals/revaluation of investments, amortization of excess value receivable arising from the restructuring of commercial arrangements with Ant Financial Services, and one-time expense items relating to the Yahoo TIPLA amendment payment, an equity-settled donation expense, the expenses relating to the sale of shares by existing shareholders in our initial public offering, charge for financing-related fees as a result of early repayment of bank borrowings and others.

Non-GAAP diluted EPS represents non-GAAP net income attributable to ordinary shareholders divided by the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the periods on a diluted basis, including accounting for the effects of the assumed conversion of convertible preference shares prior to our initial public offering in September 2014.

Free cash flow represents net cash provided by operating activities as presented in our consolidated cash flow statement less purchases of property and equipment and intangible assets (excluding acquisition of land use rights and construction in progress), and adjusted for changes in loan receivables relating to micro loans of our SME loan business (which we transferred to Ant Financial Services in February 2015), the Yahoo TIPLA amendment payment and others. We present the adjustment for changes in loan receivables because such receivables are reflected under cash flow from operating activities, whereas the secured borrowings and other bank borrowings used to finance them are reflected under cash flows from financing activities, and accordingly, the adjustment is made to show cash flows from operating activities net of the effect of changes in loan receivables.

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The following table sets forth a reconciliation of our net income to non-GAAP EBITDA for the periods indicated:

	Year ended March 31,

	2012			2013			2014			2015			2016
	RMB			RMB			RMB			RMB			RMB			US$
	(in millions)
Net income		4,665			8,649			23,403			24,320			71,289			11,056
Less: Interest and investment income, net		(258	)		(39	)		(1,648	)		(9,455	)		(52,254	)		(8,104	)
Add: Interest expense		68			1,572			2,195			2,750			1,946			301
Less: Other income, net		(327	)		(894	)		(2,429	)		(2,486	)		(2,058	)		(319	)
Add: Income tax expenses		842			1,457			3,196			6,416			8,449			1,310
Add: Share of results of equity investees		25			6			203			1,590			1,730			269

Income from operations		5,015			10,751			24,920			23,135			29,102			4,513
Add: Share-based compensation expense		1,254			1,259			2,844			13,028			16,082			2,494
Add: Amortization of intangible assets		155			130			315			2,089			2,931			455
Add: Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment and land use rights		715			805			1,339			2,326			3,770			584
Add: Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets		135			175			44			175			455			71
Add: Yahoo TIPLA amendment payment		—			3,487			—			—			—			—
Add: Equity-settled donation expense		—			—			1,269			—			—			—

Non-GAAP EBITDA		7,274			16,607			30,731			40,753			52,340			8,117

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of our net income to non-GAAP net income for the periods indicated:

	Year ended March 31,

	2012			2013			2014			2015			2016
	RMB			RMB			RMB			RMB			RMB			US$
	(in millions)
Net income		4,665			8,649			23,403			24,320			71,289			11,056
Add: Share-based compensation expense		1,254			1,259			2,844			13,028			16,082			2,494
Add: Amortization of intangible assets		155			130			315			2,089			2,931			455
Add: Impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and investments		399			420			163			1,032			2,319			360
Less: Gain on deemed disposals/disposals/ revaluation of investments and others		(21	)		(76	)		(384	)		(6,715	)		(50,144	)		(7,777	)
Add: Amortization of excess value receivable arising from the restructuring of commercial arrangements with Ant Financial Services		—			—			—			166			264			41
Add: Yahoo TIPLA amendment payment		—			3,487			—			—			—			—
Add: Equity-settled donation expense		—			—			1,269			—			—			—
Add: Expenses relating to the sale of shares by existing shareholders at initial public offering		—			—			—			231			—			—
Add: One-time charge for financing-related fees as a result of early repayment of bank borrowings		—			—			664			830			—			—

Non-GAAP net income		6,452			13,869			28,274			34,981			42,741			6,629

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The following table sets forth a reconciliation of our diluted EPS to non-GAAP diluted EPS for the periods indicated:

	Year ended March 31,

	2012			2013		2014		2015		2016
	RMB			RMB		RMB		RMB		RMB			US$
	(in millions, except per share data)
Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders		4,228			8,404		23,076		24,149		71,460			11,083
Add: Reversal of accretion upon assumed conversion of convertible preference shares		—			17		31		15		—			—
Add: Dividend eliminated upon assumed conversion of convertible preference shares		—			111		208		97		—			—
Less: Dilution effect on earnings arising from option plans operated by a subsidiary		(7	)		—		—		—		—			—

Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders for computing diluted EPS		4,221			8,532		23,315		24,261		71,460			11,083
Add: Non-GAAP adjustments to net income ⁽¹⁾		1,787			5,220		4,871		10,661		(28,548	)		(4,427	)

Non-GAAP net income attributable to ordinary shareholders for computing non-GAAP diluted EPS		6,008			13,752		28,186		34,922		42,912			6,656

Weighted average number of shares on a diluted basis		2,522			2,389		2,332		2,500		2,562
Diluted EPS ⁽²⁾		1.67			3.57		10.00		9.70		27.89			4.33
Add: Non-GAAP adjustments to net income per share ⁽³⁾		0.71			2.19		2.09		4.27		(11.14	)		(1.73	)

Non-GAAP diluted EPS ⁽⁴⁾		2.38			5.76		12.09		13.97		16.75			2.60

(1): See the table above regarding the reconciliation of net income to non-GAAP net income for more information of these non-GAAP adjustments.
(2): Diluted EPS is derived from net income attributable to ordinary shareholders for computing diluted EPS divided by weighted average number of shares on a diluted basis.
(3): Non-GAAP adjustments to net income per share is derived from non-GAAP adjustments to net income divided by weighted average number of shares on a diluted basis.
(4): Non-GAAP diluted EPS is derived from non-GAAP net income attributable to ordinary shareholders for computing non-GAAP diluted EPS divided by weighted average number of shares on a diluted basis.

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow for the periods indicated:

	Year ended March 31,

	2012			2013			2014			2015			2016
	RMB			RMB			RMB			RMB			RMB			US$
	(in millions)
Net cash provided by operating activities		9,275			14,476			26,379			41,217			56,836			8,815
Less: Purchase of property and equipment and intangible assets (excluding land use rights and construction in progress)		(749	)		(1,046	)		(3,285	)		(4,770	)		(5,438	)		(843	)
Add: Changes in loan receivables, net and others		226			2,828			9,175			11,674			(119	)		(19	)
Add: Yahoo TIPLA amendment payment		—			3,487			—			—			—			—

Free cash flow		8,752			19,745			32,269			48,121			51,279			7,953

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Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:

	As of March 31,

	2012		2013			2014		2015		2016
	RMB		RMB			RMB		RMB		RMB		US$
	(in millions)
Cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments		21,744		32,686			43,632		122,341		111,518		17,295
Investment securities and investment in equity investees ⁽¹⁾		2,483		2,426			22,131		52,146		125,031		19,390
Property and equipment, net		2,463		3,808			5,581		9,139		13,629		2,114
Goodwill and intangible assets		11,791		11,628			13,699		48,508		87,015		13,495
Total assets		47,210		63,786			111,549		255,434		364,450		56,521
Current bank borrowings		1,283		3,350			1,100		1,990		4,304		667
Secured borrowings		—		2,098			9,264		—		—		—
Non-current bank borrowings		—		22,462			30,711		1,609		1,871		290
Unsecured senior notes		—		—			—		48,994		51,596		8,002
Redeemable preference shares		—		5,191			—		—		—		—
Total liabilities		12,797		52,740			70,731		97,363		114,561		17,767
Convertible preference shares ⁽²⁾		—		10,447			10,284		—		—		—
Total Alibaba Group Holding Limited shareholders' equity (deficits)		31,488		(24	)		29,338		145,439		216,987		33,652
Total equity ⁽³⁾		34,383		513			30,417		157,413		249,539		38,700

(1): Includes both current and non-current investment securities and investment in equity investees.
(2): Upon the completion of our initial public offering in September 2014, all of our then outstanding convertible preference shares were converted into ordinary shares.
(3): The decrease from March 31, 2012 to March 31, 2013 was primarily due to the repurchase of our ordinary shares from Yahoo in September 2012 and the privatization of Alibaba.com, partially offset by the issuance of ordinary shares to finance the repurchase. The increase from March 31, 2014 to March 31, 2015 was primarily due to the issuance of our ordinary shares in connection with our initial public offering in September 2014 and net income for fiscal year 2015.

Selected Operating Data

GMV

The following chart sets forth the GMV transacted on our China retail marketplaces and mobile GMV as a percentage of GMV for the periods indicated:

	Three months ended

	Jun. 30, 2014		Sep. 30, 2014		Dec. 31, 2014		Mar. 31, 2015		Jun. 30, 2015		Sep. 30, 2015		Dec. 31, 2015		Mar. 31, 2016
	(in billions of RMB, except percentages)
GMV ⁽¹⁾
Taobao Marketplace GMV		342		380		494		381		427		438		563		449
Tmall GMV		159		176		293		219		246		275		401		293
Total GMV		501		556		787		600		673		713		964		742
Mobile GMV (as a percentage of total GMV)		33%		36%		42%		51%		55%		62%		68%		73%

(1): GMV generated from traffic through Juhuasuan is recorded as either Taobao Marketplace GMV or Tmall GMV depending on which of these two marketplaces the transaction is completed.

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Annual Active Buyers

The following chart sets forth the number of active buyers on our China retail marketplaces for the periods indicated:

	Twelve months ended

	Jun. 30, 2014		Sep. 30, 2014		Dec. 31, 2014		Mar. 31, 2015		Jun. 30, 2015		Sep. 30, 2015		Dec. 31, 2015		Mar. 31, 2016
	(in millions)
Annual active buyers		279		307		334		350		367		386		407		423

Mobile

The following charts set forth the mobile GMV, mobile revenue, mobile monetization rates realized and mobile MAUs in respect of our China retail marketplaces for the periods indicated:

	Three months ended

	Jun 30, 2014		Sep 30, 2014		Dec 31, 2014		Mar 31, 2015		Jun 30, 2015		Sep 30, 2015		Dec 31, 2015		Mar 31, 2016
	(in millions of RMB, except percentages)
China retail marketplaces:
GMV		500,916		555,666		787,047		600,092		673,198		712,933		964,317		741,937
Mobile GMV		164,428		199,054		326,889		303,772		370,578		440,113		651,139		541,024
as a percentage of GMV		33%		36%		42%		51%		55%		62%		68%		73%
Revenue		12,639		12,769		21,275		13,049		15,712		17,267		28,714		18,340
Mobile revenue		2,454		3,719		6,420		5,247		7,987		10,520		18,746		13,084
as a percentage of revenue		19%		29%		30%		40%		51%		61%		65%		71%
Monetization rate		2.52%		2.30%		2.70%		2.17%		2.33%		2.42%		2.98%		2.47%
Mobile monetization rate		1.49%		1.87%		1.96%		1.73%		2.16%		2.39%		2.88%		2.42%

	Month ended

	Jun 30, 2014		Sep 30, 2014		Dec 31, 2014		Mar 31, 2015		Jun 30, 2015		Sep 30, 2015		Dec 31, 2015		Mar 31, 2016
	(in millions)
Mobile MAUs		188		217		265		289		307		346		393		410

Revenue per Active Buyer / Mobile Revenue per Mobile MAU

The following chart sets forth annual China commerce retail revenue per annual active buyer and annualized mobile revenue per mobile MAU from China commerce retail for the periods indicated:

	Twelve months ended

	Jun 30, 2014		Sep 30, 2014		Dec 31, 2014		Mar 31, 2015		Jun 30, 2015		Sep 30, 2015		Dec 31, 2015		Mar 31, 2016
	(in RMB)
Annual China commerce retail revenue per annual active buyer ⁽¹⁾		168		166		168		171		171		174		184		189
Mobile revenue per mobile MAU from China commerce retail — annualized ⁽²⁾		27		39		52		62		76		87		108		123

(1): Annual China commerce retail revenue per annual active buyer for each of the above periods is calculated by dividing the China commerce retail revenue for the previous twelve months by the annual active buyers for the same period.
(2): Mobile revenue per mobile MAU from China commerce retail, annualized is calculated by dividing mobile revenue from China commerce retail for the previous twelve months by the mobile MAUs at the end of the same period.

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Exchange Rate Information

Most of our revenues and expenses are denominated in Renminbi. This annual report contains translations of RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at specific rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to RMB in this annual report were made at a rate of RMB6.4480 to US$1.00, the exchange rate set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board on March 31, 2016. We make no representation that any RMB or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate, at the rates stated below, or at all. The PRC government imposes control over its foreign currency reserves in part through direct regulation of the conversion of RMB into foreign exchange and through restrictions on foreign trade. On May 20, 2016, the noon buying rate was RMB6.5485 to US$1.00.

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, information concerning exchange rates between the RMB and the U.S. dollar based on the exchange rates set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board.

	Noon buying rate

Period	Period end		Average ⁽¹⁾		Low		High
	(RMB per US$1.00)
2011		6.2939		6.4475		6.6364		6.2939
2012		6.2301		6.2990		6.3879		6.2221
2013		6.0537		6.1412		6.2438		6.0537
2014		6.2046		6.1704		6.2591		6.0402
2015		6.4778		6.2869		6.4896		6.1870
November		6.3883		6.3640		6.3945		6.3180
December		6.4778		6.4491		6.4896		6.3883
2016
January		6.5752		6.5726		6.5932		6.5219
February		6.5525		6.5501		6.5795		6.5154
March		6.4480		6.5027		6.5500		6.4480
April		6.4738		6.4754		6.5004		6.4571
May (through May 20)		6.5485		6.5124		6.5485		6.4738

(1): Annual averages are calculated using the average of the rates on the last business day of each month during the relevant year. Monthly averages are calculated using the average of the daily rates during the relevant month.

B. Capitalization and Indebtedness

Not Applicable.

C. Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

Not Applicable.

D. Risk Factors

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

Maintaining the trusted status of our ecosystem is critical to our success, and any failure to do so could severely damage our reputation and brand, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have established a strong brand name and reputation for our ecosystem in China. Any loss of trust in our ecosystem or platforms could harm the value of our brand and result in consumers, merchants and other participants reducing their activity level in our ecosystem, which could materially reduce our revenue and

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profitability. Our ability to maintain our position as a trusted platform for online and mobile commerce is based in large part upon:

•: the reliability and security of our platforms (including the reliability and security of the various service providers on our platforms), as well as the commitment to high levels of service and data protection by the merchants, developers, logistics providers, service providers and other participants in our ecosystem;
•: the quality, breadth and functionality of products, services and functions and the quality, variety and appeal of content available through our platforms;
•: the effectiveness and perceived fairness of rules governing our marketplaces and other platforms and overall ecosystem;
•: the strength of our consumer protection measures; and
•: our ability to provide reliable and trusted payment and escrow services through our arrangements with Alipay.

Increased investments in our business, strategic acquisitions and investments as well as our focus on long-term performance and maintaining the health of our ecosystem may negatively affect our margins and our net income.

We have experienced significant growth in our profit margins and net income. Our operating profit and net income grew 26% and 193%, respectively, from fiscal year 2015 to fiscal year 2016. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain our growth at these levels, or at all. Our operating profit declined by 7% and net income only grew 4% from fiscal year 2014 to fiscal year 2015. Consistent with our focus on the long-term interests of our ecosystem participants, we may take actions that fail to generate positive short-term financial results, and we cannot assure you that these actions will produce long-term benefits.

We continue to increase our spending and investment in our business to support our future growth, including in improving our technological infrastructure and cloud computing capacities. All of these initiatives are crucial to the success of our business but will have the effect of increasing our costs and lowering our margins and profit, and such effect may be significant, at least in the short-term. Moreover, many of our business initiatives emphasize expanding our user base and enhancing user experience, rather than initially prioritizing monetization.

Furthermore, we have made, and intend to continue to make, strategic investments and acquisitions to expand our user base and geographic coverage and add complementary offerings and technologies to further strengthen our ecosystem. For example, we expect to continue to make strategic investments and acquisitions relating to entertainment, international expansion, cloud computing and big data, logistics services, local commerce, category expansion, e-commerce marketplaces, healthcare and new technologies. Our strategic investments and acquisitions may adversely affect our future financial results, including by decreasing our margins and net income. For example, our acquisitions, including those of UCWeb and AutoNavi, have negatively impacted our financial results historically. We also believe that our expansion into the mobile media and entertainment sectors, including our recent acquisition of Youku Tudou and our international expansion through our recent acquisition of a controlling stake in Lazada, are important to our overall business but will have a negative effect on our financial results, at least in the short-term. In addition, the performance of minority investments we make that are accounted for under the equity method investments may also adversely affect our net income. There can be no assurance that we will be able to sustain our net income growth rates or our margins.

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If we are unable to compete effectively, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.

We face increasingly intense competition, mainly from Chinese and global Internet companies as well as certain offline retailers and e-commerce players, including those that specialize in a limited number of product categories. We compete to:

•: attract, engage and retain consumers based on the variety and value of products and services listed on our marketplaces, the engagement of media and entertainment content available on our platforms and the overall user experience of our products and services;
•: attract and retain merchants based on our size and on the size and the engagement of consumers on our platforms and the effectiveness of our products and services to help them build brand awareness and engagement, acquire and retain customers, complete transactions and enhance operating efficiency;
•: compete to attract and retain marketers, publishers and demand side platforms operated by agencies based on the reach and engagement of our properties, the depth of our consumer data insights and the effectiveness of our branding and marketing solutions;
•: attract other participants of our ecosystems based on access to business opportunities created by the large scale of economic activity on our platforms, as well as tools and technologies that help them operate and grow their businesses;
•: optimize the usefulness of the data and technologies we provide, including data-enabled customer relationship management tools, marketing data and data science, media ecosystem for branding, cloud computing services, omni-channel solutions, the availability of supporting services, including payment settlement and logistics services, and the quality of our customer service;
•: thrive in new industries and sectors as we acquire new businesses and expand, bringing us into competition with major players in these and other industries and sectors, such as e-commerce service providers in China's healthcare industry and media and entertainment providers; and
•: attract motivated and effective employees, including engineers and product developers who serve critical functions in the development of our products and our ecosystem.

In addition, we face increasing competition in the diversified mobile commerce industry for mobile users in China from established as well as emerging mobile commerce platforms.

Our ability to compete depends on a number of other factors as well, some of which may be out of our control, including:

•: the timely introduction and market acceptance of the services we offer, compared to those of our competitors;
•: our ability to innovate and develop new technologies;
•: our ability to maintain and enhance our leading position in retail commerce in China;
•: our ability to benefit from new business initiatives; and
•: alliances, acquisitions or consolidations within the Internet industry that may result in stronger competitors.

We face uncertainties and may fail to anticipate competitive conditions as we expand our operations in overseas markets, including, for example, through our recent acquisition of a controlling stake in Lazada. If we are not able to compete effectively, the GMV transacted on our marketplaces and the user engagement level and activity level on our platforms may decrease significantly, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations as well as our brand.

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We may not be able to maintain and improve the network effects of our ecosystem, which could negatively affect our business and prospects.

Our ability to maintain a healthy and vibrant ecosystem that creates strong network effects among consumers, merchants and other participants is critical to our success. The extent to which we are able to maintain and strengthen these network effects depends on our ability to:

•: offer secure and open platforms for all participants and balance the interests of these participants, including consumers, merchants, brands, service providers and others;
•: provide tools and services that meet the evolving needs of consumers and merchants;
•: provide a wide range of high-quality product, service and content offerings to consumers;
•: provide merchants with a high level of traffic flow with strong commercial intent and effective online marketing services;
•: further enhance the attractiveness of our mobile platform;
•: arrange secure and trusted payment settlement and escrow services;
•: coordinate fulfillment and delivery services with third-party logistics and delivery companies;
•: attract and retain third-party service providers who are able to provide quality services on commercially reasonable terms to our merchants;
•: maintain the quality of our customer service; and
•: continue adapting to the changing demands of the market.

In addition, changes we may make to enhance and improve our ecosystem and balance the needs and interests of the various participants on our ecosystem may be viewed positively from one participant group's perspective, such as consumers, but may have negative effects from another group's perspective, such as merchants. If we fail to balance the interests of all participants in our ecosystem, fewer consumers, merchants and other participants may visit our marketplaces, or they may spend less time, mind share and resources on our websites and conduct fewer transactions or use alternative platforms, any of which could result in a material decrease in our revenue and net income.

We may not be able to maintain our culture, which has been a key to our success.

Since our founding, our culture has been defined by our mission, vision and values, and we believe that our culture has been critical to our success. In particular, our culture has helped us serve the long-term interests of our customers, attract, retain and motivate employees and create value for our shareholders. We face a number of challenges that may affect our ability to sustain our corporate culture, including:

•: failure to identify, promote and retain people in leadership positions in our organization who share our culture, values and mission;
•: failure to execute a management succession plan to replace our current generation of management leaders;
•: the increasing size, geographic coverage and cultural diversity of our business and workforce;
•: challenges of effectively incentivizing and motivating employees, including those who have gained a substantial amount of personal wealth related to share-based incentives;
•: competitive pressures to move in directions that may divert us from our mission, vision and values;
•: the continued challenges of an ever-changing business environment;
•: the pressure from the public markets to focus on short-term results instead of long-term value creation;

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•: the increasing need to develop expertise in new areas of business that affect us; and
•: the integration of new personnel and businesses from acquisitions.

If we are not able to maintain our culture or if our culture fails to deliver the long-term results we expect to achieve, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

We may not be able to maintain or grow our revenue or our business.

We primarily derive our revenue from online marketing services, commissions based on transaction value derived from certain of our marketplaces, fees from the sale of memberships on our wholesale marketplaces and cloud service fees, and we have experienced significant growth in revenue in recent years. In particular, our revenue grew 45% from fiscal year 2014 to fiscal year 2015 and 33% from fiscal year 2015 to fiscal year 2016. Our ability to continue to generate and grow our revenue depends on a number of factors. See "Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects — A. Operating Results — Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations — Our Ability to Create Value for Our Users and Generate Revenue" and "— Our Monetization Model."

Our future revenue growth also depends on our ability to expand into new geographic regions, including our expansion into international markets, and grow our other businesses, including our cloud computing business and the businesses we have acquired or invested in and new business initiatives we may explore in the future. In particular, we face risks associated with expanding into sectors or geographies in which we have limited or no experience. For example, as we expand our entertainment business, we may be unable to produce or license quality content on commercially reasonable terms or at all, fail to anticipate or keep up with changes in user preferences, user behavior and technological developments or fail to gain access to content distribution channels. In addition, as we expand into the online video industry following the acquisition of Youku Tudou, we may not be able to acquire and retain users, attract marketers to purchase online marketing services on our video websites, obtain professionally produced content at competitive prices or at all, encourage more user-generated content, or grow user acceptance and the popularity of our online video content. Our expansion into new sectors and geographic regions will subject us to additional regulatory risks, such as permit requirements and regulations over content in the PRC. If we are unable to successfully monetize and expand these businesses in our target markets, our future revenue growth may be adversely affected.

In addition, our revenue growth may slow or our revenues may decline for other reasons, including decreasing consumer spending, increasing competition and slowing growth of the China retail or China online retail industry and changes in government policies or general economic conditions. In addition, as our revenue grows to a higher base level, that rate of growth of our revenue has slowed and may further slow in the future.

We rely on Alipay to conduct substantially all of the payment processing and all of the escrow services on our marketplaces. If Alipay's services are limited, restricted, curtailed or degraded in any way or become unavailable to us or our users for any reason, our business may be materially and adversely affected.

Through contractual arrangements with us, Alipay provides convenient payment processing and escrow services to us on preferential terms. These services are critical to our platforms and the development of our ecosystem. In the twelve months ended March 31, 2016, approximately 75% of GMV on our China retail marketplaces were settled through Alipay's escrow and payment processing services. We rely on the convenience and ease of use that Alipay provides to our users. If the quality, utility, convenience or attractiveness of Alipay's services declines for any reason, the attractiveness of our marketplaces could be materially and adversely affected.

Alipay's business is subject to a number of risks that could materially and adversely affect its ability to provide payment processing and escrow services to us, including:

•: increasing costs to Alipay, including fees charged by banks to process funds through Alipay, which would also increase our cost of revenues;

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•: dissatisfaction with Alipay's services or lower use of Alipay by consumers and merchants;
•: changes to rules or practices applicable to payment card systems that link to Alipay;
•: breach of customers' personal information and concerns over the use and security of any collected information;
•: service outages, system failures or failure to effectively scale the system to handle large and growing transaction volumes; and
•: failure to manage funds accurately or loss of funds, whether due to employee fraud, security breaches, technical errors or otherwise.

In addition, certain commercial banks in China impose limits on the amounts that may be transferred by automatic payment from customers' bank accounts to their linked accounts with third-party payment services. Although we believe the impact of these restrictions has not been and will not be significant in terms of the overall volume of payments processed for our China retail marketplaces, and automatic payment services linked to bank accounts represent only one of many payment mechanisms that consumers may use to settle transactions, we cannot predict whether these and any additional restrictions that could be put in place would have a material adverse effect on our marketplaces.

In addition, Alipay's business is highly regulated. Alipay is required to comply with numerous complex and evolving laws, rules and regulations and faces the risk of failure to manage its regulatory risks. In particular, regulators and third parties in China have been increasing their focus on online and mobile payment services, and recent regulatory and other developments could reduce the convenience or utility of Alipay users' accounts. See "— We and Ant Financial Services are subject to a broad range of laws and regulations, and future laws and regulations may impose additional requirements and other obligations on our business or otherwise that could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations," and "Item 4. Information on the Company — B. Business Overview — Regulation — Regulation Applicable to Alipay."

If we needed to migrate to another third-party payment service, the transition would require significant time and management resources, and the third-party payment service may not be as effective, efficient or well-received by consumers and merchants on our marketplaces. These third-party payment services also may not provide escrow services, and we may not be able to receive commissions based on GMV transacted through these systems. We would also no longer have the benefit of the commercial agreement with Ant Financial Services and Alipay and would likely be required to pay more for payment processing and escrow services than we currently pay. There can be no assurance that we would be able to reach an agreement with an alternative online payments service on acceptable terms or at all.

We do not control Alipay or its parent entity, Ant Financial Services, over which Jack Ma effectively controls a majority of the voting interests. If conflicts that could arise between us and Alipay or Ant Financial Services are not resolved in our favor, they could have a negative effect on our ecosystem and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Although we rely on Alipay to conduct substantially all of the payment processing and all of the escrow services on our marketplaces, we do not have any control over Alipay. Alipay provides payment services to us on preferential terms pursuant to our long-term commercial agreement with Ant Financial Services and Alipay. Following the divestment and subsequent equity holding restructuring related to Ant Financial Services, an entity controlled by Jack Ma, our executive chairman, became the general partner of Hangzhou Junhan Equity Investment Partnership, or Junhan, a PRC limited partnership, and Junao Equity Investment Partnership, or Junao, a PRC limited partnership, which are two major equity holders of Alipay's parent, Ant Financial Services. Accordingly, Jack has an economic interest in Ant Financial Services and is able to exercise the voting power of the major shareholders of Ant Financial Services. We understand that through the exercise of this voting power, Jack continues to control a substantial majority of the voting interests in Ant Financial Services.

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If Alipay were not able to successfully manage the risks relating to its business, its ability to continue to deliver payment services to us on preferential terms may be undermined. Furthermore, if for any reason, Alipay sought to amend the terms of its agreements and arrangements with us, there is no assurance that Jack Ma, in light of his voting control over Alipay's parent, Ant Financial Services, would act in our interest. If we were to lose the preferential terms with Alipay or if Alipay is unable to successfully manage its business, our ecosystem could be negatively affected, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

Ant Financial Services also provides other financial services to participants in our ecosystem, including micro-finance services, wealth management, insurance and credit referencing services, and may provide additional services in the future. Other conflicts of interest between us, on the one hand, and Alipay and Ant Financial Services, on the other hand, may arise relating to commercial or strategic opportunities or initiatives. Although we and Ant Financial Services have each agreed to certain non-competition undertakings, we cannot assure you that Ant Financial Services would not pursue opportunities to provide services to our competitors or other opportunities that would conflict with our interests. Jack Ma may not resolve such conflicts in our favor. Furthermore, our ability to explore alternative payment services other than Alipay for our marketplaces may be constrained due to Jack's relationship with Ant Financial Services.

In addition, we grant share-based awards to employees of Ant Financial Services, and Junhan grants share-based awards tied to the value of Ant Financial Services to our employees. The provision of awards to our employees tied to the value of Ant Financial Services is intended to enhance our strategic and financial relationship with Ant Financial Services. See "Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions — B. Related Party Transactions — Agreements and Transactions Related to Ant Financial Services and its Subsidiaries — Equity-based Award Arrangements." The share-based awards granted by Junhan to our employees result in expenses that are recognized by our company. Subject to the approval of our audit committee, Jack, through his role with us and his control over Junhan, could be in a position to propose and promote further share-based grants that result in additional, and potentially significant, expenses to our company. Accordingly, these and other potential conflicts of interest between us and Ant Financial Services or Alipay, and between us and Jack or Junhan, may not be resolved in our favor, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Moreover, because of our close association with Ant Financial Services and overlapping user base, events that negatively affect Ant Financial Services could also negatively affect customers', regulators' and other third parties' perception of us. In addition, any actual or perceived conflict of interest between us and Ant Financial Services or any other company integral to the functioning of our ecosystem could also materially harm our reputation as well as our business and prospects.

If we are not able to continue to innovate or if we fail to adapt to changes in our industry, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.

The Internet industry is characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards, new mobile apps, protocols and technologies, new service and product introductions, new media and entertainment content — including user-generated content — and changing customer demands. Furthermore, our competitors are constantly developing innovations in Internet search, online marketing, communications, social networking, entertainment and other services, on both mobile devices and personal computers, to enhance users' online experience. We continue to invest significant resources in our infrastructure, research and development and other areas in order to enhance our technology and our existing products, services and content as well as to introduce new high quality products, services and content that will attract more participants to our platforms. The changes and developments taking place in our industry may also require us to re-evaluate our business model and adopt significant changes to our long-term strategies and business plan. Our failure to innovate and adapt to these changes would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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For example, the use of mobile devices to access content and transact on our platforms is developing rapidly, and we may fail to continue to offer superior user experience in order to increase or maintain the level of mobile engagement on our platforms, or to successfully develop the mobile community. The variety of technical and other configurations across different mobile devices and platforms increases the challenges associated with this environment. If we are unable to continue to attract significant numbers of new mobile consumers and increase or maintain levels of mobile engagement, our ability to maintain or grow our business would be materially and adversely affected.

Our business generates and processes a large amount of data, and the improper use or disclosure of such data could harm our reputation as well as have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.

Our business, including our cloud computing business, generates and processes a large quantity of personal, transaction, demographic and behavioral data. We face risks inherent in handling and protecting large volumes of data. In particular, we face a number of challenges relating to data from transactions and other activities on our platforms, including:

•: protecting the data in and hosted on our system, including against attacks on our system by outside parties or fraudulent behavior or improper use by our employees;
•: addressing concerns related to privacy and sharing, safety, security and other factors; and
•: complying with applicable laws, rules and regulations relating to the collection, use, disclosure or security of personal information, including any requests from regulatory and government authorities relating to such data.

The PRC regulatory and enforcement regime with regard to data security and data protection is evolving. On July 1, 2015, the National People's Congress Standing Committee promulgated the National Security Law, or the New National Security Law, which took effect on the same date and replaced the former National Security Law promulgated in 1993. The New National Security Law covers various types of national security including technology security and information security. According to the New National Security Law, the state shall ensure that the information system and data in important areas are secure and controllable. In addition, according to the New National Security Law, the state shall establish national security review and supervision institutions and mechanisms, and conduct national security reviews of key technologies and IT products and services that affect or may affect national security. In particular, we are obligated under the New National Security Law to safeguard national security by, for example, providing evidence related to activities endangering national security, providing convenience and assistance for national security work, and providing necessary support and assistance for national security institutions, public security institutions as well as military institutions. As such, we may have to provide data to PRC government authorities and military institutions for compliance with the New National Security Law, which may result in additional expenses to us and subject us to negative publicity which could harm our reputation with users and negatively affect the trading price of our ADSs. There are uncertainties on how the New National Security Law will be implemented in practice. PRC regulators, including the MIIT and the Cyberspace Administration, have been increasingly focused on regulation in the areas of data security and data protection. We expect that these areas will receive greater attention and focus from regulators, as well as attract public scrutiny and attention going forward. This greater attention, scrutiny and enforcement, including more frequent inspections, could increase our compliance costs and, subject us to heightened risks and challenges associated with data security and protection. If we are unable to manage these risks, our reputation and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, pursuant to our data sharing agreement with Ant Financial Services and Alipay, which sets forth data security and confidentiality protocols, and subject to relevant legal requirements and limitations, we have agreed to a broad sharing of data with Ant Financial Services through a data sharing platform that we own and operate. Cainiao Network, Koubei and Alibaba Pictures have also entered into agreements with us to participate in the data sharing platform. We also grant expressly limited access to specified data on our data platform to certain other participants in our ecosystem that provide services to merchants and consumers, such as retail operating

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partners, logistics service providers, mobile app developers, independent software vendors, or ISVs, cloud developers, marketing affiliates and various professional service providers. These ecosystem participants face the same challenges inherent in handling and protecting large volumes of data. Any systems failure or security breach or lapse on our part or on the part of any of our ecosystem participants that results in the release of user data could harm our reputation and brand and, consequently, our business, in addition to exposing us to potential legal liability.

As we expand our operations, we will be subject to additional laws in other jurisdictions where our merchants, consumers, users, customers and other participants are located. The laws, rules and regulations of other jurisdictions, such as the United States and Europe, may be at a more mature stage of development, be more comprehensive and nuanced in their scope, and impose more stringent or conflicting requirements and penalties than those in China, compliance with which could require significant resources and costs. Our continued expansion into cloud computing services, both within China and overseas, will also increase the amount of data hosted on our system and increase the number of parties who host data on our system, which will present increased challenges and risks in relation to data protection and data privacy. Our privacy policies and practices concerning the collection, use and disclosure of user data are posted on our websites. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with our posted privacy policies or with any regulatory requirements or privacy protection-related laws, rules and regulations could result in proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others. These proceedings or actions could subject us to significant penalties and negative publicity, require us to change our business practices, increase our costs and severely disrupt our business.

Our failure to manage the growth of our business and operations could harm us.

Our business has become increasingly complex as its scale, diversity and geographic coverage, as well as that of our workforce, continue to grow. We have also significantly expanded our headcount, office facilities and infrastructure, and we anticipate that further expansion in certain areas and geographies will be required. This expansion increases the complexity of our operations and places a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources. We must continue to effectively hire, train and manage new employees. If our new hires perform poorly or if we are unsuccessful in hiring, training, managing and integrating new employees, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially harmed.

Moreover, our current and planned personnel, systems, procedures and controls may not be adequate to support our future operations. To effectively manage the expected growth of our operations and personnel, we will need to continue to improve our transaction processing, operational and financial systems, procedures and controls, which could be particularly challenging as we acquire new operations with different and incompatible systems, in new industries or geographic areas. These efforts will require significant managerial, financial and human resources. We cannot assure you that we will be able to effectively manage our growth or to implement all these systems, procedures and control measures successfully. If we are not able to manage our growth effectively, our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

We face risks relating to our acquisitions, investments and alliances.

We have acquired and invested in a large number and diverse range of businesses, technologies, services and products in recent years, including investments of varying sizes in equity investees and joint ventures, and we have a number of pending investments and acquisitions that are subject to closing conditions. See "Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects — A. Operating Results — Recent Investment, Acquisition and Strategic Alliance Activities." We expect to continue to evaluate and consider a wide array of potential strategic transactions as part of our overall business strategy, including business combinations, acquisitions and dispositions of businesses, technologies, services, products and other assets, as well as strategic investments and alliances. At any given time

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we may be engaged in discussing or negotiating a range of these types of transactions. These transactions involve significant challenges and risks, including:

•: difficulties in integrating into our operations the diverse and large number of personnel, operations, products, services, technology, internal controls and financial reporting of companies we acquire;
•: disruption of our ongoing business, distraction of our management and employees and increase of our expenses;
•: loss of skilled professionals as well as established client relationships of the businesses we invest in or acquire;
•: for investments over which we may not obtain management and operational control, we may lack influence over the controlling partner or shareholder, which may prevent us from achieving our strategic goals in such investment;
•: regulatory requirements and compliance risks as well as publicity risks that we become subject to as a result of acquisitions of businesses in new industries or geographic areas or otherwise, especially for acquisitions of public companies which are subject to heightened regulatory requirements and scrutiny;
•: actual or alleged misconduct or non-compliance by us or any company we acquire or invest in (or by its affiliates), whether before, during or after our acquisition or investment, which may lead to negative publicity, litigation, government inquiry or investigations against such company or against us;
•: unforeseen or hidden liabilities or costs that may adversely affect us following our acquisition of or our investment in such companies;
•: potential impairment charges or write-offs due to the changes in the fair value of our investments or acquired companies as a result of market volatility or other reasons that we may or may not control;
•: regulatory hurdles including in relation to the anti-monopoly and competition laws, rules and regulations of China and other jurisdictions in connection with any proposed investments and acquisitions, including, in the case of our potential future acquisition of an equity interest in Ant Financial Services, PRC regulations pertaining to non-bank payment companies;
•: negative publicity regarding our acquisition and investment activities;
•: the risk that any of our pending or other future proposed acquisitions does not close; and
•: challenges in achieving the expected benefits of synergies and growth opportunities in connection with these acquisitions and investments, such as the inability to realize the expected benefits of the restructuring in August 2014 of our relationship with Alipay and Ant Financial Services.

Our significant acquisition activity has occurred recently, and we have limited experience in integrating major acquisitions. As our acquisition and investment activity continues at a rapid pace, with a large number and diverse range of target companies, we and our management will continue to face significant challenges, including unanticipated ones, in integrating these businesses into our existing businesses.

Failure to maintain or improve our technology infrastructure could harm our business and prospects.

We are constantly upgrading our platforms to provide increased scale, improved performance and additional built-in functionality and additional capacity. Adopting new products and upgrading our ecosystem infrastructure require significant investments of time and resources, including adding new hardware, updating software and recruiting and training new engineering personnel. Maintaining and improving our technology infrastructure require significant levels of investment. Any failure to maintain and improve our technology infrastructure could result in unanticipated system disruptions, slower response times, impaired quality of users' experiences and delays in reporting accurate operating and financial information. For example, on Singles Day, there is significantly higher than normal activity on our marketplaces that our systems must handle. In addition, much of the software and interfaces we use are internally developed and proprietary technology. If we experience problems with the functionality and effectiveness of our software or platforms, or are unable to maintain and constantly improve our technology infrastructure to handle our business needs, our business, financial condition, results of operation and prospects, as well as our reputation, could be materially and adversely affected.

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The successful operation of our business depends upon the performance and reliability of the Internet infrastructure in China and other countries in which we operate.

Our business depends on the performance and reliability of the Internet infrastructure in China and other countries in which we operate. Almost all access to the Internet in China is maintained through state-owned telecommunication operators under the administrative control and regulatory supervision of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China. In addition, the national networks in China are connected to the Internet through state-owned international gateways, which are the only channels through which a domestic user can connect to the Internet outside of China. We may not have access to alternative networks in the event of disruptions, failures or other problems with the Internet infrastructure in China or elsewhere. In addition, the Internet infrastructure in the countries in which we operate may not support the demands associated with continued growth in Internet usage.

The failure of telecommunications network operators to provide us with the requisite bandwidth could also interfere with the speed and availability of our websites. We have no control over the costs of the services provided by the telecommunications operators. If the prices that we pay for telecommunications and Internet services rise significantly, our gross margins could be adversely affected. In addition, if Internet access fees or other charges to Internet users increase, our user traffic may decrease, which in turn may significantly decrease our revenues.

Our ecosystem could be disrupted by network interruptions.

Our ecosystem depends on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of our computer and communications systems. Substantially all of our computer hardware and our cloud computing services are currently located in China. In addition, a large number of merchants maintain their enterprise resource planning, or ERP, and customer relationship management, or CRM, systems on our cloud computing platform, which contains substantial quantities of data relating to their accounts, transaction data, consumer information and other data that enables merchants to operate and manage their businesses. Increasing media and entertainment content on our marketplaces and website also require additional network capacity and infrastructures to process. Consumers expect our media and entertainment content to be readily available online, and any disruptions or delay to the delivery of content could affect the attractiveness and reputation of our media and entertainment content platform. Although we have prepared for contingencies through redundancy measures and disaster recovery plans and also carry business interruption insurance, these preparations and insurance coverage may not be sufficient. Despite any precautions we may take, the occurrence of a natural disaster, such as an earthquake, flood or fire, or other unanticipated problems at our facilities or the facilities of Ant Financial Services, Cainiao Network and other participants in our ecosystem, including power outages, system failures, telecommunications delays or failures, construction accidents, break-ins to information technology systems or computer viruses, could result in delays or interruptions to our platforms, loss of our, consumers' and customers' data and business interruption for us and our customers. Any of these events could damage our reputation, significantly disrupt our operations and the operations of the merchants and other participants in our ecosystem and subject us to liability, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If third-party logistics service providers used by our merchants fail to provide reliable logistics services, or the logistics data platform operated by Cainiao Network were to malfunction, suffer an outage or otherwise fail, our business and prospects, as well as our financial condition and results of operations, may be materially and adversely affected.

Our merchants use third-party logistics service providers to fulfill and deliver their orders. Cainiao Network cooperates with a number of third-party logistics service providers to help merchants on our platforms fulfill orders and deliver their products to consumers. Cainiao Network operates a logistics data platform that links our information system and those of logistics service providers. Interruptions to or failures in these third-parties' logistics services, or in Cainiao Network's logistics data platform, could prevent the timely or proper delivery of products to consumers, which would harm the reputation of our marketplaces and our ecosystem. These interruptions may be due to events that are beyond our control or the control of Cainiao Network or these

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logistics service providers, such as inclement weather, natural disasters, transportation disruptions or labor unrest. These logistics services could also be affected or interrupted by industry consolidation, insolvency or government shut-downs. The merchants on our marketplaces may not be able to find alternative logistics service providers to provide logistics services in a timely and reliable manner, or at all. We do not have agreements with logistics service providers that require them to offer services to our merchants. If the logistics data platform operated by Cainiao Network were to fail for any reason, the logistics service providers would be severely hindered from or unable to connect with our merchants, and their services and the functionality of our ecosystem could be severely affected. If the products sold on our marketplaces are not delivered in proper condition, on a timely basis or at shipping rates that marketplace participants are willing to bear, our business and prospects, as well as our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

If other third-party service providers on our ecosystem fail to provide reliable or satisfactory services, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

In addition to the services provided to our ecosystem by Ant Financial Services, Cainiao Network and logistics service providers, a number of other third-party participants, including retail operating partners, logistics service providers, mobile app developers, ISVs, cloud developers, marketing affiliates and various professional service providers, also provide services to users on our platforms, including merchants, brands, consumers and users of our cloud computing services. To the extent these third-party service providers are unable to provide satisfactory services to our users on commercially acceptable terms or at all or if we fail to retain existing or attract new quality service providers to our platforms, our ability to retain, attract or engage our users may be severely limited, which may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, certain of these third-party services providers on our ecosystem have access to our user data to a limited extent in order to provide their services. If such third-party participants engage in activities that are negligent, illegal or otherwise harm the trustworthiness and security of our ecosystem, including the leak or negligent use of data, or users are otherwise dissatisfied with their service quality, we could suffer reputational harm, even if these activities are not related to, attributable to or caused by us.

We depend on key management as well as experienced and capable personnel generally, and any failure to attract, motivate and retain our staff could severely hinder our ability to maintain and grow our business.

Our future success is significantly dependent upon the continued service of our key executives and other key employees. If we lose the services of any member of management or key personnel, we may not be able to locate suitable or qualified replacements, and may incur additional expenses to recruit and train new staff, which could severely disrupt our business and growth. In particular, Jack Ma, our lead founder, executive chairman and one of our principal shareholders, has been crucial to the development of our culture and strategic direction.

As our business develops and evolves, it may become difficult for us to continue to retain such employees. A number of our employees, including many members of management, may choose to pursue other opportunities outside of our company. If we are unable to motivate or retain these employees, our business may be severely disrupted and our prospects could suffer.

The size and scope of our ecosystem also require us to hire and retain a wide range of effective and experienced personnel who can adapt to a dynamic, competitive and challenging business environment. We will need to continue to attract and retain experienced and capable personnel at all levels as we expand our business and operations. Competition for talent in the PRC Internet industry is intense, and the availability of suitable and qualified candidates in China is limited. Competition for these individuals could cause us to offer higher compensation and other benefits to attract and retain them. Even if we were to offer higher compensation and other benefits, there is no assurance that these individuals will choose to join or continue to work for us. Any failure to attract or retain key management and personnel could severely disrupt our business and growth.

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Our revenue and net income may be materially and adversely affected by any economic slowdown in China as well as globally.

The success of our business ultimately depends on consumer spending. We currently derive substantially all of our revenue from China and are also expanding into the international market. As a result, our revenue and net income are impacted to a significant extent by economic conditions in China and globally, as well as economic conditions specific to online and mobile commerce. The global economy, markets and levels of consumer spending are influenced by many factors beyond our control, including consumer perception of current and future economic conditions, political uncertainty, levels of employment, inflation or deflation, real disposable income, interest rates, taxation and currency exchange rates.

The PRC government has in recent years implemented a number of measures to control the rate of economic growth, including by raising interest rates and adjusting deposit reserve ratios for commercial banks as well as by implementing other measures designed to tighten credit and liquidity. These measures have contributed to a slowdown of the PRC economy. While the PRC government started easing its monetary policy in 2015, there have been signs of continuing economic slowdown in China. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, China's GDP growth rate was 6.9% in 2015, down from 7.4% in 2014. Any continuing or worsening slowdown could significantly reduce domestic commerce in China, including through the Internet generally and within our ecosystem. Although our financial performance is mainly affected by consumer spending, which may not be as adversely affected as other sectors of the economy, an economic downturn, whether actual or perceived, a further decrease in economic growth rates or an otherwise uncertain economic outlook in China or any other market in which we may operate could have a material adverse effect on consumer spending and therefore adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Security breaches and attacks against our systems and network, and any potentially resulting breach or failure to otherwise protect confidential and proprietary information, could damage our reputation and negatively impact our business, as well as materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Although we have employed significant resources to develop our security measures against breaches, our cybersecurity measures may not detect or prevent all attempts to compromise our systems, including distributed denial-of-service attacks, viruses, malicious software, break-ins, phishing attacks, social engineering, security breaches or other attacks and similar disruptions that may jeopardize the security of information stored in and transmitted by our systems or that we otherwise maintain. Breaches of our cybersecurity measures could result in unauthorized access to our systems, misappropriation of information or data, deletion or modification of user information, or a denial-of-service or other interruption to our business operations. As techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to or sabotage systems change frequently and may not be known until launched against us or our third-party service providers, we may be unable to anticipate, or implement adequate measures to protect against, these attacks.

We have in the past and are likely again in the future to be subject to these types of attacks, although to date no such attack has resulted in any material damages or remediation costs. If we are unable to avert these attacks and security breaches, we could be subject to significant legal and financial liability, our reputation would be harmed and we could sustain substantial revenue loss from lost sales and customer dissatisfaction. We may not have the resources or technical sophistication to anticipate or prevent rapidly evolving types of cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks may target us, our merchants, consumers, users, customers or other participants, or the communication infrastructure on which we depend. Actual or anticipated attacks and risks may cause us to incur significantly higher costs, including costs to deploy additional personnel and network protection technologies, train employees, and engage third-party experts and consultants. Cybersecurity breaches would not only harm our reputation and business, but also could materially decrease our revenue and net income. We do not carry cybersecurity insurance.

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We may not be able to acquire a direct equity ownership interest in Ant Financial Services.

In August 2014, we entered into a share and asset purchase agreement, or the 2014 SAPA, to restructure the economic terms of our relationship with Alipay and Ant Financial Services. The 2014 SAPA provides for future potential equity issuances of up to 33% of equity interest in Ant Financial Services to us in the event that Ant Financial Services applies for and receives certain PRC regulatory approvals in the future. In addition, in the event of a qualified IPO of Ant Financial Services or Alipay, if our total ownership of equity interests in Ant Financial Services, if any, has not reached 33%, we would be entitled, at our election, to receive a one-time payment equal to 37.5% of the equity value, immediately prior to such qualified IPO of Ant Financial Services, as a whole and not just of its subsidiary Alipay. If we acquire equity interests in Ant Financial Services in an aggregate amount less than the full 33% equity interest, then the percentage of Ant Financial Services' equity value used to calculate the liquidity event payment will be reduced proportionately. If Ant Financial Services does not receive the required PRC regulatory approvals mentioned above, we will not be able to acquire a direct equity ownership interest in Ant Financial Services, and we would fail to benefit from any appreciation in its equity value beyond the date of a qualified IPO of Ant Financial Services or Alipay. Our inability to reap the benefits of any appreciation in equity value of Ant Financial Services, including in connection with a qualified IPO of Ant Financial Services or Alipay, could represent a significant missed opportunity that is beyond our control. In addition, if we elect to receive a one-time payment equal to 37.5% of the equity value, immediately prior to such qualified IPO of Ant Financial Services, it is possible that Ant Financial Services will not have sufficient funds to make the payment in a timely manner or on a schedule acceptable to us. See "Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions — B. Related Party Transactions — Agreements and Transactions Related to Ant Financial Services and its Subsidiaries — 2014 Restructuring of Our Relationship with Ant Financial Services and Alipay."

Tightening of tax compliance efforts with respect to the revenue or profit generated by our merchants could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

E-commerce in China is still developing, and the PRC government may require operators of marketplaces, such as our company, to assist in the collection of taxes with respect to the revenue or profit generated by merchants from transactions conducted on their platforms. A significant number of small businesses and sole proprietors operating businesses through storefronts on Taobao Marketplace may not have completed the required tax registration. PRC tax authorities may enforce registration requirements that target small businesses or sole proprietors on Taobao Marketplace and may request our assistance in these efforts. As a result, these merchants may be subject to more stringent tax compliance requirements and liabilities and their business on our marketplaces could suffer or they could decide to remove their storefronts from our marketplace rather than comply, which could in turn negatively affect us. We may also be requested by tax authorities to supply information on our merchants, such as transaction records and bank account information, and assist in the enforcement of tax regulations, including the payment and withholding obligations against our merchants, in which case, we may lose existing merchants and potential merchants might not be willing to open storefronts on our marketplaces.

Potential heightened enforcement against participants in e-commerce transactions (including imposition of reporting or withholding obligations on operators of marketplaces with respect to value-added tax of merchants) could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have been and may continue to be subject to allegations and lawsuits claiming that items listed and content available on our marketplaces and websites are pirated, counterfeit or illegal.

We have received in the past, and we anticipate we will receive in the future, communications alleging that items offered, sold or made available through our online marketplaces and websites by third parties or that we make available through other services, such as our online music platform, infringe third-party copyrights, trademarks and patents or other intellectual property rights. Although we have adopted measures to verify the authenticity of products sold on our marketplaces and to minimize potential infringement of third-party intellectual property rights through our intellectual property infringement complaint and take-down procedures, these

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measures may not always be successful. We have been and may continue to be subject to allegations of civil or criminal liability based on allegedly unlawful activities carried out by third parties through our online marketplaces. We also have been and may continue to be subject to allegations that we were participants in or facilitators of such allegedly unlawful activities. For example, in May 2015 we were named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York by Kering S.A and other plaintiffs, which asserts various claims based on, among other things, the sales of allegedly counterfeit or otherwise trademark infringing merchandise by merchants on certain of our marketplaces. We have acquired certain companies, such as Youku Tudou and a controlling stake in Lazada, and may continue to acquire other companies that are or may be subject to allegations and lawsuits regarding infringement of third-party intellectual property or other rights.

When we receive complaints or allegations regarding infringement or counterfeit goods, we follow procedures we have developed to verify the nature of the complaint and the relevant facts. We believe these procedures are important for purposes of investigating the allegations in question so that we can ensure confidence in our marketplace among consumers and merchants; however, these procedures could result in delays in delistings of allegedly infringing product listings. In the event that alleged counterfeit or infringing products are listed or sold on our marketplaces or our other services, we could face claims relating to such listings or sales or for our alleged failure to act in a timely or effective manner in response to infringement or to otherwise restrict or limit such sales or infringement.

We may implement further measures in an effort to strengthen our protection against these potential liabilities that could require us to spend substantial additional resources and/or experience reduced revenues. In addition, these changes may reduce the attractiveness of our marketplaces and other services to consumers, merchants and other participants. A customer whose content is removed or whose services are suspended or terminated by us, regardless of our compliance with the applicable laws, rules and regulations, may dispute our actions and commence action against us for damages based on breach of contract or other causes of action, make public complaints or allegations or organize group protests and publicity campaigns against us. Any costs incurred as a result of liability or asserted liability relating to the sale of unlawful goods or other infringement could harm our business. Moreover, we have received in the past, and may continue to receive in the future, negative publicity regarding the sales of counterfeit and pirated items on our marketplaces. Each year, in its annual Special 301 Report or Special 301 Out-of-Cycle Review Report, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, or USTR, identifies "notorious markets" that reportedly engage in and facilitate substantial copyright piracy and trademark counterfeiting. In 2008, 2009 and 2010, Alibaba.com, and in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, Taobao Marketplace, were named as notorious markets. The USTR subsequently removed these marketplaces from its list. However, there is no assurance that the USTR will not identify these marketplaces or our other businesses as notorious markets in the future. In its December 2015 Out-of-Cycle Review, the USTR expressed concern about our procedures, citing complaints by rights holders. The USTR did not name any of our marketplaces as notorious markets, but encouraged us to continue to enhance cooperation with rights holders to address concerns.

In January 2015, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce in China, or SAIC, released a report stating that Taobao Marketplace had the highest percentage of counterfeit goods among the online marketplaces that it surveyed. Subsequently, in the same month, the SAIC released a self-described "white paper" discussing perceived failures of our platforms, including an alleged failure to crack down on the sale of counterfeit goods and other alleged illegal activities on our China retail marketplaces. Although the SAIC withdrew the so-called "white paper" the same day it was released, and later clarified that the document carried no legal force, continued public perception that counterfeit or pirated items are commonplace on our marketplaces or that we delay the process of removing such items, even if factually incorrect, could damage our reputation with consumers, harm our business, result in litigation and regulatory pressure or action against us and diminish the value of our brand name.

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Failure to deal effectively with any fraud perpetrated and fictitious transactions conducted on our marketplaces and other sources of customer dissatisfaction would harm our business.

We face risks with respect to fraudulent activities on our marketplaces and periodically receive complaints from consumers who may not have received the goods that they had purchased, as well as complaints from merchants who have not received payment for the goods that a consumer had contracted to purchase. Although we have implemented various measures to detect and reduce the occurrence of fraudulent activities on our marketplaces, there can be no assurance that such measures will be effective in combating fraudulent transactions or improving overall satisfaction among our merchants, consumers and other participants. Additional measures that we take to address fraud could also negatively affect the attractiveness of our marketplaces to consumers or merchants. In addition, merchants on our marketplaces contribute to a fund to provide consumer protection guarantees. If our merchants do not perform their obligations under these programs, then we may use funds that have been deposited by merchants in a consumer protection fund to compensate consumers. If the amounts in the fund are not sufficient, we may choose to compensate consumers for such losses although we are not legally obligated to do so. Although we have recourse against our merchants for any amounts we incur, there is no assurance that we would be able to collect from our merchants.

In addition to fraudulent transactions with legitimate consumers, merchants may also engage in fictitious or "phantom" transactions with themselves or collaborators in order to artificially inflate their own ratings on our marketplaces, reputation and search results rankings, an activity sometimes referred to as "brushing". This activity may harm other merchants by enabling the perpetrating merchant to be favored over legitimate merchants, and may harm consumers by deceiving them into believing that a merchant is more reliable or trusted than the merchant actually is.

Moreover, illegal, fraudulent or collusive activities by our employees could also subject us to liability or negative publicity. In the past, we have discovered cases in which certain of our employees had accepted payments from merchants or other service providers in order to receive preferential treatment on our marketplaces. Although we dismiss the employees responsible for any such incidents and have implemented internal controls and policies with regard to the review and approval of merchant accounts, sales activities and other relevant matters, we cannot assure you that such controls and policies will prevent fraud or illegal activity by our employees or that similar incidents will not occur in the future. Any such illegal, fraudulent or collusive activity could severely damage our brand and reputation as an operator of trusted marketplaces, which could drive users and consumers away from our marketplaces, and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In January 2015, the SAIC discussed alleged fraudulent and fictitious transactions on our China retail marketplaces in its self-described "white paper." Although the SAIC withdrew the so-called "white paper" the same day it was released and later clarified that the document carried no legal force, the negative publicity and user sentiment generated as a result of this document or other allegations of fraudulent or deceptive conduct on our platforms could severely diminish consumer confidence in and use of our services, reduce our ability to attract new or retain current merchants, consumers and other participants, damage our reputation, result in shareholder or other litigation and diminish the value of our brand names, and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may increasingly become a target for public scrutiny, including complaints to regulatory agencies, negative media coverage, including social media and malicious reports, all of which could severely damage our reputation and materially and adversely affect our business and prospects.

We process an extremely large number of transactions on a daily basis on our marketplaces, and the high volume of transactions taking place on our marketplaces and publicity about our business creates the possibility of heightened attention from the public, regulators, the media and our participants. Heightened regulatory and public concern over consumer protection and consumer safety issues may subject us to additional legal and social

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responsibilities, and may also expose us to increased scrutiny and negative publicity over such issues, due to the large number of transactions that take place on our platforms and the increasing scope of our overall business operations. In addition, changes in our services or policies have resulted and could result in objections by members of the public, the media, including social media, participants in our ecosystem or others. From time to time, these objections or allegations, regardless of their veracity, may result in public protests or negative publicity, which could result in government inquiry or harm our reputation. Corporate transactions we or related parties undertake, such as our recent acquisition of the media business of SCMP Group Limited, which includes the South China Morning Post newspaper, may also subject us to increased media exposure and public scrutiny in Hong Kong, China and internationally. Moreover, as our business expands and grows, both organically and through acquisitions of and investments in other businesses, domestically and internationally, we will be exposed to heightened regulatory scrutiny in jurisdictions where we already operate as well as in new jurisdictions in areas including consumer safety, public health and public trust. There is no assurance that we would not become a target for regulatory or public scrutiny in the future or such scrutiny and public exposure would not severely damage our reputation as well as our business and prospects.

In addition, our directors and management have been, and continue to be, subject to scrutiny by the media and the public regarding their activities in and outside Alibaba Group, which may result in unverified, inaccurate or misleading information about them being reported by the press. Negative publicity about our executive chairman or other founders, directors or management, even if untrue or inaccurate, may harm our reputation.

We and Ant Financial Services are subject to a broad range of laws and regulations, and future laws and regulations may impose additional requirements and other obligations on our business or otherwise that could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The industries in which we and Ant Financial Services operate in the PRC, including online and mobile commerce and payments, online content offerings, financial services, cloud computing and entertainment, are highly regulated. The PRC government authorities are likely to continue to issue new laws, rules and regulations governing these industries, enhance enforcement of existing laws, rules and regulations and impose requirements relating to, among other things, new and additional licenses, permits and approvals or governance or ownership structures on us, Ant Financial Services and our users. These laws, rules and regulations and their application to us could take a direction that is adverse to our or Ant Financial Services' business at any time. In addition, there is no assurance that any required licenses, permits and approvals could be obtained or such new requirements can be satisfied in a timely or cost-effective manner, and failure to obtain them could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Changes in regulatory enforcement as well as tax policy in the PRC could also result in additional compliance obligations and increased costs or place restrictions upon our current or future operations. Any such legislation or regulation could also severely disrupt and constrain our business and the payment services used on our marketplaces.

We have from time to time been subject to PRC and foreign government inquiries and investigations, including those relating to website content and alleged third-party intellectual property infringement. We also face scrutiny, and have been subject to inquiries and investigations, from foreign governmental bodies that focus on cross-border trade, intellectual property protection, our investment activities, human rights, user privacy matters and fraudulent or other criminal transactions. None of these inquiries and investigations has resulted in significant restrictions on our business operations. However, as we continue to grow in scale and significance, we expect to face increased scrutiny, which will, at a minimum, result in our having to increase our investment in compliance and related capabilities and systems.

The increasing sophistication and development of our user base and our expansion into the mobile and entertainment business will also increase the need for higher standards of user protection, privacy protection and dispute management. Any increased involvement in inquiries or investigations could result in significantly higher legal and other costs, restraints on our ability to enforce the contracts we have entered into, loss of business and revenue, liability for breach of contracts with third parties, diversion of management and other resources, as well

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as negative publicity, which could harm our business and reputation and materially reduce our revenue and net income.

Ant Financial Services, which through Alipay provides the substantial majority of the payment processing services on our marketplaces as well as other financial services such as wealth management, insurance and credit referencing services, is subject to various laws, rules and regulations in the PRC and other countries where it operates, including those governing banking, privacy, cross-border and domestic money transmission, anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing and consumer protection laws, rules and regulations. For example, the laws, rules and regulations governing account verification are evolving rapidly. The Administrative Measures for the Online Payment Business of Non-bank Payment Institutions, or the Online Payment Measures, which will come into effect on July 1, 2016, include provisions relating to account management, security measures and other matters and require third-party payment providers to open real-name payment accounts for clients after verifying clients' valid identification documents. Different identification verification procedures are required for the opening of different types and tiers of payment accounts, which are subject to a range of purchasing and account transfer limits. After the effectiveness of the Online Payment Measures, the ability of consumers to pay for purchases on our marketplaces using deposits in their Alipay payment accounts may be materially limited, although the Online Payment Measures do not affect Alipay's escrow services. In April 2014, the China Banking Regulatory Commission, or the CBRC, and the PBOC issued Joint Circular 10, which requires commercial banks and other financial institutions in China to conduct additional customer verification procedures prior to establishing an automatic payment link between customers' bank accounts and their accounts with third-party payment services, such as Alipay. These laws, rules and regulations are highly complex and could change or be reinterpreted to make it difficult or impossible for Ant Financial Services to comply. In recent years, the PRC government has increasingly focused on regulation of the financial industry, including laws, rules and regulations relating to the provision of payment services. In addition, Alipay is required to maintain a payment business license in the PRC.

Ant Financial Services is also required to maintain other applicable money transmitter or other licenses and approvals from regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions outside China in which it operates, and the expansion by Ant Financial Services of its business may require additional licenses and approvals. In addition, in certain jurisdictions outside China where Alipay currently does not have the required money transmitter or other licenses, Alipay provides payment processing and escrow services through third-party service providers. If these providers were to terminate their relationship with Alipay or otherwise cease providing services to Alipay, cross-border transactions on our marketplaces would be negatively affected. If Alipay or its partners fail to obtain and maintain all required licenses and approvals or otherwise fails to comply with applicable laws, rules and regulations, if new laws, rules or regulations come into effect that impact Alipay or its partners' businesses, its services could be suspended or severely disrupted, and our business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.

We may be accused of infringing intellectual property rights of third parties and content restrictions of relevant laws.

Third parties may claim that the technology used in the operation of our platforms or our service offerings or the content on our platforms, including content available through our search business, online reading platform and news feed features, infringe upon their intellectual property rights. Although we have not in the past faced material litigation involving direct claims of infringement by us, the possibility of intellectual property claims against us, whether in China or other jurisdictions, increases as we continue to grow, particularly internationally. We have also acquired businesses, such as Youku Tudou, that have been, and may continue to be, subject to liabilities for infringement of third-party intellectual property rights or other allegations based on the content available on their websites or the services they provide. In addition, we expect our ecosystem to involve more and more user-generated content, including the entertainment content on Youku Tudou, the interactive media content displayed on Tmall and Taobao Marketplace, as well as the data generated, uploaded and saved by users of our cloud computing services, over which we have limited control and we may be subject to claims for infringement of third-party intellectual property rights, or subject us to additional scrutiny by the relevant government authorities. Such claims or scrutiny, whether or not having merit, may result in our expenditure of significant financial and

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management resources, injunctions against us or payment of damages. We may need to obtain licenses from third parties who allege that we have infringed their rights, but such licenses may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. These risks have been amplified by the increase in the number of third parties whose sole or primary business is to assert such claims.

China has enacted laws and regulations governing Internet access and the distribution of products, services, news, information, audio-video programs and other content through the Internet. The PRC government has prohibited the distribution of information through the Internet that it deems to be in violation of PRC laws and regulations, impairs the national dignity of China or the public interest, or is obscene, superstitious, fraudulent or defamatory. Users of certain of our websites and platforms, including Youku Tudou, can upload content, to such websites and platforms, which is generally referred to as "user-generated content." Due to the significant amount of content uploaded by our users, we may not be able to identify all the videos or other content that may violate relevant laws and regulations. If any of the information disseminated through our marketplaces and websites, including videos and other content (including user-generated content) displayed on Youku Tudou's or other of our websites or on our Tmall set-top-boxes and smart televisions powered by our YunOS that provide access to entertainment and e-commerce content, were deemed by the PRC government to violate any content restrictions, we would not be able to continue to display such content and could become subject to penalties, including confiscation of income, fines, suspension of business and revocation of required licenses, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The outcome of any claims, investigations and proceedings is inherently uncertain, and in any event defending against these claims could be both costly and time-consuming, and could significantly divert the efforts and resources of our management and other personnel. An adverse determination in any such litigation or proceedings could cause us to pay damages, as well as legal and other costs, limit our ability to conduct business or require us to change the manner in which we operate and harm our reputation.

We may become the target of anti-monopoly and unfair competition claims, which may result in our being subject to fines as well as constraints on our business.

Although the PRC Anti-Monopoly Law is relatively recent, having taken effect on August 1, 2008, PRC anti-monopoly enforcement agencies, namely the Ministry of Commerce, or the MOFCOM, the National Development and Reform Commission, or the NDRC, and the SAIC, have in recent years strengthened enforcement actions, including levying significant fines, with respect to concentration of undertakings and cartel activity, mergers and acquisitions, as well as abusive behavior of companies having market dominance. The PRC Anti-Monopoly Law also provides a private right of action for competitors or users to bring anti-monopoly claims against companies. In recent years, an increased number of companies have been exercising their right to seek relief under the PRC Anti-Monopoly Law. As public awareness of the rights under the PRC Anti-Monopoly Law increases, more companies, including our competitors, business partners and customers may resort to seeking the remedies available under the law, such as through complaints to regulators or as plaintiffs in private ligation, to improve their competition position, regardless of the merits of their claims.

From time to time, we may receive close scrutiny from government agencies under the PRC Anti-Monopoly Law in connection with our business practices, investments and acquisitions. Any anti-monopoly lawsuit or administrative proceeding initiated against us may result in our being subject to profit disgorgement, heavy fines and various constraints on our business, or result in negative publicity which could harm our reputation and negatively affect the trading price of our ADSs. These constraints could include forced termination of any agreements or arrangements that are determined to be in violation of anti-monopoly laws, required divestitures and limitations on certain business practices, which may limit our ability to continue to innovate, diminish the appeal of our services and increase our operating costs. These constraints could also enable our competitors to develop websites, products and services that mimic the functionality of our services, which could decrease the popularity of our marketplaces, products and services among merchants, consumers and other participants, and cause our revenue and net income to decrease materially.

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We may face challenges in expanding our international and cross-border operations.

As we plan to continue expanding our operations into existing and other markets, we will face risks associated with expanding into markets in which we have limited or no experience and in which our company may be less well-known. We may be unable to attract a sufficient number of customers and other participants, fail to anticipate competitive conditions or face difficulties in operating effectively in these new markets. The expansion of our international and cross-border business will also expose us to risks inherent in transacting business globally, including:

•: inability to recruit international talent and challenges in replicating or adapting our company policies and procedures to operating environments different than that of China;
•: lack of acceptance of our service offerings;
•: challenges and increased expenses associated with staffing and managing international and cross-border operations and managing an organization spread over various jurisdictions;
•: trade barriers such as import and export restrictions, high custom duties and other taxes, competition law regimes and other trade restrictions;
•: differing and potentially adverse tax consequences;
•: increased and conflicting regulatory compliance requirements;
•: challenges caused by distance, language and cultural differences;
•: increased costs to protect intellectual property and personal data security;
•: availability and reliability of international and cross-border payment systems;
•: exchange rate fluctuations; and
•: political instability and general economic or political conditions in particular countries or regions.

As we expand further into new regions and markets, these risks could intensify. One or more of these factors could adversely impact our international and cross-border operations. Accordingly, any efforts we make to expand our international and cross-border operations may not be successful. Failure to expand our international and cross-border operations could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Transactions conducted through our international and cross-border marketplaces may be subject to different customs, taxes and import/export rules and regulations. For example, the Notice on Tax Policies of Cross-Border E-Commerce Retail Importation effective as of April 8, 2016, or the New Cross-Border E-commerce Tax Notice, replaced the previous system for taxing imported consumer goods into the PRC and introduced a 17% VAT on most products sold through e-commerce platforms and a 30% consumption tax on cosmetics and perfumes, but no consumption taxes on skin care products, maternity and baby care products, in the event that the prescribed quotas are exceeded. See "Item 4. Information on the Company — B. Business Overview — Regulation — Tax Regulations." The change of regulation pattern regarding the import tax on consumer goods imported through cross-border e-commerce platforms, as well as limitation on the import categories, may substantially increase import tax imposed on buyers and thus raise the price of goods sold on our cross-border platforms, which may impair our competitive advantage and could adversely affect the growth of our cross-border e-commerce operation, our financial condition and results of operations.

These customs and import/export rules and regulations are complex, and customs and tax authorities in the relevant jurisdictions may challenge our interpretation of applicable customs and import/export rules relating to product shipments under their respective customs and import/export laws and treaties. In addition, we will also face the challenge of complying concurrently with the compliance rules and regulations of multiple jurisdictions,

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and such rules or regulations could conflict or interact with each other in complex ways. Our globalization strategy may be adversely affected by the complexity and development of customs and import/export laws, rules and regulations, including the change of PRC regulation pattern regarding the import tax on consumer goods imported through cross-border e-commerce platforms.

Our brand name and our business may be harmed by aggressive marketing and communications strategies of our competitors.

Due to intense competition in our industry, we have been and may be the target of incomplete, inaccurate and false statements about our company and our products and services that could damage our and our management's reputation and our brand and materially deter consumers from making purchases on our marketplaces. Our ability to respond to our competitors' misleading marketing efforts may be limited during our self-imposed quiet periods around quarter ends or due to legal prohibitions on permissible public communications by us during certain other periods.

Our results of operations fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter which may make it difficult to predict our future performance.

Our results of operations fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter. In addition, our business is characterized by seasonal fluctuations, which may cause further fluctuations. The fourth quarter of each calendar year generally contributes the largest portion of our annual revenues due to a number of factors, such as merchants allocating a significant portion of their online marketing budgets to the fourth calendar quarter, promotions, such as Singles Day on November 11 of each year and the impact of seasonal buying patterns in respect of certain categories such as apparel. The first quarter of each calendar year generally contributes the smallest portion of our annual revenues, primarily due to a lower level of allocation of online marketing budgets by merchants at the beginning of the calendar year and the Chinese New Year holiday, during which time consumers generally spend less and businesses in China are generally closed. We may also introduce new promotions or change the timing of our promotions in ways that further cause our quarterly results to fluctuate and differ from historical patterns. In addition, seasonal weather patterns may affect the timing of buying decisions. For example, unexpectedly long periods of warm weather could delay the purchase of heavier clothing items that have higher average selling prices. The performance of our equity investees and of businesses in which we have made investments, may also result in fluctuations in our results of operations. Fluctuations in our results of operations related to our investments may also result from the accounting implication of re-measurement of fair values of certain financial instruments, share-based awards and previously held equity interests upon disposal or step acquisitions. Given that the fair value movements of the underlying equities of financial instruments, share-based awards or equity interests are beyond the control of our management, the magnitude of the related accounting impact is unpredictable and may affect our results of operations significantly. Our results of operations will likely fluctuate due to these and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. In addition, our growth in the past may have masked the seasonality that might otherwise be apparent in our results of operations. As the rate of growth of our business declines in comparison to prior periods, we expect that the seasonality in our business may become more pronounced. Moreover, as our business grows, we expect that our fixed costs and expenses, such as payroll and benefits, bandwidth and co-location fees, will continue to increase, which will result in operating leverage in seasonally strong quarters but can significantly pressure operating margins in seasonally weak quarters.

Our quarterly and annual financial results will likely differ from our historical performance. To the extent our results of operations are below the expectations of public market analysts and investors in the future, or if there are significant fluctuations in our financial results, the market price of our ADSs could decline materially.

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We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights.

We rely on a combination of trademark, fair trade practice, patent, copyright and trade secret protection laws in China and other jurisdictions, as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions, to protect our intellectual property rights. We also enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees and any third parties who may access our proprietary information, and we rigorously control access to our proprietary technology and information.

Intellectual property protection may not be sufficient in China or other countries in which we operate. Confidentiality agreements may be breached by counterparties, and there may not be adequate remedies available to us for these breaches. Accordingly, we may not be able to effectively protect our intellectual property rights or to enforce our contractual rights in China or elsewhere. In addition, policing any unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult, time-consuming and costly and the steps we have taken may be inadequate to prevent the misappropriation of our intellectual property. In the event that we resort to litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights, the litigation could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our managerial and financial resources. We can provide no assurance that we will prevail in such litigation. In addition, our trade secrets may be leaked or otherwise become available to, or be independently discovered by, our competitors. Any failure in protecting or enforcing our intellectual property rights could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may be subject to claims under consumer protection laws, including health and safety claims and product liability claims, if property or people are harmed by the products and services sold on our marketplaces.

Due to several high-profile incidents involving food safety and consumer complaints that have occurred in China in recent years, the PRC government, media outlets and public advocacy groups are increasingly focused on consumer protection. Moreover, as part of our growth strategy, we expect to increase our focus on food, food supplements and beverages, mother care, baby care and healthcare products and services, and electronics products, and have also invested in companies involved in these sectors, which could expose us to increasing liability associated with consumer protection laws in those areas. Operators of commerce marketplaces and platforms are subject to certain provisions of consumer protection laws even where the operator is not the merchant of the product or service purchased by the consumer. For example, under applicable consumer protection laws in China, e-commerce platform operators may be held liable for consumer claims relating to damage if they are unable to provide consumers with the true name, address and contact details of merchants or service providers. In addition, if we do not take appropriate remedial action against merchants or service providers for actions they engage in that we know, or should have known, would infringe upon the rights and interests of consumers, we may be held jointly liable with the merchant or service provider for such infringement. Moreover, applicable consumer protection laws in China hold that trading platforms will be held liable for failing to meet any undertakings that the platforms make to consumers with regard to products listed on their websites. Furthermore, we are required to report to SAIC or its local branches any violation of applicable laws, regulations or SAIC rules by merchants or service providers, such as sales of goods without proper license or authorization, and to take appropriate remedial measures, including ceasing to provide services to the relevant merchants or service providers. We may also be held jointly liable with merchants who do not possess the proper licenses or authorizations to sell goods or sell goods that do not meet product standards. In addition, we are facing increasing levels of activist litigation in China by plaintiffs claiming damages based on consumer protection laws. This type of activist litigation could increase in the future, and if it does, we could face increased costs defending such suits and damages should we not prevail, which could materially and adversely affect our reputation and brand and our results of operations. As our business expands outside of China, we may also face increasing scrutiny from consumer protection regulators in the United States, Europe and other jurisdictions. If claims are brought against us under any of these laws, we could be subject to damages and reputational damage as well as action by regulators, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We do not maintain product liability insurance for products and services transacted on our marketplaces, and our rights of indemnity from the merchants on our marketplaces may not adequately cover us for any liability we may incur. Even unsuccessful

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claims could result in the expenditure of funds and management time and resources and could materially reduce our net income and profitability.

We may be subject to material litigation and regulatory proceedings.

We have been involved in litigation relating principally to third-party and principal intellectual property infringement claims, contract disputes involving merchants and consumers on our platform, consumer protection claims, employment related cases and other matters in the ordinary course of our business. As our ecosystem expands, including across jurisdictions and through the addition of new businesses, and as litigation becomes more common in China, we may face an increasing number of such claims, including those involving higher amounts of alleged damages. We have acquired and may acquire companies, such as Youku Tudou, that are subject to or may become subject to litigation, including shareholder class action lawsuits in the case of companies we acquire that are or were publicly-listed companies.

As a publicly-listed company, we may face additional exposure to claims and lawsuits inside and outside China. We will need to defend against such lawsuits, including any appeals should our initial defense be successful. The litigation process may utilize a material portion of our cash resources and divert management's attention from the day-to-day operations of our company, all of which could harm our business. There can be no assurance that we will prevail in any such cases, and any adverse outcome of these cases could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business and results of operations. In particular, we have been named as a defendant in certain purported shareholder class action lawsuits described in "Item 8. Financial Information — A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information — Legal and Administrative Proceedings." We are currently unable to estimate the possible loss or possible range of loss, if any, associated with the resolution of these lawsuits. An unfavorable outcome from the lawsuits, including any plaintiff's appeal of the judgment in these lawsuits, could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows in the future. In addition, although we have obtained directors and officers liability insurance, the insurance coverage may not be adequate to cover our indemnification obligations.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, informed us that it was initiating an investigation into whether there have been any violations of the federal securities laws. The SEC has requested that we voluntarily provide it with documents and information relating to, among other things: our consolidation policies and practices (including our accounting for Cainiao Network as an equity method investee), our policies and practices applicable to related party transactions in general, and our reporting of operating data from Singles Day. We are voluntarily disclosing this SEC request for information and cooperating with the SEC and, through our legal counsel, have been providing the SEC with requested documents and information. The SEC advised us that the initiation of a request for information should not be construed as an indication by the SEC or its staff that any violation of the federal securities laws has occurred. This matter is ongoing, and, as with any regulatory proceeding, we cannot predict when it will be concluded.

The existence of litigation, claims, investigations and proceedings may harm our reputation and adversely affect the trading price of our ADSs. The outcome of any claims, investigations and proceedings is inherently uncertain, and in any event defending against these claims could be both costly and time-consuming, and could significantly divert the efforts and resources of our management and other personnel. An adverse determination in any litigation, investigation or proceeding could cause us to pay damages as well as legal and other costs, limit our ability to conduct business or require us to change the manner in which we operate.

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We may suffer reputational harm and the price of our ADSs may decrease significantly due to business dealings or connections of merchants or consumers on our marketplaces with sanctioned countries or persons.

The U.S. government imposes broad economic and trade restrictions on certain countries and regions, or the Sanctioned Countries, including Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria, and numerous individuals and entities, including those designated as having engaged in activities relating to terrorism, drug trafficking, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or human rights violations, or the Sanctioned Persons. The United Nations, the European Union, or the EU, the United Kingdom, or the UK, and other countries also impose economic and trade restrictions, including on certain of the Sanctioned Countries and Sanctioned Persons. We do not have employees or operations in the Sanctioned Countries, and, although our websites are open and available worldwide, we do not actively solicit business from the Sanctioned Countries or Sanctioned Persons.

As a Cayman Islands company, we are generally not required to comply with U.S., UK, and EU sanctions to the same extent as U.S., UK or EU entities. However, our U.S., UK, and EU subsidiaries, our employees who are U.S. persons or UK or EU nationals, activities in the U.S., UK, or EU, activities involving U.S.-origin goods or services, and certain Iran-related activities, may be subject to applicable sanctions requirements. In the case of Alibaba.com, our aggregate cash revenue from members in these Sanctioned Countries in fiscal year 2016 accounted for less than 0.04% of our international wholesale commerce cash revenue. In the case of AliExpress and Taobao Marketplace, an insignificant percentage of orders have been placed by consumers from the Sanctioned Counties, with an aggregate GMV settled of approximately US$10.2 million in the twelve months ended March 31, 2016. As all transaction fees on AliExpress and Taobao Marketplace are paid by merchants, primarily based in China, we do not earn any fees or commission from consumers in Sanctioned Countries in respect of transactions conducted on these platforms.

We cannot assure you that current or future economic and trade sanctions regulations or developments will not have a negative impact on our business or reputation. International economic and trade sanctions are complex and subject to frequent change, including jurisdictional reach and the lists of countries, entities, and individuals subject to the sanctions. Hence, we may incur significant costs related to current, new, or changing sanctions programs, as well as investigations, fines, fees or settlements, which may be difficult to predict. We also could face increased sanctions-related compliance costs and risks as we expand globally and into additional businesses, such as cloud computing and data hosting. In addition, our expanding network of global business partners, joint venture partners or other parties that have collaborative relationships with us or our affiliates may engage in activities in or with Sanctioned Countries or Sanctioned Persons, which might result in negative publicity, governmental investigations and reputational harm. Any of the above may cause the price of our ADSs to decline significantly, and thus materially reduce the value of your investment in our ADSs.

Certain institutional investors, including state and municipal governments in the United States and universities, as well as financial institutions, have proposed or adopted divestment or similar initiatives regarding investments in companies that do business with Sanctioned Countries. Accordingly, as a result of activities on our marketplaces involving users based in the Sanctioned Countries, certain investors may not wish to invest, and certain financial institutions may not wish to lend or extend credit and may divest their investment in, or seek early repayment of loans to us. These divestment initiatives may negatively impact our reputation and investor sentiment with respect to our ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.

We may be subject to liability for content available in our ecosystem that is alleged to be socially destabilizing, obscene, defamatory, libelous or otherwise unlawful.

Under PRC law and the laws of certain other jurisdictions in which we operate, we are required to monitor our websites and the websites hosted on our servers and mobile interfaces for items or content deemed to be socially destabilizing, obscene, superstitious or defamatory, as well as for items, content or services that are illegal to sell online or otherwise in other jurisdictions in which we operate our marketplaces, and promptly take appropriate action with respect to the relevant items, content or services. We may also be subject to potential liability in China or other jurisdictions for any unlawful actions of our customers or users of our websites or mobile

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interfaces or for content we distribute or that is linked from our platforms that is deemed inappropriate. It may be difficult to determine the type of content that may result in liability to us, our websites and platforms, such as Youku Tudou, which allow users to upload videos and other content to our websites, or our cloud computing services, which allow users to upload and save massive data on our cloud data centers, may make this even more difficult. If we are found to be liable, we may be subject to negative publicity, fines, have our relevant business operation licenses revoked, or be prevented from operating our websites or mobile interfaces in China or other jurisdictions.

In addition, claims may be brought against us for defamation, libel, negligence, copyright, patent or trademark infringement, tort (including personal injury), other unlawful activity or other theories and claims based on the nature and content of information posted on our platforms, including user-generated content, product reviews and message boards, by our consumers, merchants and other participants.

Regardless of the outcome of such a dispute or lawsuit, we may suffer from negative publicity and reputational damage as a result of these actions.

Failure to comply with the terms of our indebtedness could result in acceleration of indebtedness, which could have an adverse effect on our cash flow and liquidity.

We have issued an aggregate of US$8.0 billion unsecured senior notes. We have also entered into a US$3.0 billion revolving credit facility and a five-year term loan facility of US$4.0 billion. Under the terms of our unsecured senior notes and credit facilities and under any debt financing arrangement that we may enter into in the future, we are, and may be in the future, subject to covenants that could, among other things, restrict our business and operations. If we breach any of these covenants, our lenders and holders of our unsecured senior notes will be entitled to accelerate our debt obligations. Any default under our credit facilities or unsecured senior notes could require that we repay these debts prior to maturity as well as limit our ability to obtain additional financing, which in turn may have a material adverse effect on our cash flow and liquidity.

We may need additional capital but may not be able to obtain it on favorable terms or at all.

We may require additional cash resources due to future growth and development of our business, including any investments or acquisitions we may decide to pursue. If our cash resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may seek to issue additional equity or debt securities or obtain new or expanded credit facilities. Our ability to obtain external financing in the future is subject to a variety of uncertainties, including our future financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, trading price of our ADSs, liquidity of international capital and lending markets and PRC governmental regulations over foreign investment and the Internet industry in the PRC. In addition, incurring indebtedness would subject us to increased debt service obligations and could result in operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations. There can be no assurance that financing will be available in a timely manner or in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, or at all. Any failure to raise needed funds on terms favorable to us, or at all, could severely restrict our liquidity as well as have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, any issuance of equity or equity-linked securities could result in significant dilution to our existing shareholders.

We are subject to interest rate risk in connection with our indebtedness.

We are exposed to interest rate risk related to our indebtedness. The interest rates under our credit facilities and one tranche of our unsecured senior notes with an aggregate principal amount of US$300 million are based on a spread over LIBOR. As a result, the interest expenses associated with our indebtedness will be subject to the potential impact of any fluctuation in LIBOR. Any increase in LIBOR could impact our financing costs if not effectively hedged. Our RMB denominated bank borrowings are also subject to interest rate risk. Although from time to time, we use hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to interest rate risk, these hedges may not be effective.

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We may not have sufficient insurance coverage to cover our business risks.

We have obtained insurance to cover certain potential risks and liabilities, such as property damage, business interruptions and public liabilities. However, insurance companies in China offer limited business insurance products. As a result, we may not be able to acquire any insurance for all types of risks we face in our operations in China, and our coverage may not be adequate to compensate for all losses that may occur, particularly with respect to loss of business or operations. We do not maintain product liability insurance, nor do we maintain key-man life insurance. This could leave us exposed to potential claims and losses. Any business disruption, litigation, regulatory action, outbreak of epidemic disease or natural disaster could also expose us to substantial costs and diversion of resources. We cannot assure you that our insurance coverage is sufficient to prevent us from any loss or that we will be able to successfully claim our losses under our current insurance policy on a timely basis, or at all. If we incur any loss that is not covered by our insurance policies, or the compensated amount is significantly less than our actual loss, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

An occurrence of a natural disaster, widespread health epidemic or other outbreaks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business could be materially and adversely affected by natural disasters, such as snowstorms, earthquakes, fires or floods, the outbreak of a widespread health epidemic, such as swine flu, avian influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, Ebola or other events, such as wars, acts of terrorism, environmental accidents, power shortage or communication interruptions. The occurrence of such a disaster or a prolonged outbreak of an epidemic illness or other adverse public health developments in China or elsewhere in the world could materially disrupt our business and operations. These events could also significantly impact our industry and cause a temporary closure of the facilities we use for our operations, which would severely disrupt our operations and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our operations could be disrupted if any of our employees or employees of our business partners were suspected of having the swine flu, avian influenza, SARS, Ebola, or other epidemical diseases, since this could require us or our business partners to quarantine some or all of these employees or disinfect the facilities used for our operations. In addition, our revenue and profitability could be materially reduced to the extent that a natural disaster, health epidemic or other outbreak harms the global or PRC economy in general. Our operations could also be severely disrupted if our consumers, merchants or other participants were affected by natural disasters, health epidemics or other outbreaks.

Risks Related to our Corporate Structure

The Alibaba Partnership and related voting agreements limit the ability of our shareholders to nominate and elect directors.

Our articles of association allow the Alibaba Partnership to nominate or, in limited situations, appoint a simple majority of our board of directors. If at any time our board of directors consists of less than a simple majority of directors nominated or appointed by the Alibaba Partnership for any reason, including because a director previously nominated by the Alibaba Partnership ceases to be a member of our board of directors or because the Alibaba Partnership had previously not exercised its right to nominate or appoint a simple majority of our board of directors, the Alibaba Partnership will be entitled (in its sole discretion) to nominate or appoint such number of additional directors to the board as necessary to ensure that the directors nominated or appointed by the Alibaba Partnership comprise a simple majority of our board of directors.

In addition, we have entered into a voting agreement pursuant to which SoftBank, Yahoo, Jack Ma and Joe Tsai have agreed to vote their shares in favor of the Alibaba Partnership director nominees at each annual general shareholders meeting for so long as SoftBank owns at least 15% of our outstanding ordinary shares. Furthermore, the voting agreement provides that SoftBank has the right to nominate one director to our board until SoftBank owns less than 15% of our outstanding ordinary shares, and that right is also reflected in our articles of association. In addition, pursuant to the voting agreement, Yahoo, Jack Ma and Joe Tsai have agreed to vote their

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shares (including shares for which they have voting power) in favor of the election of the SoftBank director nominee at each annual general shareholders meeting in which the SoftBank nominee stands for election. Moreover, subject to certain exceptions, pursuant to the voting agreement SoftBank and Yahoo have agreed to give Jack and Joe a proxy over, with respect to SoftBank, any portion of its shareholdings exceeding 30% of our outstanding shares and, with respect to Yahoo, all of its shareholdings up to a maximum of 121.5 million of our ordinary shares. These proxies will remain in effect until Jack Ma owns less than 1% of our ordinary shares on a fully diluted basis or we materially breach the voting agreement.

This governance structure and contractual arrangement limit the ability of our shareholders to influence corporate matters, including any matters determined at the board level. In addition, the nomination right granted to the Alibaba Partnership will remain in place for the life of the Alibaba Partnership unless our articles of association are amended to provide otherwise by a vote of shareholders representing at least 95% of shares that vote at a shareholders meeting. The nomination rights of the Alibaba Partnership will remain in place notwithstanding a change of control or merger of our company and, for so long as SoftBank and Yahoo remain substantial shareholders, we expect the Alibaba Partnership nominees will receive a majority of votes cast at any meeting for the election of directors and will be elected as directors. These provisions and agreements could have the effect of delaying, preventing or deterring a change in control, and could limit the opportunity of our shareholders to receive a premium for their ADSs, and could also materially decrease the price that some investors are willing to pay for our ADSs. As of the date of this annual report, the parties to the voting agreement and the partners of the Alibaba Partnership held in aggregate more than 50% of our outstanding ordinary shares (including unvested shares and shares underlying vested and unvested awards). See "Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees — A. Directors and Senior Management — Alibaba Partnership."

The interests of the Alibaba Partnership may conflict with the interests of our shareholders.

The nomination and appointment rights of the Alibaba Partnership limits the ability of our shareholders to influence corporate matters, including any matters to be determined by our board of directors. The interests of the Alibaba Partnership may not coincide with the interests of our shareholders, and the Alibaba Partnership or its director nominees may make decisions with which they disagree, including decisions on important topics such as compensation, management succession, acquisition strategy and our business and financial strategy. For example, because the Alibaba Partnership will continue to be largely comprised of members of our management team, the Alibaba Partnership and its director nominees, consistent with our operating philosophy, may focus on the long-term interests of our ecosystem participants at the expense of our short-term financial results, which may differ from the expectations and desires of shareholders unaffiliated with the Alibaba Partnership. To the extent that the interests of the Alibaba Partnership differ from the interests of any of our shareholders, such shareholder may be disadvantaged by any action that the Alibaba Partnership may seek to pursue.

Our articles of association contain anti-takeover provisions that could adversely affect the rights of holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs.

Our articles of association contain certain provisions that could limit the ability of third parties to acquire control of our company, including:

•: a provision that grants authority to our board of directors to establish from time to time one or more series of preferred shares without action by our shareholders and to determine, with respect to any series of preferred shares, the terms and rights of that series;
•: a provision that grants the Alibaba Partnership the right to nominate a simple majority of our board of directors notwithstanding a change of control or merger of our company; and
•: a classified board with staggered terms that will prevent the replacement of a majority of directors at one time.

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These provisions could have the effect of delaying, preventing or deterring a change in control, and could limit the opportunity for our shareholders to receive a premium for their ADSs, and could also materially decrease the price that some investors are willing to pay for our ADSs.

SoftBank owns more than 30% of our outstanding ordinary shares and its interests may differ from those of our other shareholders.

As of March 31, 2016, SoftBank owned approximately 32.2% of our outstanding ordinary shares. Subject to certain exceptions, SoftBank has agreed to grant the voting power of any portion of its shareholding exceeding 30% of our outstanding ordinary shares to Jack Ma and Joe Tsai by proxy. Under the terms of the voting agreement we entered into with SoftBank, SoftBank also has the right to nominate one member of our board of directors, and Yahoo, Jack and Joe have agreed to vote their shares (including shares for which they have voting power) in favor of the SoftBank director nominees at each annual general shareholders meeting in which the SoftBank nominee stands for election until such time as SoftBank holds less than 15% of our outstanding ordinary shares. SoftBank's director nomination right is also reflected in our articles of association. Except with regard to shareholder votes relating to the Alibaba Partnership director nominees, SoftBank will have significant influence over the outcome of matters that require shareholder votes and accordingly over our business and corporate matters. SoftBank may exercise its shareholder rights in a way that it believes is in its own best interest, which may conflict with the interest of our other shareholders. These actions may be taken even if SoftBank is opposed by our other shareholders.

For more information, see "Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions — B. Related Party Transaction — Transactions and Agreements with SoftBank and Yahoo — Voting Agreement."

If the PRC government deems that the contractual arrangements in relation to our variable interest entities do not comply with PRC governmental restrictions on foreign investment, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations changes in the future, we could be subject to penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.

Foreign ownership of certain types of Internet businesses, such as Internet information services, is subject to restrictions under applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations. For example, foreign investors are generally not permitted to own more than 50% of the equity interests in a value-added telecommunication service provider. Any such foreign investor must also have experience and a good track record in providing value-added telecommunications services overseas. Although according to the Notice on Lifting the Restriction to Foreign Shareholding Percentage in Online Data Processing and Transaction Processing Business (Operational E-commerce) promulgated by the MIIT on June 19, 2015, foreign investors are allowed to hold up to 100% of all equity interests in the online data processing and transaction processing business (operational e-commerce) in China, other requirements provided by the Foreign Investment Telecommunications Rules (such as the track record and experience requirement for a major foreign investor) still apply. It is unclear how this notice will be implemented and there exist high uncertainties with respect to its interpretation and implementation by authorities.

While the significant majority of our revenue was generated by our wholly-foreign owned enterprises in fiscal year 2016, we provide Internet information services in China, which are critical to our business, through a number of PRC incorporated variable interest entities. The variable interest entities are owned by PRC citizens who are our founders or senior employees or by PRC entities owned by such PRC citizens, or the variable interest entity equity holders, with whom we have contractual arrangements, or the contractual arrangements. The contractual arrangements give us effective control over each of the variable interest entities and enable us to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits arising from the variable interest entities as well as consolidate the financial results of the variable interest entities in our results of operations. Although the structure we have adopted is consistent with longstanding industry practice, and is commonly adopted by comparable companies in China, the PRC government may not agree that these arrangements comply with PRC licensing, registration or other regulatory requirements, with existing policies or with requirements or policies that may be adopted in the future.

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In the opinion of Fangda Partners, our PRC counsel, the ownership structures of our material wholly-foreign owned enterprises and our material variable interest entities in China do not and will not violate any applicable PRC law, regulation or rule currently in effect; and the contractual arrangements between our material wholly-foreign owned enterprises, our material variable interest entities and their respective equity holders governed by PRC law are valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with their terms and applicable PRC laws and regulations currently in effect and will not violate any applicable PRC law, rule or regulation currently in effect. However, Fangda Partners has also advised us that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current PRC laws, rules and regulations. Accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities and PRC courts may in the future take a view that is contrary to the opinion of our PRC legal counsel.

It is uncertain whether any new PRC laws, rules or regulations relating to variable interest entity structures will be adopted or if adopted, what they would provide. Please also see "— Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation of draft PRC Foreign Investment Law."

If we or any of our variable interest entities are found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws, rules or regulations, or fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion to take action in dealing with such violations or failures, including revoking the business and operating licenses of our PRC subsidiaries or the variable interest entities, requiring us to discontinue or restrict our operations, restricting our right to collect revenue, blocking one or more of our websites, requiring us to restructure our operations or taking other regulatory or enforcement actions against us. The imposition of any of these measures could result in a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct all or any portion of our business operations. In addition, it is unclear what impact the PRC government actions would have on us and on our ability to consolidate the financial results of any of our variable interest entities in our consolidated financial statements, if the PRC government authorities were to find our legal structure and contractual arrangements to be in violation of PRC laws, rules and regulations. If the imposition of any of these government actions causes us to lose our right to direct the activities of any of our material variable interest entities or otherwise separate from any of these entities and if we are not able to restructure our ownership structure and operations in a satisfactory manner, we would no longer be able to consolidate the financial results of our variable interest entities in our consolidated financial statements. Any of these events would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation of draft PRC Foreign Investment Law.

The MOFCOM published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law in January 2015 aiming to, upon its enactment, replace the major existing laws and regulations governing foreign investment in China. While the MOFCOM completed the solicitation of the comments on this draft in February 2015, there are still substantial uncertainties with respect to its enactment timetable.

Among other things, the draft Foreign Investment Law purports to introduce the principle of "actual control" in determining whether a company is considered a foreign invested enterprise, or an FIE. The draft Foreign Investment Law specifically provides that entities established in China but "controlled" by foreign investors will be treated as FIEs, whereas an entity organized in a foreign jurisdiction, but cleared by the MOFCOM as "controlled" by PRC entities and/or citizens, would nonetheless be treated as a PRC domestic entity for investment in the "restriction category" on the "negative list." In this connection, "control" is broadly defined in the draft law to cover any of the following summarized categories:

•: holding 50% or more of the voting rights or similar rights and interests of the subject entity;
•: holding less than 50% of the voting rights or similar rights and interests of the subject entity but having the power to directly or indirectly appoint or otherwise secure at least 50% of the seats on the board or other equivalent decision making bodies, or having the voting power to materially influence the board, the shareholders' meeting or other equivalent decision making bodies; or

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•: having the power to exert decisive influence, via contractual or trust arrangements, over the subject entity's operations, financial, staffing and technology matters.

Once an entity is determined to be an FIE, and its investment amount exceeds certain thresholds or its business operation falls within a "negative list" purported to be separately issued by the State Council in the future, market entry clearance by the MOFCOM or its local counterparts would be required.

The "variable interest entity" structure, or VIE structure, has been adopted by many PRC-based companies, including us and certain of our equity investees such as Weibo, to obtain necessary licenses and permits in the industries that are currently subject to foreign investment restrictions in China. Under the draft Foreign Investment Law, variable interest entities that are controlled via contractual arrangements would also be deemed as FIEs, if they are ultimately "controlled" by foreign investors. For any companies with a VIE structure in an industry category that is in the "restriction category" on the "negative list," the existing VIE structure may be deemed legitimate only if the ultimate controlling person(s) is/are of PRC nationality (either PRC state owned enterprises or agencies, or PRC citizens). Conversely, if the actual controlling person(s) is/are of foreign nationalities, then the variable interest entities will be treated as FIEs and any operation in the industry category on the "negative list" without market entry clearance may be considered as illegal.

Based on the definition of "control" in the draft Foreign Investment Law as currently proposed, we believe that there are strong basis for a determination that we and our variable interest entities are ultimately controlled by PRC citizens for the following reasons:

•: Alibaba Partnership has an exclusive right to nominate and appoint up to a simple majority of the members of our board of directors and therefore effectively controls the board and all management decisions of our company;
•: nearly all of the partners of Alibaba Partnership are PRC citizens; and
•: Alibaba Partnership exercises its nomination rights by a majority of votes of all its partners.

See "Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees — A. Directors and Senior Management — Alibaba Partnership."

However, there are significant uncertainties as to how the control status of our company, our variable interest entities and our equity investees with a VIE structure would be determined under the enacted version of the Foreign Investment Law. In addition, it is uncertain whether any of the businesses that we currently operate or plan to operate in the future through our consolidated entities and the businesses operated by our equity investees with a VIE structure would be on the to-be-issued "negative list" and therefore be subject to any foreign investment restrictions or prohibitions. We also face uncertainties as to whether the enacted version of the Foreign Investment Law and the final "negative list" would mandate further actions, such as MOFCOM market entry clearance, to be completed by companies with existing VIE structure and whether such clearance can be timely obtained, or at all. If we or our equity investees with a VIE structure were not considered as ultimately controlled by PRC domestic investors under the enacted version of the Foreign Investment Law, further actions required to be taken by us or such equity investees under the enacted Foreign Investment Law may materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.

In addition, our corporate governance practice may be materially impacted and our compliance costs could increase if we were not considered as ultimately controlled by PRC domestic investors under the enacted version of the Foreign Investment Law. For instance, the draft Foreign Investment Law as proposed purports to impose stringent ad hoc and periodic information reporting requirements on foreign investors and the applicable FIEs. Aside from investment implementation report and investment amendment report that would be required for each investment and alteration of investment specifics, an annual report would be mandatory, and large foreign investors meeting certain criteria would be required to report on a quarterly basis. Any company found to be non-compliant with these information reporting obligations could potentially be subject to fines and/or administrative or criminal liabilities, and the persons directly responsible could be subject to criminal liabilities.

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Our contractual arrangements may not be as effective in providing control over the variable interest entities as direct ownership.

We rely on contractual arrangements with our variable interest entities to operate part of our Internet businesses in China and other businesses in which foreign investment is restricted or prohibited. For a description of these contractual arrangements, see "Item 4. Information on the Company — C. Organizational Structure — Contractual Arrangements among Our Wholly-foreign Owned Enterprises, Variable Interest Entities and the Variable Interest Entity Equity Holders." These contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over our variable interest entities.

If we had direct ownership of the variable interest entities, we would be able to exercise our rights as an equity holder directly to effect changes in the boards of directors of those entities, which could effect changes at the management and operational level. Under our contractual arrangements, we may not be able to directly change the members of the boards of directors of these entities and would have to rely on the variable interest entities and the variable interest entity equity holders to perform their obligations in order to exercise our control over the variable interest entities. The variable interest entity equity holders may have conflicts of interest with us or our shareholders, and they may not act in the best interests of our company or may not perform their obligations under these contracts. For example, our variable interest entities and their respective equity holders could breach their contractual arrangements with us by, among other things, failing to conduct their operations, including maintaining our websites and using our domain names and trademarks which the relevant variable interest entities have exclusive rights to use, in an acceptable manner or taking other actions that are detrimental to our interests. Pursuant to the call option, we may replace the equity holders of the variable interest entities at any time pursuant to the contractual arrangements. However, if any equity holder is uncooperative and any dispute relating to these contracts or the replacement of the equity holders remains unresolved, we will have to enforce our rights under the contractual arrangements through the operations of PRC law and arbitral or judicial agencies, which may be costly and time-consuming and will be subject to uncertainties in the PRC legal system. See "— Any failure by our variable interest entities or their equity holders to perform their obligations under the contractual arrangements would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations." Consequently, the contractual arrangements may not be as effective in ensuring our control over the relevant portion of our business operations as direct ownership.

Any failure by our variable interest entities or their equity holders to perform their obligations under the contractual arrangements would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If our variable interest entities or their equity holders fail to perform their respective obligations under the contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend additional resources to enforce such arrangements. Although we have entered into call option agreements in relation to each variable interest entity, which provide that we may exercise an option to acquire, or nominate a person to acquire, ownership of the equity in that entity or, in some cases, its assets, to the extent permitted by applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, the exercise of these call options is subject to the review and approval of the relevant PRC governmental authorities. We have also entered into equity pledge agreements with respect to each variable interest entity to secure certain obligations of such variable interest entity or its equity holders to us under the contractual arrangements. However, the enforcement of such agreements through arbitral or judicial agencies may be costly and time-consuming and will be subject to uncertainties in the PRC legal system. Moreover, our remedies under the equity pledge agreements are primarily intended to help us collect debts owed to us by the variable interest entities or the variable interest entity equity holders under the contractual arrangements and may not help us in acquiring the assets or equity of the variable interest entities.

In addition, although the terms of the contractual arrangements provide that they will be binding on the successors of the variable interest entity equity holders, as those successors are not a party to the agreements, it is uncertain whether the successors in case of the death, bankruptcy or divorce of a variable interest entity equity holder will be subject to or will be willing to honor the obligations of such variable interest entity equity holder under the contractual arrangements. If the relevant variable interest entity or its equity holder (or its successor), as

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applicable, fails to transfer the shares of the variable interest entity according to the respective call option agreement or equity pledge agreement, we would need to enforce our rights under the call option agreement or equity pledge agreement, which may be costly and time-consuming and may not be successful.

The contractual arrangements are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration or court proceedings in China. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal system in the PRC is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions, such as the United States. Moreover, there are very few precedents and little formal guidance as to how contractual arrangements in the context of a variable interest entity should be interpreted or enforced under PRC law, and as a result it may be difficult to predict how an arbitration panel or court would view such contractual arrangements. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce the contractual arrangements. Under PRC law, if the losing parties fail to carry out the arbitration awards or court judgments within a prescribed time limit, the prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards or court judgments in PRC courts, which would require additional expense and delay. In the event we are unable to enforce the contractual arrangements, we may not be able to exert effective control over the variable interest entities, and our ability to conduct our business, as well as our financial condition and results of operations, may be materially and adversely affected.

We may lose the ability to use, or otherwise benefit from, the licenses, approvals and assets held by our variable interest entities, which could severely disrupt our business, render us unable to conduct some or all of our business operations and constrain our growth.

Although the significant majority of our revenues are generated, and the significant majority of our operational assets are held, by our wholly-foreign owned enterprises, which are our subsidiaries, our variable interest entities hold licenses and approvals and assets that are necessary for our business operations, as well as equity interests in a series of our portfolio companies, to which foreign investments are typically restricted or prohibited under applicable PRC law. The contractual arrangements contain terms that specifically obligate variable interest entity equity holders to ensure the valid existence of the variable interest entities and restrict the disposal of material assets of the variable interest entities. However, in the event the variable interest entity equity holders breach the terms of these contractual arrangements and voluntarily liquidate our variable interest entities, or any of our variable interest entities declares bankruptcy and all or part of its assets become subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors, or are otherwise disposed of without our consent, we may be unable to conduct some or all of our business operations or otherwise benefit from the assets held by the variable interest entities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, if any of our variable interest entities undergoes a voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceeding, its equity holders or unrelated third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of the assets of such variable interest entity, thereby hindering our ability to operate our business as well as constrain our growth.

The equity holders, directors and executive officers of the variable interest entities may have potential conflicts of interest with our company.

PRC laws provide that a director and an executive officer owes a fiduciary duty to the company he or she directs or manages. The directors and executive officers of the variable interest entities, including Jack Ma, our lead founder and executive chairman, must act in good faith and in the best interests of the variable interest entities and must not use their respective positions for personal gain. On the other hand, as a director of our company, Jack has a duty of care and loyalty to our company and to our shareholders as a whole under Cayman Islands law. We control our variable interest entities through contractual arrangements and the business and operations of our variable interest entities are closely integrated with the business and operations of our subsidiaries. Nonetheless, conflicts of interests for these individuals may arise due to dual roles both as directors and executive officers of the variable interest entities and as directors or employees of our company, and may also arise due to dual roles both as variable interest entity equity holders and as directors or employees of our company.

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We cannot assure you that these individuals will always act in the best interests of our company should any conflicts of interest arise, or that any conflicts of interest will always be resolved in our favor. We also cannot assure you that these individuals will ensure that the variable interest entities will not breach the existing contractual arrangements. If we cannot resolve any such conflicts of interest or any related disputes, we would have to rely on legal proceedings to resolve these disputes and/or take enforcement action under the contractual arrangements. There is substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings. See "— Any failure by our variable interest entities or their equity holders to perform their obligations under the contractual arrangements would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations."

Furthermore, a company controlled by Jack serves as one of the general partners of a PRC limited partnership that made a minority investment in Wasu. Yuzhu Shi, the founder, chairman and a principal shareholder of Giant Interactive, a China-based online game company that was previously listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and an entrepreneur with significant experience in and knowledge of the media industry in China, serves as the other general partner and the executive partner. The interest of the general partner controlled by Jack in the limited partnership is limited to a return of its RMB10,000 capital contribution. In addition, Simon Xie, a former employee who is one of our founders and an equity holder in certain of our variable interest entities, is a limited partner in this PRC limited partnership. To fund this investment, in April 2015 Simon was granted a financing with an aggregate principal of up to RMB6.9 billion by a major financial institution in the PRC. The financing is secured by a pledge of the Wasu shares acquired by the PRC limited partnership, and a pledge of certain wealth management products we purchased. In addition, we entered into a loan agreement for a principal amount of up to RMB2.0 billion with Simon in April 2015 to finance the repayment by Simon of the interest under the above financing. We expect that these arrangements will strengthen our strategic business arrangements with Wasu to pursue our strategy of expanding entertainment offerings to consumers. See "Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects — A. Operating Results — Recent Investment, Acquisition and Strategic Alliance Activities — Digital Entertainment — Wasu" and "Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions — B. Related Party Transactions — Pledge for the Benefit of and Loan Arrangement with a Related Party."

We cannot assure you that Jack Ma will act in our interest given his ability to control one of the general partners of the PRC limited partnership invested in Wasu, nor can we assure you that he will not breach his obligations to us as our director, including obligations not to compete with us. In addition, the interests of Mr. Shi, as an independent third-party, may not coincide with those of Jack as the other general partner in the PRC limited partnership, or with our interests in pursuing our entertainment strategy. If any such conflicts arise between Jack and Mr. Shi in conducting the business of the PRC limited partnership, it could potentially have a material adverse effect on our relationship with the shareholder of Wasu and, consequently, on our ability to achieve the strategic objectives of our alliance with Wasu. Furthermore, there is no assurance that Simon will have sufficient resources to repay the loans in a timely manner or at all. The loan that we provided to Simon is secured by a pledge of Simon's limited partnership interest in the PRC limited partnership. However, if Simon fails to repay the loan, our enforcement of such secured interests could be costly and time-consuming and would be subject to the uncertainties in the PRC legal system.

The contractual arrangements with our variable interest entities may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities. Any adjustment of related party transaction pricing could lead to additional taxes, and therefore substantially reduce our consolidated net income and the value of your investment.

The tax regime in China is rapidly evolving and there is significant uncertainty for taxpayers in China as PRC tax laws may be interpreted in significantly different ways. The PRC tax authorities may assert that we or our subsidiaries or the variable interest entities or their equity holders are required to pay additional taxes on previous or future revenue or income. In particular, under applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, arrangements and transactions among related parties, such as the contractual arrangements with our variable interest entities, may be subject to audit or challenge by the PRC tax authorities. If the PRC tax authorities determine that any contractual arrangements were not entered into on an arm's length basis and therefore constitute a favorable transfer pricing, the PRC tax liabilities of the relevant subsidiaries and/or variable interest entities and/or variable interest entity

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equity holders could be increased, which could increase our overall tax liabilities. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment interest. Our net income may be materially reduced if our tax liabilities increase.

Risks Related to Doing Business in the People's Republic of China

Changes in the political and economic policies of the PRC government may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and may result in our inability to sustain our growth and expansion strategies.

Most of our operations are conducted in the PRC and substantially all of our revenue is sourced from the PRC. Accordingly, our financial condition and results of operations are affected to a significant extent by economic, political and legal developments in the PRC.

The PRC economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the extent of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. Although the PRC government has implemented measures emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduction of state ownership of productive assets, and the establishment of improved corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of productive assets in China is still owned by the government. In addition, the PRC government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The PRC government also exercises significant control over China's economic growth by allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy, regulating financial services and institutions and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.

While the PRC economy has experienced significant growth in the past three decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. The PRC government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures may benefit the overall PRC economy, but may also have a negative effect on us. Our financial condition and results of operation could be materially and adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations that are applicable to us. In addition, the PRC government has implemented in the past certain measures, including interest rate increases, to control the pace of economic growth. These measures may cause decreased economic activity. While the PRC government started easing its monetary policy in 2015, there have been signs of continuing economic slowdown in China. Any prolonged slowdown in the Chinese economy could lead to a reduction in demand for our services and consequently have a material adverse effect on our businesses, financial condition and results of operations.

There are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws, rules and regulations.

Most of our operations are conducted in the PRC, and are governed by PRC laws, rules and regulations. Our PRC subsidiaries are subject to laws, rules and regulations applicable to foreign investment in China. The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value.

In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws, rules and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past three decades has significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investment in China. However, China has not developed a fully integrated legal system, and recently enacted laws, rules and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in China or may be subject to significant degree of interpretation by PRC regulatory agencies and courts. In particular, because these laws, rules and regulations are relatively new, and because of the limited number of published decisions and the non-precedential nature of such decisions, and because the laws, rules and regulations often give the relevant regulator significant discretion in how to enforce them, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws, rules and regulations involve uncertainties and can be inconsistent and unpredictable. Therefore, it is possible that our existing operations may be found not to be

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in full compliance with relevant laws and regulations in the future. In addition, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules, some of which are not published on a timely basis or at all, and which may have a retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until after the occurrence of the violation.

Any administrative and court proceedings in China may be protracted, resulting in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention. Since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. These uncertainties may impede our ability to enforce the contracts we have entered into and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

PRC regulations regarding acquisitions impose significant regulatory approval and review requirements, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions.

Under the PRC Anti-Monopoly Law, companies undertaking acquisitions relating to businesses in China must notify MOFCOM, in advance of any transaction where the parties' revenues in the China market exceed certain thresholds and the buyer would obtain control of, or decisive influence over, the other party. In addition, on August 8, 2006, six PRC regulatory agencies, including the MOFCOM, the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Administration of Taxation, the SAIC, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, jointly adopted the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, which came into effect on September 8, 2006 and was amended on June 22, 2009. Under the M&A Rules, the approval of MOFCOM must be obtained in circumstances where overseas companies established or controlled by PRC enterprises or residents acquire domestic companies affiliated with such PRC enterprises or residents. Applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations also require certain merger and acquisition transactions to be subject to security review. Due to the level of our revenues, our proposed acquisition of control of, or decisive influence over, any company with revenues within China of more than RMB400 million in the year prior to any proposed acquisition would be subject to MOFCOM merger control review. As a result of our size, many of the transactions we may undertake could be subject to MOFCOM merger review. Complying with the requirements of the relevant regulations to complete such transactions could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including approval from MOFCOM, may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share. In addition, MOFCOM has not accepted antitrust filings for any transaction involving parties that adopt a variable interest entity structure. If MOFCOM's practice remains unchanged, our ability to carry out our investment and acquisition strategy may be materially and adversely affected and there may be significant uncertainty as to whether transactions that we may undertake would subject us to fines or other administrative penalties and negative publicity and whether we will be able to complete large acquisitions in the future in a timely manner or at all.

PRC regulations relating to investments in offshore companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC-resident beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiaries to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries or limit our PRC subsidiaries' ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits.

SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents' Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, on July 4, 2014, which replaced the former circular commonly known as "SAFE Circular 75" promulgated by SAFE on October 21, 2005. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents to register with local branches of SAFE in connection with their direct establishment or indirect control of an offshore entity, for the purpose of overseas investment and financing, with such PRC residents' legally owned assets or equity interests in domestic enterprises or offshore assets or interests, referred to in SAFE Circular 37 as a "special purpose vehicle." SAFE Circular 37 further requires amendment to the registration in the event of any significant changes with respect to the special purpose vehicle, such as increase or decrease of capital contributed by PRC individuals, share

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transfer or exchange, merger, division or other material event. In the event that a PRC shareholder holding interests in a special purpose vehicle fails to fulfill the required SAFE registration, the PRC subsidiaries of that special purpose vehicle may be prohibited from making profit distributions to the offshore parent and from carrying out subsequent cross-border foreign exchange activities, and the special purpose vehicle may be restricted in its ability to contribute additional capital into its PRC subsidiary. Moreover, failure to comply with the various SAFE registration requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for evasion of foreign exchange controls.

We have notified substantial beneficial owners of ordinary shares who we know are PRC residents of their filing obligation, and we have periodically filed SAFE Circular 75 reports prior to the promulgation of SAFE Circular 37 on behalf of certain employee shareholders who we know are PRC residents. However, we may not be aware of the identities of all of our beneficial owners who are PRC residents. We do not have control over our beneficial owners and cannot assure you that all of our PRC-resident beneficial owners will comply with SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules. The failure of our beneficial owners who are PRC residents to register or amend their SAFE registrations in a timely manner pursuant to SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules, or the failure of future beneficial owners of our company who are PRC residents to comply with the registration procedures set forth in SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules, may subject such beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiaries to fines and legal sanctions. On February 13, 2015, SAFE promulgated a Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Foreign Exchange Administration Policy on Direct Investment, or SAFE Notice 13, which became effective on June 1, 2015. Pursuant to SAFE Notice 13, entities and individuals are required to apply for foreign exchange registration of foreign direct investment and overseas direct investment, including those required under the SAFE Circular 37, with qualified banks, instead of SAFE. The qualified banks, under the supervision of SAFE, will directly review the applications and conduct the registration.

Furthermore, since it is unclear how those new SAFE regulations, and any future regulation concerning offshore or cross-border transactions, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant PRC government authorities, we cannot predict how these regulations will affect our business operations or future strategy. Failure to register or comply with relevant requirements may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiaries and limit our PRC subsidiaries' ability to distribute dividends to our company. These risks may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Any failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding our employee equity incentive plans may subject the PRC participants in the plans, us or our overseas subsidiaries to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.

Pursuant to SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who participate in share incentive plans in overseas non-publicly-listed companies may submit applications to SAFE or its local branches for the foreign exchange registration with respect to offshore special purpose companies. In the meantime, our directors, executive officers and other employees who are PRC citizens or who are non-PRC residents residing in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year, subject to limited exceptions, and who have been granted restricted shares, RSUs or options by us or our overseas listed subsidiaries may follow the Notice on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Publicly Listed Company, issued by SAFE in February 2012, to apply for the foreign exchange registration. According to those regulations, employees, directors, supervisors and other management members participating in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company who are PRC citizens or who are non-PRC citizens residing in China for a continuous period of not less than one year, subject to limited exceptions, are required to register with SAFE through a domestic qualified agent, which could be a PRC subsidiary of such overseas listed company, and complete certain other procedures. Failure to complete the SAFE registrations may subject them to fines and legal sanctions and may also limit the ability to make payment under the relevant equity incentive plans or receive dividends or sales proceeds related thereto, or our ability to contribute additional capital into our wholly-foreign owned enterprises in China and limit our wholly-foreign owned enterprises' ability to distribute dividends to us. We also face regulatory uncertainties under PRC law that could restrict our ability or the ability of our overseas listed subsidiaries to adopt additional equity incentive plans for our directors and employees who are PRC citizens or who are non-PRC residents residing in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year, subject to limited exceptions.

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In addition, the State Administration for Taxation has issued circulars concerning employee share options, restricted shares or RSUs. Under these circulars, employees working in the PRC who exercise share options, or whose restricted shares or RSUs vest, will be subject to PRC individual income tax. The PRC subsidiaries of an overseas listed company have obligations to file documents related to employee share options or restricted shares with relevant tax authorities and to withhold individual income taxes of those employees related to their share options, restricted shares or RSUs. Although we and our overseas listed subsidiaries currently withhold income tax from our PRC employees in connection with their exercise of options and the vesting of their restricted shares and RSUs, if the employees fail to pay, or the PRC subsidiaries fail to withhold, their income taxes according to relevant laws, rules and regulations, the PRC subsidiaries may face sanctions imposed by the tax authorities.

We rely to a significant extent on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our principal operating subsidiaries in China and on remittances, including loans, from the variable interest entities in China to fund offshore cash and financing requirements.

We are a holding company and rely to a significant extent on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our principal operating subsidiaries and on remittances, including loans, from the variable interest entities, for our offshore cash and financing requirements, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and other cash distributions to our shareholders, fund inter-company loans, service any debt we may incur outside of China and pay our expenses. When our principal operating subsidiaries or the variable interest entities incur additional debt, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other distributions or remittances, including loans, to us. Furthermore, the laws, rules and regulations applicable to our PRC subsidiaries and certain other subsidiaries permit payments of dividends only out of their retained earnings, if any, determined in accordance with applicable accounting standards and regulations.

Under PRC laws, rules and regulations, each of our subsidiaries incorporated in China is required to set aside a portion of its net income each year to fund certain statutory reserves. These reserves, together with the registered equity, are not distributable as cash dividends. As a result of these laws, rules and regulations, our subsidiaries incorporated in China are restricted in their ability to transfer a portion of their respective net assets to their shareholders as dividends. In addition, registered share capital and capital reserve accounts are also restricted from withdrawal in the PRC, up to the amount of net assets held in each operating subsidiary. As of March 31, 2016, these restricted assets totaled RMB39,116 million (US$6,066 million).

Limitations on the ability of the variable interest entities to make remittance to the wholly-foreign owned enterprises to pay dividends to us could limit our ability to access cash generated by the operations of those entities, including to make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our businesses, pay dividends to our shareholders or otherwise fund and conduct our business.

The services conducted by our wholly-foreign owned enterprises might be regarded as a form of online advertising or as part of services requiring an Internet content provider license or other licenses and subjecting us to other laws, rules and regulations as well as increased taxes.

Our pay-for-performance, or P4P, services and other related services are currently not classified as a form of online advertising in China or as part of services requiring an ICP license or other licenses. We conduct our P4P and other related business through our wholly-foreign owned enterprises in the PRC, which are not qualified to operate an online advertising business and do not hold an ICP license. However, we cannot assure you that the PRC government will not classify our P4P and other related services as a form of online advertising or as part of services requiring an ICP license or other licenses in the future. On July 1, 2015, the SAIC published a discussion draft of the Interim Administrative Measures on Internet Advertising, or the Draft Internet Advertising Measures, to solicit public comments. The Draft Internet Advertising Measures defines Internet advertisement as commercial display, link, email as well as paid-for search results published in the forms of words, pictures, audio and video, and related media, through Internet media resources. If the Draft Internet Advertising Measures are promulgated as proposed, our P4P services and other related services may be characterized as Internet advertisement.

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If our P4P and other related services are characterized as a form of online advertising which may require an ICP license or other licenses, we may have to conduct our P4P business through variable interest entities, which are qualified to operate online advertising business and hold ICP or other licenses, and we may face increased scrutiny from the tax authorities and may incur additional taxes on any service fees paid by our variable interest entities to our wholly-foreign owned enterprises. In addition, advertising services are subject to a cultural construction fee under PRC law, which is a 3% surcharge in addition to the applicable value-added tax. If our P4P and other related services were to be considered a form of online advertising, our revenue from those services would be subject to the 3% surcharge. If that were to occur, our margins would decline and our net income could be reduced. In addition, the substantial revenue streams attributable to our P4P services would then be collected from variable interest entities and subject to the risks associated with variable interest entities. If the change in classification of our P4P and other related services were to be retroactively applied, we might be subject to sanctions, including payment of delinquent taxes and late payment interest.

Moreover, PRC advertising laws, rules and regulations require advertisers, advertising operators and advertising distributors to ensure that the content of the advertisements they prepare or distribute is fair and accurate and is in full compliance with applicable law. Violation of these laws, rules or regulations may result in penalties, including fines, confiscation of advertising fees, orders to cease dissemination of the advertisements and orders to publish an advertisement correcting the misleading information. In circumstances involving serious violations, the PRC government may revoke a violator's license for operating an advertising business. In addition, the Draft Internet Advertising Measures requires paid-for search results to be obviously distinguished from natural search results so that consumers will not misunderstand the nature of such search results. If the Draft Internet Advertising Measures are promulgated as proposed, we will be obligated to distinguish from others the merchants who purchase P4P and related services or the relevant listings by such merchants. Complying with such requirements, including any penalties or fines for any failure to comply, may significantly reduce the attractiveness of our platforms and increase our costs and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, for advertising content related to specific types of products and services, advertisers, advertising operators and advertising distributors must confirm that the advertisers have obtained requisite government approvals, including the advertiser's operating qualifications, proof of quality inspection of the advertised products, government pre-approval of the contents of the advertisement and filing with the local authorities. If we become subject to PRC advertising laws, we would need to take steps to monitor, and to ensure that our third-party marketing affiliates monitor, the content of any advertisements displayed on our platforms. This could require considerable resources and time, and could significantly affect the operation of our business, while also subjecting us to increased liability under the relevant laws, rules and regulations. The costs associated with complying with such laws, rules and regulations, including any penalties or fines for our failure to so comply if required, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any change in the classification of our P4P and other related services by the PRC government may also significantly disrupt our operations and materially and adversely affect our business and prospects.

We may be treated as a resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, and we may therefore be subject to PRC income tax on our global income.

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementing rules, both of which came into effect on January 1, 2008, enterprises established under the laws of jurisdictions outside of China with "de facto management bodies" located in China may be considered PRC tax resident enterprises for tax purposes and may be subject to the PRC enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% on their global income. "De facto management body" refers to a managing body that exercises substantive and overall management and control over the production and business, personnel, accounting books and assets of an enterprise. The State Administration of Taxation issued the Notice Regarding the Determination of Chinese-Controlled Offshore-Incorporated Enterprises as PRC Tax Resident Enterprises on the Basis of De Facto Management Bodies, or Circular 82, on April 22, 2009. Circular 82 provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the "de facto management body" of a Chinese-controlled offshore-incorporated enterprise is located in China. Although Circular 82 only applies to

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offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises, not those controlled by foreign enterprises or individuals, the determining criteria set forth in Circular 82 may reflect the State Administration of Taxation's general position on how the "de facto management body" test should be applied in determining the tax resident status of offshore enterprises, regardless of whether they are controlled by PRC enterprises. Currently, we generate only a small portion of our revenues offshore. However, if this proportion were to increase and if we were to be considered a PRC resident enterprise, we would be subject to PRC enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% on our global income. In such case, our profitability and cash flow may be materially reduced as a result of our global income being taxed under the Enterprise Income Tax Law. We believe that none of our entities outside of China is a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term "de facto management body."

Dividends payable to our foreign investors and gains on the sale of our ADSs or ordinary shares by our foreign investors may become subject to PRC taxation.

Under the Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation regulations issued by the State Council, a 10% PRC withholding tax is applicable to dividends payable by a resident enterprise to investors that are non-resident enterprises, which do not have an establishment or place of business in the PRC or which have such establishment or place of business but the dividends are not effectively connected with such establishment or place of business, to the extent such dividends are derived from sources within the PRC, subject to any reduction set forth in applicable tax treaties. Similarly, any gain realized on the transfer of shares of a resident enterprise by such investors is also subject to PRC tax at a current rate of 10%, subject to any exemption set forth in relevant tax treaties, if such gain is regarded as income derived from sources within the PRC. If we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends paid on our ordinary shares or ADSs, and any gain realized by the investors from the transfer of our ordinary shares or ADSs, would be treated as income derived from sources within the PRC and would as a result be subject to PRC taxation. See "Item 4. Information on the Company — B. Business Overview — Regulation — Tax Regulations." Furthermore, if we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends payable to individual investors who are non-PRC residents and any gain realized on the transfer of ADSs or ordinary shares by such investors may be subject to PRC tax at a current rate of 20%, subject to any reduction or exemption set forth in applicable tax treaties. It is unclear whether if we or any of our subsidiaries established outside China are considered a PRC resident enterprise, holders of our ADSs or ordinary shares would be able to claim the benefit of income tax treaties or agreements entered into between China and other countries or areas and to claim foreign tax credit if applicable. If dividends payable to our non-PRC investors, or gains from the transfer of our ADSs or ordinary shares by such investors are subject to PRC tax, the value of your investment in our ADSs or ordinary shares may decline significantly.

Discontinuation of preferential tax treatments we currently enjoy or other unfavorable changes in tax law could result in additional compliance obligations and costs.

Chinese companies operating in the high-technology and software industry that meet relevant requirements may qualify for three main types of preferential treatment, which are high and new technology enterprises, software enterprises and key software enterprises within the scope of the PRC national plan. For a qualified high and new technology enterprise, the applicable enterprise income tax rate is 15%. The high and new technology enterprise qualification is re-assessed by the relevant authorities every three years. Moreover, a qualified software enterprise is entitled to a tax holiday consisting of a two-year tax exemption beginning from the first profit-making calendar year and a 50% tax reduction for the subsequent three calendar years. The software enterprise qualification is subject to an annual assessment. For a qualified key software enterprise within the scope of the PRC national plan, the applicable enterprise tax rate for a calendar year is 10%. The key software enterprise qualification is subject to an assessment every two years.

A number of our China operating entities enjoy such preferential tax treatment. Our effective tax rate in fiscal year 2016 was 10%. The discontinuation of any of the various types of preferential tax treatment we enjoy could

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materially and adversely affect our results of operations. See "Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects — A. Operating Results — Taxation — PRC Income Tax."

We and our shareholders face uncertainties with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises or other assets attributed to a PRC establishment of a non-PRC company, or other assets attributable to a PRC establishment of a non-PRC company.

On February 3, 2015, the State Administration of Taxation issued the Bulletin on Issues of Enterprise Income Tax on Indirect Transfers of Assets by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises, or Bulletin 7, which replaced or supplemented certain previous rules under the Notice on Strengthening Administration of Enterprise Income Tax for Share Transfers by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises, or Circular 698, issued by the State Administration of Taxation, on December 10, 2009. Pursuant to this Bulletin, an "indirect transfer" of assets, including equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise, by non-PRC resident enterprises may be recharacterized and treated as a direct transfer of PRC taxable assets, if such arrangement does not have a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of avoiding payment of PRC enterprise income tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax.

According to Bulletin 7, "PRC taxable assets" include assets attributed to an establishment or a place of business in China, immoveable properties located in China, and equity investments in PRC resident enterprises, in respect of which gains from their transfer by a direct holder, being a non-PRC resident enterprise, would be subject to PRC enterprise income taxes. When determining whether there is a "reasonable commercial purpose" of the transaction arrangement, factors to be taken into consideration include: whether the main value of the equity interest of the relevant offshore enterprise directly or indirectly derives from PRC taxable assets; whether the assets of the relevant offshore enterprise mainly consists of direct or indirect investment in China or if its income mainly derives from China, directly or indirectly; whether the offshore enterprise and its subsidiaries directly or indirectly holding PRC taxable assets have real commercial nature which is evidenced by their actual function and risk exposure; the duration of existence of the business model and organizational structure; the foreign income tax liabilities arising from the indirect transfer of PRC taxable assets; the replicability of the transaction by direct transfer of PRC taxable assets; and the applicable tax treaties or similar arrangements. In respect of an indirect offshore transfer of assets of a PRC establishment or place of business, the resulting gain is to be included with the enterprise income tax filing of the PRC establishment or place of business being transferred, and would consequently be subject to PRC enterprise income tax at a rate of 25%. Where the underlying transfer relates to the immoveable properties located in China or to equity investments in a PRC resident enterprise, which is not related to a PRC establishment or place of business of a non-resident enterprise, a PRC enterprise income tax at 10% would apply, subject to available preferential tax treatment under applicable tax treaties or similar arrangements, and the party who is obligated to make the transfer payments has the withholding obligation. Where the payor fails to withhold any or sufficient tax, the transferor shall declare and pay such tax to the tax authority by itself within the statutory time limit. Late payment of applicable tax will subject the transferor to default interest. Bulletin 7 does not apply to transactions of sale of shares by investors through a public stock exchange where such shares were acquired from a transaction through a public stock exchange.

There are uncertainties as to the application of Bulletin 7. Bulletin 7 may be determined by the tax authorities to be applicable to some of our offshore restructuring transactions or sale of the shares of our offshore subsidiaries or investments where PRC taxable assets are involved. The transferors and transferees may be subject to the tax filing and withholding or tax payment obligation, while our PRC subsidiaries may be requested to assist in the filing. Furthermore, we, our non-resident enterprises and PRC subsidiaries may be required to spend valuable resources to comply with Bulletin 7 or to establish that we and our non-resident enterprises should not be taxed under Bulletin 7, for our previous and future restructuring or disposal of shares of our offshore subsidiaries, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

The PRC tax authorities have the discretion under Circular 698/Bulletin 7 to make adjustments to the taxable capital gains based on the difference between the fair value of the taxable assets transferred and the cost of investment. If the PRC tax authorities make adjustments to the taxable income of the transactions under

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Circular 698/Bulletin 7, our income tax costs associated with such potential acquisitions or disposals will increase, which may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Restrictions on currency exchange may limit our ability to utilize our revenue effectively.

Substantially all of our revenue is denominated in Renminbi. The Renminbi is currently convertible under the "current account," which includes dividends, trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, but not under the "capital account," which includes foreign direct investment and loans, including loans we may secure from our onshore subsidiaries or variable interest entities. Currently, our PRC subsidiaries, which are wholly-foreign owned enterprises, may purchase foreign currency for settlement of "current account transactions," including payment of dividends to us, without the approval of SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, the relevant PRC governmental authorities may limit or eliminate our ability to purchase foreign currencies in the future for current account transactions. Since a significant amount of our future revenue will be denominated in Renminbi, any existing and future restrictions on currency exchange may limit our ability to utilize revenue generated in Renminbi to fund our business activities outside of the PRC, service any debt we may incur outside of China or pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders, including holders of our ADSs. Foreign exchange transactions under the capital account remain subject to limitations and require approvals from, or registration with, SAFE and other relevant PRC governmental authorities. This could affect our ability to obtain foreign currency through debt or equity financing for our subsidiaries and the variable interest entities.

Fluctuations in exchange rates could result in foreign currency exchange losses and could materially reduce the value of your investment.

The value of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate and is affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions and the foreign exchange policy adopted by the PRC government. On July 21, 2005, the PRC government changed its policy of pegging the value of the Renminbi to the U.S. dollar. Following the removal of the U.S. dollar peg, the Renminbi appreciated more than 20% against the U.S. dollar over the following three years. Between July 2008 and June 2010, this appreciation halted and the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar remained within a narrow band. In June 2010, the People's Bank of China increased the flexibility of the exchange rate and between June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2013, the value of the Renminbi appreciated approximately 12.0% against the U.S. dollar, although the value of the Renminbi depreciated approximately 2.5% against the U.S. dollar in 2014. In August 2015, the People's Bank of China changed the way it calculates the mid-point price of Renminbi against the U.S. dollar, requiring the market-makers who submit for reference rates to consider the previous day's closing spot rate, foreign-exchange demand and supply as well as changes in major currency rates. As a result, in 2015, the value of the Renminbi depreciated approximately 5.8% against the U.S. dollar, and from December 31, 2015 through May 20, 2016, the value of the Renminbi further depreciated approximately 1.1% against the U.S. dollar. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future. There remains significant international pressure on the PRC government to adopt a more flexible currency policy, which could result in greater fluctuation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar. Substantially all of our revenues and costs are denominated in Renminbi, and a significant portion of our financial assets are also denominated in Renminbi while a significant portion of our debt is denominated in U.S. dollars. We are a holding company and we rely on dividends paid by our operating subsidiaries in China for our cash needs. Any significant revaluation of the Renminbi may materially and adversely affect our liquidity and cash flows. To the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into Renminbi for our operations, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we would receive. Conversely, if we decide to convert our Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or ADSs or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount we would receive. From time to time we enter into hedging activities with regard to exchange rate risk. We cannot assure you that such hedging activities will successfully mitigate such risks adequately or at all, and in addition hedging activities may result in greater volatility in our results of operations.

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The audit report included in this annual report is prepared by auditors who are not inspected fully by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, as such, our shareholders are deprived of the benefits of such inspection.

As an auditor of companies that are publicly traded in the United States and a firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, PricewaterhouseCoopers is required under the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB. However, because we have substantial operations within the People's Republic of China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese government authorities, our auditor and its audit work is not currently inspected fully by the PCAOB.

Inspections of other auditors conducted by the PCAOB outside of China have at times identified deficiencies in those auditors' audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. The lack of PCAOB inspections of audit work undertaken in China prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating our auditor's audits and its quality control procedures. As a result, shareholders may be deprived of the benefits of PCAOB inspections, and may lose confidence in our reported financial information and procedures and the quality of our financial statements.

Restrictions on the direct production of audit work papers to foreign regulators could result in our financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act.

In late 2012, the SEC commenced administrative proceedings under Rule 102(e) of its Rules of Practice and also under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 against the mainland Chinese affiliates of the "big four" accounting firms, including the affiliate of our auditor, and also against Dahua, the former BDO affiliate in China. The Rule 102(e) proceedings initiated by the SEC related to the failure of these firms to produce documents, including audit work papers, in response to the request of the SEC pursuant to Section 106 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as the auditors located in China are not in a position lawfully to produce documents directly to the SEC because of restrictions under PRC law and specific directives issued by the CSRC. The issues raised by the proceedings are not specific to the Chinese affiliate of our auditor or to us, but potentially affect equally all PCAOB-registered audit firms based in China and all businesses based in China (or with substantial operations in China) with securities listed in the United States. In addition, auditors based outside of China are subject to similar restrictions under PRC law and CSRC directives in respect of audit work that is carried out in China which supports the audit opinions issued on financial statements of entities with substantial China operations.

In February 2015, each of the "big four" accounting firms agreed to a censure and to pay a fine to the SEC to settle the dispute with the SEC. The settlement stays the current proceeding for four years, during which time the firms are required to follow detailed procedures to seek to provide the SEC with access to Chinese firms' audit documents via the CSRC. If a firm does not follow the procedures, the SEC would impose penalties such as suspensions, or commence a new, expedited administrative proceeding against the non-compliant firm or it could restart the administrative proceeding against all four firms. In addition, the limitations imposed by the PRC on the production of workpapers reflecting audit work performed in the PRC could likewise result in penalties, such as suspensions of our audit firm's ability to practice before the SEC.

If our independent registered public accounting firm, or the affiliate of our independent registered public accounting firm, were denied, even temporarily, the ability to practice before the SEC, we would need to consider alternate support arrangements for the audit of our operations in China. If our auditor, or an affiliate of that firm, were unable to address issues related to the production of documents, and we were unable to timely find another independent registered public accounting firm to audit and issue an opinion on our financial statements, our financial statements could be determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act. Such a determination could ultimately lead to delisting of our ADSs from the New York Stock Exchange or deregistration from the SEC, or both. This would materially and adversely affect the market price of our ADSs and substantially reduce or effectively terminate the trading of our ADSs in the United States.

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Risks Related to our ADS

The trading price of our ADSs has been and is likely to continue to be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to our shareholders.

The trading price of our ADSs has been and is likely to continue to be volatile and could fluctuate widely in response to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. For example, the high and low sale prices of our ADSs in fiscal year 2016 were US$95.06 and US$57.20, respectively. In addition, the performance and fluctuation of the market prices of other companies with business operations located mainly in China that have listed their securities in the United States may affect the volatility in the price of and trading volumes for our ADSs. Some of these companies have experienced significant volatility, including significant price declines after their initial public offerings. The trading performances of these PRC companies' securities at the time of or after their offerings may affect the overall investor sentiment towards other PRC companies listed in the United States and consequently may impact the trading performance of our ADSs. In addition to market and industry factors, the price and trading volume for our ADSs may be highly volatile for specific business reasons, including:

•: variations in our results of operations;
•: announcements about our earnings that are not in line with analyst expectations;
•: publication of operating or industry metrics by third parties, including government statistical agencies, that differ from expectations of industry or financial analysts;
•: changes in financial estimates by securities research analysts;
•: announcements made by us or our competitors of new product and service offerings, acquisitions, strategic relationships, joint ventures or capital commitments;
•: press reports, whether or not true, about our business;
•: regulatory allegations or actions or negative reports or publicity against us, regardless of their veracity or materiality to our company;
•: changes in pricing made by us or our competitors;
•: conditions in the online retail market;
•: additions to or departures of our management;
•: fluctuations of exchange rates between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar;
•: release or expiry of transfer restrictions on our outstanding ordinary shares or ADSs;
•: sales or perceived potential sales or other disposition of existing or additional ordinary shares or ADSs or other equity or equity-linked securities, including by our principal shareholders, directors officers and other affiliates;
•: the creation of vehicles that hold our ordinary shares, such as Yahoo's proposed spin-off of our ordinary shares that it holds;
•: actual or perceived general economic and business conditions and trends in China and globally; and
•: changes or developments in the PRC or global regulatory environment.

Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and trading price of our ADSs. In addition, the stock market has from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies and industries. These fluctuations may include a so-called "bubble market" in which investors temporarily raise the price of the stocks of companies in certain industries, such as the e-commerce industry, to unsustainable levels. These market fluctuations may significantly affect the trading price of our ADSs. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company's securities, shareholders have often instituted securities class action litigation against that company. We have been

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named as a defendant in certain purported shareholder class action lawsuits described in "Item 8. Financial Information — A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information — Legal and Administrative Proceedings." The litigation process may utilize a material portion of our cash resources and divert management's attention from the day-to-day operations of our company, all of which could harm our business. If adversely determined, the class action suits may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Substantial future sales or perceived potential sales of our ADSs, ordinary shares or other equity or equity-linked securities in the public market could cause the price of our ADSs to decline significantly.

Sales of our ADSs, ordinary shares or other equity or equity-linked securities in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the market price of our ADSs to decline significantly. As of March 31, 2016, we had 2,473,927,859 ordinary shares outstanding, and 1,183,920,615 of our ordinary shares were represented by ADSs. All of our ordinary shares represented by ADSs were freely transferable by persons other than our affiliates without restriction or additional registration under the Securities Act. The ordinary shares held by our affiliates are no longer subject to any lock-up arrangements and will be available for sale subject to volume and other restrictions as applicable under Rules 144 and 701 under the Securities Act, under sales plans adopted pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 or otherwise. Concurrent with the completion of our investment in Suning Commerce Group Co., Limited, or Suning, Suning will subscribe for approximately 26.3 million of our newly issued ordinary shares, which will be subject to lock-up arrangements.

Certain major holders of our ordinary shares will have the right to cause us to register under the Securities Act the sale of their shares. Registration of these shares under the Securities Act would result in ADSs representing these shares becoming freely tradable without restriction under the Securities Act immediately upon the effectiveness of the registration. Sales of these registered shares in the form of ADSs in the public market could cause the price of our ADSs to decline significantly.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the market price for our ADSs and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our ADSs will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If research analysts do not establish and maintain adequate research coverage or if one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades our ADSs or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the market price for our ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which, in turn, could cause the market price or trading volume for our ADSs to decline significantly.

As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to, and we will, rely on exemptions from certain New York Stock Exchange corporate governance standards applicable to domestic U.S. issuers. This may afford less protection to holders of our ordinary shares and the ADSs.

We are exempted from certain corporate governance requirements of the New York Stock Exchange by virtue of being a foreign private issuer. We are required to provide a brief description of the significant differences between our corporate governance practices and the corporate governance practices required to be followed by domestic U.S. companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The standards applicable to us are considerably different than the standards applied to domestic U.S. issuers. For instance, we are not required to:

•: have a majority of the board be independent (although all of the members of the audit committee must be independent under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act);
•: have a compensation committee or a nominating or corporate governance committee consisting entirely of independent directors;
•: have regularly scheduled executive sessions for non-management directors; or
•: have executive sessions of solely independent directors each year.

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We have relied on and intend to continue to rely on some of these exemptions. As a result, our shareholders may not be provided with the benefits of certain corporate governance requirements of the New York Stock Exchange.

As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from certain disclosure requirements under the Exchange Act, which may afford less protection to our shareholders than they would enjoy if we were a domestic U.S. company.

As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from, among other things, the rules prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements under the Exchange Act and the rules relating to selective disclosure of material nonpublic information under Regulation FD. In addition, our executive officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit and recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. We are also not required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as domestic U.S. companies with securities registered under the Exchange Act. As a result, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they would under the Exchange Act rules applicable to domestic U.S. companies.

If and when permitted by law, we may conduct a public offering and listing of our shares in China, which may result in increased regulatory scrutiny and compliance costs as well as increased fluctuations in the prices of our ordinary shares and ADSs listed in overseas markets.

Although not currently allowed under PRC law, if and when permitted by law, we may conduct a public offering and/or listing of our shares on a stock exchange in China in the future. We have not set a specific timetable or decided on any specific form for an offering in China. The precise timing of the offering and/or listing of our shares in China would depend on a number of factors, including relevant regulatory developments and market conditions. If we complete a public offering or listing in China, we would become subject to the applicable laws, rules and regulations governing public companies listed in China, in addition to the various laws, rules and regulations that we are subject to in the United States as a reporting company. The listing and trading of our securities in multiple jurisdictions and multiple markets may lead to increased compliance costs for us, and we may face the risk of significant intervention by regulatory authorities in these jurisdictions and markets.

In addition, under current PRC laws, rules and regulations, our ordinary shares will not be interchangeable or fungible with any shares we may decide to list on a PRC stock exchange, and there is no trading or settlement between these markets in the United States and mainland China. Furthermore, these two markets have different trading characteristics and investor bases, including different levels of retail and institutional participation. As a result of these differences, the trading prices of our ADSs, accounting for the share-to-ADS ratio, may not be the same as the trading prices of any shares we may decide to list on a PRC stock exchange. The issuance of a separate class of shares and fluctuations in its trading price may also lead to increased volatility in, and may otherwise materially decrease, the prices of our ordinary shares and ADSs.

Our shareholders may face difficulties in protecting their interests, and their ability to protect their rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law, we conduct substantially all of our operations in China and most of our directors and substantially all of our executive officers reside outside the United States.

We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands and conduct substantially all of our operations in China through our wholly-foreign owned enterprises and the variable interest entities. Most of our directors and substantially all of our executive officers reside outside the United States and a substantial portion of their assets are located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for our shareholders to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the Cayman Islands or in China in the event that they believe that their rights have been infringed under the securities laws of the United States or otherwise. Even if shareholders are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and China may render them unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers. There is no statutory recognition in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States or China, although the courts of the Cayman

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Islands will generally recognize and enforce a non-penal judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits.

Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time, and by the Companies Law (2013 Revision) and common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take legal action against us and our directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, which provides persuasive, but not binding, authority in a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedents in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States and provides significantly less protection to investors. In addition, shareholders in Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in U.S. federal courts.

In addition, our articles of association provide that in the event that any shareholder initiates or asserts any claim or counterclaim against us, or joins, offers substantial assistance to or has a direct financial interest in any claim or counterclaim against us, and does not obtain a judgment on the merits in which the initiating or asserting party prevails, then the shareholder will be obligated to reimburse us for all fees, costs and expenses (including, but not limited to, all reasonable attorneys' fees and other litigation expenses) that we may incur in connection with such claim or counterclaim. These fees, costs and expenses that may be shifted to a shareholder under this provision are potentially significant and this fee-shifting provision is not limited to specific types of actions, but is rather potentially applicable to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Our fee-shifting provision may dissuade or discourage our shareholders (and their attorneys) from initiating lawsuits or claims against us or may impact the fees, contingency or otherwise, required by attorneys to represent our shareholders. Fee-shifting provisions such as ours are relatively new and untested. We cannot assure you that we will or will not invoke our fee-shifting provision in any particular dispute, or that we will be successful in obtaining fees if we choose to invoke the provision.

As a result of the foregoing, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests through actions against us, our management, our directors or our major shareholders than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction in the United States.

The voting rights of holders of our ADSs are limited by the terms of the deposit agreement.

Holders of our ADSs may exercise their voting rights with respect to the ordinary shares underlying their ADSs only in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Upon receipt of voting instructions from them in the manner set forth in the deposit agreement, the depositary for our ADSs will endeavor to vote their underlying ordinary shares in accordance with these instructions. Under our articles of association, the minimum notice period required for convening a general meeting is ten days. When a general meeting is convened, holders of our ADSs may not receive sufficient notice of a shareholders' meeting to permit them to withdraw their ordinary shares to allow them to cast their votes with respect to any specific matter at the meeting. In addition, the depositary and its agents may not be able to send voting instructions to holders of our ADSs or carry out their voting instructions in a timely manner. We will make all reasonable efforts to cause the depositary to extend voting rights to holders of our ADSs in a timely manner, but they may not receive the voting materials in time to ensure that they can instruct the depositary to vote the ordinary shares underlying their ADSs. Furthermore, the depositary and its agents will not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote, for the manner in which any vote is cast or for the effect of any such vote. As a result, holders of our ADSs may not be able to exercise their rights to vote and they may lack recourse if the ordinary shares underlying their ADSs are not voted as they requested.

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The depositary for our ADSs will give us a discretionary proxy to vote our ordinary shares underlying the ADSs if holders of such ADSs do not vote at shareholders' meetings, except in limited circumstances, which could adversely affect the interests of holders of our ADSs.

Under the deposit agreement for our ADSs, the depositary will give us a discretionary proxy to vote the ordinary shares underlying the ADSs at shareholders' meetings if holders of such ADSs do not give voting instructions to the depositary, unless:

•: we have failed to timely provide the depositary with our notice of meeting and related voting materials;
•: we have instructed the depositary that we do not wish a discretionary proxy to be given;
•: we have informed the depositary that there is substantial opposition as to a matter to be voted on at the meeting;
•: a matter to be voted on at the meeting would have a material adverse impact on shareholders; or
•: voting at the meeting is made on a show of hands.

The effect of this discretionary proxy is that, if holders of our ADSs fail to give voting instructions to the depositary, they cannot prevent our ordinary shares underlying their ADSs from being voted, absent the situations described above, and it may make it more difficult for shareholders to influence our management. Holders of our ordinary shares are not subject to this discretionary proxy.

Holders of our ADSs may be subject to limitations on transfer of their ADSs.

ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its transfer books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. In addition, the depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of ADSs generally when our books or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary deems it advisable to do so because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason.

Holders of our ADSs may not receive distributions on our ordinary shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical to make them available to them.

The depositary of our ADSs has agreed to pay holders of our ADSs the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian for our ADSs receives on our ordinary shares or other deposited securities after deducting its fees and expenses. Holders of our ADSs will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of our ordinary shares that their ADSs represent. However, the depositary is not responsible for making such payments or distributions if it is unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to any holders of ADSs. For example, it would be unlawful to make a distribution to a holder of ADSs if it consists of securities that require registration under the Securities Act but that are not properly registered or distributed pursuant to an applicable exemption from registration. The depositary is not responsible for making a distribution available to any holders of ADSs if any government approval or registration required for such distribution cannot be obtained after reasonable efforts made by the depositary. We have no obligation to take any other action to permit the distribution of our ADSs, ordinary shares, rights or anything else to holders of our ADSs. This means that holders of our ADSs may not receive the distributions we make on our ordinary shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical for us to make them available. These restrictions may materially reduce the value of the ADSs.

There could be adverse United States federal income tax consequences to United States investors if we were or were to become a passive foreign investment company.

While we do not believe we are or will become a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, there can be no assurance that we were not a PFIC in the past and will not become a PFIC in the future. The determination of whether or not we are a PFIC is made on an annual basis and will depend on the composition of our income and

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assets from time to time. Specifically, we will be classified as a PFIC for United States federal income tax purposes if either: (1) 75% or more of our gross income in a taxable year is passive income, or (2) the average percentage of our assets by value in a taxable year which produce or are held for the production of passive income (which includes cash) is at least 50%. The calculation of the value of our assets will be based, in part, on the quarterly market value of our ADSs, which is subject to change. See "Item 10. Additional Information — E. Taxation — Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations — Passive Foreign Investment Company."

Although we do not believe we were or will become a PFIC, it is not entirely clear how the contractual arrangements between us and our variable interest entities will be treated for purposes of the PFIC rules. If it were determined that we do not own the stock of our variable interest entities for United States federal income tax purposes (for instance, because the relevant PRC authorities do not respect these arrangements), we may be treated as a PFIC. See "Item 10. Additional Information — E. Taxation — Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations — Passive Foreign Investment Company."

If we were or were to become a PFIC, such characterization could result in adverse United States federal income tax consequences to our shareholders that are United States investors. For example, if we are a PFIC, our United States investors will become subject to increased tax liabilities under United States federal income tax laws and regulations and will become subject to burdensome reporting requirements. We cannot assure you that we were not or will not become a PFIC for any taxable year. You are urged to consult your own tax advisors concerning United States federal income tax consequence on the application of the PFIC rules. See "Item 10. Additional Information — E. Taxation — Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations — Passive Foreign Investment Company."

ITEM 4 INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY

A. History and Development of the Company

Alibaba Group Holding Limited is a Cayman Islands holding company established on June 28, 1999, and we conduct our business in China through our subsidiaries and variable interest entities.

Our significant subsidiaries, as that term is defined under Section 1-02 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act, include the following entities:

•: Taobao Holding Limited, an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands, which is our wholly-owned subsidiary and the indirect holding company of the PRC subsidiaries relating to our Taobao Marketplace and Tmall platform.
•: Taobao China Holding Limited, a Hong Kong limited liability company, which is the direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Taobao Holding Limited and the direct holding company of the PRC subsidiaries relating to our Taobao Marketplace and Tmall platform and operating entity for the overseas business of our Taobao Marketplace and Tmall Global.
•: Taobao (China) Software Co., Ltd., a limited liability company incorporated under the laws of the PRC, which is an indirect subsidiary of Taobao Holding Limited and a wholly-foreign owned enterprise, and provides software and technology services for our Taobao Marketplace.
•: Zhejiang Tmall Technology Co., Ltd., a limited liability company incorporated under the laws of the PRC, which is an indirect subsidiary of Taobao Holding Limited and a wholly-foreign owned enterprise, and provides software and technology services for our Tmall platform.
•: Alibaba.com Limited, an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands, which is our wholly-owned subsidiary and the indirect holding company of the PRC subsidiaries relating to our Alibaba.com, 1688.com and AliExpress businesses.

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•: Alibaba.com Investment Holding Limited, a company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, which is the direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Alibaba.com Limited and a lower level holding company of the PRC subsidiaries relating to our Alibaba.com, 1688.com and AliExpress businesses.
•: Alibaba Investment Limited, a company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, which is our wholly-owned subsidiary and the principal holding company for our strategic investments.

The principal executive offices of our main operations are located at 969 West Wen Yi Road, Yu Hang District, Hangzhou 311121, People's Republic of China. Our telephone number at this address is +86-571-8502-2077. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at the offices of Trident Trust Company (Cayman) Limited, Fourth Floor, One Capital Place, P.O. Box 847, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. Our agent for service of process in the United States is Corporation Service Company located at 1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 210, New York, New York 10036. Our corporate website is www.alibabagroup.com .

We have a demonstrated track record of successful organic business creation. In addition to organic growth, we have made, or have entered into agreements to make strategic investments, acquisitions and alliances that are intended to increase our service offerings and expand our capabilities. See "Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects — A. Operating Results — Recent Investment, Acquisition and Strategic Alliance Activities" for more information.

Initial Public Offering

In September 2014, we completed our initial public offering, in which we and certain selling shareholders offered and sold an aggregate of 368,122,000 ordinary shares in the form of ADSs. We received approximately US$10 billion in proceeds before expenses. Our ADSs are listed on the NYSE under the symbol "BABA."

Share Repurchase Program

On August 12, 2015, we announced the implementation of a share repurchase program in an aggregate amount of up to US$4 billion over a period of two years, or the Share Repurchase Program. We have repurchased ADSs representing our ordinary shares on the open market under purchase plans adopted to implement the Share Repurchase Program. In addition, Jack Ma, our executive chairman, and Joe Tsai, our executive vice chairman, have jointly entered into our plans as affiliated purchasers. See "Item 16E. Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers."

B. Business Overview

Our Mission

Our mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere.

Our founders started our company to champion small businesses, in the belief that the Internet would level the playing field by enabling small enterprises to leverage innovation and technology to grow and compete more effectively in the domestic and global economies. We believe that concentrating on customer needs and solving their problems — whether those customers are consumers or merchants — ultimately will lead to the best outcome for our business. We have developed a large ecosystem for online and mobile commerce that enables participants to create and share value on our platform. Our decisions are guided by how they serve our mission over the long-term, not by the pursuit of short-term gains.

Our Vision

We aim to build the future infrastructure of commerce. We envision that our customers will meet, work and live at Alibaba, and that we will be a company that lasts at least 102 years.

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Meet @ Alibaba. We enable hundreds of millions of commercial and social interactions among our users, between consumers and merchants, and among businesses every day.

Work @ Alibaba. We empower our customers with the fundamental infrastructure for commerce and data technology, so that they can build businesses and create value that can be shared among our ecosystem participants.

Live @ Alibaba. We strive to expand our products and services to become central to the everyday lives of our customers.

102 Years. For a company that was founded in 1999, lasting at least 102 years means we will have spanned three centuries, an achievement that few companies can claim. Our culture, business models and systems are built to last, so that we can achieve sustainability in the long run.

Our Values

Our values are fundamental to the way we operate and how we recruit, evaluate and compensate our people.

Our six values are:

•: Customer First — The interests of our community of consumers and merchants must be our first priority.
•: Teamwork — We believe teamwork enables ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things.
•: Embrace Change — In this fast-changing world, we must be flexible, innovative and ready to adapt to new business conditions in order to survive.
•: Integrity — We expect our people to uphold the highest standards of honesty and to deliver on their commitments.
•: Passion — We expect our people to approach everything with fire in their belly and never give up on doing what they believe is right.
•: Commitment — Employees who demonstrate perseverance and excellence are richly rewarded. Nothing should be taken lightly as we encourage our people to "work happily and live seriously."

Company Overview

To fulfill our mission "to make it easy to do business anywhere," we enable businesses to transform the way they market, sell and operate. We provide the fundamental technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help merchants, brands and other businesses that provide products, services and digital content to leverage the power of the Internet to engage with their users and customers.

Our businesses are comprised of core commerce, cloud computing, mobile media and entertainment, and other innovation initiatives. Through investee affiliates, Cainiao Network and Koubei ( ), respectively, we participate in the logistics and local services sectors. In addition, we have a profit sharing interest in Ant Financial Services, the financial services group that operates through Alipay, the leading third-party online payment platform in China.

Core Commerce

Retail Commerce in China

We are the largest retail commerce company in the world in terms of GMV in the twelve months ended March 31, 2016, compared with others on the basis of publicly available comparable transaction value data for the most recent fiscal year.

We operate Taobao Marketplace, China's largest mobile commerce destination, and Tmall, China's largest third-party platform for brands and retailers, in each case by monthly active users in 2015, according to iResearch.

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We also operate Juhuasuan, which is our sales and marketing platform for flash sales where merchants can acquire new customers and raise brand awareness through special discounts and promotional events. Taobao, Tmall and Juhuasuan, which comprise our China retail marketplaces, generated a combined GMV of RMB3,092 billion (US$485 billion) in the twelve months ended March 31, 2016. There were 423 million active buyers on these marketplaces in the twelve months ended March 31, 2016. In the three months ended March 31, 2016, mobile GMV accounted for 73% of our GMV. In March 2016, the various mobile apps that consumers use to access our China retail marketplaces had 410 million mobile MAUs.

In fiscal year 2016, we generated 79% of our revenue from our China retail marketplaces. Our revenue on these marketplaces is generated from merchants through online marketing services, commissions on transactions and fees for other online services.

In 2014, we launched our Rural Taobao program, which is one of our key strategic initiatives to address the consumption needs and promote economic development in China's rural areas.

Wholesale Commerce in China

We operate a China wholesale marketplace, 1688.com, which matches wholesale buyers and sellers in categories such as general merchandise, apparels, electronics, raw materials, industrial components and agricultural and chemical products. A significant number of merchants on our retail marketplaces source their inventory on 1688.com.

International and Cross-border Commerce

We operate AliExpress, our global marketplace targeting consumers from around the world to buy directly from manufacturers and distributors in China. Tmall Global is our platform within Tmall for overseas brands and retailers to reach Chinese consumers without the need for physical operations in China. We also operate Alibaba.com, China's largest global online wholesale marketplace in 2015 by revenue, according to iResearch. In April 2016, we acquired a controlling stake in Lazada, which operates e-commerce platforms in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. According to Internet Live Stats' estimates, these six countries have a combined population of approximately 560 million and an Internet user base of approximately 200 million in 2016.

Cloud Computing

We operate Alibaba Cloud Computing, or Alibaba Cloud, China's largest provider of public cloud services in 2015 by revenue, according to IDC. The technologies that power Alibaba Cloud grew out of our own need to operate the massive scale and complexity of our core commerce business. In 2009, we founded Alibaba Cloud to make these technologies available to third-party customers. Alibaba Cloud offers a complete suite of cloud services, including: elastic computing, database, storage and content delivery network (CDN), large scale computing, security, and management and application services. As of March 31, 2016, Alibaba Cloud had over 2.3 million customers, including over 500,000 paying customers.

Mobile Media and Entertainment

Based on the strength of our relationship with consumers and our capability in leveraging commerce data that can be applied to serving the broader interests of consumers, we have established an emerging business in mobile media and entertainment, mainly through acquisitions. In 2014, we acquired UCWeb, which operates UC Browser, the second largest mobile browser in the world after Chrome by page view market share as of April 2016, according to StatCounter (data available at: http://gs.statcounter.com). UCWeb provides mobile value-added services to users including news feeds, mobile web navigation and mobile search. Its mobile search business, Shenma ( ), was the second largest mobile search engine in China in the three months ended March 31, 2016, according to BigData-Research. In April 2016, we acquired Youku Tudou, a leading multi-screen entertainment and media company in China, enabling users to search, view and share high-quality video content quickly and

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easily across multiple devices. These businesses and our other media and entertainment-related businesses, including over-the-top TV services, music, sports and games, provide a comprehensive platform on which users may discover and consume content and engage and interact with each other.

An ecosystem has developed around our platforms and businesses that consists of consumers, merchants, brands, other enterprises, third-party service providers and strategic alliance partners. At the nexus of this ecosystem are our technology platform, our marketplace rules and the role we play in connecting these participants to make it possible for them to discover, engage and transact with each other and manage their businesses anytime and anywhere. Much of our effort, time and energy is spent on initiatives that are for the greater good of the ecosystem and on balancing the interests of its participants. We feel a strong responsibility for the continued development of the ecosystem and we take ownership in this development. Accordingly, we refer to this as "our ecosystem." Our ecosystem has strong self-reinforcing network effects benefitting its various participants, who are in turn invested in our ecosystem's growth and success.

The following chart sets forth our key businesses, selected major investee companies and cooperative partners:

*: Entities that are not consolidated.

Our Strategies

We aim to strengthen and expand our ecosystem in order to achieve long-term growth by:

•: increasing active buyers and our wallet share through geographic expansion, improved customer experience and new product and service categories;

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•: expanding service offerings to consumers beyond physical goods, including digital entertainment, healthcare and local services;
•: enhancing the success of merchants, brands and other businesses on our platforms with data-driven marketing services, integrated online and offline distribution channels, and world-class technology;
•: extending our mobile leadership through development of market-leading mobile apps with hundreds of millions of users;
•: applying data and cloud computing technologies in everything we do for our customers and for ourselves; and
•: continuing to be an innovator in products and technology as well as a disrupter of business models and existing industry value chains.

Our long-term strategic goal is to serve two billion consumers around the world and support ten million businesses to operate profitably. We have embarked on three key initiatives to achieve this strategic goal: globalization, rural expansion and big data/cloud computing.

Globalization

Cross-border commerce is the focus of our globalization initiative. We aim to address each of the three-pillars of cross-border commerce as follows:

•: From the world to China. Our China retail marketplaces provide the gateway for international brands, retailers and small businesses to gain access to Chinese consumers. Through Tmall Global, overseas brands and retailers can reach Chinese consumers without the need for physical operations in China. Taobao Global further facilitates cross-border commerce by helping Taobao merchants to engage Chinese consumers with a rich variety of global products that they have sourced from suppliers outside of China.
•: From China to the world. Through our Alibaba.com wholesale marketplace, we facilitate global trade by connecting Chinese suppliers to importers, wholesalers and distributors across the world. On the retail front, AliExpress enables consumers worldwide to buy directly from manufacturers and distributors in China.
•: From the world to the world. Our long-term vision is to build a global commerce platform that is a virtual, borderless economy, which we refer to as the World e-Trade Platform, or eWTP. Through the power of the Internet, eWTP aims to eliminate barriers to commerce, promote free trade and help businesses and consumers everywhere participate in cross-border trade. To that end, we are investing in international talent and infrastructure, and expanding our presence in key markets around the world to attract and serve international customers.

Rural Expansion

Over 600 million people in China reside in rural areas, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China as of December 31, 2015. Their access to goods and services is highly constrained by geographic and infrastructural limitations. We aim to give rural residents greater access to a broader variety of higher quality goods and services through our Rural Taobao program. At the same time, we help farmers earn more by selling agricultural products directly to urban consumers. To achieve our goals for the initiative, we had established service centers in over 14,000 rural villages as of March 31, 2016, where service center operators facilitate purchase orders and delivery logistics.

Big Data and Cloud Computing

We believe our world is rapidly transitioning from an information technology, or IT, economy to a data technology, or DT, economy. Traditionally unstructured, undiscovered and underutilized data can now be activated and leveraged as a new fundamental energy source. From the development of personal computer, or PC, to mobile, to the Internet of Things, the explosion of data is bringing about a new era of opportunity. In the future, we believe that the Internet will play a fundamental role in social and commercial human interactions, with cloud

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computing as a cost-saving public service, and data as a value-enhancing resource. We will continue to implement our data strategy through the application of data intelligence, machine learning and deep learning technologies to several fields, including marketplace design, user interface, search, targeted marketing, logistics, platform security, location-based services and financial services, among others. We will continue to invest in our cloud computing platform to support our own businesses and those of third parties.

Our Businesses

Core Commerce

Our core commerce business is comprised of marketplaces operating in three areas: retail commerce in China; wholesale commerce in China; and international and cross-border commerce.

Retail Commerce in China

Our retail commerce business in China is comprised of Taobao Marketplace, Tmall and Juhuasuan, collectively our China retail marketplaces, and Rural Taobao and merchant services. Our China retail marketplaces have become an important part of the everyday life of Chinese online consumers. According to CNNIC, 413 million Chinese Internet users have experienced online shopping in 2015, out of a total of 688 million Internet users at the end of 2015. Our high penetration rate of China's online shopping population is evidenced by the 407 million annual active buyers we had in the twelve months ended December 31, 2015.

We believe consumers appreciate the shopping experience on our China retail marketplaces because of the following value propositions:

•: Broad selection. Our China retail marketplaces had over 1 billion listings as of March 31, 2016 across over 150 product categories, presenting a comprehensive selection of products and services to consumers.
•: Convenience. Because of its 24/7 availability and a seamless user experience, especially on mobile, users are rapidly adopting Internet shopping. Through Cainiao Network and the logistics partners that are connected to its logistics data platform, consumers from cities to rural areas enjoy predictable and speedy delivery services.
•: Customized experience. The content on Taobao App and Tmall App is driven by personalized recommendations, news feeds and shopping themes for individual users, making our apps a highly effective platform for user engagement.
•: Value for money. Our marketplace business model ensures that merchants offer competitive prices to consumers.
•: Merchant quality. Consumers can rate a merchant after completion of a transaction based on whether the product matches its description, the merchant's service level and delivery timeliness. These customer feedbacks contribute to the detailed service rating, or DSR, which is displayed on the merchant's storefront and is factored into the search algorithm that determines its ranking on search results pages.
•: Authentic products. Consumers can expect products purchased from our China retail marketplaces are protected by merchant quality ratings, clear return policies and the Alipay escrow system. These protections are especially valuable in lower-tier cities and rural villages where it has been difficult to distribute authentic branded products.

Because our China retail marketplaces are the most popular online shopping platform for Chinese consumers, we deliver the following value proposition to merchants and brands:

•: Efficient distribution. Manufacturers and retailers in China and rest of the world increasingly recognize that e-commerce is essential for survival and growth. As merchants and retailers turn to online channels for distribution in China, our China retail marketplaces have become part of every conversation. The 423 million active buyers for the twelve months ended March 31, 2016 represent an unparalleled amount of purchasing power.

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•: Brand identity. Brands use their Tmall storefronts as a platform to distinguish their own brands and build brand proposition and awareness. They leverage the multi-media capabilities of our platforms, such as social media, videos and dynamic graphics, to tell their unique brand story. Brand companies, such as Starbucks and P&G, are increasingly recognizing the power of our China retail marketplaces as a top marketing platform, where the life-time value of customers can be built to benefit their businesses both online and offline. For example, the Starbucks Tmall store is designed to enhance its brand value of building people connections through e-gifting.
•: Customer acquisition, retention and engagement. In March 2016, the various mobile apps that consumers use to access our China retail marketplaces had 410 million mobile MAUs. Consumers come to our platform with strong commercial intent, which drives high conversion rates and effective return on investment (ROI) for merchants and brands. The consumer behavior data from our platform enables merchants and brands to acquire, retain and engage their customers effectively, through targeted marketing and a personalized user interface.
•: Efficient operations. In addition to customer facing storefronts and product catalogues, merchants use the software offered on our merchant service platform to improve the operation of their planning, marketing and sales activities, as well as our cloud computing services to lower their technology costs.
•: Omni-channel opportunities. Brands and retailers that have retail outlets can leverage our omni-channel retailing software and services, including a data standardization service for warehouse management and a CRM exchange.

A description of the various aspects of our China commerce retail business follows.

Taobao Marketplace

Taobao means "search for treasure" in Chinese. Through the website at www.taobao.com and the Taobao App, Taobao Marketplace is positioned as the starting point and destination portal for the shopping journey. In addition, consumers use Taobao Marketplace as a commerce-oriented social and community platform where they can acquire product knowledge, converse with other consumers, receive real-time updates from merchants, and use interactive media to connect with each other and with their favorite brands and retailers.

Taobao Marketplace provides a top-level traffic funnel that directs users to the various marketplaces, channels and features within our China retail marketplaces. For example, a search result on Taobao Marketplace display listings not only from Taobao Marketplace merchants but also from Tmall merchants, thereby generating traffic for Tmall.

Taobao Marketplace reaches a vast consumer base, including and beyond consumers from large cities. In the twelve months ended March 31, 2016, approximately 65% of active buyers on our China retail marketplaces were located outside of tier 1 and tier 2 cities.

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The substantial majority of users access Taobao Marketplace through a mobile device. Below is a visual presentation of various components of the Taobao App:

Taobao App — Homepage

Starting point and destination portal for mobile commerce

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Taobao App — Search

Search results are personalized and customized for different users

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Taobao App — Good Find

Shopping recommendations based on consumer actions on our platforms and user profile

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Taobao App — Taobao Headlines

Personalized third-party news feed for consumers to look for new trends and browse for ideas

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Taobao App — Weitao ( )

Social media platform for merchants to engage and interact with consumers

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Taobao App — Communities

Interest-based interactive communities for consumers to share shopping experiences and interact with one another

Taobao Marketplace is also the entry point to verticals such as online travel booking, operated under the Alitrip name, and second-hand auctions, operated under the Xianyu ( ) name, both of which can also be accessed through their own independent mobile app. Alitrip offers a comprehensive selection of domestic and international airline tickets, train and bus tickets, hotel bookings, vacation packages and tourist attractions through online travel agencies and direct travel service providers such as airlines and hotels. Xianyu users trade second-hand items using the Xianyu mobile app which offers location-based information about products and merchant rating reviews.

Merchants on Taobao Marketplace are primarily individuals and small businesses. The creation of storefronts and listings by a merchant on Taobao Marketplace is free of charge. The escrow payment services provided by Alipay are free of charge to consumers and merchants unless payment is funded through a credit card, in which case Alipay charges a fee to the merchant based on the related bank fees charged to Alipay. Taobao Marketplace merchants can purchase P4P and display marketing services to direct traffic to their storefronts. In addition, merchants can acquire additional traffic from third-party marketing affiliates. Taobao Marketplace merchants can also pay for advanced storefront software that help to upgrade, decorate and manage their online storefronts.

Tmall

Tmall caters to consumers looking for branded products and a premium shopping experience. A large number of international and Chinese brands and retailers have established storefronts on Tmall. According to iResearch, Tmall is the largest B2C platform in China in terms of monthly active users in 2015. It is positioned as a trusted platform for consumers to buy both homegrown and international branded products as well as products not available in traditional retail outlets.

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In 2009, Tmall pioneered November 11, known as "Singles Day" in China, as an annual promotional shopping day. Singles Day has become the most important shopping event in China and we believe it generated the highest one-day retail sales volume in the world: on November 11, 2015, our China and international retail marketplaces generated GMV of RMB91 billion (US$14 billion) settled through Alipay within a 24-hour period.

Brands and retailers operate their own stores on the Tmall platform with unique brand identities and look and feel, accompanied by full control over their own branding and merchandising. Merchants on our China retail marketplces can customize their storefronts right down to the software code, without much constraint. As of March 31, 2016, there were over 100,000 brands on Tmall. Because of the presence of a large number of global brands and the stringent requirements for merchants to operate on Tmall, a presence on Tmall has become a validation of quality, allowing merchants to take advantage of our significant traffic to extend and build brand awareness and customer engagement. Major international brands that have physical operations in China, such as Apple, Zara, Bose, Estée Lauder, P&G and Unilever, are well represented on Tmall. And Tmall Global, an extension of Tmall, addresses the increasing demand from Chinese consumers for international products and brands that don't have presences in China. Brands and retailers turn to Tmall not only for its broad user base, but also for its merchant services and tools for customer acquisition, retention and engagement and to enhance the efficiency of their operations.

We also seek to build our mind-share among consumers to position Tmall as the premier shopping destination for everyday items, highlighting value and convenience. For example, through Tmall Supermarket, we offer consumers frequently purchased products, such as groceries and fast-moving consumer goods, or FMCG, in densely populated top-tier cities, where consumers enjoy same-day delivery or next-day delivery coordinated through the warehouse and delivery network partners of Cainiao Network. In consumer electronics, we have leveraged Singles Day to strengthen consumer recognition of Tmall's value proposition through exclusive promotions of high value items such as mobile phones, as well as high quality delivery, installation and after-sale services on home appliances, such as television sets, kitchen appliances, refrigerators and washing machines, through our partners Ri Ri Shun ( ), or RRS, and Suning.

Merchants on Tmall pay commissions based on a pre-determined percentage of transaction value that varies by product category, typically ranging from 0.4% to 5.0%. Tmall merchants also pay an annual upfront service fee, up to 100% of which may be refunded depending on sales volume achieved by the merchant within each year. Like Taobao Marketplace merchants, Tmall merchants have access to online marketing services, third-party marketing affiliates and storefront software.

Juhuasuan

Juhuasuan is a sales and marketing platform for flash sales where Tmall and Taobao Marketplace merchants can acquire new customers and raise brand awareness through special discounts and promotional events. Juhuasuan offers selected branded and private label products, products made to custom specifications, as well as services such as group travel packages. Juhuasuan is an additional avenue for Taobao Marketplace or Tmall merchants to feature their trendiest products and to generate sales. Transactions from traffic originated on Juhuasuan are completed on the merchants' storefronts on Taobao Marketplace or Tmall. Merchants primarily pay a commission based on a pre-determined percentage of transaction value generated from Juhuasuan, which varies by product category, and, under certain circumstances, a placement fee for promotional slots for a specified period.

Rural Taobao

As of December 31, 2015, over 600 million people in China resided in rural areas, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China. Consumption in the rural areas is highly constrained by geographic and infrastructural limitations, as the cost of distribution to geographically dispersed and remote locations is prohibitively high. We aim to increase the level of consumption and commerce in rural China through our Rural Taobao program. We have established service centers in villages to give rural residents greater access to goods and services and the ability to sell what they make to the cities. Villagers can shop at these service centers, with the

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help of service center operators whom we call Rural Taobao Partners. Goods ordered online are delivered to county-level stations and then distributed by local couriers to service centers in the villages for pick up. As of March 31, 2016, we had service centers in over 14,000 rural villages. Coordinated by Cainiao Network, almost all packages can be delivered from the county-level station to a village service center the next day.

Our Rural Taobao program also helps Chinese rural villages to create a production economy by enabling village residents to sell items, such as agricultural products, directly to urban consumers. For example, the program facilitated farmers in the southern part of Jiangxi province, to sell more than 250 tonnes of oranges during the 16-day Ali Chinese New Year Shopping Festival in 2016, helping the region establish its reputation for quality oranges. The program also assisted rice farmers in Zhaoyuan, a small city in Heilongjiang province, with an innovative pre-order campaign where consumers placed their orders six months ahead of harvest and delivery. Despite the lack of e-commerce experience among the Zhaoyuan rice farmers, Zhaoyuan has since become a top-selling region for rice on our China retail marketplaces in 2016, attracting large orders from corporations, such as national airlines and state-owned enterprises.

Through our Rural Taobao program, we are pioneering a two-way distribution infrastructure to connect commerce between cities and rural areas in China. We believe Rural Taobao brings significant benefits to rural residents by improving their quality of life, and to brands and manufacturers who wish to extend their reach by accessing China's vast rural population.

Merchant services

While most users experience our China retail marketplaces as a consumer, we have also invested substantially in our relationship with merchants and brands through development of merchant services, including online software tools. These services enable merchants and brands to manage engagement with their customers and operate more efficiently. We believe offering reliable and useful services to merchants and brands helps to enhance their loyalty to our platform. These merchant services include:

•: Customer relationship management. We provide online store owners the capability to tag and manage their customers who have visited their storefronts by attributes such as demographic characteristics and shopping preferences. This capability enables the store owner to personalize online storefront for each visitor.
•: Inventory and fulfillment management. We provide a data standardization platform to aggregate inventory data and facilitate data exchange between different enterprise systems efficiently, so that retailers can fulfill their online orders from any of their warehouses or offline stores.
•: Storefront management. We provide a suite of tools that assist storefront owners on Taobao Marketplace and Tmall to manage their storefronts, free of charge. Advanced versions of storefront management software for upgrades and decorations are available for a subscription fee. We also offer a free seller management "light app" within our Taobao App that allows merchants to set up and manage their storefronts directly using their mobile phones.
•: Mobile engagement. We offer a multi-media news feed channel on Taobao App and Tmall App for consumers to follow the latest news and videos posted by merchants and brands they have bookmarked. This feature enables merchants and brands to engage and interact with consumers wherever they are.
•: Data insight. We offer a secured cloud data insight platform that offers sophisticated data analytic services such as customer data aggregation, brand marketing and product cycle management services.
•: Communication. Merchants can use our proprietary instant messenger to communicate with and provide customer service to consumers. The instant messaging tool supports text, audio and video communication on PC and mobile.
•: Productivity management. We provide an integrated platform for productivity management that allows merchants to access our suite of software tools in storefront management, communications and marketing services through a unified interface.

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•: Taobao Services Platform. We offer Taobao Services Platform where qualified retail operation partners and ISVs offer product planning, supply chain management and fulfillment services to merchants. In addition, merchants can find service providers in marketing, fashion modeling and photography, as well as third-party software tools for storefront and customer relations management on the platform.
•: Financing. Through Ant Financial Services, merchants doing business on our platforms have access to credit financing. Ant Financial Services designs credit products and evaluates and monitors the credit risks of merchants through its proprietary model based on real-time data from sales transactions, customer feedbacks, customer service indicators and other factors. The availability of high-value commerce data unique to our China retail marketplaces enables Ant Financial Services to provide tailored financing services that we believe are unmatched by other Internet peers.

Wholesale Commerce in China

1688.com China domestic wholesale marketplace

1688.com is our online wholesale marketplace that connects buyers and sellers in China who trade in general merchandise, apparel, electronics, raw materials, industrial components, and agricultural and chemical products, among others. A significant number of merchants on our retail marketplaces source their inventory on 1688.com. Listing items on 1688.com is free. Sellers may purchase a China TrustPass membership for an annual subscription fee to host premium storefronts with access to data-analytics applications and upgraded storefront management tools. Paying members may also pay for additional services, such as premium data analytics and online marketing services. As of March 31, 2016, 1688.com had over 930,000 paying members.

International and Cross-border Commerce

AliExpress

AliExpress is a global marketplace targeting consumers from around the world to buy directly from manufacturers and distributors in China. In addition to the global English-language site, AliExpress operates fifteen local language sites, including Russian, Spanish and French. Consumers can access the marketplace through its websites or the AliExpress App. Top consumer markets where AliExpress is popular are Russia, the United States, Spain, Brazil, France and the United Kingdom.

Merchants on AliExpress pay a transaction commission, which is typically 5% of transaction value. We also generate revenue on AliExpress from merchants who participate in the third-party marketing affiliate program and those who purchase P4P marketing services. In the twelve months ended March 31, 2016, AliExpress generated US$8.4 billion in GMV, US$5.4 billion of which was settled through Alipay.

Tmall Global

Through Tmall Global, an extension of Tmall, we address the increasing Chinese consumer demand for international products and brands. Tmall Global is the premier platform for overseas brands and retailers to reach Chinese consumers and build brand awareness in China without the need for physical operations in China. Tmall Global also enables brands to cater to niche demands, reduce time to market to test new products with consumers, and gain valuable consumer insights in forming their overall China strategy. For example, Costco, Macy's, Chemist Warehouse, LG Household & Health Care and Matsumoto Kiyoshi have storefronts on Tmall Global.

Alibaba.com global trade marketplace

Alibaba.com is a leading English language wholesale marketplace for global trade. Sellers on Alibaba.com may pay for an annual Gold Supplier membership to host a premium storefront with product listings on the marketplace. Sellers may also purchase an upgraded membership package to receive value-added services such as upgraded storefront management tools and P4P marketing services. Buyers on Alibaba.com are located in over

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200 countries all over the world. Buyers are typically trade agents, wholesalers, retailers, manufacturers and SMEs engaged in the import and export business.

Through OneTouch, an Internet-based integrated services platform, we offer members of Alibaba.com and other SMEs services relating to import/export transactions, including customs clearance, VAT refund, trade financing and logistics. In the twelve months ended March 31, 2016, OneTouch processed over US$15 billion in import/export transaction volume. In 2015, Alibaba.com began offering Trade Assurance, a service through which we will compensate a buyer for damages arising from a seller's breach of contract terms. The amount of coverage is based on the seller's credit profile generated from data on our platforms. As of March 31, 2016, Alibaba.com had over 137,000 paying members.

Lazada

We acquired a controlling stake in Lazada, a leading e-commerce platform across Southeast Asia, in April 2016. Lazada operates e-commerce platforms in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, with local language websites and mobile apps in each of the six markets. Lazada offers third-party brands and merchants a marketplace solution with simple and direct access to consumers in these six countries through one retail channel. Lazada also sells products owned by its retail operations. It has developed its own logistics infrastructure with warehouses and a last-mile delivery fleet to offer quick and reliable delivery to its customers. According to Internet Live Stats' estimates, the six countries in which Lazada operates have a combined population of approximately 560 million and an Internet user base of approximately 200 million in 2016.

Cloud Computing

Alibaba Cloud is China's largest provider of public cloud services in 2015 by revenue, according to IDC. The technologies that power Alibaba Cloud grew out of our own need to operate the massive scale and complexity of our core commerce business. In 2009, we founded Alibaba Cloud to make these technologies available for third-party customers.

Alibaba Cloud offers a complete suite of cloud services, including elastic computing, database, storage and content delivery network (CDN), large scale computing, security and management and application services. Products that differentiate Alibaba Cloud from our domestic peers include proprietary security and middleware products, large scale computing services and analytic capabilities provided by our big data platform. These products enable customers to build IT infrastructure quickly on-line without having to work on-premise.

We offer our cloud computing services to merchants doing business on our marketplaces, start-ups, corporations and government organizations. We charges fees that are primarily based on time and usage. As of March 31, 2016, Alibaba Cloud had over 2.3 million customers, including over 500,000 paying customers. Customers, including China Railway, Weibo and Beijing Genomics Institute, use our elastic computing services, security and artificial intelligence capabilities for data storage, transmission and analysis. Customers, such as Sinopec and BYD, also use our middleware services to upgrade their application infrastructures. Entertainment platforms, including CCTV and Mango TV, use our content delivery networks for live and on-demand video business. China Customs and China Meteorological Administration use our big data solutions to improve efficiency.

Our cloud computing platform supported our annual Singles Day promotion when record traffic and transactions occur. On Singles Day in 2015, Alibaba Cloud successfully processed peak transactions of 140,000 orders per second, demonstrating the platform's reliability and scalability. Alibaba Cloud's distributed computation framework, FuxiSort, set new world records in the Sort Benchmark contest in 2015, a further demonstration of our leadership in general-purpose computing systems.

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Mobile Media and Entertainment

Based on the strength of our relationship with consumers and our capability to leverage commerce data that can be applied to serve the broader interests of consumers, we have developed an emerging business in mobile media and entertainment through three distribution platforms, UCWeb mobile media, game publishing and multi-screen entertainment, and content creation and production companies in film, music and sports.

Distribution Platforms

UCWeb mobile media

UCWeb operates UC Browser, the second largest mobile browser in the world after Chrome by page view market share as of April 2016, according to StatCounter (data available at: http://gs.statcounter.com). UCWeb also provides mobile value-added services to users including news feeds, mobile web navigation and mobile search. Its mobile search business, Shenma ( ), was the second largest mobile search engine in China in the three months ended March 31, 2016, according to BigData-Research.

Game publishing

We operate a game publishing platform for Android-based mobile games that also serves as an online community and media platform for gamers. We cooperate with upstream and downstream players across the game industry value chain, as a partner, exclusive licensee and developer of mobile games.

Multi-screen entertainment

Youku Tudou, a leading multi-screen entertainment and media company in China, enables users to search, view and share high-quality video content quickly and easily across multiple devices. The Youku Tudou brand is among the most recognized online video brands in China. In March 2016, monthly active users on Youku Tudou PC platforms reached 344 million and monthly active users of Youku App and Tudou App combined reached over 167 million, according to iResearch. The total user time spent on Youku Tudou PC platforms, and the two mobile apps combined reached over 2.9 billion hours in March 2016, according to iResearch. Through licensed operators, we also offer over-the-top TV services, such as the delivery of a variety of video content over the Internet through set-top boxes developed by us and set-top boxes and smart televisions developed by third parties, of which some are powered by YunOS, our proprietary operating system.

Content Creation and Production

Film

Alibaba Pictures is our equity method investee company that produces and invests in movies and television programs. It has built a pipeline of upcoming releases including Ferry Man ( ), Three Lives Three Worlds Ten Miles of Peach Blossom ( ), The Heroic Age ( ) and Return of the Pearl Princess ( ). In addition to content production, Alibaba Pictures also promotes and distributes films including blockbusters such as Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation and Tiny Times 4 ( 4). It also operates one of the largest suppliers of cinema ticketing systems in China, an online ticketing platform and a C2B financing platform for entertainment projects and merchandising.

Music

We operate Xiami ( ), which offers music streaming services through websites and mobile apps. We also operate online music platform Alibaba Planet ( ) that connects fans, artists and other music industry participants.

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Sports

Alibaba Sports Group, established in September 2015, is engaged in the development and operation of sports IP, sporting events, e-sports contests, sporting venues, sports merchandise and acquisition of selected media rights, leveraging our expertise in e-commerce and our various entertainment distribution platforms.

Other Innovation Initiatives

YunOS Operating System

YunOS is a cloud-based mobile operating system for smartphones, Internet of Things devices, set-top boxes, smart televisions and smart cars, among others. Using YunOS, users can conveniently and securely synchronize data, such as call data, text messages and photos, across their devices through the cloud. YunOS provides the connectivity between cloud-based applications and hardware devices, with a focus on the data needs of users.

AutoNavi

AutoNavi is a leading provider of digital map, navigation and location-based services in China.

DingTalk

DingTalk is our proprietary enterprise communications app that provides support for text, voice and video communication, work flow management and collaboration among team members and enterprises of various sizes. With a built-in enterprise directory, users can initiate text chats or voice and video conference calls as well as secured group chats with members of their organization. DingTalk unifies the tasks of critical communication and collaboration in the work place.

Alibaba Health

Alibaba Health is our flagship vehicle to bring innovative solutions to the healthcare industry.

Monetization Platforms and Systems

Alimama

Alimama is our marketing technology platform that provides the publisher-side serving and demand-side functionalities for merchants and brands to place various marketing display formats on our marketplaces and other third-party properties. The platform supports P4P marketing based on keyword search rankings or display marketing in fixed positions that are bid through auctions, as well as cost-per-thousand impression-based (CPM) marketing formats via the display of photos and graphics.

The ranking of P4P search results on our core commerce marketplaces is based upon proprietary algorithms that take into account the bid price of keywords, the popularity of an item or merchant, customer feedback ranking of merchants and quality of product displays. For display marketing, the Alimama platform serves marketing messages based on data from our ecosystem, including transactions on our core commerce platforms, payment data from Ant Financial Services, logistics data from Cainiao Network, user navigation and behavioral data from our core commerce and media entertainment properties, as well as demographic and location-based data. The relevance and comprehensiveness of data based on commercial activities and user activities around our ecosystem provide a powerful and unique advantage for Alimama to target the most relevant information to the most relevant users.

We have developed a system that we call Super ID to track users across different properties and devices. For example, we are able to identify a user watching a Youku Tudou video on a PC as the same user shopping on our Taobao App. Our Super ID system takes disparate data and attributes the data to a single user, and in this we can provide marketers with valuable insights into user behavior and preferences.

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The Alimama technology platform supports marketing delivered through personal computers and mobile devices. Under Alimama's bidding system, marketers may set a higher or lower bid price for mobile marketing than the bid price for marketing on personal computers. Alimama also has an affiliate marketing program to place marketing displays on third-party websites and mobile apps, thereby enabling marketers, if they so choose, to extend their marketing and promotional reach to properties and users beyond our own marketplaces.

We believe we have one of the largest online marketing affiliate networks in China in terms of revenue shared with third-party website properties and mobile apps. Our affiliate marketing program not only provides additional traffic to our core commerce marketplaces, but also generates revenue to us. Under the Taobaoke program, merchants on Taobao Marketplace and Tmall can generate additional traffic and transactions from third-party websites and mobile apps, and the marketer pays commissions based on a percentage of transaction value sourced from such third-party affiliates. We share a significant portion of that commission with our third-party affiliate partners.

Alimama operates the Taobao Ad Network and Exchange, or TANX, one of the largest real-time bidding online marketing exchanges in China. TANX helps publishers to monetize their media inventories both on web properties and mobile apps. TANX automates the buying and selling of billions of marketing impressions on a daily basis. Participants on TANX include publishers, marketers and demand side platforms operated by agencies.

Alimama also offers a data management platform through TANX, or DMP, for marketers that wish to execute their campaigns with proprietary and tailored data. DMP helps the marketer to identify targeted audience groups by mapping their own proprietary data set to the data captured in our ecosystem. By customizing and tagging the attributes of consumers, the marketer is able to reach and expand its targeted audiences.

UCWeb Mobile Marketing System

Our mobile search engine, Shenma ( ), monetizes through a keyword bidding system that enables marketers to reach users who search for information related to their products or services. We engage third-party distributors to sell some of our mobile marketing services to marketers. UC Browser monetizes primarily through time-based display marketing where marketers place icons that link to their webpage or apps in UC Browser. Its news feed feature UC Headline enables marketers to place marketing messages in news feed on cost-per-click (CPC) basis or impressions on time basis. Our mobile marketing platform enables marketers to launch targeted marketing for apps, games, web pages and services on mobile media including UC Browser, UC Headline and third-party media partners, leveraging our deep consumer insights.

Youku Tudou Advertising System

Youku Tudou monetizes primarily through brand advertising. Its online advertising services include in-video, display, sponsorship and other forms of advertisements. In-video advertisements appear at certain times during the playback of a video. These video advertisements can be pre-roll, post-roll, mid-roll or pause advertisements. Display advertisements can be delivered alongside a video and may take the form of graphical banners or text hyperlinks. Other forms of advertisements include product placements in the web video series produced in-house, sponsored live events or viral videos produced in-house. Youku Tudou's advertising solutions present brand advertisers with attractive opportunities to combine the visual impact and engagement of traditional television-like multimedia formats with the interactivity and precise targeting capabilities of the Internet.

Other Major Elements of our Ecosystem

Logistics

Cainiao Network is a joint venture that we formed in May 2013 with other shareholders who are engaged in logistics, retail, and real estate, including four major express courier companies in China. Cainiao Network does not deliver packages itself. It operates a logistics data platform that leverages the capacity and capabilities of logistics partners to fulfill transactions between merchants and consumers at a large scale. Cainiao Network uses

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data insights and technology to improve efficiency across the logistics value chain. The proprietary data platform provides real-time access to data for merchants to better manage their inventory and warehousing and for consumers to track their orders. In addition, Cainiao Network's data platform helps logistics service providers to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their services, such as leveraging data to optimize the delivery routes used by express courier companies.

Cainiao Network provides two major types of services — assisted-delivery services and end-to-end logistics solutions.

•: Assisted-delivery services are data- and technology-based value-added services that link merchants to logistics service providers, provide real-time order tracking information to consumers and enhance logistics efficiency. Merchants select the services of particular logistics service providers that rely on Cainiao Network's proprietary data platform for accuracy of delivery information and optimization of delivery routes. Under the assisted-delivery model, merchants assume the responsibility for order fulfillment out of their chosen warehouses, and they pay for express courier companies to pick up, transport, sort and make last-mile deliveries to the end consumers. This model does not require Cainiao Network to invest in capital intensive warehouse, transport or last-mile assets. Currently the vast majority of packages from our China retail marketplaces are fulfilled and delivered under the assisted-delivery model.

Through the platform approach, Cainiao Network integrates the resources of logistics service providers to build out the logistics ecosystem. As of March 31, 2016, Cainiao Network's fifteen strategic express courier partners employed over 1,700,000 delivery personnel in more than 600 cities and 31 provinces in China, according to data provided by them. Collectively they operated more than 150,000 hubs and sorting stations. The top six of these express courier partners handled the delivery of the majority of packages from our China retail marketplaces in the twelve months ended March 31, 2016. We believe that orders from transactions generated on our marketplaces represented a significant portion of these express courier partners' total delivery volumes in the twelve months ended March 31, 2016. Cainiao Network is still in an early stage of development. It has yet to monetize the majority of the value-added services it provides under the assisted-delivery model.

•: End-to-end logistics solutions are fulfillment and delivery services offered to merchants where Cainiao Network assumes responsibility of getting packages to the end consumers. Cainiao Network uses a combination of owned and partner warehouses to fulfill orders, and it collaborates with providers in warehouse operations, line haul services and express courier services to complete the last-mile delivery. To provide a high quality solution, Cainiao Network oversees the entire logistics process and promotes standardization on efficiency metrics. During the process, Cainiao Network also trains the capabilities of its logistics partners through technology and data insights.

In addition to enabling the fulfillment and delivery of orders that fit in standard size packages, we and Cainiao Network also partner with specialized logistics service providers for category-specific solutions where items require special handling and services. The following are examples of category-specific solutions that we and Cainiao Network have organized to enhance the consumer experience:

•: Large appliances. We have entered into a joint venture with Haier Electronics to invest in its logistics subsidiary, RRS, to handle logistics services for large appliances. Partnering with RRS, Cainiao Network provides large appliances merchants with inventory planning tools, data analytics, and logistics services that enhance consumer experience through more efficient inventory placement.
•: Consumer electronics. In connection with our agreement to invest in Suning, one of the largest electronics retail chain in China with 1,600 stores and over 60 national and regional distribution centers as of December 31, 2015, we and Cainiao Network are cooperating with Suning to leverage their retail and logistics assets relating to warehousing and delivery capabilities, and after-sale servicing and returns of electronics products.

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•: Tmall Supermarket. Tmall operates a popular supermarket category that generates high frequency purchases and builds consumer mindshare for high quality fresh produce, food and FMCG products. Cainiao Network provides same-day or next-day delivery under its end-to-end logistics solutions program by partnering with specialized players in the fresh produce supply chain, cold chain transport, warehouse operations and last-mile delivery services.
•: Cross-border. Cainiao Network provides import and export logistics services to merchants on Tmall Global, our premier platform for overseas brands and retailers, and AliExpress, our global consumer marketplace, respectively.

In order to enhance consumer experience and improve efficiency in last-mile delivery in both rural and urban areas, Cainiao Network is also engaged in initiatives including arranging delivery from county-level Rural Taobao stations to villages, and setting up pick-up stations around urban communities.

During the twelve months ended March 31, 2016, Cainiao Network and its logistics partners enabled the delivery of 12.2 billion packages from our China retail marketplaces. Currently, Cainiao Network primarily derives its revenue from end-to-end logistics solutions and generates a significant portion of its revenue from providing these services to Tmall Supermarket.

Proprietary Logistics Data Platform

Cainiao Network operates a proprietary logistics data platform. This platform links consumers, merchants and logistics service providers and allows them to share information relating to orders, delivery routes and time, and user feedbacks. The logistics data platform can interface with a broad range of systems including our marketplace transaction systems, Alipay's payment system, third-party transportation management systems, and the CRM, ERP and warehouse management systems of merchants. Information generated from the data platform serves many purposes: merchants can review the performance of delivery service providers on different routes; logistics service providers can compare their performance against peers; and consumers can track orders, receive delivery time information, and stay in touch with delivery personnel.

Recent Equity Financing of Cainiao Network

Cainiao Network completed a round of equity financing of approximately RMB10 billion in March 2016. Existing shareholders and new investors, including major sovereign wealth funds and private equity funds, participated in the financing. We subscribed for Cainiao Network's shares on an approximately pro rata basis. As of March 31, 2016, we own an approximately 47% equity interest in Cainiao Network. See "Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects — A. Operating Results — Recent Investment, Acquisition and Strategic Alliance Activities — Logistics — Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Limited."

Payments

Alipay, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ant Financial Services, provides payment and escrow services for transactions on Taobao Marketplace, Tmall, 1688.com, AliExpress and certain of our other platforms. Alipay also provides payment and escrow services to third parties in China and overseas. Alipay is the principal means by which consumers pay for their purchases on our China retail marketplaces. Except for credit card transactions where Alipay charges the merchant to cover processing costs with banks, neither we nor Alipay charge any payment fees to merchants doing business on our platform. Instead, we pay Alipay a fee to cover its cost of operating payment and escrow services it provides on our marketplaces pursuant to a commercial agreement with Ant Financial Services and Alipay. For additional details on our commercial relationship with Ant Financial Services and Alipay, see "Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions — B. Related Party Transactions — Agreements and Transactions Related to Ant Financial Services and its Subsidiaries."

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Alipay also offers a mobile app, Alipay Wallet, which further facilitates mobile commerce and other consumer services and digital transactions by making payment accessible and convenient through a mobile device. During the twelve months ended March 31, 2016, there were over 450 million Alipay annual active users.

Local Services

Through investee companies, we are engaged in the online-to-offline, or O2O, local services business involving restaurants, food delivery, movie ticketing and retail stores, among others.

Koubei Restaurant and Local Services Guide

In 2015, we and Ant Financial Services set up the joint venture Koubei ( ), one of the leading restaurant and local services guide businesses in China. Koubei operates O2O services in conjunction with Alipay and AutoNavi's map navigation by generating demand to local establishments such as restaurants, supermarkets and convenient stores by offering consumers a "closed loop" experience, from acquiring information on mobile to finding the store to claiming discounts to payment. For the three months ended March 31, 2016, Koubei generated RMB21 billion (US$3 billion) in GMV settled through Alipay with merchants.

Ele.Me Food Delivery

In March 2016, we jointly invested with Ant Financial Services in Ele.me ( ), a leading food delivery company in China. Consumers using the company's food delivery app can order meals, snacks and beverages on a mobile device. Through a delivery network of employed and outsourced personnel, the company's service covered over 300 cities in China as of March 31, 2016. Under a cooperation agreement with the company, food orders generated from the Taobao App and Alipay Wallet are fulfilled by Ele.me.

Movie Ticketing

Alibaba Pictures, our equity investee and the flagship unit of our movie business, operates an online movie ticketing platform. In May 2016, the platform raised RMB1.7 billion Series A financing from a group of investors led by CDH Investments, Ant Financial Services and Sina.com.

Customer Service for China Retail Marketplaces

Merchants on our platforms serve their customers with tools we provide. In addition, our customer service representatives serve consumers and merchants on our marketplaces through telephone hotlines, real-time instant messaging and online inquiry systems. Our dispute resolution system's adjudication panel of experienced consumers and merchants provides an easy way for consumers and merchants to resolve their disputes, while other more complicated disputes are referred to our customer service representatives. In the twelve months ended March 31, 2016, we received dispute cases representing approximately 0.04% of annual orders placed on our China retail marketplaces.

With certain exceptions, consumers on our China retail marketplaces may return the purchased goods within seven days from their receipt. Alipay's payment escrow services ensure efficient refunds. In addition, for qualified buyers with good credit history, we may accelerate refund procedure by making the refund payment directly to the buyer upon the buyer's refund application and providing of proof of shipment for the return goods.

Transaction Platform Safety Programs

Preserving the integrity of our marketplaces is a top priority for us. We are committed to protecting intellectual property rights and eradicating counterfeit merchandise and fictitious activities. Counterfeiting and infringement of intellectual property, both online and offline, are industry-wide issues affecting brands and merchants globally. We work with rights holders, trade associations and governments around the world.

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Anti-Counterfeiting

To protect consumers, merchants and brands and to maintain the integrity of our marketplaces, we have taken the following measures through our platforms, with other industry participants and with governmental authorities:

•

Through our platforms. We proactively monitor our platforms and have implemented takedown measures to enforce IP rights, including:

•: operating an online takedown platform for brand owners to report infringements;
•: offering qualified rights holders a good-faith takedown program on Taobao Marketplace, where we process infringement takedown requests on a "good-faith" basis by expediting claims and simplifying the notification procedure;
•: conducting real-time initial screening of merchandise when merchants add or modify listings;
•: conducting test-buy programs to spot check whether the goods mailed by a merchant are genuine or meet quality standards; and
•: improving our monitoring system by developing technologies to automate the process and investing in more manpower.

•

With other industry participants. We have established cooperative relationships with over 1,900 major brand owners and a large number of leading industry associations in connection with intellectual property rights protection to enhance the effectiveness of anti-counterfeiting measures.

•

With government authorities. We cooperate with government authorities, agencies and law enforcement authorities to conduct offline anti-counterfeiting investigations, and work with local governments in China to support original brands. With insights drawn from our data analytics, our team works closely with brands and law enforcement authorities, to identify manufacturers and large-scale distributors of counterfeit goods and bring them to justice.

Combatting Fictitious Transactions

With respect to fictitious activities, we have and will continue to invest significant resources in protecting the trust and credit system we have built on our marketplaces. Measures to prevent, detect and reduce the occurrence of fictitious transactions on Taobao Marketplace and Tmall we have implemented include:

•: requiring the use of merchants' real identities when opening accounts;
•: analyzing transaction patterns to identify anomalies;
•: offering dynamic password protection and engaging in real-time monitoring of user login behavior;
•: enabling consumers and merchants to report suspicious transactions;
•: maintaining a "blacklist" of merchants and sellers who have previously been involved in fictitious transactions; and
•: collaborating with participants in our ecosystem such as Alipay and Cainiao Network as well as industry partners and law enforcement authorities on Internet security.

Penalties

We aim to protect consumers from being affected by excluding counterfeit merchandise and fictitious transactions from the ranking system, credit system and transaction volume statistics. When such activities are confirmed, we penalize the parties involved through a number of means including: limiting the relevant merchant's ability to add listings, imposing restrictions on participation in promotional activities on our marketplaces, placing

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the relevant merchant's product listings at the bottom in search ranking results, closing down storefronts and permanently banning the merchant from opening any accounts on our platforms.

Consumer Protection

We believe every consumer has the right to safety and protection from false and misleading claims. We encourage our merchants to make product quality a priority and have set up various programs to this end. In addition, all Tmall merchants are required to contribute to and maintain a consumer protection fund for the benefit of consumers. Consumer protection fund deposit requirements vary by product category and typically range from RMB50,000 to RMB150,000 per storefront. For Tmall Global merchants, the consumer protection fund deposit requirement is typically RMB150,000 for standard storefronts. The majority of Taobao Marketplace merchants maintain individual consumer protection funds whose minimum amounts range from RMB1,000 to RMB10,000. All Tmall and Taobao Marketplace merchants are required to sign agreements with us authorizing us to make deductions from their Alipay accounts in the event of confirmed consumer claims. Many merchants on both Tmall and Taobao Marketplace fulfill more than our basic requirements to demonstrate their confidence in the quality of their services and products. They provide a larger deposit than required and make additional service commitments, such as expedited shipment, free maintenance for electronics and installation services for furniture purchases. We incentivize merchants to set up customer protection funds by programming our search results to prioritize the rankings of product listings for merchants who have established these funds. In addition, the consumer protection fund amounts are displayed on the merchant's information page. As of March 31, 2016, consumer protection funds deposited in the Alipay accounts of merchants on our China retail marketplaces in aggregate totaled over RMB17 billion. If the amount in a merchant's consumer protection fund is insufficient, we may still choose to compensate consumers ourself for any losses, although we are not legally obligated to do so.

Our Technology

Technology is key to our success in achieving efficiency for our business, improving the user experience, and enabling innovation. As of March 31, 2016, we employed a team of over 18,000 research and development personnel engaged in building our technology platform and developing new online and mobile products. Key components of our technology include those described below:

Cloud Computing

Our cloud computing platform, called Apsara, is a general purpose distributed computing platform built with proprietary technology that enable server clusters to perform with enhanced computing power. Apsara offers a suite of cloud services including elastic computing, database storage and services, and large-scale data processing services through web-based API.

Content Delivery Network

The technology underlying AliCDN, our content delivery network, accelerates the loading of product photographs on web pages delivered to users and offers them a fast and smooth experience.

Data Science

Our data science technology serves various types of data-intensive computational needs, including deep learning, high-volume batch processing and multi-variable and multi-dimensional real-time analytics. The data mining and transaction, payment and behavioral data science capabilities are used extensively in numerous applications such as search and online marketing on our marketplaces.

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Distributed Relational Database

OceanBase, our proprietary distributed relational database management system, plays a critical role in supporting transaction processing on our marketplaces in a cost-efficient manner.

Search and Online Marketing

Our standard product unit database, or SPU database, is built on the vast amount of items listed on Taobao Marketplace and Tmall. The comprehensive transactional and user behavior data generated on our marketplaces enable us to construct a powerful search engine that generates personalized results.

Our online marketing technology platform supports millions of online marketers and delivers tens of billions of online marketing impressions every day. Our online marketing technology enables us to continuously improve the effectiveness of our online marketing services for our merchants through the use of aggregated behavioral targeting data and analytics.

Deep Learning

Alimama utilizes cloud-based deep learning extensively to enhance the consumer targeting efficiency and return on investments for online marketers of our P4P marketing, display marketing and DMP service offerings. Supported by our Apsara cloud computing system, Alimama operates a cluster of servers that is capable of analyzing terabytes of data points for the modeling of tens of billions online marketing impressions.

Security

We are committed to maintaining a secure e-commerce ecosystem. Our back-end security system handles hundreds of millions of instances of malicious attacks each day to safeguard the security of our e-commerce and cloud platforms.

Multi-Region Availability

Compared to social media platforms, the data availability and security requirement for transactions platforms are higher. Our transaction system is kept live and available in data centers in multiple regions in China. This configuration provides more scalability, stability and redundancy than the traditional redundancy configurations.

YunOS

Our YunOS is a cloud-based mobile operating system for smartphones, Internet of Things devices, set-top boxes, smart televisions and smart cars, among others. With YunOS, users can conveniently and securely synchronize data, such as call data, text messages and photos, across their devices through the cloud. System level based H5/Web, dynamic service linking and unified data technologies, as well as a multi-level security framework enable developers to deliver location-based and contextual Internet services with a focus on the data needs of users.

Sales and Marketing

As Taobao Marketplace is China's largest online shopping destination, we enjoy significant organic traffic through word-of-mouth and general awareness of our brand and platform. We believe word-of-mouth, and the reputation and ubiquitous awareness of our brand and platforms in China and, increasingly, abroad, provide us with the best and most cost-efficient marketing channel. We employ a variety of methods to attract potential merchants and consumers, paying members, online marketers and other ecosystem participants and to promote our brands.

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We generate the majority of our revenues through online marketing services from our merchants. As these merchants are mostly participants on our marketplaces, we do not need to rely on a large sales force for our retail marketplaces. The majority of our sales staff is engaged in selling membership packages to registered members of our wholesale marketplaces through telephone sales and field sales.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Since our founding, we have been highly committed to sustainable corporate responsibility projects, both through charitable endeavors and by extending the benefits of our ecosystem to the community at large. We believe the best approach to corporate social responsibility is through embedding elements of social responsibility in our business model. Our achievements and initiatives in the areas of corporate social responsibility include those described below:

Creating Job Opportunities

The breadth of our ecosystem and the range of different types of service providers needed within it create employment opportunities. In addition to providing direct business opportunities for merchants, our ecosystem has created new opportunities for service providers in logistics, marketing, consulting, operations outsourcing, training and other online and mobile commerce professions. According to AliResearch, our research division, as of December 2015, it is estimated that our China retail marketplaces contributed to the creation of over 15 million job opportunities, including people working directly for online storefronts and service providers to merchants.

With the power of the Internet, our platforms have leveled the playing fields for businesses in many aspects making it an inclusive place for everyone to thrive and prosper. In fiscal year 2016, approximately half of our active sellers on our China retail marketplaces are female. We also have programs that create equal opportunities for everyone such as cloud customer service program for people with disabilities, entrepreneur programs for university students and Rural Taobao partnership program targeting entrepreneurs returning to their villages to start businesses. We have also established entrepreneurial funds in Hong Kong and Taiwan to support the career and entrepreneurial aspirations of young people locally.

Alleviating Poverty

As we expand to rural areas in China and help rural farmers reach urban consumers, we have created opportunities for people living in poverty to elevate their income levels. For the twelve months ended March 31, 2016, merchants in over 800 state-designated poverty counties in China in aggregate generated GMV of over RMB20 billion on our China retail marketplaces.

Internet Approach to Charity

We support and promote a number of charitable and socially responsible initiatives and programs in ways that we believe are in alignment with our core values and our mission. Since 2010, we have earmarked 0.3% of our annual revenue to fund efforts designed to encourage environmental awareness and conservation and other corporate social responsibility efforts. In 2011, we established Alibaba Foundation, a private charity fund that focuses on supporting environmental protection in China and helping the disadvantaged such as children born with heart defects in underdeveloped areas of China.

Over RMB400 million. In fiscal year 2016, Alibaba Foundation made over RMB210 million in donations to support various charitable causes and initiatives. We have also leveraged our platform to facilitate other charitable organizations to raise over RMB190 million in donations.

Over 60 projects. In fiscal year 2016, Alibaba Foundation supported more than 60 charitable projects, including those hosted by The Nature Conservancy, National Geographic Air and Water Conservation Fund,

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Paulson Institute and Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs. For example, we supported the development of Wei Lan Map ( ) mobile app that exposes pollution hotspots in China and the companies and factories responsible for it on a map. Hundreds of corporations have made press releases about the data exposed by this app while a portion of these corporations have reacted by taking actions to rectify the problems exposed.

Over 130,000 hours. Starting from September 2015, we encourage our employees to perform at a minimum three hours of charitable activities every year. Since the program's inception until the end of fiscal year 2016, this program saw over 130,000 hours of social service performed by our employees.

Over 3.3 billion participations. We recognize our immense influence on our ecosystem and we leverage that to extend the reach of our charitable work. In fiscal year 2016, our platforms facilitated over 3.3 billion charitable participations involving over 280 million consumers and over 1.5 million merchants. We encourage our merchants, consumers and other ecosystem participants to participate in socially responsible activities. For example, charitable organizations can set up storefronts on our marketplaces to raise funds and engage volunteers. Merchants can designate certain percentage of their sales proceeds generated on our platforms to go to charitable organizations. Consumers can contribute to charitable causes through purchasing these products or participating in charity auctions hosted on our platforms.

Competition

We face competition principally from established Chinese Internet companies, such as Tencent, Baidu and their respective affiliates, as well as from certain offline retailers and vertical e-commerce players, including those that specialize in a limited number of categories. These competitors generate significant traffic and have established brand recognition, significant technological capabilities and significant financial resources. The areas in which we compete include:

•: Consumers — We compete to attract, engage and retain consumers based on the variety and value of products and services listed on our marketplaces, the engagement of media and entertainment content available on our platforms and the overall user experience of our products and services.
•: Merchants and Brands — We compete to attract and retain merchants based on the size and the engagement of consumers on our platforms and the effectiveness of our products and services to help them build brand awareness and engagement, acquire and retain customers, complete transactions and enhance operating efficiency.
•: Marketers — We compete to attract and retain marketers, publishers and demand side platforms operated by agencies based on the reach and engagement of our properties, the depth of our consumer data insights and the effectiveness of our branding and marketing solutions.
•: Talent — We compete for motivated and effective talent and personnel, including engineers and product developers to build compelling apps, tools and functions for all participants in our ecosystem.

We also face competition from major global Internet companies, including e-commerce companies around the world. Although foreign e-commerce companies currently have a limited presence in China, we face significant competition from them in the areas of cross-border commerce, in particular as we further carry out geographic expansions into international markets.

Seasonality

Our overall operating results fluctuate from quarter to quarter as a result of a variety of factors, including seasonal factors and economic cycles that influence consumer spending as well as promotional shopping activities we conduct.

Historically, we have experienced the highest levels of revenues in the fourth calendar quarter of each year due to a number of factors, including merchants allocating a significant portion of their online marketing budgets

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to the fourth calendar quarter, promotions, such as Singles Day on November 11 of each year and the impact of seasonal buying patterns in respect of certain categories such as apparel. We have also experienced lower levels of revenues in the first calendar quarter of each year due to a lower level of allocation of online marketing budgets by merchants at the beginning of the calendar year and the Chinese New Year holiday, during which time consumers generally spend less and businesses in China are generally closed. In addition, seasonal weather patterns may affect the timing of buying decisions. For example, unexpectedly long periods of warm weather could delay the purchase of heavier clothing items that have higher average selling prices. Moreover, as our business grows, we expect that our fixed costs and expenses, such as payroll and benefits, bandwidth and co-location fees, will continue to increase, which will result in operating leverage in seasonally strong quarters but can significantly pressure operating margins in seasonally weak quarters.

Regulation

We operate in an increasingly complex legal and regulatory environment. We and our key service provider, Ant Financial Services, are subject to a variety of PRC and foreign laws, rules and regulations across a number of aspects of our business. This section summarizes the principal PRC laws, rules and regulations relevant to our business and operations. Areas in which we are subject to laws, rules and regulations outside of the PRC include data protection and privacy, consumer protection, content regulation, intellectual property, competition, cross-border trade, taxation, anti-money laundering and anti-corruption. See "Item 3. Key Information — D. Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business and Industry — We and Ant Financial Services are subject to a broad range of laws and regulations, and future laws and regulations may impose additional requirements and other obligations on our business or otherwise that could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations."

Our online and mobile commerce businesses are classified as value-added telecommunication businesses by the PRC government. Current PRC laws, rules and regulations generally restrict foreign ownership in value-added telecommunication services. As a result, we operate our online and mobile commerce businesses and other businesses in which foreign investment is restricted or prohibited through variable interest entities, each of which is owned by PRC citizens or by PRC entities owned by PRC citizens, and holds all licenses associated with these businesses.

The applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations governing value-added telecommunication services may change in the future. We may be required to obtain additional approvals, licenses and permits and to comply with any new regulatory requirements adopted from time to time. Moreover, substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of these PRC laws, rules and regulations. See "Item 3. Key Information — D. Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in the People's Republic of China — There are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws, rules and regulations."

Regulation of Foreign Investment

The Guidance Catalogue of Industries for Foreign Investment, or the Catalogue, the latest version of which came into effect on April 10, 2015, was promulgated and recently amended by the MOFCOM and the National Development and Reform Commission and governs investment activities in the PRC by foreign investors. The Catalogue divides industries into three categories — "encouraged," "restricted," and "prohibited" for foreign investment. Industries not listed in the Catalogue are generally deemed as falling into a fourth category, "permitted." However, industries such as value-added telecommunication services, including Internet information services, are restricted from foreign investment. Among our significant subsidiaries, Taobao (China) Software Co., Ltd. and Zhejiang Tmall Technology Co., Ltd. are registered in China and mainly engaged in software development, technical services and consultations, which fall into the encouraged or permitted category under the latest Catalogue. These two significant subsidiaries have obtained all material approvals required for their business operations. The Catalogue does not apply to our significant subsidiaries that are registered and domiciled in Hong Kong, the British Virgin Islands or the Cayman Islands, and operate outside China. The

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businesses of our other PRC subsidiaries — including PRC subsidiaries of our significant subsidiaries — are generally software development, technical services and consulting, which fall into the encouraged or permitted category. Industries such as value-added telecommunication services, including Internet information services, are generally restricted to foreign investment pursuant to the latest Catalogue. We conduct business operations that are restricted or prohibited to foreign investment through our variable interest entities.

In January 2015, the MOFCOM published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law, which embodies an expected PRC regulatory trend to rationalize its foreign investment regulatory regime in line with prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic investments. The MOFCOM has solicited comments on this draft and substantial uncertainties exist with respect to its enactment timetable, the final version, interpretation and implementation. For more details, see "Item 3. Key Information — Risks Related to our Corporate Structure — Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation of draft PRC Foreign Investment Law."

Regulation of Telecommunications and Internet Information Services

Regulation of Telecommunication Services

Under the Telecommunications Regulations of the PRC, or the Telecommunications Regulations, promulgated on September 25, 2000 by the State Council of the PRC and most recently amended in February 2016, a telecommunication services provider in China must obtain an operating license from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or the MIIT, or its provincial counterparts. The Telecommunications Regulations categorize all telecommunication services in China as either basic telecommunications services or value-added telecommunications services. Our online and mobile commerce businesses, as well as Youku Tudou's online video businesses, are classified as value-added telecommunications services.

Foreign investment in telecommunications businesses is governed by the State Council's Administrative Rules for Foreign Investments in Telecommunications Enterprises, or the Foreign Investment Telecommunications Rules, issued by the State Council on December 11, 2001 and most recently amended in February 2016, under which a foreign investor's beneficial equity ownership in an entity providing value-added telecommunications services in China is not permitted to exceed 50%. In addition, for a foreign investor to acquire any equity interest in a business providing value-added telecommunications services in China, it must demonstrate a positive track record and experience in providing such services. However, according to the Notice on Lifting the Restriction to Foreign Shareholding Percentage in Online Data Processing and Transaction Processing Business (Operational E-commerce) promulgated by the MIIT on June 19, 2015, foreign investors are allowed to hold up to 100% of all equity interest in the online data processing and transaction processing business (operational e-commerce) in China, while other requirements provided by the Foreign Investment Telecommunications Rules shall still apply. It is unclear how this notice will be implemented and there exist high uncertainties with respect to its interpretation and implementation by authorities. The MIIT's Notice Regarding Strengthening Administration of Foreign Investment in Operating Value-Added Telecommunication Businesses, or the MIIT Notice, issued on July 13, 2006 prohibits holders of these services licenses from leasing, transferring or selling their licenses in any form, or providing any resource, sites or facilities, to any foreign investors intending to conduct such businesses in China.

In addition to restricting dealings with foreign investors, the MIIT Notice contains a number of detailed requirements applicable to holders of value-added telecommunications services licenses, including that license holders or their shareholders must directly own the domain names and trademarks used in their daily operations and each license holder must possess the necessary facilities for its approved business operations and maintain such facilities in the regions covered by its license, including maintaining its network and providing Internet security in accordance with the relevant regulatory standards. The MIIT or its provincial counterpart has the power to require corrective actions after it discovers any non-compliance of the license holders, and where such license holders fail to take such steps, the MIIT or its provincial counterpart has the power to revoke the value-added telecommunications services licenses.

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Regulation of Internet Information Services

As a subsector of the telecommunications industry, Internet information services are regulated by the Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services, or the ICP Measures, promulgated on September 25, 2000 by the State Council and amended on January 8, 2011. "Internet information services" are defined as services that provide information to online users through the Internet. Internet information services providers, also called Internet content providers, or ICPs, that provide commercial services are required to obtain an operating license from the MIIT or its provincial counterpart.

To the extent the Internet information services provided relate to certain matters, including news, publication, education or medical and healthcare (including pharmaceutical products and medical equipment), approvals must also be obtained from the relevant industry regulators in accordance with the laws, rules and regulations governing those industries.

Regulation of Advertising Services

The principal regulations governing advertising businesses in China are:

•: the Advertising Law of the PRC (2015, as amended); and
•: the Advertising Administrative Regulations (1987).

These laws, rules and regulations require companies such as ours that engage in advertising activities to obtain a business license that explicitly includes advertising in the business scope from the SAIC or its local branches.

Applicable PRC advertising laws, rules and regulations contain certain prohibitions on the content of advertisements in China (including prohibitions on misleading content, superlative wording, socially destabilizing content or content involving obscenities, superstition, violence, discrimination or infringement of the public interest). Advertisements for anesthetic, psychotropic, toxic or radioactive drugs are prohibited, and the dissemination of advertisements of certain other products, such as tobacco, patented products, pharmaceuticals, medical instruments, agrochemicals, foodstuff, alcohol and cosmetics, are also subject to specific restrictions and requirements.

Advertisers, advertising operators and advertising distributors, including the businesses that certain of the variable interest entities operate, are required by applicable PRC advertising laws, rules and regulations to ensure that the content of the advertisements they prepare or distribute are true and in compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations. Violation of these laws, rules and regulations may result in penalties, including fines, confiscation of advertising income, orders to cease dissemination of the advertisements and orders to publish an advertisement correcting the misleading information. In circumstances involving serious violations, the SAIC or its local branches may revoke the violator's license or permit for advertising business operations. In addition, advertisers, advertising operators or advertising distributors may be subject to civil liability if they infringe the legal rights and interests of third parties, such as infringement of intellectual proprietary rights, unauthorized use of a name or portrait and defamation.

Regulation of Online and Mobile Commerce

China's online and mobile commerce industry is at an early stage of development and there are few PRC laws, regulations or rules specifically regulating this industry. The SAIC adopted the Interim Measures for the Administration of Online Commodities Trading and Relevant Services on May 31, 2010 and replaced those measures with the Administrative Measures for Online Trading on January 26, 2014, which became effective on March 15, 2014. The SAIC also issued the Opinions on Strengthening the Administration of Online Group Buying Operations on March 12, 2012 to subject group buying website operators to the foregoing measures, especially those relating to marketplace platform service providers. On December 24, 2014, the MOFCOM promulgated the Provisions on the Procedures for Formulating Transaction Rules of Third Party Online Retail Platforms (Trial) to regulate the formulation, revision and enforcement of transaction rules for online retail marketplace platforms.

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These newly issued measures impose more stringent requirements and obligations on the online trading or service operators as well as the marketplace platform providers. For example, the marketplace platform providers are obligated to make public and file its transaction rules with MOFCOM or its provincial counterparts, examine the legal status of each third-party merchant selling products or services on the platform and display on a prominent location on the web page of such merchant the information stated in the merchant's business license or a link to such business license, and a group buying website operator must only allow a third-party merchant with a proper business license to sell products or services on its platform. Where the marketplace platform providers also act as online distributors, these marketplace platform providers must make a clear distinction between their online direct sales and sales of third-party merchant products on the marketplace platform.

Since the promulgation of the Administrative Measures for Online Trading, the SAIC has issued a number of guidelines and implementing rules aimed at adding greater specificity to these regulations. The SAIC continues to consider and issue guidelines and implementing rules, and we expect that there will be further development of regulation in this industry. For example, three PRC governmental authorities (the Ministry of Finance, General Administration of Customs and State Administration of Taxation) issued a notice on March 24, 2016 to regulate cross-border e-commerce trading which has experienced rapid growth in recent years. The Notice on Tax Policies of Cross-Border E-Commerce Retail Importation effective as of April 8, 2016, or the New Cross-Border E-commerce Tax Notice, introduced the concept of the Cross-Border E-Commerce Retail Importation Goods Inventory, or the Cross-Border E-Commerce Goods Inventory, which are to be issued and updated by the three authorities together with other relevant authorities from time to time. Goods beyond the scope of the Cross-Border E-commerce Goods Inventory will have no tax codes and be effectively removed from cross-border e-commerce platforms. Two batches of the Cross-Border E-Commerce Goods Inventory have been issued on April 6, 2016 and April 15, 2016, respectively. Cosmetics imported for the first time, nutrition supplements and other special food products required to be registered with the State Food and Drug Administration are excluded from the Cross-Border E-Commerce Goods Inventory and will not be able to be sold on the relevant cross-border e-commerce platforms. However, pursuant to a transition policy issued by the General Administration of Customs, goods which have been imported to or in transit to the bonded areas and special regulated areas of customs before April 8, 2016 can still be sold on the cross-border e-commerce platforms no matter whether these goods are included in the Cross-Border E-Commerce Goods Inventory or not.

Regulation of Internet Content

The PRC government has promulgated measures relating to Internet content through various ministries and agencies, including the MIIT, the News Office of the State Council, the Ministry of Culture and the General Administration of Press and Publication. In addition to various approval and license requirements, these measures specifically prohibit Internet activities that result in the dissemination of any content which is found to contain pornography, promote gambling or violence, instigate crimes, undermine public morality or the cultural traditions of the PRC or compromise State security or secrets. ICPs must monitor and control the information posted on their websites. If any prohibited content is found, they must remove such content immediately, keep a record of it and report to the relevant authorities. If an ICP violates these measures, the PRC government may impose fines and revoke any relevant business operation licenses.

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Regulations on Broadcasting Audio/Video Programs through the Internet

On July 6, 2004, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, or the SARFT, promulgated the Rules for the Administration of Broadcasting of Audio/Video Programs through the Internet and Other Information Networks, or the Audio/Video Broadcasting Rules. The Audio/Video Broadcasting Rules apply to the launch, broadcasting, aggregation, transmission or download of audio/video programs via the Internet and other information networks. Anyone who wishes to engage in Internet broadcasting activities must first obtain an audio/video program transmission license, with a term of two years, issued by the SARFT and operate pursuant to the scope as provided in such license. Foreign invested enterprises are not allowed to engage in these businesses.

On April 13, 2005, the State Council announced Several Decisions on Investment by Non-state-owned Companies in Culture-related Business in China. These decisions encourage and support non-state-owned companies to enter certain culture-related business in China, subject to restrictions and prohibitions for investment in audio/video broadcasting, website news and certain other businesses by non-state-owned companies. These decisions authorize the SARFT, the Ministry of Culture and the General Administration of Press and Publication, or the GAPP, to adopt detailed implementing rules according to these decisions.

On December 20, 2007, the SARFT and the MIIT jointly issued the Rules for the Administration of Internet Audio and Video Program Services, commonly known as Circular 56, which came into effect as of January 31, 2008 and was amended on August 28, 2015. Circular 56 reiterates the requirement set forth in the Audio/Video Broadcasting Rules that online audio/video service providers must obtain a license from the SARFT. Furthermore, Circular 56 requires all online audio/video service providers to be either wholly state-owned or state-controlled. According to relevant official answers to press questions published on the SARFT's website dated February 3, 2008, officials from the SARFT and the MIIT clarified that online audio/video service providers that already had been operating lawfully prior to the issuance of Circular 56 may re-register and continue to operate without becoming state-owned or controlled, provided that such providers have not engaged in any unlawful activities. This exemption will not be granted to online audio/video service providers established after Circular 56 was issued. These policies have been reflected in the Application Procedure for Audio/Video Program Transmission License.

On March 17, 2010, the SARFT issued the Internet Audio/Video Program Services Categories (Provisional), or the Provisional Categories, which classified Internet audio/video programs into four categories. Category I is only open to state-owned broadcast media companies operating in the television section, and the other three categories are open to privately held entities.

In 2009, the SARFT released a Notice on Strengthening the Administration of Online Audio/Video Content. This notice reiterated, among other things, that all movies and television shows released or published online must comply with relevant regulations on the administration of radio, film and television. In other words, these movies and television shows, whether produced in the PRC or overseas, must be pre-approved by the SARFT, and the distributors of these movies and television shows must obtain an applicable permit before releasing any such movie or television show. In 2012, the SARFT and the State Internet Information Office of the PRC issued a Notice on Improving the Administration of Online Audio/Video Content Including Internet Drama and Micro Films. In 2014, the General Administration of Press and Publication, Radio, Film and Television, or GAPPRFT, formerly the SARFT and the GAPP, released a Supplemental Notice on Improving the Administration of Online Audio/Video Content Including Internet Drama and Micro Films. This notice stresses that entities producing online audio/video content, such as Internet dramas and micro films, must obtain a permit for radio and television program production and operation, and that online audio/video content service providers should not release any Internet dramas or micro films that were produced by any entity lacking such permit. For Internet dramas or micro films produced and uploaded by individual users, the online audio/video service providers transmitting such content will be deemed responsible as the producer. Further, under this notice, online audio/video service providers can only transmit content uploaded by individuals whose identity has been verified and such content must comply with the relevant content management rules. This notice also requires that online audio/video content, include Internet drama and micro films, be filed with the relevant authorities before release.

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On October 28, 2011, the SARFT issued the Administrative and Operational Requirements for Licensed Internet TV Organizations, commonly known as Circular 181, which came into effect as of the same date. Circular 181 requires that Smart TVs must be exclusively connected to a specific licensed Internet TV organization and must not have access to the public Internet or network operators' databases. Up to now, there are only seven licensed Internet TV organizations and all are state-owned companies.

On September 2, 2014, the GAPPRFT promulgated a Notice on Further Implementing the Relevant Provisions for the Administration of Broadcasting Foreign Films and TV dramas. The notice stresses that any foreign film or TV drama must have a License for Film Publication or a TV drama Issuance License before being broadcast online, and that the annual total number of foreign films and TV dramas broadcast by a website must not exceed 30% of the total amount of domestic films and TV dramas broadcast by such website in the preceding year. Furthermore, online video operators are required to report their annual plans for the import of foreign films and TV dramas to the GAPPRFT before the end of the preceding year. If the online video operators' import plans are approved, the samples, contracts, copyright certificates, plot summaries and other materials relevant to the foreign films and TV dramas are subject to further content examination before the issuance of Licenses for Film Publication or the TV drama Issuance Licenses. The notice also requires these online video operators to upload information about the foreign films and TV dramas to be broadcast to a unified platform for registration before March 31, 2015. Since April 1, 2015, unregistered foreign films and TV dramas are no longer allowed to be broadcast online.

Regulations on Internet Publication

The GAPP is responsible for nationwide supervision and administration of publishing activities in China. On June 27, 2002, the GAPP and the MIIT jointly promulgated the Internet Publication Tentative Administrative Measures, or the Internet Publication Measures, which took effect on August 1, 2002. Pursuant to the Internet Publication Measures, any entity engaged in Internet publishing activities must obtain the Internet Publication License from the GAPP before conducting any Internet publication activities. The term "Internet publication" is defined as Internet transmission activity by which Internet information service providers publish on the Internet or transmit to end-users via the Internet works that they or others have created, after selection and editing, for browsing, reading, use or downloading by the general public. The works in question primarily include (i) content that has already been published formally, such as books, newspapers, periodicals, audio/video products and electronic publications, or that has been made public via other media; and (ii) edited works of literature and art or works concerning natural science, social science, engineering or other topics.

On February 4, 2016, the GAPPRFT and the MIIT jointly promulgated the Online Publication Service Administration Rules, or the Online Publication Rules, which took effect on March 10, 2016 and replaced the Internet Publication Measures. Pursuant to the Online Publication Rules, an online publication service provider must obtain the Online Publication Service License from the GAPPRFT. The term "online publication service" is defined as the provision of online publications to the public through information networks. The term "online publications" is defined as digital works characteristic of publishing such as editing, production or processing provided to the public through information networks, and primarily include:

•: original digital works such as texts, pictures, maps, games, cartoons and audio-visual reading materials in the fields of literature, art, science, etc., which are of knowledge or ideology;
•: digital works, the content of which is the same as that of books, newspapers, periodicals, electronic publication, etc., which have already been published;
•: digital works such as online document databases formed by way of selecting, compiling or collecting the abovementioned works; and
•: other types of digital works determined by the GAPPRFT.

The Online Publication Rules expressly prohibit the foreign invested enterprises from providing online publication services. In addition, if an online publication service provider intends to cooperate for an online

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publication services project with foreign invested enterprises, overseas organizations or overseas individuals, it must report to the GAPPRFT and obtain an approval in advance. Also, the online publication service provider is prohibited from lending, leasing, selling or otherwise transferring the Online Publication Service License, or to allow any other online information service provider to provide online publication services in its name.

Regulations on Internet Drug Information Service

The State Food and Drug Administration, or the SFDA, promulgated the Administrative Measures on Internet Drug Information Service in July 2004 and certain implementing rules and notices thereafter. These measures set out regulations governing the classification, application, approval, content, qualifications and requirements for Internet drug information services. An ICP service operator that provides information regarding drugs or medical equipment must obtain an Internet Drug Information Service Qualification Certificate from the applicable provincial level counterpart of the SFDA.

Regulations on Internet News Publication

Publishing and disseminating news through the Internet are highly regulated in the PRC. On November 7, 2000, the State Council Information Office, or SCIO, and the MIIT jointly promulgated the Provisional Measures for Administrating Internet Websites Carrying on the News Publication Business, or Internet News Measures. These measures require an ICP operator (other than a government authorized news unit) to obtain the approval from SCIO to publish news on its website or disseminate news through the Internet. Furthermore, any disseminated news is required to be obtained from government-approved sources based on contracts between the ICP operator and these sources. The copies of such contracts must be filed with relevant government authorities.

On September 25, 2005, the SCIO and the MIIT jointly issued the Provisions on the Administration of Internet News Information Services, requiring Internet news information service organizations to provide services as approved by the SCIO, subject to annual inspection under the new provisions. These Provisions also provide that no Internet news information service organizations may take the form of a foreign invested enterprise, whether jointly or wholly owned by the foreign investment, and no cooperation between Internet news information service organizations and foreign invested enterprise is allowed before the SCIO completes the security evaluation.

Regulations on Internet Culture Activities

On February 17, 2011, the Ministry of Culture promulgated the Internet Culture Administration Tentative Measures, or the Internet Culture Measures. The Internet Culture Measures require ICP operators engaging in "Internet culture activities" to obtain a permit from the Ministry of Culture. The term "Internet culture activities" includes, among other things, online dissemination of Internet cultural products (such as audio-video products, gaming products, performances of plays or programs, works of art and cartoons) and the production, reproduction, importation, publication and broadcasting of Internet cultural products.

On November 20, 2006, the Ministry of Culture issued Several Suggestions of the Ministry of Culture on the Development and Administration of the Internet Music, or the Suggestions, which became effective on November 20, 2006. The Suggestions, among other things, reiterate the requirement for the Internet service provider to obtain an Internet culture business permit to carry on any business relating to Internet music products. In addition, foreign investors are prohibited from operating Internet culture businesses. However, the laws and regulations on Internet music products are still evolving, and there have not been any provisions stipulating whether or how music video will be regulated by the Suggestions.

On August 18, 2009, the Ministry of Culture promulgated the Notice on Strengthening and Improving the Content Review of Online Music. According to this notice, only "Internet culture operating entities" approved by the Ministry of Culture may engage in the production, release, dissemination (including providing direct links to music products) and importation of online music products. The content of online music must be reviewed by or filed with the Ministry of Culture. Internet culture operating entities should establish a strict self-monitoring system of online music content and set up a special department in charge of such monitoring.

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On October 23, 2015, the Ministry of Culture promulgated the Notice on Further Strengthening and Improving the Content Review of Online Music, which took effect on January 1, 2016. According to this notice, ICP operators are required to submit their content administrative system, review procedures, and work standards to the provincial culture administrative department where they are located for filing within a prescribed period.

Regulations on Producing Audio/Video Programs

On July 19, 2004, the SARFT promulgated the Administrative Measures on the Production and Operation of Radio and Television Programs, effective as of August 20, 2004 and amended on August 28, 2015. These Measures provide that anyone who wishes to produce or operate radio or television programs must first obtain an operating permit.

On February 1, 2002, the State Council promulgated the Regulations for the Administration of Films, or the Film Regulations, effective as of February 1, 2002. The Film Regulations set forth the general regulatory guidelines for China's film industry and address practical issues with respect to production, censorship, distribution and screening. They also establish the SARFT as the sector's regulatory authority, and serve as the foundation for all other legislation promulgated in this area. The Film Regulations provide the framework for an industry-wide licensing system operated by the SARFT, under which separate permits (and permit application procedures) apply.

Regulation of Internet Security

The Decision in Relation to Protection of the Internet Security enacted by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China on December 28, 2000 provides that the following activities conducted through the Internet are subject to criminal punishment:

•: gaining improper entry into a computer or system of strategic importance;
•: disseminating politically disruptive information or obscenities;
•: leaking State secrets;
•: spreading false commercial information; or
•: infringing intellectual property rights.

The Administrative Measures on the Security Protection of Computer Information Network with International Connections, issued by the Ministry of Public Security on December 16, 1997 and amended on January 8, 2011, prohibit the use of the Internet in a manner that would result in the leakage of State secrets or the spread of socially destabilizing content. The Provisions on Technological Measures for Internet Security Protection, or the Internet Security Protection Measures, promulgated on December 13, 2005 by Ministry of Public Security require all ICPs to keep records of certain information about its users (including user registration information, log-in and log-out time, IP address, content and time of posts by users) for at least 60 days and submit the above information as required by laws and regulations. Under these measures, the value-added telecommunications services license holders must regularly update information security and content control systems for their websites and must also report any public dissemination of prohibited content to local public security authorities. If a value-added telecommunications services license holder violates these measures, the Ministry of Public Security and the local security bureaus may revoke its operating license and shut down its websites.

The Communication Network Security Protection Administrative Measures, which was promulgated by the MIIT on January 21, 2010, require that all communication network operators including telecommunications services providers and Internet domain name service providers divide their own communication networks into units. Such communication network units shall be rated in accordance with degree of damage to national security, economic operation, social order and public interest assuming such units is damaged. The communication network operators must file the division and ratings of their communication network with MIIT or its local counterparts. If a communication network operator violates these measures, the MIIT or its local counterparts may order rectification or impose a fine up to RMB30,000 in case such violation is not duly rectified.

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Internet security in China is also regulated and restricted from a national security standpoint. On July 1, 2015, the National People's Congress Standing Committee promulgated the New National Security Law which took effect on the same date replaced the former National Security Law promulgated in 1993. According to the New National Security Law, the state shall ensure that the information system and data in important areas are secure and controllable. In addition, according to the New National Security Law, the state shall establish national security review and supervision institutions and mechanisms, and conduct national security reviews of key technologies and IT products and services that affect or may affect national security. There are uncertainties on how the New National Security Law will be implemented in practice.

Regulation of Privacy Protection

Under the ICP Measures, ICPs are prohibited from producing, copying, publishing or distributing information that is humiliating or defamatory to others or that infringes upon the lawful rights and interests of others. Depending on the nature of the violation, ICPs may face criminal charges or sanctions by PRC security authorities for such acts, and may be ordered to suspend temporarily their services or have their licenses revoked.

Under the Several Provisions on Regulating the Market Order of Internet Information Services, issued by the MIIT on December 29, 2011, ICPs are also prohibited from collecting any user personal information or providing any such information to third parties without the consent of a user. ICPs must expressly inform the users of the method, content and purpose of the collection and processing of such user personal information and may only collect such information necessary for its services. ICPs are also required to properly maintain the user personal information, and in case of any leak or likely leak of the user personal information, ICPs must take remedial measures immediately and report any material leak to the telecommunications regulatory authority.

In addition, the Decision on Strengthening Network Information Protection promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on December 28, 2012 emphasizes the need to protect electronic information that contains individual identification information and other private data. The decision requires ICPs to establish and publish policies regarding the collection and use of personal electronic information and to take necessary measures to ensure the security of the information and to prevent leakage, damage or loss. Furthermore, MIIT's Rules on Protection of Personal Information of Telecommunications and Internet Users promulgated on July 16, 2013 contain detailed requirements on the use and collection of personal information as well as the security measures to be taken by ICPs.

The PRC government retains the power and authority to order ICPs to provide an Internet user's personal information if such user posts any prohibited content or engages in any illegal activities through the Internet.

Regulation of Consumer Protection

Our online and mobile commerce business is subject to a variety of consumer protection laws, including the PRC Consumer Rights and Interests Protection Law, as amended and effective as of March 15, 2014, and the Administrative Measures for Online Trading, both of which have provided stringent requirements and obligations on business operators, including Internet business operators and platform service providers like us. For example, consumers are entitled to return goods purchased online, subject to certain exceptions, within seven days upon receipt of such goods for no reason. To ensure that merchants and service providers comply with these laws and regulations, we, as platform operators, are required to implement rules governing transactions on our platform, monitor the information posted by merchants and service providers, and report any violations by such merchants or service providers to the relevant authorities. In addition, online marketplace platform providers may, pursuant to PRC consumer protection laws, be exposed to liabilities if the lawful rights and interests of consumers are infringed in connection with consumers' purchase of goods or acceptance of services on online marketplace platforms and the platform service providers fail to provide consumers with the contact information of the merchant or manufacturer. In addition, platform service providers may be jointly and severally liable with merchants and manufacturers if they are aware or should be aware that the merchant or manufacturer is using the

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online platform to infringe upon the lawful rights and interests of consumers and fail to take measures necessary to prevent or stop such activity.

Failure to comply with these consumer protection laws could subject us to administrative sanctions, such as the issuance of a warning, confiscation of illegal income, imposition of a fine, an order to cease business operations, revocation of business licenses, as well as potential civil or criminal liabilities.

Regulation of Pricing

In China, the prices of a very small number of products and services are guided or fixed by the government. According to the Pricing Law, business operators must, as required by the government departments in charge of pricing, mark the prices explicitly and indicate the name, origin of production, specifications, and other related particulars clearly. Business operators may not sell products at a premium or charge any fees that are not explicitly indicated. Business operators must not commit the specified unlawful pricing activities, such as colluding with others to manipulate the market price, providing fraudulent discounted price information, using false or misleading prices to deceive consumers to transact, or conducting price discrimination against other business operators. Failure to comply with the Pricing Law or other rules or regulations on pricing may subject business operators to administrative sanctions such as warning, orders to cease unlawful activities, payment of compensation to consumers, confiscation of illegal gains, and/or fines. The business operators may be ordered to suspend business for rectification, or have their business licenses revoked if the circumstances are severe. Merchants on Tmall and Taobao Marketplace undertake the primary obligation under the Pricing Law. However, in some cases, we have been and may in the future be held liable and be subject to fines or other penalties if the authorities determine that, as the platform operator, our guidance for platform-wide promotional activities resulted in unlawful pricing activities by the merchants on our platforms or if the pricing information we provided for platform-wide promotional activities was determined to be untrue or misleading.

Regulation of Intellectual Property Rights

Patent. Patents in the PRC are principally protected under the Patent Law of the PRC. The duration of a patent right is either 10 years or 20 years from the date of application, depending on the type of patent right.

Copyright. Copyright in the PRC, including copyrighted software, is principally protected under the Copyright Law of the PRC and related rules and regulations. Under the Copyright Law, the term of protection for copyrighted software is 50 years.

Trademark. Registered trademarks are protected under the Trademark Law of the PRC and related rules and regulations. Trademarks are registered with the Trademark Office of the SAIC. Where registration is sought for a trademark that is identical or similar to another trademark which has already been registered or given preliminary examination and approval for use in the same or similar category of commodities or services, the application for registration of such trademark may be rejected. Trademark registrations are effective for a renewable ten-year period, unless otherwise revoked.

Domain Name. Domain name registrations are handled through domain name service agencies established under the relevant regulations, and applicants become domain name holders upon successful registration.

Regulation of Anti-counterfeiting

According to the Trademark Law of the PRC, counterfeit or unauthorized production of the label of another person's registered trademark, or sale of any label that is counterfeited or produced without authorization will be deemed as an infringement of the exclusive right to use a registered trademark. The infringing party will be ordered to cease infringement immediately, a fine may be imposed and the counterfeit goods will be confiscated. The infringing party may also be held liable for damages suffered by the owner of the intellectual property rights, which will be equal to the gains obtained by the infringing party or the losses suffered by such owner as a result of the infringement, including reasonable expenses incurred by such owner in connection with enforcing its rights.

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Under the Tort Liability Law of the PRC, an Internet service provider may be subject to joint liability if it is aware that an Internet user is infringing upon the intellectual property rights of others through its Internet services, such as selling counterfeit products, and fails to take necessary measures to stop that activity. If an Internet service provider receives a notice from an infringed party regarding an infringement, the Internet service provider is required to take certain measures, including deleting, blocking and unlinking the infringing content, in a timely manner.

In addition, under the Administrative Measures for Online Trading issued by the SAIC on January 26, 2014, as an operator of an online trading platform, we must adopt measures to ensure safe online transactions, protect consumers' rights and prevent trademark infringement.

Tax Regulations

PRC Enterprise Income Tax

The PRC enterprise income tax, or EIT, is calculated based on the taxable income determined under the applicable EIT Law and its implementation rules, which became effective on January 1, 2008. The EIT Law generally imposes a uniform enterprise income tax rate of 25% on all resident enterprises in China, including foreign-invested enterprises.

The EIT Law and its implementation rules permit certain High and New Technologies Enterprises, or HNTEs, to enjoy a reduced 15% enterprise income tax rate subject to these HNTEs meeting certain qualification criteria. In addition, the relevant EIT laws and regulations also provide that entities recognized as Software Enterprises are able to enjoy a tax holiday consisting of a 2-year-exemption commencing from their first profitable calendar year and a 50% reduction in ordinary tax rate for the following three calendar years, while entities qualified as Key Software Enterprises can enjoy a preferential EIT rate of 10%. A number of our PRC subsidiaries and operating entities enjoy these types of preferential tax treatment. See "Item 10. Additional Information — E. Taxation — People's Republic of China Taxation."

Uncertainties exist with respect to how the EIT Law applies to the tax residence status of Alibaba Group and our offshore subsidiaries. Under the EIT Law, an enterprise established outside of China with a "de facto management body" within China is considered a "resident enterprise," which means that it is treated in the same manner as a Chinese enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes. Although the implementation rules of the EIT Law define "de facto management body" as a managing body that exercises substantive and overall management and control over the production and business, personnel, accounting books and assets of an enterprise, the only official guidance for this definition currently available is set forth in Circular 82 issued by the State Administration of Taxation, which provides guidance on the determination of the tax residence status of a Chinese-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise, defined as an enterprise that is incorporated under the laws of a foreign country or territory and that has a PRC enterprise or enterprise group as its primary controlling shareholder. Although Alibaba Group Holding Limited does not have a PRC enterprise or enterprise group as our primary controlling shareholder and is therefore not a Chinese-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise within the meaning of Circular 82, in the absence of guidance specifically applicable to us, we have applied the guidance set forth in Circular 82 to evaluate the tax residence status of Alibaba Group and our subsidiaries organized outside the PRC.

According to Circular 82, a Chinese-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having a "de facto management body" in China and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its worldwide income only if all of the following criteria are met:

•: the primary location of the day-to-day operational management is in the PRC;
•: decisions relating to the enterprise's financial and human resource matters are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel in the PRC;
•: the enterprise's primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholders meeting minutes are located or maintained in the PRC; and
•: 50% or more of voting board members or senior executives habitually reside in the PRC.

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We do not believe that we meet any of the conditions outlined in the immediately preceding paragraph. Alibaba Group Holding Limited and our offshore subsidiaries are incorporated outside the PRC. As a holding company, our key assets and records, including the resolutions and meeting minutes of our board of directors and the resolutions and meeting minutes of our shareholders, are located and maintained outside the PRC. In addition, we are not aware of any offshore holding companies with a corporate structure similar to ours that have been deemed a PRC "resident enterprise" by the PRC tax authorities. Accordingly, we believe that Alibaba Group Holding Limited and our offshore subsidiaries should not be treated as a "resident enterprise" for PRC tax purposes if the criteria for "de facto management body" as set forth in Circular 82 were deemed applicable to us. However, as the tax residency status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term "de facto management body" as applicable to our offshore entities, we will continue to monitor our tax status. See "Item 3. Key Information — D. Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in the People's Republic of China — We may be treated as a resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, and we may therefore be subject to PRC income tax on our global income."

In the event that Alibaba Group Holding Limited or any of our offshore subsidiaries is considered to be a PRC resident enterprise:

•: Alibaba Group Holding Limited or our offshore subsidiaries, as the case may be, may be subject to the PRC enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% on our worldwide taxable income;
•: dividend income that Alibaba Group Holding Limited or our offshore subsidiaries, as the case may be, received from our PRC subsidiaries may be exempt from the PRC withholding tax; and
•: dividends paid to our overseas shareholders or ADS holders who are non-PRC resident enterprises as well as gains realized by such shareholders or ADS holders from the transfer of our shares or ADSs may be regarded as PRC-sourced income and as a result be subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of up to 10%, subject to any reduction or exemption set forth in relevant tax treaties, and similarly, dividends paid to our overseas shareholders or ADS holders who are non-PRC resident individuals, as well as gains realized by such shareholders or ADS holders from the transfer of our shares or ADSs, may be regarded as PRC-sourced income and as a result be subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of 20%, subject to any reduction or exemption set forth in relevant tax treaties.

Under Bulletin 7 issued by the State Administration of Taxation on February 3, 2015, which replaced or supplemented certain previous rules under Circular 698, an "indirect transfer" of assets, including equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise, by non-PRC resident enterprises may be re-characterized and treated as a direct transfer of PRC taxable assets, if such arrangement does not have a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of avoiding payment of PRC enterprise income tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax. According to Bulletin 7, "PRC taxable assets" include assets attributed to an establishment or a place of business in China, immoveable properties in China, and equity investments in PRC resident enterprises. In respect of an indirect offshore transfer of assets of a PRC establishment, the relevant gain is to be regarded as effectively connected with the PRC establishment or a place of business and therefore included in its enterprise income tax filing, and would consequently be subject to PRC enterprise income tax at a rate of 25%. Where the underlying transfer relates to the immoveable properties in China or to equity investments in a PRC resident enterprise, which is not effectively connected to a PRC establishment or a place of business of a non-resident enterprise, a PRC enterprise income tax at 10% would apply, subject to available preferential tax treatment under applicable tax treaties or similar arrangements, and the party who is obligated to make the transfer payments has the withholding obligation. There is uncertainty as to the implementation details of Bulletin 7. If Bulletin 7 was determined by the tax authorities to be applicable to some of our transactions involving PRC taxable assets, our offshore subsidiaries conducting the relevant transactions might be required to spend valuable resources to comply with Bulletin 7 or to establish that the relevant transactions should not be taxed under Bulletin 7, which may materially and adversely affect us. See "Item 3. Key Information — D. Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in the People's Republic of China — We and

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our shareholders face uncertainties with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises or other assets attributed to a PRC establishment or a place of business of a non-PRC company, or other assets attributable to a PRC establishment of a non-PRC company."

Where the payers fail to withhold any or sufficient tax, the non-PRC residents, as the transferors, are required to declare and pay such taxes to the tax authorities on their own within the statutory time limit. Failure to comply with the tax payment obligations by the non-PRC residents will result in penalties, including full payment of taxes owed, and interest on those taxes.

PRC Business Tax and Value-Added Tax

Before August 2013 and pursuant to applicable PRC tax regulations, any entity or individual conducting business in the service industry is generally required to pay a business tax at the rate of 5% on the revenues generated from providing such services. However, if the services provided are related to technology development and transfer, such business tax may be exempted subject to approval by the relevant tax authorities.

In November 2011, the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation promulgated the Pilot Plan for Imposition of Value-Added Tax to Replace Business Tax. In May and December 2013, April 2014 and March 2016, the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation promulgated Circular 37, Circular 106, Circular 43 and Circular 36 to further expand the scope of services which are to be subject to Value-Added Tax, or VAT, instead of business tax. Pursuant to these tax rules, from August 1, 2013, a VAT was imposed to replace the business tax in certain service industries, including technology services and advertising services, and from May 1, 2016, VAT replaced business tax in all industries, on a nationwide basis. A VAT rate of 6% applies to revenue derived from the provision of certain services. Unlike business tax, a taxpayer is allowed to offset the qualified input VAT paid on taxable purchases against the output VAT chargeable on the revenue from services provided. Accordingly, although the 6% VAT rate is higher than the previously applicable 5% business tax rate, no materially different tax cost to us has resulted nor do we expect to result from the replacement of the business tax with a VAT on our services.

PRC Import Tax

Consumer goods imported through cross-border e-commerce platforms were originally classified as "personal baggage or postal articles" under the Notice on Pilot Bonded Area Import Pattern of Cross-Border Trade E-Commerce Services issued by PRC General Administration of Customs on March 4, 2014. A personal baggage or postal articles tax was levied on such goods before the online retailors could deliver the same to buyers. The personal baggage or postal articles tax were exempted if the payable amount was lower than RMB50. The rate of personal baggage or postal articles tax was respectively 10%, 20%, 30% and 50% for different categories of products imported. Under this tax pattern, a quota of RMB1,000 for each purchase order was imposed on online buyers, otherwise the imported goods were classified as normal goods, which are subject to value-added tax, consumption tax and tariff.

The above-mentioned pilot bonded area import pattern of cross-border e-commerce was abolished pursuant to the Notice on Tax Policies of Cross-Border E-commerce Retail Importation, effective on April 8, 2016, or the New Cross-Border E-commerce Tax Notice. The goods imported through cross-border e-commerce platforms are now treated as normal goods rather than "personal baggage or postal articles" and subject to the usual value-added tax, consumption tax and tariff. Normally, a 17% value-added tax will be levied on most products sold on the cross-border e-commerce platform and a 30% consumption tax will be levied on cosmetics and perfumes, while no consumption tax will be levied on skin care products, maternity and baby care products. However, the New Cross-Border E-commerce Tax Notice provides that, if the goods imported through cross-border e-commerce platforms are within the quota of RMB2,000 for each purchase order or RMB20,000 per year for each buyer, the payable amount for the value-added tax and the consumption tax will be reduced to 70% of the payable tax, and the tariff will be waived.

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PRC Export Tax

According to the Notice on the Taxation Policies for Cross-border E-Commerce Retail Export, or the E-Commerce Export Taxation Notice, which was jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation and took effect as of January 1, 2014, an e-commerce export enterprise may be exempt or refunded from consumption tax and VAT upon satisfaction of the following conditions:

•: it is a general VAT taxpayer, and has be granted the export tax refund/exemption eligibility;
•: the customs export declarations (specifically for export tax refund) for exported goods have been obtained and information thereon is consistent with the electronic information of the customs export declarations;
•: the foreign exchange for the exported goods is received prior to the deadline of tax refund or tax exemption; and
•: where the e-commerce export enterprise is a foreign trade enterprise, it shall have obtained corresponding special VAT invoices, special payment statements for consumption tax (split pages) or special customs statements for payment of import VAT or consumption tax for purchase of the goods for export, and relevant information on the foregoing documents shall be consistent with that contained in the customs export declarations (specifically for export tax refunds).

Even if an e-commerce export enterprise does not satisfy the foregoing conditions, it may also be exempt from consumption tax and VAT if it meets the following requirements:

•: it has completed tax registration;
•: it has obtained customs export declarations for the exported goods; and
•: it has obtained legal and valid proof for purchase of the exported goods.

Third-party e-commerce platforms providing transaction services for e-commerce export enterprises are not eligible for a tax refund or exemption under the E-Commerce Export Taxation Notice.

Regulation of Foreign Exchange and Dividend Distribution

Foreign Exchange Regulation

The principal regulations governing foreign currency exchange in China are the Regulations on Foreign Exchange Administration of the PRC. Under the PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, such as profit distributions and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, may be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. By contrast, approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where RMB is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of foreign currency-denominated loans or foreign currency is to be remitted into China under the capital account, such as a capital increase or foreign currency loans to our PRC subsidiaries.

In August 2008, SAFE issued the Circular on the Relevant Operating Issues Concerning the Improvement of the Administration of the Payment and Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 142, regulating the conversion by a foreign-invested enterprise of foreign currency-registered capital into RMB by restricting how the converted RMB may be used. In addition, SAFE promulgated Circular 45 on November 9, 2011 in order to clarify the application of SAFE Circular 142. Under SAFE Circular 142 and Circular 45, the RMB capital converted from foreign currency registered capital of a foreign-invested enterprise may only be used for purposes within the business scope approved by the applicable government authority and may not be used for equity investments within the PRC. In addition, SAFE strengthened its oversight of the flow and use of the RMB capital converted from foreign currency registered capital of foreign-invested enterprises. The use of such RMB capital may not be changed without SAFE's approval, and such RMB capital may not in any case be used to repay RMB loans if the proceeds of such loans have not been used.

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Since SAFE Circular 142 has been in place for more than five years, SAFE decided to further reform the foreign exchange administration system in order to satisfy and facilitate the business and capital operations of foreign invested enterprises, and issued the Circular on the Relevant Issues Concerning the Launch of Reforming Trial of the Administration Model of the Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of Foreign-Invested Enterprises in Certain Areas on August 4, 2014. This circular suspends the application of SAFE Circular 142 in certain areas and allows a foreign-invested enterprise registered in such areas with a business scope including "investment" to use the RMB capital converted from foreign currency registered capital for equity investments within the PRC. On April 9, 2015, SAFE released the Notice on the Reform of the Administration Method for the Settlement of Foreign Exchange Capital of Foreign-invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 19, which came into force and superseded SAFE Circular 142 on June 1, 2015. Circular 19 allows foreign invested enterprises to settle their foreign exchange capital on a discretionary basis according to the actual needs of their business operation and provides the procedures for foreign invested companies to use Renminbi converted from foreign currency-denominated capital for equity investment. Nevertheless, Circular 19 also reiterates the principle that Renminbi converted from foreign currency-denominated capital of a foreign-invested company may not be directly or indirectly used for purposes beyond its business scope. Since Circular 19 was only recently promulgated, there are uncertainties on how it will be interpreted and implemented in practice.

In November 2012, SAFE promulgated the Circular of Further Improving and Adjusting Foreign Exchange Administration Policies on Foreign Direct Investment, which substantially amends and simplifies the current foreign exchange procedure. Pursuant to this circular, the opening of various special purpose foreign exchange accounts, such as pre-establishment expenses accounts, foreign exchange capital accounts and guarantee accounts, the reinvestment of RMB proceeds by foreign investors in the PRC, and remittance of foreign exchange profits and dividends by a foreign-invested enterprise to its foreign shareholders no longer require the approval or verification of SAFE, and multiple capital accounts for the same entity may be opened in different provinces, which was not possible previously. In addition, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Printing and Distributing the Provisions on Foreign Exchange Administration over Domestic Direct Investment by Foreign Investors and the Supporting Documents in May 2013, which specifies that the administration by SAFE or its local branches over direct investment by foreign investors in the PRC shall be conducted by way of registration and banks shall process foreign exchange business relating to the direct investment in the PRC based on the registration information provided by SAFE and its branches. In February 2015, SAFE promulgated the Circular of Further Simplifying and Improving the Policies of Foreign Exchange Administration Applicable to Direct Investment, or SAFE Circular 13, which became effective on June 1, 2015. Under SAFE Circular 13, the current foreign exchange procedures will be further simplified, and foreign exchange registrations of direct investment will be handled by the banks designated by the foreign exchange authority instead of SAFE and its branches. However, the foreign invested enterprises are still prohibited by SAFE Circular 13 to use the RMB converted from foreign currency-registered capital to extend entrustment loans, repay bank loans or inter-company loans.

We typically do not need to use our offshore foreign currency to fund our PRC operations. In the event we need to do so, we will apply to obtain the relevant approvals of SAFE and other PRC government authorities as necessary.

SAFE Circular 37