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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 29, 2017.

Registration Statement No. 333-          


UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549



FORM F-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933



Hexindai Inc.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)



Not Applicable
(Translation of Registrant's name into English)




Cayman Islands
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

 

6199
(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)

 

Not Applicable
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

13 th  Floor, Block C, Shimao
No. 92 Jianguo Road
Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020
People's Republic of China
+86-10-5370-9902
(extension 829)

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including
area code, of Registrant's principal executive offices)



Law Debenture Corporate Services, Inc.
801, 2 nd Avenue,
Suite 403,
New York, NY 10017
(212) 750-6474

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including
area code, of agent for service)



Copies to:

Stephanie Tang, Esq.
Shearman & Sterling
12/F, Gloucester Tower,
The Landmark
15 Queen's Road Central
Central, Hong Kong
+852-2978-8000

 

Fang Liu, Esq.
Mei & Mark LLP
Suite 410,
818 18th Street NW,
Washington, DC
+1 703-919-7285



Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: as soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.

           If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box.     o

           If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.     o

           If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.     o

           If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.     o

           Emerging growth company     ý

           If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.     ý



CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

       
 
Title of each class of securities
to be registered

  Proposed maximum
aggregate offering
price (3)

  Amount of
registration fee

 

Ordinary Shares, par value $0.0001 per share (1) (2)

  $80,000,000   $9,272

 

(1)
American depositary shares issuable upon deposit of ordinary shares registered hereby will be registered under a separate registration statement on Form F-6 (Registration No. 333-          ). Each American depositary share represents one ordinary share.

(2)
Includes ordinary shares initially offered and sold outside the United States that may be resold from time to time in the United States either as part of their distribution or within 40 days after the later of the effective date of this registration statement and the date the shares are first bona fide offered to the public. These ordinary shares are not being registered for the purpose of sales outside the United States.

(3)
Estimated solely for the purpose of determining the amount of registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933.

            The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to such Section 8(a), may determine.


The term "new or revised financial accounting standard" refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

   


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The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

PROSPECTUS (Subject to Completion)
Issued                        , 2017

Minimum Offering:            American depositary shares representing            ordinary shares
Maximum Offering:            American depositary shares representing            ordinary shares

LOGO

Hexindai Inc.



          Hexindai Inc. is offering on a best-efforts basis a minimum of                        and a maximum of                         American depositary shares, or ADSs. Each ADS represents one ordinary share, par value US$0.0001 per share. This is our initial public offering and no public market currently exists for our ADSs or ordinary shares. We anticipate the initial public offering price will be between US$            per ADS and US$            per ADS.

          We are an "emerging growth company" under applicable U.S. federal securities laws and are eligible for reduced public company reporting requirements.



          We have applied to list our ADSs on                under the symbol "HX."



          Investing in the ADSs involves risks. See " Risk Factors " beginning on page 11.

                         
   
 
  Number of
ADSs

  Initial Public
Offering Price

  Underwriting
Discounts and
Commissions (1)

  Proceeds to Our
Company Before
Expenses (2)

 
   

Minimum Offering Amount

        US$     US$     US$    
   

Maximum Offering Amount

        US$     US$     US$    

 

 
(1)
See "Underwriting" in this prospectus for more information regarding our arrangements with the underwriter.

(2)
The total estimated expenses related to this offering are set forth in the section entitled "Discounts, Commissions and Expenses."

         The underwriter is selling our ADSs in this offering on a best efforts basis. The offering is being made without a firm commitment by the underwriter, which has no obligation or commitment to purchase any securities. The underwriter is not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of ADSs but will use its best efforts to sell the ADSs offered. One of the conditions to our obligation to sell any securities through the underwriter is that, upon the closing of the offering, the ADSs would qualify for listing on                        .

         We do not intend to close this offering unless we sell at least a minimum number of ADS, at the price per ADS set forth above, to result in sufficient proceeds to list our ADSs on             . Because this is a best efforts offering, the underwriter does not have an obligation to purchase any securities, and, as a result, there is a possibility that we may not be able to sell the minimum offering amount. The offering may close or terminate, as the case may be, on the earlier of (i) any time after the minimum offering amount of our ADSs is raised, or (ii) 90 days from the date of effectiveness of this prospectus (and for a period of up to 90 additional days if extended by agreement between us and the underwriter). The proceeds from the sale of the ADSs in this offering will be deposited in a separate (limited to funds received on behalf of us) non-interest bearing bank account at JP Morgan Chase established by our escrow agent, or the Escrow Account, until the minimum offering amount is raised. If we can successfully raise the minimum offering amount within the offering period, the proceeds from the offering will be released to us.

         If we do not receive a minimum of US$ by            , 2017, all funds will be returned to the investors in this offering by noon of the next business day after the termination of the offering, without charge, deduction or interest. Prior to                        , 2017, in no event will funds be returned to the investors unless the offering is terminated.

          The Securities and Exchange Commission and state securities regulators have not approved or disapproved of these securities, or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

         The underwriter expects to deliver the ADSs through the book-entry facilities of The Depository Trust Company.



Network 1 Financial Securities, Inc.

                        , 2017


GRAPHIC


GRAPHIC


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 
  Page  

Prospectus Summary

    1  

Risk Factors

    11  

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Industry Data

    59  

Use of Proceeds

    60  

Dividend Policy

    61  

Exchange Rate Information

    62  

Capitalization

    63  

Dilution

    64  

Enforcement of Civil Liabilities

    67  

Corporate History and Structure

    69  

Selected Consolidated Financial Data

    76  

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

    78  

Our Industry

    109  

Business

    117  

Regulation

    141  

Management

    158  

Principal Shareholders

    166  

Related Party Transactions

    168  

Description of Share Capital

    170  

Description of American Depositary Shares

    181  

Shares Eligible for Future Sale

    194  

Taxation

    196  

Underwriting

    203  

Expenses Relating to this Offering

    211  

Legal Matters

    212  

Experts

    213  

Where You Can Find Additional Information

    214  

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements

    F-1  

         No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus we may authorize to be delivered or made available to you. You must not rely on any unauthorized information or representations. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the ADSs offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date.

        Neither we nor the underwriter have done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus or any filed free writing prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus or any filed free writing prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the ADSs and the distribution of this prospectus or any filed free writing prospectus outside of the United States.

        Until                        , 2017 (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade ADSs, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the obligation of dealers to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters.

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

         The following summary is qualified in its entirety by, and should be read in conjunction with, the more detailed information and financial statements appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. In addition to this summary, we urge you to read the entire prospectus carefully, especially the risks of investing in our ADSs discussed under "Risk Factors," before deciding whether to buy our ADSs. In addition, this prospectus contains information from a commissioned report prepared by Oliver Wyman, Inc., or Oliver Wyman, a third-party market research firm. Oliver Wyman was commissioned by us to provide information on the marketplace lending industry in China.

Overview

        We are a fast-growing consumer lending marketplace facilitating loans to meet the increasing consumption demand of the emerging middle class in China. According to Oliver Wyman, the "emerging middle class" comprises largely of the "lower mass population" in China, which is the population segment with accumulated disposable assets of RMB60,000 to RMB100,000. These people are typically in the average age range of between 31 to 45 years old, with an average monthly income of RMB3,000 to RMB7,000. We believe the financing needs of this segment of consumers in China have been largely underserved due to the lack of an easily-accessible credit market. We help these Chinese consumers fulfil their consumption financing needs by facilitating loans between borrowers and investors, providing borrowers with ready access to credit and investors with risk-adjusted returns. We believe that our consumer lending marketplace, integrated with online and offline platforms, advanced technology and innovation, will help meet the demands from these consumers in a sustainable way.

        China represents the largest and fastest growing marketplace lending market in the world. Oliver Wyman has projected that China's consumer lending market will reach RMB4.1 trillion in 2020, representing a compound annual growth rate, or CAGR, of 49% from 2016. We believe the emerging middle class represents a large and relatively untapped consumer credit market opportunity in China. Consumption by this segment has experienced strong growth and a shift from staple or necessity goods to premium products and services, such as luxury goods, travel, cosmetic medicine, education and home renovation. Our consumer lending marketplace specifically targets this consumer market by offering medium-sized loans ranging from RMB20,000 to RMB140,000 to these consumers. According to Oliver Wyman, the consumer credit market represented by medium-sized loans ranging from RMB20,000 to RMB140,000 accounted for approximately 62% of the total individual consumption market in China in 2016. From the inception of our business to June 30, 2017, the total transaction volume of loans facilitated on our marketplace amounted to RMB9.7 billion (US$1.5 billion). We primarily focus on facilitating medium-sized loans ranging from RMB20,000 to RMB140,000, which represented approximately 80% of our total transaction volume during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 and the three months ended June 30, 2017.

        We have built a multi-channel marketplace to reach and serve borrowers and investors, leveraging both our online platform and the nationwide physical networks of our offline cooperation partner, Hexin Group, which is majority-owned by our controlling shareholder. As of June 30, 2017, our offline cooperation partner had a total of 144 branches, located in 103 cities in 21 provinces and 4 municipalities across China. We acquire borrowers offline through cooperation with our offline cooperation partner in accordance with certain contractual arrangements. See "Corporate History and Structure—Our Relationship with Hexin Group". Leveraging our borrower acquisition model that combines online platform and offline networks, our online marketplace has experienced significant growth since its inception. The total amount of loans facilitated through our online marketplace increased by 42.9% from the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, and by 11.5% from the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. The total amount of loans facilitated through our online marketplace increased by 54.4% from the three months ended June 30, 2016 to the three months ended June 30, 2017. In particular, the total loan

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amount of our credit loans experienced rapid growth of 1,552.8% from the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, and 253.7% from the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. The total loan amount of credit loans increased by 256.5% from the three months ended June 30, 2016 to the three months ended June 30, 2017.

        We provide borrowers with convenient and ready access to credit through our online marketplace. We offer borrowers a wide range of products designed based on customer segmentation data and tailored to the specific needs of the emerging middle class in China. We offer investors various types of investment products with appropriate risk levels and risk-adjusted returns, and have achieved high investor satisfaction and loyalty as shown by our repeat investor rates. The average annualized investment return for loans facilitated on our marketplace ranges from 8% to 15%. As of June 30, 2017, more than 55.6% of our investors had invested more than once on our marketplace. For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2016 and 2017, the total number of borrowers increased by 579.7% and 158.4% from the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015 and 2016, respectively, and the total number of investors increased by 81.8% and 99.3% from the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015 and 2016. The total number of borrowers and investors increased by 194.8% and 83.3%, respectively, from the three months ended June 30, 2016 to the three months ended June 30, 2017.

        We believe we have established strategic cooperative relationships with well-known financial institutions, such as Jiangxi Bank, China Unionpay, Changan Insurance and China Everbright Bank. We leverage our cooperation with these well-known financial institutions to further build our brand and strengthen our market position. Our strategic cooperative relationships demonstrate our competitive strengths among peers in terms of compliance and business performance. We believe our partnerships with Jiangxi Bank and China Unionpay, Changan Insurance and China Everbright Bank demonstrate each of their recognition of our fund management and information management capabilities, our loan approval and verification process and risk management system and confidence in our long-term operating performance and growth, respectively.

        We believe we have developed an advanced risk management system leveraging our proprietary technology, algorithms and data sources. On May 4, 2017, we were awarded a Level 3 Certificate for Protection of State Information Security by the Ministry of Public Security, a prestigious form of recognition awarded to financial institutions such as commercial banks for stringent information security management. Our technology-driven risk management system comprises online big data analysis, offline confirmation of borrower information, credit scoring and decision-making, and post-loan management. This system has enabled us to assess the credit-worthiness of our borrowers more effectively and provide risk-based pricing for our products to better serve our customers and enhance customer satisfaction. We are partnering with global service providers, including Fair Isaac Corporation and GBG DecTech, to enhance our credit approval and fraud detection systems.

        We generate revenue from fees charged for our services in matching investors with individual borrowers and for other services we provide over the life of a loan. We primarily charge borrowers loan facilitation or management service fees for services provided by our marketplace in facilitating loans and providing other services, and we also charge investors post-origination service fees for investing in portfolio investments ("Wallets"), individual investments and loan transfer services.

        We have experienced rapid growth since our inception of business in 2014. Our revenue increased by 156.0% from US$4.6 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to US$11.9 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, and by 92.7% from US$11.9 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to US$22.9 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. Our revenue increased by 286.7% from US$3.9 million in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to US$15.1 million in the three months ended June 30, 2017. Our net profit was US$3.5 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, while our net loss was US$350,171 in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015. Our net profit increased by 142.2% from US$3.5 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to US$8.6 million in the fiscal

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year ended March 31, 2017. Our net profit was US$1.3 million and US$8.9 million in the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Our Competitive Strengths

        We believe the following competitive strengths contribute to our success:

    A fast-growing consumer lending marketplace focusing on meeting the increasing consumption demand of the emerging middle class in China

    Strong O2O capability combining online platform with extensive offline networks

    Stable investment returns and high investor satisfaction

    Advanced and proprietary risk management system

    Experienced and visionary management team

Our Strategies

        We intend to achieve our goal by pursuing the following strategies:

    Expand and diversify investor base and offer more investment products

    Further enhance our risk management and risk-based pricing capabilities

    Continue to invest in our technology platform

    Enhance the profile of our brand

Risks Affecting Us

        Our business is subject to numerous risks described in the section titled "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in this prospectus. The main risks set forth below and others you should consider are discussed more fully in the section entitled "Risk Factors" beginning on page 11, which you should read in its entirety.

    Our operating history is limited and the industry landscape is new and constantly evolving, which poses risks and challenges to our success.

    We may not be able to maintain the fast growth rate we have experienced in recent years and may not be able to manage our growth effectively.

    If we are unable to maintain or increase the volume of loan transactions facilitated through our marketplace or if we are unable to attract new borrowers or investors, or retain existing borrowers or investors, our business and results of operations will be adversely affected.

    Our risk management system comprising our policy framework, credit assessment and fraud detection technology and protocols may not be adequate and may adversely affect the reliability of our marketplace, and in turn damage our reputation and goodwill.

    Changes in China's macro economic, socio-political conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

    Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of Chinese laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to us.

    If Hexin Group's business, results of operations or brand is adversely affected, we may not be able to source new offline borrowers and our business, results of operations and brand will in turn be negatively affected.

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Corporate Information

        We were incorporated under the laws of Cayman Islands and we conduct our business through our subsidiaries and variable interest entity in China. We started our consumer loans online marketplace in March 2014 in China when our founders established our variable interest entity, Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. ("Hexin E-Commerce") in China, through our Hong Kong holding company Hexindai Hong Kong Limited and its wholly owned subsidiary Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd.. For a further description of our corporate history and restructuring, see "Corporate History and Structure." Our corporate headquarters is located at 13th Floor, Block C, Shimao, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020, People's Republic of China. Our telephone number is +86-10-5370-9902 (extension 829). Our website address is http://www.hexindai.com. The information on our website is not deemed, and you should not consider such information, to be part of this prospectus.

Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company

        As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in revenue for the last fiscal year, we qualify as an "emerging growth company" pursuant to the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. As such, we may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or Section 404, in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting. Under the JOBS Act we also do not need to comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards until the date that private companies are required to do so. However, we have elected to "opt out" of this provision and, as a result, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards as required when they are adopted for public companies. This decision to opt out of the extended transition period under the JOBS Act is irrevocable.

        We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) the last day of our fiscal year during which we have total annual gross revenues of at least US$1.07 billion; (ii) the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of completion of this offering; (iii) the date on which we have, during the previous three year period, issued more than US$1.07 billion in non-convertible debt; or (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a "large accelerated filer" under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of our ADSs that are held by non-affiliates exceeds US$700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter. Once we cease to be an emerging growth company, we will not be entitled to the exemptions provided in the JOBS Act discussed above.

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Conventions Which Apply to this Prospectus

        Except where the context otherwise requires and for purposes of this prospectus only:

    "ADSs" refer to our American depositary shares, each of which represents one ordinary share;

    "APR" or "annual percentage rate" refers to the rate that is charged to borrowers, including a nominal interest rate and a loan facilitation or management service fee, expressed as a single percentage number that represents the actual annualized cost of borrowing over the term of a loan;

    "big data" refer to voluminous structured and unstructured data from multiple sources and in multiple formats;

    "CAGR" refers to compound annual growth rate;

    "Changan Insurance" refers to Changan Property & Casualty Insurance Co., Ltd.;

    "China" or the "PRC" refers to the People's Republic of China, excluding, for the purposes of this prospectus only, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan;

    "Hexin Group" for the purpose of this prospectus refers to Hexin Information Services Co., Ltd. ("Hexin Information") and Hexin Financial Information Services (Beijing) Co., Ltd. ("Hexin Financial Information");

    "Hexindai," "we," "us," "our company" and "our" refer to Hexindai Inc., an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands with limited liability, and its subsidiaries, and, in the context of describing our operations and combined and consolidated financial information, also include its variable interest entity;

    "ordinary shares" refer to our ordinary shares of par value US$0.0001 per share, and upon and after the completion of this offering are to our ordinary shares, each of par value US$0.0001 per share;

    "O2O" refers to offline-to-online;

    "marketplace lending" refers to any marketplace for facilitating lending and investing, where individuals or corporates borrow and lend money from other individuals or corporates without the use of a credit-intermediating financial institution;

    "M3+ Net Charge-off Rates" refers to, with respect to loans facilitated during a specified time period or the "vintage", (i) the total balance of outstanding principal of loans that became delinquent for over three months during a specified period and the remainder of the expected interest for the life of such loans, divided by (ii) the total initial principal of the loans facilitated in such vintage;

    "RMB" and "Renminbi" refer to the legal currency of China; and

    "US$," "U.S. dollars," "$" and "dollars" refer to the legal currency of the United States.

        Our reporting currency is U.S. dollar and our functional currency is the Renminbi. This prospectus contains translations of certain foreign currency amounts into U.S. dollars for the convenience of the reader. Other than in accordance with relevant accounting rules and as otherwise stated, all translations of Renminbi into U.S. dollars in this prospectus were made at the rate of RMB6.7793 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate on June 30, 2017, as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board. Where we make period-on-period comparisons of operational metrics, such calculations are based on the Renminbi amount and not the translated U.S. dollar equivalent. We make no representation that the Renminbi or U.S. dollar amounts referred to in this prospectus 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 September 22, 2017, the noon buying rate for Renminbi was RMB6.5899 to US$1.00.

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THE OFFERING

Offering price

 

We currently estimate that the initial public offering price will be between US$            per ADS and US$            per ADS.

ADSs offered by us

 

minimum of            ADSs and maximum of             ADSs.

ADSs outstanding
immediately after this offering

 

            ADSs if the ADSs are offered and sold at the minimum offering amount in this offering, or             ADSs if the ADSs are offered and sold at the maximum offering amount in this offering.

Ordinary shares outstanding
immediately after this offering

 

             ordinary shares if the ADSs are offered and sold at the minimum offering amount in this offering, or             ordinary shares if the ADSs are offered and sold at the maximum offering amount in this offering.

The ADSs

 

Each ADS represents one ordinary share of par value US$0.0001 per share.

 

The depositary will hold the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs in a custody account with the custodian and as an ADS holder you will have rights in respect of the underlying ordinary shares as provided in the deposit agreement.

 

We do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future. If, however, we declare dividends on our ordinary shares, the depositary will pay you the cash dividends and other distributions it receives on our ordinary shares after conversion into U.S. dollars and deducting its fees and expenses in accordance with the terms set forth in the deposit agreement.

 

You may surrender your ADSs to the depositary for cancellation and delivery of the corresponding ordinary shares. The depositary will charge you fees for the cancellation of ADSs and delivery of the corresponding ordinary shares.

 

We may amend or terminate the deposit agreement without your consent. If you continue to hold your ADSs after an amendment to the deposit agreement, you agree to be bound by the deposit agreement as amended.

 

To better understand the terms of the ADSs, you should carefully read the "Description of American Depositary Shares" section of this prospectus. You should also read the deposit agreement, which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement that includes this prospectus.

Best efforts

 

The underwriter is selling our ADSs on a "best efforts" basis.

 

We do not intend to close this offering unless we sell at least a minimum number of ADSs, at the price per ADS set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, to result in sufficient proceeds to list our ADSs on the                                    .

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We expect that delivery of the ADSs will be made to investors through the book-entry facilities of The Depository Trust Company.

Offering period

 

The ADSs are being offered for a period of 90 days commencing from the date of this prospectus (and for a period of up to 90 additional days if extended by agreement between us and the underwriter). If the minimum offering amount is not raised within 90 days from the date of this prospectus, all subscription funds from the escrow account will be returned to investors promptly without interest (since the funds are being held in a non-interest bearing account) or deduction of fees. The offering may close or terminate, as the case may be, on the earlier of (i) any time after the minimum offering amount of our ADSs is raised, or (ii) 90 days from the date of this prospectus (and for a period of up to 90 additional days if extended by agreement by us and the underwriter). If we can successfully raise the minimum offering amount within the offering period, the proceeds from the offering will be released to us from the escrow account.

Escrow account

 

The proceeds from the sale of the ADSs in this offering will be payable to "Continental Stock Transfer & Trust AAF Hexindai Inc. Escrow Account" and will be deposited in a separate non-interest bearing bank account (limited to funds received on our behalf) until the minimum offering amount is raised. No interest will be available for payment to either us or the investors (since the funds are being held in a non-interest bearing account). All subscription funds will be held in escrow pending the raising of the minimum offering amount and no funds will be released to us until the completion of the offering. Release of the funds to us is based upon the Escrow Agent (defined below) reviewing the records of the depository institution holding the escrow to verify that the funds received have cleared the banking system prior to releasing the funds to us. All subscription information and subscription funds through checks or wire transfers should be delivered to the Escrow Agent. Failure to do so will result in subscription funds being returned to the investor. If we do not receive a minimum of US$            by            , 2017, all funds will be returned to the investors in this offering by noon of the next business day after the termination of the offering, without charge, deduction or interest. Prior to                        , 2017, in no event will funds be returned to the investors unless the offering is terminated. The investors will only be entitled to receive a refund of their subscription price if we do not raise a minimum of US$            by                        , 2017. No interest will be paid either to us or to the investors. We have appointed Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, an independent third party, as our escrow agent, or the "Escrow Agent".

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Use of proceeds

 

We estimate that we will receive net proceeds from the minimum offering amount of approximately US$            from this offering, after deducting the estimated commissions to the underwriter and the estimated offering expenses payable by us and assuming an initial public offering price of US$            per ADS, being the mid-point of the estimated range of the initial public offering price shown on the front cover of this prospectus, and net proceeds from the maximum offering amount of approximately US$            from this offering, after deducting the estimated commissions to the underwriter and the estimated offering expenses payable by us and assuming an initial public offering price of US$            per ADS, being the mid-point of the estimated range of the initial public offering price shown on the front cover of this prospectus.

 

We plan to use the net proceeds of the offering primarily to upgrade our operating structure and build a stronger business framework, which includes upgrading our risk control and management mechanism, privacy protection methods, and anti-fraud and billing systems. In addition, we may use the proceeds for brand building by implementing a multi-facet marketing strategy to promote our brand through traditional media, search engine, online advertising and social media coverage. Upon fulfilling the capital requirements for business framework upgrading and brand building, we may also use a portion of these proceeds for general corporate purposes, including working capital, operating expenses and capital expenditures.

 

See "Use of Proceeds" for additional information.

Depositary

 

Citibank, N.A.

Custodian

 

Citibank, N.A.—Hong Kong Branch

Lock-up

 

Each of our directors and officers named in the section "Management", certain shareholders and our incentive shareholders have agreed with the underwriter not to sell, transfer or dispose of any ADSs, ordinary shares or similar securities for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, subject to certain exceptions. In addition, through a letter agreement, we have instructed or will instruct the depositary not to accept any deposit of any ordinary shares or issue any ADSs unless we consent to such deposit or issuance, and not to provide consent without the prior written consent of Network 1 Financial Securities, Inc. The foregoing does not affect the right of ADS holders to cancel their ADSs and withdraw the underlying ordinary shares. See "Shares Eligible for Future Sale" and "Underwriting."

Risk factors

 

See "Risk Factors" and other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of risks you should carefully consider before investing in the ADSs.

        The number of ordinary shares that will be outstanding immediately after this offering will be            ordinary shares, which:

    is based upon 42,921,600 ordinary shares outstanding as of the date of this prospectus; and

    excludes 6,312,000 ordinary shares reserved for future issuances under our 2016 Equity Incentive Plan as of the date of this prospectus.

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Summary Historical Financial Information of our Company

        We were incorporated and commenced operations in March 2014. The following summary consolidated financial data for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and as of March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The following summary consolidated financial data for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017 and as of June 30, 2017 have been derived from our unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus and have been prepared on the same basis as our audited consolidated financial statements.

        Our consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, or U.S. GAAP. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of results expected for future periods. You should read this Summary Consolidated Financial Data section together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" included elsewhere in this prospectus.

        The following table presents our summary consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income (loss) for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017.

 
  For the Fiscal Years
Ended March 31,
  For the Three Months
Ended June 30,
 
 
  2015   2016   2017   2016   2017  
 
  (US$, except number of shares)   (US$, except number of shares)  
 
   
   
   
  (unaudited)
 

Selected Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income (Loss):

                               

Net revenue

    4,645,973     11,894,226     22,920,543     3,907,990     15,112,921  

Loan facilitation, post-origination and other service, net                

    4,648,318     11,917,870     23,092,405     3,922,420     15,130,590  

Business and sales related taxes                

    (2,345 )   (23,644 )   (171,862 )   (14,430 )   (17,669 )

Operating expenses

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Sales and marketing expenses

    2,605,042     3,840,143     5,212,127     1,021,894     2,568,544  

Service and development expenses

    1,605,636     2,358,867     5,149,265     923,083     1,334,985  

General and administrative expenses

    733,920     1,554,833     2,645,605     438,643     894,747  

Total operating expense

    4,944,598     7,753,843     13,006,997     2,383,620     4,798,276  

Income (loss) from operations

   
(298,625

)
 
4,140,383
   
9,913,546
   
1,524,370
   
10,314,645
 

Total other (expense) income, net

   
(7,704

)
 
26,270
   
179,529
   
26,345
   
155,863
 

(Loss) income before income taxes

   
(306,329

)
 
4,166,653
   
10,093,075
   
1,550,715
   
10,470,508
 

Provision for income taxes

    43,842     628,246     1,522,211     233,632     1,575,944  

Net (loss) income

    (350,171 )   3,538,407     8,570,864     1,317,083     8,894,564  

Comprehensive (loss) income

    (332,805 )   3,056,324     7,490,828     879,691     9,328,160  

Basic and diluted (loss) earnings per common share*

   
(0.01

)
 
0.08
   
0.20
   
0.03
   
0.21
 

Weighted average number of shares outstanding*

    42,080,000     42,080,000     42,331,200     42,080,000     42,921,600  

*
The shares and per share data are presented on a retroactive basis to reflect the nominal share issuance. Please see Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information on the nominal share issuance.

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        The following table presents our summary consolidated balance sheet data as of March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and June 30, 2017.

 
  As of March 31,    
 
 
  As of
June 30,
2017
 
 
  2015   2016   2017  
 
  (US$)   (US$)  
 
   
   
   
  (unaudited)
 

Selected Consolidated Balance Sheet Data

                         

Cash

    954,681     7,818,936     19,232,275     32,548,392  

Total current assets

    1,847,801     9,620,452     27,554,131     39,076,876  

Total assets

    7,396,035     22,392,892     28,382,131     39,956,820  

Total current liabilities

    4,041,450     8,380,935     4,877,775     7,124,304  

Total liabilities

    4,041,450     8,380,935     4,877,775     7,124,304  

Total equity

    3,354,585     14,011,957     23,504,356     32,832,516  

        The following table presents our summary operating data for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017.

 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Three
Months
ended
June 30,
2017
compared
to
June 30,
2016
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  For the Three Months
Ended June 30,
  Growth Rates (9)  
 
  For the Fiscal Years Ended March 31,  
 
  2016
compared
to 2015
  2017
compared
to 2016
 
 
  2015   2016   2017   2016   2017  
 
  (RMB)   (US$)   (RMB)   (US$)   (RMB)   (US$)   (RMB)   (US$)   (RMB)   (US$)    
   
   
 
 
  (in thousands, except percentages and numbers)
  (in thousands, except
percentages and numbers)

   
   
   
 

Loan volume facilitated (1)

                                                                               

Credit loan principal

    38,729     6,295     640,120     101,171     2,264,421     336,727     355,804     54,478     1,268,297     184,921     1,552.8 %   253.7 %   256.5 %

Secured loan principal

    2,043,315     332,133     2,335,945     369,197     1,053,095     156,599     471,928     72,259     9,900     1,443     14.3 %   –54.9 %   –97.9 %

Total

    2,082,044     338,428     2,976,065     470,368     3,317,516     493,326     827,732     126,737     1,278,197     186,364     42.9 %   11.5 %   54.4 %

Number of transactions facilitated (2)

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Credit loan transactions

    751     751     10,292     10,292     28,374     28,374     4,751     4,751     14,723     14,723                    

Secured loan transactions

    2,691     2,691     2,957     2,957     1,254     1,254     606     606     13     13                    

Total

    3,442     3,442     13,249     13,249     29,628     29,628     5,357     5,357     14,736     14,736                    

Average individual transaction amount

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Credit loan transactions

    52     8     62     10     80     12     75     11     86     13                    

Secured loan transactions

    759     123     790     125     840     125     779     119     762     111                    

Overall average

    605     98     225     36     112     17     155     24     87     13                    

Gross billing amount (net of VAT) (3)

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Credit loan

    1,827     297     45,733     7,228     172,401     25,637     26,726     4,092     112,798     16,446     2,402.7 %   277.0 %   322.1 %

Secured loan

    41,876     6,807     37,446     5,918     14,700     2,186     7,001     1,072     132     19     –10.6 %   –60.7 %   –98.1 %

Total

    43,703     7,104     83,179     13,146     187,101     27,823     33,727     5,164     112,930     16,465     90.3 %   124.9 %   234.8 %

Gross billing ratio (net of VAT) (4)

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Credit loan

    4.7%     4.7%     7.1%     7.1%     7.6%     7.6%     7.5%     7.5%     8.9%     8.9%                    

Secured loan

    2.0%     2.0%     1.6%     1.6%     1.4%     1.4%     1.5%     1.5%     1.3%     1.3%                    

Total

    2.1%     2.1%     2.8%     2.8%     5.6%     5.6%     4.1%     4.1%     8.8%     8.8%                    

Number of borrowers (5)

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Credit loan transactions

    751     751     10,292     10,292     28,374     28,374     4,751     4,751     14,723     14,723                    

Secured loan transactions

    885     885     828     828     364     364     243     243     13     13                    

Total

    1,636     1,636     11,120     11,120     28,738     28,738     4,994     4,994     14,736     14,736     579.7 %   158.4 %   195.1 %

Number of investors (6)

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Credit loan transactions (7)

    278     278     1,061     1,061     25,679     25,679     880     880     24,900     24,900                    

Secured loan transactions (8)

    14,686     14,686     17,230     17,230     13,795     13,795     6,323     6,323     27     27                    

Credit and secured loan transactions

    2,519     2,519     13,492     13,492     23,861     23,861     12,998     12,998     12,106     12,106                    

Total

    17,483     17,483     31,783     31,783     63,335     63,335     20,201     20,201     37,033     37,033     81.8 %   99.3 %   83.3 %

(1)
Loan volume is defined as the total principal amount of loans facilitated on our marketplace during the relevant period.

(2)
Number of loan transactions facilitated is defined as the total number of loans facilitated on our marketplace during the relevant period.

(3)
"Gross billing amount" is defined as the aggregated loan facilitation fees and loan management fees charged to borrowers before cash incentives, net of value added tax. It differs from the revenue recognized at the time of recognition. For an individual secured loan transaction, the gross billing amount equals the gross accumulative loan management service revenue recognized over the term of the secured loan. For an individual credit loan transaction, as the loan facilitation service fees are charged upfront upon the release of funds to borrowers, the gross billing amount equals the loan facilitation service revenue.

(4)
"Gross billing ratio" is defined as the gross billing amount divided by loan volume facilitated, presented in percentage. It is an operation metric we believe is a more accurate indicator of profitability.

(5)
Refers to borrowers who recorded successful borrowing activity on our online marketplace during the relevant period.

(6)
Refers to investors who made loan investments on our online marketplace during the relevant period.

(7)
Refers to investors who exclusively invested in credit loan transactions during the relevant period.

(8)
Refers to investors who exclusively invested in secured loan transactions during the relevant period.

(9)
Growth rates are calculated by RMB, and exclude the impact from exchange rate in different reporting period to reflect a real growth rate.

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RISK FACTORS

         Investing in our ADSs involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risks, as well as other information contained in this prospectus, before making an investment in our company. The risks discussed below could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, ability to pay dividends and the trading price of our ADSs. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial may also materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay dividends, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

         Our operating history is limited and the industry landscape is new and constantly evolving, which poses risks and challenges to our success.

        We launched our online marketplace in March 2014 and have a limited operating history. The Chinese consumer marketplace lending industry is new and constantly evolving. We operate in a competitive and uncertain environment with many risks, challenges, unforeseeable expenses, difficulties, delays and complications, including, among others, the PRC regulatory landscape. The general consumer finance marketplace industry in China may ultimately not support our business, especially if the PRC regulatory environment changes in ways that do not favor our development. As a new industry, there is limited public information about comparable companies available for potential investors to review in making a decision about whether to invest in our company.

        Borrowers may not view marketplace lending obligations facilitated on our platform as having the same consequences of default as other credit obligations arising under more traditional loans provided by banks or other commercial financial institutions. Any default on borrowers' payment obligations may adversely affect investors' confidence in the loan products on our online marketplace, which may lead to less available loan capital and materially and adversely affect our business.

        We are a growing business in the early stages of development, and our prospects of success should be considered in the context of these risks and uncertainties. For example, as we facilitate more new products and services on our marketplace, we may encounter unanticipated expenses, challenges and technical difficulties and they may result in material delays in the operation of our business. We may not be able to successfully address all such risks and uncertainties or execute our corporate strategies. If we fail to do so, such failure could materially harm our business, which would impair the value of our ADSs.

         We may not be able to maintain the fast growth rate we have experienced in recent years and may not be able to manage our growth effectively.

        Since 2015, both the volume of credit loans facilitated on our marketplace and the number of users, including borrowers and investors, have undergone rapid growth. However, we may not be able to maintain comparable growth, or grow at all, in any of these key performance metrics in the future. As we have a limited operating history and our business has rapidly grown and changed in recent years, our past financial performance may not be a sound basis on which to evaluate our business prospects and future financial performance.

        We may be unable to rapidly scale our business and manage our growth as we continue to encounter the risks, uncertainties and challenges in the development of our business, including, among other things:

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        Inability to successfully achieve any of these initiatives may cause material and adverse effects to our business and results of operations.

         If we are unable to maintain or increase the volume of loan transactions facilitated through our marketplace or if we are unable to attract new borrowers or investors, or retain existing borrowers or investors, our business and results of operations will be adversely affected.

        We have experienced rapid growth in the volume of loan transactions facilitated on our marketplace. To continue to grow our business, we must continue to increase the volume of loan transactions on our marketplace by retaining existing borrowers and attracting a large number of new borrowers who meet our qualifications and new and existing investors in investing in these loans.

        Furthermore, we receive on a day-to-day basis a large amount of loan applications from online and offline sources, however a large amount of applications do not meet our minimum criteria. If there are insufficient qualified loan requests, investors may be unable to deploy their capital in a timely or efficient manner and may seek other investment opportunities. If there are insufficient investor commitments, borrowers may be unable to obtain capital through our marketplace and may turn to other sources for their borrowing needs and investors who wish to transfer their investments prior to maturity may not be able to do so in a timely manner.

        The overall transaction volume may be affected by several factors, including our brand recognition and reputation, the interest rates offered to borrowers and investors relative to market rates, the effectiveness of our risk control, the repayment rate of borrowers on our marketplace, the efficiency of our platform, the macroeconomic environment and other factors. In connection with the introduction of new products or in response to general economic conditions, we may also impose more stringent borrower qualifications to ensure the quality of loans on our platform, which may negatively affect the growth of loan volume. If any of our current user acquisition channels becomes less effective, if we are

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unable to continue to use any of these channels or if we are not successful in using new channels, we may not be able to attract new borrowers and investors in a cost-effective manner or convert potential borrowers and investors into active borrowers and investors, and may even lose our existing borrowers and investors to our competitors. If we are unable to attract qualified borrowers and sufficient investor commitments or if borrowers and investors do not continue to participate in our marketplace at the current rates, we might be unable to increase our loan transaction volume and revenues as we expect, and our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.

         We may not be able to attract sufficient loan capital from our investors to meet the demands of the borrowers on our marketplace.

        Our business involves the matching of borrowers and investors through our marketplace. The growth and success of our future operations depend on the availability of adequate lending capital to meet borrower demand for loans on our marketplace. In order to maintain the requisite level of funding for the loans facilitated on our marketplace to meet borrower demand, we may need to optimize the investor composition of our marketplace to include more investors generally and also a certain number of institutional investors, which usually invest larger amounts compared to individual investors. To the extent there is an insufficient number of investors willing to accept the risk of default posed by potential borrowers, our marketplace will be unable to fulfil all of the loan requests. If adequate funds are not available to meet borrowers' demand for loans when they arise, the volume of loans facilitated on our marketplace may be significantly impacted. To the extent that it is necessary to obtain additional lending capital from investors, such lending capital may not be available to our marketplace on acceptable terms or at all. If our marketplace is unable to provide potential borrowers with loans or fund the loans on a timely basis due to insufficient lending capital on our marketplace, we may experience a loss of market share or slower than expected growth, which would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

         Limited liquidity for the loans on our marketplace may adversely affect the appeal of our marketplace to investors.

        The loan products we facilitate on our marketplace are designed specifically for our marketplace. Transactions for our loan products are only permitted on our marketplace. In addition, the market for trading of pre-existing investment commitments among investors on our marketplace is limited. We allow investors to transfer their pre-existing investment commitments to other willing investors after certain terms and conditions are met. If investors cannot transfer their loans or exit with as much flexibility as they desire, they may lose interest in our online marketplace and may not invest as much on our platform, or at all.

         Our risk management system comprising our policy framework, credit assessment and fraud detection technology and protocols may not be adequate and may adversely affect the reliability of our marketplace, and in turn damage our reputation, business and results of operations.

        The success of our online marketplace relies heavily on our ability to detect, assess and control credit risk, and therefore to prevent fraud. We have stringent risk management protocols in place to effectively assess borrower applicants' credit risk to prevent fraud and minimize the risk of non-payment. From the point of receiving borrower applications we request for the borrower applicant's personal information supported by documentation, and we verify the information against public information and data provided by third-party suppliers. In order to prevent fraud and assess the creditworthiness of each borrower, we conduct physical interviews and enhanced due diligence, as needed, to verify the borrower applicant's information and his or her intent. Any suspicious borrower applications would be eliminated. Once sufficient information is gathered, our proprietary credit

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assessment technology consolidates and processes the information and produces a credit score and grade.

        The information and data we use may not be sufficient to allow us to adequately capture a borrower applicant's credit risk. Such information and data include, among others, demographic information, credit history with us and with other financial institutions, and employment information and blacklists maintained by other forums and organizations. We constantly update and optimize our risk management system but the system may have loopholes or defects which may prevent us from effectively identifying risks, or the data provided may be inaccurate or stale or insufficient, such that we may misjudge the risk and misalign the risk profile and loan price. The information may also not be sufficient for prediction of future non-payment. Such risks and errors may erode investor confidence in our marketplace and therefore harm our reputation and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

         If any of the primary information provided by borrowers and data obtained from third-party external sources we use for credit and risk assessment is inaccurate or fraudulently provided, our assessment may not sufficiently capture the credit risk of the loan.

        Borrowers supply a variety of information that is included in the listings of loans on our marketplace. We do not verify all the information we receive from borrowers, and such information may be inaccurate or incomplete. For example, we often do not verify a borrower's home ownership status or intended use of loan proceeds, and the borrower may use loan proceeds for other purposes with increased risk than as originally provided. Moreover, investors do not, and will not, have access to detailed financial information about borrowers. If investors invest in loans through our marketplace based on information supplied by borrowers that is inaccurate, misleading or incomplete, those investors may not receive their expected returns and our reputation may be harmed. Moreover, inaccurate, misleading or incomplete borrower information could also potentially subject us to liability as an intermediary under the PRC Contract Law. See "Regulations—Regulations Relating to Online Consumer Lending—Regulations on Loans between Individuals."

        Due to the lack of a nationwide centralized credit reporting system in China, we have had to rely on our own data collection efforts to gather as much relevant credit information about a borrower applicant as possible. We collect third-party data from and cross-check information gathered against the People's Bank of China, or the PBOC credit reporting platforms, credit bureaus, data vendors, industry forums and big data analytics companies. If the data points from which our credit assessment system derives the credit score and grade are inaccurate, incomplete or outdated, as we do not have the means to verify the third party data we obtain, the outcome may not accurately reflect the credit risk of the borrower. This could adversely affect the effectiveness of our control over our default rates, which could in turn harm our reputation and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

         We do not prohibit our borrowers from incurring other debt or impose financial covenants on borrowers during the term of the loan, which will increase the risk of non-payment on our loans.

        Subsequent to our assessment, a borrower applicant may:

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        We do not prohibit our borrowers from incurring additional indebtedness, nor do we impose any financial covenants on the borrowers during the term of the loan. Further we have no means to independently determine whether a borrower applicant has outstanding loans on other consumer finance marketplaces. We are faced with the risk that borrowers borrow money from our platform to pay off loans on other consumer finance marketplaces, creating a snowball effect of debt. Any additional indebtedness may impair the borrower's ability to observe his or her payment obligations on the loan product we facilitated, and therefore adversely affect the relevant investor's returns. If a borrower becomes insolvent or bankrupt or otherwise run into financial distress, any unsecured loan (including those obtained through our marketplace) will rank pari passu to each other and the borrower may cherry-pick among his or her creditors and our investor may suffer losses. For secured loans, the ability of other secured investors to exercise remedies against the assets of the borrower may impair the borrower's ability to repay the loan to our investor. Investors may lose their confidence in us and our reputation and business may be adversely affected.

         We may not be able to completely prevent fraudulent activity on our marketplace, which may have a material adverse effect on our brand, reputation, business and results of operations.

        Fraudulent activity on our online marketplace, including organized fraud schemes and impostor borrowers fraudulently inducing investors to lend capital, could lead to regulatory intervention, cause a material damage to our brand, reputation and market share, and require us to take extra anti-fraud measures. The occurrence of fraudulent activity will cause us to incur costs and divert management attention, affecting our business and results of operations. Although we had not experienced any material business or reputational harm as a result of fraudulent activities in the past, we cannot assure you that we will not experience any fraudulent activities in the future which may cause harm to our business or reputation. We believe our risk management system has stringent controls and checks in place to minimize the incidence of fraud on our marketplace. However we have limited resources and our technology and our risk management system may not be able to completely prevent and detect all potential fraudulent activities.

         If our systems are under malicious attack by sophisticated criminals including by way of hacking, cyber-attacks, infiltration of computer viruses, physical or e-sabotage, we may not be able to protect our business operations or the confidential information gathered on our databases.

        We are an attractive target for cyber-attacks in order for criminals to gain access to our confidential and valuable information collected from borrowers and investors. We and our third-party system security service providers take measures to prevent such attacks and protect our databases of confidential information, but these measures may be breached accidentally or maliciously by uanuthorised access. If confidential information about our users and our offline cooperation partner were stolen and used for criminal purposes, we could be exposed to liability for loss of information and be subject to time-consuming and expensive litigation and negative publicity. In addition, the Administrative Measures for the Security of the International Network of Computer Information Network, effective on December 30, 1997 and amended on January 8, 2011, requires us to report any data or security breaches to the local offices of the PRC Ministry of Public Security within 24 hours of any such breach. The Cyber Security Law of the PRC (effective on June 1, 2017) requires that when we discover that our network products or services are subject to risks such as security defects or bugs, we shall take remedial measures immediately, including but not limited to, informing users of the specific risks and reporting such risks to the relevant competent departments. Any security breach, whether actual or perceived, would harm our reputation, and could cause us to lose borrowers, investors and our offline cooperation partner and adversely affect our business and results of operations. Our relationships with our users and our offline cooperation partner may be damaged, negatively affecting our business and credibility of our marketplace.

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        Technology employed by hackers constantly evolve, so that the security measures and our third-party system security service providers may not be able to fully anticipate attacks and implement necessary prevention measures or in time.

         We utilize highly technical and specific software and algorithms that require maintenance and constant updates, any undetected errors or bugs may adversely affect our credit assessment and risk management system, and thereby affecting our business.

        The software and algorithms we use for our credit assessment system, credit decision-making system, data storage security system, online marketplace platform and other internal systems are highly technical and complex. These algorithms and software are essential to our smooth operation and risk management framework. We and our third-party service providers constantly monitor, maintain and update them. However, to the extent that such software and algorithms, now or in the future, contain undetected errors, bugs, design defects or are outdated, our borrowers and investors may experience problems on our marketplace, and we may have trouble running our systems and programs for our business and operations. We may be unable to launch our new products, services or upgrades, and our ability to protect borrower and investor confidential information as well as our own intellectual property may be compromised. Any such errors, bugs or system failures may harm our brand and reputation, cause loss to borrowers or investors, and expose us to liability for damages, adversely affecting our business and results of operations.

Our third-party insurance arrangements may not be sufficient to meet the overall default risk.

        From the inception of our business to January 2017, we maintained a risk reserve liability policy. We set aside 1% and 2% of the total loan amounts and the accrued interest of the secured loan and credit loan transactions, respectively, for the risk reserve liability. If a borrower defaulted on a loan payment, we withdrew funds from the custody account of the risk reserve account to repay the affected investors the principal and accrued interest for the defaulted loans. The risk reserve liability policy aims to protect investors up to the full amount of the investment and accrued interest. However, if borrowers' default rates are high, the balance of the risk reserve liability may not be able to cover all the relevant investors' losses.

        On January 21, 2017, we entered into a framework agreement with Changan Insurance, a reputable third-party insurance provider, to provide insurance to investors covering the risk of borrowers' non-payment, effective from February 1, 2017. We terminated the risk reserve liability policy and no longer set aside a sum to meet the contingent pay-outs. However, the insurance arrangement may not be sufficient to cover the losses of affected investors. If the insurance provider decides an investor is not entitled to compensation, the investor may demand that we compensate him or her for the loss. In addition, as a result of our shift in focus from secured loans to credit loans, investors may be exposed to a higher risk of borrowers' default due to the unsecured nature of these loans, which in turn may increase the incidence of investors' claims against us. Our relationship with investors and our reputation may be adversely affected.

        We rely on Changan Insurance to provide insurance coverage to investors over the default risk of non-paying borrowers. If Changan Insurance decides to terminate our insurance arrangements or decides not to renew such arrangements after the expiry of our framework agreement, our operations and reputation may be adversely affected.

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         If there is an increasing incidence of non-payment and the loans in default exceed the insured amount or the amount Changan Insurance is willing to compensate, affected investors may not be able to recover part or all of their investments and this may adversely affect our reputation.

        Investors receive their principal and interest payments as and when borrowers observe their scheduled payment obligations, or in the case of a borrower's default during the period from March 2014 to January 2017, from the risk reserve liability. After we transitioned to the third-party insurance arrangement, in the event of borrower default, investors receive their principal and interest payments from Changan Insurance.

        Under the risk reserve liability policy, we set aside 1% and 2% of the principal amount and accrued interest of secured loans and credit loans, respectively, to meet the risk reserve liability. Under the third-party insurance arrangement, the same amount of 2% of the principal amount and accrued interest of credit loans is set aside as premium for the insurance policy provided by Changan Insurance. During the transition from our risk reserve liability policy to our insurance arrangement, Changan Insurance took custody of the balance of the risk reserve and assumed the outstanding loan balances covered under the previous risk reserve liability policy. If Changan Insurance is unwilling to compensate the investor or cannot offset the defaulting borrower's payment obligations and, as a result, an investor suffers loss, he or she may lose confidence in our online marketplace. As a result, our reputation may be harmed and we may not be able to attract and retain investors to participate in our marketplace.

         If the loan and investment products and services in our present portfolio and future pipeline are insufficiently attractive to our customers, become obsolete or they fail to satisfy the demands of borrowers or investors, our business and results of operations will be materially affected.

        We intend to expand our product offering to borrowers to cater to their different financing needs. We also intend to expand our investor service offerings to meet the different needs of investors and offer different risk-based returns, such as collection of different credit rights, portfolio investments  (also known as "Wallet") for credit loans. We also plan to enhance the capabilities of our online marketplace platform to incorporate new features and streamline the user experience.

        Loan and investment products and services require significant expense and resources to develop, acquire, and market. They also may not receive sufficient market acceptance for a variety of reasons:

        If the products in our present portfolio and future pipeline do not attain sufficient market acceptance, become obsolete or otherwise fail to satisfy the demands of borrowers and investors, we may be unable to compete in the intense consumer finance industry and our target market. Our market share may decline and negatively affect our business and results of operations.

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         If the total addressable market for loans we facilitate on our marketplace is in reality smaller than our estimate, our revenues may be adversely affected and our business may suffer.

        A variety of factors affect our estimate of the total addressable market, including among others, market demand, the PRC regulatory environment, competition, general economic and socio-political conditions and the short history of China's consumer finance industry. We believe our total addressable market consists primarily of the emerging middle class seeking medium-sized loans of RMB20,000 to RMB140,000. According to Oliver Wyman, the "emerging middle class" comprises largely of the "lower mass population" in China, the population segment with accumulated disposable assets of RMB60,000 to RMB100,000. These people are typically in the average age range of between 31 to 45 years old, with an average monthly income of RMB3,000 to RMB7,000. We consider the emerging middle class to have generally more stable financial status and more sound financial knowledge, and therefore more reliable in loan repayment. According to Oliver Wyman, the "lower mass" population is the primary driver of the private consumption market for premium goods and services, and is projected to grow quickly in size. The medium-sized credit loan consumer lending market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 78% from RMB103 billion in 2015 to RMB1,836 billion in 2020. However, if the actual demand is in reality smaller than our estimate, our operational strategies may not be sufficiently effective such that our revenues, business and results of operation may be negatively affected.

         We may incur net loss due to an increase in operating expenses.

        We incurred net loss in the amount of US$350,171 in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, primarily due to our high operating costs and expenses, such as increased sales and marketing expenses associated with our marketing efforts to enhance our brand recognition and therefore acquire more users.

        As we continue to grow and expand our business, our operating expenses may increase further. Our strategies include, among others, attracting new and potential borrowers and investors, maintaining our relationships with our offline cooperation partner, upgrading and developing our technologies, enhancing our risk management system and launching new loan products and services on our marketplace, each or all of which may incur more expenses than we anticipate. Our growth in revenue may be insufficient to offset these expenses and therefore result in net losses. We may be unable to achieve or maintain profitability in the foreseeable future.

         Interest rates may increase and negatively affect our transaction volume.

        If interest rates increase, investors and borrowers may be deterred from investing and borrowing from our online marketplace. The transaction volume facilitated on our marketplace may decline, which may negatively affect our business and results of operations. Therefore, our business could be adversely affected by potential interest rate increases in China.

         We may be unable to promote and maintain our brand and reputation effectively and in a cost-efficient manner, which will adversely affect our business and operations.

        Our brand and reputation are integral to our online acquisition of borrowers and investors, and we intend to invest in marketing and brand promoting efforts, especially in connection with the growth of our multi-channel marketplace and introduction of new loan products and investment products. The success of our marketing efforts and user experience on our marketplace are integral to our ability to attract new and retain repeat borrowers and investors. Our marketing channels include traditional media such as pamphlets, telephone marketing, direct sales and marketing campaigns, as well as online media, H5, social media applications and tools, such as Wechat and Weibo, search engine optimization and search engine marketing. If our current marketing efforts and channels are less effective or inaccessible to us, or if the cost of such channels significantly increases or we cannot penetrate the

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market with new channels, we may not be able to promote and maintain our brand and reputation to maintain or grow the existing borrower and investor base. If we are unable to promote and maintain our brand and reputation in a cost-efficient manner, our market share could diminish or we could experience a lower growth rate than we anticipated, which would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

         If we cannot continue to maintain relationships with third-party service providers, in particular third-party payment agents, our business may suffer.

        Third parties supply us with external data including credit histories, government data, social media data and blacklists, as well as big data analyses. Furthermore, third-party service providers maintain our security systems, ensuring confidentiality of data and prevention of malicious attacks. In addition, we rely on third parties for secure fund management and online payment and settlement.

        Our relationships with various third parties are integral to the smooth operation of our business and marketplace. Most of our agreements with third-party service providers are non-exclusive and do not prohibit third-party service providers from working with our competitors or from offering competing services. If our relationships with third-party service providers deteriorate or third-party service providers decide to terminate our respective business relationships for any reason, such as to work with our competitors on more exclusive or more favorable terms or if they themselves become our competitors, our operations may be disrupted. In addition, our third-party service providers may not uphold the standard we expected under our agreements, or disagreements or disputes may arise between us and the third-party service providers.

        We rely on Jiangxi Bank and may in the future, cooperate and rely on other third-party payment agents to manage the investor funds, originate and service loans, collect service fees and ensure compliance with the relevant PRC laws and regulations that may be relevant to our business. Third-party payment agents in China, are subject to oversight by the PBOC and must comply with complex rules and regulations, licensing and examination requirements, including, but not limited to, minimum registered capital, maintenance of payment business licenses, anti-money laundering regulations and management personnel requirements. Some third-party payment agents have been required by the PBOC to suspend their credit card pre-authorization and payment services in certain areas of China. If our third-party payment agents were to suspend, limit or cease their operations, or if our relationships with our third-party payment agents deteriorates or they were to otherwise terminate, we would need to arrange substantially similar arrangements with other third-party payment agents. Negative publicity about our or other third-party payment agents or the industry in general may also adversely affect investors' or borrowers' confidence and trust in the use of third-party payment agents to carry out the payment and custodian functions in connection with the origination of loans on our marketplace. If any of these were to happen, the operation of our platform could be materially impaired and our results of operations would suffer.

         Misconduct and errors by our employees and our third-party service providers could cause a material adverse effect on our business and reputation.

        Our employees and third-party service providers are integral to our business operations, as they handle and process a large number of increasingly complex and differentiated loan transactions which include confidential information. If any such information were leaked to unintended recipients due to human error, theft, malicious sabotage or fraudulent manipulation, we may be subject to liability for loss of such information. Further, if any of our employees or third-party service providers absconded with our proprietary data or know-how in order to compete with us, our competitive position may be materially and adversely affected.

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        Any misappropriation fraudulent misuse of funds by any of our employees or third-party service providers in contravention of our protocols and policies may lead to regulatory and disciplinary proceedings involving us. We may be perceived to have facilitated or participated in the misappropriation or fraudulent misuse of funds and we could be subject to liability, damages, penalties and suffer reputational damage. It is impossible to completely identify and eradicate all risks of misconduct or human errors, and our precautionary measures may not be able to effectively detect and prevent such risks from happening.

        Occurrence of any of the above risks could result in a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations, as we are exposed to potential liability to borrowers and investors, reputational damage, regulatory intervention, financial harm. Our ability to attract new and retain existing borrowers and investors and operate our online marketplace as an ongoing concern may be impaired.

         If our brand reputation is harmed in any way, including any negative publicity about us, our offline cooperation partner, third-party providers and the overall industry, in particular in relation to any misconduct, errors and system failure, our business and operating results may be materially and adversely affected.

        We are exposed to the risk of negativity publicity about us, our offline cooperation partner, third-party providers and the overall consumer finance marketplace industry in China. Negative press about the quality of loans and services, effectiveness, reliability and credibility of our marketplace, our proprietary credit assessment system, our ability to manage and resolve borrower and investor complaints, privacy and security measures and practices, litigation, regulatory landscape and the user experience on our marketplace, even if inaccurate, may lead to an adverse impact on our reputation and the use of our marketplace, which would harm our business and operating results. The PRC government has recently instituted general regulations and specific rules, including the Guidelines and Interim Measures, to develop a more transparent regulatory environment for the consumer finance marketplace industry. See "Regulation—Regulations Relating to Online Consumer Lending." Many companies in China's consumer finance marketplace industry have not been fully compliant with these regulations, which has adversely impacted the reputation of China's consumer finance marketplace industry as a whole. In addition, particularly in the last year, there have been an increasing number of business failures of, or accusations of fraud and unfair dealing against, companies in the consumer finance marketplace industry in China. If borrowers and investors associate our Company with these failed companies, our reputation may be similarly harmed and investor and borrower confidence on our marketplace may be adversely affected. Misconduct by our employees, our offline cooperation partner, failures by us, our offline cooperation partner or our third-party service providers to meet expected standards and inability to completely protect borrower and investor confidential information and compliance failures and claims may also cause harm to our reputation and brand. Negative publicity about our offline cooperation partner can also affect our business and results of operations in a material manner if we rely on them or if borrowers and investors associate our Company with them.

         Our borrowers acquired from offline referrals may sue us based on representations made by our offline cooperation partner or third parties, which may result in costly claims and disrupt our business.

        Some borrowers and investors may be attracted to our marketplace after reviewing information provided by our offline cooperation partner or third parties. We do not review or approve any information provided by our offline cooperation partner's and third parties' and, while we do not believe we would have liability for such information, it is possible that an unsatisfied borrower or investor could bring claims against us based on any inaccurate information or representations made by our offline cooperation partner or other third parties. Such claims could be costly and time-consuming to defend and would distract management's attention and create negative publicity, which could adversely affect our reputation and business operations.

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         Interim period results can vary significantly due to a host of variables and may not accurately reflect the underlying performance of our business.

        Our interim period results of operations, including operating revenue, expenses, the number of loans and other key performance indicators, may fluctuate significantly such that comparisons of our operating results period-on-period may not be meaningful. Results of any interim period cannot accurately indicate future performance. Fluctuations may be due to any number of variables, including some beyond our control, such as:

        Fluctuations in our interim period results may affect the price of our ADSs in an adverse manner.

         Our use of investor cash incentives may result in substantial reductions in our revenues.

        We provide investors with certain cash incentives to encourage greater participation in the loan products we facilitate on our online marketplace. We provide cash incentives to new investors under our referral incentive program, as well as promotional cash incentives to existing investors from time to time. Upon the satisfaction of the terms and conditions under our referral incentive program or promotional incentive programs, investors can redeem their cash incentives for credit to be used on our online marketplace. We have experienced rapid growth in the number of investors, repeat investment and high transaction volume, partly attributable to our investor cash incentive program. The investor cash incentive program was intended to be a marketing tool to attract investors to commit to loan products, help us penetrate into the consumer lending business in our target market of medium-sized loans and increase the number of loan product transactions so as to allow us to benefit from increased transaction and service fees. However such cash incentives are accounted for as reduction of revenue, and are paid to the investor once the investment is paid before we are able to recoup the costs associated with these investor cash incentives. Our revenues may be reduced in periods where we have to issue an increasing amount of investor cash incentives, which may result in us incurring net losses and preventing us from achieving or maintaining profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. For a further description of our investor cash incentives, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies, Judgments and Estimates—Cash Incentives Reward Program".

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         If we do not find available sources of liquidity for capital and financing needs, our business and operations may be materially and adversely affected.

        We may experience unexpected changes in business conditions, creating additional capital and financing needs. We believe that our current cash and cash equivalents, anticipated cash flows from operating activities and the proceeds from this offering will be sufficient to meet our anticipated working capital requirements and capital expenditures in the ordinary course of business for at least 12 months following this offering. However, we may need additional sources of liquidity if we find and wish to pursue opportunities for investment, acquisition, capital expenditure or otherwise. If our available cash and cash equivalents on hand are insufficient to cover our expected cash requirements, we may seek to issue equity or debt securities or obtain credit facilities. The issuance and sale of additional equity would result in dilution to our shareholders. We cannot guarantee that financing will be available to us under terms acceptable to us, or at all.

        The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased fixed obligations and could result in covenants restricting our operations. It could further lead to a number of risks that could adversely affect our operations or financial conditions:

         If our internal controls over financial reporting are insufficient or ineffective, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud.

        Before this offering, we were a private company of limited resources. Our internal controls and procedures, especially over financial reporting, may not be able to sufficiently identify any material weaknesses and control deficiencies that could lead to inaccuracies in our financial statements. Our ability to comply with applicable financial reporting requirements and regulatory filings in a timely manner may be impaired. Our independent registered public accounting firm has not conducted an attestation of our internal control over financial reporting. However, in connection with the audits of our consolidated financial statements as of and for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and the review of our consolidated financial statement as of and for the three months ended June 30, 2017, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified three "material weaknesses," and other control deficiencies including significant deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting. As defined in the standards established by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board of the United States, or PCAOB, a "material weakness" is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

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        The material weaknesses identified related to (i) a lack of accounting staff and resources with appropriate knowledge of U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting and compliance requirements; (ii) a lack of sufficient documented financial closing policies and procedures; and (iii) a lack of independent directors and an audit committee. Subsequent testing by us or our independent registered public accounting firm may reveal deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses.

        Upon completion of this offering, we will become a public company in the United States subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Section 404 of this Act will require that we include a report of management on our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report on Form 20-F beginning with our annual report for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2019. However, as an "emerging growth company" as defined in the JOBS Act, we may choose to not comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act as to the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting until such time that we cease to be an "emerging growth company," although we will still be required to implement and maintain internal control over financial reporting and include the management assessment in our annual reports under Section 404. To comply with Section 404, we may incur substantial costs, expend significant management time on compliance-related issues and hire additional accounting, financial and internal audit staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge. Moreover, if we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or if we or our independent registered public accounting firm identifies deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses, we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources. Any failure to maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures or internal control over financial reporting could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results, and cause a decline in the price of our ADSs.

         Broader macro, political and socio-economic factors affecting market conditions can materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

        General economic, macro, political and socio-economic factors beyond our control may deter borrowers' interest in seeking loans through our platform, and similarly, investors' desire to lend. Such factors include the general interest rate ecosystem, unemployment rates, residential home values and availability of other investment opportunities. If any of these risk factors should materialise, the volume of loans facilitated on our marketplace will necessarily decline and our revenues and operating results may be adversely affected.

        We cannot guarantee that economic conditions will remain favorable for our business or industry and that demand and supply for consumer loans such as those we primarily facilitate over our marketplace will continue to be met at current levels. If demand or supply reduces, or if the default rate increases, our growth and revenue will be negatively impacted.

         If the Internet infrastructure or telecommunications network is affected by any disruptions including natural and man-made disasters such as fires, power outages, floods, strikes, terrorism and other catastrophic events causing disruptions, our online marketplace will be adversely affected.

        We heavily rely on the Internet infrastructure and telecommunications network in China for our operations and the smooth running of our online marketplace. A significant event or disaster, natural or man-made, including among others, fires, power outages, floods, strikes, terrorist attacks, coups d'etat or other catastrophic events or problems, may adversely affect our servers, data centers, the offline branches of Hexin Group and our offices. Our business may be disrupted and we may lose critical data or experience interruptions, delays and compromising of our business operations and services. Our third party data suppliers and service providers, including in particular our third-party

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payment agent, may also be similarly affected and may not be able to provide our users and us with the support needed. In particular, if our disaster recovery plans prove to be ineffective or inadequate, the aforementioned risks will be further worsened. We do not currently serve network traffic equally from each data center. If our primary data center shuts down, there will be a period of time that our loan products or services, or certain of our loan products or services, will remain inaccessible to the borrowers and investors on our marketplace, such borrowers and investors may experience severe issues accessing the loan products and services.

        Our operations, customer service, reputation and ability to attract new and retain borrowers and investors depend on the reliable and satisfactory performance of our technology and network infrastructure. Much of our system hardware is hosted in facilities located in Beijing that are partially owned by us and operated by our third-party vendors. If these third party vendors fail to protect their and our systems in their facilities from any of the aforementioned disruptions and there is a lapse of service or damage to our system hardware, we may experience interruptions in our service and may have to incur extra costs for replacement of facilities.

        Our relationships with borrowers and investors may be harmed if there is any interruption or delay in our service, whether caused by errors or natural or man-made disasters and problems. Our insurance policies may not be sufficient to adequately compensate us for the losses we sustained. We do not currently maintain business interruption insurance to compensate us for potentially significant losses, including potential harm to our business that may result from interruptions in our ability to facilitate the loan products and services. Since we have had limited operating history, our disaster recovery plan has not yet been tested in real-life circumstances, and we may not be able to fully recover all data and services lost and affected in the event of any natural or man-made disasters or events. Our business and operations may be negatively affected, as we are prevented from processing or posting payments on loans, servicing users in a timely manner and generally running our platforms and operating our online marketplace as usual. We may be subject to losses and liability and disappoint borrowers and investors who may be then deterred from using our online marketplace, causing a material adverse effect on our business, financial conditions and results of operations.

         We are reliant on our core senior management team. If one or more key executives were unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.

        Our business, corporate strategies and future performance depends on our core senior management team comprising our directors, executive officers and other key personnel. In particular, Mr. Xiaobo An, our founder, chairman and executive director, is critical to our management, business operations and overall corporate strategies. If we fail to attract and retain Mr. Xiaobo An or any of our key personnel, or if they are unable or unwilling to continue in their present position due to any reason, we will have to go through a difficult process of replacement. The replacement process will necessarily involve significant time and expenses and may adversely affect our business and results of operations and our business objectives may not be achieved at the pace we expected, or at all.

         We may be unable to protect our proprietary intellectual property rights from unauthorized use, such that our brand, reputation and business may be negatively impacted.

        Our protection of our intellectual property is crucial to our success and future growth, as we rely on a combination of copyrights, trade secrets, trademarks and other rights to protect our know-how, proprietary technology, processes and other intellectual property. The protective measures we take may not be sufficient to prevent theft and unauthorized use. We may have to bring lengthy and costly litigation and take time-consuming measures in order to protect our intellectual property rights, diverting our management's attention from our business operation. Our brand, reputation and business may be negatively impacted by such measures and risks.

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        Some of our trademark registrations and proprietary software licenses will expire in February 2026 and December 2024, respectively. If we fail to renew these licenses when they expire, third parties may infringe upon our rights and affect our brand and reputation.

         Third parties may engage us in lengthy and expensive litigation over alleged infringement of their intellectual property rights, which may disrupt and affect our business.

        In our intensely competitive industry, we may be challenged by third parties, including competitors as well as other entities or individuals, for ownership of our intellectual property rights or infringement of their intellectual property rights. We may not be fully aware of other parties' intellectual property rights involved in our systems, applications and technology. We may have to incur significant time and costs in dealing with any claims or litigation, and if they are successful, we may be subject to substantial damages, royalty payments, restrictions from conducting our business and other stringent requirements unfavorable to our business and operations. We may also be required to indemnify other parties or pay settlement costs, and to obtain licenses, modify applications or refund fees, each of which may be expensive and time consuming. Such processes may create a distraction for our management which could affect our business operations.

         We compete for skilled and quality employees, and failure to attract and retain them may adversely affect our business and prevent us from achieving our intended level of growth.

        Competition for our employees including systems engineers, financial officers and marketing professionals is intense. Our business and success relies on the efforts and standard of work of our employees. If we are unable to attract, motivate and retain skilled and trained employees, or if we are unable to continue to provide attractive compensation packages, our business and operations may be adversely affected and our intended levels and rates of growth may be impended.

        We invest significant time and expense in the training and development of our employees. Failure to retain our existing employees will incur further significant costs to find suitable replacements and a duplication of effort for their training, which may affect our operations and our quality of service to borrowers and investors may be compromised, resulting in a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

         If labor costs in the PRC increase substantially, our business and costs of operations may be adversely affected.

        In recent years, the Chinese economy has experienced inflationary and labor costs increases. Average wages are projected to continue to increase. Further, under PRC law we are required to pay various statutory employee benefits, including pension, housing fund, medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance to designated government agencies for the benefit of our employees. The relevant government agencies may examine whether an employer has made adequate payments to the statutory employee benefits, and those employers who fail to make adequate payments may be subject to late payment fees, fines and/or other penalties. We expect that our labor costs, including wages and employee benefits, will continue to increase. If we are unable to control our labor costs or pass such increased labor costs on to our users by increasing the fees of our services, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

         Our innovative corporate culture is important to our business, if our culture changes our business and corporate objectives may be adversely affected.

        Our corporate culture fosters innovation, a collegiate environment of team effort and encourages creativity, which is important to our business and development of our product pipeline and service upgrades. If we fail to maintain these valuable aspects of our culture during the course of our

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adaptation into a public company and building the relevant infrastructure, our future success and strategic goals may be affected. Furthermore we may be unable to retain and attract talent, leading to a negative impact on our business and corporate objectives.

         We do not have business insurance coverage.

        Insurance companies in China currently do not offer as extensive an array of insurance products as insurance companies in more developed economies. Currently, we do not have any business liability or disruption insurance to cover our operations. We have determined that the costs of insuring for these risks and the difficulties associated with acquiring such insurance on commercially reasonable terms make it impractical for us to have such insurance. Any uninsured business disruptions may result in our incurring substantial costs and the diversion of resources, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

         Certain data and information in this prospectus was obtained from external third parties and we have not independently identified them.

        In this prospectus we have utilized data and information from external sources including various third parties comprising government sources and private entities such as industry consultant Oliver Wyman. Such external sources of statistical data include projections based on numerous assumptions. The consumer loans industry, especially the private consumption upgrade segment, and the overall credit industry, may not grow at the projected rate provided by these external sources, or at all. The performance of the overall industry and segment affects our business and market price of our ADSs, especially if they fail to grow at the projected rate. Further, the new and constantly evolving environment of the industry and market results in significant uncertainties, and the projections or estimates about the growth of the market in which we operate in should be considered in this context. If any of the assumptions underlying the market data prove to be incorrect, discrepancies between the projections and actual results may emerge.

        We have not independently verified data and information obtained from third party external sources, and the method of collection and methodologies employed by such third parties may differ from ours. In addition, these industry reports and publications generally include a disclaimer that the information therein is believed to be reliable but which accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HEXIN GROUP AND OUR CORPORATE STRUCTURE

         If Hexin Group's business, results of operations or brand is adversely affected, we may not be able to source new offline borrowers and our business, results of operations and brand will in turn be negatively affected.

        We have been acquiring borrowers offline through referrals from our offline cooperation partner, Hexin Group, in accordance with certain contractual arrangements. For a description of our relationships with our offline cooperation partner, please see "Corporate History and Structure—Our Relationship with Hexin Group". Since the inception of our business, our offline borrowers were mainly referred by Hexin Group. We benefit and expect to continue to benefit greatly from our association with Hexin Group in relation to the offline referral of borrowers, the marketing efforts of the sales teams and contribution of the risk control personnel at the physical branches of Hexin Group. If the number of borrowers referred by Hexin Group decreases or if the quality of borrowers referred declines, or if our relationship with Hexin Group deteriorates or breaks down, or if we can no longer acquire borrowers from Hexin Group due to regulatory restrictions or any other reasons, our business and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected. Although we intend to grow our online acquisition channels, we may not be able to find suitable and feasible replacements for Hexin

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Group as a steady source of offline referrals for the time being to maintain our source of borrowers, or at all.

        Before Hexin E-Commerce was fully operational, in order to achieve a more efficient use of funds, Hexin Group and we implemented centralized treasury management. As a result, from its incorporation up to January 11, 2017, Hexin E-Commerce's cash flows including certain revenues and expenses were managed through the bank accounts of Hexin Group. On January 12, 2017, Hexin E-Commerce has separated its treasury management function from the Hexin Group. The net balance of funds, totaling approximately RMB62.2 million (US$9.3 million), which was the amount due to Hexin E-Commerce as of September 30, 2016, shall be paid to us in instalments under a collection plan before September 30, 2017. If Hexin Group does not make the repayment of the balance to us on time or at all, our working capital and cash flow may be adversely affected.

        Hexin Group also contributes to the promotion of our common brand "Hexin" and our online marketplace. If the brand and reputation of Hexin Group are damaged or harmed, our brand and reputation will similarly be materially and adversely affected. The competitive position and market share of Hexin Group by association also directly affects our competitive position and market share. If Hexin Group loses its competitive position, our marketing efforts and business operations could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, any negative publicity associated with Hexin Group or the "Hexin" brand or any negative development in relation to Hexin Group's market position, financial condition and regulatory and legal compliance could harm our brand, reputation and therefore adversely affect our business and results of operations.

         Our founder, chairman and executive director, Mr. Xiaobo An, a controlling shareholder of Hexin Group, exerts strong influence over the board and Company affairs and strategy.

        Our founder, chairman and executive director, Mr. Xiaobo An, exerts strong influence on our board of directors and management. He plays an integral role in Company decisions and formulating our corporate strategies. Mr. Xiaobo An is a director and controlling shareholder of both Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information and therefore also controls the decision making of our offline cooperation partner to a large extent. After this offering, Mr. Xiaobo An will continue to have considerable influence over our corporate affairs, including matters that require shareholder approval, including among others, the election of directors, approving statutory mergers, and amending our constitutional documents. This concentration in control will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and may discourage potential merger, takeover or other change of control transactions, which could have the effect of depriving holders of our shares and ADSs of the opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over the prevailing market price.

         If the PRC government decides that our contractual arrangements under the variable interest entity structure do not comply with PRC regulations, or if the regulatory environment changes, we may have to change our business model and/or be subject to penalties.

        Foreign ownership of Internet-based businesses, such as distribution of online information, is subject to restrictions under current PRC laws and regulations. For example, foreign investors are not allowed to own more than 50% of the equity interests in a value-added telecommunication service provider (except e-commerce) and any such foreign investor must have experience in providing value-added telecommunications services overseas and maintain a good track record in accordance with the Guidance Catalog of Industries for Foreign Investment promulgated in 2007, as amended in 2011 and in 2015, respectively, and other applicable laws and regulations.

        We are a Cayman Islands company and our PRC subsidiary is considered a foreign invested enterprise. To comply with PRC laws and regulations, we conduct our operations in China through a series of contractual arrangements entered into among Hexin Yongheng, Hexin E-Commerce and the shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce. As a result of these contractual arrangements, we exert control

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over Hexin E-Commerce and consolidate its operating results in our financial statements under U.S. GAAP. For a detailed description of these contractual arrangements, see "Corporate History and Structure."

        In the opinion of our PRC counsel, Han Kun Law Offices, our current ownership structure, the ownership structure of our PRC subsidiary and our consolidated variable interest entity, and the contractual arrangements among Hexin Yongheng, Hexin E-Commerce and the shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce are not in violation of existing PRC laws, rules and regulations; and these contractual arrangements are valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with their terms and applicable PRC laws and regulations currently in effect. However, Han Kun Law Offices has also advised us that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current or future PRC laws and regulations and there can be no assurance that the PRC government will ultimately take a view that is consistent with the opinion of our PRC 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. In particular, in January 2015, the Ministry of Commerce, or MOC, published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law for public review and comments. Among other things, the draft Foreign Investment Law expands the definition of foreign investment and introduces the principle of "actual control" in determining whether a company is considered a foreign-invested enterprise, or an FIE. Under the draft Foreign Investment Law, variable interest entities would also be deemed as FIEs, if they are ultimately "controlled" by foreign investors, and be subject to restrictions on foreign investments. However, the draft law has not taken a position on what actions will be taken with respect to the existing companies with the "variable interest entity" structure, whether or not these companies are controlled by Chinese parties. It is uncertain when the draft would be signed into law and whether the final version would have any substantial changes from the draft. See "Regulation—Regulations Relating to Foreign Investment—The Draft PRC Foreign Investment Law" and "—Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation of draft PRC Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations." If the ownership structure, contractual arrangements and business of our company, our PRC subsidiary or our consolidated variable interest entity are found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or we fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant governmental authorities would have broad discretion in dealing with such violation, including levying fines, confiscating our income or the income of our PRC subsidiary or consolidated variable interest entity, revoking the business licenses or operating licenses of our PRC subsidiary or consolidated variable interest entity, shutting down our servers or blocking our online platform, discontinuing or placing restrictions or onerous conditions on our operations, requiring us to undergo a costly and disruptive restructuring, restricting or prohibiting our use of proceeds from this offering to finance our business and operations in China, and taking other regulatory or enforcement actions that could be harmful to our business. Any of these actions could cause significant disruption to our business operations and severely damage our reputation, which would in turn materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If any of these occurrences results in our inability to direct the activities of our consolidated variable interest entity, and/or our failure to receive economic benefits from our consolidated variable interest entity, we may not be able to consolidate its results into our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

         Our contractual arrangements with our variable interest entity may not be as effective as direct ownership and operational management.

        We rely and expect to continue to rely on contractual arrangements with Hexin E-Commerce to operate the website of www.hexindai.com. For a description of these contractual arrangements, please see "Corporate History and Structure". These contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in giving us full operational management and control over our consolidated variable

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interest entity. We cannot prevent Hexin E-Commerce or its shareholders from breaching the contractual arrangements and failing to conduct its business operations properly, such as failing to maintain the website and online marketplace in a proper and timely manner, or misusing the domain names and trademarks or otherwise taking actions detrimental to our interests.

        If we directly owned Hexin E-Commerce, we could elect directors to the board and implement changes at the management and operational levels. Currently we only have contractual rights in relation to the performance and financial benefits of Hexin E-Commerce's operations. Shareholders of our variable interest entity may not always act in our best interests. Such risks exist throughout the period in which we intend to operate our business through the contractual arrangements with our consolidated variable interest entity. Although we have the right to replace any shareholder of our consolidated variable interest entity under the contractual arrangement, if any shareholder of our consolidated variable interest entity is uncooperative or any dispute relating to these contracts remains unresolved, we will have to enforce our rights under these contracts through the operations of PRC laws and arbitration, litigation and other legal proceedings and therefore will be subject to uncertainties in the PRC legal system. See "—Our business relies on the contractual arrangements with the variable interest entity and the cooperation arrangements between the variable interest entity and Hexin Group, if any of these entities or their shareholders fail to perform their obligations, our business and results of operations may be severely adversely affected." Therefore, our contractual arrangements with our variable interest entity may not be as effective in protecting our interests as direct ownership and operational management would be.

         Our business relies on the contractual arrangements with the variable interest entity and the cooperation arrangements between the variable interest entity and Hexin Group, if any of these entities or their shareholders fail to perform their obligations, our business and results of operations may be severely adversely affected.

        If Hexin E-Commerce or its shareholders decide to take actions that do not align with our interests and fail to deliver under our contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend resources to enforce our contractual arrangements. We may have to resort to legal remedies such as seeking specific performance, injunctive relief and claiming damages, subject to the extent of their effectiveness under PRC laws and regulations. For example, if the shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce refuse to respect our purchase option and decline to transfer their equity interest to us or our designee, or if they decide to otherwise act in bad faith, we may have no choice but to take legal action against them.

        The business of Hexin E-Commerce in turn relies on the cooperation arrangements with our offline cooperation partner, Hexin Group. Hexin E-Commerce, Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information entered into a cooperation agreement to set out the framework and terms of the cooperation arrangements as well as certain mutual non-competition and non-solicitation arrangements. Under the cooperation agreement, Hexin Group shall direct offline borrowers to Hexin E-Commerce for the facilitation of loan products on our online marketplace, and must first obtain the consent of Hexin E-Commerce before Hexin Group pursues any business opportunity by offering loan services to any offline borrower. Hexin E-Commerce as one party, and Hexin Group as the other party, shall not engage in similar or competing businesses and shall not solicit the employees of the other party to the cooperation agreement. If Hexin Group refuses to comply with our cooperation arrangements, the non-competition or the non-solicitation clauses under the cooperation agreement, we may have to resort to legal remedies to enforce our contractual rights. Furthermore, under certain circumstances, damages or financial compensation may not be sufficient to remedy or cover our losses. Our business and results of operations may be adversely affected as a result.

        Our contractual arrangements with Hexin E-Commerce and each of its shareholders, as well as the cooperation agreement entered into among Hexin E-Commerce, Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information, are governed by PRC laws and provide for arbitration in China as the primary method of dispute resolution. As such, our contracts will be interpreted according to PRC laws and

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regulations and the arbitration rules of China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission. The PRC legal system is less developed and is fraught with uncertainties, which may limit our ability to enforce our rights under the contractual arrangements. Further, there are limited precedents and formal guidance on the interpretation and enforcement of contractual arrangements with variable interest entities in the PRC. In relation to the certainty of arbitral awards in the context of legal action, the final outcome is uncertain. Under PRC law, the ruling of arbitrators is final and arbitration results cannot be appealed in court unless a competent court determines such ruling to be unenforceable or revokes it. If the losing party fails to carry out the arbitral award within the prescribed time limit, such arbitral award may only be enforced through arbitration award recognition proceedings in court, leading to additional expenses and delay. If we cannot enforce the contractual arrangements in relation to Hexin E-Commerce, Hexin Information or Hexin Financial Information, or if we experience significant delay or obstacles in enforcing such arrangements, we may not be able to exert effective control over Hexin E-Commerce such that our ability to conduct business and receive financial benefit from Hexin E-Commerce's operations may be materially and adversely affected. See "—Risks Related to PRC Laws Regulating Our Business and Industry—Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of Chinese laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to you and us."

         There may be conflicts of interest between shareholders of the variable interest entity and us, which may cause material and adverse effects to our business and financials.

        The equity interests of Hexin E-Commerce are held by Mr. Xiaobo An, Mr. Xiaobin Zhai and Mr. Xiaoning An, our founders. Furthermore, each of Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information are controlled by Mr. Xiaobo An. Hexin Information was incorporated in December 2015 and 99.0% held by Mr. Xiaobo An, whereas Hexin Financial Information was incorporated in April 2014 and 95.0% held by Mr. Xiaobo An. The interests of Mr. Xiaobo An, Mr. Xiaobin Zhai and Mr. Xiaoning An in Hexin E-Commerce and the interests of Mr. Xiaobo An in Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information, may however, differ from the interests of our company as a whole. These shareholders may have conflicts of interest with our company, and may breach, or cause Hexin E-Commerce to breach, our contractual arrangements, such as preventing it to remit payment due to us on a timely basis, or cause Hexin Group to breach the cooperation arrangements such as preventing them from referring offline borrowers to us, or performing other acts of non-performance adverse to our interests. We cannot assure you that when such conflicts of interest arise, if any or all of these shareholders will act in the best interests of our company or such conflicts will be resolved in our favor such that we may not be able to control our variable interest entity effectively and enjoy economic benefits under our contractual arrangements and the cooperation arrangements among Haxin E-Commerce, Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information.

        Under the exclusive option agreements entered into between us and each of the shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce, we have an option to purchase all their equity interests in the variable interest entity to be held by us or our designee. Aside from the purchase option, we do not have any other arrangements or means to address potential conflicts of interest. If we cannot amicably resolve any conflicts of interest or disputes with the shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce, we would have to resort to lengthy and costly legal action and proceedings, which would disrupt our business operations and incur significant expenses. Meanwhile, our business and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

         Our contractual arrangements with the variable interest entity may be subject to additional taxes, which would adversely affect our financials and your investment.

        Under applicable PRC laws and regulations, arrangements and transactions among related parties may be subject to audit or challenge by the PRC tax authorities within ten years after the taxable year when the transactions are conducted. The PRC enterprise income tax law, or EIT Law, requires every

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enterprise in China to submit its annual enterprise income tax return together with a report on transactions with its related parties to the relevant tax authorities. The tax authorities may impose reasonable adjustments on taxation if they have identified any related party transactions that are inconsistent with arm's length principles. We may face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that the contractual arrangements between Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd, our wholly-owned subsidiary in China, Hexin E-Commerce, our consolidated variable interest entity in China, and the shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce were not entered into on an arm's length basis in such a way as to result in an impermissible reduction in taxes under applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, and adjust Hexin E-Commerce's income in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could, among other things, result in a reduction of expense deductions recorded by Hexin E-Commerce for PRC tax purposes, which could in turn increase its tax liabilities without reducing Hexin Yongheng's tax expenses. In addition, if Hexin Yongheng requests the shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce to transfer their equity interests in Hexin E-Commerce at nominal or no value pursuant to these contractual arrangements, such transfer could be viewed as a gift and subject Hexin Yongheng to PRC income tax. Furthermore, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment fees and other penalties on Hexin E-Commerce for the adjusted but unpaid taxes according to the applicable regulations. Our financial position could be materially and adversely affected if our consolidated variable interest entity's tax liabilities increase or if it is required to pay late payment fees and other penalties.

         If the variable interest entity goes bankrupt or becomes subject to a dissolution or liquidation proceeding we may not be able to recover or claim ownership over the assets and networks of the variable interest entity.

        Our variable interest entity, Hexin E-Commerce, holds assets material to our business operations, including the ICP License, domain names and trademarks and software licenses. Under our present contractual arrangements, Hexin E-Commerce cannot and its shareholders shall not cause it to, in any manner, sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of its assets or its legal or beneficial interests in the business without our prior consent. However if the shareholders of our variable interest entity initiates liquidation proceedings in breach of our contractual arrangements, such that the variable interest entity undergoes voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceedings, or if it declares bankruptcy and all or part of its assets become subject to the claims of third party creditors, liens or are otherwise disposed of without our consent, we may not be able to continue our business operations, which would materially and adversely affect our financial conditions and results of operations.

         If our variable interest entity loses its chop to the theft and use of unauthorized persons, the corporate governance of the variable interest entity may be severely and adversely compromised.

        In China, a company chop or seal serves as the legal representation of the company towards third parties even when unaccompanied by a signature. Each legally registered company in China is required to maintain a company chop, which must be registered with the local Public Security Bureau. In addition to this mandatory company chop, companies may have several other chops which can be used for specific purposes. The chops of our PRC subsidiary and consolidated variable interest entity are generally held securely by personnel designated or approved by us in accordance with our internal control procedures. To the extent those chops are not kept safely, are stolen or are used by unauthorized persons or for unauthorized purposes, the corporate governance of these entities could be severely and adversely compromised and those corporate entities may be bound to abide by the terms of any documents so chopped, even if they were chopped by an individual who lacked the requisite power and authority to do so. In addition, if the chops are misused by unauthorized persons, we could experience disruption to our normal business operations.

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RISKS RELATED TO PRC LAWS REGULATING OUR BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

         Changes in China's macro economic, socio-political conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

        All of our operations are located in China. Accordingly, our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations are affected significantly by the political, economic and social climate in China and continuously by the economic performance of China as a whole.

        The Chinese economy is unique from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, the more salient aspects include the amount of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. Although the Chinese government has implemented measures emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduction of state ownership of productive assets and the establishment of improved corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of productive assets in China is still state-owned. In addition, the Chinese government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The Chinese government also exercises significant control over China's economic growth through allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting the monetary policy, and determining the different levels of treatment accorded to different industries and companies in accordance with national development policy.

        While the Chinese economy has experienced significant growth over the past decades, the growth rate has had sporadic bursts, across geographically and among various sectors ad industries. The Chinese government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures may benefit the overall Chinese economy, but may have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations. In addition, in the past the Chinese government has implemented certain measures, including interest rate increases, to control the pace of economic growth. These measures may cause decreased economic activity in China, and since 2012, China's economic growth has slowed down. Any prolonged slowdown in the Chinese economy may reduce the demand for our products and services and materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

         Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of Chinese laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to us.

        The PRC legal system is based on written statutes and prior court decisions have limited value as precedents. Since these laws and regulations are relatively new and the PRC legal system continues to rapidly evolve, the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules are not always uniform and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involves uncertainties.

        In particular, PRC laws and regulations concerning the marketplace lending service industry are developing and evolving. Although we have taken measures to comply with the laws and regulations that are applicable to our business operations, including the regulatory principles raised by China Banking Regulatory Commission, or the CBRC, and avoid conducting any activities that may be deemed as illegal fund-raising, forming capital pool or providing guarantee to investors under the current applicable laws and regulations, the PRC government authority may promulgate new laws and regulations regulating the marketplace lending service industry in the future. We cannot assure you that our practices would not be deemed to violate any PRC laws or regulations relating to illegal fund-raising, forming capital pools or the provision of credit enhancement services. Moreover, developments in the marketplace lending service industry may lead to changes in PRC laws, regulations and policies or in the interpretation and application of existing laws, regulations and policies that may limit or restrict online consumer finance marketplaces like us, which could materially and adversely affect our business and operations. Furthermore, we cannot rule out the possibility that the PRC government will institute a licensing regime covering our industry at some point in the future. If such a licensing regime were introduced, we cannot assure you that we would be able to obtain any newly required license in a timely manner, or at

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all, which could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.

        From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. However, since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules (some of which are not published in a timely manner or at all) that may have retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Such uncertainties, including uncertainty over the scope and effect of our contractual, property (including intellectual property) and procedural rights, could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.

         Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation of draft PRC Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations.

        The MOC published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law in January 2015 aiming to, upon its enactment, replace the trio of existing laws regulating foreign investment in China, namely, the Sino-foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law and the Wholly Foreign-invested Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations. The draft Foreign Investment Law 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 MOC is currently soliciting comments on this draft and substantial uncertainties exist with respect to its enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation. The draft Foreign Investment Law, if enacted as proposed, may materially impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations in many aspects.

        Among other things, the draft Foreign Investment Law expands the definition of foreign investment and introduces 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. Once an entity is considered to be an FIE, it may be subject to the foreign investment restrictions or prohibitions set forth in a "negative list" to be separately issued by the State Council later. If an FIE proposes to conduct business in an industry subject to foreign investment "restrictions" in the "negative list," the FIE must go through a market entry clearance by the MOC before being established. If an FIE proposes to conduct business in an industry subject to foreign investment "prohibitions" in the "negative list," it must not engage in the business. However, an FIE that is subject to foreign investment "restrictions," upon market entry clearance, may apply in writing for being treated as a PRC domestic investment if it is ultimately "controlled" by PRC government authorities and its affiliates and/or PRC citizens. In this connection, "control" is broadly defined in the draft law to cover the following summarized categories: (i) holding 50% or more of the voting rights of the subject entity; (ii) holding less than 50% of the voting rights of the subject entity but having the power to secure at least 50% of the seats on the board or other equivalent decision making bodies, or having the voting power to exert material influence on the board, the shareholders' meeting or other equivalent decision making bodies; or (iii) having the power to exert decisive influence, via contractual or trust arrangements, over the subject entity's operations, financial matters or other key aspects of business operations. Once an entity is determined to be an FIE, it will be subject to the foreign investment restrictions or prohibitions set forth in a "negative list," to be separately issued by the State Council at a later date, if the FIE is engaged in an industry listed in the negative list. Unless the underlying business of the FIE falls within the negative list, which calls for market entry clearance by the MOC, prior approval from the government authorities as mandated by the existing foreign investment legal regime would no longer be required for establishment of the FIE.

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        The "variable interest entity" structure, or VIE structure, has been adopted by many PRC-based companies, including us, to obtain necessary licenses and permits in the industries that are currently subject to foreign investment restrictions in China. See "—Risks Related to Our Relationship with Hexin Group and Our Corporate Structure" and "Our Corporate History and Structure." Under the draft Foreign Investment Law, variable interest entities that are controlled via contractual arrangement would also be deemed as FIEs, if they are ultimately "controlled" by foreign investors. Therefore, for any companies with a VIE structure in an industry category that is included in the "negative list" as restricted industry, the VIE structure may be deemed legitimate only if the ultimate controlling person(s) is/are of PRC nationality (either PRC companies 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.

        It is uncertain whether we would be considered as ultimately controlled by Chinese parties. The draft Foreign Investment Law has not taken a position on what actions will be taken with respect to the companies currently employing a VIE structure, whether or not these companies are controlled by Chinese parties, while it is soliciting comments from the public on this point. In addition, it is uncertain whether the online consumer finance marketplace industry, in which our variable interest entity operates, will be subject to the foreign investment restrictions or prohibitions set forth in the "negative list" that is to be issued. If the enacted version of the Foreign Investment Law and the final "negative list" mandate further actions, such as MOC market entry clearance or certain restructuring of our corporate structure and operations, to be completed by companies with existing VIE structure like us, there may be substantial uncertainties as to whether we can complete these actions in a timely manner, or at all, and our business and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

        The draft Foreign Investment Law, if enacted as proposed, may also materially impact our corporate governance practice and increase our compliance costs. For instance, the draft Foreign Investment Law imposes stringent ad hoc and periodic information reporting requirements on foreign investors and the applicable FIEs. Aside from an investment implementation report and an investment amendment report that are required for each investment and alteration of investment specifics, an annual report is mandatory, and large foreign investors meeting certain criteria are required to report on a quarterly basis. Any company found to be non-compliant with these information reporting obligations may potentially be subject to fines and/or administrative or criminal liabilities, and the persons directly responsible may be subject to criminal liabilities.

         We may be adversely affected by the complexity, uncertainties and changes in PRC regulation of Internet-related businesses and companies, and any lack of requisite approvals, licenses or permits applicable to our business may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

        The PRC government extensively regulates the Internet industry, including foreign ownership of, and the licensing and permit requirements pertaining to, companies in the Internet industry. These Internet-related laws and regulations are relatively new and evolving, and their interpretation and enforcement involve significant uncertainties. As a result, in certain circumstances it may be difficult to determine what actions or omissions may be deemed to be in violation of applicable laws and regulations.

        We only have contractual control over our website. We do not directly own the website due to the restriction of foreign investment in businesses providing value-added telecommunication services in China, including Internet information provision services. This may significantly disrupt our business, subject us to sanctions, compromise enforceability of related contractual arrangements, or have other harmful effects on us.

        The evolving PRC regulatory system for the Internet industry may lead to the establishment of new regulatory agencies. For example, in May 2011, the State Council announced the establishment of a new department, the State Internet Information Office (with the involvement of the State Council Information Office, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or the MIIT, and the Ministry

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of Public Security). The primary role of this new agency is to facilitate the policy-making and legislative development in this field, to direct and coordinate with the relevant departments in connection with online content administration and to deal with cross-ministry regulatory matters in relation to the Internet industry.

        In November 2016, the CBRC, the MIIT and the Industry and Commerce Administration Department, jointly issued the Guidance to the Administration of Filing and Registration of Online Lending Information Intermediaries, or the Guidance of Administration, which provides general filing rules for online lending intermediaries, and authorizes local financial regulators to make detailed implementation rules regarding filing procedures according to their local practices. Although the Guidance of Administration has not been officially promulgated or launched, and may not be found from authorized source, it is generally accepted by the industry that it needs to be followed. See "Regulation—Regulations Relating to Online Consumer Lending." Since 2017, local financial regulators have been conducting thorough investigations and inspections of online lending intermediaries and require a rectification if any illegality is discovered. After local financing regulators have completed their investigation and examination, we may be permitted to submit a filing application.

        The recently published Guidelines to Promote the Healthy Growth of Internet Finance, or the Guidelines, require online lending platforms to use bank custodian accounts to hold lending capital, which is further emphasized in the Interim Measures for the Administration of Business Activities of Online Lending Information Intermediaries, or the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures. In addition, the Administrative Measures of Non-Bank Payments Institutions Network Payment Service, or the Administrative Measures, which became effective from July 1, 2016, prohibit payment institutions from opening payment accounts to engage in the lending business and also set ceilings for maximum deposits permitted into an account opened with a third-party payment agent. Negative publicity about us or third-party payment agents or the third-party payment marketplace finance industry in general may adversely affect investors' or borrowers' confidence and trust in the use of third-party payment agents to carry out payment functions in connection with the facilitation of loans on our online marketplace. On February 22, 2017, the CBRC released the Guidelines of the Operation of Depositing Online Lending Funds, or the Guidelines of Depositing Lending Funds, which provide detailed requirements for setting up a custodian account with a qualified bank and depositing online lending funds. See "Regulations—Regulations Relating to Online Consumer Lending." To the extent our current arrangements with Jiangxi Bank are deemed to be not in compliance with the Guidelines, the Administrative Measures, the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures and the Guidelines of Depositing Lending Funds or if changes to these arrangements are required by future rules or regulations, including those proposed in the Guidelines of Depositing Lending Funds, a material change to our business model may be required and our business may be materially and adversely impacted.

        Our online marketplace, operated by our consolidated variable interest entity, Hexin E-Commerce, may be deemed to be providing commercial Internet information services, which would require Hexin E-Commerce to obtain an ICP License. An ICP License is a value-added telecommunications business operating license required for provision of commercial Internet information services. See "Regulation—Regulations on Value-Added Telecommunication Services." Hexin E-Commerce, our PRC consolidated variable interest entity has obtained an ICP License as an Internet information provider. However, the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures require online lending information intermediaries to apply for telecommunication business operating licenses pursuant to the relevant provisions of the competent authorities of communications. As the detailed provision for such telecommunication business operating licenses has not been published, there is uncertainty as to which type of license is required for online lending information intermediaries. Furthermore, as we are providing mobile applications to mobile device users, it is uncertain if Hexin E-Commerce will be required to obtain a separate operating license in addition to the ICP License. Although we believe that not obtaining such separate license is in line with the current market practice, there can be no assurance that we will not be required to apply for an operating license for our mobile applications in the future.

        The Circular on Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Investment in and Operation of Value-added Telecommunications Business, issued by the MIIT in July 2006, prohibits domestic

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telecommunication service providers from leasing, transferring or selling telecommunications business operating licenses to any foreign investor in any form, or providing any resources, sites or facilities to any foreign investor for their illegal operation of a telecommunications business in China. According to this circular, either the holder of a value-added telecommunication services operation permit or its shareholders must directly own the domain names and trademarks used by such license holders in their provision of value-added telecommunication services. The circular also requires each license holder to have the necessary facilities, including servers, for its approved business operations and to maintain such facilities in the regions covered by its license. Hexin E-Commerce owns the relevant domain names in connection with our value-added telecommunications business and has the necessary personnel to operate our website. Hexin E-Commerce also currently owns the ICP License and certain trademarks. If an ICP License holder fails to comply with the requirements and also fails to remedy such non-compliance within a specified period of time, the MIIT or its local counterparts have the discretion to take administrative measures against such license holder, including revoking its ICP License. The current ICP License expires on September 4, 2019 and requires an annual check and renewal. If Hexin E-Commerce fails to observe the requirements for annual renewal, our business may be affected.

        The interpretation and application of existing PRC laws, regulations and policies and possible new laws, regulations or policies relating to the Internet industry have created substantial uncertainties regarding the legality of existing and future foreign investments in, and the businesses and activities of, Internet businesses in China, including our business. We cannot assure you that we have obtained all the permits or licenses required for conducting our business in China or will be able to maintain our existing licenses or obtain new ones. If the PRC government considers that we were operating without the proper approvals, licenses or permits or promulgates new laws and regulations that require additional approvals or licenses or imposes additional restrictions on the operation of any part of our business, it has the power, among other things, to levy fines, confiscate our income, revoke our business licenses, and require us to discontinue our relevant business or impose restrictions on the affected portion of our business. Any of these actions by the PRC government may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

         The laws and regulations governing the marketplace lending service industry in China are developing and evolving and subject to changes. If our practice is deemed to violate any PRC laws or regulations, our business, financial conditions and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.

        Due to the relatively short history of the marketplace lending service industry in China, the regulatory framework governing our industry is under development by the PRC government. On July 18, 2015 the PBOC together with nine other PRC regulatory agencies jointly issued a series of policy measures applicable to the online marketplace lending service industry titled the Guidelines on Promoting the Healthy Development of Internet Finance, or the Guidelines. The Guidelines introduced formally for the first time the regulatory framework and basic principles for administering the marketplace lending service industry in China.

        The Guidelines call for active government support of China's Internet finance industry, including the online marketplace lending service industry, and clarify the division of responsibility among regulatory agencies. The Guidelines specify that the CBRC will have primary regulatory responsibility for the online marketplace lending service industry in China and state that online marketplace lending service providers should operate as information intermediaries and are prohibited from engaging in illegal fund-raising and providing "credit enhancement services," which we believe are generally perceived in the online marketplace lending industry to mean providing guarantees to investors in relation to the return of loan principal and interest. The Guidelines provide additional requirements for China's Internet finance industry, including the use of custodian accounts with qualified banks to hold customer funds as well as information disclosure requirements, among others. However, the Guidelines only set out the basic principles for promoting and administering the online marketplace lending service industry, and were not accompanied by any implementing rules. The Guidelines instead urge the relevant regulatory agencies to adopt implementing rules at the appropriate time.

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        On August 17, 2016, CBRC, MIIT, PBOC and other relevant government authorities published Interim Measures for the Administration of Business Activities of Online Marketplace Lending Information Intermediaries, or the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures. The Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures define the "online lending information intermediaries," or the Information Intermediaries, as financial information intermediaries that specialize in online marketplace lending information intermediary business. Such intermediaries provide such services as information collection, information release, credit assessment, information exchange, and match of lending, on the Internet as the primary channel to facilitate the direct lending between borrowers and lenders. Consistent with the Guidelines, the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures prohibit Information Intermediaries from providing "credit enhancement services" or creating "capital pools" and require, among other things, (i) that the Information Intermediary operating telecommunication services must apply for the relevant telecommunication licenses; (ii) that the Information Intermediary intending to provide online marketplace lending information agency services (excluding its subsidiaries and branches) must make the relevant filings and registrations with local financial regulatory authorities with which it is registered after obtaining business license; and (iii) that the name of Information Intermediary must contain the phrase "online marketplace lending information intermediary."

        The Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures list the following businesses that an Information Intermediary must not, by itself or on behalf of a third party, participate in: (i) financing for themselves directly or in a disguised form; (ii) accepting, collecting or gathering funds of lenders directly or indirectly; (iii) providing security to lenders or promising break-even principals and interests directly or in a disguised form; (iv) publicizing or promoting financing projects on other physical premises other than such digital channels as the Internet, fixed-line telephone or mobile phone by themselves or upon entrustment or authorization of any third party; (v) making loans, unless otherwise stipulated by laws and regulations; (vi) splitting the term of any financing project; (vii) raising funds by issuing such financial products on their own as wealth management products, or selling bank wealth management products, assets management by securities traders, funds, insurance, trust products or other financial products on a commission basis; (viii) carrying out business similar to asset-backed securities or conducting the transfer of creditor's rights in the form of packaged assets, asset-backed securities, trust assets, and fund units; (ix) engaging in any form of mixture, bundling or agency with other institutions in investment, sale on a commission basis, brokerage etc., unless otherwise permitted by laws, regulations and relevant regulatory provisions on online marketplace lending; (x) making up or overstating the authenticity of financing projects and the prospect of profits, concealing flaws and risks in financing projects, publicizing or promoting in biased language or by other fraudulent means in a false and one-sided way, fabricating or spreading false or incomplete information to damage others' business reputation, or misleading lenders or borrowers; (xi) providing information intermediary services for those highly risky financing projects whose purpose is the investment in stock market, over-the-counter financing, futures contracts, structured products and other derivatives; (xii) engaging in equity-based crowd funding etc.; and (xiii) undertaking other activities prohibited by laws and regulations as well as relevant regulatory provisions on online marketplace lending.

        The Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures also set out certain additional requirements applicable to Information Intermediaries on, among other things, the real-name registration of lenders and borrowers, the limitation of offline business of Information Intermediaries, the risk control, cyber and information security, the limit of fund collection period (up to 20 business days), allocation of charges, personal credit management, file management, lenders and borrowers protection, making decisions by Information Intermediaries on behalf of lenders, administration of electronic signatures and information disclosure.

        Any violation of the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures by an Information Intermediary after they come into effect, may subject such Information Intermediary to certain penalties as determined by applicable laws, and regulations, or by relevant government authorities if the applicable laws and regulations are silent on the penalties. The applicable penalties may include but not

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limited to, criminal liabilities, warning, rectification, tainted integrity record and fines up to RMB30,000 (US$4,425.2).

        According to the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures, we may have to adjust our operating practices. For instance, we may need to modify the existing or develop a new process for investors who wish to invest in our portfolio investments to ensure that all the investment decisions are made and confirmed by investors as required by the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures, which may in turn cause us to incur additional operating expenses. The enactment of the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures may also materially impact our corporate governance practice and increase our compliance costs.

        In addition to the Guidelines and the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures, there are certain other rules, laws and regulations relevant or applicable to the online marketplace lending service industry, including the PRC Contract Law, the General Principles of the Civil Law of the PRC, and related judicial interpretations promulgated by the Supreme People's Court. In November 2016, the CBRC, the MIIT and the Industry and Commerce Administration Department, jointly issued the Guidance of Administration, which provides the general filing rules for online lending intermediaries and delegates the filing authority to the local financial authorities. Although the Guidance of Administration has not been officially promulgated or launched, and may not be found from authorized source, it is generally accepted by the industry that it needs to be followed. See "Regulation—Regulations Relating to Online Consumer Lending." Since 2017, local financial regulators have been conducting investigations on the online lending intermediaries, and if we failed to be in full compliance with any regulations, we may be required to rectify mistakes within a certain period as stipulated in the rectification order of local financial regulators. After local financing regulators have completed their investigation and examination, we may be permitted to submit a filing application. On February 22, 2017, the CBRC released the Guidelines of Depositing Lending Funds, which provide detailed requirements for setting up a depository account with a qualified bank and depositing online lending funds. To the extent our current arrangements with Jiangxi Bank are deemed to be not in compliance with the Guidelines, the Administrative Measures, the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures and the Guidelines of Depositing Lending Funds or if changes to these arrangements are required by future rules or regulations, including those proposed in the Guidelines of Depositing Lending Funds, a material change to our business model may be required and our business may be materially and adversely impacted. See "Regulation—Regulations Relating to Online Consumer Lending." In accordance with the Guidelines and the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures, on August 23, 2017, the CBRC issued the Guidelines on the Information Disclosure of Business Activities by Online Lending Information Intermediaries, or the Disclosure Guidelines, which stipulate that consumer lending information intermediary platforms shall disclose relevant information on their websites and other Internet channels, and the Disclosure Guidelines have provided detailed requirements for such information disclosure. According to the Disclosure Guidelines, to the extent that consumer lending information intermediary platforms that have provided the services before the issuance of the Disclosure Guidelines are not in full compliance with the requirements, they are required to make rectification within a six-month rectification period starting from the date the Disclosure Guidelines was promulgated. For platforms that fail to make such rectification, sanctions could be imposed by the relevant regulatory departments, including but not limited to, supervision interview, warning letter, rectification, tainted integrity record, fines up to RMB30,000 (US$4,425), and criminal liabilities if the act constitutes a criminal offense. Since various detailed requirements of information disclosure are made by the Disclosure Guidelines, we may need to adjust or change our methods of information disclosure and content of information disclosed within the rectification period in order to fully comply with the Disclosure Guidelines. See "Regulation—Regulations Relating to Online Consumer Lending."

        To comply with existing rules, laws, regulations and governmental policies relating to the marketplace lending service industry, we have implemented various policies and procedures, which we believe set the best practice in the industry, including, without limitation, the following: (i) we do not use our own capital to invest in loans facilitated through our online marketplace; (ii) we do not commit

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to provide guarantees to investors under any agreement for the full return of loan principal and interest; (iii) we do not hold investors' funds and funds loaned through our platform are deposited into and settled by a third-party custodian account managed by a qualified bank, Jiangxi Bank; (iv) we have obtained the Internet information services license, or the ICP license, as an Internet information provider from the relevant local counterpart of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in accordance with applicable laws; (v) we fully disclose on our website all relevant information to investors and borrowers, such as disclosure to borrowers regarding interest rates, payment schedule, service fees, and other charges and penalties; and (vi) we have been making strong effort to maintain the security of our platform and the confidentiality of the information provided and utilized across our platform. However, due to the lack of detailed rules and the fact that the rules, laws and regulations are expected to continue to evolve in this newly emerging industry, we cannot be certain that our existing practices would not be deemed to violate any existing or future rules, laws and regulations.

        In particular, we cannot rule out the possibility that some of the services we provide to investors, such as the portfolio investment, might be viewed as not being in full compliance. We match multiple investors with multiple approved borrowers, which goes beyond the simple one-to-one matching between investors and borrowers and could be viewed as violating some of these requirements.

        Moreover, although the Guidelines prohibit online marketplace lending service providers from providing "credit enhancement services", it is uncertain how the "credit enhancement services" mentioned in the Guidelines will be interpreted due to the lack of detailed implementing rules in the Guidelines. However, given the prohibition by the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures on providing security or guarantee of principals and interests to lenders, we believe it is generally perceived in the online marketplace lending industry to mean providing guarantees to investors in relation to the return of loan principal and interest. Under our risk reserve liability arrangement, if a loan is delinquent for a certain period of time, we may withdraw a sum from the risk reserve to repay investors the principal and accrued interest for the defaulted loan unless the risk reserve is depleted. Although the purpose of the risk reserve liability policy is to limit investor losses due to borrower defaults and not to provide investors with guarantees in relation to the return of loan principal and interest, we cannot rule out the possibility that our past risk reserve liability model or any variations thereof might be viewed by the PRC regulatory bodies as providing, to a certain extent, a form of guarantee or otherwise a form of "credit enhancement service" prohibited under the Guidelines. Furthermore, if the risk reserve liability policy is viewed by the PRC regulatory bodies as providing a form of guarantee, under the Provisions on Several Issues Concerning Laws Applicable to Trials of Private Lending Cases, or the Private Lending Judicial Interpretations, issued by the Supreme People's Court on August 6, 2015 and being effective on September 1, 2015, if requested by the investor with the court, we may be required to assume the obligations as to the defaulted loan as a guarantor. For a summary of the Private Lending Judicial Interpretations, see "Regulation—Regulations Relating to Online Consumer Lending—Regulations on Loans between Individuals."

        In order to continue to attract new and retain existing investors and to remain consistent with the current industry practice in China, we transitioned from the risk reserve liability policy to a third-party insurance arrangement whereby Changan Insurance enters into an insurance policy with each investor to insure against borrower default. Subject to the terms and limits in the insurance policy, investors can fully recover their outstanding principal and accrued interest in the event of loan default. We intend to continue this practice for the foreseeable future. However, as the industry continues to evolve and becomes more sophisticated and our business develops, we may revisit our policy or the terms on which we offer protection to investors over borrower default risk. Furthermore, we cannot assure you that the cooperation with Changan Insurance thereof will not be viewed by the PRC regulatory authorities as providing, a form of guarantee or otherwise a form of "credit enhancement service" prohibited under the Guidelines.

        As of the date of this prospectus, we have not been subject to any material fines or other penalties under any PRC laws or regulations including those governing the marketplace lending service industry in China. The Guidelines do not set out the liabilities that will be imposed on the service providers who fail to comply with the principles and requirements contained thereunder, nor do other applicable rules,

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laws and regulations contain specific liability provisions especially as to the marketplace lending platform or similar online marketplace like us. However, if our practice is deemed to violate any rules, laws or regulations, we may face injunctions, including orders to cease illegal activities, and may be exposed to other penalties as determined by the relevant government authorities as well. If such situations occur, our business, financial condition and prospects would be materially and adversely affected. In addition, given the evolving regulatory environment in which we operate, we cannot rule out the possibility that the PRC government will institute a licensing regime covering our industry. If such a licensing regime were introduced, we cannot assure you that we would be able to obtain any newly required license in a timely manner, or at all, which could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.

         Any failure by us or our third-party service providers to comply with applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations could damage our reputation.

        In cooperation with Jiangxi Bank, we have adopted various policies and procedures, such as internal controls and "know-your-customer" procedures, for anti-money laundering purposes. In addition, we rely on Jiangxi Bank and may in the future, rely on other third-party service providers, in particular the custody banks and payment agents that handle the transfer of funds between borrowers and lenders, to have their own appropriate anti-money laundering policies and procedures. Custody banks and payment agents are subject to anti-money laundering obligations under applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations and are regulated in that respect by the PBOC. If any of our third-party service provides fail to comply with applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations, our reputation could suffer and we could become subject to regulatory intervention, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any negative perception of the industry, such as that arises from any failure of other consumer finance marketplaces to detect or prevent money laundering activities, even if factually incorrect or based on isolated incidents, could compromise our image or undermine the trust and credibility we have established.

        The Guidelines jointly released by ten PRC regulatory agencies in July 2015 purport, among other things, to require Internet finance service providers, including online lending platforms, to comply with certain anti-money laundering requirements, including the establishment of a customer identification program, the monitoring and reporting of suspicious transactions, the preservation of customer information and transaction records, and the provision of assistance to the public security department and judicial authority in investigations and proceedings in relation to anti-money laundering matters. The PBOC will formulate implementing rules to further specify the anti-money laundering obligations of Internet finance service providers. We cannot assure you that the anti-money laundering policies and procedures we have adopted will be effective in protecting our marketplace from being exploited for money laundering purposes or will be deemed to be in compliance with applicable anti-money laundering implementing rules if and when adopted.

         The facilitation of loans through our marketplace could give rise to liabilities under PRC laws and regulations that prohibit illegal fundraising.

        PRC laws and regulations prohibit persons and companies from raising funds through advertising to the public a promise to repay premium or interest payments over time through payments in cash or in kind except with the prior approval of the applicable government authorities. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in penalties imposed by the PBOC, the Administration for Industry and Commerce, or AIC, and other governmental authorities, and can lead to civil or criminal lawsuits.

        To date, our marketplace has not been subject to any fines or other penalties under any PRC laws and regulations that prohibit illegal fundraising. Our marketplace only acts as a service provider in the facilitation of loans between borrowers and investors, and in this capacity, we do not raise funds or promise repayment of premium or interest obligations. Nevertheless, considerable uncertainties exist with respect to the PBOC, AIC and other governmental authorities' interpretations of the fundraising-related laws and regulations. While our agreements with investors require investors to guarantee the

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legality of all funds from investors, we do not verify the source of investors' funds separately, and therefore, to the extent that investors' funds are obtained through illegal fundraising, we may be negligently liable as a facilitator of illegal fundraising. In addition, while our loan agreements contain provisions that require borrowers to use the proceeds for purposes listed in their loan applications, we do not monitor the borrowers' use of funds on an on-going basis, and therefore, to the extent that borrowers use proceeds from the loans for illegal activities, we may be negligently liable as a facilitator of an illegal use. Although we have designed and implemented procedures to identify and eliminate instances of fraudulent conduct on our marketplace, as the number of borrowers and investors on our platform increases, we may not be able to identify all fraudulent conduct that may violate illegal fundraising laws and regulations.

         The facilitation of loans through our marketplace could give rise to liabilities under PRC laws and regulations that prohibit unauthorized public offerings.

        The PRC Securities Law stipulates that no organization or individual is permitted to issue securities for public offering without obtaining prior approval in accordance with the provisions of the law. The following offerings are deemed the be public offerings under the PRC Securities Law: (i) offering of securities to non- specific targets; (ii) offering of securities to more than 200 specific targets; and (iii) other offerings provided by the laws and administrative regulations. Additionally, private offerings of securities shall not be carried out through advertising, open solicitation and disguised publicity campaigns. If any transaction between one borrower and multiple investors on our marketplace is identified as a public offering by PRC government authorities, we may be subject to sanctions under PRC laws and our business may be adversely affected.

         We rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiary to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, and any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiary to make payments to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.

        We are a holding company, and we rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiary for our cash and financing requirements, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and other cash distributions to our shareholders and service any debt we may incur. If our PRC subsidiary incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may require Hexin Yongheng to adjust its taxable income under the contractual arrangements it currently has in place with our consolidated variable interest entity in a manner that would materially and adversely affect its ability to pay dividends and other distributions to us. See "—Risks Related to Our Relationship with Hexin Group and Our Corporate Structure—Our contractual arrangements with the variable interest entity may be subject to additional taxes, which would adversely affect our financials and your investment."

        Under PRC laws and regulations, our PRC subsidiary, as a wholly foreign-owned enterprise in China, may pay dividends only out of their respective accumulated after-tax profits as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, a wholly foreign-owned enterprise is required to set aside at least 10% of its accumulated after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund certain statutory reserve funds, until the aggregate amount of such funds reaches 50% of its registered capital. At its discretion, a wholly foreign-owned enterprise may allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to staff welfare and bonus funds. These reserve funds and staff welfare and bonus funds are not distributable as cash dividends.

        Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiary to pay dividends or make other distributions to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business. See also "—If we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC income tax purposes, such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders or ADS holders."

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

        Under PRC laws and regulations, we are permitted to utilize the proceeds from this offering and the concurrent private placement to fund our PRC subsidiary by making loans to or additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary, subject to applicable government registration and approval requirements.

        Any loans to our PRC subsidiary, which are treated as foreign-invested enterprises under PRC laws, are subject to PRC regulations and foreign exchange loan registrations. For example, loans by us to our PRC subsidiary to finance their activities cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with the local counterpart of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE. The statutory limit for the total amount of foreign debts of a foreign-invested company is the difference between the amount of total investment as approved by the MOC or its local counterpart and the amount of registered capital of such foreign-invested company.

        We may also decide to finance our PRC subsidiary by means of capital contributions. These capital contributions must be approved by the MOC or its local counterpart. In addition, SAFE issued a circular in September 2008, 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. SAFE Circular 142 provides that 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 unless otherwise provided by law, may not be used for equity investments within the PRC. Although on July 4, 2014, the SAFE issued the Circular of the SAFE on Relevant Issues Concerning the Pilot Reform in Certain Areas of the Administrative Method of the Conversion of Foreign Exchange Funds by Foreign-invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 36, which launched a pilot reform of the administration of the settlement of the foreign exchange capitals of foreign-invested enterprises in certain designated areas from August 4, 2014 and some of the restrictions under SAFE Circular 142 will not apply to the settlement of the foreign exchange capitals of the foreign-invested enterprises established within the designate areas and such enterprises mainly engaging in investment are allowed to use its RMB capital converted from foreign exchange capitals to make equity investment, our PRC subsidiary is not established within the designated areas. On March 30, 2015, SAFE promulgated Circular 19, to expand the reform nationwide. Circular 19 came into force and replaced both Circular 142 and Circular 36 on June 1, 2015. Circular 19 allows foreign-invested enterprises to make equity investments by using RMB fund converted from foreign exchange capital. However, Circular 19 continues to prohibit foreign-invested enterprises from, among other things, using RMB fund converted from its foreign exchange capitals for expenditure beyond its business scope, providing entrusted loans or repaying loans between non-financial enterprises. On June 9, 2016, the SAFE promulgated Circular 16, which expands the application scope from only the capital of the foreign-invested enterprises to the capital, the foreign debt funds and the funds from oversea public offerings. Also, Circular 16 allows enterprises to use their foreign exchange capitals under their capital account as stipulated by the relevant laws and regulations. In addition, SAFE strengthened its oversight of the flow and use of the RMB capital converted from foreign currency registered capital of a foreign-invested company. The use of such RMB capital may not be altered 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. Violations of these Circulars could result in severe monetary or other penalties. These circulars may significantly limit our ability to use RMB converted from the net proceeds of this offering and the concurrent private placement to fund the

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establishment of new entities in China by our PRC subsidiary, to invest in or acquire any other PRC companies through our PRC subsidiary, or to establish new variable interest entities in the PRC.

        In light of the various requirements imposed by PRC regulations on loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary government registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans to our PRC subsidiary or future capital contributions by us to our PRC subsidiary. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to use the proceeds we expect to receive from this offering and the concurrent private placement and to capitalize or otherwise fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

         We may be subject to liabilities imposed by relevant governmental regulations due to the personal data and other confidential information of borrowers, investors and our offline cooperation partner which we collect or are provided access to.

        There are numerous laws regarding privacy and the storing, sharing, use, disclosure and protection of personally identifiable information and user data. We receive, transmit and store a large volume of personally identifiable information and other confidential data from borrowers, investors and our offline cooperation partner. Specifically, personally identifiable and other confidential information is increasingly subject to legislation and regulations in numerous domestic and international jurisdictions, the intent of which is to protect the privacy of personal information that is collected, processed and transmitted in or from the governing jurisdiction. This regulatory framework for privacy issues in China and worldwide is currently evolving and is likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. In addition, there may be limits on the cross-border transmission of user data even to the extent that such transmission is within our company. We could be adversely affected if legislation or regulations are expanded to require changes in business practices or privacy policies, or if governing jurisdictions interpret or implement their legislation or regulations in ways that negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition to laws, regulations and other applicable rules regarding privacy and privacy advocacy, industry groups or other private parties may propose new and different privacy standards. Because the interpretation and application of privacy and data protection laws and privacy standards are still uncertain, it is possible that these laws or privacy standards may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our practices. Any inability to adequately address privacy concerns, even if unfounded, or to comply with applicable privacy or data protection laws, regulations and privacy standards, could result in additional cost and liability for us, damage our reputation, inhibit the use of our platform and harm our business.

         Fluctuations in exchange rates could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

        Substantially all of our revenues and expenditures are denominated in RMB, whereas our reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. As a result, fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and RMB will affect the relative purchasing power in RMB terms of our U.S. dollar assets and the proceeds from this offering. Our reporting currency is the U.S. dollar while the functional currency for our PRC subsidiary and consolidated variable interest entity is RMB. Gains and losses from the remeasurement of assets and liabilities that are receivable or payable in RMB are included in our consolidated statements of operations. The remeasurement has caused the U.S. dollar value of our results of operations to vary with exchange rate fluctuations, and the U.S. dollar value of our results of operations will continue to vary with exchange rate fluctuations. A fluctuation in the value of RMB relative to the U.S. dollar could reduce our profits from operations and the translated value of our net assets when reported in U.S. dollars in our financial statements. This could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations as reported in U.S. dollars. If we decide to

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convert our RMB into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the RMB would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us. In addition, fluctuations in currencies relative to the periods in which the earnings are generated may make it more difficult to perform period-to-period comparisons of our reported results of operations.

        The value of the RMB against the U.S. dollar and other currencies is affected by, among other things, changes in China's political and economic conditions and China's foreign exchange policies. On July 21, 2005, the PRC government changed its decade-old policy of pegging the value of the RMB to the U.S. dollar, and the RMB appreciated more than 20% against the U.S. dollar over the following three years. However, the PBOC regularly intervenes in the foreign exchange market to limit fluctuations in RMB exchange rates and achieve policy goals. During the period between July 2008 and June 2010, the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar had been stable and traded within a narrow range. However, the RMB fluctuated significantly during that period against other freely traded currencies, in tandem with the U.S. dollar. Since June 2010, the RMB has started to slowly appreciate against the U.S. dollar, though there have been periods when the U.S. dollar has appreciated against the RMB. On August 11, 2015, the PBOC allowed the RMB to depreciate by approximately 2% against the U.S. dollar. It is difficult to predict how long such depreciation of RMB against the U.S. dollar may last and when and how the relationship between the RMB and the U.S. dollar may change again.

        There remains significant international pressure on the PRC government to adopt a flexible currency policy. Any significant appreciation or depreciation of the RMB may materially and adversely affect our revenues, earnings and financial position, and the value of, and any dividends payable on, our ADSs in U.S. dollars. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars we receive from this initial public offering into RMB to pay our operating expenses, appreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the RMB amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, a significant depreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar may significantly reduce the U.S. dollar equivalent of our earnings, which in turn could adversely affect the price of our ADSs.

        Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. To date, we have not entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert RMB into foreign currency. As a result, fluctuations in exchange rates may have a material adverse effect on your investment.

         Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to utilize our net revenues effectively and affect the value of your investment.

        The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the RMB into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We receive substantially all of our net revenues in RMB. Under our current corporate structure, our company in the Cayman Islands relies on dividend payments from our PRC subsidiary to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, such as profit distributions and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. Therefore, our PRC subsidiary are able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to us without prior approval from SAFE, subject to the condition that the remittance of such dividends outside of the PRC complies with certain procedures under PRC foreign exchange regulation, such as the overseas investment registrations by the beneficial owners of our company who are PRC residents. But 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

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pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may also at its discretion restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy our foreign currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders, including holders of our ADSs.

         Failure to make adequate contributions to various employee benefit plans as required by PRC regulations may subject us to penalties.

        We are required under PRC laws and regulations to participate in various government sponsored employee benefit plans, including certain social insurance, housing funds and other welfare-oriented payment obligations, and contribute to the plans in amounts equal to certain percentages of salaries, including bonuses and allowances, of our employees up to a maximum amount specified by the local government from time to time at locations where we operate our businesses. The requirement of employee benefit plans has not been implemented consistently by the local governments in China given the different levels of economic development in different locations. We have not made adequate employee benefit payments. We may be required to make up the contributions for these plans as well as to pay late fees and fines. If we are subject to late fees or fines in relation to the underpaid employee benefits, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

         The approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission may be required in connection with this offering under a regulation adopted in August 2006, as amended, and, if required, we cannot predict whether we will be able to obtain such approval.

        The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in August 2006 and amended in 2009, requires an overseas special purpose vehicle formed for listing purposes through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies and controlled by PRC companies or individuals to obtain the approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle's securities on an overseas stock exchange. In September 2006, the CSRC published a notice on its official website specifying documents and materials required to be submitted to it by a special purpose vehicle seeking CSRC approval of its overseas listings. The application of the M&A Rules remains unclear.

        Our PRC counsel, Han Kun Law Offices, has advised us based on their understanding of the current PRC laws, rules and regulations that the CSRC's approval is not required for the listing and trading of our ADSs on the        in the context of this offering, given that:

        However, there remains some uncertainty as to how the M&A Rules will be interpreted or implemented in the context of an overseas offering and the CSRC's opinions summarized above are subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules. We cannot assure you that relevant PRC government agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as we do. If the CSRC or any other PRC regulatory agencies subsequently determines that we need to obtain the CSRC's approval for this offering or if the CSRC or any other PRC government agencies promulgates any interpretation or implements rules before our listing that would require us to obtain CSRC or other governmental approvals for this offering, we may face adverse actions or sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC

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regulatory agencies. Sanctions may include fines and penalties on our operations in the PRC, limitations on our operating privileges in the PRC, delays in or restrictions on the repatriation of the proceeds from this offering into the PRC, restrictions on or prohibition of the payments or remittance of dividends by our PRC subsidiary, or other actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects, as well as the trading price of our ADSs. The CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies may also take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt this offering before the settlement and delivery of the ADSs that we are offering. Consequently, if you engage in market trading or other activities in anticipation of and prior to the settlement and delivery of the ADSs we are offering, you would be doing so at the risk that the settlement and delivery may not occur. In addition, if the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies later promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain their approvals for this offering, we may be unable to obtain a waiver of such approval requirements, if and when procedures are established to obtain such a waiver. Any uncertainties and/or negative publicity regarding such approval requirement could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of the ADSs.

         The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for some acquisitions of Chinese companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China.

        The M&A Rules discussed in the preceding risk factor and some other regulations and rules concerning mergers and acquisitions established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time consuming and complex, including requirements in some instances that the MOC be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise. Moreover, the Anti-Monopoly Law requires that the MOC shall be notified in advance of any concentration of undertaking if certain thresholds are triggered. In addition, the security review rules issued by the MOC that became effective in September 2011 specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors that raise "national defense and security" concerns and mergers and acquisitions through which foreign investors may acquire de facto control over domestic enterprises that raise "national security" concerns are subject to strict review by the MOC, and the rules prohibit any activities attempting to bypass a security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions could be time consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the MOC or its local counterparts may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share.

         PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents may limit our PRC subsidiary' ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits to us or otherwise expose us or our PRC resident beneficial owners to liability and penalties under PRC law.

        SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Relating to Domestic Resident's Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, in July 2014 that requires PRC residents or entities to register with SAFE or its local branch in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore entity established for the purpose of overseas investment or financing. In addition, such PRC residents or entities must update their SAFE registrations when the offshore special purpose vehicle undergoes material events relating to any change of basic information (including change of such PRC citizens or residents, name and operation term), increases or decreases in investment amount, transfers or exchanges of shares, or mergers or divisions. SAFE Circular 37 is issued to replace the Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for PRC Residents Engaging in Financing and Roundtrip Investments via

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Overseas Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 75. SAFE promulgated the Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving the Administration of the Foreign Exchange Concerning Direct Investment in February 2015, which took effect on June 1, 2015. This notice has amended SAFE Circular 37 requiring PRC residents or entities to register with qualified banks rather than SAFE or its local branch in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore entity established for the purpose of overseas investment or financing.

        If our shareholders who are PRC residents or entities do not complete their registration as required, our PRC subsidiary may be prohibited from distributing their profits and proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation to us, and we may be restricted in our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiary. Moreover, failure to comply with the SAFE registration described above could result in liability under PRC laws for evasion of applicable foreign exchange restrictions.

        All of our shareholders who directly or indirectly hold shares in our Cayman Islands holding company and who are known to us as being PRC residents have completed the foreign exchange registrations required in connection with our recent corporate restructuring.

        However, we may not be informed of the identities of all the PRC residents or entities holding direct or indirect interest in our company, nor can we compel our beneficial owners to comply with SAFE registration requirements. As a result, we cannot assure you that all of our shareholders or beneficial owners who are PRC residents or entities have complied with, and will in the future make or obtain any applicable registrations or approvals required by, SAFE regulations. Failure by such shareholders or beneficial owners to comply with SAFE regulations, or failure by us to amend the foreign exchange registrations of our PRC subsidiary, could subject us to fines or legal sanctions, restrict our overseas or cross-border investment activities, limit our PRC subsidiary' ability to make distributions or pay dividends to us or affect our ownership structure, which could adversely affect our business and prospects.

         Any failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration requirements for employee stock incentive plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.

        In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notices on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Publicly-Listed Company, replacing earlier rules promulgated in March 2007. Pursuant to these rules, PRC citizens and non-PRC citizens who reside in China for a continuous period of not less than one year who participate in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company, subject to a few exceptions, are required to register with SAFE through a domestic qualified agent, which could be the PRC subsidiary of such overseas listed company, and complete certain other procedures. In addition, an overseas entrusted institution must be retained to handle matters in connection with the exercise or sale of stock options and the purchase or sale of shares and interests. We and our executive officers and other employees who are PRC citizens or who have resided in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year and who have been granted options or other awards will be subject to these regulations when our company becomes an overseas listed company upon the completion of this offering. Failure to complete the SAFE registrations may subject them to fines and legal sanctions and may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital into our PRC subsidiary and limit our PRC subsidiary' ability to distribute dividends to us. We also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional incentive plans for our directors, executive officers and employees under PRC law. See "Regulation—Regulations on Stock Incentive Plans."

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         If we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC income tax purposes, such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders or ADS holders.

        Under the EIT Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with a "de facto management body" within the PRC is considered a resident enterprise and will be subject to the enterprise income tax on its global income at the rate of 25%. The implementation rules define the term "de facto management body" as the body that exercises full and substantial control over and overall management of the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. In April 2009, the State Administration of Taxation, or the SAT, issued a circular, known as Circular 82, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the "de facto management body" of a PRC-controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. Although this circular only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners like us, the criteria set forth in Circular 82 may reflect the SAT's general position on how the "de facto management body" test should be applied in determining the tax resident status of all offshore enterprises. According to Circular 82, an offshore incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having its "de facto management body" in China and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its global income only if all of the following conditions are met: (i) the primary location of the day-to-day operational management is in the PRC; (ii) 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; (iii) the enterprise's primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholder resolutions, are located or maintained in the PRC; and (iv) at least 50% of voting board members or senior executives habitually reside in the PRC.

        We believe none of our entities outside of China is a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. See "Taxation—People's Republic of China Taxation." 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." As substantially all of our management members are based in China, it remains unclear how the tax residency rule will apply to our case. If the PRC tax authorities determine that we or any of our subsidiaries outside of China is a PRC resident enterprise for PRC enterprise income tax purposes, then we or such subsidiary could be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 25% on its world-wide income, which could materially reduce our net income. In addition, we will also be subject to PRC enterprise income tax reporting obligations. Furthermore, if the PRC tax authorities determine that we are a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, dividends we pay to non-PRC holders may be subject to PRC withholding tax, and gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares may be subject to PRC tax, at a rate of 10% in the case of non-PRC enterprises or 20% in the case of non-PRC individuals (in each case, subject to the provisions of any applicable tax treaty), if such dividends or gains are deemed to be from PRC sources. It is unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of our company would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise. Any such tax may reduce the returns on your investment in the ADSs.

         We may not be able to obtain certain benefits under relevant tax treaty on dividends paid by our PRC subsidiary to us through our Hong Kong subsidiary.

        We are a holding company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and as such rely on dividends and other distributions on equity from our PRC subsidiary to satisfy part of our liquidity requirements. Pursuant to the EIT Law, a withholding tax rate of 10% currently applies to dividends paid by a PRC "resident enterprise" to a foreign enterprise investor, unless any such foreign investor's jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty with China that provides for preferential tax treatment. Pursuant to the Arrangement between the Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Tax Evasion on Income, or the Double Tax

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Avoidance Arrangement, such withholding tax rate may be lowered to 5% if a Hong Kong resident enterprise owns at least 25% of a PRC enterprise. Pursuant to the Notice of the State Administration of Taxation on the Issues concerning the Application of the Dividend Clauses of Tax Agreements, or Circular 81, the 5% withholding tax rate does not automatically apply and certain requirements must be satisfied, including without limitation that (a) the Hong Kong enterprise must be the beneficial owner of the relevant dividends; and (b) the Hong Kong enterprise must directly hold at least 25% share ownership in the PRC enterprise during the 12 consecutive months preceding its receipt of the dividends. However, a transaction or arrangement entered into for the primary purpose of enjoying a favorable tax treatment should not be a reason for the application of the favorable tax treatment under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement. If a taxpayer inappropriately is entitled to such favorable tax treatment, the competent tax authority has the power to make appropriate adjustments.

        In August 2015, the State Administration of Taxation promulgated the Administrative Measures for Non-Resident Taxpayers to Enjoy Treatments under Tax Treaties, or Circular 60, which became effective on November 1, 2015. Circular 60 provides that non-resident enterprises are not required to obtain pre-approval from the relevant tax authority in order to enjoy the reduced withholding tax rate. Instead, non-resident enterprises and their withholding agents may, by self-assessment and on confirmation that the prescribed criteria to enjoy the tax treaty benefits are met, directly apply the reduced withholding tax rate, and file necessary forms and supporting documents when performing tax filings, which will be subject to post-tax filing examinations by the relevant tax authorities. However, if a competent tax authority finds out that it is necessary to apply the general anti-tax avoidance rules, it may start general investigation procedures for anti-tax avoidance and adopt corresponding measures for subsequent administration. Accordingly, Hexindai HK, our Hong Kong subsidiary, may be able to enjoy the 5% withholding tax rate for the dividends they receive from Hexin Yongheng, our PRC subsidiary, if it satisfies the conditions prescribed under Circular 81 and other relevant tax rules and regulations. However, according to Circular 81 and Circular 60, if the relevant tax authorities consider the transactions or arrangements we have are for the primary purpose of enjoying a favorable tax treatment, the relevant tax authorities may adjust the favorable withholding tax in the future.

         Enhanced scrutiny over acquisition transactions by the PRC tax authorities may have a negative impact on potential acquisitions we may pursue in the future.

        In connection with the EIT Law, the SAT issued the Circular on Strengthening the Administration of Enterprise Income Tax on Non-resident Enterprises' Equity Transfer Income, or Circular 698, which became effective as of January 1, 2008, the Notice on Issues Concerning Process of Enterprise Income Tax in Enterprise Restructuring Business, or Circular 59 on April 30, 2009, and the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Several Issues concerning the Enterprise Income Tax on the Indirect Transfers of Properties by Non-Resident Enterprises, or the SAT Announcement 7, on February 3, 2015. By promulgating and implementing the above, the PRC tax authorities have strengthened their scrutiny over the direct or indirect transfer of equity interest in a PRC resident enterprise by a non-PRC resident enterprise. Pursuant to SAT Announcement 7, if a non-resident enterprise, or referred to as a transferor, transfers its equity in an offshore enterprise which directly or indirectly owns PRC taxable assets, including ownership interest in PRC resident companies, or the Taxable Properties, without a "reasonable commercial purpose", such transfer shall be deemed as a direct transfer of such Taxable Properties. The payer, or referred as a transferee, in such transfer shall be the withholding agent, and is obligated to withhold and remit the enterprise income tax to the relevant PRC tax authority. If a transferor fails to declare for payment timely or in full of the tax due on proceeds from indirect transfer of PRC taxable assets and the withholding agent also fails to withhold such tax, the tax authority shall, in addition to supplementary collection of such tax, also charge for interest on a daily basis from the transferor according to the EIT Law and its implementation rules. Factors that may be taken into consideration when determining whether there is a reasonable commercial purpose include, among other factors, the value of the transferred equity,

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offshore taxable situation of the transaction, the offshore structure's economic essence and duration and trading fungibility. If an equity transfer transaction satisfies all the requirements mentioned above, such transaction will be considered an arrangement with reasonable commercial purpose.

        Accordingly, we and non-resident enterprise investors face uncertainties on the reporting and consequences on future private equity-financing transactions, share exchange or other transactions involving the transfer of shares in our company by investors that are non-PRC resident enterprises. The PRC tax authorities may pursue such non-resident enterprises with respect to a filing or the transferees with respect to withholding obligation, and request our PRC subsidiaries to assist in the filing. As a result, we and non-resident enterprises in such transactions may become at risk of being subject to filing obligations or being taxed, under Circular 59 or Circular 698 and the SAT Announcement 7, and we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with Circular 59, Circular 698 and the SAT Announcement 7 or to establish that we and our non-resident enterprises should not be taxed under these circulars, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

        Additionally, the PRC tax authorities have the discretion under SAT Circular 59, Circular 698 and the SAT Announcement 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. Although we currently have no plans to pursue any acquisitions in China or elsewhere in the world, we may pursue acquisitions in the future that may involve complex corporate structures. If we are considered a non-resident enterprise under the EIT Law and if the PRC tax authorities make adjustments to the taxable income of the transactions under SAT Circular 59 or Circular 698 and the SAT Announcement 7, our income tax costs associated with such potential acquisitions will be increased, which may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR ADSs AND THIS OFFERING

         An active trading market for our ordinary shares or our ADSs may not develop and the trading price for our ADSs may fluctuate significantly.

        Our ADSs have been approved for listing on                . Prior to the completion of this offering, there has been no public market for our ADSs or our ordinary shares, and we cannot assure you that a liquid public market for our ADSs will develop. If an active public market for our ADSs does not develop following the completion of this offering, the market price and liquidity of our ADSs may be materially and adversely affected. The initial public offering price for our ADSs was determined by negotiation between us and the underwriter based upon several factors, and we can provide no assurance that the trading price of our ADSs after this offering will not decline below the initial public offering price. As a result, investors in our securities may experience a significant decrease in the value of their ADSs.

         The trading price of our ADSs may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to investors.

        The trading price of our ADSs may be volatile and could fluctuate widely due to factors beyond our control. This may happen because of broad market and industry factors, like the performance and fluctuation of the market prices of other companies with business operations located mainly in China that have listed their securities in the United States. A number of Chinese companies have listed or are in the process of listing their securities on U.S. stock markets. The securities of some of these companies have experienced significant volatility, including price declines in connection with their initial public offerings. The trading performances of these Chinese companies' securities after their offerings may affect the attitudes of investors toward Chinese companies listed in the United States in general and consequently may impact the trading performance of our ADSs, regardless of our actual operating performance.

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        In addition to market and industry factors, the price and trading volume for our ADSs may be highly volatile for factors specific to our own operations, including the following:

        Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and price at which our ADSs will trade.

        In the past, shareholders of public companies have often brought securities class action suits against those companies following periods of instability in the market price of their securities. If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our management's attention and other resources from our business and operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit, which could harm our results of operations. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

         If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding our ADSs, the market price for our ADSs and trading volume could decline.

        The trading market for our ADSs will be influenced by research or reports that industry or securities analysts publish about our business. If one or more analysts who cover us downgrade our ADSs, the market price for our ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease to cover us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the market price or trading volume for our ADSs to decline.

         The sale or availability for sale of substantial amounts of our ADSs could adversely affect their market price.

        Sales of substantial amounts of our ADSs in the public market after the completion of this offering, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of our ADSs and could materially impair our ability to raise capital through equity offerings in the future. The ADSs sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and shares held by our existing shareholders may also be sold in the public market in the future subject to the restrictions in Rule 144 and Rule 701 under the Securities Act and the applicable lock-up agreements. Assuming the minimum offering amount is sold, there will be                ADSs (equivalent to                ordinary shares) outstanding immediately after this offering. Assuming the maximum offering amount is sold, there will be                 ADSs (equivalent to                ordinary shares) outstanding immediately after this offering. In connection with this offering, we and each of our directors and officers named in the section "Management", certain shareholders and our incentive shareholders have agreed not to sell any

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ordinary shares or ADSs for 180 days after the date of this prospectus without the prior written consent of the underwriter, subject to certain exceptions. However, the underwriter may release these securities from these restrictions at any time, subject to applicable regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. We cannot predict what effect, if any, market sales of securities held by our significant shareholders or any other shareholder or the availability of these securities for future sale will have on the market price of our ADSs. See "Underwriting" and "Shares Eligible for Future Sale" for a more detailed description of the restrictions on selling our securities after this offering.

         Because we do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future after this offering, you must rely on price appreciation of our ADSs for return on your investment.

        We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings after this offering to fund the development and growth of our business. As a result, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Therefore, you should not rely on an investment in our ADSs as a source for any future dividend income.

        Our board of directors has complete discretion as to whether to distribute dividends. Even if our board of directors decides to declare and pay dividends, the timing, amount and form of future dividends, if any, will depend on, among other things, our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, the amount of distributions, if any, received by us from our subsidiaries, our financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. Accordingly, the return on your investment in our ADSs will likely depend entirely upon any future price appreciation of our ADSs. There is no guarantee that our ADSs will appreciate in value after this offering or even maintain the price at which you purchased the ADSs. You may not realize a return on your investment in our ADSs and you may even lose your entire investment.

         Because the initial public offering price is substantially higher than the pro forma net tangible book value per share, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution.

        If you purchase ADSs in this offering, you will pay more for each ADS than the corresponding amount paid by existing shareholders for their ordinary shares. As a result, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution of US$                per ADS, representing the difference between our net tangible book value per ADS at US$                as of June 30, 2017 after giving effect to this offering and an assumed initial public offering price of US$                per ADS (which is the mid-point of the estimated range of the initial public offering price shown on the front cover of this prospectus) and assuming the minimum offering amount is sold, or an immediate and substantial dilution of US$                 per ADS, representing the difference between our net tangible book value per ADS at US$                as of June 30, 2017 after giving effect to this offering and an assumed initial public offering price of US$                per ADS (which is the mid-point of the estimated range of the initial public offering price shown on the front cover of this prospectus) and assuming the maximum offering amount is sold. See "Dilution" for a more complete description of how the value of your investment in our ADSs will be diluted upon the completion of this offering.

         We have not determined a specific use for a portion of the net proceeds from this offering, and we may use these proceeds in ways with which you may not agree.

        We have not determined a specific use for a portion of the net proceeds of this offering, and our management will have considerable discretion in deciding how to apply these proceeds. You will not have the opportunity to assess whether the proceeds are being used appropriately before you make your investment decision. You must rely on the judgment of our management regarding the application of the net proceeds of this offering. We cannot assure you that the net proceeds will be used in a manner that would improve our results of operations or increase our ADS price, nor that these net proceeds will be placed only in investments that generate income or appreciate in value.

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         We may be classified as a passive foreign investment company for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. Holders of our ADSs or ordinary shares.

        Depending upon the value of our assets, which is determined in part by the market value of our ADSs or ordinary shares, and the composition of our assets and income over time, we could be classified as a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Based on the projected composition of our assets and income, we do not believe that we were a PFIC for our taxable year ending March 31, 2017 and we do not anticipate becoming a PFIC for our taxable year ending March 31, 2018. While we do not anticipate becoming a PFIC, fluctuations in the market price of our ADSs or ordinary shares may cause us to become a PFIC for the current or any subsequent taxable year.

        A non-U.S. corporation, such as our company, will be classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year, if either (i) 75% or more of its gross income for such year consists of certain types of "passive" income or (ii) 50% or more of the value of its assets (determined on the basis of a quarterly average) during such year produce or are held for the production of passive income. Additionally, although the law in this regard is unclear, we treat our VIE as being owned by us for U.S. federal income tax purposes, not only because we exercise effective control over theoperation of such entity but also because we are entitled to substantially all of its economic benefits, and, as a result, we consolidate their results of operation in our combined and consolidated financial statements. If it were determined, however, that we are not the owner of our VIE for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we could be treated as a PFIC for the current and any subsequent taxable years. Whether we are a PFIC is a factual determination and we must make a separate determination each taxable year as to whether we are a PFIC (after the close of each taxable year). Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will not be a PFIC for our taxable year ending March 31, 2018. or any future taxable year. The determination of whether we will become a PFIC will depend, in part, on how, and how quickly, we use our liquid assets and the cash raised in this offering.

        If we were to be classified as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder (as defined in "Taxation—U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations") holds an ADS or an ordinary share, such U.S. Holder would generally be subject to reporting requirements and might incur significantly increased U.S. federal income tax on gain recognized on the sale or other disposition of the ADSs or ordinary shares and on the receipt of distributions on the ADSs or ordinary shares to the extent such gain or distribution is treated as an "excess distribution" under the applicable U.S. federal income tax rules. Further, if we were to be classified as a PFIC for any year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or ordinary shares, we generally would continue to be treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which such U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or ordinary shares even if we cease to qualify as a PFIC under the rules set forth above. You are urged to consult your tax advisor concerning the U.S. federal income tax consequences of acquiring, holding, and disposing of ADSs or ordinary shares if we were to be classified as a PFIC. For more information see "Taxation—U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—PFIC Rules."

         The amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that we expect to adopt contain anti-takeover provisions that could have a material adverse effect on the rights of holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs.

        We expect to adopt amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that will become effective immediately upon completion of this offering. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions to limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company or cause us to engage in change-of-control transactions. These provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transaction. In addition, our board of directors has the authority, without

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further action by our shareholders, to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to fix their designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our ordinary shares underlying the ADSs. Preferred shares could be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. If our board of directors decides to issue preferred shares, the price of our ADSs may fall and the voting and other rights of the holders of our ordinary shares underlying the ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.

         Our principal shareholders have substantial influence over our company. Their interests may not be aligned with the interests of our other shareholders, and they could prevent or cause a change of control or other transactions.

        As of the date of this prospectus, Mr. Xiaobo An, our founder and chairman beneficially owns an aggregate of 74.5% of our share capital. Upon the completion of this offering, our executive officers and directors, together with our existing shareholders, will beneficially own approximately                ordinary shares, or approximately                % of our outstanding ordinary shares, assuming the maximum offering amount is sold, and                % of our outstanding ordinary shares, assuming the minimum offering amount is sold.

        Accordingly, our executive officers and directors, together with our existing shareholders, could have significant influence in determining the outcome of any corporate transaction or other matter submitted to the shareholders for approval, including mergers, consolidations, election of directors and other significant corporate actions. In cases where their interests are aligned and they vote together, these shareholders will also have the power to prevent or cause a change in control. Without the consent of some or all of these shareholders, we may be prevented from entering into transactions that could be beneficial to us or our minority shareholders. In addition, our directors and officers could violate their fiduciary duties by diverting business opportunities from us to themselves or others. The interests of our largest shareholders may differ from the interests of our other shareholders. The concentration in ownership of our ordinary shares may cause a material decline in the value of our ADSs. For more information regarding our principal shareholders and their affiliated entities, see "Principal Shareholders."

         As a "controlled company" under the rules of the                , we may follow certain exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that could adversely affect our public shareholders.

        We believe following this offering, our principal shareholder will continue to own more than a majority of the voting power of our outstanding ordinary shares. Under the rules of                , a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a "controlled company" and is permitted to phase in its compliance with the independent committee requirements. Although we do not intend to rely on the "controlled company" exemption under the                listing rules, we could elect to rely on this exemption in the future. If we were to elect to rely on the "controlled company" exemption, a majority of the members of our board of directors might not be independent directors and our nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees might not consist entirely of independent directors upon closing of the offering. Accordingly, during the period we remain a controlled company relying on the exemption and during any transition period following a time when we are no longer a controlled company, you would not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements.

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         You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law.

        We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands with limited liability. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Law (2016 Revision) of the Cayman Islands and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from the common law of England, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding, on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. Some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States.

        Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like us have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records or to obtain copies of register of members of these companies. Our directors have discretion under our articles of association to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.

        Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, differ significantly from requirements for companies incorporated in other jurisdictions such as the U.S. Currently, we do not plan to rely on home country practice with respect to any corporate governance matter. However, if we choose to follow home country practice in the future, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under rules and regulations applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.

        As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by our management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States. For a discussion of significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders, see "Description of Share Capital—Differences in Corporate Law."

         Certain judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable.

        We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and substantially all of our assets are located outside of the United States. Substantially all of our current operations are conducted in China. In addition, a majority of our current directors and officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the United States. Substantially all of the assets of these persons are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the United States in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the U.S. federal securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and of China may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers. For more information regarding the relevant laws of the Cayman Islands and China, see "Enforcement of Civil Liabilities."

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         We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act and may take advantage of certain reduced reporting requirements.

        We are an "emerging growth company," as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, most significantly, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 for so long as we are an emerging growth company.

        The JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company does not need to comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards until such date that a private company is otherwise required to comply with such new or revised accounting standards. However, we have elected to "opt out" of this provision and, as a result, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards as required when they are adopted for public companies. This decision to opt out of the extended transition period under the JOBS Act is irrevocable.

         We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to United States domestic public companies.

        Because we are a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including:

        We will be required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, we intend to publish our results on a quarterly basis through press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of                . Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information, which would be made available to you, were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.

         The voting rights of holders of ADSs are limited by the terms of the deposit agreement, and you may not be able to exercise any right to vote the ordinary shares which are represented by your ADSs.

        As a holder of our ADSs, you will only be able to direct the exercise of the voting rights attaching to the ordinary shares which are represented by your ADSs in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Under the deposit agreement, you must vote by giving voting instructions to the depositary. Upon receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary will use its best endeavors to vote the ordinary shares which are represented by your ADSs in accordance with your instructions. You will not be able to directly exercise any right to vote with respect to the shares represented by your ADSs unless you withdraw the shares from the ADR facility prior to the applicable share record date. Under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that will become effective immediately upon completion of this offering, the minimum notice period required for convening a general meeting is ten (10) calendar days. As a Cayman Islands exempted company, we are not obliged by the Companies Law to call shareholders' annual general meetings. Our amended and restated

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memorandum and articles of association that will become effective immediately upon completion of this offering provide that we may, but are not obliged to, in each year hold a general meeting as our annual general meeting. When a general meeting is convened, you may not receive sufficient advance notice to withdraw the shares represented by your ADSs to allow you to vote with respect to any specific resolution or matter to be considered and voted upon at such general meeting. If we give notice to our shareholders of any general meeting, the depositary will notify you of the upcoming vote and will arrange to deliver our voting materials to you. We cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote the shares represented by your ADSs. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for their manner of carrying out your voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to vote and you may have no legal remedy if the shares underlying your ADSs are not voted as you requested.

         The depositary for our ADSs will give us a discretionary proxy to vote the ordinary shares represented by your ADSs if you do not give proper or timely voting instructions to the depositary, except in limited circumstances, which could adversely affect your interests.

        Under the deposit agreement for the ADSs, if you do not give proper or timely voting instructions to the depositary, the depositary will give us a discretionary proxy to vote the ordinary shares represented by your ADSs at shareholders' meetings unless:

        The effect of the foregoing is that if you do not give proper or timely voting instructions to the depositary as to how to vote at shareholders' meetings, a discretionary proxy to vote the ordinary shares represented by your ADSs will be given to a person designated by us, except under the circumstances described above. This may make it more difficult for shareholders and holders of ADSs to influence the management of our company. Holders of our ordinary shares are not subject to this discretionary proxy.

         You may not receive dividends or other distributions on our ordinary shares and you may not receive any value for them if it is illegal or impracticable to make them available to you.

        The depositary of our ADSs has agreed to pay to you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on ordinary shares or other deposited securities which are represented by your ADSs, after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of ordinary shares your ADSs represent. However, the depositary is not responsible if it decides that it is unlawful or impracticable 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 under an applicable exemption from registration. The depositary may also determine that it is not practicable to distribute certain property through the mail. Additionally, the value of certain distributions may be less than the cost of mailing them. In these cases, the depositary may determine not to distribute such property. We have no obligation to register under U.S. securities laws any ADSs, ordinary shares, rights or other securities received through such distributions. We also have no obligation to take any other action to permit the distribution of ADSs, ordinary shares, rights or anything else to holders of ADSs.

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This means that you may not receive distributions we make on our ordinary shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impracticable for us to make them available to you. These restrictions may cause a material decline in the value of our ADSs.

         You may experience dilution of your holdings due to inability to participate in rights offerings.

        We may, from time to time, distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire securities. Under the deposit agreement, the depositary will not distribute rights to holders of ADSs unless the distribution and sale of rights and the securities to which these rights relate are either exempt from registration under the Securities Act with respect to all holders of ADSs, or are registered under the provisions of the Securities Act. The depositary may, but is not required to, attempt to sell these undistributed rights to third parties, and may allow the rights to lapse. We may be unable to establish an exemption from registration under the Securities Act, and we are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to these rights or underlying securities or to endeavor to have a registration statement declared effective. Accordingly, holders of ADSs may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution of their holdings as a result.

         You may be subject to limitations on transfer of your ADSs.

        Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. The depositary may close its books from time to time for a number of reasons, including in connection with corporate events such as a rights offering, during which time the depositary needs to maintain an exact number of ADS holders on its books for a specified period. The depositary may also close its books in emergencies, or on weekends and public holidays. The depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of our ADSs generally when our share register or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary thinks it is 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.

         We will incur significantly increased costs and devote substantial management time as a result of the listing of our ADSs.

        We will incur additional legal, accounting and other expenses as a public reporting company, particularly after we cease to qualify as an emerging growth company. For example, we will be required to comply with additional requirements of the rules and regulations of the SEC and requirements of the                , including applicable corporate governance practices. We expect that compliance with these requirements will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. In addition, we expect that our management and other personnel will need to divert attention from operational and other business matters to devote substantial time to these public company requirements. We cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur as a result of becoming a public company or the timing of such costs.

        In addition, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies, increasing legal and financial compliance costs and making some activities more time-consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We intend to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management's time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to their application and practice, regulatory authorities may also initiate legal proceedings against us and our business may be adversely affected.

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INDUSTRY DATA

        This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations and views of future events. The forward-looking statements are contained principally in the sections entitled "Prospectus Summary," "Risk Factors," "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," "Business" and "Regulations". Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those listed under "Risk Factors," may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

        You can identify some of these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "is/are likely to," "potential," "continue" or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include statements relating to:

        These forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. Although we believe that our expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, our expectations may later be found to be incorrect. The forward-looking statements made in this prospectus relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this prospectus. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should thoroughly read this prospectus and the documents that we refer to herein with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from and worse than what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

        This prospectus contains certain data and information that we obtained from various government and private publications including industry data and information from Oliver Wyman. Statistical data in these publications also include projections based on a number of assumptions. The Chinese credit industry, and marketplace lending in particular, may not grow at the rate projected by market data, or at all. Failure of this industry to grow at the projected rate may have a material and adverse effect on our business and the market price of our ADSs. In addition, the new and rapidly changing nature of the credit and marketplace lending industry results in significant uncertainties for any projections or estimates relating to the growth prospects or future condition of our industry. Furthermore, if any one or more of the assumptions underlying the market data are later found 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.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

        We estimate that we will receive net proceeds from the minimum offering amount of approximately US$             million after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated offering expenses payable by us, and net proceeds from the maximum offering amount of approximately US$             million after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated expenses payable by us. These estimates are based upon an assumed initial public offering price of US$            per ADS, the mid-point of the estimated range of the initial public offering price shown on the front cover of this prospectus. A US$1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of US$            per ADS, the mid-point of the estimated range of the initial public offering price shown on the front cover of this prospectus, would increase (decrease) the net proceeds to us from this offering by US$             million if the minimum offering amount is sold, or approximately US$             million if the maximum offering amount is sold, after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

        We plan to use the net proceeds of the offering primarily to upgrade our operating structure and build a stronger business framework, which includes upgrading our risk control and management mechanism, privacy protection methods, and anti-fraud and billing systems. In addition, we may use the proceeds for brand building by implementing a multi-facet marketing strategy to promote our brand through traditional media, search engine, online advertising and social media coverage. Upon fulfilling capital requirement for business framework upgrading and brand building, we may also use a portion of these proceeds for general corporate purposes, including working capital, operating expenses and capital expenditures.

        The foregoing represents our current intentions based upon our present plans and business conditions to use and allocate the net proceeds of this offering. Our management, however, will have significant flexibility and discretion to apply the net proceeds of this offering, and investors will be relying on the judgment of our management regarding the use of these net proceeds. If an unforeseen event occurs or business conditions change, we may use the proceeds of this offering differently than as described in this prospectus.

        In using the proceeds of this offering, we are permitted under PRC laws and regulations as an offshore holding company to provide funding to our PRC subsidiaries only through loans or capital contributions. Subject to satisfaction of applicable government registration and approval requirements, we may extend inter-company loans to our PRC subsidiary or make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries to fund their capital expenditures or working capital. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain these government registrations or approvals on a timely basis, if at all, which may delay or prevent us from providing the proceeds of this offering to our PRC subsidiaries. See "Risk Factors—Risks Related to PRC Laws Regulating Our Business and Industry—PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of this offering and the concurrent private placement to make loans to or make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business."

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DIVIDEND POLICY

        Our board of directors has discretion regarding whether to declare or pay dividends. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our directors. In either case, all dividends are subject to certain restrictions under Cayman Islands law, namely that our company may only pay dividends out of profits or share premium, and provided always that we are able to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. Even if our board of directors decides to pay dividends, the form, frequency and amount will depend upon our future operations and earnings, capital requirements and surplus, general financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors that the board of directors may deem relevant.

        We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our shares. We do not have any present plan to pay any cash dividends on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future after this offering. We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to operate and grow our business.

        We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. We may rely on dividends from our subsidiaries in China for our cash requirements, including any payment of dividends to our shareholders. PRC regulations may restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us. See "Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends or other distributions to us and repay their debts to creditors could limit our ability to distribute profits to our shareholders and fulfill our repayment obligations." and "Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The PRC tax authorities' heightened scrutiny over acquisition transactions may have a negative impact on our business operations or our acquisitions or the value of your investment in us."

        If we pay any dividends, we will pay such dividends on the shares represented by ADSs to the depositary, and the depositary will pay such dividends to our ADS holders to the same extent as holders of our ordinary shares, subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, including the fees and expenses payable thereunder. See "Description of American Depositary Shares." Cash dividends on our ordinary shares, if any, will be paid in U.S. dollars.

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EXCHANGE RATE INFORMATION

        Our business is conducted in China, and our financial records are maintained in RMB, our functional currency. However, we use the U.S. dollar as our reporting currency; therefore, periodic reports made to shareholders will include current period amounts translated into U.S. dollars using the then-current exchange rates, for the convenience of the readers. Our financial statements have been translated into U.S. dollars in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standard, or SFAS, No. 52, "Foreign Currency Translation," which was subsequently codified within ASC 830, "Foreign Currency Matters." The financial information is first prepared in RMB and then is translated into U.S. dollars at period-end exchange rates as to assets and liabilities and average exchange rates as to revenue and expenses. Capital accounts are translated at their historical exchange rates when the capital transactions occurred. The effects of foreign currency translation adjustments are included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in shareholders' equity.

        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, 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. We do not currently engage in currency hedging transactions.

        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. These rates are provided solely for your reference and convenience. Other than in accordance with relevant accounting rules and as otherwise stated, all translations of Renminbi into U.S. dollars in this prospectus were made at the rate of RMB6.7793 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate on June 30, 2017, as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board. We make no representation that the Renminbi or U.S. dollar amounts referred to in this prospectus 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 September 22, 2017, the noon buying rate for Renminbi was RMB6.5899 to US$1.00.

 
  Midpoint of Buy and Sell Prices
for RMB per US$1.00
 
Period
  Period-End   Average (1)   Low   High  

2012

    6.2301     6.2990     6.2221     6.3879  

2013

    6.0537     6.1412     6.0537     6.2438  

2014

    6.2046     6.1704     6.0402     6.2591  

2015

    6.4778     6.2827     6.1870     6.4896  

2016

    6.9430     6.6549     6.4480     6.9850  

2017

                         

April

    6.8900     6.8876     6.8778     6.8988  

May

    6.8098     6.8843     6.8098     6.9060  

June

    6.7793     6.8066     6.7793     6.8382  

July

    6.7240     6.7694     6.7240     6.8039  

August

    6.5888     6.6670     6.5888     6.7272  

September (through September 22)

    6.5899     6.5448     6.4773     6.5899  

(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.

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CAPITALIZATION

        The following table sets forth cash and cash equivalents, as well as our capitalization, as of June 30, 2017 as follows:

        The adjustments reflected below are subject to change and are based upon available information and certain assumptions that we believe are reasonable. Total shareholders' equity and total capitalization following the completion of this offering are subject to adjustment based on the actual initial public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing. You should read this capitalization table in conjunction with "Use of Proceeds," "Selected Consolidated Financial and Operating Data," "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and the consolidated financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

 
  As of June 30, 2017  
Shareholders' Equity
  Actual   As adjusted
(Minimum
offering amount)
  As adjusted
(Maximum
offering amount)
 
 
  (US$)  
 
  (unaudited)
 

42,921,600 shares issued and outstanding,            shares issued and outstanding, as adjusted to reflect the minimum issuance, and            shares issued and outstanding, as adjusted to reflect the maximum issuance*

    4,292                                    

Additional paid-in capital

    13,285,717                                    

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

    (1,111,157 )                                  

Retained earnings

    20,653,664                                    

Total Shareholders' Equity

    32,832,516                                    

Total Capitalization

    32,832,516                                    

*
The shares are presented on a retroactive basis to reflect the nominal share issuance. Please see Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information on the nominal share issuance.

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DILUTION

        If you invest in our ADSs, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between our net tangible book value per ADS at US$                as of June 30, 2017 after giving effect to this offering and an assumed initial public offering price of US$                per ADS, which is based on the mid-point of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and assuming the minimum offering amount is sold, or an immediate dilution of US$                per ADS, representing the difference between our net tangible book value per ADS at US$                as of June 30, 2017 after giving effect to this offering and an assumed initial public offering price of US$                per ADS, which is based on the mid-point of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and assuming the maximum offering amount is sold. Dilution results from the fact that the initial public offering price per ordinary share is substantially in excess of the book value per ordinary share attributable to the existing shareholders for our presently outstanding ordinary shares.

Dilution to New Investors if the Minimum Offering Amount is Sold

        Our net tangible book value as of June 30, 2017 was approximately US$32.7 million, or US$                  per ordinary share as of that date and US$                  per ADS. Net tangible book value represents the amount of our total consolidated tangible assets, less the amount of our total consolidated liabilities. Dilution is determined by subtracting net tangible book value per ordinary share, after giving effect to the additional proceeds we will receive from this offering, from the assumed initial public offering price of $      per ordinary share, which is based on the mid-point of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and adjusted to reflect the ADS-to-ordinary share ratio, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

        Without taking into account any other changes in net tangible book value after June 30, 2017, other than to give effect to (i) the sale of the ADSs offered in this offering at the assumed initial public offering price of US$                  per ADS, which is based on the mid-point of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and after deduction of the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, and (ii) the exercise of options to subscribe 6,312,000 shares by                  under the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan, which is adjusted for the nominal share issuance (please see Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information related to the nominal share issuance), our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value as of June 30, 2017 would have been approximately US$                   million, or US$                  per ordinary share and US$                  per ADS. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of US$                  per ordinary share and US$                   per ADS to the existing shareholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of US$                  per ordinary share and US$        per ADS to investors purchasing ADSs in this offering. The following table illustrates such dilution:

 
  Per Ordinary
Share
  Per ADS  
 
  (US$)
   
 

Assumed initial public offering price per ordinary share

  $     $    

Net tangible book value as per ordinary share of June 30, 2017

  $     $    

Pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per ordinary share after giving effect to this offering

  $     $    

Amount of dilution in net tangible book value per ordinary share to new investors in this offering

  $     $    

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        A US$1.00 change in the assumed public offering price of US$                  per ADS, which is based on the mid-point of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase (decrease), in the case of an increase (decrease), our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value after giving effect to this offering by approximately US$                   million, the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per ordinary share and per ADS after giving effect to this offering by US$                  per ordinary share and US$                  per ADS and the dilution in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per ordinary share and per ADS to new investors in this offering by US$                  per ordinary share and US$                  per ADS, assuming no change to the number of ADSs offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses.

        The following table summarizes, on a pro forma as adjusted basis as of June 30, 2017, the differences between existing shareholders and the new investors with respect to the minimum number of ordinary shares (in the form of ADSs or shares) purchased from us in this offering, the total consideration paid and the average price per ordinary share and per ADS paid before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses.

 
  Ordinary Shares
Purchased
  Total Consideration   Average
Price Per
Ordinary
Share
(in US$)
   
 
 
  Amount
(in US$
thousands)
   
  Average
Price Per
ADS (in US$)
 
 
  Number   Percent   Percent  

Existing shareholders

                                     

New investors

                                     

Total

                                     

        The pro forma as adjusted information discussed above is illustrative only. Our net tangible book value following the completion of this offering is subject to adjustment based on the actual initial public offering price of our ADSs and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.

        As of the date of this prospectus, we had granted 6,312,000 options to our employees under our 2016 Equity Incentive Plan, adjusted for the nominal share issuance. Please see Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information on the nominal share issuance.

Dilution to New Investors if the Maximum Offering Amount is Sold

        Our net tangible book value as of June 30, 2017 was approximately US$32.7 million, or US$                  per ordinary share as of that date and US$                  per ADS. Net tangible book value represents the amount of our total consolidated tangible assets, less the amount of our total consolidated liabilities. Dilution is determined by subtracting net tangible book value per ordinary share, after giving effect to the additional proceeds we will receive from this offering, from the assumed initial public offering price of $      per ordinary share, which is based on the mid-point of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and adjusted to reflect the ADS-to-ordinary share ratio, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

        Without taking into account any other changes in net tangible book value after June 30, 2017, other than to give effect to (i) the sale of the ADSs offered in this offering at the assumed initial public offering price of US$                  per ADS, which is based on the mid-point of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and after deduction of the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, and (ii) the exercise of options to subscribe 6,312,000 shares by                  under the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan, which is adjusted for the nominal share issuance (please see Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information related to the nominal share issuance), our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value as of June 30, 2017 would have been approximately US$                   million, or

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US$                  per ordinary share and US$                  per ADS. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of US$                  per ordinary share and US$                   per ADS to the existing shareholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of US$                  per ordinary share and US$        per ADS to investors purchasing ADSs in this offering. The following table illustrates such dilution:

 
  Per Ordinary
Share
  Per ADS  
 
  (US$)
   
 

Assumed initial public offering price per ordinary share

  $           $          

Net tangible book value as per ordinary share of June 30, 2017

  $           $          

Pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per ordinary share after giving effect to this offering

  $     $    

Amount of dilution in net tangible book value per ordinary share to new investors in this offering

  $     $    

        A US$1.00 change in the assumed public offering price of US$                  per ADS, which is based on the mid-point of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase (decrease), in the case of an increase (decrease), our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value after giving effect to this offering by approximately US$                   million, the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per ordinary share and per ADS after giving effect to this offering by US$                  per ordinary share and US$                  per ADS and the dilution in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per ordinary share and per ADS to new investors in this offering by US$                  per ordinary share and US$                  per ADS, assuming no change to the number of ADSs offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses.

        The following table summarizes, on a pro forma as adjusted basis as of June 30, 2017, the differences between existing shareholders and the new investors with respect to the maximum number of ordinary shares (in the form of ADSs or shares) purchased from us in this offering, the total consideration paid and the average price per ordinary share and per ADS paid before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses.

 
  Ordinary Shares
Purchased
  Total Consideration   Average
Price Per
Ordinary
Share
(in US$)
   
 
 
  Amount
(in US$
thousands)
   
  Average
Price Per
ADS (in US$)
 
 
  Number   Percent   Percent  

Existing shareholders

                                     

New investors

                                     

Total

                                     

        The pro forma as adjusted information discussed above is illustrative only. Our net tangible book value following the completion of this offering is subject to adjustment based on the actual initial public offering price of our ADSs and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.

        As of the date of this prospectus, we had granted 6,312,000 options to our employees under our 2016 Equity Incentive Plan, adjusted for the nominal share issuance. Please see Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information on the nominal share issuance.

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ENFORCEMENT OF CIVIL LIABILITIES

        We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands to take advantage of certain benefits associated with being a Cayman Islands exempted company, such as:

        However, certain disadvantages accompany incorporation in the Cayman Islands. These disadvantages include, but are not limited to:

        Substantially all of our operations are conducted in China, and substantially all of our assets are located in China. Some of our directors and executive officers are nationals or residents of jurisdictions other than the United States and some of their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for a shareholder to effect service of process within the United States upon these persons, or to enforce against us or them judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.

        We have appointed Law Debenture Corporate Services, Inc. as our agent upon whom process may be served in any action brought against us under the securities laws of the United States.

        Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP, our legal counsel as to Cayman Islands law, and Han Kun Law Offices, our legal counsel as to PRC law, have advised us, respectively, that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands and China, respectively, would:

        There is uncertainty with regard to Cayman Islands law relating to whether a judgment obtained from the United States courts under civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States will be determined by the courts of the Cayman Islands as penal or punitive in nature. If such a determination is made, the courts of the Cayman Islands will not recognize or enforce the judgment against a Cayman Islands company. Because the courts of the Cayman Islands have yet to rule on whether such judgments are penal or punitive in nature, it is uncertain whether they would be enforceable in the Cayman Islands. Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP, has advised us that although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the federal or state courts of the United States, a judgment obtained in such jurisdiction will be recognized and enforced in the courts of the Cayman Islands at common law, without any re-examination of the merits of the

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underlying dispute, by an action commenced on the foreign judgment debt in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, provided such judgment (a) is given by a foreign court of competent jurisdiction; (b) imposes on the judgment debtor a liability to pay a liquidated sum for which the judgment has been given; (c) is final; (d) is not in respect of taxes, a fine or a penalty; and (e) was not obtained in a manner and is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands.

        Han Kun Law Offices has further advised us that the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other form of reciprocity with the United States or the Cayman Islands that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, courts in the PRC will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC law or national sovereignty, security or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States or the Cayman Islands. Under the PRC Civil Procedures Law, foreign shareholders may originate actions based on PRC law against us in the PRC, if they can establish sufficient nexus to the PRC for a PRC court to have jurisdiction, and meet other procedural requirements, including, among others, the plaintiff must have a direct interest in the case, and there must be a concrete claim, a factual basis and a cause for the suit. However, it would be difficult for foreign shareholders to establish sufficient nexus to the PRC by virtue only of holding our ADSs or ordinary shares.

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CORPORATE HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

        We commenced our online consumer finance marketplace business in March 2014. Hexindai Inc. was incorporated in Cayman Islands to be our holding company in April 2016. Hexindai Inc. then established a wholly owned subsidiary in Hong Kong, Hexindai Hong Kong Limited, or Hexindai HK, in May 2016, and Hexindai HK further established Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co. Ltd., or Hexin Yongheng, our wholly owned subsidiary in China, in August 2016.

        Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd, or Hexin E-Commerce, was established in China in March 2014. Mr. Xiaobo An, Mr. Xiaoning An and Mr. Xiaobin Zhai are the shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce, owning 94.99%, 0.01% and 5.00% of the equity interests in Hexin E-Commerce, respectively, as of the date of this prospectus. We obtained control and became the primary beneficiary of Hexin E-Commerce in November 2016 by entering into a series of contractual arrangements with Hexin E-Commerce and its shareholders.

        We currently conduct our online consumer finance marketplace business in China through Hexin Yongheng and our consolidated variable interest entity, Hexin E-Commerce. Hexin E-Commerce operates our website www.hexindai.com and has an ICP license as an internet information provider.

        We achieved the following milestones in connection with the development of our marketplace lending business:

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        The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure, including our subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entity, immediately prior to the completion of this offering:

GRAPHIC

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        The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure, including our subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entity, immediately upon the completion of this offering:

GRAPHIC


Note:

(1)
The ownership percentage range is calculated based on the minimum and maximum offering amounts.

Contractual Arrangements with Hexin E-Commerce

        Due to PRC legal restrictions on foreign ownership and investment in value-added telecommunications services, and Internet content provision services in particular, we currently conduct these activities through Hexin E-Commerce, which we effectively control through a series of contractual arrangements. These contractual arrangements allow us to:

        As a result of these contractual arrangements, we have become the primary beneficiary of Hexin E-Commerce, and we treat Hexin E-Commerce as our variable interest entity under U.S. GAAP. We

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have consolidated the financial results of Hexin E-Commerce in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

        The following is a summary of the currently effective contractual arrangements by and among our wholly-owned subsidiary, Hexin Yongheng, our consolidated variable interest entity, Hexin E-Commerce, and the shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce.

Agreements that Provide us Effective Control over Hexin E-Commerce

        Equity Interest Pledge Agreements     Pursuant to the equity interest pledge agreements, each shareholder of Hexin E-Commerce has pledged all of his equity interest in Hexin E-Commerce to guarantee the shareholder's and Hexin E-Commerce's performance of their obligations under the exclusive business cooperation agreement, loan agreement, exclusive option agreement and power of attorney. If Hexin E-Commerce or any of its shareholders breaches their contractual obligations under these agreements, Hexin Yongheng, as pledgee, will be entitled to certain rights regarding the pledged equity interests, including being paid in priority based on the monetary valuation that the equity interest is converted into or receiving proceeds from the auction or sale of the pledged equity interests of Hexin E-Commerce in accordance with the PRC law. Each of the shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce agrees that, during the term of the equity interest pledge agreements, he will not transfer the pledged equity interests or place or permit the existence of any security interest or encumbrance on the pledged equity interests without the prior written consent of Hexin Yongheng. The equity interest pledge agreements remain effective until Hexin E-Commerce and its shareholders discharge all of their obligations under the contractual arrangements. We have registered the equity pledge with the relevant office of the Administration for Industry and Commerce in accordance with the PRC Property Rights Law.

        Powers of Attorney     Pursuant to the powers of attorney, each shareholder of Hexin E-Commerce has irrevocably appointed Hexin Yongheng to act as such shareholder's exclusive attorney-in-fact to exercise all shareholder rights, including, but not limited to, voting on all matters of Hexin E-Commerce requiring shareholder approval, disposing of all or part of the shareholder's equity interest in Hexin E-Commerce, and appointing directors and executive officers. Hexin Yongheng is entitled to designate any person to act as such shareholder's exclusive attorney-in-fact without notifying or the approval of such shareholder, and if required by PRC law, Hexin Yongheng shall designate a PRC citizen to exercise such right. Each power of attorney will remain in force for so long as the shareholder remains a shareholder of Hexin E-Commerce. Each shareholder has waived all the rights which have been authorized to Hexin Yongheng and will not exercise such rights.

Spousal Consent Letter

        The spouse of Mr. Zhai Xiaobin signed a spousal consent letter on November 1, 2016. Mr. Zhai Xiaobin holds 5.0% equity interest in Hexin E-Commerce. Under the spousal consent letter, the signing spouse unconditionally and irrevocably agreed to Mr. Zhai Xiaobin's execution of the equity interest pledge agreement, the exclusive option agreement, the power of attorney and the loan agreement. The signing spouse undertook not to make any assertions upon those shares. The signing spouse further confirmed that her authorization and consent are not needed for any amendment or termination of the abovementioned agreements and undertook to execute and take all necessary measures to ensure the appropriate performance of those agreements.

Agreement that Allows us to Receive Economic Benefits from Hexin E-Commerce

        Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement     Under the exclusive business cooperation agreement between Hexin Yongheng and Hexin E-Commerce, Hexin Yongheng has the exclusive right to provide Hexin E-Commerce with technical support, consulting services and other services. Without Hexin

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Yongheng's prior written consent, Hexin E-Commerce agrees not to accept the same or any similar services provided by any third party. Hexin Yongheng may designate other parties to provide services to Hexin E-Commerce. Hexin E-Commerce agrees to pay service fees on a monthly basis and at an amount determined by Hexin Yongheng after taking into account multiple factors, such as the complexity and difficulty of the services provided, the time consumed, the content and commercial value of services provided and the market price of comparable services. Hexin Yongheng owns the intellectual property rights arising out of the performance of this agreement. In addition, Hexin E-Commerce has granted Hexin Yongheng an irrevocable and exclusive option to purchase any or all of the assets and businesses of Hexin E-Commerce at the lowest price permitted under PRC law. Unless otherwise agreed by the parties or terminated by Hexin Yongheng unilaterally, this agreement will remain effective permanently.

Agreements that Provide Us with the Option to Purchase the Equity Interest in Hexin E-Commerce

        Exclusive Option Agreements     Pursuant to the exclusive option agreements, each shareholder of Hexin E-Commerce has irrevocably granted Hexin Yongheng an exclusive option to purchase, or have its designated person or persons to purchase, at its discretion, to the extent permitted under PRC law, all or part of the shareholder's equity interests in Hexin E-Commerce. The purchase price is RMB1 or the minimum price required by PRC law. If Hexin Yongheng exercises the option to purchase part of the equity interest held by a shareholder, the purchase price shall be calculated proportionally. Hexin E-Commerce and each of its shareholders have agreed to appoint any persons designated by Hexin Yongheng to act as Hexin E-Commerce's directors. Without Hexin Yongheng's prior written consent, Hexin E-Commerce shall not amend its articles of association, increase or decrease the registered capital, sell or otherwise dispose of its assets or beneficial interest, create or allow any encumbrance on its assets or other beneficial interests, provide any loans to any third parties, enter into any material contract with a value of more than RMB100,000 (US$14,750.8) (except those contracts entered into in the ordinary course of business), merge with or acquire any other persons or make any investments, or distribute dividends to the shareholders. The shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce have agreed that, without Hexin Yongheng's prior written consent, they will not dispose of their equity interests in Hexin E-Commerce or create or allow any encumbrance on their equity interests. These agreements will remain effective until all equity interests of Hexin E-Commerce held by its shareholders have been transferred or assigned to Hexin Yongheng or its designated person(s).

        Loan Agreements     Pursuant to the loan agreements between Hexin Yongheng and the shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce, Hexin Yongheng made loans in an aggregate amount of RMB510.0 million (US$75.2 million) to the shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce solely for the capitalization of Hexin E-Commerce. Pursuant to the loan agreement, the method of repayment shall be at the sole discretion of Hexin Yongheng. At the option of Hexin Yongheng, shareholders shall repay the loans by the transfer of all their equity interest in Hexin E-Commerce to Hexin Yongheng or its designated person(s) pursuant to their respective exclusive option agreements. The shareholders must pay all of the proceeds from sale of such equity interests to Hexin Yongheng. In the event that shareholders sell their equity interests to Hexin Yongheng or its designated person(s) with a price equivalent to or less than the amount of the principal, the loans will be interest free. If the price is higher than the amount of the principal, the excess amount will be paid to Hexin Yongheng as the loan interest. The loan must be repaid immediately under certain circumstances, including, among others, if a foreign investor is permitted to hold majority or 100% equity interest in Hexin E-Commerce and Hexin Yongheng elects to exercise its exclusive equity purchase option. The term of the loans is ten years and can be extended upon mutual written consent of the parties.

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        In the opinion of Han Kun Law Offices, our PRC counsel:

        However, there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules. In particular, in January 2015, the MOC published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law for public review and comments. Among other things, the draft Foreign Investment Law expands the definition of foreign investment and introduces the principle of "actual control" in determining whether a company is considered a foreign-invested enterprise, or an FIE. Under the draft Foreign Investment Law, variable interest entities would also be deemed as FIEs, if they are ultimately "controlled" by foreign investors, and be subject to restrictions on foreign investments. However, the draft law has not taken a position on what actions will be taken with respect to the existing companies with the "variable interest entity" structure, whether or not these companies are controlled by Chinese parties. It is uncertain when the draft may be signed into law, if at all, and whether any final version would have substantial changes from the draft. Accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities may in the future take a view that is contrary to the above opinion of our PRC counsel. If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating our online consumer finance marketplace business do not comply with PRC government restrictions on foreign investment in value-added telecommunications services businesses, such as internet content provision services, we could be subject to severe penalties, including being prohibited from continuing operations. See "Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Relationship with Hexin Group and Our Corporate Structure—If the PRC government decides that our contractual arrangements under the variable interest entity structure do not comply with PRC regulations, or if the regulatory environment changes, we may have to change our business model and/or be subject to penalties", "Risk Factors—Risks Related to PRC Laws Regulating Our Business and Industry—We may be adversely affected by the complexity, uncertainties and changes in PRC regulation of Internet- related businesses and companies, and any lack of requisite approvals, licenses or permits applicable to our business may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations", "Risk Factors—Risks Related to PRC Laws Regulating Our Business and Industry—Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of Chinese laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to us" and "Risk Factors—Risks Related to PRC Laws Regulating Our Business and Industry—Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation of draft PRC Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations."

Our Relationship with Hexin Group

        Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information are under common control of our chairman, Mr. Xiaobo An. Hexin Information was incorporated in December 2015 and 99.0% held by Mr. Xiaobo An. Hexin Financial Information was incorporated in April 2014 and 95.0% held by Mr. Xiaobo An. Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information are both engaged in the provision of financial advisory services, including investment advisory, investment consulting, assets management services, project investment and insurance brokerage services, lease financing and health management services to urban and rural residents in China, including small and micro-enterprise owners, fixed income employees, college students and rural households. The provision of investment consulting services, including assets management services, project investment management and insurance brokerage

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services, represent the most profitable business activity of Hexin Group. Each of the business strategies of each of Hexin Information, Hexin Financial Information and Hexin E-Commerce have been designed by Mr. Xiaobo An together with their separate management teams since their respective inceptions of business. Both management and the decision making processes of Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information are separate from those of Hexin E-Commerce and our Company. Although all of these entities operate under the same "Hexin" brand and cooperate in business referral activities, the management and economic interests of these entities are kept separate.

        Before January 12, 2017, we were developing our business and did not have an independent, standalone banking operations team to deal with the complex banking transactions with and between the investors and borrowers through our online marketplace. As a temporary measure, Hexin E-Commerce used Hexin Group's centralized treasury system as it was more efficient to use Hexin Group's existing knowhow and manpower. With the implementation of a more sophisticated internal control system, competent professionals and managerial expertise, we separated our treasury management function from the Hexin Group on January 12, 2017. The net balance of funds, totaling approximately RMB62.2 million (US$9.3 million), which was the amount due to Hexin E-Commerce as of September 30, 2016, shall be paid to us in instalments under a collection plan before September 30, 2017, according to a memorandum signed by Hexin Information, Hexin Financial Information and us.

        Hexin E-Commerce has relied on Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information with respect to acquisition of borrowers through offline networks. Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information are both engaged in provision of financial advisory services, including investment advisory, investment consulting and assets management services to urban and rural residents in China, including small and micro-enterprise owners, fixed income employees, college students and rural households. Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information had extensive on-the-ground sales networks, and have each accumulated an extensive borrower base. In the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and the three months ended June 30, 2017, over 90% of our borrowers were referred from Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information. Borrowers referred by Hexin Information or Hexin Financial Information enter into separate agreements with each of Hexin E-Commerce and Hexin Information or Hexin Financial Information and pay consultation fees separately. Hexin E-Commerce does not pay fees to Hexin Information or Hexin Financial Information with respect to such referrals.

        In the future, we will focus on unsecured credit loans and expect Hexin Group to leverage all of its physical branches to provide referrals of borrowers for unsecured credit loans. Hexin E-Commerce has entered into a framework cooperation agreement with Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information with respect to their borrower referral and service arrangements in order to codify and formalize such historical business arrangements. Pursuant to this agreement, the parties will continue the referral cooperation under the existing business model and no direct fees will incur between them.

        Under the cooperation agreement, Hexin Group shall direct offline borrowers to Hexin E-Commerce for the facilitation of loan products on our online marketplace, and should obtain the explicit consent of Hexin E-Commerce before Hexin Group pursues any business opportunity by offering loan services and/or products to any offline borrower.

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SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

        We were incorporated and commenced operations in March 2014. The following tables present selected consolidated financial data for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and as of March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The following summary consolidated financial data for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017 and as of June 30, 2017 have been derived from our unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus and have been prepared on the same basis as our audited consolidated financial statements.

        Our consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our historical results do not necessarily indicate results expected for any future periods. You should read this Selected Consolidated Financial Data section together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 
  For the Fiscal Years
Ended March 31,
  For the Three Months
Ended June 30,
 
 
  2015   2016   2017   2016   2017  
 
  (US$, except number of shares)   (US$, except number of shares)  
 
   
   
   
  (unaudited)
 

Selected Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income (Loss):

                               

Net revenue

    4,645,973     11,894,226     22,920,543     3,907,990     15,112,921  

Loan facilitation, post-origination and other service, net          

    4,648,318     11,917,870     23,092,405     3,922,420     15,130,590  

Business and sales related taxes

    (2,345 )   (23,644 )   (171,862 )   (14,430 )   (17,669 )

Operating expenses

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Sales and marketing expenses

    2,605,042     3,840,143     5,212,127     1,021,894     2,568,544  

Service and development expenses

    1,605,636     2,358,867     5,149,265     923,083     1,334,985  

General and administrative expenses

    733,920     1,554,833     2,645,605     438,643     894,747  

Total operating expense

    4,944,598     7,753,843     13,006,997     2,383,620     4,798,276  

Income (loss) from operations

   
(298,625

)
 
4,140,383
   
9,913,546
   
1,524,370
   
10,314,645
 

Total other (expense) income, net

   
(7,704

)
 
26,270
   
179,529
   
26,345
   
155,863
 

(Loss) income before income taxes

   
(306,329

)
 
4,166,653
   
10,093,075
   
1,550,715
   
10,470,508
 

Provision for income taxes

    43,842     628,246     1,522,211     233,632     1,575,944  

Net (loss) income

    (350,171 )   3,538,407     8,570,864     1,317,083     8,894,564  

Comprehensive (loss) income

    (332,805 )   3,056,324     7,490,828     879,691     9,328,160  

Basic and diluted (loss) earnings per common share*

   
(0.01

)
 
0.08
   
0.20
   
0.03
   
0.21
 

Weighted average number of shares outstanding*

    42,080,000     42,080,000     42,331,200     42,080,000     42,921,600  

*
The shares and per share data are presented on a retroactive basis to reflect the nominal share issuance. Please see Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information on the nominal share issuance.

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        The following table presents our summary consolidated balance sheet data as of March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and June 30, 2017.

 
  As of March 31,    
 
 
  As of
June 30,
2017
 
 
  2015   2016   2017  
 
  (US$)   (US$)  
 
   
   
   
  (unaudited)
 

Selected Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:

                         

Cash

    954,681     7,818,936     19,232,275     32,548,392  

Total current assets

    1,847,801     9,620,452     27,554,131     39,076,876  

Total assets

    7,396,035     22,392,892     28,382,131     39,956,820  

Total current liabilities

    4,041,450     8,380,935     4,877,775     7,124,304  

Total liabilities

    4,041,450     8,380,935     4,877,775     7,124,304  

Total equity

    3,354,585     14,011,957     23,504,356     32,832,516  

        The following table presents our summary operating for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017.

 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Three
Months
ended
June 30,
2017
compared
to
June 30,
2016
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Growth Rates (9)  
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  For the Three Months Ended
June 30,
 
 
  For the Fiscal Years Ended March 31,   2016
compared
to
2015
  2017
compared
to
2017
 
 
  2015   2016   2017   2016   2017  
 
  (RMB)   (US$)   (RMB)   (US$)   (RMB)   (US$)   (RMB)   (US$)   (RMB)   (US$)    
   
   
 
 
  (in thousands, except percentages and numbers)
  (in thousands, except
percentages and numbers)

   
   
   
 

Loan volume facilitated (1)

                                                                               

Credit loan principal

    38,729     6,295     640,120     101,171     2,264,421     336,727     355,804     54,478     1,268,297     184,921     1,552.8 %   253.7 %   256.5 %

Secured loan principal

    2,043,315     332,133     2,335,945     369,197     1,053,095     156,599     471,928     72,259     9,900     1,443     14.3 %   –54.9 %   –97.9 %

Total

    2,082,044     338,428     2,976,065     470,368     3,317,516     493,326     827,732     126,737     1,278,197     186,364     42.9 %   11.5 %   54.4 %

Number of transactions facilitated (2)

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Credit loan transactions

    751     751     10,292     10,292     28,374     28,374     4,751     4,751     14,723     14,723                    

Secured loan transactions

    2,691     2,691     2,957     2,957     1,254     1,254     606     606     13     13                    

Total

    3,442     3,442     13,249     13,249     29,628     29,628     5,357     5,357     14,736     14,736                    

Average individual transaction amount

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Credit loan transactions

    52     8     62     10     80     12     75     11     86     13                    

Secured loan transactions

    759     123     790     125     840     125     779     119     762     111                    

Overall average

    605     98     225     36     112     17     155     24     87     13                    

Gross billing amount (net of VAT) (3)

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Credit loan

    1,827     297     45,733     7,228     172,401     25,637     26,726     4,092     112,798     16,446     2,402.7 %   277.0 %   322.1 %

Secured loan

    41,876     6,807     37,446     5,918     14,700     2,186     7,001     1,072     132     19     –10.6 %   –60.7 %   –98.1 %

Total

    43,703     7,104     83,179     13,146     187,101     27,823     33,727     5,164     112,930     16,465     90.3 %   124.9 %   234.8 %

Gross billing ratio (net of VAT) (4)

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Credit loan

    4.7 %   4.7 %   7.1 %   7.1 %   7.6 %   7.6 %   7.5 %   7.5 %   8.9 %   8.9 %                  

Secured loan

    2.0 %   2.0 %   1.6 %   1.6 %   1.4 %   1.4 %   1.5 %   1.5 %   1.3 %   1.3 %                  

Total

    2.1 %   2.1 %   2.8 %   2.8 %   5.6 %   5.6 %   4.1 %   4.1 %   8.8 %   8.8 %                  

Number of borrowers (5)

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Credit loan transactions

    751     751     10,292     10,292     28,374     28,374     4,751     4,751     14,723     14,723                    

Secured loan transactions

    885     885     828     828     364     364     243     243     13     13                    

Total

    1,636     1,636     11,120     11,120     28,738     28,738     4,994     4,994     14,736     14,736     579.7 %   158.4 %   195.1 %

Number of investors (6)

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Credit loan transactions (7)

    278     278     1,061     1,061     25,679     25,679     880     880     24,900     24,900                    

Secured loan transactions (8)

    14,686     14,686     17,230     17,230     13,795     13,795     6,323     6,323     27     27                    

Credit and secured loan transactions

    2,519     2,519     13,492     13,492     23,861     23,861     12,998     12,998     12,106     12,106                    

Total

    17,483     17,483     31,783     31,783     63,335     63,335     20,201     20,201     37,033     37,033     81.8 %   99.3 %   83.3 %

(1)
Loan volume is defined as the total principal amount of loans facilitated on our marketplace during the relevant period.

(2)
Number of loan transactions facilitated is defined as the total number of loans facilitated on our marketplace during the relevant period.

(3)
"Gross billing amount" is defined as the aggregated loan facilitation fees and loan management fees charged to borrowers before cash incentives, net of value added tax. It differs from the revenue recognized at the time of recognition. For an individual secured loan transaction, the gross billing amount equals the gross accumulative loan management service revenue recognized over the term of the secured loan. For an individual credit loan transaction, as the loan facilitation service fees are charged upfront upon the release of funds to borrowers, the gross billing amount equals the loan facilitation service revenue.

(4)
"Gross billing ratio" is defined as the gross billing amount divided by loan volume facilitated, presented in percentage. It is an operation metric we believe is a more accurate indicator of profitability.

(5)
Refers to borrowers who recorded successful borrowing activity on our online marketplace during the relevant period.

(6)
Refers to investors who made loan investments on our online marketplace during the relevant period.

(7)
Refers to investors who exclusively invested in credit loan transactions during the relevant period.

(8)
Refers to investors who exclusively invested in secured loan transactions during the relevant period.

(9)
Growth rates are calculated by RMB, and exclude the impact from exchange rate in different reporting period to reflect a real growth rate.

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MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

         You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with the section headed "Selected Consolidated Financial Information" and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results and the timing of selected events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in this prospectus.

Overview

        We are a fast-growing consumer lending marketplace facilitating loans to meet the increasing consumption demand of the emerging middle class in China. The "emerging middle class" consists largely of the lower mass population in China. We facilitated RMB9.7 billion (US$1.5 billion) loans from our inception of business in March 2014 through June 30, 2017. We provide borrowers with convenient and ready access to credit and investors with risk-adjusted investment returns. We offer borrowers a wide variety of loan products based on their specific financing needs and risk profiles through our online marketplace. We also service different investors through our online platform by offering them portfolio investments ("Wallets"), individual investments and loan-transfer services.

        Through the nationwide physical networks of our cooperation partner, Hexin Group, which is majority-owned by our controlling shareholder, we source borrowers offline and conduct physical interviews as an integral part of our credit assessment and risk management process. We have also implemented risk-based pricing by assessing the credit risks of borrowers and then determining an appropriate loan amount and interest rate, taking into account the specific risk profiles of the borrowers.

        Borrowers and investors can access our marketplace through multiple channels, including Internet, mobile applications, H5 and social media (such as Wechat and Weibo). These channels allow borrowers and investors to conveniently monitor the status of their loans or investments online and access our live support services. Throughout the term of the loan, we offer other post-origination services to borrowers including repayment-related management services. We provide investors with investment services and products including portfolio investments and individual investments. Investors can use these tools to choose and customize their preferred loan investments. In addition, our online marketplace allows investors to transfer their loan commitments to other investors under certain circumstances and access our live support services.

        We generate revenue primarily from fees charged for our services in matching investors with individual borrowers and for other services we provide to our users over the term of a loan. We primarily charge borrowers loan facilitation fees for services provided through our marketplace in facilitating credit loan transactions and loan management fees for secured loan transactions, and we also charge investors management fees for investing in our portfolio investments or individual investments.

        We have experienced significant growth since we launched our marketplace in March 2014. Our total net revenue increased from US$4.6 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to US$11.9 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, and further increased to US$22.9 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. Our revenue increased by 286.7% from US$3.9 million in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to US$15.1 million in the three months ended June 30, 2017. Our net profit increased from US$3.5 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, and further increased to US$8.6 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, while our net loss was US$0.4 million in the

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fiscal year ended March 31, 2015. Our net profit was US$1.3 million and US$8.9 million in the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Our Relationship with Hexin Group

        Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information are under common control of our chairman, Mr. Xiaobo An. Hexin Information was incorporated in December 2015 and 99.0% held by Mr. Xiaobo An, whereas Hexin Financial Information was incorporated in April 2014 and 95.0% held by Mr. Xiaobo An. Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information are both engaged in the provision of financial advisory services, including investment advisory, investment consulting and assets management services, to urban and rural residents in China, including small and micro-enterprise owners, fixed income employees, college students and rural households. In addition to referring borrower applicants to us, both Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information also cooperate with other third party financial institutions in the normal course of business for each of its independent business operations. Except as otherwise disclosed in this prospectus, the operations, financial and business administration functions of Hexin Group are separate from Hexin E-Commerce and our Company. Hexin Group and Hexin E-Commerce have separate management teams and their decision-making processes are also separate. Although Hexin E-Commerce, Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information operate under the same "Hexin" brand and cooperate in business referral activities, the management and economic interests of these three entities are kept separate. We have entered into a cooperation agreement with Hexin Group, under which Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information refer offline borrowers to us and we then provide online platform services to match investors with these borrowers. Our cooperation partners receive consultation fees from borrowers whereas we independently receive loan facilitation fees and loan management fees from borrowers. During the course of the facilitation of a loan, we do not receive any fees from our cooperation partners, and vice versa. See "Corporate History and Structure—Our Relationship with Hexin Group".

        Before Hexin E-Commerce was fully operational, in order to achieve a more efficient use of funds, the Hexin Group entities implemented centralized treasury management. As a result, from its incorporation up to January 11, 2017, Hexin E-Commerce's cash flows were managed through the bank accounts of Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information. On January 12, 2017, Hexin E-Commerce separated its treasury management function from the Hexin Group. According to a memorandum signed by each of Hexin Information, Hexin Financial Information and us, the amount due to Hexin E-Commerce, shall be remitted to our bank account in instalments under a collection plan before September 30, 2017. As of June 30, 2017, we had US$3.7 million due from related parties.

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Key Operation data

 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Three
Months
ended
June 30,
2017
compared
to
June 30,
2016
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  For the Three Months
Ended June 30,
  Growth Rates (9)  
 
  For the Fiscal Years Ended March 31,  
 
  2016
compared
to 2015
  2017
compared
to 2016
 
 
  2015   2016   2017   2016   2017  
 
  (RMB)   (US$)   (RMB)   (US$)   (RMB)   (US$)   (RMB)   (US$)   (RMB)   (US$)    
   
   
 
 
  (in thousands, except percentages and numbers)
  (in thousands, except
percentages and numbers)

   
   
   
 

Loan volume facilitated (1)

                                                                               

Credit loan principal

    38,729     6,295     640,120     101,171     2,264,421     336,727     355,804     54,478     1,268,297     184,921     1,552.8 %   253.7 %   256.5 %

Secured loan principal

    2,043,315     332,133     2,335,945     369,197     1,053,095     156,599     471,928     72,259     9,900     1,443     14.3 %   –54.9 %   –97.9 %

Total

    2,082,044     338,428     2,976,065     470,368     3,317,516     493,326     827,732     126,737     1,278,197     186,364     42.9 %   11.5 %   54.4 %

Number of transactions facilitated (2)

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Credit loan transactions

    751     751     10,292     10,292     28,374     28,374     4,751     4,751     14,723     14,723                    

Secured loan transactions

    2,691     2,691     2,957     2,957     1,254     1,254     606     606     13     13                    

Total

    3,442     3,442     13,249     13,249     29,628     29,628     5,357     5,357     14,736     14,736                    

Average individual transaction amount

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Credit loan transactions

    52     8     62     10     80     12     75     11     86     13                    

Secured loan transactions

    759     123     790     125     840     125     779     119     762     111                    

Overall average

    605     98     225     36     112     17     155     24     87     13                    

Gross billing amount (net of VAT) (3)

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Credit loan

    1,827     297     45,733     7,228     172,401     25,637     26,726     4,092     112,798     16,446     2,402.7 %   277.0 %   322.1 %

Secured loan

    41,876     6,807     37,446     5,918     14,700     2,186     7,001     1,072     132     19     –10.6 %   –60.7 %   –98.1 %

Total

    43,703     7,104     83,179     13,146     187,101     27,823     33,727     5,164     112,930     16,465     90.3 %   124.9 %   234.8 %

Gross billing ratio (net of VAT) (4)

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Credit loan

    4.7 %   4.7 %   7.1 %   7.1 %   7.6 %   7.6 %   7.5 %   7.5 %   8.9 %   8.9 %                  

Secured loan

    2.0 %   2.0 %   1.6 %   1.6 %   1.4 %   1.4 %   1.5 %   1.5 %   1.3 %   1.3 %                  

Total

    2.1 %   2.1 %   2.8 %   2.8 %   5.6 %   5.6 %   4.1 %   4.1 %   8.8 %   8.8 %                  

Number of borrowers (5)

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Credit loan transactions

    751     751     10,292     10,292     28,374     28,374     4,751     4,751     14,723     14,723                    

Secured loan transactions

    885     885     828     828     364     364     243     243     13     13                    

Total

    1,636     1,636     11,120     11,120     28,738     28,738     4,994     4,994     14,736     14,736     579.7 %   158.4 %   195.1 %

Number of investors (6)

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Credit loan transactions (7)

    278     278     1,061     1,061     25,679     25,679     880     880     24,900     24,900                    

Secured loan transactions (8)

    14,686     14,686     17,230     17,230     13,795     13,795     6,323     6,323     27     27                    

Credit and secured loan transactions                

    2,519     2,519     13,492     13,492     23,861     23,861     12,998     12,998     12,106     12,106                    

Total

    17,483     17,483     31,783     31,783     63,335     63,335     20,201     20,201     37,033     37,033     81.8 %   99.3 %   83.3 %

(1)
Loan volume is defined as the total principal amount of loans facilitated on our marketplace during the relevant period.

(2)
Number of loan transactions facilitated is defined as the total number of loans facilitated on our marketplace during the relevant period.

(3)
"Gross billing amount" is defined as the aggregated loan facilitation fees and loan management fees charged to borrowers before cash incentives, net of value added tax. It differs from the revenue recognized at the time of recognition. For an individual secured loan transaction, the gross billing amount equals the gross accumulative loan management service revenue recognized over the term of the secured loan. For an individual credit loan transaction, as the loan facilitation service fees are charged upfront upon the release of funds to borrowers, the gross billing amount equals the loan facilitation service revenue.

(4)
"Gross billing ratio" is defined as the gross billing amount divided by loan volume facilitated, presented in percentage. It is an operation metric we believe is a more accurate indicator of profitability.

(5)
Refers to borrowers who recorded successful borrowing activity on our online marketplace during the relevant period.

(6)
Refers to investors who made loan investments on our online marketplace during the relevant period.

(7)
Refers to investors who exclusively invested in credit loan transactions during the relevant period.

(8)
Refers to investors who exclusively invested in secured loan transactions during the relevant period.

(9)
Growth rates are calculated by RMB, and exclude the impact from exchange rate in different reporting period to reflect a real growth rate.

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Key Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations

        We believe the key factors affecting our financial condition and results of operations include the following:

Product Mix and Pricing

        Our ability to maintain profitability largely depends on our ability to continually optimize our product mix and to accurately price the loan products facilitated through our platform. We facilitate primarily medium-sized credit loans with terms of up to 36 months and secured loans with terms ranging from one to three months in the amount ranging from RMB20,000 to RMB140,000 to borrowers on our online marketplace.

        As part of our business strategy, we have shifted our focus from secured loans to credit loans due to the higher gross billing ratio of credit loans. We have experienced rapid growth in the credit loans facilitated on our marketplace. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, credit loans represented approximately 68.3% of the total loans facilitated on our marketplace, as compared to 21.5% in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. The total amount of credit loans facilitated on our marketplace experienced an increase of 253.7% from RMB640.1 million (US$101.2 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to RMB2.3 billion (US$336.7 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. In the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, total credit loans facilitated on our marketplace was RMB355.8 million (US$54.5 million) and RMB1.3 billion (US$184.9 million), representing 43.0% and 99.2% of the total loans facilitated on our marketplace, respectively. The gross billing ratio of credit loans increased from 7.1% in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to 7.6% in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. The gross billing ratio of credit loans increased from 7.5% in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to 8.9% in the three months ended June 30, 2017. We expect to continue to focus on credit loans going forward.

        We further categorize and tailor our loan products according to the borrowers' segmentation and different consumption financing needs. We currently offer several tailored loan products, including provident fund loans, property-owner loans, car-owner loans, insurance-holder loans and premier customer loans. We also segment our borrowers into five different credit grades, which we refer to as Grades A to Grade E. Among the five credit grades, Grade A represents the lowest risks associated with the borrowers, while Grade E represents the highest risks. Because of the different level of risk required to facilitate loans to Grade A, B, C, D and E borrowers, the rate of the loan facilitation or management service fee that we charge borrowers varies depending on the pricing grade of the loan facilitated. Any material change in the product mix and pricing could have a significant impact on our profitability and net income.

        We have observed an increasing trend of borrower preference for loan products of higher loan amounts. The proportion of credit loans with loan amounts of RMB20,000 to RMB100,000 decreased from 82.5% in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to 51.9% in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, and from 60.1% in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to 44.5% in the three months ended June 30, 2017 based on the total volume of credit loans facilitated over our online marketplace. The proportion of credit loans with loan amounts of more than RMB100,000 increased from 17.5% in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to 48.1% in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 and increased from 39.9% in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to 55.5% in the three months ended June 30, 2017. We also observed an increasing trend of longer repayment terms. The proportion of credit loans with repayment terms of 36 months increased from 73.7% in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to 97.5% in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, and decreased slightly from 98.3% in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to 93.3% in the three months ended June 30, 2017, based on the total volume of credit loans facilitated over our online marketplace. The proportion of credit loans with repayment terms of 24 months decreased from 22.5% in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to 0.7% in the fiscal year

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ended March 31, 2017, and increased slightly from 1.4% in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to 1.7% in the three months ended June 30, 2017 respectively, based on the total volume of credit loans facilitated over our online marketplace. The proportion of credit loans with repayment terms of 12 months decreased from 3.8% in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to 1.8% in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, and increased from 0.3% in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to 5.0% in the three months ended June 30, 2017, respectively, based on the total volume of credit loans facilitated over our online marketplace.

Ability to Acquire Borrowers and Investors Effectively

        Our ability to increase the loan volume facilitated through our marketplace largely depends on our ability to attract potential borrowers and investors through sales and marketing efforts. Our sales and marketing efforts include those related to borrower and investor acquisition and retention, and general marketing. We intend to continue to dedicate significant resources to our sales and marketing efforts and constantly seek to improve the effectiveness of these efforts, in particular with regard to borrower and investor acquisition.

        We utilize an O2O model to acquire borrowers, combining both an online platform and the extensive offline networks of our offline cooperation partners. We acquire borrowers through referrals from our offline cooperation partners' extensive nationwide on-the-ground sales network in China as part of our contractual arrangements with Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information, which are owned by our controlling shareholder. Under the contractual arrangements, Hexin Group refers offline borrowers to us and we then offer our online loan facilitation services to these borrowers. See "Corporate History and Structure—Our Relationship with Hexin Group". In the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, over 90% of our borrowers were referred from Hexin Group. See "Risk Factors —Risks related to our relationship with Hexin Group and our corporate structure—If Hexin Group's business, results of operations or brand is adversely affected, we may not be able to source new offline borrowers and our business, results of operations and brand will in turn be negatively affected." We primarily acquire investors through our online platform. Our investor acquisition channels primarily include our cash incentive program and sales and marketing campaigns for our mobile applications, customer referrals and promotional activities for institutional investors. If any of our current borrower or investor acquisition channels becomes less effective, if we are unable to continue to use any of these channels or if we are not successful in using new channels, we may not be able to attract new borrowers and investors in a cost-effective manner or convert potential borrowers and investors into active borrowers and investors, and may even lose our existing borrowers and investors to our competitors.

The Economic Environment and Demand for Consumer Credit in China

        The success of our online platform is largely dependent on the demand for consumer credit in China, which is in turn dependent upon the overall economic conditions in China. Any downturn in China's economic growth may negatively affect borrowers' demand for loans as such economic uncertainty may affect individuals' level of disposable income and cause consumers to defer consumption of premium goods and services. An economic downturn may also negatively affect borrowers' repayment capability, which in turn may decrease their willingness to seek loans and potentially cause an increase in default rates. If actual or expected default rates increase generally in China or the consumer finance market, investors may delay or reduce their investments in loan products in general, including on our marketplace.

The Regulatory Environment in China

        The regulatory environment for the consumer lending industry in China is developing and evolving, creating both challenges and opportunities that could affect our financial condition and results of

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operations. Most recently, multiple PRC governmental authorities have published various new laws and rules to further regulate the marketplace lending industry in China. See "Regulations—Regulations Relating to Online Consumer Lending—Regulations on Consumer Lending Service Providers". We will continue to make efforts to ensure that we are in compliance with the existing laws, regulations and governmental policies relating to our industry and will comply with new laws and regulations or changes under existing laws and regulations that may arise in the future. While new laws and regulations or changes to existing laws and regulations could make loans more difficult to be accepted by investors or borrowers on terms favorable to us, or at all, these laws and regulations could also provide new market opportunities. In addition, compliance with new laws and regulations may increase our operating expenses but may also drive increased loan volume to our marketplace and thus increase our revenue.

Effectiveness of Risk Management

        Our ability to effectively assess the credit risk of borrowers, generate credit scores and segment borrowers into appropriate risk profiles affects our ability to facilitate suitable loans between borrowers and investors and implement risk-based pricing. Generally, the higher the credit grades of the borrowers, which represent lower credit risks, the lower the APRs charged to borrowers and the lower the expected returns to the investors. We assist borrowers and investors in assessing the credit risks and calculating the appropriate APRs and expected returns. With our proprietary technology, we have implemented a multi-stage credit assessment and risk management system to ensure the quality of borrowers and to prevent fraud. For more information on our risk management system, please see "Business—Our Technology and Risk Management System". The information and data we use may not be sufficient to allow us to adequately capture a borrower applicant's credit risk. We constantly update and optimize our risk management system, but the system may have loopholes or defects which may prevent us from effectively identifying risks, or the data provided by users may be inaccurate or stale or insufficient, such that we may misjudge the risk and misalign the risk profile and loan price. The information may also not be sufficient for prediction of future non-payment. Such risks and errors may erode investor confidence in our marketplace and therefore harm our reputation and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

        In addition, we maintained a risk reserve liability policy from March 2014 to January 2017. The funding and operation of a risk reserve might have a material impact on our financial conditions. A significant increase in our expected risk reserve liability would have a negative impact on our net revenue and net income. Our ability to assess the expected risk reserve liability depends on our ability to manage and forecast the performance, the delinquency or the M3+ Net Charge-off Rates, of the loans facilitated through our marketplace. Due to our limited operating history, we have limited amount of information to assess the overall default risk on non-payment of consumer loans, so that our forecast of M3+ Net Charge-off may not be accurate.

        We have also entered into a framework agreement with a reputable third-party insurance provider, Changan Insurance, to provide insurance coverage to investors for loans since February 1, 2017. In the event of borrower default, the insurance provider should compensate the investor for his principal investment amount and accrued interests, up to the insured amount specified in the insurance policy. During the transition from our risk reserve liability policy to our insurance arrangement, Changan Insurance took custody of the balance of our risk reserve and assumed the outstanding loan balances covered under the previous risk reserve. If the insurance provider decides an investor is not entitled to compensation, the investor may demand that we compensate him or her for the loss, which may adversely affect our reputation.

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Seasonality

        Our operating results are influenced by seasonal factors, including the timing of national holidays, as well as consumer spending habits, patterns and Internet usage. We generally experience lower transaction value on our online marketplace during national holidays in China, particularly during and after the Chinese New Year holiday season. Due to general consumer spending habits, demand for credit loans facilitated on our marketplace is generally higher in the third and fourth quarters before the Chinese New Year. As a result, we earn a higher portion of our revenue and net income during the third and fourth quarters. However, as we only have a relatively short operating history, the seasonal impact on our financial results is unclear. Therefore, while the seasonality of borrowing habits in China has an impact on our financial results, this impact may change depending on changes in consumer spending habits and the relative rates of growth in the volumes of our different loan products.

Key Components of Results of Operations

Revenue

        Our revenue is generated from fees charged for providing services, including loan facilitation service fees, loan management service fees, post-origination service fees and others. We charge borrowers loan facilitation fees for services provided through our marketplace in facilitating credit loan transactions, and loan management service fees for services provided through our marketplace in facilitating secured loan transactions. We also charge investors a post-origination service fee. In addition, we charge other fees such as penalty fees for late payment, one-time fees for investors transferring their creditor rights, and other service fees.

        Our revenue is presented net of VAT and related surcharges. Our net revenue comprises fees earned net of liabilities associated with the risk reserve liability and cash incentives to investors, and is recognized as revenue from loan facilitation services, loan management services, post-origination services and other services.

        The following table sets forth the reconciliation of our net revenue for the periods presented:

 
  For the Fiscal Years Ended March 31,   For the Three Months Ended June 30,  
 
  2015   2016   2017   2016   2017  
 
  (US$)   % of
revenue
  (US$)   % of
revenue
  (US$)   % of
revenue
  (US$)   % of
revenue
  (US$)   % of
revenue
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  (unaudited)
 

Revenue

                                                             

Loan facilitation service

    297,026     4.5 %   7,228,135     49.4 %   25,636,661     86.6 %   4,092,088     75.7%     16,446,177     97.0%  

Loan management service

    5,626,695     84.9 %   6,166,334     42.2 %   2,678,557     9.1 %   1,004,250     18.6%     167,631     1.0%  

Post-origination service

    700,627     10.6 %   1,193,737     8.2 %   1,219,897     4.1 %   297,840     5.5%     328,928     1.9%  

Others

            39,591     0.3 %   59,756     0.2 %   12,957     0.2%     6,425     0.1%  

Total revenue

    6,624,348     100.0 %   14,627,797     100.0 %   29,594,871     100.0 %   5,407,135     100.0%     16,949,161     100.0%  

Business and sales related taxes

    2,345     0.0 %   23,644     0.2 %   171,862     0.6 %   14,430     0.3%     17,669     0.1%  

Cash incentives

    1,053,153     15.9 %   837,418     5.7 %   1,629,316     5.5 %   297,963     5.5%     1,818,571     10.7%  

Risk reserve liability charge

    922,877     13.9 %   1,872,509     12.8 %   4,873,150     16.5 %   1,186,752     21.9%          

Net Revenue

    4,645,973         11,894,226         22,920,543         3,907,990         15,112,921      

        Loan facilitation revenue     Loan facilitation fees are paid by credit loan borrowers upfront to us for the work we perform on our online platform. The amount of these fees is based upon the loan amount and other terms of the loan, including credit grade, maturity and other factors. Borrowers pay such fees upon loan issuance. Since inception of our business to June 30, 2017, these fees ranged from 2.7% to 25.2% of the loan principal amount.

        Loan facilitation revenue was approximately US$0.3 million, US$7.2 million and US$25.6 million for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. Loan facilitation revenue was

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approximately US$4.1 million and US$16.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, respectively.

        Loan management revenue     Secured loan borrowers pay us a fixed monthly management service fee for services provided, which includes assessment service for the pledged assets, information service for borrower's monthly account statement and repayment. We recognize the loan management revenue over the loan period in accordance with the monthly services provided.

        Loan management revenue was approximately US$5.6 million, US$6.2 million and US$2.7 million in the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. Loan management revenue was approximately US$1.0 million and US$0.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, respectively.

        Post-origination revenue     Investors typically pay us a post-origination service fee upon receipt of borrowers' interest payments. The post-origination service fee compensates us for facilitating loans on our marketplace so that investors can invest in suitable loan products. The rate of post-origination service fees charged decreases incrementally with the elevation of an investor's membership grade and can be modified at management's discretion. There are five "VIP" membership grades. Under the latest promotional campaign we launched in January 2016, the highest level VIP investors may enjoy up to 0% post-origination service fee. The rate of post-origination service fee increases incrementally until it reaches 4% for entry-level VIP investors. Non-VIP investors are subject to a 10% post-origination service fee. We recognize the post-origination service fee upon receipt of borrowers' interest payments.

        Post-origination revenue was approximately US$0.7 million, US$1.2 million and US$1.2 million in the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. Post-origination revenue was US$0.3 million and US$0.3 million in the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, respectively.

        Cash incentives     In order to expand our market share, we provide cash incentives to new investors under our referral incentive program, as well as promotional cash incentives to existing investors from time to time. Upon the satisfaction of the terms and conditions under our referral incentive program or promotional campaigns, we increase the investors' account balances and deposit the funds into the investors' online payment accounts. Investors can redeem their cash incentives in the form of cash payments to be used on our online marketplace or withdraw cash without any restrictions as to the use of such funds. The periods and terms, including the minimum investment thresholds, of each individual cash incentive program vary depending on different situations. Cash incentive programs may last for a period of from a few days up to a few weeks. We do not differentiate among new and existing investors under the cash incentive program. Under our cash incentive program, we require each individual investor to make a minimum investment before he or she can earn the incentive. We consider it is probable that the revenue earned from each investor, through loans invested through our cash incentive program, exceed the incentive payments. Therefore, in accordance with ASC 605-50-45-9 (b), the cash incentives provided are accounted for as reduction of revenue.

        We paid cash incentives to investors in the amount of approximately US$1.1 million, US$0.8 million and US$1.6 million in the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. Cash incentives paid to investors were US$0.3 million and US$1.8 million in the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, respectively. Under our incentive program, the cash incentive amount usually represents approximately 0.3% to 0.5% of the minimum investment amount required from investors. We recognize cash incentives as a reduction of revenue when paid. Our post-origination service fee generated from these loan investment represents approximately range of 0.7% to 2.2% of the loan investment amount and are recognized when investors receive each interest payment from borrowers over the term of the loan. Due to the timing difference in bookkeeping, for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015 and 2017, and for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, our cash incentive payments were higher than the post-origination revenue recognized. However, over the term

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of each individual loan, our total post-origination service fee from each investor, generated from loans with funds invested through our cash incentive program, is expected to exceed the incentive payments.

        Risk reserve liability charge     Since the inception of our business, we launched an investor protection service in the form of a risk reserve liability policy. In accordance with the agreements between our investors and us, if a borrower defaults under a loan, we are obligated to repay the investors the principal and accrued interest repayment of the defaulted loan liability. In accordance with the terms of the risk reserve liability policy, an amount equal to 1% and 2% of the loan amounts of all secured loans and credit loans including the principal and the interest, respectively, is set aside during a given period. We reserve the right to revise the percentage upwards or downwards based on our continuous evaluation of factors such as market dynamics as well as our product lines, profitability and cash position. Since February 1, 2017, we have terminated this risk reserve liability policy and introduced an insurance arrangement with a third-party insurer to protect investors against the risk of borrower defaults. See "Business—Risk Reserve Liability and Insurance".

        Our risk reserve liabilities charge amounted to approximately US$0.9 million, US$1.9 million and US$4.9 million in the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. Risk reserve liabilities were US$1.2 million and nil in the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, respectively, as we have discontinued our risk reserve policy since February 1, 2017.

        The following table sets forth the changes of the risk reserve liability for the periods indicated:

 
  For the Fiscal Years Ended
March 31,
  For the Three
Months
Ended June 30,
 
 
  2015   2016   2017   2016   2017  
 
  (US$)
  (US$)
 

Opening balance

        927,763     2,717,335     2,717,335      

Liability arising at the inception of loans              

    3,447,105     5,715,313     7,041,697     1,812,583      

Release on expiration

    (2,524,228 )   (3,699,071 )   (2,168,547 )   (625,831 )    

Payout

        (143,733 )   (2,470,347 )   (1,778,529 )    

Foreign exchange translation impact

    4,886     (82,937 )   (226,548 )   (70,122 )    

Sub-total

    927,763     2,717,335     4,893,590     2,055,436      

Transferred to Changan Insurance

            (4,893,590 )        

Ending Balance

    927,763     2,717,335         2,055,436      

Operating expenses

        Our operating expenses primarily consist of sales and marketing expenses, service and development expenses and general and administrative expenses. The following table sets forth a breakdown of our operating expenses for the periods indicated:

 
  For the Fiscal Years Ended
March 31,
  For Three Months Ended
June 30,
 
 
  2015   2016   2017   2016   2017  
 
  (US$)
  (US$)
 

Operating expenses

                               

Sales and marketing expenses

    2,605,042     3,840,143     5,212,127     1,021,894     2,568,544  

Service and development expenses

    1,605,636     2,358,867     5,149,265     923,083     1,334,985  

General and administrative expenses

    733,920     1,554,833     2,645,605     438,643     894,747  

Total operating expenses

    4,944,598     7,753,843     13,006,997     2,383,620     4,798,276  

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        Sales and marketing expenses     Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of advertising expenses for acquiring borrowers and investors, building our brand recognition and salaries and benefits related to our sales and marketing team.

        Sales and marketing expenses were US$2.6 million, US$3.8 million and US$5.2 million in the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. Sales and marketing expenses were US$1.0 million and US$2.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, respectively.

        Service and development expenses     Service and development expenses consist primarily of salaries, benefits and service costs directly relating to originating, developing and servicing loans for borrowers and investors. These expenses relate to credit assessment, maintenance and upgrading of our proprietary technology and risk management systems, live customer support, and third-party payment agent for fund management, payment, settlement and clearing services.

        Service and development expenses were US$1.6 million, US$2.4 million and US$5.1 million in the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. Service and development expenses were US$0.9 million and US$1.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, respectively.

        General and administrative expenses     General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and benefits related to our management, accounting and finance, legal and human resources teams and other operating expenses

        General and administrative expenses were US$0.7 million, US$1.6 million and US$2.6 million in the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. General and administrative expenses were US$0.4 million and US$0.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Income Taxes

Cayman Islands

        We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands and are not subject to income taxes or capital gain under the current laws of Cayman Islands.

Hong Kong

        Our wholly-owned Hong Kong subsidiary is an investment holding company registered in Hong Kong and is exempted from income tax on its foreign-derived income.

PRC

        Our subsidiary, Hexin Yongheng, and our consolidated VIE, Hexin E-Commerce, both established in the PRC, are subject to the PRC statutory income tax rate of 25%, according to the PRC Enterprise Income Tax, or EIT, law. Our VIE, Hexin E-Commerce, was granted the "high technology enterprise" status in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 and thus qualified to a preferred income tax rate of 15%. Substantially all our pre-tax income originates from Hexin E-Commerce. Tianjin Hexin E-Commerce, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hexin E-Commerce, qualified as a "high technology enterprise" in 2017, and therefore is subject to 15% statutory income tax rate starting March 25, 2016.

        Pursuant to the EIT law and its implementation rules, dividends paid to non-PRC resident enterprise investors that are considered PRC-sourced are subject to a 10% withholding tax. Under the Arrangement between Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion on Income (the "Arrangement"), a qualified Hong Kong tax resident which is determined by the competent PRC tax authority to have satisfied relevant requirements under the Arrangement and other applicable PRC laws is entitled to a reduced withholding tax rate of 5%.

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        In the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, the income tax provision was US$0.04 million, US$0.6 million and US$1.5 million, respectively. Our effective tax rates for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 were (14.3%), 15.1% and 15.1%, respectively. For the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, the income tax provision was US$0.2 million and US$1.6 million, respectively. Our effective tax rates for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 20l7 were l5.l% and 15.l%, respectively.

        Effective January 1, 2012, the PRC Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation launched a Business Tax to Value-Added Tax Transformation Pilot Program, which imposes VAT in lieu of business tax for certain "modern service industries" in certain regions and eventually expanded to nation-wide application in 2013. On March 23, 2016, the PRC Ministry of Finance and the SAT released the Circular on Comprehensively Promoting the Pilot Program of the Collection of Value-added Tax in Lieu of Business Tax, or Circular 36. According to the Circular 36, the "modern service industries" include research, development and technology services, information technology services, cultural innovation services, logistics support, lease of corporeal properties and attestation and consulting services. According to the Circular 36, our PRC subsidiary was subject to VAT at a rate of 6% in lieu of business tax. With the adoption of the VAT Pilot Program, the amount of our revenue that is subject to VAT payable on goods sold or taxable services provided by a general VAT taxpayer for a taxable period is the net balance of the output VAT for the period after crediting the input VAT for the period. Hence, the amount of VAT payable does not result directly from output VAT generated from goods sold or taxable services provided. Therefore, we have adopted the net presentation of VAT.

Critical Accounting Policies, Judgments and Estimates

        An accounting policy is considered critical if it requires an accounting estimate to be made based on assumptions about matters that are highly uncertain at the time such estimate is made, and if different accounting estimates that reasonably could have been used, or changes in the accounting estimates that are reasonably likely to occur periodically, could materially impact the consolidated financial statements.

        Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S GAAP and include the financial statements of Hexindai Inc., Hexindai Hong Kong Limited, Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd., Hexin E-Commerce, Hexin E-Commerce's Tianjin branch and Xizang Qinhe E-Commerce Technology Co. Ltd.

        The preparation of consolidated financial statements and unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during each reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Significant accounting estimates reflected in our consolidated financial statements and unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include: the Company's ability to realize deferred tax assets, estimated useful lives and fair value in connection with the impairment of property and equipment, risk reserve liability and accruals for income tax uncertainties.

        The following descriptions of critical accounting policies, judgments and estimates should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and other disclosures included in this prospectus. When reviewing our financial statements, you should consider (i) our selection of critical accounting policies, (ii) the judgments and other uncertainties affecting the application of such policies and (iii) the sensitivity of reported results to changes in conditions and assumptions.

Basis of Presentation and Consolidation

        We are a Cayman Islands company and our PRC subsidiary is considered a foreign invested enterprise. In order to comply with PRC laws and regulations, we conduct our operations in China

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through a series of contractual arrangements entered into among Hexin Yongheng, Hexin E-Commerce and the shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce. As a result of these contractual arrangements, we exert control over Hexin E-Commerce and consolidate its operating results in our financial statements under U.S. GAAP. Hexin E-Commerce holds assets material to our business operations, including the ICP License, domain names and trademarks and software licences. Most of our revenues, costs and expenses directly related to loan facilitation and servicing in China are generated through Hexin E-Commerce. As a result of the contractual arrangements, we have the ability to direct the activities of Hexin E-Commerce that most significantly impact its economic performance, and to obtain a majority of the residual returns of Hexin E-Commerce. We are considered the primary beneficiary of Hexin E-Commerce, and accordingly the entity is our variable interest entity under U.S. GAAP and we consolidate its results in our consolidated financial statements. Any changes in PRC laws and regulations that affect our ability to control Hexin E-Commerce might preclude us from consolidating the entity in the future.

        Our historical results for any period presented are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any future period. Although we believe that the assumptions underlying our consolidated financial statements and the allocations made to us are reasonable, our basis of presentation and allocation methodologies required significant assumptions, estimates and judgments. Using a different set of assumptions, estimates and judgments would have materially impacted our financial position and results of operations.

Revenue Recognition

        We are an online marketplace connecting borrowers and investors. We provide loan facilitation and management services to borrowers and post-origination services to investors and earn revenue accordingly. We charge borrowers loan facilitation fees or management service fees for facilitating loan transactions, and we charge investors post-origination service fees for their participation in Wallets and individual investments. We also receive fees, such as penalty fees for loan prepayment or late payment, fees for transferring loans and other management fees.

        Revenue is recognized when we collect fees and all of the following conditions are met: persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, the price is fixed or determinable and collectability is reasonably assured. These criteria as they relate to each of the following major revenue generating activities are described below.

Multiple element revenue recognition

        Revenue from credit loan transactions     We consider the loan facilitation services, post-origination services and up until February 1, 2017, the risk reserve liability as a multiple deliverable revenue arrangement, and that both investors and borrowers are our customers. We receive loan facilitation service fees paid by credit loan borrowers upfront at the time of credit loan issuance and post-origination service fees from investors when investors receive each interest payment from borrowers over the term of the credit loan. During the period of time we maintained the risk reserve liability policy, the amount equal to the fair value of the risk reserve liability was first allocated to the risk reserve liability in accordance with ASC Topic 460, "Guarantees" at fair value, including a margin and deducted from the total revenue. The remaining amount from investors and borrowers were allocated to loan facilitation fees and post-origination service fees using the best estimated selling price, as neither vendor specific objective evidence nor third party evidence of selling price is available. Loan facilitation revenue is recognized at loan inception. Revenue earned from investors for post-origination services is recognized over the term of the loan as cash is received. Since February 1, 2017, we have terminated this risk reserve liability policy and introduced an insurance arrangement with a third-party insurer to protect investors against the risk of borrower defaults. As a result, no fair value has been further allocated to risk reserve liability since then.

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        Revenue from secured loan transactions     We consider the loan management services, post-origination management services and up until February 1, 2017, the risk reserve liability as a multiple deliverable revenue arrangement, and that both investors and borrowers are our customers. We receive loan management service fees paid by secured loan borrowers over the term of secured loan and post-origination service fees from investors when investors receive each interest payment from borrowers over the term of the secured loan. During the period of time we maintained the risk reserve liability policy, the amount equal to the fair value of the risk reserve liability was first allocated to the risk reserve liability in accordance with ASC Topic 460, "Guarantees" at fair value, including a margin and deducted from total fees. The remaining amount from investors and borrowers was allocated to loan management service fees and post-origination service fees using the best estimated selling price, as neither vendor specific objective evidence nor third party evidence of selling price is available. Loan management service fee is recognized over the loan period in accordance with the monthly service provided. Revenue earned from investors for post-origination services is recognized over the term of the loan as cash is received. Since February 1, 2017, we have terminated this risk reserve liability policy and introduced an insurance arrangement with a third-party insurer to protect investors against the risk of borrower defaults. As a result, no fair value has been further allocated to risk reserve liability since then.

Other revenue

        Other revenue charged to investors includes membership fees, banking fees and one-time fees for loan transfers. Other revenue is recognized as earned.

Cash incentives reward program

        To expand our market presence, we provide cash incentives to new investors under our referral incentive program, as well as promotional cash incentives to existing investors from time to time. Upon the satisfaction of the terms and conditions under our referral incentive program or promotional campaigns, investors can redeem their cash incentives for credit to be used on our online marketplace. The cash incentives provided are accounted for as a reduction of revenue in accordance with ASC subtopic 605-50.

Risk reserve liability

        Since the inception of our business, we launched an investor protection service in the form of a risk reserve liability policy. In accordance with the risk reserve liability policy if a borrower defaults under a loan, we are obligated to repay the investors the principal and accrued interest repayment of the defaulted loan liability up to the amount of the risk reserve. See "Risk Factors—Risks Related to PRC Laws Regulating Our Business and Industry—Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of Chinese laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to us", "Risk Factors—Risks Related to PRC Laws Regulating Our Business and Industry—The laws and regulations governing the marketplace lending service industry in China are developing and evolving and subject to changes. If our practice is deemed to violate any PRC laws or regulations, our business, financial conditions and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected."

        In accordance with the terms of the risk reserve liability policy, an amount equal to 1% and 2% of the loan amounts of all secured loans and credit loans including the principal and the interest, respectively, is set aside during a given period ("Risk Reserve Liability Rate"). We estimated the fair value of the Risk Reserve Liability Rate based on the expected future payouts from the estimated loan loss rate ("M3+ Net Charge-off Rates"), which is assessed from the underlying borrower's risk assessment and historical and estimated future loan defaults. In determining the fair value of the Risk Reserve Liability Rate, we considered factors including but not limited to the historical M3+ Net Charge-off Rates, the estimated future loan loss rate and the impacts from the Insurance Agreement effective on February 1, 2017. In accordance with ASC 460-10-55-23 (b), at the inception of each loan,

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we recognize a risk reserve liability based on the contractual term and offset the revenue. According to ASC 460-10-35-1, the risk reserve liability initially recognized would typically be reduced as we are released from risk under the risk reserve liability policy either through expiry or performance. We track our risk reserve liability on a loan-by-loan basis to monitor the expiration.

        We reserve the right to revise the percentage of the Risk Reserve Liability Rate upwards or downwards as a result of our continuing evaluation of factors such as working capital and market conditions. There is no limit on the period of time in which an investor can receive payments for unpaid interest and principal from the risk reserve liability policy, but our obligation under the risk reserve liability policy to make payments is limited to the balance of the risk reserve liability at any point in time.

        In accordance with ASC 460-10-55-23 (b), at the inception of each loan, we recognize a stand-ready liability based on the Risk Reserve Liability Rate of the total loan facilitation amount under all secured loans and credit loans, respectively, and offset the revenue. We estimate the fair value of the risk reserve liability based on the expected future payouts from the estimated M3+ Net Charge-off Rates, which is assessed from the underlying borrower's risk assessment and historical and estimated future loan defaults. We believe the recognition of a stand-ready liability based on a Risk Reserve Liability Rate of loan facilitation amount under all secured loans and credit loans is a more conservative approach given that we only have a short operating history. We regularly review the borrower's risk profile, actual loss rate of each loan performance to ensure the estimation are kept up-to-date.

        On a portfolio basis, when the aggregate contingent liability required to be recognized under ASC 450-20-25 exceeds the risk reserve liability balance, we will record the excess as expense.

        On January 25, 2017, we entered into an agreement with Changan Insurance, a third party insurance company (the "Insurance Agreement"). Pursuant to the Insurance Agreement, effective as of February 1, 2017, the insurance company charges borrowers an insurance premium at 2% of the loan principal amount plus interest for loans facilitated on our marketplace. Additionally, we transferred the balance of the risk reserve liability of approximately US$4.9 million to Changan Insurance as a one-time payment at the inception of the Insurance Agreement, which was the exact balance of the risk reserve liability on January 31, 2017, the last effective day of the risk reserve liability policy. No gain or loss was recorded. In return, the Changan Insurance assumed our risk reserve obligation on the outstanding loan balances that were covered under the risk reserve policy and insured against future defaults. Starting from April 1, 2017, we no longer recorded risk reserve liability as there would be no reversion of any risk reserve liability. The risk reserve liability policy has been discontinued since February 1, 2017. Under the insurance arrangements, the borrower is responsible for paying the premium of the insurance policy. We do not charge any fees relating to the insurance policy. We will no longer record risk reserve liability because we as a third party to the insurance arrangements, only facilitate but do not enter into the insurance policies between Changan Insurance, borrowers and investors and therefore investors have no recourse towards us. If Changan Insurance refuses to provide insurance coverage to any borrower, such borrower shall not be able to proceed to take out a loan on our online marketplace. Changan Insurance is not our related party.

Income taxes

        Our subsidiary and VIE in China are subject to the income tax laws of the relevant tax jurisdiction. No taxable income was generated outside the PRC for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and the three months ended June 30, 2017. We account for income tax under the asset and liability method, which requires recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of the events that have been included in the financial statements or tax returns. Deferred income taxes will be recognized if significant temporary differences between tax and financial statements occur. Valuation allowances are established against net deferred tax assets

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when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. As of March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and June 30, 2017, no valuation allowance is considered necessary.

        In the normal course of business, we may be subject to challenges from taxing authorities regarding the amounts of taxes due. These challenges may alter the timing or amount of taxable income or deductions. Management determines whether the benefits of our tax positions are "more likely than not" to be sustained upon audit based on the technical merits of the tax position. We record a liability for uncertain tax positions when it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated.

        We continually evaluate expiring statutes of limitations, audits, proposed settlements, changes in tax law and new authoritative rulings. An uncertain tax position is recognized as a benefit only if it is "more likely than not" that the tax position would be sustained in a tax examination, with a tax examination being presumed to occur. The amount recognized is the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized on examination. For tax positions not meeting the "more likely than not" test, no tax benefit is recorded. Penalties and interest incurred related to underpayment of income tax are classified as income tax expense in the period incurred. According to our management's assessment, no significant penalties or interest relating to income taxes were incurred for the years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and the three months ended June 30, 2017. All tax returns since our inception of business are still subject to examination by tax authorities.

Foreign currency translation

        Since we operate primarily in the PRC, our functional currency is the Chinese Yuan ("RMB"). Our financial statements have been translated into the reporting currency the United States Dollar. Our assets and liabilities are translated at the exchange rate at each reporting period end date. Equity is translated at historical rates. Income and expense accounts are translated at the average rate of exchange during the reporting period. The resulting translation adjustments are reported under other comprehensive income. Gains and losses resulting from the translations of foreign currency transactions and balances are reflected in the statements of income.

        The RMB is not freely convertible into foreign currency and all foreign exchange transactions must take place through authorized institutions. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted into USD at the rates used in translation.

Share-based compensation

        Under our 2016 Equity Incentive Plan, we may grant share options to our selected employees, directors and non-employee consultants. Awards granted to employees with service conditions attached are measured at the grant date fair value and are recognized as an expense using straight-line method, net of estimated forfeitures, over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period. The estimate of forfeitures will be adjusted over the requisite service period to the extent that actual forfeitures differ, or are expected to differ, from such estimates. Changes in estimated forfeitures will be recognized through a cumulative catch-up adjustment in the period of change and will also impact the amount of share-based compensation expense to be recognized in future periods.

        Awards granted to employees with performance conditions attached are measured at fair value on the grant date and are recognized as the compensation expenses in the period and thereafter when the performance goal becomes probable to achieve.

        Awards granted to employees with market conditions attached are measured at fair value on the grant date and are recognized as compensation expenses over the estimated requisite service period, regardless of whether the market condition has been satisfied if the requisite service period is fulfilled.

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        Awards granted to non-employees are measured at fair value at the earlier of the commitment date or the date the services are completed, and are recognized using straight-line method over the period the service is provided.

        Binomial option-pricing models are adopted to measure the value of awards at each grant date or measurement date. The determination of fair value is affected by the share price as well as assumptions relating to a number of complex and subjective variables, including but not limited to the expected share price volatility, actual and projected employee and non-employee share option exercise behavior, risk-free interest rates and expected dividends. The use of the option-pricing model requires extensive actual employee and non-employee exercise behavior data for the relative probability estimation purpose, and a number of complex assumptions.

        We will recognize stock based compensation upon successful completion of a qualified initial public offering for the portion of the requisite service that has been rendered as of that date the portion for the period from April 1, 2016 to the date of the completion of the qualified initial public offering. Approximately US$2.3 million charge will be incurred if the qualified initial public offering is completed in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018.

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

        In connection with the audit of our consolidated financial statements as of and for the three fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified three material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting.

        The material weaknesses identified related to (i) a lack of accounting staff and resources with appropriate knowledge of U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting and compliance requirements; (ii) a lack of sufficient documented financial closing policies and procedures; and (iii) a lack of independent directors and an audit committee. Neither we nor our independent registered public accounting firm undertook a comprehensive assessment of our internal control under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for purposes of identifying and reporting any weakness in our internal control over financial reporting.

        To remedy our identified material weaknesses/significant deficiencies, we are in the process of implementing several measures to improve our internal control over financial reporting, including (i) hiring more qualified accounting personnel, including a reporting manager, with relevant U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting experience and qualifications to strengthen the financial reporting function and setting up a financial and system control framework. Currently, we have a financial reporting director and a financial reporting manager, and we intend to continue to strengthen our financial reporting system and resources; (ii) setting up an internal audit function as well as engaging an external consulting firm to assist us with assessment of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance requirements and improvement of overall internal controls. Currently, we have an internal audit manager and commissioner, and the internal audit team is in the process of setting up a financial and system control framework; and (iii) hiring independent directors, establishing an audit committee and strengthening corporate governance. We have identified three independent director candidates who have accepted appointments as our directors, effective upon the SEC's declaration of effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus forms a part.

        The process of designing and implementing an effective financial reporting system is a continuous effort that requires us to anticipate and react to changes in our business and the economic and regulatory environments and to expend significant resources to maintain a financial reporting system that is adequate to satisfy our reporting obligations. See "Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—If we fail to implement and maintain an effective system of internal controls or fail to remediate the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting that have been identified, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud."

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        As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in revenue for our last fiscal year, we qualify as an "emerging growth company" pursuant to the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, in the assessment of the emerging growth company's internal control over financial reporting. The JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company does not need to comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards until such date that a private company is otherwise required to comply with such new or revised accounting standards. However, we have elected to "opt out" of this provision and, as a result, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards as required when they are adopted for public companies. This decision to opt out of the extended transition period under the JOBS Act is irrevocable.

Results of Operations

        The following table sets forth a summary of our consolidated results of operations for the periods indicated, both in absolute amount and as a percentage of our net revenue This information should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. We began our business operations in March 2014. Due to our limited operating history, period-to-period comparisons discussed below may not be meaningful and are not indicative of our future trends. See "Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—We have a limited operating history in a new and evolving market, which makes it difficult to evaluate our future prospects."

 
  For the Fiscal Years Ended March 31,   For the Three Months Ended
June 30,
 
 
  2015   2016   2017   2016   2017  
 
  (US$)   %   (US$)   %   (US$)   %   (US$)   %   (US$)   %  
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  (unaudited)
 

Net revenue

    4,645,973     100.0 %   11,894,226     100.0 %   22,920,543     100.0 %   3,907,990     100.0 %   15,112,921     100.0 %

Operating expenses

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Sales and marketing

    2,605,042     56.1 %   3,840,143     32.3 %   5,212,127     22.7 %   1,021,894     26.1 %   2,568,544     17.0 %

Service and development

    1,605,636     34.6 %   2,358,867     19.8 %   5,149,265     22.5 %   923,083     23.6 %   1,334,985     8.8 %

General and administrative

    733,920     15.8 %   1,554,833     13.1 %   2,645,605     11.5 %   438,643     11.2 %   894,747     5.9 %

Total operating expenses

    4,944,598     106.4 %   7,753,843     65.2 %   13,006,997     56.7 %   2,383,620     61.0 %   4,798,276     31.7 %

Other income (expenses)

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Other income

    5,151     0.1 %   37,751     0.3 %   198,624     0.9 %   26,631     0.7 %   159,722     1.1 %

Other expense

    (12,855 )   –0.3 %   (11,481 )   –0.1 %   (19,095 )   –0.1 %   (286 )   0.0 %   (3,859 )   –0.1 %

Total other income (expense)

   
(7,704

)
 
–0.2

%
 
26,270
   
0.2

%
 
179,529
   
0.8

%
 
26,345
   
0.7

%
 
155,863
   
1.0

%

(Loss)/income before provision for income taxes

    (306,329 )   –6.6 %   4,166,653     35.0 %   10,093,075     44.0 %   1,550,715     39.7 %   10,470,508     69.3 %

Provision for income tax

    43,842     0.9 %   628,246     5.3 %   1,522,211     6.6 %   233,632     6.0 %   1,575,944     10.4 %

Net (loss)/income

    (350,171 )   –7.5 %   3,538,407     29.7 %   8,570,864     37.4 %   1,317,083     33.7 %   8,894,564     58.9 %

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        The following table sets forth our revenue breakdown for the periods indicated:

 
For the Fiscal Years Ended March 31, For the Three Months
Ended
June 30,
 
2015 2016 2017 2016 2017
 
(US$) (US$)
 
 
 
 
(unaudited)

Revenue: (1)

         

Loan facilitation service                   

297,026 7,228,135 25,636,661 4,092,088 16,446,177

Loan management service              

5,626,695 6,166,334 2,678,557 1,004,250 167,631

Post-origination service

700,627 1,193,737 1,219,897 297,840 328,928

Others

39,591 59,756 12,957 6,425

Total revenue

6,624,348 14,627,797 29,594,871 5,407,135 16,949,161

Business and sales related taxes


2,345

23,644

171,862

14,430

17,669

Cash incentives

1,053,153 837,418 1,629,316 297,963 1,818,571

Risk reserve liability charge

922,877 1,872,509 4,873,150 1,186,752

Net Revenue

4,645,973 11,894,226 22,920,543 3,907,990 15,112,921

(1)
Represents amounts net of VAT.

Three months ended June 30, 2017 Compared to Three Months ended June 30, 2016

        Net revenue     Our net revenue increased by US$11.2 million, or 286.7%, from US$3.9 million in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to US$15.1 million in the three months ended June 30, 2017, primarily due to the increase in the volume of credit loans facilitated through our marketplace, which increased from RMB0.4 billion (US$54.5 million) in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to RMB1.3 billion (US$184.9 million) in the three months ended June 30, 2017. The increase in the volume of credit loans facilitated through our marketplace was driven by an increase in the number of credit loan borrowers from 4,751 in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to 14,723 in the three months ended June 30, 2017. The increase in the volume of credit loans facilitated through our marketplace was also due to the increase in gross billing ratio (net of VAT) for credit loans from 7.5% in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to 8.9% in the three months ended June 30, 2017. The risk reserve liability decreased from US$1.2 million to nil as our risk reserve liability policy has been discontinued and replaced by a third party insurance arrangement since February 1, 2017, there was no risk reserve liability charge in the three months ended June 30, 2017, which also contributed to the increase of net revenue.

    Loan facilitation revenue   Loan facilitation revenue increased by US$12.4 million, or 301.9%, from US$4.1 million in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to US$16.4 million in the three months ended June 30, 2017. The increase was primarily due to an increase in the volume of credit loans facilitated through our online marketplace. During the three months ended June 30, 2017, the volume of credit loans facilitated through our online marketplace increased by 256.5% from the three months ended June 30, 2016 to the three months ended June 30, 2017. The gross billing ratio, net of VAT, of credit loans also increased from 7.5% to 8.9% during the same periods. In addition, we gradually increased the loan facilitation service fee charged to borrowers, which also contributed to higher loan facilitation revenue in the three months ended June 30, 2017.

    Loan management revenue   Loan management revenue decreased by US$0.8 million, or 83.3%, from US$1.0 million in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to US$0.2 million in the three months ended June 30, 2017. The decrease in loan management revenue was mainly due to an 97.9% decrease in volume of secured loans transacted on our online platform, from RMB0.5 billion (US$72.3 million) for the three months ended June 30, 2016 to RMB9.9 million

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      (US$1.4 million) for the three months ended June 30, 2017, which was in line with our corporate strategy of focusing more on credit loans, rather than secured loans.

    Post-origination revenue   Post-origination revenue was approximately US$0.3 million in the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017. The post-origination revenue remained stable as the increase in the volume of credit loans was offset by the decrease in the volume of secure loans facilitated on our marketplace.

        Operating expenses     Our total operating expenses increased by US$2.4 million, or 101.3%, from US$2.4 million in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to US$4.8 million in the three months ended June 30, 2017, primarily attributable to the increase in sales and marketing expenses.

    Sales and marketing expenses   Our sales and marketing expenses increased by US$1.5 million, or 151.4%, from US$1.0 million in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to US$2.6 million in the three months ended June 30, 2017. The increase was primarily due to the increase in expenses associated with our increased marketing efforts to enhance our brand recognition and therefore acquire more users. Our sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of our total revenue decreased from 26.1% to 17.0% during the same periods, primarily due to the increase of our revenue and also the improved effectiveness of our user acquisition efforts.

    Service and development expenses   Our service and development expenses increased by US$0.4 million, or 44.6%, from US$0.9 million in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to US$1.3 million in the three months ended June 30, 2017, primarily due to the increase in the volume of credit loans facilitated through our marketplace. Our service and development expenses as a percentage of our total revenue decreased from 23.6% to 8.8% during the same periods, primarily due to the increase of our revenue and also attributable to our improved operational efficiency.

    General and administrative expenses   Our general and administrative expenses increased by US$0.5 million, or 104.0%, from US$0.4 million in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to US$0.9 million in the three months ended June 30, 2017, primarily due to the increase in salaries and benefits paid to our general and administrative personnel and additional consulting and professional fees incurred in connection with preparation for this offering. Our general and administrative expenses as a percentage of our total revenue decreased from 11.2% to 5.9% during the same periods, primarily due to the increase of our revenue and also because our greater operational efficiency enabled us to achieve rapid revenue growth with relatively slower growth in general and administrative expenses.

        Total other income (expense)     Our other income was US$0.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2017, as compared to other expense of US$0.03 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016.

        Provision for income tax     Our income tax expense was US$1.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2017, as compared to US$0.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016, primarily because net income (before provision for income taxes) increased to US$10.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2017, as compared to US$1.6 million of for the three months ended June 30, 2016.

        Cash incentives     The cash incentives we paid to investors increased by US$1.5 million from US$0.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016 to US$1.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2017. We provided more cash incentives during the three months ended June 30, 2017 to promote the credit loan transaction facilitated through our platform.

        Risk reserve liability charge     The risk reserve liability charge decreased by US$1.2 million from US$1.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016 to nil for the three months ended June 30, 2017. Starting on February 1, 2017, we entered into an agreement with a third party insurance

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company. Pursuant to the agreement starting from February 1, 2017, Changan Insurance charges borrowers an insurance fee of 2% of the loan principal amount plus interest for loans facilitated on our marketplace, which is collected by us on behalf of Changan Insurance at the inception of the loan. Additionally, we paid the balance of the risk reserve liability as of January 31, 2017 of approximately US$4.9 million to Changan Insurance as a one-time payment at the inception of the agreement. In return, Changan Insurance assumes our risk reserve obligations on the outstanding loan balances that were covered under the risk reserve policy as of January 31, 2017 and insures against future defaults. Since the first quarter of 2017, we no longer recorded risk reserve liability.

        Net income/(loss)     As a result of the foregoing, we recorded a net income of US$8.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2017, compared to a net income of US$1.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016.

Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2017 Compared to Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2016

        Net revenue     Our net revenue increased by US$11.0 million, or 92.7%, from US$11.9 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to US$22.9 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, primarily due to the substantial increase in the volume of loans facilitated through our marketplace, which increased from approximately RMB3.0 billion (US$470.4 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to RMB3.3 billion (US$493.3 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. The increase in the volume of loans facilitated through our marketplace was due to a substantial increase in the number of borrowers from 11,120 in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to 28,738 in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. Another primary reason was due to the increase in proportion of volume of credit loans facilitated, and the decrease in proportion of volume of secured loans. Credit loans have a higher gross billing ratio (net of VAT) of 7.6%, whereas secured loans have a lower gross billing ratio (net of VAT) of 1.4%. The proportion of credit loans facilitated on our marketplace, calculated over the total loans facilitated by loan volume, increased from 21.5% to 68.3%; whereas the proportion of secured loans facilitated, calculated over the total loans facilitated by loan volume, decreased from 78.5% to 31.7%. Further, the total loan amount of our credit loans experienced rapid growth of 253.7% from the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, which also contributed to the increase of net revenue.

    Loan facilitation revenue   Loan facilitation revenue increased by US$18.4 million, or 254.7%, from US$7.2 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to US$25.6 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. The dramatic increase was primarily due to an increase in the volume of credit loans facilitated through our online marketplace. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, the volume of credit loans facilitated through our online marketplace was RMB2.3 billion (US$336.7 million), compared to RMB640.1 million (US$101.2 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. The gross billing ratio, net of VAT, of credit loans also increased from 7.1% to 7.6% during the same period. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, we gradually increased the loan facilitation service fee charged to borrowers as we increased our market share of loan volume.

    Loan management revenue   Loan management revenue decreased by US$3.5 million, or 56.6%, from US$6.2 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to US$2.7 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. The decrease in loan management revenue was mainly due to a shift in our corporate strategy of focusing more on credit loans, rather than secured loans, which led to a slowdown of secured loans transacted on our online marketplace. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, we facilitated a total volume of RMB1.1 billion (US$156.6 million) of secured loans on our online marketplace, compared to RMB2.3 billion (US$369.2 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. Due to the promulgation of the Interim Measures in August 2016, which limits the maximum investment of each individual investor to RMB200,000 (US$29,056.3), in the second half of the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 we decided to shift our corporate strategy away to focus on credit loans, rather than secured loans.

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    Post-origination revenue   Post-origination revenue was approximately US$1.2 million in both the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 and 2017.

        Operating expenses     Our total operating expenses increased by US$5.3 million, or 67.7%, from US$7.8 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to US$13.0 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, primarily attributable to the increase in service and development expenses.

    Sales and marketing expenses   Our sales and marketing expenses increased by US$1.4 million, or 35.7%, from US$3.8 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to US$5.2 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. The increase was primarily due to the increase in expenses associated with our increased marketing efforts to enhance our brand recognition and therefore acquire more users. Our sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of our total revenue decreased from 32.3% to 22.8% during the same period, primarily due to the improved effectiveness of our user acquisition efforts.

    Service and development expenses   Our service and development expenses increased by US$2.8 million, or 118.3%, from US$2.4 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to US$5.1 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, in line with the substantial increase in the volume of loans facilitated through our marketplace. Our service and development expenses as a percentage of our total revenue increased from 19.8% to 22.5% during the same period, primarily attributable to our improved operational efficiency.

    General and administrative expenses   Our general and administrative expenses increased by US$1.1 million, or 70.2%, from US$1.6 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to US$2.6 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, primarily due to the increase in salaries and benefits paid to our general and administrative personnel as well as the increase in professional service fees we paid to third-party service providers in preparation for this offering. Our general and administrative expenses as a percentage of our total revenue decreased from 13.1% to 11.5% during the same period, primarily due to our improved operational efficiency.

        Total other income (expense)     Our other income was US$ 0.18 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, as compared to a net other expense of US$0.03 million the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016.

        Provision for income tax     Our income tax expense was US$1.5 million the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, as compared to US$0.6 million the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, primarily because net income before provision for income taxes increased to US$10.1 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, as compared to US$4.2 million net income before provision for income taxes in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016.

        Cash incentives     The cash incentives we paid to investors increased by US$0.8 million, or 94.6%, from US$0.8 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to US$1.6 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. This increase was primarily due to more customer acquisition incentive payments made in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 as a result of our strengthened investor acquisition efforts. In our general incentive program, the cash incentive amount usually represents 0.3%-0.5% of the required minimum investment amount from investor and we recognize cash incentive payment as a reduction of revenue when paid. Our post-origination service fee for these loan investment is in a range of 0.7%-2.2% of the loan investment amount and recognized when investors receive each interest payment from borrowers over the term of the loan. Due to the timing difference, for fiscal years ended March 31, 2015 and 2017, our cash incentive payment were higher than the post-origination revenue recognized. However, over the term of individual loan, our total post-origination service fee from the investor invested through the Company's cash incentive program is expected to exceed the incentive payments.

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        Risk reserve liability charge     The risk reserve liability charge increased by US$3.0 million, or 160.2%, from US$1.9 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to US$4.9 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, primarily due to the significant increase in the volume of credit loans facilitated through our online marketplace in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017.

        Net (loss)/income     As a result of the foregoing, we recorded a net income of US$8.6 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, representing a 145.7% increase from a net income of US$3.5 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016.

Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2016 Compared to Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2015

         Net revenue Our net revenue increased by US$7.2 million, or 156.0%, from US$4.6 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to US$11.9 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, primarily due to the substantial increase in the volume of loans facilitated through our marketplace, which increased from approximately RMB2.1 billion (US$338.4 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to RMB3.0 billion (US$470.4 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. The increase in the volume of loans facilitated through our marketplace was due to a substantial increase in the number of borrowers from 1,636 in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to 11,120 in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016.

    Loan facilitation revenue   Loan facilitation revenue increased significantly from US$0.3 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to US$7.2 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. The dramatic increase was primarily due to an increase in the volume of credit loans facilitated through our online platform from RMB38.7 million (US$6.3 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to RMB640.1 million (US$101.2 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. In order to gain market entry, we charged a lower loan facilitation service fee in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, and in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 we gradually increased the loan facilitation service fee charged to borrowers as we captured more market share.

    Loan management revenue   Loan management revenue increased by US$0.5 million, or 9.6%, from US$5.6 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to US$6.2 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. The increase in loan management revenue was mainly due to the 14.3% increase in volume of secured loans transacted on our online platform, from RMB2.0 billion (US$332.1 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to RMB2.3 billion (US$369.2 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016.

    Post-origination revenue   Post-origination revenue increased by US$0.5 million, or 70.4%, from US$0.7 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to US$1.2 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. The increase in post-origination revenue was mainly due to the 42.9% increase in the total volume of loans we facilitated on our online platform, from RMB2.1 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to RMB3.0 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016.

         Operating expenses Our total operating expenses increased by US$2.8 million, or 56.8%, from US$4.9 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to US$7.8 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, primarily attributable to the increase in sales and marketing expenses, and to a lesser extent, the increase in general and administrative expenses.

    Sales and marketing expenses   Our sales and marketing expenses increased by US$1.2 million, or 47.4%, from US$2.6 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to US$3.8 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. The increase was primarily due to the increase in expenses associated with our increased marketing efforts to enhance our brand recognition and therefore acquire more users. Our sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of our total revenue decreased from 56.1% to 32.3% during the same period, primarily due to the improved effectiveness of our user acquisition efforts.

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    Service and development expenses   Our service and development expenses increased by US$0.8 million, or 46.9%, from US$1.6 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to US$2.4 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, in line with the substantial increase in the volume of loans facilitated through our marketplace. Our service and development expenses as a percentage of our total revenue decreased from 34.6% to 19.8% during the same period, primarily attributable to our improved operational efficiency.

    General and administrative expenses   Our general and administrative expenses increased by US$0.8 million, or 111.9%, from US$0.7 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to US$1.6 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, primarily due to the increase in salaries and benefits paid to our general and administrative personnel. Our general and administrative expenses as a percentage of our total revenue decreased from 15.8% to 13.1% during the same period, primarily because our greater operational efficiency enabled us to achieve rapid revenue growth with relatively slower growth in general and administrative expenses.

         Other income, net Our other income was US$0.03 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, as compared to a net other expense of US$0.01 million the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015.

         Income tax expense Our income tax expense was US$0.6 million the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, as compared to US$0.04 million the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, primarily because we generated net income before provision for income taxes in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, as compared to a loss before provision for income taxes in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015.

         Cash incentives The cash incentives we paid to investors decreased by US$0.2 million, or 20.5%, from US$1.1 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to US$0.8 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. After the first year of operations, we lowered the amount of cash incentives as we have built a considerable market presence.

         Risk reserve liability charge The risk reserve liability charge increased by US$0.9 million, or 102.9%, from US$0.9 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to US$1.9 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, primarily due to the significant increase in the volume of credit loans facilitated through our online platform in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016.

         Net income (loss) As a result of the foregoing, we recorded a net income of US$3.5 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, compared to a net loss of US$0.4 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

        We have financed our operations primarily through cash provided by operating activities and capital injections by our shareholders. We plan to finance our future operations primarily from cash generated from our operations and cash on hand. As of March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, we had US$1.0 million, US$7.8 million and US$19.2 million, respectively, in cash on hand and cash deposited with banks. As of June 30, 2017, our cash on hand and cash deposited with banks were US$32.5 million. As of March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, our working capital (excluding the amount due from related parties) amounted to a deficit of US$2.2 million, US$1.2 million and US$18.5 million, respectively. As of June 30, 2017, our working capital (excluding the amount due from related parties) amounted to US$28.2 million. We believe that our current cash, cash flows provided by operating activities, access to help from our shareholders and the estimated net proceeds from this offering will be sufficient to meet our working capital needs in the next 12 months.

        In January 2017, we entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with China Everbright Bank, pursuant to which China Everbright Bank may in the future provide integrated financial services, such as depositing services, credit financing and centralized funds management to us. China Everbright Bank has also agreed to extend loan credit of an amount up to RMB100 million to us upon request for our general woking capital purposes. The specific terms of the actual loan credit will be negotiated

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separately. After we tender a formal request and loan application, China Everbright Bank will implement proper loan approval procedures. China Everbright Bank requires regulatory and internal approvals before issuing loan credit to us. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not taken out any loans from China Everbright Bank, nor have we tendered an application to obtain such loan credit.

        As of March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, we had US$5.1 million, US$12.0 and US$4.2 million due from the related parties, respectively. As of June 30, 2017, we had US$3.7 million due from related parties. Each of Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information were incorporated and majority-owned by Mr. Xiaobo An, the Chairman of our Board of Directors. We historically utilized Hexin Group's centralized banking systems for our cash and banking management, which resulted in a significant balance of amount due from a related party. In addition, Hexin Group also paid expenses on our behalf. We have recorded all expenses paid by Hexin Group on our behalf in the related historical periods presented in our consolidated financial statements. According to a memorandum signed by each of Hexin Information, Hexin Financial Information and us, we expect to collect the balances due from Hexin Group in installments by September 30, 2017. On July 31, 2017, we received a further repayment from Hexin Group amounting to US$1,020,616.

        Substantially all of our operations are conducted in China and all of our revenue, expenses, cash and cash equivalents are denominated in RMB. RMB is subject to the exchange control regulation in China, and, as a result, we may have difficulty distributing any dividends outside of China due to PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert RMB into U.S. dollars.

        We have not declared nor paid any cash dividends to our shareholders. We do not plan to pay any dividends out of our retained earnings for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. With respect to retained earnings accrued after such date, our Board of Directors may declare dividends after taking into account our operations, earnings, financial condition, cash requirements and availability and other factors as it may deem relevant at such time. Any declaration and payment, as well as the amount, of dividends will be subject to our bylaws, charter and applicable Chinese and U.S. state and federal laws and regulations, including the approval from the shareholders of each subsidiary which intends to declare such dividends, if applicable.

        We have limited financial obligations dominated in U.S. dollars, thus the foreign currency restrictions and regulations in the PRC on the dividends distribution will not have a material impact on our liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in Financial Position

        As of June 30, 2017, our cash was US$32.5 million, representing an increase of US$13.3 million from US$19.2 million as of March 31, 2017, mainly due to the growth in revenue during the three months ended June 30, 2017. As of March 31, 2017, our cash was US$19.2 million, representing an increase of US$11.4 million from US$7.8 million as of March 31, 2016, mainly due to the growth of revenue and the completion of a private placement of US$2 million in December 2016. As of March 31, 2016, our cash was US$7.8 million, representing an increase of US$6.9 million from US$1.0 million as of March 31, 2015, mainly due to additional paid-in capital. For a discussion of the risk reserve liability, please see "—Key Components of Results of Operations—Risk Reserve Liability".

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        The following table sets forth a summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:

 
  For the Fiscal Years
Ended March 31,
  For the Three Months
Ended June 30,
 
 
  2015   2016   2017   2016   2017  
 
  (US$)   (US$)  

Summary of Consolidated Cash Flow Data

                               

Net Cash provided by operating activities

    2,586,515     7,025,442     8,189,744     (676,570 )   12,420,410  

Net Cash used in investing activities

    (223,999 )   (120,461 )   (287,765 )   (29,179 )   (61,035 )

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

    (1,412,591 )   243,266     4,288,646     2,023,400     541,871  

Effect of exchange rate change on cash

    4,756     (283,992 )   (777,286 )   (254,427 )   414,871  

Net increase in cash

    954,681     6,864,255     11,413,339     1,063,224     13,316,117  

Cash at the beginning of the period

        954,681     7,818,936     7,818,936     19,232,275  

Cash at the end of the period

    954,681     7,818,936     19,232,275     8,882,160     32,548,392  

Operating activities

        In the three months ended June 30, 2017, we had net cash generated from operating activities of US$12.4 million, primarily attributable to our net income of US$8.9 million, as adjusted for non-cash items and the effect of changes in working capital including: (i) an increase of US$2.2 million in tax payable due to increase in earnings, (ii) and US$1.4 million reduction in prepayment and other assets. Since January 12, 2017, we have transitioned from using accounts with online payment service providers for collection and transfer of loan funds between investors and borrowers to an integrated asset custody system with Jiangxi Bank. All funds from borrowers and investors are managed by Jiangxi Bank to ensure security and compliance with the relevant PRC laws and regulations. As a result, the funds payable and receivable balances as of June 30, 2017 were nil.

        In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, we had net cash generated from operating activities of US$8.2 million, primarily attributable to our net income of US$8.6 million, as adjusted for non-cash items and the effect of changes in working capital including: (i) an increase of US$2.2 million in tax payable; partially offset by (ii) a decrease in liabilities from the risk reserve liability in the amount of US$2.3 million as a result of the reserve liability policy being discontinued and replaced by a third-party insurance arrangement; (iii) a decrease of US$2.5 million in prepayment and other assets to investors, advertising and professional vendors; and (iv) a decrease in accrued expenses and other liabilities of US$2.6 million due to the reduced fund payable balance. Since January 12, 2017, we have transitioned from using accounts with online payment service providers for collection and transfer of loan funds between investors and borrowers to an integrated asset custody system with Jiangxi Bank. All funds from borrowers and investors are now managed by Jiangxi Bank to ensure security and compliance with the relevant PRC laws and regulations. As a result, the funds payable and receivable balances as of March 31, 2017 were nil.

        In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, we had net cash generated from operating activities of US$7.0 million, primarily attributable to our net income of US$3.5 million, as adjusted for non-cash items and the effect of changes in working capital including: (i) an increase in liabilities from the risk reserve liability in the amount of US$1.9 million as a result of more loans transacted on our online platform, (ii) an increase of US$1.1 million in tax payables due to the increase of taxable income, and (iii) an increase in accrued expenses and other liabilities of US$1.2 million, offset by a US$1.0 million increase in prepayment and other assets.

        In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, we had net cash generated from operating activities of US$2.6 million, consisting of our net loss of US$0.4 million, as adjusted for non-cash items and the effect of changes in working capital including: (i) an increase in accrued expenses and other liabilities

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of US$2.5 million due to the fact that more investors invested funds to the external payment network through our platform, (ii) an increase in liabilities from risk reserve liability in the amount of US$0.9 million as a result of more loans transacted on our online platform, and (iii) an increase of US$0.6 million in tax payables due to the increase of taxable income, offset by a US$0.9 million increase in prepayment and other assets.

Investing activities

        In the three months ended June 30, 2017, net cash used in investing activities was US$0.06 million, which was attributable to our purchases of office equipment.

        In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, net cash used in investing activities was US$0.3 million, which was attributable to our purchases of office equipment.

        In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, net cash used in investing activities was US$0.1 million, which was attributable to our purchases of equipment.

        In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, net cash used in investing activities was US$0.2 million, which was attributable to our purchases of equipment.

Financing activities

        In the three months ended June 30, 2017, net cash provided by financing activities was US$0.5 million, which mainly was attributable to net repayment from Hexin Group.

        In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, net cash provided by financing activities was US$4.3 million, mainly attributable to net repayment of US5.9 million from related parties and the completion of a US$2 million private placement in December 2016.

        In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, net cash provided by financing activities was US$0.2 million, which was attributable to cash contribution by our shareholders of US$7.6 million and offset by US$7.4 million in advances to our related parties.

        In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, net cash used in financing activities was US$1.4 million, which was attributable to advances to our related parties of US$5.1 million, offset by the contribution from our shareholders of US$3.7 million.

Capital Expenditures

        Our capital expenditures consist primarily of expenditures for the purchase of fixed assets and software. We made capital expenditures of US$0.2 million, US$0.1 million and US$0.3 million in the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively, primarily due to purchases of electronic and office equipment and leasehold improvements for our office as a result of our business growth. In the three months ended June 30, 2017, we made capital expenditures of US$0.06 million primarily due to purchases of electronic and office equipment and leasehold improvements for our office as a result of our business growth.

Contractual obligations and commitments

        We lease our main office space under an irrevocable operating lease agreement. Rental expenses under operating leases in the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 were US$209,594 and US$702,005 and US$720,314, respectively. Rental expenses under operating leases in the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017 were US$143,937 and US$250,861, respectively.

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        The following table sets forth our future minimum lease payments under irrevocable operating lease agreements as of March 31, 2018:

 
  Minimum
lease
payment
 
 
  (US$)  

Fiscal Years ending March 31,

       

2018

    1,040,093  

2019

    842,470  

2020

    657,729  

2021

    164,432  

2022 and thereafter

     

Total

    2,704,724  

        As of March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, we recorded liability of US$0.9 million, US$2.7 million and nil in relation to the risk reserve liability, respectively. As of June 30, 2016 and 2017, we recorded risk reserve liability of US$2.1 million and nil, respectively. As our risk reserve liability policy has been discontinued and replaced by a third party insurance arrangement since February 1, 2017, there was no risk reserve liability charge in the three months ended June 30, 2017.

        Other than those shown above, we did not have any significant capital and other commitments, long-term obligations, or guarantees as of March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and June 30, 2017, respectively.

Off-Balance Sheet Commitments and Obligations

        We did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as of June 30, 2017.

Loan Performance Data

Delinquency Rates

        We define the delinquency rates as of the end of the period as the outstanding balance of principal and interest that were 15 to 29, 30 to 59 and 60 to 89 calendar days delinquent as a percentage of the total outstanding balance of principal and interest for the relevant group of loans during such period.

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The following tables set forth our delinquency rates for all loans as of March 31, 2016 and March 31, 2017 and June 30, 2017, respectively:

 
  Delinquent for (1)  
 
  15 - 29 days   30 - 59 days   60 - 89 days   90=< days  
 
  RMB   US$   RMB   US$   RMB   US$   RMB   US$  
 
  (in thousands, except percentages)
 

As of March 31, 2016

                                                 

Unpaid balance of principal and interest

    659     102     529     82     438     68     78     12  

Delinquency rate

    0.092%     0.092%     0.074%     0.074%     0.061%     0.061%     0.011%     0.011%  

As of March 31, 2017

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Unpaid balance of principal and interest

    2,483     361     3,794     551     9,061     1,316     17,184     2,496  

Delinquency rate

    0.091%     0.091%     0.138%     0.138%     0.331%     0.331%     0.627%     0.627%  

As of June 30, 2017

   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Unpaid balance of principal and interest

    2,271     335                     22,444     3,311  

Delinquency rate

    0.059%     0.059%     0.000%     0.000%     0.000%     0.000%     0.579%     0.579%  

(1)
Loans that are delinquent for more than 89 days are counted towards the M3+ Net Charge-off Rates. See "—M3+ Net Charge-off Rates."

M3+ Net Charge-Off Rates

        We define "M3+ Net Charge-off Rates", with respect to loans facilitated during a specified time period or the "vintage", as (i) the total balance of outstanding principal of loans that become delinquent for over three months during a specified period and the remainder of the expected interest for the life of such loans, divided by (ii) the total initial principal of the loans facilitated in such vintage.

        The following table provides the amount of loans generated through our marketplace during each of the periods presented and the corresponding accumulated M3+ Net Charge-off and M3+ Net Charge-off Rates data as of June 30, 2017 for the loans facilitated during each of the periods presented.

M3+ Net Charge-off Rates  
Loan issued period
  Amount of loans
facilitated during
the period
  Accumulated
M3+ Net Charge-off
as of June 30, 2017
  Total M3+ Net
Charge-off Rate as
of June 30, 2017
 
 
  (RMB)   (US$)   (RMB)   (US$)   Percentage  
 
  (in thousands)
  (in thousands)
   
 

From inception to March 31, 2016

    678,849     107,466     18,017     2,828     2.65%  

From April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017

    2,264,421     336,727     4,426     643     0.20%  

From April 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017

    1,268,297     184,921             0.00%  

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Foreign Exchange Risk

        All of our revenue and substantially all of our expenses are denominated in RMB. In our consolidated financial statements, our financial information that uses RMB as the functional currency has been translated into U.S. dollars. Due to foreign currency translation adjustments, we had a foreign exchange translation loss of US$0.5 million and US$1.1 million in the fiscal years ended March 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively and a foreign exchange translation gain of US$17,366 in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, and we had a foreign exchange translation gain of $0.4 million for the three

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months ended June 30, 2017. Appreciation or depreciation in the value of the RMB relative to the U.S. dollar would affect our financial results reported in U.S. dollar terms without giving effect to any underlying change in our business or results of operations. Currently our exposure to foreign exchange risk primarily relates to our cash denominated in U.S. dollars as a result of the proceeds from this offering. We do not believe that we currently have any significant direct foreign exchange risk and have not used any derivative financial instruments to hedge exposure to such risk.

        The conversion of RMB into foreign currencies, including U.S. dollars, is based on rates set by the PBOC. The PRC government allowed the RMB to appreciate by more than 20% against the U.S. dollar between July 2005 and July 2008. Between July 2008 and June 2010, the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar had been stable and traded within a narrow band. Since June 2010, the PRC government has allowed the RMB to appreciate slowly against the U.S. dollar, though there have been periods when the RMB has depreciated against the U.S. dollar. In particular, on August 11, 2015, the PBOC allowed the RMB to depreciate by approximately 2% against the U.S. dollar. The RMB depreciated against the U.S. dollar by 5.6% in 2015 and 6.5% in 2016. It is difficult to predict how long the current situation may last and when and how the relationship between the RMB and the U.S. dollar may change again.

        To the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into RMB for our operations, appreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the RMB amount we receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert RMB 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 RMB would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amounts available to us.

Interest Rate Risk

        We have not been exposed to material risks due to changes in market interest rates, and we have not used any derivative financial instruments to manage our interest risk exposure. However, we cannot provide assurance that we will not be exposed to material risks due to changes in market interest rate in the future. Our future interest income may fall short of expectations due to changes in market interest rates.

        The fluctuation of interest rates may also affect the demand for our marketplace lending business. For example, a decrease in the interest rate may cause potential borrowers to seek loans from other channels and higher returns offered by comparable or substitute products may damper investor desire to invest in our marketplace. However, we do not expect that the fluctuation of interest rates will have a material impact on our financial condition.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

        In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-09, "Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting", which amends the scope of modification accounting for share-based payment arrangements. The ASU provides guidance on the types of changes to the terms or conditions of share-based payment awards to which an entity would be required to apply modification accounting. Specifically, an entity would not apply modification accounting if the fair value, vesting conditions, and classification of the awards are the same immediately before and after the modification. The amendments in this Update are effective for all entities for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. The amendments in this Update should be applied prospectively to an award modified on or after the adoption date. We do not expect that the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on our interim condensed consolidated financial statements.

        In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, "Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business". The amendments in this ASU clarify the definition of a

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business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. Basically these amendments provide a screen to determine when a set is not a business. If the screen is not met, the amendments in this ASU first, require that to be considered a business, a set must include, at a minimum, an input and a substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to create output and second, remove the evaluation of whether a market participant could replace missing elements. These amendments take effect for public businesses for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods within those periods, and all other entities should apply these amendments for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019. We do not expect that the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

        In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU No. 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)" ("ASU 2014-09"). ASU 2014-09 requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. ASU 2014-09 will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles when it becomes effective and permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The guidance also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, "Deferral of the Effective Date" ("ASU 2015-14"), which defers the effective date for ASU 2014-09 by one year. For public entities, the guidance in ASU 2014-09 will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 (including interim reporting periods within those periods), which means it will be effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning April 1, 2018. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-08, "Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue versus Net)" ("ASU 2016-08"), which clarifies the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations in the new revenue recognition standard. In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-10, "Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing" ("ASU 2016-10"), which reduces the complexity when applying the guidance for identifying performance obligations and improves the operability and understandability of the license implementation guidance. In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-12 "Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients" ("ASU 2016-12"), which amends the guidance on transition, collectability, noncash consideration and the presentation of sales and other similar taxes. In December 2016, the FASB further issued ASU 2016-20, "Technical Corrections and Improvements to Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers" ("ASU 2016-20"), which makes minor corrections or minor improvements to the Codification that are not expected to have a significant effect on current accounting practice or create a significant administrative cost to most entities. The amendments are intended to address implementation issues that were raised by stakeholders and provide additional practical expedients to reduce the cost and complexity of applying the new revenue standard. These amendments have the same effective date as the new revenue standard. Preliminarily, we plan to adopt Topic 606 in the first quarter of our fiscal 2018 using the retrospective transition method, and are continuing to evaluate the impact our pending adoption of Topic 606 will have on our consolidated financial statements. We will not be able to make that determination until the time of adoption based upon outstanding contracts at that time.

        In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, "Statement of Cash Flows: Restricted Cash". The amendments address diversity in practice that exists in the classification and presentation of changes in restricted cash on the statement of cash flows. The amendment is effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. We are currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its consolidated financial statements.

        In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016 15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, to provide guidance on the presentation

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and classification of certain cash receipts and cash payments on the statement of cash flows. The guidance specifically addresses cash flow issues with the objective of reducing the diversity in practice. The guidance will be effective for the Company in fiscal year 2018, but early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

        In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, "Financial Instruments—Credit Losses", which will require the measurement of all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019 and interim periods within those fiscal years. We are currently evaluating this statement and our impact on our results of operations or financial position.

        In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The guidance supersedes existing guidance on accounting for leases with the main difference being that operating leases are to be recorded in the statement of financial position as right-of-use assets and lease liabilities, initially measured at the present value of the lease payments. For operating leases with a term of 12 months or less, a lessee is permitted to make an accounting policy election not to recognize lease assets and liabilities. For public business entities, the guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early application of the guidance is permitted. In transition, entities are required to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. We are in the process of evaluating the impact that this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements.

        In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, "Financial Instruments—Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities" This guidance revises the accounting related to the classification and measurement of investments in equity securities as well as the presentation for certain fair value changes in financial liabilities measured at fair value, and amends certain disclosure requirements. The guidance requires that all equity investments, except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those resulting in the consolidation of the investee, be accounted for at fair value with all fair value changes recognized in income. For financial liabilities measured using the fair value option, the guidance requires that any change in fair value caused by a change in instrument-specific credit risk be presented separately in other comprehensive income until the liability is settled or reaches maturity. The guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted for certain provisions. A reporting entity would generally record a cumulative-effect adjustment to beginning retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is adopted. We are in the process of evaluating the impact that this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements.

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OUR INDUSTRY

         We operate a unique, fast-growing marketplace in China's consumer lending marketplace industry, which is a subset of China's overall credit industry. Since no reliable third-party data is publicly available for the marketplace lending or consumer credit industries in China, we have engaged Oliver Wyman, a leading independent market research firm, to prepare a commissioned industry report that analyzes these industries. All the information and data presented in this section has been derived from Oliver Wyman's industry report unless otherwise noted. Oliver Wyman has advised us that the statistical and graphical information contained herein is drawn from its database and other sources. Although the following discussion describes historical growth and includes projections for expected future growth, such future growth may not occur at the rates that are projected or at all.

        In recent years, China's consumer credit and marketplace lending industries have undergone significant and rapid changes and are continuing to innovate and evolve. This section discusses the factors driving these changes and projections of future growth, the various market segments, key elements of the competitive landscape and the various business models in China's marketplace lending industry.

China's Consumption Demand for Premium Goods and Services

Consumption has experienced rapid growth

        China's economy was traditionally an investment-driven economy. In recent years, China has undergone economic structural reforms and has shifted to a consumption-driven economy. Consumption has grown rapidly and the growth rate has surpassed China's GDP growth since 2008, according to Oliver Wyman. China's real consumption comprised only 39% of its GDP in 2016, as compared to 69% in the United States in 2016. This demonstrates considerable potential for growth of China's private consumption market.

        The following chart shows the expected growth in China's private consumption market:

GRAPHIC


Source: Oliver Wyman report based on data provided by Oxford Economics

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The consumption structure has shifted to more premium lifestyle choices

        From 2011 to 2016, China's real disposal income per capita increased year-on-year. This increase in Chinese consumers' personal disposable income, coupled with their optimism in consumer confidence, indicates strong appetite to spend. The consumption structure has shifted from staple and necessity goods to premium products and services. There is an increasing consumption demand for luxury goods, travel, cosmetic medicine, education and home renovation and a desire to enhance personal well-being.

        The following graph shows the expected growth of the annual consumption expenditure per household in all population deciles of China:

GRAPHIC


Source: Oliver Wyman report based on data provided by Euromonitor

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Changing consumer demographics, in particular on the emergence of the lower mass population

        According to Oliver Wyman, the population in China is categorized into four segments by accumulated disposable assets, comprising (1) the high net worth population; (2) the affluent/mass affluent population; (3) the upper mass population; (4) the lower mass population; and (5) the rest. The following graph shows that the expected growth of these segments in China:

GRAPHIC


    (1)
    Accumulated disposable assets are assets available for investment or spending, excluding primary residences
    (2)
    Population is the number of adults 18 years old and above

    Source: Oliver Wyman report based on data provided by Forbes, Credit Suisse, World Bank and McKinsey

        According to Oliver Wyman, the "emerging middle class" in China represents the "lower mass population" and represents the population segment with accumulated disposable assets of RMB60,000 to RMB100,000. These people are typically in the average age range of between 31 to 45 years old, with an average monthly income of RMB3,000 to RMB7,000. With urbanization, the lower mass affluent population is projected to grow quickly in size, from approximately 306.2 million people in 2016 to 372.2 million people in 2020. Further, the lower mass population will drive a large consumption demand for premium goods and services.

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Development of China's Consumer Finance Market

Total consumer credit market in China

        China's credit market once faced the structural problem of being over-reliant on indirect financing from banks. However, loans from traditional financial institutions are not accessible to individuals as they are not the target customers of traditional financial institutions such as banks. The gap between the supply and demand of consumer credit therefore led to a proliferation of the consumer credit market in recent years. The value of the total consumer finance market in China, including personal consumption loans and loans for personal operations, was approximately RMB14.3 trillion in 2016 and is projected to grow to approximately RMB27.8 trillion in 2020.

        The following chart shows the expected growth in the different segments in the consumer finance market in China:

GRAPHIC


Source: Oliver Wyman report based on data provided by PBOC

        The personal consumption loan market consists of (1) secured and unsecured loans from banks as well as consumer finance companies and Internet players to service personal business operations and other consumption needs, and (2) credit cards.

        Non-credit card consumer loans consist of "product loans" and "cash loans". For each of "product loans" and "cash loans", Internet players including consumer lending platforms and online consumer finance platforms are increasingly taking center-stage. These non-traditional market players use strictly online channels for funding, and have a lower cost of acquisition generally.

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China's Marketplace Lending Market

China's Consumer Lending Market

        In China, consumer lending markets began emerging in 2006 and increased in dominance after 2009. However, the market changes rapidly and remains unpredictable. According to Oliver Wyman, since 2016 approximately 2,000 lenders went bankrupt while approximately 800 new players entered the market. As of June 30, 2017, there were 2,118 consumer lending platforms in China.

        Due to the fast-growing demands of borrowers that are largely underserved by traditional banks and financial institutions, the marketplace lending volume in China is expected to grow at a CAGR of 35% from 2016 to reach RMB6,790 billion by 2020. The following chart shows the expected growth of the consumer lending market in China:

GRAPHIC

        The consumer lending industry in China is fragmented and diverse, with the top 15 players accounting for only approximately 5% of the total outstanding loans. Consumer lending markets target primarily borrowers for corporate loans and for personal consumption loans. Personal consumption loans are further divided into (1) personal operation loans by individual business owners; and (2) consumption loans for individual personal consumption, often unsecured.

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        The following table shows the different types of consumer finance loans:

GRAPHIC

Types of Consumer Finance Loans

        The consumer finance loan market consists of four different loan types: (1) pay-day loans; (2) small-amount loans; (3) medium-amount loans; and (4) large-amount loans. Pay-day loans refer to small-amount loans (typically with principal amounts of less than RMB 3,000) with short terms (typically with an average term of less than 30 days) which are taken primarily to meet urgent needs for daily necessities. Small-amount loans refer to loans with principal amounts of between RMB 3,000 and RMB 20,000 with an average term of between three to 12 months. Small-amount loans are typically taken by young professionals and consumers without credit cards to make purchases such as smartphones, cameras and laptops. Medium-amount loans refer to loans with principal amounts between RMB 20,000 and RMB 140,000, and are typically used to finance various premium lifestyle consumption demands. The term of medium-amount loans is typically between 12 to 36 months. See "—Medium-sized loans" below for further information. Large-amount loans refer to loans with principal amounts of more than RMB 140,000, with a term of more than two years and often secured with collateral. Such large-amount loans are typically used to finance business operations.

Medium-sized loans

        Medium-sized loans ranging from RMB20,000 to RMB140,000 are primarily used to finance most premium lifestyle consumption demands such as luxury goods, travel, cosmetic medicine, education and home renovation. As mentioned above, the lower mass population is increasingly pursuing premium and upgraded lifestyles, fuelling the increasing demand for medium-sized loans. The unsecured medium-sized consumer loans segment is the fastest growing and largest consumer finance segment,

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and its transaction volume is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 62% from RMB0.3 trillion in 2016 to RMB2.2 trillion in 2020. Most medium-sized consumer loans do not require collateral.

        The following chart shows the expected growth in the medium-sized consumer credit loans market:

GRAPHIC

The Competitive Landscape of the Medium-Sized Private Consumption Loans Market

        According to Oliver Wyman, in the unsecured medium-sized consumer loans market in China, we were a top ten market player in terms of transaction volume for the six months ended June 30, 2017, with a strong hybrid offline-to-online borrower acquisition model. Our online website and mobile application effectively capture the trend of the technology-savvy Chinese population that increasingly uses Internet and mobile phones to collect and browse through information of different financial products and carry out borrowing and investing activities. At the same time we leverage on the physical branches of Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information to acquire borrowers offline as well as carry out face-to-face verification and credit assessment.

Market Drivers for China's Consumer Finance Marketplace Lending Market

Growing Consumption Market Underserved by Banks

        According to Oliver Wyman, in 2016, the household savings ratio in China was 39%, as compared to 6% in the United States, and the amount of consumption loans as a percentage of total consumption expenditure was 53% in China, as compared to 81% in the United States. However, Chinese consumers are now prepared to spend more. According to Oliver Wyman, the private consumption market in China grew at a CAGR of 10% from RMB15 trillion in 2010 to RMB25 trillion in 2016, and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7% to RMB33 trillion in 2020. Notwithstanding such high demand for consumption spending, approximately 84% of the Chinese population (aged 15 or above) did not have credit cards and among the approximately 880 million people in PBOC's credit database, only 380 million people have a credit rating. The rest of the population has little, if any, access to loans from traditional banks and financial institutions. The demand for private consumption loans is expected to be largely driven by financially active consumers with no credit histories or access to bank-issued credit cards.

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Proliferation of Internet, Mobile and Online Banking Channels

        In 2016, there were 731 million Internet users and 695 million smartphone users in China, comprising approximately 53% and 50% of the Chinese population, respectively. The number of Internet users and smartphone users are expected to grow at CAGRs of 5% and 6% by 2020. The use of e-commerce has grown rapidly, with the desktop and mobile online banking transaction values reaching RMB2,243 trillion in 2016 and forecasted to reach approximately RMB5,409 trillion by 2020.

Investors' Strong Appetite for Financial Investment Products

        In 2016, China's total personal investable assets reached RMB134 trillion and is expected to grow to RMB226 trillion by 2020. The growth in the Chinese population's personal investable assets indicates potential and strong appetite for wealth management products with higher yields, and is expected to drive the consumer lending investments in China. Marketplace lending has evolved to provide a platform for investors to connect with borrowers whose loans can generate attractive returns with well-defined risks.

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BUSINESS

Overview

        We are a fast-growing consumer lending marketplace facilitating loans to meet the increasing consumption demand of the emerging middle class in China. According to Oliver Wyman, the "emerging middle class" comprises largely of the "lower mass population" in China, which is the population segment with accumulated disposable assets of RMB60,000 to RMB100,000. These people are typically in the average age range of between 31 to 45 years old, with an average monthly income of RMB3,000 to RMB7,000. We believe the financing needs of this segment of consumers in China have been largely underserved due to the lack of an easily-accessible credit market. We help these Chinese consumers fulfil their consumption financing needs by facilitating loans between borrowers and investors, providing borrowers with ready access to credit and investors with risk-adjusted returns. We believe that our consumer lending marketplace, integrated with online and offline platforms, advanced technology and innovation, will help meet the demands from these consumers in a sustainable way.

        China represents the largest and fastest growing marketplace lending market in the world. Oliver Wyman has projected that China's consumer lending market will reach RMB4.1 trillion in 2020, representing a compound annual growth rate, or CAGR, of 49% from 2016. We believe the emerging middle class represents a large and relatively untapped consumer credit market opportunity in China. Consumption by this segment has experienced strong growth and a shift from staple or necessity goods to premium products and services, such as luxury goods, travel, cosmetic medicine, education and home renovation. Our consumer lending marketplace specifically targets this consumer market by offering medium-sized loans ranging from RMB20,000 to RMB140,000 to these consumers. According to Oliver Wyman, the consumer credit market represented by medium-sized loans ranging from RMB20,000 to RMB140,000 accounted for approximately 62% of the total individual consumption market in China in 2016. From the inception of our business to June 30, 2017, the total transaction volume of loans facilitated on our marketplace amounted to RMB9.7 billion (US$1.5 billion). We primarily focus on facilitating medium-sized credit loans ranging from RMB20,000 to RMB140,000, which represented approximately 80% of our total transaction volume during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 and the three months ended June 30, 2017.

        We have built a multi-channel marketplace to reach and serve borrowers and investors, leveraging both our online platform and the nationwide physical networks of our offline cooperation partner, Hexin Group, which is majority-owned by our controlling shareholder. As of June 30, 2017, our offline cooperation partner had a total of 144 branches, located in 103 cities in 21 provinces and 4 municipalities across China. We acquire borrowers offline through cooperation with our offline cooperation partner in accordance with certain contractual arrangements. See "Corporate History and Structure—Our Relationship with Hexin Group". Leveraging our borrower acquisition model that combines online platform and offline networks, our online marketplace has experienced significant growth since its inception. The total amount of loans facilitated through our online marketplace increased by 42.9% from the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, and by 11.5% from the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. In particular, the total loan amount of our credit loans experienced rapid growth of 1,552.8% from the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, and 253.7% from the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. The total loan amount of credit loans increased by 256.5% from the three months ended June 30, 2016 to the three months ended June 30, 2017.

        We provide borrowers with convenient and ready access to credit through our online marketplace. We offer borrowers a wide range of products designed based on customer segmentation data and tailored to the specific needs of the emerging middle class in China. We offer investors various types of investment products with appropriate risk levels and risk-adjusted returns, and have achieved high investor satisfaction and loyalty as shown by our repeat investor rates. The average annualized

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investment return for loans facilitated on our marketplace ranges from 8% to 15%. As of June 30, 2017, more than 55.6% of our investors had invested more than once on our marketplace. For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2016 and 2017, the total number of borrowers increased by 579.7% and 158.4% from the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015 and 2016, respectively, and the total number of investors increased by 81.8% and 99.3% from the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015 and 2016, respectively. The total number of borrowers and investors increased by 195.1% and 83.3%, respectively from the three months ended June 30, 2016 to the three months ended June 30, 2017.

        We believe we have established strategic cooperative relationships with well-known financial institutions, such as Jiangxi Bank, China Unionpay, Changan Insurance and China Everbright Bank. We leverage our cooperation with these well-known financial institutions to further build our brand and strengthen our market position. Our strategic cooperative relationships demonstrate our competitive strengths among peers in terms of compliance and business performance. We believe our partnerships with Jiangxi Bank and China Unionpay, Changan Insurance and China Everbright Bank demonstrate each of their recognition of our fund management and information management capabilities, our loan approval and verification process and risk management system and confidence in our long-term operating performance and growth, respectively.

        We believe we have developed an advanced risk management system leveraging our proprietary technology, algorithms and data sources. On May 4, 2017, we were awarded a Level 3 Certificate for Protection of State Information Security by the Ministry of Public Security, a prestigious form of recognition awarded to financial institutions such as commercial banks for stringent information security management. Our technology-driven risk management system comprises online big data analysis, offline confirmation of borrower information, credit scoring and decision-making, and post-loan management. This system has enabled us to assess the credit-worthiness of our borrowers more effectively and provide risk-based pricing for our products to better serve our customers and enhance customer satisfaction. We are partnering with global service partners, including Fair Isaac Corporation and GBG DecTech, to enhance our credit approval and fraud detection systems.

        We generate revenue from fees charged for our services in matching investors with individual borrowers and for other services we provide over the life of a loan. We primarily charge borrowers loan facilitation and loan management service fees for services provided by our marketplace in facilitating loans and providing other services, and we also charge investors post-origination service fees for investing in Wallets, individual investments and loan transfer services.

        We have experienced rapid growth since our inception of business in 2014. Our revenue increased by 156.0% from US$4.6 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to US$11.9 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, and by 92.7% from US$11.9 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to US$22.9 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. Our revenue increased by 286.7% from US$3.9 million in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to US$15.1 million in the three months ended June 30, 2017. Our net profit was US$3.5 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, while our net loss was US$350,171 in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015. Our net profit increased by 142.2% from US$3.5 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to US$8.6 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. Our net profit was US$1.3 million and US$8.9 million in the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, respectively.

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Our Competitive Strengths

        We believe that the following competitive strengths have contributed to our growth and helped us take advantage of the substantial market opportunity:

A fast-growing consumer lending marketplace focusing on meeting the increasing consumption demand of the emerging middle class in China

        We are a fast-growing consumer lending marketplace focusing on meeting the increasing consumption demand of the emerging middle class in China. According to Oliver Wyman, China's private consumption market has grown steadily at a CAGR of 10% from RMB15 trillion in 2010 to RMB23 trillion in 2015, and is expected to reach RMB32 trillion by 2020. The private consumption market in China has increasingly shifted from consumption of staples or necessity goods to consumption of premium goods and services, such as luxury goods, travel, cosmetic medicine, education and home renovation. According to Oliver Wyman, the consumer credit market represented by medium-sized loans ranging from RMB20,000 to RMB140,000 accounted for approximately 62% of the total individual consumption market in China in 2016. The transaction volume of the medium-sized credit loan market in China reached RMB365 billion in 2016 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 66% from 2015 to 2020. We believe the emerging middle class represents a large and relatively untapped consumer credit market opportunity in China and our consumer lending marketplace specifically targets these consumers by offering medium-sized loans to meet their financing needs. The total transaction volume of loans facilitated on our marketplace amounted to RMB9.7 billion (US$1.5 billion) from the inception of our business to June 30, 2017. As of June 30, 2017, consumers with a monthly income of RMB3,000 to RMB7,000 accounted for 65.3% of our borrowers. We have designed loan products that are tailored to the specific financing needs of the emerging middle class, such as provident fund loans, home-owner loans, car-owner loans and insurance-holder loans. As of June 30, 2017, more than 88.9% of loans facilitated on our marketplace were used for daily-life consumption purposes, including travel, cosmetic medicine, education, purchase of automobiles and high-end furniture.

        Our fast growth is also demonstrated by the significant growth in the transaction volume of our credit loans. During the fiscal years ended March 31, 2016 and 2017 and the three months ended June 30, 2017, the total credit loan volume increased by 1,552.8%, 253.7% and 256.5% from the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015 and 2016 and the three months ended June 30, 2016, respectively. Our secured loan volume also increased by 14.3% from the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, but subsequently decreased by 54.9% from the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 and decreased 97.9% from the three months ended June 30, 2016 to the three months ended June 30, 2017, as a result of our shift in focus from secured loans to credit loans.

Strong O2O capability combining online platform with extensive offline networks

        We operate our consumer lending marketplace primarily through our online platform to improve efficiency and reduce costs. Our core functions are all conducted through our online platform. Our online platform is accessible via the Internet, mobile applications, H5 and social media (such as WeChat and Weibo). Our technology-enabled online marketplace allows us to provide customers with convenient and ready access to various loan products to meet their specific financing needs.

        We also cooperate with our offline partner, Hexin Group, which is majority-owned by our controlling shareholder, to utilize its extensive on-the-ground sales networks to acquire borrowers. We have entered into a cooperation agreement with Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information, under which Hexin Group refers offline borrowers to us, and we then provide online marketplace services to match investors with these borrowers. See "Corporate History and Structure—Our Relationship with Hexin Group". In the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and the

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three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, over 90% of our borrowers were referred from Hexin Group. The sales and distribution networks of Hexin Group expanded rapidly from 47 branches as of December 31, 2015 to 144 as of June 30, 2017, covering 103 cities, in 21 provinces and 4 municipalities across China. Through the on-the-ground sales networks of our offline partner, we have expanded our reach to customers through various sales and distribution channels, including direct sales and marketing, advertising by pamphlets, telephone marketing, invitations and referrals from existing customers.

        Our O2O model has helped us expand our reach to a wide range of borrowers and enhance our risk management capability. The synergistic relationship between our online platform and our offline partner's networks has led to a significant growth of our online marketplace since its inception. The total amount of loans facilitated through our online marketplace increased by 42.9% from the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, by 11.5% from the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 and by 54.4% from the three months ended June 30, 2016 to the three months ended June 30, 2017. For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2016 and 2017, the total number of borrowers increased by 579.7% and 158.4% from the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015 and 2016, respectively, and the total number of investors also increased by 81.8% and 99.3% from the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015 and 2016, respectively. For the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, the total number of borrowers and investors increased by 195.1% and 83.3%, respectively.

Risk-adjusted investment returns and high investor satisfaction

        We believe that our marketplace provides an attractive investment opportunity for investors. We offer investors various types of investment products tailored to their needs with risk-adjusted returns. We match investors' funds with loans based on different terms, interest rates, amounts and types of products. Our credit decision-making system has helped diversify risks and increase liquidity of funds for investors. We believe the average investment returns on our marketplace, ranging from 8% to 15%, are higher than traditional investment channels in China, including bank deposits, bonds and wealth management products.

        We utilize multiple sales and distribution channels to attract investors, including online channels, such as our website, mobile application, H5, social media (such as WeChat and Weibo), and cooperate with online platforms, such as Baidu, Xiaomi, 360.cn and Wangdaizhijia.com. To encourage investors to increase their investment activity and investment amounts on our marketplace, we have established a VIP investor loyalty program, which offers VIP investors various discounts on management fees based on their VIP levels. We have thus achieved high investor satisfaction and loyalty, as shown by our repeat investor rates. In the fiscal years ended March 31, 2016 and 2017, 60.5% and 50.0% of our investors were repeat investors (i.e. investors who made more than one investment during the specified period), respectively. In the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, 67.1%, and 52.3% of our investors were repeat investors, respectively. The repeat investor rate is calculated by the number of repeat investors divided by the total number of active investors during the period. We believe the repeat investor rate illustrates the degree of customer loyalty of our investors. According to Oliver Wyman, there is insufficient publicly available information in the online lending marketplace industry in the PRC to provide benchmark data on the repeat investor rate that is representative and reliable. From the inception of our business to June 30, 2017, more than 55.6% of our investors had invested more than once. The loyalty of our investors has also led to relatively low customer acquisition costs. Our investor acquisition cost decreased from RMB765 per investor in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to RMB735 per investor in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017.

Advanced and Proprietary Risk Management System

        Our advanced and proprietary risk management system comprises online big data analysis, offline confirmation of borrower information, credit scoring and decision-making, and post-loan management.

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We have employed a comprehensive risk management system to process data gathered through various sources, including our own online platform and third-party industry data, supplemented by offline verifications conducted by our offline cooperation partner. We have developed our proprietary credit scoring and decision-making algorithms to efficiently process and consolidate all the data collected and generate a credit score and risk profile for each borrower applicant. We have also implemented risk-based pricing to assign the amount and term of the loans offered to borrowers based on their risk scores. Generally, the higher the borrowers' credit grades, which represent lower credit risks, the lower the APRs charged to borrowers and the lower the expected returns to investors. We assist borrowers and investors in assessing the credit risks and calculating the appropriate APRs and expected returns. In our post-loan management process, we closely monitor borrowers' repayments to reduce the ratio of non-performing loans and continuously update borrowers' profiles and credit scores.

        Our risk management capability has been largely strengthened by our cooperation with our offline partner through offline data verification and physical interviews with potential borrowers conducted by their on-the-ground sales networks. Our combined online and offline borrower acquisition model has enabled us to effectively assess and manage credit risks. Leveraging multiple sources of information and data, as well as the knowhow and expertise of our risk management team with substantial industry experience, we are able to fully evaluate the risk profile of each borrower in our own credit infrastructure. We constantly optimize and upgrade our risk management model with new credit data and technologies, normally every three to six months.

Experienced and Visionary Management Team

        We have a strong management team with a long history in the consumer finance industry in China. Our founder and executive chairman, Mr. Xiaobo An, has over twelve years' experience in the consumer finance industry, having worked in the banking industry for four years and established Hexin Group in 2009 focusing on consumer finance and wealth management. Mr. An was awarded the "Outstanding Innovator of the Financial Industry in China" by the prestigious Economy magazine and Huazun Prize panel in 2014. Our CEO, Mr. Xinmin Zhou, also has extensive experience in business operations and management in the consumer finance industry, including over eight years' experience in the Internet industry, and most recently in the financial technology area. Our senior management team's deep understanding of the industry and vision have contributed to our strategic focus on meeting the growing consumption demand of the emerging middle class in China. In addition, since our inception, we have adopted robust corporate governance policies and practices and engaged extensively with key regulators to continuously ensure compliance with the evolving PRC laws and regulations and help shape best practices in China's marketplace consumer lending and credit industry.

Our Strategies

        Leveraging our competitive strengths, we plan to implement the following key strategies to achieve our goal of fulfilling the credit needs of China's emerging middle class to meet their growing demand for premium goods and services:

Continue to utilize multiple channels to broaden our borrower base and further penetrate our total addressable market

        We will broaden our borrower base in our marketplace through working with multiple channels while continuing to focus on meeting the rising demand of the emerging middle class in China. We plan to expand our network of partners, including healthcare institutions, financial institutions and educational institutions, and leverage their relationships with different consumer groups in the emerging middle class to acquire more borrowers. We will continue to lower borrower acquisition costs and create more convenient consumer credit solutions for more borrowers in our total addressable market by simplifying our lending process and increasing efficiency in our marketplace lending.

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        We plan to enhance our customer relationships by helping them meet their evolving credit needs and build up their credit histories. We will generate more revenue from new and existing customers by introducing more products and services to meet our borrowers' growing funding needs, focusing on credit loans. We will offer new loan products, including social security loans targeting borrowers who contribute to social security funds, consumption context based loans such as loans that target certain usage, demographics such as female borrowers and certain age groups such as young borrowers. We also intend to offer loans targeting existing borrowers with discounted rates.

Expand and diversify investor base and offer more investment products

        We plan to expand and diversify our investor base by attracting more high-net-worth customers who may invest larger amounts of funds, expect reasonable returns and require that their assets be secure. We also seek to attract banks, trust funds and other institutional investors to provide lending capital and thus drive down borrowing costs.

        We intend to expand our product offerings to include a more diversified product portfolio to meet the different needs of these investors and offer risk-based returns. For example, we will offer innovative products such as investment products of different risks and borrower credit profiles. We will also launch portfolio investment products which offer increased interests on a monthly basis to meet the continuous needs for investors.

Further enhance our risk management and risk-based pricing capabilities

        We will continue to enhance and upgrade our risk management system by utilizing big data from multiple sources and other third-party partners, introducing technology support from leading information service companies such as advanced credit decision-making technology, and optimizing segmentation of customers and our highly automated credit-review process. We will further enhance our risk-based pricing capabilities by providing quality customers with better products and target more customers with high credit ratings in the emerging middle class of China.

        In July 2017, we entered into an agreement with GBG DecTech, a reputable Australian anti-fraud, anti-money laundering and decision management services provider, which will assist us in implementing a powerful anti-fraud solution named "Instinct Application Fraud Detection Solution". This system will enable us to rapidly process and compare every application and assess and grade each applicant with a fraud risk score leveraging our historical data, behavioral rules, data validation and risk management system. Furthermore, we will implement a decision rules management solution purchased from Fair Isaac Corporation, named "Blaze Advisor", which will allow us to automate the loan origination approval process, shorten the decision-making time, and lower operational risks.

        Leveraging our highly diversified customer base, we also aim to diversify our revenue sources by offering independent risk management and big data analysis services to companies engaged in consumption finance area.

Continue to invest in our technology platform

        We plan to continue to make significant investments in developing our proprietary technologies, algorithms and data sources to increase the speed and scale at which our marketplace can facilitate loans. Our reliable technology-focused platform aims to achieve the goals of regulatory compliance and data security. We will increase the efficiency of our marketplace lending and customer satisfaction by providing analysis of customers' credit reports and automatic credit review, enhancing our decision-making systems to provide quick and accurate analysis of big data, and precision marketing based on an analysis of customer data. For example, we plan to introduce advanced risk decisioning technology from abroad and will implement facial and other biometric data recognition technologies to improve our customer identity verification process and strengthen our anti-fraud system. We are partnering with global service providers, including Fair Isaac Corporation and GBG DecTech, to enhance our credit

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approval and anti-fraud systems, respectively. We will also enhance our risk-based pricing by including more parameters in our risk assessment process, such as assessment based on demographic and geographic origin information of borrowers.

        We aim to create a vibrant consumer lending ecosystem through our online platform and cooperation with third-party partners, and promote the adoption of an industry-wide credit rating system to better serve borrowers and investors.

Enhance the profile of our brand

        We will continue to promote our brand by targeting the emerging middle class in China to meet their increasing credit needs. We will implement a multi-channel marketing and advertising strategy through working with various traditional media channels, including TV and newspapers, and further enhance new media channels, including online media, H5 and social media forums, such as Weibo and WeChat. We intend to further cooperate with third parties, such as industry forums, search engines, e-commerce platforms, telecommunication operators and online technology and finance companies, to enhance the recognition of our brand. We will adopt big data analytics to deliver targeted marketing to certain customers more efficiently. In our sales and marketing activities, we will promote our focus on core values like "simplicity and enjoyment" of life, expectation of "higher returns" and "safe" investment.

Our Business Model

        We have built a multi-channel marketplace, leveraging both our online platform and our cooperation partner's offline networks, to facilitate loans between borrowers and investors. We provide borrowers with convenient and ready access to credit and investors with stable investment returns. We offer borrowers a wide variety of loan products based on their specific financing needs and risk profiles through our online platform comprising our website and mobile application. Through the nationwide physical networks of our cooperation partner, Hexin Group, we source borrowers offline and conduct physical interviews as an integral part of our credit assessment and risk management process. We also service different investors through our online marketplace by offering them a variety of investment products through the Wallets and individual investment options.

        With our proprietary technology, we have implemented a multi-stage credit assessment and risk management system to ensure the quality of borrowers and to prevent fraud. Our risk management system comprises four principal components: (i) online big data analysis; (ii) offline verification of borrower information; (iii) credit scoring and decision-making; and (iv) post-loan management. For more information on our risk management system, please see "—Our Technology and Risk Management System". We have also implemented risk-based pricing by assessing the credit risks of borrowers and then determining an appropriate loan amount and interest rate, taking into account the specific risk profiles of the borrowers.

        We generate revenue primarily from fees charged for our services in matching investors with individual borrowers and for other services we provide to our users over the term of a loan. We primarily charge borrowers loan facilitation and loan management service fees for services provided through our marketplace in facilitating loan transactions, and we also charge investors post-origination service fees for investing in our portfolio investments ("Wallet") and individual investments, as well as using our loan transfer services. Throughout the term of the loan we offer other services to borrowers for repayment, and, if non-payment occurs, we assist investors in collection. We also facilitate our investors in obtaining insurance policies from Changan Insurance to cover the risk of borrowers' non-payment.

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Our Borrowers

Borrower Profile and Demographics

        We target the growing consumption demand of the emerging middle class in China. This segment of the Chinese population is demonstrating growing consumption demands for premium goods and services in pursuit of an upgraded lifestyle, and is spending more money on discretionary products and services. Our target borrowers typically have full-time employment and a stable income of around RMB3,000 to RMB7,000. Such borrowers are typically aged between 31 and 45 years old, educated with a bachelor degree or above, and possess personal assets comprising real property, automobiles or long-term life insurance policies. As of June 30, 2017, approximately 38.1% of our borrowers are employed by state-owned enterprises and public institutions.

        As of June 30, 2017, our borrowers consisted of 68.5% male and 31.5% female, 74.7% married, 85.4% having received higher education and 55.0% with real property. We strictly prohibit lending to those people with criminal records, with no records of credit history, who are on the national list of delinquent debtors or who are in certain high-risk occupations. As of June 30, 2017, approximately 88.9% of our loans were used by borrowers to purchase premium goods and services, such as luxury goods, travel, cosmetic medicine, education and home renovation.

Borrower Acquisition

        We utilize an O2O model to acquire borrowers, combining both an online platform and the extensive offline networks of our offline cooperation partner, Hexin Group. Our borrower acquisition model has allowed us to increase the number of borrowers and the total amount of loans facilitated on our marketplace. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, we facilitated loans to 11,120 borrowers with a total amount of loans of RMB2,976 million (US$470 million), compared to 28,738 borrowers with a total amount of loans of RMB3,318 million (US$493 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. In the three months ended June 30, 2016, we facilitated loans to 4,994 borrowers with a total amount of loans of RMB827.7 million (US$126.7 million), compared to 14,736 borrowers with a total amount of loans of RMB1,278.2 million (US$186.4 million) in the three months ended June 30, 2017. From inception of our business to June 30, 2017, we had a total of 56,230 borrowers, cumulatively.

        We acquire borrowers through referrals from our offline cooperation partner's extensive nationwide on-the-ground sales network in China as part of our contractual arrangements with Hexin Group, which is owned by our controlling shareholder. Hexin Group has an extensive on-the-ground sales network across approximately 144 branches, located in 103 cities in 21 provinces and 4 municipalities as of June 30, 2017. Under the contractual arrangements, Hexin Group refers offline borrowers to us for our loan products, and we then offer our online loan facilitation services to these borrowers. Upon successful facilitation and execution of a loan, the borrower will enter into an agreement and pay a consultation services fee directly to Hexin Group. The borrower will also enter into a separate loan agreement and platform service agreement with us. Hexin Group carries out the initial stage of the risk management process through conducting physical interviews, document collection and data processing as part of their services provided to all referred borrowers. In the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and the three months ended June 30, 2017, over 90% of our borrowers were referred from Hexin Group. Our cooperation partner receives consultation fees from borrowers whereas we independently receive loan facilitation or management service fees from borrowers. During the course of the facilitation of a loan, we do not receive any fees from our cooperation partner, and vice versa. For more information regarding our contractual arrangements with Hexin Group, see "Corporate History and Structure—Our Relationship with Hexin Group."

        We also utilize multiple sales and distribution channels, including online channels, such as our website, mobile application, H5, social media (such as WeChat and Weibo), and cooperate with online platforms, such as Baidu, Xiaomi, 360.cn and Wangdaizhijia.com, to attract new borrowers. We rolled

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out our online platform and mobile application in November 2016 and expect to acquire an increasing proportion of borrowers through our online platform in the future. We intend to continue to strengthen our borrower acquisition capabilities by enhancing our online platform and increasing visitor traffic to expand our borrower base.

        Our offline cooperation partner, Hexin Group, acquires borrowers through multiple marketing and distribution channels such as traditional sales and marketing efforts, marketing campaigns and cooperation with various media and platforms.

Our Investors

Investor Profile and Demographics

        We welcome all investors domiciled in China to participate in the investment opportunities provided on our marketplace. Currently, we focus our efforts on attracting individual investors. This large and rapidly growing sector of Chinese individual investors is currently underserved by traditional investment products in China. The average investment returns on our marketplace, ranging from 8% to 15%, are generally higher than those of traditional investment products, including bank deposits, bonds and wealth management products. In the future, we plan to expand and diversify our investor base from our current focus on individual investors to also include institutional investors, such as banks, trust funds and other institutional investors, as well as more high-net-worth individuals who may invest larger amounts of funds.

        As of June 30, 2017, our investors profile consisted of 59.5% male and 40.5% female. In terms of age groups, 17.8% of our investors were in their 20's, 33.4% in their 30's, 26.3% in their 40's, 13.8% in their 50's, and 8.7% in other age groups.

Investor Acquisition

        We have attracted a large number of investors to our marketplace through multiple sales and distribution channels, including our website, mobile application, H5 and social media (such as WeChat and Weibo) and through cooperation with online platforms, such as Baidu, Xiaomi, 360.cn and Wangdaizhijia.com. Our investor acquisition efforts are primarily directed towards enhancing our brand name and building investor trust. Our investor acquisition channels primarily include our cash incentive program and sales and marketing campaigns for our mobile applications, customer referrals and promotional activities for institutional investors. All of our investors are acquired through online channels. As of June 30, 2017, 37% of our investors were acquired through personal computer platforms and 63% of our investors were acquired through mobile applications.

        Since inception to June 30, 2017, the aggregate investment return gained by investors was RMB414.7 million (US$64.3 million). In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, 31,783 investors made investments on our marketplace, with a total amount of investment of RMB2,943.3 million (US$465.2 million), compared to 63,335 investors with a total amount of investment of RMB4,030.6 million (US$599.4 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. In the three months ended June 30, 2016, 20,201 investors made investments on our marketplace, with a total amount of investment of RMB941.3 million (US$144.1 million), compared to 37,033 investors with a total amount of investment of RMB1,551.4 million (US$226.2 million) in the three months ended June 30, 2017. In the fiscal years ended March 31, 2016 and 2017, the average amounts invested by each investor were RMB92,607 (US$14,637) and RMB63,639 (US$9,463), respectively. In the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, the average amounts invested by each investor were RMB46,598 (US$7,135) and RMB41,893 (US$6,108), respectively.

        Our investors favor quick and convenient investments with attractive risk-adjusted returns. Through our online marketplace we provide user-friendly tools to investors to conveniently browse through our

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loan product offerings, customize and manage their investments. An investor can create a user account on our marketplace through simple steps. The investor is then directed to the website of Jiangxi Bank to create a custody account with a minimum deposit of RMB50. We do not impose any requirement to commit any loans so that investors have the flexibility to withdraw their uncommitted funds at any time. If an investor commits funds to his or her custody account with Jiangxi Bank but has not invested in any loan product, interest is payable based on the PBOC interest rates. To encourage investors to increase their investment activity and investment amounts on our marketplace, we have established a VIP investor loyalty program. VIP investors who have registered higher activity levels and investment amounts on our marketplace are offered lower management fees.

        We have attracted a fast-growing and loyal investor base. The number of investors who invested on our marketplace increased from 17,483 in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 to 31,783 in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, and further increased to 63,335 in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. The number of investors who invested on our marketplace increased from 20,201 in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to 37,033 in the three months ended June 30, 2017. From inception of our business to June 30, 2017, we had a total of 110,156 investors, cumulatively. In the fiscal years ended March 31, 2016 and 2017, 60.5% and 50.0% of our investors were repeat investors (i.e. investors who have made more than one investment during the specified period), respectively. In the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, 67.1% and 52.3% of our investors were repeat investors, respectively. As of June 30, 2017, more than 55.6% of our investors had invested more than once on our marketplace. The repeat investor rate is calculated by the number of repeat investors divided by the total number of active investors during the period. We believe the repeat investor rate illustrates the degree of customer loyalty of our investors. According to Oliver Wyman, there is insufficient publicly available information in the online lending marketplace industry in the PRC to provide benchmark data on the repeat investor rate that is representative and reliable. Furthermore, we have introduced a referral incentive program offering a cash reward to an existing investor upon each successful referral of a new investor, under which the existing investor earns an annualized cash incentive of 1% based on the funds invested by the new investor in the first year. For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2016 and 2017, referred investors contributed to approximately 23.4% and 27.6%, respectively, of the total amount of funds invested. For the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, referred investors contributed to approximately 23.5% and 31.4%, respectively, of the total amount of funds invested.

VIP Investor Loyalty Program

        To encourage investors to increase their investment activity on our marketplace, we have established a VIP investor loyalty program since August 2015, which offers VIP investors various discounts on the post-origination service fees based on their VIP membership levels. The VIP investor loyalty program is generally based on an investor's cumulative investment amount. In determining an investor's VIP membership level, we consider several criteria, including the total amount of investment, total amount of interest return and the level of activity on our online marketplace during a specific period. Once an investor reaches a certain level of cumulative investment amount in a specified period of time, the investor may be promoted to a higher VIP membership level so that he or she can enjoy more preferential post-origination service fee charges. Furthermore, higher level VIP investors enjoy dedicated customer services. The criteria for the VIP investor loyalty program and the preferential rate of post-origination service fees we charge can be modified at the management's discretion from time to time.

        There are five "VIP" membership grades. Under the latest promotional campaign we launched in January 2016, the highest level VIP investors may enjoy up to 0% post-origination service fee. The rate of post-origination service fee increases incrementally until it reaches 4% for entry-level VIP investors. Non-VIP investors are subject to a 10% post-origination service fee.

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        The following table shows the number of VIP investors who made loan investments during the specified financial period by membership level:

 
  For the Fiscal Years ended
March 31,
  For the
Three Months
ended June 30,
 
 
  2015   2016   2017   2016   2017  

Non-VIP investors

    13,439     21,432     12,881     1,726     5,582  

VIP1

    2,298     6,916     46,598     15,726     27,832  

VIP2

    924     2,096     2,431     1,780     2,230  

VIP3

    620     1,068     1,142     797     1,108  

VIP4

    190     259     270     167     269  

VIP5

    12     12     13     5     12  

Total

    17,483     31,783     63,335     20,201     37,033  

        The following table sets forth the loan amounts and percentages of total investment invested by investors of each VIP level for the periods indicated:

 
  Fiscal year ended March 31,   For the Three Months ended June 30,  
 
  2016 (1)   2017   2016   2017  
 
  (in million RMB)   % of total   (in million RMB)   % of total   (in million RMB)   % of total   (in million RMB)   % of total  

Non-VIP

    251.8     8.5     231.5     7.0     56.5     6.8     56.7     4.4  

VIP1

    1,911.0     64.2     1,955.6     58.9     450.4     54.4     895.3     70.0  

VIP2

    344.5     11.6     443.3     13.4     117.2     14.2     117.4     9.2  

VIP3

    308.8     10.4     407.8     12.3     116.4     14.1     118.1     9.2  

VIP4

    155.6     5.2     250.2     7.5     79.7     9.6     79.7     6.2  

VIP5

    4.4     0.1     29.0     0.9     7.5     0.9     11.0     0.9  

Total

    2,976.0     100.0     3,317.5     100.0     827.7     100.0     1,278.2     100.0  

(1)
Since the VIP program began in August 2015, all loan amounts before August 2015 were accounted for to Non-VIP investors.

Our Products and Services

Products and Services to Borrowers

        We facilitate primarily medium-sized loans in the amount ranging from RMB20,000 to RMB140,000 to borrowers on our online marketplace. Our loan products can be generally categorized as credit loans and secured loans, depending on whether the borrower provides security to the loan. We believe that borrowers of credit and secured loan products have different needs and credit records, and they belong to distinctly two different markets. The secured loans on our online marketplace are designed to meet the needs of borrowers who need short-term loans of medium to large amounts, whereas the credit loans are designed to address the consumption needs of borrowers who need long-term loans of small to medium amounts. Each loan product is differentiated by primarily five parameters: (i) the amount of the loan principal; (ii) the duration of the loan,; (iii) the APR (as described below); (iv) the mode and frequency of repayment; and (v) the use of the loan proceeds. As of March 31, 2017, 96.7% and 3.3% of the total outstanding amount of loans facilitated on our marketplace were attributed to credit loans and secured loans, respectively. As of June 30, 2017, 98.2% and 1.8% of the total outstanding amount of loans facilitated on our marketplace were attributed to credit loans and secured loans, respectively.

        Borrowers are charged based on an annual percentage rate, or APR, which is expressed as a single percentage number that represents the actual annualized cost of borrowing over the term of a loan.

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The APR comprises (i) a nominal interest rate that borrowers pay investors, and (ii) a loan facilitation or loan management service fee that we charge for our services. The APR also varies according to the terms of the loan (currently 12, 24 or 36 months). The APR of our credit loans for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 ranged from 16.5% to 40.1% for loans with terms of 12 months; 16.3% to 38.7% for loans with terms of 24 months and 16.0% to 36.9% for loans with terms of 36 months. The APR of our credit loans for the three months ended June 30, 2017 ranged from 17.2% to 22.4% for loans with terms of 12 months; 16.9% to 35.6% for loans with terms of 24 months and 16.5% to 34.6% for loans with terms of 36 months. The APR was 17.3% for secured loans for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 and the three months ended June 30, 2017. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 and the three months ended June 30, 2017, the annualized nominal interest rate ranged from 10% to 15%. The loan facilitation or loan management service fee we charge for our loan facilitation and other services is based on a percentage of the loan amount. The gross billing ratio ranged from 1.3% to 25.2% for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 and from 2.0% to 25.1% for the three months ended June 30, 2017.

        Borrowers can access our marketplace through multiple channels, including Internet, mobile applications, H5 and social media, such as Wechat and Weibo and through the online platforms we cooperate with, such as Baidu, Xiaomi, 360.cn and Wangdaizhijia.com. These channels allow borrowers to conveniently monitor the status of their loans online, including relevant information such as payment schedules. Throughout the term of the loan, we offer other post-origination services to borrowers including repayment-related management services.

        We experienced rapid growth in the credit loans facilitated on our marketplace. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, credit loans represented approximately 68.3% of the total loans facilitated through our marketplace, as compared to 21.5% in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. In the three months ended June 30, 2017, credit loans represented approximately 99.2% of the total loans facilitated through our marketplace, as compared to 43.0% in the three months ended June 30, 2016. Credit loans contributed to 92.1% of our gross billing amount in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, as compared to 55.0% in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. Credit loans contributed to 99.9% of our gross billing amount in the three months ended June 30, 2017, as compared to 80.3% in the three months ended June 30, 2016.

Credit Loans

        Credit loans are unsecured loans that can be used to make various consumer purchases, with higher APR and allowing borrowers to make repayments over a longer period of time. Credit loans are offered in an amount ranging from RMB20,000 (US$2,950.2) to RMB200,000 (US$29,501.6) with terms of typically 12 months to 36 months. Borrowers usually repay by equal loan payments fully amortized. The total amount of credit loans we facilitated on our marketplace experienced significant growth since our inception, representing an increase of 253.7% from RMB2,264.4 million (US$336.7 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 to RMB640.1 million (US$101.2 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, and an increase of 256.5% from RMB355.8 million (US$54.5 million) in the three months ended June 30, 2016 to RMB1,268.3 million (US$184.9 million) in the three months ended June 30, 2017.

Secured Loans

        Secured loans are loans requiring collateral, normally in larger loan amounts, lower APR and offered to borrowers who generally have greater liquidity and capital needs. Before the introduction of the Interim Regulations, we offered secured loans in amounts ranging from RMB200,000 (US$29,501.6) to RMB6 million (US$885,047.1), with terms of generally one to three months. Borrowers usually make monthly interest repayments followed by a lump sum payment of the principal upon maturity. Since these loans are secured by primarily real property and, to a lesser extent, large tangible assets such as

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automobiles, these loans are usually in larger amounts and with shorter terms than the credit loans facilitated on our marketplace.

Credit Loan Products based on Borrower Segmentation

        We further categorize and tailor our loan products according to the borrowers' segmentation and different consumption financing needs. We currently offer five main types of tailored loan products: (1) provident fund loans; (2) property-owner loans; (3) car-owner loans; (4) insurance-holder loans; and (5) premier customer loans. According to our assessment of the changing market conditions of borrowers' needs and characteristics, we offer and classify different loan products from time to time. Such classification is primarily for the purpose of our marketing.

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Products and Services to Investors

        Through our online marketplace, we provide investors with investment services and products including Wallets and individual investments. Investors can choose and customize their preferred loan investments. In addition, our online marketplace allows investors to transfer their loan commitments to other investors under certain circumstances and access our live support services. We charge each investor a post-origination service fee for using our marketplace, which is primarily the difference between the interest rates on the underlying loans and the targeted returns offered to investors. The post-origination service fee is calculated as a percentage of the interest for the underlying loan product. There are five VIP membership grades. The highest level VIP investors may enjoy up to 0% post-origination service fee, whereas non-VIP investors are subject to a post-origination service fee of 10%. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 and in the three months ended June 30, 2017, the average post-origination service fee that we charge our investors represented approximately 5.3% and 3.2% of the interests earned of the underlying loan, respectively.

Portfolio Investment ("Wallets")

        We offer various portfolio investment products called "Wallets" to our investors with designated loan amounts, APRs and payment terms. Investors agree to invest a specified amount of funds for a fixed period of time into a basket of loan products offered to borrowers. Such basket of loan products is diversified in the credit ratings, terms and type of investment products of the individual loans making up the portfolio, so as to optimize the balance of risk. Due to the difference in terms of Wallets and the underlying individual loans, once the term of a Wallet expires, any outstanding loan obligations of underlying loan products are repackaged into new Wallets for investors to view on our online marketplace and subscribe. After the new Wallet has been fully subscribed, the original Wallet investors can exit with their full investment and interest. The portfolio investment has provided our investors with risk-adjusted returns and a convenient means of reinvestment without having to monitor the process of each loan.

        The minimum threshold for a lending commitment made through a portfolio investment is RMB100 (US$14.8). The annualized rates of return to investors for portfolio investments, for the six months ended September 30, 2016, ranged between 14% and 15%, depending on the duration of the committed investment and the different terms and conditions of respective loan products. We do not, however, guarantee any minimum return to investors. As of June 30, 2017, over 90% of funds invested by investors through our marketplace were invested utilizing the portfolio investment.

        Under the standard terms of the Wallet service agreements we enter into with investors, investors usually receive the principal and interest in one lump sum upon the due date of the loans. From July 2016 to June 2017, we introduced a modified form of the Wallet called the "Monthly Interest-back Wallet". Under the terms of the service agreement for the Monthly Interest-back Wallet, we agreed to advance the accrued interest from the loans to investors prior to the due date of the loans on a monthly basis. The investors are obligated to repay to us the advanced amounts upon the due date of the loans. The Monthly Interest-back Wallet has been discontinued since June 2017.

Individual investment

        We also provide investors with the option to invest in individual loans. Investors can browse through individual loans which we list on our marketplace, review the credit rating and profile of each borrower and choose to invest in a specific loan. After selecting a desired loan, the investor commits a specified amount of funds to be lent to the borrower for the designated duration of the loan.

        The minimum threshold for a lending commitment made through individual investment is RMB50 (US$7.4). The annualized rates of return offered to an investor for individual investments for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 and the three months ended June 30, 2017 ranged between 10%

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to 13%, depending on the duration, terms and conditions of the respective loan products. We do not, however, guarantee any minimum return to investors.

Loan transfer

        We facilitate our investors to make loan transfers on our marketplace so that they can flexibly transfer their creditor rights associated with specific loan products to other willing investors. Investors are typically locked up for the first term of each loan commitment. Once the "lock up" period expires, our investors can opt out of the loan and cash out. We list the secondary loan products on our marketplace under "Transfer of Loans" and other investors can select and invest in these existing loan products. Upon the commitment of a new investor, the original investor will receive his or her outstanding invested funds and accrued interest through the online third-party payment service provider. A one-time transfer fee is charged to all investors for each loan transferred on our marketplace. Upon execution of a loan transfer agreement, the creditor rights and obligations are assigned to the new investors. By providing transferability of loans, we can allow other willing investors to participate, even if the original investor decides to exit prior to the maturity of the loan.

Our Transaction Process

        We endeavor to provide a transparent and convenient platform for all our users, including borrowers and investors alike, to foster a healthy marketplace of high quality loan products, while safeguarding each of their interests. Our entire transaction process from the initial application to final disbursement of funds typically takes three days, as compared to the average of 30 days for credit loans and 60 days for unsecured loans in a traditional bank loan transaction. The graph below illustrates our transaction process:

GRAPHIC


(1)
The Company as a third party to the insurance arrangement, merely facilitates the provision of insurance coverage from Changan Insurance to investors. The borrowers, as the policyholders, take out the insurance underwritten by Changan Insurance, for the benefit of investors as the insured beneficiaries.

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Stage 1:    Consultation and Application

        A borrower applicant must fill out an application form and provide information, including, among others, PRC identity card information, proof of monthly income and a credit report from the PBOC, as well as the desired loan amount and term of a loan product. Depending on the borrower's eligibility for different loan products, different additional documentation shall be required, such as proof of provident fund payments. At the initial stage, the branch officer will determine if the borrower applicant qualifies under our specific requirements for each loan product and may reject the application, or process it and pass the case to the credit assessment team.

Stage 2:    Verification and Anti-Fraud

        Upon the borrower's submission of a completed application, the data is verified using internal and external sources of data for verification. Internally, we compare the primary data collected against any credit history on our internal database, and externally, we compare the data against information recorded by government and state agencies, online data and blacklists from Internet service providers, industry forums and various financial institutions. We utilize our proprietary technology, supplemented by manual verification of data points and followed up with telephone calls to confirm the borrower information's accuracy, the borrower's true intent and financial capability. Once an application passes the initial check, our credit assessment team reviews the case and further implements anti-fraud measures. If a member of the credit assessment team suspects at any stage of the review there may be fraud, the case is referred to our anti-fraud review team. Enhanced due diligence will be conducted as appropriate, such as follow-up phone calls to the applicant's employer. As a further check, our quality control team sample checks the credit assessment results. Further rounds of reviews with additional levels of credit testing are conducted, as necessary, before a final decision is made, including telephone interviews and further physical meetings.

Stage 3:    Credit Assessment and Decision-Making

        Our credit scoring program generates a credit score for each borrower. Following our multi-level reviews, our credit assessment team may (i) approve the loan application, (ii) approve the loan subject to modification of the loan amount, term and/or applicable interest rate, or (iii) decline the loan application. Borrower applicants are notified of the approval results, and successful borrowers proceed directly to the approval, listing and funding stage. In the fiscal years ended March 31, 2016 and 2017, approximately 25.0% and 21.7% of all loan applications submitted were approved, respectively.

Stage 4:    Approval, Listing and Funding

        Upon our approval of the application, the successful borrower applicant signs a consultation service agreement with Hexin Group and a separate platform services agreement with us. A loan agreement will also be entered into among the borrower, investor and us as the facilitator of the loan accordingly. The investor also enters into an insurance policy agreement with the insurance company which specifies the insurance coverage for his or her investment.

        The loan products are listed on our marketplace for public viewing. Investors can subscribe to a certain loan product, once a loan is fully subscribed, the borrower receives funds through his or her custody account with Jiangxi Bank.

Stage 5:    Servicing and Collections

        We utilize an automated process for collecting scheduled loan payments from our borrowers. Borrowers make scheduled loan repayments via a third-party payment platform to a custody account with Jiangxi Bank, and authorize us to debit the custody account for the transfer of scheduled loan repayments to the lending investors. We check the balances in the custody account and reconcile the transactions against our records on a daily basis.

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        If there is non-payment, we carry out procedures to encourage the borrower to repay as soon as possible. Upon a borrower's default, our collections team, together with Changan Insurance's responsible officers, will call and send text messages to the defaulting borrower to request repayment of the delinquent loan balance and all penalty and default charges accrued since the default date, and will further follow up if non-payment persists. See "—Collections Process."

Agreements with Borrowers

        Multi-party loan agreements are entered into among the borrower, the investor and us, as the service facilitator in the loan transaction. If the borrower is sourced offline, the loan agreement is executed in person. If the borrower is sourced online through our online platform, the loan agreement is executed digitally once the loan is fully subscribed by investors, and an electronic copy is then forwarded to both the borrower and the investor. The loan agreement sets forth key standard terms, including but not limited to, the identity of the borrower and investor, the interest rate, the loan principal, intended use of loan proceeds, the payment term, the bank account details, the repayment terms, our services and responsibilities as facilitator and the applicable penalties on breach and non-payment.

        Borrowers also separately enter into platform services agreements with us. We provide our platform matching services for consideration of a loan facilitation or loan management service fee, which is charged as a percentage of the loan amount and is paid on the day the loan proceeds are released to the borrower. Borrowers undertake to provide us with all required personal information and represent to us as to the accuracy of such information. We are authorized to (i) make all inquiries necessary to assess the creditworthiness of borrowers, including from third parties, (ii) submit borrowing and repayment data to certain credit reporting institutions in the event of any non-payment, and (iii) make credit assessments on borrowers and disclose information to prospective investors. Borrowers who are sourced offline enter into separate consultancy service agreements with Hexin Group, authorizing it to perform credit assessment.

Agreements with Investors

        Investors enter into consultation and services agreements with us. We charge each investor a post-origination service fee for using our marketplace, which is primarily the difference between the interest rates on the underlying loans and the targeted returns offered to investors. The post-origination service fee is calculated as a percentage of the interest for the underlying loan product. Investors who are "VIP" investors receive a discount on the management fees. The consultation and service agreement sets out key terms, including but not limited to, (i) the identity of the investor, (ii) the post-origination service fee, (iii) the investor's representation that the information and documentation provided by the investor through our website are true, complete and accurate and (iv) warranties that the funds used for the loan investment are from legitimate sources and that the investor has all legal right to such funds.

        If an investor wishes to transfer his or her creditor rights to another investor, upon expiration of the minimum "lock up" period of the first term of the loan and the commitment of a willing investor, a loan transfer agreement is entered into among the original investor, the new investor and us. The loan transfer agreement sets out the details of the loan product, status and the outstanding obligations at the time of transfer. The creditor obligations and rights are thereby assigned to the new investor. The original investor agrees to pay us a one-time transfer fee for facilitating the transfer of the loan.

Third-Party Payment Agent

        We provide a secure portal for both borrowers and investors to access an independent online banking platform for the payment, settlement and clearing of the proceeds of the loans. On January 6,

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2017, we entered into a cooperation agreement with Jiangxi Bank, a national commercial bank in the PRC, for fund management, payment, settlement and clearing services. Under the agreement, all funds from borrowers and investors are managed by Jiangxi Bank to ensure security and compliance with the relevant PRC laws and regulations. Each investor maintains a separate custody account with Jiangxi Bank so that each investor's capital, repayments and interests are securely maintained, separate from our Company's and the borrowers' accounts. Jiangxi Bank administers payments among borrowers, investors and us and performs the related clearing and fund settlement actions associated with these payments. Wiring instructions, repayment and interest settlement on borrowers' and investors' accounts are highly automated. We have established a check-and-balance system to ensure that all payments, transfers and deposits made by the third-party payment agents are checked numerous times prior to the transmission of any funds to avoid errors. In choosing the third-party payment agent, we take into consideration numerous criteria, including network infrastructure, security measures, reliability, information technology capabilities and experience.

Our Technology and Risk Management System

        In China, the credit reporting infrastructure is relatively undeveloped and there lacks a nationwide comprehensive credit information system. According to Oliver Wyman, in 2015, 35% of China's population did not have credit histories on file with the PBOC's Central Credit Bureau. To that end, we have developed our own systematic risk management system to ensure the borrower loan products available on our online marketplace are of high quality and also accurately capture credit risks.

        We focus on four key areas in the credit assessment of borrowers: (1) the accuracy of the data provided; (2) the ability to make repayments; (3) the authenticity of the borrower applicant's intentions and (4) the probability of non-payment based on an empirical model. Our risk management system comprises four principal components: (i) online big data analysis; (ii) offline verification of borrower information; (iii) credit scoring and decision-making; and (iv) post-loan management. In accordance with the results from our credit assessment, we implement risk-based pricing by using the credit score as a measure to decide the applicant's eligibility to different loan products, maximum loan amounts, applicable interest rates and service fees.

        We utilize a data analysis program to process comprehensive data gathered through various sources, including our own online platform, government and Internet sources, third-party industry credit data, supplemented by manual input of data points collected through offline verification. Important data points include the borrower applicant's demographic characteristics such as age, gender, level of education, ownership of any assets, credit history, any hits on blacklists, GPS location tracking and phone call records.

        Our offline verification process requires the borrower applicant to make a physical visit to one of the branches of Hexin Group, to produce the requisite original documents and undergo at least one interview with on-the-ground personnel. We also conduct verification phone calls to ensure the accuracy of the personal information provided by the borrower. The results of these assessments are input into our risk management system, and further will be listed in the loan product information on our online platform. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 and the three months ended June 30, 2017, approximately 25% of borrower applicants were successful in passing the whole verification stage.

        We also utilize a variety of publicly available databases, including, among others, the national list of delinquent debtors, the SAIC website and the PBOC database to confirm the identities and information of the borrower applicants. We also maintain a black list and a grey list of borrowers with

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issues after detecting any fraudulent activities. Currently, our risk management system utilizes hundreds of decision making rules and contains a blacklist with numerous fraud detection data points.

        We have developed our proprietary credit scoring and decision-making algorithms to efficiently process and consolidate all the data collected, and generate a credit score and grade for each borrower applicant. We do not approve loan applications from borrowers of a credit score of below 97. The credit score and grade form the basis of our risk-based pricing and affect the applicant's eligibility to different loan products, maximum loan amounts, applicable interest rates and transaction fees. The loan application is assessed on this basis and may be approved or approved subject to an adjustment of the loan amount.

Credit Score
  Grade   Minimum borrower qualification standard

230 or above

  A—Premium   High creditworthiness and stable income

199 - 229

  B—Good   Relatively high creditworthiness and stable income

167 - 198

  C—Average   Average creditworthiness and stable income

125 - 166

  D—Risk-prone   Lower-than-average creditworthiness and average but stable income

124 - 97

  E—Highly risk-prone   Low creditworthiness and may have an unstable income

        More than 90% of our successful credit loan borrower applicants have credit scores between 199 to 229 with relatively high creditworthiness. The following table presents the APR, the annual interest rate and the average gross billing ratio for each of the different segments in our pricing grid for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017:

Credit Loans

Grade
  APR (1)   Interest Rate (2)   Average Gross
Billing Ratio (3)
  Loan Transaction
Volume
(US$ '000)
  Percentage of total
transaction Volume
 

A

    16.0 % 14% - 15%     2.7 %   5,291     1.1 %

B

    20.7 % 14% - 15%     7.7 %   303,229     61.5 %

C

    21.5 % 14% - 15%     8.6 %   8,974     1.8 %

D

    21.8 % 14% - 15%     9.0 %   17,749     3.6 %

E

    36.9 % 14% - 15%     25.2 %   1,483     0.3 %

Subtotal

              7.6 %   336,727     68.3 %

Secured Loans

    17.3 % 10% - 13%     1.4 %   156,599     31.7 %

Total

                    493,235     100.0 %

(1)
"APR" or "annual percentage rate" refers to the rate that is charged to borrowers, including interest rate pay to investors and the loan facilitation or management service fee rate we charge to borrowers, expressed as a single percentage number that represents the actual annualized cost of borrowing over the term of a loan. These APRs represent the average annual percentage rates for each credit grade of borrowers during the specified period.

(2)
The annual nominal interest rate that the borrowers pay to investors varies from 10.0% to 15.0% depending on the duration of the loan.

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(3)
The gross billing ratio is calculated as the total loan facilitation fees or loan management fees that we charge borrowers for the entire life of the loan, divided by the total amount of principal. The average transaction fee rate presented in the table above is the average of the transaction fee rates for loans falling under the same pricing grade, but with different tenures and repayment schedules. As the interest rate and APR are both annualized rates while the average gross billing ratio is calculated as described above, the sum of the annual interest rate and the average gross billing ratio is not equal to the APR.

        Our system then utilizes decision-making technology to match a borrower with investors making portfolio investments, the "Wallets". The loan product is also listed on the marketplace for investors to browse and select individually.

    (4)    Post-loan Management

        In our post-loan management process, we monitor the borrower's repayments closely to check for any signs of non-payment or "red flag issues". Important data is collected during this phase to continuously update a borrower's credit score and grade.

Fraud Detection and Prevention

        We have established a fraud detection protocol in our risk management system. If we discover any red flags or abnormalities in the credit assessment process, the case is referred to our anti-fraud review team. The anti-fraud review team investigates the case, and on adjudication, may allow the application to proceed or reject the case on the basis of fraud detected. Based on the severity of the fraud, our anti-fraud review team categorizes the risk into high, medium or low and puts the applicant into the black list or grey list. Under the black list, the applicant is completely prohibited from taking out a loan through our online marketplace. Under the grey list, the applicant may be suspended from using our marketplace for three or six months depending on the severity of the fraudulent activity.

        Further, in order to prevent fraud by forgery, we have entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with China Financial Certification Authority and Shenzhen Tianjin Finance Information Services Limited Company to develop a system for digital certification and authentication of loan agreements. We believe implementation of this advanced fraud prevention system can ensure the authenticity of each loan instrument and instil higher confidence in our marketplace. In July 2017, we entered into an agreement with a GBG DecTech, reputable Australian service provider of anti-fraud, anti-money laundering, and decision management services to purchase and implement fraud detection solutions which will enhance our fraud detection capabilities and further strengthen our anti-fraud systems. We expect to launch the enhanced fraud detection solutions in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Our Credit Risk Management Team

        Our credit assessment team consisted of 96 members as of June 30, 2017. Each application for standard loan products is reviewed by at least four members of the credit assessment team. Members of the credit assessment team analyze loan applications and also assist with fraud detection and borrower verification, leveraging skills learned through training and on-the-job experience to evaluate loans on the basis of direct communications with potential borrowers. We also have an independent risk management division, responsible for loan performance analysis and reporting, credit model validation, credit decision-making and other risk management activities.

        We constantly optimize and upgrade our risk management systems with new credit data and technologies, normally every three to six months. Further, in order to centralize operations and enhance security, our proprietary credit scoring and credit decision-making algorithms are maintained at our Company.

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Collections Process

        Upon default of a payment obligation, a member of the collections team will assist Changan Insurance to make a phone call and send a text message to the defaulting borrower to request repayment. If the default continues for more five days, together with Changan Insurance we will try to call the borrower's contact persons. Changan Insurance may take legal action if required, to collect an outstanding larger, longer term loan obligation. All of our collection activities are conducted in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Risk Reserve Liability and Insurance

        From the inception of our business to January 2017, we maintained a risk reserve liability policy as a protective measure for investors. In case a borrower fails to repay his or her loan, the risk reserve liability policy will protect investors up to the full amount of the investment and accrued interest. See "Risk Factors—Risks Related to PRC Laws Regulating Our Business and Industry—Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of Chinese laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to us", "Risk Factors—Risks Related to PRC Laws Regulating Our Business and Industry—The laws and regulations governing the marketplace lending service industry in China are developing and evolving and subject to changes. If our practice is deemed to violate any PRC laws or regulations, our business, financial conditions and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected." We undertake no obligation to pay any principal or interest in excess of the amount available in the risk reserve. Furthermore, at the inception of each loan, we set aside cash in an amount equal to approximately 1% of the loan principal amount plus interest under a secured loan and approximately 2% of the loan principal amount plus interest under a credit loan.

        We have also entered into a framework agreement with Changan Insurance, a third-party insurance provider to provide insurance coverage to investors for their investments. Under the insurance arrangement, the borrowers as the policyholders, take out the insurance underwritten by Changan Insurance, for the benefit of investors as the insured beneficiaries. Effective from February 1, 2017, once a borrower applicant passes our credit assessment and the loan product is listed and fully committed by investors on our online platform, the insurance provider shall enter into an insurance agreement with the investors. Borrowers are automatically enrolled into the insurance arrangement. If Changan Insurance refuses to provide insurance coverage to any borrower, such borrower shall not be able to proceed to take out a loan on our online marketplace. We, as a third party to the insurance arrangement, assist the insurance provider in collecting the premium for the insurance, which represents 2% of the loan principal amount plus interest of loans facilitated on our marketplace. If the borrower fails to repay the investor, the insurance provider shall compensate the investor for the principal investment amount and accrued interests. In the event the framework agreement terminates, Changan Insurance will be liable for the defaulting loans which it has agreed to provide insurance for as of such date of termination until all the relevant outstanding loans have been repaid. In the event we provide Changan Insurance with borrowers' information that is incorrect or incomplete, and Changan Insurance has made compensations based on insurance policies that were issued in reliance on such incorrect information, Changan Insurance shall be entitled to require us to compensate all relevant losses and relevant expenses. However, we will not approve the loan applications of borrowers who fail to provide a complete set of documentation and required materials. Therefore, it is unlikely for such borrowers to successfully obtain a loan, and in turn for such borrower's loan to be covered under an insurance policy issued by Changan Insurance. As of the date of this prospectus, there have been no such claims for compensation from Changan Insurance to us. We endeavor to bolster investor confidence by introducing such protection measures.

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Material Terms and Conditions of the Insurance Agreement

        On January 25, 2017, Changan Insurance and we entered into a framework agreement setting out the terms and conditions of the insurance arrangement to be provided by Changan Insurance.

        The term of the Insurance Agreement is one year starting from the date of the agreement, which can be automatically renewed prior to expiry each year.

        Under the Insurance Agreement, we are responsible for implementing proper credit and risk assessment procedures on borrowers. Changan Insurance is entitled to refuse to provide insurance coverage if we fail to implement proper credit and risk assessment procedures on borrowers or if any borrowers fail to meet the internal requirements of Changan Insurance. Changan Insurance is responsible for providing insurance coverage to investors who invested in loans to such borrowers who are qualified under our credits and risk assessment procedures, subject to the satisfaction of prescribed insurance requirements of Changan Insurance. On default of any qualified borrower, Changan Insurance shall compensate the investor(s) for the portion of the outstanding amount of loan principal and the accrued interest for which the borrower has failed to make payment through custody accounts that Changan Insurance and the investor(s) have set up with Jiangxi Bank. We are responsible for the collection of late payments and the production of evidence of non-payment and relevant information. We shall conduct review of materials provided by the borrowers stringently. In the event that Changan Insurance issues insurance incorrectly due to our failure in reviewing materials provided by the borrowers, Changan Insurance is entitled to require us to compensate for all the losses and relevant expenses incurred.

        Each party is entitled, on written notice, to unilaterally terminate the agreement should the other party engage in any action that is in breach of any laws, regulations or the terms of this agreement.

        On March 31, 2017, Changan Insurance and we entered into a supplemental agreement which set forth certain additional terms and conditions, including but not limited to, the insurance coverage over existing loan products which are managed through Jiangxi Bank's custody accounts. We also agreed to transfer the risk reserve liability balance as of January 31, 2017 to Changan Insurance as a one-time payment of the premium of the insurance arrangement over all existing loan products as of January 31, 2017.

Competition

        The online consumer finance marketplace industry in which we operate is highly competitive. With respect to borrowers, we compete with other consumer lending marketplaces. While there are over 1,700 other consumer lending marketplaces in China according to Oliver Wyman, we believe we do not directly compete with those marketplaces offering small-sized loans (defined as loans of RMB3,000 (US$442.5) to RMB20,000 (US$2,950.2)) and large-sized loans (defined as loans exceeding RMB140,000 (US$20,651.1)). Unlike these other marketplaces, we target the emerging middle class consumers seeking medium-sized loans ranging from RMB20,000 (US$2,950.2) to RMB140,000 (US$20,651.1). Among similar consumer lending marketplaces offering medium-sized loans, we believe we compete with Yirendai, Iqianjin and Niwodai.

        We do not compete with traditional financial institutions, including banks, credit card issuers and consumer finance companies. We believe our credit assessment technology has enabled us to analyze alternative sources of data and operate more efficiently than traditional financial institutions. In addition, unlike traditional banking and lending institutions, we are not constrained by strict regulatory limits on pricing and loan deposits, subject to compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

        With respect to investors, we primarily compete with other micro-lending investment product providers, wealth management centers and traditional banks in China.

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Intellectual Property

        We use a combination of trade secrets, software copyrights, trademarks, know-how and other rights to protect our intellectual property and our brand. We have completed registration of 32 trademarks and applied for the transfer of two additional trademarks with the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry & Commerce of the PRC from an affiliate of Hexin Group. We have registered six computer software copyrights and have applied for an additional computer software copyright with the PRC National Copyright Administration. We have also registered two domain names, www.hexindai.com and www.hexindai.cn.

        In addition to our intellectual property rights, we believe we maintain a competitive advantage over our peers through our knowledge of China's credit industry and our constantly improving technology and know-how. We also enter into contracts with our employees and third-party partners to prevent the unauthorized dissemination of our technology. To date, we have not experienced a material misappropriation of our intellectual property. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, third parties may attempt to use, copy or otherwise obtain and market or distribute our proprietary technology or develop a platform that is similar to our marketplace. We cannot be certain that the steps we have taken or will take in the future will prevent misappropriations of our technology and intellectual property rights. For a description of the risks related to our intellectual property rights, please see "Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—We may be unable to protect our proprietary intellectual property rights from unauthorized use, such that our brand, reputation and business may be negatively impacted".

Employees

        We had 97 and 132 full-time employees as of March 31, 2015 and 2016, respectively. As of March 31, 2017, our employees increased to 295, which further increased to 315 as of June 30, 2017. The increase in the number of employees was primarily due to our expansion of business, in particular to support the growth of our technology and risk management departments. None of our employees are represented by a labor union. We have not experienced any work stoppages, and we consider our relations with our employees to be good. The following table sets forth the number of our full-time employees categorized by function as of June 30, 2017:

Function
  Number of
Employees
 

Technology

    89  

Risk Management

    96  

Operations

    46  

Product Development

    21  

Sales and Marketing

    25  

General and Administrative

    38  

Total

    315  

        We invest significant resources in the recruitment of employees in support of our fast-growing business operations. We have established comprehensive training programs, including orientation programs and on-the-job-training, to enhance performance and service quality.

        As required by PRC Laws and regulations, we participate in various government statutory employee benefit plans, including a pension contribution plan, a medical insurance plan, an unemployment insurance plan, a work-related injury insurance plan, a maternity insurance plan and a housing provident fund. We are required under PRC law to contribute to employee benefit plans at specified percentages of the salaries, bonuses and certain allowances of our employees up to a maximum amount specified by the local government from time to time.

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        We enter into standard labor contracts with our employees. We also enter into standard confidentiality and non-compete agreements with our executive officers. See "Management—Employment Agreements."

Facilities

        Our headquarters are located in Beijing. We have leased an aggregate of approximately 2,630 square meters of office space for our headquarters in Beijing as of June 30, 2017.

Legal Proceedings

        We are currently not party to any material legal or administrative proceedings. We may from time to time be subject to various legal or administrative claims and proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. Litigation or any other legal or administrative proceeding, regardless of the outcome, may result in additional costs and diversion of our resources, including our management's time and attention.

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REGULATION

        This section sets forth a summary of the most significant rules and regulations that affect our business activities in China.

        As a consumer lending marketplace connecting investors with individual borrowers, we are regulated by various government authorities, including, among others:

    the MIIT regulating the telecommunications and telecommunications-related activities, including, but not limited to, the Internet information services and other value-added telecommunication services;

    the PBOC, as the central bank of China, regulating the formation and implementation of monetary policy, issuing the currency, supervising the commercial banks and assisting the administration of the financing;

    the CBRC regulating financial institutions and promulgating the regulations related to the administration of financial institutions.

Regulations Relating to Online Consumer Lending

        Online consumer lending is regarded under PRC law as direct loans between parties through an Internet platform, and governed by the PRC Contract Law, the General Principles of the Civil Law of the PRC, Interim Measures for the Administration of Business Activities of Online Lending Information Intermediaries and related judicial interpretations promulgated by the Supreme People's Court. "Individual" below in this Chapter refers to natural person, legal person and other organizations.

Regulations on Consumer Lending Service Provider

        In a press conference on April 21, 2014, a senior officer of the CBRC emphasized that a consumer lending services provider must operate as a platform that serves as an information intermediary between borrowers and lenders, and must not form any pool of capital, or provide any guarantee, or illegally raise any funds from the general public.

        On July 18, 2015, ten PRC regulatory agencies, including the PBOC, the MIIT and the CBRC, jointly issued the Guidelines on Promoting the Healthy Development of Internet Finance, or the Guidelines. The Guidelines define online consumer lending as direct loans between parties through an Internet platform, which is under the supervision of CBRC, and governed by the PRC Contract Law, the General Principles of the Civil Law of the PRC, and related judicial interpretations promulgated by the Supreme People's Court. The Guidelines require that online consumer lending service providers must do the following:

    (i)
    act as an intermediary platform to provide information exchange, matching, credit assessment and other intermediary services, and must not provide credit enhancement services and/or engage in illegal fund-raising;

    (ii)
    complete registration with the relevant local counterpart of the MIIT in accordance with implementation regulations that may be promulgated by the MIIT or/and the Office for Cyberspace Affairs pursuant to the Guidelines;

    (iii)
    set up a custody account with a qualified bank in order to deposit, manage and supervise borrower and investor funds, and separate borrower and investor funds from the funds of the online consumer lending service provider, with that custody account being subject to independent audits, the results of which must be disclosed to investors and borrowers, all in accordance with implementation regulations that may be promulgated by the PBOC and other relevant regulatory agencies pursuant to the Guidelines;

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    (iv)
    fully disclose all relevant information to customers, including but not limited to the online consumer lending service provider's financial status, transaction model, the rights and obligations of customers, and provide customers with reminders of the risk of loss;

    (v)
    not disseminate any untrue information and conduct any bundle sales;

    (vi)
    protect the personal information of the online consumer lending service provider's customers from any unauthorized disclosure, and must not sell and/or disclose such information illegally; and

    (vii)
    establish a customer identification program, monitor and report suspicious transactions, preserve customer information and transaction records, and provide assistance to the public security department and judicial authorities in investigations and proceedings in relation to anti-money laundering matters.

        On August 17, 2016, CBRC, MIIT, PBOC and other relevant government authorities published Interim Measures for the Administration of Business Activities of Online Lending Information Intermediaries, or the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures. The Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures defines the consumer lending as the direct lending among individuals via Internet platforms. Individuals shall include natural persons, legal persons and other organizations. The Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures also defines the consumer lending information intermediaries as the financial information intermediaries that specialized in consumer lending information intermediary business. Such intermediaries provide such services as information collection, information release, credit assessment, information exchange, and match of lending, on the Internet as the primary channel to facilitate the direct lending between borrowers and lenders (creditors). The Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures requires that consumer lending information intermediaries must do the following concerning filing and registration:

    (i)
    register the record-filing with the local financial regulatory department at the place where it is registered with the industry and commerce authority by presenting relevant materials within ten working days after obtaining the business license;

    (ii)
    after completing the record-filing with the local financial regulatory departments, apply for telecommunication business operating licenses pursuant to the relevant provisions of the competent authorities of communications;

    (iii)
    shall be clearly identified as consumer lending information intermediaries in their business scope.

        The Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures requires that consumer lending information intermediaries shall not engage in or be entrusted to engage in any of the following activities:

    (i)
    financing for themselves directly or in a disguised form;

    (ii)
    accepting, collecting or gathering funds of lenders directly or indirectly;

    (iii)
    providing security to lenders or promising break-even principals and interests directly or in a disguised form;

    (iv)
    publicizing or promoting financing projects on other physical premises other than such digital channels as the Internet, fixed-line telephone or mobile phone by themselves or upon entrustment or authorization of any third party;

    (v)
    making loans, unless otherwise stipulated by laws and regulations;

    (vi)
    splitting the term of any financing project;

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    (vii)
    raising funds by issuing such financial products on their own as wealth management products, or selling bank wealth management products, assets management by securities traders, funds, insurance, trust products or other financial products on a commission basis;

    (viii)
    carrying out business similar to asset-backed securities or conducting the transfer of creditor's rights in the form of packaged assets, asset-backed securities, trust assets, and fund units;

    (ix)
    engaging in any form of mixture, bundling or agency with other institutions in investment, sale on a commission basis, brokerage etc., unless otherwise permitted by laws, regulations and relevant regulatory provisions on consumer lending;

    (x)
    making up or overstating the authenticity of financing projects and the prospect of profits, concealing flaws and risks in financing projects, publicizing or promoting in biased language or by other fraudulent means in a false and one-sided way, fabricating or spreading false or incomplete information to damage others' business reputation, or misleading lenders or borrowers;

    (xi)
    providing information intermediary services for those highly risky financing projects whose purpose is the investment in stock market, over-the-counter financing, futures contracts, structured products and other derivatives;

    (xii)
    engaging in equity-based crowd funding etc.; and

    (xiii)
    undertaking other activities prohibited by laws and regulations as well as relevant regulatory provisions on consumer lending.

        The Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures provides the lending amount limit for consumer lending. The consumer lending shall be made mainly in small amounts. consumer lending information intermediaries shall, according to their respective risk management ability, restrict the maximum balance of money borrowed by the same borrower on the same consumer lending information intermediary platform or on several such intermediary platforms so as to prevent credit concentration risks. The balance of money borrowed by the same natural person, on the same consumer lending information intermediary platform shall be RMB200,000 (US$29,501.6) in maximum; and the total balance of money borrowed by the same natural person, on all consumer lending information intermediary platforms shall be RMB1,000,000 (US$147,507.9) in maximum. The balance of money borrowed by the same legal person or other kind of organizations on the same consumer lending information intermediary platform shall be RMB1,000,000 (US$147,507.9) in maximum; and the total balance of money borrowed by the same legal person or other kind of organizations on all consumer lending information intermediary platforms shall be RMB5,000,000 (US$737,539.3) in maximum.

        The Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures also provides other requirements for consumer lending information intermediaries, such as business rules and risk management, protection of lenders and borrowers, information disclosure, etc.. Consumer lending information intermediaries shall manage their own funds and funds of lenders and borrowers separately, and select qualified banking financial institutions as agencies to deposit lenders' and borrowers' funds. Local financial regulatory departments shall order consumer lending information intermediaries to make rectification within a period of no more than 12 months, which may subject to the adjustment from the relevant regulatory departments from time to time. Any violation of the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures by a consumer lending information intermediary after they come into effect, may subject such consumer lending information intermediary to certain penalties as determined by applicable laws, and regulations, or by relevant government authorities if the applicable laws and regulations are silent on the penalties. The applicable penalties may include but not limited to, criminal liabilities, warning, rectification, tainted integrity record and fines up to RMB30,000 (US$4,425.2).

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        In November 2016, the CBRC, the MIIT and the Industry and Commerce Administration Department, jointly issued the Guidance of Administration, which provides the general filing rules for online lending intermediaries, and delegates the filing authority to local financial authorities. Although the Guidance of Administration has not been officially promulgated or launched, and may not be found from authorized source, it is generally accepted by the industry that it needs to be followed. The Guidance of Administration sets forth that online lending intermediaries are approved locally. Under the general filing procedures for online lending intermediaries, before a filing application is submitted to local financial regulators, the online lending intermediaries may be required to: (i) rectify any breach of applicable regulations as required by local financial regulators; and (ii) apply to the Industry and Commerce Administration Department to amend or register such entity's the business scope.

        In February 22, 2017, the CBRC released the Guidelines to the Operation of Depositing Online Lending Funds, or the Guidelines of Depositing Lending Funds, which provide detailed requirements for setting up a custody account with a qualified bank and depositing online lending funds. The Guidelines of Depositing Lending Funds define online lending funds as the special lending funds and related funds deposited by the custodian pursuant to the entrustment of online lending information intermediary (as the principal), which are formed by borrowers, lenders and guarantors, etc. in their investment and financing activities. The Guidelines of Depositing Lending Funds define a custodian as a commercial bank that provides custody services for the online lending business.

        In the online lending funds custody business, the principal should perform the following duties:

    (i)
    to be responsible for the continuous development and safe operation of the technical system of the online consumer lending platform;

    (ii)
    to organize the implementation of the information disclosure of the online lending information intermediary, including but not limited to the basic information of the principal, the information of the lending project, the basic information and operation of the borrower, the information of the participants, etc., which should be fully disclosed to the custodian;

    (iii)
    to check the accounts with the custodian on a daily basis to ensure the accuracy of the system data;

    (iv)
    to keep the records, account books, statements and other relevant materials of the online lending business, and the relevant paper or electronic information shall be kept for more than five years after the expiration of the lending contract;

    (v)
    to organize an independent audit of the client's fund custody account and to disclose the audit results to the client;

    (vi)
    to fulfill and cooperate with the custodian to perform the anti-money laundering obligations; and

    (vii)
    other duties stipulated in laws, administrative regulations, rules, other regulatory documents and online lending funds deposit contracts.

        Where the principal and custodian that have carried out custodian business of online lending funds fail to comply with the requirements of the Guidelines of Depositing Lending Funds in the business course, they shall effect rectification for a period of no more than six months, which may subject to the adjustment from the relevant regulatory departments from time to time. Where they fail to effect rectification within such period, they shall be treated in accordance with the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures and other laws and regulations. In accordance with the Guidelines and the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures, on August 23, 2017, the CBRC issued the Disclosure Guidelines, which stipulate that consumer lending information intermediary platforms shall disclose relevant information on their websites and other Internet channels, and the Disclosure Guidelines have provided detailed requirements for such information disclosure. According to the Disclosure Guidelines, to the extent that consumer lending information

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intermediary platforms that have provided the services before the issuance of the Disclosure Guidelines are not in full compliance with the requirements, they are required to make rectification within a six-month rectification period starting from the date the Disclosure Guidelines was promulgated. For platforms that fail to make such rectification, sanctions could be imposed by the relevant regulatory departments, including but not limited to, supervision interview, warning letter, rectification, tainted integrity record, fines up to RMB30,000 (US$4,425), and criminal liabilities if the act constitutes a criminal offense.

        Our marketplace serves as an information intermediary between borrowers and lenders and we are not a party to the loans facilitated through our marketplace. We have taken measures to comply with the laws and regulations that are applicable to our business operations, including the regulatory principles raised by the CBRC and the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures, and avoid conducting any activities that may be deemed as illegal fund-raising under the current applicable laws and regulations. However, due to the lack of detailed regulations and guidance in the area of consumer lending services and the possibility that the PRC government authority may promulgate new laws and regulations regulating consumer lending services in the future, we cannot assure you that our practice would not be deemed to violate any PRC laws or regulations, especially relating to illegal fund-raising, credit enhancement services and/or information disclosure. See "Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—The laws and regulations governing the consumer lending industry in China are developing and evolving and subject to changes. If our practice is deemed to violate any PRC laws or regulations, our business, financial conditions and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected." See "Risk Factors—Risks Related to PRC Laws Regulating Our Business and Industry—Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of Chinese laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to us", "Risk Factors—Risks Related to PRC Laws Regulating Our Business and Industry—The laws and regulations governing the marketplace lending service industry in China are developing and evolving and subject to changes. If our practice is deemed to violate any PRC laws or regulations, our business, financial conditions and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected."

Regulations on Loans between Individuals

        The PRC Contract Law governs the formation, validity, performance, enforcement and assignment of contracts. The PRC Contract Law confirms the validity of loan agreements between individuals and provides that the loan agreement becomes effective when the individual lender provides the loan to the individual borrower. The PRC Contract Law requires that the interest rates charged under the loan agreement must not violate the applicable provisions of the PRC laws and regulations. In accordance with the Provisions on Several Issues Concerning Laws Applicable to Trials of Private Lending Cases issued by the Supreme People's Court on August 6, 2015, or the Private Lending Judicial Interpretations, which came into effect on September 1, 2015, private lending is defined as financing between individuals, legal entities and other organizations. When private loans between individuals are paid by wire transfer, through online consumer lending platforms or by other similar means, the loan contracts between individuals are deemed to be validated upon the deposit of funds to the borrower's account. In the event that the loans are made through an online consumer lending platform and the platform only provides intermediary services, the courts shall dismiss the claims of the parties concerned against the platform demanding the repayment of loans by the platform as guarantors. However, if the online consumer lending service provider guarantees repayment of the loans as evidenced by its web page, advertisements or other media, or the court is provided with other proof, the lender's claim alleging that the consumer lending service provider shall assume the obligations of a guarantor will be upheld by the courts. The Private Lending Judicial Interpretations also provide that agreements between the lender and borrower on loans with interest rates (including penalty and other costs thereof) no more than 24% per annum are valid and enforceable. As to loans with interest rates per annum over 24% but no more than 36%, if the interest on the loans has already been paid to the

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lender, and so long as such payment has not damaged the interest of the state, the community and any third parties, the courts will not find the merit in the borrower's demand for the return of the interest payment on the ground of invalidity. If the annual interest rate of a private loan is higher than 36%, the interest that in excess of 36% will not be enforced by the courts. All the loan transactions facilitated over our marketplace are between individuals currently. The APRs for the term loans on our marketplace currently range from 16.0% to 36.9%, which comprises a nominal interest rate and a loan facilitation or loan management service fee we charge borrowers for our services. The interest rate component, which is stipulated in the loan agreements, does not and is not expected to exceed the mandatory limit for loan interest rates.

        Pursuant to the PRC Contract Law, a creditor may assign its rights under an agreement to a third party, provided that the debtor is notified. Upon due assignment of the creditor's rights, the assignee is entitled to the creditor's rights and the debtor must perform the relevant obligations under the agreement for the benefit of the assignee. We allow investors to transfer the loans they hold to other investors before the loan reaches maturity. To facilitate the assignment of the loans, the template loan agreement applicable to the lenders and borrowers on our platform specifically provides that a lender has the right to assign his/her rights under the loan agreement to any third parties and the borrower agrees to such assignment.

        In addition, according to the PRC Contract Law, an intermediation contract is a contract whereby an intermediary presents to its client an opportunity for entering into a contract or provides the client with other intermediary services in connection with the conclusion of a contract, and the client pays the intermediary service fees. Our business of connecting investors with individual borrowers may constitute intermediary service, and our service agreements with borrowers and investors may be deemed as intermediation contracts under the PRC Contract Law. Pursuant to the PRC Contract Law, an intermediary must provide true information relating to the proposed contract. If an intermediary conceals any material fact intentionally or provides false information in connection with the conclusion of the proposed contract, which results in harm to the client's interests, the intermediary may not claim for service fees and is liable for the damages caused. The Interim Measures for the Administration of Business Activities of Online Lending Information Intermediaries provides detailed requirements for Consumer Lending Information Intermediaries. See "Regulation—Regulations Relating to Online Consumer Lending—Regulations on Consumer Lending Service Provider."

Regulations on Illegal Fund-Raising

        Raising funds by entities or individuals from the general public must be conducted in strict compliance with applicable PRC laws and regulations to avoid administrative and criminal liabilities. The Measures for the Banning of Illegal Financial Institutions and Illegal Financial Business Operations promulgated by the State Council in July 1998, and the Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning the Penalty on Illegal Fund-Raising issued by the General Office of the State Council in July 2007, explicitly prohibit illegal public fund-raising. The main features of illegal public fund-raising include: (i) illegally soliciting and raising funds from the general public by means of issuing stocks, bonds, lotteries or other securities without obtaining the approval of relevant authorities, (ii) promising a return of interest or profits or investment returns in cash, properties or other forms within a specified period of time, and (iii) using a legitimate form to disguise on unlawful purpose.

        To further clarify the criminal charges and punishments relating to illegal public fund-raising, the Supreme People's Court promulgated the Judicial Interpretations to Issues Concerning Applications of Laws for Trial of Criminal Cases on Illegal Fund-Raising, or the Illegal Fund-Raising Judicial Interpretations, which came into force in January 2011. The Illegal Fund-Raising Judicial Interpretations provide that a public fund-raising will constitute a criminal offense related to "illegally soliciting deposits from the public" under the PRC Criminal Law, if it meets all the following four criteria: (i) the fund-raising has not been approved by the relevant authorities or is concealed under the

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guise of legitimate acts; (ii) the fund-raising employs general solicitation or advertising such as social media, promotion meetings, leafleting and SMS advertising; (iii) the fundraiser promises to repay, after a specified period of time, the capital and interests, or investment returns in cash, properties in kind and other forms; and (iv) the fund-raising targets the general public as opposed to specific individuals. An illegal fund-raising activity can incur a fine or prosecution in the event it constitutes a criminal offense. Pursuant to the Illegal Fund-Raising Judicial Interpretations, an offender that is an entity will be subject to criminal liabilities, if it illegally solicits deposits from the general public or illegally solicits deposits in disguised form (i) with the amount of deposits involved exceeding RMB1,000,000 (US$147,507.9), (ii) with over 150 fund-raising targets involved, or (iii) with direct economic loss caused to fund-raising targets exceeding RMB500,000 (US$73,753.9), or (iv) the illegal fund-raising activities have caused baneful influences to the public or have led to other severe consequences. An individual offender is also subject to criminal liabilities but with lower thresholds. In addition, an individual or an entity who has aided in illegal fund-raising from the general public and charges fees including but not limited to agent fees, rewards, rebates and commission, may be considered an accomplice in the crime of illegal fund-raising. In accordance with the Opinions of the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procurator and the Ministry of Public Security on Several Issues concerning the Application of Law in the Illegal Fund-Raising Criminal Cases, the administrative proceeding for determining the nature of illegal fund-raising activities is not a prerequisite procedure for the initiation of criminal proceedings concerning the crime of illegal fund-raising, and the administrative departments' failure in determining the nature of illegal fund-raising activities does not affect the investigation, prosecution and trial of cases concerning the crime of illegal fund-raising.

Regulations Relating to Foreign Investment

The Draft PRC Foreign Investment Law

        In January 2015, the MOC published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law for public review and comments. The draft law purports to change the existing "case-by-case" approval regime to a "filing or approval" procedure for foreign investments in China. The State Council will determine a list of industry categories that are subject to special administrative measures, which is referred to as a "negative list," consisting of a list of industry categories where foreign investments are strictly prohibited, or the "prohibited list" and a list of industry categories where foreign investments are subject to certain restrictions, or the "restricted list." Foreign investments in business sectors outside of the "negative list" will only be subject to a filing procedure, in contrast to the existing prior approval requirements, whereas foreign investments in any industry categories that are on the "restricted list" must apply for approval from the foreign investment administration authority.

        The draft for the first time defines a foreign investor not only based on where it is incorporated or organized, but also by using the standard of "actual control." The draft specifically provides that entities established in China, but "controlled" by foreign investors will be treated as FIEs. Once an entity is considered to be an FIE, it may be subject to the foreign investment restrictions in the "restricted list" or prohibitions set forth in the "prohibited list." If an FIE proposes to conduct business in an industry subject to foreign investment restrictions in the "restricted list," the FIE must go through a market entry clearance approvals by the MOC before it can be established. If an FIE proposes to conduct business in an industry subject to foreign investment prohibitions in the "prohibited list," it must not engage in the business. However, an FIE that conducts business in an industry that is in the "restricted list," upon market entry clearance, may apply in writing for being treated as a PRC domestic investment if it is ultimately "controlled" by PRC government authorities and its affiliates and/or PRC citizens. According to the draft, variable interest entities would also be deemed as FIEs, if they are ultimately "controlled" by foreign investors, and be subject to restrictions on foreign investments. However, the draft law has not taken a position on what actions will be taken with respect to the existing companies with the "variable interest entity" structure, whether or not these companies are controlled by Chinese parties.

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        The draft emphasizes on security review requirements, whereby all foreign investments that jeopardize or may jeopardize national security must be reviewed and approved in accordance with the security review procedure. In addition, the draft imposes stringent ad hoc and periodic information reporting requirements on foreign investors and the applicable FIEs. Aside from the investment implementation report and the investment amendment report that are required at each investment and alteration of specific investment terms, an annual report is mandatory, and large foreign investors meeting certain criteria are required to report on a quarterly basis. Any company found to be non-compliant with these information reporting obligations may potentially be subject to fines and/or administrative or criminal liabilities, and the persons directly responsible may be subject to criminal liabilities.

        The draft is now open for public review and comments. It is still uncertain when the draft would be signed into law and whether the final version would have any substantial changes from the draft. When the Foreign Investment Law becomes effective, the trio of existing laws regulating foreign investment in China, namely, the Sino-foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law and the Wholly Foreign-invested Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations, will be abolished. See "Risk Factors—Risks related to Doing Business in China—Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation of draft PRC Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations."

        On September 3, 2016, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress published the Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Amending Four Laws including the Law of the People's Republic of China on Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprises. The decision provides that wholly foreign-owned enterprises, Chinese-Foreign equity joint ventures and Chinese-Foreign contractual joint ventures which formation do not involve the implementation of special access management measures as prescribed by the state shall be subject to recordation administration.

Industry Catalog Relating to Foreign Investment

        Investment activities in the PRC by foreign investors are principally governed by the Guidance Catalog of Industries for Foreign Investment, or the Catalog, which was promulgated and amended from time to time by the MOC and the National Development and Reform Commission. Industries listed in the Catalog are divided into three categories: encouraged, restricted and prohibited. Industries not listed in the Catalog are generally deemed as constituting a fourth "permitted" category. Establishment of wholly foreign-owned enterprises is generally allowed in encouraged and permitted industries. Some restricted industries are limited to equity or contractual joint ventures, while in some cases Chinese partners are required to hold the majority interests in such joint ventures. In addition, restricted category projects are subject to higher-level government approvals. Foreign investors are not allowed to invest in industries in the prohibited category. Industries not listed in the Catalog are generally open to foreign investment unless specifically restricted by other PRC regulations.

        Our PRC subsidiary is mainly engaged in providing investment and financing consultations and technical services, which fall into the "encouraged" or "permitted" category under the Catalog. Our PRC subsidiary has obtained all material approvals required for its business operations. However, industries such as value-added telecommunication services (except e-commerce), including Internet information services, are restricted from foreign investment. We provide the value-added telecommunication services that are in the "restricted" category.

        On December 7, 2016, the MOC and the National Development and Reform Commission published a discussion draft of the proposed Guidance Catalog of Industries for Foreign Investment, under which the investment and financing consultations fall into the "encouraged" or "permitted"

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category and value-added telecommunication services (except e-commerce) fall into "restricted" category.

Foreign Investment in Value-Added Telecommunication Services

        The Provisions on Administration of Foreign Invested Telecommunications Enterprises promulgated by the State Council in December 2001 and subsequently amended in September 2008 prohibit a foreign investor from owning more than 50% of the total equity interest in any value-added telecommunications service business in China and require the major foreign investor in any value-added telecommunications service business in China to have a good and profitable record and operating experience in this industry. The Guidance Catalog of Industries for Foreign Investment amended in 2015 allows a foreign investor to own more than 50% of the total equity interest in an E-Commerce business.

        In July 2006, the Ministry of Information Industry, the predecessor of the MIIT, issued the Circular on Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Investment in the Operation of Value-added Telecommunications Business, pursuant to which a domestic PRC company that holds an operating license for value-added telecommunications business, which we refer to as a VATS License, is prohibited from leasing, transferring or selling the VATS License to foreign investors in any form and from providing any assistance, including resources, sites or facilities, to foreign investors that conduct a value-added telecommunications business illegally in China. Further, the domain names and registered trademarks used by an operating company providing value-added telecommunications services must be legally owned by that company or its shareholders. In addition, the VATS License holder must have the necessary facilities for its approved business operations and to maintain the facilities in the regions covered by its VATS License.

        In light of the above restrictions and requirements, we operate our website through Hexin E-Commerce, which has received the VATS License necessary to provide online information service and other value-added telecommunications services in China.

Anti-money Laundering Regulations

        The PRC Anti-money Laundering Law, which became effective in January 2007, sets forth the principal anti-money laundering requirements applicable to financial institutions as well as non-financial institutions with anti-money laundering obligations, including the adoption of precautionary and supervisory measures, establishment of various systems for client identification, retention of clients' identification information and transactions records, and reports on large transactions and suspicious transactions. According to the PRC Anti-money Laundering Law, financial institutions subject to the PRC Anti-money Laundering Law include banks, credit unions, trust investment companies, stock brokerage companies, futures brokerage companies, insurance companies and other financial institutions as listed and published by the State Council, while the list of the non-financial institutions with anti-money laundering obligations will be published by the State Council. The PBOC and other governmental authorities issued a series of administrative rules and regulations to specify the anti-money laundering obligations of financial institutions and certain non-financial institutions, such as payment institutions. However, the State Council has not promulgated the list of the non-financial institutions with anti-money laundering obligations.

        The Guidelines, the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures and the Guidelines of Custodian Lending Funds require Internet finance service providers, including online consumer lending platforms to comply with certain anti-money laundering requirements, including the establishment of a customer identification program, the monitoring and reporting of suspicious transactions, the preservation of customer information and transaction records, and the provision of assistance to the public security department and judicial authority in investigations and proceedings in relation to anti-money laundering matters. The PBOC will formulate implementing rules to further specify the anti-money laundering obligations of Internet finance service providers.

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        In cooperation with our partnering custodian banks and payment companies, we have adopted various policies and procedures, such as internal controls and "know-your-customer" procedures, for anti-money laundering purposes. However, as the detailed anti-money laundering regulations of Internet finance service providers have not been published, there is uncertainty as to how the anti-money laundering requirements will be interpreted and implemented, and whether online consumer lending service providers like us must abide by the rules and procedures set forth in the PRC Anti-money Laundering Law that are applicable to non-financial institutions with anti-money laundering obligations. We cannot assure you that our existing anti-money laundering policies and procedures will be deemed to be in full compliance with any anti-money laundering laws and regulations that may become applicable to us in the future.

Regulations on Value-Added Telecommunication Services

        The Telecommunications Regulations promulgated by the State Council and its related implementation rules, including the Catalog of Classification of Telecommunications Business issued by the MIIT, categorize various types of telecommunications and telecommunications-related activities into basic or value-added telecommunications services, and Internet information services, or ICP services, and on-line data processing and transaction processing services, are classified as value-added telecommunications businesses. In 2009, the MIIT promulgated the Administrative Measures on Telecommunications Business Operating Licenses, which set forth more specific provisions regarding the types of licenses required to operate value-added telecommunications services, the qualifications and procedures for obtaining such licenses and the administration and supervision of such licenses. Under these regulations, a commercial operator of value-added telecommunications services must first obtain a license for value-added telecommunications business, or VATS License, from the MIIT or its provincial level counterparts.

        In September 2000, the State Council also issued the Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services, which was amended in January 2011. Pursuant to these measures, "Internet information services" refer to provision of Internet information to online users, and are divided into "commercial Internet information services" and "non-commercial Internet information services." A commercial Internet information services operator must obtain a VATS License for Internet information services, or ICP License, from the relevant government authorities before engaging in any commercial Internet information services operations in China. The ICP License has a term of five years and can be renewed within 90 days before expiration.

        Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures requires consumer lending information intermediaries apply for telecommunication business operating licenses pursuant to the relevant provisions of the competent authorities of communications. As the detailed provisions for such telecommunication business operating licenses has not been published, there is uncertainty as to which type of license is required for consumer lending information intermediaries.

        Hexin E-Commerce, our consolidated variable interest entity, has an ICP License for provision of commercial Internet information services issued by Beijing Telecommunication Administration Bureau in December 2016. However, as the implementing rules of the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures have not been published, there is uncertainty as to how the registration requirements in the Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures will be interpreted and implemented, and which type of telecommunication business operating licenses that consumer lending service providers like us are required to obtain.

Regulations on Internet Information Security

        Internet information in China is also regulated and restricted from a national security standpoint. The National People's Congress, China's national legislative body, has enacted the Decisions on Maintaining Internet Security, which may subject violators to criminal punishment in China for any effort to: (i) gain improper entry into a computer or system of strategic importance; (ii) disseminate

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politically disruptive information; (iii) leak state secrets; (iv) spread false commercial information; or (v) infringe intellectual property rights. The Ministry of Public Security has promulgated measures that prohibit use of the Internet in ways which, among other things, result in a leakage of state secrets or a spread of socially destabilizing content. If an Internet information service provider violates these measures, the Ministry of Public Security and the local security bureaus may revoke its operating license and shut down its websites. On November 7, 2016, Standing Committee of the National People's Congress published Cyber Security Law of the PRC (will be effective on June 1, 2017), which requires network operators to take technical measures and other necessary measures to ensure the secure and stable operation of the network, effectively respond to cyber security incidents, prevent illegal crimes committed on the network, and maintain the integrity, confidentiality and availability of cyber data.

        In addition, the Guidelines require Internet finance service providers, including consumer lending platforms, among other things, to improve technology security standards, and safeguard customer and transaction information. The PBOC and other relevant regulatory authorities will jointly adopt the implementing rules and technology security standards.

        The Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures requires consumer lending information intermediaries to take the following measures:

    (i)
    according to the relevant national provisions on cyberspace security and the graded protection system for national information security, carry out the grading record-filing and class testing for information system, have sophisticated cyberspace security facilities, such as firewall, and those facilities for intrusion detect, data encryption, and disaster recovery, as well as relevant management systems of such facilities, establish relevant systems with regard to information technology management, technology risk management, and technology auditing, allocate sufficient resources, take thorough management and control measures and technological means to ensure the safe and steady operation of the information system, and protect the security of the information of lenders and borrowers;

    (ii)
    record and retain the Internet access logs of both parties involved in lending, information interaction and other data for a period of five years after the expiration of loan contracts, and shall give a comprehensive security evaluation at least once every two years, and accept the information security inspection and auditing of the state or competent authorities of the industry;

    (iii)
    establish or adopt application-level disaster recovery systems and facilities compatible with their business scales within two years after their establishment.

    (iv)
    enhance the business cooperation with the operating organizations of financial credit information basic database and credit reporting agencies, and provide, access and use the relevant financial credit information according to law;

    (v)
    consumer lending information intermediaries which use the digital authentication systems of third parties shall evaluate the third-party digital authentication organizations regularly so as to ensure the safety, reliability and independence of the relevant authentications; and

    (vi)
    adopt proper methods and technologies to record and safekeep data and materials on consumer lending activities and back up data carefully. Such data and materials shall be kept for a certain period that meets the requirements of laws and regulations as well as the relevant regulatory provisions on consumer lending. Loan contracts shall be kept for at least five years after their expiry.

Regulations on Privacy Protection

        In recent years, PRC government authorities have enacted laws and regulations on Internet use to protect personal information from any unauthorized disclosure. Under the Several Provisions on Regulating the Market Order of Internet Information Services issued by the MIIT in December 2011, an ICP service operator may not collect any user personal information or provide any such information

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to third parties without the consent of a user. An ICP service operator 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 the provision of its services. An ICP service operator is also required to properly maintain the user personal information, and in case of any leak or likely leak of the user personal information, the ICP service operator must take immediate remedial measures and, in severe circumstances, make an immediate report to the telecommunications regulatory authority. In addition, pursuant to the Decision on Strengthening the Protection of Online Information issued by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in December 2012 and the Order for the Protection of Telecommunication and Internet User Personal Information issued by the MIIT in July 2013, any collection and use of user personal information must be subject to the consent of the user, abide by the principles of legality, rationality and necessity and be within the specified purposes, methods and scopes. An ICP service operator must also keep such information strictly confidential, and is further prohibited from divulging, tampering or destroying any such information, or selling or providing such information to other parties. An ICP service operator is required to take technical and other measures to prevent the collected personal information from any unauthorized disclosure, damage or loss. Any violation of these laws and regulations may subject the ICP service operator to warnings, fines, confiscation of illegal gains, revocation of licenses, cancellation of filings, closedown of websites or even criminal liabilities. The Cyber Security Law of the PRC (effective on June 1, 2017) requires that network operators shall strictly keep confidential users' personal information that they have collected, and establish and improve the users' information protection system. The Guidelines also prohibit Internet finance service providers, including online consumer lending platforms, from illegally selling or disclosing customers' personal information. The PBOC and other relevant regulatory authorities will jointly adopt the implementing rules. Pursuant to the Ninth Amendment to the Criminal Law issued by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in August 2015 and becoming effective in November, 2015, any Internet service provider that fails to fulfill the obligations related to Internet information security administration as required by applicable laws and refuses to rectify upon orders, shall be subject to criminal penalty for the result of (i) any dissemination of illegal information in large scale; (ii) any severe effect due to the leakage of the client's information; (iii) any serious loss of criminal evidence; or (iv) other severe situation, and any individual or entity that (i) sells or provides personal information to others in a way violating the applicable law, or (ii) steals or illegally obtain any personal information, shall be subject to criminal penalty in severe situation. The Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures requires the consumer lending information intermediaries as well as the fund custodian agencies and other outsourcing service providers to keep confidential the lenders' and borrowers' information collected in the course of their business, and they shall not use such information for any other purpose except for services they provide without approval of lenders or borrowers.

        In operating our online consumer finance marketplace, we collect certain personal information from borrowers and investors, and also need to share the information with our business partners such as third-party online payment companies and loan collection service providers for the purpose of facilitating loan transactions between borrowers and investors over our marketplace. We have obtained consent from the borrowers and investors on our marketplace to collect and use their personal information, and have also established information security systems to protect the user information and privacy. However, there is uncertainty as to how the requirements for protecting customers' personal information in the Guidelines and Online Lending Information Intermediaries Measures will be interpreted and implemented. We cannot assure you that our existing policies and procedures will be deemed to be in full compliance with any laws and regulations that may become applicable to us in the future.

Regulation on Intellectual Property Rights

        The PRC has adopted comprehensive legislation governing intellectual property rights, including trademarks. The PRC Trademark Law and its implementation rules protect registered trademarks. The

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PRC Trademark Law has adopted a "first-to-file" principle with respect to trademark registration. The Trademark Office under the State Administration of Industry and Commerce is responsible for the registration and administration of trademarks throughout the PRC, and grants a term of ten years to registered trademarks and another ten years if requested upon expiry of the initial or extended term. Trademark license agreements must be filed with the Trademark Office for record. As of the date of this prospectus, we have 32 registered trademarks and two trademark applications pending registration of transfer with the Trademark Office under the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

Regulations Relating to Indirect Transfers and Dividend Withholding Tax

        Pursuant to the EIT Law and its implementation rules, if a non-resident enterprise has not set up an organization or establishment in the PRC, or has set up an organization or establishment but the income derived has no actual connection with such organization or establishment, it will be subject to a withholding tax on its PRC-sourced income at a rate of 10%. In connection with the EIT Law, the SAT issued Circular 698, which became effective as of January 1, 2008, Circular 59 on April 30, 2009, and the SAT Announcement 7, on February 3, 2015. By promulgating and implementing the above, the PRC tax authorities have strengthened their scrutiny over the direct or indirect transfer of equity interest in a PRC resident enterprise by a non-PRC resident enterprise. Pursuant to SAT Announcement 7, if a non-resident enterprise, or referred to as a transferor, transfers its equity in an offshore enterprise which directly or indirectly owns PRC taxable assets, including ownership interest in PRC resident companies, or the Taxable Properties, without a "reasonable commercial purpose", such transfer shall be deemed as a direct transfer of such Taxable Properties. The payer, or referred as a transferee, in such transfer shall be the withholding agent, and is obligated to withhold and remit the enterprise income tax to the relevant PRC tax authority. If a transferor fails to declare for payment timely or in full of the tax due on proceeds from indirect transfer of PRC taxable assets and the withholding agent also fails to withhold such tax, the tax authority shall, in addition to supplementary collection of such tax, also charge for interest on a daily basis from the transferor according to the EIT Law and its implementation rules. Factors that may be taken into consideration when determining whether there is a reasonable commercial purpose include, among other factors, the value of the transferred equity, offshore taxable situation of the transaction, the offshore structure's economic essence and duration and trading fungibility. If an equity transfer transaction satisfies all the requirements mentioned above, such transaction will be considered an arrangement with reasonable commercial purpose.

        Pursuant to the Double Taxation Avoidance Arrangement, the withholding tax rate in respect to the payment of dividends by a PRC enterprise to a Hong Kong enterprise is reduced to 5% from a standard rate of 10% if the Hong Kong enterprise directly holds at least 25% of the PRC enterprise. Pursuant to Circular 81, a Hong Kong resident enterprise must meet the following conditions, among others, in order to enjoy the reduced withholding tax: (i) it must be the beneficial owners of the relevant dividends; and (ii) it must have directly owned at least 25% of the PRC resident enterprise throughout the 12 months prior to receiving the dividends. However, a transaction or arrangement entered into for the primary purpose of enjoying a favorable tax treatment should not be a reason for the application of the favorable tax treatment under the Double Taxation Avoidance Arrangement. If a taxpayer inappropriately is entitled to such favorable tax treatment, the competent tax authority has the power to make appropriate adjustments. In August 2015, the State Administration of Taxation promulgated Circular 60, which became effective on November 1, 2015. Circular 60 provides that non-resident enterprises are not required to obtain pre-approval from the relevant tax authority in order to enjoy the reduced withholding tax rate. Instead, non-resident enterprises and their withholding agents may, by self-assessment and on confirmation that the prescribed criteria to enjoy the tax treaty benefits are met, directly apply the reduced withholding tax rate, and file necessary forms and supporting documents when performing tax filings, which will be subject to post-tax filing examinations by the relevant tax authorities. However, if a competent tax authority finds out that it is necessary to apply the general anti-tax avoidance rules, it may start general investigation procedures for anti-tax

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avoidance and adopt corresponding measures for subsequent administration. Accordingly, Hexindai HK, our Hong Kong subsidiary, may be able to enjoy the 5% withholding tax rate for the dividends they receive from Hexin Yongheng, our PRC subsidiary, if it satisfies the conditions prescribed under Circular 81 and other relevant tax rules and regulations. However, according to Circular 81 and Circular 60, if the relevant tax authorities consider the transactions or arrangements we have are for the primary purpose of enjoying a favorable tax treatment, the relevant tax authorities may adjust the favorable withholding tax in the future.

Regulations Relating to Foreign Exchange

Regulation on Foreign Currency Exchange

        The principal regulations governing foreign currency exchange in China are the Foreign Exchange Administration Regulations, most recently amended in August 2008. Under the PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, such as profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. By contrast, approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where RMB is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital account items, such as direct investments, repayment of foreign currency-denominated loans, repatriation of investments and investments in securities outside of China. On February 28, 2015, the SAFE promulgated the Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving the Administration of the Foreign Exchange Concerning Direct Investment, or SAFE Notice 13. After SAFE Notice 13 became effective on June 1, 2015, instead of applying for approvals regarding foreign exchange registrations of foreign direct investment and overseas direct investment from SAFE, entities and individuals will be required to apply for such foreign exchange registrations from qualified banks. The qualified banks, under the supervision of the SAFE, will directly examine the applications and conduct the registration.

        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. SAFE Circular 142, provides that 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. Violations may result in severe monetary or other penalties.

        In November 2012, SAFE promulgated the Circular of Further Improving and Adjusting Foreign Exchange Administration Policies on Foreign Direct Investment, which substantially amends and simplifies the current foreign exchange procedure. Pursuant to this circular, the opening of various special purpose foreign exchange accounts, such as pre-establishment expenses accounts, foreign exchange capital accounts and guarantee accounts, the reinvestment of RMB proceeds derived by foreign investors in the PRC, and remittance of foreign exchange profits and dividends by a foreign-invested enterprise to its foreign shareholders no longer require the approval or verification of SAFE, and multiple capital accounts for the same entity may be opened in different provinces, which was not possible previously. In addition, SAFE promulgated another circular in May 2013, which specifies that the administration by SAFE or its local branches over direct investment by foreign investors in the PRC must be conducted by way of registration and banks must process foreign exchange business relating to the direct investment in the PRC based on the registration information provided by SAFE and its branches.

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        In July 2014, SAFE issued SAFE Circular 36, which purports to reform the administration of settlement of the foreign exchange capitals of foreign-invested enterprises in certain designated areas on a trial basis. Under the pilot program, some of the restrictions under SAFE Circular 142 will not apply to the settlement of the foreign exchange capitals of the foreign-invested enterprises established within the designated areas and the enterprises are allowed to use its RMB capital converted from foreign exchange capitals to make equity investment. However, our PRC subsidiary is not established within the designated areas. On March 30, 2015, the SAFE promulgated Circular 19, to expand the reform nationwide. Circular 19 came into force and replaced both Circular 142 and Circular 36 on June 1, 2015. Circular 19 allows foreign-invested enterprises to make equity investments by using RMB fund converted from foreign exchange capital. However, Circular 19 continues to, prohibit foreign-invested enterprises from, among other things, using RMB fund converted from its foreign exchange capitals for expenditure beyond its business scope, providing entrusted loans or repaying loans between non-financial enterprises.

        On June 9, 2016, the SAFE promulgated Circular 16, which expands the application scope from only the capital of the foreign-invested enterprises to the capital, the foreign debt fund and the fund from oversea public offering. Also, Circular 16 allows the enterprises to use their foreign exchange capitals under capital account allowed by the relevant laws and regulations.

Regulations on Foreign Exchange Registration of Overseas Investment by PRC Residents

        SAFE issued the SAFE Circular on Relevant Issues Relating to Domestic Resident's Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, that became effective in July 2014, replacing the previous SAFE Circular 75. SAFE Circular 37 regulates foreign exchange matters in relation to the use of special purpose vehicles, or SPVs, by PRC residents or entities to seek offshore investment and financing or conduct round trip investment in China. Under SAFE Circular 37, a SPV refers to an offshore entity established or controlled, directly or indirectly, by PRC residents or entities for the purpose of seeking offshore financing or making offshore investment, using legitimate onshore or offshore assets or interests, while "round trip investment" refers to direct investment in China by PRC residents or entities through SPVs, namely, establishing foreign-invested enterprises to obtain the ownership, control rights and management rights. SAFE Circular 37 provides that, before making contribution into an SPV, PRC residents or entities are required to complete foreign exchange registration with SAFE or its local branch. SAFE promulgated the Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving the Administration of the Foreign Exchange Concerning Direct Investment in February 2015, which took effect on June 1, 2015. This notice has amended SAFE Circular 37 requiring PRC residents or entities to register with qualified banks rather than SAFE or its local branch in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore entity established for the purpose of overseas investment or financing.

        PRC residents or entities who had contributed legitimate onshore or offshore interests or assets to SPVs but had not obtained registration as required before the implementation of the SAFE Circular 37 must register their ownership interests or control in the SPVs with qualified banks. An amendment to the registration is required if there is a material change with respect to the SPV registered, such as any change of basic information (including change of the PRC residents, name and operation term), increases or decreases in investment amount, transfers or exchanges of shares, and mergers or divisions. Failure to comply with the registration procedures set forth in SAFE Circular 37 and the subsequent notice, or making misrepresentation on or failure to disclose controllers of the foreign-invested enterprise that is established through round-trip investment, may result in restrictions being imposed on the foreign exchange activities of the relevant foreign-invested enterprise, including payment of dividends and other distributions, such as proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation, to its offshore parent or affiliate, and the capital inflow from the offshore parent, and may also subject relevant PRC residents or entities to penalties under PRC foreign exchange administration regulations.

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        We are aware that our PRC resident beneficial owners subject to these registration requirements have registered with the Beijing SAFE branch.

Regulations on Stock Incentive Plans

        SAFE promulgated the Stock Option Rules in February 2012, replacing the previous rules issued by SAFE in March 2007. Under the Stock Option Rules and other relevant rules and regulations, PRC residents who participate in stock incentive plan in an overseas publicly-listed company are required to register with SAFE or its local branches and complete certain other procedures. Participants of a stock incentive plan who are PRC residents must retain a qualified PRC agent, which could be a PRC subsidiary of the overseas publicly listed company or another qualified institution selected by the PRC subsidiary, to conduct the SAFE registration and other procedures with respect to the stock incentive plan on behalf of the participants. In addition, the PRC agent is required to amend the SAFE registration with respect to the stock incentive plan if there is any material change to the stock incentive plan, the PRC agent or other material changes. The PRC agent must, on behalf of the PRC residents who have the right to exercise the employee share options, apply to SAFE or its local branches for an annual quota for the payment of foreign currencies in connection with the PRC residents' exercise of the employee share options. The foreign exchange proceeds received by the PRC residents from the sale of shares under the stock incentive plans granted and dividends distributed by the overseas listed companies must be remitted into the bank accounts in the PRC opened by the PRC agents before distribution to such PRC residents.

        We have adopted a share incentive plan, under which we have the discretion to grant a broad range of equity-based awards to eligible participants. See "Management—Share Incentive Plan." However, any failure to complete the registration pursuant to the Stock Option Rules and other foreign exchange requirements may subject these PRC individuals to fines and legal sanctions, and may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiary, limit our PRC subsidiary's ability to distribute dividends to us or otherwise materially adversely affect our business.

Regulations on Dividend Distribution

        Under our current corporate structure, our Cayman Islands holding company may rely on dividend payments from Hexin Yongheng, which is a wholly foreign-owned enterprise incorporated in China, to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have. The principal regulations governing distribution of dividends of foreign-invested enterprises include the Foreign-Invested Enterprise Law, as amended in October 2016, and its implementation rules. Under these laws and regulations, wholly foreign-owned enterprises in China may pay dividends only out of their accumulated after-tax profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, wholly foreign-owned enterprises in China are required to allocate at least 10% of their respective accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds until these reserves have reached 50% of the registered capital of the enterprises. Wholly foreign-owned companies may, at their discretion, allocate a portion of their after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to staff welfare and bonus funds. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends.

Regulations on Overseas Listings

        Six PRC regulatory agencies, including the CSRC, jointly adopted the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, which became effective in September 2006. The M&A Rules, among other things, require offshore SPVs formed for overseas listing purposes through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies and controlled by PRC companies or individuals, to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to publicly listing their securities on an overseas stock exchange.

        While the application of the M&A Rules remains unclear, we believe, based on the advice of our PRC counsel, Han Kun Law Offices, that CSRC approval is not required in the context of this offering because: (a) we established our PRC subsidiary, Hexin Yongheng, by means of direct investment rather

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than by merger with or acquisition of PRC domestic companies, and (b) no explicit provision in the M&A Rules classifies the respective contractual arrangements between Hexin Yongheng, Hexin E-Commerce and its shareholders as a type of acquisition transaction falling under the M&A Rules. However, as there has been no official interpretation or clarification of the M&A Rules, there is uncertainty as to how this regulation will be interpreted or implemented. See "Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission may be required in connection with this offering under a regulation adopted in August 2006, as amended, and, if required, we cannot predict whether we will be able to obtain such approval."

Regulations Relating to Employment

        The PRC Labor Law and the Labor Contract Law require that employers must execute written employment contracts with full-time employees. If an employer fails to enter into a written employment contract with an employee within one year from the date on which the employment relationship is established, the employer must rectify the situation by entering into a written employment contract with the employee and pay the employee twice the employee's salary for the period from the day following the lapse of one month from the date of establishment of the employment relationship to the day prior to the execution of the written employment contract. All employers must compensate their employees with wages equal to at least the local minimum wage standards. Violations of the PRC Labor Law and the Labor Contract Law may result in the imposition of fines and other administrative sanctions, and serious violations may result in criminal liabilities.

        Enterprises in China are required by PRC laws and regulations to participate in certain employee benefit plans, including social insurance funds, namely a pension plan, a medical insurance plan, an unemployment insurance plan, a work-related injury insurance plan and a maternity insurance plan, and a housing provident fund, and contribute to the plans or funds in amounts equal to certain percentages of salaries, including bonuses and allowances, of the employees as specified by the local government from time to time at locations where they operate their businesses or where they are located. Failure to make adequate contributions to various employee benefit plans may be subject to fines and other administrative sanctions. Also, enterprises in China are required by PRC laws and regulations to be the individual income tax withhold agents and withhold individual income tax for their employees accordingly.

        We have not made adequate contributions to employee benefit plans, as required by applicable PRC laws and regulations. See "Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Failure to make adequate contributions to various employee benefit plans as required by PRC regulations may subject us to penalties."

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MANAGEMENT

        The following table sets forth information regarding our executive officers, directors, director appointees and advisors as of the date of this prospectus. Unless otherwise stated, the business address for our directors and executive officers is that of our principal executive offices at 13th Floor, Block C, Shimao, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020, People's Republic of China.

Name
  Age   Position with the Company

Executive Directors and Officers:

         

An Xiaobo

    34   Director, Chairman

Zhou Xinming

    33   Director, Chief executive officer

Zhang Qisen (Johnson)

    34   Chief financial officer

Chen Weixing

    40   Senior vice president

Wang Dongling

    36   Chief risk officer

Gao Tianhao

    30   Chief marketing officer

Hua Lili

    32   Chief operations officer

Non-Executive Directors:

   
 
 

 

Stephen Markscheid*

    63   Independent non-executive director appointee

Guo Dagang*

    46   Independent non-executive director appointee

            *

           Independent non-executive director appointee

*
Stephen Markscheid, Guo Dagang and            have accepted appointments as our directors, effective upon the SEC's declaration of effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus forms a part.

Executive Officers

         Mr. An Xiaobo , aged 34, founded and has held the position of our chairman since the inception of our business. He became our director in February 2017. Before founding our company and the creation of the "Hexin" brand, Mr. An Xiaobo founded Beijing Zhongdashixing Business Co., Ltd, Hexindai Wealth Management Co., Ltd, Hexindai and Hexindai Financial Information (Beijing) Co., Ltd. He served as a credit approval manager in Huaxia Bank from 2004 to 2008 where his responsibilities included the supervision of credit card application review. Mr. An Xiaobo received a bachelor's degree in advertising from Hebei University. He was awarded the "Outstanding Innovator of the Financial Industry in China" title by the prestigious Economy magazine and Huazun Prize panel in 2014.

         Mr. Zhou Xinming , aged 33, has served as our chief operations officer since inception of our business and our chief executive officer since August 2016. He became our director in February, 2017. Prior to joining our company, Mr. Zhou was chief executive officer of Beijing Triangle Technology from 2013 to 2014, and was senior product manager of JD.com, a NASDAQ listed company (NASDAQ: JD), from 2010 to 2012. From 2007 to 2010, Mr. Zhou served as a products director in the Ninetowns Group (Ninetowns Internet Technology Group Company Limited was a NASDAQ listed company from 2004 to 2014 (NASDAQ:NINE)). Mr. Zhou received a bachelor's degree in English from Beijing University of Technology.

         Mr. Zhang Qisen (Johnson) , aged 34, joined our company in August 2016 and has served as our chief financial officer since February 2017. Prior to joining our company, Mr. Zhang served as the board secretary and investor relations director to China Ming Yang Wind Power Group Limited, a NYSE-listed company (NYSE: MY) from 2014 to 2015, where he was involved in corporate finance projects and overall management of the company. From 2010 to 2014, he served as a director of FunTalk China Holdings Ltd., a NASDAQ-listed company (NASDAQ: FTLK) where he provided

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financial modelling and analysis services. Mr. Zhang also worked at H&D Investment Consulting from 2007 to 2010 and International Data Corporation from 2005 to 2007. He graduated from the University of International Business and Economics, where he was awarded a bachelor's degree in Business Administration.

         Mr. Chen Weixing , aged 40, has served as our senior vice president since inception. Prior to joining our company, Mr. Chen was a senior financial manager of Elong, a NASDAQ-listed company (NASDAQ: LONG) from 2006 to 2013, where he provided financial management services. From 2004 to 2006, Mr. Chen served as a financial consultant at China Financial Consultancy Co., Ltd.. He also served as a financial analyst of a joint venture company of Lenovo, a Hong Kong Main Board-listed company (HKSE: 0992) from 2000 to 2004, where he performed financial modelling and analysis services. Mr. Chen graduated from Peking University, where he was awarded a bachelor's degree in Financial Management, and received a Master's of Business Administration from University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Mr. Chen has been a member of the Institute of Financial Accountants since 2015 and a member of the Institute of Public Accountants since 2015.

         Ms. Wang Dongling , aged 36, joined our Company in 2015 and has served as our chief risk officer since 2016. Prior to joining our company, she was approval manager of Pinganpuhui Finance from 2005 to 2015, where her responsibilities included supervision of the assessment team in the verification of customers' application and information. Before that she served as investment advisor of Shenzhen Newrand Securities Investment Consulting Firm from 2001 to 2005, where her responsibilities included supervising marketing activities and products promotional campaigns. Ms. Wang graduated from the Heilongjiang School of Economic Management where she was awarded a diploma in Accounting Computerization.

         Mr. Gao Tianhao , aged 30, has served as our chief marketing officer since May 2017. Prior to joining our company, Mr. Gao was chief marketing officer of Wanhui Investment Management Company Limited, also known as PPMoney, from March 2014 to March 2017, where he was in charge of branding and marketing positioning, as well as conducting user and market research analyses and managing marketing activities. He also served as vice president of the Beijing branch of IZP Group from September 2010 to February 2014, and a client manager of Ogilvy One from September 2006 to August 2010. Mr. Gao graduated from Communication University of China, where he was awarded a master's degree in communications.

         Ms. Hua Lili , aged 32, has served as our chief operations officer since June 2017. Prior to joining our company, she was the operations manager of Souyidai (Beijing) Information Technology Consulting Company Limited, a subsidiary of the Sohu Group (NASDAQ: SOHU) from March 2016 to May 2017, where she was in charge of the internal and external operations of the company, as well as the management of all operations department staff and the implementation of the company's operations and strategies. Prior to that she was Operating Director of Baoshang Bank from April 2015, apps operations manager of VIP Shop from June 2014 to April 2015, operations manager of Qihoo 360 Technology Co., Ltd from December 2012 to April 2014 and operations manager of Taobao, a subsidiary of the Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA) from October 2008 to January 2010. Ms. Hua graduated from Beijing Fashion Academy, where she was awarded a master's degree in fashion design.

Non-executive Directors

         Mr. Stephen Markscheid , aged 63, will serve as our independent director immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Markscheid is a partner at DealGlobe, a Shanghai based boutique investment bank. He currently serves as an independent director of ZZ Capital International, a Hong Kong GEM Board-listed company (HK GEM: 08295), Ener-Core, a U.S. company trading over-the-counter (OTCQB: ENCR), Fanhua Inc., formerly known as "CNinsure Inc.", a NASDAQ-listed company (NASDAQ: FANH), and Jinko Solar Inc., a New York Stock Exchange-listed company (NYSE: JKS). From 1998 to 2006, Mr. Markscheid served as director and later as senior vice president at different group companies of

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General Electric, where he led GE Capital's business development activities in China and Asia Pacific, primarily acquisitions and direct investments. Prior to General Electric, from 1994 to 1996, Mr. Markscheid worked with the Boston Consulting Group throughout Asia. Mr. Markscheid was a commercial banker for ten years in London, Chicago, New York, Hong Kong and Beijing with Chase Manhattan Bank and First National Bank of Chicago and has years of professional experience in the financial services industries. He obtained a bachelor of arts degree from Princeton University in 1976, a master's degree in international affairs from Johns Hopkins University in 1980, and a master's degree in business administration from Columbia University in 1991, where he was class valedictorian.

         Mr. Guo Dagang , aged 46, will serve as our independent director immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus forms a part. Prior to joining our Company, Mr. Guo served as Investment Director in Beyond Fund and Member of Investment Committee in Guotai Venture Capital Co. Ltd. from March 2012 to December 2014, From 2009 to 2012, Mr. Guo served as the General Manager of Business Development in ECS Technology China Ltd..From 2002 to 2009, Mr. Guo served as Product Director of Digital China, a Shenzhen Stock Exchange-listed company (SZ: 000034). Mr. Guo obtained his bachelor's degree in Taiyuan University of Technology in 1994,and his master's degree in FMBA from Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in 2015. He currently serves as the Secretary General of Beijing Internet Finance Industry Association.

                            , aged    , will serve as our independent director immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus forms a part.

Employment Agreements and Confidentiality Agreements

        We have entered into employment agreements and confidentiality agreements with each of our executive officers. Under these agreements, each of our executive officers is employed for a specified period of time. The employment agreements provide that the employment can be terminated pursuant to the PRC Employment Contract Law and relevant regulations. Under such law and regulations, we may terminate employment with an employee (i) for cause, at any time, without advance notice or remuneration, including for certain acts of the employee, such as conviction of a crime, malpractices which caused significant damage to us, or violation of our internal policies; or (ii) without cause by paying severance compensation to the employee.

        According to the confidentiality agreements entered into with our executive officers, our executive officers may resign at any time with a 30-day advance written notice. Each executive officer has agreed, both during and within two years after the termination or expiry of his or her employment agreement to (i) hold, in strict confidence and not to use any of our confidential information or trade secrets, any confidential information or trade secrets of our users, or the confidential or proprietary information of any third party received by us and for which we have confidential obligations; and (ii) be bound by non-competition restrictions. Each executive officer has agreed not to, without our express consent, assume employment by, or provide direct or indirect services to, any of our competitors, whether as a shareholder, partner, executive, supervisor, consultant or otherwise, or to engage in any business that is similar to our business. Each executive officer has agreed to indemnify us against any actual loss incurred by us as a result of his or her breach of the confidentiality and non-competition obligations.

Board of Directors

        Upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is a part, our board of directors will consist of five directors, including two executive directors and three non-executive directors. The powers and duties of our directors include convening general meetings and reporting our board's work at our shareholders' meetings, declaring dividends and distributions, determining our business and investment plans, appointing officers and determining the term of office of the officers, preparing our annual financial budgets and financial reports, formulating proposals for the increase or reduction of our authorized capital as well as exercising other powers, functions and

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duties as conferred by our articles of association. Our directors may exercise all the powers of our company to borrow money, mortgage its business, property and uncalled capital and issue debentures or other securities whenever money is borrowed or as security for any obligation of our company or of any third party.

        A director may vote in respect of any contract or proposed contract or arrangement notwithstanding that he may be interested therein and if he does so his vote shall be counted and he may be counted in the quorum at any meeting of the directors at which any such contract or proposed contract or arrangement is considered. A director who is in any way, whether directly or indirectly, interested in a contract or proposed contract with us is required to declare the nature of his interest at a meeting of our directors. A general notice given to the directors by any director to the effect that he is a member, shareholder, director, partner, officer or employee of any specified company or firm and is to be regarded as interested in any contract or transaction with that company or firm shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of interest for the purposes of voting on a resolution in respect to a contract or transaction in which he has an interest, and after such general notice it shall not be necessary to give special notice relating to any particular transaction.

Committees of the Board of Directors

        Upon SEC's declaration of effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is part, we will establish an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee under the board of directors. We will adopt a charter for each of the three committees. Each committee's members and functions are described below.

        Audit Committee.     Our audit committee will consist of three members with effect upon SEC's declaration of effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is part, and will be chaired by                    . Each of                    ,                     and                    satisfie s the "independence" requirements of the listing rules of                    and meet the independence standards under Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act. We have determined that                    qualifies as an "audit committee financial expert." The audit committee oversees our accounting and financial reporting processes and the audits of the financial statements of our company. The audit committee is responsible for, among other things:

    selecting the independent registered public accounting firm and pre-screening all auditing and non-auditing services permitted to be performed by the independent registered public accounting firm;

    reviewing with the independent registered public accounting firm any audit problems or difficulties and management's response;

    reviewing and approving all proposed related party transactions, as defined in Item 404 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act;

    discussing the annual audited financial statements with management and the independent registered public accounting firm;

    reviewing major issues as to the adequacy of our internal controls and any special audit steps adopted in light of material control deficiencies;

    annually reviewing and reassessing the adequacy of our audit committee charter;

    meeting separately and periodically with management and the independent registered public accounting firm; and

    reporting regularly to the board of directors.

        Compensation Committee.     Our compensation committee will consist of three members with effect upon SEC's declaration of effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is part, and will be chaired by                    . Each of                    ,                     and                         satisfies the "independence" requirements of the listing rules of                    . The

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compensation committee assists the board of directors in reviewing and approving the compensation structure, including all forms of compensation, relating to our directors and executive officers. Our executive officers may not be present at any committee meeting during which their compensation is deliberated upon. The compensation committee is responsible for, among other things:

    reviewing the total compensation package for our executive officers and making recommendations to the board of directors with respect to it;

    approving and overseeing the total compensation package for our executives other than the three most senior executives;

    reviewing the compensation of our directors and making recommendations to the board of directors with respect to it; and

    periodically reviewing and approving any long-term incentive compensation or equity plans, programs or similar arrangements, annual bonuses, and employee pension and welfare benefit plans.

        Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.     Our nominating and corporate governance committee will consist of three members with effect upon SEC's declaration of effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is part, and will be chaired by                    . Each of                    ,                    and                     satisfies the "independence" requirements of the listing rules of                    . The nominating and corporate governance committee assists the board of directors in selecting individuals qualified to become our directors and in determining the composition of the board of directors and its committees. The nominating and corporate governance committee is responsible for, among other things:

    recommending nominees to the board of directors for election or re-election to the board of directors, or for appointment to fill any vacancy on the board of directors;

    reviewing annually with the board of directors the current composition of the board of directors with regards to characteristics such as independence, age, skills, experience and availability of service to us;

    selecting and recommending to the board of directors the names of directors to serve as members of the audit committee and the compensation committee, as well as of the nominating and corporate governance committee itself; and

    monitoring compliance with our code of business conduct and ethics, including reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our procedures to ensure proper compliance.

Duties of Directors

        Under Cayman Islands law, our directors owe fiduciary duties to our company, including a duty to act honestly, and a duty to act in what they consider in good faith to be in our best interests. Our directors must also exercise their powers only for a proper purpose. Our directors also owe to our company a duty to act with skill and care. It was previously considered that a director need not exhibit in the performance of his duties a greater degree of skill than may reasonably be expected from a person of his knowledge and experience. However, English and Commonwealth courts have moved towards an objective standard with regard to the required skill and care and these authorities are likely to be followed in the Cayman Islands. In fulfilling their duty of care to our company, our directors must ensure compliance with our memorandum and articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time, and the rights vested thereunder in the holders of the shares. Our directors owe their fiduciary duties to our company and not to our company's individual shareholders, and it is our company which has the right to seek damages if a duty owed by our directors is breached. In limited exceptional circumstances, a shareholder may have the right to seek damages in our name if a duty owed by our directors is breached.

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Terms of Directors and Officers

        Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which will become effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering and will replace our current memorandum and articles of association in its entirety, subject to the approval of our shareholders, our board of directors shall have the power from time to time and at any time to appoint any person as a director to fill a casual vacancy on the board or as an addition to the existing board (subject to the maximum size limit). Our directors will not be subject to a term of office and will hold their offices until such time as they are removed from office by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders.

        In addition, the office of any of our directors shall be vacated if the director (a) becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors; (b) dies or becomes of unsound mind; (c) resigns his office by notice in writing to our company; (d) without special leave of absence from our board of directors, is absent from meetings of the board for three consecutive meetings and the board of directors resolves that his office be vacated; (e) is prohibited by law or designated stock exchange rules from being a director; or (f) is removed from office pursuant to our memorandum and articles of association.

Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers

        For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, we paid an aggregate of approximately US$192,719 in cash to our executive officers and directors. We did not pay compensation to our non-executive directors. We have not set aside or accrued any amount to provide pension, retirement or other similar benefits to our executive officers and directors. Our PRC subsidiaries are required by law to make contributions equal to certain percentages of each employee's salary for his or her pension insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance and other statutory benefits and a housing provident fund. For incentive share grants to our officers and directors, see "—Share Incentive Plans."

Share Incentive Plan

2016 Equity Incentive Plan

        Our 2016 Equity Incentive Plan was adopted to attract and retain the best available personnel for positions of substantial responsibility, provide additional incentive to employees, directors and consultants and promote the success of our business. The equity incentive plan provides for the grant of an option, restricted shares, restricted share units and local awards.

        Authorized Shares     The maximum aggregate number of shares that may be issued under the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan is 6,312,000 of our ordinary shares, adjusted for the nominal share issuance (please see Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information related to the nominal share issuance), plus an annual increase on the last day of the last fiscal year, starting in the fiscal year of 2017, by an amount equal to (i) 15% of the total number of outstanding shares of our common shares less (ii) the total number of unissued shares under the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan less (iii) the total number of shares subject to then-outstanding awards under the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan, in each case of (i), (ii) and (iii) as of the last calendar day of the last immediately preceding fiscal year. Ordinary shares issued pursuant to awards under the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan that are forfeited or cancelled or otherwise expired, will become available for future grant under the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan. The shares that are tendered by a participant of the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan or withheld by us to pay the exercise price of an option or to satisfy the participant's tax withholding obligations in connection with an award shall not be added back to the limit of the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan. During the term of the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan, we will at all times reserve and keep available a sufficient number of ordinary shares available for issue to satisfy the requirements of the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan.

        Plan Administration     The 2016 Equity Incentive Plan is administered by the board or our compensation committee. The administrators may delegate limited authority over the day-to-day

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administration of the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan to such other subcommittees or specified officers. Subject to the provisions of the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan, the administrator has the power to determine the terms of awards, including the eligible participants, the exercise price, if any, the number of shares subject to each award, the fair market value of a share of our ordinary shares, the vesting schedule applicable to the awards, together with any vesting acceleration, and the form of settlement of awards in shares or cash or a combination thereof and the terms of the award agreement for use under the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan. In the event that any dividend or other distribution, recapitalization, share division, share consolidation, reorganization or any change in the corporate structure of the Company affecting the shares occurs, the administrators will make adjustment with respect to the number and class of shares that may be delivered under the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan and/or the number, class and price of shares covered by outstanding awards, in order to prevent diminution of the benefits intended to be made available under the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan.

Awards under the Equity Incentive Plan

        Share Options     Share options may be granted under the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan. The exercise price of each option shall be determined by the administrator; provided, however, that the per share exercise price may be no less than 100% of the fair market value per share on the date of grant. Our administrator shall also determine the time or times at which the options shall vest and may be exercised and will determine any conditions that must be satisfied. One-third of the shares subject to an award will vest on each of the first, second and third annual anniversaries of the vesting commencement date, unless otherwise provided in the award agreement.

        Restricted Shares     A restricted share award agreement will specify restrictions on the duration of the restricted period, the number of shares granted, and any other terms and conditions specified by the administrator. Except to the extent otherwise provided in the award agreement, the holder of restricted shares will be entitled to receive all dividends and other distributions paid with respect to the shares, subject to the same restrictions on transferability and forfeitability as the underlying shares of restricted shares. Restricted shares may not be sold, transferred, assigned or pledged until the end of the restricted period and may be subject to forfeiture upon a termination of employment or service with us.

        Restricted Share Units     Awards of restricted share units may be granted by the administrator. At the time of grant of restricted share units, the administrator may impose conditions that must be satisfied, such as continued employment or service or attainment of corporate performance goals, and may place restrictions on the grant and/or vesting of the restricted share units. A restricted share unit award agreement will specify applicable vesting criteria, the number of restricted share units granted, the terms and conditions on time and form of payment and any such terms and conditions determined by the administrator. Each restricted share unit, upon fulfilment of any applicable conditions, represents a right to receive an amount equal to the fair market value of one share.

        Other Local Awards     The administrator may cause a local PRC subsidiary of our Company to grant local cash-settled awards in lieu of any other award under the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan, which such local awards shall be paid wholly by the such PRC subsidiary. Each local award shall be linked to the fair market value of a share.

        Change in Control     The 2016 Equity Incentive Plan provides that in the event of a change in control of our Company, each outstanding award will be assumed or substituted by the successor corporation. Unless the administrator determines otherwise, in the event that the successor corporation does not assume or substitute for the award, the portion of the award that remains outstanding will fully vest and all applicable restrictions will lapse. The holders of any outstanding options will be provided notice and a specified period of time to exercise awards to the extent vested (with awards terminating upon the expiration of the specified period of time). An award will be considered assumed if, following the change in control transaction, the award confers the right to purchase or receive, for

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each share subject to the award, the same consideration received in the change in control transaction by the holders of ordinary shares for each share held on the effective date of the transaction.

        Plan Amendment and Termination     Our board of directors may amend, alter, suspend or terminate the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan, subject to certain exceptions. The 2016 Equity Incentive Plan will automatically terminate in 2026, unless we terminate it sooner. The termination of the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan will not limit the administrator's ability to exercise the powers granted to it with respect to awards granted under the plan prior to the date of termination.

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PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

        The following table presents information regarding the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares prior to and immediately after the completion of this offering by:

        Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. In computing the number of ordinary shares beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, we have included ordinary shares that the person has the right to acquire within 60 days, including through the exercise of any option, warrant, or other right or the conversion of any other security. These ordinary shares, however, are not included in the computation of the percentage ownership of any other person.

        The percentage of beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares immediately after the completion of this offering is based on (i)             ordinary shares outstanding immediately after the completion of this offering, assuming that the ADSs are offered and sold at the minimum offering amount, and (ii)             ordinary shares outstanding immediately after the completion of this offering, assuming that the ADSs are offered and sold at the maximum offering amount. Unless otherwise noted, the business address for each of our directors and executive officers is 13th Floor, Block C, Shimao, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020, People's Republic of China.

 
  Ordinary Shares
Beneficially Owned
Prior to This
Offering
  Ordinary Shares Beneficially
Owned After This Offering
(Minimum Offering Amount)
  Ordinary Shares Beneficially
Owned After This Offering
(Maximum Offering Amount)
 
 
  Number**   % (1)   Number   % (2)   Number   % (2)  

Directors and Executive Officers:

                                     

Mr. Xiaobo An (3)

    31,980,800     74.5                          

All directors and executive officers as a group

    31,980,800     74.5                          

Principal Shareholders:

                                     

Hexin Holding Limited (4)

    31,980,800     74.5                          

Anhe Holding Limited (5)

    7,995,200     18.6                          

Velencia Holdings Limited (6)

    2,104,000     4.9                          

    Notes:

*
Less than 1%.

**
The shares are presented on a retroactive basis to reflect the nominal share issuance. Please see Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information on the nominal share issuance.

(1)
For each person and group included in this column, percentage ownership is calculated by dividing the number of ordinary shares beneficially owned by such person or group, including ordinary shares that such person or group has the right to acquire within 60 days after the date of this prospectus, by 42,921,600, which is the total number of ordinary shares outstanding as of the date hereof.

(2)
For each person and group included in this column, percentage ownership is calculated by dividing the number of ordinary shares beneficially owned by such person or group, including ordinary shares that such person or group has the right to acquire within 60 days after the date of this prospectus, by the sum of (1)             , which is the total number of ordinary shares outstanding immediately after the completion of this

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    offering, and (2) the number of ordinary shares that such person or group has the right to acquire within 60 days after the date of this prospectus.

(3)
Mr Xiaobo An does not hold any ordinary share in our company directly. Mr. Xiaobo, through Hexin Holding Limited, a British Virgin Islands company wholly owned by him, owns 74.5% of the total outstanding shares of our company.

(4)
Represents 31,980,800 ordinary shares held by Hexin Holding Limited. Hexin Holding Limited is 100% beneficially owned by Mr. An Xiaobo.

(5)
Represents 7,995,200 ordinary shares held by Anhe Holding Limited. Anhe Holding Limited is 100% beneficially owned by Mr. An Xiaoning.

(6)
Represents 2,104,000 ordinary shares held by Velencia Holding Limited. Velencia Holding Limited is 100% beneficially owned by Mr. Zhai Xiaobin.

        As of the date of this prospectus,                    of our outstanding ordinary shares on an as-converted basis are held by                    record holders in the United States, representing        % of our total outstanding shares on an as-converted basis. None of our shareholders has informed us that it is affiliated with a registered broker-dealer or is in the business of underwriting securities. None of our existing shareholders will have different voting rights from other shareholders after the completion of this offering. We are not aware of any arrangement that may, at a subsequent date, result in a change of control of our company. See "Description of Share Capital—History of Securities Issuances" for a description of issuances of our ordinary shares that have resulted in significant changes in ownership by our major shareholders.

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RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Transactions with Hexin Group

        Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information are under common control of our chairman, Mr. Xiaobo An. Hexin Information was incorporated in December 2015 and 99.0% held by Mr. Xiaobo An. Hexin Financial Information was incorporated in April 2014 and 95.0% held by Mr. Xiaobo An. Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information are both engaged in the provision of financial advisory services, including investment advisory, investment consulting, assets management services, project investment and insurance brokerage services, lease financing and health management services to urban and rural residents in China, including small and micro-enterprise owners, fixed income employees, college students and rural households. The provision of investment consulting services, including assets management services, project investment management services and insurance brokerage services, represent the most profitable business activity of Hexin Group. Except as otherwise disclosed in this prospectus, the operations, financial and business administration functions of Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information are separate from Hexin E-Commerce and our Company.

        Before Hexin E-Commerce was fully operational, in order to achieve a more efficient use of funds, Hexin Group and we implemented centralized treasury management. As a result, from its incorporation up to January 11, 2017, Hexin E-Commerce's cash flows including certain revenues and expenses were managed through the bank accounts of Hexin Group. On January 12, 2017, Hexin E-Commerce has separated its treasury management function from the Hexin Group.

        The net balance of funds, totaling approximately RMB28.8 million (US$4.2 million), which was the amount due to Hexin E-Commerce as of March 31, 2017, shall be paid to us in instalments under a collection plan before September 30, 2017. The total related party balance due from Hexin Group amounted to RMB31.3 million (US$5.1 million), RMB77.1 million (US$12.0 million), and RMB28.8 million (US$4.2 million), and RMB25.1 million (US$3.7 million) as of March 31, 2015, March 31, 2016, March 31, 2017, and June 30, 2017, respectively. The expenses paid by Hexin Group were primarily for business operations including employee salaries, professional fees and advertising expenses. For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 expenses paid by Hexin Group on behalf of Hexin E-Commerce were RMB18.2 million (US$3.0 million), RMB17.4 million (US$2.8 million) and RMB11.6 million (US$1.7 million), respectively. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 and the three months ended June 30, 2017 expenses paid by Hexin Group on behalf of Hexin E-Commerce were RMB11.6 million (US$1.7 million) and nil respectively. Funds of Hexin E-Commerce used by Hexin Group representing the cash flow from our revenue that was transacted at Hexin Group's bank accounts were RMB48.7 million (US$7.9 million), RMB64.0 million (US$10.1 million) and RMB40.0 million (US$5.8 million) for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. Funds of Hexin E-Commerce used by Hexin Group representing the cash flow from our revenue that was transacted at Hexin Group's bank accounts were RMB40.0 million (US$5.8 million) and nil for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, respectively.

        Hexin E-Commerce has relied on Hexin Group with respect to acquisition of borrowers through offline networks. Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information are both engaged in provision of financial advisory services to urban and rural residents in China, including small and micro-enterprise owners, fixed income employees, college students and rural households. Hexin Information is focused on unsecured credit loans, while Hexin Financial Information is focused on secured loans. Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information had extensive on-the-ground sales networks through and have each accumulated an extensive borrower base. Hexin E-Commerce's offline borrowers are mainly referred by Hexin Information with respect to unsecured credit loans and by Hexin Financial Information with respect to secured loans. In the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and in the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2017, over 90% of our borrowers were referred from Hexin Group. Borrowers referred by Hexin Group enter into separate agreements with each of Hexin

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E-Commerce and Hexin Information or Hexin Financial Information and pay consultation fees separately. Hexin E-Commerce does not pay fees to Hexin Information or Hexin Financial Information with respect to such referrals.

Agreement with Hexin Group

        In the future, we will focus on unsecured credit loans and expect Hexin Group to leverage all of its physical branches to provide referrals of borrowers of unsecured credit loans. We have entered into a framework cooperation agreement with Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information with respect to borrower referral and service arrangements. Pursuant to this agreement, we will continue the referral cooperation under the existing business model and no direct fees will incur between Hexin Group and us.

        Under the cooperation agreement, Hexin Group shall direct offline borrowers to us for the facilitation of loan products on our online marketplace, and should obtain our consent before Hexin Group pursues any business opportunity by offering loan services to any offline borrower.

Contractual Arrangements with Our Variable Interest Entity and Its Shareholders

        PRC laws and regulations currently restrict foreign ownership and investment in value-added telecommunications services in China. As a result, we operate our relevant business through contractual arrangements among Hexin Yongheng, our PRC subsidiary, Hexin E-Commerce, our variable interest entity, and the shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce. For a description of these contractual arrangements, see "Corporate History and Structure—Contractual Arrangements with Hexin E-Commerce."

Employment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements

        See "Management—Employment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements."

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DESCRIPTION OF SHARE CAPITAL

        We are a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability and our affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time and the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands, which is referred to as the Companies Law below, and the common law of the Cayman Islands.

        As of the date hereof, our authorized share capital is US$50,000 consisting of 500,000,000 ordinary shares with par value of US$0.0001 each, of which 42,921,600 shares are issued and outstanding, and 6,312,000 shares are reserved for issuance pursuant to our share incentive plan. The shares are presented on a retroactive basis to reflect the nominal share issuance. Please see Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information on the nominal share issuance.

        We have adopted an amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, to become effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering and replace our current memorandum and articles of association in its entirety and our authorized share capital will be US$50,000 divided into ordinary shares with a par value of US$0.0001 each. The following are summaries of material provisions of our post-offering memorandum and articles of association and the Companies Law insofar as they relate to the material terms of our ordinary shares that we expect will become effective upon the completion of this offering.

Ordinary Shares

        General     All of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares are fully paid and non-assessable. Our ordinary shares are issued in registered form, and are issued when registered in our register of members. Our shareholders who are non-residents of the Cayman Islands may freely hold and vote their ordinary shares. Under our post-offering memorandum and articles of association, our company may issue only non-negotiable shares and may not issue bearer shares.

        Dividends     The holders of our ordinary shares are entitled to such dividends as may be declared by our board of directors. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our directors. Under Cayman Islands law, our company may declare and pay a dividend only out of funds legally available therefor, namely out of either profit or our share premium account, provided that in no circumstances may we pay a dividend if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business.

        Voting Rights     Holders of our ordinary shares vote as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, except as may otherwise be required by law. In respect of matters requiring shareholders' vote, on a poll each ordinary share is entitled to one vote. At any general meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided by a show of hands unless a poll is demanded. A poll may be demanded by the chairman of such meeting or any one or more shareholders who together hold not less than 10% of the paid up voting share capital.

        An ordinary resolution to be passed by the shareholders requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the votes attached to the ordinary shares cast by those shareholders entitled to vote who are present in person or by proxy at a general meeting, while a special resolution requires the affirmative vote of no less than two-thirds of the votes attached to the ordinary shares cast by those shareholders entitled to vote who are present in person or by proxy at a general meeting. A special resolution is required for important matters such as a change of name or any amendment to our memorandum and articles of association. Holders of our ordinary shares may effect certain changes by ordinary resolution, including increasing the amount of our authorized share capital, consolidating all or any of our share capital into shares of larger amount than our existing shares, sub-dividing our shares or any of them into shares of an amount smaller than that fixed by our memorandum, and

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cancelling any unissued shares. Both ordinary resolution and special resolution may also be passed by a unanimous written resolution signed by all the shareholders of our company, as permitted by the Companies Law and our post-offering memorandum and articles of association.

        General Meetings of Shareholders and Shareholder Proposals     As a Cayman Islands exempted company, we are not obliged by the Companies Law to call shareholders' annual general meetings. Our post-offering memorandum and articles of association provide that we may, but are not obliged to, in each year hold a general meeting as our annual general meeting in which case we shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it, and the annual general meeting shall be held at such time and place as may be determined by our directors.

        Shareholders' annual general meetings and any other general meetings of our shareholders may be convened by a majority of our board of directors or the chairman of the board. Advance notice of at least ten calendar days is required for the convening of our annual general shareholders' meeting and any other general meeting of our shareholders. A quorum required for a general meeting of shareholders consists of one or more shareholders present in person or by proxy or, if a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorized representative, who hold in aggregate not less than one-third of the votes attaching to all issued and outstanding shares of our company entitled to vote at general meetings.

        Cayman Islands law provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a company's articles of association. Our post-offering memorandum and articles of association allow any two or more of our shareholders holding in the aggregate not less than one-third of the votes attaching to the issued and outstanding shares of our company entitled to vote at general meetings, to requisition an extraordinary general meeting of the shareholders, in which case our directors are obliged to call such meeting and to put the resolutions so requisitioned to a vote at such meeting; however, our post-offering memorandum and articles of association do not provide our shareholders with any right to put any proposals before annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings not called by such shareholders.

        Transfer of Shares     Subject to the restrictions of our post-offering memorandum and articles of association set out below, as applicable, any of our shareholders may transfer all or any of his or her ordinary shares by an instrument of transfer in the usual or ordinary form or any other form approved by our board of directors.

        Our board of directors may, in its sole discretion, decline to register any transfer of any ordinary share which is not fully paid up. Our directors may also decline to register any transfer of any ordinary share unless (a) the instrument of transfer is lodged with us, accompanied by the certificate for the ordinary shares to which it relates and such other evidence as our board of directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer; (b) the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required; (c) in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the ordinary share is to be transferred does not exceed four; (d) the share to be transferred is free of any lien in favor of us; (e) a fee of such maximum sum as                may determine to be payable, or such lesser sum as our board of directors may from time to time require, is paid to us in respect thereof; and (f) the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of shares.

        If our directors refuse to register a transfer they shall, within two months after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged, send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of such refusal. The registration of transfers may, after compliance with any notice required of                , be suspended and our register of members closed at such times and for such periods as our board of directors may from time to time determine, provided, however, that the registration of transfers shall not be suspended nor the register of members closed for more than 30 days in any year as our board of directors may determine.

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        Liquidation     On a winding up of our company, if the assets available for distribution among our shareholders shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus shall be distributed among our shareholders on a pro rata basis in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them at the commencement of the winding up, subject to a deduction from those shares in respect of which there are monies due, of all monies payable to our company for unpaid calls or otherwise. If our assets available for distribution are insufficient to repay all of the paid-up capital, the assets will be distributed so that the losses are borne by our shareholders in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them.

        The liquidator may, with the sanction of a special resolution of our shareholders, divide amongst the shareholders in species or in kind the whole or any part of the assets of our company, and may for that purpose value any assets and determine how the division shall be carried out as between our shareholders or different classes of shareholders.

        We are a "limited liability" company registered under the Companies Law, and under the Companies Law, the liability of our members is limited to the amount, if any, unpaid on the shares respectively held by them. Our memorandum of association contains a declaration that the liability of our members is so limited.

        Calls on Shares and Forfeiture of Shares     Our board of directors may from time to time make calls upon shareholders for any amounts unpaid on their ordinary shares in a notice served to such shareholders at least 14 days prior to the specified time and place of payment. The ordinary shares that have been called upon and remain unpaid on the specified time are subject to forfeiture.

        Redemption, Repurchase and Surrender of Shares     We may issue shares on terms that such shares are subject to redemption, at our option or at the option of the holders, on such terms and in such manner as may be determined by our board of directors, before the issue of such shares, or by a special resolution of our shareholders. Our company may also repurchase any of our shares provided that the manner and terms of such purchase have been approved by our board of directors or by ordinary resolution of our shareholders, or are otherwise authorized by our memorandum and articles of association. Under the Companies Law, the redemption or repurchase of any share may be paid out of our company's profits or out of the proceeds of a fresh issue of shares made for the purpose of such redemption or repurchase, or out of capital (including share premium account and capital redemption reserve) if the company can, immediately following such payment, pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. In addition, under the Companies Law no such share may be redeemed or repurchased (a) unless it is fully paid up, (b) if such redemption or repurchase would result in there being no shares outstanding, or (c) if the company has commenced liquidation. In addition, our company may accept the surrender of any fully paid share for no consideration.

        Variations of Rights of Shares     If at any time, our share capital is divided into different classes of shares, all or any of the special rights attached to any class of shares may be varied either with the written consent of the holders of two-thirds in nominal value of the issued shares of that class, or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a general meeting of the holders of shares of that class. The rights conferred upon the holders of the shares of any class issued with preferred or other rights will not, unless otherwise expressly provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class, be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further shares ranking pari passu with such existing class of shares.

        Inspection of Books and Records     Holders of our ordinary shares will have no general right under Cayman Islands law to inspect or obtain copies of our list of shareholders or our corporate records. However, at the discretion of our board of directors, we intend to provide our shareholders with annual audited financial statements. See "Where You Can Find Additional Information."

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        Changes in Capital     Our shareholders may from time to time by ordinary resolution:

        Our shareholders may, by special resolution and subject to confirmation by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands on an application by our company for an order confirming such reduction, reduce our share capital and any capital redemption reserve in any manner authorized by law.

        Issuance of Additional Shares     Our post-offering memorandum and articles of association authorizes our board of directors to issue additional ordinary shares from time to time as our board of directors shall determine, to the extent there are available authorized but unissued shares.

        Our post-offering memorandum and articles of association authorizes our board of directors to establish from time to time one or more series of convertible redeemable preferred shares and to determine, with respect to any series of convertible redeemable preferred shares, the terms and rights of that series, including:

The issuance of convertible redeemable preferred shares may be used as an anti-takeover device without further action on the part of the shareholders. Issuance of these shares may dilute the voting power of holders of ordinary shares.

        Anti-Takeover Provisions     Some provisions of our post-offering memorandum and articles of association may discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including provisions that:

        However, under Cayman Islands law, our directors may only exercise the rights and powers granted to them under our post-offering memorandum and articles of association for a proper purpose and for what they believe in good faith to be in the best interests of our company.

        Exempted Company     We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Law. The Companies Law distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the

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Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except that an exempted company:

        "Limited liability" means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil). Our post-offering memorandum and articles of association contains a declaration that the liability of our members is so limited.

        Register of Members     Under the Companies Law, we must keep a register of members and there should be entered therein:

        Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e. the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a member registered in the register of members is deemed as a matter of Cayman Islands law to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the completion of this offering, our company's register of members will be immediately updated to record and give effect to the issue of ordinary shares by us to the custodian (or its nominee) as the custodian. Once our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members will be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name in the register of members.

        If the name of any person is incorrectly entered in or omitted from our register of members, or if there is any default or unnecessary delay in entering on the register the fact of any person having ceased to be a member of our company, the person or member aggrieved (or any member of our company or our company itself) may apply to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands for an order that the register be rectified, and the Court may either refuse such application or it may, if satisfied of the justice of the case, make an order for the rectification of the register.

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Differences in Corporate Law

        The Companies Law is derived, to a large extent, from the older Companies Acts of England, but does not follow recent United Kingdom statutory enactments, and accordingly there are significant differences between the Companies Law and the current Companies Act of England. In addition, the Companies Law differs from laws applicable to United States corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of certain significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Law applicable to us and the comparable provisions of the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the State of Delaware and their shareholders.

        Mergers and Similar Arrangements     The Companies Law permits mergers and consolidations between Cayman Islands companies and between Cayman Islands companies and non-Cayman Islands companies. For these purposes, (a) "merger" means the merging of two or more constituent companies and the vesting of their undertaking, property and liabilities in one of such companies as the surviving company and (b) a "consolidation" means the combination of two or more constituent companies into a consolidated company and the vesting of the undertaking, property and liabilities of such companies to the consolidated company. In order to effect such a merger or consolidation, the directors of each constituent company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation, which must then be authorized by (i) a special resolution of the shareholders of each constituent company and (ii) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company's articles of association. The plan of merger or consolidation must be filed with the Registrar of Companies together with a declaration as to the solvency of the consolidated or surviving company, a declaration as to the assets and liabilities of each constituent company and an undertaking that a copy of the certificate of merger or consolidation will be given to the members and creditors of each constituent company and that notification of the merger will be published in the Cayman Islands Gazette. Dissenting shareholders have the right to be paid the fair value of their shares (which, if not agreed between the parties, will be determined by the Cayman Islands court) if they follow the required procedures, subject to certain exceptions. Court approval is not required for a merger or consolidation effected in compliance with these statutory procedures.

        In addition, there are statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction and amalgamation of companies, provided that the arrangement is approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made, and who must, in addition, represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meetings, convened for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder has the right to express to the court the view that the transaction ought not to be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it determines that:

        When a take-over offer is made and accepted by holders of 90.0% of the shares affected (within four months after the offer), the offeror may, within a two-month period commencing on the expiration of such four months period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the

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terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands but this is unlikely to succeed in the case of an offer which has been so approved unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith or collusion.

        If an arrangement and reconstruction is thus approved, the dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights, which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of Delaware corporations, providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares.

        Shareholders' Suits     In principle, we will normally be the proper plaintiff to sue for a wrong done to us as a company, and as a general rule a derivative action may not be brought by a minority shareholder. However, based on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority in the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands courts can be expected to apply and follow common law principles (namely the rule in Foss v Harbottle and the expectations thereto) which permit a minority shareholder to commence a class action against the company or a derivative action in the name of the company to challenge certain acts, including the following:

        Indemnification of Directors and Executive Officers and Limitation of Liability     Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company's memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime.

        Our post-offering memorandum and articles of association provide that our directors and officers shall be indemnified and secured harmless against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such director or officer, other than by reason of such person's own dishonesty, willful default or fraud, in or about the conduct of our Company's business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such director or officer in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning our company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere. This standard of conduct is generally the same as permitted under the Delaware General Corporation Law for a Delaware corporation. In addition, we intend to enter into indemnification agreements with our directors and senior executive officers that will provide such persons with additional indemnification beyond that provided in our post-offering memorandum and articles of association.

        Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers or persons controlling us under the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

        Directors' Fiduciary Duties     Under Delaware corporate law, a director of a Delaware corporation has a fiduciary duty to the corporation and its shareholders. This duty has two components: the duty of care and the duty of loyalty. The duty of care requires that a director act in good faith, with the care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise under similar circumstances. Under this duty, a

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director must inform himself of, and disclose to shareholders, all material information reasonably available regarding a significant transaction. The duty of loyalty requires that a director act in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation. He or she must not use his or her corporate position for personal gain or advantage. This duty prohibits self-dealing by a director and mandates that the best interest of the corporation and its shareholders take precedence over any interest possessed by a director, officer or controlling shareholder and not shared by the shareholders generally. In general, actions of a director are presumed to have been made on an informed basis, in good faith and in the honest belief that the action taken was in the best interests of the corporation. However, this presumption may be rebutted by evidence of a breach of one of the fiduciary duties. Should such evidence be presented concerning a transaction by a director, a director must prove the procedural fairness of the transaction, and that the transaction was of fair value to the corporation.

        As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a director of a Cayman Islands company is in the position of a fiduciary with respect to the company and therefore it is considered that he owes the following duties to the company—a duty to act bona fide in the best interests of the company, a duty not to make a profit based on his or her position as director (unless the company permits him to do so), a duty not to put himself in a position where the interests of the company conflict with his or her personal interest or his or her duty to a third party and a duty to exercise powers for the purpose for which such powers were intended. A director of a Cayman Islands company owes to the company a duty to act with skill and care. It was previously considered that a director need not exhibit in the performance of his or her duties a greater degree of skill than may reasonably be expected from a person of his or her knowledge and experience. However, English and Commonwealth courts have moved towards an objective standard with regard to the required skill and care and these authorities are likely to be followed in the Cayman Islands.

        Shareholder Action by Written Consent     Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may eliminate the right of shareholders to act by written consent by amendment to its certificate of incorporation. As permitted by Cayman Islands law, our post-offering memorandum and articles of association provide that our shareholders may approve corporate matters by way of a unanimous written resolution signed by or on behalf of each shareholder who would have been entitled to vote on such matter at a general meeting without a meeting being held.

        Shareholder Proposals     Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a shareholder has the right to put any proposal before the annual meeting of shareholders, provided it complies with the notice provisions in the governing documents. A special meeting may be called by the board of directors or any other person authorized to do so in the governing documents, but shareholders may be precluded from calling special meetings.

        Cayman Islands law provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a company's articles of association. Our post-offering memorandum and articles of association allow any two or more of our shareholders holding in the aggregate not less than one-third of the votes attaching to all issued and outstanding shares of our company entitled to vote at general meetings to requisition an extraordinary meeting of the shareholders, in which case the directors are obliged to call such meeting and to put the resolutions so requisitioned to a vote at such meeting. However, our post-offering memorandum and articles of association do not provide our shareholders with any right to put any proposals before annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings not called by such shareholders.

        As an exempted Cayman Islands company, we are not obliged by law to call shareholders' annual general meetings. Our post-offering memorandum and articles of association provides that we may in each year to hold a general meeting as our annual general meeting, and to specify the meeting as such in the notice calling it.

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        Cumulative Voting     Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, cumulative voting for elections of directors is not permitted unless the corporation's certificate of incorporation specifically provides for it. Cumulative voting potentially facilitates the representation of minority shareholders on a board of directors since it permits the minority shareholder to cast all the votes to which the shareholder is entitled on a single director, which increases the shareholder's voting power with respect to electing such director. There are no prohibitions in relation to cumulative voting under Cayman Islands law, but our post-offering memorandum and articles of association do not provide for cumulative voting. As a result, our shareholders are not afforded any less protections or rights on this issue than shareholders of a Delaware corporation.

        Removal of Directors     Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a director of a corporation with a classified board of directors may be removed only for cause with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under our post-offering memorandum and articles of association, directors may be removed by ordinary resolution of our shareholders.

        Transactions with Interested Shareholders     The Delaware General Corporation Law contains a business combination statute applicable to Delaware corporations whereby, unless the corporation has specifically elected not to be governed by such statute by amendment to its certificate of incorporation, it is prohibited from engaging in certain business combinations with an "interested shareholder" for three years following the date that such person becomes an interested shareholder. An interested shareholder generally is a person or a group who or which owns or owned 15% or more of the target's outstanding voting stock within the past three years. This has the effect of limiting the ability of a potential acquirer to make a two-tiered bid for the target in which all shareholders would not be treated equally. The statute does not apply if, among other things, prior to the date on which such shareholder becomes an interested shareholder, the board of directors approves either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the person becoming an interested shareholder. This encourages any potential acquirer of a Delaware corporation to negotiate the terms of any acquisition transaction with the target's board of directors.

        Cayman Islands law has no comparable statute. As a result, we cannot avail ourselves of the types of protections afforded by the Delaware business combination statute. However, although Cayman Islands law does not regulate transactions between a company and its significant shareholders, it does provide that such transactions must be entered into bona fide in the best interests of the company, for a proper corporate purpose and not with the effect of constituting a fraud on the minority shareholders.

        Dissolution; Winding up     Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, unless the board of directors approves the proposal to dissolve, dissolution must be approved by shareholders holding 100% of the total voting power of the corporation. Only if the dissolution is initiated by the board of directors may it be approved by a simple majority of the corporation's outstanding shares. Delaware law allows a Delaware corporation to include in its certificate of incorporation a supermajority voting requirement in connection with dissolutions initiated by the board of directors. Under Cayman Islands law, a company may be wound up by either an order of the courts of the Cayman Islands or by a special resolution of its members or, if the company is unable to pay its debts as they fall due, by an ordinary resolution of its members. The court has authority to order winding up in a number of specified circumstances including where it is, in the opinion of the court, just and equitable to do so.

        Under the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands, our company may be dissolved, liquidated or wound up voluntarily by a special resolution, or by an ordinary resolution on the basis that we are unable to pay our debts as they fall due.

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        Variation of Rights of Shares     Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may vary the rights of a class of shares with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares of such class, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under our post-offering memorandum and articles of association, and as permitted by Cayman Islands law, if our share capital is divided into more than one class of shares, we may vary the rights attached to any class either with the written consent of the holders of two-thirds in nominal value of the issued shares of that class or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a general meeting of the holders of the shares of that class.

        Amendment of Governing Documents     Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation's governing documents may be amended with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under Cayman Islands law, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by special resolution of our shareholders.

        Inspection of Books and Records     Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, any shareholder of a corporation may for any proper purpose inspect or make copies of the corporation's stock ledger, list of shareholders and other books and records.

        Holders of our shares will have no general right under Cayman Islands law to inspect or obtain copies of our list of shareholders or our corporate records. However, we intend to provide our shareholders with annual reports containing audited financial statements.

        Anti-takeover Provisions in Our Memorandum and Articles of Association     Some provisions of our post-offering memorandum and articles of association may discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including a provision that authorizes our board of directors to issue preference shares in one or more series and to designate the price, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of such preference shares without any further vote or action by our shareholders.

        Such shares could be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. If our board of directors decides to issue these preference shares, the price of our ADSs may fall and the voting and other rights of the holders of our ordinary shares underlying the ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.

        However, under Cayman Islands law, our directors may only exercise the rights and powers granted to them under our post-offering memorandum and articles of association for a proper purpose and for what they believe in good faith to be in the best interests of our company.

        Rights of Non-resident or Foreign Shareholders     There are no limitations imposed by our post-offering memorandum and articles of association on the rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders to hold or exercise voting rights on our shares. In addition, there are no provisions in our post-offering memorandum and articles of association governing the ownership threshold above which shareholder ownership must be disclosed.

History of Securities Issuances

        The following is a summary of the major securities issuances by our company since its inception.

Ordinary Shares

        We were incorporated in the Cayman Islands on April 25, 2016, with an authorized share capital of US$50,000 divided into 500,000,000 ordinary shares, with a par value of US$0.0001 each.

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        On April 25, 2016, we issued (i) 8,000 ordinary shares to Hexin Holding Limited, at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$0.80 and (ii) 2,000 ordinary shares to AnHe Holding Limited at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$0.20.

        On November 1, 2016, we issued (i) 71,952 ordinary shares to Hexin Holding Limited at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$7.20, (ii) 17,988 ordinary shares to AnHe Holding Limited at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$1.80 and (iii) 5,260 ordinary shares to Velencia Holdings Limited at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$0.53.

        On and around December 10, 2016, we issued and sold an aggregate of 1,052 ordinary shares to Long Harvest Fund Management LLC, at a price per share of US$950.57 per share and total consideration of US$1,000,000.

        On and around December 10, 2016, we issued and sold an aggregate of 1,052 ordinary shares to Dragon Gate Investment Partners Limited, at a price per share of US$950.57 per share and total consideration of US$1,000,000.

        On September 15, 2017, in order to optimize our share capital structure, we issued ordinary shares pro-rata to all of our existing shareholders as of such date, comprising (i) 31,900,848 ordinary shares to Hexin Holding Limited, at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$3,190.08, (ii) 7,975,212 ordinary shares to Anhe Holding Limited, at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$797.52, (iii) 2,098,740 ordinary shares to Velencia Holdings Limited, at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$209.87, (iv) 419,748 ordinary shares to Long Harvest Fund Management LLC at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$41.97 and (v) 419,748 ordinary shares to Dragon Gate Investment Partners Limited, at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$41.97. The Company believes it is appropriate to reflect these nominal share issuance on a retroactive basis similar to a share split, in accordance with SEC SAB Topic 4. The total consideration is expected to be collected before September 30, 2017. In connection with the nominal share issuance, for the stock options granted on April 1, 2016, we adjusted the number of options to 6,312,000, and reduced the exercise price to US$1.28.

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DESCRIPTION OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

American Depositary Shares

        Citibank, N.A. has agreed to act as the depositary bank for the American Depositary Shares. Citibank's depositary offices are located at 388 Greenwich Street, 23rd Floor, New York, New York 10013 USA. American Depositary Shares are frequently referred to as "ADSs" and represent ownership interests in securities that are on deposit with the depositary bank. ADSs may be represented by certificates that are commonly known as "American Depositary Receipts" or "ADRs." The depositary bank typically appoints a custodian to safekeep the securities on deposit. In this case, the custodian is Citibank, N.A.—Hong Kong, located at 9/F, Citi Tower, One Bay East, 83 Hoi Bun Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

        We have appointed Citibank as depositary bank pursuant to a deposit agreement. A copy of the deposit agreement is on file with the SEC under cover of a Registration Statement on Form F-6. You may obtain a copy of the deposit agreement from the SEC's Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549 and from the SEC's website (www.sec.gov). Please refer to Registration Number 333-[            ] when retrieving such copy.

        We are providing you with a summary description of the material terms of the ADSs and of your material rights as an owner of ADSs. Please remember that summaries by their nature lack the precision of the information summarized and that the rights and obligations of an owner of ADSs will be determined by reference to the terms of the deposit agreement and not by this summary. We urge you to review the deposit agreement in its entirety. The portions of this summary description that are italicized describe matter that may be relevant to the ownership of ADSs but that may not be contained in the deposit agreement.

        Each ADS represents the right to receive and to exercise the beneficial ownership interests in one ordinary share that is on deposit with the depositary bank and/or custodian. An ADS also represents the right to receive, and to exercise the beneficial interests in, any other property received by the depositary bank or the custodian on behalf of the owner of the ADS but that has not been distributed to the owners of ADSs because of legal restrictions or practical considerations. The custodian, the depositary bank, and their respective nominees will hold all deposited property for the benefit of the holders and beneficial owners of ADSs. The deposited property does not constitute the proprietary assets of the depositary bank, the custodian, or their nominees. Beneficial ownership in the deposited property will under the terms of the deposit agreement be vested in the beneficial owners of ADSs. The depositary bank, the custodian, and their respective nominees will be the recordholders of the deposited property represented by the ADSs for the benefit of the holders and beneficial owners of the corresponding ADSs. A beneficial owner of ADSs may or may not be the holder of ADSs. Beneficial owners of ADSs will be able to receive, and to exercise beneficial ownership interests in, deposited property only through the registered holders of the ADSs, the registered holders of the ADSs (on behalf of the applicable ADS owners) only through the depositary bank, and the depositary bank (on behalf of the owners of the corresponding ADSs) directly, or indirectly, through the custodian or their respective nominees, in each case upon the terms of the deposit agreement.

        If you become an owner of ADSs, you will become a party to the deposit agreement and therefore will be bound by its terms and to the terms of any ADR that represents your ADSs. The deposit agreement and the ADR specify our rights and obligations as well as your rights and obligations as owner of ADSs and those of the depositary bank. As an ADS holder you appoint the depositary bank to act on your behalf in certain circumstances. The deposit agreement and the ADRs are governed by New York law. However, our obligations to the holders of the ordinary shares will continue to be governed by the laws of the Cayman Islands, which may be different from the laws of the United States.

        In addition, applicable laws and regulations may require you to satisfy reporting requirements and obtain regulatory approvals in certain circumstances. You are solely responsible for complying with such

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reporting requirements and obtaining such approvals. Neither the depositary bank, the custodian, us, or any of their or our respective agents or affiliates shall be required to take any actions whatsoever on your behalf to satisfy such reporting requirements or obtain such regulatory approvals under applicable laws and regulations.

        We will not treat ADS holders as our shareholders and accordingly, you, as an ADS holder, will not have shareholder rights. The depositary bank will hold on your behalf the shareholder rights attached to the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs. As an owner of ADSs, you will be able to exercise the shareholder rights for the ordinary shares represented by your ADSs through the depositary bank only to the extent contemplated in the deposit agreement. To exercise any shareholder rights not contemplated in the deposit agreement you will, as an ADS owner, need to arrange for the cancellation of your ADSs and become a direct shareholder.

        The registration of the ordinary shares in the name of the depositary bank or the custodian shall, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, vest in the depositary bank or the custodian the record ownership in the applicable ordinary shares with the beneficial ownership and interests in such ordinary shares being at all times vested with the beneficial owners of the ADSs representing the ordinary shares. The depositary bank or the custodian shall at all times be entitled to exercise the beneficial ownership rights in all deposited property, in each case only on behalf of the holders and beneficial owners of the ADSs representing the deposited property.

        The following is a summary of the material provisions of the deposit agreement. For more complete information, you should read the entire deposit agreement and the form of American Depositary Receipt. For directions on how to obtain copies of those documents, see "Where You Can Find Additional Information."

Holding the ADSs

How will you hold your ADSs?

        As an owner of ADSs, you may hold your ADSs either by means of an ADR registered in your name, through a brokerage or safekeeping account, or through an account established by the depositary bank in your name reflecting the registration of uncertificated ADSs directly on the books of the depositary bank (common referred to as the "direct registration system" or "DRS"). The direct registration system reflects the uncertificated (book-entry) registration of ownership of ADSs by the depositary bank. Under the direct registration system, ownership of ADSs is evidenced by periodic statements issued by the depositary bank to the holders of the ADSs. The direct registration system includes automated transfers between the depositary bank and the Depository Trust Company ("DTC"), the central book-entry clearing and settlement system for equity securities in the United States. If you decide to hold your ADSs through your brokerage or safekeeping account, you must rely on the procedures of your broker or bank to assert your rights as ADS owner. Banks and brokers typically hold securities such as the ADSs through clearing and settlement systems such as DTC. The procedures of such clearing and settlement system may limit your ability to exercise your rights as an owner of ADSs. Please consult with your broker or bank if you have any questions concerning these limitations and procedures. All ADSs held through DTC will be registered in the name of a nominee of DTC. This summary description assumes you have opted to own the ADSs directly by means of an ADS registered in your name and, as such, we will refer to you as the "holder." When we refer to "you," we assume the reader owns ADSs and will own ADSs at the relevant time.

Dividends and Other Distributions

How will you receive dividends and other distributions on the ordinary shares?

        As a holder of ADSs, you generally have the right to receive distributions we make on the securities deposited with the custodian. Your receipt of these distributions may be limited, however, by

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practical considerations and legal limitations. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of ordinary shares your ADSs represent as of the record date (which will be as close as practicable to the record date for our ordinary shares) set by the depositary with respect to the ADSs, after deduction of the applicable fees, taxes, and expenses.

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        The depositary is not responsible if it decides that it is unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to any ADS holders. We have no obligation to register ADSs, shares, rights or other securities under the Securities Act. We also have no obligation to take any other action to permit the distribution of ADSs, shares, rights or anything else to ADS holders. This means that you may not

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receive the distributions we make on our shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical for us to make them available to you.

Deposit, Withdrawal and Cancellation

How are ADSs issued?

        Upon completion of this offering, the ordinary shares being offered hereunder will be deposited by us with the custodian. Upon receipt of confirmation of such deposit, the depositary bank will issue ADSs to the underwriters named herein. After the completion of this offering, the ordinary shares that are being offered for sale hereunder will be deposited by us with the custodian. Upon receipt of confirmation of such deposit, the depositary bank will issue ADSs to the underwriters named in this prospectus.

        After the closing of this offering, the depositary may create additional ADSs on your behalf if you or your broker deposit ordinary shares or evidence of rights to receive ordinary shares with the custodian or its nominee. Upon payment of its fees and expenses and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or fees, the depositary will register the appropriate number of ADSs in the names you request and will deliver the ADSs to or upon the order of the person or persons entitled thereto. Your ability to deposit ordinary shares and receive ADSs may be limited by U.S. and Cayman Islands legal considerations applicable at the time of deposit.

        When you make a deposit of the ordinary shares, you will be responsible for transferring good and valid title to the depositary bank. As such, you will be deemed to represent and warrant that:

        If any of the representations or warranties are incorrect in any way, we and the depositary bank may, at your cost and expense, take any and all actions necessary to correct the consequences of the misrepresentations.

How do ADS holders cancel an American Depositary Share and Receive the Ordinary Share(s) Underlying such ADS?

        As a holder, you will be entitled to present your ADSs to the depositary bank for cancellation and then receive the corresponding number of underlying ordinary shares at the custodian's offices. Your ability to withdraw the ordinary shares held in respect of the ADSs may be limited by U.S. and Cayman Islands considerations applicable at the time of withdrawal. Upon payment of its fees and expenses and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or fees, the depositary will deliver the ordinary shares and any other deposited securities underlying the ADSs to you or a person you designate, subject to the terms and conditions of the deposit agreement, of the ADRs evidencing the ADSs so cancelled, our memorandum and articles of association, and of any applicable laws and regulations of the DTC, and the terms and conditions of or governing the deposited securities. The depositary may make delivery of any cash distributions, dividends, or proceeds in respect of deposited securities represented by ADSs surrendered for cancellation and withdrawal, at its principal office. At your request, risk and expense, the depositary will deliver any deposited property (other than

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deposited securities) held by the Custodian in respect of such ADSs at its principal office, if practicable and not illegal.

        If you hold ADSs registered in your name, the depositary bank may ask you to provide proof of identity and genuineness of any signature and such other documents as the depositary bank may deem appropriate before it will cancel your ADSs. The withdrawal of ordinary shares represented by your ADSs may be delayed until the depositary bank receives satisfactory evidence of compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Please keep in mind that the depositary bank will only accept ADSs for cancellation that represent a whole number of securities on deposit.

        You have the right to cancel your ADSs and withdraw the underlying ordinary shares at any time except in the following instances:

        The deposit agreement may not be modified to impair your right to withdraw the securities represented by your ADSs except to comply with mandatory provisions of law.

How do ADS holders interchange between Certificated ADSs and Uncertificated ADSs?

        You may surrender your ADR to the depositary for the purpose of exchanging your ADR for uncertificated ADSs. Upon payment of applicable fees and expenses and if permitted by law, the depositary will cancel that ADR and will send you a statement confirming that you are the owner of uncertificated ADSs. Alternatively, upon receipt by the depositary of a proper instruction from a holder of uncertificated ADSs requesting the exchange of uncertificated ADSs for certificated ADSs, the depositary will execute and deliver to you an ADR evidencing those ADSs.

Voting Rights

How do you vote?

        As a holder, you generally have the right under the deposit agreement to instruct the depositary bank to exercise the voting rights for the ordinary shares represented by your ADSs. The voting rights of holders of ordinary shares are described in "Description of Share Capital."

        At our request, the depositary bank will distribute to you any notice of shareholders' meeting received from us together with information explaining how to instruct the depositary bank to exercise the voting rights of the securities represented by ADSs.

        If the depositary bank timely receives voting instructions from a holder of ADSs, it will endeavor to vote the securities (in person or by proxy) represented by the holder's ADSs in accordance with the voting instructions received from the holders of ADSs as follows:

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        In the event of voting by poll, holders of ADSs in respect of which no timely voting instructions have been received shall be deemed to have instructed the depositary to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by us to vote the ordinary shares represented by such holders' ADSs; provided, that no such instructions shall be deemed given and no such discretionary proxy shall be given with respect to any matter as to which we inform the depositary that we do not wish such proxy to be given; provided, further, that no such discretionary proxy shall be given (x) with respect to any matter as to which we inform the depositary that (i) there exists substantial opposition, or (ii) the rights of holders of ADSs or the shareholders of our company will be materially adversely affected, and (y) in the event that the vote is on a show of hands.

        Please note that the ability of the depositary bank to carry out voting instructions may be limited by practical and legal limitations and the terms of the securities on deposit. We cannot assure you that you will receive voting materials in time to enable you to return voting instructions to the depositary bank in a timely manner.

Fees and Expenses

        As an ADS holder, you will be required to pay the following service fees to the depositary and certain taxes and governmental charges (in addition to any applicable fees, expenses, taxes and other governmental charges payable on the deposited securities represented by any of your ADSs):

Service
 
Fees

(1) Issuance of ADSs ( e.g. , an issuance upon a deposit of Shares, upon a change in ADS(s)-to-Share(s) ratio, or for any other reason), excluding issuances as a result of distributions described in paragraph (4) below.

  Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) issued

(2) Cancellation of ADSs ( e.g. , a cancellation of ADSs for delivery of deposited Shares, upon a change in the ADS(s)-to-Shares(s) ratio, or for any other reason.

  Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) cancelled.

(3) Distribution of cash dividends or other cash distributions ( e.g. , upon a sale of rights and other entitlements)

  Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held.

(4) Distribution of ADSs pursuant to (i) stock dividends or other free stock distributions, or (ii) an exercise of rights to purchase additional ADSs.

  Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held.

(5) Distribution of securities other than ADSs or rights to purchase additional ADSs ( e.g. , spin-off shares).

  Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held.

(6) ADS Services.

  Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held on the applicable record date(s) established by the depositary.

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        As an ADS holder, you will also be responsible to pay certain fees and expenses incurred by the depositary and certain taxes and governmental charges (in addition to any applicable fees, expenses, taxes and other governmental charges payable on the deposited securities represented by any of your ADSs) such as the following:

        ADS fees and charges payable upon (i) deposit of the ordinary shares against issuance of ADSs and (ii) surrender of ADSs for cancellation and withdrawal of the ordinary shares are charged to the person to whom the ADSs are delivered (in the case of ADS issuances) and to the person who delivers the ADSs for cancellation (in the case of ADS cancellations). In the case of ADSs issued by the depositary bank into DTC or presented to the depositary bank via DTC, the ADS issuance and cancellation fees and charges may be deducted from distributions made through DTC, and may be charged to the DTC participant(s) receiving the ADSs or the DTC participant(s) surrendering the ADSs for cancellation, as the case may be, on behalf of the beneficial owner(s) and will be charged by the DTC participant(s) to the account(s) of the applicable beneficial owner(s) in accordance with the procedures and practices of the DTC participant(s) as in effect at the time. ADS fees and charges in respect of distributions and the ADS service fee are charged to the holders as of the applicable ADS record date. In the case of distributions of cash, the amount of the applicable ADS fees and charges is deducted from the funds being distributed. In the case of (i) distributions other than cash and (ii) the ADS service fee, holders as of the ADS record date will be invoiced for the amount of the ADS fees and charges and such ADS fees and charges may be deducted from distributions made to holders of ADSs. For ADSs held through DTC, the ADS fees and charges for distributions other than cash and the ADS service fee may be deducted from distributions made through DTC, and may be charged to the DTC participants in accordance with the procedures and practices prescribed by DTC and the DTC participants in turn charge the amount of such ADS fees and charges to the beneficial owners for whom they hold ADSs.

        In the event of refusal to pay the depositary bank fees, the depositary bank may, under the terms of the deposit agreement, refuse the requested service until payment is received or may set off the amount of the depositary bank fees from any distribution to be made to the ADS holder. Certain of the depositary fees and charges (such as the ADS services fee) may become payable shortly after the closing of the ADS offering. Note that the fees and charges you may be required to pay may vary over time and may be changed by us and by the depositary bank. You will receive prior notice of such changes. The depositary bank may reimburse us for certain expenses incurred by us in respect of the ADR program, by making available a portion of the ADS fees charged in respect of the ADR program or otherwise, upon such terms and conditions as we and the depositary bank agree from time to time.

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Payment of Taxes

        You will be responsible for any taxes or other governmental charges payable on your ADSs or on the deposited securities represented by any of your ADSs. The depositary may refuse to register any transfer of your ADSs or allow you to withdraw the deposited securities represented by your ADSs until such taxes or other charges are paid. It may apply payments owed to you or sell deposited securities represented by your ADSs to pay any taxes owed and you will remain liable for any deficiency. If the depositary sells deposited securities, it will, if appropriate, reduce the number of ADSs to reflect the sale and pay to you any net proceeds, or send to you any property, remaining after it has paid the taxes. You agree to indemnify us, the depositary, the custodian and each of our and their respective agents, directors, employees and affiliates for, and hold each of them harmless from, any claims with respect to taxes (including applicable interest and penalties thereon) arising from any refund of taxes, reduced rate or withholding or other tax benefit obtained for you and any claims by any governmental authority with respect to taxes, additions to tax, penalties or interest arising out of any refund of taxes, reduced rate withholding at source or other tax benefit obtained.

Reclassifications, Recapitalizations and Mergers

If we:
  Then:

Change the par value of our ordinary shares

  The cash, shares or other securities received by the depositary will become deposited securities, to the extent permitted by law, and each ADS will automatically represent its equal share of the new deposited securities.

Reclassify, split up, subdivide or consolidate any of the deposited securities

 

The depositary may deliver new ADSs or ask you to surrender your outstanding ADRs in exchange for new ADRs identifying the new deposited securities.

Distribute securities on the ordinary shares that are not distributed to you

 

If any securities received by the depositary may not be lawfully distributed to some or all holders of ADSs, the depositary may sell such securities and distribute the net proceeds in the same way it does cash.

Amendment and Termination

How may the deposit agreement be amended?

        We may agree with the depositary to amend the deposit agreement and the form of ADR without your consent for any reason. If an amendment adds or increases fees or charges (except for taxes and other governmental charges or expenses of the depositary for registration fees, facsimile costs, delivery charges or similar items, including expenses incurred in connection with foreign exchange control regulations) or materially prejudices a substantial existing right of ADS holders, it will not become effective for outstanding ADSs until 30 days after the depositary notifies ADS holders of the amendment. At the time an amendment becomes effective, you are considered, by continuing to hold your ADSs, to agree to the amendment and to be bound by the ADRs and the deposit agreement as amended. If any new laws are adopted that would require the deposit agreement to be amended in order to comply therewith, we and the depositary may amend the deposit agreement in accordance with such laws and such amendment may become effective before notice thereof is given to ADS holders.

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How may the deposit agreement be terminated?

        The depositary will terminate the deposit agreement if we ask it to do so, in which case the depositary will give notice to you at least 30 days prior to termination. The depositary may also terminate the deposit agreement if the depositary has told us that it would like to resign, or if we have removed the depositary, and in either case we have not appointed a new depositary within 90 days. In either such case, the depositary must notify you at least 30 days before termination.

        After termination, the depositary and its agents will do the following under the deposit agreement but nothing else:

        After that, the depositary will hold the money it received on the sale, as well as any other cash it is holding under the deposit agreement, for the pro rata benefit of the ADS holders that have not surrendered their ADSs. It will not invest the money and has no liability for interest. The depositary's only obligations will be to account for the money and other cash. After termination, our only obligations under the deposit agreement will be to indemnify the depositary and to pay fees and expenses of the depositary that we agreed to pay.

Books of Depositary

        The depositary will maintain ADS holder records at its depositary office. You may inspect such records at such office during regular business hours but solely for the purpose of communicating with other holders in the interest of the business of our company or matters relating to the ADSs or the deposit agreement.

        The depositary will maintain facilities in the Borough of Manhattan, the City of New York to record and process the issuance, cancellation, combination, split-up and transfer of ADRs. The depositary may close the transfer books with respect to the ADSs at any time or from time to time, when deemed necessary or advisable by it in good faith in connection with the performance of its duties hereunder, or at the reasonable written request of us, subject to the depositary's compliance with U.S. securities laws.

Limitations on Obligations and Liability

Limits on our Obligations and the Obligations of the Depositary; Limits on Liability to Holders of ADSs

        The deposit agreement expressly limits our obligations and the obligations of the depositary. It also limits our liability and the liability of the depositary as follows:

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        The depositary and any of its agents also disclaim any liability for any of the following:

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        The depositary and its agents shall not be liable for any acts or omissions made by a successor depositary, provided that in connection with any issue out of which a potential liability arises the depositary performed its obligations without negligence or bad faith while it acted as depositary.

        In addition, the deposit agreement provides that each party to the deposit agreement (including each holder, beneficial owner and holder of interests in the ADRs) irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any right it may have to a trial by jury in any lawsuit or proceeding against the depositary or our company related to our shares, the ADSs or the deposit agreement.

        In the deposit agreement, we and the depositary agree to indemnify each other under certain circumstances.

Requirements for Depositary Actions

        Before the depositary will issue, deliver or register a transfer of an ADS, split-up, subdivide or combine ADSs, make a distribution on an ADS, or permit withdrawal of ordinary shares, the depositary may require the following:

        The depositary may refuse to issue and deliver ADSs or register transfers of ADSs generally when the register of the depositary or our transfer books are closed or at any time if the depositary (whereupon the depositary shall notify us) or we think it is necessary or advisable to do so.

Pre-release of ADSs

        Subject to the terms and conditions of the deposit agreement, the depositary bank may issue to broker/dealers ADSs before receiving a deposit of the ordinary shares. These transactions are commonly referred to as "pre-release transactions," and are entered into between the depositary bank and the applicable broker/dealer. The deposit agreement limits the aggregate size of pre-release transactions (generally not to exceed 30% of the ordinary shares on deposit in the aggregate) and imposes a number of conditions on such transactions (i.e., the need to receive collateral, the type of collateral required, the representations required from brokers, etc.). The depositary bank may retain the compensation received from the pre-release transactions.

Foreign Currency Conversion

        The depositary bank will arrange for the conversion of all foreign currency received into U.S. dollars if such conversion is practical and it will distribute the U.S. dollars in accordance with the terms of the deposit agreement. You may have to pay fees and expenses incurred in converting foreign currency, such as fees and expenses incurred in complying with currency exchange controls and other governmental requirements.

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        If the conversion of foreign currency is not practical or lawful, or if any required approvals are denied or not obtainable at a reasonable cost or within a reasonable period, the depositary bank may take the following actions in its discretion:

Governing Law/Waiver of Jury Trial

        The deposit agreement and the ADRs will be interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of New York. The rights of holders of the ordinary shares (including the ordinary shares represented by ADSs) is governed by the laws of the Cayman Islands.

        AS A PARTY TO THE DEPOSIT AGREEMENT, YOU WAIVE YOUR RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF THE DEPOSIT AGREEMENT OR THE ADRs AGAINST US AND/OR THE DEPOSITARY BANK.

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SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

        Upon completion of this offering, we will have                    ADSs outstanding, representing approximately        % of our outstanding ordinary shares in issue if the ADSs are offered and sold at the minimum offering amount, and approximately        % of our ordinary shares in issue if the ADSs are offered and sold at the maximum offering amount. All of the ADSs sold in this offering will be freely transferable by persons other than by our "affiliates" without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act. Sales of substantial amounts of our ADSs in the public market could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our ADSs. Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our ordinary shares or the ADSs. Our ADSs have been approved for listing on the          , but we cannot assure you that a regular trading market will develop in the ADSs. We do not expect that a trading market will develop for our ordinary shares not represented by the ADSs.

Lock-Up Agreements

        We have agreed, for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, not to (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, except in this offering, any of our ordinary shares or ADSs or securities that are convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our ordinary shares or ADSs, or (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of our ordinary shares or ADSs, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of our ordinary shares or ADS, or any other securities of our company, without the prior written consent of the representative of the underwriter, subject to certain exceptions.

        Furthermore, each of our directors, executive officers, certain of our shareholders and incentive shareholders have also entered into a similar lock-up agreement for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, subject to certain exceptions. These restrictions also apply to any ADSs acquired by our directors and executive officers in the offering pursuant to the directed share program, if any. These parties collectively own all of our outstanding ordinary shares, without giving effect to this offering.

        Other than this offering, we are not aware of any plans by any significant shareholders to dispose of significant numbers of our ADSs or ordinary shares. However, one or more existing shareholders or owners of securities convertible or exchangeable into or exercisable for our ADSs or ordinary shares may dispose of significant numbers of our ADSs or ordinary shares in the future. We cannot predict what effect, if any, future sales of our ADSs or ordinary shares, or the availability of ADSs or ordinary shares for future sale, will have on the trading price of our ADSs from time to time. Sales of substantial amounts of our ADSs or ordinary shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the trading price of our ADSs.

Regulation S

        Regulation S under the Securities Act provides an exemption from registration requirements in the United States for offers and sales of securities that occur outside the United States. Rule 903 of Regulation S provides the conditions to the exemption for a sale by an issuer, a distributor, their respective affiliates or anyone acting on their behalf, while Rule 904 of Regulation S provides the conditions to the exemption for a resale by persons other than those covered by Rule 903. In each case, any sale must be completed in an offshore transaction, as that term is defined in Regulation S, and no directed selling efforts, as that term is defined in Regulation S, may be made in the United States.

        We are a foreign issuer as defined in Regulation S. As a foreign issuer, securities that we sell outside the United States pursuant to Regulation S are not considered to be restricted securities under the Securities Act, and are freely tradable without registration or restrictions under the Securities Act, unless the securities are held by our affiliates. Generally, subject to certain limitations, holders of our

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restricted shares who are not our affiliates or who are our affiliates solely by virtue of their status as an officer or director of us may, under Regulation S, resell their restricted shares in an "offshore transaction" if none of the seller, its affiliate nor any person acting on their behalf engages in directed selling efforts in the United States and, in the case of a sale of our restricted shares by an officer or director who is an affiliate of us solely by virtue of holding such position, no selling commission, fee or other remuneration is paid in connection with the offer or sale other than the usual and customary broker's commission that would be received by a person executing such transaction as agent. Additional restrictions are applicable to a holder of our restricted shares who will be an affiliate of us other than by virtue of his or her status as an officer or director of us.

        We are not claiming the potential exemption offered by Regulation S in connection with the offering of newly issued shares outside the United States and will register all of the newly issued shares under the Securities Act.

Rule 144

        All of our ordinary shares outstanding prior to this offering and ordinary shares to be issued upon the completion of this offering are "restricted shares" as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act and may be sold publicly in the United States only if they are subject to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act or pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirement such as those provided by Rule 144 and Rule 701 promulgated under the Securities Act. In general, under Rule 144 as currently in effect, beginning 90 days after the date of this prospectus a person (or persons whose shares are aggregated) who has beneficially owned our restricted shares for at least six months, is entitled to sell the restricted securities without registration under the Securities Act, subject to certain restrictions. Persons who are our affiliates may sell within any three months period a number of restricted shares that does not exceed the greater of the following:

        Sales under Rule 144 must be made through unsolicited transactions. They are also subject to other manner of sale provisions, notice requirements and the availability of current public information about us. Persons who are not our affiliates and have beneficially owned our restricted shares for more than six months but not more than one year may sell the restricted shares without registration under the Securities Act, subject to the availability of current public information about us. Persons who are not our affiliates and have beneficially owned our restricted shares for more than one year may freely sell the restricted shares without registration under the Securities Act. However, these shares would remain subject to lock-up arrangements and would only become eligible for sale when the lock-up period expires.

Rule 701

        In general, under Rule 701 of the Securities Act as currently in effect, each of our employees, consultants or advisors who purchases our ordinary shares from us in connection with a compensatory stock or option plan or other written agreement relating to compensation is eligible to resell such ordinary shares 90 days after we became a reporting company under the Exchange Act in reliance on Rule 144, but without compliance with some of the restrictions, including the holding period, contained in Rule 144. However, these shares would remain subject to lock-up arrangements and would only become eligible for sale when the lock-up period expires.

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TAXATION

        The following summary of the material Cayman Islands, PRC and U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in our ADSs or ordinary shares is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of this registration statement, all of which are subject to change. This summary does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to an investment in our ADSs or ordinary shares, such as the tax consequences under U.S. state and local tax laws or under the tax laws of jurisdictions other than the Cayman Islands, PRC and the United States. To the extent that the discussion relates to matters of Cayman Islands tax law, it represents the opinion of Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP, our special Cayman Islands counsel; to the extent it relates to PRC tax law, it is the opinion of Han Kun Law Offices, our special PRC counsel; to the extent that the discussion relates to matters of U.S. federal income tax law, it is the opinion of Shearman & Sterling LLP.

Cayman Islands Taxation

        The Cayman Islands currently levies no taxes on individuals or corporations based upon profits, income, gains or appreciation and there is no taxation in the nature of inheritance tax or estate duty. There are no other taxes likely to be material to us levied by the government of the Cayman Islands except for stamp duties which may be applicable on instruments executed in, or after execution brought within the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands is not party to any double tax treaties that are applicable to any payments made to or by our company. There are no exchange control regulations or currency restrictions in the Cayman Islands.

        Payments of dividends and capital in respect of the ordinary shares will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of the ordinary shares, nor will gains derived from the disposal of the ordinary shares be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporation tax.

        No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of the ordinary shares or on an instrument of transfer in respect of an ordinary share.

People's Republic of China Taxation

        Under the EIT Law, which became effective on January 1, 2008, an enterprise established outside the PRC with "de facto management bodies" within the PRC is considered a "resident enterprise" for PRC enterprise income tax purposes and is generally subject to a uniform 25% enterprise income tax rate on its worldwide income. In 2009, the SAT issued SAT Circular 82, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the "de facto management body" of a PRC controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. In 2011, the SAT issued SAT Bulletin 45 to provide more guidance on the implementation of SAT Circular 82.

        According to SAT Circular 82, an offshore incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be considered a PRC resident enterprise by virtue of having its "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 conditions are met: (a) the senior management and core management departments in charge of its daily operations function have their presence mainly in the PRC; (b) its financial and human resources decisions are subject to determination or approval by persons or bodies in the PRC; (c) its major assets, accounting books, company seals, and minutes and files of its board and shareholders' meetings are located or kept in the PRC; and (d) more than half of the enterprise's directors or senior management with voting rights habitually reside in the PRC. Although SAT Circular 82 and SAT Bulletin 45 only apply to offshore incorporated enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups and not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the determination criteria set forth therein may reflect the SAT's general position on how the term "de facto management body" could be applied in determining the tax resident status of

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offshore enterprises, regardless of whether they are controlled by PRC enterprises, individuals or foreigners.

        We believe that we do not meet all of the criteria described above. We believe that neither we nor our subsidiaries outside of China are PRC resident enterprises, because neither we nor they are controlled by a PRC enterprise or PRC enterprise group, and because our records and their records (including the resolutions of the respective boards of directors and the resolutions of shareholders) are maintained outside the PRC. However, as 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" when applied to our offshore entities, we may be considered as a PRC resident enterprise and therefore may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax at 25% on our worldwide income. In addition, if the PRC tax authorities determine that we are a PRC resident enterprise for PRC enterprise income tax purposes, dividends we pay to non-PRC holders may be subject to PRC withholding tax, and gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares may be subject to PRC tax, at a rate of 10% in the case of non-PRC enterprises or 20% in the case of non-PRC individuals (in each case, subject to the provisions of any applicable tax treaty), if such dividends or gains are deemed to be from PRC sources.

        If we are considered a "non-resident enterprise" by the PRC tax authorities, the dividends we receive from our PRC subsidiaries will be subject to a 10% withholding tax. The EIT Law also imposes a withholding income tax of 10% on dividends distributed by a foreign invested enterprise to its immediate holding company outside of China, if such immediate holding company is considered as a non-resident enterprise without any establishment or place within China or if the received dividends have no connection with the establishment or place of such immediate holding company within China, unless such immediate holding company's jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty with China that provides for a different withholding arrangement. Under the Arrangement Between the PRC and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income and Capital, the dividend withholding tax rate may be reduced to 5%, if a Hong Kong resident enterprise that receives a dividend is considered a non-PRC tax resident enterprise and holds at least 25% of the equity interests in the PRC enterprise distributing the dividends, subject to approval of the PRC local tax authority. However, if the Hong Kong resident enterprise is not considered to be the beneficial owner of such dividends under applicable PRC tax regulations, such dividends may remain subject to withholding tax at a rate of 10%. Accordingly, Hexindai HK may be able to enjoy the 5% withholding tax rate for the dividends it receives from its PRC subsidiaries if it satisfies the relevant conditions under tax rules and regulations, and obtains the approvals as required.

        The SAT issued an SAT Circular 59 together with the Ministry of Finance in April 2009 and a SAT Circular 698 in December 2009. By promulgating and implementing these two circulars, the PRC tax authorities have enhanced their scrutiny over the direct or indirect transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise by a non-resident enterprise. Under SAT Circular 698, where a non-resident enterprise transfers the equity interests of a PRC "resident enterprise" indirectly by disposition of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, and the overseas holding company is located in a tax jurisdiction that: (1) has an effective tax rate less than 12.5% or (2) does not tax foreign income of its residents, the nonresident enterprise, being the transferor, must report to the relevant tax authority of the PRC "resident enterprise" the indirect transfer. On February 3, 2015, the SAT issued the SAT Announcement 7. SAT Announcement 7 supersedes the rules with respect to the Indirect Transfer under SAT Circular 698, but does not touch upon the other provisions of SAT Circular 698, which remain in force. SAT Announcement 7 has introduced a new tax regime that is significantly different from the previous one under SAT Circular 698. SAT Announcement 7 extends its tax jurisdiction to not only Indirect Transfers set forth under SAT Circular 698 but also transactions involving transfer of other taxable assets through offshore transfer of a foreign intermediate holding company. In addition,

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SAT Announcement 7 provides clearer criteria than SAT Circular 698 for assessment of reasonable commercial purposes and has introduced safe harbors for internal group restructurings and the purchase and sale of equity through a public securities market. SAT Announcement 7 also brings challenges to both foreign transferor and transferee (or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer) of taxable assets. Where a non-resident enterprise transfers taxable assets indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, which is an Indirect Transfer, the non-resident enterprise as either transferor or transferee, or the PRC entity that directly owns the taxable assets, may report such Indirect Transfer to the relevant tax authority. Using a "substance over form" principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a "reasonable commercial purpose" and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. Factors that may be taken into consideration when determining whether there is a reasonable commercial purpose include, among other factors, the value of the transferred equity, offshore taxable situation of the transaction, the offshore structure's economic essence and duration and trading fungibility. If an equity transfer transaction satisfies all the requirements mentioned above, such transaction will be considered an arrangement with reasonable commercial purpose. If an overseas holding company lacks a reasonable commercial purpose, gains derived from an Indirect Transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise. Both the transferor and the transferee may be subject to penalties under PRC tax laws if the transferee fails to withhold the taxes and the transferor fails to pay the taxes.

        Accordingly, if we sell all or a part of our company and if the PRC tax authorities determine that we are a holding company that lacks a "reasonable commercial purpose", such sale may be considered an Indirect Transfer under Circulars 59 and 698 and the SAT Announcement 7 and subject non-PRC holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs to a PRC enterprise income tax, currently at a rate of 10%, on any gains derived by non-PRC holders on such sale. Additionally, a purchaser of all or a part of our company may determine that, under Circulars 59 and 698 and the SAT Announcement 7, it is required to withhold the potentially applicable PRC tax rate of 10% from any consideration paid to non-PRC holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs.

U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations

        The following is a discussion of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations relevant to the acquisition, ownership, and disposition of our ADSs or ordinary shares by U.S. Holders (as defined below) that will hold our ADSs or ordinary shares as "capital assets" (generally, property held for investment) under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code. This discussion is based upon applicable provisions of the Code, U.S. Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder, pertinent judicial decisions, interpretive rulings of the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, and such other authorities as we have considered relevant, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. This discussion does not address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be important to particular investors in light of their individual investment circumstances, including investors subject to special tax rules (for example, certain financial institutions; insurance companies; broker-dealers; pension plans; regulated investment companies; real estate investment trusts; tax-exempt organizations (including private foundations); U.S. expatriates; holders who own (directly, indirectly, or constructively) 10% or more of our voting stock; investors that will hold their ADSs or ordinary shares as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion, constructive sale, or other integrated transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes; investors that are traders in securities that have elected the mark-to-market method of accounting; or investors that have a functional currency other than the U.S. dollar), all of whom may be subject to tax rules that differ significantly from those discussed below.

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        In addition, this discussion does not address tax considerations relevant to U.S. Holders under any non-U.S., state or local tax laws, the Medicare tax on net investment income, U.S. federal estate or gift tax, or the alternative minimum tax. Each U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal, state, local, and non-U.S. income and other tax considerations of an investment in ADSs or ordinary shares.

        The discussion below of U.S. federal income tax consequences applies to you if you are a "U.S. Holder." You are a U.S. Holder if you are a beneficial owner of our ADSs or ordinary shares and you are: (i) an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States for U.S. federal income tax purposes; (ii) a corporation, or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, created in, or organized under the law of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia; (iii) an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or (iv) a trust (A) the administration of which is subject to the primary supervision of a U.S. court and which has one or more U.S. persons who have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (B) that has otherwise validly elected to be treated as a U.S. person under the Code.

        If you are a partner in a partnership (including any entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that holds our ADSs or ordinary shares, your tax treatment generally will depend on your status and the activities of the partnership. Partners in a partnership holding our ADSs or ordinary shares should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of an investment in the ADSs or ordinary shares.

        Except as described in "—PFIC Rules" below, this discussion assumes that we are not, and will not become, a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for any taxable year.

Dividends

        Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, any cash distributions (including the amount of any PRC tax withheld) paid on our ADSs or ordinary shares out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles, will generally be includible in your gross income as dividend income on the day actually or constructively received by you, in the case of ordinary shares, or by the depositary, in the case of ADSs. Because we do not intend to determine our earnings and profits under U.S. federal income tax principles, any distribution paid will generally be treated as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Dividends received on our ADSs or ordinary shares will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction allowed to corporations under the Code.

        A non-corporate recipient will be subject to tax at preferential tax rates applicable to "qualified dividend income," provided that certain conditions are satisfied, including that (1) our stock (or ADSs representing such stock) is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States, or, in the event that we are deemed to be a PRC tax resident enterprise under the PRC tax law, we are eligible for the benefit of the United States-PRC income tax treaty, or the Treaty, (2) we are neither a PFIC nor treated as such with respect to a U.S. Holder (as discussed below) for the taxable year in which the dividend was paid and the preceding taxable year, and (3) certain holding period requirements are met.

        In the event that we are deemed to be a PRC tax resident enterprise under PRC tax law, you may be subject to PRC withholding taxes on dividends paid on our ADSs or ordinary shares, as described under "Taxation—People's Republic of China Taxation." If we are deemed to be a PRC tax resident enterprise, we may, however, be eligible for the benefits of the Treaty. If we are eligible for such benefits, dividends we pay on our ordinary shares, regardless of whether such shares are represented by our ADSs, may be eligible for the reduced rates of taxation applicable to qualified dividend income, as discussed above.

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        For U.S. foreign tax credit purposes, dividends generally will be treated as income from foreign sources and generally will constitute passive category income. Depending on your particular circumstances, you may be eligible, subject to a number of complex limitations, to claim a foreign tax credit in respect of any foreign withholding taxes imposed on dividends received on our ADSs or ordinary shares. If you do not elect to claim a foreign tax credit for foreign tax withheld, you may instead claim a deduction, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, for the foreign tax withheld, but only for a year in which you elect to do so for all creditable foreign income taxes. The rules governing the foreign tax credit are complex. You are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the availability of the foreign tax credit under your particular circumstances.

Sale or Other Disposition of ADSs or Ordinary Shares

        Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, you generally will recognize capital gain or loss upon the sale or other disposition of our ADSs or ordinary shares in an amount equal to the difference, if any, between the amount realized upon the disposition and your adjusted tax basis in such ADSs or ordinary shares. Any capital gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held the ADSs or ordinary shares for more than one year, and will generally be U.S.-source gain or loss for U.S. foreign tax credit purposes. The deductibility of a capital loss may be subject to limitations. In the event that we are deemed to be a PRC tax resident enterprise under PRC tax law, gain from the disposition of the ADSs or ordinary shares may be subject to tax in the PRC, as described under "Taxation—People's Republic of China Taxation." If we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise and PRC tax were imposed on any gain from your disposition of the ADSs or ordinary shares, you would be able to elect to treat the gain as PRC source income for foreign tax credit purposes if you are eligible for the benefits of the Treaty. You are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the tax consequences if a foreign tax is imposed on a disposition of our ADSs or ordinary shares, including the availability of the foreign tax credit under your particular circumstances.

PFIC Rules

        A non-U.S. corporation, such as our company, will be classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year, if either (i) 75% or more of its gross income for such year consists of certain types of "passive" income or (ii) 50% or more of the value of its assets (determined on the basis of a quarterly average) during such year produce or are held for the production of passive income. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, royalties, rents, annuities, net gains from the sale or exchange of property producing such income and net foreign currency gains. For this purpose, cash is categorized as a passive asset and the company's goodwill associated with active business activity is taken into account as a non-passive asset. We will be treated as owning our proportionate share of the assets and earning our proportionate share of the income of any other corporation in which we own, directly or indirectly, more than 25% (by value) of the stock.

        Based on the projected composition of our assets and income, we do not believe that we were a PFIC for our taxable year ending March 31, 2017 and we do not anticipate becoming a PFIC for our taxable year ending March 31, 2018. While we do not anticipate becoming a PFIC, because the value of our assets for purposes of the PFIC asset test will generally be determined by reference to the market price of our ADSs or ordinary shares, fluctuations in the market price of our ADSs or ordinary shares may cause us to become a PFIC for the current or any subsequent taxable year. The determination of whether we will become a PFIC will also depend, in part, on the composition of our income and assets, which will be affected by how, and how quickly, we use our liquid assets and the cash raised in this offering. Additionally, although the law in this regard is unclear, we treat our VIE as being owned by us for U.S. federal income tax purposes, not only because we exercise effective control over the operation of such entity but also because we are entitled to substantially all of its economic benefits, and, as a result, we consolidate their results of operation in our combined and consolidated financial

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statements. Whether we are a PFIC is a factual determination and we must make a separate determination each taxable year as to whether we are a PFIC (after the close of each taxable year). Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will not be a PFIC for our taxable year ending March 31, 2018 or any future taxable year. If we are classified as a PFIC for any taxable year during which you hold our ADSs or ordinary shares, we generally will continue to be treated as a PFIC, unless you make certain elections, for all succeeding years during which you hold our ADSs or ordinary shares even if we cease to qualify as a PFIC under the rules set forth above. If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which you hold our ADSs or ordinary shares, you will be subject to special tax rules with respect to any "excess distribution" that you receive and any gain you realize from a sale or other disposition (including a pledge) of our ADSs or ordinary shares, unless you make a "mark-to-market" election as discussed below. Distributions you receive in a taxable year that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions you received during the shorter of the three preceding taxable years or your holding period for the ADSs or ordinary shares will be treated as an excess distribution. Under these special tax rules:

        If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which you hold our ADSs or ordinary shares and any of our non-U.S. subsidiaries is also a PFIC, you will be treated as owning a proportionate amount (by value) of the shares of each such non-U.S. subsidiary classified as a PFIC for purposes of the application of these rules.

        A U.S. Holder of "marketable stock" (as defined below) in a PFIC may make a mark-to-market election for such stock of a PFIC to elect out of the tax treatment discussed in the two preceding paragraphs. If you make a valid mark-to-market election for the ADSs, you will include in income each year an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the ADSs as of the close of your taxable year over your adjusted basis in such ADSs. You will be allowed a deduction for the excess, if any, of the adjusted basis of the ADSs over their fair market value as of the close of the taxable year. However, deductions will be allowable only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains on the ADSs included in your income for prior taxable years. Amounts included in your income under a mark-to-market election, as well as gain on the actual sale or other disposition of the ADSs, will be treated as ordinary income. Ordinary loss treatment will also apply to the deductible portion of any mark-to-market loss on the ADSs, as well as to any loss realized on the actual sale or disposition of the ordinary shares, to the extent that the amount of such loss does not exceed the net mark-to-market gains previously included for such ADSs. Your basis in the ADSs will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts. If you make a mark-to-market election, tax rules that apply to distributions by corporations which are not PFICs (described above in "—Dividends") would apply to distributions by us (except that the preferential rates for qualified dividend income would not apply).

        The mark-to-market election is available only for "marketable stock" which is stock that is traded in other than de minimis quantities on at least 15 days during each calendar quarter ("regularly traded") on a qualified exchange or other market, as defined in applicable U.S. Treasury regulations. We expect that the ADSs will be listed on the            , which is a qualified exchange for these purposes. If the ADSs are regularly traded, and the ADSs qualify as "marketable stock" for purposes of the

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mark-to-market rules, then the mark-to-market election might be available to you if we were to become a PFIC.

        Because, as a technical matter, a mark-to-market election cannot be made for any lower-tier PFICs that we may own, you may continue to be subject to the PFIC rules with respect to your indirect interest in any investments held by us that are treated as an equity interest in a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We do not currently intend to provide information necessary for U.S. Holders to make qualified electing fund elections, which, if available, would result in tax treatment different from the general tax treatment for PFICs described above.

        If you own our ADSs or ordinary shares during any taxable year that we are a PFIC, you must file an annual report with the IRS, subject to certain exceptions based on the value of the ADSs or ordinary shares held. A failure to file a required annual report will suspend the statute of limitations with respect to any tax return, event, or period to which such report relates (potentially including with respect to items that do not relate to your investment in the ADSs or ordinary shares). You are urged to consult your tax advisor concerning the U.S. federal income tax consequences of purchasing, holding, and disposing of our ADSs or ordinary shares if we are or become a PFIC, including the possibility of making a mark-to-market election.

Information with Respect to Specified Foreign Financial Assets

        You may be required to submit to the IRS certain information with respect to your beneficial ownership of our ADSs or ordinary shares, if such ADSs or ordinary shares are not held on your behalf by financial institutions. Penalties also may be imposed if you are required to submit such information to the IRS and fail to do so.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

        Dividend payments with respect to ADSs or ordinary shares and proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of ADSs or ordinary shares may be subject to information reporting to the IRS and possible U.S. backup withholding. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to a U.S. Holder who furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and makes any other required certification or who is otherwise exempt from backup withholding. U.S. Holders who are required to establish their exempt status generally must provide such certification on IRS Form W-9 or an acceptable substitute form.

        Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against your U.S. federal income tax liability, and you may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules by filing the appropriate claim for refund with the IRS and furnishing any required information. You are urged to consult your tax advisors regarding the application of the U.S. information reporting and backup withholding rules.

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UNDERWRITING

        We expect to enter into an underwriting agreement with Network 1 Financial Securities, Inc., as the underwriter named therein, with respect to the ADSs in this offering. Under the terms and subject to the conditions contained in the underwriting agreement, we have agreed to issue and sell a minimum offering amount of         ADSs and a maximum offering amount of        ADSs on a best efforts basis. The offering is being made without a firm commitment by the underwriter, which has no obligation or commitment to purchase any securities. The underwriter is not required to sell any specific number of dollar amount of ADSs but will use its best efforts to sell the ADSs offered.

        We do not intend to close this offering unless we sell at least a minimum number of ADS, at the price per ADS set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, to result in sufficient proceeds to list our ADSs on the          . We plan to list our ADSs on the          under the symbol "HX." Because this is a best efforts offering, the underwriter does not have an obligation to purchase any securities, and, as a result, we may not be able to sell the minimum number of ADSs. The offering may close or terminate, as the case may be, on the earlier of (i) any time after the minimum offering amount of our ADSs is raised, or (ii) 90 days from the date of this prospectus, or the expiration date. If we can successfully raise the minimum offering amount within the offering period, the proceeds from the offering will be released to us.

        We expect that delivery of the ADSs will be made to investors through the book-entry facilities of The Depository Trust Company.

        The underwriting agreement provides that the obligation of the underwriter to sell the ADSs, on a best efforts basis, is subject to certain conditions precedent, including but not limited to (1) obtaining listing approval on            , (2) delivery of legal opinions and (3) delivery of auditor comfort letters. The underwriter is under no obligation to purchase any ADSs for its own account. To list on            , we are required to satisfy the financial and liquidity requirements of            under the            Listing Rules. To list on            , we are required to satisfy the financial and liquidity requirements of            under the            Listing Rules. We currently meet the income standard requirements            . We have applied to list our ADSs on the            and expect to receive an approval in principle for listing our ADSs on the            around the date of this prospectus. We will deliver to the            a notice to commence trading three days prior to the completion of the offering. Trading in the ADSs will commence upon the closing of the offering. As an offering on a best efforts basis, there can be no assurance that the offering contemplated hereby will ultimately be consummated. The underwriter may, but is not obligated to, retain other selected dealers that are qualified to offer and sell the shares and that are members of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.

Discounts, Commissions and Expenses

        We have agreed to pay the underwriter a fee equal to 7.00% of the gross proceeds of the offering from investors introduced by the underwriter and a fee equal to 3.25% of the gross proceeds of the offering from investors introduced by us.

        We have agreed to pay a non-accountable expense allowance to the underwriter of 1.5% of the gross proceeds of the offering up to a maximum cap of US$300,000. We have agreed to pay the underwriter's reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable clearing charges, travel and out-of pocket expense in connection with this offering reasonable fees and expenses of legal counsel incurred by the underwriter in connection with this offering, the cost of any due diligence meetings not exceeding $10,000 in the aggregate, and preparation of printed documents for closing and deal mementos with costs not exceeding US$3,000) incurred by the underwriter in connection with this offering up to US$100,000. We have paid an advance of US$50,000 to the underwriter to be applied to the underwriter's anticipated out-of-pocket expenses. The advance will be returned to us to the extent

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such out-of-pocket accountable expenses are not actually incurred in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(f)(2)(C).

        We have agreed to pay our expenses related to the offering. We estimate that our total expenses related to this offering, excluding the estimated commissions to the underwriter and payment of the underwriter's expenses referred to above, will be approximately US$             million.

        Except as disclosed in this prospectus, the underwriter has not received and will not receive from us any other item of compensation or expense in connection with this offering considered by FINRA to be underwriting compensation under FINRA Rule 5110.

        The table below shows the per ADS and total commissions that we will pay to the underwriter.

 
  Minimum offering
amount
  Maximum offering
amount
 
 
  Per ADS   Total   Per ADS   Total  

Commissions to the underwriter (7.00%) for sales to investors introduced by the underwriter

  US$     US$     US$     US$    

Commissions to the underwriter (3.25%) for sales to investors introduced by us

  US$     US$     US$     US$    

Total

  US$     US$     US$     US$    

        We have agreed that, subject to certain exceptions, we will not without the prior written consent of the underwriter, during the period ending 180 days after the closing of the offering (the "restricted period"):

whether any such transaction described above is to be settled by delivery of ordinary shares, ADSs or such other securities, in cash or otherwise.

        Each of our directors and officers named in the section "Management", certain of our shareholders and incentive shareholders has agreed that, subject to certain exceptions, such director, executive officer or beneficial owner of 5% or more of our outstanding ordinary shares will not, without the prior written consent of the underwriter, during the restricted period:

whether any such transaction described above is to be settled by delivery of ordinary shares, ADSs or such other securities, in cash or otherwise.

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        Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the ADSs. The initial public offering price will be determined by negotiations between us and the underwriter. In determining the initial public offering price, we and the underwriter expects to consider a number of factors, including:

        The estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this preliminary prospectus is subject to change as a result of market conditions and other factors. Neither we nor the underwriter can assure investors that an active trading market will develop for our ordinary shares, or that the shares will trade in the public market at or above the initial public offering price.

        We have agreed to indemnify the underwriter against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. If we are unable to provide this indemnification, we will contribute to payments that the underwriter may be required to make for these liabilities.

        The address of Network 1 Financial Securities, Inc. is The Galleria, 2 Bridge Avenue, Suite 241, Red Bank, New Jersey, United States.

Terms of the Offering

        We are offering, on a best efforts basis, a minimum of            ADSs and a maximum of            ADSs. The offering is being made without a firm commitment by the underwriter, which has no obligation or commitment to purchase any securities. The underwriter is not required to sell any specific number of dollar amount of ADSs but will use its best efforts to sell the ADSs offered. The ADSs are being offered for a period not to exceed 90 days, subject to an extension of an additional 90 days if extended by agreement between us and the underwriter. If the minimum offering amount is not raised within 90 days from the date of this prospectus, all subscription funds from the escrow account will be returned to investors promptly without interest (since the funds are being held in a non-interest bearing account) or deduction of fees. The offering may terminate on the earlier of (i) any time after the minimum offering amount of our ADSs is raised, or (ii) 90 days from the date of this prospectus, subject to an extension of an additional 90 days if extended by us and the underwriter. If we can successfully raise the minimum offering amount within the offering period, the proceeds from the offering will be released to us.

Deposit of Offering Proceeds

        The proceeds from the sale of the ADSs in this offering will be deposited in a separate (limited to funds received on behalf of us) non-interest bearing bank account at the branch of JP Morgan Chase established by the Escrow Agent, or the Escrow Account. The purpose of the Escrow Account is for (i) the deposit of all subscription monies (checks or wire transfers) which are received by the underwriter from prospective purchasers of the our offered ADSs and are delivered by the underwriter to the Escrow Agent, (ii) the holding of amounts of subscription monies which are collected through the banking system, and (iii) the disbursement of collected funds.

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        The underwriter shall promptly deliver to the Escrow Agent all funds in the form of checks or wire transfers which it receives from prospective purchasers of our ADSs by noon of the next business day following receipt where internal supervisory review is conducted at the same location at which subscription documents and funds are received. Simultaneously with each deposit to the Escrow Account, the underwriter shall inform the Escrow Agent about the subscription information for each prospective purchaser. Upon the Escrow Agent's receipt of such monies, they shall be credited to the Escrow Account. All checks delivered to the Escrow Agent shall be made payable to "Continental Stock Transfer & Trust AAF Hexindai Inc. Escrow Account." The Escrow Agent shall not be required to accept for credit to the Escrow Account or for deposit into the Escrow Account checks which are not accompanied by the appropriate subscription information. Wire transfers representing payments by prospective purchasers shall not be deemed deposited in the Escrow Account until the Escrow Agent has received in writing the subscription information required with respect to such payments.

        No interest will be available for payment to either us or the investors (since the funds are being held in a non-interest bearing account). All subscription funds will be held in trust pending the raising of the minimum offering amount and no funds will be released to us until the completion of the offering. Release of the funds to us is based upon the Escrow Agent reviewing the records of the depository institution holding the escrow to verify that the funds received have cleared the banking system prior to releasing the funds to us. All subscription information and subscription funds through checks or wire transfers should be delivered to the Escrow Agent. Failure to do so will result in subscription funds being returned to the investor. In event that the offering is terminated, all subscription funds from the escrow account will be returned to investors by noon of the next business day after the termination of the offering.

Electronic Offer, Sale and Distribution of ADSs

        A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the websites maintained by the underwriter. In addition, ADSs may be sold by the underwriter to securities dealers who resell ADSs to online brokerage account holders. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on the underwriter's website and any information contained in any other website maintained by the underwriter is not part of the prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or the underwriter in its capacity as underwriter and should not be relied upon by investors.

Selling Restrictions

        No action has been taken in any jurisdiction (except in the United States) that would permit a public offering of the ADSs, or the possession, circulation or distribution of this prospectus or any other material relating to us or the ADSs, where action for that purpose is required. Accordingly, the ADSs may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, and neither this prospectus nor any other offering material or advertisements in connection with the ADSs may be distributed or published, in or from any country or jurisdiction except in compliance with any applicable rules and regulations of any such country or jurisdiction.

        Australia.     This prospectus is not a product disclosure statement, prospectus or other type of disclosure document for the purposes of Corporations Act 2001 (Commonwealth of Australia) (the "Act") and does not purport to include the information required of a product disclosure statement, prospectus or other disclosure document under Chapter 6D.2 of the Act. No product disclosure statement, prospectus, disclosure document, offering material or advertisement in relation to the offer of the ADSs has been or will be lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission or the Australian Securities Exchange.

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        Accordingly, (1) the offer of the ADSs under this prospectus may only be made to persons: (i) to whom it is lawful to offer the ADSs without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D.2 of the Act under one or more exemptions set out in Section 708 of the Act, and (ii) who are "wholesale clients" as that term is defined in section 761G of the Act, (2) this prospectus may only be made available in Australia to persons as set forth in clause (1) above, and (3) by accepting this offer, the offeree represents that the offeree is such a person as set forth in clause (1) above, and the offeree agrees not to sell or offer for sale any of the ADSs sold to the offeree within 12 months after their issue except as otherwise permitted under the Act.

        Canada.     The ADSs may not be offered, sold or distributed, directly or indirectly, in any province or territory of Canada other than the provinces of Ontario and Quebec or to or for the benefit of any resident of any province or territory of Canada other than the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and only on a basis that is pursuant to an exemption from the requirement to file a prospectus in such province, and only through a dealer duly registered under the applicable securities laws of such province or in accordance with an exemption from the applicable registered dealer requirements.

        Cayman Islands.     This prospectus does not constitute a public offer of the ADSs or ordinary shares, whether by way of sale or subscription, in the Cayman Islands. Each underwriter has represented and agreed that it has not offered or sold, and will not offer or sell, directly or indirectly, any ADSs or ordinary shares to any member of the public in the Cayman Islands.

        European Economic Area.     In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area that has implemented the Prospectus Directive, or a Relevant Member State, from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that Relevant Member State, or the Relevant Implementation Date, an offer of the ADSs to the public may not be made in that Relevant Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the ADSs that has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant Member State and the competent authority in that Relevant Member State has been notified, all in accordance with the Prospectus Directive, except that it may, with effect from and including the Relevant Implementation Date, make an offer of the ADS to the public in that Relevant Member State at any time,

provided that no such offer of ADSs shall result in a requirement for the publication by the company of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive.

        For purposes of the above provision, the expression "an offer of ADSs to the public" in relation to any ADSs in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the ADSs to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the ADSs, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State, and the expression "Prospectus Directive" means Directive 2003/71/EC and includes any relevant implementing measure in each Relevant Member State.

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        Hong Kong.     The ADSs may not be offered or sold by means of this document or any other document other than (i) in circumstances that do not constitute an offer or invitation to the public within the meaning of the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong) or the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong), or (ii) to "professional investors" within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances that do not result in the document being a "prospectus" within the meaning of the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong), and no advertisement, invitation or document relating to the ADSs may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), that is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to ADSs which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to "professional investors" within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder.

        Israel.     In the State of Israel, the ADSs offered hereby may not be offered to any person or entity other than the following:

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        Japan.     The underwriter will not offer or sell any of the ADSs directly or indirectly in Japan or to, or for the benefit of any Japanese person or to others, for re-offering or re-sale directly or indirectly in Japan or to any Japanese person, except, in each case, pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the Securities and Exchange Law of Japan and any other applicable laws and regulations of Japan. For purposes of this paragraph, "Japanese person" means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan.

        People's Republic of China.     This prospectus may not be circulated or distributed in the PRC and the ADSs may not be offered or sold, and will not offer or sell to any person for re-offering or resale directly or indirectly to any resident of the PRC except pursuant to applicable laws and regulations of the PRC. For the purpose of this paragraph, PRC does not include Taiwan and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

        Singapore.     This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the ADSs may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the ADSs be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore, or the SFA, (ii) to a relevant person, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions, specified in Section 275 of the SFA, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

        Where the ADSs are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 by a relevant person that is:

shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or the beneficiaries' rights and interest in that trust shall not be transferable for six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the ADSs under Section 275 except:

        Taiwan.     The ADSs have not been and will not be registered or filed with, or approved by, the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan pursuant to relevant securities laws and regulations and may not be offered or sold in Taiwan through a public offering or in circumstances which constitute an offer within the meaning of the Securities and Exchange Act of Taiwan or relevant laws and regulations that require a registration, filing or approval of the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan. No person or entity in Taiwan has been authorized to offer or sell the ADSs in Taiwan.

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        Switzerland.     The ADSs will not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange ("SIX") or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This prospectus has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland.

        Neither this prospectus nor any other offering or marketing material relating to our company or the ADSs have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this prospectus will not be filed with, and the offer of the ADSs will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, and the offer of the ADSs has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes, or the CISA. The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of the ADSs.

        United Arab Emirates and Dubai International Financial Centre.     This offering of the ADSs has not been approved or licensed by the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, or the UAE, the Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority or any other relevant licensing authority in the UAE, including any licensing authority incorporated under the laws and regulations of any of the free zones established and operating in the territory of the UAE, in particular the Dubai Financial Services Authority, or the DFSA, a regulatory authority of the Dubai International Financial Centre, or the DIFC. This offering does not constitute a public offer of securities in the UAE, DIFC and/or any other free zone in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law, Federal Law No. 8 of 1984 (as amended), DFSA Offered Securities Rules and the Dubai International Financial Exchange Listing Rules, respectively, or otherwise.

        The ADSs may not be offered to the public in the UAE and/or any of the free zones. The ADSs may be offered and this prospectus may be issued, only to a limited number of investors in the UAE or any of its free zones who qualify as sophisticated investors under the relevant laws and regulations of the UAE or the free zone concerned. The ADSs will not be offered, sold, transferred or delivered to the public in the UAE or any of its free zones.

        United Kingdom.     An offer of the ADSs may not be made to the public in the United Kingdom within the meaning of Section 102B of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended, or the FSMA, except to legal entities that are authorized or regulated to operate in the financial markets or, if not so authorized or regulated, whose corporate purpose is solely to invest in securities or otherwise in circumstances that do not require the publication by the company of a prospectus pursuant to the Prospectus Rules of the Financial Services Authority, or the FSA.

        An invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of FSMA) may only be communicated to persons who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 or in circumstances in which Section 21 of FSMA does not apply to the company.

        All applicable provisions of the FSMA with respect to anything done by the underwriter in relation to the ADSs must be complied with in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.

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EXPENSES RELATING TO THIS OFFERING

        Set forth below is an itemization of the total expenses, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions, expected to be incurred in connection with the offer and sale of the ADSs by us. With the exception of the SEC registration fee,                        listing fee and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. filing fee, all amounts are estimates.

SEC registration fee

  US$ 9,272  

            listing fee

       

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. filing fee

       

Printing and engraving expenses

       

Legal fees and expenses

       

Accounting fees and expenses

       

Miscellaneous

       

Total

  US$    

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LEGAL MATTERS

        We are being represented by Shearman & Sterling with respect to certain legal matters as to United States federal securities and New York State law. The underwriter is being represented by Mei & Mark LLP with respect to certain legal matters as to United States federal securities and New York State law. The validity of the ordinary shares represented by the ADSs offered in this offering will be passed upon for us by Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP. Certain legal matters as to PRC law will be passed upon for us by Han Kun Law Offices and for the underwriter by DaHui Lawyers. Shearman & Sterling may rely upon Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP with respect to matters governed by Cayman Islands law and Han Kun Law Offices with respect to matters governed by PRC law. Mei & Mark LLP may rely upon DaHui Lawyers with respect to matters governed by PRC law.

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EXPERTS

        The consolidated financial statements as of March 31, 2016 and 2017, and for each of the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, included in this prospectus, have been audited by Marcum Bernstein & Pinchuk LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report appearing herein and elsewhere in the Registration Statement. Such financial statements have been so included in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

        The office of Marcum Bernstein & Pinchuk LLP is Unit 2419-2422, South Office Tower, Kerry Center, No. 1 Guang Hua Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020, the People's Republic of China.

        The section in this prospectus entitled "Our Industry" is based in part upon, and summaries elsewhere in this prospectus of certain information contained in such section are based upon, information either compiled or produced by Oliver Wyman and are included on reliance upon the authority of that firm as an expert, although Oliver Wyman has not independently verified the material provided to it by the outside sources referenced in that section. This information has been included with the consent of Oliver Wyman and Oliver Wyman has authorized that portions of the prospectus be attributed to it. The registered business address of Oliver Wyman is 1166 6th Ave, New York, NY 10036.

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

        We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form F-1, including relevant exhibits and schedules under the Securities Act with respect to underlying ordinary shares represented by the ADSs, to be sold in this offering. We have also filed with the SEC a related registration statement on Form F-6 to register the ADSs. This prospectus, which constitutes a part of the registration statement, does not contain all of the information contained in the registration statement. You should read the registration statements on Form F-1 and Form F-6 and their exhibits and schedules for further information with respect to us and our ADSs.

        Immediately upon completion of this offering we will become subject to periodic reporting and other informational requirements of the Exchange Act as applicable to foreign private issuers. Accordingly, we will be required to file reports, including annual reports on Form 20-F, and other information with the SEC. All information filed with the SEC can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You can request copies of these documents, upon payment of a duplicating fee, by writing to the SEC. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference rooms. You may also obtain additional information over the Internet at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

        As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt under the Exchange Act from, among other things, the rules prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements to shareholders, and our executive officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we will not be required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act. However, we intend to furnish the depositary with our annual reports, which will include a review of operations and annual audited consolidated financial statements prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP, and all notices of shareholders' meeting and other reports and communications that are made generally available to our shareholders. The depositary will make such notices, reports and communications available to holders of ADSs and, upon our written request, will mail to all record holders of ADSs the information contained in any notice of a shareholders' meeting received by the depositary from us.

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HEXINDAI INC.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

 
  Page  

Consolidated Financial Statements

       

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

    F-2  

Consolidated Balance Sheets

    F-3  

Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income (Loss)

    F-4  

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders' Equity

    F-5  

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

    F-6  

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

    F-7–F-33  

Unaudited Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

   
 
 

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

    F-34  

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income

    F-35  

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

    F-36  

Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

    F-37–F-49  

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders
of Hexindai Inc.

        We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Hexindai Inc. (the "Company") as of March 31, 2017 and 2016, and the related consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income (loss), changes in shareholders' equity and cash flows for the years ended March 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

        We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. Our audits included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

        In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of Hexindai Inc., as of March 31, 2017 and 2016, and the consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for the years ended March 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

/s/Marcum Bernstein & Pinchuk LLP

Marcum Bernstein & Pinchuk LLP
Beijing, China
July 6, 2017, except for Note 17, as to which the date is September 19, 2017

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HEXINDAI INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 
  March 31
2017
  March 31
2016
 

ASSETS

             

CURRENT ASSETS:

   
 
   
 
 

Cash

  $ 19,232,275   $ 7,818,936  

Prepayments and other assets

    4,139,354     1,801,516  

Amounts due from related parties

    4,182,502      

TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS

    27,554,131     9,620,452  

Amounts due from related parties

        11,951,205  

Property, equipment and software at cost, net

    427,938     252,830  

Deferred tax assets

    400,062     568,405  

TOTAL ASSETS

  $ 28,382,131   $ 22,392,892  

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

   
 
   
 
 

CURRENT LIABILITIES:

   
 
   
 
 

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

  $ 789,129   $ 3,514,551  

Risk reserve liability

        2,717,335  

Taxes payable

    4,088,646     2,100,637  

Amounts due to related party

        48,412  

TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES

    4,877,775     8,380,935  

TOTAL LIABILITIES

  $ 4,877,775   $ 8,380,935  

COMMITMENTS

   
 
   
 
 

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY:

   
 
   
 
 

Ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized, 42,921,600 and 42,080,000 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively*

  $ 4,292   $ 4,208  

Additional paid-in capital

    13,285,717     11,284,230  

Retained Earnings

    11,759,100     3,188,236  

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

    (1,544,753 )   (464,717 )

TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

    23,504,356     14,011,957  

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

  $ 28,382,131   $ 22,392,892  

*
The shares are presented on a retroactive basis to reflect the nominal share issuance.

   

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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HEXINDAI INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

 
  For The Years Ended March 31,  
 
  2017   2016   2015  

NET REVENUE

                   

Loan facilitation, post-origination and other service, net          

  $ 23,092,405   $ 11,917,870   $ 4,648,318  

Business and sales related taxes

    (171,862 )   (23,644 )   (2,345 )

NET REVENUE

    22,920,543     11,894,226     4,645,973  

OPERATING EXPENSES

   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Sales and marketing

    5,212,127     3,840,143     2,605,042  

Service and development

    5,149,265     2,358,867     1,605,636  

General and administrative

    2,645,605     1,554,833     733,920  

Total operating expenses

    13,006,997     7,753,843     4,944,598  

INCOME FROM OPERATIONS

    9,913,546     4,140,383     (298,625 )

OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)

                   

Other income

    198,624     37,751     5,151  

Other expense

    (19,095 )   (11,481 )   (12,855 )

Total other income (expense), net

    179,529     26,270     (7,704 )

INCOME (LOSS) BEFORE INCOME TAXES

    10,093,075     4,166,653     (306,329 )

PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES

    1,522,211     628,246     43,842  

NET INCOME (LOSS)

    8,570,864     3,538,407     (350,171 )

OTHER COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME

   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

    (1,080,036 )   (482,083 )   17,366  

COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

  $ 7,490,828   $ 3,056,324   $ (332,805 )

Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common share*

  $ 42,331,200   $ 42,080,000   $ 42,080,000  

Weighted average number of shares outstanding*

    0.20     0.08     (0.01 )

*
The shares and per share data are presented on a retroactive basis to reflect the nominal share issuance.

   

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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HEXINDAI INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

 
  Ordinary Shares    
   
  Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Income
   
 
 
  Additional
paid
in capital
  Retained
Earnings
   
 
 
  Shares*   Amount   Total  

April 1, 2014

    42,080,000   $ 4,208   $   $   $   $ 4,208  

Owner's contribution

            3,683,182             3,683,182  

Net loss for the year

                (350,171 )       (350,171 )

Foreign currency translation adjustment

                    17,366     17,366  

March 31, 2015

    42,080,000   $ 4,208   $ 3,683,182   $ (350,171 ) $ 17,366   $ 3,354,585  

Owner's contribution

            7,601,048             7,601,048  

Net income for the year

                3,538,407         3,538,407  

Foreign currency translation adjustment

                    (482,083 )   (482,083 )

March 31, 2016

    42,080,000   $ 4,208   $ 11,284,230   $ 3,188,236   $ (464,717 ) $ 14,011,957  

Private placement

    841,600     84     2,000,000             2,000,084  

Owner's contribution

            1,487             1,487  

Net income for the year

                8,570,864         8,570,864  

Foreign currency translation adjustment

                    (1,080,036 )   (1,080,036 )

March 31, 2017

    42,921,600   $ 4,292   $ 13,285,717   $ 11,759,100   $ (1,544,753 ) $ 23,504,356  

*
The shares are presented on a retroactive basis to reflect the nominal share issuance.

   

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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HEXINDAI INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 
  For The Years Ended March 31,  
 
  2017   2016   2015  

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:

                   

Net income (loss)

  $ 8,570,864   $ 3,538,407   $ (350,171 )

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

                   

Depreciation and amortization

    92,224     61,392     19,701  

Deferred tax expense (benefit)

    135,641     (366,498 )   (218,949 )

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

                   

Prepayments and other assets

    (2,456,342 )   (972,276 )   (884,231 )

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

    (2,562,903 )   1,177,828     2,473,058  

Taxes payable

    2,170,343     1,534,277     624,230  

Risk reserve liability

    2,287,537     1,872,509     922,877  

Amounts due to related party

    (47,620 )   179,803      

NET CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES

    8,189,744     7,025,442     2,586,515  

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:

                   

Acquisitions of property, equipment and software

    (287,765 )   (120,461 )   (223,999 )

NET CASH USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES

    (287,765 )   (120,461 )   (223,999 )

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

                   

Capital contributions by owners

    1,487     7,601,048     3,683,182  

Private placement

    2,000,000          

Due from related parties

    (5,945,298 )   (10,009,630 )   (8,056,847 )

Repayments from related parties

    8,232,457     2,651,848     2,961,074  

NET CASH PROVIDED BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES

    4,288,646     243,266     (1,412,591 )

EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGE ON CASH

    (777,286 )   (283,992 )   4,756  

NET INCREASE IN CASH

    11,413,339     6,864,255     954,681  

CASH — beginning of year

    7,818,936     954,681      

CASH — end of year

  $ 19,232,275   $ 7,818,936   $ 954,681  

SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW DISCLOSURES:

                   

Cash paid for income tax

  $ 300,601   $   $  

Cash paid for interest

  $   $   $  

SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF NON-CASH ACTIVITIES:

                   

Risk reserve liability balance paid to 3 rd  party insurance company by Hexin Group on behalf of the Company

  $ 4,893,590   $   $  

   

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1—BUSINESS DESCRIPTION

Organization and description of business

        Hexindai Inc. ("Hexindai" or the "Company"), through its subsidiaries and variable interest entity ("VIE"), is an online marketplace connecting borrowers and investors in the People's Republic of China ("PRC" or "China").

        Hexindai is a limited company established under the laws of the Cayman Islands on April 26, 2016. Mr. Xiaobo An, the Chairman of the Board of the Company, is the ultimate controlling shareholder ("the Controlling Shareholder") of the Company.

        On March 7, 2014, Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd ("Hexin E-Commerce" or "VIE") was incorporated by the controlling shareholder in PRC. Hexin E-Commerce provides services through its online marketplace connecting borrowers and investors. On October 16, 2015, a third party A invested to Hexin E-Commerce and received 5% ownership of Hexin E-Commerce (see Note 12). Subsequently, the third party A transferred its ownership in Hexin E-Commerce to a third party B on October 19, 2016 and the third party B in turn received a 5% ownership interest of Hexindai on November 1, 2016.

        On March 25, 2016, Hexin E-Commerce established a branch Hexin E-Commerce Tianjin Technology ("Tianjin"), which also provides similar service to the borrower and investors.

        On May 27, 2016, Hexindai incorporated Hexindai Hong Kong Limited ("HK Hexindai"), a limited company formed in accordance with laws and regulations of Hong Kong. On August 8, 2016, HK Hexindai incorporated a Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., LTD ("WOFE").

Reorganization

        In anticipation of an initial public offering ("IPO") of its equity securities, the Company undertook a reorganization and became the ultimate holding company of HK Hexindai, WOFE and Hexin E-Commerce, which were all controlled by the same shareholders before and after the Reorganization. Details of the subsidiaries and VIE of the Company are set out below:

 
  Date of
incorporation
  Place of
incorporation
  Percentage of
ownership
  Principal activities

Wholly owned subsidiaries

                   

Hexindai Hong Kong Limited ("HK Hexindai")

    May 27, 2016   Hong Kong     100%   Investment holding

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd ("WOFE")

   
August 8, 2016
 
PRC
   
100%
 
Consultancy and
information technology
support

Variable Interest Entity ("VIE")

   
 
 
 
   
 
 
 

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd ("Hexin E-Commerce")

    March 7, 2014   PRC     VIE   An online
marketplace connecting
borrowers and investors

        Effective on November 1, 2016, shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce and WOFE entered into a series of contractual agreements ("VIE Agreements" which are described below). As a result, the Company, through its wholly owned subsidiaries HK Hexindai and WOFE, has been determined to be the primary beneficiary of Hexin E-Commerce and the Company treats Hexin E-Commerce as a VIE. Accordingly, the Company consolidates Hexin E-Commerce's operations, assets and liabilities.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 1—BUSINESS DESCRIPTION (Continued)

        The above mentioned transactions were accounted for as a recapitalization. The Company together with its wholly-owned subsidiary HK Hexindai and WOFE and its VIE were effectively controlled by the same shareholders before and after the reorganization and therefore the Reorganization is considered under common control and was accounted for similar to the pooling method of accounting. The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared as if the current corporate structure has been in existence throughout the periods presented. The consolidation of the Company and its subsidiaries and VIE has been accounted for at historical cost as of the beginning of the first period presented in the accompanying.

The VIE arrangements

        Foreign ownership of internet-based businesses, including distribution of online information (such as an online marketplace connecting borrowers and investors), is subject to restrictions under current PRC laws and regulations. The Company is a Cayman Islands company and WOFE (its PRC subsidiary) is considered foreign invested enterprise. To comply with these regulations, the Company conducts the majority of its activities in PRC through its consolidated affiliate Hexin E-Commerce.

        Hexin E-Commerce holds the requisite licenses and permits necessary to conduct the Company's online marketplace connecting borrowers and investors business. WOFE has entered into the following contractual arrangements with shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce, that enable the Company to (1) have power to direct the activities that most significantly affects the economic performance of Hexin E-Commerce, and (2) receive the economic benefits of Hexin E-Commerce that could be significant to Hexin E-Commerce. The Company is fully and exclusively responsible for the management of Hexin E-Commerce, assumes all of risk of losses of Hexin E-Commerce and has the exclusive right to exercise all voting rights of Hexin E-Commerce's shareholder. Therefore, in accordance with ASC 810 "Consolidation", the Company is considered the primary beneficiary of Hexin E-Commerce and has consolidated Hexin E-Commerce's assets, liabilities, results of operations, and cash flows in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement.

        On November 1, 2016, WOFE entered into an Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement with Hexin E-Commerce to enable WOFE to receive substantially all of the assets and business of Hexin E-Commerce in China. Under this Agreement, WOFE has the exclusive right to provide Hexin E-Commerce with comprehensive technical support, consulting services and other services during the term of this Agreement, including but not limited to software licensing; development, maintenance and update of software, network system, hardware and database; technical support and training for employees; consultancy on technology and market information; business management consultation; marketing and promotion services, etc. WOFE has the right to determine the fees associated with the services it provides based on the technical difficulty and complexity of the services, the actual labor costs it incurs for providing the services and some other factors during the relevant period. This Agreement became effective on November 1, 2016 and will remain effective unless otherwise terminated in writing by WOFE.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 1—BUSINESS DESCRIPTION (Continued)

Equity Pledge Agreements

        Pursuant to the three Equity Pledge Agreements dated November 1, 2016 among Hexin E-Commerce, each of the Shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce and WOFE, each Shareholder of Hexin E-Commerce agreed to pledge his equity interest in Hexin E-Commerce to WOFE to secure the performance of the VIEs' obligations under the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement and any such agreements to be entered into in the future. Shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce agreed not to transfer, sell, pledge, dispose of or otherwise create any encumbrance on their equity interests in Hexin E-Commerce without the prior written consent of WOFE. The Pledge became effective on such date when the pledge of the Equity Interest contemplated herein is registered with relevant administration for industry and commerce (the "AIC") and will remain effective until all contract obligations have been fully performed and all secured indebtedness have been fully paid.

Exclusive Option Agreements

        Pursuant to the three Exclusive Option Agreements entered into on November 1, 2016 among WOFE, Hexin E-Commerce and each of the Shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce, each of the Shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce irrevocably grant WOFE an irrevocable and exclusive right to purchase, or designate one or more persons (including individuals, corporations, partnerships, partners, enterprises, trusts or non-corporate organizations) to purchase the equity interests in Hexin E-Commerce then held by such Shareholder of Hexin E-Commerce once or at multiple times at any time in part or in whole at WOFE's sole and absolute discretion to the extent permitted by Chinese laws at the price of RMB 1 or at the price of the minimum amount of consideration permitted by applicable PRC law at the time when such purchase occurs. These three Agreements became effective on November 1, 2016 and will remain effective until all equity interests held by the shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce in Hexin E-Commerce have been transferred or assigned to WOFE and/or its designees.

Loan Agreements

        Pursuant to the three Loan Agreements dated November 1, 2016 between each of the Shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce and WOFE, WOFE agreed to lend each of the Shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce a loan only to subscribe registered capital of Hexin E-Commerce. The repayment of the loan shall be made by permitting Hexin Yonggeng to execute its exclusive right to purchase shares from the shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce under the Exclusive Option Agreement as the repayment is equivalent with the consideration of the purchased shares. The term of these loans is 10 years from November 1, 2016, which may be extended upon mutual written consent of both parties.

Power of Attorney

        On November 1, 2016, each Shareholder of Hexin E-Commerce, executed Power of Attorney agreement with WOFE and Hexin E-Commerce, whereby Shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce irrevocably appoint and constitute WOFE as their attorney-in-fact to exercise on the shareholders' behalf any and all rights that Shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce have in respect of their equity interests in Hexin E-Commerce. These three Power of Attorney documents became effective on November 1, 2016 and will remain irrevocable and continuously effective and valid as long as the original shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce remains as the Shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 1—BUSINESS DESCRIPTION (Continued)

Risks in relation to the VIE structure

        The Company believes that the contractual arrangements with its VIEs and their respective shareholders are in compliance with PRC laws and regulations and are legally enforceable. However, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit the Company's ability to enforce the contractual arrangements. If the legal structure and contractual arrangements were found to be in violation of PRC laws and regulations, the PRC government could:

        The Company's ability to conduct its online Peer to Peer ("P2P") Marketplace business may be negatively affected if the PRC government were to carry out of any of the aforementioned actions. As a result, the Company may not be able to consolidate its VIEs in its consolidated financial statements as it may lose the ability to exert effective control over the VIEs and their respective shareholders and it may lose the ability to receive economic benefits from the VIEs. The Company, however, does not believe such actions would result in the liquidation or dissolution of the Company, its PRC subsidiary and VIEs.

        The interests of the shareholders of VIE may diverge from that of the Company and that may potentially increase the risk that they would seek to act contrary to the contractual terms, for example by influencing VIE not to pay the service fees when required to do so. The Company cannot assure that when conflicts of interest arise, shareholders of VIE will act in the best interests of the Company or that conflicts of interests will be resolved in the Company's favor. Currently, the Company does not have existing arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest the shareholders of VIE may encounter in its capacity as beneficial owners and directors of VIE, on the one hand, and as beneficial owners and directors of the Company, on the other hand. The Company believes the shareholders of VIE will not act contrary to any of the contractual arrangements and the exclusive option agreements provide the Company with a mechanism to remove the current shareholders of VIE should they act to the detriment of the Company. The Company relies on certain current shareholders of VIE to fulfill their fiduciary duties and abide by laws of the PRC and act in the best interest of the Company. If the Company cannot resolve any conflicts of interest or disputes between the Company and the shareholders of VIE, the Company would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of its business, and there is substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 1—BUSINESS DESCRIPTION (Continued)

        Total assets and liabilities presented on the Company's consolidated balance sheets and sales, expense, net income presented on Consolidated Statement of Income and Comprehensive Income (Loss) as well as the cash flow from operating, investing and financing activities presented on the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows are substantially the financial position, operation and cash flow of the Company's VIE Hexin E-Commerce. The Company has not provided any financial support to Hexin E-Commerce for the years ended March 31, 2017 and 2016. The assets and liabilities of the consolidated VIE as of March 31, 2017 and 2016 are listed below:

 
  March 31, 2017   March 31, 2016  

Current assets

  $ 27,554,131   $ 9,620,452  

Non-current assets

    828,000     12,722,787  

Total assets

  $ 28,382,131   $ 22,392,892  

Current liabilities

  $ 4,877,775   $ 8,332,523  

Non-current liabilities

         

Total liabilities

  $ 4,877,775   $ 8,332,523  

Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of consolidation

        The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S GAAP") and have been consistently applied.

        The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of Hexindai Inc., HK Hexindai, WOFE and Hexin E-Commerce (collectively, the "Company"). All intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated upon consolidation.

Uses of estimates

        The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during each reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Significant accounting estimates reflected in the Company's consolidated financial statements include: the Company's ability to realize deferred tax assets, estimated useful lives and fair value in connection with the impairment of property and equipment, risk reserve liability and accruals for income tax uncertainties.

Revenue recognition

        The Company is an online marketplace connecting borrowers and investors. The Company provides loan facilitation and management service to borrowers and post-origination service to investors and earns revenue accordingly. Revenue is recognized when all of the following conditions are met: persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, the

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

price is fixed or determinable and collectability is reasonably assured. These criteria as they relate to each of the following major revenue generating activities are described below.

        The Company generates loan facilitation service fees and post-origination service fees by providing the following services:

a)
Connecting investors to qualified borrowers and facilitating loan arrangements between the parties;

b)
Providing post-origination services for investors over the loan term, including monitoring payments from borrowers and to investors and maintaining investors' account portfolios;

c)
Providing risk reserve, which ceased on February 1, 2017.

        The Company has determined that the transactions with credit loans' borrowers and investors contain the following multiple elements: loan facilitation, post-origination service and the risk reserve which was ceased on February 1, 2017. The Company has determined that both investors and borrowers are its customers. It receives loan facilitation service fees paid by credit loan borrowers upfront at the time of credit loan issuance and post-origination service fees from investors when investors receive each interest payment from borrowers over the term of the credit loan. Prior to February 1, 2017, the amount equal to the fair value of the risk reserve liability is firstly allocated to the risk reserve in accordance with ASC Topic 460, Guarantees at fair value, and deducted from the total revenue. The remaining amount from investors and borrowers is allocated to loan facilitation service fee and post-origination service fee using best estimated selling price, as neither vendor specific objective evidence nor third party evidence of selling price is available. Loan facilitation revenue is recognized at loan inception. Revenue earned from investors for post-origination services is recognized over the term of the loan as cash is received. Since February 1, 2017, we have terminated this risk reserve liability policy and introduced an insurance arrangement with a third-party insurer to protect investors against the risk of borrower defaults. As a result, no fair value was allocated to risk reserve liability.

        The Company generates loan management service fees and post-origination service fees by providing the following services:

a)
Connecting investors to qualified borrowers and facilitating the execution of loan agreements between the parties;

b)
Loan management on reviewing the borrower's pledge asset condition and updating secured asset information and status over the term of the loan period;

c)
Providing post-origination services for investors over the loan term, including monitoring payments from borrowers and to investors and maintaining investors' account portfolios;

d)
Providing risk reserve, which ceased on February 1, 2017.

        The Company has determined that the transactions with secured loans' borrowers and investors contain the following multiple elements: loan management, post-origination service and the risk reserve which was ceased on February 1, 2017. The Company has determined that both investors and borrowers are its customers. It receives loan management service fees paid by secured loan borrowers over the term of secured loan and post-origination service fees from investors when investors receive each

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

interest payment from borrowers over the term of the secured loan. Prior to February 1, 2017, the amount equal to the fair value of the risk reserve liability is firstly allocated to the risk reserve in accordance with ASC Topic 460, Guarantees at fair value, and deducted from total fees. The remaining amount from investors and borrowers is allocated to loan management service fee and post-origination service fee using best estimated selling price, as neither vendor specific objective evidence nor third party evidence of selling price is available. Loan management fee is recognized over the loan period in accordance with the monthly service provided. Revenue earned from investors for post-origination services is recognized over the term of the loan as cash is received. Since February 1, 2017, the Company has terminated this risk reserve liability policy and introduced an insurance arrangement with a third-party insurer to protect investors against the risk of borrower defaults. As a result, no fair value was allocated to risk reserve liability.

Other revenue

        Other revenue includes membership fee for investors, banking fee to investor and one-time fees for loan transfers. Other revenue is recognized as earned.

Cash incentives reward program

        To expand its market presence, the Company provide cash incentives to qualified investor within a limited period. During the relevant incentive program period, the Company set certain thresholds for the investor to qualify to enjoy the cash incentive. When qualified investment is made, the cash payment is provided to the investor. In accordance with ASC 605-50-45-9 (b), the cash incentive program requires the individual investor to make a minimum investment before he or she can earn the incentive and it is probable that the revenue earned from the investor invested through the Company's cash incentive program exceed the incentive payments, therefore, the cash incentives provided are accounted for as reduction of revenue in accordance with ASC subtopic 605-50.

Risk reserve liability

        Since inception, the Company launched an investor protection service in the form of risk reserve policy. In accordance with the risk reserve policy agreed upon between the Company and its investors, if a loan facilitated by the Company defaults, the Company is obligated to guarantee the certain portion of unpaid principal and interest repayment of the defaulted loan up to the balance of the risk reserve liability on a portfolio basis. Pursuant to the Company's public announcement on its website to all investors, the Company grouped loans facilitated in the Company's marketplace into two portfolios: Credit loans (loans without pledged assets) and Secured loans (loans with pledged assets). In accordance with the term of risk reserve agreed by the Company and investors, the risk reserve liability being set aside equals total of 1% and 2% of the loan principal amount plus interest for loans facilitated on our marketplace under all secured loans and credit loans, respectively ("Risk Reserve Rate"). The Company reserves the right to revise the percentage upwards or downwards as a result of the Company's continuing evaluation of factors such as working capital and market conditions. There is no limit on the period of time in which an investor can receive payments for unpaid interest and principal from the risk reserve policy, but the Company's obligation under the risk reserve liability to make payments is limited to the balance of the risk reserve liability at any point in time.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

        Starting on February 1, 2017, the Company entered into a series of agreements ("Insurance Agreement") with a third party insurance company. Pursuant to the Insurance Agreement, the insurance company charges borrowers an insurance fee at 2% of the loan principal amount plus interest for loans facilitated on our marketplace under credit loan starting from February 1, 2017, which is collected by the Company on behalf of the insurance company at the inception of loan. Additionally, the Company transferred the balance of the risk reserve liability as of January 31, 2017 of approximately $4.9 million to the insurance company at the inception of the Insurance Agreement. In return, the insurance company assumes the risk reserve obligation of the Company on the outstanding loan balances that were covered under the risk reserve policy as of January 31, 2017 and insures future defaults. Starting from February 2017 the Company no longer records risk reserve liability.

Material Terms and Conditions of the Insurance Agreement

        On January 25, 2017 and on March 31, 2017, a third party insurance company and the Company entered into a framework agreement and a supplemental agreement, respectively, setting out the terms and conditions of the insurance arrangement to be provided by the insurance company. The term of the Insurance Agreement is one year starting from the date of entering into the agreement, which can be automatically renewed prior to expiry each year. Under the Insurance Agreement, the Company is responsible for implementing proper credit and risk assessment procedures on borrowers. The insurance company is entitled to refuse to provide insurance coverage if the Company fails to implement proper credit and risk assessment procedures on borrowers or if any borrowers fail to meet the internal requirements of the insurance company. The insurance company is responsible for providing insurance coverage to investors who invested in loans to such borrowers who are qualified under the Company's credits and risk assessment procedures, subject to the satisfaction of prescribed insurance requirements of the insurance company. On default of any qualified borrower, the insurance company shall compensate the investor(s) for the portion of the outstanding amount of loan principal and the accrued interest for which the borrower has failed to make payment through custody accounts that the insurance company and the investor(s) have set up with a third party bank. The Company is responsible for the collection of late payments and the production of evidence of non-payment and relevant information. The Company shall conduct review of materials provided by the borrowers stringently. In the event that the insurance company issues insurance incorrectly due to the Company's failure in reviewing materials provided by the borrowers, the insurance company is entitled to require the Company to compensate for all the losses and relevant expenses incurred. Each party is entitled, on written notice, to unilaterally terminate the agreement should the other party engage in any action that is in breach of any laws, regulations or the terms of this agreement. On March 31, 2017, the insurance company and the Company entered into a supplemental agreement which set forth certain additional terms and conditions, including but not limited to, the insurance coverage over existing loan products which are managed through a third party bank's custody accounts. The Company also agreed to transfer the risk reserve liability balance as of January 31, 2017 to the insurance company as a one-time payment of the premium of the insurance arrangement over all existing loan products as of January 31, 2017.

        Under the Insurance Agreement, the borrowers as the policyholders, take out the insurance underwritten by the insurance company, for the benefit of investors as the insured beneficiaries. Effective from February 1, 2017, once a borrower applicant passes the Company's credit assessment and the loan product is listed and fully committed by investors on the Company's online platform, the

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

insurance provider shall enter into an insurance agreement with the investors. Borrowers are automatically enrolled into the insurance arrangement. If the insurance company refuses to provide insurance coverage to any borrower, such borrower shall not be able to proceed to take out a loan on the Company's online marketplace. The Company assists the insurance provider in collecting the premium for the insurance, which represents 2% of the loan principal amount plus interest of loans facilitated on the Company's marketplace. If the borrower fails to repay the investor, the insurance provider shall compensate the investor for the principal investment amount and accrued interests. In the event the framework agreement terminates, the insurance company will be liable for the defaulting loans which it has agreed to provide insurance for as of such date of termination until all the relevant outstanding loans have been repaid. In the event that the Company provides the insurance company with borrowers' information that is incorrect or incomplete, and the insurance company has made compensations based on insurance policies that were issued in reliance on such incorrect information, the insurance company shall be entitled to require the Company to compensate all relevant losses and relevant expenses. However, the Company will not approve the loan applications of borrowers who fail to provide a complete set of documentation and required materials. Therefore, it is unlikely for such borrowers to successfully obtain a loan, and in turn for such borrower's loan to be covered under an insurance policy issued by the insurance company. As of the date of this report, there have been no such claims for compensation from the insurance company to the Company.

        In accordance with ASC 460-10-55-23 (b), at the inception of each loan, the Company recognizes a stand-ready liability based on Risk Reserve Rate of loan facilitation amount under all secured loans and credit loans, respectively, and offset the revenue. The Company estimated the fair value of the risk reserve liability based on the expected future payouts from the estimated loan loss rate ("Loan Loss Rate"), which is assessed from the underlying borrower's risk assessment and historical and estimated future loan defaults. In determining the fair value of the risk reserve liability, the Company considers factors including but not limited to the historical loan loss rate, the estimated future loan loss rate and the impacts from the Insurance Agreement effective on February 1, 2017, the Company determines the estimated fair value of risk reserve liability as of January 31, 2017 and March 31, 2016 approximates the amounts calculated based on the Risk Reserve Rate. The Company regularly reviews the borrower's risk profile, actual loss rate of each loan performance to ensure the estimation are kept up-to-date.

        According to ASC 460-10-35-1, the risk reserve liability initially recognized would typically be reduced as the Company is released from risk under the guarantee either through expiry or performance. The Company tracks its risk reserve fund liability on a loan-by-loan basis to monitor the expiration. Effective on February 1, 2017, the risk reserve liability balance of approximately of $4.9 million were transferred to the insurance company as one-time payment, no revenue or expense were recorded for this transaction.

        On a portfolio basis, when the aggregate contingent liability required to be recognized under ASC 450-20-25 exceeds the risk reserve liability balance, the Company will record the excess as expense.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

        The movement of risk reserve liability for the years ended March 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 is as follows:

 
  For the Years Ended March 31,  
 
  (US$)   (US$)   (US$)  
 
  2017
  2016
  2015
 

Opening balance

  $ 2,717,335   $ 927,763   $  

Liability arising at the inception of loans

    7,041,697     5,715,313     3,447,105  

Release on expiration

    (2,168,547 )   (3,699,071 )   (2,524,228 )

Payout

    (2,470,347 )   (143,733 )    

Foreign exchange translation impact

    (226,548 )   (82,937 )   4,886  

Sub-total

    4,893,590     2,717,335     927,763  

Transferred to insurance company

    (4,893,590 )        

Ending Balance

  $   $ 2,717,335   $ 927,763  

Cash

        The Company maintains certain cash with financial institutions in the People's Republic of China ("PRC") which are not insured or otherwise protected. Should any of these institutions holding the Company's cash become insolvent, or if the Company is unable to withdraw funds for any reason, the Company could lose the cash on deposit with that institution.

Deferred offering costs

        Deferred offering costs consist principally of legal, printing and registration costs in connection with the initial public offering of the Company's ordinary shares ("IPO"). Such costs are deferred until the closing of the offering, at which time the deferred costs are offset against the offering proceeds. In the event the offering is unsuccessful or aborted, the costs will be expensed. Deferred offering costs as of March 31, 2017 amounted to $0.4 million and were included in other assets.

Property, equipment and software, net

        Property, equipment and software acquired are recorded at cost. Depreciation and amortization is provided in amounts sufficient to amortize the cost of the related assets over their useful lives using the straight line method, as follows:

 
  Useful life

Office equipment

  3-5 years

Software

  5 years

Leasehold improvements

  over shorter of the lease term or expected useful life

        The Company eliminates the cost and related accumulated depreciation and amortization of assets sold or otherwise retired from the accounts and includes any gain or loss in the statement of income. The Company charges maintenance, repairs and minor renewals directly to expenses as incurred; major additions and betterment to equipment are capitalized.

Long-lived assets and other acquired intangible assets

        The Company reviews property, equipment and identifiable intangibles for impairment. Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of these assets is measured by comparison of

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

their carrying amounts to future undiscounted cash flows the assets are expected to generate. If property and equipment and certain identifiable intangibles are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized equals the amount by which the carrying value of the assets exceeds its fair value. The Company did not record any impairment for the years ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Advertising and promotion expenses

        Advertising expenses represent expenses for placing advertisements on television, radio and newspaper, as well as on Internet websites and search engines. Advertising and promotion cost are expensed as incurred. For the years ended March 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, the advertising and promotion expense was $3,500,611, $2,358,494 and $1,237,342, respectively.

Research and development costs

        Research and development costs are expensed to operations as incurred. For the years ended March 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, research and development expense was $1,567,738, $895,993 and $250,010, respectively, and included in service and development expense.

Service and development expense

        Service and development expense consists primarily of variable expenses and vendor costs, including costs related to credit assessment, customer and system support, payment processing services and collection associated with facilitating and servicing loan.

Share-based compensation

        Under the Company's 2016 Equity Incentive Plan, the Company may grant share options to the Company's selected employees, directors and non-employee consultants. Awards granted to employees with service conditions attached are measured at the grant date fair value and are recognized as an expense using straight-line method, net of estimated forfeitures, over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period. The estimate of forfeitures will be adjusted over the requisite service period to the extent that actual forfeitures differ, or are expected to differ, from such estimates. Changes in estimated forfeitures will be recognized through a cumulative catch-up adjustment in the period of change and will also impact the amount of share-based compensation expense to be recognized in future periods.

        Awards granted to employees with performance conditions attached are measured at fair value on the grant date and are recognized as the compensation expenses in the period and thereafter when the performance goal becomes probable to achieve.

        Awards granted to employees with market conditions attached are measured at fair value on the grant date and are recognized as compensation expenses over the estimated requisite service period, regardless of whether the market condition has been satisfied if the requisite service period is fulfilled.

        Awards granted to non-employees are measured at fair value at the earlier of the commitment date or the date the services are completed, and are recognized using straight-line method over the period the service is provided.

        Binomial option-pricing models are adopted to measure the value of awards at each grant date or measurement date. The determination of fair value is affected by the share price as well as assumptions relating to a number of complex and subjective variables, including but not limited to the expected share price volatility, actual and projected employee and non-employee share option exercise behavior, risk-free interest rates and expected dividends. The use of the option-pricing model requires extensive

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

actual employee and non-employee exercise behavior data for the relative probability estimation purpose, and a number of complex assumptions.

Income taxes

        The Company's subsidiary and VIE in China are subject to the income tax laws of the relevant tax jurisdiction. No taxable income was generated outside the PRC for the years ended March 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015. The Company accounts for income tax under the asset and liability method, which requires recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of the events that have been included in the financial statements or tax returns. Deferred income taxes will be recognized if significant temporary differences between tax and financial statements occur. Valuation allowances are established against net deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. As of March 31, 2017 and 2016, no valuation allowance is considered necessary.

        In the normal course of business, the Company may be subject to challenges from taxing authorities regarding the amounts of taxes due. These challenges may alter the timing or amount of taxable income or deductions. Management determines whether the benefits of its tax positions are more-likely-than-not of being sustained upon audit based on the technical merits of the tax position. The Company records a liability for uncertain tax positions when it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated.

        The Company continually evaluates expiring statutes of limitations, audits, proposed settlements, changes in tax law and new authoritative rulings. An uncertain tax position is recognized as a benefit only if it is "more likely than not" that the tax position would be sustained in a tax examination, with a tax examination being presumed to occur. The amount recognized is the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized on examination. For tax positions not meeting the "more likely than not" test, no tax benefit is recorded. Penalties and interest incurred related to underpayment of income tax are classified as income tax expense in the period incurred. The Company evaluates each uncertain tax position (including the potential application of interest and penalties) based on the technical merits, and measure the unrecognized benefits associated with the tax positions. As of March 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company did not have any significant unrecognized uncertain tax positions. All tax returns since the Company's inception are still subject to examination by tax authorities.

        The Company has elected to early adopt ASU 2015-17 prospectively in 2015 in accordance with ASU No. 2015-17, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes. As a result, the Company has presented all deferred tax assets and liabilities as noncurrent on our consolidated balance sheet since 2015.

Value added tax ("VAT")

        The Company is subject to VAT at the rate of 6% and related surcharges on revenue generated from providing services. The Company reported revenue net of VAT. This VAT may be offset by qualified input VAT paid by the Company to supplies. Net VAT payable balance is included in the taxes payable on the face of consolidated balance sheets.

Earnings per share

        The Company computes earnings per share ("EPS") in accordance with ASC 260, "Earnings per Share" ("ASC 260"). ASC 260 requires public companies with capital structures to present basic and diluted EPS. Basic EPS is measured as net income divided by the weighted average common shares

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS is similar to basic EPS but presents the dilutive effect on a per share basis of potential common shares (e.g., convertible securities, options and warrants) as if they had been converted at the beginning of the periods presented, or issuance date, if later. Potential common shares that have an anti-dilutive effect (i.e., those that increase income per share or decrease loss per share) are excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS. There are no potential dilutive ordinary shares outstanding as of March 31, 2017 and 2016.

Foreign currency translation

        Since the Company operates primarily in the PRC, the Company's functional currency is the Chinese Yuan ("RMB"). The Company's financial statements have been translated into the reporting currency, the United States Dollar ("USD"). Assets and liabilities of the Company are translated at the exchange rate at each reporting period end date. Equity is translated at historical rates. Income and expense accounts are translated at the average rate of exchange during the reporting period. The resulting translation adjustments are reported under accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Gains and losses resulting from the translations of foreign currency transactions and balances are reflected in the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income (loss).

        The RMB is not freely convertible into foreign currency and all foreign exchange transactions must take place through authorized institutions. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted into USD at the rates used in translation.

 
  March 31, 2017   March 31, 2016   March 31,2015  

Balance sheet items, except for share capital, additional paid in capital and retained earnings, as of

  US$ 1=RMB6.8832   US$ 1=RMB6.4494   US$ 1=RMB6.1197  

Amounts included in the statements of operations and cash flows for the years ended

  US$ 1=RMB6.7248   US$ 1=RMB6.3271   US$ 1=RMB6.1521  

Fair value of financial instruments

        The Company follows the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB"), Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures. ASC 820 clarifies the definition of fair value, prescribes methods for measuring fair value, and establishes a fair value hierarchy to classify the inputs used in measuring fair value as follows:

        Level 1 — Inputs are unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities available at the measurement date.

        Level 2 — Inputs are unadjusted quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable, and inputs derived from or corroborated by observable market data.

        Level 3 — Inputs are unobservable inputs which reflect the reporting entity's own assumptions on what assumptions the market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best available information.

        The carrying amounts reported in the balance sheets for cash, other receivables, risk reserve liability and accrued expenses and other current liabilities, approximate their fair value based on the short-term maturity of these instruments.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

        In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-09, "Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting", which amends the scope of modification accounting for share-based payment arrangements. The ASU provides guidance on the types of changes to the terms or conditions of share-based payment awards to which an entity would be required to apply modification accounting. Specifically, an entity would not apply modification accounting if the fair value, vesting conditions, and classification of the awards are the same immediately before and after the modification. The amendments in this Update are effective for all entities for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. The amendments in this Update should be applied prospectively to an award modified on or after the adoption date. The Company does not expect that the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

        In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, "Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business". The amendments in this ASU clarify the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. Basically these amendments provide a screen to determine when a set is not a business. If the screen is not met, the amendments in this ASU first, require that to be considered a business, a set must include, at a minimum, an input and a substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to create output and second, remove the evaluation of whether a market participant could replace missing elements. These amendments take effect for public businesses for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods within those periods, and all other entities should apply these amendments for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company does not expect that the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

        In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU No. 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)" ("ASU 2014-09"). ASU 2014-09 requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. ASU 2014-09 will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles when it becomes effective and permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The guidance also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, "Deferral of the Effective Date" ("ASU 2015-14"), which defers the effective date for ASU 2014-09 by one year. For public entities, the guidance in ASU 2014-09 will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 (including interim reporting periods within those periods), which means it will be effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning April 1, 2018. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-08, "Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue versus Net)" ("ASU 2016-08"), which clarifies the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations in the new revenue recognition standard. In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-10, "Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing" ("ASU 2016-10"), which reduces the complexity when applying the guidance for identifying performance obligations and improves the operability and understandability of the license implementation guidance. In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-12 "Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients" ("ASU 2016-12"), which amends the guidance on transition, collectability, noncash consideration and the presentation of sales and other

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

similar taxes. In December 2016, the FASB further issued ASU 2016-20, "Technical Corrections and Improvements to Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers" ("ASU 2016-20"), which makes minor corrections or minor improvements to the Codification that are not expected to have a significant effect on current accounting practice or create a significant administrative cost to most entities. The amendments are intended to address implementation issues that were raised by stakeholders and provide additional practical expedients to reduce the cost and complexity of applying the new revenue standard. These amendments have the same effective date as the new revenue standard. Preliminarily, we plan to adopt Topic 606 in the first quarter of our fiscal 2018 using the retrospective transition method, and are continuing to evaluate the impact our pending adoption of Topic 606 will have on our consolidated financial statements.

        The Company will not be able to make that determination until the time of adoption based upon outstanding contracts at that time.

        In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, "Statement of Cash Flows: Restricted Cash". The amendments address diversity in practice that exists in the classification and presentation of changes in restricted cash on the statement of cash flows. The amendment is effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its consolidated financial statements.

        In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-17, Consolidation (Topic 810): Interest Held through Related Parties That Are under Common Control, to provide guidance on the evaluation of whether a reporting entity is the primary beneficiary of a VIE by amending how a reporting entity, that is a single decision maker of a VIE, treats indirect interests in that entity held through related parties that are under common control. The amendments are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years. For all other entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

        In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016 15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, to provide guidance on the presentation and classification of certain cash receipts and cash payments on the statement of cash flows. The guidance specifically addresses cash flow issues with the objective of reducing the diversity in practice. The guidance will be effective for the Company in fiscal year 2018, but early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

        In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, "Financial Instruments—Credit Losses", which will require the measurement of all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019 and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently evaluating this statement and its impact on its results of operations or financial position.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

        In April 2016, the FASB released ASU 2016-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The ASU includes multiple provisions intended to simplify various aspects of the accounting for share-based payments. While aimed at reducing the cost and complexity of the accounting for share-based payments, the amendments are expected to significantly impact net income, EPS, and the statement of cash flows. Implementation and administration may present challenges for companies with significant share-based payment activities. The ASU is effective for public companies in annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those years. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its consolidated financial statements.

        In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The guidance supersedes existing guidance on accounting for leases with the main difference being that operating leases are to be recorded in the statement of financial position as right-of-use assets and lease liabilities, initially measured at the present value of the lease payments. For operating leases with a term of 12 months or less, a lessee is permitted to make an accounting policy election not to recognize lease assets and liabilities. For public business entities, the guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early application of the guidance is permitted. In transition, entities are required to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact that this guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements.

        In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, "Financial Instruments—Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities" This guidance revises the accounting related to the classification and measurement of investments in equity securities as well as the presentation for certain fair value changes in financial liabilities measured at fair value, and amends certain disclosure requirements. The guidance requires that all equity investments, except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those resulting in the consolidation of the investee, be accounted for at fair value with all fair value changes recognized in income. For financial liabilities measured using the fair value option, the guidance requires that any change in fair value caused by a change in instrument-specific credit risk be presented separately in other comprehensive income until the liability is settled or reaches maturity. The guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted for certain provisions. A reporting entity would generally record a cumulative-effect adjustment to beginning retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is adopted. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact that this guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 3—PREPAYMENTS AND OTHER ASSETS

 
  March 31, 2017   March 31, 2016  

Funds receivable from external payment network providers (i)

  $   $ 1,245,413  

Funds receivable from investors (ii)

    2,169,124      

Rental deposit

    264,704     151,527  

Prepayments to suppliers and others

    608,263     399,299  

Deferred offering costs

    399,079      

Refundable acquisition deposit (iii)

    653,766      

Staff advances

    40,137     1,080  

Consideration receivables from nominal share issuance (iv)

    4,281     4,197  

  $ 4,139,354   $ 1,801,516  

(i)
Prior to January 12, 2017, the Company opened accounts with external online payment service providers to collect and transfer loan funds to investors or borrowers. The Company also uses such accounts to collect all the service charges. The balance of funds receivable from external payment network providers mainly represented (a) fund received from investors but not yet transferred to accounts of borrowers by external payment network providers due to the settlement time lag; (b) repayment of loan principal and interest amounts received from borrowers but not yet transferred to accounts of investors by external payment network due to the settlement time lag and (c) amounts of the Company service charges received at the balance sheet date. Effective on January 12, 2017, the Company's online marketplace is connected with Jiangxi Bank. All the investors and borrowers can open their own custody accounts in Jiangxi Bank and the Company no long utilize the accounts with online payment service providers to collect and transfer loan funds to investors and borrowers. All funds from borrowers and investors are managed by Jiangxi Bank to ensure security and compliance with the relevant PRC laws and regulations. As a result, the funds receivable balance from external payment network providers as of March 31, 2017 was Nil.

(ii)
In order to attract investors, the Company launched a "monthly interest-back wallet" arrangement with a group of independent investors in July 2016 and this arrangement was ended on June 28, 2017. Under this arrangement, investors were obligated to invest in the principal of certain loan portfolio for a fixed short term period, and the Company agreed to advance the accrued interest from loan portfolio to investors prior to the due date of the loans. The investors are obligated to repay the company the advance amounts upon the due date of the loans. The arrangement is advantageous for investors as they can receive the interest payments in advance, which provides higher liquidity to the investors over the life of the loan products. The arrangement is a one- time arrangement. The arrangement terminated on June 28, 2017 and the Company fully collected the advance payments, which totaled $2,169,124 as of March 31, 2017, on the same date. In this arrangement, the Company did not undertake any contractual obligation in any loan transaction to either lend or collect the loans. Investors bear the primary risks of borrowers' non-payment in each loan transaction.

(iii)
The Company made a deposit of $653,766 to an unrelated party for a potential business cooperation. The transaction was cancelled in February 2017 and the deposit was refunded back to the Company as of June 30, 2017.

(iv)
The consideration receivables are resulted from the nominal share issuance occurred in September 2017. Please see Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information related to the nominal share issuance. The Company believes that consideration receivables will be collected before September 30, 2017.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 4—PROPERTY, EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE, NET

 
  March 31, 2017   March 31, 2016  

Office equipment

  $ 263,318   $ 113,502  

Leasehold improvements

    137,251     146,483  

Software

    191,509     71,866  

Total property, equipment and software

    592,078     331,851  

Accumulated depreciation and amortization

    (164,140 )   (79,021 )

Property, equipment and software, net

  $ 427,938   $ 252,830  

        Depreciation and amortization expense on property, equipment and software for the years ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 were $92,224 and $61,392, respectively.

Note 5—ACCRUED EXPENSES AND OTHER LIABILITIES

 
  March 31, 2017   March 31, 2016  

Fund payable (i)

  $   $ 2,987,333  

Accrued payroll and welfare

    706,511     451,085  

Professional fee and other accrued expenses

    82,618     76,133  

  $ 789,129   $ 3,514,551  

(i)
Prior to January 12, 2017, the Company opened accounts with external online payment service providers to collect and transfer loan funds to investors or borrowers. The balance of fund payable mainly includes fund payable to investors or borrowers due to the settlement time lag by external payment network. Effective on January 12, 2017, the Company's online marketplace is connected with Jiangxi Bank. All the investors and borrowers can open their own custody accounts in Jiangxi Bank and the Company no long utilize the accounts with online payment service providers to collect and transfer loan funds to investors and borrowers. All funds from borrowers and investors are managed by Jiangxi Bank to ensure security and compliance with the relevant PRC laws and regulations. As a result, the funds payable balance as of March 31, 2017 was Nil.

Note 6—RELATED PARTY BALANCES AND TRANSACTIONS

        Hexin Holding Limited and its affiliates (together "Hexin Group") was incorporated and owned by Mr. Xiaobo An, the Chairman of the Board (the "Controlling Shareholder"). The Company historically utilized Hexin Group's centralized banking systems for its own cash and banking management, which resulted in a significant balance of amount due from related party-Hexin Group. In addition, Hexin Group also paid expense on behalf of the Company. The Company has recorded all expenses paid by Hexin Group on behalf of the Company in the related historical periods presented in its consolidated financial statements.

(1)
Amount due from related parties consists of:
 
  March 31, 2017   March 31, 2016  

Due from Hexin Group (i)

  $ 4,182,502   $ 11,951,205  

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 6—RELATED PARTY BALANCES AND TRANSACTIONS (Continued)

(2)
Amount due to related party consists of:
 
  March 31, 2017   March 31, 2016  

Due to a director (ii)

  $   $ 48,412  

Ending Balance

  $   $ 48,412  

(i)
Amount due from Hexin Group mainly represents the transactions fees and services fees received by Hexin Group through the external payment network on behalf of the Company, offset with the expense and obligations under the Insurance Agreement (See Note 2) paid by the Hexin Group on behalf of the Company. The Company expects to collect the balance by September 30, 2017.

Note 7—EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT BENEFIT

        The Company has made employee benefit contribution in accordance with PRC relevant regulations, including retirement insurance, unemployment insurance, medical insurance, work injury insurance and birth insurance. The Company recorded the contribution in the salary and employee charges when incurred. The contributions made by the Company were $1,024,927 , $437,815 and $350,475 for the years ended March 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Note 8—TAXES PAYABLE

 
  March 31, 2017   March 31, 2016  

Income tax payable

  $ 2,210,235   $ 1,226,557  

Value added tax payable

    1,759,015     871,604  

Other taxes payable

    119,396     2,476  

Total taxes payable

  $ 4,088,646   $ 2,100,637  

Note 9—INCOME TAX

Cayman Islands

        Hexindai Inc. was incorporated in the Cayman Islands and is not subject to income taxes or capital gain under current laws of Cayman Islands.

Hong Kong

        HK Hexindai is an investment holding company registered in Hong Kong and are exempted from income tax on it foreign-derived income.

PRC

        The Company subsidiary and a consolidated VIE established in the PRC are subject to the PRC statutory income tax rate of 25%, according to the PRC Enterprise Income Tax ("EIT") law. The Company's VIE Hexin E-Commerce has been granted the "high technology enterprise" status in 2015 and is qualified to a preferred income tax rate of 15% since January 1, 2015. Substantially all the pretax income of the Company is from Hexin E-Commerce. Hexin E-Commerce tax returns generally remain open and subject to examination by tax authorities for five years.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 9—INCOME TAX (Continued)

i)     The components of the income tax provision (benefit) are as follows:

 
  For the year ended
March 31, 2017
  For the year ended
March 31, 2016
  For the year ended
March 31, 2015
 

Current

  $ 1,386,570   $ 994,744   $ 262,791  

Deferred

    135,641     (366,498 )   (218,949 )

Total

  $ 1,522,211   $ 628,246   $ 43,842  
ii)
The following table summarizes deferred tax assets resulting from differences between financial accounting basis and tax basis of assets and liabilities:
 
  As of
March 31, 2017
  As of
March 31, 2016
 

Accrued expense

  $ 400,062   $ 160,805  

Risk reserve liability

        407,600  

Total

  $ 400,062   $ 568,405  

        No valuation allowance against the deferred tax assets is considered necessary since the Company believes that it will more likely than not utilize the future benefits. The Company had no net operating loss carry forward as of March 31, 2017 and 2016.

        The following table reconciles the PRC statutory rates to the Company's effective tax rate for the years ended March 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015.

 
  For the year ended
March 31, 2017
  For the year ended
March 31, 2016
  For the year ended
March 31, 2015
 

PRC Income tax statutory rate

    25.0 %   25.0 %   25.0 %

Effect of preferred tax rate

    (10.0 %)   (10.0 %)   (2.4 %)

Effect of change tax rate

            (35.7 %)

Non-deductible items in China

    0.1 %   0.1 %   (1.2 %)

Effective tax rate

    15.1 %   15.1 %   (14.3 %)

        Aggregate undistributed earnings of the Company's subsidiaries and VIEs located in the PRC that are available for distribution at March 31, 2017 are considered to be indefinitely reinvested and accordingly, no provision has been made for the Chinese dividend withholding taxes that would be payable upon the distribution of those amounts to any entity within the Group that is outside the PRC.

        The Company does not have any present plan to pay any cash dividends on its ordinary shares in the foreseeable future. It intends to retain most of its available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation and expansion of its business. As of March 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company has not declared any dividends.

Note 10—EARNINGS PER SHARE (LOSS)

        Basic earnings (loss) per share ("EPS") is the amount of net earnings (loss) available to each share of ordinary shares outstanding during the reporting period. Diluted EPS is the amount of net earnings (loss) available to each share of ordinary shares outstanding during the reporting period adjusted to

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 10—EARNINGS PER SHARE (LOSS) (Continued)

include the effect of potentially dilutive ordinary shares. The following table details the computation of the basic and diluted net earnings (loss) per share:

 
  For the year ended
March 31, 2017
  For the year ended
March 31, 2016
  For the year ended
March 31, 2015
 

Net income (loss) attributable to ordinary share holders

  $ 8,570,864   $ 3,538,407   $ (350,171 )

Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in computing basic and diluted net income (loss) per share (i)

    42,331,200     42,080,000     42,080,000  

Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share

  $ 0.20   $ 0.08   $ (0.01 )

(i)
The Company believes it is appropriate to reflect these nominal stock issuance on a retroactive basis similar to stock split or dividend pursuant to ASC 260. The Company has retroactively restated all shares and per share data for all the periods presented. Please see Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information related to the nominal share issuance.

Note 11—ORDINARY SHARES

        Hexindai Inc. was established under the laws of the Cayman Islands on April 26, 2016. The authorized number of ordinary shares is 500,000,000 shares with par value of $0.0001 each. As of March 31, 2017 and 2016, 42,921,600 and 42,080,000 ordinary shares were issued at par value, equivalent to share capital of $4,292 and $4,208, respectively. The shares are presented on a retroactive basis to reflect the nominal share issuance. Please see Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information related to the nominal share issuance.

Note 12—ADDITIONAL PAID-IN CAPITAL

        As of March 31, 2017 and 2016, additional paid-in capital in the consolidated balance sheet represented the combined contributed capital of the Company's subsidiaries and VIE.

        For the year ended March 31, 2016, Mr. Xiaobo An, the Chairman of the Board, made capital injection of $4,397,234 to Hexin E-Commerce. Additionally, a third party A made capital injection of $3,203,814 to Hexin E-Commerce and received 5% ownership of Hexin E-Commerce. Subsequently, the third party A transferred its 5% ownership interest in Hexin E-Commerce to a third party B on October 19, 2016 (see Note 1). For year ended March 31, 2017, Mr. Xiaoning, An, a relative to Mr. Xiaobo An, contributed $1,487 to Hexin E-Commerce as part of additional paid-in capital.

        On April 1, 2016 (the "Award date"), to reward the Company's employees and further align their interests with the Company in the future, the Company granted stock options to purchase 6,312,000 ordinary shares under the 2016 Share Option Scheme, adjusted for the nominal share issuance (please see Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information related to the nominal share issuance), to the Company's officers, and key employees with the exercise price equal to $1.28. The Company determined the grant date to be April 1, 2016 in accordance with ASC 718-10-20 and 718-10-25-5. It is because the Company and employee have reached a mutual understanding of the key terms and conditions of these stock option awards on April 1, 2016 including a specific exercise price and vesting and exercise condition. All necessary approvals for the stock option awards were obtained and communicated to employees on April 1, 2016.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 12—ADDITIONAL PAID-IN CAPITAL (Continued)

        The Options will vest and become exercisable in three equal installments with the first vesting commencement date being the later of the first anniversary of the grant date or the closing date of a Qualified IPO. Subject to the continued employment or service through each applicable vesting date of the option holder, shares subject to the Option shall become vested as to the remaining two-thirds of the total number of share options under the 2016 Share Option Scheme in two (2) substantially equal annual installments, with the first installment vesting on the second anniversary of the grant date and the second installment vesting on the third anniversary of the grant date; provided that a Qualified IPO shall have occurred on or prior to the second anniversary of the grant date.

        A "Qualified IPO" is defined as an underwritten initial public offering of not less than 15% of the shares (i) pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act or (ii) on the basis of an approved prospectus and/or pursuant to a valid registration, qualification or filing under the applicable law of another jurisdiction, in each case of the shares or other equity securities of the Company; provided, however, that a Qualified IPO shall not include a registration relating solely to employee benefit plans or to a Rule 145 transaction under the Securities Act or to similar registrations under applicable law of another jurisdiction

        The maximum contractual term is 4 years from the April 1, 2016. These options expire on March 31, 2020 and cannot be exercised if they have not vested by the expiration date or the termination date of the options. If a Qualified IPO does not occur within two years of April 1, 2016, such option will immediately expire to the extent unvested. As vesting is triggered only upon a Qualified IPO, such unvested options will be forfeited.

        The Company believes the options contain an explicit service condition (i.e., the options vest at each of three years following a successful initial public offering) and a performance condition (i.e., the options can only be exercised upon successful completion of an initial public offering by employees that are still employed by the Company upon the completion of the initial public offering). Under ASC 718-10-55-76, if the vesting (or exercisability) of an award is based on the satisfaction of both a service and performance condition, the entity must initially determine which outcomes are probable and recognize the compensation cost over the longer of the explicit or implicit service period. Because an initial public offering generally is not considered to be probable until the initial public offering is effective, no compensation cost will be recognized until the initial public offering occurs.

        The Company has elected to recognize stock based compensation expense using a straight-line method for the entire employee equity awards granted with graded vesting based on service conditions provided that the amount of compensation cost recognized at any date is at least equal to the portion of the grant-date value of the equity awards that are vested at that date. Upon successful completion of a Qualified IPO, the Company will recognize stock based compensation for the portion of the requisite service that has been rendered as of that date for the portion for the period from April 1, 2016 to the date of the Completion of Qualified IPO.

        The Company is responsible for determining the fair value of options granted to employees and uses the Binomial option-pricing model assuming

Fair market value per share as of valuation date: $1.41
Exercise price per share: $1.28
Risk-free interest rate: 1.81%
Dividend yield: 0%

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 12—ADDITIONAL PAID-IN CAPITAL (Continued)

Expiry Date: March 31, 2020
Life of option: 4 years
Volatility =47.4%
Exercise multiple =2.2

        The fair value of the stock option on the grant date was approximately $3.5 million.

        On December 12, 2016, the Company completed a private placement to issue an aggregated of 841,600 ordinary shares to two investors and received an aggregated proceed of $2 million. The share number is presented on a retroactive basis to reflect the nominal share issuance. Please see Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information related to the nominal share issuance.

Note 13—RETAINED EARNINGS

        Pursuant to the Company Law of the PRC, each of the PRC entity is required to appropriate 10% of its net income to the statutory reserve on an annual basis until the aggregated amount of the reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital. Statutory reserve is not distributable. Subject to the approval of the shareholders, the statutory reserve may be used to offset accumulated losses, or converted into capital of the company. There are no appropriations to these reserves by the Company's PRC entities for the calendar years ended December 31, 2015 and 2016. The Company expects to appropriate the required portion of net income to the statutory reserve in the end of calendar year of 2017. As a result of PRC laws and regulations and the requirement that distributions by the PRC entity can only be paid out of distributable profits computed in accordance with the PRC GAAP, the PRC entity is restricted from transferring a portion of their net assets to the Company. Amounts restricted include paid in capital, capital reserve and statutory reserves of the Company's PRC entity. As of March 31, 2017 and 2016, the aggregated amounts of paid in capital, capital reserve and statutory reserves represented the amount of net assets of the relevant entity in the Company not available for distribution amounted to approximately $23.5 and $ 14.0 million, respectively.

Note 14—SEGMENT REPORTING

        The Company's chief operating decision maker, the Chief Executive Officer, reviews the consolidated results when making decisions about allocating resources and accessing performance of the Company as a whole and hence, the Company has only one reportable segment. The Company does not distinguish between markets or segments for the purpose of internal reporting. The Group's long-lived assets are substantially all located in the PRC and substantially all of the Group's revenue and expense are derived from within the PRC. Therefore, no geographical segments are presented.

Note 15—COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

        The Company leases its main office space under a non-cancelable operating lease agreement. Rental expenses under operating leases for the years ended March 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 were $720,314, $702,005 and $209,594, respectively.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 15—COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Continued)

        Future minimum lease payments under non-cancelable operating lease agreements as of March 31, 2017 are follows:

 
  Minimum lease payment  

Years ending March 31,

       

2018

  $ 923,400  

2019

    936,500  

2020

    731,700  

2021

    324,000  

2022 and thereafter

     

Total

  $ 2,915,600  

Note 16—SUBSEQUENT EVENT

        The Company has evaluated subsequent events through the date of issuance of this consolidated financial statements and does not identify events with material financial impact on the consolidated financial statements.

Note 17—NOMINAL SHARE ISSUANCE

        On September 15, 2017, in order to optimize the Company's share capital structure, the Company issued ordinary shares pro-rata to the shareholding as of such date, comprising (i) 31,900,848 ordinary shares to Hexin Holding Limited, at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$3,190.08, (ii) 7,975,212 ordinary shares to Anhe Holding Limited, at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$797.52, (iii) 2,098,740 ordinary shares to Velencia Holdings Limited, at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$209.87, (iv) 419,748 ordinary shares to Long Harvest Fund Management LLC at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$41.97 and (v) 419,748 ordinary shares to Dragon Gate Investment Partners Limited, at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$41.97. The Company believes it is appropriate to reflect the nominal share issuance on a retroactive basis similar to share split, in accordance with SEC SAB Topic 4. The total consideration is expected to be collected before September 30, 2017. In connection with the nominal share issuance, for the stock options granted on April 1, 2016, the Company increased the number of options to 6,312,000, and reduced the exercise price to $1.28.

Note 18—CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THE PARENT COMPANY

        The Company's PRC VIE and subsidiary are restricted in their ability to transfer a portion of their net assets to the Company. The payment of dividends by entities organized in China is subject to limitations, procedures and formalities. Regulations in the PRC currently permit payment of dividends only out of accumulated profits as determined in accordance with accounting standards and regulations in China. The Company's subsidiaries and its VIEs are also required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profit based on PRC accounting standards each year to its statutory reserves account until the accumulative amount of such reserves reaches 50% of its respective registered capital. The aforementioned reserves can only be used for specific purposes and are not distributable as cash dividends.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 18—CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THE PARENT COMPANY (Continued)

        In addition, the Company's operations and revenues are conducted and generated in China, all of the Company's revenues being earned and currency received are denominated in RMB. RMB is subject to the foreign exchange control regulation in China, and, as a result, the Company may be unable to distribute any dividends outside of China due to PRC foreign exchange control regulations that restrict the Company's ability to convert RMB into US Dollars.

        Regulation S-X requires the condensed financial information of registrant shall be filed when the restricted net assets of consolidated subsidiaries exceed 25 percent of consolidated net assets as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year. For purposes of the above test, restricted net assets of consolidated subsidiaries shall mean that amount of the registrant's proportionate share of net assets of consolidated subsidiaries (after intercompany eliminations) which as of the end of the most recent fiscal year may not be transferred to the parent company by subsidiaries in the form of loans, advances or cash dividends without the consent of a third party. The condensed parent company financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Rule 12-04, Schedule I of Regulation S-X as the restricted net assets of the Company's PRC subsidiary and VIE exceed 25% of the consolidated net assets of the Company.

        Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles have been condensed or omitted. The Company's investment in subsidiary and variable interest entity ("VIE") is stated at cost plus equity in undistributed earnings of subsidiaries.


HEXINDAI INC.
PARENT COMPANY BALANCE SHEETS

 
  As of March 31
2017
  As of March 31
2016
 

ASSETS:

             

Cash

  $ 1,949,877   $  

Prepayment and other assets

    54,290     4,197  

Long term investments

    21,500,189     14,007,760  

TOTAL ASSETS

  $ 23,504,356   $ 14,011,957  

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY:

             

Ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized, 42,921,600 and 42,080,000 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.*

  $ 4,292   $ 4,208  

Additional paid-in capital

    13,285,717     11,284,230  

Retained Earnings

    11,759,100     3,188,236  

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

    (1,544,753 )   (464,717 )

TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

    23,504,356     14,011,957  

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

  $ 23,504,356   $ 14,011,957  

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 18—CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THE PARENT COMPANY (Continued)


HEXINDAI INC.
PARENT COMPANY STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

 
  For The Years Ended March 31,  
 
  2017   2016   2015  

Equity in earnings loss of subsidiaries and VIE

  $ 8,570,978   $ 3,538,407   $ (350,171 )

Bank charges

    (114 )        

NET INCOME (LOSS)

    8,570,864     3,538,407     (350,171 )

OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

    (1,080,036 )   (482,083 )   17,366  

COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

  $ 7,490,828   $ 3,056,324     (332,805 )

Basic and diluted earnings loss per common share*

  $ 0.20   $ 0.08   $ (0.01 )

Weighted average number of shares outstanding*

    42,331,200     42,080,000     42,080,000  

*
The shares and per share data are presented on a retroactive basis to reflect the nominal share issuance.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 18—CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THE PARENT COMPANY (Continued)


HEXINDAI INC.
PARENT COMPANY STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 
  For The Years Ended March 31,  
 
  2017   2016   2015  

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:

                   

Net income

  $ 8,570,864   $ 3,538,407   $ (350,171 )

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

                   

Equity in earnings of subsidiaries and VIE

    (8,570,978 )   (3,538,407 )   (350,171 )

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Prepayments and other assets

    (50,009 )        

NET CASH USED IN OPERATING ACTIVITIES

    (50,123 )        

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Private placement

    2,000,000          

NET CASH PROVIDED BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES

    2,000,000          

NET INCREASE IN CASH

    1,949,877          

CASH—beginning of year

             

CASH—end of year

  $ 1,949,877   $   $  

SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW DISCLOSURES:

   
 
   
 
   
 
 

Cash paid for income tax

  $   $   $  

Cash paid for interest

  $   $   $  

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HEXINDAI INC.

INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(UNAUDITED)

 
  June 30, 2017   March 31, 2017  

ASSETS

             

CURRENT ASSETS:

             

Cash

  $ 32,548,392   $ 19,232,275  

Prepayments and other assets

    2,830,090     4,139,354  

Amounts due from related parties

    3,698,394     4,182,502  

TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS

    39,076,876     27,554,131  

Property, equipment and software at cost, net

    458,669     427,938  

Deferred tax assets

    421,275     400,062  

TOTAL ASSETS

  $ 39,956,820   $ 28,382,131  

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

             

CURRENT LIABILITIES:

             

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

  $ 779,344   $ 789,129  

Taxes payable

    6,344,960     4,088,646  

TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES

    7,124,304     4,877,775  

TOTAL LIABILITIES

  $ 7,124,304   $ 4,877,775  

COMMITMENTS

             

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY:

             

Ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized, 42,921,600 and 42,921,600 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2017 and March 31, 2017, respectively*

  $ 4,292   $ 4,292  

Additional paid-in capital

    13,285,717     13,285,717  

Retained Earnings

    20,653,664     11,759,100  

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

    (1,111,157 )   (1,544,753 )

TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

    32,832,516     23,504,356  

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

  $ 39,956,820   $ 28,382,131  

*
The shares are presented on a retroactive basis to reflect the nominal share issuance.

   

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these interim condensed consolidated financial statements.

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HEXINDAI INC.

INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(UNAUDITED)

 
  FOR THE THREE MONTHS
ENDED JUNE 30,
 
 
  2017   2016  

NET REVENUE

             

Loan facilitation, post-origination and other service, net

  $ 15,130,590   $ 3,922,420  

Business and sales related taxes

    (17,669 )   (14,430 )

NET REVENUE

    15,112,921     3,907,990  

OPERATING EXPENSES

             

Sales and marketing

    2,568,544     1,021,894  

Service and development

    1,334,985     923,083  

General and administrative

    894,747     438,643  

Total operating expenses

    4,798,276     2,383,620  

INCOME FROM OPERATIONS

    10,314,645     1,524,370  

OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)

             

Other income

    159,722     26,631  

Other expense

    (3,859 )   (286 )

Total other income (expense), net

    155,863     26,345  

INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES

    10,470,508     1,550,715  

PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES

    1,575,944     233,632  

NET INCOME

    8,894,564     1,317,083  

OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

             

Foreign currency translation adjustment

    433,596     (437,392 )

COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

  $ 9,328,160   $ 879,691  

Basic and diluted earnings per common share*

  $ 0.21   $ 0.03  

Weighted average number of shares outstanding*

    42,921,600     42,080,000  

*
The shares and per share data are presented on a retroactive basis to reflect the nominal share issuance.

   

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these interim condensed consolidated financial statements.

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HEXINDAI INC.

INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(UNAUDITED)

 
  FOR THE THREE MONTHS
ENDED JUNE 30,
 
 
  2017   2016  

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:

             

Net income

  $ 8,894,564   $ 1,317,083  

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:

             

Depreciation and amortization

    36,191     18,207  

Loss on disposition of property and equipment

    653      

Deferred tax (benefit) expense

    (14,907 )   88,581  

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

             

Prepayments and other assets

    1,357,246     (3,772,931 )

Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities

    (21,624 )   2,029,534  

Taxes payable

    2,168,287     283,766  

Risk reserve liability

        (591,778 )

Amounts due to related party

        (49,032 )

NET CASH PROVIDED BY (USED IN) OPERATING ACTIVITIES

    12,420,410     (676,570 )

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:

             

Acquisitions of property, equipment and software

    (61,035 )   (29,179 )

NET CASH USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES

    (61,035 )   (29,179 )

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

             

Due from related parties

        (482,560 )

Repayments from related parties

    541,871     2,505,960  

NET CASH PROVIDED BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES

    541,871     2,023,400  

EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGE ON CASH

    414,871     (254,427 )

NET INCREASE IN CASH

    13,316,117     1,063,224  

CASH — beginning of year

    19,232,275     7,818,936  

CASH — end of year

  $ 32,548,392   $ 8,882,160  

SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW DISCLOSURES:

             

Cash paid for income tax

  $ 110,377   $  

Cash paid for interest

  $   $  

   

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these interim condensed consolidated financial statements.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1—BUSINESS DESCRIPTION

Organization and description of business

        Hexindai Inc. ("Hexindai" or the "Company"), through its subsidiaries and variable interest entity ("VIE"), is an online marketplace connecting borrowers and investors in the People's Republic of China ("PRC" or "China").

        On April 14, 2017, Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd ("Hexin E-Commerce") established a fully owned subsidiary Xizang Qinhe E-Commerce Technology ("Xizang") Co. Ltd, which also provides similar service to the borrower and investors.

Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of consolidation

        The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("US GAAP") for interim financial statements. Accordingly, they may not include all of the information and footnotes required by US GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 are not necessarily indicative of the results that many be expected for the full year.

        The interim condensed consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of Hexindai Inc., HK Hexindai, Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd, Hexin E-commerce and Xizang (collectively, the "Company"). All significant intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated upon consolidation.

Uses of estimates

        The preparation of interim condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during each reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Significant accounting estimates reflected in the Company's consolidated financial statements include: the Company's ability to realize deferred tax assets, estimated useful lives and fair value in connection with the impairment of property and equipment and accruals for income tax uncertainties.

Revenue recognition

        The Company is an online marketplace connecting borrowers and investors. The Company provides loan facilitation and management service to borrowers and post-origination service to investors and earns revenue accordingly. Revenue is recognized when all of the following conditions are met: persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, the price is fixed or determinable and collectability is reasonably assured. These criteria as they relate to each of the following major revenue generating activities are described below.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

    Transaction with credit loans' borrowers and investors

        The Company generates loan facilitation service fees and post-origination service fees by providing the following services:

a)
Connecting investors to qualified borrowers and facilitating loan arrangements between the parties;

b)
Providing post-origination services for investors over the loan term, including monitoring payments from borrowers and to investors and maintaining investors' account portfolios;

c)
Providing risk reserve, which ceased on February 1, 2017

        The Company has determined that the transactions with credit loans' borrowers and investors contain the following multiple elements: loan facilitation, post-origination service and the risk reserve which was ceased on February 1, 2017. The Company has determined that both investors and borrowers are its customers. It receives loan facilitation service fees paid by credit loan borrowers upfront at the time of credit loan issuance and post-origination service fees from investors when investors receive each interest payment from borrowers over the term of the credit loan. Prior to February 1, 2017, the amount equal to the fair value of the risk reserve liability is firstly allocated to the risk reserve in accordance with ASC Topic 460, Guarantees at fair value, and deducted from the total revenue. The remaining amount from investors and borrowers is allocated to loan facilitation service fee and post-origination service fee using best estimated selling price, as neither vendor specific objective evidence nor third party evidence of selling price is available. Loan facilitation revenue is recognized at loan inception. Revenue earned from investors for post-origination services is recognized over the term of the loan as cash is received. Since February 1, 2017, we have terminated this risk reserve liability policy and introduced an insurance arrangement with a third-party insurer to protect investors against the risk of borrower defaults.

    Transaction with secured loans' borrowers and investors

        The Company generates loan management service fees and post-origination service fees by providing the following services:

a)
Connecting investors to qualified borrowers and facilitating the execution of loan agreements between the parties;

b)
Loan management on reviewing the borrower's pledge asset condition and updating secured asset information and status over the term of the loan period;

c)
Providing post-origination services for investors over the loan term, including monitoring payments from borrowers and to investors and maintaining investors' account portfolios.

d)
Providing risk reserve, which ceased on February 1, 2017

        The Company has determined that the transactions with secured loans' borrowers and investors contain the following multiple elements: loan management, post-origination service and the risk reserve which was ceased on February 1, 2017. The Company has determined that both investors and borrowers are its customers. It receives loan management service fees paid by secured loan borrowers over the term of secured loan and post-origination service fees from investors when investors receive each interest payment from borrowers over the term of the secured loan. Prior to February 1, 2017, the amount equal to the fair value of the risk reserve liability is firstly allocated to the risk reserve in

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

accordance with ASC Topic 460, Guarantees at fair value, and deducted from total fees. The remaining amount from investors and borrowers is allocated to loan management service fee and post-origination service fee using best estimated selling price, as neither vendor specific objective evidence nor third party evidence of selling price is available. Loan management fee is recognized over the loan period in accordance with the monthly service provided. Revenue earned from investors for post-origination services is recognized over the term of the loan as cash is received. Since February 1, 2017, we have terminated this risk reserve liability policy and introduced an insurance arrangement with a third-party insurer to protect investors against the risk of borrower defaults. As a results, no fair value was allocated to risk reserve liability.

Other revenue

        Other revenue includes membership fee for investors, banking fee to investor and one-time fees for loan transfers. Other revenue is recognized as earned.

Cash incentives reward program

        To expand its market presence, the Company provide cash incentives to qualified investor within a limited period. During the relevant incentive program period, the Company set certain thresholds for the investor to qualify to enjoy the cash incentive. When qualified investment is made, the cash payment is provided to the investor. In accordance with ASC 605-50-45-9 (b), the cash incentive program requires the individual investor to make a minimum investment before he or she can earn the incentive and it is probable that the revenue earned from the investor invested through the Company's cash incentive program exceed the incentive payments, therefore, the cash incentives provided are accounted for as reduction of revenue in accordance with ASC subtopic 605-50. For the three months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, the cash incentives amounted to $1,818,571 and $297,963, respectively.

Income taxes

        The Company's subsidiary and VIE in China are subject to the income tax laws of the relevant tax jurisdiction. No taxable income was generated outside the PRC for the three months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016. The Company accounts for income tax under the asset and liability method, which requires recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of the events that have been included in the financial statements or tax returns. Deferred income taxes will be recognized if significant temporary differences between tax and financial statements occur. Valuation allowances are established against net deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. As of June 30, 2017 and March 31, 2017, no valuation allowance is considered necessary.

        In the normal course of business, the Company may be subject to challenges from taxing authorities regarding the amounts of taxes due. These challenges may alter the timing or amount of taxable income or deductions. Management determines whether the benefits of its tax positions are more-likely-than-not of being sustained upon audit based on the technical merits of the tax position. The Company records a liability for uncertain tax positions when it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated.

        The Company continually evaluates expiring statutes of limitations, audits, proposed settlements, changes in tax law and new authoritative rulings. An uncertain tax position is recognized as a benefit

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

only if it is "more likely than not" that the tax position would be sustained in a tax examination, with a tax examination being presumed to occur. The amount recognized is the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized on examination. For tax positions not meeting the "more likely than not" test, no tax benefit is recorded. Penalties and interest incurred related to underpayment of income tax are classified as income tax expense in the period incurred. The Company evaluates each uncertain tax position (including the potential application of interest and penalties) based on the technical merits, and measure the unrecognized benefits associated with the tax positions. As of June 30, 2017 and March 31, 2017, the Company did not have any significant unrecognized uncertain tax positions. All tax returns since the Company's inception are still subject to examination by tax authorities.

        The Company has elected to early adopt ASU 2015-17 prospectively in 2015 in accordance with ASU No. 2015-17, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes. As a result, the Company has presented all deferred tax assets and liabilities as noncurrent on our consolidated balance sheet since 2015.

Value added tax ("VAT")

        The Company is subject to VAT at the rate of 6% and related surcharges on revenue generated from providing services. The Company reported revenue net of VAT. This VAT may be offset by qualified input VAT paid by the Company to supplies. Net VAT payable balance is included in the taxes payable on the face of consolidated balance sheets.

Foreign currency translation

        Since the Company operates primarily in the PRC, the Company's functional currency is the Chinese Yuan ("RMB"). The Company's financial statements have been translated into the reporting currency, the United States Dollar ("USD"). Assets and liabilities of the Company are translated at the exchange rate at each reporting period end date. Equity is translated at historical rates. Income and expense accounts are translated at the average rate of exchange during the reporting period. The resulting translation adjustments are reported under accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Gains and losses resulting from the translations of foreign currency transactions and balances are reflected in the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income (loss).

        The RMB is not freely convertible into foreign currency and all foreign exchange transactions must take place through authorized institutions. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted into USD at the rates used in translation.

 
  June 30, 2017   March 31, 2017  

Balance sheet items, except for share capital, additional paid in capital and retained earnings, as of

  US$ 1=RMB6.7793   US$ 1=RMB6.8832  

 

 
  Three months ended June 30,  
 
  2017   2016  

Amounts included in the statements of operations and cash flows for the periods ended

  US$ 1=RMB6.8586   US$ 1=RMB6.5311  

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

Fair value of financial instruments

        The Company follows the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB"), Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures. ASC 820 clarifies the definition of fair value, prescribes methods for measuring fair value, and establishes a fair value hierarchy to classify the inputs used in measuring fair value as follows:

        Level 1-Inputs are unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities available at the measurement date.

        Level 2-Inputs are unadjusted quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable, and inputs derived from or corroborated by observable market data.

        Level 3-Inputs are unobservable inputs which reflect the reporting entity's own assumptions on what assumptions the market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best available information.

        The carrying amounts reported in the balance sheets for cash, other receivables, accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities, approximate their fair value based on the short-term maturity of these instruments.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

        In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-09, "Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting", which amends the scope of modification accounting for share-based payment arrangements. The ASU provides guidance on the types of changes to the terms or conditions of share-based payment awards to which an entity would be required to apply modification accounting. Specifically, an entity would not apply modification accounting if the fair value, vesting conditions, and classification of the awards are the same immediately before and after the modification. The amendments in this Update are effective for all entities for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. The amendments in this Update should be applied prospectively to an award modified on or after the adoption date. The Company does not expect that the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on its interim condensed consolidated financial statements.

        In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, "Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business". The amendments in this ASU clarify the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. Basically these amendments provide a screen to determine when a set is not a business. If the screen is not met, the amendments in this ASU first, require that to be considered a business, a set must include, at a minimum, an input and a substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to create output and second, remove the evaluation of whether a market participant could replace missing elements. These amendments take effect for public businesses for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods within those periods, and all other entities should apply these amendments for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within annual

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

periods beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company does not expect that the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on its interim condensed consolidated financial statements.

        In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU No. 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)" ("ASU 2014-09"). ASU 2014-09 requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. ASU 2014-09 will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles when it becomes effective and permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The guidance also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, "Deferral of the Effective Date" ("ASU 2015-14"), which defers the effective date for ASU 2014-09 by one year. For public entities, the guidance in ASU 2014-09 will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 (including interim reporting periods within those periods), which means it will be effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning April 1, 2018. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-08, "Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue versus Net)" ("ASU 2016-08"), which clarifies the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations in the new revenue recognition standard. In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-10, "Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing" ("ASU 2016-10"), which reduces the complexity when applying the guidance for identifying performance obligations and improves the operability and understandability of the license implementation guidance. In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-12 "Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients" ("ASU 2016-12"), which amends the guidance on transition, collectability, noncash consideration and the presentation of sales and other similar taxes. In December 2016, the FASB further issued ASU 2016-20, "Technical Corrections and Improvements to Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers" ("ASU 2016-20"), which makes minor corrections or minor improvements to the Codification that are not expected to have a significant effect on current accounting practice or create a significant administrative cost to most entities. The amendments are intended to address implementation issues that were raised by stakeholders and provide additional practical expedients to reduce the cost and complexity of applying the new revenue standard. These amendments have the same effective date as the new revenue standard. Preliminarily, we plan to adopt Topic 606 in the first quarter of our fiscal 2019 using the retrospective transition method, and are continuing to evaluate the impact our pending adoption of Topic 606 will have on our on its interim condensed consolidated financial statements. The Company will not be able to make that determination until the time of adoption based upon outstanding contracts at that time.

        In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, "Statement of Cash Flows: Restricted Cash". The amendments address diversity in practice that exists in the classification and presentation of changes in restricted cash on the statement of cash flows. The amendment is effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its interim condensed consolidated financial statements.

        In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016 15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, to provide guidance on the presentation and classification of certain cash receipts and cash payments on the statement of cash flows. The guidance specifically addresses cash flow issues with the objective of reducing the diversity in practice.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

The guidance will be effective for the Company in fiscal year 2018, but early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its interim condensed consolidated financial statements.

        In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, "Financial Instruments—Credit Losses", which will require the measurement of all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019 and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently evaluating this statement and its impact on its results of operations or financial position.

        In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The guidance supersedes existing guidance on accounting for leases with the main difference being that operating leases are to be recorded in the statement of financial position as right-of-use assets and lease liabilities, initially measured at the present value of the lease payments. For operating leases with a term of 12 months or less, a lessee is permitted to make an accounting policy election not to recognize lease assets and liabilities. For public business entities, the guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early application of the guidance is permitted. In transition, entities are required to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact that this guidance will have on its interim condensed consolidated financial statements.

        In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, "Financial Instruments—Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities" This guidance revises the accounting related to the classification and measurement of investments in equity securities as well as the presentation for certain fair value changes in financial liabilities measured at fair value, and amends certain disclosure requirements. The guidance requires that all equity investments, except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those resulting in the consolidation of the investee, be accounted for at fair value with all fair value changes recognized in income. For financial liabilities measured using the fair value option, the guidance requires that any change in fair value caused by a change in instrument-specific credit risk be presented separately in other comprehensive income until the liability is settled or reaches maturity. The guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted for certain provisions. A reporting entity would generally record a cumulative-effect adjustment to beginning retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is adopted. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact that this guidance will have its interim condensed consolidated financial statements.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 3—PREPAYMENTS AND OTHER ASSETS

 
  June 30, 2017   March 31, 2017  

Funds receivable from investors (i)

  $   $ 2,169,124  

Rental deposit

    303,818     264,704  

Prepayments to suppliers and others

    1,298,005     608,263  

Deferred offering costs

    1,173,218     399,079  

Refundable acquisition deposit (ii)

        653,766  

Staff advances

    50,768     40,137  

Consideration receivables from nominal share issuance (iii)

    4,281     4,281  

  $ 2,830,090   $ 4,139,354  

(i)
In order to attract investors, the Company launched "monthly interest-back wallet" arrangement with a group of independent investors in July 2016 and this arrangement was ended on June 28, 2017. Under this arrangement, investors were obligated to invest in the principal of certain loan portfolio for a fixed short term period and the Company agreed to advance the accrued interest from loan portfolio to investors prior to the due date of the loans. The investors are obligated to repay the company the advance amounts upon the due date of the loans. The arrangement is advantageous for investors as they can receive the interest payments in advance, which provides higher liquidity to the investors over the life of the loan products. The arrangement is a one- time arrangement. The arrangement terminated on June 28, 2017 and the Company fully collected the advance payments, which totaled $2,169,124 as of March 31, 2017, on the same date. In this arrangement, the Company did not undertake any contractual obligation in any loan transaction to either lend or collect the loans. Investors bear the primary risks of borrowers' non-payment in each loan transaction.

(ii)
The Company made a deposit of $653,766 to an unrelated party for a potential business cooperation. The transaction was cancelled in February 2017 and the deposit was refunded back to the Company as of June 30, 2017.

(iii)
The consideration receivables are resulted from the nominal share issuance occurred in September 2017. Please see Note 13 for additional information related to the nominal share issuance. The Company believes that consideration receivables will be collected before September 30, 2017.

Note 4—ACCRUED EXPENSES AND OTHER LIABILITIES

 
  June 30, 2017   March 31, 2017  

Payable to venders

  $ 47,265   $  

Accrued payroll and welfare

    717,330     706,511  

Professional fee and other accrued expenses

    14,749     82,618  

  $ 779,344   $ 789,129  

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 5—RELATED PARTY BALANCES AND TRANSACTIONS

        Hexin Holding Limited and its affiliates (together "Hexin Group") was incorporated and owned by Mr. Xiaobo An, the Chairman of the Board (the "Controlling Shareholder"). The Company historically utilized Hexin Group's centralized banking systems for its own cash and banking management, which resulted in a significant balance of amount due from related party-Hexin Group. In addition, Hexin Group also paid expense on behalf of the Company. The Company has recorded all expenses paid by Hexin Group on behalf of the Company in the related historical periods presented in its interim condensed consolidated financial statements.

(1)
Amount due from related parties consists of:
 
  June 30, 2017   March 31, 2017  

Due from Hexin Group (i)

  $ 3,698,394   $ 4,182,502  

(i)
Amount due from Hexin Group mainly represents the transactions fees and services fees received by Hexin Group through the external payment network on behalf of the Company, offset with the expense and obligations under the Insurance Agreement (See Note 2) paid by the Hexin Group on behalf of the Company. The Company expects to collect the balance by September 30, 2017. On July 31, 2017, the Company received a further repayment from Hexin Group in the amount of $1,020,616.

Note 6—TAXES PAYABLE

 
  June 30, 2017   March 31, 2017  

Income tax payable

  $ 3,642,787   $ 2,210,235  

Value added tax payable

    2,499,546     1,759,015  

Other taxes payable

    202,627     119,396  

Total taxes payable

  $ 6,344,960   $ 4,088,646  

Note 7—INCOME TAX

Cayman Islands

        Hexindai Inc. was incorporated in the Cayman Islands and is not subject to income taxes or capital gain under current laws of Cayman Islands.

Hong Kong

        HK Hexindai is an investment holding company registered in Hong Kong and is exempt from income tax on its foreign-derived income.

PRC

        The Company subsidiary and a consolidated VIE established in the PRC are subject to the PRC statutory income tax rate of 25%, according to the PRC Enterprise Income Tax ("EIT") law. The Company's VIE Hexin E-Commerce has been granted the "high technology enterprise" status in 2015 and is qualified to a preferred income tax rate of 15% since January 1, 2015. Substantially all the

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 7—INCOME TAX (Continued)

pretax income of the Company is from Hexin E-Commerce. Hexin E-Commerce tax returns generally remain open and subject to examination by tax authorities for five years.

i)
The components of the income tax provision (benefit) are as follows:
 
  For the three months ended  
 
  June 30, 2017   June 30, 2016  

Current

  $ 1,590,851   $ 144,865  

Deferred

    (14.907 )   88,767  

Total

  $ 1,575,944   $ 233,632  
ii)
The following table summarizes deferred tax assets resulting from differences between financial accounting basis and tax basis of assets and liabilities:
 
  As of
June 30, 2017
  As of
March 31, 2017
 

Accrued expense

  $ 421,275   $ 400,062  

Total

  $ 421,275   $ 400,062  

        No valuation allowance against the deferred tax assets is considered necessary since the Company believes that it will more likely than not utilize the future benefits. The Company had no net operating loss carry forward as of June 30, 2017 and March 31, 2017.

        The following table reconciles the PRC statutory rates to the Company's effective tax rate for the three months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

 
  For the three months ended  
 
  June 30, 2017   June 30, 2016  

PRC Income tax statutory rate

    25.0 %   25.0 %

Effect of preferred tax rate

    (10.0 %)   (10.0 %)

Effect of change tax rate

         

Non-deductible items in China

    0.1 %   0.1 %

Effective tax rate

    15.1 %   15.1 %

        Aggregate undistributed earnings of the Company's subsidiaries and VIEs located in the PRC that are available for distribution at June 30, 2017 are considered to be indefinitely reinvested and accordingly, no provision has been made for the Chinese dividend withholding taxes that would be payable upon the distribution of those amounts to any entity within the Group that is outside the PRC.

        The Company does not have any present plan to pay any cash dividends on its ordinary shares in the foreseeable future. It intends to retain most of its available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation and expansion of its business. As of June 30, 2017 and March 31, 2017, the Company has not declared any dividends.

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 8—EARNINGS PER SHARE

        Basic earnings per share ("EPS") is the amount of net earnings available to each share of ordinary shares outstanding during the reporting period. Diluted EPS is the amount of net earnings available to each share of ordinary shares outstanding during the reporting period adjusted to include the effect of potentially dilutive ordinary shares. The following table details the computation of the basic and diluted net earnings per share:

 
  For the three months ended  
 
  June 30, 2017   June 30, 2016  

Net income attributable to ordinary share holders

  $ 8,894,564   $ 1,317,083  

Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in computing basic and diluted net income per share (i)

    42,921,600     42,080,000  

Basic and diluted earnings per share

  $ 0.21   $ 0.03  

(i)
The Company believes it is appropriate to reflect these nominal stock issuance on a retroactive basis similar to stock split or dividend pursuant to ASC 260. The Company has retroactively restated all shares and per share data for all the periods presented. Please see Note 13 for additional information related to the nominal share issuance.

Note 9—ORDINARY SHARES

        Hexindai Inc. was established under the laws of the Cayman Islands on April 26, 2016. The authorized number of ordinary shares is 500,000,000 shares with par value of $0.0001 each. As of June 30, 2017 and March 31, 2017, 42,921,600 ordinary shares were issued at par value, equivalent to share capital of $4,292. The shares are presented on a retroactive basis to reflect the nominal share issuance. Please see Note 13 for additional information related to the nominal share issuance.

Note 10—ADDITIONAL PAID-IN CAPITAL

        As of June 30, 2017 and March 31, 2017, additional paid-in capital in the consolidated balance sheet represented the combined contributed capital of the Company's subsidiaries and VIE.

        On April 1, 2016 (the "Award date"), to reward the Company's employees and further align their interests with the Company in the future, the Company granted stock options to purchase 6,312,000 ordinary shares under the 2016 Share Option Scheme, adjusted for the nominal share issuance (please see Note 13 for additional information related to the nominal share issuance), to the Company's officers, and key employees with the exercise price equal to $1.28. The Company determined the grant date to be April 1, 2016 in accordance with ASC 718-10-20 and 718-10-25-5. It is because the Company and employee have reached a mutual understanding of the key terms and conditions of these stock option awards on April 1, 2016 including a specific exercise price and vesting and exercise condition. All necessary approvals for the stock option awards were obtained and communicated to employees on April 1, 2016.

        The Options will vest and become exercisable in three equal installments with the first vesting commencement date being the later of the first anniversary of the grant date or the closing date of a Qualified IPO. Subject to the continued employment or service through each applicable vesting date of the option holder, shares subject to the Option shall become vested as to the remaining two-thirds of

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 10—ADDITIONAL PAID-IN CAPITAL (Continued)

the total number of share options under the 2016 Share Option Scheme in two (2) substantially equal annual installments, with the first installment vesting on the second anniversary of the grant date and the second installment vesting on the third anniversary of the grant date; provided that a Qualified IPO shall have occurred on or prior to the second anniversary of the grant date.

        A "Qualified IPO" is defined as an underwritten initial public offering of not less than 15% of the shares (i) pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act or (ii) on the basis of an approved prospectus and/or pursuant to a valid registration, qualification or filing under the applicable law of another jurisdiction, in each case of the shares or other equity securities of the Company; provided, however, that a Qualified IPO shall not include a registration relating solely to employee benefit plans or to a Rule 145 transaction under the Securities Act or to similar registrations under applicable law of another jurisdiction

        The maximum contractual term is 4 years from the April 1, 2016. These options expire on March 31, 2020 and cannot be exercised if they have not vested by the expiration date or the termination date of the options. If a Qualified IPO does not occur within two years of April 1, 2016, such option will immediately expire to the extent unvested. As vesting is triggered only upon a Qualified IPO, such unvested options will be forfeited.

        The Company believes the options contain an explicit service condition (i.e., the options vest at each of three years following a successful initial public offering) and a performance condition (i.e., the options can only be exercised upon successful completion of an initial public offering by employees that are still employed by the Company upon the completion of the initial public offering). Under ASC 718-10-55-76, if the vesting (or exercisability) of an award is based on the satisfaction of both a service and performance condition, the entity must initially determine which outcomes are probable and recognize the compensation cost over the longer of the explicit or implicit service period. Because an initial public offering generally is not considered to be probable until the initial public offering is effective, no compensation cost will be recognized until the initial public offering occurs.

        The Company has elected to recognize stock based compensation expense using a straight-line method for the entire employee equity awards granted with graded vesting based on service conditions provided that the amount of compensation cost recognized at any date is at least equal to the portion of the grant-date value of the equity awards that are vested at that date. Upon successful completion of a Qualified IPO, the Company will recognize stock based compensation for the portion of the requisite service that has been rendered as of that date for the portion for the period from April 1, 2016 to the date of the Completion of Qualified IPO.

        The Company is responsible for determining the fair value of options granted to employees and uses the Binomial option-pricing model assuming

Fair market value per share as of valuation date: $1.41
Exercise price per share: $1.28
Risk-free interest rate: 1.81%
Dividend yield: 0%
Expiry Date: March 31, 2020
Life of option: 4 years
Volatility =47.4%
Exercise multiple =2.2

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HEXINDAI INC.

NOTES TO INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Note 10—ADDITIONAL PAID-IN CAPITAL (Continued)

        The fair value of the stock option on the grant date was approximately $3.5 million.

Note 11—COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

        The Company leases its main office space under a non-cancelable operating lease agreement. Rental expenses under operating leases for three months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 were $250,861 and $143,937, respectively.

        Future minimum lease payments under non-cancelable operating lease agreements as of June 30, 2017 are follows:

 
  Minimum lease payment  

Twelve months ending June 30,

       

2018

  $ 1,040,093  

2019

    842,470  

2020

    657,729  

2021

    164,432  

2022 and thereafter

     

Total

  $ 2,704,724  

Note 12—SUBSEQUENT EVENT

        The Company has evaluated subsequent events through the date of issuance of this interim condensed consolidated financial statements and does not identify events with material financial impact on the interim condensed consolidated financial statements.

Note 13—NOMINAL SHARE ISSUANCE

        On September 15, 2017, in order to optimize the Company's share capital structure, the Company issued ordinary shares pro-rata to the shareholding as of such date, comprising (i) 31,900,848 ordinary shares to Hexin Holding Limited, at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$3,190.08, (ii) 7,975,212 ordinary shares to Anhe Holding Limited, at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$797.52, (iii) 2,098,740 ordinary shares to Velencia Holdings Limited, at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$209.87, (iv) 419,748 ordinary shares to Long Harvest Fund Management LLC at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$41.97 and (v) 419,748 ordinary shares to Dragon Gate Investment Partners Limited, at a price of US$0.0001 per share and total consideration of US$41.97. The Company believes it is appropriate to reflect the nominal share issuance on a retroactive basis similar to share split, in accordance with SEC SAB Topic 4. The total consideration is expected to be collected before September 30, 2017. In connection with the nominal share issuance, for the stock options granted on April 1, 2016, the Company increased the number of options to 6,312,000, and reduced the exercise price to $1.28.

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PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

ITEM 6.    INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

        Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company's articles of association may provide indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to the public interest, such as providing indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. The post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that we expect to adopt provide that each officer or director of our company shall be indemnified against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such director or officer, other than by reason of such person's own dishonesty, willful default or fraud, in or about the conduct of our company's business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such director or officer in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning our company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere.

        Under the form of indemnification agreement filed as Exhibit 10.19 to this registration statement, we will agree to indemnify our directors and executive officers against certain liabilities and expenses incurred by such persons in connection with claims made by reason of their being such a director or executive officer.

        The form of underwriting agreement to be filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this registration statement will also provide for indemnification of us and our officers and directors.

        Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us under the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

ITEM 7.    RECENT SALES OF UNREGISTERED SECURITIES.

        During the past three years, we have issued the following securities. We believe that each of the following issuances was exempt from registration under the Securities Act pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act regarding transactions not involving a public offering or in reliance on

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Regulation S under the Securities Act regarding sales by an issuer in offshore transactions. No underwriters were involved in these issuances of securities.

Purchaser
  Date of Sale or
Issuance
  Number of
Securities
  Consideration  

Hexin Holding Limited

  April 25, 2016     1   US$ 0.0001  

  April 25, 2016     7,999   US$ 0.7999  

  September 15, 2017     31,900,848   US$ 3,190.08  

  November 1, 2016     71,952     7.1952  

AnHe Holding Limited

  April 25, 2016     2,000   US$ 0.20  

  November 1, 2016     17,988     1.7988  

  September 15, 2017     7,975,212   US$ 797.52  

Velencia Holdings Limited

  November 1, 2016     5,260   US$ 0.5260  

  September 15, 2017     2,098,740   US$ 209.87  

Long Harvest Fund Management, LLC

  December 10, 2016     1,052   US$ 1,000,000.00  

  September 15, 2017     419,748   US$ 41.97  

Dragon Gate Investment Partners Limited

  December 10, 2016     1,052   US$ 1,000,000.00  

  September 15, 2017     419,748   US$ 41.97  

ITEM 8.    EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.

a)
Exhibits

        See Exhibit Index beginning on page II-4 of this registration statement.

        The agreements included as exhibits to this registration statement contain representations and warranties by each of the parties to the applicable agreement. These representations and warranties were made solely for the benefit of the other parties to the applicable agreement and (i) were not intended to be treated as categorical statements of fact, but rather as a way of allocating the risk to one of the parties if those statements prove to be inaccurate; (ii) may have been qualified in such agreement by disclosure that was made to the other party in connection with the negotiation of the applicable agreement; (iii) may apply contract standards of "materiality" that are different from "materiality" under the applicable securities laws; and (iv) were made only as of the date of the applicable agreement or such other date or dates as may be specified in the agreement.

        We acknowledge that, notwithstanding the inclusion of the foregoing cautionary statements, we are responsible for considering whether additional specific disclosure of material information regarding material contractual provisions is required to make the statements in this registration statement not misleading.

b)
Financial Statement Schedules

        Schedules have been omitted because the information required to be set forth therein is not applicable or is shown in the Consolidated Financial Statements or the Notes thereto.

ITEM 9.    UNDERTAKINGS.

        The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreement, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

        Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the provisions described in Item 6, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore,

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unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

        The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

    (1)
    that for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective;

    (2)
    that for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; and

    (3)
    to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreement certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriters to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

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Table of Contents


HEXINDAI INC.
EXHIBIT INDEX

  1.1   Form of Underwriting Agreement
        
  3.1   Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Registrant, as currently in effect
        
  3.2   Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Registrant, conditional and effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering
        
  4.1   Registrant's Specimen American Depositary Receipt (included in Exhibit 4.3)
        
  4.2   Registrant's Specimen Certificate for Ordinary Shares
        
  4.3   Form of Deposit Agreement among the Registrant, the Depositary, and the Holders and Beneficial Owners of the American Depositary Shares
        
  5.1   Opinion of Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP regarding the validity of the ordinary shares being registered and certain other legal matters
        
  8.1   Opinion of Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP regarding certain Cayman Islands tax matters (included in Exhibit 5.1)
        
  8.2   Opinion of Han Kun Law Offices regarding certain PRC tax matters (included in Exhibit 8.3)
        
  8.3   Opinion of Han Kun Law Offices regarding certain PRC law matters
        
  10.1   English translation of the Cooperation Agreement among Hexin E-Commerce, Hexin Information and Hexin Financial Information dated March 17, 2017
        
  10.2   English translation of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement among Hexin Yongheng, Hexin E-Commerce and Xiaobo An, dated November 1, 2016
        
  10.3   English translation of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement among Hexin Yongheng, Hexin E-Commerce and Xiaoning An, dated November 1, 2016
        
  10.4   English translation of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement among Hexin Yongheng, Hexin E-Commerce and Xiaobin Zhai, dated November 1, 2016
        
  10.5   English translation of the Exclusive Option Agreement with among Hexin Yongheng, Hexin E-Commerce and Xiaobo An, dated November 1, 2016
        
  10.6   English translation of the Exclusive Option Agreement among Hexin Yongheng, Hexin E-Commerce and Xiaoning An, dated November 1, 2016
        
  10.7   English translation of the Exclusive Option Agreement among Hexin Yongheng, Hexin E-Commerce and Xiaobin Zhai, dated November 1, 2016
        
  10.8   English translation of the Loan Agreement between Hexin Yongheng and Xiaobo An, dated November 1, 2016
        
  10.9   English translation of the Loan Agreement between Hexin Yongheng and Xiaoning An, dated November 1, 2016
        
  10.10   English translation of the Loan Agreement between Hexin Yongheng and Xiaobin Zhai, dated November 1, 2016
        
  10.11   English translation of the Power of Attorney granted to Hexin Yongheng by Xiaobo An, dated November 1, 2016
 
   

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  10.12   English translation of the Power of Attorney granted to Hexin Yongheng by Xiaoning An, dated November 1, 2016
        
  10.13   English translation of the Power of Attorney granted to Hexin Yongheng by Xiaobin Zhai, dated November 1, 2016
        
  10.14   English translation of the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement between Hexin Yongheng and Hexin E-Commerce, dated November 1, 2016
        
  10.15   English translation of Insurance Agreement, dated January 25, 2017
        
  10.16   English translation of the supplemental agreement to the Insurance Agreement, dated March 31, 2017
        
  10.17   Amended and Restated 2016 Equity Incentive Plan
        
  10.18   Form of Option Agreement
        
  10.19   Form of Indemnification Agreement with Executive Officers and Directors
        
  10.20   Form of Escrow Agreement
        
  21.1   List of Subsidiaries of the Registrant
        
  23.1   Consent of Shearman & Sterling
        
  23.2   Consent of Han Kun Law Offices (included in Exhibit 8.2)
        
  23.3   Consent of Oliver Wyman Inc.
        
  23.4   Consent of Marcum Bernstein & Pinchuk LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm
        
  23.5   Consent of Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)
        
  23.6   Consent of Stephen Markscheid
        
  23.7   Consent of Guo Dagang
        
  24.1   Powers of Attorney (included on signature page in Part II of the registration statement)
        
  99.1   Code of Business Conduct and Ethics of the Registrant

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SIGNATURES

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form F-1 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Beijing, People's Republic of China, on September 29, 2017.

  Hexindai Inc.

 

By:

 

/s/ ZHOU XINMING


      Name:   Zhou Xinming

      Title:   Director and Chief Executive Officer

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Table of Contents

Power of Attorney

        Each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Zhou Xinming and Zhang Qisen as attorneys-in-fact with full power of substitution, for him or her in any and all capacities, to do any and all acts and all things and to execute any and all instruments which said attorney and agent may deem necessary or desirable to enable the registrant to comply with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and any rules, regulations and requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder, in connection with the registration under the Securities Act of ordinary shares of the registrant, including, without limitation, the power and authority to sign the name of each of the undersigned in the capacities indicated below to the Registration Statement on Form F-1, or the Registration Statement, to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission with respect to such ordinary shares, to any and all amendments or supplements to such Registration Statement, whether such amendments or supplements are filed before or after the effective date of such Registration Statement, to any related Registration Statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, and to any and all instruments or documents filed as part of or in connection with such Registration Statement or any and all amendments thereto, whether such amendments are filed before or after the effective date of such Registration Statement; and each of the undersigned hereby ratifies and confirms all that such attorney and agent shall do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature
 
Title
 
Date

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
By:   /s/ AN XIAOBO

Name: An Xiaobo
  Director, Chairman   September 29, 2017

By:

 

/s/ ZHOU XINMING

Name: Zhou Xinming

 

Director, Chief executive officer

 

September 29, 2017

By:

 

/s/ ZHANG QISEN (JOHNSON)

Name: Zhang Qisen (Johnson)

 

Chief financial officer

 

September 29, 2017

By:

 

/s/ WANG DONGLING

Name: Wang Dongling

 

Chief risk officer

 

September 29, 2017

By:

 

/s/ GAO TIANHAO

Name: Gao Tianhao

 

Chief marketing officer

 

September 29, 2017

By:

 

/s/ HUA LILI

Name: Hua Lili

 

Chief operations officer

 

September 29, 2017

By:

 

/s/ CHEN WEIXING

Name: Chen Weixing

 

Senior vice president

 

September 29, 2017

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SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE IN THE UNITED STATES

        Pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, the undersigned, the duly authorized representative in the United States of Hexindai Inc., has signed this Registration Statement or amendment thereto in New York, the United States on September 29, 2017.

    Authorized U.S. Representative

 

 

By:

 

/s/ DIANA ARIAS

        Name:   Diana Arias, on behalf of Law Debenture Corporate Services Inc.
        Title:   Senior Manager

II-8




Exhibit 1.1

 

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

 

between

 

HEXINDAI INC.

 

(a Cayman Islands exempted limited liability company)

 

and

 

NETWORK 1 FINANCIAL SECURITIES, INC.

 

as Underwriter

 



 

HEXINDAI INC.

Minimum Offering: $ [      ]

Maximum Offering: $[        ]

($[    ] per share)

 

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

 

[      ], 201 7

 

Network 1 Financial Securities, Inc.

2 Bridge Avenue, Penthouse

Red Bank, NJ 07701

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

The undersigned, Hexindai Inc. , a Cayman Islands exempted limited liability company (collectively with its subsidiaries and affiliates, including, without limitation, all entities disclosed or described in the Registration Statement (as hereinafter defined) as being subsidiaries or affiliates of the Company, the “ Company ”), hereby confirms its agreement with Network 1 Financial Securities, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as “ you ” (including its correlatives) or the “ Underwriter ”) as follows:

 

1.           Purchase and Sale of Securities .

 

1.1         Purchase of Securities .

 

1.1.1     Nature and Purchase of Securities .

 

(i)          On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell through the Underwrite r, an aggregate of between [        ] (the “ Minimum Offering ”) and [         ] (the “ Maximum Offering ”) American Depositary Shares (“ ADSs ”), each ADS representing [         ] ordinary share, par value $0.0001 per share (the “ Ordinary Shares ”). All ADSs to be offered and sold in the offering shall be issued and sold through the Underwriter, as agent for the Company, to the public, and the Underwriter agrees to use its best efforts to sell the ADSs as agents for the Company. The ADSs, the underlying Ordinary Shares and the ADRs evidencing such ADSs are referred to herein as the “ Securities .”

 

(ii)         The Securities are to be offered to the public (the “ Offering ”) at the offering price set forth on the cover page of the Prospectus (as defined below) (the “ Public Offering Price ”).

 

1.1.2.       Offering Period . Your appointment shall commence upon the date of the execution of this Agreement, and shall continue for a period (such period, including any extension thereof as hereinafter provided, being herein called the “ Offering Period ”) of 90 days from the effective date (the “ Effective Date ”) of the Registration Statement (and for a period of up to 90 additional days if extended by agreement of the Company and you), unless all of the Securities have previously been subscribed for. The Offering will terminate and all amounts paid by applicants to purchase Securities will be promptly returned to them without charge, deduction or interest as provided in the Prospectus and the Escrow Agreement (as hereinafter defined) (i) if subscriptions for at least $[      ] have not been received within the Offering Period, (ii) at any time by agreement of the Company and you or (iii) this Agreement shall be terminated as provided herein.

 

1.1.3.      Payment and Delivery .

 

(i)           Subject to the penultimate sentence of this paragraph, the Securities, in the form of ADSs, will be delivered by the Company to the Underwriter against payment of the purchase price therefor at the offices of Mei & Mark LLP, counsel to the Underwriter (“ Mei & Mark ”), at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time, on the second (2 nd ) (or if the Securities are priced, as contemplated by Rule 15c6-1(c) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended

 



 

(the “ Exchange Act ”), after [4:30] p.m. Eastern time, the third(3 rd )) Business Day after the date (the Closing Date ”) on which notice (the “ Closing Notice ”) requesting that the Offering be closed has been delivered to the Company by the Underwriter. The Closing Notice may be delivered at any time after notice has been delivered to the Company by the Underwriter that conditions for the Minimum Offering have been met. The Closing Date shall be no later than 90 days from the date of the Prospectus (the “ Offering Termination Date ”).  If the Underwriter so elects, delivery of the Securities, each in the form of ADSs, may be made, for the accounts of the respective investors, by credit through full FAST transfer to the account at The Depository Trust Company (“ DTC ”) designated by the Underwriter.  Certificates representing the ADSs, in definitive form and in such denominations and registered in such names as the Underwriter may reasonably request upon at least two (2) Business Days’ prior written notice to the Company, will be made available for checking and packaging not later than [10:00] a.m. EST on the business day next preceding the Closing Date at the above addresses, or such other location as may be mutually acceptable. The term “ Business Day ” means any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions are authorized or obligated by law to close in New York City.

 

(ii)        Prior to the sale of all of the Securities, all funds received from purchasers of the Securities shall be placed in an escrow account (the “ Escrow Account ”) with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as escrow agent (the “ Escrow Agent ”), in accordance with the escrow agreement entered into by and among the Underwriter, the Company and the Escrow Agent dated [      ], 2017 (the “ Escrow Agreement ”), the form of which is attached as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. The Underwriter shall promptly deliver to the Escrow Agent all monies in the form of checks or wire transfers which it receives from prospective purchasers of the Securities by noon of the next business day following receipt where internal supervisory review is conducted at the same location at which subscription documents and monies are received. Upon the Escrow Agent’s receipt of such monies, they shall be credited to the Escrow Account. All checks delivered to the Escrow Agent shall be made payable to “ Continental Stock Transfer & Trust AAF Hexindai Inc. Escrow Account.”  Upon delivery of the certificates (in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriter) representing the Securities (or through the facilities of the DTC) and the Depositary under the Deposit Agreement, the Escrow Agent shall release such funds to the Company, in accordance with the terms of the Escrow Agreement. In the event that the Minimum Offering amount is not sold on or before the Offering Termination Date, as determined by the Escrow Agent in its sole discretion and in accordance with the Escrow Agreement, all funds then held in the Escrow Account shall be returned promptly to the respective purchasers as provided in the Escrow Agreement.

 

(iii)         The Ordinary Shares underlying the Securities will be deposited pursuant to the Deposit Agreement, dated as of [            ], 2017 (the “ Deposit Agreement ”), entered into among the Company, Citibank, N.A., as depositary (the “ Depositary ”) and all holders from time to time of the ADSs. Upon deposit of any Ordinary Shares, the Depositary will issue ADSs representing the Ordinary Shares so deposited. The ADSs will be evidenced by American Depositary Receipts (the “ ADRs ”).

 

1.2          Nature of Underwriting.

 

The offering is being made without a firm commitment by the Underwriter, with no obligation or commitment on the part of the Underwriter to sell any of the ADSs. The Underwriter must sell the minimum number of securities offered ([           ] ADSs), if any are sold, and are required to use only their best efforts to sell the Securities offered.

 

1.3           Underwriter’s Remuneration .

 

The Company agrees to provide to the Underwriter a commission of seven (7.00%) of the Offering for the investors introduced by the Underwriter and a commission of three point two five (3.25%) of the Offering for the investors introduced by the Company at the offering price set forth on the cover page of the Prospectus for the ADSs.

 

2.            Representations and Warranties of the Company . The Company represents and warrants to the Underwriter as of the Applicable Time (as defined below) and as of the Closing Date, as follows:

 



 

2.1       Filing of Registration Statement .

 

2.1.1.   Pursuant to the Act .

 

(i)          The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “ Commission ”) a registration statement and an amendment or amendments thereto, on Form F-1 (File No. 333- [        ]), including any related prospectus or prospectuses, for the registration of the Securities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Act ”), which registration statement and amendment or amendments have been prepared by the Company and conform, in all material respects, with the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act (the “ Regulations ”). Except as the context may otherwise require, such registration statement on file with the Commission at the time the registration statement becomes effective (including the prospectus, financial statements, schedules, exhibits and all other documents filed as a part thereof or incorporated therein and all information deemed to be a part thereof as of the Effective Date pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 430A of the Regulations), is referred to herein as the “ Registration Statement .”

 

(ii)          The Company has filed with the Commission a registration statement and an amendment or amendments thereto, on Form F-6 (File No. [      ]), including any material incorporated by reference therein, for the registration of the ADSs under the Act (“ ADS Registration Statement ”), which registration statement and amendment or amendments have been prepared by the Company in all material respects in conformity with the requirements of the Act and Regulations.

 

(iii)          The final prospectus in the form first furnished to the Underwriter for use in the Offering, is hereinafter called the “ Prospectus .”

 

(iv)          The ADS Registration Statement and the Registration Statement have been declared effective by the Commission on or prior to the date hereof. “ Applicable Time ” means [4:30] pm on [      ], 2017 or such other time as agreed to by the Company and the Underwriter.

 

2.1.2.   Pursuant to the Exchange Act . The Company has filed with the Commission a Form 8-A (File Number [      ]) providing for the registration under the Exchange Act, of the ADSs. The registration of the ADSs under the Exchange Act has been declared effective by the Commission on or prior to the date hereof.

 

2.1.3.   Registration under the Exchange Act . The Securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Securities under the Exchange Act nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission is contemplating terminating such registration except as described in the Registration Statement, ADS Registration Statement and Prospectus.

 

2.1.4.       Listing on Nasdaq . The ADSs will be approved for listing on the Nasdaq Global Market (“ Nasdaq ”) by the Closing Date, subject to official notice of issuance, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of, terminating the listing of the Securities on Nasdaq nor has the Company received any notification that Nasdaq is contemplating revoking or withdrawing approval for listing of the Securities.

 

2.2          No Stop Orders, etc . Neither the Commission nor, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, any state regulatory authority has issued any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus (“ Preliminary Prospectus ”), the Prospectus or the Registration Statement or ADS Registration Statement or has instituted or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, threatened to institute any proceedings with respect to such an order.

 

2.3          Disclosures in Registration Statement .

 

2.3.1.       10b-5 Representation .

 

(i)          The Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any post-effective amendments thereto will in all material respects comply with the requirements of the Act and the Regulations.

 

(ii)        (a) The Registration Statement, when it became effective, and any amendment or supplement thereto, did not contain and, at the Closing Date, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and (b) the Prospectus when filed with the Commission does not contain and, at the Closing Date, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The representation

 



 

and warranty made in this Section 2.3.1(ii) does not apply to statements made or statements omitted in reliance upon and in conformity with written information with respect to the Underwriter furnished to the Company by the Underwriter expressly for use in the Registration Statement or Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto. The parties acknowledge and agree that such information provided by or on behalf of any of the Underwriter consists solely of the disclosure contained in the “Underwriting” section of the Prospectus (collectively, the “ Underwriter’s Information ”).

 

(iii)        The road show presentation and materials, when taken together as a whole with the Prospectus (collectively, the “ Disclosure Materials ”), do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The preceding sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from the Disclosure Materials based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Underwriter specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by or on behalf of any Underwriter consists of the Underwriter’s Information described as such in Section 2.3.1(ii) hereof.

 

2.3.2.      Prior Securities Transactions .  No securities of the Company have been sold by the Company or by or on behalf of, or for the benefit of, any person or persons controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Company, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement.

 

2.4          Changes After Dates in Registration Statement .

 

2.4.1.       No Material Adverse Change . Since the end of the period covered by the latest audited financial statements included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and except as otherwise specifically stated therein: (i) to the knowledge of the Company, there has been no events that have occurred that would have a material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or business prospects of the Company; and (ii) there have been no material transactions entered into by the Company not in the ordinary course of business, other than as contemplated pursuant to this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement.

 

2.4.2.       Recent Securities Transactions, etc . Since the end of the period covered by the latest audited financial statements included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and except as may otherwise be indicated or contemplated herein or disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company has not, other than with respect to options to purchase Ordinary Shares at an exercise price equal to the then fair market price of the Ordinary Shares, as determined by the Company’s board of directors, granted to employees, consultants or service providers: (i) issued any securities or incurred any material liability or obligation, direct or contingent, for borrowed money other than in the ordinary course of business; or (ii) declared or paid any dividend or made any other distribution on or in respect to its capital stock.

 

2.5          Independent Accountants . To the best of the Company’s knowledge, Marcum Bernstein & Pinchuk LLP (“ Marcum ”), whose report is filed with the Commission as part of the Registration Statement, are independent registered public accountants as required by the Act and the Regulations.

 

2.6            Financial Statements, etc . The financial statements, including the notes thereto and supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement and Prospectus fairly present the financial position and the results of operations of the Company at the dates and for the periods to which they apply; and such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), consistently applied throughout the periods involved except as disclosed therein; and the supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement present fairly the information required to be stated therein. The Registration Statement discloses all material off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including contingent obligations), and other relationships of the Company with unconsolidated entities or other persons that may have a material current or future effect on the Company’s financial condition, changes in financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, capital resources, or significant components of revenues or expenses. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (a) neither the Company nor any of its operating subsidiaries (each a “Subsidiary” and together the “Subsidiaries”), has incurred any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent, or entered into any material transactions other than in the ordinary course of business, (b) the Company has not declared or paid any dividends or made any distribution of any kind with respect

 



 

to its capital stock; (c) there has not been any change in the capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any grants under any stock compensation plan and, (d) there has not been any material adverse change in the Company’s long-term or short-term debt.

 

2.7            Authorized Capital; Options, etc . The Company had the duly authorized, issued and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. Based on the assumptions stated in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company will have on the Closing Date the adjusted share capital set forth therein. Except as set forth in, or contemplated by, this Agreement, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, on the Effective Date and on the Closing Date, there will be no options, warrants, or other rights to purchase or otherwise acquire any authorized, but unissued shares of the Company or any security convertible into shares of the Company, or any contracts or commitments to issue or sell shares or any such options, warrants, rights or convertible securities.

 

2.8          Valid Issuance of Securities, etc.

 

2.8.1.       Outstanding Securities . All issued and outstanding securities of the Company issued prior to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof have no rights of rescission with respect thereto, and are not subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; and none of such securities were issued in violation of the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company.

 

2.8.2.       Securities Sold Pursuant to this Agreement . The Ordinary Shares underlying the ADSs have been duly authorized for issuance and sale and, when issued and paid for, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; the ADSs and their underlying Ordinary Shares, are not and will not be subject to the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of the foregoing Securities has been duly and validly taken. The ADSs and the underlying Ordinary Shares, conform in all material respects to all statements with respect thereto contained in the Registration Statement.

 

2.8.3.       Issuance of American Depository Shares . Upon issuance by the Depositary of ADSs evidenced by ADRs against deposit of underlying Ordinary Shares in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, such ADRs will be duly and validly issued, and persons in whose names the ADRs are registered will be entitled to the rights specified in the ADRs and in the Deposit Agreement, and upon the sale and delivery of these Securities, and payment therefor, pursuant to this Agreement, the purchasers will acquire good, marketable and valid title to such Securities, free and clear of all pledges, liens, security interests, charges, claims or encumbrances of any kind..

 

2.9           Registration Rights of Third Parties . Except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, no holders of any securities of the Company or any rights exercisable for or convertible or exchangeable into securities of the Company have the right to require the Company to register any such securities of the Company under the Act or to include any such securities in a registration statement to be filed by the Company.

 

2.10         Validity and Binding Effect of This Agreement . This Agreement has been duly and validly authorized by the Company, and, when executed and delivered, will constitute, the valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except: (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally; (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under the federal and state securities laws; and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefore may be brought.

 

2.11         No Conflicts The execution, delivery, and performance by the Company of this Agreement, the Escrow Agreement, the Deposit Agreement, and all ancillary documents, the consummation by the Company of the transactions herein and therein contemplated and the compliance by the Company with the terms hereof and thereof do not and will not, with or without the giving of notice or the lapse of time or both: (i) result in a material breach of, or conflict with any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a material default under, or result in the creation, modification, termination or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company pursuant to the terms of any agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party; (ii) result in any

 



 

violation of the provisions of the Company’s memorandum and articles of association (as the same may be amended from time to time, the “Charter ”); or (iii) violate any existing applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties or business constituted as of the date hereof, except such violation or breach that would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the assets, business, conditions, financial position or results of operations of the Company (a “ Material Adverse Effect ”).

 

2.12         No Defaults; Violations . No default exists in the due performance and observance of any term, covenant or condition of any material license, contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, note, loan or credit agreement, or any other material agreement or instrument evidencing an obligation for borrowed money, or any other material agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company may be bound or to which any of the properties or assets of the Company is subject, except for such defaults that would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and that are not otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Materials. The Company is not in violation of any term or provision of its Charter, or in violation in any respect of any franchise, license, permit, applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties or businesses, except for such defaults that would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and that are not otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Materials.

 

2.13         Corporate Power; Licenses; Consents .

 

2.13.1.       Conduct of Business . Except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company has all requisite corporate power and authority, and has all necessary authorizations, approvals, orders, licenses, certificates and permits of and from all governmental regulatory officials and bodies that it needs as of the date hereof to conduct its business purpose as described in the Prospectus except, in each case, as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

2.13.2.       Transactions Contemplated Herein . The Company has all corporate power and authority to enter into this Agreement, the Escrow Agreement and the Deposit Agreement and to carry out the provisions and conditions hereof and thereof, and all consents, authorizations, approvals and orders required in connection therewith have been obtained. No consent, authorization or order of, and no filing with, any court, government agency or other body is required for the valid issuance, sale and delivery of the Securities and the consummation by the Company of the transactions and agreements contemplated by this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement and as contemplated by the Prospectus, except with respect to applicable federal and state securities laws and the rules and regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“ FINRA ”).

 

2.14        D&O Questionnaires .  To the Company’s knowledge, all information contained in the questionnaires (the “ Questionnaires ”) completed by each of the Company’s directors and officers named in the section “Management” in the Prospectus immediately prior to the Offering (the “ Insiders ”) as well as in the Lock-Up Agreement in the form attached hereto as  Exhibit A  provided to the Underwriter is true and correct in all respects and the Company has not become aware of any information which would cause the information disclosed in the questionnaires completed by each Insider to become inaccurate and incorrect.

 

2.15            Litigation; Governmental Proceedings . There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry, arbitration, investigation, litigation or governmental proceeding pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against, or involving the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, any executive officer or director that has not been disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or in connection with the Company’s listing application for the listing of the ADSs on Nasdaq.

 

2.16            Good Standing . The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation and is in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands as of the date hereof, and is duly qualified to do business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of business requires such qualification, except where the failure to qualify would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 



 

2.17            Transactions Affecting Disclosure to FINRA .

 

2.17.1.       Finder’s Fees . Except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there are no claims, payments, arrangements, agreements or understandings relating to the payment of a finder’s, consulting or origination fee by the Company or any Insider with respect to the sale of the Securities hereunder or any other arrangements, agreements or understandings of the Company or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, any of its shareholders that may affect the Underwriter’s compensation, as determined by FINRA.

 

2.17.2.       Payments Within Twelve (12) Months . Except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company has not made any direct or indirect payments (in cash, securities or otherwise) to: (i) any person, as a finder’s fee, consulting fee or otherwise, in consideration of such person raising capital for the Company or introducing to the Company persons who raised or provided capital to the Company; (ii) to any FINRA member; or (iii) to any person or entity that has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any FINRA member, within the twelve months prior to the Effective Date, other than the prior payment of US$[         ]to Network 1 Financial Securities, Inc., the Underwriter, as provided hereunder in connection with the Offering.

 

2.17.3.       FINRA Affiliation . To the best of the Company’s knowledge, and except as may have been previously disclosed in writing to the Underwriter, no Insider or any beneficial owner of 5% or more of the Company’s outstanding Ordinary Shares has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any FINRA member (as determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of FINRA).

 

2.18            Foreign Corrupt Practices Act . Neither the Company nor, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, any of the Insiders or employees of the Company or any other person authorized to act on behalf of the Company has, directly or indirectly, knowingly given or agreed to give any money, gift or similar benefit (other than legal price concessions to customers in the ordinary course of business) to any customer, supplier, employee or agent of a customer or supplier, or official or employee of any governmental agency or instrumentality of any government (domestic or foreign) or any political party or candidate for office (domestic or foreign) or other person who was, is, or may be in a position to help or hinder the business of the Company (or assist it in connection with any actual or proposed transaction) that might subject the Company to any damage or penalty in any civil, criminal or governmental litigation or proceeding.

 

2.19            Officers’ Certificate . Any certificate signed by any duly authorized officer of the Company and delivered to you or to Mei & Mark shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to the Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby.

 

2.20            Lock-Up Period.

 

2.20.1.      Each Insider and each beneficial owner of 5% or more of the Company holding outstanding Ordinary Shares (or securities convertible into Ordinary Shares) (together with the Insiders, the “ Lock-Up Parties ”) have agreed pursuant to executed Lock-Up Agreements in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A that for a period ending 180 days after the Closing Date (the “ Lock-Up Period ”), such persons and their affiliated parties shall not offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, grant, lend or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any ADSs or capital stock of the Company, including Ordinary Shares, or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for such ADSs or capital stock, without the consent of the Underwriter, with certain exceptions. The Underwriter may consent to an early release from the applicable Lock-Up period if, in its opinion, the market for the ADSs would not be adversely impacted by sales and in cases of financial emergency of an Insider or other stockholder.

 

2.20.2.      The Company, on behalf of itself and any successor entity, has agreed that, without the prior written consent of the Underwriter, it will not, for a period ending 180 days after the Closing Date, (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of capital stock of the Company or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of the Company; (ii) file or cause to be filed any registration statement with the Commission relating to the offering of any shares of capital stock of the Company or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of the Company or (iii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of capital stock of the Company, whether any such transaction described in clause (i), (ii) or (iii) above is to be settled by delivery of shares of capital stock of the

 


 

Company or such other securities, in cash or otherwise. The restrictions contained in this paragraph 2.20.2 shall not apply to (i) the ADSs and Ordinary Shares to be sold hereunder, (ii) the issuance by the Company of ADSs and Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of an option or warrant or the conversion of a security outstanding on the date hereof of, provided that the Underwriter has been advised in writing of such issuance prior to the date hereof,  (iii) the issuance by the Company of option to purchase or shares of ADSs, Ordinary Shares, capital stock or restricted stock of the Company under any stock compensation plan of the Company outstanding on the date hereof or (iv) any registration statement on Form S-8. For purposes of subclause (ii) in this paragraph, the Underwriter acknowledges that disclosure in the Registration Statement filed prior to the date hereof of any outstanding option or warrant shall be deemed to constitute prior written notice to the Underwriter.

 

2.2 1         Subsidiaries . Exhibit 21.1 of the Registration Statement lists each Subsidiary and consolidated entity of the Company and sets forth the ownership of all of the Subsidiaries. The Subsidiaries are duly organized and in good standing under the laws of the place of organization or incorporation, and each such Subsidiary is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of business requires such qualification, except where the failure to qualify would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company’s ownership and control of each Subsidiary and each Subsidiary’s ownership and control of other Subsidiaries, is as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Materials and the Prospectus. The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or entity other than Hexindai Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted limited liability company (“ Hexindai Cayman ”), Hexindai Hong Kong Limited, a limited liability company established under the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and wholly-owned subsidiary of Hexindai Cayman (“ Hexindai HK ”), Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd., a wholly foreign owned enterprise established under the laws of the People’s Republic of China (the “ PRC ”) and a wholly owned subsidiary of Hexindai HK (“ Hexindai WFOE ”) and Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd., a wholly foreign owned enterprise established under the laws of the PRC controlled by Hexindai WFOE through the VIE Agreements (“ Hexindai VIE ”). Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has full corporate power and authority to own or lease, as the case may be, and to operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the Disclosure Materials and the Prospectus, and is duly qualified to do business under the laws of each jurisdiction which requires such qualification.

 

2.2 2            Related Party Transactions . Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there are no business relationships or related party transactions involving the Company or any other person required to be described in the Prospectus that have not been described as required.

 

2.23            Board of Directors . The Board of Directors of the Company is comprised of the persons set forth under the heading of the Prospectus captioned “Directors.” The qualifications of the persons serving as board members and the overall composition of the board comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder applicable to the Company and the rules of Nasdaq. At least one member of the Board of Directors of the Company qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as such term is defined under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder and the rules of Nasdaq. In addition, at least a majority of the persons serving on the Board of Directors qualify as “independent” as defined under the rules of Nasdaq.

 

2.24            Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance .

 

2.24.1.       Disclosure Controls . The Company has developed and currently maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that all material information concerning the Company will be made known on a timely basis to the individuals responsible for the preparation of the Company’s Exchange Act filings and other public disclosure documents.

 

2.24.2.       Compliance . The Company will be, on the Effective Date, in material compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 applicable to it and has implemented or will implement such programs and taken reasonable steps to ensure the Company’s future compliance (not later than the relevant statutory and regulatory deadlines therefor) with all the material provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

2.25            No Investment Company Status . The Company is not and, after giving effect to the Offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the net proceeds thereof as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, will not be, an “investment company” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

 



 

2.26         No Material Labor Disputes . No labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries exists or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, is imminent, which would result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

2.27         Intellectual Property . The Company and each of its Subsidiaries owns or possesses or has valid rights to use all patents, patent applications, trademarks, service marks, trade names, trademark registrations, service mark registrations, copyrights, licenses, inventions, trade secrets and similar rights (“ Intellectual Property ”) necessary for the conduct of the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries as currently carried on and as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except for such Intellectual Property, the failure of which to own or possess, as the case may be, would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. To the best of the Company’s knowledge, no action or use by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries will involve or give rise to any infringement of, or material license or similar fees for, any Intellectual Property of others, that would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any notice alleging any such infringement or fee, except such infringement or fee that would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company or the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

 

2.28         Taxes . Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has filed all returns (as hereinafter defined) required to be filed with taxing authorities prior to the date hereof or has duly obtained extensions of time for the filing thereof. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has paid all taxes (as hereinafter defined) shown as due on such returns that were filed and has paid all material taxes imposed on or assessed against the Company or such subsidiary. The provisions for taxes payable, if any, shown on the financial statements filed with or as part of the Registration Statement are sufficient for all accrued and unpaid taxes, whether or not disputed, for all periods to and including the dates of such consolidated financial statements. Except as disclosed in writing to the Underwriter and to the knowledge of the Company, (i) no material issues have been raised (and are currently pending) by any taxing authority in connection with any of the returns or taxes asserted as due from the Company or its Subsidiaries, and (ii) no waivers of statutes of limitation with respect to the returns or collection of taxes have been given by or requested from the Company or its Subsidiaries. The term “ taxes ” mean all federal, state, local, foreign, and other net income, gross income, gross receipts, sales, use, ad valorem, transfer, franchise, profits, license, lease, service, service use, withholding, payroll, employment, excise, severance, stamp, occupation, premium, property, windfall profits, customs, duties or other taxes, fees, assessments, or charges of any kind whatever, together with any interest and any penalties, additions to tax, or additional amounts with respect thereto. The term “ returns ” means all returns, declarations, reports, statements, and other documents required to be filed with relevant taxing authorities in respect to taxes.

 

2.29                         Data . The statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources which the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate, and such data agree with the sources from which they are derived.  The Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources to the extent necessary.

 

2.30                         The Company’s Board of Directors has validly appointed an audit committee whose composition satisfies the requirements of the rules and regulations of Nasdaq and the Board of Directors and/or audit committee has adopted a charter that satisfies the requirements of the rules and regulations of Nasdaq.  Neither the Board of Directors nor the audit committee has been informed, nor is any director of the Company aware, of any significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information.

 

2.31                         Neither the Company nor the Subsidiaries has, prior to the date hereof, made any offer or sale of any securities which are required to be “integrated” pursuant to the Act or the Regulations with the offer and sale of the Underwriter pursuant to the Registration Statement.  Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, neither the Company nor the Subsidiaries has sold or issued any Ordinary Shares or any securities convertible into, exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares, or other equity securities, or any rights to acquire any Ordinary Shares or other equity securities of the Company, during the six-month period preceding the date of the Prospectus, including but not limited to any sales pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation D or S under the Act, other than Ordinary Shares

 



 

issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified stock option plans or the employee compensation plans or pursuant to outstanding options, rights or warrants as described in the Registration Statement.

 

2.32         PRC Representation and Warranties .

 

2. 32.1.       Organization .

 

(i)          Hexindai WFOE has been duly organized and is validly existing as a company under the laws of the PRC, and its business license is in full force and effect; Hexindai WFOE has been duly qualified as a foreign invested enterprise with the following approvals and certificates: (A) Certificate of Approval and (B) Business License. 100% of the equity interests of Hexindai WFOE are owned by the Company as described in the Prospectus, and such equity interests are free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims; the articles of association, the business license and other constituent documents of Hexindai WFOE comply in all material respects with the requirements of applicable laws of the PRC and are in full force and effect; Hexindai WFOE has full power and authority (corporate and other) and all consents, approvals, authorizations, permits, licenses, orders, registrations, clearances and qualifications of or with any governmental agency having jurisdiction over Hexindai WFOE or any of its properties required for the ownership or lease of property by it and the conduct of its business in accordance with its registered business scope except for such that would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect and has the legal right and authority to own, use, lease and operate its assets and to conduct its business in the manner presently conducted and as described in the Prospectus; and all of the registered capital of Hexindai WFOE has been paid.

 

(ii)          Hexindai VIE has been duly organized and is validly existing as a limited liability company under the laws of the PRC and its business license is in full force and effect; 100% of the equity interests of Hexindai VIE are indirectly controlled by the Company through contractual arrangements as described in the Prospectus (the “ VIE Agreements ”), and such equity interests are free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims except for the pledge of the equity interests under the VIE Agreements; the articles of association, the business license and other constituent documents of Hexindai VIE comply in all material respects with the requirements of applicable laws of the PRC and are in full force and effect; except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, Hexindai VIE has full power and authority (corporate and other) and has all consents, approvals, authorizations, permits, licenses, orders, registrations, clearances and qualifications of or with any governmental agency having jurisdiction over Hexindai VIE or any of its properties required for the ownership or lease of property by it and the conduct of its business, except for such that would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and has the legal right and authority to own, use, lease and operate its assets and to conduct its business in the manner presently conducted and as described in the Prospectus; the registered capital of has been fully paid by its shareholders.

 

(iii)          Each of Hexindai WFOE and Hexindai VIE has legal and valid title to all of its properties and assets, free and clear of all liens, charges, encumbrances, equities, claims, options and restrictions; each lease agreement to which it is a party is duly executed and legally binding; its leasehold interests are set forth in and governed by the terms of any lease agreements, and, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, such agreements are valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with their respective terms under PRC law, except where the invalidity of such lease agreements would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company or the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; and, none of Hexindai WFOE or Hexindai VIE owns, operates, manages or has any other right or interest in any other material real property of any kind, which would reasonably result in a Material Adverse Effect to the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except as described in the Prospectus.

 

2. 32.2.       PRC Taxes . Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Materials and Prospectus, including the risk factor set forth in “ Risk Factors— If we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC income tax purposes, such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders or ADS holders, ” no transaction, stamp, capital or other issuance, registration, transaction, transfer or withholding taxes or duties are payable in China, Hong Kong or the Cayman Islands to any Chinese, Hong Kong or Cayman Islands taxing authority in connection with (A) the issuance, sale and delivery of the Ordinary Shares represented by the ADSs, the issuance of the Securities by the Depositary, and the delivery of the Securities to or for the account of the purchasers, (B) the purchase from the Company and the sale and delivery of the Securities to purchasers thereof, (C) the deposit of the Ordinary Shares with the Depositary and the Custodian (as defined in the

 



 

Deposit Agreement) and the issuance and delivery of the ADSs, or (D) the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Underwriter or the Deposit Agreement.

 

2. 32.3.       Dividends and Distributions . Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Materials, Registration Statement and the Prospectus, no Subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited or restricted, directly or indirectly, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such Subsidiary’s capital stock, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such Subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such Subsidiary’s property or assets to the Company or any other Subsidiary of the Company.

 

2. 32.4.       Money Laundering . The operations of the Company, its Subsidiaries and Hexindai VIE are and have been conducted at all times in all material respects in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of money laundering statutes and the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “ Money Laundering Laws ”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company, any of its subsidiaries or Hexindai VIE with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, threatened.

 

2. 32.5.       Office of Foreign Assets Control . None of the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, Hexindai VIE or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or Hexindai VIE has conducted or entered into a contract to conduct any transaction with the governments or any of subdivision thereof, agents or the Underwriter, residents of, or any entity based or resident in the countries that are currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“ OFAC ”); none of the Company, any of its subsidiaries or Hexindai VIE is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC (including but not limited to the designation as a “specially designated national or blocked person” thereunder), Her Majesty’s Treasury, the United Nations Security Council, or the European Union or is located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of OFAC-administered sanctions, including, without limitation, Burma/Myanmar, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria; and the Company will not knowingly directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.

 

2.23.6.       No Immunity . None of the Company, its Subsidiaries, Hexindai VIE or any of its or their properties or assets has any immunity from the jurisdiction of any court or from any legal process (whether through service or notice, attachment prior to judgment, attachment in aid of execution or otherwise) under the laws of the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, the PRC, New York or United States federal law; and, to the extent that the Company, its Subsidiaries, Hexindai VIE or any of their respective properties, assets or revenues may have or may hereafter become entitled to any such right of immunity in any such court in which proceedings may at any time be commenced, each of the Company, its Subsidiaries and Hexindai VIE waives or will waive such right to the extent permitted by law and has consented to such relief and enforcement under New York law as provided under this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement.

 

2. 32.7.             Free Transferability of Dividends or Distributions . Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Materials, Registration Statement and Prospectus all dividends and other distributions declared and payable on the Ordinary Shares may under current Cayman Islands, Hong Kong and PRC law and regulations be paid to the Depositary and to the holders of Securities, as the case may be, in United States dollars and may be converted into foreign currency that may be transferred out of the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong and the PRC in accordance with the Deposit Agreement, and all such payments made to holders thereof or therein who are non-residents of the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong or the PRC, will not be subject to income, withholding or other taxes under laws and regulations of the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong and the PRC, or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein and will otherwise be free and clear of any other tax, duty, withholding or deduction in the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong and the PRC or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein and without the necessity of obtaining any governmental authorization in the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong and the PRC or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein.

 

2. 32.8.           Not a PFIC . Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Materials, Registration Statement and Prospectus, the Company does not expect that it will be treated as a Passive Foreign Investment Company (“ PFIC ”) within the

 



 

meaning of Section 1297 of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, for its current taxable year. The Company has no plan or intention to operate in such a manner that would reasonably be expected to result in the Company becoming a PFIC in future taxable years.

 

2. 32.9.          Compliance with SAFE Regulations . The Company has taken all reasonable steps to cause all of the Company’s shareholders and option holders who are residents or citizens of the PRC, to comply with any applicable rules and regulations of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange ( SAFE ) relating to such shareholders’ and optionholders’ shareholding with the Company (the “ SAFE Rules and Regulations ”), including, without limitation, taking reasonable steps to require each shareholder or option holder that is, or is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by, a resident or citizen of the PRC to complete any registration and other procedures required under applicable SAFE Rules and Regulations.

 

2. 32.10.          M&A and CSRC Rules . The Company is aware of and has been advised as to the content of the Rules on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors jointly promulgated by the Ministry of Commerce, the State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Tax Administration, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, the China Securities Regulatory Commission ( CSRC ) and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of China (SAFE) on August 8, 2006 and amended on June 22, 2009 (the “ M&A Rules ”), in particular the relevant provisions thereof that purport to require offshore special purpose vehicles formed for the purpose of obtaining a stock exchange listing outside of the PRC and controlled directly or indirectly by companies or natural persons of the PRC, to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of their securities on a stock exchange located outside of the PRC; the Company has received legal advice specifically with respect to the M&A Rules from its PRC counsel and based on such legal advice, the Company confirms with the Underwriter:

 

(i)          Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Materials, Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the issuance and sale of the Ordinary Shares and the ADSs, the listing and trading of the Securities on Nasdaq and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement are not and will not be, as of the date hereof, at the Closing Date or on each settlement date, affected by the M&A Rules or any official clarifications, guidance, interpretations or implementation rules in connection with or related to the M&A Rules, including the guidance and notices issued by the CSRC on September 8 and September 21, 2006, as amended (collectively, the “ M&A Rules and Related Clarifications ”).

 

(ii)          Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Materials, Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as of the date hereof, the M&A Rules and Related Classifications did not and do not require the Company to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the issuance and sale of the Ordinary Shares and the ADSs, the listing and trading of the Securities on Nasdaq, or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement.

 

2. 32.11.          Foreign Private Issuer Status . The Company is a “foreign private issuer” within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Act.

 

2. 32.12.          Choice of Law . Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Materials, Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the choice of law provision set forth in Section 8.6 of this Agreement, and the comparable provision in the Deposit Agreement, each constitutes a legal and valid choice of law under the laws of the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong and the PRC and will be observed and given effect to by courts in the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong and the PRC, subject to compliance with relevant civil procedural requirements (that do not involve a re-examination of the merits of the claim) in the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong and the PRC. The Company has the power to submit, and pursuant to Section 8.6 of this Agreement and Section 7.6 of the Deposit Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and submitted, to the personal jurisdiction of each of the New York Courts, and the Company has the power to designate, appoint and authorize, and pursuant to Section 8.6 of this has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably designated, appointed an authorized agent for service of process in any action arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the Deposit Agreement or the Securities in any New York Court, and service of process effected on such authorized agent will be effective to confer valid personal jurisdiction over the Company as provided in Section 8.6 of this Agreement.

 



 

2. 32.13.          Recognition of Judgments . Any final judgment for a fixed sum of money rendered by a New York Court having jurisdiction under New York law in respect of any suit, action or proceeding against the Company based upon this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement would be recognized and enforced against the Company by Cayman Islands courts without re-examining the merits of the case under the common law doctrine of obligation; provided that such judgment is (A) given by a foreign court of competent jurisdiction; (B) imposes on the judgment debtor a liability to pay a liquidated sum for which the judgment has been given; (C) is final; (D) is not in respect of taxes, a fine or a penalty; and (E) was not obtained in a manner and is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands.

 

2.33          MD&A . The section entitled “ Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations ” in the Preliminary Prospectus included in the Disclosure Materials and the Prospectus accurately and fully describes in all material respects (A) accounting policies that the Company believes are the most important in the portrayal of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations and that require management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments (“ Critical Accounting Policies ”); (B) judgments and uncertainties affecting the application of the Critical Accounting Policies; and (C) the likelihood that materially different amounts would be reported under different conditions or using different assumptions and an explanation thereof; and the Company’s management have reviewed and agreed with the selection, application and disclosure of the Critical Accounting Policies as described in the Disclosure Materials and the Prospectus and have consulted with its independent accountants with regard to such disclosure.

 

3.           Covenants of the Company . The Company covenants and agrees as follows:

 

3.1            Amendments to Registration Statement . The Company will deliver to the Underwriter, prior to filing, any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, ADS Registration Statement or Prospectus proposed to be filed after the Effective Date and not file any such amendment or supplement to which the Underwriter shall reasonably object in writing.

 

3.2            Federal Securities Laws .

 

3.2.1.           Compliance . During the time when a Prospectus is required to be delivered under the Act, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Act, the Regulations and the Exchange Act and by the regulations under the Exchange Act, as from time to time in force, so far as necessary to permit the continuance of sales of or dealings in the Securities in accordance with the provisions hereof and the Prospectus. If at any time when a Prospectus relating to the Securities is required to be delivered under the Act, any event shall have occurred as a result of which, in the opinion of counsel for the Company or counsel for the Underwriter, the Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if it is necessary at any time to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with the Act, the Company will notify the Underwriter promptly and prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 3.1 hereof, an appropriate amendment or supplement in accordance with Section 10 of the Act.

 

3.2.2.           Filing of Final Prospectus . The Company will file the Prospectus (in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriter) with the Commission pursuant to the requirements of Rule 424 of the Regulations.

 

3.2.3.           Free Writing Prospectuses . The Company represents and agrees that it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an issuer free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 433 of the Act, without the prior consent of the Underwriter.

 

3.3            Delivery to the Underwriter of Prospectuses . The Company will deliver to the Underwriter, without charge, from time to time during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the Act or the Exchange Act such number of copies of each Prospectus as the Underwriter may reasonably request and, as soon as the Registration Statement, ADS Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement thereto becomes effective, deliver to the Underwriter two copies of the executed Registration Statements and all post-effective amendments thereto.

 



 

3.4          Effectiveness and Events Requiring Notice to the Underwriter . The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Registration Statement to remain effective with a current prospectus the earlier of 90 days from the Applicable Time or until the closing of the Offering and will promptly notify the Underwriter and confirm the notice in writing: (i) of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement and ADS Registration Statement, and any amendments thereto; (ii) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of the initiation, or the threatening, of any proceeding for that purpose; (iii) of the issuance by any state securities commission of any proceedings for the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction or of the initiation, or the threatening, of any proceeding for that purpose; (iv) of the filing with the Commission of any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, ADS Registration Statement or Prospectus; (v) of the receipt of any comments or request for any additional information from the Commission; and (vi) of the happening of any event during the period described in this Section 3.4 hereof that, in the judgment of the Company, makes any statement of a material fact made in the Registration Statement, ADS Registration Statement or the Prospectus untrue or that requires the making of any changes in the Registration Statement, ADS Registration Statement or the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. If the Commission or any state securities commission shall enter a stop order or suspend such qualification at any time, the Company will make every reasonable effort to obtain promptly the lifting of such order.

 

3.5          Review of Financial Statements. For a period of one (1) year from the Effective Date, the Company, at its expense, shall cause its regularly engaged independent certified public accountants to review (but not audit) the Company’s financial statements for such interim periods as the Company is required to furnish reports. However, so long as the Company is subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and is timely filing reports with the Commission on its EDGAR reporting system, it is not required to furnish such reports filed through EDGAR to the Underwriter.

 

3.6         Reports to the Underwriter .

 

3.6.1            Periodic Reports, etc . For a period of one (1) year from the Effective Date, the Company will furnish to the Underwriter copies of such financial statements and other periodic and special reports as the Company from time to time furnishes generally to holders of any class of its securities and also promptly furnish or make available to the Underwriter: (i) a copy of each periodic report the Company shall be required to file with the Commission; (ii) a copy of each Form  6-K prepared and filed by the Company; (iii) a copy of each registration statement filed by the Company under the Act. Documents filed with the Commission pursuant to its EDGAR system shall be deemed to have been delivered to the Underwriter pursuant to this Section.

 

3.7           Payment of Expenses .

 

3.7.1.           General Expenses Related to the Offering . The Company hereby agrees to pay on the Closing Date all expenses incident to the preparation of, and performance of the obligations of, the Company under this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement, including, but not limited to: (a) all filing fees relating to the registration of the ADSs to be sold in the Offering with the Commission; (b) all COBRADesk filing fees associated with the review of the Offering by FINRA; all fees and expenses relating to the listing of such ADSs on the Nasdaq and such other stock exchanges as the Company and the Underwriter together determine; (c) all fees, expenses and disbursements relating to the registration, qualification or exemption of such ADSs under the securities laws of such foreign jurisdictions as the Underwriter may reasonably designate; (d) the costs of all mailing and printing of the offering documents, Registration Statements, ADS Registration Statements, Prospectuses and all amendments, supplements and exhibits thereto and as many preliminary and final Prospectuses as the Underwriter may reasonably deem necessary, (e) the costs of preparing, authenticating, issuing, printing and delivering certificates representing the ADSs; (f) fees and expenses of the Depositary for the ADSs; (g) stock transfer and/or stamp taxes, if any, payable upon the transfer of securities from the Company to the Underwriter; (h) the fees and expenses of the Company’s accountants; (i) the fees and expenses of the Company’s legal counsel and other agents; (j) the costs associated with post-Closing advertising of the Offering in the national editions of the Wall Street Journal and New York Times except that that Company shall only reimburse the Underwriter for the costs of this subsection (k) if the Company gives its prior written consent to such advertisements; and (l) actual “road show” expenses for the Offering incurred by the Company. The Underwriter may also deduct from the net proceeds of the Offering payable to the Company on the Closing Date the expenses set forth herein to be paid by the Company to the Underwriter. Such expenses shall

 



 

include reimbursement of up to $100,000 of the Underwriter’s actual expenses including but not limited to (a) reasonable clearing charges; (b) travel and out-of pocket expense in connection with the Offering; (c) reasonable fees and expenses of legal counsel incurred by the Underwriter in connection with the Offering; (d) cost of due diligence meetings not exceeding $10,000 in the aggregate; and (e) preparation of printed documents for closing and deal mementos with costs not exceeding $3,000. Any remaining costs and expenses of the Underwriter shall be borne by the Underwriter. The Underwriter acknowledges that US$50,000 of this allowance has been paid by the Company and shall be deducted from the accountable expense allowance payable pursuant to this Section 3.7.1.

 

3.7.2.      Non-accountable Expenses . The Company further agrees that, in addition to the expenses payable pursuant to Section 3.7.1, on the Closing Date it will pay to the Underwriter a non-accountable expense allowance of 1.5% of the Offering, up to a maximum cap of US$300,000, by deduction from the proceeds of the Offering contemplated herein.

 

3.8            Application of Net Proceeds . The Company will apply the net proceeds from the Offering received by it in a manner consistent with the application described under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Prospectus.

 

3.9            Delivery of Earnings Statements to Security Holders . The Company will make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable, but not later than the first day of the fifteenth (15 th ) full calendar month following the Effective Date, an earnings statement (which need not be certified by independent public or independent certified public accountants unless required by the Act or the Regulations, but which shall satisfy the provisions of Rule 158(a) under Section 11(a) of the Act) covering a period of at least twelve (12) consecutive months beginning after the Effective Date.

 

3.10          Stabilization . Neither the Company nor to the best of the Company’s knowledge, any of its employees, directors or shareholders (without the consent of the Underwriter) will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that has constituted or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act, or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the ADSs.

 

3.11          Internal Controls . Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Materials, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, to the extent required under Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Company will maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary in order to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

 

3.12          Accountants . After the Effective Date, the Company shall retain independent public accountants reasonably acceptable to the Underwriter, and the Company shall continue to retain a nationally recognized independent certified public accounting firm for a period of at least one (1) year after the Effective Date. The Underwriter acknowledges that Marcum is acceptable to the Underwriter.

 

3.13          FINRA . The Company shall advise the Underwriter (who shall make an appropriate filing with FINRA) if it becomes aware that any 5% or greater shareholder of the Company becomes an affiliate or associated person of an FINRA member participating in the distribution of the Securities.

 

3.14          No Fiduciary Duties . The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriter responsibility to the Company is solely contractual in nature and that none of the Underwriter of its affiliates shall be deemed to be acting in a fiduciary capacity, or otherwise owes any fiduciary duty to the Company or any of its affiliates in connection with the Offering and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

3.15          Amendments to Deposit Agreement . After the Effective Date, the Company will deliver to the Underwriter a copy of any proposed amendment to the Deposit Agreement, prior to effectiveness of any such amendment.

 



 

3.16          Compliance with SAFE Regulations . The Company shall use reasonable efforts to cause its shareholders and option holders that are, or that are directly or indirectly owned or controlled by, residents or citizens of the PRC, to comply with the SAFE Rules and Regulations applicable to them, including without limitation, requesting each such shareholder and option holder to complete any registration and other procedures required under applicable SAFE Rules and Regulations.

 

3.17          Maintenance of Transfer Restrictions . The Company shall at all times after the Closing Date maintain transfer restrictions with respect to the Company’s ADSs and Ordinary Shares that are subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to this Agreement and the Lock-Up Agreements (as defined below) and shall use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure compliance with such restrictions on transfer of restricted ADSs and Ordinary Shares.

 

3.18          Maintenance of ADS Listing . The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to effect and maintain the listing of the ADSs on Nasdaq for not less than two (2) years.

 

3.19                         Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.  The Company will take reasonable steps to ensure that its accounting controls and procedures are sufficient to cause the Company to comply in all material respects with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.

 

4.           Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations . The obligations of the Underwriter hereunder shall be subject to (i) the continuing accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date; (ii) the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and (iii) the following conditions:

 

4.1            Regulatory Matters .

 

4.1.1.           Effectiveness of Registration Statement . The Registration Statement and ADS Registration Statement shall have become effective not later than 5:00 P.M., Eastern time, on the date of this Agreement or such later date and time as shall be consented to in writing by you, and, at the Closing Date, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement and ADS Registration Statement shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or shall be pending or contemplated by the Commission and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with .

 

4.1.2.           FINRA Clearance . By the Effective Date, the Underwriter shall have received clearance from FINRA as to the Registration Statement.

 

4.1.3.          NYSE/ Nasdaq Stock Market Clearance . On or prior to the Closing Date, the Securities shall have been approved for listing on Nasdaq, subject only to written confirmation of the Closing by the Company.

 

4.1.4.           Free Writing Prospectuses .  The Underwriter covenants with the Company that the Underwriter will not use, authorize the use of, refer to, or participate in the planning for the use of a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act, which term includes use of any written information furnished by the Commission to the Company and not incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement, without the prior written consent of the Company.

 

4.2            Opinions of Counsels .

 

4.2.1.           Closing Date Opinion of Counsel . On the Closing Date, the Underwriter shall have received the favorable opinion of Shearman & Sterling, U.S. securities counsel to the Company, dated the Closing Date, addressed to the Underwriter, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriter.

 

4.2.2.           Cayman Opinion . On the Closing Date, the Underwriter shall have received the favorable opinion of Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP, Cayman Islands counsel to the Company, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriter.

 

4.2.3.           PRC Opinion . On the Closing Date, the Underwriter shall have received the favorable opinion of Han Kun Law Offices, PRC counsel to the Company, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriter.

 



 

4.2.4.                   Depositary Counsel Opinion . The Company shall have requested and caused Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, counsel for the Depositary, to have furnished to the Underwriter their opinion, dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Underwriter, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriter.

 

4.2.5.                   Opinion of U.S. Counsel for Underwriter .  On the Closing Date, the Underwriter shall have received the favorable opinion in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriter of Mei & Mark LLP, counsel for the Underwriter.

 

4.2.6                      Opinion of PRC Counsel for Underwriter .  On the Closing Date, the Underwriter shall have received from DaHui Lawyers, PRC counsel for the Underwriter, such written opinion or opinions in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriter.

 

4.2.7                      Reliance . In rendering such opinions, such counsel may rely: (i) as to matters involving the application of laws other than the laws of the United States and jurisdictions in which they are admitted, to the extent such counsel deems proper and to the extent specified in such opinion, if at all, upon an opinion or opinions (in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriter) of other counsel reasonably acceptable to the Underwriter, familiar with the applicable laws; and (ii) as to matters of fact, to the extent they deem proper, on certificates or other written statements of officers of the Company and officers of departments of various jurisdictions having custody of documents respecting the corporate existence or good standing of the Company, provided that copies of any such statements or certificates shall be delivered to Mei & Mark if requested. The opinions referenced in Sections 4.2.1, 4.2.2, 4.2.3, 4.2.4 and 4.2.4 shall include a statement to the effect that it may be relied upon by counsel for the Underwriter in its opinion delivered to the Underwriter.

 

4.3            Cold Comfort Letter . At the time this Agreement is executed, the Underwriter shall have received (i) a cold comfort letter, addressed to the Underwriter and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriter and to Mei & Mark from Marcum, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and (ii) an officer’s certificate from the chief financial officer of the Company dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriter, to the effect set forth in Exhibit B attached hereto.

 

4.4                                Bring-down Comfort Letter and CFO Certificate.  At the Closing Date, the Underwriter shall have received (i) from Marcum a letter with respect to the Company, dated as of Closing Date, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished pursuant to Section 4.3(i) to the extent permitted by the AICPA auditing standards, except that the specified date referred to shall be a date not more than three (3) business days prior to Closing Date and (ii) from the Company a certificate of the chief financial officer of the Company, dated as of the Closing Date, to the effect that the chief financial officer of the Company reaffirms the statements made in the certificate furnished pursuant to Section 4.3 (ii).

 

4.5            Officers’ Certificates .

 

4.5.1.           Officers’ Certificate . At the Closing Date, the Underwriter shall have received a certificate of the Company signed by the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, dated the Closing Date, to the effect that the Company has performed all covenants and complied with all conditions required by this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement to be performed or complied with by the Company prior to and as of the Closing Date, and that the conditions set forth in Section 4. 4 hereof have been satisfied as of such date and that, as of the Closing Date, the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Section 2 hereof are true and correct in all material respects.

 

4.5.2.           Secretary’s Certificate . At the Closing Date, the Underwriter shall have received a certificate of the Company signed by the Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Company, dated the Closing Date, respectively, certifying: (i) that the Charter is true and complete, have not been modified and are in full force and effect; (ii) that the resolutions of the Company’s Board of Directors relating to the public offering contemplated by this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement are in full force and effect and have not been modified; (iii) as to the accuracy and completeness of all correspondence between the Company or its counsel and the Commission; and (iv) as to the

 


 

incumbency of the officers of the Company. The documents referred to in such certificate shall be attached to such certificate.

 

4.6            No Material Changes . Prior to and on the Closing Date: (i) to the knowledge of the Company, there shall have been no events that have occurred that would have a material adverse change or development involving a prospective material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or business prospects of the Company from the latest dates as of which such condition is set forth in the Registration Statement, ADS Registration Statement and Prospectus; (ii) no action suit or proceeding, at law or in equity, shall have been pending or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, threatened against the Company before or by any court or federal or state commission, board or other administrative agency wherein an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding may material adverse change in the condition or prospects of the Company, except as set forth in the Registration Statement, ADS Registration Statement and Prospectus.

 

4.7            Delivery of Agreements and Certificates .

 

4.7.1.           Pricing Date Deliveries . On the date hereof, the Company shall have delivered to the Underwriter executed copies of this Agreement, the Deposit Agreement and the Lock-Up Agreements.

 

4.7.2.           Deposit Agreement Effective . The Deposit Agreement shall be in full force and effect on or prior to the Effective Date.

 

4.7.3.           Certificates and ADRs . The Depositary shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to the Underwriter certificates satisfactory to the Underwriter evidencing the deposit with the Custodian of the Underlying Shares in respect of which ADSs to be purchased by the Underwriter on the Closing Date are to be issued, and the execution, issuance, countersignature (if applicable) and delivery of the ADRs evidencing such ADSs pursuant to the Deposit Agreement and such other matters related thereto as the Underwriter may reasonably request.

 

If any of the conditions specified in this Section 4 shall not have been fulfilled when and as provided in this Agreement, or if any of the opinions and certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall not be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Underwriter and counsel for the Underwriter, this Agreement and all obligations of the Underwriter under this Agreement may be canceled at, or at any time prior to, the Closing Date by the Underwriter, and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 8.3 and except that Section 5 shall survive any such termination and remain in full force and effect. Notice of such cancellation shall be given to the Company in writing or by telephone or facsimile confirmed in writing.

 

The documents required to be provided by this Section 4 shall be provided to Mei & Mark LLP, counsel for the Underwriter, whose address is at 818 18 th  Street NW, Suite 410, Washington, DC 20006 on or prior to the Closing Date.

 

5.           Indemnification .

 

5.1            Indemnification of the Underwriter .

 

5.1.1.           General . Subject to the conditions set forth below, the Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriter and each of its directors, officers and employees and each person, if any, who controls the Underwriter (“ Controlling Person ”) within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever (including but not limited to any and all legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever, whether arising out of any action between any of the Underwriter and the Company, or between any of the Underwriter and any third party or otherwise) to which they or any of them may become subject under the Act, the Exchange Act or any other statute or at common law or otherwise or under the laws of foreign countries, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Disclosure Materials, the Registration Statement, ADS Registration Statement or the Prospectus (as from time to time each may be amended and supplemented); or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or

 



 

necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, unless such statement or omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company with respect to the Underwriter by or on behalf of such Underwriter expressly for use in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Disclosure Materials, the Registration Statement, ADS Registration Statement or Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereof. With respect to any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in the Preliminary Prospectus, the indemnity agreement contained in this Section 5.1.1 shall not inure to the benefit of the Underwriter to the extent that any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense of the Underwriter results from the fact that a copy of the Prospectus was not given or sent to the person asserting any such loss, liability, claim or damage at or prior to the written confirmation of sale of the Securities to such person as required by the Act and the Regulations, if the untrue statement or omission has been corrected in the Prospectus. The Company agrees promptly to notify the Underwriter of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against the or any of its officers, directors or Controlling Persons in connection with the issue and sale of the Securities or in connection with the Registration Statement, ADS Registration Statement or Prospectus.

 

5.1.2.           Procedure . If any action is brought against the Underwriter or a Controlling Person in respect of which indemnity may be sought against the Company pursuant to Section 5.1.1, such Underwriter or Controlling Person, as the case may be, shall promptly notify the Company in writing of the institution of such action and the Company shall assume the defense of such action, including the employment and fees of counsel (subject to the reasonable approval of the Underwriter) and payment of actual expenses. The Underwriter or Controlling Person shall have the right to employ its or their own counsel in any such case, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Underwriter or Controlling Person unless (i) the employment of such counsel at the expense of the Company shall have been authorized in advance in writing by the Company in connection with the defense of such action, or (ii) the Company shall not have employed counsel to have charge of the defense of such action, or (iii) such indemnified party or parties shall have reasonably concluded that there may be defenses available to it or them which are different from or additional to those available to the Company (in which case the Company shall not have the right to direct the defense of such action on behalf of the indemnified party or parties), in any of which events the reasonable fees and expenses of not more than one additional firm of attorneys selected by such Underwriter (in addition to local counsel) and/or Controlling Person shall be borne by the Company. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, if the Underwriter or any Controlling Person shall assume the defense of such action as provided above, the Company shall have the right to approve the terms of any settlement of such action which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.

 

5.2            Indemnification of the Company . The Underwriter agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, officers and employees and agents who control the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the foregoing indemnity from the Company to the Underwriter, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions made in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, ADS Registration Statement or Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto or in any application, in reliance upon, and in strict conformity with, written information furnished to the Company with respect to the Underwriter by or on behalf of the Underwriter expressly for use in such Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, ADS Registration Statement or Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto or in any such application. In case any action shall be brought against the Company or any other person so indemnified based on any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, ADS Registration Statement or Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto or any application, and in respect of which indemnity may be sought against the Underwriter, the Underwriter shall have the rights and duties given to the Company, and the Company and each other person so indemnified shall have the rights and duties given to the Underwriter by the provisions of Section 5.1.2.

 

5.3            Contribution .

 

5.3.1.           Contribution Rights . In order to provide for just and equitable contribution under the Act in any case in which (i) any person entitled to indemnification under this Section 5 makes claim for indemnification pursuant hereto but it is judicially determined (by the entry of a final judgment or decree by a court of competent jurisdiction and the expiration of time to appeal or the denial of the last right of appeal) that such indemnification may not be enforced in such case notwithstanding the fact that this Section 5 provides for indemnification in such case, or (ii) contribution under the Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise may be required on the part of any such person in

 



 

circumstances for which indemnification is provided under this Section 5, then, and in each such case, the Company and the Underwriter shall contribute to the aggregate losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses of the nature contemplated by said indemnity agreement incurred by the Company and the Underwriter, as incurred, in such proportions that the Underwriter are responsible for that portion represented by the percentage that the commission appearing on the cover page of the Prospectus bears to the initial offering price appearing thereon and the Company is responsible for the balance; provided, that, no person guilty of a fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11 (f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5.3.1, the Underwriter shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages that the Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay in respect of such losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses. For purposes of this Section, each director, officer and employee of the Underwriter or the Company, as applicable, and each person, if any, who controls the Underwriter or the Company, as applicable, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Underwriter or the Company, as applicable.

 

5.3.2.           Contribution Procedure . Within fifteen (15) days after receipt by any party to this Agreement (or the Underwriter) of notice of the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, such party will, if a claim for contribution in respect thereof is to be made against another party (“ contributing party ”), notify the contributing party of the commencement thereof, but the failure to so notify the contributing party will not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any other party other than for contribution hereunder. In case any such action, suit or proceeding is brought against any party, and such party notifies a contributing party or its Underwriter of the commencement thereof within the aforesaid fifteen days, the contributing party will be entitled to participate therein with the notifying party and any other contributing party similarly notified. Any such contributing party shall not be liable to any party seeking contribution on account of any settlement of any claim, action or proceeding affected by such party seeking contribution on account of any settlement of any claim, action or proceeding affected by such party seeking contribution without the written consent of such contributing party. The contribution provisions contained in this Section 5.3.2 are intended to supersede, to the extent permitted by law, any right to contribution under the Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise available.

 

6.           Additional Covenants .

 

6.1            Board Composition and Board Designations . For so long as the Company’s ADSs remain listed on Nasdaq, the Company shall ensure that: (i) the qualifications of the persons serving as board members and the overall composition of the board comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder and with the listing requirements of Nasdaq or any other national securities exchange or national securities association, as the case may be, in the event the Company seeks to have its Securities listed on another exchange or quoted on an automated quotation system, and (ii) if applicable, at least one member of the board of directors qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as such term is defined under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder.

 

6.2            Prohibition on Press Releases and Public Announcements . The Company will not issue press releases or engage in any other publicity, without the Underwriter’s prior written consent, for a period ending at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on the first business day following the 40th day following the Closing Date, other than normal and customary releases issued in the ordinary course of the Company’s business.

 

7.           Effective Date of this Agreement and Termination Thereof .

 

7.1            Effective Date . This Agreement shall become effective when both the Company and the Underwriter have executed the same and delivered counterparts of such signatures to the other party.

 

7.2            Termination . You shall have the right to terminate this Agreement at any time prior to the Closing Date, (i) if trading on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq, the Nasdaq Global Market or the Nasdaq Capital Market shall have been suspended or materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading shall have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities shall have been required by FINRA or by order of the Commission or any other government authority having jurisdiction, or (ii) if the United States shall have become involved in a new war or an increase in major hostilities, which, in the Underwriter’s reasonable judgment would

 



 

make it impracticable to proceed with the Offering, sale and/or delivery of the securities or to enforce contracts made by the Underwriter for the sale of the securities, or (iii) if a banking moratorium has been declared by a New York State or federal authority, or (iv) if a moratorium on foreign exchange trading has been declared which materially adversely impacts the United States securities markets, or (v) if there is such a material adverse change in the conditions or prospects of the Company, or such adverse material change in general market conditions as in the Underwriter’s reasonable judgment would make it impracticable to proceed with the Offering, sale and/or delivery of the securities or to enforce contracts made by the Underwriter for the sale of the Securities.

 

7.3            Indemnification . Notwithstanding any contrary provision contained in this Agreement, any election hereunder or any termination of this Agreement, and whether or not this Agreement is otherwise carried out, the provisions of Section 5 shall not be in any way effected by, such election or termination or failure to carry out the terms of this Agreement or any part hereof.

 

8.           Miscellaneous .

 

8.1            Notices . All communications hereunder, except as herein otherwise specifically provided, shall be in writing and shall be mailed (registered or certified mail, return receipt requested), personally delivered or sent by facsimile transmission and confirmed and shall be deemed given when so delivered or faxed and confirmed or if mailed, two days after such mailing.

 

To the Company:

 

Hexindai Inc.

13th Floor, Block C, Shimao

No. 92 Jianguo Road

Chaoyang District, Beijing

People’s Republic of China 100020

E-mail:  zhangqisen@hexindai.com

 

with a copy to:

Shearman & Sterling

12/F, Gloucester Tower

The Landmark

15 Queen’s Road Central

Central, Hong Kong

Attention: Stephanie Tang, Esq.

Facsimile: +852-29788099

E-mail: Stephanie.Tang@shearman.com

 

and

 

Law Debenture Corporate Services, Inc.

801, 2nd Avenue,

Suite 403,

New York, NY 10017

Facsimile: +1 (212) 883 0630

E-mail: sopny@lawdeb.com

 

To you:

 

Network 1 Financial Securities, Inc.

2 Bridge Avenue, Penthouse

Red Bank, NJ 07701

Attention: Damon Testaverde

Facsimile: 732-758-6671

E-mail: ddtestaverde@netw1.com

 



 

with a copy to:

 

Mei & Mark LLP

818 18 th  Street NW, Suite 410

Washington, DC 20006

Attention:  Fang Liu

Facsimile:  888-706-1173

Email: fliu@meimark.com

 

8.2            Headings . The headings contained herein are for the sole purpose of convenience of reference, and shall not in any way limit or affect the meaning or interpretation of any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement.

 

8.3            Amendment . This Agreement may only be amended by a written instrument executed by each of the parties hereto.

 

8.4            Entire Agreement . This Agreement (together with the other agreements and documents being delivered pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement) constitutes the entire agreement of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof, and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings of the parties, oral and written, with respect to the subject matter hereof.

 

8.5            Binding Effect . This Agreement shall inure solely to the benefit of and shall be binding upon the Underwriter, the Company and the Controlling Persons, directors and officers referred to in Section 5 hereof, and their respective successors, legal underwriters and assigns, and no other person shall have or be construed to have any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of or by virtue of this Agreement or any provisions herein contained. The term “successors and assigns” shall not include a purchaser, in its capacity as such, of securities from any of the Underwriter.

 

8.6            Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflict of laws principles thereof. The Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out of, or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the New York Supreme Court, County of New York, or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive. The Company hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. The Company hereby irrevocably appoints Law Debenture Corporation Services Inc., with offices at 801, 2nd Avenue, Suite 403, New York, NY 10017 as its agent for service of process and agrees that service of process may be made upon it at the office of such agent. Any such process or summons to be served upon the Company may be served by transmitting a copy thereof by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, and such mailing shall be deemed personal service and shall be legal and binding upon the Company in any action, proceeding or claim. The Company agrees that the prevailing party(ies) in any such action shall be entitled to recover from the other party(ies) all of its reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses relating to such action or proceeding and/or incurred in connection with the preparation therefore.

 

8.7            Execution in Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, and by the different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement, and shall become effective when one or more counterparts has been signed by each of the parties hereto and delivered to each of the other parties hereto. Delivery of a signed counterpart of this Agreement by facsimile or email/pdf transmission shall constitute valid and sufficient delivery thereof.

 

8.8            Waiver, etc . The failure of any of the parties hereto to at any time enforce any of the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or construed to be a waiver of any such provision, nor to in any way effect the validity of this Agreement or any provision hereof or the right of any of the parties hereto to thereafter enforce each and every provision of this Agreement. No waiver of any breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be effective unless set forth in a written instrument executed by the party or parties against whom or which enforcement of such waiver is sought; and no waiver of any such breach, non-

 



 

compliance or non-fulfillment shall be construed or deemed to be a waiver of any other or subsequent breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment.

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]

 



 

If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Underwriter and the Company, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a binding agreement between us.

 

 

Very truly yours,

 

 

 

 

 

HEXINDAI INC.

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

 

 

Name:

 

 

 

 

 

Title:

 

Accepted on the date first above written.

 

NETWORK 1 FINANCIAL SECURITIES, INC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name:

 

 

 

 

 

Title:

 

 



 

EXHIBIT A

 

Lock-Up Agreement

     , 20   

 

Network 1 Financial Securities, Inc.

2 Bridge Avenue, Penthouse

Red Bank, NJ 07701

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

The undersigned understands that Network 1 Financial Securities, Inc. (the “ Underwriter ”) proposes to enter into an Underwriting Agreement (the “ Underwriting Agreement ”) with Hexindai Inc. , a Cayman Islands exempted limited liability company (the “ Company ”), providing for the public offering (the “ Public Offering ”) by the Underwriter named in the Underwriting Agreement of minimum of [      ] and maximum of [      ] American Depositary Shares (“ ADSs ”) representing [      ] and [      ] ordinary shares (“ Securities, ”) respectively, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company.

 

To induce the Underwriter to continue its efforts in connection with the Public Offering, the undersigned hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent of the Underwriter, it will not, during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending 180 days after the Closing Date (the “ Lock-Up Period ”), (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, grant, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any ADSs or capital stock of the Company including ordinary shares (“ Ordinary Shares ”) or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for such ADSs or capital stock, or (2) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of such ADSs or capital stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Company capital stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the undersigned may transfer Ordinary Shares held by the undersigned without the prior consent of the Underwriter in connection with (a) transfers of Shares or any security convertible into Ordinary Shares as a bona fide gift, by will or intestacy or to a family member or trust for the benefit, direct or indirect, of a family member (for purposes of this letter agreement, “family member” shall mean any relationship by blood, marriage or adoption, nor more remote than first cousin); provided that in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (a), (i) each donee or distributee shall sign and deliver a lock-up letter substantially in the form of this letter agreement and (ii) no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of Ordinary Shares (or ADSs representing the same), shall be required or shall be voluntarily made during the Lock-up Period, (b) transfer of Ordinary Shares to a charity or educational institution, (c) in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement based on the mutual agreement by and among the undersigned, the Company and the Underwriter, (d) as a distribution to limited partners or stockholders of the undersigned, or (e) if the undersigned, directly or indirectly, controls a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, investment fund or other business entity, any transfers of Ordinary Shares to any shareholder, partner or member of, or owner of similar equity interests in, the undersigned, as the case may be, if, in any such case, such transfer is not for value. In addition, the undersigned agrees that during the Lock-Up Period, without the prior written consent of the Underwriter, it will not make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to the registration of any ADSs or Ordinary Shares or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for such ADSs or Ordinary Shares.

 

Furthermore, the undersigned may sell ADSs or Ordinary Shares of the Company purchased by the undersigned on the open market during the Lock-up Period if and only if (i) such sales are not required to be reported in any public filing under the Exchange Act with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or in any other public announcement, and (ii) the undersigned does not otherwise voluntarily effect any public filing under the Exchange Act with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or make any other public announcement, regarding such sales.

 



 

No provision in this agreement shall be deemed to restrict or prohibit the exercise or exchange by the undersigned of any option or warrant to acquire Ordinary Shares, or securities exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into Ordinary Shares, provided that the undersigned does not transfer the Ordinary Shares acquired on such exercise or exchange during the Lock-Up Period, unless otherwise permitted pursuant to the terms of this letter agreement. In addition, no provision herein shall be deemed to restrict or prohibit the entry into or modification of a so-called “10b5-1” plan at any time (other than the entry into or modification of such a plan in such a manner as to cause the sale of any Ordinary Shares or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares within the Lock-Up Period).

 

In addition, the exercise of any of the undersigned’s rights to acquire ADSs or Ordinary Shares upon the exercise or vesting, as the case may be, of options and contingent rights that were granted under the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan and outstanding as of the date of the Prospectus will not be subject to the restrictions set forth in this letter agreement (it being understood that any subsequent sale, transfer or disposition of any ADSs or Ordinary Shares issued upon exercise of such options or vesting of such contingent rights under the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan shall be subject to the restrictions set forth in this letter agreement). Furthermore, ADSs or Ordinary Shares sold or tendered to the Company by the undersigned or withheld by the Company for tax withholding purposes in connection with the vesting or exercise of equity awards that are subject to a taxable event upon vesting or exercise will not be subject to this letter agreement.

 

The undersigned understands that the Company and the Underwriter are relying upon this letter agreement in proceeding toward consummation of the Public Offering. The undersigned further understands that this agreement is irrevocable and shall be binding upon the undersigned’s heirs, legal underwriters, successors and assigns.

 

The undersigned understands that, if the Underwriting Agreement is not executed by the Company, or if the Underwriting Agreement (other than the provisions thereof which survive termination) shall terminate or be terminated prior to payment for and delivery of the ADSs and Ordinary Shares to be sold thereunder this agreement shall be void and of no further force or effect.

 

Whether or not the Public Offering actually occurs depends on a number of factors, including market conditions. Any Public Offering will only be made pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement, the terms of which are subject to negotiation between the Company and the Underwriter.

 

 

Very truly yours,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Name):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Address)

 



 

EXHIBIT B

 

FORM OF CFO CERTIFICATE
TO BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 4.3(ii)

 

I, Qisen Zhang, Chief Financial Officer of Hexindai Inc., a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands (the “ Company ”), pursuant to SECTION 4.3(ii) of the Underwriting Agreement, dated               , 2017 (the “ Underwriting Agreement ”), by and between the Company and the Underwriter, hereby certify, solely in the capacity as an officer of the Company for and on behalf of the Company, that:

 

1.               I am familiar with the accounting, operations, records systems and internal controls of the Company.

 

2.               I have participated in the preparation of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

 

3.               I have reviewed the disclosure in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

 

4.               I have reviewed the operating information and data identified and circled by you in the preliminary prospectus dated [      ], 2017 attached hereto as  Annex A  and the Prospectus, dated              , 2017 attached hereto as  Annex B (together, the “ Company Information ”).

 

5.               Where the Company Information is derived from the Company’s accounting and other records, I confirm that the Company Information has been properly extracted from these records and has been accurately reproduced in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

 

Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Underwriting Agreement.  This certificate is to assist the Underwriter in conducting and documenting their investigation of the affairs of the Company in connection with the offering.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto signed my name.

 

Dated as of

 

By:

 

 

Name: Qisen Zhang

Title: Chief Financial Officer

 




Exhibit 3.1

 

 

 

 

 

EXEMPTED Company Registered and

 

filed as No. 310888 On 25-Apr-2016

 

 

Company Number: 310888

 

Assistant Registrar

 

 

THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

 

 

THE COMPANIES LAW (AS REVISED)

 

 

MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

 

OF

 

 

Hexindai Inc.

 

 

Incorporated on the 25th day of April, 2016

 

 

Uploaded: 25-Apr-2016 15:21 EST

Auth Code: H75701985860

www.verify.gov.ky

 



 

THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

 

THE COMPANIES LAW (AS REVISED)

 


 

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 


 

MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION

 

OF

 

Hexindai Inc.

 

NAME

 

1.                                       The name of the Company is Hexindai Inc.

 

REGISTERED OFFICE

 

2.                                       The registered office of the Company will be situated at the office of NovaSage Incorporations (Cayman) Limited, Floor 4, Willow House, Cricket Square, P.O. Box 2582, Grand Cayman KY1 -1103, Cayman Islands or such other place in the Cayman Islands as the Directors may from time to time decide, being the registered office of the Company.

 

GENERAL OBJECTS AND POWERS

 

3.                                       The objects for which the Company is established are unrestricted and the Company shall have full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by Section 7(4) of The Companies Law (As Revised) or as the same may be revised from time to time, or any other law of the Cayman Islands.

 

LIMITATIONS ON THE COMPANY’S BUSINESS

 

4.                                       For the purposes of the Companies Law (As Revised) the Company has no power to:

 

(i)                                      carry on the business of a Bank or Trust Company without being licensed in that behalf under the provisions of the Banks & Trust Companies Law (2009 Revision); or

 

(ii)                                   to carry on Insurance Business from within the Cayman Islands or the business of an Insurance Manager, Agent, Sub-agent or Broker without being licensed in that behalf under the provisions of the Insurance Law (2008 Revision); or

 

(iii)                                to carry on the business of Company Management without being licensed in that behalf under the provisions of the Companies Management Law.

 

5.                                       The Company shall not trade in the Cayman Islands with any person, firm or corporation except in furtherance of the business of the Company carried on outside the Cayman Islands; provided that nothing in this section shall be construed as to prevent the Company effecting and concluding contracts in the Cayman Islands, and exercising in the Cayman Islands all of its powers necessary for the carrying on of its business outside the Cayman Islands.

 

6.                                       COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 

The Company is a company limited by shares. The liability of each member is limited to the amount from time to time unpaid on such member’s shares.

 

1



 

AUTHORISED SHARES

 

7.                                       The capital of the Company is US$50,000.00 divided into 500,000,000 shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.0001 each provided always that subject to the provisions of the Companies Law (As Revised) and the Articles of Association the Company shall have power to redeem or purchase any of its shares and to sub-divide or consolidate the said shares or any of them and to issue all or any part of its capital whether original, redeemed, increased or reduced with or without any preference, priority or special privilege or subject to any postponement of rights or to any conditions or restrictions whatsoever and so that unless the conditions of issue shall otherwise expressly provide every issue of shares whether stated to be Ordinary, Preference or otherwise shall be subject to the powers on the part of the Company hereinbefore provided.

 

CONTINUATION

 

8.                                       The Company may exercise the power contained in Section 206 of The Law to deregister in the Cayman Islands and be registered by way of continuation in some other jurisdiction.

 

**********

 

2



 

We, whose name, address and description are hereto given below are desirous of being formed into a Company in pursuance of this Memorandum of Association, and agree to take the number of shares in the capital of the Company set opposite our name.

 

NAME, ADDRESS AND DESCRIPTION

 

NUMBER OF SHARES TAKEN BY

OF SUBSCRIBER

 

SUBSCRIBER

 

 

 

For and on behalf of

NovaSage Incorporations (Cayman) Limited

Corporation

of Floor 4, Willow House, Cricket Square,

P.O. Box 2582,

Grand Cayman KY1-1103,

Cayman Islands

 

 

ONE SHARE

 

 

/s/ Toni Rombough

 

(Sd.) Authorised Signatory

 

Toni Rombough

 

 

DATED 25 APR 2016

 

 

/s/ Andria Bell

 

Witness to the above signature:

 

(Sd.) Andria Bell

of Floor 4, Willow House, Cricket Square,

P.O. Box 2582,

Grand Cayman KY1-1103,

Cayman Islands

 

3



 

 

THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

 

THE COMPANIES LAW (AS REVISED)

 


 

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 


 

ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

OF

 

Hexindai Inc.

 

PRELIMINARY

 

1.                                       The Regulations in Table ‘A’ in the First Schedule of The Companies Law (As Revised) shall not apply to this Company.

 

INTERPRETATION

 

2.                                       References in these Articles of Association (“ Articles ”) to the “Law” shall mean The Companies Law (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands and any statutory amendments or re-enactment thereof. The following Articles shall constitute the Articles of the Company. In these Articles, save where the content otherwise requires:

 

Directors ” and “ Board of Directors ” means the Directors of the Company for the time being, or as the case may be, the Directors assembled as a Board or as a committee thereof;

 

Member ” means a person whose name is entered in the register of members as the holder of a share or shares and includes each subscriber of the Memorandum pending the issue to him of the subscriber share or shares;

 

Memorandum of Association ” means the Memorandum of Association of the Company, as amended and re-stated from time to time;

 

Ordinary Resolution ” means a resolution:

 

(a)                                  passed by a simple majority of such Members as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting of the Company and where a poll is taken regard shall be had in computing a majority to the number of votes to which each Member is entitled; or

 

(b)                                  approved in writing by all of the Members entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one or more of the Members and the effective date of the resolution so adopted shall be the date on which the instrument, or the last of such instruments if more than one, is executed;

 

paid up ” means paid up as to the par value and any premium payable in respect of the issue of any shares and includes credited as paid up;

 

Register of Members ” means the register to be kept by the Company in accordance with Section 40 of the Law;

 

Seal ” means the Common Seal of the Company (if any) including any facsimile thereof;

 

share ” means any share in the capital of the Company, including a fraction of any share;

 

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Special Resolution ” means a resolution passed in accordance with Section 60 of the Companies Law, being a resolution:

 

(a)                                  passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of such Members as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting of the Company of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a Special Resolution has been duly given and where a poll is taken regard shall be had in computing a majority to the number of votes to which each Member is entitled, or

 

(b)                                  approved in writing by all of the Members entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one or more of the Members and the effective date of the Special Resolution so adopted shall be the date on which the instrument or the last of such instruments if more than one, is executed.

 

In these Articles, words and expressions defined in the Law shall have the same meaning and, unless otherwise required by the context, the singular shall include the plural and vice versa, the masculine shall include the feminine and the neuter and references to persons shall include companies and all legal entities capable of having a legal existence; “may” shall be construed as permissive and “shall” shall be construed as imperative; a reference to a dollar or dollars (or $) is a reference to dollars of the United States; and references to a statutory enactment shall include reference to any amendment or re-enactment thereof for the time being in force.

 

SHARE CERTIFICATES

 

3.                                       Every person whose name is entered as a Member in the Register of Members, shall without payment, be entitled to a certificate signed by a Director under the Seal of the Company specifying the share or shares held and the amount paid up thereof, provided that in respect of a share or shares held jointly by several persons, the Company shall not be bound to issue more than one certificate and delivery of a certificate for a share to one of several joint holders shall be sufficient delivery to all.

 

4.                                       If a certificate is worn out or lost it may be renewed on production of the worn out certificate, or on satisfactory proof of its loss together with such indemnity as the Directors may reasonably require. Any Member receiving a share certificate shall indemnify and hold the Company and its officers harmless from any loss or liability which it or they may incur by reason of wrongful or fraudulent use or representation made by any person by virtue of the possession of such a certificate.

 

SHARES AND VARIATION OF RIGHTS

 

5.                                       Subject to the provisions of these Articles, the unissued shares of the Company (whether forming part of the original or any increased authorised shares) shall be at the disposal of the Directors who may offer, allot, grant options over or otherwise dispose of them to such persons at such times and for such consideration, and upon such terms and conditions as the Directors may determine.

 

6.                                       The Company may in so far as may be permitted by law, pay a commission to any person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe whether absolutely or conditionally for any shares. Such commissions may be satisfied by the payment of cash or the lodgement of fully or partly paid-up shares or partly in one way and partly in the other. The Company may also on any issue of shares pay such brokerage as may be lawful.

 

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7.                                       If at any time the share capital is divided into different classes of shares, the rights attaching to any class (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class) may be varied or abrogated with the consent in writing of the holders of two-thirds of the issued shares of that class, or with the sanction of a resolution passed by at least a two-thirds majority of the holders of shares of the class present in person or by proxy at a separate general meeting of the holders of the shares of the class. To every such separate general meeting the provisions of these Articles relating to general meetings of the Company shall mutatis mutandis apply, but so that the necessary quorum shall be at least one person holding or representing by proxy at least one-third of the issued shares of the class and that any holder of shares of the class present in person or by proxy may demand a poll.

 

8.                                       The rights conferred upon the holders of the shares of any class issued with preferred or other rights shall not, unless otherwise expressly provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class, be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further shares ranking pari passu therewith or the redemption or purchase of shares of any class by the Company.

 

9.                                       The Company shall not issue shares to the bearer.

 

FRACTIONAL SHARES

 

10.                                The Directors may issue fractions of a share of any class of shares, and, if so issued, a fraction of a share (calculated to three decimal points) shall be subject to and carry the corresponding fraction of liabilities (whether with respect to any unpaid amount thereon, contribution, calls or otherwise), limitations, preferences, privileges, qualifications, restrictions, rights (including, without limitation, voting and participation rights) and other attributes of a whole share of the same class of shares. If more than one fraction of a share of the same class is issued to or acquired by the same Member such fractions shall be accumulated. For the avoidance of doubt, in these Articles the expression “share” shall include a fraction of a share.

 

LIEN

 

11.                                The Company shall have a first and paramount lien on every share (not being a fully paid up share) for all moneys (whether presently payable or not) called or payable at a fixed time in respect of that share, and the Company shall also have a first and paramount lien on all shares (other than fully paid up shares) standing registered in the name of a single person for all moneys presently payable by him or his estate to the Company, but the Directors may at any time declare any share to be wholly or in part exempt from the provisions of this Article. The Company’s lien, if any, on a share shall extend to all dividends payable thereon.

 

12.                                The Company may sell, in such manner as the Directors think fit, any shares on which the Company has a lien, but no sale shall be made unless some sum in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable, nor until the expiration of 14 days after a notice in writing, stating and demanding payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable, has been given to the registered holder for the time being of the share, or the persons entitled thereto by reason of his death or bankruptcy, winding up or otherwise by operation of law or court order.

 

13.                                To give effect to any such sale the Directors may authorise some person to transfer the shares sold to the purchaser thereof. The purchaser shall be registered as the holder of the shares comprised in any such transfer, and he shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, nor shall his title to the shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the sale.

 

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14.                                The proceeds of the sale shall be received by the Company and applied in payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable, and the residue, if any, shall (subject to a like lien for sums not presently payable as existed upon the shares prior to the sale) be paid to the person entitled to the shares at the date of the sale.

 

CALLS ON SHARES

 

15.                                The Directors may from time to time make calls upon the Members in respect of any moneys unpaid on their shares (whether on account of the nominal value of the shares or by way of premium), and each Member shall (subject to receiving at least 14 days’ notice in writing specifying the time or times and place of payment) pay to the Company at the time or times and place so specified the amount called on his shares. The non-receipt of a notice of any call by, or the accidental omission to give notices of a call to, any Members shall not invalidate the call. A call may be revoked or postponed as the Directors may determine.

 

16.                                The joint holders of a share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay all calls in respect thereof.

 

17.                                If a sum called in respect of a share is remain unpaid before or on the day appointed for payment thereof, the person from whom the sum is due shall pay interest on the sum from the day appointed for the payment thereof to the time of the actual payment at such rate not exceeding 10 per cent per annum as the Directors may determine, but the Directors shall be at liberty to waive payment of that interest wholly or in part.

 

18.                                Any sum which by the terms of issue of a share becomes payable on allotment or at any fixed date, whether on account of the nominal value of the share or by way of premium, shall for the purposes of these Articles be deemed to be a call duly made and payable on the date on which by the terms of issue the same becomes payable, and in case of non-payment all the relevant provisions of these Articles as to payment of interest and expenses, forfeiture or otherwise shall apply as if such sum had become payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.

 

19.                                The Directors may, on the issue of shares, differentiate between the Members, as to the amount of calls to be paid and the times of payment.

 

20.                                The Directors may, if they think fit, receive from any Member willing to advance the same, all or any part of the moneys uncalled and unpaid upon any shares held by him, and upon all or any of the moneys so advanced may (until the same would, but for such advance, become presently payable) pay interest at such rate not exceeding 10 per cent per annum (unless the Company in general meeting shall otherwise direct), as may be agreed between the Directors and the Member paying the sum in advance.

 

FORFEITURE OF SHARES

 

21.                                If a Member fails to pay any call or instalment of a call on the day appointed for payment thereof, the Directors may, at any time thereafter during such time as any part of the call or instalment remains unpaid, serve a notice in writing on him requiring payment of so much of the call or instalment as is unpaid, together with any interest accrued and expenses incurred by the reason of such non-payment.

 

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22.                                The notice shall name a further day (not earlier than the expiration of 14 days from the date of the service of the notice) on or before which the payment required by the notice is to be made, and shall state that in the event of non-payment at or before the time appointed the shares in respect of which the call was made will be liable to be forfeited.

 

23.                                If the requirements of any such notice as aforesaid are not complied with, any share in respect of which the notice has been given may at any time thereafter, before the payment required by notice has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of the Directors to that effect and such forfeiture shall extend to all dividends declared in respect of the share so forfeited but not actually paid before such forfeiture.

 

24.                                A forfeited share may be sold or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the Directors think fit, and at any time before a sale or disposition the forfeiture may be cancelled on such terms as the Directors think fit.

 

25.                                A person whose shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a Member in respect of the forfeited shares, but shall, notwithstanding, remain liable to pay to the Company all moneys which, at the date of forfeiture, were payable by him to the Company in respect of the shares, but his liability shall cease if and when the Company shall have received payment in full of all such moneys in respect of the shares.

 

26.                                A statutory declaration in writing that the declarant is a Director of the Company, and that a share in the Company has been duly forfeited or surrendered or sold to satisfy a lien of the Company on a date stated in the declaration, shall be conclusive evidence of the facts therein stated as against all persons claiming to be entitled to the share. The Company may receive the consideration, if any, given for the share on any sale or disposition thereof and may execute a transfer of the share in favour of the person to whom the share is sold or disposed of and he shall thereupon be registered as the holder of the share, and shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, if any, nor shall his title to the share be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the forfeiture, sale or disposal of the share.

 

27.                                When any shares have been forfeited, an entry shall be made in the Register of Members recording the forfeiture and the date thereof, and so soon as the shares so forfeited have been sold or otherwise disposed of, an entry shall be made of the manner and date of the sale or disposal thereof.

 

28.                                The provisions of these Articles as to forfeiture shall apply in the case of non-payment of any sum, which by the terms of issue of a share, becomes due and payable at a fixed time, whether on account of the nominal value of the share, or by way of premium, as if the same had been payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.

 

TRANSFER OF SHARES

 

29.                                Subject to such of the restriction of these Articles as may be applicable, any Member may transfer all or any of his shares by an instrument in writing in any usual or common form or any other form which the Directors may approve or on behalf of the transferor and if in respect of a nil or partly paid up share or if so required by the Directors shall also be executed on behalf of the transferee and shall be accompanied by the certificate of the shares to which it relates and such other evidence as the Directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer. The transferor shall be deemed to remain a holder of the share until the name of the transferee is entered in the Register of Members in respect thereof.

 

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30.                                The Directors may, in their absolute discretion and without assigning any reason therefor, decline to register any transfer of any share, whether or not it is a fully paid share. If the Directors refuse to register a transfer they shall within 2 months after the date on which the transfer was lodged with the Company send to the transferor and transferee notice of the refusal.

 

31.                                The registration of transfers may be suspended at such times and for such periods as the Directors may from time to time determine, provided always that such registration shall not be suspended for more than 45 days in any year.

 

32.                                All instruments of transfer which shall be registered shall be retained by the Company, but any instrument of transfer which the Directors may decline to register shall (except in any case of fraud) be returned to the person depositing the same.

 

TRANSMISSION OF SHARES

 

33.                                In case of the death of a Member, the survivor or survivors, or the legal personal representatives of the deceased survivor, where the deceased was a joint holder, and the legal personal representatives of the deceased where he was a sole holder, shall be the only persons recognized by the Company as having any title to his interest in the shares.

 

34.                                Any person becoming entitled to a share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Member shall, upon such evidence being produced as may from time to time properly be required by the Directors and subject as hereinafter provided, elect either to be registered himself as holder of the share or to have some person nominated by him registered as the transferee thereof, but the Directors shall, in either case, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer of the share by that Member before his death or bankruptcy, as the case may be.

 

35.                                A person becoming entitled to a share by reason of the death or bankruptcy of the holder shall be entitled to the same dividends and other advantages to which he would be entitled if he were the registered holder of the share, except that he shall not, before being registered as a Member in respect of the share, be entitled in respect of it to exercise any right conferred by membership in relation to meetings of the Company.

 

ALTERATION OF SHARE CAPITAL

 

36.                                The Company may from time to time by Ordinary Resolution increase the share capital by such sum, to be divided into shares of such classes and amount, as the resolution shall prescribe.

 

37.                                The Company may by Ordinary Resolution:

 

(a)                                  consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into shares of larger amount than its existing shares;

 

(b)                                  convert all or any of its paid up shares into stock and reconvert that stock into paid up shares of any denomination;

 

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(c)                         subdivide its existing shares, or any of them, into shares of a smaller amount provided that in the subdivision the proportion between the amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced share shall be the same as it was in case of the share from which the reduced share is derived; and

 

(d)                        cancel any shares which, at the date of the passing of the resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person and diminish the amount of its share capital by the amount of the shares so cancelled.

 

38.                                The Company may by Special Resolution reduce its share capital and any capital redemption reserve in any manner and with, subject to, any incident, authorised and consent required by law.

 

REDEMPTION AND PURCHASE OF OWN SHARES

 

39.                                Subject to the provisions of the Law, the Company may:

 

(a)                        issue shares on terms that they are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Company or the Member on such terms and in such manner as the Directors may determine before the issue of such shares;

 

(b)                        purchase its own shares (including any redeemable shares) on such terms and in such manner as the Directors may determine and agree with the Member; and

 

(c)                         make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own shares in any manner permitted by the Law, including out of capital.

 

40.                                Any share in respect of which notice of redemption has been given shall not be entitled to participate in the profits of the Company in respect of the period after the date specified as the date of redemption in the notice of redemption.

 

41.                                The redemption or purchase of any share shall not be deemed to give rise to the redemption or purchase of any other share.

 

42.                                The Directors may when making payments in respect of redemption or purchase of shares, if authorised by the terms of issue of the shares being redeemed or purchased or with the agreement of the holder of such shares, make such payment either in cash or in specie.

 

CLOSING REGISTER OF MEMBERS OR FIXING RECORD DATE

 

43.                                For the purpose of determining those Members that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at any meeting of Members or any adjournment thereof, or those Members that are entitled to receive payment of any dividend, or in order to make a determination as to who is a Member for any other purpose, the Directors may provide that the Register of Members shall be closed for transfers for a stated period but not to exceed in any case 40 days. If the Register of Members shall be so closed for the purpose of determining those Members that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of Members such register shall be so closed for at least 10 days immediately preceding such meeting and the record date for such determination shall be the date of the closure of the Register of Members.

 

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44.                                In lieu of or apart from closing the Register of Members, the Directors may fix in advance a date as the record date for any such determination of those Members that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of the Members and for the purpose of determining those Members that are entitled to receive payment of any dividend the Directors may, at or within 90 days prior to the date of declaration of such dividend fix a subsequent date as the record date for such determination.

 

45.                                If the Register of Members is not so closed and no record date is fixed for the determination of those Members entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of Members or those Members that are entitled to receive payment of a dividend, the date on which notice of the meeting is posted or the date on which the resolution of the Directors declaring such dividend is adopted, as the case may be, shall be the record date for such determination of Members. When a determination of those Members that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of Members has been made as provided in this section, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof.

 

GENERAL MEETINGS OF MEMBERS

 

46.                                The Directors may convene meetings of the Members of the Company at such times and in such manner and places as the Directors consider necessary or desirable. The Directors shall convene a meeting of Members upon the written requisition of any Members or Members entitled to attend and vote at general meeting of the Company who hold not less than 10 percent of the paid up voting share capital of the Company in respect to the matter for which the meeting is requested, deposited at the registered office of the Company specifying the objects of the meeting for a date no later than 21 days from the date of deposit of the requisition signed by the requisitionists. If the Directors do not convene such meeting for a date not later than 45 days after the date of such deposit, the requisitionists themselves may convene the general meeting in the same manner, as nearly as possible, as that in which meetings may be convened by the Directors, and all reasonable expenses incurred by the requisitionists as a result of the failure of the Directors shall be reimbursed to them by the Company.

 

47.                                If at any time there are no Directors of the Company, any two Members (or if there is only one Member then that Member) entitled to vote at general meetings of the Company may convene a general meeting in the same manner as nearly as possible as that in which meetings may be convened by the Directors.

 

NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS

 

48.                                Seven days notice at the least counting from the date service is deemed to take place as provided in these Articles specifying the place, the day and the hour of the meeting and, in case of special business, the general nature of that business, shall be given in manner hereinafter provided or in such other manner (if any) as may be prescribed by the Company by Ordinary Resolution to such persons as are, under these Articles, entitled to receive such notices from the Company.

 

49.                                Notwithstanding Article 48, a meeting of Members is held in contravention of the requirement to give notice shall be deemed to have been validly held if the consent of all Members entitled to receive notice of some particular meeting and attend and vote thereat, that meeting may be convened by such shorter notice or without notice and in such manner as those Members may think fit.

 

50.                                The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to, or the non-receipt of a notice of a meeting by any person entitled to receive notice shall not invalidate the proceedings at that meeting.

 

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PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS

 

51.                                All business carried out at a general meeting shall be deemed special with the exception of declaring a dividend, the consideration of the accounts, balance sheets, and report of the Directors and the auditors, the appointment and removal of Directors, and the appointment and the fixing of the remuneration of the Company’s auditors. No special business shall be transacted at any general meeting without the consent of all Members entitled to receive notice of that meeting unless notice of such special business has been given in the notice convening that meeting.

 

52.                                No business shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum of Members is present at the time when the meeting proceeds to business. Save as otherwise provided by these Articles, a quorum shall consist of one or more Members present in person or by proxy holding at least a majority of the paid up voting share capital of the Company. If the Company has only one Member, that only Member present in person or by proxy shall be a quorum for all purposes.

 

53.                                If within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting, if convened upon the requisition of Members, shall be dissolved. In any other case it shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next week, at the same time and place or to such other day and at such other time and place as the Directors may decide, and if at the adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting the Member or Members present and entitled to vote shall be a quorum.

 

54.                                At every meeting the Members present shall choose someone of their number to be the chairman (the “ Chairman ”). If the Members are unable to choose a Chairman for any reason, then the person representing the greatest number of voting shares present at the meeting shall preside as Chairman, failing which the oldest individual Member present at the meeting or failing any Member personally attending the meeting, the proxy present at the meeting representing the oldest Member of the Company, shall take the chair.

 

55.                                The Chairman may, with the consent of any meeting, at which a quorum is present (and shall if so directed by the meeting) adjourn any meeting from time to time and from place to place, but no business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment took place. When a meeting is adjourned for 14 days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given as in the case of an original meeting. Save as aforesaid, it shall not be necessary to give any notice of an adjournment or of the business to be transacted at an adjourned meeting.

 

56.                                At any general meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands by a simple majority, unless a poll is (before or on the declaration of the result of the show of hands) demanded by the Chairman; or one or more Members present in person or by proxy entitled to vote and who together hold not less than 10 per cent of the paid up voting share capital of the Company. Unless a poll is so demanded, a declaration by the Chairman that a resolution has, on a show of hands, been carried, or carried unanimously, or by a particular majority, or lost, and an entry to that effect in the book of the proceedings of the Company, shall be sufficient evidence of the fact, without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of or against such resolution.

 

57.                                If a poll is duly demanded it shall be taken in such manner as the Chairman directs, and the result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the poll was demanded. The demand for a poll may be withdrawn.

 

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58.                                In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a show of hands , or on a poll, the Chairman of the meeting at which the show of hands takes place, or at which the poll is demanded, shall be entitled to a second or casting vote.

 

59.                                A poll demanded on the election of a Chairman of a meeting or on a question of adjournment shall be taken forthwith. A poll demanded on any other question shall be taken at such time as the Chairman of the meeting directs, and any business other than that upon which a poll has been demanded may be proceeded with pending the taking of the poll.

 

60.                                Any one or more Members may participate in a general meeting by means of a conference telephone or similar communications equipment allowing all persons participating in the meeting to hear each other at the same time. Participating by such means shall constitute presence in person at a meeting. A resolution in writing signed by all the Members for the time being entitled to receive notice of and to attend and vote at general meetings (or being corporations by their duly authorized representatives) shall be as valid and effective as if the same had been passed at a general meeting of the Company duly convened and held.

 

VOTES OF MEMBERS

 

61.                                Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any class or classes of shares, on a show of hands every Member present in person and every person representing a Member by proxy shall at a general meeting of the Company have one vote and on a poll every Member and every person representing a Member by proxy shall have one vote for each share of which he or the person represented by proxy is the holder.

 

62.                                In the case of joint holders the vote of the senior who tenders a vote whether in person or by proxy shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the joint holders and for this purpose seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names stand in the Register of Members.

 

63.                                A Member of unsound mind, or in respect of whom an order has been made by any court having jurisdiction in lunacy, may vote, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, by his committee, or other person in the nature of a committee appointed by that court, and any such committee or other person, may on a poll, vote by proxy.

 

64.                                No Member shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting unless all calls or other sums presently payable by him in respect of shares in the Company have been paid.

 

65.                                On a poll votes may be given either personally or by proxy. The instrument appointing a proxy shall be produced at the place appointed for the meeting before the time for holding the meeting at which the person named in such instrument proposes to vote.

 

66.                                The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing under the hand of the appointor or of his attorney duly authorised in writing or, if the appointor is a corporation, either under Seal or under the hand of an officer or attorney duly authorised. A proxy need not be a Member of the Company. An instrument appointing a proxy may be in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may approve. The instrument appointing a proxy shall be deemed to confer authority to demand or join in demanding a poll.

 

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CORPORATIONS ACTING BY REPRESENTATIVES AT MEETINGS

 

67.                                Any corporation or other form of corporate legal entity which is a Member or Director of the Company may by resolution of its directors or other governing body authorise such person as it thinks fit to act as its representative at any meeting of the Members or any class of Members of the Company or of the Board of Directors or of a Committee of Directors, and the person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the corporation which he represents as that corporation could exercise if it were an individual Member or Director of the Company.

 

DIRECTORS

 

68.                                The name of the first Director(s) shall either be determined in writing by a majority (or in the case of a sole subscriber that subscriber) of, or elected at a meeting of, the subscribers of the Memorandum of Association. The Company may be Ordinary Resolution appoint any person to be a Director.

 

69.                                Subject to the provisions of these Articles, a Director shall hold office until such time as he is removed from office by the Company by Ordinary Resolution.

 

70.                                Unless and until otherwise determined by an Ordinary Resolution of the Company, the Directors shall not be less than one in number, and there shall be no maximum number of Directors.

 

71.                                The remuneration of the Directors shall from time to time be determined by the Company by Ordinary Resolution.

 

72.                                The shareholding qualification for Directors may be fixed by the Company by Ordinary Resolution and unless and until so fixed no share qualification shall be required.

 

73.                                The Directors shall have power at any time and from time to time to appoint any other person as a Director, either to fill a casual vacancy or as an additional Director, subject to the maximum number (if any) imposed by the Company by Ordinary Resolution.

 

ALTERNATE DIRECTOR

 

74.                                Any Director may in writing appoint another Director or another person to be his alternate to act in his place at any meeting of the Directors at which he is unable to be present. Every such alternate shall be entitled to be given notice of meetings of the Directors and to attend and vote thereat as a Director at any such meeting at which the person appointing him is not personally present and generally at such meeting to have and exercise all the powers, right, duties and authorises of the Director appointing him. The remuneration of such alternate shall be payable out of the remuneration of the Director appointing him and the proportion thereof shall be agreed between them. Such alternate shall not be an officer of the Company and shall be deemed to be the agent of the Director appointing him. A Director may at any time in writing revoke the appointment of an alternate appointed by him. If a Director shall die or cease to hold the office of Director, the appointment of his alternate shall thereupon cease and terminate.

 

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75.                                Any Director may appoint any person, whether or not a Director, to be the proxy of that Director to attend and vote on his behalf, in accordance with instructions given by that Director, or in the absence of such instructions at the discretion of the proxy, at a meeting or meetings of the Directors which that Director is unable to attend personally. The instrument appointing the proxy shall be in writing under the hand of the appointing Director and shall be in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may approve, and must be lodged with the Chairman of the meeting of the Directors at which such proxy is to be used, or first used, prior to the commencement of the meeting.

 

OFFICERS

 

76.                                The Directors of the Company may, by resolution of Directors, appoint officers of the Company at such times as shall be considered necessary or expedient, and such officers may consist of a President, one or more Vice Presidents, a Secretary, and a Treasurer and/or such other officers as may from time to time be deemed desirable. The officers shall perform such duties as shall be prescribed at the time of their appointment subject to any modifications in such duties as may be prescribed by the Directors thereafter, but in the absence of any specific allocation of duties it shall be the responsibility of the President to manage the day to day affairs of the Company, the Vice Presidents to act in order of seniority in the absence of the President, but otherwise to perform such duties as may be delegated to them by the President, the Secretary to maintain the registers, minute books and records (other than financial records) of the Company and to ensure compliance with all procedural requirements imposed on the Company by applicable law, and the Treasurer to be responsible for the financial affairs of the Company.

 

77.                                Any person may hold more than one office and no officer need be a Director or Member of the Company. The officers shall remain in relevant office until removed from the said office by the Directors, whether or not a successor is appointed.

 

78.                                Any officer who is a body corporate may appoint any person its duly authorised representative for the purpose of representing it and of transacting any of the business of the officers.

 

POWERS OF DIRECTORS

 

79.                                The business of the Company shall be managed by the Directors who may pay all expenses incurred preliminary to and in connection with the formation and registration of the Company, and may exercise all such powers of the Company necessary for managing and for directing and supervising, the business affairs of the Company as are not required by the Law or by these Articles required to be exercised by the Members subject to any delegation of such powers as may be authorised by these Articles and permitted by the Law and to such requirements as may be prescribed by resolution of the Members, but no requirement made by resolution of the Members shall prevail if it be inconsistent with these Articles nor shall such resolution invalidate any prior act of the Directors which would have been valid if such resolution had not been made.

 

80.                                The Directors may delegate any of their powers to committees consisting of such member or members of their body as they think fit; any committee so formed shall in the exercise of the powers so delegated conform to any regulations that may be imposed on it by the Directors.

 

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81.                                The Directors may from time to time and at any time by power of attorney or otherwise appoint any company, firm or person or any fluctuating body of persons, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the Directors, to be the attorney or attorneys of the Company for such purposes and with such powers, authorities and discretions (not exceeding those vested in or exercisable by the Directors under these Articles) and for such period and subject to such conditions as they may think fit, and any such powers of attorney may contain such provisions for the protection and convenience of persons dealing with any such attorney as the Directors may think fit and may also authorise any such attorney to delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretions vested in him.

 

82.                                The Directors may establish any local boards or agencies for managing any of the businesses and affairs of the Company, and may appoint any persons to be members of such local boards, managers or agents for the Company and may fix their remuneration and may delegate to any local board, manager or agent any of the powers, authorities and discretions vested in the Directors, with the power to sub-delegate, and may authorise the members of any local boards or agencies, or any of them, to fill any vacancies therein and to act notwithstanding vacancies, and any such appointment and delegation may be made upon such terms and subject to such conditions as the Directors may think fit, and the Directors may remove any person so appointed and may annul or vary any such delegation, but no person dealing in good faith and without notice of any such annulment or variation shall be affected thereby.

 

83.                                The Directors may exercise all the powers of the Company to borrow money and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property, assets (present and future) and uncalled capital or any part thereof, to issue debentures, debenture stock and other securities whenever money is borrowed or as security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Company or of any third party.

 

DISQUALIFICATION OF DIRECTORS

 

84.                                The office of Director shall be vacated, if the Director:

 

(a)                        becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors; or

 

(b)                        is found to be or becomes of unsound mind; or

 

(c)                         resigns his office by notice in writing to the Company; or

 

(d)                        is removed from office by Ordinary Resolution; or

 

(e)                         is convicted of an arrestable offence.

 

PROCEEDINGS OF DIRECTORS

 

85.                                The meetings of the Board of Directors and any committee thereof shall be held at such place or places as the Directors shall decide.

 

86.                                The Directors may elect a chairman (the “ Chairman of the Board of Directors ”) of their meeting and determine the period for which he is to hold office. If no such Chairman of the Board of Directors is elected, or if at any meeting the Chairman of the Board of Directors is not present at the time appointed for holding the meeting, the Directors present may choose one of their number to be Chairman of the Board of Directors for the meeting. If the Directors are unable to choose a Chairman of the Board of Directors, for any reason, then the oldest Director present at the meeting shall preside as the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

 

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87.                                The Directors may meet together for the dispatch of business, adjourn and otherwise regulate their meetings as they think fit. Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. In case of an equality in votes the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote. A Director may at any time summon a meeting of the Directors. If the Company shall have only one Director, the provisions hereinafter contained for meetings of the Directors shall not apply but such sole Director shall have full power to represent and act for the Company in all matters and in lieu of minutes of a meeting shall record written resolutions and sign as a resolution of the Directors. Such note or memorandum shall constitute sufficient evidence of such resolution for all purposes.

 

88.                                Any one or more members of the Board of Directors or any committee thereof may participate in a meeting of such Board of Directors or committee by means of a conference telephone or similar communications equipment allowing all persons participating in the meeting to hear each other at the same time. Participating by such means shall constitute presence in person at a meeting.

 

89.                                The quorum necessary for the transaction of the business of the Directors may be fixed by the Directors, and unless so fixed, if there be more than two Directors shall be two, and if there be two or less Directors shall be one. A Director represented by proxy or by an alternate Director at any meeting shall be deemed to be present for the purposes of determining whether or not a quorum is present.

 

90.                                A Director who is in any way, whether directly or indirectly, interested in a contract or proposed contract with the Company shall declare the nature of his interest at a meeting of the Directors. A general notice given to the Directors by any Director to the effect that he is a member of any specified company or firm and is to be regarded as interested in any contract which may thereafter be made with that company or firm shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of interest in regard to any contract so made. A Director may vote in respect of any contract or proposed contract or arrangement notwithstanding that he may be interested therein and if he does so his vote shall be counted and he may be counted in the quorum at any meeting of the Directors at which any such contract or proposed contract or arrangement shall come before the meeting for consideration.

 

91.                                A Director may hold any other office or place of profit under the Company (other than the office of auditor) in conjunction with his office of Director for such period and on such terms (as to remuneration and otherwise) as the Directors may determine and no Director or intending Director shall be disqualified by his office from contracting with the Company either with regard to his tenure of any such other office or place of profit or as vendor, purchaser or otherwise, nor shall any such contract or arrangement entered into by or on behalf of the Company in which any Director is in any way interested, be liable to be avoided, nor shall any Director so contracting or being so interested be liable to account to the Company for any profit realised by any such contract or arrangement by reason of such Director holding that office or of the fiduciary relation thereby established. A Director, notwithstanding his interest, may be counted in the quorum present at any meeting whereat he or any other Director is appointed to hold any such office or place of profit under the Company or whereat the terms of any such appointment are arranged and he may vote on any such appointment or arrangement.

 

92.                                The Directors shall cause to be entered and kept in books or files provided for the purpose minutes or memoranda of the following (where applicable): -

 

(a)                           all appointments of officers made by the Directors;

 

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(b)                        the names of the Directors, and any alternate Director who is not also a Director, present at each meeting of the Directors and of any committee of the Directors; and

 

(c)                         all resolutions and proceedings of all general meetings of the Company, all meetings of the Directors and all meetings of committees and, where the Company has only one Member and/or one Director, all written resolutions of the decisions of the sole Member and/or the sole Director;

 

and any such minutes or memoranda of any meeting or decisions of the Directors, or any committee, or of the Company, if purporting to be signed by the chairman of such meeting, or by the chairman of the next succeeding meeting, shall be receivable as prima facie evidence of the matters stated therein.

 

93.                                When the Chairman of a meeting of the Directors signs the minutes of such meeting the same shall be deemed to have been duly held notwithstanding that all the Directors have not actually come together or that there may have been a technical defect in the proceedings.

 

94.                                A resolution in writing signed by all of the Directors for the time being shall be as valid and effectual for all purposes as a resolution of the Directors passed at a meeting of the Directors duly called and constituted. Such resolution in writing may consist of several documents each signed by one or more of the Directors.

 

95.                                The continuing Directors may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body but if and so long as their number is reduced below the number fixed by or pursuant to the Articles of the Company as the necessary quorum of Directors, the continuing Directors may act for the purpose of increasing the number, or of summoning a general meeting of the Company, but for no other purpose.

 

96.                                The Directors may elect a Chairman of the Board of their meetings and determine the period for which he is to hold office but if no such Chairman of the Board is elected, or if at any meeting the Chairman is not present within 15 minutes after the time appointed for holding the same, the Directors present may choose one of their number to be Chairman of the Board of the meeting.

 

97.                                A committee appointed by the Directors may elect a Chairman of the Board of its meetings. If no such Chairman of the Board is elected, or if at any meeting the Chairman of the Board is not present within 15 minutes after the time appointed for holding the same, the members present may choose one of their number to be Chairman of the Board of the meeting.

 

98.                                A committee appointed by the Directors may meet and adjourn as it thinks fit. Questions arising at any meeting shall be determined by a majority of votes of the committee members present and in case of an equality of votes the Chairman of the Board shall have a second or casting vote.

 

99.                                All acts done bona fide by any meeting of the Directors or of a committee of Directors, or by any person acting as a Director, shall notwithstanding that it be afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any such Director or person acting as aforesaid, or that they or any of them were disqualified, be as valid as if every such person had been duly appointed and was qualified to be a Director.

 

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SEAL

 

100.                         The Directors shall provide for the safe custody of the Seal of the Company. The Seal when affixed to any instrument shall be witnessed by a Director or the Secretary or officer of the Company or any other person so authorised from time to time by the Directors or of a committee of the Directors authorised by the Directors on that behalf. The Directors may provide for a facsimile of the Seal and approve the signature of any Director or authorised person which may be reproduced by printing or other means on any instrument and it shall have the same force and validity as if the Seal has been affixed to such instrument and the same had been signed as hereinbefore described.

 

101.                         Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary shall have the authority to affix the Seal, or the facsimile Seal, to any instrument for the purposes of attesting authenticity of the matter contained therein but which does not create any obligation binding on the Company.

 

DIVIDENDS

 

102.                         Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any class or classes of shares, the Directors may from time to time declare dividends (including interim dividends) and other distributions on shares in issue and authorise payment of the same out of the profit of the Company lawfully available therefor.

 

103.                         Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any class or classes of shares, the Company by Ordinary Resolution may declare dividends, but no dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the Directors.

 

104.                         The Directors may, before recommending or declaring any dividend, set aside out of the profits of the Company such sums as they think proper as a reserve or reserves which shall, at the discretion of the Directors be applicable for meeting contingencies, or for equalising dividends or for any other purpose to which those profit be properly applied and pending such application may, at the like discretion, either be employed in the business of the Company or be invested in such investments (other than shares of the Company) as the Directors may from time to time think fit.

 

105.                         No dividend shall be paid otherwise than out of profits or, subject to the restrictions of the Companies Law, the share premium account.

 

106.                         Any dividend may be paid by cheque or warrant sent through the post directed to the registered address of the holder or joint holders (in case of joint holders, to the registered address of the joint holder whose name stands first on the Register of Members of the Company in respect of the joint holding) or addressed to such person at such address as the holder or joint holders may in writing direct. Every such cheque or warrant shall be made payable to the order of the person to whom it is sent, but in any event the Company shall not be liable or responsible for any cheque or warrant lost in transmission nor for any dividend, bonus, interest or other monies lost to the Member or person entitled thereto by the forged endorsement of any cheque or warrant. Any payment of the cheque or warrant by the Company’s banker on whom it is drawn shall be a good discharge to the Company.

 

107.                         The Directors when paying dividends to the Members in accordance with the foregoing provisions may make such payment either in cash or in specie.

 

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108.                         Subject to the rights of persons, if any, entitled to shares with special rights as to dividend, all dividends shall be declared and paid according to the amounts paid or credited as paid on the shares in respect whereof the dividend is paid, but no amount paid or credited as paid on a share in advance of calls shall be treated for the purposes of this article as paid on the share. All dividends shall be apportioned and paid proportionately to the amounts paid or credited as paid on the shares during any portion or portions of the period in respect of which the dividend is paid but if any share is issued on terms providing that it shall rank for dividend as from a particular date that share shall rank for dividend accordingly.

 

109.                         If several persons are registered as joint holders of any share, any of them may give effectual receipts for any dividend or other moneys payable on or in respect of the share.

 

110.                         No dividend shall bear interest against the Company.

 

INDEMNITY

 

111.                         Subject to the provisions of the Law and in the absence of fraud or wilful default, the Company may indemnify against all expenses, including legal fees, and against all judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement and reasonably incurred in connection with legal, administrative or investigative proceedings any person who:

 

(a)                                  is or was a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that the person is or was a Director, Managing Director, agent, auditor, Secretary and other officer for the time being of the Company; or

 

(b)                                  is or was, at the request of the Company, serving as a Director, Managing Director, agent, auditor, Secretary and other officer for the time being of, or in any other capacity is or was acting for, another company or a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise.

 

ACCOUNTS AND AUDIT

 

112.                         The books of account relating to the Company’s affairs shall be kept in such manner as may be determined from time to time by the Directors.

 

113.                         The books of account shall be kept at the registered office of the Company, or at such other place or places as the Directors think fit, and shall always be open to the inspection of the Directors.

 

114.                         The Directors shall from time to time determine whether and to what extent and at what times and places and under what conditions or Articles the accounts and books of the Company or any of them shall be open to the inspection of Members not being Directors, and no Member (not being a Director) shall have any right of inspecting any account or book or document of the Company except as conferred by the Law or authorised by the Directors or by the Company in general meeting.

 

115.                         The Directors shall from time to time determine whether and to what extent and at what times and places and under what conditions the records, documents and registers of the Company or any of them shall be open to the inspection of Members not being Directors, and no Member (not being a Director) shall have any right of inspecting any records, documents or registers of the Company except as conferred by the Law or authorised by resolution of the Directors.

 

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CAPITALISATION OF PROFITS

 

116.                         Subject to the Law, the Directors may, with the authority of an Ordinary Resolution, resolve that it is desirable to capitalise any part of the amount for the time being standing to the credit of any of the Company’s reserve accounts (including a share premium account and capital redemption reserve), or to the credit of the profit and loss account or otherwise available for distribution, and accordingly that such sum be set free for distribution, amongst the Members who would have been entitled thereto if distributed by way of dividend and in the same proportion, on condition that the same be not paid in cash but be applied either in or towards paying up any amounts (if any) for the time being unpaid on any shares held by such Members respectively, or paying up in full unissued shares or debentures of the Company to be allotted and distributed credited as fully paid up to and amongst such Members in the proportion aforesaid or partly in the one way and partly in the other.

 

Provided that a share premium account and a capital redemption reserve fund may, for the purposes of this Article, only be applied in the paying up of unissued shares to be allotted to Members of the Company as fully paid bonus shares.

 

117.                         Whenever such a resolution as aforesaid shall have been passed the Directors shall make all appropriations and applications of the undivided profits resolved to be capitalised thereby, and all allotments and issues of fully paid shares or debentures, if any and generally shall do all acts and things required to give effect thereto, with full power to the Directors to make such provision by the issue of fractional certificates by payment in cash or otherwise as they think fit for the case of shares or debentures becoming distributable in fractions, and also to authorise any person to enter on behalf of all the Members entitled thereto into an agreement with the Company providing for the allotment to them respectively, credited as fully paid up, of any further shares or debentures to which they may be entitled upon such capitalisation, or as the case may require, for the payment up by the Company on their behalf, by the application thereto of their respective proportions of the profits resolved to be capitalised, of the amounts or any part of the amounts remaining unpaid on their existing shares, and any agreement made under such authority shall be effective and binding on all such Members.

 

SHARE PREMIUM ACCOUNT

 

118.                         The Board of Directors shall in accordance with the Law establish a share premium account and shall carry to the credit of such account from time to time a sum equal to the amount or value of the premium paid on the issue of any share.

 

119.                         There shall be debited to any share premium account on the redemption or purchase of a share the difference between the nominal value of such share and the redemption or purchase price provided always that at the discretion of the Board of Directors such sum may be paid out of the profits of the Company or, if permitted by the Law, out of capital.

 

NOTICES

 

120.                         Any notice or document may be served by the Company or by the person entitled to give notice to any Member either personally, by facsimile or by sending it through the post in a prepaid letter or via a recognised courier service, fees prepaid, addressed to the Member at his address as appearing in the Register of Members. Notices posted to addresses outside the Cayman Islands shall be forwarded by prepaid airmail. A notice may be given by the Company to the joint holders of a share by giving the notice to the joint holder first named in the Register of Members in respect of the share.

 

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121.                         Any Member present, either personally or by proxy, at any meeting of the Company shall for all purposes be deemed to have received due notice of such meeting and, where requisite, of the purposes for which such meeting was convened.

 

122.                         Any notice, if served by (a) post, shall be deemed to have been served 5 days after the time when the letter containing the same is posted and if served by courier, shall be deemed to have been served 5 days after the time when the letter containing the same is delivered to the courier or, (b) facsimile, shall be deemed to have been served upon confirmation of receipt or (c) recognised delivery service, shall be deemed to have been served 48 hours after the time when the letter containing the same is delivered to the courier service provider.

 

123.                         A notice may be given by the Company to the persons entitled to a share in consequence of the death, bankruptcy or insolvency of a Member by sending it through the post in a prepaid letter, by airmail if appropriate addressed to them by name or by the title of representatives of the deceased or assignee or trustee of the bankrupt or insolvent or by a like description at the address, if any, supplied for the purpose by the persons claiming to be so entitled, or, until such an address has been so supplied, by giving the notice in any manner in which the same might have been given if the death, bankruptcy or insolvency had not occurred.

 

124.                         Notice of every general meeting shall be given to:

 

(a)                                  all Members who have supplied to the Company an address for the giving of notices to them; and

 

(b)                                  every person entitled to a share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Member, who but for his death or bankruptcy would be entitled to receive notice of the meeting.

 

No other person shall be entitled to receive notices of general meetings.

 

WINDING UP

 

125.                         If the Company shall be wound up the liquidator may, with the sanction of an Ordinary Resolution of the Company, divide amongst the Members in specie or kind the whole or any part of the assets of the Company whether they shall consist of property of the same kind or not and may, for such purpose set such value as he deems fair upon any property to be divided as aforesaid and may determine how such division shall be carried out as between the Members or different classes of Members. The liquidator may vest the whole or any part of such assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of the contributories as the liquidator thinks fit, but so that no Member shall be compelled to accept any shares or other securities whereon there is any liability.

 

AMENDMENT TO ARTICLES

 

126.                         The Company may alter or modify the provisions contained in these Articles as originally drafted or as amended from time to time by a Special Resolution and subject to the Law and the rights attaching to the various classes of shares.

 

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REGISTRATION BY WAY OF CONTINUATION

 

127.                         The Company may by Special Resolution resolve to be registered by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands or such other jurisdiction in which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing. In furtherance of a resolution adopted pursuant to this Article, the Directors may cause an application to be made to the Registrar of Companies to deregister the Company in the Cayman Islands or such other jurisdiction in which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing and may cause all such further steps as they consider appropriate to be taken to effect the transfer by way of continuation of the Company.

 

**********

 

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NAME, ADDRESS AND DESCRIPTION OF SUBSCRIBER

 

For and on behalf of

NovaSage Incorporations (Cayman) Limited
Corporation
of Floor 4, Willow House, Cricket Square,
P.O. Box 2582,
Grand Cayman KY1-1103,
Cayman Islands

 

 

/s/ Toni Rombough

 

(Sd.) Authorised Signatory

 

Toni Rombough

 

 

DATED    25 APR 2016

 

 

/s/ Andria Bell

 

Witness to the above signature:

 

(Sd.) Andria Bell

of Floor 4, Willow House, Cricket Square,
P.O. Box 2582,
Grand Cayman KY1-1103,
Cayman Islands

 

© NovaSage Incorporations Limited 2013

 

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Exhibit 3.2

 

THE COMPANIES LAW (2016 REVISION)

OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 

AMENDED AND RESTATED
MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION

OF

HEXINDAI INC.

 

(adopted by a Special Resolution passed on September 22, 2017 and effective immediately prior to the completion of the Company’s initial public offering of American Depositary Shares representing its Ordinary Shares)

 

1.                           The name of the Company is Hexindai Inc.

 

2.                           The Registered Office of the Company will be situated at the offices of Maples Corporate Services Limited, PO Box 309, Ugland House, Grand Cayman, KY1-1104, Cayman Islands, or at such other location within the Cayman Islands as the Directors may from time to time determine.

 

3.                           The objects for which the Company is established are unrestricted and the Company shall have full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the Companies Law or any other law of the Cayman Islands.

 

4.                           The Company shall have and be capable of exercising all the functions of a natural person of full capacity irrespective of any question of corporate benefit as provided by the Companies Law.

 

5.                           The Company will not trade in the Cayman Islands with any person, firm or corporation except in furtherance of the business of the Company carried on outside the Cayman Islands; provided that nothing in this section shall be construed as to prevent the Company effecting and concluding contracts in the Cayman Islands, and exercising in the Cayman Islands all of its powers necessary for the carrying on of its business outside the Cayman Islands.

 

6.                           The liability of each Shareholder is limited to the amount, if any, unpaid on the Shares held by such Shareholder.

 

7.                           The authorised share capital of the Company is US$50,000 divided into 500,000,000 ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each. Subject to the Companies Law and the Articles, the Company shall have power to redeem or purchase any of its Shares and to increase or reduce its authorised share capital and to sub-divide or consolidate the said Shares or any of them and to issue all or any part of its capital whether original, redeemed, increased or reduced with or without any preference, priority, special privilege or other rights or subject to any postponement of rights or to any conditions or

 



 

restrictions whatsoever and so that unless the conditions of issue shall otherwise expressly provide every issue of shares whether stated to be ordinary, preference or otherwise shall be subject to the powers on the part of the Company hereinbefore provided.

 

8.                           The Company has power to register by way of continuation as a body corporate limited by shares under the laws of any jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands and to be deregistered in the Cayman Islands.

 

9.                           Capitalised terms that are not defined in this Memorandum of Association bear the same meanings as those given in the Articles of Association of the Company.

 

2



 

THE COMPANIES LAW (2016 REVISION)

OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 

AMENDED AND RESTATED

ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

OF

HEXINDAI INC.

 

(adopted by a Special Resolution passed on             , 2017 and effective immediately prior to the completion of the Company’s initial public offering of American Depositary Shares representing its Ordinary Shares)

 

TABLE A

 

The regulations contained or incorporated in Table ‘A’ in the First Schedule of the Companies Law shall not apply to the Company and the following Articles shall comprise the Articles of Association of the Company.

 

INTERPRETATION

 

1.                                       In these Articles the following defined terms will have the meanings ascribed to them, if not inconsistent with the subject or context:

 

ADS

 

means an American Depositary Share representing Ordinary Shares;

 

 

 

“Affiliate”

 

means in respect of a Person, any other Person that, directly or indirectly, through (1) one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such Person, and (i) in the case of a natural person, shall include, without limitation, such person’s spouse, parents, children, siblings, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, a trust for the benefit of any of the foregoing, and a corporation, partnership or any other entity wholly or jointly owned by any of the foregoing, and (ii) in the case of an entity, shall include a partnership, a corporation or any other entity or any natural person which directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such entity. The term “control” shall mean the ownership, directly or indirectly, of shares possessing more than fifty per cent (50%) of the voting power of the corporation, partnership or other entity (other than, in the case of a corporation, securities having such power only by reason of the happening of a contingency), or having the power to

 

3



 

 

 

control the management or elect a majority of members to the board of directors or equivalent decision-making body of such corporation, partnership or other entity;

 

 

 

Articles

 

means these articles of association of the Company, as amended or substituted from time to time;

 

 

 

“Board” and “Board of Directors” and “Directors”

 

means the directors of the Company for the time being, or as the case may be, the directors assembled as a board or as a committee thereof;

 

 

 

“Chairman”

 

means the chairman of the Board of Directors;

 

 

 

“Class” or “Classes”

 

means any class or classes of Shares as may from time to time be issued by the Company;

 

 

 

“Commission”

 

means the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States of America or any other federal agency for the time being administering the Securities Act;

 

 

 

“Company”

 

means Hexindai Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company;

 

 

 

“Companies Law”

 

means the Companies Law (2016 Revision) of the Cayman Islands and any statutory amendment or re-enactment thereof;

 

 

 

“Company’s Website”

 

means the main corporate/investor relations website of the Company, the address or domain name of which has been disclosed in the registration statement filed by the Company in connection its initial public offering of ADS or which may otherwise from time to time be notified to Shareholders;

 

 

 

“Designated Stock Exchange”

 

means the stock exchange in the United States on which any Shares or ADSs are listed for trading;

 

 

 

“Designated Stock Exchange Rules”

 

means the relevant code, rules and regulations, as amended, from time to time, applicable as a result of the original and continued listing of any Shares or ADSs on the Designated Stock Exchange;

 

 

 

“electronic”

 

has the meaning given to it in the Electronic Transactions Law and any amendment thereto or re-enactments thereof for the time being in force and includes every other law incorporated therewith or substituted therefor;

 

 

 

“electronic communication”

 

means electronic posting to the Company’s Website, transmission to any number, address or internet website or other electronic delivery methods as otherwise decided and approved by not less than two-thirds of the vote of the Board;

 

 

 

“Electronic Transactions Law”

 

means the Electronic Transactions Law (2003 Revision) of the Cayman Islands and any statutory amendment or re-enactment thereof;

 

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“electronic record”

 

has the meaning given to it in the Electronic Transactions Law and any amendment thereto or re-enactments thereof for the time being in force and includes every other law incorporated therewith or substituted therefor;

 

 

 

“Memorandum of Association”

 

means the memorandum of association of the Company, as amended or substituted from time to time;

 

 

 

“Ordinary Resolution”

 

means a resolution:

 

(a)                     passed by a simple majority of the votes cast by such Shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy or, in the case of corporations, by their duly authorised representatives, at a general meeting of the Company held in accordance with these Articles; or

 

 

 

 

 

(b)                     approved in writing by all of the Shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one or more of the Shareholders and the effective date of the resolution so adopted shall be the date on which the instrument, or the last of such instruments, if more than one, is executed;

 

 

 

“Ordinary Share”

 

means an ordinary share of a par value of US$0.0001 in the capital of the Company, and having the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions provided for in the Memorandum and these Articles;

 

 

 

paid up

 

means paid up as to the par value in respect of the issue of any Shares and includes credited as paid up;

 

 

 

“Person”

 

means any natural person, firm, company, joint venture, partnership, corporation, association or other entity (whether or not having a separate legal personality) or any of them as the context so requires;

 

 

 

“Register”

 

means the register of Members of the Company maintained in accordance with the Companies Law;

 

 

 

“Registered Office”

 

means the registered office of the Company as required by the Companies Law;

 

 

 

“Seal”

 

means the common seal of the Company (if adopted) including any facsimile thereof;

 

 

 

“Secretary”

 

means any Person appointed by the Directors to perform any of the duties of the secretary of the Company;

 

 

 

“Securities Act”

 

means the Securities Act of 1933 of the United States of America, as amended, or any similar federal statute and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, all as the same shall be in effect at the time;

 

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“Share”

 

means a share in the capital of the Company, and includes an Ordinary Share. All references to “Shares” herein shall be deemed to be Shares of any or all Classes as the context may require. For the avoidance of doubt in these Articles the expression “Share” shall include a fraction of a Share;

 

 

 

“Shareholder” or “Member”

 

means a Person who is registered as the holder of one or more Shares in the Register;

 

 

 

“Share Premium Account”

 

means the share premium account established in accordance with these Articles and the Companies Law;

 

 

 

“signed”

 

means bearing a signature or representation of a signature affixed by mechanical means or an electronic symbol or process attached to or logically associated with an electronic communication and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the electronic communication;

 

 

 

“Special Resolution”

 

means a special resolution of the Company passed in accordance with the Companies Law, being a resolution:

 

(a)                     passed by not less than two-thirds of the votes cast by such Shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy or, in the case of corporations, by their duly authorised representatives, at a general meeting of the Company of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been duly given; or

 

(b)                     approved in writing by all of the Shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one or more of the Shareholders and the effective date of the special resolution so adopted shall be the date on which the instrument or the last of such instruments, if more than one, is executed;

 

 

 

“Treasury Share”

 

means a Share held in the name of the Company as a treasury share in accordance with the Companies Law; and

 

 

 

“United States”

 

means the United States of America, its territories, its possessions and all areas subject to its jurisdiction.

 

2.                                       In these Articles, save where the context requires otherwise:

 

(a)                                  words importing the singular number shall include the plural number and vice versa;

 

(b)                                  words importing the masculine gender only shall include the feminine gender and any Person as the context may require;

 

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(c)                                   the word “may” shall be construed as permissive and the word “shall” shall be construed as imperative;

 

(d)                                  reference to a dollar or dollars (or US$) and to a cent or cents is reference to dollars and cents of the United States of America;

 

(e)                                   reference to a statutory enactment shall include reference to any amendment or re-enactment thereof for the time being in force;

 

(f)                                    reference to any determination by the Directors shall be construed as a determination by the Directors in their sole and absolute discretion and shall be applicable either generally or in any particular case;

 

(g)                                   reference to “in writing” shall be construed as written or represented by any means reproducible in writing, including any form of print, lithograph, email, facsimile, photograph or telex or represented by any other substitute or format for storage or transmission for writing including in the form of an electronic record or partly one and partly another;

 

(h)                                  any requirements as to delivery under the Articles include delivery in the form of an electronic record or an electronic communication;

 

(i)                                      any requirements as to execution or signature under the Articles, including the execution of the Articles themselves, can be satisfied in the form of an electronic signature as defined in the Electronic Transaction Law; and

 

(j)                                     Sections 8 and 19(3) of the Electronic Transactions Law shall not apply.

 

3.                                       Subject to the last two preceding Articles, any words defined in the Companies Law shall, if not inconsistent with the subject or context, bear the same meaning in these Articles.

 

PRELIMINARY

 

4.                                       The business of the Company may be conducted as the Directors see fit.

 

5.                                       The Registered Office shall be at such address in the Cayman Islands as the Directors may from time to time determine. The Company may in addition establish and maintain such other offices and places of business and agencies in such places as the Directors may from time to time determine.

 

6.                                       The expenses incurred in the formation of the Company and in connection with the offer for subscription and issue of Shares shall be paid by the Company. Such expenses may be amortised over such period as the Directors may determine and the amount so paid shall be charged against income and/or capital in the accounts of the Company as the Directors shall determine.

 

7.                                       The Directors shall keep, or cause to be kept, the Register at such place as the Directors may from time to time determine and, in the absence of any such determination, the Register shall be kept at the Registered Office.

 

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SHARES

 

8.                                       Subject to these Articles, all Shares for the time being unissued shall be under the control of the Directors who may, in their absolute discretion and without the approval of the Members, cause the Company to:

 

(a)                                  issue, allot and dispose of Shares (including, without limitation, preferred shares) (whether in certificated form or non-certificated form) to such Persons, in such manner, on such terms and having such rights and being subject to such restrictions as they may from time to time determine;

 

(b)                                  grant rights over Shares or other securities to be issued in one or more classes or series as they deem necessary or appropriate and determine the designations, powers, preferences, privileges and other rights attaching to such Shares or securities, including dividend rights, voting rights, conversion rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the powers, preferences, privileges and rights associated with the then issued and outstanding Shares, at such times and on such other terms as they think proper; and

 

(c)                                   grant options with respect to Shares and issue warrants or similar instruments with respect thereto.

 

9.                                       The Directors may authorise the division of Shares into any number of Classes and the different Classes shall be authorised, established and designated (or re-designated as the case may be) and the variations in the relative rights (including, without limitation, voting, dividend and redemption rights), restrictions, preferences, privileges and payment obligations as between the different Classes (if any) may be fixed and determined by the Directors or by a Special Resolution. The Directors may issue from time to time, out of the authorised share capital of the Company, preferred shares with such preferred or other rights, all or any of which may be greater than the rights of Ordinary Shares, at such time and on such terms as they may think appropriate in their absolute discretion and without approval of the Members; provided, however, before any preferred shares of any such series are issued, the Directors shall by resolution of Directors determine, with respect to any series of preferred shares, the terms and rights of that series, including:

 

(a)                                  the designation of such series, the number of preferred shares to constitute such series and the subscription price thereof if different from the par value thereof;

 

(b)                                  whether the preferred shares of such series shall have voting rights, in addition to any voting rights provided by law, and, if so, the terms of such voting rights, which may be general or limited;

 

(c)                                   the dividends, if any, payable on such series, whether any such dividends shall be cumulative, and, if so, from what dates, the conditions and dates upon which such dividends shall be payable, and the preference or relation which such dividends shall bear to the dividends payable on any shares of any other class or any other series of shares;

 

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(d)                                  whether the preferred shares of such series shall be subject to redemption by the Company, and, if so, the times, prices and other conditions of such redemption;

 

(e)                                   whether the preferred shares of such series shall have any rights to receive any part of the assets available for distribution amongst the Members upon the liquidation of the Company, and, if so, the terms of such liquidation preference, and the relation which such liquidation preference shall bear to the entitlements of the holders of shares of any other class or any other series of shares;

 

(f)                                    whether the preferred shares of such series shall be subject to the operation of a retirement or sinking fund and, if so, the extent to and manner in which any such retirement or sinking fund shall be applied to the purchase or redemption of the preferred shares of such series for retirement or other corporate purposes and the terms and provisions relative to the operation thereof;

 

(g)                                   whether the preferred shares of such series shall be convertible into, or exchangeable for, shares of any other class or any other series of preferred shares or any other securities and, if so, the price or prices or the rate or rates of conversion or exchange and the method, if any, of adjusting the same, and any other terms and conditions of conversion or exchange;

 

(h)                                  the limitations and restrictions, if any, to be effective while any preferred shares of such series are outstanding upon the payment of dividends or the making of other distributions on, and upon the purchase, redemption or other acquisition by the Company of, the existing shares or shares of any other class of shares or any other series of preferred shares;

 

(i)                                      the conditions or restrictions, if any, upon the creation of indebtedness of the Company or upon the issue of any additional shares, including additional shares of such series or of any other class of shares or any other series of preferred shares; and

 

(j)                                     any other powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights, and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof;

 

and, for such purposes, the Directors may reserve an appropriate number of Shares for the time being unissued. The Company shall not issue Shares to bearer.

 

10.                                The Company may insofar as may be permitted by law, pay a commission to any Person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe whether absolutely or conditionally for any Shares. Such commissions may be satisfied by the payment of cash or the lodgement of fully or partly paid-up Shares or partly in one way and partly in the other. The Company may also pay such brokerage as may be lawful on any issue of Shares.

 

11.                                The Directors may refuse to accept any application for Shares, and may accept any application in whole or in part, for any reason or for no reason.

 

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MODIFICATION OF RIGHTS

 

12.                                If at any time the capital of the Company is divided into different Classes, all or any of the rights attached to any such Class may, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to any Class, be varied with the consent in writing of two-thirds of the holders of the issued Shares of that Class or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the Shares of that Class. To every such separate meeting all the provisions of these Articles relating to general meetings of the Company or to the proceedings thereat shall, mutatis mutandis, apply, except that the necessary quorum shall be one or more Persons holding or representing by proxy at least one-third in nominal or par value amount of the issued Shares of the relevant Class (but so that if at any adjourned meeting of such holders a quorum as above defined is not present, those Shareholders who are present shall form a quorum) and that, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to the Shares of that Class, every Shareholder of the Class shall on a poll have one vote for each Share of the Class held by him. For the purposes of this Article the Directors may treat all the Classes or any two or more Classes as forming one Class if they consider that all such Classes would be affected in the same way by the proposals under consideration, but in any other case shall treat them as separate Classes.

 

13.                                The rights conferred upon the holders of the Shares of any Class issued with preferred or other rights shall not, unless otherwise expressly provided by the terms of issue of the Shares of that Class, be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further Shares ranking pari passu with or subsequent to the Shares of that Class or the redemption or purchase of any Shares of any Class by the Company. The rights of the holders of Shares shall not be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of Shares with preferred or other rights including, without limitation, the creation of Shares with enhanced or weighted voting rights.

 

CERTIFICATES

 

14.                                Every Person whose name is entered as a Member in the Register may, without payment and upon its written request, request a certificate within two calendar months after allotment or lodgement of transfer (or within such other period as the conditions of issue shall provide) in the form determined by the Directors. All certificates shall specify the Share or Shares held by that Person, provided that in respect of a Share or Shares held jointly by several persons the Company shall not be bound to issue more than one certificate, and delivery of a certificate for a Share to one of several joint holders shall be sufficient delivery to all. All certificates for Shares shall be delivered personally or sent through the post addressed to the Member entitled thereto at the Member’s registered address as appearing in the Register.

 

15.                                Every share certificate of the Company shall bear legends required under the applicable laws, including the Securities Act.

 

16.                                Any two or more certificates representing Shares of any one Class held by any Member may at the Member’s request be cancelled and a single new certificate for such Shares issued in lieu on payment (if the Directors shall so require) of one dollar (US$1.00) or such smaller sum as the Directors shall determine.

 

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17.                                If a share certificate shall be damaged or defaced or alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed, a new certificate representing the same Shares may be issued to the relevant Member upon request, subject to delivery up of the old certificate or (if alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed) compliance with such conditions as to evidence and indemnity and the payment of out-of-pocket expenses of the Company in connection with the request as the Directors may think fit.

 

18.                                In the event that Shares are held jointly by several persons, any request may be made by any one of the joint holders and if so made shall be binding on all of the joint holders.

 

FRACTIONAL SHARES

 

19.                                The Directors may issue fractions of a Share and, if so issued, a fraction of a Share shall be subject to and carry the corresponding fraction of liabilities (whether with respect to nominal or par value, premium, contributions, calls or otherwise), limitations, preferences, privileges, qualifications, restrictions, rights (including, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, voting and participation rights) and other attributes of a whole Share. If more than one fraction of a Share of the same Class is issued to or acquired by the same Shareholder such fractions shall be accumulated.

 

LIEN

 

20.                                The Company has a first and paramount lien on every Share (whether or not fully paid) for all amounts (whether presently payable or not) payable at a fixed time or called in respect of that Share. The Company also has a first and paramount lien on every Share registered in the name of a Person indebted or under liability to the Company (whether he is the sole registered holder of a Share or one of two or more joint holders) for all amounts owing by him or his estate to the Company (whether or not presently payable). The Directors may at any time declare a Share to be wholly or in part exempt from the provisions of this Article. The Company’s lien on a Share extends to any amount payable in respect of it, including but not limited to dividends.

 

21.                                The Company may sell, in such manner as the Directors in their absolute discretion think fit, any Share on which the Company has a lien, but no sale shall be made unless an amount in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable nor until the expiration of fourteen calendar days after a notice in writing, demanding payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable, has been given to the registered holder for the time being of the Share, or the Persons entitled thereto by reason of his death or bankruptcy.

 

22.                                For giving effect to any such sale the Directors may authorise a Person to transfer the Shares sold to the purchaser thereof. The purchaser shall be registered as the holder of the Shares comprised in any such transfer and he shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, nor shall his title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the sale.

 

23.                                The proceeds of the sale after deduction of expenses, fees and commission incurred by the Company shall be received by the Company and applied in payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable, and the

 

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residue shall (subject to a like lien for sums not presently payable as existed upon the Shares prior to the sale) be paid to the Person entitled to the Shares immediately prior to the sale.

 

CALLS ON SHARES

 

24.                                Subject to the terms of the allotment, the Directors may from time to time make calls upon the Shareholders in respect of any moneys unpaid on their Shares, and each Shareholder shall (subject to receiving at least fourteen calendar days’ notice specifying the time or times of payment) pay to the Company at the time or times so specified the amount called on such Shares. A call shall be deemed to have been made at the time when the resolution of the Directors authorising such call was passed.

 

25.                                The joint holders of a Share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay calls in respect thereof.

 

26.                                If a sum called in respect of a Share is not paid before or on the day appointed for payment thereof, the Person from whom the sum is due shall pay interest upon the sum at the rate of eight percent per annum from the day appointed for the payment thereof to the time of the actual payment, but the Directors shall be at liberty to waive payment of that interest wholly or in part.

 

27.                                The provisions of these Articles as to the liability of joint holders and as to payment of interest shall apply in the case of non-payment of any sum which, by the terms of issue of a Share, becomes payable at a fixed time, whether on account of the amount of the Share, or by way of premium, as if the same had become payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.

 

28.                                The Directors may make arrangements with respect to the issue of partly paid Shares for a difference between the Shareholders, or the particular Shares, in the amount of calls to be paid and in the times of payment.

 

29.                                The Directors may, if they think fit, receive from any Shareholder willing to advance the same all or any part of the moneys uncalled and unpaid upon any partly paid Shares held by him, and upon all or any of the moneys so advanced may (until the same would, but for such advance, become presently payable) pay interest at such rate (not exceeding without the sanction of an Ordinary Resolution, eight percent per annum) as may be agreed upon between the Shareholder paying the sum in advance and the Directors. No such sum paid in advance of calls shall entitle the Member paying such sum to any portion of a dividend declared in respect of any period prior to the date upon which such sum would, but for such payment, become presently payable.

 

FORFEITURE OF SHARES

 

30.                                If a Shareholder fails to pay any call or instalment of a call in respect of partly paid Shares on the day appointed for payment, the Directors may, at any time thereafter during such time as any part of such call or instalment remains unpaid, serve a notice on him requiring payment of so much of the call or instalment as is unpaid, together with any interest which may have accrued.

 

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31.                                The notice shall name a further day (not earlier than the expiration of fourteen calendar days from the date of the notice) on or before which the payment required by the notice is to be made, and shall state that in the event of non-payment at or before the time appointed, the Shares in respect of which the call was made will be liable to be forfeited.

 

32.                                If the requirements of any such notice as aforesaid are not complied with, any Share in respect of which the notice has been given may at any time thereafter, before the payment required by notice has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of the Directors to that effect.

 

33.                                A forfeited Share may be sold or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the Directors think fit, and at any time before a sale or disposition the forfeiture may be cancelled on such terms as the Directors think fit.

 

34.                                A Person whose Shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a Shareholder in respect of the forfeited Shares, but shall, notwithstanding, remain liable to pay to the Company all moneys which at the date of forfeiture were payable by him to the Company in respect of the Shares forfeited, but his liability shall cease if and when the Company receives payment in full of the amount unpaid on the Shares forfeited.

 

35.                                A certificate in writing under the hand of a Director that a Share has been duly forfeited on a date stated in the certificate shall be conclusive evidence of the facts in the declaration as against all Persons claiming to be entitled to the Share.

 

36.                                The Company may receive the consideration, if any, given for a Share on any sale or disposition thereof pursuant to the provisions of these Articles as to forfeiture and may execute a transfer of the Share in favour of the Person to whom the Share is sold or disposed of and that Person shall be registered as the holder of the Share and shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, if any, nor shall his title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the disposition or sale.

 

37.                                The provisions of these Articles as to forfeiture shall apply in the case of non-payment of any sum which by the terms of issue of a Share becomes due and payable, whether on account of the amount of the Share, or by way of premium, as if the same had been payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.

 

TRANSFER OF SHARES

 

38.                                The instrument of transfer of any Share shall be in writing and in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may, in their absolute discretion, approve and be executed by or on behalf of the transferor and if in respect of a nil or partly paid up Share, or if so required by the Directors, shall also be executed on behalf of the transferee and shall be accompanied by the certificate (if any) of the Shares to which it relates and such other evidence as the Directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer. The transferor shall be deemed to remain a Shareholder until the name of the transferee is entered in the Register in respect of the relevant Shares.

 

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39.                                (a)                                  The Directors may in their absolute discretion decline to register any transfer of Shares which is not fully paid up or on which the Company has a lien.

 

(b)                                  The Directors may also decline to register any transfer of any Share unless:

 

(i)                                   the instrument of transfer is lodged with the Company, accompanied by the certificate for the Shares to which it relates and such other evidence as the Board may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer;

 

(ii)                                the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one Class of Shares;

 

(iii)                             the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required;

 

(iv)                            in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the Share is to be transferred does not exceed four; and

 

(v)                               a fee of such maximum sum as the Designated Stock Exchange may determine to be payable, or such lesser sum as the Board of Directors may from time to time require, is paid to the Company in respect thereof.

 

40.                                The registration of transfers may, after compliance with any notice required by the Designated Stock Exchange Rules, be suspended and the Register closed at such times and for such periods as the Directors may, in their absolute discretion, from time to time determine, provided always that such registration of transfer shall not be suspended nor the Register closed for more than thirty calendar days in any calendar year.

 

41.                                All instruments of transfer that are registered shall be retained by the Company. If the Directors refuse to register a transfer of any Shares, they shall within two calendar months after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged with the Company send notice of the refusal to each of the transferor and the transferee.

 

TRANSMISSION OF SHARES

 

42.                                The legal personal representative of a deceased sole holder of a Share shall be the only Person recognised by the Company as having any title to the Share. In the case of a Share registered in the name of two or more holders, the survivors or survivor, or the legal personal representatives of the deceased survivor, shall be the only Person recognised by the Company as having any title to the Share.

 

43.                                Any Person becoming entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder shall, upon such evidence being produced as may from time to time be required by the Directors, have the right either to be registered as a Shareholder in respect of the Share or, instead of being registered himself, to make such transfer of the Share as the deceased or bankrupt Person could have made; but the Directors shall, in either case, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer of the Share by the deceased or bankrupt Person before the death or bankruptcy.

 

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44.                                A Person becoming entitled to a Share by reason of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder shall be entitled to the same dividends and other advantages to which he would be entitled if he were the registered Shareholder, except that he shall not, before being registered as a Shareholder in respect of the Share, be entitled in respect of it to exercise any right conferred by membership in relation to meetings of the Company, provided however, that the Directors may at any time give notice requiring any such person to elect either to be registered himself or to transfer the Share, and if the notice is not complied with within ninety calendar days, the Directors may thereafter withhold payment of all dividends, bonuses or other monies payable in respect of the Share until the requirements of the notice have been complied with.

 

REGISTRATION OF EMPOWERING INSTRUMENTS

 

45.                                The Company shall be entitled to charge a fee not exceeding one dollar (US$1.00) on the registration of every probate, letters of administration, certificate of death or marriage, power of attorney, notice in lieu of distringas, or other instrument.

 

ALTERATION OF SHARE CAPITAL

 

46.                                The Company may from time to time by Ordinary Resolution increase the share capital by such sum, to be divided into Shares of such Classes and amount, as the resolution shall prescribe.

 

47.                                The Company may by Ordinary Resolution:

 

(a)                                increase its share capital by new Shares of such amount as it thinks expedient;

 

(b)                                consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into Shares of a larger amount than its existing Shares;

 

(c)                                 subdivide its Shares, or any of them, into Shares of an amount smaller than that fixed by the Memorandum, provided that in the subdivision the proportion between the amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced Share shall be the same as it was in case of the Share from which the reduced Share is derived; and

 

(d)                                cancel any Shares that, at the date of the passing of the resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any Person and diminish the amount of its share capital by the amount of the Shares so cancelled.

 

48.                                The Company may by Special Resolution reduce its share capital and any capital redemption reserve in any manner authorised by law.

 

REDEMPTION, PURCHASE AND SURRENDER OF SHARES

 

49.                                Subject to the provisions of the Companies Law and these Articles, the Company may:

 

(a)                                  issue Shares that are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Shareholder or the Company. The redemption of Shares shall be effected in such manner and upon such terms as may be determined, before the

 

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issue of such Shares, by either the Board or by the Shareholders by Special Resolution;

 

(b)                                  purchase its own Shares (including any redeemable Shares) in such manner and upon such terms as have been approved by the Board or by the Shareholders by Ordinary Resolution, or are otherwise authorised by these Articles; and

 

(c)                                   make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own Shares in any manner permitted by the Companies Law, including out of capital.

 

50.                                The purchase of any Share shall not oblige the Company to purchase any other Share other than as may be required pursuant to applicable law and any other contractual obligations of the Company.

 

51.                                The holder of the Shares being purchased shall be bound to deliver up to the Company the certificate(s) (if any) thereof for cancellation and thereupon the Company shall pay to him the purchase or redemption monies or consideration in respect thereof.

 

52.                                The Directors may accept the surrender for no consideration of any fully paid Share.

 

TREASURY SHARES

 

53.                                The Directors may, prior to the purchase, redemption or surrender of any Share, determine that such Share shall be held as a Treasury Share.

 

54.                                The Directors may determine to cancel a Treasury Share or transfer a Treasury Share on such terms as they think proper (including, without limitation, for nil consideration).

 

GENERAL MEETINGS

 

55.                                All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings.

 

56.                                (a)                                  The Company may (but shall not be obliged to) in each calendar year hold a general meeting as its annual general meeting and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it. The annual general meeting shall be held at such time and place as may be determined by the Directors.

 

(b)                                  At these meetings the report of the Directors (if any) shall be presented.

 

57.                                (a)                                  The Chairman or a majority of the Directors may call general meetings, and they shall on a Shareholders’ requisition forthwith proceed to convene an extraordinary general meeting of the Company.

 

(b)                                  A Shareholders’ requisition is a requisition of two or more Members holding at the date of deposit of the requisition Shares which carry in aggregate not less than one-third (1/3rd) of all votes attaching to all issued and outstanding Shares of the Company that as at the date of the deposit carry the right to vote at general meetings of the Company.

 

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(c)                                   The requisition must state the objects of the meeting and must be signed by the requisitionists and deposited at the Registered Office, and may consist of several documents in like form each signed by one or more requisitionists.

 

(d)                                  If there are no Directors as at the date of the deposit of the Members’ requisition, or if the Directors do not within twenty-one calendar days from the date of the deposit of the requisition duly proceed to convene a general meeting to be held within a further twenty-one calendar days, the requisitionists, or any of them representing more than one-half of the total voting rights of all of them, may themselves convene a general meeting, but any meeting so convened shall not be held after the expiration of three calendar months after the expiration of the said twenty-one calendar days.

 

(e)                                   A general meeting convened as aforesaid by requisitionists shall be convened in the same manner as nearly as possible as that in which general meetings are to be convened by Directors.

 

NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS

 

58.                                At least ten (10) calendar days’ notice shall be given for any general meeting. Every notice shall be exclusive of the day on which it is given or deemed to be given and of the day for which it is given and shall specify the place, the day and the hour of the meeting and the general nature of the business and shall be given in the manner hereinafter mentioned or in such other manner if any as may be prescribed by the Company, provided that a general meeting of the Company shall, whether or not the notice specified in this Article has been given and whether or not the provisions of these Articles regarding general meetings have been complied with, be deemed to have been duly convened if it is so agreed:

 

(a)                                  in the case of an annual general meeting, by all the Shareholders (or their proxies) entitled to attend and vote thereat; and

 

(b)                                  in the case of an extraordinary general meeting, by two-thirds (2/3 rd ) of the Shareholders having a right to attend and vote at the meeting, present in person or by proxy or, in the case of a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative or proxy.

 

59.                                The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to or the non-receipt of a notice of a meeting by any Shareholder shall not invalidate the proceedings at any meeting.

 

PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS

 

60.                                No business except for the appointment of a chairman for the meeting shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum of Shareholders is present at the time when the meeting proceeds to business. One or more Shareholders who together hold Shares which carry in aggregate not less than one-third (1/3rd) of all votes attaching to all issued and outstanding Shares that carry the right to vote at such general meeting, present in person or by proxy or, if a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative, shall be a quorum for all purposes.

 

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61.                                If within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting shall be dissolved.

 

62.                                If the Directors wish to make this facility available for a specific general meeting or all general meetings of the Company, participation in any general meeting of the Company may be by means of a telephone or similar communication equipment by way of which all Persons participating in such meeting can communicate with each other and such participation shall be deemed to constitute presence in person at the meeting.

 

63.                                The Chairman, if any, of the Board of Directors shall preside as chairman at every general meeting of the Company.

 

64.                                If there is no such Chairman of the Board of Directors, or if at any general meeting he is not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting or is unwilling to act as chairman, any Director or Person nominated by the Directors shall preside as chairman of that meeting, failing which the Shareholders present in person or by proxy shall choose any Person present to be chairman of that meeting.

 

65.                                The chairman may with the consent of any general meeting at which a quorum is present (and shall if so directed by the meeting) adjourn the meeting from time to time and from place to place, but no business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment took place. When a meeting, or adjourned meeting, is adjourned for fourteen calendar days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given as in the case of an original meeting. Save as aforesaid it shall not be necessary to give any notice of an adjournment or of the business to be transacted at an adjourned meeting.

 

66.                                The Directors may cancel or postpone any duly convened general meeting at any time prior to such meeting, except for general meetings requisitioned by the Shareholders in accordance with these Articles, for any reason or for no reason, upon notice in writing to Shareholders. A postponement may be for a stated period of any length or indefinitely as the Directors may determine. Notice of the business to be transacted at such postponed general meeting shall not be required. If a general meeting is postponed in accordance with this Article, the appointment of a proxy will be valid if it is received as required by the Articles not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for holding the postponed meeting.

 

67.                                At any general meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands, unless a poll is (before or on the declaration of the result of the show of hands) demanded.  A poll may be demanded by the chairman of the meeting or by any or one or more Shareholders who together hold Shares which carry in aggregate not less than ten percent of the votes attaching to all issued and outstanding Shares that carry the right to vote at such general meeting, present in person or by proxy or, if a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative.   Unless a poll is so demanded, a declaration by the chairman of the meeting that a resolution has, on a show of hands, been carried, or carried unanimously, or by a particular majority, or lost, and an entry to that effect in the book of the proceedings of the Company, shall be conclusive evidence of the fact, without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of, or against, that resolution.

 

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68.                                If a poll is duly demanded it shall be taken in such manner as the chairman of the meeting directs, and the result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the poll was demanded.

 

69.                                All questions submitted to a meeting shall be decided by an Ordinary Resolution except where a greater majority is required by these Articles or by the Companies Law. In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, the chairman of the meeting at which the show of hands takes place or at which the poll is demanded, shall be entitled to a second or casting vote.

 

70.                                A poll demanded on the election of a chairman of the meeting or on a question of adjournment shall be taken forthwith. A poll demanded on any other question shall be taken at such time as the chairman of the meeting directs.

 

VOTES OF SHAREHOLDERS

 

71.                                Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Share, on a show of hands every Shareholder present in person or by proxy (or, if a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative or proxy) shall, at a general meeting of the Company, each have one vote and on a poll every Shareholder present in person or by proxy (or, if a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative or proxy) shall have one vote for each Ordinary Share of which he is the holder.

 

72.                                In the case of joint holders the vote of the senior who tenders a vote whether in person or by proxy (or, if a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative or proxy) shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders and for this purpose seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names stand in the Register.

 

73.                                Shares carrying the right to vote that are held by a Shareholder of unsound mind, or in respect of whom an order has been made by any court having jurisdiction in lunacy, may be voted, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, by his committee, or other Person in the nature of a committee appointed by that court, and any such committee or other Person may vote in respect of such Shares by proxy.

 

74.                                No Shareholder shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting of the Company unless all calls, if any, or other sums presently payable by him in respect of Shares carrying the right to vote held by him have been paid.

 

75.                                On a poll votes may be given either personally or by proxy.

 

76.                                Each Shareholder, other than a recognised clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or depositary (or its nominee(s)), may only appoint one proxy on a show of hand. The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing under the hand of the appointor or of his attorney duly authorised in writing or, if the appointor is a corporation, either under Seal or under the hand of an officer or attorney duly authorised. A proxy need not be a Shareholder.

 

77.                                An instrument appointing a proxy may be in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may approve.

 

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78.                                The instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited at the Registered Office or at such other place as is specified for that purpose in the notice convening the meeting, or in any instrument of proxy sent out by the Company:

 

(a)                                  not less than 48 hours before the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the person named in the instrument proposes to vote; or

 

(b)                                  in the case of a poll taken more than 48 hours after it is demanded, be deposited as aforesaid after the poll has been demanded and not less than 24 hours before the time appointed for the taking of the poll; or

 

(c)                                   where the poll is not taken forthwith but is taken not more than 48 hours after it was demanded be delivered at the meeting at which the poll was demanded to the chairman or to the secretary or to any director;

 

provided that the Directors may in the notice convening the meeting, or in any instrument of proxy sent out by the Company, direct that the instrument appointing a proxy may be deposited at such other time (no later than the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting) at the Registered Office or at such other place as is specified for that purpose in the notice convening the meeting, or in any instrument of proxy sent out by the Company. The chairman of the meeting may in any event at his discretion direct that an instrument of proxy shall be deemed to have been duly deposited. An instrument of proxy that is not deposited in the manner permitted shall be invalid.

 

79.                                The instrument appointing a proxy shall be deemed to confer authority to demand or join in demanding a poll.

 

80.                                A resolution in writing signed by all the Shareholders for the time being entitled to receive notice of and to attend and vote at general meetings of the Company (or being corporations by their duly authorised representatives) shall be as valid and effective as if the same had been passed at a general meeting of the Company duly convened and held.

 

CORPORATIONS ACTING BY REPRESENTATIVES AT MEETINGS

 

81.                                Any corporation which is a Shareholder or a Director may by resolution of its directors or other governing body authorise such Person as it thinks fit to act as its representative at any meeting of the Company or of any meeting of holders of a Class or of the Directors or of a committee of Directors, and the Person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the corporation which he represents as that corporation could exercise if it were an individual Shareholder or Director.

 

DEPOSITARY AND CLEARING HOUSES

 

82.                                If a recognised clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or depositary (or its nominee(s)) is a Member of the Company it may, by resolution of its directors or other governing body or by power of attorney, authorise such Person(s) as it thinks fit to act as its representative(s) at any general meeting of the Company or of any Class of Shareholders provided that, if more than one Person is so authorised, the authorisation

 

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shall specify the number and Class of Shares in respect of which each such Person is so authorised. A Person so authorised pursuant to this Article shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the recognised clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or depositary (or its nominee(s)) which he represents as that recognised clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or depositary (or its nominee(s)) could exercise if it were an individual Member holding the number and Class of Shares specified in such authorisation, including the right to vote individually on a show of hands.

 

DIRECTORS

 

83.                                (a)                                  Unless otherwise determined by the Company in general meeting, the number of Directors shall not be less than five Directors, and there shall be no maximum number of Directors.

 

(b)                                  The Board of Directors shall have a Chairman elected and appointed by a majority of the Directors then in office. The period for which the Chairman will hold office will also be determined by a majority of all of the Directors then in office. The Chairman shall preside as chairman at every meeting of the Board of Directors, save and except that if the Chairman is not present at a meeting of the Board of Directors within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the same, or if the Chairman is unable or unwilling to act as the chairman of a meeting of the Board of Directors, the attending Directors may choose one of their number to be the chairman of the meeting.

 

(c)                                   The Company may by Ordinary Resolution appoint any person to be a Director.

 

(d)                                  The Board may, by the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the remaining Directors present and voting at a Board meeting, appoint any person as a Director, to fill a casual vacancy on the Board or as an addition to the existing Board.

 

(e)                                   A Director shall hold office until the expiration of his or her term or his or her successor shall have been elected and qualified, or until his or her office is otherwise vacated.

 

84.                                A Director may be removed from office by Ordinary Resolution of the Company, notwithstanding anything in these Articles or in any agreement between the Company and such Director (but without prejudice to any claim for damages under such agreement). A vacancy on the Board created by the removal of a Director under the previous sentence may be filled by Ordinary Resolution or by the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the remaining Directors present and voting at a Board meeting. The notice of any meeting at which a resolution to remove a Director shall be proposed or voted upon must contain a statement of the intention to remove that Director and such notice must be served on that Director not less than ten (10) calendar days before the meeting. Such Director is entitled to attend the meeting and be heard on the motion for his removal.

 

85.                                The Board may, from time to time, and except as required by applicable law or Designated Stock Exchange Rules, adopt, institute, amend, modify or revoke the corporate governance policies or initiatives of the Company and determine on various

 

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corporate governance related matters of the Company as the Board shall determine by resolution of Directors from time to time.

 

86.                                A Director shall not be required to hold any Shares in the Company by way of qualification. A Director who is not a Member of the Company shall nevertheless be entitled to attend and speak at general meetings.

 

87.                                The remuneration of the Directors may be determined by the Directors or by Ordinary Resolution.

 

88.                                The Directors shall be entitled to be paid their travelling, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by them in going to, attending and returning from meetings of the Directors, or any committee of the Directors, or general meetings of the Company, or otherwise in connection with the business of the Company, or to receive such fixed allowance in respect thereof as may be determined by the Directors from time to time, or a combination partly of one such method and partly the other.

 

ALTERNATE DIRECTOR OR PROXY

 

89.                                Any Director may in writing appoint another Person to be his alternate and, save to the extent provided otherwise in the form of appointment, such alternate shall have authority to sign written resolutions on behalf of the appointing Director, but shall not be required to sign such written resolutions where they have been signed by the appointing director, and to act in such Director’s place at any meeting of the Directors at which the appointing Director is unable to be present. Every such alternate shall be entitled to attend and vote at meetings of the Directors as a Director when the Director appointing him is not personally present and where he is a Director to have a separate vote on behalf of the Director he is representing in addition to his own vote. A Director may at any time in writing revoke the appointment of an alternate appointed by him. Such alternate shall be deemed for all purposes to be a Director of the Company and shall not be deemed to be the agent of the Director appointing him. The remuneration of such alternate shall be payable out of the remuneration of the Director appointing him and the proportion thereof shall be agreed between them.

 

90.                                Any Director may appoint any Person, whether or not a Director, to be the proxy of that Director to attend and vote on his behalf, in accordance with instructions given by that Director, or in the absence of such instructions at the discretion of the proxy, at a meeting or meetings of the Directors which that Director is unable to attend personally. The instrument appointing the proxy shall be in writing under the hand of the appointing Director and shall be in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may approve, and must be lodged with the chairman of the meeting of the Directors at which such proxy is to be used, or first used, prior to the commencement of the meeting.

 

DISQUALIFICATION OF DIRECTORS

 

91.                                The office of Director shall be vacated, if the Director:

 

(a)                                  becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors;

 

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(b)                                  dies or is found to be or becomes of unsound mind;

 

(c)                                   resigns his office by notice in writing to the Company;

 

(d)                                  without special leave of absence from the Board, is absent from meetings of the Board for three consecutive meetings and the Board resolves that his office be vacated;

 

(e)                                   is prohibited by any applicable law or Designated Stock Exchange Rules from being a Director; or

 

(f)                                    is removed from office pursuant to any other provision of these Articles.

 

POWERS AND DUTIES OF DIRECTORS

 

92.                                Subject to the Companies Law, these Articles and to any resolutions passed in a general meeting, the business of the Company shall be managed by the Directors, who may pay all expenses incurred in setting up and registering the Company and may exercise all powers of the Company. No resolution passed by the Company in general meeting shall invalidate any prior act of the Directors that would have been valid if that resolution had not been passed.

 

93.                                Subject to these Articles, the Directors may from time to time appoint any natural person or corporation, whether or not a Director to hold such office in the Company as the Directors may think necessary for the administration of the Company, including but not limited to, chief executive officer, one or more other executive officers, president, one or more vice-presidents, treasurer, assistant treasurer, manager or controller, and for such term and at such remuneration (whether by way of salary or commission or participation in profits or partly in one way and partly in another), and with such powers and duties as the Directors may think fit. Any natural person or corporation so appointed by the Directors may be removed by the Directors. The Directors may also appoint one or more of their number to the office of managing director upon like terms, but any such appointment shall ipso facto terminate if any managing director ceases for any cause to be a Director, or if the Company by Ordinary Resolution resolves that his tenure of office be terminated.

 

94.                                The Directors may appoint any natural person or corporation to be a Secretary (and if need be an assistant Secretary or assistant Secretaries) who shall hold office for such term, at such remuneration and upon such conditions and with such powers as they think fit. Any Secretary or assistant Secretary so appointed by the Directors may be removed by the Directors.

 

95.                                The Directors may delegate any of their powers to committees consisting of such member or members of their body as they think fit; any committee so formed shall in the exercise of the powers so delegated conform to any regulations that may be imposed on it by the Directors.

 

96.                                The Directors may from time to time and at any time by power of attorney (whether under Seal or under hand) or otherwise appoint any company, firm or Person or body of Persons, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the Directors, to be the attorney or attorneys or authorised signatory (any such person being an “Attorney” or

 

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“Authorised Signatory”, respectively) of the Company for such purposes and with such powers, authorities and discretion (not exceeding those vested in or exercisable by the Directors under these Articles) and for such period and subject to such conditions as they may think fit, and any such power of attorney or other appointment may contain such provisions for the protection and convenience of Persons dealing with any such Attorney or Authorised Signatory as the Directors may think fit, and may also authorise any such Attorney or Authorised Signatory to delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretion vested in him.

 

97.                                The Directors may from time to time provide for the management of the affairs of the Company in such manner as they shall think fit and the provisions contained in the three next following Articles shall not limit the general powers conferred by this Article.

 

98.                                The Directors from time to time and at any time may establish any committees, local boards or agencies for managing any of the affairs of the Company and may appoint any natural person or corporation to be a member of such committees or local boards and may appoint any managers or agents of the Company and may fix the remuneration of any such natural person or corporation.

 

99.                                The Directors from time to time and at any time may delegate to any such committee, local board, manager or agent any of the powers, authorities and discretions for the time being vested in the Directors and may authorise the members for the time being of any such local board, or any of them to fill any vacancies therein and to act notwithstanding vacancies and any such appointment or delegation may be made on such terms and subject to such conditions as the Directors may think fit and the Directors may at any time remove any natural person or corporation so appointed and may annul or vary any such delegation, but no Person dealing in good faith and without notice of any such annulment or variation shall be affected thereby.

 

100.                         Any such delegates as aforesaid may be authorised by the Directors to sub-delegate all or any of the powers, authorities, and discretion for the time being vested in them.

 

BORROWING POWERS OF DIRECTORS

 

101.                         The Directors may from time to time at their discretion exercise all the powers of the Company to borrow money, to mortgage or charge all or any part of its undertaking, property and assets (present and future) and uncalled capital, and to issue debentures, bonds and other securities, whenever money is borrowed or as security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Company or of any third party.

 

THE SEAL

 

102.                         The Seal shall not be affixed to any instrument except by the authority of a resolution of the Directors provided always that such authority may be given prior to or after the affixing of the Seal and if given after may be in general form confirming a number of affixings of the Seal. The Seal shall be affixed in the presence of a Director or a Secretary (or an assistant Secretary) or in the presence of any one or more Persons as the Directors may appoint for the purpose and every Person as aforesaid shall sign every instrument to which the Seal is so affixed in their presence.

 

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103.                         The Company may maintain a facsimile of the Seal in such countries or places as the Directors may appoint and such facsimile Seal shall not be affixed to any instrument except by the authority of a resolution of the Directors provided always that such authority may be given prior to or after the affixing of such facsimile Seal and if given after may be in general form confirming a number of affixings of such facsimile Seal. The facsimile Seal shall be affixed in the presence of such Person or Persons as the Directors shall for this purpose appoint and such Person or Persons as aforesaid shall sign every instrument to which the facsimile Seal is so affixed in their presence and such affixing of the facsimile Seal and signing as aforesaid shall have the same meaning and effect as if the Seal had been affixed in the presence of and the instrument signed by a Director or a Secretary (or an assistant Secretary) or in the presence of any one or more Persons as the Directors may appoint for the purpose.

 

104.                         Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Secretary or any assistant Secretary shall have the authority to affix the Seal, or the facsimile Seal, to any instrument for the purposes of attesting authenticity of the matter contained therein but which does not create any obligation binding on the Company.

 

PROCEEDINGS OF DIRECTORS

 

105.                         The Directors may meet together (either within or without the Cayman Islands) for the despatch of business, adjourn, and otherwise regulate their meetings and proceedings as they think fit. Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. At any meeting of the Directors, each Director present in person or represented by his proxy or alternate shall be entitled to one vote. In case of an equality of votes the chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote. A Director may, and a Secretary or assistant Secretary on the requisition of a Director shall, at any time summon a meeting of the Directors.

 

106.                         A Director may participate in any meeting of the Directors, or of any committee appointed by the Directors of which such Director is a member, by means of telephone or similar communication equipment by way of which all Persons participating in such meeting can communicate with each other and such participation shall be deemed to constitute presence in person at the meeting.

 

107.                         The quorum necessary for the transaction of the business of the Board may be fixed by the Directors, and unless so fixed, the quorum shall be a majority of Directors then in office. A Director represented by proxy or by an alternate Director at any meeting shall be deemed to be present for the purposes of determining whether or not a quorum is present.

 

108.                         A Director who is in any way, whether directly or indirectly, interested in a contract or proposed contract or arrangement with the Company shall declare the nature of his interest at a meeting of the Directors. A general notice given to the Directors by any Director to the effect that he is a member of any specified company or firm and is to be regarded as interested in any contract or transaction which may thereafter be made with that company or firm shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of interest in regard to any contract so made or transaction so consummated. A Director may vote in respect of any contract or proposed contract or arrangement notwithstanding that he may be interested therein and if he does so his vote shall be counted and he may be counted in the quorum at any meeting of the Directors at which any such contract or

 

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proposed contract or arrangement shall come before the meeting for consideration, provided that (a) such Director, if his interest (whether direct or indirect) in such contract or arrangement is material, has declared the nature of his interest at the earliest meeting of the Board at which it is practicable for him to do so, either specifically or by way of a general notice and (b) if such contract or arrangement is a transaction with a related party, such transaction has been approved by the audit committee of the Company.

 

109.                         A Director may hold any other office or place of profit under the Company (other than the office of auditor) in conjunction with his office of Director for such period and on such terms (as to remuneration and otherwise) as the Directors may determine and no Director or intending Director shall be disqualified by his office from contracting with the Company either with regard to his tenure of any such other office or place of profit or as vendor, purchaser or otherwise, nor shall any such contract or arrangement entered into by or on behalf of the Company in which any Director is in any way interested be liable to be avoided, nor shall any Director so contracting or being so interested be liable to account to the Company for any profit realised by any such contract or arrangement by reason of such Director holding that office or of the fiduciary relation thereby established. A Director, notwithstanding his interest, may be counted in the quorum present at any meeting of the Directors whereat he or any other Director is appointed to hold any such office or place of profit under the Company or whereat the terms of any such appointment are arranged and he may vote on any such appointment or arrangement.

 

110.                         Any Director may act by himself or through his firm in a professional capacity for the Company, and he or his firm shall be entitled to remuneration for professional services as if he were not a Director; provided that nothing herein contained shall authorise a Director or his firm to act as auditor to the Company.

 

111.                         The Directors shall cause minutes to be made for the purpose of recording:

 

(a)                                  all appointments of officers made by the Directors;

 

(b)                                  the names of the Directors present at each meeting of the Directors and of any committee of the Directors; and

 

(c)                                   all resolutions and proceedings at all meetings of the Company, and of the Directors and of committees of Directors.

 

112.                         When the chairman of a meeting of the Directors signs the minutes of such meeting the same shall be deemed to have been duly held notwithstanding that all the Directors have not actually come together or that there may have been a technical defect in the proceedings.

 

113.                         A resolution in writing signed by all the Directors or all the members of a committee of Directors entitled to receive notice of a meeting of Directors or committee of Directors, as the case may be (an alternate Director, subject as provided otherwise in the terms of appointment of the alternate Director, being entitled to sign such a resolution on behalf of his appointer), shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been passed at a duly called and constituted meeting of Directors or committee of Directors, as the case may be. When signed a resolution may consist of several

 

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documents each signed by one or more of the Directors or his duly appointed alternate.

 

114.                         The continuing Directors may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body but if and for so long as their number is reduced below the number fixed by or pursuant to these Articles as the necessary quorum of Directors, the continuing Directors may act for the purpose of increasing the number, or of summoning a general meeting of the Company, but for no other purpose.

 

115.                         Subject to any regulations imposed on it by the Directors, a committee appointed by the Directors may elect a chairman of its meetings. If no such chairman is elected, or if at any meeting the chairman is not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, the committee members present may choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.

 

116.                         A committee appointed by the Directors may meet and adjourn as it thinks proper. Subject to any regulations imposed on it by the Directors, questions arising at any meeting shall be determined by a majority of votes of the committee members present and in case of an equality of votes the chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

 

117.                         All acts done by any meeting of the Directors or of a committee of Directors, or by any Person acting as a Director, shall notwithstanding that it be afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any such Director or Person acting as aforesaid, or that they or any of them were disqualified, be as valid as if every such Person had been duly appointed and was qualified to be a Director.

 

PRESUMPTION OF ASSENT

 

118.                         A Director who is present at a meeting of the Board of Directors at which an action on any Company matter is taken shall be presumed to have assented to the action taken unless his dissent shall be entered in the minutes of the meeting or unless he shall file his written dissent from such action with the person acting as the chairman or secretary of the meeting before the adjournment thereof or shall forward such dissent by registered post to such person immediately after the adjournment of the meeting. Such right to dissent shall not apply to a Director who voted in favour of such action.

 

DIVIDENDS

 

119.                         Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Shares, the Directors may from time to time declare dividends (including interim dividends) and other distributions on Shares in issue and authorise payment of the same out of the funds of the Company lawfully available therefor.

 

120.                         Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Shares, the Company by Ordinary Resolution may declare dividends, but no dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the Directors.

 

121.                         The Directors may, before recommending or declaring any dividend, set aside out of the funds legally available for distribution such sums as they think proper as a reserve or reserves which shall, in the absolute discretion of the Directors, be applicable for meeting contingencies or for equalising dividends or for any other purpose to which

 

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those funds may be properly applied, and pending such application may in the absolute discretion of the Directors, either be employed in the business of the Company or be invested in such investments (other than Shares of the Company) as the Directors may from time to time think fit.

 

122.                         Any dividend payable in cash to the holder of Shares may be paid in any manner determined by the Directors. If paid by cheque it will be sent by mail addressed to the holder at his address in the Register, or addressed to such person and at such addresses as the holder may direct. Every such cheque or warrant shall, unless the holder or joint holders otherwise direct, be made payable to the order of the holder or, in the case of joint holders, to the order of the holder whose name stands first on the Register in respect of such Shares, and shall be sent at his or their risk and payment of the cheque or warrant by the bank on which it is drawn shall constitute a good discharge to the Company.

 

123.                         The Directors may determine that a dividend shall be paid wholly or partly by the distribution of specific assets (which may consist of the shares or securities of any other company) and may settle all questions concerning such distribution. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Directors may fix the value of such specific assets, may determine that cash payment shall be made to some Shareholders in lieu of specific assets and may vest any such specific assets in trustees on such terms as the Directors think fit.

 

124.                         Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Shares, all dividends shall be declared and paid according to the amounts paid up on the Shares, but if and for so long as nothing is paid up on any of the Shares dividends may be declared and paid according to the par value of the Shares. No amount paid on a Share in advance of calls shall, while carrying interest, be treated for the purposes of this Article as paid on the Share.

 

125.                         If several Persons are registered as joint holders of any Share, any of them may give effective receipts for any dividend or other moneys payable on or in respect of the Share.

 

126.                         No dividend shall bear interest against the Company.

 

127.                         Any dividend unclaimed after a period of six calendar years from the date of declaration of such dividend may be forfeited by the Board of Directors and, if so forfeited, shall revert to the Company.

 

ACCOUNTS, AUDIT AND ANNUAL RETURN AND DECLARATION

 

128.                         The books of account relating to the Company’s affairs shall be kept in such manner as may be determined from time to time by the Directors.

 

129.                         The books of account shall be kept at the Registered Office, or at such other place or places as the Directors think fit, and shall always be open to the inspection of the Directors.

 

130.                         The Directors may from time to time determine whether and to what extent and at what times and places and under what conditions or regulations the accounts and

 

28



 

books of the Company or any of them shall be open to the inspection of Shareholders not being Directors, and no Shareholder (not being a Director) shall have any right to inspect any account or book or document of the Company except as conferred by any applicable law or authorised by the Directors or by Ordinary Resolution.

 

131.                         The accounts relating to the Company’s affairs shall be audited in such manner and with such financial year end as may be determined from time to time by the Directors or failing any determination as aforesaid shall not be audited.

 

132.                         The Directors may appoint an auditor of the Company who shall hold office until removed from office by a resolution of the Directors and may fix his or their remuneration.

 

133.                         Every auditor of the Company shall have a right of access at all times to the books and accounts and vouchers of the Company and shall be entitled to require from the Directors and officers of the Company such information and explanation as may be necessary for the performance of the duties of the auditors.

 

134.                         The auditors shall, if so required by the Directors, make a report on the accounts of the Company during their tenure of office at the next annual general meeting following their appointment, and at any time during their term of office, upon request of the Directors or any general meeting of the Members.

 

135.                         The Directors in each calendar year shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, an annual return and declaration setting forth the particulars required by the Companies Law and deliver a copy thereof to the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands.

 

CAPITALISATION OF RESERVES

 

136.                         Subject to the Companies Law, the Directors may:

 

(a)                                  resolve to capitalise any sum standing to the credit of any of the Company’s reserve accounts or funds (including the Share Premium Account and capital redemption reserve fund) or any sum standing to the credit of the profit and loss account or otherwise available for distribution;

 

(b)                                  appropriate the sum resolved to be capitalised to the Shareholders in proportion to the nominal amount of Shares (whether or not fully paid) held by them respectively and apply that sum on their behalf in or towards:

 

(i)                                      paying up the amounts (if any) for the time being unpaid on Shares held by them respectively, or

 

(ii)                                   paying up in full unissued Shares or debentures of a nominal amount equal to that sum,

 

and allot the Shares or debentures, credited as fully paid, to the Shareholders (or as they may direct) in those proportions, or partly in one way and partly in the other, but the Share Premium Account, the capital redemption reserve and profits which are not available for distribution may, for the purposes of this Article, only be applied in paying up unissued Shares to be allotted to Shareholders credited as fully paid;

 

29



 

(c)                                   make any arrangements they think fit to resolve a difficulty arising in the distribution of a capitalised reserve and in particular, without limitation, where Shares or debentures become distributable in fractions the Directors may deal with the fractions as they think fit;

 

(d)                                  authorise a Person to enter (on behalf of all the Shareholders concerned) into an agreement with the Company providing for either:

 

(i)                                   the allotment to the Shareholders respectively, credited as fully paid, of Shares or debentures to which they may be entitled on the capitalisation, or

 

(ii)                                the payment by the Company on behalf of the Shareholders (by the application of their respective proportions of the reserves resolved to be capitalised) of the amounts or part of the amounts remaining unpaid on their existing Shares,

 

and any such agreement made under this authority being effective and binding on all those Shareholders; and

 

(e)                                   generally do all acts and things required to give effect to the resolution.

 

137.                         Notwithstanding any provisions in these Articles, the Directors may resolve to capitalise any sum standing to the credit of any of the Company’s reserve accounts or funds (including the Share Premium Account and capital redemption reserve fund) or any sum standing to the credit of the profit and loss account or otherwise available for distribution by applying such sum in paying up in full unissued Shares to be allotted and issued to:

 

(a)                                  employees (including Directors) or service providers of the Company or its Affiliates upon exercise or vesting of any options or awards granted under any share incentive scheme or employee benefit scheme or other arrangement which relates to such persons that has been adopted or approved by the Directors or the Members;

 

(b)                                  any trustee of any trust or administrator of any share incentive scheme or employee benefit scheme to whom shares are to be allotted and issued by the Company in connection with the operation of any share incentive scheme or employee benefit scheme or other arrangement which relates to such persons that has been adopted or approved by the Directors or Members; or

 

(c)                                   any depositary of the Company for the purposes of the issue, allotment and delivery by the depositary of ADSs to employees (including Directors) or service providers of the Company or its Affiliates upon exercise or vesting of any options or awards granted under any share incentive scheme or employee benefit scheme or other arrangement which relates to such persons that has been adopted or approved by the Directors or the Members.

 

30



 

SHARE PREMIUM ACCOUNT

 

138.                         The Directors shall in accordance with the Companies Law establish a Share Premium Account and shall carry to the credit of such account from time to time a sum equal to the amount or value of the premium paid on the issue of any Share.

 

139.                         There shall be debited to any Share Premium Account on the redemption or purchase of a Share the difference between the nominal value of such Share and the redemption or purchase price provided always that at the discretion of the Directors such sum may be paid out of the profits of the Company or, if permitted by the Companies Law, out of capital.

 

NOTICES

 

140.                         Except as otherwise provided in these Articles, any notice or document may be served by the Company or by the Person entitled to give notice to any Shareholder either personally, or by posting it by airmail or by a recognized courier service in a prepaid letter addressed to such Shareholder at his address as appearing in the Register, or by electronic mail to any electronic mail address such Shareholder may have specified in writing for the purpose of such service of notices, or by facsimile to any facsimile number such Shareholder may have specified in writing for the purpose of such service of notices, or by placing it on the Company’s Website should the Directors deem it appropriate. In the case of joint holders of a Share, all notices shall be given to that one of the joint holders whose name stands first in the Register in respect of the joint holding, and notice so given shall be sufficient notice to all the joint holders.

 

141.                         Any notice, if send from one country to another, shall be sent by airmail or by a recognized courier service.

 

142.                         Any Shareholder present, either personally or by proxy, at any meeting of the Company shall for all purposes be deemed to have received due notice of such meeting and, where requisite, of the purposes for which such meeting was convened.

 

143.                         Any notice or other document, if served by:

 

(a)                                  post, shall be deemed to have been served five calendar days after the time when the letter containing the same is posted;

 

(b)                                  facsimile, shall be deemed to have been served upon production by the transmitting facsimile machine of a report confirming transmission of the facsimile in full to the facsimile number of the recipient;

 

(c)                                   recognized courier service, shall be deemed to have been served 48 hours after the time when the letter containing the same is delivered to the courier service; or

 

(d)                                  electronic mail, shall be deemed to have been served immediately upon the time of the transmission by electronic mail; or

 

(e)                                   placing it on the Company’s Website, shall be deemed to have been served immediately upon the time when the same is placed on the Company’s Website.

 

31



 

In proving service by post or courier service it shall be sufficient to prove that the letter containing the notice or documents was properly addressed and duly posted or delivered to the courier service.

 

144.                         Any notice or document delivered or sent by post to or left at the registered address of any Shareholder in accordance with the terms of these Articles shall notwithstanding that such Shareholder be then dead or bankrupt, and whether or not the Company has notice of his death or bankruptcy, be deemed to have been duly served in respect of any Share registered in the name of such Shareholder as sole or joint holder, unless his name shall at the time of the service of the notice or document have been removed from the Register as the holder of the Share, and such service shall for all purposes be deemed a sufficient service of such notice or document on all Persons interested (whether jointly with or as claiming through or under him) in the Share.

 

145.                         Notice of every general meeting of the Company shall be given to:

 

(a)                                  all Shareholders holding Shares with the right to receive notice and who have supplied to the Company an address for the giving of notices to them; and

 

(b)                                  every Person entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder, who but for his death or bankruptcy would be entitled to receive notice of the meeting.

 

No other Person shall be entitled to receive notices of general meetings.

 

INFORMATION

 

146.                         No Member shall be entitled to require discovery of any information in respect of any detail of the Company’s trading or any information which is or may be in the nature of a trade secret or secret process which may relate to the conduct of the business of the Company and which in the opinion of the Board would not be in the interests of the Members of the Company to communicate to the public.

 

147.                         The Board shall be entitled to release or disclose any information in its possession, custody or control regarding the Company or its affairs to any of its Members including, without limitation, information contained in the Register and transfer books of the Company.

 

INDEMNITY

 

148.                         Every Director (including for the purposes of this Article any alternate Director appointed pursuant to the provisions of these Articles), Secretary, assistant Secretary, or other officer for the time being and from time to time of the Company (but not including the Company’s auditors) and the personal representatives of the same (each an “ Indemnified Person ”) shall be indemnified and secured harmless against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such Indemnified Person, other than by reason of such Indemnified Person’s own dishonesty, wilful default or fraud, in or about the conduct of the Company’s business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or

 

32



 

liabilities incurred by such Indemnified Person in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning the Company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere.

 

149.                         No Indemnified Person shall be liable:

 

(a)                                  for the acts, receipts, neglects, defaults or omissions of any other Director or officer or agent of the Company; or

 

(b)                                  for any loss on account of defect of title to any property of the Company; or

 

(c)                                   on account of the insufficiency of any security in or upon which any money of the Company shall be invested; or

 

(d)                                  for any loss incurred through any bank, broker or other similar Person; or

 

(e)                                   for any loss occasioned by any negligence, default, breach of duty, breach of trust, error of judgement or oversight on such Indemnified Person’s part; or

 

(f)                                    for any loss, damage or misfortune whatsoever which may happen in or arise from the execution or discharge of the duties, powers, authorities, or discretions of such Indemnified Person’s office or in relation thereto;

 

unless the same shall happen through such Indemnified Person’s own dishonesty, willful default or fraud.

 

FINANCIAL YEAR

 

150.                         Unless the Directors otherwise prescribe, the financial year of the Company shall end on March 31 st  in each calendar year and shall begin on April 1 st  in each calendar year.

 

NON-RECOGNITION OF TRUSTS

 

151.                         No Person shall be recognised by the Company as holding any Share upon any trust and the Company shall not, unless required by law, be bound by or be compelled in any way to recognise (even when having notice thereof) any equitable, contingent, future or partial interest in any Share or (except only as otherwise provided by these Articles or as the Companies Law requires) any other right in respect of any Share except an absolute right to the entirety thereof in each Shareholder registered in the Register.

 

WINDING UP

 

152.                         If the Company shall be wound up the liquidator may, with the sanction of a Special Resolution of the Company and any other sanction required by the Companies Law, divide amongst the Members in species or in kind the whole or any part of the assets of the Company (whether they shall consist of property of the same kind or not) and may for that purpose value any assets and determine how the division shall be carried out as between the Members or different classes of Members. The liquidator may, with the like sanction, vest the whole or any part of such assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of the Members as the liquidator, with the like sanction, shall

 

33



 

think fit, but so that no Member shall be compelled to accept any asset upon which there is a liability.

 

153.                         If the Company shall be wound up, and the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus shall be distributed amongst the Members in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them at the commencement of the winding up subject to a deduction from those Shares in respect of which there are monies due, of all monies payable to the Company for unpaid calls or otherwise. If in a winding up, the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be insufficient to repay the whole of the share capital, such assets shall be distributed so that, as nearly as may be, the losses shall be borne by the Members in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them. This Article is without prejudice to the rights of the holders of Shares issued upon special terms and conditions.

 

AMENDMENT OF ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

 

154.                         Subject to the Companies Law, the Company may at any time and from time to time by Special Resolution alter or amend these Articles in whole or in part.

 

CLOSING OF REGISTER OR FIXING RECORD DATE

 

155.                         For the purpose of determining those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at any meeting of Shareholders or any adjournment thereof, or those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of any dividend, or in order to make a determination as to who is a Shareholder for any other purpose, the Directors may provide that the Register shall be closed for transfers for a stated period which shall not exceed in any case thirty calendar days in any calendar year.

 

156.                         In lieu of or apart from closing the Register, the Directors may fix in advance a date as the record date for any such determination of those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of the Shareholders and for the purpose of determining those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of any dividend the Directors may, at or within ninety calendar days prior to the date of declaration of such dividend, fix a subsequent date as the record date for such determination.

 

157.                         If the Register is not so closed and no record date is fixed for the determination of those Shareholders entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of Shareholders or those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of a dividend, the date on which notice of the meeting is posted or the date on which the resolution of the Directors declaring such dividend is adopted, as the case may be, shall be the record date for such determination of Shareholders. When a determination of those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of Shareholders has been made as provided in this Article, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof.

 

REGISTRATION BY WAY OF CONTINUATION

 

158.                         The Company may by Special Resolution resolve to be registered by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands or such other jurisdiction in

 

34



 

which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing. In furtherance of a resolution adopted pursuant to this Article, the Directors may cause an application to be made to the Registrar of Companies to deregister the Company in the Cayman Islands or such other jurisdiction in which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing and may cause all such further steps as they consider appropriate to be taken to effect the transfer by way of continuation of the Company.

 

DISCLOSURE

 

159.                         The Directors, or any service providers (including the officers, the Secretary and the registered office agent of the Company) specifically authorised by the Directors, shall be entitled to disclose to any regulatory or judicial authority any information regarding the affairs of the Company including without limitation information contained in the Register and books of the Company.

 

35




Exhibit 4.2

 

Hexindai Inc. - Ordinary Shares

(Incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands)

 

Number

Shares

 

Share capital is US$50,000 divided into

500,000,000 Ordinary Shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each

 

THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT

 

is the registered holder of

 

Shares in the above-named Company subject to the memorandum and articles of association thereof.

 

EXECUTED for and on behalf of the Company on

 

by:

 

 

 

 

DIRECTOR

 

 

 




Exhibit 4.3

 

 

 

DEPOSIT AGREEMENT

 

 

by and among

 

HEXINDAI INC.

 

and

 

CITIBANK, N.A.,

as Depositary,

 

and

 

THE HOLDERS AND BENEFICIAL OWNERS OF

AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES
ISSUED HEREUNDER

 

 

 

Dated as of [date] , [year]

 



 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS

 

1

Section 1.1

“ADS Record Date”

 

1

Section 1.2

“Affiliate”

 

1

Section 1.3

“American Depositary Receipt(s)”, “ADR(s)” and “Receipt(s)”

 

1

Section 1.4

“American Depositary Share(s)” and “ADS(s)”

 

2

Section 1.5

“Applicant”

 

2

Section 1.6

“Articles of Association”

 

2

Section 1.7

“Beneficial Owner”

 

2

Section 1.8

“Certificated ADS(s)”

 

3

Section 1.9

“Citibank”

 

3

Section 1.10

“Commission”

 

3

Section 1.11

“Company”

 

3

Section 1.12

“Custodian”

 

3

Section 1.13

“Deliver” and “Delivery”

 

3

Section 1.14

“Deposit Agreement”

 

4

Section 1.15

“Depositary”

 

4

Section 1.16

“Deposited Property”

 

4

Section 1.17

“Deposited Securities”

 

4

Section 1.18

“Dollars” and “$”

 

4

Section 1.19

“DTC”

 

4

Section 1.20

“DTC Participant”

 

4

Section 1.21

“Exchange Act”

 

5

Section 1.22

“Foreign Currency”

 

5

Section 1.23

“Full Entitlement ADR(s)”, “Full Entitlement ADS(s)” and “Full Entitlement Share(s)”

 

5

Section 1.24

“Holder(s)”

 

5

Section 1.25

“Initial Deposit”

 

5

Section 1.26

“Partial Entitlement ADR(s)”, “Partial Entitlement ADS(s)” and “Partial Entitlement Share(s)”

 

5

Section 1.27

“Pre-Release Transaction”

 

5

Section 1.28

“Principal Office”

 

5

Section 1.29

“Registrar”

 

5

Section 1.30

“Restricted Securities”

 

5

Section 1.31

“Restricted ADR(s)”, “Restricted ADS(s)” and “Restricted Shares”

 

6

Section 1.32

“Securities Act”

 

6

Section 1.33

“Share Registrar”

 

6

Section 1.34

“Shares”

 

6

Section 1.35

“Uncertificated ADS(s)”

 

6

Section 1.36

“United States” and “U.S.”

 

6

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE II APPOINTMENT OF DEPOSITARY; FORM OF RECEIPTS; DEPOSIT OF SHARES; EXECUTION AND DELIVERY, TRANSFER AND SURRENDER OF RECEIPTS

 

7

Section 2.1

Appointment of Depositary

 

7

Section 2.2

Form and Transferability of ADSs

 

7

Section 2.3

Deposit of Shares

 

9

 

i



 

Section 2.4

Registration and Safekeeping of Deposited Securities

 

11

Section 2.5

Issuance of ADSs

 

11

Section 2.6

Transfer, Combination and Split-up of ADRs

 

12

Section 2.7

Surrender of ADSs and Withdrawal of Deposited Securities

 

13

Section 2.8

Limitations on Execution and Delivery, Transfer, etc. of ADSs; Suspension of Delivery, Transfer, etc.

 

14

Section 2.9

Lost ADRs, etc.

 

15

Section 2.10

Cancellation and Destruction of Surrendered ADRs; Maintenance of Records

 

15

Section 2.11

Escheatment

 

15

Section 2.12

Partial Entitlement ADSs

 

16

Section 2.13

Certificated/Uncertificated ADSs

 

16

Section 2.14

Restricted ADSs

 

18

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE III CERTAIN OBLIGATIONS OF HOLDERS AND BENEFICIAL OWNERS OF ADSs

 

19

Section 3.1

Proofs, Certificates and Other Information

 

19

Section 3.2

Liability for Taxes and Other Charges

 

20

Section 3.3

Representations and Warranties on Deposit of Shares

 

20

Section 3.4

Compliance with Information Requests

 

21

Section 3.5

Ownership Restrictions

 

21

Section 3.6

Reporting Obligations and Regulatory Approvals

 

21

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE IV THE DEPOSITED SECURITIES

 

22

Section 4.1

Cash Distributions

 

22

Section 4.2

Distribution in Shares

 

23

Section 4.3

Elective Distributions in Cash or Shares

 

23

Section 4.4

Distribution of Rights to Purchase Additional ADSs

 

24

Section 4.5

Distributions Other Than Cash, Shares or Rights to Purchase Shares

 

26

Section 4.6

RESERVED

 

27

Section 4.7

Redemption

 

27

Section 4.8

Conversion of Foreign Currency

 

28

Section 4.9

Fixing of ADS Record Date

 

28

Section 4.10

Voting of Deposited Securities

 

29

Section 4.11

Changes Affecting Deposited Securities

 

31

Section 4.12

Available Information

 

32

Section 4.13

Reports

 

32

Section 4.14

List of Holders

 

32

Section 4.15

Taxation

 

32

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE V THE DEPOSITARY, THE CUSTODIAN AND THE COMPANY

 

34

Section 5.1

Maintenance of Office and Transfer Books by the Registrar

 

34

Section 5.2

Exoneration

 

34

Section 5.3

Standard of Care

 

35

Section 5.4

Resignation and Removal of the Depositary; Appointment of Successor Depositary

 

36

Section 5.5

The Custodian

 

36

Section 5.6

Notices and Reports

 

37

 

ii



 

Section 5.7

Issuance of Additional Shares, ADSs etc.

 

38

Section 5.8

Indemnification

 

39

Section 5.9

ADS Fees and Charges

 

40

Section 5.10

Pre-Release Transactions

 

41

Section 5.11

Restricted Securities Owners

 

42

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE VI AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION

 

42

Section 6.1

Amendment/Supplement

 

42

Section 6.2

Termination

 

43

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE VII MISCELLANEOUS

 

44

Section 7.1

Counterparts

 

44

Section 7.2

No Third-Party Beneficiaries

 

44

Section 7.3

Severability

 

44

Section 7.4

Holders and Beneficial Owners as Parties; Binding Effect

 

44

Section 7.5

Notices

 

45

Section 7.6

Governing Law and Jurisdiction

 

45

Section 7.7

Assignment

 

47

Section 7.8

Compliance with U.S. Securities Laws

 

47

Section 7.9

Cayman Islands Law References

 

47

Section 7.10

Titles and References

 

48

 

 

 

 

EXHIBITS

 

 

 

 

Form of ADR

 

A-1

 

Fee Schedule

 

B-1

 

iii


 

DEPOSIT AGREEMENT

 

DEPOSIT AGREEMENT , dated as of            , 2017, by and among (i) HEXINDAI INC., a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, and its successors (the “ Company ”), (ii) CITIBANK, N.A., a national banking association organized under the laws of the United States of America (“ Citibank ”) acting in its capacity as depositary, and any successor depositary hereunder (Citibank in such capacity, the “ Depositary ”), and (iii) all Holders and Beneficial Owners of American Depositary Shares issued hereunder (all such capitalized terms as hereinafter defined).

 

W I T N E S S E T H   T H A T :

 

WHEREAS , the Company desires to establish with the Depositary an ADR facility to provide for the deposit of the Shares (as hereinafter defined) and the creation of American Depositary Shares representing the Shares so deposited and for the execution and delivery of American Depositary Receipts (as hereinafter defined) evidencing such American Depositary Shares; and

 

WHEREAS , the Depositary is willing to act as the Depositary for such ADR facility upon the terms set forth in the Deposit Agreement (as hereinafter defined); and

 

WHEREAS , any American Depositary Receipts issued pursuant to the terms of the Deposit Agreement are to be substantially in the form of Exhibit A attached hereto, with appropriate insertions, modifications and omissions, as hereinafter provided in the Deposit Agreement; and

 

NOW, THEREFORE , for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

ARTICLE I

 

DEFINITIONS

 

All capitalized terms used, but not otherwise defined, herein shall have the meanings set forth below, unless otherwise clearly indicated:

 

Section 1.1                                    ADS Record Date shall have the meaning given to such term in Section 4.9.

 

Section 1.2                                    Affiliate shall have the meaning assigned to such term by the Commission (as hereinafter defined) under Regulation C promulgated under the Securities Act (as hereinafter defined), or under any successor regulation thereto.

 

Section 1.3                                    American Depositary Receipt(s) ”, “ ADR(s) ” and “ Receipt(s) ” shall mean the certificate(s) issued by the Depositary to evidence the American Depositary Shares issued under the terms of the Deposit Agreement in the form of Certificated ADS(s) (as hereinafter defined), as such ADRs may be amended from time to time in accordance with the

 

1



 

provisions of the Deposit Agreement.  An ADR may evidence any number of ADSs and may, in the case of ADSs held through a central depository such as DTC, be in the form of a “Balance Certificate.”

 

Section 1.4                                    American Depositary Share(s) ” and “ ADS(s) ” shall mean the rights and interests in the Deposited Property (as hereinafter defined) granted to the Holders and Beneficial Owners pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement and, if issued as Certificated ADS(s) (as hereinafter defined), the ADR(s) issued to evidence such ADSs.  ADS(s) may be issued under the terms of the Deposit Agreement in the form of (a) Certificated ADS(s) (as hereinafter defined), in which case the ADS(s) are evidenced by ADR(s), or (b) Uncertificated ADS(s) (as hereinafter defined), in which case the ADS(s) are not evidenced by ADR(s) but are reflected on the direct registration system maintained by the Depositary for such purposes under the terms of Section 2.13.  Unless otherwise specified in the Deposit Agreement or in any ADR, or unless the context otherwise requires, any reference to ADS(s) shall include Certificated ADS(s) and Uncertificated ADS(s), individually or collectively, as the context may require.  Each ADS shall represent the right to receive, and to exercise the beneficial ownership interests in, the number of Shares specified in the form of ADR attached hereto as Exhibit A (as amended from time to time) that are on deposit with the Depositary and/or the Custodian, subject, in each case, to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement and the applicable ADR (if issued as a Certificated ADS), until there shall occur a distribution upon Deposited Securities referred to in Section 4.2 or a change in Deposited Securities referred to in Section 4.11 with respect to which additional ADSs are not issued, and thereafter each ADS shall represent the right to receive, and to exercise the beneficial ownership interests in, the applicable Deposited Property on deposit with the Depositary and the Custodian determined in accordance with the terms of such Sections, subject, in each case, to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement and the applicable ADR (if issued as a Certificated ADS).  In addition, the ADS(s)-to-Share(s) ratio is subject to amendment as provided in Articles IV and VI of the Deposit Agreement (which may give rise to Depositary fees).

 

Section 1.5                                    Applicant ” shall have the meaning given to such term in Section 5.10.

 

Section 1.6                                    Articles of Association ” shall mean the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company, as may be further amended and restated from time to time.

 

Section 1.7                                    Beneficial Owner ” shall mean, as to any ADS, any person or entity having a beneficial interest deriving from the ownership of such ADS.  Notwithstanding anything else contained in the Deposit Agreement, any ADR(s) or any other instruments or agreements relating to the ADSs and the corresponding Deposited Property, the Depositary, the Custodian and their respective nominees are intended to be, and shall at all times during the term of the Deposit Agreement be, the record holders only of the Deposited Property represented by the ADSs for the benefit of the Holders and Beneficial Owners of the corresponding ADSs.  The Depositary, on its own behalf and on behalf of the Custodian and their respective nominees, disclaims any beneficial ownership interest in the Deposited Property held on behalf of the Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs.  The beneficial ownership interests in the Deposited Property are intended to be, and shall at all times during the term of the Deposit Agreement

 

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continue to be, vested in the Beneficial Owners of the ADSs representing the Deposited Property.  The beneficial ownership interests in the Deposited Property shall, unless otherwise agreed by the Depositary, be exercisable by the Beneficial Owners of the ADSs only through the Holders of such ADSs, by the Holders of the ADSs (on behalf of the applicable Beneficial Owners) only through the Depositary, and by the Depositary (on behalf of the Holders and Beneficial Owners of the corresponding ADSs) directly, or indirectly through the Custodian or their respective nominees, in each case upon the terms of the Deposit Agreement and, if applicable, the terms of the ADR(s) evidencing the ADSs.  A Beneficial Owner of ADSs may or may not be the Holder of such ADSs.  A Beneficial Owner shall be able to exercise any right or receive any benefit hereunder solely through the person who is the Holder of the ADSs owned by such Beneficial Owner.  Unless otherwise identified to the Depositary, a Holder shall be deemed to be the Beneficial Owner of all the ADSs registered in his/her/its name.  The manner in which a Beneficial Owner holds ADSs (e.g., in a brokerage account vs. as registered holder) may affect the rights and obligations of, the manner in which, and the extent to which, services are made available to, Beneficial Owners pursuant to the terms of the Deposit Agreement.

 

Section 1.8                                    Certificated ADS(s) shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2.13.

 

Section 1.9                                    Citibank shall mean Citibank, N.A., a national banking association organized under the laws of the United States of America, and its successors.

 

Section 1.10                             Commission ” shall mean the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States or any successor governmental agency thereto in the United States.

 

Section 1.11                             Company ” shall mean HEXINDAI INC., an exempted company with limited liability incorporated and existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands, and its successors.

 

Section 1.12                             Custodian ” shall mean (i) as of the date hereof, Citibank, N.A. — Hong Kong, having its principal office at 9/F., Citi Tower, One Bay East, 83 Hoi Bun Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, as the custodian of Deposited Property for the purposes of the Deposit Agreement, (ii) Citibank, N.A., acting as custodian of Deposited Property pursuant to the Deposit Agreement, and (iii) any other entity that may be appointed by the Depositary pursuant to the terms of Section 5.5 as successor, substitute or additional custodian hereunder.  The term “Custodian” shall mean any Custodian individually or all Custodians collectively, as the context requires.

 

Section 1.13                             Deliver ” and “ Delivery ” shall mean (x)  when used in respect of Shares and other Deposited Securities , either (i) the physical delivery of the certificate(s) representing such securities, or (ii) the book-entry transfer and recordation of such securities on the books of the Share Registrar (as hereinafter defined) or in the book-entry settlement system, if available, and (y)  when used in respect of ADSs , either (i) the physical delivery of ADR(s) evidencing the ADSs, or (ii) the book-entry transfer and recordation of ADSs on the books of the Depositary or any book-entry settlement system in which the ADSs are settlement-eligible.

 

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Section 1.14                             Deposit Agreement ” shall mean this Deposit Agreement and all exhibits hereto, as the same may from time to time be amended and supplemented from time to time in accordance with the terms of the Deposit Agreement.

 

Section 1.15                             Depositary ” shall mean Citibank, N.A., a national banking association organized under the laws of the United States, in its capacity as depositary under the terms of the Deposit Agreement, and any successor depositary hereunder.

 

Section 1.16                             Deposited Property shall mean the Deposited Securities and any cash and other property held on deposit by the Depositary and the Custodian in respect of the ADSs under the terms of the Deposit Agreement, subject, in the case of cash, to the provisions of Section 4.8.  All Deposited Property shall be held by the Custodian, the Depositary and their respective nominees for the benefit of the Holders and Beneficial Owners of the ADSs representing the Deposited Property.  The Deposited Property is not intended to, and shall not, constitute proprietary assets of the Depositary, the Custodian or their nominees.  Beneficial ownership in the Deposited Property is intended to be, and shall at all times during the term of the Deposit Agreement continue to be, vested in the Beneficial Owners of the ADSs representing the Deposited Property.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, the collateral delivered in connection with Pre-Release Transactions described in Section 5.10 shall not constitute Deposited Property.

 

Section 1.17                             Deposited Securities shall mean the Shares and any other securities held on deposit by the Custodian from time to time in respect of the ADSs under the Deposit Agreement and constituting Deposited Property.

 

Section 1.18                             Dollars ” and “ $ ” shall refer to the lawful currency of the United States.

 

Section 1.19                             DTC ” shall mean The Depository Trust Company, a national clearinghouse and the central book-entry settlement system for securities traded in the United States and, as such, the custodian for the securities of DTC Participants (as hereinafter defined) maintained in DTC, and any successor thereto.

 

Section 1.20                             DTC Participant ” shall mean any financial institution (or any nominee of such institution) having one or more participant accounts with DTC for receiving, holding and delivering the securities and cash held in DTC.  A DTC Participant may or may not be a Beneficial Owner.  If a DTC Participant is not the Beneficial Owner of the ADSs credited to its account at DTC, or of the ADSs in respect of which the DTC Participant is otherwise acting, such DTC Participant shall be deemed, for all purposes hereunder, to have all requisite authority to act on behalf of the Beneficial Owner(s) of the ADSs credited to its account at DTC or in respect of which the DTC Participant is so acting.  A DTC Participant,  upon acceptance in any one of its DTC accounts of any ADSs (or any interest therein) issued in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, shall (notwithstanding any explicit or implicit disclosure that it may be acting on behalf of another party) be deemed for all purposes to be a party to, and bound by, the terms of the Deposit Agreement and the applicable ADR(s) to the same extent as, and as if the DTC Participant were, the Holder of such ADSs.

 

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Section 1.21                             Exchange Act ” shall mean the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time.

 

Section 1.22                             Foreign Currency ” shall mean any currency other than Dollars.

 

Section 1.23                             Full Entitlement ADR(s) ”, “ Full Entitlement ADS(s) ” and “ Full Entitlement Share(s) shall have the respective meanings set forth in Section 2.12.

 

Section 1.24                             Holder(s) ” shall mean the person(s) in whose name the ADSs are registered on the books of the Depositary (or the Registrar, if any) maintained for such purpose.  A Holder may or may not be a Beneficial Owner.  If a Holder is not the Beneficial Owner of the ADS(s) registered in its name, such person shall be deemed, for all purposes hereunder, to have all requisite authority to act on behalf of the Beneficial Owners of the ADSs registered in its name.  The manner in which a Holder holds ADSs (e.g., in certificated vs. uncertificated form) may affect the rights and obligations of, and the manner in which the services are made available to, Holders pursuant to the terms of the Deposit Agreement.

 

Section 1.25                             Initial Deposit shall mean the initial deposit of Shares by the Company in connection with the offering of ADSs pursuant to the Prospectus dated [   ].

 

Section 1.26                             Partial Entitlement ADR(s) ”, “ Partial Entitlement ADS(s) ” and “ Partial Entitlement Share(s) shall have the respective meanings set forth in Section 2.12.

 

Section 1.27                             Pre-Release Transaction ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5.10.

 

Section 1.28                             Principal Office ” shall mean, when used with respect to the Depositary, the principal office of the Depositary at which at any particular time its depositary receipts business shall be administered, which, at the date of the Deposit Agreement, is located at 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10013, U.S.A.

 

Section 1.29                             Registrar ” shall mean the Depositary or any bank or trust company having an office in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, which shall be appointed by the Depositary to register issuances, transfers and cancellations of ADSs as herein provided, and shall include any co-registrar appointed by the Depositary for such purposes.  Registrars (other than the Depositary) may be removed and substitutes appointed by the Depositary.  Each Registrar (other than the Depositary) appointed pursuant to the Deposit Agreement shall be required to give notice in writing to the Depositary accepting such appointment and agreeing to be bound by the applicable terms of the Deposit Agreement.

 

Section 1.30                             Restricted Securities ” shall mean Shares, Deposited Securities or ADSs which (i) have been acquired directly or indirectly from the Company or any of its Affiliates in a transaction or chain of transactions not involving any public offering and are subject to resale limitations under the Securities Act or the rules issued thereunder, or (ii) are held by an executive officer or director (or persons performing similar functions) or other Affiliate of the Company, or (iii) are subject to other restrictions on sale or deposit under the laws of the United States,

 

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Cayman Islands, or under a shareholder agreement or the Articles of Association of the Company or under the regulations of an applicable securities exchange unless, in each case, such Shares, Deposited Securities or ADSs are being transferred or sold to persons other than an Affiliate of the Company in a transaction (a) covered by an effective resale registration statement, or (b) exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act (as hereinafter defined), and the Shares, Deposited Securities or ADSs are not, when held by such person(s), Restricted Securities.

 

Section 1.31                             Restricted ADR(s) ”, “ Restricted ADS(s) ” and “ Restricted Shares shall have the respective meanings set forth in Section 2.14.

 

Section 1.32                             Securities Act ” shall mean the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time.

 

Section 1.33                             Share Registrar ” shall mean Maples Fund Services (Cayman) Limited or any other institution organized under the laws of Cayman Islands appointed by the Company to carry out the duties of registrar for the Shares, and any successor thereto.

 

Section 1.34                             Shares ” shall mean the Company’s ordinary shares, US$0.0001 par value per share, validly issued and outstanding and fully paid and may, if the Depositary so agrees after consultation with the Company, include evidence of the right to receive Shares; provided that in no event shall Shares include evidence of the right to receive Shares with respect to which the full purchase price has not been paid or Shares as to which preemptive rights have theretofore not been validly waived or exercised; provided further , however , that , if there shall occur any change in par value, split-up, consolidation, reclassification, exchange, conversion or any other event described in Section 4.11 in respect of the Shares of the Company, the term “Shares” shall thereafter, to the maximum extent permitted by law, represent the successor securities resulting from such event.

 

Section 1.35                             Uncertificated ADS(s) shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2.13.

 

Section 1.36                             United States ” and “ U.S. ” shall have the meaning assigned to it in Regulation S as promulgated by the Commission under the Securities Act.

 

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ARTICLE II

 

APPOINTMENT OF DEPOSITARY; FORM OF RECEIPTS; DEPOSIT OF SHARES; EXECUTION AND DELIVERY, TRANSFER AND SURRENDER OF RECEIPTS

 

Section 2.1                                    Appointment of Depositary.   The Company hereby appoints the Depositary as depositary for the Deposited Property and hereby authorizes and directs the Depositary to act in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the Deposit Agreement and the applicable ADRs.  Each Holder and each Beneficial Owner, upon acceptance of any ADSs (or any interest therein) issued in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement shall be deemed for all purposes to (a) be a party to and bound by the terms of the Deposit Agreement and the applicable ADR(s), and (b) appoint the Depositary its attorney-in-fact, with full power to delegate, to act on its behalf and to take any and all actions contemplated in the Deposit Agreement and the applicable ADR(s), to adopt any and all procedures necessary to comply with applicable law and to take such action as the Depositary in its sole discretion may deem necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of the Deposit Agreement and the applicable ADR(s), the taking of such actions to be the conclusive determinant of the necessity and appropriateness thereof.

 

Section 2.2                                    Form and Transferability of ADSs .

 

(a)                                  Form Certificated ADSs shall be evidenced by definitive ADRs which shall be engraved, printed, lithographed or produced in such other manner as may be agreed upon by the Company and the Depositary.  ADRs may be issued under the Deposit Agreement in denominations of any whole number of ADSs.  The ADRs shall be substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit A to the Deposit Agreement, with any appropriate insertions, modifications and omissions, in each case as otherwise contemplated in the Deposit Agreement or required by law.  ADRs shall be (i) dated, (ii) signed by the manual or facsimile signature of a duly authorized signatory of the Depositary, (iii) countersigned by the manual or facsimile signature of a duly authorized signatory of the Registrar, and (iv) registered in the books maintained by the Registrar for the registration of issuances and transfers of ADSs.  No ADR and no Certificated ADS evidenced thereby shall be entitled to any benefits under the Deposit Agreement or be valid or enforceable for any purpose against the Depositary or the Company, unless such ADR shall have been so dated, signed, countersigned and registered.  ADRs bearing the facsimile signature of a duly-authorized signatory of the Depositary or the Registrar, who at the time of signature was a duly-authorized signatory of the Depositary or the Registrar, as the case may be, shall bind the Depositary, notwithstanding the fact that such signatory has ceased to be so authorized prior to the delivery of such ADR by the Depositary.  The ADRs shall bear a CUSIP number that is different from any CUSIP number that was, is or may be assigned to any depositary receipts previously or subsequently issued pursuant to any other arrangement between the Depositary (or any other depositary) and the Company and which are not ADRs outstanding hereunder.

 

(b)                                  Legends The ADRs may be endorsed with, or have incorporated in the text thereof, such legends or recitals not inconsistent with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement as may be (i) necessary to enable the Depositary and the Company to perform their respective

 

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obligations hereunder, (ii) required to comply with any applicable laws or regulations, or with the rules and regulations of any securities exchange or market upon which ADSs may be traded, listed or quoted, or to conform with any usage with respect thereto, (iii) necessary to indicate any special limitations or restrictions to which any particular ADRs or ADSs are subject by reason of the date of issuance of the Deposited Securities or otherwise, or (iv) required by any book-entry system in which the ADSs are held.  Holders and Beneficial Owners shall be deemed, for all purposes, to have notice of, and to be bound by, the terms and conditions of the legends set forth, in the case of Holders, on the ADR registered in the name of the applicable Holders or, in the case of Beneficial Owners, on the ADR representing the ADSs owned by such Beneficial Owners.

 

(c)                                   Title Subject to the limitations contained herein and in the ADR, title to an ADR (and to each Certificated ADS evidenced thereby) shall be transferable upon the same terms as a certificated security under the laws of the State of New York, provided that, in the case of Certificated ADSs, such ADR has been properly endorsed or is accompanied by proper instruments of transfer.  Notwithstanding any notice to the contrary, the Depositary and the Company may deem and treat the Holder of an ADS (that is, the person in whose name an ADS is registered on the books of the Depositary) as the absolute owner thereof for all purposes.  Neither the Depositary nor the Company shall have any obligation nor be subject to any liability under the Deposit Agreement or any ADR to any holder or any Beneficial Owner unless, in the case of a holder of ADSs,  such holder is the Holder registered on the books of the Depositary or, in the case of a Beneficial Owner, such Beneficial Owner, or the Beneficial Owner’s representative, is the Holder registered on the books of the Depositary.

 

(d)                                  Book-Entry Systems The Depositary shall make arrangements for the acceptance of the ADSs into DTC.  All ADSs held through DTC will be registered in the name of the nominee for DTC (currently “Cede & Co.”).  Unless issued by the Depositary as Uncertificated ADSs, the ADSs registered in the name of Cede & Co. will be evidenced by one or more ADR(s) in the form of a “Balance Certificate,” which will provide that it represents the aggregate number of ADSs from time to time indicated in the records of the Depositary as being issued hereunder and that the aggregate number of ADSs represented thereby may from time to time be increased or decreased by making adjustments on such records of the Depositary and of DTC or its nominee as hereinafter provided.  Citibank, N.A. (or such other entity as is appointed by DTC or its nominee) may hold the “Balance Certificate” as custodian for DTC.  Each Beneficial Owner of ADSs held through DTC must rely upon the procedures of DTC and the DTC Participants to exercise or be entitled to any rights attributable to such ADSs.  The DTC Participants shall for all purposes be deemed to have all requisite power and authority to act on behalf of the Beneficial Owners of the ADSs held in the DTC Participants’ respective accounts in DTC and the Depositary shall for all purposes be authorized to rely upon any instructions and information given to it by DTC Participants.  So long as ADSs are held through DTC or unless otherwise required by law, ownership of beneficial interests in the ADSs registered in the name of the nominee for DTC will be shown on, and transfers of such ownership will be effected only through, records maintained by (i) DTC or its nominee (with respect to the interests of DTC Participants), or (ii) DTC Participants or their nominees (with respect to the interests of clients of DTC Participants).  Any distributions made, and any notices given, by the Depositary to DTC under the terms of the Deposit Agreement shall (unless otherwise specified by the Depositary)

 

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satisfy the Depositary’s obligations under the Deposit Agreement to make such distributions, and give such notices, in respect of the ADSs held in DTC (including, for avoidance of doubt, to the DTC Participants holding the ADSs in their DTC accounts and to the Beneficial Owners of such ADSs).

 

Section 2.3                                    Deposit of Shares.   Subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement and applicable law, Shares or evidence of rights to receive Shares (other than Restricted Securities) may be deposited by any person (including the Depositary in its individual capacity but subject, however, in the case of the Company or any Affiliate of the Company, to Section 5.7) at any time, whether or not the transfer books of the Company or the Share Registrar, if any, are closed, by Delivery of the Shares to the Custodian or its nominee.  Every deposit of Shares shall be accompanied by the following:  (A) (i)  in the case of Shares represented by certificates issued in registered form , appropriate instruments of transfer or endorsement, in a form satisfactory to the Custodian and (ii)  in the case of Shares delivered by book-entry transfer and recordation , confirmation of such book-entry transfer and recordation in the books of the Share Registrar or of the book-entry settlement entity, if available, as applicable, to the Custodian or that irrevocable instructions have been given to cause such Shares to be so transferred and recorded, (B) such certifications and payments (including, without limitation, the Depositary’s fees and related charges) and evidence of such payments (including, without limitation, stamping or otherwise marking such Shares by way of receipt) as may be required by the Depositary or the Custodian in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement and applicable law, (C) if the Depositary so requires, a written order directing the Depositary to issue and deliver to, or upon the written order of, the person(s) stated in such order the number of ADSs representing the Shares so deposited, (D) evidence satisfactory to the Depositary (which may be an opinion of counsel) that all necessary approvals have been granted by, or there has been compliance with the rules and regulations of, any applicable governmental agency in the Cayman Islands, and (E) if the Depositary so requires, (i) an agreement, assignment or instrument satisfactory to the Depositary or the Custodian which provides for the prompt transfer by any person in whose name the Shares are or have been recorded to the Custodian of any distribution, or right to subscribe for additional Shares or to receive other property in respect of any such deposited Shares or, in lieu thereof, such indemnity or other agreement as shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Depositary or the Custodian and (ii) if the Shares are registered in the name of the person on whose behalf they are presented for deposit, a proxy or proxies entitling the Custodian to exercise voting rights in respect of the Shares for any and all purposes until the Shares so deposited are registered in the name of the Depositary, the Custodian or any nominee.

 

Without limiting any other provision of the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary shall instruct the Custodian not to, and the Depositary shall not knowingly, accept for deposit (a) any Restricted Securities (except as contemplated by Section 2.14) nor (b) any fractional Shares or fractional Deposited Securities nor (c) a number of Shares or Deposited Securities which upon application of the ADS to Shares ratio would give rise to fractional ADSs.  No Shares shall be accepted for deposit unless accompanied by evidence, if any is required by the Depositary, that is reasonably satisfactory to the Depositary or the Custodian that all conditions to such deposit have been satisfied by the person depositing such Shares under the laws and regulations of the Cayman Islands and any necessary approval has been granted by any applicable governmental

 

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body in the Cayman Islands, if any.  The Depositary may issue ADSs against evidence of rights to receive Shares from the Company, any agent of the Company or any custodian, registrar, transfer agent, clearing agency or other entity involved in ownership or transaction records in respect of the Shares.  Such evidence of rights shall consist of written blanket or specific guarantees of ownership of Shares furnished by the Company or any such custodian, registrar, transfer agent, clearing agency or other entity involved in ownership or transaction records in respect of the Shares.

 

Without limitation of the foregoing, the Depositary shall not knowingly accept for deposit under the Deposit Agreement (A) any Shares or other securities required to be registered under the provisions of the Securities Act, unless (i) a registration statement is in effect as to such Shares or other securities or (ii) the deposit is made upon terms contemplated in Section 2.14, or (B) any Shares or other securities the deposit of which would violate any provisions of the Articles of Association of the Company.  For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the Depositary shall be entitled to rely upon representations and warranties made or deemed made pursuant to the Deposit Agreement and shall not be required to make any further investigation.  The Depositary will comply with written instructions of the Company (received by the Depositary reasonably in advance) not to accept for deposit hereunder any Shares identified in such instructions at such times and under such circumstances as may reasonably be specified in such instructions in order to facilitate the Company’s compliance with the securities laws of the United States.

 

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Section 2.4                                    Registration and Safekeeping of Deposited Securities.   The Depositary shall instruct the Custodian upon each Delivery of registered Shares being deposited hereunder with the Custodian (or other Deposited Securities pursuant to Article IV hereof), together with the other documents above specified, to present such Shares, together with the appropriate instrument(s) of transfer or endorsement, duly stamped, to the Share Registrar for transfer and registration of the Shares (as soon as transfer and registration can be accomplished and at the expense of the person for whom the deposit is made) in the name of the Depositary, the Custodian or a nominee of either.  Deposited Securities shall be held by the Depositary, or by a Custodian for the account and to the order of the Depositary or a nominee of the Depositary, in each case, on behalf of the Holders and Beneficial Owners, at such place(s) as the Depositary or the Custodian shall determine.  Notwithstanding anything else contained in the Deposit Agreement, any ADR(s), or any other instruments or agreements relating to the ADSs and the corresponding Deposited Property, the registration of the Deposited Securities in the name of the Depositary, the Custodian or any of their respective nominees, shall, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, vest in the Depositary, the Custodian or the applicable nominee the record ownership in the applicable Deposited Securities with the beneficial ownership rights and interests in such Deposited Securities being at all times vested with the Beneficial Owners of the ADSs representing the Deposited Securities.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Depositary, the Custodian and the applicable nominee shall at all times be entitled to exercise the beneficial ownership rights in all Deposited Property, in each case only on behalf of the Holders and Beneficial Owners of the ADSs representing the Deposited Property, upon the terms set forth in the Deposit Agreement and, if applicable, the ADR(s) representing the ADSs.  The Depositary, the Custodian and their respective nominees shall for all purposes be deemed to have all requisite power and authority to act in respect of Deposited Property on behalf of the Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs representing the Deposited Property, and upon making payments to, or acting upon instructions from, or information provided by, the Depositary, the Custodian or their respective nominees all persons shall be authorized to rely upon such power and authority.

 

Section 2.5                                    Issuance of ADSs.   The Depositary has made arrangements with the Custodian for the Custodian to confirm to the Depositary upon receipt of a deposit of Shares (i) that a deposit of Shares has been made pursuant to Section 2.3, (ii) that such Deposited Securities have been recorded in the name of the Depositary, the Custodian or a nominee of either on the shareholders’ register maintained by or on behalf of the Company by the Share Registrar on the books of the book-entry settlement entity, if available, (iii) that all required documents have been received, and (iv) the person(s) to whom or upon whose order ADSs are deliverable in respect thereof and the number of ADSs to be so delivered.  Such notification may be made by letter, cable, telex, SWIFT message or, at the risk and expense of the person making the deposit, by facsimile or other means of electronic transmission.  Upon receiving such notice from the Custodian, the Depositary, subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement and applicable law, shall issue the ADSs representing the Shares so deposited to or upon the order of the person(s) named in the notice delivered to the Depositary and, if applicable, shall execute and deliver at its Principal Office Receipt(s) registered in the name(s) requested by such person(s) and evidencing the aggregate number of ADSs to which such person(s) are entitled, but, in each case, only upon payment to the Depositary of the charges of the Depositary for accepting a deposit of Shares and issuing ADSs (as set forth in Section 5.9 and Exhibit B

 

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hereto) and all taxes and governmental charges and fees payable in connection with such deposit and the transfer of the Shares and the issuance of the ADS(s).  The Depositary shall only issue ADSs in whole numbers and deliver, if applicable, ADR(s) evidencing whole numbers of ADSs.  Nothing herein shall prohibit any Pre-Release Transaction upon the terms set forth in the Deposit Agreement.

 

Section 2.6                                    Transfer, Combination and Split-up of ADRs .

 

(a)                                  Transfer The Registrar shall, as promptly as commercially practicable, register the transfer of ADRs (and of the ADSs represented thereby) on the books maintained for such purpose and the Depositary shall, as promptly as commercially practicable, (x) cancel such ADRs and execute new ADRs evidencing the same aggregate number of ADSs as those evidenced by the ADRs canceled by the Depositary, (y) cause the Registrar to countersign such new ADRs and (z) Deliver such new  ADRs to or upon the order of the person entitled thereto, if each of the following conditions has been satisfied:  (i) the ADRs have been duly Delivered by the Holder (or by a duly authorized attorney of the Holder) to the Depositary at its Principal Office for the purpose of effecting a transfer thereof, (ii) the surrendered ADRs have been properly endorsed or are accompanied by proper instruments of transfer (including signature guarantees in accordance with standard securities industry practice), (iii) the surrendered ADRs have been duly stamped (if required by the laws of the State of New York or of the United States), and (iv) all applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and all applicable taxes and governmental charges (as are set forth in Section 5.9 and Exhibit B hereto) have been paid, subject, however, in each case, to the terms and conditions of the applicable ADRs, of the Deposit Agreement and of applicable law, in each case as in effect at the time thereof.

 

(b)                                  Combination & Split-Up The Registrar shall, as promptly as commercially practicable, register the split-up or combination of ADRs (and of the ADSs represented thereby) on the books maintained for such purpose and the Depositary shall, as promptly as commercially practicable, (x) cancel such ADRs and execute new ADRs for the number of ADSs requested, but in the aggregate not exceeding the number of ADSs evidenced by the ADRs canceled by the Depositary, (y) cause the Registrar to countersign such new ADRs and (z) Deliver such new ADRs to or upon the order of the Holder thereof, if each of the following conditions has been satisfied:  (i) the ADRs have been duly Delivered by the Holder (or by a duly authorized attorney of the Holder) to the Depositary at its Principal Office for the purpose of effecting a split-up or combination thereof, and (ii) all applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and all applicable taxes and governmental charges (as are set forth in Section 5.9 and Exhibit B hereto) have been paid, subject, however, in each case , to the terms and conditions of the applicable ADRs, of the Deposit Agreement and of applicable law, in each case as in effect at the time thereof.

 

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Section 2.7                                                                            Surrender of ADSs and Withdrawal of Deposited Securities.  The Holder of ADSs shall be entitled to Delivery (at the Custodian’s designated office) of the Deposited Securities at the time represented by the ADSs upon satisfaction of each of the following conditions: (i) the Holder (or a duly-authorized attorney of the Holder) has duly Delivered ADSs to the Depositary at its Principal Office (and if applicable, the ADRs evidencing such ADSs) for the purpose of withdrawal of the Deposited Securities represented thereby, (ii) if applicable and so required by the Depositary, the ADRs Delivered to the Depositary for such purpose have been properly endorsed in blank or are accompanied by proper instruments of transfer in blank (including signature guarantees in accordance with standard securities industry practice), (iii) if so required by the Depositary, the Holder of the ADSs has executed and delivered to the Depositary a written order directing the Depositary to cause the Deposited Securities being withdrawn to be Delivered to or upon the written order of the person(s) designated in such order, and (iv) all applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and all applicable taxes and governmental charges (as are set forth in Section 5.9 and Exhibit B ) have been paid, subject, however, in each case , to the terms and conditions of the ADRs evidencing the surrendered ADSs, of the Deposit Agreement, of the Company’s Articles of Association and of any applicable laws and the rules of book-entry settlement entity, if available, and to any provisions of or governing the Deposited Securities , in each case as in effect at the time thereof.

 

Upon satisfaction of each of the conditions specified above, the Depositary (i) shall, as promptly as commercially practicable, cancel the ADSs Delivered to it (and, if applicable, the ADR(s) evidencing the ADSs so Delivered), (ii) shall direct the Registrar to record the cancellation of the ADSs so Delivered on the books maintained for such purpose, and (iii) shall direct the Custodian to Deliver, or cause the Delivery of, in each case, without unreasonable delay, the Deposited Securities represented by the ADSs so canceled together with any certificate or other document of title for the Deposited Securities, or evidence of the electronic transfer thereof (if available), as the case may be, to or upon the written order of the person(s) designated in the order delivered to the Depositary for such purpose, subject however, in each case, to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, of the ADRs evidencing the ADSs so canceled, of the Articles of Association of the Company, of any applicable laws and of the rules of the book-entry settlement entity, if available, and to the terms and conditions of or governing the Deposited Securities, in each case as in effect at the time thereof.

 

The Depositary shall not accept for surrender ADSs representing less than one (1) Share.  In the case of Delivery to it of ADSs representing a number other than a whole number of Shares, the Depositary shall cause ownership of the appropriate whole number of Shares to be Delivered in accordance with the terms hereof, and shall, at the discretion of the Depositary, either (i) return to the person surrendering such ADSs the number of ADSs representing any remaining fractional Share, or (ii) sell or cause to be sold the fractional Share represented by the ADSs so surrendered and remit the proceeds of such sale (net of (a) applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes withheld) to the person surrendering the ADSs.

 

Notwithstanding anything else contained in any ADR or the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may make delivery at the Principal Office of the Depositary of Deposited Property

 

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consisting of (i) any cash dividends or cash distributions, or (ii) any proceeds from the sale of any non-cash distributions, which are at the time held by the Depositary in respect of the Deposited Securities represented by the ADSs surrendered for cancellation and withdrawal.  At the request, risk and expense of any Holder so surrendering ADSs, and for the account of such Holder, the Depositary shall direct the Custodian to forward (to the extent permitted by law) any Deposited Property (other than Deposited Securities) held by the Custodian in respect of such ADSs to the Depositary for delivery at the Principal Office of the Depositary.  Such direction shall be given by letter or, at the request, risk and expense of such Holder, by cable, telex or facsimile transmission.

 

Section 2.8                                    Limitations on Execution and Delivery, Transfer, etc. of ADSs; Suspension of Delivery, Transfer, etc .

 

(a)                                  Additional Requirements As a condition precedent to the execution and delivery, the registration of issuance, transfer, split-up, combination or surrender, of any ADS, the delivery of any distribution thereon, or the withdrawal of any Deposited Property, the Depositary or the Custodian may require (i) payment from the depositor of Shares or presenter of ADSs or of an ADR of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any tax or other governmental charge and any stock transfer or registration fee with respect thereto (including any such tax or charge and fee with respect to Shares being deposited or withdrawn) and payment of any applicable fees and charges of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9 and Exhibit B , (ii) the production of proof reasonably satisfactory to it as to the identity and genuineness of any signature or any other matter contemplated by Section 3.1, and (iii) compliance with (A) any laws or governmental regulations relating to the execution and delivery of ADRs or ADSs or to the withdrawal of Deposited Securities and (B) such reasonable regulations as the Depositary and the Company may establish consistent with the provisions of the representative ADR, if applicable, the Deposit Agreement and applicable law.

 

(b)                                  Additional Limitations The issuance of ADSs against deposits of Shares generally or against deposits of particular Shares may be suspended, or the deposit of particular Shares may be refused, or the registration of transfer of ADSs in particular instances may be refused, or the registration of transfers of ADSs generally may be suspended, during any period when the transfer books of the Company, the Depositary, a Registrar or the Share Registrar are closed or if any such action is deemed necessary or advisable by the Depositary (whereupon the Depositary shall notify the Company) or the Company, in good faith, at any time or from time to time because of any requirement of law or regulation, any government or governmental body or commission or any securities exchange on which the ADSs or Shares are listed, or under any provision of the Deposit Agreement or the representative ADR(s), if applicable, or under any provision of, or governing, the Deposited Securities, or because of a meeting of shareholders of the Company or for any other reason, subject, in all cases, to Section 7.8.

 

(c)                                   Regulatory Restrictions Notwithstanding any provision of the Deposit Agreement or any ADR(s) to the contrary, Holders are entitled to surrender outstanding ADSs to withdraw the Deposited Securities associated herewith at any time subject only to (i) temporary delays caused by closing the transfer books of the Depositary or the Company or the deposit of Shares in connection with voting at a shareholders’ meeting or the payment of dividends, (ii) the

 

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payment of fees, taxes and similar charges, (iii) compliance with any U.S. or foreign laws or governmental regulations relating to the ADSs or to the withdrawal of the Deposited Securities, and (iv) other circumstances specifically contemplated by Instruction I.A.(l) of the General Instructions to Form F-6 (as such General Instructions may be amended from time to time).

 

Section 2.9                                    Lost ADRs, etc.   In case any ADR shall be mutilated, destroyed, lost, or stolen, the Depositary shall execute and deliver a new ADR of like tenor at the expense of the Holder (a)  in the case of a mutilated ADR, in exchange of and substitution for such mutilated ADR upon cancellation thereof, or (b)  in the case of a destroyed, lost or stolen ADR, in lieu of and in substitution for such destroyed, lost, or stolen ADR, after the Holder thereof (i) has submitted to the Depositary a written request for such exchange and substitution before the Depositary has notice that the ADR has been acquired by a bona fide purchaser, (ii) has provided such security or indemnity (including an indemnity bond) as may be required by the Depositary to save it and any of its agents harmless, and (iii) has satisfied any other reasonable requirements imposed by the Depositary, including, without limitation, evidence satisfactory to the Depositary of such destruction, loss or theft of such ADR, the authenticity thereof and the Holder’s ownership thereof.

 

Section 2.10                             Cancellation and Destruction of Surrendered ADRs; Maintenance of Records.   All ADRs surrendered to the Depositary shall be canceled by the Depositary.  Canceled ADRs shall not be entitled to any benefits under the Deposit Agreement or be valid or enforceable against the Depositary or the Company for any purpose.  The Depositary is authorized to destroy ADRs so canceled, provided the Depositary maintains a record of all destroyed ADRs.  Any ADSs held in book-entry form ( e.g. , through accounts at DTC) shall be deemed canceled when the Depositary causes the number of ADSs evidenced by the Balance Certificate to be reduced by the number of ADSs surrendered (without the need to physically destroy the Balance Certificate)..

 

Section 2.11                             Escheatment.   In the event any unclaimed property relating to the ADSs, for any reason, is in the possession of Depositary and has not been claimed by the Holder thereof or cannot be delivered to the Holder thereof through usual channels, the Depositary shall, upon expiration of any applicable statutory period relating to abandoned property laws, escheat such unclaimed property to the relevant authorities in accordance with the laws of each of the relevant States of the United States.

 

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Section 2.12                             Partial Entitlement ADSs.   In the event any Shares are deposited which (i) entitle the holders thereof to receive a per-share distribution or other entitlement in an amount different from the Shares then on deposit or (ii) are not fully fungible (including, without limitation, as to settlement or trading) with the Shares then on deposit (the Shares then on deposit collectively, “ Full Entitlement Shares ” and the Shares with different entitlement, “ Partial Entitlement Shares ”), the Depositary shall (i) cause the Custodian to hold Partial Entitlement Shares separate and distinct from Full Entitlement Shares, and (ii) subject to the terms of the Deposit Agreement, issue ADSs representing Partial Entitlement Shares which are separate and distinct from the ADSs representing Full Entitlement Shares, by means of separate CUSIP numbering and legending (if necessary) and, if applicable, by issuing ADRs evidencing such ADSs with applicable notations thereon (“ Partial Entitlement ADSs/ADRs ” and “ Full Entitlement ADSs/ADRs ”, respectively).  If and when Partial Entitlement Shares become Full Entitlement Shares, the Depositary shall (a) give notice thereof to Holders of Partial Entitlement ADSs and give Holders of Partial Entitlement ADRs the opportunity to exchange such Partial Entitlement ADRs for Full Entitlement ADRs, (b) cause the Custodian to transfer the Partial Entitlement Shares into the account of the Full Entitlement Shares, and (c) take such actions as are necessary to remove the distinctions between (i) the Partial Entitlement ADRs and ADSs, on the one hand, and (ii) the Full Entitlement ADRs and ADSs on the other.  Holders and Beneficial Owners of Partial Entitlement ADSs shall only be entitled to the entitlements of Partial Entitlement Shares.  Holders and Beneficial Owners of Full Entitlement ADSs shall be entitled only to the entitlements of Full Entitlement Shares.  All provisions and conditions of the Deposit Agreement shall apply to Partial Entitlement ADRs and ADSs to the same extent as Full Entitlement ADRs and ADSs, except as contemplated by this Section 2.12.  The Depositary is authorized to take any and all other actions as may be necessary (including, without limitation, making the necessary notations on ADRs) to give effect to the terms of this Section 2.12.  The Company agrees to give timely written notice to the Depositary if any Shares issued or to be issued are Partial Entitlement Shares and shall assist the Depositary with the establishment of procedures enabling the identification of Partial Entitlement Shares upon Delivery to the Custodian.

 

Section 2.13                             Certificated/Uncertificated ADSs.   Notwithstanding any other provision of the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may, at any time and from time to time, issue ADSs that are not evidenced by ADRs (such ADSs, the “ Uncertificated ADS(s) ” and the ADS(s) evidenced by ADR(s), the “ Certificated ADS(s) ”).  When issuing and maintaining Uncertificated ADS(s) under the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary shall at all times be subject to (i) the standards applicable to registrars and transfer agents maintaining direct registration systems for equity securities in New York and issuing uncertificated securities under New York law, and (ii) the terms of New York law applicable to uncertificated equity securities.  Uncertificated ADSs shall not be represented by any instruments but shall be evidenced by registration in the books of the Depositary maintained for such purpose.  Holders of Uncertificated ADSs, that are not subject to any registered pledges, liens, restrictions or adverse claims of which the Depositary has notice at such time, shall at all times have the right to exchange the Uncertificated ADS(s) for Certificated ADS(s) of the same type and class, subject in each case to (x) applicable laws and any rules and regulations the Depositary may have established in respect of the Uncertificated ADSs, and (y) the continued availability of Certificated ADSs in the U.S.

 

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Holders of Certificated ADSs shall, if the Depositary maintains a direct registration system for the ADSs, have the right to exchange the Certificated ADSs for Uncertificated ADSs upon (i) the due surrender of the Certificated ADS(s) to the Depositary for such purpose and (ii) the presentation of a written request to that effect to the Depositary, subject in each case to (a) all liens and restrictions noted on the ADR evidencing the Certificated ADS(s) and all adverse claims of which the Depositary then has notice, (b) the terms of the Deposit Agreement and the rules and regulations that the Depositary may establish for such purposes hereunder, (c) applicable law, and (d) payment of the Depositary fees and expenses applicable to such exchange of Certificated ADS(s) for Uncertificated ADS(s).  Uncertificated ADSs shall in all material respects be identical to Certificated ADS(s) of the same type and class, except that (i) no ADR(s) shall be, or shall need to be, issued to evidence Uncertificated ADS(s), (ii) Uncertificated ADS(s) shall, subject to the terms of the Deposit Agreement, be transferable upon the same terms and conditions as uncertificated securities under New York law, (iii) the ownership of Uncertificated ADS(s) shall be recorded on the books of the Depositary maintained for such purpose and evidence of such ownership shall be reflected in periodic statements provided by the Depositary to the Holder(s) in accordance with applicable New York law, (iv) the Depositary may from time to time, upon notice to the Holders of Uncertificated ADSs affected thereby, establish rules and regulations, and amend or supplement existing rules and regulations, as may be deemed reasonably necessary to maintain Uncertificated ADS(s) on behalf of Holders, provided that (a) such rules and regulations do not conflict with the terms of the Deposit Agreement and applicable law, and (b) the terms of such rules and regulations are readily available to Holders upon request, (v) the Uncertificated ADS(s) shall not be entitled to any benefits under the Deposit Agreement or be valid or enforceable for any purpose against the Depositary or the Company unless such Uncertificated ADS(s) is/are registered on the books of the Depositary maintained for such purpose, (vi) the Depositary may, in connection with any deposit of Shares resulting in the issuance of Uncertificated ADSs and with any transfer, pledge, release and cancellation of Uncertificated ADSs, require the prior receipt of such documentation as the Depositary may deem reasonably appropriate, and (vii) upon termination of the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary shall not require Holders of Uncertificated ADSs to affirmatively instruct the Depositary before remitting proceeds from the sale of the Deposited Property represented by such Holders’ Uncertificated ADSs under the terms of Section 6.2 of the Deposit Agreement.  When issuing ADSs under the terms of the Deposit Agreement, including, without limitation, issuances pursuant to Sections 2.5, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5 and 4.11, the Depositary may in its discretion determine to issue Uncertificated ADSs rather than Certificated ADSs, unless otherwise specifically instructed by the applicable Holder to issue Certificated ADSs.  All provisions and conditions of the Deposit Agreement shall apply to Uncertificated ADSs to the same extent as to Certificated ADSs, except as contemplated by this Section 2.13.  The Depositary is authorized and directed to take any and all actions and establish any and all procedures deemed reasonably necessary to give effect to the terms of this Section 2.13.  Any references in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR(s) to the terms “American Depositary Share(s)” or “ADS(s)” shall, unless the context otherwise requires, include Certificated ADS(s) and Uncertificated ADS(s).  Except as set forth in this Section 2.13 and except as required by applicable law, the Uncertificated ADSs shall be treated as ADSs issued and outstanding under the terms of the Deposit Agreement.  In the event that, in determining the rights and obligations of parties hereto with respect to any Uncertificated ADSs, any conflict arises between (a) the

 

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terms of the Deposit Agreement (other than this Section 2.13) and (b) the terms of this Section 2.13, the terms and conditions set forth in this Section 2.13 shall be controlling and shall govern the rights and obligations of the parties to the Deposit Agreement pertaining to the Uncertificated ADSs.

 

Section 2.14                             Restricted ADSs.   The Depositary shall, at the request and expense of the Company, establish procedures enabling the deposit hereunder of Shares that are Restricted Securities in order to enable the holder of such Shares to hold its ownership interests in such Restricted Securities in the form of ADSs issued under the terms hereof (such Shares, “ Restricted Shares ”).  Upon receipt of a written request from the Company to accept Restricted Shares for deposit hereunder, the Depositary agrees to establish procedures permitting the deposit of such Restricted Shares and the issuance of ADSs representing the right to receive, subject to the terms of the Deposit Agreement and the applicable ADR (if issued as a Certificated ADS), such deposited Restricted Shares (such ADSs, the “ Restricted ADSs ,” and the ADRs evidencing such Restricted ADSs, the “ Restricted ADRs ”).  Notwithstanding anything contained in this Section 2.14, the Depositary and the Company may, to the extent not prohibited by law, agree to issue the Restricted ADSs in uncertificated form (“ Uncertificated Restricted ADSs ”) upon such terms and conditions as the Company and the Depositary may deem necessary and appropriate.  The Company shall assist the Depositary in the establishment of such procedures and agrees that it shall take all steps necessary and satisfactory to the Depositary to ensure that the establishment of such procedures does not violate the provisions of the Securities Act or any other applicable laws.  The depositors of such Restricted Shares and the Holders of the Restricted ADSs may be required prior to the deposit of such Restricted Shares, the transfer of the Restricted ADRs and Restricted ADSs or the withdrawal of the Restricted Shares represented by Restricted ADSs to provide such written certifications or agreements as the Depositary or the Company may require.  The Company shall provide to the Depositary in writing the legend(s) to be affixed to the Restricted ADRs (if the Restricted ADSs are to be issued as Certificated ADSs ) , or to be included in the statements issued from time to time to Holders of Uncertificated ADSs (if issued as Uncertificated Restricted ADSs), which legends shall (i) be in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Depositary and (ii) contain the specific circumstances under which the Restricted ADSs, and, if applicable, the Restricted ADRs evidencing the Restricted ADSs, may be transferred or the Restricted Shares withdrawn.  The Restricted ADSs issued upon the deposit of Restricted Shares shall be separately identified on the books of the Depositary and the Restricted Shares so deposited shall, to the extent required by law, be held separate and distinct from the other Deposited Securities held hereunder.  The Restricted Shares and the Restricted ADSs shall not be eligible for Pre-Release Transactions.  The Restricted ADSs shall not be eligible for inclusion in any book-entry settlement system, including, without limitation, DTC, and shall not in any way be fungible with the ADSs issued under the terms hereof that are not Restricted ADSs.  The Restricted ADSs, and, if applicable, the Restricted ADRs evidencing the Restricted ADSs, shall be transferable only by the Holder thereof upon delivery to the Depositary of (i) all documentation otherwise contemplated by the Deposit Agreement and (ii) an opinion of counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Depositary setting forth, inter alia , the conditions upon which the Restricted ADSs presented, and, if applicable, the Restricted ADRs evidencing the Restricted ADSs, are transferable by the Holder thereof under applicable securities laws and the transfer restrictions contained in the legend applicable to the Restricted

 

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ADSs presented for transfer.  Except as set forth in this Section 2.14 and except as required by applicable law, the Restricted ADSs and the Restricted ADRs evidencing Restricted ADSs shall be treated as ADSs and ADRs issued and outstanding under the terms of the Deposit Agreement.  In the event that, in determining the rights and obligations of parties hereto with respect to any Restricted ADSs, any conflict arises between (a) the terms of the Deposit Agreement (other than this Section 2.14) and (b) the terms of (i) this Section 2.14 or (ii) the applicable Restricted ADR, the terms and conditions set forth in this Section 2.14 and of the Restricted ADR shall be controlling and shall govern the rights and obligations of the parties to the Deposit Agreement pertaining to the deposited Restricted Shares, the Restricted ADSs and Restricted ADRs.

 

If the Restricted ADRs, the Restricted ADSs and the Restricted Shares cease to be Restricted Securities, the Depositary, upon receipt of (x) an opinion of counsel satisfactory to the Depositary setting forth, inter alia , that the Restricted ADRs, the Restricted ADSs and the Restricted Shares are not as of such time Restricted Securities, and (y) instructions from the Company to remove the restrictions applicable to the Restricted ADRs, the Restricted ADSs and the Restricted Shares, shall (i) eliminate the distinctions and separations that may have been established between the applicable Restricted Shares held on deposit under this Section 2.14 and the other Shares held on deposit under the terms of the Deposit Agreement that are not Restricted Shares, (ii) treat the newly unrestricted ADRs and ADSs on the same terms as, and fully fungible with, the other ADRs and ADSs issued and outstanding under the terms of the Deposit Agreement that are not Restricted ADRs or Restricted ADSs, and (iii) take all actions necessary to remove any distinctions, limitations and restrictions previously existing under this Section 2.14 between the applicable Restricted ADRs and Restricted ADSs, respectively, on the one hand, and the other ADRs and ADSs that are not Restricted ADRs or Restricted ADSs, respectively, on the other hand, including, without limitation, by making the newly-unrestricted ADSs eligible for Pre-Release Transactions and for inclusion in the applicable book-entry settlement systems.

 

ARTICLE III

 

CERTAIN OBLIGATIONS OF HOLDERS
AND BENEFICIAL OWNERS OF ADSs

 

Section 3.1                                    Proofs, Certificates and Other Information.   Any person presenting Shares for deposit, any Holder and any Beneficial Owner may be required, and every Holder and Beneficial Owner agrees, from time to time to provide to the Depositary and the Custodian such proof of citizenship or residence, taxpayer status, payment of all applicable taxes or other governmental charges, exchange control approval, legal or beneficial ownership of ADSs and Deposited Property, compliance with applicable laws, the terms of the Deposit Agreement or the ADR(s) evidencing the ADSs and the provisions of, or governing, the Deposited Property, to execute such certifications and to make such representations and warranties, and to provide such other information and documentation (or, in the case of Shares in registered form presented for deposit, such information relating to the registration on the books of the Company or of the Share Registrar) as the Depositary or the Custodian may deem necessary or proper or as the Company may reasonably require by written request to the Depositary consistent with its obligations under the Deposit Agreement and the applicable ADR(s).  The Depositary and the

 

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Registrar, as applicable, may withhold the execution or delivery or registration of transfer of any ADR or ADS or the distribution or sale of any dividend or distribution of rights or of the proceeds thereof or, to the extent not limited by the terms of Section 7.8, the delivery of any Deposited Property until such proof or other information is filed or such certifications are executed, or such representations and warranties are made, or such other documentation or information provided, in each case to the Depositary’s, the Registrar’s and the Company’s satisfaction.  The Depositary shall provide the Company, in a timely manner, with copies or originals if necessary and appropriate of (i) any such proofs of citizenship or residence, taxpayer status, or exchange control approval or copies of written representations and warranties which it receives from Holders and Beneficial Owners, and (ii) any other information or documents which the Company may reasonably request and which the Depositary shall request and receive from any Holder or Beneficial Owner or any person presenting Shares for deposit or ADSs for cancellation, transfer or withdrawal.  Nothing herein shall obligate the Depositary to (i) obtain any information for the Company if not provided by the Holders or Beneficial Owners, or (ii) verify or vouch for the accuracy of the information so provided by the Holders or Beneficial Owners.

 

Section 3.2                                    Liability for Taxes and Other Charges.   Any tax or other governmental charge payable by the Custodian or by the Depositary with respect to any Deposited Property, ADSs or ADRs shall be payable by the Holders and Beneficial Owners to the Depositary.  The Company, the Custodian and/or the Depositary may withhold or deduct from any distributions made in respect of Deposited Property, and may sell for the account of a Holder and/or Beneficial Owner any or all of the Deposited Property and apply such distributions and sale proceeds in payment of, any taxes (including applicable interest and penalties) or charges that are or may be payable by Holders or Beneficial Owners in respect of the ADSs, Deposited Property and ADRs, the Holder and the Beneficial Owner remaining liable for any deficiency.  The Custodian may refuse the deposit of Shares and the Depositary may refuse to issue ADSs, to deliver ADRs, register the transfer of ADSs, register the split-up or combination of ADRs and (subject to Section 7.8) the withdrawal of Deposited Property until payment in full of such tax, charge, penalty or interest is received.  Every Holder and Beneficial Owner agrees to indemnify the Depositary, the Company, the Custodian, and any of their agents, officers, employees and Affiliates for, and to hold each of them harmless from, any claims with respect to taxes (including applicable interest and penalties thereon) arising from any tax benefit obtained for such Holder and/or Beneficial Owner.  The obligations of Holders and Beneficial Owners under this section 3.2 shall survive any transfer of ADSs, any cancellation of ADSs and withdrawal of Deposited Securities, and the termination of the Deposit Agreement.

 

Section 3.3                                    Representations and Warranties on Deposit of Shares.   Each person depositing Shares under the Deposit Agreement shall be deemed thereby to represent and warrant that (i) such Shares and the certificates therefor are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid, non-assessable and legally obtained by such person, (ii) all preemptive (and similar) rights, if any, with respect to such Shares have been validly waived or exercised, (iii) the person making such deposit is duly authorized so to do, (iv) the Shares presented for deposit are free and clear of any lien, encumbrance, security interest, charge, mortgage or adverse claim, (v) the Shares presented for deposit are not, and the ADSs issuable upon such deposit will not be, Restricted Securities  (except as contemplated in Section 2.14), and (vi) the Shares presented for deposit

 

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have not been stripped of any rights or entitlements.  Such representations and warranties shall survive the deposit and withdrawal of Shares, the issuance and cancellation of ADSs in respect thereof and the transfer of such ADSs.  If any such representations or warranties are false in any way, the Company and the Depositary shall be authorized, at the cost and expense of the person depositing Shares, to take any and all actions necessary to correct the consequences thereof.

 

Section 3.4                                    Compliance with Information Requests.   Notwithstanding any other provision of the Deposit Agreement or any ADR(s), each Holder and Beneficial Owner agrees to comply with requests from the Company pursuant to applicable law, the rules and requirements of the stock exchange on which the Shares or ADSs are, or will be, registered, traded or listed or the Articles of Association of the Company, which are made to provide information, inter alia , as to the capacity in which such Holder or Beneficial Owner owns ADSs (and Shares as the case may be) and regarding the identity of any other person(s) interested in such ADSs and the nature of such interest and various other matters, whether or not they are Holders and/or Beneficial Owners at the time of such request.  The Depositary agrees to use its reasonable efforts to forward, upon the request of the Company and at the Company’s expense, any such request from the Company to the Holders and to forward to the Company any such responses to such requests received by the Depositary.

 

Section 3.5                                    Ownership Restrictions.   Notwithstanding any other provision in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR, the Company may restrict transfers of the Shares where such transfer might result in ownership of Shares exceeding limits imposed by applicable law or the Articles of Association of the Company.  The Company may also restrict, in such manner as it deems appropriate, transfers of the ADSs where such transfer may result in the total number of Shares represented by the ADSs owned by a single Holder or Beneficial Owner to exceed any such limits.  The Company may, in its sole discretion but subject to applicable law, instruct the Depositary to take action with respect to the ownership interest of any Holder or Beneficial Owner in excess of the limits set forth in the preceding sentence, including, but not limited to, the imposition of restrictions on the transfer of ADSs, the removal or limitation of voting rights or mandatory sale or disposition on behalf of a Holder or Beneficial Owner of the Shares represented by the ADSs held by such Holder or Beneficial Owner in excess of such limitations, if and to the extent such disposition is permitted by applicable law and the Articles of Association of the Company.  Nothing herein shall be interpreted as obligating the Depositary or the Company to ensure compliance with the ownership restrictions described in this Section 3.5.

 

Section 3.6                                    Reporting Obligations and Regulatory Approvals.   Applicable laws and regulations may require holders and beneficial owners of Shares, including the Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs, to satisfy reporting requirements and obtain regulatory approvals in certain circumstances.  Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs are solely responsible for determining and complying with such reporting requirements and obtaining such approvals.  Each Holder and each Beneficial Owner hereby agrees to make such determination, file such reports, and obtain such approvals to the extent and in the form required by applicable laws and regulations as in effect from time to time.  Neither the Depositary, the Custodian, the Company or any of their respective agents or affiliates shall be required to take any actions whatsoever on behalf of Holders or Beneficial Owners to determine or satisfy such reporting requirements or obtain such regulatory approvals under applicable laws and regulations.

 

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ARTICLE IV

 

THE DEPOSITED SECURITIES

 

Section 4.1                                    Cash Distributions.   Whenever the Company intends to make a distribution of a cash dividend or other cash distribution in respect of any Deposited Securities, the Company shall give notice thereof to the Depositary at least twenty (20) days (or such other number of days as the Depositary and the Company may agree in writing at such time) prior to the proposed distribution specifying, inter alia , the record date applicable for determining the holders of Deposited Securities entitled to receive such distribution.  Upon the timely receipt of such notice, the Depositary shall establish the ADS Record Date upon the terms described in Section 4.9.  Upon receipt of confirmation of the receipt of (x) any cash dividend or other cash distribution on any Deposited Securities, or (y) proceeds from the sale of any Deposited Property held in respect of the ADSs under the terms hereof, the Depositary will (i) if at the time of receipt thereof any amounts received in a Foreign Currency can, in the judgment of the Depositary (pursuant to Section 4.8), be converted on a practicable basis into Dollars transferable to the United States, promptly convert or cause to be converted such cash dividend, distribution or proceeds into Dollars (on the terms described in Section 4.8), (ii) if applicable and unless previously established, establish the ADS Record Date upon the terms described in Section 4.9, and (iii) distribute promptly the amount thus received (net of (a) the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes withheld) to the Holders entitled thereto as of the ADS Record Date in proportion to the number of ADSs held as of the ADS Record Date.  The Depositary shall distribute only such amount, however, as can be distributed without attributing to any Holder a fraction of one cent, and any balance not so distributed shall be held by the Depositary (without liability for interest thereon) and shall be added to and become part of the next sum received by the Depositary for distribution to Holders of ADSs outstanding at the time of the next distribution.  If the Company, the Custodian or the Depositary is required to withhold and does withhold from any cash dividend or other cash distribution in respect of any Deposited Securities, or from any cash proceeds from the sales of Deposited Property, an amount on account of taxes, duties or other governmental charges, the amount distributed to Holders on the ADSs shall be reduced accordingly.  Such withheld amounts shall be forwarded by the Company, the Custodian or the Depositary to the relevant governmental authority.  Evidence of payment thereof by the Company shall be forwarded by the Company to the Depositary upon request.  The Depositary will hold any cash amounts it is unable to distribute in a non-interest bearing account for the benefit of the applicable Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs until the distribution can be effected or the funds that the Depositary holds must be escheated as unclaimed property in accordance with the laws of the relevant states of the United States. Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement to the contrary, in the event the Company fails to give the Depositary timely notice of the proposed distribution provided for in this Section 4.1, the Depositary shall use commercially reasonable efforts to perform the actions contemplated in this Section 4.1, and the Company, the Holders and the Beneficial Owners acknowledge that the Depositary shall have no liability for the Depositary’s failure to perform the actions contemplated in this Section 4.1 where such notice has not been so timely given, other than its failure to use commercially reasonable efforts, as provided herein.

 

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Section 4.2                                    Distribution in Shares.   Whenever the Company intends to make a distribution that consists of a dividend in, or free distribution of, Shares, the Company shall give notice thereof to the Depositary at least twenty (20) days (or such other number of days as the Depositary and the Company may agree in writing at such time) prior to the proposed distribution, specifying, inter alia , the record date applicable to holders of Deposited Securities entitled to receive such distribution.  Upon the timely receipt of such notice from the Company, the Depositary shall establish the ADS Record Date upon the terms described in Section 4.9.  Upon receipt of confirmation from the Custodian of the receipt of the Shares so distributed by the Company, the Depositary shall either (i) subject to Section 5.9, distribute to the Holders as of the ADS Record Date in proportion to the number of ADSs held as of the ADS Record Date, additional ADSs, which represent in the aggregate the number of Shares received as such dividend, or free distribution, subject to the other terms of the Deposit Agreement (including, without limitation, (a) the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes), or (ii) if additional ADSs are not so distributed, take all actions necessary so that each ADS issued and outstanding after the ADS Record Date shall, to the extent permissible by law, thenceforth also represent rights and interests in the additional integral number of Shares distributed upon the Deposited Securities represented thereby (net of (a) the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes).  In lieu of delivering fractional ADSs, the Depositary shall sell the number of Shares or ADSs, as the case may be, represented by the aggregate of such fractions and distribute the net proceeds upon the terms described in Section 4.1.  In the event that the Depositary determines that any distribution in property (including Shares) is subject to any tax or other governmental charges which the Depositary is obligated to withhold, or, if the Company in the fulfillment of its obligation under Section 5.7, has furnished an opinion of U.S. counsel determining that Shares must be registered under the Securities Act or other laws in order to be distributed to Holders (and no such registration statement has been declared effective), the Depositary may dispose of all or a portion of such property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) in such amounts and in such manner, including by public or private sale, as the Depositary deems necessary and practicable, and the Depositary shall distribute the net proceeds of any such sale (after deduction of (a) taxes and (b) fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary) to Holders entitled thereto upon the terms described in Section 4.1.  The Depositary shall hold and/or distribute any unsold balance of such property in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement. Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement to the contrary, in the event the Company fails to give the Depositary timely notice of the proposed distribution provided for in this Section 4.2, the Depositary shall use commercially reasonable efforts to perform the actions contemplated in this Section 4.2, and the Company, the Holders and the Beneficial Owners acknowledge that the Depositary shall have no liability for the Depositary’s failure to perform the actions contemplated in this Section 4.2 where such notice has not been so timely given, other than its failure to use commercially reasonable efforts, as provided herein.

 

Section 4.3                                    Elective Distributions in Cash or Shares .   Whenever the Company intends to make a distribution payable at the election of the holders of Deposited Securities in cash or in additional Shares, the Company shall give notice thereof to the Depositary at least forty five (45) days (or such other number of days as the Depositary and the Company may agree

 

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in writing at such time) prior to the proposed distribution specifying, inter alia , the record date applicable to holders of Deposited Securities entitled to receive such elective distribution and whether or not it wishes such elective distribution to be made available to Holders of ADSs.  Upon the timely receipt of a notice indicating that the Company wishes such elective distribution to be made available to Holders of ADSs, the Depositary shall consult with the Company to determine, and the Company shall assist the Depositary in its determination, whether it is lawful and reasonably practicable to make such elective distribution available to the Holders of ADSs.  The Depositary shall make such elective distribution available to Holders only if (i) the Company shall have timely requested that the elective distribution be made available to Holders, (ii) the Depositary shall have determined that such distribution is reasonably practicable and (iii) the Depositary shall have received satisfactory documentation within the terms of Section 5.7.  If the above conditions are not satisfied or if the Company requests such elective distribution not to be made available to Holders of ADSs, the Depositary shall establish the ADS Record Date on the terms described in Section 4.9 and, to the extent permitted by law, distribute to the Holders, on the basis of the same determination as is made in the Cayman Islands in respect of the Shares for which no election is made, either (X) cash upon the terms described in Section 4.1 or (Y) additional ADSs representing such additional Shares upon the terms described in Section 4.2.  If the above conditions are satisfied, the Depositary shall establish an ADS Record Date on the terms described in Section 4.9 and establish procedures to enable Holders to elect the receipt of the proposed distribution in cash or in additional ADSs.  The Company shall assist the Depositary in establishing such procedures to the extent necessary.  If a Holder elects to receive the proposed distribution (X) in cash, the distribution shall be made upon the terms described in Section 4.1, or (Y) in ADSs, the distribution shall be made upon the terms described in Section 4.2.  Nothing herein shall obligate the Depositary to make available to Holders a method to receive the elective distribution in Shares (rather than ADSs).  There can be no assurance that Holders generally, or any Holder in particular, will be given the opportunity to receive elective distributions on the same terms and conditions as the holders of Shares. Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement to the contrary, in the event the Company fails to give the Depositary timely notice of the proposed distribution provided for in this Section 4.3, the Depositary shall use commercially reasonable efforts to perform the actions contemplated in this Section 4.3, and the Company, the Holders and the Beneficial Owners acknowledge that the Depositary shall have no liability for the Depositary’s failure to perform the actions contemplated in this Section 4.3 where such notice has not been so timely given, other than its failure to use commercially reasonable efforts, as provided herein.

 

Section 4.4                                    Distribution of Rights to Purchase Additional ADSs .

 

(a)                                  Distribution to ADS Holders Whenever the Company intends to distribute to the holders of the Deposited Securities rights to subscribe for additional Shares, the Company shall give notice thereof to the Depositary at least sixty (60) days prior to the proposed distribution specifying, inter alia , the record date applicable to holders of Deposited Securities entitled to receive such distribution and whether or not it wishes such rights to be made available to Holders of ADSs.  Upon the timely receipt of a notice indicating that the Company wishes such rights to be made available to Holders of ADSs, the Depositary shall consult with the Company to determine, and the Company shall assist the Depositary in its determination, whether it is lawful and reasonably practicable to make such rights available to the Holders.  The

 

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Depositary shall make such rights available to Holders only if (i) the Company shall have timely requested that such rights be made available to Holders, (ii) the Depositary shall have received satisfactory documentation within the terms of Section 5.7, and (iii) the Depositary shall have determined that such distribution of rights is reasonably practicable.  In the event any of the conditions set forth above are not satisfied or if the Company requests that the rights not be made available to Holders of ADSs, the Depositary shall proceed with the sale of the rights as contemplated in Section 4.4(b) below.  In the event all conditions set forth above are satisfied, the Depositary shall establish the ADS Record Date (upon the terms described in Section 4.9) and establish procedures to (x) distribute rights to purchase additional ADSs (by means of warrants or otherwise), (y) enable the Holders to exercise such rights (upon payment of the subscription price and of the applicable (a) fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes), and (z) deliver ADSs upon the valid exercise of such rights.  The Company shall assist the Depositary to the extent necessary in establishing such procedures.  Nothing herein shall obligate the Depositary to make available to the Holders a method to exercise rights to subscribe for Shares (rather than ADSs).

 

(b)                                  Sale of Rights If (i) the Company does not timely request the Depositary to make the rights available to Holders or requests that the rights not be made available to Holders, (ii) the Depositary fails to receive satisfactory documentation within the terms of Section 5.7, or determines it is not practicable to make the rights available to Holders, or (iii) any rights made available are not exercised and appear to be about to lapse, the Depositary shall determine whether it is lawful and practicable to sell such rights, in a riskless principal capacity, at such place and upon such terms (including public or private sale) as it may deem practicable.  The Company shall assist the Depositary to the extent necessary to determine such legality and practicability.  The Depositary shall, upon such sale, convert and distribute proceeds of such sale (net of applicable (a) fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes) upon the terms set forth in Section 4.1.

 

(c)                                   Lapse of Rights If the Depositary is unable to make any rights available to Holders upon the terms described in Section 4.4(a) or to arrange for the sale of the rights upon the terms described in Section 4.4(b), the Depositary shall allow such rights to lapse.

 

The Depositary shall not be liable for (i) any failure to accurately determine  whether it may be lawful or practicable to make such rights available to Holders in general or any Holders in particular, (ii) any foreign exchange exposure or loss incurred in connection with such sale, or exercise, or (iii) the content of any materials forwarded to the Holders on behalf of the Company in connection with the rights distribution.

 

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 4.4, if registration (under the Securities Act or any other applicable law) of the rights or the securities to which any rights relate may be required in order for the Company to offer such rights or such securities to Holders and to sell the securities represented by such rights, the Depositary will not distribute such rights to the Holders (i) unless and until a registration statement under the Securities Act (or other applicable law) covering such offering is in effect or (ii) unless the Company furnishes the Depositary opinion(s) of counsel for the Company in the United States and counsel to the Company in any other applicable country in which rights would be distributed, in each case

 

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satisfactory to the Depositary, to the effect that the offering and sale of such securities to Holders and Beneficial Owners are exempt from, or do not require registration under, the provisions of the Securities Act or any other applicable laws.

 

In the event that the Company, the Depositary or the Custodian shall be required to withhold and does withhold from any distribution of Deposited Property (including rights) an amount on account of taxes or other governmental charges, the amount distributed to the Holders of ADSs shall be reduced accordingly.  In the event that the Depositary determines that any distribution of Deposited Property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) is subject to any tax or other governmental charges which the Depositary is obligated to withhold, the Depositary may dispose of all or a portion of such Deposited Property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) in such amounts and in such manner, including by public or private sale, as the Depositary deems necessary and practicable to pay any such taxes or charges.

 

There can be no assurance that Holders generally, or any Holder in particular, will be given the opportunity to receive or exercise rights on the same terms and conditions as the holders of Shares or be able to exercise such rights.  Nothing herein shall obligate the Company to file any registration statement in respect of any rights or Shares or other securities to be acquired upon the exercise of such rights.

 

Section 4.5                                    Distributions Other Than Cash, Shares or Rights to Purchase Shares .

 

(a)                                  Whenever the Company intends to distribute to the holders of Deposited Securities property other than cash, Shares or rights to purchase additional Shares, the Company shall give timely notice thereof to the Depositary and shall indicate whether or not it wishes such distribution to be made to Holders of ADSs.  Upon receipt of a notice indicating that the Company wishes such distribution to be made to Holders of ADSs, the Depositary shall consult with the Company, and the Company shall assist the Depositary, to determine whether such distribution to Holders is lawful and reasonably practicable.  The Depositary shall not make such distribution unless (i) the Company shall have requested the Depositary to make such distribution to Holders, (ii) the Depositary shall have received satisfactory documentation within the terms of Section 5.7, and (iii) the Depositary shall have determined that such distribution is reasonably practicable.

 

(b)                                  Upon receipt of satisfactory documentation and the request of the Company to distribute property to Holders of ADSs and after making the requisite determinations set forth in (a) above, the Depositary shall distribute the property so received to the Holders of record, as of the ADS Record Date, in proportion to the number of ADSs held by them respectively and in such manner as the Depositary may deem practicable for accomplishing such distribution (i) upon receipt of payment or net of the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and (ii) net of any taxes withheld.  The Depositary may dispose of all or a portion of the property so distributed and deposited, in such amounts and in such manner (including public or private sale) as the Depositary may deem practicable or necessary to satisfy any taxes (including applicable interest and penalties) or other governmental charges applicable to the distribution.

 

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(c)                                   If (i) the Company does not request the Depositary to make such distribution to Holders or requests the Depositary not to make such distribution to Holders, (ii) the Depositary does not receive satisfactory documentation within the terms of Section 5.7, or (iii) the Depositary determines that all or a portion of such distribution is not reasonably practicable, the Depositary shall sell or cause such property to be sold in a public or private sale, at such place or places and upon such terms as it may deem practicable and shall (i) cause the proceeds of such sale, if any, to be converted into Dollars and (ii) distribute the proceeds of such conversion received by the Depositary (net of applicable (a) fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes) to the Holders as of the ADS Record Date upon the terms of Section 4.1.  If the Depositary is unable to sell such property, the Depositary may dispose of such property for the account of the Holders in any way it deems reasonably practicable under the circumstances.

 

(d)                                  Neither the Depositary nor the Company shall be liable for (i) any failure to accurately determine whether it is lawful or practicable to make the property described in this Section 4.5 available to Holders in general or any Holders in particular, nor (ii) any loss incurred in connection with the sale or disposal of such property.

 

Section 4.6                                    RESERVED.

 

Section 4.7                                    Redemption.   If the Company intends to exercise any right of redemption in respect of any of the Deposited Securities, the Company shall give notice thereof to the Depositary at least sixty (60) days prior to the intended date of redemption which notice shall set forth the particulars of the proposed redemption.  Upon timely receipt of (i) such notice and (ii) satisfactory documentation given by the Company to the Depositary within the terms of Section 5.7, and only if the Depositary shall have determined that such proposed redemption is practicable, the Depositary shall provide to each Holder a notice setting forth the intended exercise by the Company of the redemption rights and any other particulars set forth in the Company’s notice to the Depositary.  The Depositary shall instruct the Custodian to present to the Company the Deposited Securities in respect of which redemption rights are being exercised against payment of the applicable redemption price.  Upon receipt of confirmation from the Custodian that the redemption has taken place and that funds representing the redemption price have been received, the Depositary shall convert, transfer, and distribute the proceeds (net of applicable (a) fees and charges of, and the expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and (b) taxes), retire ADSs and cancel ADRs, if applicable, upon delivery of such ADSs by Holders thereof and the terms set forth in Sections 4.1 and 6.2.  If less than all outstanding Deposited Securities are redeemed, the ADSs to be retired will be selected by lot or on a pro rata basis, as may be determined by the Depositary.  The redemption price per ADS shall be the dollar equivalent of the per share amount received by the Depositary (adjusted to reflect the ADS(s)-to-Share(s) ratio) upon the redemption of the Deposited Securities represented by ADSs (subject to the terms of Section 4.8 and the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and taxes) multiplied by the number of Deposited Securities represented by each ADS redeemed.

 

Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement to the contrary, in the event the Company fails to give the Depositary timely notice of the proposed redemption provided for in this Section 4.7, the Depositary agrees to use commercially reasonable efforts to

 

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perform the actions contemplated in this Section 4.7, and the Company, the Holders and the Beneficial Owners acknowledge that the Depositary shall have no liability for the Depositary’s failure to perform the actions contemplated in this Section 4.7 where such notice has not been so timely given, other than its failure to use commercially reasonable efforts, as provided herein.

 

Section 4.8                                    Conversion of Foreign Currency.   Whenever the Depositary or the Custodian shall receive Foreign Currency, by way of dividends or other distributions or the net proceeds from the sale of Deposited Property, which in the judgment of the Depositary can at such time be converted on a practicable basis, by sale or in any other manner that it may determine in accordance with applicable law, into Dollars transferable to the United States and distributable to the Holders entitled thereto, the Depositary shall convert or cause to be converted, by sale or in any other manner that it may determine, such Foreign Currency into Dollars, and shall distribute such Dollars (net of any applicable fees, any reasonable and customary expenses incurred in such conversion and any expenses incurred on behalf of the Holders in complying with currency exchange control or other governmental requirements) in accordance with the terms of the applicable sections of the Deposit Agreement.  If the Depositary shall have distributed warrants or other instruments that entitle the holders thereof to such Dollars, the Depositary shall distribute such Dollars to the holders of such warrants and/or instruments upon surrender thereof for cancellation, in either case without liability for interest thereon.  Such distribution may be made upon an averaged or other practicable basis without regard to any distinctions among Holders on account of any application of exchange restrictions or otherwise.

 

If such conversion or distribution generally or with regard to a particular Holder can be effected only with the approval or license of any government or agency thereof, the Depositary shall have authority to file such application for approval or license, if any, as it may deem desirable.  In no event, however, shall the Depositary be obligated to make such a filing.

 

If at any time the Depositary shall determine that in its judgment the conversion of any Foreign Currency and the transfer and distribution of proceeds of such conversion received by the Depositary is not practicable or lawful, or if any approval or license of any governmental authority or agency thereof that is required for such conversion, transfer and distribution is denied or, in the opinion of the Depositary, not obtainable at a reasonable cost or within a reasonable period, the Depositary may, in its discretion, (i) make such conversion and distribution in Dollars to the Holders for whom such conversion, transfer and distribution is lawful and practicable, (ii) distribute the Foreign Currency (or an appropriate document evidencing the right to receive such Foreign Currency) to Holders for whom this is lawful and practicable, or (iii) hold (or cause the Custodian to hold) such Foreign Currency (without liability for interest thereon) for the respective accounts of the Holders entitled to receive the same.

 

Section 4.9                                    Fixing of ADS Record Date.   Whenever the Depositary shall receive notice of the fixing of a record date by the Company for the determination of holders of Deposited Securities entitled to receive any distribution (whether in cash, Shares, rights, or other distribution), or whenever for any reason the Depositary causes a change in the number of Shares that are represented by each ADS, or whenever the Depositary shall receive notice of any meeting of, or solicitation of consents or proxies of, holders of Shares or other Deposited

 

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Securities, or whenever the Depositary shall find it necessary or convenient in connection with the giving of any notice, solicitation of any consent or any other matter, the Depositary shall fix the record date (the “ ADS Record Date ”) for the determination of the Holders of ADS(s) who shall be entitled to receive such distribution, to give instructions for the exercise of voting rights at any such meeting, to give or withhold such consent, to receive such notice or solicitation or to otherwise take action, or to exercise the rights of Holders with respect to such changed number of Shares represented by each ADS.  The Depositary shall make reasonable efforts to establish the ADS Record Date as closely as practicable to the applicable record date for the Deposited Securities (if any) set by the Company in the Cayman Islands and shall not announce the establishment of any ADS Record Date prior to the relevant corporate action having been made public by the Company (if such corporate action affects the Deposited Securities).  Subject to applicable law and the provisions of Section 4.1 through 4.8 and to the other terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, only the Holders of ADSs at the close of business in New York on such ADS Record Date shall be entitled to receive such distribution, to give such voting instructions, to receive such notice or solicitation, or otherwise take action.

 

Section 4.10                             Voting of Deposited Securities.   As soon as practicable after receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of Deposited Securities are entitled to vote, or of solicitation of consents or proxies from holders of Deposited Securities, the Depositary shall fix the ADS Record Date in respect of such meeting or solicitation of consent or proxy in accordance with Section 4.9.  The Depositary shall, if requested by the Company in writing in a timely manner (the Depositary having no obligation to take any further action if the request shall not have been received by the Depositary at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of such vote or meeting), at the Company’s expense and provided no U.S. legal prohibitions exist, distribute as soon as practicable after receipt thereof to Holders as of the ADS Record Date: (a) such notice of meeting or solicitation of consent or proxy, (b) a statement that the Holders at the close of business on the ADS Record Date will be entitled, subject to any applicable law, the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, the Articles of Association and the provisions of or governing the Deposited Securities (which provisions, if any, shall be summarized in pertinent part by the Company), to instruct the Depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights, if any, pertaining to the Deposited Securities represented by such Holder’s ADSs, and (c) a brief statement as to the manner and timing in which such voting instructions may be given to the Depositary or in which voting instructions may be deemed to have been given in accordance with this Section 4.10 if no instructions are received prior to the deadline set for such purposes to the Depositary to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by the Company.  Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement to the contrary, in the event the Company fails to timely request that the Depositary distribute the information as provided for in this Section 4.10, the Depositary shall use commercially reasonable efforts to perform the actions contemplated in this Section 4.10, and the Company, the Holders and the Beneficial Owners acknowledge that the Depositary shall have no liability for the Depositary’s failure to perform the actions contemplated in this Section 4.10 where such notice has not been so timely given, other than its failure to use commercially reasonable efforts, as provided herein.

 

Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR, the Depositary may, to the extent not prohibited by law or regulations, or by the requirements of the stock exchange on which the ADSs are listed, in lieu of distribution of the materials provided to

 

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the Depositary in connection with any meeting of, or solicitation of consents or proxies from, holders of Deposited Securities, distribute to the Holders a notice that provides Holders with, or otherwise publicizes to Holders, instructions on how to retrieve such materials or receive such materials upon request ( e.g. , by reference to a website containing the materials for retrieval or a contact for requesting copies of the materials).

 

The Depositary has been advised by the Company that under the Articles of Association of the Company (as in effect on the date of the Deposit Agreement), voting at any meeting of shareholders is by show of hands unless a poll is demanded.  The Depositary will not join in demanding a poll, whether or not requested to do so by Holders of ADSs.  The Company has informed the Depositary that, under the Articles of Association of the Company (as in effect on the date of the Deposit Agreement), a poll may be demanded by the chairman of the meeting or by any one or more shareholders who together hold not less than 10% of the paid up voting share capital.

 

Voting instructions may be given only in respect of a number of ADSs representing an integral number of Deposited Securities.  Upon the timely receipt from a Holder of ADSs as of the ADS Record Date (and, if so required by the Company, who also hold the ADSs as of the applicable share record date) of voting instructions in the manner specified by the Depositary, the Depositary shall endeavor, insofar as practicable and permitted under applicable law, the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, Articles of Association of the Company and the provisions of the Deposited Securities, to vote, or cause the Custodian to vote, the Deposited Securities (in person or by proxy) represented by such Holder’s ADSs as follows:  (i) in the event voting takes place at a shareholders’ meeting by show of hands, the Depositary will instruct the Custodian to vote all Deposited Securities in accordance with the voting instructions received from a majority of Holders of ADSs who provided voting instructions and (ii) in the event voting takes place at a shareholders’ meeting by poll, the Depositary will instruct the Custodian to vote the Deposited Securities in accordance with the voting instructions received from the Holders of ADSs. If the Depositary does not receive instructions from a Holder as of the ADS Record Date on or before the date established by the Depositary for such purpose and voting is by poll, such Holder shall be deemed, and the Depositary shall (unless otherwise specified in the notice distributed to Holders) deem such Holder, to have instructed the Depositary to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by the Company to vote the Deposited Securities; provided , however , that no such discretionary proxy shall be given by the Depositary with respect to any matter to be voted upon as to which the Company informs the Depositary that (A) the Company does not wish such proxy to be given, (B) substantial opposition exists, or (C) the rights of holders of Deposited Securities may be materially adversely affected.

 

Neither the Depositary nor the Custodian shall under any circumstances exercise any discretion as to voting and neither the Depositary nor the Custodian shall vote, attempt to exercise the right to vote, or in any way make use of, for purposes of establishing a quorum or otherwise, the Deposited Securities represented by ADSs, except pursuant to and in accordance with the voting instructions timely received from Holders or as otherwise contemplated herein.  If the Depositary timely receives voting instructions from a Holder which fail to specify the manner in which the Depositary is to vote the Deposited Securities represented by such Holder’s ADSs, the Depositary will deem such Holder (unless otherwise specified in the notice

 

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distributed to Holders) to have instructed the Depositary to vote in favor of the items set forth in such voting instructions.  Deposited Securities represented by ADSs for which no timely voting instructions are received by the Depositary from the Holder shall not be voted (except (i) in the case voting is by show of hands, in which case the Depositary will instruct the Custodian to vote all Deposited Securities in accordance with the voting instructions received from a majority of Holders of ADSs who provided voting instructions and (ii) as otherwise contemplated herein). Notwithstanding anything else contained herein, the Depositary shall, if so requested in writing by the Company, represent all Deposited Securities (whether or not voting instructions have been received in respect of such Deposited Securities from Holders as of the ADS Record Date) for the sole purpose of establishing quorum at a meeting of shareholders.

 

Notwithstanding anything else contained in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR, the Depositary shall not have any obligation to take any action with respect to any meeting, or solicitation of consents or proxies, of holders of Deposited Securities if the taking of such action would violate U.S. laws.  The Company agrees to take any and all actions reasonably necessary and as permitted by Cayman Islands law to enable Holders and Beneficial Owners to exercise the voting rights accruing to the Deposited Securities and to deliver to the Depositary an opinion of U.S. counsel addressing any actions requested to be taken if so reasonably requested by the Depositary.

 

There can be no assurance that Holders generally or any Holder in particular will receive the notice described above with sufficient time to enable the Holder to return voting instructions to the Depositary, or otherwise take action, in a timely manner.

 

Section 4.11                             Changes Affecting Deposited Securities.   Upon any change in nominal or par value, split-up, cancellation, consolidation or any other reclassification of Deposited Securities, or upon any recapitalization, reorganization, merger, consolidation or sale of assets affecting the Company or to which it is a party, any property which shall be received by the Depositary or the Custodian in exchange for, or in conversion of, or replacement of, or otherwise in respect of, such Deposited Securities shall, to the extent permitted by law, be treated as new Deposited Property under the Deposit Agreement, and the ADSs shall, subject to the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, any ADR(s) evidencing such ADSs and applicable law, represent the right to receive such additional or replacement Deposited Property.  In giving effect to such change, split-up, cancellation, consolidation or other reclassification of Deposited Securities, recapitalization, reorganization, merger, consolidation or sale of assets, the Depositary may, with the Company’s approval, and shall, if the Company shall so request, subject to the terms of the Deposit Agreement (including, without limitation, (a) the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and (b) taxes) and receipt of an opinion of counsel to the Company satisfactory to the Depositary that such actions are not in violation of any applicable laws or regulations, (i) issue and deliver additional ADSs as in the case of a stock dividend on the Shares, (ii) amend the Deposit Agreement and the applicable ADRs, (iii) amend the applicable Registration Statement(s) on Form F-6 as filed with the Commission in respect of the ADSs, (iv) call for the surrender of outstanding ADRs to be exchanged for new ADRs, and (v) take such other actions as are appropriate to reflect the transaction with respect to the ADSs.  The Company agrees to, jointly with the Depositary, amend the Registration Statement on Form F-6 as filed with the Commission to permit the issuance of such new form of ADRs.

 

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Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that any Deposited Property so received may not be lawfully distributed to some or all Holders, the Depositary may, with the Company’s approval, and shall, if the Company requests, subject to receipt of an opinion of Company’s counsel satisfactory to the Depositary that such action is not in violation of any applicable laws or regulations, sell such Deposited Property at public or private sale, at such place or places and upon such terms as it may deem proper and may allocate the net proceeds of such sales (net of (a) fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes) for the account of the Holders otherwise entitled to such Deposited Property upon an averaged or other practicable basis without regard to any distinctions among such Holders and distribute the net proceeds so allocated to the extent practicable as in the case of a distribution received in cash pursuant to Section 4.1.  The Depositary shall not be responsible for (i) any failure to determine that it may be lawful or practicable to make such Deposited Property available to Holders in general or to any Holder in particular, (ii) any foreign exchange exposure or loss incurred in connection with such sale, or (iii) any liability to the purchaser of such Deposited Property.

 

Section 4.12                             Available Information .   The Company is subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and, accordingly, is required to file or furnish certain reports with the Commission.  These reports can be retrieved from the Commission’s website (www.sec.gov) and can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the Commission located (as of the date of the Deposit Agreement) at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington D.C.  20549.

 

Section 4.13                             Reports.   The Depositary shall make available for inspection by Holders at its Principal Office and at the principal office of the Custodian, as described in Section 1.11, the Deposit Agreement, the provisions of or governing Deposited Securities and any reports and communications, including any proxy soliciting materials, received from the Company which are both (a) received by the Depositary, the Custodian, or the nominee of either of them as the holder of the Deposited Property and (b) made generally available to the holders of such Deposited Property by the Company.  The Depositary shall also provide or make available to Holders copies of such reports when furnished by the Company pursuant to Section 5.6.

 

Section 4.14                             List of Holders.   Promptly upon written request by the Company, the Depositary shall furnish to it a list, as of a recent date, of the names, addresses and holdings of ADSs of all Holders.

 

Section 4.15                             Taxation .   The Depositary will, and will instruct the Custodian to, forward to the Company or its agents such information from its records as the Company may reasonably request to enable the Company or its agents to file the necessary tax reports with governmental authorities or agencies.  The Depositary, the Custodian or the Company and its agents may file such reports as are necessary to reduce or eliminate applicable taxes on dividends and on other distributions in respect of Deposited Property under applicable tax treaties or laws for the Holders and Beneficial Owners.  In accordance with instructions from the Company and to the extent practicable, the Depositary or the Custodian will take reasonable administrative actions to obtain tax refunds, reduced withholding of tax at source on dividends and other benefits under applicable tax treaties or laws with respect to dividends and other distributions on the Deposited Property.  As a condition to receiving such benefits, Holders and Beneficial

 

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Owners of ADSs may be required from time to time, and in a timely manner, to file such proof of taxpayer status, residence and beneficial ownership (as applicable), to execute such certificates and to make such representations and warranties, or to provide any other information or documents, as the Depositary or the Custodian may deem necessary or proper to fulfill the Depositary’s or the Custodian’s obligations under applicable law.  The Depositary and the Company shall have no obligation or liability to any person if any Holder or Beneficial Owner fails to provide such information or if such information does not reach the relevant tax authorities in time for any Holder or Beneficial Owner to obtain the benefits of any tax treatment.  The Holders and Beneficial Owners shall indemnify the Depositary, the Company, the Custodian and any of their respective directors, employees, agents and Affiliates against, and hold each of them harmless from, any claims by any governmental authority with respect to taxes, additions to tax, penalties or interest arising out of any refund of taxes, reduced rate of withholding at source or other tax benefit obtained.

 

If the Company (or any of its agents) withholds from any distribution any amount on account of taxes or governmental charges, or pays any other tax in respect of such distribution ( e.g. , stamp duty tax, capital gains or other similar tax), the Company shall (and shall cause such agent to) remit promptly to the Depositary information about such taxes or governmental charges withheld or paid, and, if so requested, the tax receipt (or other proof of payment to the applicable governmental authority) therefor, in each case,  in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Depositary.  The Depositary shall, to the extent required by U.S. law, report to Holders any taxes withheld by it or the Custodian, and, if such information is provided to it by the Company, any taxes withheld by the Company.  The Depositary and the Custodian shall not be required to provide the Holders with any evidence of the remittance by the Company (or its agents) of any taxes withheld, or of the payment of taxes by the Company, except to the extent the evidence is provided by the Company to the Depositary or the Custodian, as applicable.  None of the Company, the Depositary or the Custodian shall be liable for the failure by any Holder or Beneficial Owner to obtain the benefits of credits on the basis of non-U.S. tax paid against such Holder’s or Beneficial Owner’s income tax liability.

 

The Depositary is under no obligation to provide the Holders and Beneficial Owners with any information about the tax status of the Company.  Neither the Company nor the Depositary shall incur any liability for any tax consequences that may be incurred by Holders and Beneficial Owners on account of their ownership of the ADSs, including without limitation, tax consequences resulting from the Company (or any of its subsidiaries) being treated as a “Passive Foreign Investment Company” (in each case as defined in the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and the regulations issued thereunder) or otherwise.

 

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ARTICLE V

 

THE DEPOSITARY, THE CUSTODIAN AND THE COMPANY

 

Section 5.1                                    Maintenance of Office and Transfer Books by the Registrar.   Until termination of the Deposit Agreement in accordance with its terms, the Registrar shall maintain in the Borough of Manhattan, the City of New York, an office and facilities for the issuance and delivery of ADSs, the acceptance for surrender of ADS(s) for the purpose of withdrawal of Deposited Securities, the registration of issuances, cancellations, transfers, combinations and split-ups of ADS(s) and, if applicable, to countersign ADRs evidencing the ADSs so issued, transferred, combined or split-up, in each case in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement.

 

The Registrar shall keep books for the registration of ADSs which at all reasonable times shall be open for inspection by the Company and by the Holders of such ADSs, provided that such inspection shall not be, to the Registrar’s knowledge, for the purpose of communicating with Holders of such ADSs in the interest of a business or object other than the business of the Company or other than a matter related to the Deposit Agreement or the ADSs.

 

The Registrar may close the transfer books with respect to the ADSs, at any time or from time to time, when deemed necessary or advisable by it in good faith in connection with the performance of its duties hereunder, or at the reasonable written request of the Company subject, in all cases, to Section 7.8.

 

If any ADSs are listed on one or more stock exchanges or automated quotation systems in the United States, the Depositary shall act as Registrar or appoint a Registrar or one or more co-registrars for registration of issuances, cancellations, transfers, combinations and split-ups of ADSs and, if applicable, to countersign ADRs evidencing the ADSs so issued, transferred, combined or split-up , in accordance with any requirements of such exchanges or systems.  Such Registrar or co-registrars may be removed and a substitute or substitutes appointed by the Depositary.

 

Section 5.2                                    Exoneration.   Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR, neither the Depositary nor the Company shall be obligated to do or perform any act which is inconsistent with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement or incur any liability (i) if the Depositary or the Company shall be prevented or forbidden from, or delayed in, doing or performing any act or thing required by the terms of the Deposit Agreement, by reason of any provision of any present or future law or regulation of the United States, the Cayman Islands or any other country, or of any other governmental authority or regulatory authority or stock exchange, or on account of potential criminal or civil penalties or restraint, or by reason of any provision, present or future, of the Articles of Association of the Company or any provision of or governing any Deposited Securities, or by reason of any act of God or war or other circumstances beyond its control (including, without limitation, nationalization, expropriation, currency restrictions, work stoppage, strikes, civil unrest, acts of terrorism, revolutions, rebellions, explosions and computer failure), (ii) by reason of any exercise of, or failure to exercise, any discretion provided for in the Deposit Agreement or in the Articles of Association

 

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of the Company or provisions of or governing Deposited Securities, (iii) for any action or inaction in reliance upon the advice of or information from legal counsel, accountants, any person presenting Shares for deposit, any Holder, any Beneficial Owner or authorized representative thereof, or any other person believed by it in good faith to be competent to give such advice or information, (iv) for the inability by a Holder or Beneficial Owner to benefit from any distribution, offering, right or other benefit which is made available to holders of Deposited Securities but is not, under the terms of the Deposit Agreement, made available to Holders of ADSs, or (v) for any consequential or punitive damages (including lost profits) for any breach of the terms of the Deposit Agreement.

 

The Depositary, its controlling persons, its agents, any Custodian and the Company, its controlling persons and its agents may rely and shall be protected in acting upon any written notice, request or other document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.

 

No disclaimer of liability under the Securities Act is intended by any provision of the Deposit Agreement.

 

Section 5.3                                    Standard of Care.   The Company and the Depositary assume no obligation and shall not be subject to any liability under the Deposit Agreement or any ADRs to any Holder(s) or Beneficial Owner(s), except that the Company and the Depositary agree to perform their respective obligations specifically set forth in the Deposit Agreement or the applicable ADRs without negligence or bad faith.

 

Without limitation of the foregoing, neither the Depositary, nor the Company, nor any of their respective controlling persons, or agents, shall be under any obligation to appear in, prosecute or defend any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any Deposited Property or in respect of the ADSs, which in its opinion may involve it in expense or liability, unless indemnity satisfactory to it against all expense (including fees and disbursements of counsel) and liability be furnished as often as may be required (and no Custodian shall be under any obligation whatsoever with respect to such proceedings, the responsibility of the Custodian being solely to the Depositary).

 

The Depositary and its agents shall not be liable for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote any of the Deposited Securities, or for the manner in which any vote is cast or the effect of any vote, provided that any such action or omission is in good faith and without negligence and in accordance with the terms of the Deposit Agreement.  The Depositary shall not incur any liability for any failure to accurately determine that any distribution or action may be lawful or reasonably practicable, for the content of any information submitted to it by the Company for distribution to the Holders or for any inaccuracy of any translation thereof, for any investment risk associated with acquiring an interest in the Deposited Property, for the validity or worth of the Deposited Property or for any tax consequences that may result from the ownership of ADSs, Shares or other Deposited Property, for the credit-worthiness of any third party, for allowing any rights to lapse upon the terms of the Deposit Agreement, for the failure or timeliness of any notice from the Company, or for any action of or failure to act by, or any information provided or not provided by, DTC or any DTC Participant.

 

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The Depositary shall not be liable for any acts or omissions made by a successor depositary whether in connection with a previous act or omission of the Depositary or in connection with any matter arising wholly after the removal or resignation of the Depositary, provided that in connection with the issue out of which such potential liability arises the Depositary performed its obligations without negligence or bad faith while it acted as Depositary.

 

Section 5.4                                    Resignation and Removal of the Depositary; Appointment of Successor Depositary.   The Depositary may at any time resign as Depositary hereunder by written notice of resignation delivered to the Company, such resignation to be effective on the earlier of (i) the 90th day after delivery thereof to the Company (whereupon the Depositary shall be entitled to take the actions contemplated in Section 6.2), or (ii) the appointment by the Company of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment as hereinafter provided.

 

The Depositary may at any time be removed by the Company by written notice of such removal, which removal shall be effective on the later of (i) the 90th day after delivery thereof to the Depositary (whereupon the Depositary shall be entitled to take the actions contemplated in Section 6.2), or (ii) upon the appointment by the Company of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment as hereinafter provided.

 

In case at any time the Depositary acting hereunder shall resign or be removed, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to appoint a successor depositary, which shall be a bank or trust company having an office in the Borough of Manhattan, the City of New York.  Every successor depositary shall be required by the Company to execute and deliver to its predecessor and to the Company an instrument in writing accepting its appointment hereunder, and thereupon such successor depositary, without any further act or deed (except as required by applicable law), shall become fully vested with all the rights, powers, duties and obligations of its predecessor (other than as contemplated in Sections 5.8 and 5.9).  The predecessor depositary, upon payment of all sums due it and on the written request of the Company, shall, (i) execute and deliver an instrument transferring to such successor all rights and powers of such predecessor hereunder (other than as contemplated in Sections 5.8 and 5.9), (ii) duly assign, transfer and deliver all of the Depositary’s right, title and interest to the Deposited Property to such successor, and (iii) deliver to such successor a list of the Holders of all outstanding ADSs and such other information relating to ADSs and Holders thereof as the successor may reasonably request.  Any such successor depositary shall promptly provide notice of its appointment to such Holders.

 

Any entity into or with which the Depositary may be merged or consolidated shall be the successor of the Depositary without the execution or filing of any document or any further act.

 

Section 5.5                                    The Custodian.   The Depositary has initially appointed Citibank, N.A. — Hong Kong as Custodian for the purpose of the Deposit Agreement.  The Custodian or its successors in acting hereunder shall be subject at all times and in all respects to the direction of the Depositary for the Deposited Property for which the Custodian acts as custodian and shall be responsible solely to it.  If any Custodian resigns or is discharged from its duties hereunder with respect to any Deposited Property and no other Custodian has previously been appointed

 

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hereunder, the Depositary shall promptly appoint a substitute custodian.  The Depositary shall require such resigning or discharged Custodian to Deliver, or cause the Delivery of, the Deposited Property held by it, together with all such records maintained by it as Custodian with respect to such Deposited Property as the Depositary may request, to the Custodian designated by the Depositary.  Whenever the Depositary determines, in its discretion, that it is appropriate to do so, it may appoint an additional custodian with respect to any Deposited Property, or discharge the Custodian with respect to any Deposited Property and appoint a substitute custodian, which shall thereafter be Custodian hereunder with respect to the Deposited Property.  Immediately upon any such change, the Depositary shall give notice thereof in writing to all Holders of ADSs, each other Custodian and the Company.

 

Citibank, N.A. may at any time act as Custodian of the Deposited Property pursuant to the Deposit Agreement, in which case any reference to Custodian shall mean Citibank, N.A. solely in its capacity as Custodian pursuant to the Deposit Agreement.  Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR, the Depositary shall not be obligated to give notice to the Company, any Holders of ADSs or any other Custodian of its acting as Custodian pursuant to the Deposit Agreement.

 

Upon the appointment of any successor depositary, any Custodian then acting hereunder shall, unless otherwise instructed by the Depositary, continue to be the Custodian of the Deposited Property without any further act or writing, and shall be subject to the direction of the successor depositary.  The successor depositary so appointed shall, nevertheless, on the written request of any Custodian, execute and deliver to such Custodian all such instruments as may be proper to give to such Custodian full and complete power and authority to act on the direction of such successor depositary.

 

Section 5.6                                    Notices and Reports.   On or before the first date on which the Company gives notice, by publication or otherwise, of any meeting of holders of Shares or other Deposited Securities, or of any adjourned meeting of such holders, or of the taking of any action by such holders other than at a meeting, or of the taking of any action in respect of any cash or other distributions or the offering of any rights in respect of Deposited Securities, the Company shall transmit to the Depositary and the Custodian a copy of the notice thereof in the English language but otherwise in the form given or to be given to holders of Shares or other Deposited Securities. The Company shall also furnish to the Custodian and the Depositary a summary, in English, of any applicable provisions or proposed provisions of the Articles of Association of the Company that may be relevant or pertain to such notice of meeting or be the subject of a vote thereat.

 

The Company will also transmit to the Depositary (a) an English language version of the other notices, reports and communications which are made generally available by the Company to holders of its Shares or other Deposited Securities and (b) the English-language versions of the Company’s annual reports prepared in accordance with the applicable requirements of the Commission to the extent such notices, reports and communications are not available on the Company’s website or are not otherwise publicly available .  The Depositary shall arrange, at the request of the Company and at the Company’s expense, to provide copies thereof to all Holders or make such notices, reports and other communications available to all Holders on a basis similar to that for holders of Shares or other Deposited Securities or on such other basis as the

 

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Company may advise the Depositary or as may be required by any applicable law, regulation or stock exchange requirement.  The Company has delivered to the Depositary and the Custodian a copy of the Company’s Articles of Association along with the provisions of or governing the Shares and any other Deposited Securities issued by the Company in connection with such Shares, and promptly upon any amendment thereto or change therein, the Company shall deliver to the Depositary and the Custodian a copy of such amendment thereto or change therein, to the extent such notices, reports and communications are not available on the Company’s website or are not otherwise publicly available .  The Depositary may rely upon such copy for all purposes of the Deposit Agreement.

 

The Depositary will, at the expense of the Company, make available a copy of any such notices, reports or communications issued by the Company and delivered to the Depositary for inspection by the Holders of the ADSs at the Depositary’s Principal Office, at the office of the Custodian and at any other designated transfer office.

 

Section 5.7                                    Issuance of Additional Shares, ADSs etc.   The Company agrees that in the event it or any of its Affiliates proposes (i) an issuance, sale or distribution of additional Shares, (ii) an offering of rights to subscribe for Shares or other Deposited Securities, (iii) an issuance or assumption of securities convertible into or exchangeable for Shares, (iv) an issuance of rights to subscribe for securities convertible into or exchangeable for Shares, (v) an elective dividend of cash or Shares, (vi) a redemption of Deposited Securities, (vii) a meeting of holders of Deposited Securities, or solicitation of consents or proxies, relating to any reclassification of securities, merger or consolidation or transfer of assets, (viii) any assumption, reclassification, recapitalization, reorganization, merger, consolidation or sale of assets which affects the Deposited Securities, or (ix) a distribution of securities other than Shares, it will obtain U.S. legal advice and take all steps necessary to ensure that the application of the proposed transaction to Holders and Beneficial Owners does not violate the registration provisions of the Securities Act, or any other applicable laws (including, without limitation, the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Exchange Act and the securities laws of the states of the U.S.).  In support of the foregoing, the Company will furnish to the Depositary (a) a written opinion of U.S. counsel (reasonably satisfactory to the Depositary) stating whether such transaction (1) requires a registration statement under the Securities Act to be in effect or (2) is exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and (b) an opinion of Cayman Islands counsel stating that (1) making the transaction available to Holders and Beneficial Owners does not violate the laws or regulations of the Cayman Islands and (2) all requisite regulatory consents and approvals have been obtained in the Cayman Islands.  If the filing of a registration statement is required, the Depositary shall not have any obligation to proceed with the transaction unless it shall have received evidence reasonably satisfactory to it that such registration statement has been declared effective.  If, being advised by counsel, the Company determines that a transaction is required to be registered under the Securities Act, the Company will either (i) register such transaction to the extent necessary, (ii) alter the terms of the transaction to avoid the registration requirements of the Securities Act or (iii) direct the Depositary to take specific measures, in each case as contemplated in the Deposit Agreement, to prevent such transaction from violating the registration requirements of the Securities Act.  The Company agrees with the Depositary that neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates will at any time (i) deposit any Shares or other Deposited Securities, either upon original issuance or upon a sale of Shares or other Deposited

 

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Securities previously issued and reacquired by the Company or by any such Affiliate, or (ii) issue additional Shares, rights to subscribe for such Shares, securities convertible into or exchangeable for Shares or rights to subscribe for such securities or distribute securities other than Shares, unless such transaction and the securities issuable in such transaction do not violate the registration provisions of the Securities Act, or any other applicable laws (including, without limitation, the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Exchange Act and the securities laws of the states of the U.S.).

 

Notwithstanding anything else contained in the Deposit Agreement, nothing in the Deposit Agreement shall be deemed to obligate the Company to file any registration statement in respect of any proposed transaction.

 

Section 5.8                                    Indemnification.   The Depositary agrees to indemnify the Company and its directors, officers, employees, agents and Affiliates against, and hold each of them harmless from, any direct loss, liability, tax, charge or expense of any kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) which may arise out of acts performed or omitted by the Depositary and the Custodian (for so long as the Custodian is a branch of Citibank, N.A.) under the terms hereof due to the negligence or bad faith of the Depositary or the Custodian, as applicable.

 

The Company agrees to indemnify the Depositary, the Custodian and any of their respective directors, officers, employees, agents and Affiliates against, and hold each of them harmless from, any direct loss, liability, tax, charge or expense of any kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) that may arise (a) out of, or in connection with, any offer, issuance, sale, resale, transfer, deposit or withdrawal of ADRs, ADSs, the Shares, or other Deposited Securities, as the case may be, (b) out of, or as a result of, any offering documents in respect thereof or (c) out of acts performed or omitted, including, but not limited to, any delivery by the Depositary on behalf of the Company of information regarding the Company, in connection with the Deposit Agreement, the ADSs, the Shares, or any Deposited Property, in any such case (i) by the Depositary, the Custodian or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, agents and Affiliates, except to the extent such loss, liability, tax, charge or expense is due to the negligence or bad faith of any of them, or (ii) by the Company or any of its directors, officers, employees, agents and Affiliates.  The Company shall not indemnify the Depositary, the Custodian and any of their respective directors, officers, employees, agents and Affiliates against any liability or expense arising out of (a) information relating to the Depositary or such Custodian, as the case may be, furnished in a signed writing to the Company, executed by the Depositary or such Custodian expressly for use in any registration statement, prospectus or preliminary prospectus relating to any Deposited Securities represented by the ADSs or (b) a pre-release of ADSs, except for a Pre-Release Transaction requested in writing by the Company.

 

The obligations set forth in this Section shall survive the termination of the Deposit Agreement and the succession or substitution of any party hereto.

 

Any person seeking indemnification hereunder (an “indemnified person”) shall notify the person from whom it is seeking indemnification (the “indemnifying person”) of the

 

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commencement of any indemnifiable action or claim promptly after such indemnified person becomes aware of such commencement (provided that the failure to make such notification shall not affect such indemnified person’s rights to seek indemnification except to the extent the indemnifying person is materially prejudiced by such failure) and shall consult in good faith with the indemnifying person as to the conduct of the defense of such action or claim that may give rise to an indemnity hereunder, which defense shall be reasonable in the circumstances.  No indemnified person shall compromise or settle any action or claim that may give rise to an indemnity hereunder without the consent of the indemnifying person, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.

 

Section 5.9                                    ADS Fees and Charges.   The Company, the Holders, the Beneficial Owners, and persons receiving ADSs upon issuance or whose ADSs are being cancelled shall be required to pay the ADS fees and charges identified as payable by them respectively in the ADS fee schedule attached hereto as Exhibit B .  All ADS fees and charges so payable may be deducted from distributions or must be remitted to the Depositary, or its designee, and may, at any time and from time to time, be changed by agreement between the Depositary and the Company, but, in the case of ADS fees and charges payable by Holders and Beneficial Owners, only in the manner contemplated in Section 6.1.  The Depositary shall provide, without charge, a copy of its latest ADS fee schedule to anyone upon request.

 

ADS fees and charges payable upon (i) the issuance of ADSs and (ii) the cancellation of ADSs will be payable by the person to whom the ADSs are so issued by the Depositary (in the case of ADS issuances) and by the person whose ADSs are being cancelled (in the case of ADS cancellations).  In the case of ADSs issued by the Depositary into DTC or presented to the Depositary via DTC, the ADS issuance and cancellation fees and charges will be payable by the DTC Participant(s) receiving the ADSs from the Depositary or the DTC Participant(s) holding the ADSs being cancelled, as the case may be, on behalf of the Beneficial Owner(s) and will be charged by the DTC Participant(s) to the account(s) of the applicable Beneficial Owner(s) in accordance with the procedures and practices of the DTC participant(s) as in effect at the time.  ADS fees and charges in respect of distributions and the ADS service fee are payable by Holders as of the applicable ADS Record Date established by the Depositary.  In the case of distributions of cash, the amount of the applicable ADS fees and charges is deducted from the funds being distributed.  In the case of (i) distributions other than cash and (ii) the ADS service fee, the applicable Holders as of the ADS Record Date established by the Depositary will be invoiced for the amount of the ADS fees and charges and such ADS fees may be deducted from distributions made to Holders.  For ADSs held through DTC, the ADS fees and charges for distributions other than cash and the ADS service fee may be deducted from distributions made through DTC, and may be charged to the DTC Participants in accordance with the procedures and practices prescribed by DTC from time to time and the DTC Participants in turn charge the amount of such ADS fees and charges to the Beneficial Owners for whom they hold ADSs.

 

The Depositary may reimburse the Company for certain expenses incurred by the Company in respect of the ADR program established pursuant to the Deposit Agreement, by making available a portion of the ADS fees charged in respect of the ADR program or otherwise, upon such terms and conditions as the Company and the Depositary agree from time to time.  The Company shall pay to the Depositary such fees and charges, and reimburse the Depositary

 

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for such out-of-pocket expenses, as the Depositary and the Company may agree from time to time.  Responsibility for payment of such fees, charges and reimbursements may from time to time be changed by agreement between the Company and the Depositary.  Unless otherwise agreed, the Depositary shall present its statement for such fees, charges and reimbursements to the Company once every three months.  The charges and expenses of the Custodian are for the sole account of the Depositary.

 

The obligations of Holders and Beneficial Owners to pay ADS fees and charges shall survive the termination of the Deposit Agreement.  As to any Depositary, upon the resignation or removal of such Depositary as described in Section 5.4, the right to collect ADS fees and charges shall extend for those ADS fees and charges incurred prior to the effectiveness of such resignation or removal.

 

Section 5.10                             Pre-Release Transactions.   Subject to the further terms and provisions of this Section 5.10, the Depositary, its Affiliates and their agents, on their own behalf, may own and deal in any class of securities of the Company and its Affiliates and in ADSs.  In its capacity as Depositary, the Depositary shall not lend Shares or ADSs; provided, however, that the Depositary may (i) issue ADSs prior to the receipt of Shares pursuant to Section 2.3 and (ii) deliver Shares prior to the receipt of ADSs for withdrawal of Deposited Securities pursuant to Section 2.7, including ADSs which were issued under (i) above but for which Shares may not have been received (each such transaction a “ Pre-Release Transaction ”).  The Depositary may receive ADSs in lieu of Shares under (i) above and receive Shares in lieu of ADSs under (ii) above.  Each such Pre-Release Transaction will be (a) subject to a written agreement whereby the person or entity (the “ Applicant ”) to whom ADSs or Shares are to be delivered (w) represents that at the time of the Pre-Release Transaction the Applicant or its customer owns the Shares or ADSs that are to be delivered by the Applicant under such Pre-Release Transaction, (x) agrees to indicate the Depositary as owner of such Shares or ADSs in its records and to hold such Shares or ADSs in trust for the Depositary until such Shares or ADSs are delivered to the Depositary or the Custodian, (y) unconditionally guarantees to deliver to the Depositary or the Custodian, as applicable, such Shares or ADSs, and (z) agrees to any additional restrictions or requirements that the Depositary deems appropriate, (b) at all times fully collateralized with cash, U.S. government securities or such other collateral as the Depositary deems appropriate, (c) terminable by the Depositary on not more than five (5) business days’ notice and (d) subject to such further indemnities and credit regulations as the Depositary deems appropriate.  The Depositary will normally limit the number of ADSs and Shares involved in such Pre-Release Transactions at any one time to thirty percent (30%) of the ADSs outstanding (without giving effect to ADSs outstanding under (i) above), provided, however, that the Depositary reserves the right to change or disregard such limit from time to time as it deems appropriate.

 

The Depositary may also set limits with respect to the number of ADSs and Shares involved in Pre-Release Transactions with any one person on a case-by-case basis as it deems appropriate.  The Depositary may retain for its own account any compensation received by it in conjunction with the foregoing.  Collateral provided pursuant to (b) above, but not the earnings thereon, shall be held for the benefit of the Holders (other than the Applicant).

 

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Section 5.11                             Restricted Securities Owners.   The Company agrees to advise in writing each of the persons or entities who, to the knowledge of the Company, holds Restricted Securities that such Restricted Securities are ineligible for deposit hereunder (except under the circumstances contemplated in Section 2.14) and, to the extent practicable, shall require each of such persons to represent in writing that such person will not deposit Restricted Securities hereunder (except under the circumstances contemplated in Section 2.14).

 

ARTICLE VI

 

AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION

 

Section 6.1                                    Amendment/Supplement.   Subject to the terms and conditions of this Section 6.1 and applicable law, the ADRs outstanding at any time, the provisions of the Deposit Agreement and the form of ADR attached hereto and to be issued under the terms hereof may at any time and from time to time be amended or supplemented by written agreement between the Company and the Depositary in any respect which they may deem necessary or desirable without the prior written consent of the Holders or Beneficial Owners.  Any amendment or supplement which shall impose or increase any fees or charges (other than charges in connection with foreign exchange control regulations, and taxes and other governmental charges, delivery and other such expenses), or which shall otherwise materially prejudice any substantial existing right of Holders or Beneficial Owners, shall not, however, become effective as to outstanding ADSs until the expiration of thirty (30) days after notice of such amendment or supplement shall have been given to the Holders of outstanding ADSs.  Notice of any amendment to the Deposit Agreement or any ADR shall not need to describe in detail the specific amendments effectuated thereby, and failure to describe the specific amendments in any such notice shall not render such notice invalid, provided , however , that, in each such case, the notice given to the Holders identifies a means for Holders and Beneficial Owners to retrieve or receive the text of such amendment ( e.g. , upon retrieval from the Commission’s, the Depositary’s or the Company’s website or upon request from the Depositary).  The parties hereto agree that any amendments or supplements which (i) are reasonably necessary (as agreed by the Company and the Depositary) in order for (a) the ADSs to be registered on Form F-6 under the Securities Act or (b) the ADSs to be settled solely in electronic book-entry form and (ii) do not in either such case impose or increase any fees or charges to be borne by Holders, shall be deemed not to materially prejudice any substantial rights of Holders or Beneficial Owners.  Every Holder and Beneficial Owner at the time any amendment or supplement so becomes effective shall be deemed, by continuing to hold such ADSs, to consent and agree to such amendment or supplement and to be bound by the Deposit Agreement and the ADR, if applicable, as amended or supplemented thereby.  In no event shall any amendment or supplement impair the right of the Holder to surrender such ADS and receive therefor the Deposited Securities represented thereby, except in order to comply with mandatory provisions of applicable law.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any governmental body should adopt new laws, rules or regulations which would require an amendment of, or supplement to, the Deposit Agreement to ensure compliance therewith, the Company and the Depositary may amend or supplement the Deposit Agreement and any ADRs at any time in accordance with such changed laws, rules or regulations.  Such amendment or supplement to the Deposit Agreement and any ADRs in such circumstances may become effective before a notice

 

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of such amendment or supplement is given to Holders or within any other period of time as required for compliance with such laws, rules or regulations.

 

Section 6.2                                    Termination.   The Depositary shall, at any time at the written direction of the Company, terminate the Deposit Agreement by distributing notice of such termination to the Holders of all ADSs then outstanding at least thirty (30) days prior to the date fixed in such notice for such termination.  If ninety (90) days shall have expired after (i) the Depositary shall have delivered to the Company a written notice of its election to resign, or (ii) the Company shall have delivered to the Depositary a written notice of the removal of the Depositary, and, in either case, a successor depositary shall not have been appointed and accepted its appointment as provided in Section 5.4 of the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may terminate the Deposit Agreement by distributing notice of such termination to the Holders of all ADSs then outstanding at least thirty (30) days prior to the date fixed in such notice for such termination.  The date so fixed for termination of the Deposit Agreement in any termination notice so distributed by the Depositary to the Holders of ADSs is referred to as the “ Termination Date ”.  Until the Termination Date, the Depositary shall continue to perform all of its obligations under the Deposit Agreement, and the Holders and Beneficial Owners will be entitled to all of their rights under the Deposit Agreement.

 

If any ADSs shall remain outstanding after the Termination Date, the Registrar and the Depositary shall not, after the Termination Date, have any obligation to perform any further acts under the Deposit Agreement, except that the Depositary shall, subject, in each case, to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, continue to (i) collect dividends and other distributions pertaining to Deposited Securities, (ii) sell Deposited Property received in respect of Deposited Securities, (iii) deliver Deposited Securities, together with any dividends or other distributions received with respect thereto and the net proceeds of the sale of any other Deposited Property, in exchange for ADSs surrendered to the Depositary (after deducting, or charging, as the case may be, in each case, the fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and all applicable taxes or governmental charges for the account of the Holders and Beneficial Owners, in each case upon the terms set forth in Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement), and (iv) take such actions as may be required under applicable law in connection with its role as Depositary under the Deposit Agreement.

 

At any time after the Termination Date, the Depositary may sell the Deposited Property then held under the Deposit Agreement and shall after such sale hold un-invested the net proceeds of such sale, together with any other cash then held by it under the Deposit Agreement, in an un-segregated account and without liability for interest, for the pro rata benefit of the Holders whose ADSs have not theretofore been surrendered.  After making such sale, the Depositary shall be discharged from all obligations under the Deposit Agreement except (i) to account for such net proceeds and other cash (after deducting, or charging, as the case may be, in each case, the fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and all applicable taxes or governmental charges for the account of the Holders and Beneficial Owners, in each case upon the terms set forth in Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement), and (ii) as may be required at law in connection with the termination of the Deposit Agreement.  After the Termination Date, the Company shall be discharged from all obligations under the Deposit Agreement, except for its obligations to the Depositary under Sections 5.8, 5.9 and 7.6 of the

 

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Deposit Agreement.  The obligations under the terms of the Deposit Agreement of Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs outstanding as of the Termination Date shall survive the Termination Date and shall be discharged only when the applicable ADSs are presented by their Holders to the Depositary for cancellation under the terms of the Deposit Agreement (except as specifically provided in the Deposit Agreement).

 

ARTICLE VII

 

MISCELLANEOUS

 

Section 7.1                                    Counterparts.   The Deposit Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original and all of such counterparts together shall constitute one and the same agreement.  Copies of the Deposit Agreement shall be maintained with the Depositary and shall be open to inspection by any Holder during business hours.

 

Section 7.2                                    No Third-Party Beneficiaries.   The Deposit Agreement is for the exclusive benefit of the parties hereto (and their successors) and shall not be deemed to give any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim whatsoever to any other person, except to the extent specifically set forth in the Deposit Agreement.  Nothing in the Deposit Agreement shall be deemed to give rise to a partnership or joint venture among the parties nor establish a fiduciary or similar relationship among the parties.  The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that (i) Citibank and its Affiliates may at any time have multiple banking relationships with the Company,  the Holders, the Beneficial Owners, and their respective Affiliates,  (ii) Citibank and its Affiliates may be engaged at any time in transactions in which parties adverse to the Company, the Holders, the Beneficial Owners or their respective Affiliates may have interests, (iii) the Depositary and its Affiliates may from time to time have on their possession non-public information about the Company, the Holders, the Beneficial Owners, and their respective Affiliates, (iv) nothing contained in the Deposit Agreement shall (a) preclude Citibank or any of its Affiliates from engaging in such transactions or establishing or maintaining such relationships, (b) obligate Citibank or any of its Affiliates to disclose such information, transactions or relationships, or to account for any profit made or payment received in such transactions or relationships, and (v) the Depositary shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any information any other division of Citibank or any of its Affiliates may have about the Company, the Holders, the Beneficial Owners, or any of their respective Affiliates.

 

Section 7.3                                    Severability.   In case any one or more of the provisions contained in the Deposit Agreement or in the ADRs should be or become invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained herein or therein shall in no way be affected, prejudiced or disturbed thereby.

 

Section 7.4                                    Holders and Beneficial Owners as Parties; Binding Effect.   The Holders and Beneficial Owners from time to time of ADSs issued hereunder shall be parties to the Deposit Agreement and shall be bound by all of the terms and conditions hereof and of any ADR evidencing their ADSs by acceptance thereof or any beneficial interest therein.

 

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Section 7.5                                    Notices .   Any and all notices to be given to the Company shall be deemed to have been duly given if personally delivered or sent by mail, air courier or cable, telex or facsimile transmission, confirmed by letter personally delivered or sent by mail or air courier, addressed to 13th Floor, Block C, Shimao, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020, People’s Republic of China, Attention :  Mr. Zhang Qisen, or to any other address which the Company may specify in writing to the Depositary.

 

Any and all notices to be given to the Depositary shall be deemed to have been duly given if personally delivered or sent by mail, air courier or cable, telex or facsimile transmission, confirmed by letter personally delivered or sent by mail or air courier, addressed to Citibank, N.A., 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10013, U.S.A., Attention :  Depositary Receipts Department, or to any other address which the Depositary may specify in writing to the Company.

 

Any and all notices to be given to any Holder shall be deemed to have been duly given (a)  if personally delivered or sent by mail or cable, telex or facsimile transmission, confirmed by letter, addressed to such Holder at the address of such Holder as it appears on the books of the Depositary or, if such Holder shall have filed with the Depositary a request that notices intended for such Holder be mailed to some other address, at the address specified in such request, or (b)  if a Holder shall have designated such means of notification as an acceptable means of notification under the terms of the Deposit Agreement, by means of electronic messaging addressed for delivery to the e-mail address designated by the Holder for such purpose.  Notice to Holders shall be deemed to be notice to Beneficial Owners for all purposes of the Deposit Agreement.  Failure to notify a Holder or any defect in the notification to a Holder shall not affect the sufficiency of notification to other Holders or to the Beneficial Owners of ADSs held by such other Holders. Any notices given to DTC under the terms of the Deposit Agreement shall (unless otherwise specified by the Depositary) constitute notice to the DTC Participants who hold as the ADSs in their DTC accounts and to the Beneficial Owners of such ADSs.

 

Delivery of a notice sent by mail, air courier or cable, telex or facsimile transmission shall be deemed to be effective at the time when a duly addressed letter containing the same (or a confirmation thereof in the case of a cable, telex or facsimile transmission) is deposited, postage prepaid, in a post-office letter box or delivered to an air courier service, without regard for the actual receipt or time of actual receipt thereof by a Holder.  The Depositary or the Company may, however, act upon any cable, telex or facsimile transmission received by it from any Holder, the Custodian, the Depositary, or the Company, notwithstanding that such cable, telex or facsimile transmission shall not be subsequently confirmed by letter.

 

Delivery of a notice by means of electronic messaging shall be deemed to be effective at the time of the initiation of the transmission by the sender (as shown on the sender’s records), notwithstanding that the intended recipient retrieves the message at a later date, fails to retrieve such message, or fails to receive such notice on account of its failure to maintain the designated e-mail address, its failure to designate a substitute e-mail address or for any other reason.

 

Section 7.6                                    Governing Law and Jurisdiction.   The Deposit Agreement and the ADRs shall be interpreted in accordance with, and all rights hereunder and thereunder and

 

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provisions hereof and thereof shall be governed by, the laws of the State of New York without reference to the principles of choice of law thereof.  Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement, any ADR or any present or future provisions of the laws of the State of New York, the rights of holders of Shares and of any other Deposited Securities and the obligations and duties of the Company in respect of the holders of Shares and other Deposited Securities, as such, shall be governed by the laws of Cayman Islands (or, if applicable, such other laws as may govern the Deposited Securities).

 

Except as set forth in the following paragraph of this Section 7.6, the Company and the Depositary agree that the federal or state courts in the City of New York shall have jurisdiction to hear and determine any suit, action or proceeding and to settle any dispute between them that may arise out of or in connection with the Deposit Agreement and, for such purposes, each irrevocably submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of such courts.  The Company hereby irrevocably designates, appoints and empowers Law Debenture Corporation Services Inc. (the “ Agent ”) now at 801 2nd Avenue, Suite 403, New York, NY 10017 as its authorized agent to receive and accept for and on its behalf, and on behalf of its properties, assets and revenues, service by mail of any and all legal process, summons, notices and documents that may be served in any suit, action or proceeding brought against the Company in any federal or state court as described in the preceding sentence or in the next paragraph of this Section 7.6.  If for any reason the Agent shall cease to be available to act as such, the Company agrees to designate a new agent in New York on the terms and for the purposes of this Section 7.6 reasonably satisfactory to the Depositary. The Company further hereby irrevocably consents and agrees to the service of any and all legal process, summons, notices and documents in any suit, action or proceeding against the Company, by service by mail of a copy thereof upon the Agent (whether or not the appointment of such Agent shall for any reason prove to be ineffective or such Agent shall fail to accept or acknowledge such service), with a copy mailed to the Company by registered or certified air mail, postage prepaid, to its address provided in Section 7.5.  The Company agrees that the failure of the Agent to give any notice of such service to it shall not impair or affect in any way the validity of such service or any judgment rendered in any action or proceeding based thereon.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Depositary and the Company unconditionally agree that in the event that a Holder or Beneficial Owner brings a suit, action or proceeding against (a) the Company, (b) the Depositary in its capacity as Depositary under the Deposit Agreement or (c) against both the Company and the Depositary, in any such case, in any state or federal court of the United States, and the Depositary or the Company have any claim, for indemnification or otherwise, against each other arising out of the subject matter of such suit, action or proceeding, then the Company and the Depositary may pursue such claim against each other in the state or federal court in the United States in which such suit, action, or proceeding is pending and, for such purposes, the Company and the Depositary irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of such courts.  The Company agrees that service of process upon the Agent in the manner set forth in the preceding paragraph shall be effective service upon it for any suit, action or proceeding brought against it as described in this paragraph.

 

The Company irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection that it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any actions, suits

 

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or proceedings brought in any court as provided in this Section 7.6, and hereby further irrevocably and unconditionally waives and agrees not to plead or claim in any such court that any such action, suit or proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.

 

The Company irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, and agrees not to plead or claim, any right of immunity from legal action, suit or proceeding, from setoff or counterclaim, from the jurisdiction of any court, from service of process, from attachment upon or prior to judgment, from attachment in aid of execution or judgment, from execution of judgment, or from any other legal process or proceeding for the giving of any relief or for the enforcement of any judgment, and consents to such relief and enforcement against it, its assets and its revenues in any jurisdiction, in each case with respect to any matter arising out of, or in connection with, the Deposit Agreement, any ADR or the Deposited Property.

 

EACH OF THE PARTIES TO THE DEPOSIT AGREEMENT (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, EACH HOLDER AND BENEFICIAL OWNER) IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING AGAINST THE COMPANY AND/OR THE DEPOSITARY ARISING OUT OF, OR RELATING TO, THE DEPOSIT AGREEMENT, ANY ADR AND ANY TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED THEREIN (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT, COMMON LAW OR OTHERWISE).

 

No disclaimer of liability under the Securities Act is intended by any provision of the Deposit Agreement.  The provisions of this Section 7.6 shall survive any termination of the Deposit Agreement, in whole or in part.

 

Section 7.7                                    Assignment.   Subject to the provisions of Section 5.4, the Deposit Agreement may not be assigned by either the Company or the Depositary.

 

Section 7.8                                    Compliance with U.S. Securities Laws.   Notwithstanding anything in the Deposit Agreement to the contrary, the withdrawal or delivery of Deposited Securities will not be suspended by the Company or the Depositary except as would be permitted by Instruction I.A.(1) of the General Instructions to Form F-6 Registration Statement, as amended from time to time, under the Securities Act.

 

Section 7.9                                    Cayman Islands Law References.   Any summary of Cayman Islands laws and regulations and of the terms of the Company’s Articles of Association set forth in the Deposit Agreement have been provided by the Company solely for the convenience of Holders, Beneficial Owners and the Depositary.  While such summaries are believed by the Company to be accurate as of the date of the Deposit Agreement, (i) they are summaries and as such may not include all aspects of the materials summarized applicable to a Holder or Beneficial Owner, and (ii) these laws and regulations and the Company’s Articles of Association may change after the date of the Deposit Agreement.  Neither the Depositary nor the Company has any obligation under the terms of the Deposit Agreement to update any such summaries.

 

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Section 7.10                             Titles and References .

 

(a)                                 Deposit Agreement .   All references in the Deposit Agreement to exhibits, articles, sections, subsections, and other subdivisions refer to the exhibits, articles, sections, subsections and other subdivisions of the Deposit Agreement unless expressly provided otherwise.  The words “the Deposit Agreement”, “herein”, “hereof”, “hereby”, “hereunder”, and words of similar import refer to the Deposit Agreement as a whole as in effect at the relevant time between the Company, the Depositary and the Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs and not to any particular subdivision unless expressly so limited.  Pronouns in masculine, feminine and neuter gender shall be construed to include any other gender, and words in the singular form shall be construed to include the plural and vice versa unless the context otherwise requires.  Titles to sections of the Deposit Agreement are included for convenience only and shall be disregarded in construing the language contained in the Deposit Agreement.  References to “applicable laws and regulations” shall refer to laws and regulations applicable to ADRs, ADSs or Deposited Property as in effect at the relevant time of determination, unless otherwise required by law or regulation.

 

(b)                                 ADRs .   All references in any ADR(s) to paragraphs, exhibits, articles, sections, subsections, and other subdivisions refer to the paragraphs, exhibits, articles, sections, subsections and other subdivisions of the ADR(s) in question unless expressly provided otherwise.  The words “the Receipt”, “the ADR”, “herein”, “hereof”, “hereby”, “hereunder”, and words of similar import used in any ADR refer to the ADR as a whole and as in effect at the relevant time, and not to any particular subdivision unless expressly so limited.  Pronouns in masculine, feminine and neuter gender in any ADR shall be construed to include any other gender, and words in the singular form shall be construed to include the plural and vice versa unless the context otherwise requires.  Titles to paragraphs of any ADR are included for convenience only and shall be disregarded in construing the language contained in the ADR.  References to “applicable laws and regulations” shall refer to laws and regulations applicable to ADRs, ADSs or Deposited Property as in effect at the relevant time of determination, unless otherwise required by law or regulation

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, HEXINDAI INC. and CITIBANK, N.A. have duly executed the Deposit Agreement as of the day and year first above set forth and all Holders and Beneficial Owners shall become parties hereto upon acceptance by them of ADSs issued in accordance with the terms hereof, or upon acquisition of any beneficial interest therein.

 

 

HEXINDAI INC.

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

Name:

 

 

Title:

 

 

 

 

 

CITIBANK, N.A.

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

Name:

 

 

Title:

 


 

EXHIBIT A

 

[FORM OF ADR]

 

Number

CUSIP NUMBER:

 

 

 

 

American Depositary Shares (each

American Depositary Share

representing the right to receive

[number of shares] fully paid

ordinary shares)

 

AMERICAN DEPOSITARY RECEIPT

 

for

 

AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

 

representing

 

DEPOSITED ORDINARY SHARES

 

of

 

HEXINDAI INC.

 

(Incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands)

 

CITIBANK, N.A., a national banking association organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, as depositary (the “Depositary”), hereby certifies that              is the owner of                American Depositary Shares (hereinafter “ADS”) representing deposited ordinary shares, including evidence of rights to receive such ordinary shares (the “Shares”), of Hexindai Inc., a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Company”).  As of the date of issuance of this ADR, each ADS represents the right to receive [number of shares] Shares deposited under the Deposit Agreement (as hereinafter defined) with the Custodian, which at the date of issuance of this ADR is Citibank, N.A. — Hong Kong (the “Custodian”).  The ADS(s)-to-Share(s) ratio is subject to amendment as provided in Articles IV and VI of the Deposit Agreement.  The Depositary’s Principal Office is located at 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10013, U.S.A.

 

(1)            The Deposit Agreement .   This American Depositary Receipt is one of an issue of American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), all issued and to be issued upon the terms and

 

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conditions set forth in the Deposit Agreement, dated as of [date] , 2017 (as amended and supplemented from time to time, the “Deposit Agreement”), by and among the Company, the Depositary, and all Holders and Beneficial Owners from time to time of ADSs issued thereunder.  The Deposit Agreement sets forth the rights and obligations of Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs and the rights and duties of the Depositary in respect of the Shares deposited thereunder and any and all other Deposited Property (as defined in the Deposit Agreement) from time to time received and held on deposit in respect of the ADSs.  Copies of the Deposit Agreement are on file at the Principal Office of the Depositary and with the Custodian.  Each Holder and each Beneficial Owner, upon acceptance of any ADSs (or any interest therein) issued in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, shall be deemed for all purposes to (a) be a party to and bound by the terms of the Deposit Agreement and the applicable ADR(s), and (b) appoint the Depositary its attorney-in-fact, with full power to delegate, to act on its behalf and to take any and all actions contemplated in the Deposit Agreement and the applicable ADR(s), to adopt any and all procedures necessary to comply with applicable law and to take such action as the Depositary in its sole discretion may deem necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of the Deposit Agreement and the applicable ADR(s), the taking of such actions to be the conclusive determinant of the necessity and appropriateness thereof.

 

The statements made on the face and reverse of this ADR are summaries of certain provisions of the Deposit Agreement and the Articles of Association of the Company (as in effect on the date of the signing of the Deposit Agreement) and are qualified by and subject to the detailed provisions of the Deposit Agreement and the Articles of Association, to which reference is hereby made.

 

All capitalized terms not defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed thereto in the Deposit Agreement.

 

The Depositary makes no representation or warranty as to the validity or worth of the Deposited Property.  The Depositary has made arrangements for the acceptance of the ADSs into DTC.  Each Beneficial Owner of ADSs held through DTC must rely on the procedures of DTC and the DTC Participants to exercise and be entitled to any rights attributable to such ADSs.  The Depositary may issue Uncertificated ADSs subject, however, to the terms and conditions of Section 2.13 of the Deposit Agreement.

 

(2)         Surrender of ADSs and Withdrawal of Deposited Securities. The Holder of this ADR (and of the ADSs evidenced hereby) shall be entitled to Delivery (at the Custodian’s designated office) of the Deposited Securities at the time represented by the ADSs evidenced hereby upon satisfaction of each of the following conditions: (i) the Holder (or a duly-authorized attorney of the Holder) has duly Delivered ADSs to the Depositary at its Principal Office the ADSs evidenced hereby (and, if applicable, this ADR evidencing such ADSs) for the purpose of withdrawal of the Deposited Securities represented thereby, (ii) if applicable and so required by the Depositary, this ADR Delivered to the Depositary for such purpose has been properly endorsed in blank or is accompanied by proper instruments of transfer in blank (including signature guarantees in accordance with standard securities industry practice), (iii) if so required by the Depositary, the Holder of the ADSs has executed and delivered to the Depositary a

 

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written order directing the Depositary to cause the Deposited Securities being withdrawn to be Delivered to or upon the written order of the person(s) designated in such order, and (iv) all applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and all applicable taxes and governmental charges (as are set forth in Section 5.9 of, and Exhibit B to, the Deposit Agreement) have been paid , subject, however, in each case , to the terms and conditions of this ADR evidencing the surrendered ADSs, of the Deposit Agreement, of the Company’s Articles of Association, of any applicable laws and the rules of book-entry settlement entity, if available, and to any provisions of or governing the Deposited Securities, in each case as in effect at the time thereof.

 

Upon satisfaction of each of the conditions specified above, the Depositary (i) shall, as promptly as commercially practicable, cancel the ADSs Delivered to it (and, if applicable, this ADR(s) evidencing the ADSs so Delivered), (ii) shall direct the Registrar to record the cancellation of the ADSs so Delivered on the books maintained for such purpose, and (iii) shall direct the Custodian to Deliver, or cause the Delivery of, in each case,  without unreasonable delay, the Deposited Securities represented by the ADSs so canceled together with any certificate or other document of title for the Deposited Securities, or evidence of the electronic transfer thereof (if available), as the case may be, to or upon the written order of the person(s) designated in the order delivered to the Depositary for such purpose, subject however, in each case , to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, of this ADR evidencing the ADS so canceled, of the Articles of Association of the Company, of any applicable laws and of the rules of the book-entry settlement entity, if available, and to the terms and conditions of  or governing the Deposited Securities, in each case as in effect at the time thereof.

 

The Depositary shall not accept for surrender ADSs representing less than one (1) Share.  In the case of Delivery to it of ADSs representing a number other than a whole number of Shares, the Depositary shall cause ownership of the appropriate whole number of Shares to be Delivered in accordance with the terms hereof, and shall, at the discretion of the Depositary, either (i) return to the person surrendering such ADSs the number of ADSs representing any remaining fractional Share, or (ii) sell or cause to be sold the fractional Share represented by the ADSs so surrendered and remit the proceeds of such sale (net of (a) applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes withheld) to the person surrendering the ADSs.

 

Notwithstanding anything else contained in this ADR or the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may make delivery at the Principal Office of the Depositary of Deposited Property consisting of (i) any cash dividends or cash distributions, or (ii) any proceeds from the sale of any non-cash distributions, which are at the time held by the Depositary in respect of the Deposited Securities represented by the ADSs surrendered for cancellation and withdrawal.  At the request, risk and expense of any Holder so surrendering ADSs represented by this ADR, and for the account of such Holder, the Depositary shall direct the Custodian to forward (to the extent permitted by law) any Deposited Property (other than Deposited Securities) held by the Custodian in respect of such ADSs to the Depositary for delivery at the Principal Office of the Depositary.  Such direction shall be given by letter or, at the request, risk and expense of such Holder, by cable, telex or facsimile transmission.

 

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(3)            Transfer, Combination and Split-up of ADRs .   The Registrar shall, as promptly as commercially practicable, register the transfer of this ADR (and of the ADSs represented hereby) on the books maintained for such purpose and the Depositary shall, as promptly as commercially practicable, (x) cancel this ADR and execute new ADRs evidencing the same aggregate number of ADSs as those evidenced by this ADR canceled by the Depositary, (y) cause the Registrar to countersign such new ADRs, and (z) Deliver such new ADRs to or upon the order of the person entitled thereto, if each of the following conditions has been satisfied:  (i) this ADR has been duly Delivered by the Holder (or by a duly authorized attorney of the Holder) to the Depositary at its Principal Office for the purpose of effecting a transfer thereof, (ii) this surrendered ADR has been properly endorsed or is accompanied by proper instruments of transfer (including signature guarantees in accordance with standard securities industry practice), (iii) this surrendered ADR has been duly stamped (if required by the laws of the State of New York or of the United States), and (iv) all applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and all applicable taxes and governmental charges (as are set forth in Section 5.9 of, and Exhibit B to, the Deposit Agreement) have been paid, subject, however, in each case, to the terms and conditions of this ADR, of the Deposit Agreement and of applicable law, in each case as in effect at the time thereof.

 

The Registrar shall, as promptly as commercially practicable, register the split-up or combination of this ADR (and of the ADSs represented hereby) on the books maintained for such purpose and the Depositary shall, as promptly as commercially practicable, (x) cancel this ADR and execute new ADRs for the number of ADSs requested, but in the aggregate not exceeding the number of ADSs evidenced by this ADR canceled by the Depositary, (y) cause the Registrar to countersign such new ADRs, and (z) Deliver such new ADRs to or upon the order of the Holder thereof, if each of the following conditions has been satisfied:  (i) this ADR has been duly Delivered by the Holder (or by a duly authorized attorney of the Holder) to the Depositary at its Principal Office for the purpose of effecting a split-up or combination hereof, and (ii) all applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and all applicable taxes and governmental charges (as are set forth in Section 5.9 of, and Exhibit B to, the Deposit Agreement) have been paid, subject, however, in each case , to the terms and conditions of this ADR, of the Deposit Agreement and of applicable law, in each case as in effect at the time thereof.

 

(4)            Pre-Conditions to Registration, Transfer, Etc .   As a condition precedent to the execution and delivery, the registration of issuance, transfer, split-up, combination or surrender, of any ADS, the delivery of any distribution thereon, or the withdrawal of any Deposited Property, the Depositary or the Custodian may require (i) payment from the depositor of Shares or presenter of ADSs or of this ADR of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any tax or other governmental charge and any stock transfer or registration fee with respect thereto (including any such tax or charge and fee with respect to Shares being deposited or withdrawn) and payment of any applicable fees and charges of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9 and Exhibit B to the Deposit Agreement and in this ADR, (ii) the production of proof reasonably satisfactory to it as to the identity and genuineness of any signature or any other matter contemplated by Section 3.1 of the Deposit Agreement, and (iii) compliance with (A) any laws or governmental regulations relating to the execution and delivery of this ADR or ADSs or to the

 

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withdrawal of Deposited Securities and (B) such reasonable regulations as the Depositary and the Company may establish consistent with the provisions of this ADR, if applicable, the Deposit Agreement and applicable law.

 

The issuance of ADSs against deposits of Shares generally or against deposits of particular Shares may be suspended, or the deposit of particular Shares may be refused, or the registration of transfer of ADSs in particular instances may be refused, or the registration of transfer of ADSs generally may be suspended, during any period when the transfer books of the Company, the Depositary, a Registrar or the Share Registrar are closed or if any such action is deemed necessary or advisable by the Depositary (whereupon the Depositary shall notify the Company) or the Company, in good faith, at any time or from time to time because of any requirement of law or regulation, any government or governmental body or commission or any securities exchange on which the ADSs or Shares are listed, or under any provision of the Deposit Agreement or this ADR, or under any provision of, or governing, the Deposited Securities, or because of a meeting of shareholders of the Company or for any other reason, subject, in all cases to paragraph (25) of this ADR and Section 7.8 of the Deposit Agreement.  Notwithstanding any provision of the Deposit Agreement or this ADR to the contrary, Holders are entitled to surrender outstanding ADSs to withdraw the Deposited Securities associated therewith at any time subject only to (i) temporary delays caused by closing the transfer books of the Depositary or the Company or the deposit of Shares in connection with voting at a shareholders’ meeting or the payment of dividends, (ii) the payment of fees, taxes and similar charges, (iii) compliance with any U.S. or foreign laws or governmental regulations relating to the ADSs or to the withdrawal of the Deposited Securities, and (iv) other circumstances specifically contemplated by Instruction I.A.(l) of the General Instructions to Form F-6 (as such General Instructions may be amended from time to time).

 

(5)            Compliance With Information Requests .   Notwithstanding any other provision of the Deposit Agreement or this ADR, each Holder and Beneficial Owner of the ADSs represented hereby agrees to comply with requests from the Company pursuant to applicable law, the rules and requirements of the stock exchange on which the Shares or ADSs are, or will be, registered, traded or listed, or the Articles of Association of the Company, which are made to provide information, inter alia , as to the capacity in which such Holder or Beneficial Owner owns ADSs (and the Shares represented by such ADSs, as the case may be) and regarding the identity of any other person(s) interested in such ADSs and the nature of such interest and various other matters, whether or not they are Holders and/or Beneficial Owners at the time of such request.  The Depositary agrees to use its reasonable efforts to forward, upon the request of the Company and at the Company’s expense, any such request from the Company to the Holders and to forward to the Company any such responses to such requests received by the Depositary.

 

(6)            Ownership Restrictions .   Notwithstanding any other provision of this ADR or of the Deposit Agreement, the Company may restrict transfers of the Shares where such transfer might result in ownership of Shares exceeding limits imposed by applicable law or the Articles of Association of the Company.  The Company may also restrict, in such manner as it deems appropriate, transfers of the ADSs where such transfer may result in the total number of Shares represented by the ADSs owned by a single Holder or Beneficial Owner to exceed any such

 

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limits.  The Company may, in its sole discretion but subject to applicable law, instruct the Depositary to take action with respect to the ownership interest of any Holder or Beneficial Owner in excess of the limits set forth in the preceding sentence, including but not limited to, the imposition of restrictions on the transfer of ADSs, the removal or limitation of voting rights or mandatory sale or disposition on behalf of a Holder or Beneficial Owner of the Shares represented by the ADSs held by such Holder or Beneficial Owner in excess of such limitations, if and to the extent such disposition is permitted by applicable law and the Articles of Association of the Company.  Nothing herein or in the Deposit Agreement shall be interpreted as obligating the Depositary or the Company to ensure compliance with the ownership restrictions described herein or in Section 3.5 of the Deposit Agreement.

 

(7)            Reporting Obligations and Regulatory Approvals .   Applicable laws and regulations may require holders and beneficial owners of Shares, including the Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs, to satisfy reporting requirements and obtain regulatory approvals in certain circumstances.  Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs are solely responsible for determining and complying with such reporting requirements and for obtaining such approvals.  Each Holder and each Beneficial Owner hereby agrees to make such determination, file such reports, and obtain such approvals to the extent and in the form required by applicable laws and regulations as in effect from time to time.  Neither the Depositary, the Custodian, the Company or any of their respective agents or affiliates shall be required to take any actions whatsoever on behalf of Holders or Beneficial Owners to determine or satisfy such reporting requirements or obtain such regulatory approvals under applicable laws and regulations.

 

(8)            Liability for Taxes and Other Charges .   Any tax or other governmental charge payable by the Custodian or by the Depositary with respect to any Deposited Property, ADSs or this ADR shall be payable by the Holders and Beneficial Owners to the Depositary.  The Company, the Custodian and/or the Depositary may withhold or deduct from any distributions made in respect of Deposited Property, and may sell for the account of a Holder and/or Beneficial Owner any or all of the Deposited Property and apply such distributions and sale proceeds in payment of any taxes (including applicable interest and penalties) or charges that are or may be payable by Holders or Beneficial Owners in respect of the ADSs, Deposited Property and this ADR, the Holder and the Beneficial Owner hereof remaining liable for any deficiency.  The Custodian may refuse the deposit of Shares and the Depositary may refuse to issue ADSs, to deliver ADRs, register the transfer of ADSs, register the split-up or combination of ADRs and (subject to paragraph (25) of this ADR and Section 7.8 of the Deposit Agreement) the withdrawal of Deposited Property until payment in full of such tax, charge, penalty or interest is received.  Every Holder and Beneficial Owner agrees to indemnify the Depositary, the Company, the Custodian, and any of their agents, officers, employees and Affiliates for, and to hold each of them harmless from, any claims with respect to taxes (including applicable interest and penalties thereon) arising from any tax benefit obtained for such Holder and/or Beneficial Owner.  The obligations of Holders and Beneficial Owners under Section 3.2 of the Deposit Agreement shall survive any transfer of ADSs, any cancellation of ADSs and withdrawal of Deposited Securities, and the termination of the Deposit Agreement.

 

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(9)            Representations and Warranties of Depositors .   Each person depositing Shares under the Deposit Agreement shall be deemed thereby to represent and warrant that (i) such Shares and the certificates therefor are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid, non-assessable and legally obtained by such person, (ii) all preemptive (and similar) rights, if any, with respect to such Shares have been validly waived or exercised, (iii) the person making such deposit is duly authorized so to do, (iv) the Shares presented for deposit are free and clear of any lien, encumbrance, security interest, charge, mortgage or adverse claim, (v) the Shares presented for deposit are not, and the ADSs issuable upon such deposit will not be, Restricted Securities  (except as contemplated in Section 2.14 of the Deposit Agreement), and (vi) the Shares presented for deposit have not been stripped of any rights or entitlements.  Such representations and warranties shall survive the deposit and withdrawal of Shares, the issuance and cancellation of ADSs in respect thereof and the transfer of such ADSs.  If any such representations or warranties are false in any way, the Company and the Depositary shall be authorized, at the cost and expense of the person depositing Shares, to take any and all actions necessary to correct the consequences thereof.

 

(10)          Proofs, Certificates and Other Information .   Any person presenting Shares for deposit, any Holder and any Beneficial Owner may be required, and every Holder and Beneficial Owner agrees, from time to time to provide to the Depositary and the Custodian such proof of citizenship or residence, taxpayer status, payment of all applicable taxes or other governmental charges, exchange control approval, legal or beneficial ownership of ADSs and Deposited Property, compliance with applicable laws, the terms of the Deposit Agreement or this ADR evidencing the ADSs and the provisions of, or governing, the Deposited Property, to execute such certifications and to make such representations and warranties, and to provide such other information and documentation (or, in the case of Shares in registered form presented for deposit, such information relating to the registration on the books of the Company or of the Share Registrar) as the Depositary or the Custodian may deem necessary or proper or as the Company may reasonably require by written request to the Depositary consistent with its obligations under the Deposit Agreement and this ADR.  The Depositary and the Registrar, as applicable, may withhold the execution or delivery or registration of transfer of any ADR or ADS or the distribution or sale of any dividend or distribution of rights or of the proceeds thereof or, to the extent not limited by paragraph (25) and Section 7.8 of the Deposit Agreement, the delivery of any Deposited Property until such proof or other information is filed or such certifications are executed, or such representations and warranties are made or such other documentation or information provided, in each case to the Depositary’s, the Registrar’s and the Company’s satisfaction.  The Depositary shall provide the Company, in a timely manner, with copies or originals if necessary and appropriate of (i) any such proofs of citizenship or residence, taxpayer status, or exchange control approval or copies of written representations and warranties which it receives from Holders and Beneficial Owners, and (ii) any other information or documents which the Company may reasonably request and which the Depositary shall request and receive from any Holder or Beneficial Owner or any person presenting Shares for deposit or ADSs for cancellation, transfer or withdrawal. Nothing herein shall obligate the Depositary to (i) obtain any information for the Company if not provided by the Holders or Beneficial Owners, or (ii) verify or vouch for the accuracy of the information so provided by the Holders or Beneficial Owners.

 

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(11)          ADS Fees and Charges The following ADS fees are payable under the terms of the Deposit Agreement:

 

(i)                                      ADS Issuance Fee :  by any person to whom the ADSs are issued ( e.g. , an issuance upon a deposit of Shares, upon a change in the ADS(s)-to-Share(s) ratio, or for any other reason), excluding issuances as a result of distributions described in paragraph (iv) below, a fee not in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) issued under the terms of the Deposit Agreement;

 

(ii)                                   ADS Cancellation Fee :  by any person whose ADSs are being cancelled ( e.g. , a cancellation of ADSs for delivery of deposited Shares, upon a change in the ADS(s)-to-Share(s) ratio, or for any other reason), a fee not in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) cancelled;

 

(iii)                                Cash Distribution Fee :  by any Holder of ADSs, a fee not in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held for the distribution of cash dividends or other cash distributions ( e.g. , upon a sale of rights and other entitlements);

 

(iv)                               Stock Distribution /Rights Exercise Fee :  by any Holder of ADS(s), a fee not in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held for (a) the distribution of stock dividends or other free stock distributions, or (b) an exercise of rights to purchase additional ADSs;

 

(v)                                  Other Distribution Fee :  by any Holder of ADS(s), a fee not in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held for the distribution of securities other than ADSs or rights to purchase additional ADSs ( e.g. , spin-off shares); and

 

(vi)                               Depositary Services Fee :  by any Holder of ADS(s), a fee not in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held on the applicable record date(s) established by the Depositary.

 

The Company, Holders, Beneficial Owners, persons receiving ADSs upon issuance and persons whose ADSs are being cancelled shall be responsible for the following ADS charges under the terms of the Deposit Agreement:

 

(a)                                  taxes (including applicable interest and penalties) and other governmental charges;

 

(b)                                  such registration fees as may from time to time be in effect for the registration of Shares or other Deposited Securities on the share register and applicable to transfers of Shares or other Deposited Securities to or from the name of the Custodian, the Depositary or any nominees upon the making of deposits and withdrawals, respectively;

 

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(c)                                   such cable, telex and facsimile transmission and delivery expenses as are expressly provided in the Deposit Agreement to be at the expense of the person depositing Shares or withdrawing Deposited Securities or of the Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs;

 

(d)                                  the expenses and charges incurred by the Depositary in the conversion of foreign currency;

 

(e)                                   such fees and expenses as are incurred by the Depositary in connection with compliance with exchange control regulations and other regulatory requirements applicable to Shares, Deposited Securities, ADSs and ADRs; and

 

(f)                                    the fees and expenses incurred by the Depositary, the Custodian, or any nominee in connection with the delivery or servicing of Deposited Property.

 

All ADS fees and charges may, at any time and from time to time, be changed by agreement between the Depositary and Company but, in the case of ADS fees and charges payable by Holders and Beneficial Owners, only in the manner contemplated by paragraph (23) of this ADR and as contemplated in the Deposit Agreement.  The Depositary shall provide, without charge, a copy of its latest ADS fee schedule to anyone upon request.

 

ADS fees and charges payable upon (i) the issuance of ADSs and (ii) the cancellation of ADSs will be payable by the person to whom the ADSs are so issued by the Depositary (in the case of ADS issuances) and by the person whose ADSs are being cancelled (in the case of ADS cancellations).  In the case of ADSs issued by the Depositary into DTC or presented to the Depositary via DTC, the ADS issuance and cancellation fees and charges will be payable by the DTC Participant(s) receiving the ADSs from the Depositary or the DTC Participant(s) holding the ADSs being cancelled, as the case may be, on behalf of the Beneficial Owner(s) and will be charged by the DTC Participant(s) to the account(s) of the applicable Beneficial Owner(s) in accordance with the procedures and practices of the DTC Participant(s) as in effect at the time.  ADS fees and charges in respect of distributions and the ADS service fee are payable by Holders as of the applicable ADS Record Date established by the Depositary.  In the case of distributions of cash, the amount of the applicable ADS fees and charges is deducted from the funds being distributed.  In the case of (i) distributions other than cash and (ii) the ADS service fee, the applicable Holders as of the ADS Record Date established by the Depositary will be invoiced for the amount of the ADS fees and charges and such ADS fees may be deducted from distributions made to Holders.  For ADSs held through DTC, the ADS fees and charges for distributions other than cash and the ADS service fee may be deducted from distributions made through DTC and may be charged to the DTC Participants in accordance with the procedures and practices prescribed by DTC from time to time and the DTC Participants in turn charge the amount of such ADS fees and charges to the Beneficial Owners for whom they hold ADSs.

 

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The Depositary may reimburse the Company for certain expenses incurred by the Company in respect of the ADR program established pursuant to the Deposit Agreement, by making available a portion of the ADS fees charged in respect of the ADR program or otherwise, upon such terms and conditions as the Company and the Depositary agree from time to time.  The Company shall pay to the Depositary such fees and charges, and reimburse the Depositary for such out-of-pocket expenses, as the Depositary and the Company may agree from time to time.  Responsibility for payment of such fees, charges and reimbursements may from time to time be changed by agreement between the Company and the Depositary.  Unless otherwise agreed, the Depositary shall present its statement for such fees, charges and reimbursements to the Company once every three months.  The charges and expenses of the Custodian are for the sole account of the Depositary.

 

The obligations of Holders and Beneficial Owners to pay ADS fees and charges shall survive the termination of the Deposit Agreement.  As to any Depositary, upon the resignation or removal of such Depositary as described in Section 5.4 of the Deposit Agreement, the right to collect ADS fees and charges shall extend for those ADS fees and charges incurred prior to the effectiveness of such resignation or removal.

 

(12)          Title to ADRs .   Subject to the limitations contained in the Deposit Agreement and in this ADR, it is a condition of this ADR, and every successive Holder of this ADR by accepting or holding the same consents and agrees, that title to this ADR (and to each Certificated ADS evidenced hereby) shall be transferable upon the same terms as a certificated security under the laws of the State of New York, provided that, in the case of Certificated ADSs, this ADR has been properly endorsed or is accompanied by proper instruments of transfer.  Notwithstanding any notice to the contrary, the Depositary and the Company may deem and treat the Holder of this ADR (that is, the person in whose name this ADR is registered on the books of the Depositary) as the absolute owner thereof for all purposes.  Neither the Depositary nor the Company shall have any obligation nor be subject to any liability under the Deposit Agreement or this ADR to any holder of this ADR or any Beneficial Owner unless, in the case of a holder of ADSs, such holder is the Holder of this ADR registered on the books of the Depositary or, in the case of a Beneficial Owner, such Beneficial Owner, or the Beneficial Owner’s representative, is the Holder registered on the books of the Depositary.

 

(13)          Validity of ADR .   The Holder(s) of this ADR (and the ADSs represented hereby) shall not be entitled to any benefits under the Deposit Agreement or be valid or enforceable for any purpose against the Depositary or the Company unless this ADR has been (i) dated, (ii) signed by the manual or facsimile signature of a duly-authorized signatory of the Depositary, (iii) countersigned by the manual or facsimile signature of a duly-authorized signatory of the Registrar, and (iv) registered in the books maintained by the Registrar for the registration of issuances and transfers of ADRs.  An ADR bearing the facsimile signature of a duly-authorized signatory of the Depositary or the Registrar, who at the time of signature was a duly authorized signatory of the Depositary or the Registrar, as the case may be, shall bind the Depositary, notwithstanding the fact that such signatory has ceased to be so authorized prior to the delivery of such ADR by the Depositary.

 

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(14)          Available Information; Reports; Inspection of Transfer Books .

 

The Company is subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and, accordingly, is required to file or furnish certain reports with the Commission.  These reports can be retrieved from the Commission’s website (www.sec.gov) and can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the Commission located (as of the date of the Deposit Agreement) at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington D.C.  20549.   The Depositary shall make available for inspection by Holders at its Principal Office and at the principal office of the Custodian, as described in Section 1.11 of the Deposit Agreement, the provisions of or governing Deposited Securities and any reports and communications, including any proxy soliciting materials, received from the Company which are both (a) received by the Depositary, the Custodian, or the nominee of either of them as the holder of the Deposited Property and (b) made generally available to the holders of such Deposited Property by the Company.  The Depositary shall also provide or make available to Holders copies of such reports when furnished by the Company pursuant to Section 5.6 of the Deposit Agreement.

 

The Registrar shall keep books for the registration of ADSs which at all reasonable times shall be open for inspection by the Company and by the Holders of such ADSs, provided that such inspection shall not be, to the Registrar’s knowledge, for the purpose of communicating with Holders of such ADSs in the interest of a business or object other than the business of the Company or other than a matter related to the Deposit Agreement or the ADSs

 

The Registrar may close the transfer books with respect to the ADSs, at any time or from time to time, when deemed necessary or advisable by it in good faith in connection with the performance of its duties hereunder, or at the reasonable written request of the Company subject, in all cases, to paragraph (25) and Section 7.8 of the Deposit Agreement.

 

Dated:

 

CITIBANK, N.A.

 

CITIBANK, N.A.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

 

as Depositary

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

By:

 

 

Authorized Signatory

 

 

Authorized Signatory

 

The address of the Principal Office of the Depositary is 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10013, U.S.A.

 

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[FORM OF REVERSE OF ADR]

 

SUMMARY OF CERTAIN ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS

 

OF THE DEPOSIT AGREEMENT

 

(15)          Dividends and Distributions in Cash, Shares, etc .   (a)  Cash Distributions : Upon the timely receipt by the Depositary of a notice from the Company that it intends to make a distribution of a cash dividend or other cash distribution, the Depositary shall establish the ADS Record Date upon the terms described in Section 4.9 of the Deposit Agreement.  Upon receipt of confirmation of the receipt of (x) any cash dividend or other cash distribution on any Deposited Securities, or (y) proceeds from the sale of any Deposited Property held in respect of the ADSs under the terms of the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary will (i) if at the time of receipt thereof any amounts received in a Foreign Currency can, in the judgment of the Depositary (pursuant to Section 4.8 of the Deposit Agreement), be converted on a practicable basis into Dollars transferable to the United States, promptly convert or cause to be converted such cash dividend, distribution or proceeds into Dollars (on the terms described in Section 4.8 of the Deposit Agreement), (ii) if applicable and unless previously established, establish the ADS Record Date upon the terms described in Section 4.9 of the Deposit Agreement, and (iii) distribute promptly the amount thus received (net of (a) the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes withheld) to the Holders entitled thereto as of the ADS Record Date in proportion to the number of ADSs held as of the ADS Record Date.  The Depositary shall distribute only such amount, however, as can be distributed without attributing to any Holder a fraction of one cent, and any balance not so distributed shall be held by the Depositary (without liability for interest thereon) and shall be added to and become part of the next sum received by the Depositary for distribution to Holders of ADSs outstanding at the time of the next distribution.  If the Company, the Custodian or the Depositary is required to withhold and does withhold from any cash dividend or other cash distribution in respect of any Deposited Securities, or from any cash proceeds from the sales of Deposited Property, an amount on account of taxes, duties or other governmental charges, the amount distributed to Holders on the ADSs shall be reduced accordingly.  Such withheld amounts shall be forwarded by the Company, the Custodian or the Depositary to the relevant governmental authority.  Evidence of payment thereof by the Company shall be forwarded by the Company to the Depositary upon request.  The Depositary will hold any cash amounts it is unable to distribute in a non-interest bearing account for the benefit of the applicable Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs until the distribution can be effected or the funds that the Depositary holds must be escheated as unclaimed property in accordance with the laws of the relevant states of the United States. Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement to the contrary, in the event the Company fails to give the Depositary timely notice of the proposed distribution provided for above, the Depositary shall use commercially reasonable efforts to perform the actions contemplated in Section 4.1 of the Deposit Agreement, and the Company, the Holders and the Beneficial Owners acknowledge that the Depositary shall have no liability for the Depositary’s failure to perform the actions contemplated in Section 4.1 of the Deposit Agreement where such

 

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notice has not been so timely given, other than its failure to use commercially reasonable efforts, as provided herein.

 

(b)  Share Distributions : Upon the timely receipt by the Depositary of a notice from the Company that it intends to make a distribution that consists of a dividend in, or free distribution of Shares, the Depositary shall establish the ADS Record Date upon the terms described in Section 4.9 of the Deposit Agreement.  Upon receipt of confirmation from the Custodian of the receipt of the Shares so distributed by the Company, the Depositary shall either (i) subject to Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement, distribute to the Holders as of the ADS Record Date in proportion to the number of ADSs held as of the ADS Record Date, additional ADSs, which represent in the aggregate the number of Shares received as such dividend, or free distribution, subject to the other terms of the Deposit Agreement (including, without limitation, (a) the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes), or (ii) if additional ADSs are not so distributed, take all actions necessary so that each ADS issued and outstanding after the ADS Record Date shall, to the extent permissible by law, thenceforth also represent rights and interests in the additional integral number of Shares distributed upon the Deposited Securities represented thereby (net of (a) the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and (b) taxes).  In lieu of delivering fractional ADSs, the Depositary shall sell the number of Shares or ADSs, as the case may be, represented by the aggregate of such fractions and distribute the net proceeds upon the terms described in Section 4.1 of the Deposit Agreement.

 

In the event that the Depositary determines that any distribution in property (including Shares) is subject to any tax or other governmental charges which the Depositary is obligated to withhold, or, if the Company in the fulfillment of its obligations under Section 5.7 of the Deposit Agreement, has furnished an opinion of U.S. counsel determining that Shares must be registered under the Securities Act or other laws in order to be distributed to Holders (and no such registration statement has been declared effective), the Depositary may dispose of all or a portion of such property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) in such amounts and in such manner, including by public or private sale, as the Depositary deems necessary and practicable, and the Depositary shall distribute the net proceeds of any such sale (after deduction of (a) taxes and (b) fees and charges of, and the expenses incurred by, the Depositary) to Holders entitled thereto upon the terms of Section 4.1 of the Deposit Agreement.  The Depositary shall hold and/or distribute any unsold balance of such property in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement. Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement to the contrary, in the event the Company fails to give the Depositary timely notice of the proposed distribution provided for above, the Depositary shall use commercially reasonable efforts to perform the actions contemplated in Section 4.2 of the Deposit Agreement, and the Company, the Holders and the Beneficial Owners acknowledge that the Depositary shall have no liability for the Depositary’s failure to perform the actions contemplated in Section 4.2 of the Deposit Agreement where such notice has not been so timely given, other than its failure to use commercially reasonable efforts, as provided herein.

 

(c)  Elective Distributions in Cash or Shares : Upon the timely receipt of a notice indicating that the Company wishes an elective distribution in cash or Shares to be made

 

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available to Holders of ADSs, the Depositary shall consult with the Company to determine, and the Company shall assist the Depositary in its determination, whether such distribution is lawful and reasonably practicable.  The Depositary shall make such elective distribution available to Holders only if (i) the Company shall have timely requested that the elective distribution be made available to Holders, (ii) the Depositary shall have determined that such distribution is reasonably practicable and (iii) the Depositary shall have received satisfactory documentation within the terms of Section 5.7 of the Deposit Agreement. If the above conditions are satisfied, the Depositary shall, subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, establish the ADS Record Date according to paragraph (16) and establish procedures to enable the Holder hereof to elect to receive the proposed distribution in cash or in additional ADSs.  If a Holder elects to receive the distribution in cash, the distribution shall be made as in the case of a distribution in cash.  If the Holder hereof elects to receive the distribution in additional ADSs, the distribution shall be made as in the case of a distribution in Shares upon the terms described in the Deposit Agreement.  If such elective distribution is not reasonably practicable or if the Depositary did not receive satisfactory documentation set forth in the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary shall establish an ADS Record Date upon the terms of Section 4.9 of the Deposit Agreement and, to the extent permitted by law, distribute to Holders, on the basis of the same determination as is made in the Cayman Islands in respect of the Shares for which no election is made, either (x) cash upon the terms described in Section 4.1 of the Deposit Agreement or (y) additional ADSs representing such additional Shares, in each case, upon the terms described in Section 4.2 of the Deposit Agreement.  Nothing herein or in the Deposit Agreement shall obligate the Depositary to make available to the Holder hereof a method to receive the elective distribution in Shares (rather than ADSs).  There can be no assurance that the Holder hereof will be given the opportunity to receive elective distributions on the same terms and conditions as the holders of Shares. Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement to the contrary, in the event the Company fails to give the Depositary timely notice of the proposed distribution provided for above, the Depositary shall use commercially reasonable efforts to perform the actions contemplated in Section 4.3 of the Deposit Agreement, and the Company, the Holders and the Beneficial Owners acknowledge that the Depositary shall have no liability for the Depositary’s failure to perform the actions contemplated in Section 4.3 of the Deposit Agreement where such notice has not been so timely given, other than its failure to use commercially reasonable efforts, as provided herein.

 

(d)  Distribution of Rights to Purchase Additional ADSs : Upon the timely receipt by the Depositary of a notice indicating that the Company wishes to subscribe for additional Shares to be made available to Holders of ADSs, the Depositary upon consultation with the Company, shall determine, whether it is lawful and reasonably practicable to make such rights available to the Holders.  The Depositary shall make such rights available to Holders only if (i) the Company shall have timely requested that such rights be made available to Holders, (ii) the Depositary shall have received satisfactory documentation contemplated in Section 5.7 of the Deposit Agreement, and (iii) the Depositary shall have determined that such distribution of rights is reasonably practicable.  If such conditions are not satisfied or if the Company requests that the rights not be made available to Holders of ADSs, the Depositary shall sell the rights as described below.  In the event all conditions set forth above are satisfied, the Depositary shall establish the ADS Record Date (upon the terms described in Section 4.9 of the Deposit Agreement) and

 

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establish procedures to (x) distribute rights to purchase additional ADSs (by means of warrants or otherwise), (y) enable the Holders to exercise such rights (upon payment of the subscription price and of the applicable (a) fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes), and (z) deliver ADSs upon the valid exercise of such rights.  Nothing herein or in the Deposit Agreement shall obligate the Depositary to make available to the Holders a method to exercise rights to subscribe for Shares (rather than ADSs).  If (i) the Company does not timely request the Depositary to make the rights available to Holders or requests that the rights not be made available to Holders, (ii) the Depositary fails to receive satisfactory documentation within the terms of Section 5.7 of the Deposit Agreement or determines it is not practicable to make the rights available to Holders, or (iii) any rights made available are not exercised and appear to be about to lapse, the Depositary shall determine whether it is lawful and practicable to sell such rights, in a riskless principal capacity, at such place and upon such terms (including public and private sale) as it may deem practicable.  The Depositary shall, upon such sale, convert and distribute proceeds of such sale (net of applicable (a) fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes) upon the terms hereof and of Section 4.1 of the Deposit Agreement.  If the Depositary is unable to make any rights available to Holders upon the terms described in Section 4.4(a) of the Deposit Agreement or to arrange for the sale of the rights upon the terms described in Section 4.4(b) of the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary shall allow such rights to lapse.  The Depositary shall not be responsible for (i) any failure to accurately determine whether it may be lawful or practicable to make such rights available to Holders in general or any Holders in particular, (ii) any foreign exchange exposure or loss incurred in connection with such sale, or exercise, or (iii) the content of any materials forwarded to the Holders on behalf of the Company in connection with the rights distribution.

 

Notwithstanding anything herein or in Section 4.4 of the Deposit Agreement to the contrary, if registration (under the Securities Act or any other applicable law) of the rights or the securities to which any rights relate may be required in order for the Company to offer such rights or such securities to Holders and to sell the securities represented by such rights, the Depositary will not distribute such rights to the Holders (i) unless and until a registration statement under the Securities Act (or other applicable law) covering such offering is in effect or (ii) unless the Company furnishes the Depositary opinion(s) of counsel for the Company in the United States and counsel to the Company in any other applicable country in which rights would be distributed, in each case satisfactory to the Depositary, to the effect that the offering and sale of such securities to Holders and Beneficial Owners are exempt from, or do not require registration under, the provisions of the Securities Act or any other applicable laws.  In the event that the Company, the Depositary or the Custodian shall be required to withhold and does withhold from any distribution of Deposited Property (including rights) an amount on account of taxes or other governmental charges, the amount distributed to the Holders of ADSs shall be reduced accordingly.  In the event that the Depositary determines that any distribution of Deposited Property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) is subject to any tax or other governmental charges which the Depositary is obligated to withhold, the Depositary may dispose of all or a portion of such Deposited Property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) in such amounts and in such manner, including by public or private sale, as the Depositary deems necessary and practicable to pay any such taxes or charges.

 

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There can be no assurance that Holders generally, or any Holder in particular, will be given the opportunity to receive or exercise rights on the same terms and conditions as the holders of Shares or be able to exercise such rights.  Nothing herein or in the Deposit Agreement shall obligate the Company to file any registration statement in respect of any rights or Shares or other securities to be acquired upon the exercise of such rights.

 

(e)  Distributions other than Cash, Shares or Rights to Purchase Shares :  Upon receipt of a notice indicating that the Company wishes property other than cash, Shares or rights to purchase additional Shares to be made to Holders of ADSs, the Depositary shall determine whether such distribution to Holders is lawful and reasonably practicable.  The Depositary shall not make such distribution unless (i) the Company shall have requested the Depositary to make such distribution to Holders, (ii) the Depositary shall have received satisfactory documentation contemplated in Section 5.7 of the Deposit Agreement, and (iii) the Depositary shall have determined that such distribution is reasonably practicable.  Upon satisfaction of such conditions, the Depositary shall distribute the property so received to the Holders of record, as of the ADS Record Date, in proportion to the number of ADSs held by them respectively and in such manner as the Depositary may deem practicable for accomplishing such distribution (i) upon receipt of payment or net of the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and (ii) net of any taxes withheld.  The Depositary may dispose of all or a portion of the property so distributed and deposited, in such amounts and in such manner (including public or private sale) as the Depositary may deem practicable or necessary to satisfy any taxes (including applicable interest and penalties) or other governmental charges applicable to the distribution.

 

If the conditions above are not satisfied, the Depositary shall sell or cause such property to be sold in a public or private sale, at such place or places and upon such terms as it may deem practicable and shall (i) cause the proceeds of such sale, if any, to be converted into Dollars and (ii) distribute the proceeds of such conversion received by the Depositary (net of applicable (a) fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes) to the Holders as of the ADS Record Date upon the terms hereof and Section 4.1 of the Deposit Agreement.  If the Depositary is unable to sell such property, the Depositary may dispose of such property for the account of the Holders in any way it deems reasonably practicable under the circumstances.

 

Neither the Depositary nor the Company shall be responsible for (i) any failure to determine whether it is lawful or practicable to make the property described in Section 4.5 of the Deposit Agreement available to Holders in general or any Holders in particular, nor (ii) any loss incurred in connection with the sale or disposal of such property.

 

(16)          Redemption .   Upon timely receipt of notice from the Company that it intends to exercise its right of redemption in respect of any of the Deposited Securities, and satisfactory documentation, and upon determining that such proposed redemption is practicable, the Depositary shall (to the extent practicable) provide to each Holder a notice setting forth the Company’s intention to exercise the redemption rights and any other particulars set forth in the Company’s notice to the Depositary.  The Depositary shall instruct the Custodian to present to the Company the Deposited Securities in respect of which redemption rights are being exercised against payment of the applicable redemption price. Upon receipt of confirmation from the

 

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Custodian that the redemption has taken place and that funds representing the redemption price have been received, the Depositary shall convert, transfer, and distribute the proceeds (net of applicable (a) fees and charges of, and the expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and (b) taxes), retire ADSs and cancel ADRs, if applicable, upon delivery of such ADSs by Holders thereof and the terms set forth in Sections 4.1 and 6.2 of the Deposit Agreement.  If less than all outstanding Deposited Securities are redeemed, the ADSs to be retired will be selected by lot or on a pro rata basis, as may be determined by the Depositary.  The redemption price per ADS shall be the dollar equivalent of the per share amount received by the Depositary (adjusted to reflect the ADS(s)-to-Share(s) ratio) upon the redemption of the Deposited Securities represented by ADSs (subject to the terms of Section 4.8 of the Deposit Agreement and the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and taxes) multiplied by the number of Deposited Securities represented by each ADS redeemed. Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement to the contrary, in the event the Company fails to give the Depositary timely notice of the proposed redemption provided for above, the Depositary agrees to use commercially reasonable efforts to perform the actions contemplated in Section 4.7 of the Deposit Agreement, and the Company, the Holders and the Beneficial Owners acknowledge that the Depositary shall have no liability for the Depositary’s failure to perform the actions contemplated in Section 4.7 of the Deposit Agreement where such notice has not been so timely given, other than its failure to use commercially reasonable efforts, as provided herein.

 

(17)          Fixing of ADS Record Date .   Whenever the Depositary shall receive notice of the fixing of a record date by the Company for the determination of holders of Deposited Securities entitled to receive any distribution (whether in cash, Shares, rights or other distribution), or whenever for any reason the Depositary causes a change in the number of Shares that are represented by each ADS, or whenever the Depositary shall receive notice of any meeting of, or solicitation of consents or proxies of, holders of Shares or other Deposited Securities, or whenever the Depositary shall find it necessary or convenient in connection with the giving of any notice, solicitation of any consent or any other matter, the Depositary shall fix the record date (the “ ADS Record Date ”) for the determination of the Holders of ADS(s) who shall be entitled to receive such distribution, to give instructions for the exercise of voting rights at any such meeting, to give or withhold such consent, to receive such notice or solicitation or to otherwise take action, or to exercise the rights of Holders with respect to such changed number of Shares represented by each ADS.  The Depositary shall make reasonable efforts to establish the ADS Record Date as closely as practicable to the applicable record date for the Deposited Securities (if any) set by the Company in the Cayman Islands and shall not announce the establishment of any ADS Record Date prior to the relevant corporate action having been made public by the Company (if such corporate action affects the Deposited Securities).  Subject to applicable law, the terms and conditions of this ADR and Sections 4.1 through 4.8 of the Deposit Agreement, only the Holders of ADSs at the close of business in New York on such ADS Record Date shall be entitled to receive such distribution, to give such voting instructions, to receive such notice or solicitation, or otherwise take action.

 

(18)          Voting of Deposited Securities .   As soon as practicable after receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of Deposited Securities are entitled to vote, or of solicitation of consents or proxies from holders of Deposited Securities, the Depositary shall fix the ADS

 

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Record Date in respect of such meeting or solicitation of consent or proxy in accordance with Section 4.9 of the Deposit Agreement.  The Depositary shall, if requested by the Company in writing in a timely manner (the Depositary having no obligation to take any further action if the request shall not have been received by the Depositary at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of such vote or meeting), at the Company’s expense and provided no U.S. legal prohibitions exist, distribute as soon as practicable after receipt thereof to Holders as of the ADS Record Date: (a) such notice of meeting or solicitation of consent or proxy, (b) a statement that the Holders at the close of business on the ADS Record Date will be entitled, subject to any applicable law, the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, the Articles of Association and the provisions of or governing the Deposited Securities (which provisions, if any, shall be summarized in pertinent part by the Company), to instruct the Depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights, if any, pertaining to the Deposited Securities represented by such Holder’s ADSs, and (c) a brief statement as to the manner and timing in which such voting instructions may be given to the Depositary or in which voting instructions may be deemed to have been given in accordance with Section 4.10 of the Deposit Agreement if no instructions are received prior to the deadline set for such purposes to the Depositary to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by the Company.  Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement to the contrary, in the event the Company fails to timely request that the Depositary distribute the information as provided for in Section 4.10 of the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary shall use commercially reasonable efforts to perform the actions contemplated in Section 4.10 of the Deposit Agreement, and the Company, the Holders and the Beneficial Owners acknowledge that the Depositary shall have no liability for the Depositary’s failure to perform the actions contemplated in Section 4.10 of the Deposit Agreement where such notice has not been so timely given, other than its failure to use commercially reasonable efforts, as provided herein.

 

Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR, the Depositary may, to the extent not prohibited by law or regulations, or by the requirements of the stock exchange on which the ADSs are listed, in lieu of distribution of the materials provided to the Depositary in connection with any meeting of, or solicitation of consents or proxies from, holders of Deposited Securities, distribute to the Holders a notice that provides Holders with, or otherwise publicizes to Holders, instructions on how to retrieve such materials or receive such materials upon request ( e.g. , by reference to a website containing the materials for retrieval or a contact for requesting copies of the materials).

 

The Depositary has been advised by the Company that under the Articles of Association of the Company (as in effect on the date of the Deposit Agreement), voting at any meeting of shareholders is by show of hands unless a poll is demanded.  The Depositary will not join in demanding a poll, whether or not requested to do so by Holders of ADSs.  The Company has informed the Depositary that, under the Articles of Association of the Company (as in effect on the date of the Deposit Agreement), a poll may be demanded by the chairman of the meeting or by any one or more shareholders who together hold not less than 10% of the paid up voting share capital.

 

Voting instructions may be given only in respect of a number of ADSs representing an integral number of Deposited Securities.  Upon the timely receipt from a Holder of ADSs as of

 

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the ADS Record Date (and, if so required by the Company, who also hold the ADSs as of the applicable share record date) of voting instructions in the manner specified by the Depositary, the Depositary shall endeavor, insofar as practicable and permitted under applicable law, the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, Articles of Association of the Company and the provisions of the Deposited Securities, to vote, or cause the Custodian to vote, the Deposited Securities (in person or by proxy) represented by such Holder’s ADSs as follows:  (i) in the event voting takes place at a shareholders’ meeting by show of hands, the Depositary will instruct the Custodian to vote all Deposited Securities in accordance with the voting instructions received from a majority of Holders of ADSs who provided voting instructions and (ii) in the event voting takes place at a shareholders’ meeting by poll, the Depositary will instruct the Custodian to vote the Deposited Securities in accordance with the voting instructions received from the Holders of ADSs. If the Depositary does not receive instructions from a Holder as of the ADS Record Date on or before the date established by the Depositary for such purpose and voting is by poll, such Holder shall be deemed, and the Depositary shall (unless otherwise specified in the notice distributed to Holders) deem such Holder, to have instructed the Depositary to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by the Company to vote the Deposited Securities; provided , however , that no such discretionary proxy shall be given by the Depositary with respect to any matter to be voted upon as to which the Company informs the Depositary that (A) the Company does not wish such proxy to be given, (B) substantial opposition exists, or (C) the rights of holders of Deposited Securities may be materially adversely affected.

 

Neither the Depositary nor the Custodian shall under any circumstances exercise any discretion as to voting and neither the Depositary nor the Custodian shall vote, attempt to exercise the right to vote, or in any way make use of, for purposes of establishing a quorum or otherwise, the Deposited Securities represented by ADSs, except pursuant to and in accordance with the voting instructions timely received from Holders or as otherwise contemplated herein.  If the Depositary timely receives voting instructions from a Holder which fail to specify the manner in which the Depositary is to vote the Deposited Securities represented by such Holder’s ADSs, the Depositary will deem such Holder (unless otherwise specified in the notice distributed to Holders) to have instructed the Depositary to vote in favor of the items set forth in such voting instructions.  Deposited Securities represented by ADSs for which no timely voting instructions are received by the Depositary from the Holder shall not be voted (except (i) in the case voting is by show of hands, in which case the Depositary will instruct the Custodian to vote all Deposited Securities in accordance with the voting instructions received from a majority of Holders of ADSs who provided voting instructions and (ii) as otherwise contemplated herein).  Notwithstanding anything else contained herein, the Depositary shall, if so requested in writing by the Company, represent all Deposited Securities (whether or not voting instructions have been received in respect of such Deposited Securities from Holders as of the ADS Record Date) for the sole purpose of establishing quorum at a meeting of shareholders.

 

Notwithstanding anything else contained in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR, the Depositary shall not have any obligation to take any action with respect to any meeting, or solicitation of consents or proxies, of holders of Deposited Securities if the taking of such action would violate U.S. laws.  The Company agrees to take any and all actions reasonably necessary and as permitted by Cayman Islands law to enable Holders and Beneficial Owners to exercise the

 

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voting rights accruing to the Deposited Securities and to deliver to the Depositary an opinion of U.S. counsel addressing any actions requested to be taken if so reasonably requested by the Depositary.

 

There can be no assurance that Holders generally or any Holder in particular will receive the notice described above with sufficient time to enable the Holder to return voting instructions to the Depositary, or otherwise take action, in a timely manner.

 

(19)          Changes Affecting Deposited Securities .   Upon any change in nominal or par value, split-up, cancellation, consolidation or any other reclassification of Deposited Securities, or upon any recapitalization, reorganization, merger, consolidation or sale of assets affecting the Company or to which it is a party, any property which shall be received by the Depositary or the Custodian in exchange for, or in conversion of, or replacement of, or otherwise in respect of, such Deposited Securities shall, to the extent permitted by law, be treated as new Deposited Property under the Deposit Agreement, and this ADR shall, subject to the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, this ADR and applicable law, represent the right to receive such additional or replacement Deposited Property.  In giving effect to such change, split-up, cancellation, consolidation or other reclassification of Deposited Securities, recapitalization, reorganization, merger, consolidation or sale of assets, the Depositary may, with the Company’s approval, and shall, if the Company shall so request, subject to the terms of the Deposit Agreement (including, without limitation, (a) the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and (b) taxes) and receipt of an opinion of counsel to the Company satisfactory to the Depositary that such actions are not in violation of any applicable laws or regulations, (i) issue and deliver additional ADSs as in the case of a stock dividend on the Shares, (ii) amend the Deposit Agreement and the applicable ADRs, (iii) amend the applicable Registration Statement(s) on Form F-6 as filed with the Commission in respect of the ADSs, (iv) call for the surrender of outstanding ADRs to be exchanged for new ADRs, and (v) take such other actions as are appropriate to reflect the transaction with respect to the ADSs.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that any Deposited Property so received may not be lawfully distributed to some or all Holders, the Depositary may, with the Company’s approval, and shall, if the Company requests, subject to receipt of an opinion of Company’s counsel satisfactory to the Depositary that such action is not in violation of any applicable laws or regulations, sell such Deposited Property at public or private sale, at such place or places and upon such terms as it may deem proper and may allocate the net proceeds of such sales (net of (a) fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes) for the account of the Holders otherwise entitled to such Deposited Property upon an averaged or other practicable basis without regard to any distinctions among such Holders and distribute the net proceeds so allocated to the extent practicable as in the case of a distribution received in cash pursuant to Section 4.1 of the Deposit Agreement.  The Depositary shall not be responsible for (i) any failure to determine that it may be lawful or practicable to make such Deposited Property available to Holders in general or to any Holder in particular, (ii) any foreign exchange exposure or loss incurred in connection with such sale, or (iii) any liability to the purchaser of such Deposited Property.

 

(20)          Exoneration .   Neither the Depositary nor the Company shall be obligated to do or perform any act which is inconsistent with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement or incur any

 

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liability (i) if the Depositary or the Company shall be prevented or forbidden from, or delayed in, doing or performing any act or thing required by the terms of the Deposit Agreement and this ADR, by reason of any provision of any present or future law or regulation of the United States, the Cayman Islands or any other country, or of any other governmental authority or regulatory authority or stock exchange, or on account of potential criminal or civil penalties or restraint, or by reason of any provision, present or future, of the Articles of Association of the Company or any provision of or governing any Deposited Securities, or by reason of any act of God or war or other circumstances beyond its control (including, without limitation, nationalization, expropriation, currency restrictions, work stoppage, strikes, civil unrest, acts of terrorism, revolutions, rebellions, explosions and computer failure), (ii) by reason of any exercise of, or failure to exercise, any discretion provided for in the Deposit Agreement or in the Articles of Association of the Company or provisions of or governing Deposited Securities, (iii) for any action or inaction in reliance upon the advice of or information from legal counsel, accountants, any person presenting Shares for deposit, any Holder, any Beneficial Owner or authorized representative thereof, or any other person believed by it in good faith to be competent to give such advice or information, (iv) for the inability by a Holder or Beneficial Owner to benefit from any distribution, offering, right or other benefit which is made available to holders of Deposited Securities but is not, under the terms of the Deposit Agreement, made available to Holders of ADSs, or (v) for any consequential or punitive damages (including lost profits) for any breach of the terms of the Deposit Agreement.  The Depositary, its controlling persons, its agents, any Custodian and the Company, its controlling persons and its agents may rely and shall be protected in acting upon any written notice, request or other document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.  No disclaimer of liability under the Securities Act is intended by any provision of the Deposit Agreement or this ADR.

 

(21)          Standard of Care .   The Company and the Depositary assume no obligation and shall not be subject to any liability under the Deposit Agreement or this ADR to any Holder(s) or Beneficial Owner(s), except that the Company and the Depositary agree to perform their respective obligations specifically set forth in the Deposit Agreement or this ADR without negligence or bad faith.  Without limitation of the foregoing, neither the Depositary, nor the Company, nor any of their respective controlling persons, or agents, shall be under any obligation to appear in, prosecute or defend any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any Deposited Property or in respect of the ADSs, which in its opinion may involve it in expense or liability, unless indemnity satisfactory to it against all expense (including fees and disbursements of counsel) and liability be furnished as often as may be required (and no Custodian shall be under any obligation whatsoever with respect to such proceedings, the responsibility of the Custodian being solely to the Depositary).

 

The Depositary and its agents shall not be liable for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote any of the Deposited Securities, or for the manner in which any vote is cast or the effect of any vote, provided that any such action or omission is in good faith and without negligence and in accordance with the terms of the Deposit Agreement.  The Depositary shall not incur any liability for any failure to determine that any distribution or action may be lawful or reasonably practicable, for the content of any information submitted to it by the Company for

 

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distribution to the Holders or for any inaccuracy of any translation thereof, for any investment risk associated with acquiring an interest in the Deposited Property, for the validity or worth of the Deposited Property or for any tax consequences that may result from the ownership of ADSs, Shares or other Deposited Property, for the credit-worthiness of any third party, for allowing any rights to lapse upon the terms of the Deposit Agreement, for the failure or timeliness of any notice from the Company, or for any action of or failure to act by, or any information provided or not provided by, DTC or any DTC Participant.

 

The Depositary shall not be liable for any acts or omissions made by a successor depositary whether in connection with a previous act or omission of the Depositary or in connection with any matter arising wholly after the removal or resignation of the Depositary, provided that in connection with the issue out of which such potential liability arises the Depositary performed its obligations without negligence or bad faith while it acted as Depositary.

 

(22)          Resignation and Removal of the Depositary; Appointment of Successor Depositary .   The Depositary may at any time resign as Depositary under the Deposit Agreement by written notice of resignation delivered to the Company, such resignation to be effective on the earlier of (i) the 90th day after delivery thereof to the Company (whereupon the Depositary shall be entitled to take the actions contemplated in Section 6.2 of the Deposit Agreement), or (ii) the appointment by the Company of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment as provided in the Deposit Agreement.  The Depositary may at any time be removed by the Company by written notice of such removal, which removal shall be effective on the later of (i) the 90th day after delivery thereof to the Depositary (whereupon the Depositary shall be entitled to take the actions contemplated in Section 6.2 of the Deposit Agreement), or (ii) upon the appointment by the Company of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment as provided in the Deposit Agreement.  In case at any time the Depositary acting hereunder shall resign or be removed, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to appoint a successor depositary, which shall be a bank or trust company having an office in the Borough of Manhattan, the City of New York.  Every successor depositary shall be required by the Company to execute and deliver to its predecessor and to the Company an instrument in writing accepting its appointment hereunder, and thereupon such successor depositary, without any further act or deed (except as required by applicable law), shall become fully vested with all the rights, powers, duties and obligations of its predecessor (other than as contemplated in Sections 5.8 and 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement).  The predecessor depositary, upon payment of all sums due it and on the written request of the Company shall (i) execute and deliver an instrument transferring to such successor all rights and powers of such predecessor hereunder (other than as contemplated in Sections 5.8 and 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement), (ii) duly assign, transfer and deliver all of the Depositary’s right, title and interest to the Deposited Property to such successor, and (iii) deliver to such successor a list of the Holders of all outstanding ADSs and such other information relating to ADSs and Holders thereof as the successor may reasonably request. Any such successor depositary shall promptly provide notice of its appointment to such Holders.  Any entity into or with which the Depositary may be merged or consolidated shall be the successor of the Depositary without the execution or filing of any document or any further act.

 

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(23)          Amendment/Supplement .   Subject to the terms and conditions of this paragraph 23, and Section 6.1 of the Deposit Agreement and applicable law, this ADR and any provisions of the Deposit Agreement may at any time and from time to time be amended or supplemented by written agreement between the Company and the Depositary in any respect which they may deem necessary or desirable without the prior written consent of the Holders or Beneficial Owners.  Any amendment or supplement which shall impose or increase any fees or charges (other than charges in connection with foreign exchange control regulations, and taxes and other governmental charges, delivery and other such expenses), or which shall otherwise materially prejudice any substantial existing right of Holders or Beneficial Owners, shall not, however, become effective as to outstanding ADSs until the expiration of thirty (30) days after notice of such amendment or supplement shall have been given to the Holders of outstanding ADSs.  Notice of any amendment to the Deposit Agreement or any ADR shall not need to describe in detail the specific amendments effectuated thereby, and failure to describe the specific amendments in any such notice shall not render such notice invalid, provided , however , that, in each such case, the notice given to the Holders identifies a means for Holders and Beneficial Owners to retrieve or receive the text of such amendment ( e.g. , upon retrieval from the Commission’s, the Depositary’s or the Company’s website or upon request from the Depositary).  The parties hereto agree that any amendments or supplements which (i) are reasonably necessary (as agreed by the Company and the Depositary) in order for (a) the ADSs to be registered on Form F-6 under the Securities Act or (b) the ADSs to be settled solely in electronic book-entry form and (ii) do not in either such case impose or increase any fees or charges to be borne by Holders, shall be deemed not to materially prejudice any substantial rights of Holders or Beneficial Owners.  Every Holder and Beneficial Owner at the time any amendment or supplement so becomes effective shall be deemed, by continuing to hold such ADSs, to consent and agree to such amendment or supplement and to be bound by the Deposit Agreement and this ADR, if applicable, as amended or supplemented thereby.  In no event shall any amendment or supplement impair the right of the Holder to surrender such ADS and receive therefor the Deposited Securities represented thereby, except in order to comply with mandatory provisions of applicable law.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any governmental body should adopt new laws, rules or regulations which would require an amendment of, or supplement to, the Deposit Agreement to ensure compliance therewith, the Company and the Depositary may amend or supplement the Deposit Agreement and this ADR at any time in accordance with such changed laws, rules or regulations.  Such amendment or supplement to the Deposit Agreement and this ADR in such circumstances may become effective before a notice of such amendment or supplement is given to Holders or within any other period of time as required for compliance with such laws, rules or regulations.

 

(24)          Termination .   The Depositary shall, at any time at the written direction of the Company, terminate the Deposit Agreement by distributing notice of such termination to the Holders of all ADSs then outstanding at least thirty (30) days prior to the date fixed in such notice for such termination.  If ninety (90) days shall have expired after (i) the Depositary shall have delivered to the Company a written notice of its election to resign, or (ii) the Company shall have delivered to the Depositary a written notice of the removal of the Depositary, and, in either case, a successor depositary shall not have been appointed and accepted its appointment as provided in Section 5.4 of the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may terminate the Deposit

 

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Agreement by distributing notice of such termination to the Holders of all ADSs then outstanding at least thirty (30) days prior to the date fixed in such notice for such termination.  The date so fixed for termination of the Deposit Agreement in any termination notice so distributed by the Depositary to the Holders of ADSs is referred to as the “ Termination Date ”.  Until the Termination Date, the Depositary shall continue to perform all of its obligations under the Deposit Agreement, and the Holders and Beneficial Owners will be entitled to all of their rights under the Deposit Agreement.  If any ADSs shall remain outstanding after the Termination Date, the Registrar and the Depositary shall not, after the Termination Date, have any obligation to perform any further acts under the Deposit Agreement, except that the Depositary shall, subject, in each case, to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, continue to (i) collect dividends and other distributions pertaining to Deposited Securities, (ii) sell Deposited Property received in respect of Deposited Securities, (iii) deliver Deposited Securities, together with any dividends or other distributions received with respect thereto and the net proceeds of the sale of any other Deposited Property, in exchange for ADSs surrendered to the Depositary (after deducting, or charging, as the case may be, in each case, the fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and all applicable taxes or governmental charges for the account of the Holders and Beneficial Owners, in each case upon the terms set forth in Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement), and (iv) take such actions as may be required under applicable law in connection with its role as Depositary under the Deposit Agreement.  At any time after the Termination Date, the Depositary may sell the Deposited Property then held under the Deposit Agreement and shall after such sale hold un-invested the net proceeds of such sale, together with any other cash then held by it under the Deposit Agreement, in an un-segregated account and without liability for interest, for the   pro rata benefit of the Holders whose ADSs have not theretofore been surrendered.  After making such sale, the Depositary shall be discharged from all obligations under the Deposit Agreement except (i) to account for such net proceeds and other cash (after deducting, or charging, as the case may be, in each case, the fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and all applicable taxes or governmental charges for the account of the Holders and Beneficial Owners, in each case upon the terms set forth in Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement), and (ii) as may be required at law in connection with the termination of the Deposit Agreement.  After the Termination Date, the Company shall be discharged from all obligations under the Deposit Agreement, except for its obligations to the Depositary under Sections 5.8, 5.9 and 7.6 of the Deposit Agreement.  The obligations under the terms of the Deposit Agreement of Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs outstanding as of the Termination Date shall survive the Termination Date and shall be discharged only when the applicable ADSs are presented by their Holders to the Depositary for cancellation under the terms of the Deposit Agreement (except as specifically provided in the Deposit Agreement).

 

(25)          Compliance with U.S. Securities Laws .   Notwithstanding any provisions in this ADR or the Deposit Agreement to the contrary, the withdrawal or delivery of Deposited Securities will not be suspended by the Company or the Depositary except as would be permitted by Instruction I.A.(1) of the General Instructions to the Form F-6 Registration Statement, as amended from time to time, under the Securities Act.

 

(26)          Certain Rights of the Depositary; Limitations .   Subject to the further terms and provisions of this paragraph (26) and Sections 2.3 and 5.10 of the Deposit Agreement, the

 

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Depositary, its Affiliates and their agents, on their own behalf, may own and deal in any class of securities of the Company and its Affiliates and in ADSs.  The Depositary may issue ADSs against evidence of rights to receive Shares from the Company, any agent of the Company or any custodian, registrar, transfer agent, clearing agency or other entity involved in ownership or transaction records in respect of the Shares.  Such evidence of rights shall consist of written blanket or specific guarantees of ownership of Shares.  In its capacity as Depositary, the Depositary shall not lend Shares or ADSs; provided , however , that the Depositary may (i) issue ADSs prior to the receipt of Shares pursuant to Section 2.3 of the Deposit Agreement and (ii) deliver Shares prior to the receipt of ADSs for withdrawal of Deposited Securities pursuant to Section 2.7 of the Deposit Agreement, including ADSs which were issued under (i) above but for which Shares may not have been received (each such transaction a “ Pre-Release Transaction ”).  The Depositary may receive ADSs in lieu of Shares under (i) above and receive Shares in lieu of ADSs under (ii) above.  Each such Pre-Release Transaction will be (a) subject to a written agreement whereby the person or entity (the “ Applicant ”) to whom ADSs or Shares are to be delivered (w) represents that at the time of the Pre-Release Transaction the Applicant or its customer owns the Shares or ADSs that are to be delivered by the Applicant under such Pre-Release Transaction, (x) agrees to indicate the Depositary as owner of such Shares or ADSs in its records and to hold such Shares or ADSs in trust for the Depositary until such Shares or ADSs are delivered to the Depositary or the Custodian, (y) unconditionally guarantees to deliver to the Depositary or the Custodian, as applicable, such Shares or ADSs and (z) agrees to any additional restrictions or requirements that the Depositary deems appropriate, (b) at all times fully collateralized with cash, U.S. government securities or such other collateral as the Depositary deems appropriate, (c) terminable by the Depositary on not more than five (5) business days’ notice and (d) subject to such further indemnities and credit regulations as the Depositary deems appropriate.  The Depositary will normally limit the number of ADSs and Shares involved in such Pre-Release Transactions at any one time to thirty percent (30%) of the ADSs outstanding (without giving effect to ADSs outstanding under (i) above), provided , however , that the Depositary reserves the right to change or disregard such limit from time to time as it deems appropriate.  The Depositary may also set limits with respect to the number of ADSs and Shares involved in Pre-Release Transactions with any one person on a case-by-case basis as it deems appropriate.  The Depositary may retain for its own account any compensation received by it in conjunction with the foregoing.  Collateral provided pursuant to (b) above, but not the earnings thereon, shall be held for the benefit of the Holders (other than the Applicant).

 

(27)          Governing Law / Waiver of Jury Trial .  The Deposit Agreement and the ADRs shall be interpreted in accordance with, and all rights hereunder and thereunder and provisions hereof and thereof shall be governed by, the laws of the State of New York without reference to the principles of choice of law thereof.  Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement, any ADR or any present or future provisions of the laws of the State of New York, the rights of holders of Shares and of any other Deposited Securities and the obligations and duties of the Company in respect of the holders of Shares and other Deposited Securities, as such, shall be governed by the laws of the Cayman Islands (or, if applicable, such other laws as may govern the Deposited Securities).

 

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EACH OF THE PARTIES TO THE DEPOSIT AGREEMENT (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, EACH HOLDER AND BENEFICIAL OWNER) IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING AGAINST THE COMPANY AND/OR THE DEPOSITARY ARISING OUT OF, OR RELATING TO, THE DEPOSIT AGREEMENT, ANY ADR AND ANY TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED THEREIN (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT, COMMON LAW OR OTHERWISE).

 

A- 26



 

(ASSIGNMENT AND TRANSFER SIGNATURE LINES)

 

FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned Holder hereby sell(s), assign(s) and transfer(s) unto                                whose taxpayer identification number is                         and whose address including postal zip code is                 , the within ADR and all rights thereunder, hereby irrevocably constituting and appointing                          attorney-in-fact to transfer said ADR on the books of the Depositary with full power of substitution in the premises.

 

Dated:

 

Name:

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

Title:

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTICE: The signature of the Holder to this assignment must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the within instrument in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever.

 

 

 

 

 

If the endorsement be executed by an attorney, executor, administrator, trustee or guardian, the person executing the endorsement must give his/her full title in such capacity and proper evidence of authority to act in such capacity, if not on file with the Depositary, must be forwarded with this ADR.

 

 

 

SIGNATURE GUARANTEED

 

 

 

 

All endorsements or assignments of ADRs must be guaranteed by a member of a Medallion Signature Program approved by the Securities Transfer Association, Inc.

 

Legends
[The ADRs issued in respect of Partial Entitlement American Depositary Shares shall bear the following legend on the face of the ADR:  “This ADR evidences ADSs representing  ‘partial entitlement’ Shares of Hexindai Inc. and as such do not entitle the holders thereof to the same per-share entitlement as other Shares (which are ‘full entitlement’ Shares) issued and outstanding at such time.  The ADSs represented by this ADR shall entitle holders to distributions and entitlements identical to other ADSs when the Shares represented by such ADSs become ‘full entitlement’ Shares.”]

 

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EXHIBIT B

 

FEE SCHEDULE

 

ADS FEES AND RELATED CHARGES

 

All capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the meaning given to such terms in the Deposit Agreement.

 

I.              ADS Fees

 

The following ADS fees are payable under the terms of the Deposit Agreement:

 

Service

Rate

By Whom Paid

(1)   Issuance of ADSs ( e.g. , an issuance upon a deposit of Shares, upon a change in the ADS(s)-to-Share(s) ratio, or for any other reason), excluding issuances as a result of distributions described in paragraph (4) below.

Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) issued.

Person receiving ADSs.

(2)   Cancellation of ADSs ( e.g. , a cancellation of ADSs for delivery of deposited Shares, upon a change in the ADS(s)-to-Share(s) ratio, or for any other reason).

Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) cancelled.

Person whose ADSs are being cancelled.

(3)   Distribution of cash dividends or other cash distributions ( e.g. , upon a sale of rights and other entitlements).

Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held.

Person to whom the distribution is made.

(4)   Distribution of ADSs pursuant to (i) stock dividends or other free stock distributions, or (ii) an exercise of rights to purchase additional ADSs.

Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held.

Person to whom the distribution is made.

(5)   Distribution of securities other than ADSs or rights to purchase additional ADSs ( e.g. , spin-off shares).

Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held.

Person to whom the distribution is made.

 

B- 1



 

6)    ADS Services.

Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held on the applicable record date(s) established by the Depositary.

Person holding ADSs on the applicable record date(s) established by the Depositary.

 

II.                                    Charges

 

The Company, Holders, Beneficial Owners, persons receiving ADSs upon issuance and persons whose ADSs are being cancelled shall be responsible for the following ADS charges under the terms of the Deposit Agreement:

 

(i)                                      taxes (including applicable interest and penalties) and other governmental charges;

 

(ii)                                   such registration fees as may from time to time be in effect for the registration of Shares or other Deposited Securities on the share register and applicable to transfers of Shares or other Deposited Securities to or from the name of the Custodian, the Depositary or any nominees upon the making of deposits and withdrawals, respectively;

 

(iii)                                such cable, telex and facsimile transmission and delivery expenses as are expressly provided in the Deposit Agreement to be at the expense of the person depositing Shares or withdrawing Deposited Securities or of the Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs;

 

(iv)                               the expenses and charges incurred by the Depositary in the conversion of foreign currency;

 

(v)                                  such fees and expenses as are incurred by the Depositary in connection with compliance with exchange control regulations and other regulatory requirements applicable to Shares, Deposited Securities, ADSs and ADRs; and

 

(vi)                               the fees and expenses incurred by the Depositary, the Custodian, or any nominee in connection with the servicing or delivery of Deposited Property.

 

B- 2




Exhibit 5.1

 

Our ref

KKZ/727103-000001/10960728v1

 

 

Direct tel

+852 3690 7432

 

 

Email

Karen.ZhangPallaras @maplesandcalder.com

 

Hexindai Inc.

5th Floor, Block C, Shimao No. 92

Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District

Beijing 100020

People’s Republic of China

 

September 29, 2017

 

Dear Sirs

 

Hexindai Inc.

 

We have acted as Cayman Islands legal advisers to Hexindai Inc. (the “ Company ”) in connection with the Company’s registration statement on Form F-1, including all amendments or supplements thereto (the “ Registration Statement ”), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended to date relating to the offering by the Company of certain American Depositary Shares (the “ ADSs ”) representing the Company’s ordinary shares of par value US$0.0001 each (the “ Shares ”).

 

We are furnishing this opinion as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement.

 

1                                          Documents Reviewed

 

For the purposes of this opinion, we have reviewed only originals, copies or final drafts of the following documents and such other documents as we have deemed necessary in order to render the opinions below:

 

1.1                                The certificate of incorporation dated 25 April 2016 issued by the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands.

 

1.2                                The memorandum and articles of association of the Company as adopted by special resolution passed on 25 April 2016 (the “ Pre-IPO M&A ”).

 

1.3                                The amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company as adopted by a special resolution passed on September 22, 2017 and effective conditional and immediately prior to the completion of the Company’s initial public offering of the ADSs representing the Shares (the “ IPO M&A ”).

 

1.4                                The written resolutions of the directors of the Company dated September 22, 2017 (the “ Directors’ Resolutions ”).

 

1.5                                The written resolutions of the shareholders of the Company dated September 22, 2017 (the “ Shareholders’

 



 

Resolutions ”).

 

1.6                                A certificate from a Director of the Company addressed to this firm dated September 22, 2017, a copy of which is attached hereto (the “ Director’s Certificate ”).

 

1.7                                A certificate of good standing dated 29 August 2017, issued by the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands (the “ Certificate of Good Standing ”).

 

1.8                                The Registration Statement.

 

2                                          Assumptions

 

The following opinions are given only as to, and based on, circumstances and matters of fact existing and known to us on the date of this opinion letter.  These opinions only relate to the laws of the Cayman Islands which are in force on the date of this opinion letter.  In giving these opinions we have relied (without further verification) upon the completeness and accuracy, as at the date of this opinion letter, of the Director’s Certificate and the Certificate of Good Standing.  We have also relied upon the following assumptions, which we have not independently verified:

 

2.1                               Copy documents or drafts of documents provided to us are true and complete copies of, or in the final forms of, the originals.

 

2.2                               The genuineness of all signatures and seals.

 

2.3                               There is nothing contained in the minute book or corporate records of the Company (which we have not inspected) which would or might affect the opinions set out below.

 

2.4                               There is nothing under any law (other than the law of the Cayman Islands) which would or might affect the opinions set out below.

 

3                                          Opinion

 

Based upon the foregoing and subject to the qualifications set out below and having regard to such legal considerations as we deem relevant, we are of the opinion that:

 

3.1                               The Company has been duly incorporated as an exempted company with limited liability and is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands.

 

3.2                               The authorised share capital of the Company, with effect immediately prior to the completion of the Company’s initial public offering of the ADSs representing the Shares, will be US$50,000 divided into 500,000,000 ordinary shares with a par value of US$0.0001 each.

 

3.3                               The issue and allotment of the Shares have been duly authorised and when allotted, issued and paid for as contemplated in the Registration Statement, the Shares will be legally issued and allotted, fully paid and non-assessable. As a matter of Cayman law, a share is only issued when it has been entered in the register of members (shareholders).

 

3.4                               The statements under the caption “Taxation” in the prospectus forming part of the Registration Statement, to the extent that they constitute statements of Cayman Islands law, are accurate in all material respects and that such statements constitute our opinion.

 

2



 

4                                          Qualifications

 

Except as specifically stated herein, we make no comment with respect to any representations and warranties which may be made by or with respect to the Company in any of the documents or instruments cited in this opinion or otherwise with respect to the commercial terms of the transactions the subject of this opinion.

 

In this opinion the phrase “non-assessable” means, with respect to Shares in the Company, that a shareholder shall not, solely by virtue of its status as a shareholder, be liable for additional assessments or calls on the Shares by the Company or its creditors (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).

 

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to our name under the headings “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities” and “Legal Matters” and elsewhere in the prospectus included in the Registration Statement.  In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Rules and Regulations of the Commission thereunder.

 

Yours faithfully

 

Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP

Encl

 

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Exhibit 8.3

 

 

HAN KUN LAW OFFICES

 

Suite 906, Office Tower C1, Oriental Plaza, 1 East Chang An Avenue, Beijing 100738, P. R. China

 

TEL: (86 10) 8525 5500 ; FAX: (86 10) 852 5 5511 / 8525 5522

 

September 29, 2017

 

To: Hexindai Inc.

 

13 th  Floor, Block C, Shimao, No.92, Jianguo Road

Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020

The People’s Republic of China

 

Dear Sirs or Madams:

 

We are qualified lawyers of the People’s Republic of China (the “ PRC ” or “ China ”, for the purpose of this opinion only, the PRC shall not include the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan) and as such are qualified to issue this opinion on the laws and regulations of the PRC effective as of the date hereof.

 

We act as the PRC counsel to Hexindai Inc. (the “ Company ”), a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, in connection with (i) the proposed initial public offering (the “ Offering ”) of certain number of American depositary shares (“ Offered ADSs ”), each Offered ADS representing certain number of ordinary shares of the Company (the “ Ordinary Shares ”), by the Company as set forth in the Company’s registration statement on Form F-1, including all amendments or supplements thereto (the “ Registration Statement ”), filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 (as amended) in relation to the Offering, and (ii) the Company’s proposed listing of the Offered ADSs on the NASDAQ Global Market.

 

A.                 Documents and Assumptions

 

In rendering this opinion, we have examined originals or copies of the due diligence documents provided to us by the Company and the PRC Companies (as defined below) and such other documents, corporate records and certificates issued by the governmental authorities in the PRC (collectively the “ Documents ”).

 

In rendering this opinion, we have assumed without independent investigation that (“ Assumptions ”):

 

(i)                         All signatures, seals and chops are genuine, each signature on behalf of a party thereto is that of a person duly authorized by such party to execute the same, all Documents submitted to us as originals are authentic, and all Documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies conform to the originals;

 

CONFIDENTIALITY.   This document contains confidential information which may also be privileged.  Unless you are the addressee (or authorized to receive for the addressee), you may not copy, use, or distribute it.  If you have received it in error, please advise Han Kun Law Offices immediately by telephone or facsimile and return it promptly by mail.  Thanks.

 



 

(ii)                      Each of the parties to the Documents, other than the PRC Companies, (a) if a legal person or other entity, is duly organized and is validly existing in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization and/or incorporation, or (b) if an individual, has full capacity for civil conduct; each of them, other than the PRC Companies, has full power and authority to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under the Documents to which it is a party in accordance with the laws of its jurisdiction of organization or incorporation or the laws that it/she/he is subject to;

 

(iii)                   The Documents that were presented to us remain in full force and effect on the date of this opinion and have not been revoked, amended or supplemented, and no amendments, revisions, supplements, modifications or other changes have been made, and no revocation or termination has occurred, with respect to any of the Documents after they were submitted to us for the purposes of this legal opinion;

 

(iv)                  The laws of jurisdictions other than the PRC which may be applicable to the execution, delivery, performance or enforcement of the Documents are complied with; and

 

(v)                     All requested Documents have been provided to us and all factual statements made to us by the Company and the PRC Companies in connection with this legal opinion are true, correct and complete.

 

B.                 Definitions

 

In addition to the terms defined in the context of this opinion, the following capitalized terms used in this opinion shall have the meanings ascribed to them as follows:

 

(a)                        Governmental Agency ” means any national, provincial or local governmental, regulatory or administrative authority, agency or commission in the PRC, or any court, tribunal or any other judicial body in the PRC, or anybody exercising, or entitled to exercise, any administrative, judicial, legislative, police, regulatory, or taxing authority or power of similar nature in the PRC;

 

(b)                        Governmental Authorizations ” means any license, approval, consent, waiver, order, sanction, certificate, authorization, filing, disclosure, registration, exemption, permission, endorsement, annual inspection, clearance, qualification, permit or license by, from or with any Governmental Agency pursuant to any PRC Laws;

 

(c)                         M&A Rules ” means the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors promulgated by six PRC regulatory agencies, including the Ministry of Commerce, the State Assets Supervision and

 

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Administration Commission, the State Administration for Taxation, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, which became effective on September 8, 2006 and was amended on June 22, 2009 by the Ministry of Commerce.

 

(d)                        PRC Companies ” means PRC Subsidiary and PRC Operating Entity, and “PRC Company” means any of them;

 

(e)                         PRC Operating Entity ” means Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. ( 和信电子商务有限公司 );

 

(f)                          PRC Laws ” mean all applicable national, provincial and local laws, regulations, rules, orders, decrees, and supreme court’s judicial interpretations of the PRC currently in effect and publicly available on the date of this opinion; and

 

(g)                         PRC Subsidiary ” means Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd. ( 北京和信永恒科技发展有限公司 ).

 

Based on our review of the Documents and subject to the Assumptions and the Qualifications (as defined below), we are of the opinion that:

 

(i)                                                          VIE Structure .  The ownership structure of PRC Companies, currently and immediately after giving effect to the Offering, will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect.  Each of PRC Companies and, to the best of our knowledge after due inquiry, each shareholder of the PRC Operating Entity, has full power, authority and legal right (corporate or otherwise) to execute, deliver and perform their respective obligations in respect of each of the agreements under the contractual arrangements described in the Registration Statement under the caption “Corporate History and Structure” (the “ VIE Agreements ”) to which it is a party, and has duly authorized, executed and delivered each of the VIE Agreements to which it is a party.  The VIE Agreements constitute valid, legal and binding obligations enforceable against each of the parties thereto in accordance with the terms of each of the VIE Agreements, subject, as to enforceability, to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles.  To the best of our knowledge after due inquiry, none of the PRC Companies is in material breach or default in the performance or observance of the VIE Agreements to which it is a party.

 

The due execution, delivery and performance of each of the VIE Agreements by the relevant PRC Companies and the other parties thereto, and the due consummation of the transactions contemplated thereunder, do not (A) result in any violation of the business license, articles of association, approval certificate or other

 

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constitutional documents (if any) of any of the PRC Companies; (B) result in any violation of any explicit requirements under the PRC Laws; or (C) to the best of our knowledge after due inquiry, conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any other contract, license, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument governed by PRC Laws (each a “ Binding Agreement ”) known to us to which any PRC Company is a party or by which any of them is bound or to which any of their property or assets is subject.  No Governmental Authorizations are required under any PRC Laws in connection with the due execution, delivery or performance of each of the VIE Agreements other than those already obtained, however, any exercise by the PRC Subsidiary of its rights under the relevant Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement will be subject to: (a) the approval of and/or registration with the Governmental Agencies for the resulting equity transfer; and (b) the exercise price for equity transfer under the VIE Agreements complying with the PRC Laws.

 

However, there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current PRC laws and regulations and there can be no assurance that the PRC government will ultimately take a view that is consistent with our opinion stated above.

 

(ii)                                                       M&A Rules; No Governmental Authorization; No Conflicts .           Based on our understanding of the explicit provisions under the PRC Laws as of the date hereof, we believe that since the PRC Subsidiary was established by means of direct investment rather than by merger or acquisition directly or indirectly of the equity interest or assets of any “domestic company” as defined under the M&A Rules, and no provision in the M&A Rules classifies the contractual arrangements contemplated under the VIE Agreements as a type of acquisition transaction falling under the M&A Rules, we are of the opinion that, the issue and sale of the Ordinary Shares and the Offered ADSs by the Company on the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ Global Market, do not require any Governmental Authorization. However, there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current PRC laws and regulations and there can be no assurance that the PRC government will ultimately take a view that is consistent with our opinion stated above.

 

(iii)                                                    Enforceability of Civil Procedures. The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other form of reciprocity with the United States or the Cayman Islands that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, courts in the PRC will not enforce a foreign judgment against a company or its directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC law or national

 

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sovereignty, security or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States or the Cayman Islands.

 

(iv)                                                   Taxation.   The statements made in the Registration Statement under the caption “Taxation—People’s Republic of China Taxation,” with respect to the PRC tax laws and regulations or interpretations, constitute true and accurate descriptions of the matters described therein in all material aspects and such statements represent our opinion.

 

(v)                                                      PRC Laws. All statements set forth in the Registration Statement under the captions “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Use of Proceeds,” “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities,” “Corporate History and Structure,” “Business,” “Regulation,” “Management,” “Related Party Transactions” and “Taxation”, in each case insofar as such statements describe or summarize PRC legal or regulatory matters, are true and accurate in all material aspects, and correctly set forth therein, and nothing has been omitted from such statements which would make the same misleading in all material aspects.

 

Our opinion expressed above is subject to the following qualifications (the “ Qualifications ”):

 

i.                                           Our opinion is limited to the PRC Laws of general application on the date hereof.  We have made no investigation of, and do not express or imply any views on, the laws of any jurisdiction other than the PRC.

 

ii.                                        The PRC Laws referred to herein are laws and regulations publicly available and currently in force on the date hereof and there is no guarantee that any of such laws and regulations, or the interpretation or enforcement thereof, will not be changed, amended or revoked in the future with or without retrospective effect.

 

iii.                                     Our opinion is subject to the effects of (i) certain legal or statutory principles affecting the enforceability of contractual rights generally under the concepts of public interest, social ethics, national security, good faith, fair dealing, and applicable statutes of limitation; (ii) any circumstance in connection with formulation, execution or performance of any legal documents that would be deemed materially mistaken, clearly unconscionable, fraudulent, coercionary or concealing illegal intentions with a lawful form; (iii) judicial discretion with respect to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief, remedies or defenses, or calculation of damages; and (iv) the discretion of any competent PRC legislative, administrative or judicial bodies in exercising their authority in the PRC.

 

iv.                                    This opinion is issued based on our understanding of the current PRC Laws.  For matters not explicitly provided under the current PRC Laws, the interpretation, implementation and application of the specific requirements

 

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under the PRC Laws are subject to the final discretion of competent PRC legislative, administrative and judicial authorities, and there can be no assurance that the Government Agencies will ultimately take a view that is not contrary to our opinion stated above. Under relevant PRC laws and regulations, foreign investment is restricted in certain businesses and subject to government approval.  The interpretation and implementation of these laws and regulations, and their application to and effect on the legality, binding effect and enforceability of contracts, including the VIE Agreements, are subject to the discretion of competent PRC legislative, administrative and judicial authorities.

 

v.                                       We may rely, as to matters of fact (but not as to legal conclusions), to the extent we deem proper, on certificates and confirmations of responsible officers of the PRC Companies and PRC government officials.

 

vi.                                    This opinion is intended to be used in the context which is specifically referred to herein.

 

vii.                                 As used in this opinion, the expression “to our best knowledge” or similar language with reference to matters of fact refers to the current actual knowledge of the attorneys of this firm who have worked on matters for the Company in connection with the Offering and the transactions contemplated thereunder.  We have not undertaken any independent investigation to determine the existence or absence of any fact, and no inference as to our knowledge of the existence or absence of any fact should be drawn from our representation of the Company or the rendering of this opinion.

 

This opinion is strictly limited to the matters stated herein and no opinion is implied or may be inferred beyond the matters expressly stated herein.  The opinion expressed herein is rendered only as of the date hereof, and we assume no responsibility to advise you of facts, circumstances, events or developments that hereafter may be brought to our attention and that may alter, affect or modify the opinion expressed herein.

 

The opinion expressed herein is solely for the benefit of the Company and without our prior written consent, neither this opinion nor our opinion herein may be relied upon by any other person. We hereby consent to the use of this opinion in, and the filing hereof as an exhibit to, the Registration Statement, and to the reference to our name in such Registration Statement.

 

 

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Exhibit 10.1

 

Business Cooperation Framework Agreement

 

This Business Cooperation Framework Agreement (this “ Agreement ”) is made and entered into by and among the following parties on March 17, 2017 (the “ Date of Execution ”), in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China (the “ PRC ”).

 

Party A.

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. (“Heixin E-Commerce”)

 

 

 

Address: Room 1313, 13/F Nei, 4/F-24/F, No. 92 Jia, Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

 

 

Party B.

Hexin Financial Information Service (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (“Hexin Finance”)

 

 

 

Address: Room 1208, 12/F Nei, 4/F-24/F, No. 92 Jia, Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

 

 

Party C.

Hexin Information Service Co., Ltd. (“Hexin Information”)

 

 

 

Address: Room 1204, 12/F Nei, 4/F-24/F, No. 92 Jia, Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

 

In this Agreement, Party A, Party B and Party C shall be hereinafter referred to as a “Party” individually, and as “Parties” collectively.

 

Whereas,

 

1.                             Hexin E-Commerce is a limited liability company incorporated in the PRC. It is mainly engaged in business including economic information consultation, investment management, investment consultation and asset management, etc. (“ Hexin E-Commerce Business ”);

 

2.                             Hexin Finance is a limited liability company incorporated in the PRC. It is mainly engaged in business including investment management, investment consultation, and asset management, etc. (“ Hexin Finance Business ”);

 

3.                             Hexin Information is a limited liability company incorporated in the PRC. It is mainly engaged in business including economic and trade consultation and financial business process outsourcing service entrusted by financial institutions, etc. (“ Hexin Information Business ”);

 

4.                            The Parties recognize and acknowledge that, the ultimate overseas controlling company of Hexin E-Commerce, namely Hexindai Inc., intends to conduct Hexin E-Commerce Business through Hexin E-Commerce and plans to submit

 

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an initial public offering registration statement to SEC (as defined below) for review (“ IPO Application ”).

 

5.                             The Parties intend in this Agreement to set forth the principal terms and conditions with respect to their agreement upon the execution of this Agreement.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, with respect to cooperation in the term of this Agreement, the Parties intending to be legally bound, agree as follows:

 

1                                Definition

 

1.1                      Unless otherwise defined, the following terms have the meanings given to them in this Section 1:

 

1.2                      “Force Majeure” means any force majeure events such as earthquakes, typhoons, floods, fires, flu, wars, riots, strikes or any other events that cannot be predicted and are unpreventable and unavoidable by the affected Party.

 

1.3                      “Non-Competition Period” means the period beginning from the IPO Completion Date and ending on the earlier of: (i) 2 years after the IPO Completion Date; or (ii) the date on which the shares of Hexindai Inc. cease to trading on NASDAQ or the New York Stock Exchange.

 

1.4                      “Underwriters” means the underwriters engaged for the IPO.

 

1.5                      “Law” means any law, statute, rule, regulation or other requirement imposed by a governmental authority, including any order, statute or other legal measures and any regulation, rule, treaty, order, decree or judgment.

 

1.6                      “US” means the United States of America.

 

1.7                      “SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

1.8                      “Group Members” or “Group Member” collectively means a company and its every subsidiary.

 

1.9                      “Approval” means any right, license, permit, approval, waiver, consent and authorization by any governmental authority and all the registrations and filings with any governmental authority.

 

1.10               “IPO” means an initial public offering of shares of Hexindai Inc.

 

1.11               “IPO Completion Date” means the date on which the IPO of Hexindai Inc. on NASDAQ or the New York Stock Exchange is completed.

 

1.12               “Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time

 

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to time.

 

2                                The IPO and Relevant Actions

 

2.1                      Transactions prior to the IPO. Subject to the occurrence of the events described in this Article 2, the Parties intend to consummate the IPO of Hexindai Inc. and to take, or cause to be taken, the actions specified in this Section 2.1.

 

2.1.1                     Registration Statement. Hexindai Inc. has submitted or plans to submit on a confidential basis for review by the SEC the Draft IPO Registration Statement, and intends to submit such amendments or supplements thereto as may be requested by the SEC staff in connection with such review and agreed to by Hexindai Inc., and subsequently to file with the SEC the IPO Registration Statement and make such amendments and supplements thereto as may be necessary or desirable in order to cause the same to comply with the Securities Act and other applicable law, to become and remain effective under the Securities Act, or as may be requested by the representatives of the Underwriters for the IPO, including, without limitation, filing such amendments or supplements to the IPO Registration Statement as may be required by the underwriting agreement to be entered into among Hexindai Inc. and the Underwriters following the effectiveness of the IPO Registration Statement under the Securities Act.

 

2.1.2                     Underwriting Agreement. Following the effectiveness of the IPO Registration Statement, Hexindai Inc. will enter into the underwriting agreement, which shall in form and substance be satisfactory to Hexindai Inc., as determined by its board of directors or authorized designees, as appropriate, and Hexindai Inc. shall comply with its obligations thereunder.

 

2.1.3                     NASDAQ or NYSE Listing. Hexindai Inc. plans to prepare, file and have approved an application for listing on NASDAQ or the New York Stock Exchange of the American depositary shares (ordinary shares), to be offered and sold in the IPO.

 

2.2                      Cooperation. Hexin Finance and Hexin information shall each consult with, and cooperate in all respects with Hexin E-Commerce in connection with the marketing of Hexindai Inc., including any roadshow presentations, and pricing of the ADSs and shall take any and all actions as may be reasonably necessary or desirable to consummate the IPO as contemplated by the IPO Registration Statement and the underwriting agreement.

 

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3                                Recommendation of Clients (Borrowers)

 

3.1                      During the Non-Competition Period, Hexin Finance and Hexin Information shall recommend clients including borrowers, etc. to Hexin E-Commerce in an active way. Subject to the scope of Hexin E-Commerce’s principal business, Hexin Finance and Hexin Information shall first recommend the clients they acquire from the front end only to Hexin E-Commerce. Hexin Finance and Hexin Information are entitled to charge the clients with reasonable fees.

 

3.2                      The Parties hereby further agree on the following principles and procedures in relation to client recommendation service: as far as borrower acquisition is concerned, Hexin E-Commerce shall submit its request for borrowers to Hexin Finance and Hexin Information on a monthly basis, and Hexin Finance and Hexin Information shall provide borrowers’ information as required by Hexin E-Commerce. Hexin Finance and Hexin Information shall direct all the borrowers that meet Hexin E-Commerce’s borrower criteria to Hexin E-Commerce per the aforesaid request, and only when Hexin E-Commerce rejects a borrower and explicitly informs Hexin Finance and Hexin Information, Hexin Finance and Hexin Information may then offer the borrower any other loan products and services.

 

4                                Non-Competition

 

4.1                      Undertaking of Hexin Finance and Hexin Information. During the Non-Competition Period, Hexin Finance and Hexin Information will not, and will cause each of the other Group Members of Hexin Finance and Hexin Information not to, other than through Hexin E-Commerce, directly or indirectly be engaged, invest, participate or otherwise be interested in, whether on its own account or with each other or in conjunction with or on behalf of any person, (i) the Hexin E-Commerce Business; or (ii) any business that is of the same nature as or similar to the Hexin E-Commerce Business. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any group member of Hexin Finance and Hexin Information shall not be prohibited from:

 

4.1.1                     being engaged in the Hexin E-Commerce Business or any business that is of the same nature as the Hexin E-Commerce Business through contracts, engagements with or on behalf of any Group Member of Hexin E-Commerce;

 

4.1.2                     continuing to engage in the Hexin Finance Business and the Hexin Information Business that Hexin Finance and Hexin Information engage as of the date of this Agreement; or

 

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4.1.3                     holding shares, invest or otherwise being interested in, beneficially or of record, no more than 50% (calculated on an aggregate basis combining any such ownership by any Group Members of the Hexin Finance and Hexin Information) of the equity or its equivalent of any company (other than Hexin E-Commerce) that engages in any business that is of the same nature as the Hexin E-Commerce Business; provided that Hexin Finance and Hexin Information do not have board or management control of such company.

 

4.2                      Undertaking of Hexin E-Commerce. During the Non-Competition Period, Hexin E-Commerce will not, and will cause each of the other group members of Hexin E-Commerce not to, directly or indirectly be engaged, invest, participate or otherwise be interested in, whether on its own account or with each other or in conjunction with or on behalf of any person, (i) the Hexin Finance Business and the Hexin Information Business; or (ii) any business that is of the same nature as the Hexin Finance Business and the Hexin Information Business. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any Group Member of Hexin E-Commerce shall not be prohibited from:

 

4.2.1                     being engaged in the Hexin Finance Business and the Hexin Information Business or any business that is of the same nature or similar as the Hexin Finance Business and the Hexin Information Business through contracts, engagements with or on behalf of any group member of Hexin Finance and Hexin Information; or

 

4.2.2                     holding shares, invest or otherwise being interested in, beneficially or of record, no more than 50% (calculated on an aggregate basis combining any such ownership by any group members of Hexin E-Commerce) of the equity or its equivalent of any company that engages in any business that is of the same nature as the Business of Hexin Finance and the Business of Hexin Information; provided that Hexin E-Commerce does not have board or management control of such company.

 

5                                Non-Solicitation

 

5.1                      Non-Solicitation by Hexin Finance and Hexin Information. During the Non-Competition Period, Hexin Finance and Hexin Information will not, and will cause each other Group Member of Hexin Finance and Hexin Information not to, directly or indirectly, hire, or solicit for hire, any active employees of or individuals conducting the Hexin E-Commerce Business, or any former employees of Hexin E-Commerce within six

 

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months of the termination of their employment with Hexin E-Commerce, to conduct the Hexin E-Commerce Business within Hexin Finance and Hexin Information without Hexin E-Commerce’s consent; provided that the foregoing shall not prohibit any solicitation activities through generalized non-targeted advertisement not directed to such employees or individuals that do not result in the hiring of any such employees or individuals by Hexin Finance and Hexin Information within the Non-Competition Period.

 

5.2                      Non-Solicitation by Hexin E-Commerce. During the Non-Competition Period, Hexin E-Commerce will not, and will cause each other group member of Hexin E-Commerce not to, directly or indirectly, hire, or solicit for hire, any active employees of or individuals conducting the Business of Hexin Finance and the Hexin Information Business, or any former employees of Hexin Finance and Hexin Information within six months of the termination of their employment with Hexin Finance and Hexin Information, to conduct the Hexin Finance Business and the Hexin Information Business within Hexin E-Commerce without the consent of Hexin Finance and Hexin Information; provided that the foregoing shall not prohibit any solicitation activities through generalized non-targeted advertisement not directed to such employees or individuals that do not result in the hiring of any such employees or individuals by Hexin E-Commerce within the Non-Competition Period.

 

6                                Confidentiality Clauses

 

Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement and any oral or written information exchanged between Parties in connection with the preparation and performance of this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Any Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of the other Party, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third party, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

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7                                Term of Agreement

 

7.1                      This Agreement shall become effective upon execution by the Parties. This agreement may be terminated upon written consent of the Parties.

 

7.2                      The rights and obligations of the Parties under Article 6 and Article 8 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

8                                Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

8.1                      The execution, effectiveness, interpretation, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes hereunder shall be governed by the laws of PRC.

 

8.2                      In the event of any dispute with respect to the interpretation and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations.  In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute, any Party may submit the relevant dispute to the Beijing Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with the arbitration rules of such arbitration commission effective at that time.  The place of the hearing of the arbitration shall be Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on all the Parties.

 

8.3                      Upon the occurrence of any disputes arising from the interpretation and performance of this Agreement or during the pending arbitration of any dispute, except for the matters under dispute, Parties shall continue to exercise their respective rights under this Agreement and perform their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

9                                Breach of Agreement and Indemnification

 

9.1                     If Hexin Finance and Hexin Information materially breach any provision under this Agreement, or fail to perform, perform incompletely or delay to perform any obligation under this Agreement, it shall constitute a breach under this Agreement on the part of Hexin Finance and Hexin Information.  Hexin E-Commerce is entitled to require Hexin Finance and Hexin Information to rectify or take remedial measures.  If Hexin Finance and Hexin Information fail to rectify or take remedial measures within ten (10) days after Hexin E-Commerce delivers written notices to Hexin Finance and Hexin Information and requires for rectification (or within any other reasonable period required by Hexin E-Commerce ), Hexin E-Commerce  is entitled to, at its sole discretion, (1) terminate this Agreement and require  Hexin Finance and Hexin Information to compensate all the losses; or (2) require specific performance of the obligations of Hexin Finance and Hexin Information under this Agreement and require Hexin

 

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Finance and Hexin Information to compensate all the losses.  This Section shall not prejudice any other rights of Hexin E-Commerce under this Agreement.

 

9.2                      In view of the special nature of Internet, Hexin E-Commerce shall not bear any liability to Hexin Finance and Hexin Information under the following circumstances: (a) hacker attack; (b) hugely influenced by the technology adjustment of Internet and Telecommunication Department, not including losses caused by Hexin E-Commerce’s poor management; (c) virus attack; (d) common breakdown of the public internet.

 

9.3                      Unless otherwise required by the applicable laws, Hexin Finance and Hexin Information shall not unilaterally terminate this Agreement in any event.

 

9.4                      Hexin Finance and Hexin Information shall indemnify Hexin E-Commerce and hold Hexin E-Commerce harmless from any losses, damages, obligations or expenses caused by any lawsuit, claims or other demands raised by any third party against Hexin E-Commerce arising from or caused by the services provided by Hexin E-Commerce to Hexin Finance and Hexin Information pursuant this Agreement, except where such losses, damages, obligations or expenses arise from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of Party A.

 

10                         Force Majeure

 

10.1               In the case of any Force Majeure which causes the failure of any Party to perform or completely perform this Agreement or perform this Agreement on time, the Party affected by such Force Majeure shall not be liable for this.  However, the Party affected by such Force Majeure shall give the other Party written notices without any delay, and shall provide details and related documents evidencing such event within 15 days after sending out such notice, explaining the reasons for such failure of, partial or delay of performance.

 

10.2               If such Party claiming Force Majeure fails to notify other Party and furnish it with proof pursuant to the above provision, such Party shall not be excused from the non-performance, incomplete performance or delay of performance of its obligations hereunder.  The Party so affected by the event of Force Majeure shall use reasonable efforts to minimize the consequences of such Force Majeure and to promptly resume performance hereunder whenever the causes of such excuse are cured.  Should the Party so affected by the event of Force Majeure fail to resume performance hereunder when the causes of such excuse are cured, such Party shall be liable to the other Party.

 

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10.3               In the event of Force Majeure, the Parties shall immediately consult with others to find an equitable solution and shall use all reasonable endeavors to minimize the consequences of such Force Majeure.

 

11                         Notices

 

11.1               All notices and other communications required to be given pursuant to this Agreement or otherwise given in connection with this Agreement shall be delivered personally, or sent by registered mail, prepaid postage, a commercial courier service, facsimile transmission or email to the address of such Party set forth below.  The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

11.1.1              Notices given by personal delivery shall be deemed effectively given on the date of receipt at the address set forth below, or the date on which such notices are placed at the address set forth below; Notices given by courier service, registered mail or prepaid postage shall be deemed effectively given on the date of receipt, refusal or return for any reason at the address set forth below;

 

11.1.2              Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission to the Fax no. set forth below (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).  Notices given by email shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission, provided that the sending Party has received a system message indicating successful transmission or has not received a system message within 24 hours indicating failure of delivery or return of email.

 

11.1.3              For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

Party A.                    Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Address: Room 1313, 13/F Nei, 4/F-24/F, No. 92 Jia, Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

 

Recipient: ZHOU Xinming ( 周歆明 )

 

Tel: 010-53579038

 

E-mail: zhouxinming@hexindai.com

 

Party B.                    Hexin Financial Information Service (Beijing) Co., Ltd.

 

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Address: Room 1208, 12/F Nei, 4/F-24/F, No. 92 Jia, Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

 

Recipient: YANG Geng ( 杨庚 )

 

Tel: 010-52511263

 

E-mail: yanggeng@hexindai.com

 

Party C.                    Hexin Information Service Co., Ltd.

 

Address: Room 1204, 12/F Nei, 4/F-24/F, No. 92 Jia, Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

 

Recipient: WU Mingxiong ( 吴明雄 )

 

Tel: 010-59856888

 

E-mail: wumingxiong@hexindai.com

 

11.2               Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Party in accordance with the terms of this Section.

 

12                         Assignment

 

12.1               Without Hexin E-Commerce’s prior written consent, Hexin Finance and Hexin Information shall not assign their rights and obligations under this Agreement to any third party.

 

12.2               Hexin Finance and Hexin Information agree that unless expressly required by the applicable laws otherwise, Hexin E-Commerce may assign its obligations and rights under this Agreement to any third party and in case of such assignment, Hexin E-Commerce is only required to give written notices to Hexin Finance and Hexin Information and does not need any consent from Hexin Finance and Hexin Information for such assignment.

 

13                         Severability

 

In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Agreement are held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or compromised in any aspect.  Parties shall negotiate in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law and the intentions of Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those

 

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invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

14                         Amendments and Supplements

 

Any amendment, change and supplement to this Agreement shall be made in writing by all of the Parties. Any amendment agreement and supplementary agreement duly executed by Parties hereto with regard to this Agreement shall constitute an integral part of this Agreement, and shall have equal legal validity as this Agreement.

 

15                         Successors

 

The terms of this Agreement shall be binding on Parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns, and shall be valid with respect to Parties and any of their successors and permitted assigns.

 

16                         Language and Counterparts

 

This Agreement is written in English language in three copies, each Party shall hold one copy respectively.

 

(EXECUTION PAGE FOLLOW)

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Business Cooperation Framework Agreement as of the date first above written.

 

Party A:

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. (Seal)

 

 

 

 

 

By :

 

 

Name:

AN Xiaobo ( 安晓博 )

 

Position:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party B:

Hexin Financial Information Service (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (Seal)

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

Name:

AN Xiaobo ( 安晓博 )

 

Position:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party C:

Hexin Information Service Co., Ltd. (Seal)

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

Name

AN Xiaobo ( 安晓博 )

 

Position

Legal Representative

 

 

Framework Agreement-Signature Page

 




Exhibit 10.2

 

Equity Interest Pledge Agreement

 

This Equity Interest Pledge Agreement (this “Agreement”) has been executed by and among the following parties on 1 st  November, 2016 in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”):

 

Party A:                         Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd (hereinafter “Pledgee”), a wholly foreign owned enterprise, organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China;

 

Party B:                         Xiaobo An (hereinafter “Pledgor”), a Chinese citizen with Chinese Identification No.: *******; and

 

Party C:                         Hexin E-Commerce Co.,   Ltd., a limited liability company organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China.

 

In this Agreement, each of Pledgee, Pledgor and Party C shall be referred to as a “Party” respectively, and they shall be collectively referred to as the “Parties”.

 

Whereas:

 

1.                    Pledgor is a citizen of China who as of the date hereof holds 94.99% of equity interests of Party C, representing RMB99,999,999 in the registered capital of Party C. Party C is a limited liability company registered in Beijing, China, engaging in Economic information consultation, Investment management, Investment consultation, Asset management, E-commerce, financial consultation. Party C acknowledges the respective rights and obligations of Pledgor and Pledgee under this Agreement, and intends to provide any necessary assistance in

 

Strictly Confidential

 

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registering the Pledge;

 

2.                    Pledgee is a wholly foreign-owned enterprise registered in China. Pledgee and Party C which is partially owned by Pledgor have executed an Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (as defined below) in Beijing; Party C, Pledgee and Pledgor have executed an Exclusive Option Agreement (as defined below); Pledgor has executed a Power of Attorney (as defined below) in favor of Pledgee; and Pledgee and Pledgor have executed a Loan Agreement (as defined below);

 

3.                    To ensure that Party C and Pledgor fully perform their obligations under the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement, the Exclusive Option Agreement, the Loan Agreement and the Power of Attorney, Pledgor hereby pledges to the Pledgee all of the equity interest that Pledgor holds in Party C as security for Party C’s and Pledgor’s obligations under the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement, the Exclusive Option Agreement, the Loan Agreement and the Power of Attorney.

 

To perform the provisions of the Transaction Documents (as defined below), the Parties have mutually agreed to execute this Agreement upon the following terms.

 

1.                    Definitions

 

Unless otherwise provided herein, the terms below shall have the following meanings:

 

1.1                      Pledge: shall refer to the security interest granted by Pledgor to Pledgee pursuant to Section 2 of this Agreement, i.e., the right of Pledgee to be paid in priority with the Equity Interest based on the monetary valuation that such Equity Interest is converted into or from the proceeds from auction or sale of the Equity Interest.

 

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1.2                      Equity Interest: shall refer to 94.99% equity interests in Party C currently held by Pledgor, representing RMB99,999,999 in the registered capital of Party C, and all of the equity interest hereafter acquired by Pledgor in Party C.

 

1.3                      Term of Pledge: shall refer to the term set forth in Section 3 of this Agreement.

 

1.4                      Transaction Documents: shall refer to the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement executed by and between Party C and Pledgee on 1 st  November, 2016 (the “Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement”), the Exclusive Option Agreement executed by and among Party C, Pledgee and Pledgor on 1 st  November, 2016 (the “Exclusive Option Agreement”), the Loan Agreement executed by and between Pledgee and Pledgor on 1 st  November, 2016 (the “Loan Agreement”), Power of Attorney executed on 1 st November, 2016 by Pledgor (the “Power of Attorney”) and any modification, amendment and restatement to the aforementioned documents.

 

1.5                      Contract Obligations: shall refer to all the obligations of Pledgor under the Exclusive Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Loan Agreement and this Agreement; all the obligations of Party C under the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement, the Exclusive Option Agreement, the Loan Agreement and this Agreement.

 

1.6                      Secured Indebtedness: shall refer to all the direct, indirect and derivative losses and losses of anticipated profits, suffered by Pledgee, incurred as a result of any Event of Default. The amount of such loss shall be calculated in accordance with the reasonable business plan and profit forecast of Pledgee, the consulting and service fees payable to Pledgee under the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement, all expenses occurred in connection with enforcement by Pledgee of Pledgor’s and/or Party C’s Contract Obligations and etc.

 

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1.7                      Event of Default: shall refer to any of the circumstances set forth in Section 7 of this Agreement.

 

1.8                      Notice of Default: shall refer to the notice issued by Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement declaring an Event of Default.

 

2.                    Pledge

 

2.1                      Pledgor agrees to pledge all the Equity Interest as security for performance of the Contract Obligations and payment of the Secured Indebtedness under this Agreement. Party C hereby assents that Pledgor pledges the Equity Interest to the Pledgee pursuant to this Agreement.

 

2.2                      During the term of the Pledge, Pledgee is entitled to receive dividends distributed on the Equity Interest. Pledgor may receive dividends distributed on the Equity Interest only with prior written consent of Pledgee. Dividends received by Pledgor on Equity Interest after deduction of individual income tax paid by Pledgor shall be, as required by Pledgee, (1) deposited into an account designated and supervised by Pledgee and used to secure the Contract Obligations and pay the Secured Indebtedness prior and in preference to make any other payment; or (2) unconditionally donated to Pledgee or any other person designated by Pledgee to the extent permitted under applicable PRC laws.

 

2.3                      Pledgor may subscribe for capital increase in Party C only with prior written consent of Pledgee. Any equity interest obtained by Pledgor as a result of Pledgor’s subscription of the increased registered capital of the Company shall also be deemed as Equity Interest.

 

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2.4                      In the event that Party C is required by PRC law to be liquidated or dissolved, any interest distributed to Pledgor upon Party C’s dissolution or liquidation shall, upon the request of the Pledgee, be (1) deposited into an account designate and supervised by Pledgee and used to secure the Contract Obligations and pay the Secured Indebtedness prior and in preference to make any other payment; or (2) unconditionally donated to Pledgee or any other person designated by Pledgee to the extent permitted under applicable PRC laws.

 

3.                    Term of Pledge

 

3.1                      The Pledge shall become effective on such date when the pledge of the Equity Interest contemplated herein is registered with relevant administration for industry and commerce (the “AIC”). The Pledge shall remain effective until all Contract Obligations have been fully performed and all Secured Indebtedness have been fully paid. Pledgor and Party C shall (1) register the Pledge in the shareholders’ register of Party C within 3 business days following the execution of this Agreement, and (2) submit an application to the AIC for the registration of the Pledge of the Equity Interest contemplated herein within 15 business days following the execution of this Agreement. The parties covenant that for the purpose of registration of the Pledge, the parties hereto and all other shareholders of Party C shall submit to the AIC this Agreement or an equity interest pledge contract in the form required by the AIC at the location of Party C which shall truly reflect the information of the Pledge hereunder (the “AIC Pledge Contract”). For matters not specified in the AIC Pledge Contract, the parties shall be bound by the provisions of this Agreement. Pledgor and Party C shall submit all necessary documents and complete all necessary procedures, as required by the PRC laws and regulations and the relevant AIC, to ensure that the Pledge of the Equity Interest shall be registered with the AIC as soon as possible after submission for filing.

 

5



 

3.2                      During the Term of Pledge, in the event Pledgor and/or Party C fails to perform the Contract Obligations or pay Secured Indebtedness, Pledgee shall have the right, but not the obligation, to exercise the Pledge in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.

 

4.                    Custody of Records for Equity Interest subject to Pledge

 

4.1                      During the Term of Pledge set forth in this Agreement, Pledgor shall deliver to Pledgee’s custody the capital contribution certificate for the Equity Interest and the shareholders’ register containing the Pledge within one week from the execution of this Agreement. Pledgee shall have custody of such documents during the entire Term of Pledge set forth in this Agreement.

 

5.                    Representations and Warranties of Pledgor and Party C

 

As of the execution date of this Agreement, Pledgor and Party C hereby jointly and severally represent and warrant to Pledgee that:

 

5.1                      Pledgor is the sole legal and beneficial owner of the Equity Interest.

 

5.2                      Pledgee shall have the right to dispose of and transfer the Equity Interest in accordance with the provisions set forth in this Agreement.

 

5.3                      Except for the Pledge, Pledgor has not placed any security interest, collateral or other encumbrance on the Equity Interest.

 

5.4                      Pledgor and Party C have obtained any and all approvals and consents from applicable government authorities and third parties (if required) for execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement.

 

6



 

5.5                      The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement will not: (i) violate any relevant PRC laws; (ii) conflict with Party C’s articles of association or other constitutional documents; (iii) result in any breach of or constitute any default under any contract or instrument to which it is a party or by which it is otherwise bound; (iv) result in any violation of any condition for the grant and/or maintenance of any permit or approval granted to any Party; or (v) cause any permit or approval granted to any Party to be suspended, cancelled or attached with additional conditions.

 

6.                    Covenants of Pledgor and Party C

 

6.1                      During the term of this Agreement, Pledgor and Party C hereby jointly and severally covenant to the Pledgee:

 

6.1.1            Pledgor shall not transfer the Equity Interest, place or permit the existence of any security interest or other encumbrance on the Equity Interest or any portion thereof, without the prior written consent of Pledgee, except for the performance of the Transaction Documents;

 

6.1.2            Pledgor and Party C shall comply with the provisions of all laws and regulations applicable to the pledge of rights, and within five (5) days of receipt of any notice, order or recommendation issued or prepared by relevant competent authorities regarding the Pledge, shall present the aforementioned notice, order or recommendation to Pledgee, and shall comply with the aforementioned notice, order or recommendation or submit objections and representations with respect to the aforementioned matters upon Pledgee’s reasonable request or upon consent of Pledgee;

 

6.1.3            Pledgor and Party C shall promptly notify Pledgee of any event or notice received by Pledgor that may have an impact on the Equity Interest or any portion thereof, as well as any event or notice

 

7



 

received by Pledgor that may have an impact on any guarantees and other obligations of Pledgor arising out of this Agreement.

 

6.1.4            Party C shall complete the registration procedures for extension of the term of operation within three (3) months prior to the expiration of such term to maintain the validity of this Agreement.

 

6.2                      Pledgor agrees that the rights acquired by Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement with respect to the Pledge shall not be interrupted or harmed by Pledgor or any heirs or representatives of Pledgor or any other persons through any legal proceedings.

 

6.3                      To protect or perfect the security interest granted by this Agreement for the Contract Obligations and Secured Indebtedness, Pledgor hereby undertakes to execute in good faith and to cause other parties who have an interest in the Pledge to execute all certificates, agreements, deeds and/or covenants required by Pledgee. Pledgor also undertakes to perform and to cause other parties who have an interest in the Pledge to perform actions required by Pledgee, to facilitate the exercise by Pledgee of its rights and authority granted thereto by this Agreement, and to enter into all relevant documents regarding ownership of Equity Interest with Pledgee or designee(s) of Pledgee (natural persons/legal persons). Pledgor undertakes to provide Pledgee within a reasonable time with all notices, orders and decisions regarding the Pledge that are required by Pledgee.

 

6.4                      Pledgor hereby undertakes to comply with and perform all guarantees, promises, agreements, representations and conditions under this Agreement. In the event of failure or partial performance of its guarantees, promises, agreements, representations and conditions, Pledgor shall indemnify Pledgee for all losses resulting therefrom.

 

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7.                    Event of Breach

 

7.1                      The following circumstances shall be deemed Event of Default:

 

7.1.1            Pledgor’s any breach to any obligations under the Transaction Documents and/or this Agreement.

 

7.1.2            Party C’s any breach to any obligations under the Transaction Documents and/or this Agreement.

 

7.2                      Upon notice or discovery of the occurrence of any circumstances or event that may lead to the aforementioned circumstances described in Section 7.1, Pledgor and Party C shall immediately notify Pledgee in writing accordingly.

 

7.3                      Unless an Event of Default set forth in this Section 7.1 has been successfully resolved to Pledgee’s satisfaction within twenty (20) days after the Pledgee and /or Party C delivers a notice to the Pledgor requesting ratification of such Event of Default, Pledgee may issue a Notice of Default to Pledgor in writing at any time thereafter, demanding the Pledgor to immediately exercise the Pledge in accordance with the provisions of Section 8 of this Agreement.

 

8.               Exercise of Pledge

 

8.1                      Pledgee shall issue a written Notice of Default to Pledgor when it exercises the Pledge.

 

8.2                      Subject to the provisions of Section 7.3, Pledgee may exercise the right to enforce the Pledge at any time after the issuance of the Notice of Default in accordance with Section 8.1. Once Pledgee elects to enforce the Pledge, Pledgor shall cease to be entitled to any rights or interests associated with the Equity Interest.

 

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8.3                      After Pledgee issues a Notice of Default to Pledgor in accordance with Section 8.1, Pledgee may exercise any remedy measure under applicable PRC laws, the Transaction Documents and this Agreement, including but not limited to being paid in priority with the Equity Interest based on the monetary valuation that such Equity Interest is converted into or from the proceeds from auction or sale of the Equity Interest. The Pledgee shall not be liable for any loss incurred by its duly exercise of such rights and powers.

 

8.4                      The proceeds from exercise of the Pledge by Pledgee shall be used to pay for tax and expenses incurred as result of disposing the Equity Interest and to perform Contract Obligations and pay the Secured Indebtedness to the Pledgee prior and in preference to any other payment. After the payment of the aforementioned amounts, the remaining balance shall be returned to Pledgor or any other person who have rights to such balance under applicable laws or be deposited to the local notary public office where Pledgor resides, with all expense incurred being borne by Pledgor. To the extent permitted under applicable PRC laws, Pledgor shall unconditionally donate the aforementioned proceeds to Pledgee or any other person designated by Pledgee.

 

8.5                      Pledgee may exercise any remedy measure available simultaneously or in any order. Pledgee may exercise the right to being paid in priority with the Equity Interest based on the monetary valuation that such Equity Interest is converted into or from the proceeds from auction or sale of the Equity Interest under this Agreement, without exercising any other remedy measure first.

 

8.6                      Pledgee is entitled to designate an attorney or other representatives to exercise the Pledge on its behalf, and Pledgor or Party C shall not raise any objection to such exercise.

 

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8.7                      When Pledgee disposes of the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement, Pledgor and Party C shall provide necessary assistance to enable Pledgee to enforce the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement.

 

9.                    Breach of Agreement

 

9.1                      If Pledgor or Party C conducts any material breach of any term of this Agreement, Pledgee shall have right to terminate this Agreement and/or require Pledgor or Party C to indemnify all damages; this Section 9 shall not prejudice any other rights of Pledgee herein;

 

9.2                      Pledgor or Party C shall not have any right to terminate this Agreement in any event unless otherwise required by applicable laws.

 

10.             Assignment

 

10.1               Without Pledgee’s prior written consent, Pledgor and Party C shall not have the right to assign or delegate their rights and obligations under this Agreement.

 

10.2               This Agreement shall be binding on Pledgor and his/her successors and permitted assigns, and shall be valid with respect to Pledgee and each of his/her successors and assigns.

 

10.3               At any time, Pledgee may assign any and all of its rights and obligations under the Transaction Documents and this Agreement to its designee(s), in which case the assigns shall have the rights and obligations of Pledgee under the Transaction Documents and this Agreement, as if it were the original party to the Transaction Documents and this Agreement.

 

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10.4               In the event of change of Pledgee due to assignment, Pledgor and/or Party C shall, at the request of Pledgee, execute a new pledge agreement with the new pledgee on the same terms and conditions as this Agreement, and register the same with the relevant AIC.

 

10.5               Pledgor and Party C shall strictly abide by the provisions of this Agreement and other contracts jointly or separately executed by the Parties hereto or any of them, including the Transaction Documents, perform the obligations hereunder and thereunder, and refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability thereof. Any remaining rights of Pledgor with respect to the Equity Interest pledged hereunder shall not be exercised by Pledgor except in accordance with the written instructions of Pledgee.

 

11.             Termination

 

11.1               Upon the fulfillment of all Contract Obligations and the full payment of all Secured Indebtedness by Pledgor and Party C, Pledgee shall release the Pledge under this Agreement upon Pledgor’s request as soon as reasonably practicable and shall assist Pledgor to de-register the Pledge from the shareholders’ register of Party C and with relevant PRC local administration for industry and commerce.

 

11.2               The provisions under Sections 9, 13, 14 and 11.2 herein of this Agreement shall survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement.

 

12.             Handling Fees and Other Expenses

 

All fees and out of pocket expenses relating to this Agreement, including but not limited to legal costs, costs of production, stamp tax and any other taxes and fees, shall be borne by Party C.

 

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13.             Confidentiality

 

The Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement and any oral or written information exchanged between the Parties in connection with the preparation and performance this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Each Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of the other Party, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third parties, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

14.             Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

14.1               The execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes hereunder shall be governed by the laws of China.

 

14.2               In the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s request to the other Parties for

 

13



 

resolution of the dispute through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with its Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on all Parties.

 

14.3               Upon the occurrence of any disputes arising from the construction and performance of this Agreement or during the pending arbitration of any dispute, except for the matters under dispute, the Parties to this Agreement shall continue to exercise their respective rights under this Agreement and perform their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

15.             Notices

 

15.1               All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of such party set forth below. A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by E-mail. The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

15.2               Notices given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail, postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of delivery or refusal at the address specified for notices.

 

15.3               Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).

 

15.4               For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

Party A:

 

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

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Address:

 

Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District,

 

 

Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Attn:

 

Xiaobo An

Phone:

 

+86 10-56579025

 

 

 

Party B:

 

Xiaobo An

Address:

 

No. 1, Guangming Lane, Fuye West Road, Guanqia Village,

 

 

Qidi Town, Jinzhou City, Hebei Province

Phone:

 

+86 10-53579038

 

 

 

Party C:

 

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

Address:

 

Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Dirstrict, Beijing,

 

 

People’s Republic of China

Attn:

 

Xiaobo An

Phone:

 

+86 10-53579038

 

15.5               Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Parties in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

16.             Severability

 

In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Contract are found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Contract shall not be affected or compromised in any respect. The Parties shall strive in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law and the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

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17.             Attachments

 

The attachments set forth herein shall be an integral part of this Agreement.

 

18.             Effectiveness

 

18.1               This Agreement shall become effective upon execution by the Parties.

 

18.2               Any amendments, changes and supplements to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall become effective upon completion of the governmental filing procedures (if applicable) after the affixation of the signatures or seals of the Parties.

 

19.             Language and Counterparts

 

This Agreement is written in Chinese and English in four copies. Pledgor, Pledgee and Party C shall hold one copy respectively and the other copy shall be used for registration. In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

The Remainder of this page is intentionally left blank

 

16



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Equity Interest Pledge Agreement as of the date first above written.

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

 

 

Party A:

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party B:

Xiaobo An

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

 

 

Party C:

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 



 

Attachments:

 

1.                                       Shareholders’ Register of Party C;

 

2.                                       The Capital Contribution Certificate for Party C

 

3.                                       Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement

 

4.                                       Exclusive Option Agreement

 

5.                                       Loan Agreement

 

6.                                       Power of Attorney

 


 

Shareholders’ Register of
Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

1.                                       Name of Shareholder: Xiaobo An

 

ID Card No.: XXXXXXX

 

Address: No. 1, Guangming Lane, Fuye West Road, Guanqia Village, Qidi Town, Jinzhou City, Hebei Province

 

Capital Contribution: RMB99,999,999

 

Percentage of Contribution: 94.99%

 

Capital Contribution Certificate No.: 001

 

Xiaobo An holds 94.99% of the equity interest in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and such 94.99% equity interest has been pledged to Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd.

 

[Seal of the Company]

 



 

2.                                       Name of Shareholder: Xiaoning An

 

ID Card No.: XXXXX

 

Address: No. 89, Qingchun Road, Qidi Village, Qidi Town, Jinzhou City, Hebei Province

 

Capital Contribution: RMB10,001

 

Percentage of Contribution: 0.01%

 

Capital Contribution Certificate No.: 002

 

Xiaoning An holds 0.01% of the equity interest in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and such 0.01% equity interest has been pledged to Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd.

 

[Seal of the Company]

 



 

3.                                       Name of Shareholder: Xiaobin Zhai

 

ID Card No.: XXXXX

 

Address: No. 36, West Road, Sishang Village, Yehe Town, Luancheng Country, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province

 

Capital Contribution: RMB5,260,000

 

Percentage of Contribution: 5%

 

Capital Contribution Certificate No.: 003

 

Xiaobin Zhai holds 5% of the equity interest in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and such 5% equity interest has been pledged to Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd.

 

[Seal of the Company]

 


 

Capital Contribution Certificate
for Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

(No: 001)

 

Company Name: Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Date of Establishment: March 7, 2014

 

Registered Capital: RMB 105,270,000

 

Name of the Shareholder: Xiaobo An

 

ID Card No.: XXXXXXX

 

Amount of the Capital Contributed by the Shareholder: RMB50,100,000

 

It is hereby certified that Xiaobo An has contributed RMB50,100,000 to hold 94.99% of the equity interest of Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and such 94.99% equity interest has been pledged to Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd.

 

 

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

(Seal of the Company)

 

Date:

1 st  November, 2016

 



 

Capital Contribution Certificate

for Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

(No: 002)

 

Company Name: Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Date of Establishment: March 7, 2014

 

Registered Capital: RMB 105,270,000

 

Name of the Shareholder: Xiaoning An

 

ID Card No.: XXXXXXX

 

Amount of the Capital Contributed by the Shareholder: RMB10,001

 

It is hereby certified that Xiaoning An has contributed RMB10,001 to hold 0.01% of the equity interest of Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and such 0.01% equity interest has been pledged to Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd.

 

 

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

(Seal of the Company)

 

Date:

1 st  November, 2016

 



 

Capital Contribution Certificate
for Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

(No: 003)

 

Company Name: Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Date of Establishment: March 7, 2014

 

Registered Capital: RMB 105,270,000

 

Name of the Shareholder: Xiaobin Zhai

 

ID Card No.: XXXXXXX

 

Amount of the Capital Contributed by the Shareholder: RMB 5,260,000

 

It is hereby certified that Xiaobin Zhai has contributed RMB5,260,000 to hold 5% of the equity interest of Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and such 5% equity interest has been pledged to Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd.

 

 

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

(Seal of the Company)

 

Date:

1 st  November, 2016

 


 

 

Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement

 

This Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between the following parties on 1 st  November, 2016 in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”).

 

Party A:               Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

Address:                Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Party B:               Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Address:                Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Dirstrict, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Each of Party A and Party B shall be hereinafter referred to as a “Party” respectively, and as the “Parties” collectively.

 

Whereas,

 

1.               Party A is a wholly foreign owned enterprise established in China, and has the necessary resources to provide technical and consulting services;

 

Strictly Confidential

 

1



 

2.               Party B is a company established in China with exclusively domestic capital and is permitted to engage in Economic information consultation, Investment management, Investment consultation, Asset management, E-commerce, financial consultation by relevant PRC government authorities. The businesses conducted by Party B currently and any time during the term of this Agreement are collectively referred to as the “Principal Business”;

 

3.               Party A is willing to provide Party B with technical support, consulting services and other services on exclusive basis in relation to the Principal Business during the term of this Agreement, utilizing its advantages in technology, human resources, and information, and Party B is willing to accept such services provided by Party A or Party A’s designee(s), each on the terms set forth herein.

 

Now, therefore, through mutual discussion, the Parties have reached the following agreements:

 

1.                                       Services Provided by Party A

 

1.1                                Party B hereby appoints Party A as Party B’s exclusive services provider to provide Party B with comprehensive technical support, consulting services and other services during the term of this Agreement, in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including but not limited to the follows:

 

(1)                                  Licensing Party B to use any software legally owned by Party A;

 

(2)                                  Development, maintenance and update of software involved in Party B’s business;

 

2



 

(3)                                  Design, installation, daily management, maintenance and updating of network system, hardware and database design;

 

(4)                                  Technical support and training for employees of Party B;

 

(5)                                  Assisting Party B in consultancy, collection and research of technology and market information (excluding market research business that wholly foreign-owned enterprises are prohibited from conducting under PRC law);

 

(6)                                  Providing business management consultation for Party B;

 

(7)                                  Providing marketing and promotion services for Party B;

 

(8)                                  Providing customer order management and customer services for Party B;

 

(9)                                  Leasing of equipments or properties; and

 

(10)                           Other services requested by Party B from time to time to the extent permitted under PRC law.

 

3



 

1.2        Party B agrees to accept all the services provided by Party A. Party B further agrees that unless with Party A’s prior written consent, during the term of this Agreement, Party B shall not directly or indirectly accept the same or any similar services provided by any third party and shall not establish similar corporation relationship with any third party regarding the matters contemplated by this Agreement. Party A may designate other parties, who may enter into certain agreements described in Section 1.3 with Party B, to provide Party B with the services under this Agreement. For the purpose of this Agreement, Party A and other parties designated by Party A may be respectively referred to as a “Service Provider,” or collectively as “Service Providers.”

 

1.3        Service Providing Methodology

 

1.3.1                      Party A and Party B agree that during the term of this Agreement, where necessary, Party B may enter into further service agreements with Party A or any other party designated by Party A, which shall provide the specific contents, manner, personnel, and fees for the specific services.

 

1.3.2                      To fulfill this Agreement, Party A and Party B agree that during the term of this Agreement, where necessary, Party B may enter into equipment or property leases with Party A or any other party designated by Party A which shall permit Party B to use Party A’s relevant equipment or property based on the needs of the business of Party B.

 

1.3.3                      Party B hereby grants to Party A an irrevocable and exclusive option to purchase from Party B, at Party A’s sole discretion, any or all of the assets and business of Party B, to the extent

 

4



 

permitted under PRC law, at the lowest purchase price permitted by PRC law. The Parties shall then enter into a separate assets or business transfer agreement, specifying the terms and conditions of the transfer of the assets.

 

2.                                       The Calculation and Payment of the Service Fees

 

2.1                                The fees payable by Party B to Service Providers during the term of this Agreement shall be calculated as follows:

 

2.1.1                      Party B shall pay service fee to Party A or to Service Providers as instructed by Party A in each month. The service fee for each month shall consist of management fee and fee for services provided, which shall be determined or adjusted (if necessary) by the Party A by considering the following factors. Party B shall accept such determination and adjustments.

 

(1)                                  Complexity and difficulty of the services provided by Party A;

 

(2)                                  Title of and time consumed by employees of the Service Provider providing the services;

 

(3)                                  Contents and value of the services provided by Party A;

 

(4)                                  Market price of the same type of services;

 

5



 

(5)                                  Operation conditions of the Party B.

 

2.1.2                      If a Service Provider transfers technology to Party B or develops software or other technology as entrusted by Party B or leases equipments or properties to Party B, the technology transfer price, development fees or rent shall be determined by Party A or the Service Provider as instructed by Party A based on the actual situations.

 

3.                                       Intellectual Property Rights and Confidentiality Clauses

 

3.1                                Party A shall have exclusive and proprietary ownership, rights and interests in any and all intellectual properties arising out of or created during the performance of this Agreement, including but not limited to copyrights, patents, patent applications, software, technical secrets, trade secrets and others. Party B shall execute all appropriate documents, take all appropriate actions, submit all filings and/or applications, render all appropriate assistance and otherwise conduct whatever is necessary as deemed by Party A at its sole discretion for the purposes of vesting any ownership, right or interest of any such intellectual property rights in Party A, and/or perfecting the protections for any such intellectual property rights in Party A.

 

6



 

3.2                                The Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement and any oral or written information exchanged between the Parties in connection with the preparation and performance of this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Each Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of the other Party, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third party, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

4.                                       Representations and Warranties

 

4.1                                Party A hereby represents, warrants and covenants as follows:

 

4.1.1                      Party A is a wholly foreign owned enterprise legally established and validly existing in accordance with the laws of China; Party A or the service providers designated by Party A will obtain all government permits and licenses for providing the service under this Agreement before providing such services.

 

7



 

4.1.2                      Party A has taken all necessary corporate actions, obtained all necessary authorizations as well as all consents and approvals from third parties and government agencies (if required) for the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement. Party A’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement do not violate any explicit requirements under any law or regulation.

 

4.1.3                      This Agreement constitutes Party A’s legal, valid and binding obligations, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms.

 

4.2                                Party B hereby represents, warrants and covenants as follows:

 

4.2.1                      Party B is a company legally established and validly existing in accordance with the laws of China and has obtained and will maintain all permits and licenses for engaging in the Principal Business in a timely manner.

 

4.2.2                      Party B has taken all necessary corporate actions, obtained all necessary authorizations as well as all consents and approvals from third parties and government agencies (if required) for the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement. Party B’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement do not violate any explicit requirements under any law or regulation.

 

4.2.3                      This Agreement constitutes Party B’s legal, valid and binding obligations, and shall be enforceable against it in accordance with its terms.

 

8


 

5.                                       Term of Agreement

 

5.1                                This Agreement shall become effective upon execution by the Parties. Unless terminated in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement or terminated in writing by Party A, this Agreement shall remain effective.

 

5.2                                During the term of this Agreement, each Party shall renew its operation term prior to the expiration thereof so as to enable this Agreement to remain effective. This Agreement shall be terminated upon the expiration of the operation term of a Party if the application for renewal of its operation term is not approved by relevant government authorities.

 

5.3                                The rights and obligations of the Parties under Sections 3, 6, 7 and this Section 5.3 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

6.                                       Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

6.1                                The execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes hereunder shall be governed by the laws of China.

 

9



 

6.2                                In the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s request to the other Party for resolution of the dispute through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with its arbitration rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on both Parties.

 

6.3                                Upon the occurrence of any disputes arising from the construction and performance of this Agreement or during the pending arbitration of any dispute, except for the matters under dispute, the Parties shall continue to exercise their respective rights under this Agreement and perform their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

7.                                       Breach of Agreement and Indemnification

 

7.1                                If Party B conducts any material breach of any term of this Agreement, Party A shall have right to terminate this Agreement and/or require Party B to indemnify all damages; this Section 7.1 shall not prejudice any other rights of Party A herein.

 

7.2                                Unless otherwise required by applicable laws, Party B shall not have any right to terminate this Agreement in any event.

 

10



 

7.3                                Party B shall indemnify and hold harmless Party A from any losses, injuries, obligations or expenses caused by any lawsuit, claims or other demands against Party A arising from or caused by the services provided by Party A to Party B pursuant this Agreement, except where such losses, injuries, obligations or expenses arise from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of Party A.

 

8.                                       Force Majeure

 

8.1                                In the case of any force majeure events (“Force Majeure”) such as earthquake, typhoon, flood, fire, flu, war, strikes or any other events that cannot be predicted and are unpreventable and unavoidable by the affected Party, which directly or indirectly causes the failure of either Party to perform or completely perform this Agreement, then the Party affected by such Force Majeure shall give the other Party written notices without any delay, and shall provide details of such event within 15 days after sending out such notice, explaining the reasons for such failure of, partial or delay of performance.

 

8.2                                If such Party claiming Force Majeure fails to notify the other Party and furnish it with proof pursuant to the above provision, such Party shall not be excused from the non-performance of its obligations hereunder. The Party so affected by the event of Force Majeure shall use reasonable efforts to minimize the consequences of such Force Majeure and to promptly resume performance hereunder whenever the causes of such excuse are cured. Should the Party so affected by the event of Force Majeure fail to resume performance hereunder when the causes of such excuse are cured, such Party shall be liable to the other Party.

 

11



 

8.3                                In the event of Force Majeure, the Parties shall immediately consult with each other to find an equitable solution and shall use all reasonable endeavours to minimize the consequences of such Force Majeure.

 

9.                                       Notices

 

9.1                                All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of such Party set forth below. A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by email. The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

9.1.1                      Notices given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail, postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of receipt or refusal at the address specified for notices.

 

9.1.2                      Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).

 

9.2                                For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

12



 

Party A:                                                 Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

Address:                                                  Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Attn:                                                                     Xiaobo An

 

Phone:                                                           +86 10-56579025

 

Party B:                                                 Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Address:                                                  Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Attn:                                                                     Xiaobo An

 

Phone:                                                           +86 10-53579038

 

9.3                                Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Party in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

10.                                Assignment

 

10.1                         Without Party A’s prior written consent, Party B shall not assign its rights and obligations under this Agreement to any third party.

 

10.2                         Party B agrees that Party A may assign its obligations and rights under this Agreement to any third party and in case of such assignment, Party

 

13



 

A is only required to give written notice to Party B and does not need any consent from Party B for such assignment.

 

11.                                Severability

 

In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Agreement are found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or compromised in any aspect. The Parties shall negotiate in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law and the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

12.                                Amendments and Supplements

 

Any amendments and supplements to this Agreement shall be in writing. The amendment agreements and supplementary agreements that have been signed by the Parties and relate to this Agreement shall be an integral part of this Agreement and shall have the same legal validity as this Agreement.

 

13.                                Language and Counterparts

 

This Agreement is written in both Chinese and English language in two copies, each Party having one copy. In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

14



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement as of the date first above written.

 

Party A: Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

Party B: Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

[SEAL]

 


 

Exclusive Option Agreement

 

This Exclusive Option Agreement (this “Agreement”) is executed by and among the following Parties as of 1 st  November, 2016 in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”):

 

Party A:           Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd, a wholly foreign owned enterprise, organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China;

 

Party B:            Xiaobo An, a Chinese citizen with Identification No.: *******; and

 

Party C:           Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd., a limited liability company organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China.

 

In this Agreement, each of Party A, Party B and Party C shall be referred to as a “Party” respectively, and they shall be collectively referred to as the “Parties”.

 

Whereas:

 

1.               Party B is a shareholder of Party C and as of the date hereof holds 94.99% of equity interests of Party C, representing RMB99,999,999 in the registered capital of Party C.

 

2.               Party A and Party B executed a Loan Agreement (“Loan Agreement”) on 1 st November, 2016, according to which Party A agreed to provide Party B with a

 

Strictly Confidential

 

1



 

loan in amount of RMB 484,449,000, to be used for the purpose of subscribing the registered capital of Party C.

 

3.               Party B agrees to grant Party A an exclusive right through this Agreement, and Party A agrees to accept such exclusive right to purchase all or part equity interest held by Party B in Party C.

 

Now therefore, upon mutual discussion and negotiation, the Parties have reached the following agreement:

 

1.               Sale and Purchase of Equity Interest

 

1.1        Option Granted

 

In consideration of the payment of RMB10 by Party A, the receipt and adequacy of which is hereby acknowledged by Party B, Party B hereby irrevocably grants Party A an irrevocable and exclusive right to purchase, or designate one or more persons (each, a “Designee”) to purchase the equity interests in Party C then held by Party B once or at multiple times at any time in part or in whole at Party A’s sole and absolute discretion to the extent permitted by Chinese laws and at the price described in Section 1.3 herein (such right being the “Equity Interest Purchase Option”). Except for Party A and the Designee(s), no other person shall be entitled to the Equity Interest Purchase Option or other rights with respect to the equity interests of Party B. Party C hereby agrees to the grant by Party B of the Equity Interest Purchase Option to Party A. The term “person” as used herein shall refer to individuals, corporations, partnerships, partners, enterprises, trusts or non-corporate organizations.

 

2



 

1.2        Steps for Exercise of Equity Interest Purchase Option

 

Subject to the provisions of the laws and regulations of China, Party A may exercise the Equity Interest Purchase Option by issuing a written notice to Party B (the “Equity Interest Purchase Option Notice”), specifying: (a) Party A’s or the Designee’s decision to exercise the Equity Interest Purchase Option; (b) the portion of equity interests to be purchased by Party A or the Designee from Party B (the “Optioned Interests”); and (c) the date for purchasing the Optioned Interests or the date for transfer of the Optioned Interests.

 

1.3        Equity Interest Purchase Price

 

The purchase price of all equity interests held by Party B in Party C purchased by Party A by exercising the Equity Interest Purchase Option shall be RMB 1.00; if Party A exercises the Equity Interest Purchase Option to purchase part of the equity interests held by Party B in Party C, the purchase price shall be calculated pro rata. If PRC law requires a minimum price higher than aforementioned price when Party A exercises Equity Interest Purchase Option, the minimum price regulated by PRC law shall be the purchase price (collectively, the “Equity Interest Purchase Price”).

 

1.4        Transfer of Optioned Interests

 

For each exercise of the Equity Interest Purchase Option:

 

1.4.1                      Party B shall cause Party C to promptly convene a shareholders’ meeting, at which a resolution shall be adopted approving Party B’s transfer of the Optioned Interests to Party A and/or the Designee(s);

 

1.4.2                      Party B shall obtain written statements from the other shareholders of Party C giving consent to the transfer of the equity interest to

 

3



 

Party A and/or the Designee(s) and waiving any right of first refusal related thereto;

 

1.4.3                      Party B shall execute an equity interest transfer contract with respect to each transfer with Party A and/or each Designee (whichever is applicable), in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement and the Equity Interest Purchase Option Notice regarding the Optioned Interests;

 

1.4.4                      The relevant Parties shall execute all other necessary contracts, agreements or documents, obtain all necessary government licenses and permits and take all necessary actions to transfer valid ownership of the Optioned Interests to Party A and/or the Designee(s), unencumbered by any security interests, and cause Party A and/or the Designee(s) to become the registered owner(s) of the Optioned Interests. For the purpose of this Section and this Agreement, “security interests” shall include securities, mortgages, third party’s rights or interests, any stock options, acquisition right, right of first refusal, right to offset, ownership retention or other security arrangements, but shall be deemed to exclude any security interest created by this Agreement, Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney. “Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement” as used in this Agreement shall refer to the Interest Pledge Agreement executed by and among Party A, Party B and Party C on the date hereof and any modification, amendment and restatement thereto. “Party B’s Power of Attorney” as used in this Agreement shall refer to the Power of Attorney executed by Party B on the date hereof granting Party A with power of attorney and any modification, amendment and restatement thereto.

 

4



 

2.               Covenants

 

2.1        Covenants regarding Party C

 

Party B (as a shareholder of Party C) and Party C hereby covenant as follows:

 

2.1.1                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not in any manner supplement, change or amend the articles of association of Party C, increase or decrease its registered capital, or change its structure of registered capital in other manners;

 

2.1.2                      They shall maintain Party C’s corporate existence in accordance with good financial and business standards and practices, obtain and maintain all necessary government licenses and permits by prudently and effectively operating its business and handling its affairs;

 

2.1.3                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not at any time following the date hereof, sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of in any manner any assets of Party C or legal or beneficial interest in the material business or revenues of Party C, or allow the encumbrance thereon of any security interest;

 

2.1.4                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not incur, inherit, guarantee or suffer the existence of any debt, except for payables incurred in the ordinary course of business other than through loans;

 

2.1.5                      They shall always operate all of Party C’s businesses in the ordinary course of business to maintain the asset value of Party C and refrain

 

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from any action/omission that may affect Party C’s operating status and asset value;

 

2.1.6                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not cause Party C to execute any major contract, except the contracts in the ordinary course of business (for purpose of this subsection, a contract with a price exceeding RMB100,00 shall be deemed a major contract);

 

2.1.7                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not cause Party C to provide any person with any loan or credit;

 

2.1.8                      They shall provide party A with information on Party C’s business operations and financial condition at Party A’s request;

 

2.1.9                      If requested by Party A, they shall procure and maintain insurance in respect of Party C’s assets and business from an insurance carrier acceptable to Party A, at an amount and type of coverage typical for companies that operate similar businesses;

 

2.1.10               Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not cause or permit Party C to merge, consolidate with, acquire or invest in any person;

 

2.1.11               They shall immediately notify Party A of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Party C’s assets, business or revenue;

 

2.1.12               To maintain the ownership by Party C of all of its assets, they shall execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate actions, file all necessary or appropriate complaints, and raise necessary or appropriate defenses against all claims;

 

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2.1.13               Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall ensure that Party C shall not in any manner distribute dividends to its shareholders, provided that upon Party A’s written request, Party C shall immediately distribute all distributable profits to its shareholders;

 

2.1.14               At the request of Party A, they shall appoint any person designated by Party A as the director or executive director of Party C.

 

2.1.15               Without Party A’s prior written consent, they shall not engage in any business in competition with Party A or its affiliates; and

 

2.1.16               Unless otherwise required by PRC law, Party C shall not be dissolved or liquated without prior written consent by Party A.

 

2.2        Covenants of Party B

 

Party B hereby covenants as follows:

 

2.2.1                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall not sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of in any other manner any legal or beneficial interest in the equity interests in Party C held by Party B, or allow the encumbrance thereon, except for the interest placed in accordance with Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney;

 

2.2.2                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall cause the shareholders’ meeting and/or the directors (or the executive director)

 

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of Party C not to approve any sale, transfer, mortgage or disposition in any other manner of any legal or beneficial interest in the equity interests in Party C held by Party B, or allow the encumbrance thereon of any security interest, except for the interest placed in accordance with Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney;

 

2.2.3                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall cause the shareholders’ meeting or the directors (or the executive director) of Party C not to approve the merger or consolidation with any person, or the acquisition of or investment in any person;

 

2.2.4                      Party B shall immediately notify Party A of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to the equity interests in Party C held by Party B;

 

2.2.5                      Party B shall cause the shareholders’ meeting or the directors (or the executive director) of Party C to vote their approval of the transfer of the Optioned Interests as set forth in this Agreement and to take any and all other actions that may be requested by Party A;

 

2.2.6                      To the extent necessary to maintain Party B’s ownership in Party C, Party B shall execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate actions, file all necessary or appropriate complaints, and raise necessary or appropriate defenses against all claims;

 

2.2.7                      Party B shall appoint any designee of Party A as the director or the executive director of Party C, at the request of Party A;

 

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2.2.8                      Party B hereby waives its right of first of refusal to transfer of equity interest by any other shareholder of Party C to Party A (if any), and gives consent to execution by each other shareholder of Party C with Party A and Party C the exclusive option agreement, the equity interest pledge agreement and the power of attorney similar to this Agreement, Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney and undertakes not to take any action in conflict with such documents executed by the other shareholders;

 

2.2.9                      Party B shall promptly donate any profit, interest, dividend or proceeds of liquidation, or any proceeds from transferring its entire or a part of equity interest in Party C, to Party A or any other person designated by Party A to the extent permitted under applicable PRC laws; and

 

2.2.10               Party B shall strictly abide by the provisions of this Agreement and other contracts jointly or separately executed by and among Party B, Party C and Party A, perform the obligations hereunder and thereunder, and refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability thereof. To the extent that Party B has any remaining rights with respect to the equity interests subject to this Agreement hereunder or under the Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement or under the Party B’s Power of Attorney, Party B shall not exercise such rights except in accordance with the written instructions of Party A.

 

3.               Representations and Warranties

 

Party B and Party C hereby represent and warrant to Party A, jointly and severally, as of the date of this Agreement and each date of transfer of the Optioned Interests, that:

 

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3.1        They have the power, capacity and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and any equity interest transfer contracts to which they are parties concerning the Optioned Interests to be transferred thereunder (each, a “Transfer Contract”), and to perform their obligations under this Agreement and any Transfer Contracts. Party B and Party C agree to enter into Transfer Contracts consistent with the terms of this Agreement upon Party A’s exercise of the Equity Interest Purchase Option. This Agreement and the Transfer Contracts to which they are parties constitute or will constitute their legal, valid and binding obligations and shall be enforceable against them in accordance with the provisions thereof;

 

3.2        Party B and Party C have obtained any and all approvals and consents from government authorities and third parties (if required) for execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement.

 

3.3        The execution and delivery of this Agreement or any Transfer Contracts and the obligations under this Agreement or any Transfer Contracts shall not: (i) cause any violation of any applicable laws of China; (ii) be inconsistent with the articles of association, bylaws or other organizational documents of Party C; (iii) cause the violation of any contracts or instruments to which they are a party or which are binding on them, or constitute any breach under any contracts or instruments to which they are a party or which are binding on them; (iv) cause any violation of any condition for the grant and/or continued effectiveness of any licenses or permits issued to either of them; or (v) cause the suspension or revocation of or imposition of additional conditions to any licenses or permits issued to either of them;

 

3.4        Party B has a good and merchantable title to the equity interests held by Party B in Party C. Except for Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney, Party B has not placed any security interest on such equity interests;

 

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3.5        Party C has a good and merchantable title to all of its assets, and has not placed any security interest on the aforementioned assets;

 

3.6        Party C does not have any outstanding debts, except for (i) debt incurred in the ordinary course of business; and (ii) debts disclosed to Party A for which Party A’s written consent has been obtained.

 

3.7        Party C has complied with all applicable laws and regulations; and

 

3.8        There are no pending or threatened litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to the equity interests in Party C, assets of Party C or Party C.

 

4.               Effective Date and Term

 

This Agreement shall become effective upon execution by the Parties, and remain effective until all equity interests held by Party B in Party C have been transferred or assigned to Party A and/or any other person designated by Party A in accordance with this Agreement.

 

5.               Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

5.1        Governing law

 

The execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes hereunder shall be governed by the laws of PRC.

 

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5.2        Methods of Resolution of Disputes

 

In the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s request to the other Parties for resolution of the dispute through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with its arbitration rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on all Parties.

 

6.               Taxes and Fees

 

Each Party shall pay any and all transfer and registration tax, expenses and fees incurred thereby or levied thereon in accordance with the laws of China in connection with the preparation and execution of this Agreement and the Transfer Contracts, as well as the consummation of the transactions contemplated under this Agreement and the Transfer Contracts.

 

7.               Notices

 

7.1        All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of such Party set forth below. A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by email. The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

7.1.1                      Notices given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail, postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of receipt or refusal at the address specified for notices;

 

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7.1.2                      Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).

 

7.2        For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

Party A:                         Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

Address:                          Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Attn:                                             Xiaobo An

Phone:                                   +86 10-56579025

 

Party B:                         Xiaobo An

Address:                          No. 1, Guangming Lane, Fuye West Road, Guanqia Village, Qidi Town, Jinzhou City, Hebei Province

Phone:                                   +86 10-53579038

 

Party C:                         Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

Address:                          Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Dirstrict, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Attn:                                             Xiaobo An

Phone:                                   +86 10-53579038

 

7.3        Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Parties in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

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8.               Confidentiality

 

The Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement, and any oral or written information exchanged between the Parties in connection with the preparation and performance this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Each Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of other Parties, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third parties, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

9.               Further Warranties

 

The Parties agree to promptly execute documents that are reasonably required for or are conducive to the implementation of the provisions and purposes of this Agreement and take further actions that are reasonably required for or are conducive to the implementation of the provisions and purposes of this Agreement.

 

10.        Breach of Agreement

 

10.1           If Party B or Party C conducts any material breach of any term of this Agreement, Party A shall have right to terminate this Agreement and/or require the Party B or Party C to compensate all damages; this Section 10 shall not prejudice any other rights of Party A herein;

 

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10.2           Party B or Party C shall not have any right to terminate this Agreement in any event unless otherwise required by applicable laws.

 

11.        Miscellaneous

 

11.1           Amendment, change and supplement

 

Any amendment, change and supplement to this Agreement shall require the execution of a written agreement by all of the Parties.

 

11.2           Entire agreement

 

Except for the amendments, supplements or changes in writing executed after the execution of this Agreement, this Agreement shall constitute the entire agreement reached by and among the Parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and shall supercede all prior oral and written consultations, representations and contracts reached with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement.

 

11.3           Headings

 

The headings of this Agreement are for convenience only, and shall not be used to interpret, explain or otherwise affect the meanings of the provisions of this Agreement.

 

11.4           Language

 

This Agreement is written in both Chinese and English language in three copies, each Party having one copy. In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

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11.5           Severability

 

In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Agreement are found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or compromised in any respect. The Parties shall strive in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law and the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

11.6           Successors

 

This Agreement shall be binding on and shall inure to the interest of the respective successors of the Parties and the permitted assigns of such Parties.

 

11.7           Survival

 

11.7.1               Any obligations that occur or that are due as a result of this Agreement upon the expiration or early termination of this Agreement shall survive the expiration or early termination thereof.

 

11.7.2               The provisions of Sections 5, 8, 10 and this Section 11.7 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

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11.8           Waivers

 

Any Party may waive the terms and conditions of this Agreement, provided that such a waiver must be provided in writing and shall require the signatures of the Parties. No waiver by any Party in certain circumstances with respect to a breach by other Parties shall operate as a waiver by such a Party with respect to any similar breach in other circumstances.

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Exclusive Option Agreement as of the date first above written.

 

 

Party A:

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

 

Party B:

Xiaobo An

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

 

 

 

 

Party C:

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 


 

Loan Agreement

 

This Loan Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between the Parties below as of 1 st  November, 2016 in Beijing, China:

 

(1)          Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd (“Lender”), a wholly foreign owned enterprise, organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China;

 

(2)          Xiaobo An (“Borrower”), a citizen of China with Chinese Identification No.: *******.

 

Each of the Lender and the Borrower shall be hereinafter referred to as a “Party” respectively, and as the “Parties” collectively.

 

Whereas:

 

1.               As of the date hereof, Borrower holds 94.99% of equity interests in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. (“Borrower Company”). All of the equity interest now held and hereafter acquired by Borrower in Borrower Company shall be referred to as Borrower Equity Interest;

 

2.               Lender confirms that it agrees to provide Borrower with and Borrower confirms that he/she has received a loan which equals to RMB 484,449,000 to be used for the purposes set forth under this Agreement.

 

After friendly consultation, the Parties agree as follows:

 

Strictly Confidential

 

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1                  Loan

 

1.1        In accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Lender and Borrower hereby acknowledge that Borrower has obtained from Lender a loan in the amount of RMB 484,449,000 (the “Loan”). The term of the Loan shall be 10 years from the effective date of this Agreement, which may be extended upon mutual written consent of the Parties. During the term of the Loan or the extended term of the Loan, Borrower shall immediately repay the full amount of the Loan in the event any one or more of the following circumstances occur:

 

1.1.1            30 days elapse after Borrower receives a written notice from Lender requesting repayment of the Loan;

 

1.1.2            Borrower’s death, lack or limitation of civil capacity;

 

1.1.3            Borrower ceases (for any reason) to be an employee of Lender, Borrower Company or their affiliates;

 

1.1.4            Borrower engages in criminal act or is involved in criminal activities;

 

1.1.5            According to the applicable laws of China, foreign investors are permitted to invest in the principle business that is currently conducted by Borrower Company in China with a controlling stake and/or in the form of wholly-foreign-owned enterprises, the relevant competent authorities of China begin to approve such investments, and Lender exercises the exclusive option under the Exclusive Option Agreement (the “Exclusive Option Agreement”) described in this Agreement.

 

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1.2        The Loan provided by Lender under this Agreement shall inure to Borrower’s benefit only and not to Borrower’s successors or assigns.

 

1.3        Borrower agrees to accept the aforementioned Loan provided by Lender, and hereby agrees and warrants using the Loan to subscribe the registered capital of Borrower Company. Without Lender’s prior written consent, Borrower shall not use the Loan for any purpose other than as set forth herein.

 

1.4        Lender and Borrower hereby agree and acknowledge that Borrower’s method of repayment shall be at the sole discretion of Lender, and shall at Lender’s option take the form of Borrower’s transferring the Borrower Equity Interest in whole to Lender or Lender’s designated persons (legal or natural persons) pursuant to the Lender’s exercise of its right to acquire the Borrower Equity Interest under the Exclusive Option Agreement, and any proceeds from the transfer of the Borrower Equity Interest (to the extent permissible) shall be used by the Borrower to repay the Loan to Lender, in accordance with this Agreement and in the manner designated by Lender.

 

1.5        Lender and Borrower hereby agree and acknowledge that to the extent permitted by applicable laws, Lender shall have the right but not the obligation to purchase or designate other persons (legal or natural persons) to purchase Borrower Equity Interest in part or in whole at any time, at the price stipulated in the Exclusive Option Agreement.

 

1.6        Borrower also undertakes to execute an irrevocable Power of Attorney (the “Power of Attorney”), which authorizes Lender or a legal or natural person designated by Lender to exercise all of Borrower’s rights as a shareholder of Borrower Company.

 

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1.7        When Borrower transfers Borrower Equity Interest to Lender or Lender’s designated person(s), in the event that the transfer price of such equity interest equals or is lower than the principal of the Loan under this Agreement, the Loan under this Agreement shall be deemed an interest-free loan. In the event that the transfer price of such equity interest exceeds the principal of the Loan under this Agreement, the excess over the principal shall be deemed the interest of the Loan under this Agreement payable by Borrower to Lender.

 

2                  Representations and Warranties

 

2.1        Between the date of this Agreement and the date of termination of this Agreement, Lender hereby makes the following representations and warranties to Borrower:

 

2.1.1            Lender is a corporation duly organized and legally existing in accordance with the laws of China;

 

2.1.2            Lender has the legal capacity to execute and perform this Agreement. The execution and performance by Lender of this Agreement is consistent with Lender’s scope of business and the provisions of Lender’s corporate bylaws and other organizational documents, and Lender has obtained all necessary and proper approvals and authorizations for the execution and performance of this Agreement; and

 

2.1.3            This Agreement constitutes Lender’s legal, valid and binding obligations enforceable in accordance with its terms.

 

2.2        Between the date of this Agreement and the date of termination of this Agreement, Borrower hereby makes the following representations and warranties:

 

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2.2.1            Borrower has the legal capacity to execute and perform this Agreement. Borrower has obtained all necessary and proper approvals and authorizations for the execution and performance of this Agreement;

 

2.2.2            This Agreement constitutes Borrower’s legal, valid and binding obligations enforceable in accordance with its terms; and

 

2.2.3            There are no disputes, litigations, arbitrations, administrative proceedings or any other legal proceedings relating to Borrower, nor are there any potential disputes, litigations, arbitrations, administrative proceedings or any other legal proceedings relating to Borrower.

 

3                  Borrower’s Covenants

 

3.1        As and when he becomes, and for so long as he remains a shareholder of Borrower Company, Borrower covenants irrevocably that during the term of this Agreement, Borrower shall cause Borrower Company:

 

3.1.1            to strictly abide by the provisions of the Exclusive Option Agreement and the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (“Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement”) to which the Borrower Company is a party, and to refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability of the Exclusive Option Agreement and Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement.

 

3.1.2            at the request of Lender (or a party designated by Lender), to execute contracts/agreements on business cooperation with Lender

 

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(or a party designated by Lender), and to strictly abide by such contracts/agreements;

 

3.1.3            to provide Lender with all of the information on Borrower Company’s business operations and financial condition at Lender’s request;

 

3.1.4            to immediately notify Lender of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Borrower Company’s assets, business or income;

 

3.1.5            at the request of Lender, to appoint any persons designated by Lender as directors of Borrower Company;

 

3.2        Borrower covenants that during the term of this Agreement, he shall:

 

3.2.1            endeavor to keep Borrower Company to engage in its principle businesses;

 

3.2.2            abide by the provisions of this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement (“Equity Interest Pledge Agreement”) and the Exclusive Option Agreement to which the Borrower is a party, perform his obligations under this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Option Agreement, and refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability of this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Option Agreement;

 

3.2.3            not sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of in any other manner the legal or beneficial interest in Borrower Equity Interest, or allow the

 

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encumbrance thereon of any security interest or the encumbrance, except in accordance with the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement;

 

3.2.4            cause any shareholders’ meeting and/or the board of directors of Borrower Company not to approve the sale, transfer, mortgage or disposition in any other manner of any legal or beneficial interest in Borrower Equity Interest, or allow the encumbrance thereon of any security interest, except to Lender or Lender’s designated person;

 

3.2.5            cause any shareholders’ meeting and/or the board of directors of the Borrower Company not to approve the merger or consolidation of Borrower Company with any person, or its acquisition of or investment in any person, without the prior written consent of Lender;

 

3.2.6            immediately notify Lender of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Borrower Equity Interest;

 

3.2.7            to the extent necessary to maintain his ownership of the Borrower Equity Interest, execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate actions and file all necessary or appropriate complaints or raise necessary and appropriate defense against all claims;

 

3.2.8            without the prior written consent of Lender, refrain from any action/omission that may have a material impact on the assets, business and liabilities of Borrower Company;

 

3.2.9            appoint any designee of Lender as director of Borrower Company, at the request of Lender;

 

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3.2.10     to the extent permitted by the laws of China, at the request of Lender at any time, promptly and unconditionally transfer all of Borrower Equity Interest to Lender or Lender’s designated representative(s) at any time, and cause the other shareholders of Borrower Company to waive their right of first refusal with respect to the share transfer described in this Section;

 

3.2.11     to the extent permitted by the laws of China, at the request of Lender at any time, cause the other shareholders of Borrower Company to promptly and unconditionally transfer all of their equity interests to Lender or Lender’s designated representative(s) at any time, and Borrower hereby waives his right of first refusal (if any) with respect to the share transfer described in this Section;

 

3.2.12     in the event that Lender purchases Borrower Equity Interest from Borrower in accordance with the provisions of the Exclusive Option Agreement, use such purchase price obtained thereby to repay the Loan to Lender; and

 

3.2.13     without the prior written consent of Lender, not to cause Borrower Company to supplement, change, or amend its articles of association in any manner, increase or decreases its registered capital or change its share capital structure in any manner.

 

4                  Liability for Default

 

4.1        If Borrower conducts any material breach of any term of this Agreement, Lender shall have right to terminate this Agreement and require the Borrower to compensate all damages; this Section 4.1 shall not prejudice any other rights of Lender herein.

 

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4.2        Borrower shall not terminate this Agreement in any event unless otherwise required by applicable laws.

 

4.3        In the event that Borrower fails to perform the repayment obligations set forth in this Agreement, Borrower shall pay overdue interest of 0.01% per day for the outstanding payment, until the day Borrower repays the full principal of the Loan, overdue interests and other payable amounts.

 

5                  Notices

 

5.1        All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of such Party set forth below. A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by email. The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

5.1.1            Notices given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail, postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of delivery.

 

5.1.2            Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).

 

5.2        For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

Lender:                            Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

Address:                          Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District,

 

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Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Attn:                                             Xiaobo An

 

Phone:                                   +86 10-56579025

 

Borrower:             Xiaobo An

 

Address:                          No. 1, Guangming Lane, Fuye West Road, Guanqia Village, Qidi Town, Jinzhou City, Hebei Province

 

Phone:                                   +86 10-53579038

 

5.3        Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Party in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

6                  Confidentiality

 

The Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement and any oral or written information exchanged between the Parties in connection with the preparation and performance this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Each Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of the other Party, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third parties, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed

 

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disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

7                  Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

7.1        The execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes shall be governed by the laws of China.

 

7.2        In the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s request to the other Party for resolution of the dispute through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with its then effective arbitration rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on all Parties.

 

7.3        Upon the occurrence of any disputes arising from the construction and performance of this Agreement or during the pending arbitration of any dispute, except for the matters under dispute, the Parties to this Agreement shall continue to exercise their respective rights under this Agreement and perform their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

8                  Miscellaneous

 

8.1        This Agreement should become effective upon execution by the Parties, and shall expire upon the date of full performance by the Parties of their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

11



 

8.2        This Agreement shall be written in both Chinese and English language in two copies, each Party having one copy. The Chinese version and English version shall have equal legal validity.

 

8.3        This Agreement may be amended or supplemented through written agreement by and between Lender and Borrower. Such written amendment agreement and/or supplementary agreement executed by and between Lender and Borrower are an integral part of this Agreement, and shall have the same legal validity as this Agreement.

 

8.4        In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Agreement are found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or compromised in any respect. The Parties shall strive in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

8.5        The attachments (if any) to this Agreement shall be an integral part of this Agreement and shall have the same legal validity as this Agreement.

 

8.6        Any obligations that occur or that are due as a result of this Agreement upon the expiration or early termination of this Agreement shall survive the expiration or early termination thereof. The provisions of Sections 4, 6, 7 and this Section 8.6 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

12



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Loan Agreement as of the date firs above written.

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

Lender:

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

Borrower:

Xiaobo An

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

 


 

Power of Attorney

 

I, Xiaobo An, a Chinese citizen with Chinese Identification Card No.: *******, and a holder of 94.99% of the entire registered capital in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. (“Hexin E-Commerce”) as of the date when the Power of Attorney is executed, hereby irrevocably authorize Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd (“WFOE”) to exercise the following rights relating to all equity interests held by me now and in the future in Hexin E-Commerce (“My Shareholding”) during the term of this Power of Attorney:

 

WFOE is hereby authorized to act on behalf of myself as my exclusive agent and attorney with respect to all matters concerning My Shareholding, including without limitation to: 1) attending shareholders’ meetings of Hexin E-Commerce; 2) exercising all the shareholder’s rights and shareholder’s voting rights I am entitled to under the laws of China and H Hexin E-Commerce’s Articles of Association, including but not limited to the sale or transfer or pledge or disposition of My Shareholding in part or in whole; and 3) designate and appoint on behalf of myself the legal representative, the directors, supervisors, the chief executive officer and other senior management members of Hexin E-Commerce.

 

Without limiting the generality of the powers granted hereunder, WFOE shall have the power and authority to, on behalf of myself, execute all the documents I shall sign as stipulated in the Exclusive Option Agreement entered into by and among me, WFOE and Hexin E-Commerce on 1 st  November, 2016 and the Equity Pledge Agreement entered into by and among me, WFOE and Hexin E-Commerce on 1 st November, 2016 (including any modification, amendment and restatement thereto, collectively the “Transaction Documents”), and perform the terms of the Transaction Documents.

 

Strictly Confidential

 

1



 

All the actions associated with My Shareholding conducted by WFOE shall be deemed as my own actions, and all the documents related to My Shareholding executed by WFOE shall be deemed to be executed by me. I hereby acknowledge and ratify those actions and/or documents by WFOE.

 

WFOE is entitled to re-authorize or assign its rights related to the aforesaid matters to any other person or entity at its own discretion and without giving prior notice to me or obtaining my consent. If required by PRC laws, WFOE shall designate a PRC citizen to exercise the aforementioned rights.

 

During the period that I am a shareholder of Hexin E-Commerce, this Power of Attorney shall be irrevocable and continuously effective and valid from the date of execution of this Power of Attorney.

 

During the term of this Power of Attorney, I hereby waive all the rights associated with My Shareholding, which have been authorized to WFOE through this Power of Attorney, and shall not exercise such rights by myself.

 

This Power of Attorney is written in Chinese and English. In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

This Power of Attorney is signed on 1 st  November, 2016.

 

2



 

 

Xiaobo An

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

[SEAL]

 

 

Accepted by

 

 

 

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

Acknowledged by:

 

 

 

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

3




Exhibit 10.3

 

Equity Interest Pledge Agreement

 

This Equity Interest Pledge Agreement (this “Agreement”) has been executed by and among the following parties on 1 st  November, 2016 in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”):

 

Party A:                         Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd (hereinafter “Pledgee”), a wholly foreign owned enterprise, organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China;

 

Party B:                         Xiaoning An (hereinafter “Pledgor”), a Chinese citizen with Chinese Identification No.: *******; and

 

Party C:                         Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd., a limited liability company organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Dirstrict, Beijing, People’s Republic of China.

 

In this Agreement, each of Pledgee, Pledgor and Party C shall be referred to as a “Party” respectively, and they shall be collectively referred to as the “Parties”.

 

Whereas:

 

1.               Pledgor is a citizen of China who as of the date hereof holds 0.01% of equity interests of Party C, representing RMB10,001 in the registered capital of Party C. Party C is a limited liability company registered in Beijing, China, engaging in Economic information consultation, Investment management, Investment consultation, Asset management, E-commerce, financial consultation. Party C acknowledges the respective rights and obligations of Pledgor and Pledgee under this Agreement, and intends to provide any necessary assistance in registering the

 

Strictly Confidential

 

1



 

Pledge;

 

2.               Pledgee is a wholly foreign-owned enterprise registered in China. Pledgee and Party C which is partially owned by Pledgor have executed an Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (as defined below) in Beijing; Party C, Pledgee and Pledgor have executed an Exclusive Option Agreement (as defined below);Pledgor has executed a Power of Attorney (as defined below) in favor of Pledgee; and Pledgee and Pledgor have executed a Loan Agreement (as defined below);

 

3.               To ensure that Party C and Pledgor fully perform their obligations under the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement, the Exclusive Option Agreement, the Loan Agreement and the Power of Attorney, Pledgor hereby pledges to the Pledgee all of the equity interest that Pledgor holds in Party C as security for Party C’s and Pledgor’s obligations under the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement, the Exclusive Option Agreement, the Loan Agreement and the Power of Attorney.

 

To perform the provisions of the Transaction Documents (as defined below), the Parties have mutually agreed to execute this Agreement upon the following terms.

 

1.               Definitions

 

Unless otherwise provided herein, the terms below shall have the following meanings:

 

1.1                  Pledge: shall refer to the security interest granted by Pledgor to Pledgee pursuant to Section 2 of this Agreement, i.e., the right of Pledgee to be paid in priority with the Equity Interest based on the monetary valuation that such Equity Interest is converted into or from the proceeds from auction or sale of the Equity Interest.

 

2



 

1.2                  Equity Interest: shall refer to 0.01% equity interests in Party C currently held by Pledgor, representing RMB10,001 in the registered capital of Party C, and all of the equity interest hereafter acquired by Pledgor in Party C.

 

1.3                  Term of Pledge: shall refer to the term set forth in Section 3 of this Agreement.

 

1.4                  Transaction Documents: shall refer to the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement executed by and between Party C and Pledgee on 1 st  November, 2016 (the “Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement”), the Exclusive Option Agreement executed by and among Party C, Pledgee and Pledgor on 1 st  November, 2016 (the “Exclusive Option Agreement”), the Loan Agreement executed by and between Pledgee and Pledgor on 1 st  November, 2016 (the “Loan Agreement”), Power of Attorney executed on 1 st November, 2016 by Pledgor (the “Power of Attorney”) and any modification, amendment and restatement to the aforementioned documents.

 

1.5                  Contract Obligations: shall refer to all the obligations of Pledgor under the Exclusive Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Loan Agreement and this Agreement; all the obligations of Party C under the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement, the Exclusive Option Agreement, the Loan Agreement and this Agreement.

 

1.6                  Secured Indebtedness: shall refer to all the direct, indirect and derivative losses and losses of anticipated profits, suffered by Pledgee, incurred as a result of any Event of Default. The amount of such loss shall be calculated in accordance with the reasonable business plan and profit forecast of Pledgee, the consulting and service fees payable to Pledgee under the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement, all expenses occurred in connection with enforcement by Pledgee of Pledgor’s and/or Party C’s Contract Obligations and etc.

 

3



 

1.7                  Event of Default: shall refer to any of the circumstances set forth in Section 7 of this Agreement.

 

1.8                  Notice of Default: shall refer to the notice issued by Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement declaring an Event of Default.

 

2.               Pledge

 

2.1                  Pledgor agrees to pledge all the Equity Interest as security for performance of the Contract Obligations and payment of the Secured Indebtedness under this Agreement. Party C hereby assents that Pledgor pledges the Equity Interest to the Pledgee pursuant to this Agreement.

 

2.2                  During the term of the Pledge, Pledgee is entitled to receive dividends distributed on the Equity Interest. Pledgor may receive dividends distributed on the Equity Interest only with prior written consent of Pledgee. Dividends received by Pledgor on Equity Interest after deduction of individual income tax paid by Pledgor shall be, as required by Pledgee, (1) deposited into an account designated and supervised by Pledgee and used to secure the Contract Obligations and pay the Secured Indebtedness prior and in preference to make any other payment; or (2) unconditionally donated to Pledgee or any other person designated by Pledgee to the extent permitted under applicable PRC laws.

 

2.3                  Pledgor may subscribe for capital increase in Party C only with prior written consent of Pledgee. Any equity interest obtained by Pledgor as a result of Pledgor’s subscription of the increased registered capital of the Company shall also be deemed as Equity Interest.

 

4



 

2.4                  In the event that Party C is required by PRC law to be liquidated or dissolved, any interest distributed to Pledgor upon Party C’s dissolution or liquidation shall, upon the request of the Pledgee, be (1) deposited into an account designate and supervised by Pledgee and used to secure the Contract Obligations and pay the Secured Indebtedness prior and in preference to make any other payment; or (2) unconditionally donated to Pledgee or any other person designated by Pledgee to the extent permitted under applicable PRC laws.

 

3.               Term of Pledge

 

3.1                  The Pledge shall become effective on such date when the pledge of the Equity Interest contemplated herein is registered with relevant administration for industry and commerce (the “AIC”). The Pledge shall remain effective until all Contract Obligations have been fully performed and all Secured Indebtedness have been fully paid. Pledgor and Party C shall (1) register the Pledge in the shareholders’ register of Party C within 3 business days following the execution of this Agreement, and (2) submit an application to the AIC for the registration of the Pledge of the Equity Interest contemplated herein within 15 business days following the execution of this Agreement. The parties covenant that for the purpose of registration of the Pledge, the parties hereto and all other shareholders of Party C shall submit to the AIC this Agreement or an equity interest pledge contract in the form required by the AIC at the location of Party C which shall truly reflect the information of the Pledge hereunder (the “AIC Pledge Contract”). For matters not specified in the AIC Pledge Contract, the parties shall be bound by the provisions of this Agreement. Pledgor and Party C shall submit all necessary documents and complete all necessary procedures, as required by the PRC laws and regulations and the relevant AIC, to ensure that the Pledge of the Equity Interest shall be registered with the AIC as soon as possible after submission for filing.

 

3.2                  During the Term of Pledge, in the event Pledgor and/or Party C fails to

 

5



 

perform the Contract Obligations or pay Secured Indebtedness, Pledgee shall have the right, but not the obligation, to exercise the Pledge in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.

 

4.               Custody of Records for Equity Interest subject to Pledge

 

4.1                  During the Term of Pledge set forth in this Agreement, Pledgor shall deliver to Pledgee’s custody the capital contribution certificate for the Equity Interest and the shareholders’ register containing the Pledge within one week from the execution of this Agreement. Pledgee shall have custody of such documents during the entire Term of Pledge set forth in this Agreement.

 

5.               Representations and Warranties of Pledgor and Party C

 

As of the execution date of this Agreement, Pledgor and Party C hereby jointly and severally represent and warrant to Pledgee that:

 

5.1                  Pledgor is the sole legal and beneficial owner of the Equity Interest.

 

5.2                  Pledgee shall have the right to dispose of and transfer the Equity Interest in accordance with the provisions set forth in this Agreement.

 

5.3                  Except for the Pledge, Pledgor has not placed any security interest, collateral or other encumbrance on the Equity Interest.

 

5.4                  Pledgor and Party C have obtained any and all approvals and consents from applicable government authorities and third parties (if required) for execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement.

 

6



 

5.5                  The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement will not: (i) violate any relevant PRC laws; (ii) conflict with Party C’s articles of association or other constitutional documents; (iii) result in any breach of or constitute any default under any contract or instrument to which it is a party or by which it is otherwise bound; (iv) result in any violation of any condition for the grant and/or maintenance of any permit or approval granted to any Party; or (v) cause any permit or approval granted to any Party to be suspended, cancelled or attached with additional conditions.

 

6.               Covenants of Pledgor and Party C

 

6.1                  During the term of this Agreement, Pledgor and Party C hereby jointly and severally covenant to the Pledgee:

 

6.1.1                 Pledgor shall not transfer the Equity Interest, place or permit the existence of any security interest or other encumbrance on the Equity Interest or any portion thereof, without the prior written consent of Pledgee, except for the performance of the Transaction Documents;

 

6.1.2                 Pledgor and Party C shall comply with the provisions of all laws and regulations applicable to the pledge of rights, and within five (5) days of receipt of any notice, order or recommendation issued or prepared by relevant competent authorities regarding the Pledge, shall present the aforementioned notice, order or recommendation to Pledgee, and shall comply with the aforementioned notice, order or recommendation or submit objections and representations with respect to the aforementioned matters upon Pledgee’s reasonable request or upon consent of Pledgee;

 

6.1.3                 Pledgor and Party C shall promptly notify Pledgee of any event or notice received by Pledgor that may have an impact on the Equity Interest or any portion thereof, as well as any event or notice received by Pledgor that may have an impact on any guarantees and other obligations of Pledgor arising out of this Agreement.

 

7



 

6.1.4                 Party C shall complete the registration procedures for extension of the term of operation within three (3) months prior to the expiration of such term to maintain the validity of this Agreement.

 

6.2                  Pledgor agrees that the rights acquired by Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement with respect to the Pledge shall not be interrupted or harmed by Pledgor or any heirs or representatives of Pledgor or any other persons through any legal proceedings.

 

6.3                  To protect or perfect the security interest granted by this Agreement for the Contract Obligations and Secured Indebtedness, Pledgor hereby undertakes to execute in good faith and to cause other parties who have an interest in the Pledge to execute all certificates, agreements, deeds and/or covenants required by Pledgee. Pledgor also undertakes to perform and to cause other parties who have an interest in the Pledge to perform actions required by Pledgee, to facilitate the exercise by Pledgee of its rights and authority granted thereto by this Agreement, and to enter into all relevant documents regarding ownership of Equity Interest with Pledgee or designee(s) of Pledgee (natural persons/legal persons). Pledgor undertakes to provide Pledgee within a reasonable time with all notices, orders and decisions regarding the Pledge that are required by Pledgee.

 

6.4                  Pledgor hereby undertakes to comply with and perform all guarantees, promises, agreements, representations and conditions under this Agreement. In the event of failure or partial performance of its guarantees, promises, agreements, representations and conditions, Pledgor shall indemnify Pledgee for all losses resulting therefrom.

 

8


 

7.               Event of Breach

 

7.1        The following circumstances shall be deemed Event of Default:

 

7.1.1            Pledgor’s any breach to any obligations under the Transaction Documents and/or this Agreement.

 

7.1.2            Party C’s any breach to any obligations under the Transaction Documents and/or this Agreement.

 

7.2                  Upon notice or discovery of the occurrence of any circumstances or event that may lead to the aforementioned circumstances described in Section 7.1, Pledgor and Party C shall immediately notify Pledgee in writing accordingly.

 

7.3                  Unless an Event of Default set forth in this Section 7.1 has been successfully resolved to Pledgee’s satisfaction within twenty (20) days after the Pledgee and /or Party C delivers a notice to the Pledgor requesting ratification of such Event of Default, Pledgee may issue a Notice of Default to Pledgor in writing at any time thereafter, demanding the Pledgor to immediately exercise the Pledge in accordance with the provisions of Section 8 of this Agreement.

 

8.               Exercise of Pledge

 

8.1                  Pledgee shall issue a written Notice of Default to Pledgor when it exercises the Pledge.

 

8.2                  Subject to the provisions of Section 7.3, Pledgee may exercise the right to enforce the Pledge at any time after the issuance of the Notice of Default in accordance with Section 8.1. Once Pledgee elects to enforce the Pledge, Pledgor shall cease to be entitled to any rights or interests associated with the Equity Interest.

 

9



 

8.3                  After Pledgee issues a Notice of Default to Pledgor in accordance with Section 8.1, Pledgee may exercise any remedy measure under applicable PRC laws, the Transaction Documents and this Agreement, including but not limited to being paid in priority with the Equity Interest based on the monetary valuation that such Equity Interest is converted into or from the proceeds from auction or sale of the Equity Interest. The Pledgee shall not be liable for any loss incurred by its duly exercise of such rights and powers.

 

8.4                  The proceeds from exercise of the Pledge by Pledgee shall be used to pay for tax and expenses incurred as result of disposing the Equity Interest and to perform Contract Obligations and pay the Secured Indebtedness to the Pledgee prior and in preference to any other payment. After the payment of the aforementioned amounts, the remaining balance shall be returned to Pledgor or any other person who have rights to such balance under applicable laws or be deposited to the local notary public office where Pledgor resides, with all expense incurred being borne by Pledgor. To the extent permitted under applicable PRC laws, Pledgor shall unconditionally donate the aforementioned proceeds to Pledgee or any other person designated by Pledgee.

 

8.5                  Pledgee may exercise any remedy measure available simultaneously or in any order. Pledgee may exercise the right to being paid in priority with the Equity Interest based on the monetary valuation that such Equity Interest is converted into or from the proceeds from auction or sale of the Equity Interest under this Agreement, without exercising any other remedy measure first.

 

8.6                  Pledgee is entitled to designate an attorney or other representatives to exercise the Pledge on its behalf, and Pledgor or Party C shall not raise any objection to such exercise.

 

8.7                  When Pledgee disposes of the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement, Pledgor and Party C shall provide necessary assistance to enable Pledgee to enforce the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement.

 

10



 

9.               Breach of Agreement

 

9.1                  If Pledgor or Party C conducts any material breach of any term of this Agreement, Pledgee shall have right to terminate this Agreement and/or require Pledgor or Party C to indemnify all damages; this Section 9 shall not prejudice any other rights of Pledgee herein;

 

9.2                  Pledgor or Party C shall not have any right to terminate this Agreement in any event unless otherwise required by applicable laws.

 

10.        Assignment

 

10.1           Without Pledgee’s prior written consent, Pledgor and Party C shall not have the right to assign or delegate their rights and obligations under this Agreement.

 

10.2           This Agreement shall be binding on Pledgor and his/her successors and permitted assigns, and shall be valid with respect to Pledgee and each of his/her successors and assigns.

 

10.3           At any time, Pledgee may assign any and all of its rights and obligations under the Transaction Documents and this Agreement to its designee(s), in which case the assigns shall have the rights and obligations of Pledgee under the Transaction Documents and this Agreement, as if it were the original party to the Transaction Documents and this Agreement.

 

10.4           In the event of change of Pledgee due to assignment, Pledgor and/or Party C shall, at the request of Pledgee, execute a new pledge agreement with the new pledgee on the same terms and conditions as this Agreement, and

 

11



 

register the same with the relevant AIC.

 

10.5           Pledgor and Party C shall strictly abide by the provisions of this Agreement and other contracts jointly or separately executed by the Parties hereto or any of them, including the Transaction Documents, perform the obligations hereunder and thereunder, and refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability thereof. Any remaining rights of Pledgor with respect to the Equity Interest pledged hereunder shall not be exercised by Pledgor except in accordance with the written instructions of Pledgee.

 

11.        Termination

 

11.1           Upon the fulfillment of all Contract Obligations and the full payment of all Secured Indebtedness by Pledgor and Party C, Pledgee shall release the Pledge under this Agreement upon Pledgor’s request as soon as reasonably practicable and shall assist Pledgor to de-register the Pledge from the shareholders’ register of Party C and with relevant PRC local administration for industry and commerce.

 

11.2           The provisions under Sections 9, 13, 14 and 11.2 herein of this Agreement shall survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement.

 

12.        Handling Fees and Other Expenses

 

All fees and out of pocket expenses relating to this Agreement, including but not limited to legal costs, costs of production, stamp tax and any other taxes and fees, shall be borne by Party C.

 

12



 

13.        Confidentiality

 

The Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement and any oral or written information exchanged between the Parties in connection with the preparation and performance this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Each Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of the other Party, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third parties, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

14.        Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

14.1           The execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes hereunder shall be governed by the laws of China.

 

14.2           In the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s request to the other Parties for resolution of the dispute through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with its Arbitration Rules. The

 

13



 

arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on all Parties.

 

14.3           Upon the occurrence of any disputes arising from the construction and performance of this Agreement or during the pending arbitration of any dispute, except for the matters under dispute, the Parties to this Agreement shall continue to exercise their respective rights under this Agreement and perform their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

15.        Notices

 

15.1           All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of such party set forth below. A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by E-mail. The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

15.2           Notices given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail, postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of delivery or refusal at the address specified for notices.

 

15.3           Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).

 

15.4           For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

Party A:               Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

Address:                Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

14



 

Attn:                                   Xiaobo An

Phone:                         +86 10-56579025

 

Party B:               Xiaoning An

 

Address:                No. 89, Qingchun Road, Qidi Village, Qidi Town, Jinzhou City, Hebei Province

Phone:                         +86 10-53579038

 

Party C:               Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Address:                Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Dirstrict, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Attn:                                   Xiaobo An

Phone:                         +86 10-53579038

 

15.5           Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Parties in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

16.        Severability

 

In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Contract are found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Contract shall not be affected or compromised in any respect. The Parties shall strive in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law and the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

15



 

17.        Attachments

 

The attachments set forth herein shall be an integral part of this Agreement.

 

18.        Effectiveness

 

18.1           This Agreement shall become effective upon execution by the Parties.

 

18.2           Any amendments, changes and supplements to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall become effective upon completion of the governmental filing procedures (if applicable) after the affixation of the signatures or seals of the Parties.

 

19 .        Language and Counterparts

 

This Agreement is written in Chinese and English in four copies. Pledgor, Pledgee and Party C shall hold one copy respectively and the other copy shall be used for registration. In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

The Remainder of this page is intentionally left blank

 

16



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Equity Interest Pledge Agreement as of the date first above written.

 

[SEAL]

 

Party A:                          Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

Party B:                 Xiaoning An

 

By:

/s/ Xiaoning An

 

 

[SEAL]

 

Party C:                 Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 



 

Attachments:

 

1.                                       Shareholders’ Register of Party C;

 

2.                                       The Capital Contribution Certificate for Party C

 

3.                                       Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement

 

4.                                       Exclusive Option Agreement

 

5.                                       Loan Agreement

 

6.                                       Power of Attorney

 


 

Shareholders’ Register of
Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

1.                                       Name of Shareholder: Xiaobo An

 

ID Card No.: XXXXXXX

 

Address: No. 1, Guangming Lane, Fuye West Road, Guanqia Village, Qidi Town, Jinzhou City, Hebei Province

 

Capital Contribution: RMB99,999,999

 

Percentage of Contribution: 94.99%

 

Capital Contribution Certificate No.: 001

 

Xiaobo An holds 94.99% of the equity interest in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and such 94.99% equity interest has been pledged to Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd.

 

[Seal of the Company]

 



 

2.                                       Name of Shareholder: Xiaoning An

 

ID Card No.: XXXXX

 

Address: No. 89, Qingchun Road, Qidi Village, Qidi Town, Jinzhou City, Hebei Province

 

Capital Contribution: RMB10,001

 

Percentage of Contribution: 0.01%

 

Capital Contribution Certificate No.: 002

 

Xiaoning An holds 0.01% of the equity interest in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and such 0.01% equity interest has been pledged to Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd.

 

[Seal of the Company]

 



 

3.                                       Name of Shareholder: Xiaobin Zhai

 

ID Card No.: XXXXX

 

Address: No. 36, West Road, Sishang Village, Yehe Town, Luancheng Country, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province

 

Capital Contribution: RMB5,260,000

 

Percentage of Contribution: 5%

 

Capital Contribution Certificate No.: 003

 

Xiaobin Zhai holds 5% of the equity interest in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and such 5% equity interest has been pledged to Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd.

 

[Seal of the Company]

 


 

Capital Contribution Certificate
for Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

(No: 001)

 

Company Name: Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Date of Establishment: March 7, 2014

 

Registered Capital: RMB 105,270,000

 

Name of the Shareholder: Xiaobo An

 

ID Card No.: XXXXXXX

 

Amount of the Capital Contributed by the Shareholder: RMB50,100,000

 

It is hereby certified that Xiaobo An has contributed RMB50,100,000 to hold 94.99% of the equity interest of Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and such 94.99% equity interest has been pledged to Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd.

 

 

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

(Seal of the Company)

 

Date:

1 st  November, 2016

 



 

Capital Contribution Certificate

for Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

(No: 002)

 

Company Name: Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Date of Establishment: March 7, 2014

 

Registered Capital: RMB 105,270,000

 

Name of the Shareholder: Xiaoning An

 

ID Card No.: XXXXXXX

 

Amount of the Capital Contributed by the Shareholder: RMB10,001

 

It is hereby certified that Xiaoning An has contributed RMB10,001 to hold 0.01% of the equity interest of Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and such 0.01% equity interest has been pledged to Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd.

 

 

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

(Seal of the Company)

 

Date:

1 st  November, 2016

 



 

Capital Contribution Certificate
for Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

(No: 003)

 

Company Name: Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Date of Establishment: March 7, 2014

 

Registered Capital: RMB 105,270,000

 

Name of the Shareholder: Xiaobin Zhai

 

ID Card No.: XXXXXXX

 

Amount of the Capital Contributed by the Shareholder: RMB 5,260,000

 

It is hereby certified that Xiaobin Zhai has contributed RMB5,260,000 to hold 5% of the equity interest of Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and such 5% equity interest has been pledged to Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd.

 

 

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

(Seal of the Company)

 

Date:

1 st  November, 2016

 


 

 

Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement

 

This Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between the following parties on 1 st  November, 2016 in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”).

 

Party A:               Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

Address:                Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Party B:               Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Address:                Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Dirstrict, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Each of Party A and Party B shall be hereinafter referred to as a “Party” respectively, and as the “Parties” collectively.

 

Whereas,

 

1.               Party A is a wholly foreign owned enterprise established in China, and has the necessary resources to provide technical and consulting services;

 

Strictly Confidential

 

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2.               Party B is a company established in China with exclusively domestic capital and is permitted to engage in Economic information consultation, Investment management, Investment consultation, Asset management, E-commerce, financial consultation by relevant PRC government authorities. The businesses conducted by Party B currently and any time during the term of this Agreement are collectively referred to as the “Principal Business”;

 

3.               Party A is willing to provide Party B with technical support, consulting services and other services on exclusive basis in relation to the Principal Business during the term of this Agreement, utilizing its advantages in technology, human resources, and information, and Party B is willing to accept such services provided by Party A or Party A’s designee(s), each on the terms set forth herein.

 

Now, therefore, through mutual discussion, the Parties have reached the following agreements:

 

1.                                       Services Provided by Party A

 

1.1                                Party B hereby appoints Party A as Party B’s exclusive services provider to provide Party B with comprehensive technical support, consulting services and other services during the term of this Agreement, in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including but not limited to the follows:

 

(1)                                  Licensing Party B to use any software legally owned by Party A;

 

(2)                                  Development, maintenance and update of software involved in Party B’s business;

 

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(3)                                  Design, installation, daily management, maintenance and updating of network system, hardware and database design;

 

(4)                                  Technical support and training for employees of Party B;

 

(5)                                  Assisting Party B in consultancy, collection and research of technology and market information (excluding market research business that wholly foreign-owned enterprises are prohibited from conducting under PRC law);

 

(6)                                  Providing business management consultation for Party B;

 

(7)                                  Providing marketing and promotion services for Party B;

 

(8)                                  Providing customer order management and customer services for Party B;

 

(9)                                  Leasing of equipments or properties; and

 

(10)                           Other services requested by Party B from time to time to the extent permitted under PRC law.

 

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1.2        Party B agrees to accept all the services provided by Party A. Party B further agrees that unless with Party A’s prior written consent, during the term of this Agreement, Party B shall not directly or indirectly accept the same or any similar services provided by any third party and shall not establish similar corporation relationship with any third party regarding the matters contemplated by this Agreement. Party A may designate other parties, who may enter into certain agreements described in Section 1.3 with Party B, to provide Party B with the services under this Agreement. For the purpose of this Agreement, Party A and other parties designated by Party A may be respectively referred to as a “Service Provider,” or collectively as “Service Providers.”

 

1.3        Service Providing Methodology

 

1.3.1                      Party A and Party B agree that during the term of this Agreement, where necessary, Party B may enter into further service agreements with Party A or any other party designated by Party A, which shall provide the specific contents, manner, personnel, and fees for the specific services.

 

1.3.2                      To fulfill this Agreement, Party A and Party B agree that during the term of this Agreement, where necessary, Party B may enter into equipment or property leases with Party A or any other party designated by Party A which shall permit Party B to use Party A’s relevant equipment or property based on the needs of the business of Party B.

 

1.3.3                      Party B hereby grants to Party A an irrevocable and exclusive option to purchase from Party B, at Party A’s sole discretion, any or all of the assets and business of Party B, to the extent

 

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permitted under PRC law, at the lowest purchase price permitted by PRC law. The Parties shall then enter into a separate assets or business transfer agreement, specifying the terms and conditions of the transfer of the assets.

 

2.                                       The Calculation and Payment of the Service Fees

 

2.1                                The fees payable by Party B to Service Providers during the term of this Agreement shall be calculated as follows:

 

2.1.1                      Party B shall pay service fee to Party A or to Service Providers as instructed by Party A in each month. The service fee for each month shall consist of management fee and fee for services provided, which shall be determined or adjusted (if necessary) by the Party A by considering the following factors. Party B shall accept such determination and adjustments.

 

(1)                                  Complexity and difficulty of the services provided by Party A;

 

(2)                                  Title of and time consumed by employees of the Service Provider providing the services;

 

(3)                                  Contents and value of the services provided by Party A;

 

(4)                                  Market price of the same type of services;

 

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(5)                                  Operation conditions of the Party B.

 

2.1.2                      If a Service Provider transfers technology to Party B or develops software or other technology as entrusted by Party B or leases equipments or properties to Party B, the technology transfer price, development fees or rent shall be determined by Party A or the Service Provider as instructed by Party A based on the actual situations.

 

3.                                       Intellectual Property Rights and Confidentiality Clauses

 

3.1                                Party A shall have exclusive and proprietary ownership, rights and interests in any and all intellectual properties arising out of or created during the performance of this Agreement, including but not limited to copyrights, patents, patent applications, software, technical secrets, trade secrets and others. Party B shall execute all appropriate documents, take all appropriate actions, submit all filings and/or applications, render all appropriate assistance and otherwise conduct whatever is necessary as deemed by Party A at its sole discretion for the purposes of vesting any ownership, right or interest of any such intellectual property rights in Party A, and/or perfecting the protections for any such intellectual property rights in Party A.

 

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3.2                                The Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement and any oral or written information exchanged between the Parties in connection with the preparation and performance of this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Each Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of the other Party, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third party, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

4.                                       Representations and Warranties

 

4.1                                Party A hereby represents, warrants and covenants as follows:

 

4.1.1                      Party A is a wholly foreign owned enterprise legally established and validly existing in accordance with the laws of China; Party A or the service providers designated by Party A will obtain all government permits and licenses for providing the service under this Agreement before providing such services.

 

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4.1.2                      Party A has taken all necessary corporate actions, obtained all necessary authorizations as well as all consents and approvals from third parties and government agencies (if required) for the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement. Party A’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement do not violate any explicit requirements under any law or regulation.

 

4.1.3                      This Agreement constitutes Party A’s legal, valid and binding obligations, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms.

 

4.2                                Party B hereby represents, warrants and covenants as follows:

 

4.2.1                      Party B is a company legally established and validly existing in accordance with the laws of China and has obtained and will maintain all permits and licenses for engaging in the Principal Business in a timely manner.

 

4.2.2                      Party B has taken all necessary corporate actions, obtained all necessary authorizations as well as all consents and approvals from third parties and government agencies (if required) for the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement. Party B’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement do not violate any explicit requirements under any law or regulation.

 

4.2.3                      This Agreement constitutes Party B’s legal, valid and binding obligations, and shall be enforceable against it in accordance with its terms.

 

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5.                                       Term of Agreement

 

5.1                                This Agreement shall become effective upon execution by the Parties. Unless terminated in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement or terminated in writing by Party A, this Agreement shall remain effective.

 

5.2                                During the term of this Agreement, each Party shall renew its operation term prior to the expiration thereof so as to enable this Agreement to remain effective. This Agreement shall be terminated upon the expiration of the operation term of a Party if the application for renewal of its operation term is not approved by relevant government authorities.

 

5.3                                The rights and obligations of the Parties under Sections 3, 6, 7 and this Section 5.3 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

6.                                       Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

6.1                                The execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes hereunder shall be governed by the laws of China.

 

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6.2                                In the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s request to the other Party for resolution of the dispute through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with its arbitration rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on both Parties.

 

6.3                                Upon the occurrence of any disputes arising from the construction and performance of this Agreement or during the pending arbitration of any dispute, except for the matters under dispute, the Parties shall continue to exercise their respective rights under this Agreement and perform their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

7.                                       Breach of Agreement and Indemnification

 

7.1                                If Party B conducts any material breach of any term of this Agreement, Party A shall have right to terminate this Agreement and/or require Party B to indemnify all damages; this Section 7.1 shall not prejudice any other rights of Party A herein.

 

7.2                                Unless otherwise required by applicable laws, Party B shall not have any right to terminate this Agreement in any event.

 

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7.3                                Party B shall indemnify and hold harmless Party A from any losses, injuries, obligations or expenses caused by any lawsuit, claims or other demands against Party A arising from or caused by the services provided by Party A to Party B pursuant this Agreement, except where such losses, injuries, obligations or expenses arise from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of Party A.

 

8.                                       Force Majeure

 

8.1                                In the case of any force majeure events (“Force Majeure”) such as earthquake, typhoon, flood, fire, flu, war, strikes or any other events that cannot be predicted and are unpreventable and unavoidable by the affected Party, which directly or indirectly causes the failure of either Party to perform or completely perform this Agreement, then the Party affected by such Force Majeure shall give the other Party written notices without any delay, and shall provide details of such event within 15 days after sending out such notice, explaining the reasons for such failure of, partial or delay of performance.

 

8.2                                If such Party claiming Force Majeure fails to notify the other Party and furnish it with proof pursuant to the above provision, such Party shall not be excused from the non-performance of its obligations hereunder. The Party so affected by the event of Force Majeure shall use reasonable efforts to minimize the consequences of such Force Majeure and to promptly resume performance hereunder whenever the causes of such excuse are cured. Should the Party so affected by the event of Force Majeure fail to resume performance hereunder when the causes of such excuse are cured, such Party shall be liable to the other Party.

 

11



 

8.3                                In the event of Force Majeure, the Parties shall immediately consult with each other to find an equitable solution and shall use all reasonable endeavours to minimize the consequences of such Force Majeure.

 

9.                                       Notices

 

9.1                                All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of such Party set forth below. A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by email. The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

9.1.1                      Notices given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail, postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of receipt or refusal at the address specified for notices.

 

9.1.2                      Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).

 

9.2                                For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

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Party A:                                                 Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

Address:                                                  Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Attn:                                                                     Xiaobo An

 

Phone:                                                           +86 10-56579025

 

Party B:                                                 Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Address:                                                  Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Attn:                                                                     Xiaobo An

 

Phone:                                                           +86 10-53579038

 

9.3                                Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Party in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

10.                                Assignment

 

10.1                         Without Party A’s prior written consent, Party B shall not assign its rights and obligations under this Agreement to any third party.

 

10.2                         Party B agrees that Party A may assign its obligations and rights under this Agreement to any third party and in case of such assignment, Party

 

13



 

A is only required to give written notice to Party B and does not need any consent from Party B for such assignment.

 

11.                                Severability

 

In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Agreement are found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or compromised in any aspect. The Parties shall negotiate in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law and the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

12.                                Amendments and Supplements

 

Any amendments and supplements to this Agreement shall be in writing. The amendment agreements and supplementary agreements that have been signed by the Parties and relate to this Agreement shall be an integral part of this Agreement and shall have the same legal validity as this Agreement.

 

13.                                Language and Counterparts

 

This Agreement is written in both Chinese and English language in two copies, each Party having one copy. In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement as of the date first above written.

 

Party A: Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

Party B: Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

[SEAL]

 


 

Exclusive Option Agreement

 

This Exclusive Option Agreement (this “Agreement”) is executed by and among the following Parties as of 1 st  November, 2016 in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”):

 

Party A:           Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd, a wholly foreign owned enterprise, organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China;

 

Party B:     Xiaoning An, a Chinese citizen with Identification No.: *******; and

 

Party C:           Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd., a limited liability company organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Dirstrict, Beijing, People’s Republic of China.

 

In this Agreement, each of Party A, Party B and Party C shall be referred to as a “Party” respectively, and they shall be collectively referred to as the “Parties”.

 

Whereas:

 

1.               Party B is a shareholder of Party C and as of the date hereof holds 0.01% of equity interests of Party C, representing RMB 10,001 in the registered capital of Party C.

 

2.               Party A and Party B executed a Loan Agreement (“Loan Agreement”) on 1 st November, 2016, according to which Party A agreed to provide Party B with a

 

Strictly Confidential

 

1



 

loan in amount of RMB 51,000, to be used for the purpose of subscribing the registered capital of Party C.

 

3.               Party B agrees to grant Party A an exclusive right through this Agreement, and Party A agrees to accept such exclusive right to purchase all or part equity interest held by Party B in Party C.

 

Now therefore, upon mutual discussion and negotiation, the Parties have reached the following agreement:

 

1.      Sale and Purchase of Equity Interest

 

1.1  Option Granted

 

In consideration of the payment of RMB 10 by Party A, the receipt and adequacy of which is hereby acknowledged by Party B, Party B hereby irrevocably grants Party A an irrevocable and exclusive right to purchase, or designate one or more persons (each, a “Designee”) to purchase the equity interests in Party C then held by Party B once or at multiple times at any time in part or in whole at Party A’s sole and absolute discretion to the extent permitted by Chinese laws and at the price described in Section 1.3 herein (such right being the “Equity Interest Purchase Option”). Except for Party A and the Designee(s), no other person shall be entitled to the Equity Interest Purchase Option or other rights with respect to the equity interests of Party B. Party C hereby agrees to the grant by Party B of the Equity Interest Purchase Option to Party A. The term “person” as used herein shall refer to individuals, corporations, partnerships, partners, enterprises, trusts or non-corporate organizations.

 

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1.2  Steps for Exercise of Equity Interest Purchase Option

 

Subject to the provisions of the laws and regulations of China, Party A may exercise the Equity Interest Purchase Option by issuing a written notice to Party B (the “Equity Interest Purchase Option Notice”), specifying: (a) Party A’s or the Designee’s decision to exercise the Equity Interest Purchase Option; (b) the portion of equity interests to be purchased by Party A or the Designee from Party B (the “Optioned Interests”); and (c) the date for purchasing the Optioned Interests or the date for transfer of the Optioned Interests.

 

1.3  Equity Interest Purchase Price

 

The purchase price of all equity interests held by Party B in Party C purchased by Party A by exercising the Equity Interest Purchase Option shall be RMB 1.00; if Party A exercises the Equity Interest Purchase Option to purchase part of the equity interests held by Party B in Party C, the purchase price shall be calculated pro rata. If PRC law requires a minimum price higher than aforementioned price when Party A exercises Equity Interest Purchase Option, the minimum price regulated by PRC law shall be the purchase price (collectively, the “Equity Interest Purchase Price”).

 

1.4  Transfer of Optional Interests

 

For each exercise of the Equity Interest Purchase Option:

 

1.4.1                      Party B shall cause Party C to promptly convene a shareholders’ meeting, at which a resolution shall be adopted approving Party B’s transfer of the Optioned Interests to Party A and/or the Designee(s);

 

1.4.2                      Party B shall obtain written statements from the other shareholders of Party C giving consent to the transfer of the equity interest to

 

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Party A and/or the Designee(s) and waiving any right of first refusal related thereto;

 

1.4.3                      Party B shall execute an equity interest transfer contract with respect to each transfer with Party A and/or each Designee (whichever is applicable), in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement and the Equity Interest Purchase Option Notice regarding the Optioned Interests;

 

1.4.4                      The relevant Parties shall execute all other necessary contracts, agreements or documents, obtain all necessary government licenses and permits and take all necessary actions to transfer valid ownership of the Optioned Interests to Party A and/or the Designee(s), unencumbered by any security interests, and cause Party A and/or the Designee(s) to become the registered owner(s) of the Optioned Interests. For the purpose of this Section and this Agreement, “security interests” shall include securities, mortgages, third party’s rights or interests, any stock options, acquisition right, right of first refusal, right to offset, ownership retention or other security arrangements, but shall be deemed to exclude any security interest created by this Agreement, Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney. “Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement” as used in this Agreement shall refer to the Interest Pledge Agreement executed by and among Party A, Party B and Party C on the date hereof and any modification, amendment and restatement thereto. “Party B’s Power of Attorney” as used in this Agreement shall refer to the Power of Attorney executed by Party B on the date hereof granting Party A with power of attorney and any modification, amendment and restatement thereto.

 

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2.      Covenants

 

2.1  Covenants regarding Party C

 

Party B (as a shareholder of Party C) and Party C hereby covenant as follows:

 

2.1.1                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not in any manner supplement, change or amend the articles of association of Party C, increase or decrease its registered capital, or change its structure of registered capital in other manners;

 

2.1.2                      They shall maintain Party C’s corporate existence in accordance with good financial and business standards and practices, obtain and maintain all necessary government licenses and permits by prudently and effectively operating its business and handling its affairs;

 

2.1.3                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not at any time following the date hereof, sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of in any manner any assets of Party C or legal or beneficial interest in the material business or revenues of Party C, or allow the encumbrance thereon of any security interest;

 

2.1.4                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not incur, inherit, guarantee or suffer the existence of any debt, except for payables incurred in the ordinary course of business other than through loans;

 

2.1.5                      They shall always operate all of Party C’s businesses in the ordinary course of business to maintain the asset value of Party C and refrain

 

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from any action/omission that may affect Party C’s operating status and asset value;

 

2.1.6                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not cause Party C to execute any major contract, except the contracts in the ordinary course of business (for purpose of this subsection, a contract with a price exceeding RMB 100,000 shall be deemed a major contract);

 

2.1.7                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not cause Party C to provide any person with any loan or credit;

 

2.1.8                      They shall provide Party A with information on Party C’s business operations and financial condition at Party A’s request;

 

2.1.9                      If requested by Party A, they shall procure and maintain insurance in respect of Party C’s assets and business from an insurance carrier acceptable to Party A, at an amount and type of coverage typical for companies that operate similar businesses;

 

2.1.10               Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not cause or permit Party C to merge, consolidate with, acquire or invest in any person;

 

2.1.11               They shall immediately notify Party A of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Party C’s assets, business or revenue;

 

2.1.12               To maintain the ownership by Party C of all of its assets, they shall execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate actions, file all necessary or appropriate complaints, and raise necessary or appropriate defenses against all claims;

 

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2.1.13               Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall ensure that Party C shall not in any manner distribute dividends to its shareholders, provided that upon Party A’s written request, Party C shall immediately distribute all distributable profits to its shareholders;

 

2.1.14               At the request of Party A, they shall appoint any person designated by Party A as the director or executive director of Party C.

 

2.1.15               Without Party A’s prior written consent, they shall not engage in any business in competition with Party A or its affiliates; and

 

2.1.16               Unless otherwise required by PRC law, Party C shall not be dissolved or liquated without prior written consent by Party A.

 

2.2  Covenants of Party B

 

Party B hereby covenants as follows:

 

2.2.1                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall not sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of in any other manner any legal or beneficial interest in the equity interests in Party C held by Party B, or allow the encumbrance thereon, except for the interest placed in accordance with Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney;

 

2.2.2                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall cause the shareholders’ meeting and/or the directors (or the executive director)

 

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of Party C not to approve any sale, transfer, mortgage or disposition in any other manner of any legal or beneficial interest in the equity interests in Party C held by Party B, or allow the encumbrance thereon of any security interest, except for the interest placed in accordance with Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney;

 

2.2.3                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall cause the shareholders’ meeting or the directors (or the executive director) of Party C not to approve the merger or consolidation with any person, or the acquisition of or investment in any person;

 

2.2.4                      Party B shall immediately notify Party A of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to the equity interests in Party C held by Party B;

 

2.2.5                      Party B shall cause the shareholders’ meeting or the directors (or the executive director) of Party C to vote their approval of the transfer of the Optioned Interests as set forth in this Agreement and to take any and all other actions that may be requested by Party A;

 

2.2.6                      To the extent necessary to maintain Party B’s ownership in Party C, Party B shall execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate actions, file all necessary or appropriate complaints, and raise necessary or appropriate defenses against all claims;

 

2.2.7                      Party B shall appoint any designee of Party A as the director or the executive director of Party C, at the request of Party A;

 

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2.2.8                      Party B hereby waives its right of first of refusal to transfer of equity interest by any other shareholder of Party C to Party A (if any), and gives consent to execution by each other shareholder of Party C with Party A and Party C the exclusive option agreement, the equity interest pledge agreement and the power of attorney similar to this Agreement, Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney and undertakes not to take any action in conflict with such documents executed by the other shareholders;

 

2.2.9                      Party B shall promptly donate any profit, interest, dividend or proceeds of liquidation, or any proceeds from transferring its entire or a part of equity interest in Party C, to Party A or any other person designated by Party A to the extent permitted under applicable PRC laws; and

 

2.2.10               Party B shall strictly abide by the provisions of this Agreement and other contracts jointly or separately executed by and among Party B, Party C and Party A, perform the obligations hereunder and thereunder, and refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability thereof. To the extent that Party B has any remaining rights with respect to the equity interests subject to this Agreement hereunder or under the Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement or under the Party B’s Power of Attorney, Party B shall not exercise such rights except in accordance with the written instructions of Party A.

 

3.      Representations and Warranties

 

Party B and Party C hereby represent and warrant to Party A, jointly and severally, as of the date of this Agreement and each date of transfer of the Optioned Interests, that:

 

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3.1        They have the power, capacity and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and any equity interest transfer contracts to which they are parties concerning the Optioned Interests to be transferred thereunder (each, a “Transfer Contract”), and to perform their obligations under this Agreement and any Transfer Contracts. Party B and Party C agree to enter into Transfer Contracts consistent with the terms of this Agreement upon Party A’s exercise of the Equity Interest Purchase Option. This Agreement and the Transfer Contracts to which they are parties constitute or will constitute their legal, valid and binding obligations and shall be enforceable against them in accordance with the provisions thereof;

 

3.2        Party B and Party C have obtained any and all approvals and consents from government authorities and third parties (if required) for execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement.

 

3.3        The execution and delivery of this Agreement or any Transfer Contracts and the obligations under this Agreement or any Transfer Contracts shall not: (i) cause any violation of any applicable laws of China; (ii) be inconsistent with the articles of association, bylaws or other organizational documents of Party C; (iii) cause the violation of any contracts or instruments to which they are a party or which are binding on them, or constitute any breach under any contracts or instruments to which they are a party or which are binding on them; (iv) cause any violation of any condition for the grant and/or continued effectiveness of any licenses or permits issued to either of them; or (v) cause the suspension or revocation of or imposition of additional conditions to any licenses or permits issued to either of them;

 

3.4        Party B has a good and merchantable title to the equity interests held by Party B in Party C. Except for Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney, Party B has not placed any security interest on such equity interests;

 

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3.5        Party C has a good and merchantable title to all of its assets, and has not placed any security interest on the aforementioned assets;

 

3.6        Party C does not have any outstanding debts, except for (i) debt incurred in the ordinary course of business; and (ii) debts disclosed to Party A for which Party A’s written consent has been obtained.

 

3.7        Party C has complied with all applicable laws and regulations; and

 

3.8        There are no pending or threatened litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to the equity interests in Party C, assets of Party C or Party C.

 

4.      Effective Date and Term

 

This Agreement shall become effective upon execution by the Parties, and remain effective until all equity interests held by Party B in Party C have been transferred or assigned to Party A and/or any other person designated by Party A in accordance with this Agreement.

 

5.      Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

5.1  Governing law

 

The execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes hereunder shall be governed by the laws of PRC.

 

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5.2  Methods of Resolution of Disputes

 

In the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s request to the other Parties for resolution of the dispute through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with its arbitration rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on all Parties.

 

6.      Taxes and Fees

 

Each Party shall pay any and all transfer and registration tax, expenses and fees incurred thereby or levied thereon in accordance with the laws of China in connection with the preparation and execution of this Agreement and the Transfer Contracts, as well as the consummation of the transactions contemplated under this Agreement and the Transfer Contracts.

 

7.      Notices

 

7.1        All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of such Party set forth below. A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by email. The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

7.1.1                      Notices given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail, postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of receipt or refusal at the address specified for notices;

 

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7.1.2                      Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).

 

7.2        For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

Party A:         Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

Address:        Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Attn:               Xiaobo An

 

Phone:           +86 10-56579025

 

Party B:         Xiaonig An

 

Address:        No. 89, Qingchun Road, Qidi Village, Qidi Town, Jinzhou City, Hebei Province

 

Phone:           +86 10-53579038

 

Party C:         Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Address:        Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Dirstrict, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Attn:               Xiaobo An

 

Phone:           +86 10-53579038

 

7.3        Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Parties in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

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8.      Confidentiality

 

The Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement, and any oral or written information exchanged between the Parties in connection with the preparation and performance this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Each Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of other Parties, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third parties, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

9.      Further Warranties

 

The Parties agree to promptly execute documents that are reasonably required for or are conducive to the implementation of the provisions and purposes of this Agreement and take further actions that are reasonably required for or are conducive to the implementation of the provisions and purposes of this Agreement.

 

10.   Breach of Agreement

 

10.1           If Party B or Party C conducts any material breach of any term of this Agreement, Party A shall have right to terminate this Agreement and/or require the Party B or Party C to compensate all damages; this Section 10 shall not prejudice any other rights of Party A herein;

 

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10.2           Party B or Party C shall not have any right to terminate this Agreement in any event unless otherwise required by applicable laws.

 

11.   Miscellaneous

 

11.1           Amendment, change and supplement

 

Any amendment, change and supplement to this Agreement shall require the execution of a written agreement by all of the Parties.

 

11.2           Entire agreement

 

Except for the amendments, supplements or changes in writing executed after the execution of this Agreement, this Agreement shall constitute the entire agreement reached by and among the Parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and shall supercede all prior oral and written consultations, representations and contracts reached with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement.

 

11.3           Headings

 

The headings of this Agreement are for convenience only, and shall not be used to interpret, explain or otherwise affect the meanings of the provisions of this Agreement.

 

11.4           Language

 

This Agreement is written in both Chinese and English language in three copies, each Party having one copy. In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

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11.5           Severability

 

In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Agreement are found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or compromised in any respect. The Parties shall strive in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law and the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

11.6           Successors

 

This Agreement shall be binding on and shall inure to the interest of the respective successors of the Parties and the permitted assigns of such Parties.

 

11.7           Survival

 

11.7.1               Any obligations that occur or that are due as a result of this Agreement upon the expiration or early termination of this Agreement shall survive the expiration or early termination thereof.

 

11.7.2               The provisions of Sections 5, 8, 10 and this Section 11.7 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

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11.8           Waivers

 

Any Party may waive the terms and conditions of this Agreement, provided that such a waiver must be provided in writing and shall require the signatures of the Parties. No waiver by any Party in certain circumstances with respect to a breach by other Parties shall operate as a waiver by such a Party with respect to any similar breach in other circumstances.

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Exclusive Option Agreement as of the date first above written.

 

Party A:

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party B:

Xiaoning An

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaoning An

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party C:

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 


 

Loan Agreement

 

This Loan Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between the Parties below as of 1 st  November, 2016 in Beijing, China:

 

(1)          Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd (“Lender”), a wholly foreign owned enterprise, organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China;

 

(2)          Xiaoning An (“Borrower”), a citizen of China with Chinese Identification No.: *******.

 

Each of the Lender and the Borrower shall be hereinafter referred to as a “Party” respectively, and as the “Parties” collectively.

 

Whereas:

 

1.               As of the date hereof, Borrower holds 0.01% of equity interests in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. (“Borrower Company”). All of the equity interest now held and hereafter acquired by Borrower in Borrower Company shall be referred to as Borrower Equity Interest;

 

2.               Lender confirms that it agrees to provide Borrower with and Borrower confirms that he/she has received a loan which equals to RMB 51,000 to be used for the purposes set forth under this Agreement.

 

After friendly consultation, the Parties agree as follows:

 

Strictly Confidential

 

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1                  Loan

 

1.1        In accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Lender and Borrower hereby acknowledge that Borrower has obtained from Lender a loan in the amount of RMB 51,000 (the “Loan”). The term of the Loan shall be 10 years from the effective date of this Agreement, which may be extended upon mutual written consent of the Parties. During the term of the Loan or the extended term of the Loan, Borrower shall immediately repay the full amount of the Loan in the event any one or more of the following circumstances occur:

 

1.1.1            30 days elapse after Borrower receives a written notice from Lender requesting repayment of the Loan;

 

1.1.2            Borrower’s death, lack or limitation of civil capacity;

 

1.1.3            Borrower ceases (for any reason) to be an employee of Lender, Borrower Company or their affiliates;

 

1.1.4            Borrower engages in criminal act or is involved in criminal activities;

 

1.1.5            According to the applicable laws of China, foreign investors are permitted to invest in the principle business that is currently conducted by Borrower Company in China with a controlling stake and/or in the form of wholly-foreign-owned enterprises, the relevant competent authorities of China begin to approve such investments, and Lender exercises the exclusive option under the Exclusive Option Agreement (the “Exclusive Option Agreement”) described in this Agreement.

 

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1.2        The Loan provided by Lender under this Agreement shall inure to Borrower’s benefit only and not to Borrower’s successors or assigns.

 

1.3        Borrower agrees to accept the aforementioned Loan provided by Lender, and hereby agrees and warrants using the Loan to subscribe the registered capital of Borrower Company. Without Lender’s prior written consent, Borrower shall not use the Loan for any purpose other than as set forth herein.

 

1.4        Lender and Borrower hereby agree and acknowledge that Borrower’s method of repayment shall be at the sole discretion of Lender, and shall at Lender’s option take the form of Borrower’s transferring the Borrower Equity Interest in whole to Lender or Lender’s designated persons (legal or natural persons) pursuant to the Lender’s exercise of its right to acquire the Borrower Equity Interest under the Exclusive Option Agreement, and any proceeds from the transfer of the Borrower Equity Interest (to the extent permissible) shall be used by the Borrower to repay the Loan to Lender, in accordance with this Agreement and in the manner designated by Lender.

 

1.5        Lender and Borrower hereby agree and acknowledge that to the extent permitted by applicable laws, Lender shall have the right but not the obligation to purchase or designate other persons (legal or natural persons) to purchase Borrower Equity Interest in part or in whole at any time, at the price stipulated in the Exclusive Option Agreement.

 

1.6        Borrower also undertakes to execute an irrevocable Power of Attorney (the “Power of Attorney”), which authorizes Lender or a legal or natural person designated by Lender to exercise all of Borrower’s rights as a shareholder of Borrower Company.

 

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1.7        When Borrower transfers Borrower Equity Interest to Lender or Lender’s designated person(s), in the event that the transfer price of such equity interest equals or is lower than the principal of the Loan under this Agreement, the Loan under this Agreement shall be deemed an interest-free loan. In the event that the transfer price of such equity interest exceeds the principal of the Loan under this Agreement, the excess over the principal shall be deemed the interest of the Loan under this Agreement payable by Borrower to Lender.

 

2                  Representations and Warranties

 

2.1        Between the date of this Agreement and the date of termination of this Agreement, Lender hereby makes the following representations and warranties to Borrower:

 

2.1.1            Lender is a corporation duly organized and legally existing in accordance with the laws of China;

 

2.1.2            Lender has the legal capacity to execute and perform this Agreement. The execution and performance by Lender of this Agreement is consistent with Lender’s scope of business and the provisions of Lender’s corporate bylaws and other organizational documents, and Lender has obtained all necessary and proper approvals and authorizations for the execution and performance of this Agreement; and

 

2.1.3            This Agreement constitutes Lender’s legal, valid and binding obligations enforceable in accordance with its terms.

 

2.2        Between the date of this Agreement and the date of termination of this Agreement, Borrower hereby makes the following representations and warranties:

 

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2.2.1            Borrower has the legal capacity to execute and perform this Agreement. Borrower has obtained all necessary and proper approvals and authorizations for the execution and performance of this Agreement;

 

2.2.2            This Agreement constitutes Borrower’s legal, valid and binding obligations enforceable in accordance with its terms; and

 

2.2.3            There are no disputes, litigations, arbitrations, administrative proceedings or any other legal proceedings relating to Borrower, nor are there any potential disputes, litigations, arbitrations, administrative proceedings or any other legal proceedings relating to Borrower.

 

3                  Borrower’s Covenants

 

3.1        As and when he becomes, and for so long as he remains a shareholder of Borrower Company, Borrower covenants irrevocably that during the term of this Agreement, Borrower shall cause Borrower Company:

 

3.1.1            to strictly abide by the provisions of the Exclusive Option Agreement and the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (“Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement”) to which the Borrower Company is a party, and to refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability of the Exclusive Option Agreement and Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement.

 

3.1.2            at the request of Lender (or a party designated by Lender), to execute contracts/agreements on business cooperation with Lender (or a party designated by Lender), and to strictly abide by such contracts/agreements;

 

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3.1.3            to provide Lender with all of the information on Borrower Company’s business operations and financial condition at Lender’s request;

 

3.1.4            to immediately notify Lender of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Borrower Company’s assets, business or income;

 

3.1.5            at the request of Lender, to appoint any persons designated by Lender as directors of Borrower Company;

 

3.2        Borrower covenants that during the term of this Agreement, he shall:

 

3.2.1            endeavor to keep Borrower Company to engage in its principle businesses;

 

3.2.2            abide by the provisions of this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement (“Equity Interest Pledge Agreement”) and the Exclusive Option Agreement to which the Borrower is a party, perform his obligations under this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Option Agreement, and refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability of this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Option Agreement;

 

3.2.3            not sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of in any other manner the legal or beneficial interest in Borrower Equity Interest, or allow the encumbrance thereon of any security interest or the encumbrance, except in accordance with the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement;

 

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3.2.4            cause any shareholders’ meeting and/or the board of directors of Borrower Company not to approve the sale, transfer, mortgage or disposition in any other manner of any legal or beneficial interest in Borrower Equity Interest, or allow the encumbrance thereon of any security interest, except to Lender or Lender’s designated person;

 

3.2.5            cause any shareholders’ meeting and/or the board of directors of the Borrower Company not to approve the merger or consolidation of Borrower Company with any person, or its acquisition of or investment in any person, without the prior written consent of Lender;

 

3.2.6            immediately notify Lender of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Borrower Equity Interest;

 

3.2.7            to the extent necessary to maintain his ownership of the Borrower Equity Interest, execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate actions and file all necessary or appropriate complaints or raise necessary and appropriate defense against all claims;

 

3.2.8            without the prior written consent of Lender, refrain from any action/omission that may have a material impact on the assets, business and liabilities of Borrower Company;

 

3.2.9            appoint any designee of Lender as director of Borrower Company, at the request of Lender;

 

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3.2.10     to the extent permitted by the laws of China, at the request of Lender at any time, promptly and unconditionally transfer all of Borrower Equity Interest to Lender or Lender’s designated representative(s) at any time, and cause the other shareholders of Borrower Company to waive their right of first refusal with respect to the share transfer described in this Section;

 

3.2.11     to the extent permitted by the laws of China, at the request of Lender at any time, cause the other shareholders of Borrower Company to promptly and unconditionally transfer all of their equity interests to Lender or Lender’s designated representative(s) at any time, and Borrower hereby waives his right of first refusal (if any) with respect to the share transfer described in this Section;

 

3.2.12     in the event that Lender purchases Borrower Equity Interest from Borrower in accordance with the provisions of the Exclusive Option Agreement, use such purchase price obtained thereby to repay the Loan to Lender; and

 

3.2.13     without the prior written consent of Lender, not to cause Borrower Company to supplement, change, or amend its articles of association in any manner, increase or decreases its registered capital or change its share capital structure in any manner.

 

4                  Liability for Default

 

4.1        If Borrower conducts any material breach of any term of this Agreement, Lender shall have right to terminate this Agreement and require the Borrower to compensate all damages; this Section 4.1 shall not prejudice any other rights of Lender herein.

 

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4.2        Borrower shall not terminate this Agreement in any event unless otherwise required by applicable laws.

 

4.3        In the event that Borrower fails to perform the repayment obligations set forth in this Agreement, Borrower shall pay overdue interest of 0.01% per day for the outstanding payment, until the day Borrower repays the full principal of the Loan, overdue interests and other payable amounts.

 

5                  Notices

 

5.1        All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of such Party set forth below. A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by email. The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

5.1.1            Notices given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail, postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of delivery.

 

5.1.2            Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).

 

5.2        For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

Lender:                            Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

Address:                          Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

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Attn:                                             Xiaobo An

 

Phone:                                   +86 10-56579025

 

Borrower:             Xiaoning An

 

Address:                          No. 89, Qingchun Road, Qidi Village, Qidi Town, Jinzhou City, Hebei Province

 

Phone:                                   +86 10-53579038

 

5.3        Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Party in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

6                  Confidentiality

 

The Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement and any oral or written information exchanged between the Parties in connection with the preparation and performance this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Each Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of the other Party, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third parties, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

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7                  Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

7.1        The execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes shall be governed by the laws of China.

 

7.2        In the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s request to the other Party for resolution of the dispute through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with its then effective arbitration rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on all Parties.

 

7.3        Upon the occurrence of any disputes arising from the construction and performance of this Agreement or during the pending arbitration of any dispute, except for the matters under dispute, the Parties to this Agreement shall continue to exercise their respective rights under this Agreement and perform their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

8                  Miscellaneous

 

8.1        This Agreement should become effective upon execution by the Parties, and shall expire upon the date of full performance by the Parties of their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

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8.2        This Agreement shall be written in both Chinese and English language in two copies, each Party having one copy. The Chinese version and English version shall have equal legal validity.

 

8.3        This Agreement may be amended or supplemented through written agreement by and between Lender and Borrower. Such written amendment agreement and/or supplementary agreement executed by and between Lender and Borrower are an integral part of this Agreement, and shall have the same legal validity as this Agreement.

 

8.4        In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Agreement are found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or compromised in any respect. The Parties shall strive in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

8.5        The attachments (if any) to this Agreement shall be an integral part of this Agreement and shall have the same legal validity as this Agreement.

 

8.6        Any obligations that occur or that are due as a result of this Agreement upon the expiration or early termination of this Agreement shall survive the expiration or early termination thereof. The provisions of Sections 4, 6, 7 and this Section 8.6 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

12



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Loan Agreement as of the date firs above written.

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

Lender:

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

Borrower:

Xiaoning An

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaoning An

 

 


 

Power of Attorney

 

I, Xiaoning An, a Chinese citizen with Chinese Identification Card No.:******* , and a holder of 0.01% of the entire registered capital in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. (“Hexin E-Commerce”) as of the date when the Power of Attorney is executed, hereby irrevocably authorize Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd (“WFOE”) to exercise the following rights relating to all equity interests held by me now and in the future in Hexin E-Commerce (“My Shareholding”) during the term of this Power of Attorney:

 

WFOE is hereby authorized to act on behalf of myself as my exclusive agent and attorney with respect to all matters concerning My Shareholding, including without limitation to: 1) attending shareholders’ meetings of Hexin E-Commerce; 2) exercising all the shareholder’s rights and shareholder’s voting rights I am entitled to under the laws of China and H Hexin E-Commerce’s Articles of Association, including but not limited to the sale or transfer or pledge or disposition of My Shareholding in part or in whole; and 3) designate and appoint on behalf of myself the legal representative, the directors, supervisors, the chief executive officer and other senior management members of Hexin E-Commerce.

 

Without limiting the generality of the powers granted hereunder, WFOE shall have the power and authority to, on behalf of myself, execute all the documents I shall sign as stipulated in the Exclusive Option Agreement entered into by and among me, WFOE and Hexin E-Commerce on 1 st  November, 2016 and the Equity Pledge Agreement entered into by and among me, WFOE and Hexin E-Commerce on 1 st November, 2016 (including any modification, amendment and restatement thereto, collectively the “Transaction Documents”), and perform the terms of the Transaction Documents.

 

Strictly Confidential

 

1



 

All the actions associated with My Shareholding conducted by WFOE shall be deemed as my own actions, and all the documents related to My Shareholding executed by WFOE shall be deemed to be executed by me. I hereby acknowledge and ratify those actions and/or documents by WFOE.

 

WFOE is entitled to re-authorize or assign its rights related to the aforesaid matters to any other person or entity at its own discretion and without giving prior notice to me or obtaining my consent. If required by PRC laws, WFOE shall designate a PRC citizen to exercise the aforementioned rights.

 

During the period that I am a shareholder of Hexin E-Commerce, this Power of Attorney shall be irrevocable and continuously effective and valid from the date of execution of this Power of Attorney.

 

During the term of this Power of Attorney, I hereby waive all the rights associated with My Shareholding, which have been authorized to WFOE through this Power of Attorney, and shall not exercise such rights by myself.

 

This Power of Attorney is written in Chinese and English. In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

This Power of Attorney is signed on 1 st  November, 2016.

 

2



 

 

Xiaoning An

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaoning An

 

 

 

 

Accepted by

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

 

Acknowledged by:

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

3




Exhibit 10.4

 

Equity Interest Pledge Agreement

 

This Equity Interest Pledge Agreement (this “Agreement”) has been executed by and among the following parties on 1 st  November, 2016 in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”):

 

Party A:                         Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd (hereinafter “Pledgee”), a wholly foreign owned enterprise, organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China;

 

Party B:                         Xiaobin Zhai (hereinafter “Pledgor”), a Chinese citizen with Chinese Identification No.: *******; and

 

Party C:                         Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd., a limited liability company organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Dirstrict, Beijing, People’s Republic of China.

 

In this Agreement, each of Pledgee, Pledgor and Party C shall be referred to as a “Party” respectively, and they shall be collectively referred to as the “Parties”.

 

Whereas:

 

1.               Pledgor is a citizen of China who as of the date hereof holds 5% of equity interests of Party C, representing RMB5,260,000 in the registered capital of Party C. Party C is a limited liability company registered in Beijing, China, engaging in Economic information consultation, Investment management, Investment consultation, Asset management, E-commerce, financial consultation. Party C acknowledges the respective rights and obligations of Pledgor and Pledgee under this Agreement, and intends to provide any necessary assistance in registering the

 

Strictly Confidential

 

1



 

Pledge;

 

2.               Pledgee is a wholly foreign-owned enterprise registered in China. Pledgee and Party C which is partially owned by Pledgor have executed an Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (as defined below) in Beijing; Party C, Pledgee and Pledgor have executed an Exclusive Option Agreement (as defined below); Pledgor has executed a Power of Attorney (as defined below) in favor of Pledgee; and Pledgee and Pledgor have executed a Loan Agreement (as defined below);

 

3.               To ensure that Party C and Pledgor fully perform their obligations under the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement, the Exclusive Option Agreement, the Loan Agreement and the Power of Attorney, Pledgor hereby pledges to the Pledgee all of the equity interest that Pledgor holds in Party C as security for Party C’s and Pledgor’s obligations under the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement, the Exclusive Option Agreement, the Loan Agreement and the Power of Attorney.

 

To perform the provisions of the Transaction Documents (as defined below), the Parties have mutually agreed to execute this Agreement upon the following terms.

 

1.      Definitions

 

Unless otherwise provided herein, the terms below shall have the following meanings:

 

1.1        Pledge: shall refer to the security interest granted by Pledgor to Pledgee pursuant to Section 2 of this Agreement, i.e., the right of Pledgee to be paid in priority with the Equity Interest based on the monetary valuation that such Equity Interest is converted into or from the proceeds from auction or sale of the Equity Interest.

 

2



 

1.2        Equity Interest: shall refer to 5% equity interests in Party C currently held by Pledgor, representing RMB5,260,000 in the registered capital of Party C, and all of the equity interest hereafter acquired by Pledgor in Party C.

 

1.3  Term of Pledge: shall refer to the term set forth in Section 3 of this Agreement.

 

1.4        Transaction Documents: shall refer to the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement executed by and between Party C and Pledgee on 1 st  November, 2016 (the “Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement”), the Exclusive Option Agreement executed by and among Party C, Pledgee and Pledgor on 1 st  November, 2016 (the “Exclusive Option Agreement”), the Loan Agreement executed by and between Pledgee and Pledgor on 1 st  November, 2016 (the “Loan Agreement”), Power of Attorney executed on 1 st November, 2016 by Pledgor (the “Power of Attorney”) and any modification, amendment and restatement to the aforementioned documents.

 

1.5        Contract Obligations: shall refer to all the obligations of Pledgor under the Exclusive Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Loan Agreement and this Agreement; all the obligations of Party C under the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement, the Exclusive Option Agreement, the Loan Agreement and this Agreement.

 

1.6        Secured Indebtedness: shall refer to all the direct, indirect and derivative losses and losses of anticipated profits, suffered by Pledgee, incurred as a result of any Event of Default. The amount of such loss shall be calculated in accordance with the reasonable business plan and profit forecast of Pledgee, the consulting and service fees payable to Pledgee under the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement, all expenses occurred in connection with enforcement by Pledgee of Pledgor’s and/or Party C’s Contract Obligations and etc.

 

3



 

1.7  Event of Default: shall refer to any of the circumstances set forth in Section 7 of this Agreement.

 

1.8        Notice of Default: shall refer to the notice issued by Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement declaring an Event of Default.

 

2.      Pledge

 

2.1        Pledgor agrees to pledge all the Equity Interest as security for performance of the Contract Obligations and payment of the Secured Indebtedness under this Agreement. Party C hereby assents that Pledgor pledges the Equity Interest to the Pledgee pursuant to this Agreement.

 

2.2        During the term of the Pledge, Pledgee is entitled to receive dividends distributed on the Equity Interest. Pledgor may receive dividends distributed on the Equity Interest only with prior written consent of Pledgee. Dividends received by Pledgor on Equity Interest after deduction of individual income tax paid by Pledgor shall be, as required by Pledgee, (1) deposited into an account designated and supervised by Pledgee and used to secure the Contract Obligations and pay the Secured Indebtedness prior and in preference to make any other payment; or (2) unconditionally donated to Pledgee or any other person designated by Pledgee to the extent permitted under applicable PRC laws.

 

2.3        Pledgor may subscribe for capital increase in Party C only with prior written consent of Pledgee. Any equity interest obtained by Pledgor as a result of Pledgor’s subscription of the increased registered capital of the Company shall also be deemed as Equity Interest.

 

4



 

2.4        In the event that Party C is required by PRC law to be liquidated or dissolved, any interest distributed to Pledgor upon Party C’s dissolution or liquidation shall, upon the request of the Pledgee, be (1) deposited into an account designate and supervised by Pledgee and used to secure the Contract Obligations and pay the Secured Indebtedness prior and in preference to make any other payment; or (2) unconditionally donated to Pledgee or any other person designated by Pledgee to the extent permitted under applicable PRC laws.

 

3.      Term of Pledge

 

3.1        The Pledge shall become effective on such date when the pledge of the Equity Interest contemplated herein is registered with relevant administration for industry and commerce (the “AIC”). The Pledge shall remain effective until all Contract Obligations have been fully performed and all Secured Indebtedness have been fully paid. Pledgor and Party C shall (1) register the Pledge in the shareholders’ register of Party C within 3 business days following the execution of this Agreement, and (2) submit an application to the AIC for the registration of the Pledge of the Equity Interest contemplated herein within 15 business days following the execution of this Agreement. The parties covenant that for the purpose of registration of the Pledge, the parties hereto and all other shareholders of Party C shall submit to the AIC this Agreement or an equity interest pledge contract in the form required by the AIC at the location of Party C which shall truly reflect the information of the Pledge hereunder (the “AIC Pledge Contract”). For matters not specified in the AIC Pledge Contract, the parties shall be bound by the provisions of this Agreement. Pledgor and Party C shall submit all necessary documents and complete all necessary procedures, as required by the PRC laws and regulations and the relevant AIC, to ensure that the Pledge of the Equity Interest shall be registered with the AIC as soon as possible after submission for filing.

 

3.2  During the Term of Pledge, in the event Pledgor and/or Party C fails to

 

5



 

perform the Contract Obligations or pay Secured Indebtedness, Pledgee shall have the right, but not the obligation, to exercise the Pledge in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.

 

4.      Custody of Records for Equity Interest subject to Pledge

 

4.1        During the Term of Pledge set forth in this Agreement, Pledgor shall deliver to Pledgee’s custody the capital contribution certificate for the Equity Interest and the shareholders’ register containing the Pledge within one week from the execution of this Agreement. Pledgee shall have custody of such documents during the entire Term of Pledge set forth in this Agreement.

 

5.      Representations and Warranties of Pledgor and Party C

 

As of the execution date of this Agreement, Pledgor and Party C hereby jointly and severally represent and warrant to Pledgee that:

 

5.1  Pledgor is the sole legal and beneficial owner of the Equity Interest.

 

5.2        Pledgee shall have the right to dispose of and transfer the Equity Interest in accordance with the provisions set forth in this Agreement.

 

5.3        Except for the Pledge, Pledgor has not placed any security interest, collateral or other encumbrance on the Equity Interest.

 

5.4        Pledgor and Party C have obtained any and all approvals and consents from applicable government authorities and third parties (if required) for execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement.

 

6



 

5.5        The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement will not: (i) violate any relevant PRC laws; (ii) conflict with Party C’s articles of association or other constitutional documents; (iii) result in any breach of or constitute any default under any contract or instrument to which it is a party or by which it is otherwise bound; (iv) result in any violation of any condition for the grant and/or maintenance of any permit or approval granted to any Party; or (v) cause any permit or approval granted to any Party to be suspended, cancelled or attached with additional conditions.

 

6.      Covenants of Pledgor and Party C

 

6.1  During the term of this Agreement, Pledgor and Party C hereby jointly and severally covenant to the Pledgee:

 

6.1.1                      Pledgor shall not transfer the Equity Interest, place or permit the existence of any security interest or other encumbrance on the Equity Interest or any portion thereof, without the prior written consent of Pledgee, except for the performance of the Transaction Documents;

 

6.1.2                      Pledgor and Party C shall comply with the provisions of all laws and regulations applicable to the pledge of rights, and within five (5) days of receipt of any notice, order or recommendation issued or prepared by relevant competent authorities regarding the Pledge, shall present the aforementioned notice, order or recommendation to Pledgee, and shall comply with the aforementioned notice, order or recommendation or submit objections and representations with respect to the aforementioned matters upon Pledgee’s reasonable request or upon consent of Pledgee;

 

6.1.3                      Pledgor and Party C shall promptly notify Pledgee of any event or notice received by Pledgor that may have an impact on the Equity Interest or any portion thereof, as well as any event or notice received by Pledgor that may have an impact on any guarantees and other obligations of Pledgor arising out of this Agreement.

 

7



 

6.1.4                      Party C shall complete the registration procedures for extension of the term of operation within three (3) months prior to the expiration of such term to maintain the validity of this Agreement.

 

6.2        Pledgor agrees that the rights acquired by Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement with respect to the Pledge shall not be interrupted or harmed by Pledgor or any heirs or representatives of Pledgor or any other persons through any legal proceedings.

 

6.3        To protect or perfect the security interest granted by this Agreement for the Contract Obligations and Secured Indebtedness, Pledgor hereby undertakes to execute in good faith and to cause other parties who have an interest in the Pledge to execute all certificates, agreements, deeds and/or covenants required by Pledgee. Pledgor also undertakes to perform and to cause other parties who have an interest in the Pledge to perform actions required by Pledgee, to facilitate the exercise by Pledgee of its rights and authority granted thereto by this Agreement, and to enter into all relevant documents regarding ownership of Equity Interest with Pledgee or designee(s) of Pledgee (natural persons/legal persons). Pledgor undertakes to provide Pledgee within a reasonable time with all notices, orders and decisions regarding the Pledge that are required by Pledgee.

 

6.4        Pledgor hereby undertakes to comply with and perform all guarantees, promises, agreements, representations and conditions under this Agreement. In the event of failure or partial performance of its guarantees, promises, agreements, representations and conditions, Pledgor shall indemnify Pledgee for all losses resulting therefrom.

 

8


 

7.               Event of Breach

 

7.1        The following circumstances shall be deemed Event of Default:

 

7.1.1                      Pledgor’s any breach to any obligations under the Transaction Documents and/or this Agreement.

 

7.1.2                      Party C’s any breach to any obligations under the Transaction Documents and/or this Agreement.

 

7.2        Upon notice or discovery of the occurrence of any circumstances or event that may lead to the aforementioned circumstances described in Section 7.1, Pledgor and Party C shall immediately notify Pledgee in writing accordingly.

 

7.3        Unless an Event of Default set forth in this Section 7.1 has been successfully resolved to Pledgee’s satisfaction within twenty (20) days after the Pledgee and /or Party C delivers a notice to the Pledgor requesting ratification of such Event of Default, Pledgee may issue a Notice of Default to Pledgor in writing at any time thereafter, demanding the Pledgor to immediately exercise the Pledge in accordance with the provisions of Section 8 of this Agreement.

 

8.               Exercise of Pledge

 

8.1        Pledgee shall issue a written Notice of Default to Pledgor when it exercises the Pledge.

 

8.2        Subject to the provisions of Section 7.3, Pledgee may exercise the right to enforce the Pledge at any time after the issuance of the Notice of Default in accordance with Section 8.1. Once Pledgee elects to enforce the Pledge, Pledgor shall cease to be entitled to any rights or interests associated with the Equity Interest.

 

9



 

8.3        After Pledgee issues a Notice of Default to Pledgor in accordance with Section 8.1, Pledgee may exercise any remedy measure under applicable PRC laws, the Transaction Documents and this Agreement, including but not limited to being paid in priority with the Equity Interest based on the monetary valuation that such Equity Interest is converted into or from the proceeds from auction or sale of the Equity Interest. The Pledgee shall not be liable for any loss incurred by its duly exercise of such rights and powers.

 

8.4        The proceeds from exercise of the Pledge by Pledgee shall be used to pay for tax and expenses incurred as result of disposing the Equity Interest and to perform Contract Obligations and pay the Secured Indebtedness to the Pledgee prior and in preference to any other payment. After the payment of the aforementioned amounts, the remaining balance shall be returned to Pledgor or any other person who have rights to such balance under applicable laws or be deposited to the local notary public office where Pledgor resides, with all expense incurred being borne by Pledgor. To the extent permitted under applicable PRC laws, Pledgor shall unconditionally donate the aforementioned proceeds to Pledgee or any other person designated by Pledgee.

 

8.5        Pledgee may exercise any remedy measure available simultaneously or in any order. Pledgee may exercise the right to being paid in priority with the Equity Interest based on the monetary valuation that such Equity Interest is converted into or from the proceeds from auction or sale of the Equity Interest under this Agreement, without exercising any other remedy measure first.

 

8.6        Pledgee is entitled to designate an attorney or other representatives to exercise the Pledge on its behalf, and Pledgor or Party C shall not raise any objection to such exercise.

 

8.7        When Pledgee disposes of the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement, Pledgor and Party C shall provide necessary assistance to enable Pledgee to enforce the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement.

 

10



 

9.               Breach of Agreement

 

9.1        If Pledgor or Party C conducts any material breach of any term of this Agreement, Pledgee shall have right to terminate this Agreement and/or require Pledgor or Party C to indemnify all damages; this Section 9 shall not prejudice any other rights of Pledgee herein;

 

9.2        Pledgor or Party C shall not have any right to terminate this Agreement in any event unless otherwise required by applicable laws.

 

10.        Assignment

 

10.1           Without Pledgee’s prior written consent, Pledgor and Party C shall not have the right to assign or delegate their rights and obligations under this Agreement.

 

10.2           This Agreement shall be binding on Pledgor and his/her successors and permitted assigns, and shall be valid with respect to Pledgee and each of his/her successors and assigns.

 

10.3           At any time, Pledgee may assign any and all of its rights and obligations under the Transaction Documents and this Agreement to its designee(s), in which case the assigns shall have the rights and obligations of Pledgee under the Transaction Documents and this Agreement, as if it were the original party to the Transaction Documents and this Agreement.

 

10.4           In the event of change of Pledgee due to assignment, Pledgor and/or Party C shall, at the request of Pledgee, execute a new pledge agreement with the new pledgee on the same terms and conditions as this Agreement, and

 

11



 

register the same with the relevant AIC.

 

10.5           Pledgor and Party C shall strictly abide by the provisions of this Agreement and other contracts jointly or separately executed by the Parties hereto or any of them, including the Transaction Documents, perform the obligations hereunder and thereunder, and refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability thereof. Any remaining rights of Pledgor with respect to the Equity Interest pledged hereunder shall not be exercised by Pledgor except in accordance with the written instructions of Pledgee.

 

11.        Termination

 

11.1           Upon the fulfillment of all Contract Obligations and the full payment of all Secured Indebtedness by Pledgor and Party C, Pledgee shall release the Pledge under this Agreement upon Pledgor’s request as soon as reasonably practicable and shall assist Pledgor to de-register the Pledge from the shareholders’ register of Party C and with relevant PRC local administration for industry and commerce.

 

11.2           The provisions under Sections 9, 13, 14 and 11.2 herein of this Agreement shall survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement.

 

12.        Handling Fees and Other Expenses

 

All fees and out of pocket expenses relating to this Agreement, including but not limited to legal costs, costs of production, stamp tax and any other taxes and fees, shall be borne by Party C.

 

12



 

13.        Confidentiality

 

The Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement and any oral or written information exchanged between the Parties in connection with the preparation and performance this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Each Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of the other Party, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third parties, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

14.        Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

14.1           The execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes hereunder shall be governed by the laws of China.

 

14.2           In the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s request to the other Parties for resolution of the dispute through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with its Arbitration Rules. The

 

13



 

arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on all Parties.

 

14.3           Upon the occurrence of any disputes arising from the construction and performance of this Agreement or during the pending arbitration of any dispute, except for the matters under dispute, the Parties to this Agreement shall continue to exercise their respective rights under this Agreement and perform their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

15.        Notices

 

15.1           All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of such party set forth below. A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by E-mail. The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

15.2           Notices given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail, postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of delivery or refusal at the address specified for notices.

 

15.3           Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).

 

15.4           For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

Party A:

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

Address:

Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

14



 

Attn:

Xiaobo An

Phone:

+86 10-56579025

 

 

Party B:

Xiaobin Zhai

 

 

Address:

No. 36, West Road, Sishang Village, Yehe Town, Luancheng Country, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province

Phone:

+86 187 0143 1292

 

 

Party C:

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

Address:

Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Dirstrict, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Attn:

Xiaobo An

Phone:

+86 10-53579038

 

15.5           Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Parties in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

16.        Severability

 

In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Contract are found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Contract shall not be affected or compromised in any respect. The Parties shall strive in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law and the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

15



 

17.        Attachments

 

The attachments set forth herein shall be an integral part of this Agreement.

 

18.        Effectiveness

 

18.1           This Agreement shall become effective upon execution by the Parties.

 

18.2           Any amendments, changes and supplements to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall become effective upon completion of the governmental filing procedures (if applicable) after the affixation of the signatures or seals of the Parties.

 

19.        Language and Counterparts

 

This Agreement is written in Chinese and English in four copies. Pledgor, Pledgee and Party C shall hold one copy respectively and the other copy shall be used for registration. In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

The Remainder of this page is intentionally left blank

 

16



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Equity Interest Pledge Agreement as of the date first above written.

 

[SEAL]

 

Party A:

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

Party B:

Xiaobin Zhai

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobin Zhai

 

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

 

 

Party C:

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 



 

Attachments:

 

1.                                       Shareholders’ Register of Party C;

 

2.                                       The Capital Contribution Certificate for Party C

 

3.                                       Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement

 

4.                                       Exclusive Option Agreement

 

5.                                       Loan Agreement

 

6.                                       Power of Attorney

 


 

Shareholders’ Register of
Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

1.                                       Name of Shareholder: Xiaobo An

 

ID Card No.: XXXXXXX

 

Address: No. 1, Guangming Lane, Fuye West Road, Guanqia Village, Qidi Town, Jinzhou City, Hebei Province

 

Capital Contribution: RMB99,999,999

 

Percentage of Contribution: 94.99%

 

Capital Contribution Certificate No.: 001

 

Xiaobo An holds 94.99% of the equity interest in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and such 94.99% equity interest has been pledged to Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd.

 

[Seal of the Company]

 



 

2.                                       Name of Shareholder: Xiaoning An

 

ID Card No.: XXXXX

 

Address: No. 89, Qingchun Road, Qidi Village, Qidi Town, Jinzhou City, Hebei Province

 

Capital Contribution: RMB10,001

 

Percentage of Contribution: 0.01%

 

Capital Contribution Certificate No.: 002

 

Xiaoning An holds 0.01% of the equity interest in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and such 0.01% equity interest has been pledged to Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd.

 

[Seal of the Company]

 



 

3.                                       Name of Shareholder: Xiaobin Zhai

 

ID Card No.: XXXXX

 

Address: No. 36, West Road, Sishang Village, Yehe Town, Luancheng Country, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province

 

Capital Contribution: RMB5,260,000

 

Percentage of Contribution: 5%

 

Capital Contribution Certificate No.: 003

 

Xiaobin Zhai holds 5% of the equity interest in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and such 5% equity interest has been pledged to Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd.

 

[Seal of the Company]

 


 

Capital Contribution Certificate
for Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

(No: 001)

 

Company Name: Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Date of Establishment: March 7, 2014

 

Registered Capital: RMB 105,270,000

 

Name of the Shareholder: Xiaobo An

 

ID Card No.: XXXXXXX

 

Amount of the Capital Contributed by the Shareholder: RMB50,100,000

 

It is hereby certified that Xiaobo An has contributed RMB50,100,000 to hold 94.99% of the equity interest of Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and such 94.99% equity interest has been pledged to Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd.

 

 

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

(Seal of the Company)

 

Date:

1 st  November, 2016

 



 

Capital Contribution Certificate

for Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

(No: 002)

 

Company Name: Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Date of Establishment: March 7, 2014

 

Registered Capital: RMB 105,270,000

 

Name of the Shareholder: Xiaoning An

 

ID Card No.: XXXXXXX

 

Amount of the Capital Contributed by the Shareholder: RMB10,001

 

It is hereby certified that Xiaoning An has contributed RMB10,001 to hold 0.01% of the equity interest of Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and such 0.01% equity interest has been pledged to Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd.

 

 

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

(Seal of the Company)

 

Date:

1 st  November, 2016

 



 

Capital Contribution Certificate
for Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

(No: 003)

 

Company Name: Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Date of Establishment: March 7, 2014

 

Registered Capital: RMB 105,270,000

 

Name of the Shareholder: Xiaobin Zhai

 

ID Card No.: XXXXXXX

 

Amount of the Capital Contributed by the Shareholder: RMB 5,260,000

 

It is hereby certified that Xiaobin Zhai has contributed RMB5,260,000 to hold 5% of the equity interest of Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and such 5% equity interest has been pledged to Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd.

 

 

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

(Seal of the Company)

 

Date:

1 st  November, 2016

 


 

 

Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement

 

This Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between the following parties on 1 st  November, 2016 in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”).

 

Party A:               Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

Address:                Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Party B:               Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Address:                Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Dirstrict, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Each of Party A and Party B shall be hereinafter referred to as a “Party” respectively, and as the “Parties” collectively.

 

Whereas,

 

1.               Party A is a wholly foreign owned enterprise established in China, and has the necessary resources to provide technical and consulting services;

 

Strictly Confidential

 

1



 

2.               Party B is a company established in China with exclusively domestic capital and is permitted to engage in Economic information consultation, Investment management, Investment consultation, Asset management, E-commerce, financial consultation by relevant PRC government authorities. The businesses conducted by Party B currently and any time during the term of this Agreement are collectively referred to as the “Principal Business”;

 

3.               Party A is willing to provide Party B with technical support, consulting services and other services on exclusive basis in relation to the Principal Business during the term of this Agreement, utilizing its advantages in technology, human resources, and information, and Party B is willing to accept such services provided by Party A or Party A’s designee(s), each on the terms set forth herein.

 

Now, therefore, through mutual discussion, the Parties have reached the following agreements:

 

1.                                       Services Provided by Party A

 

1.1                                Party B hereby appoints Party A as Party B’s exclusive services provider to provide Party B with comprehensive technical support, consulting services and other services during the term of this Agreement, in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including but not limited to the follows:

 

(1)                                  Licensing Party B to use any software legally owned by Party A;

 

(2)                                  Development, maintenance and update of software involved in Party B’s business;

 

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(3)                                  Design, installation, daily management, maintenance and updating of network system, hardware and database design;

 

(4)                                  Technical support and training for employees of Party B;

 

(5)                                  Assisting Party B in consultancy, collection and research of technology and market information (excluding market research business that wholly foreign-owned enterprises are prohibited from conducting under PRC law);

 

(6)                                  Providing business management consultation for Party B;

 

(7)                                  Providing marketing and promotion services for Party B;

 

(8)                                  Providing customer order management and customer services for Party B;

 

(9)                                  Leasing of equipments or properties; and

 

(10)                           Other services requested by Party B from time to time to the extent permitted under PRC law.

 

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1.2        Party B agrees to accept all the services provided by Party A. Party B further agrees that unless with Party A’s prior written consent, during the term of this Agreement, Party B shall not directly or indirectly accept the same or any similar services provided by any third party and shall not establish similar corporation relationship with any third party regarding the matters contemplated by this Agreement. Party A may designate other parties, who may enter into certain agreements described in Section 1.3 with Party B, to provide Party B with the services under this Agreement. For the purpose of this Agreement, Party A and other parties designated by Party A may be respectively referred to as a “Service Provider,” or collectively as “Service Providers.”

 

1.3        Service Providing Methodology

 

1.3.1                      Party A and Party B agree that during the term of this Agreement, where necessary, Party B may enter into further service agreements with Party A or any other party designated by Party A, which shall provide the specific contents, manner, personnel, and fees for the specific services.

 

1.3.2                      To fulfill this Agreement, Party A and Party B agree that during the term of this Agreement, where necessary, Party B may enter into equipment or property leases with Party A or any other party designated by Party A which shall permit Party B to use Party A’s relevant equipment or property based on the needs of the business of Party B.

 

1.3.3                      Party B hereby grants to Party A an irrevocable and exclusive option to purchase from Party B, at Party A’s sole discretion, any or all of the assets and business of Party B, to the extent

 

4



 

permitted under PRC law, at the lowest purchase price permitted by PRC law. The Parties shall then enter into a separate assets or business transfer agreement, specifying the terms and conditions of the transfer of the assets.

 

2.                                       The Calculation and Payment of the Service Fees

 

2.1                                The fees payable by Party B to Service Providers during the term of this Agreement shall be calculated as follows:

 

2.1.1                      Party B shall pay service fee to Party A or to Service Providers as instructed by Party A in each month. The service fee for each month shall consist of management fee and fee for services provided, which shall be determined or adjusted (if necessary) by the Party A by considering the following factors. Party B shall accept such determination and adjustments.

 

(1)                                  Complexity and difficulty of the services provided by Party A;

 

(2)                                  Title of and time consumed by employees of the Service Provider providing the services;

 

(3)                                  Contents and value of the services provided by Party A;

 

(4)                                  Market price of the same type of services;

 

5



 

(5)                                  Operation conditions of the Party B.

 

2.1.2                      If a Service Provider transfers technology to Party B or develops software or other technology as entrusted by Party B or leases equipments or properties to Party B, the technology transfer price, development fees or rent shall be determined by Party A or the Service Provider as instructed by Party A based on the actual situations.

 

3.                                       Intellectual Property Rights and Confidentiality Clauses

 

3.1                                Party A shall have exclusive and proprietary ownership, rights and interests in any and all intellectual properties arising out of or created during the performance of this Agreement, including but not limited to copyrights, patents, patent applications, software, technical secrets, trade secrets and others. Party B shall execute all appropriate documents, take all appropriate actions, submit all filings and/or applications, render all appropriate assistance and otherwise conduct whatever is necessary as deemed by Party A at its sole discretion for the purposes of vesting any ownership, right or interest of any such intellectual property rights in Party A, and/or perfecting the protections for any such intellectual property rights in Party A.

 

6



 

3.2                                The Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement and any oral or written information exchanged between the Parties in connection with the preparation and performance of this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Each Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of the other Party, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third party, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

4.                                       Representations and Warranties

 

4.1                                Party A hereby represents, warrants and covenants as follows:

 

4.1.1                      Party A is a wholly foreign owned enterprise legally established and validly existing in accordance with the laws of China; Party A or the service providers designated by Party A will obtain all government permits and licenses for providing the service under this Agreement before providing such services.

 

7



 

4.1.2                      Party A has taken all necessary corporate actions, obtained all necessary authorizations as well as all consents and approvals from third parties and government agencies (if required) for the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement. Party A’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement do not violate any explicit requirements under any law or regulation.

 

4.1.3                      This Agreement constitutes Party A’s legal, valid and binding obligations, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms.

 

4.2                                Party B hereby represents, warrants and covenants as follows:

 

4.2.1                      Party B is a company legally established and validly existing in accordance with the laws of China and has obtained and will maintain all permits and licenses for engaging in the Principal Business in a timely manner.

 

4.2.2                      Party B has taken all necessary corporate actions, obtained all necessary authorizations as well as all consents and approvals from third parties and government agencies (if required) for the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement. Party B’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement do not violate any explicit requirements under any law or regulation.

 

4.2.3                      This Agreement constitutes Party B’s legal, valid and binding obligations, and shall be enforceable against it in accordance with its terms.

 

8


 

5.                                       Term of Agreement

 

5.1                                This Agreement shall become effective upon execution by the Parties. Unless terminated in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement or terminated in writing by Party A, this Agreement shall remain effective.

 

5.2                                During the term of this Agreement, each Party shall renew its operation term prior to the expiration thereof so as to enable this Agreement to remain effective. This Agreement shall be terminated upon the expiration of the operation term of a Party if the application for renewal of its operation term is not approved by relevant government authorities.

 

5.3                                The rights and obligations of the Parties under Sections 3, 6, 7 and this Section 5.3 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

6.                                       Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

6.1                                The execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes hereunder shall be governed by the laws of China.

 

9



 

6.2                                In the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s request to the other Party for resolution of the dispute through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with its arbitration rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on both Parties.

 

6.3                                Upon the occurrence of any disputes arising from the construction and performance of this Agreement or during the pending arbitration of any dispute, except for the matters under dispute, the Parties shall continue to exercise their respective rights under this Agreement and perform their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

7.                                       Breach of Agreement and Indemnification

 

7.1                                If Party B conducts any material breach of any term of this Agreement, Party A shall have right to terminate this Agreement and/or require Party B to indemnify all damages; this Section 7.1 shall not prejudice any other rights of Party A herein.

 

7.2                                Unless otherwise required by applicable laws, Party B shall not have any right to terminate this Agreement in any event.

 

10



 

7.3                                Party B shall indemnify and hold harmless Party A from any losses, injuries, obligations or expenses caused by any lawsuit, claims or other demands against Party A arising from or caused by the services provided by Party A to Party B pursuant this Agreement, except where such losses, injuries, obligations or expenses arise from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of Party A.

 

8.                                       Force Majeure

 

8.1                                In the case of any force majeure events (“Force Majeure”) such as earthquake, typhoon, flood, fire, flu, war, strikes or any other events that cannot be predicted and are unpreventable and unavoidable by the affected Party, which directly or indirectly causes the failure of either Party to perform or completely perform this Agreement, then the Party affected by such Force Majeure shall give the other Party written notices without any delay, and shall provide details of such event within 15 days after sending out such notice, explaining the reasons for such failure of, partial or delay of performance.

 

8.2                                If such Party claiming Force Majeure fails to notify the other Party and furnish it with proof pursuant to the above provision, such Party shall not be excused from the non-performance of its obligations hereunder. The Party so affected by the event of Force Majeure shall use reasonable efforts to minimize the consequences of such Force Majeure and to promptly resume performance hereunder whenever the causes of such excuse are cured. Should the Party so affected by the event of Force Majeure fail to resume performance hereunder when the causes of such excuse are cured, such Party shall be liable to the other Party.

 

11



 

8.3                                In the event of Force Majeure, the Parties shall immediately consult with each other to find an equitable solution and shall use all reasonable endeavours to minimize the consequences of such Force Majeure.

 

9.                                       Notices

 

9.1                                All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of such Party set forth below. A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by email. The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

9.1.1                      Notices given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail, postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of receipt or refusal at the address specified for notices.

 

9.1.2                      Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).

 

9.2                                For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

12



 

Party A:                                                 Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

Address:                                                  Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Attn:                                                                     Xiaobo An

 

Phone:                                                           +86 10-56579025

 

Party B:                                                 Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Address:                                                  Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Attn:                                                                     Xiaobo An

 

Phone:                                                           +86 10-53579038

 

9.3                                Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Party in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

10.                                Assignment

 

10.1                         Without Party A’s prior written consent, Party B shall not assign its rights and obligations under this Agreement to any third party.

 

10.2                         Party B agrees that Party A may assign its obligations and rights under this Agreement to any third party and in case of such assignment, Party

 

13



 

A is only required to give written notice to Party B and does not need any consent from Party B for such assignment.

 

11.                                Severability

 

In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Agreement are found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or compromised in any aspect. The Parties shall negotiate in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law and the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

12.                                Amendments and Supplements

 

Any amendments and supplements to this Agreement shall be in writing. The amendment agreements and supplementary agreements that have been signed by the Parties and relate to this Agreement shall be an integral part of this Agreement and shall have the same legal validity as this Agreement.

 

13.                                Language and Counterparts

 

This Agreement is written in both Chinese and English language in two copies, each Party having one copy. In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

14



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement as of the date first above written.

 

Party A: Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

Party B: Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

[SEAL]

 


 

Exclusive Option Agreement

 

This Exclusive Option Agreement (this “Agreement”) is executed by and among the following Parties as of 1 st  November, 2016 in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”):

 

Party A:                         Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd, a wholly foreign owned enterprise, organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China;

 

Party B:                         Xiaobin Zhai, a Chinese citizen with Identification No.: *******; and

 

Party C:                         Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd., a limited liability company organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Dirstrict, Beijing, People’s Republic of China.

 

In this Agreement, each of Party A, Party B and Party C shall be referred to as a “Party” respectively, and they shall be collectively referred to as the “Parties”.

 

Whereas:

 

1.               Party B is a shareholder of Party C and as of the date hereof holds 5% of equity interests of Party C, representing RMB 5,260,000 in the registered capital of Party C.

 

2.               Party A and Party B executed a Loan Agreement (“Loan Agreement”) on 1 st November, 2016, according to which Party A agreed to provide Party B with a loan in amount of RMB 25,500,000, to be used for the purpose of subscribing the registered capital of Party C.

 

Strictly Confidential

 

1



 

3.               Party B agrees to grant Party A an exclusive right through this Agreement, and Party A agrees to accept such exclusive right to purchase all or part equity interest held by Party B in Party C.

 

Now therefore, upon mutual discussion and negotiation, the Parties have reached the following agreement:

 

1.               Sale and Purchase of Equity Interest

 

1.1        Option Granted

 

In consideration of the payment of RMB10 by Party A, the receipt and adequacy of which is hereby acknowledged by Party B, Party B hereby irrevocably grants Party A an irrevocable and exclusive right to purchase, or designate one or more persons (each, a “Designee”) to purchase the equity interests in Party C then held by Party B once or at multiple times at any time in part or in whole at Party A’s sole and absolute discretion to the extent permitted by Chinese laws and at the price described in Section 1.3 herein (such right being the “Equity Interest Purchase Option”). Except for Party A and the Designee(s), no other person shall be entitled to the Equity Interest Purchase Option or other rights with respect to the equity interests of Party B. Party C hereby agrees to the grant by Party B of the Equity Interest Purchase Option to Party A. The term “person” as used herein shall refer to individuals, corporations, partnerships, partners, enterprises, trusts or non-corporate organizations.

 

2



 

1.2        Steps for Exercise of Equity Interest Purchase Option

 

Subject to the provisions of the laws and regulations of China, Party A may exercise the Equity Interest Purchase Option by issuing a written notice to Party B (the “Equity Interest Purchase Option Notice”), specifying: (a) Party A’s or the Designee’s decision to exercise the Equity Interest Purchase Option; (b) the portion of equity interests to be purchased by Party A or the Designee from Party B (the “Optioned Interests”); and (c) the date for purchasing the Optioned Interests or the date for transfer of the Optioned Interests.

 

1.3        Equity Interest Purchase Price

 

The purchase price of all equity interests held by Party B in Party C purchased by Party A by exercising the Equity Interest Purchase Option shall be RMB 1.00; if Party A exercises the Equity Interest Purchase Option to purchase part of the equity interests held by Party B in Party C, the purchase price shall be calculated pro rata. If PRC law requires a minimum price higher than aforementioned price when Party A exercises Equity Interest Purchase Option, the minimum price regulated by PRC law shall be the purchase price (collectively, the “Equity Interest Purchase Price”).

 

1.4        Transfer of Optioned Interests

 

For each exercise of the Equity Interest Purchase Option:

 

1.4.1                      Party B shall cause Party C to promptly convene a shareholders’ meeting, at which a resolution shall be adopted approving Party B’s transfer of the Optioned Interests to Party A and/or the Designee(s);

 

1.4.2                      Party B shall obtain written statements from the other shareholders of Party C giving consent to the transfer of the equity interest to Party A and/or the Designee(s) and waiving any right of first refusal related thereto;

 

3



 

1.4.3                      Party B shall execute an equity interest transfer contract with respect to each transfer with Party A and/or each Designee (whichever is applicable), in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement and the Equity Interest Purchase Option Notice regarding the Optioned Interests;

 

1.4.4                      The relevant Parties shall execute all other necessary contracts, agreements or documents, obtain all necessary government licenses and permits and take all necessary actions to transfer valid ownership of the Optioned Interests to Party A and/or the Designee(s), unencumbered by any security interests, and cause Party A and/or the Designee(s) to become the registered owner(s) of the Optioned Interests. For the purpose of this Section and this Agreement, “security interests” shall include securities, mortgages, third party’s rights or interests, any stock options, acquisition right, right of first refusal, right to offset, ownership retention or other security arrangements, but shall be deemed to exclude any security interest created by this Agreement, Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney. “Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement” as used in this Agreement shall refer to the Interest Pledge Agreement executed by and among Party A, Party B and Party C on the date hereof and any modification, amendment and restatement thereto. “Party B’s Power of Attorney” as used in this Agreement shall refer to the Power of Attorney executed by Party B on the date hereof granting Party A with power of attorney and any modification, amendment and restatement thereto.

 

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2.               Covenants

 

2.1        Covenants regarding Party C

 

Party B (as a shareholder of Party C) and Party C hereby covenant as follows:

 

2.1.1                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not in any manner supplement, change or amend the articles of association of Party C, increase or decrease its registered capital, or change its structure of registered capital in other manners;

 

2.1.2                      They shall maintain Party C’s corporate existence in accordance with good financial and business standards and practices, obtain and maintain all necessary government licenses and permits by prudently and effectively operating its business and handling its affairs;

 

2.1.3                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not at any time following the date hereof, sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of in any manner any assets of Party C or legal or beneficial interest in the material business or revenues of Party C, or allow the encumbrance thereon of any security interest;

 

2.1.4                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not incur, inherit, guarantee or suffer the existence of any debt, except for payables incurred in the ordinary course of business other than through loans;

 

2.1.5                      They shall always operate all of Party C’s businesses in the ordinary course of business to maintain the asset value of Party C and refrain from any action/omission that may affect Party C’s operating status and asset value;

 

5



 

2.1.6                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not cause Party C to execute any major contract, except the contracts in the ordinary course of business (for purpose of this subsection, a contract with a price exceeding RMB100,000 shall be deemed a major contract);

 

2.1.7                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not cause Party C to provide any person with any loan or credit;

 

2.1.8                      They shall provide Party A with information on Party C’s business operations and financial condition at Party A’s request;

 

2.1.9                      If requested by Party A, they shall procure and maintain insurance in respect of Party C’s assets and business from an insurance carrier acceptable to Party A, at an amount and type of coverage typical for companies that operate similar businesses;

 

2.1.10               Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not cause or permit Party C to merge, consolidate with, acquire or invest in any person;

 

2.1.11               They shall immediately notify Party A of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Party C’s assets, business or revenue;

 

2.1.12               To maintain the ownership by Party C of all of its assets, they shall execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate actions, file all necessary or appropriate complaints, and raise necessary or appropriate defenses against all claims;

 

2.1.13               Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall ensure that Party C shall not in any manner distribute dividends to its shareholders, provided that upon Party A’s written request, Party C shall immediately distribute all distributable profits to its shareholders;

 

6



 

2.1.14               At the request of Party A, they shall appoint any person designated by Party A as the director or executive director of Party C.

 

2.1.15               Without Party A’s prior written consent, they shall not engage in any business in competition with Party A or its affiliates; and

 

2.1.16               Unless otherwise required by PRC law, Party C shall not be dissolved or liquated without prior written consent by Party A.

 

2.2        Covenants of Party B

 

Party B hereby covenants as follows:

 

2.2.1                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall not sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of in any other manner any legal or beneficial interest in the equity interests in Party C held by Party B, or allow the encumbrance thereon, except for the interest placed in accordance with Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney;

 

2.2.2                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall cause the shareholders’ meeting and/or the directors (or the executive director) of Party C not to approve any sale, transfer, mortgage or disposition in any other manner of any legal or beneficial interest in the equity interests in Party C held by Party B, or allow the encumbrance

 

7



 

thereon of any security interest, except for the interest placed in accordance with Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney;

 

2.2.3                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall cause the shareholders’ meeting or the directors (or the executive director) of Party C not to approve the merger or consolidation with any person, or the acquisition of or investment in any person;

 

2.2.4                      Party B shall immediately notify Party A of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to the equity interests in Party C held by Party B;

 

2.2.5                      Party B shall cause the shareholders’ meeting or the directors (or the executive director) of Party C to vote their approval of the transfer of the Optioned Interests as set forth in this Agreement and to take any and all other actions that may be requested by Party A;

 

2.2.6                      To the extent necessary to maintain Party B’s ownership in Party C, Party B shall execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate actions, file all necessary or appropriate complaints, and raise necessary or appropriate defenses against all claims;

 

2.2.7                      Party B shall appoint any designee of Party A as the director or the executive director of Party C, at the request of Party A;

 

2.2.8                      Party B hereby waives its right of first of refusal to transfer of equity interest by any other shareholder of Party C to Party A (if any), and gives consent to execution by each other shareholder of Party C with

 

8



 

Party A and Party C the exclusive option agreement, the equity interest pledge agreement and the power of attorney similar to this Agreement, Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney and undertakes not to take any action in conflict with such documents executed by the other shareholders;

 

2.2.9                      Party B shall promptly donate any profit, interest, dividend or proceeds of liquidation, or any proceeds from transferring its entire or a part of equity interest in Party C, to Party A or any other person designated by Party A to the extent permitted under applicable PRC laws; and

 

2.2.10               Party B shall strictly abide by the provisions of this Agreement and other contracts jointly or separately executed by and among Party B, Party C and Party A, perform the obligations hereunder and thereunder, and refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability thereof. To the extent that Party B has any remaining rights with respect to the equity interests subject to this Agreement hereunder or under the Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement or under the Party B’s Power of Attorney, Party B shall not exercise such rights except in accordance with the written instructions of Party A.

 

3.               Representations and Warranties

 

Party B and Party C hereby represent and warrant to Party A, jointly and severally, as of the date of this Agreement and each date of transfer of the Optioned Interests, that:

 

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3.1        They have the power, capacity and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and any equity interest transfer contracts to which they are parties concerning the Optioned Interests to be transferred thereunder (each, a “Transfer Contract”), and to perform their obligations under this Agreement and any Transfer Contracts. Party B and Party C agree to enter into Transfer Contracts consistent with the terms of this Agreement upon Party A’s exercise of the Equity Interest Purchase Option. This Agreement and the Transfer Contracts to which they are parties constitute or will constitute their legal, valid and binding obligations and shall be enforceable against them in accordance with the provisions thereof;

 

3.2        Party B and Party C have obtained any and all approvals and consents from government authorities and third parties (if required) for execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement.

 

3.3        The execution and delivery of this Agreement or any Transfer Contracts and the obligations under this Agreement or any Transfer Contracts shall not: (i) cause any violation of any applicable laws of China; (ii) be inconsistent with the articles of association, bylaws or other organizational documents of Party C; (iii) cause the violation of any contracts or instruments to which they are a party or which are binding on them, or constitute any breach under any contracts or instruments to which they are a party or which are binding on them; (iv) cause any violation of any condition for the grant and/or continued effectiveness of any licenses or permits issued to either of them; or (v) cause the suspension or revocation of or imposition of additional conditions to any licenses or permits issued to either of them;

 

3.4        Party B has a good and merchantable title to the equity interests held by Party B in Party C. Except for Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge

 

10



 

Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney, Party B has not placed any security interest on such equity interests;

 

3.5        Party C has a good and merchantable title to all of its assets, and has not placed any security interest on the aforementioned assets;

 

3.6        Party C does not have any outstanding debts, except for (i) debt incurred in the ordinary course of business; and (ii) debts disclosed to Party A for which Party A’s written consent has been obtained.

 

3 . 7        Party C has complied with all applicable laws and regulations; and

 

3.8        There are no pending or threatened litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to the equity interests in Party C, assets of Party C or Party C.

 

4.               Effective Date and Term

 

This Agreement shall become effective upon execution by the Parties, and remain effective until all equity interests held by Party B in Party C have been transferred or assigned to Party A and/or any other person designated by Party A in accordance with this Agreement.

 

5.               Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

5.1        Governing law

 

The execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes hereunder shall be governed by the laws of PRC.

 

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5.2        Methods of Resolution of Disputes

 

In the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s request to the other Parties for resolution of the dispute through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with its arbitration rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on all Parties.

 

6.               Taxes and Fees

 

Each Party shall pay any and all transfer and registration tax, expenses and fees incurred thereby or levied thereon in accordance with the laws of China in connection with the preparation and execution of this Agreement and the Transfer Contracts, as well as the consummation of the transactions contemplated under this Agreement and the Transfer Contracts.

 

7.               Notices

 

7.1        All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of such Party set forth below. A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by email. The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

7.1.1                      Notices given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail, postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of receipt or refusal at the address specified for notices;

 

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7.1.2                      Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).

 

7.2        For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

Party A:                         Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

Address:                          Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Attn:                                             Xiaobo An

Phone:                                   +86 10-56579025

 

Party B:                         Xiaobin Zhai

Address:                          No. 36, West Road, Sishang Village, Yehe Town, Luancheng Country, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province

Phone:                                   +86 187 0143 1292

 

Party C:                         Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

Address:                          Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Dirstrict, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Attn:                                             Xiaobo An

Phone:                                   +86 10-53579038

 

7.3        Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Parties in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

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8.               Confidentiality

 

The Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement, and any oral or written information exchanged between the Parties in connection with the preparation and performance this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Each Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of other Parties, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third parties, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

9.               Further Warranties

 

The Parties agree to promptly execute documents that are reasonably required for or are conducive to the implementation of the provisions and purposes of this Agreement and take further actions that are reasonably required for or are conducive to the implementation of the provisions and purposes of this Agreement.

 

10.        Breach of Agreement

 

10.1           If Party B or Party C conducts any material breach of any term of this Agreement, Party A shall have right to terminate this Agreement and/or

 

14



 

require the Party B or Party C to compensate all damages; this Section 10 shall not prejudice any other rights of Party A herein;

 

10.2           Party B or Party C shall not have any right to terminate this Agreement in any event unless otherwise required by applicable laws.

 

11.        Miscellaneous

 

11.1           Amendment, change and supplement

 

Any amendment, change and supplement to this Agreement shall require the execution of a written agreement by all of the Parties.

 

11.2           Entire agreement

 

Except for the amendments, supplements or changes in writing executed after the execution of this Agreement, this Agreement shall constitute the entire agreement reached by and among the Parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and shall supercede all prior oral and written consultations, representations and contracts reached with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement.

 

11.3           Headings

 

The headings of this Agreement are for convenience only, and shall not be used to interpret, explain or otherwise affect the meanings of the provisions of this Agreement.

 

11.4           Language

 

This Agreement is written in both Chinese and English language in three copies, each Party having one copy. In case of any discrepancy between

 

15



 

the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

11.5           Severability

 

In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Agreement are found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or compromised in any respect. The Parties shall strive in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law and the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

11.6           Successors

 

This Agreement shall be binding on and shall inure to the interest of the respective successors of the Parties and the permitted assigns of such Parties.

 

11.7           Survival

 

11.7.1               Any obligations that occur or that are due as a result of this Agreement upon the expiration or early termination of this Agreement shall survive the expiration or early termination thereof.

 

11.7.2               The provisions of Sections 5, 8, 10 and this Section 11.7 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

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11.8           Waivers

 

Any Party may waive the terms and conditions of this Agreement, provided that such a waiver must be provided in writing and shall require the signatures of the Parties. No waiver by any Party in certain circumstances with respect to a breach by other Parties shall operate as a waiver by such a Party with respect to any similar breach in other circumstances.

 

17



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Exclusive Option Agreement as of the date first above written.

 

 

Party A:

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party B:

Xiaobin Zhai

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobin Zhai

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party C:

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 


 

Loan Agreement

 

This Loan Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between the Parties below as of 1 st  November, 2016 in Beijing, China:

 

(1)          Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd (“Lender”), a wholly foreign owned enterprise, organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China;

 

(2)          Xiaobin Zhai (“Borrower”), a citizen of China with Chinese Identification No.: *******.

 

Each of the Lender and the Borrower shall be hereinafter referred to as a “Party” respectively, and as the “Parties” collectively.

 

Whereas:

 

1.               As of the date hereof, Borrower holds 5% of equity interests in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. (“Borrower Company”). All of the equity interest now held and hereafter acquired by Borrower in Borrower Company shall be referred to as Borrower Equity Interest;

 

2.               Lender confirms that it agrees to provide Borrower with and Borrower confirms that he/she has received a loan which equals to RMB 25,500,000 to be used for the purposes set forth under this Agreement.

 

After friendly consultation, the Parties agree as follows:

 

Strictly Confidential

 

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1                  Loan

 

1.1        In accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Lender and Borrower hereby acknowledge that Borrower has obtained from Lender a loan in the amount of RMB 25,500,000 (the “Loan”). The term of the Loan shall be 10 years from the effective date of this Agreement, which may be extended upon mutual written consent of the Parties. During the term of the Loan or the extended term of the Loan, Borrower shall immediately repay the full amount of the Loan in the event any one or more of the following circumstances occur:

 

1.1.1                      30 days elapse after Borrower receives a written notice from Lender requesting repayment of the Loan;

 

1.1.2                      Borrower’s death, lack or limitation of civil capacity;

 

1.1.3                      Borrower ceases (for any reason) to be an employee of Lender, Borrower Company or their affiliates;

 

1.1.4                      Borrower engages in criminal act or is involved in criminal activities;

 

1.1.5                      According to the applicable laws of China, foreign investors are permitted to invest in the principle business that is currently conducted by Borrower Company in China with a controlling stake and/or in the form of wholly-foreign-owned enterprises, the relevant competent authorities of China begin to approve such investments, and Lender exercises the exclusive option under the Exclusive Option Agreement (the “Exclusive Option Agreement”) described in this Agreement.

 

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1.2        The Loan provided by Lender under this Agreement shall inure to Borrower’s benefit only and not to Borrower’s successors or assigns.

 

1.3        Borrower agrees to accept the aforementioned Loan provided by Lender, and hereby agrees and warrants using the Loan to subscribe the registered capital of Borrower Company. Without Lender’s prior written consent, Borrower shall not use the Loan for any purpose other than as set forth herein.

 

1.4        Lender and Borrower hereby agree and acknowledge that Borrower’s method of repayment shall be at the sole discretion of Lender, and shall at Lender’s option take the form of Borrower’s transferring the Borrower Equity Interest in whole to Lender or Lender’s designated persons (legal or natural persons) pursuant to the Lender’s exercise of its right to acquire the Borrower Equity Interest under the Exclusive Option Agreement, and any proceeds from the transfer of the Borrower Equity Interest (to the extent permissible) shall be used by the Borrower to repay the Loan to Lender, in accordance with this Agreement and in the manner designated by Lender.

 

1.5        Lender and Borrower hereby agree and acknowledge that to the extent permitted by applicable laws, Lender shall have the right but not the obligation to purchase or designate other persons (legal or natural persons) to purchase Borrower Equity Interest in part or in whole at any time, at the price stipulated in the Exclusive Option Agreement.

 

1.6        Borrower also undertakes to execute an irrevocable Power of Attorney (the “Power of Attorney”), which authorizes Lender or a legal or natural person designated by Lender to exercise all of Borrower’s rights as a shareholder of Borrower Company.

 

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1.7        When Borrower transfers Borrower Equity Interest to Lender or Lender’s designated person(s), in the event that the transfer price of such equity interest equals or is lower than the principal of the Loan under this Agreement, the Loan under this Agreement shall be deemed an interest-free loan. In the event that the transfer price of such equity interest exceeds the principal of the Loan under this Agreement, the excess over the principal shall be deemed the interest of the Loan under this Agreement payable by Borrower to Lender.

 

2                  Representations and Warranties

 

2.1        Between the date of this Agreement and the date of termination of this Agreement, Lender hereby makes the following representations and warranties to Borrower:

 

2.1.1                      Lender is a corporation duly organized and legally existing in accordance with the laws of China;

 

2.1.2                      Lender has the legal capacity to execute and perform this Agreement. The execution and performance by Lender of this Agreement is consistent with Lender’s scope of business and the provisions of Lender’s corporate bylaws and other organizational documents, and Lender has obtained all necessary and proper approvals and authorizations for the execution and performance of this Agreement; and

 

2.1.3                      This Agreement constitutes Lender’s legal, valid and binding obligations enforceable in accordance with its terms.

 

2.2        Between the date of this Agreement and the date of termination of this Agreement, Borrower hereby makes the following representations and warranties:

 

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2.2.1                      Borrower has the legal capacity to execute and perform this Agreement. Borrower has obtained all necessary and proper approvals and authorizations for the execution and performance of this Agreement;

 

2.2.2                      This Agreement constitutes Borrower’s legal, valid and binding obligations enforceable in accordance with its terms; and

 

2.2.3                      There are no disputes, litigations, arbitrations, administrative proceedings or any other legal proceedings relating to Borrower, nor are there any potential disputes, litigations, arbitrations, administrative proceedings or any other legal proceedings relating to Borrower.

 

3                  Borrower’s Covenants

 

3.1        As and when he becomes, and for so long as he remains a shareholder of Borrower Company, Borrower covenants irrevocably that during the term of this Agreement, Borrower shall cause Borrower Company:

 

3.1.1                      to strictly abide by the provisions of the Exclusive Option Agreement and the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (“Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement”) to which the Borrower Company is a party, and to refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability of the Exclusive Option Agreement and Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement.

 

3.1.2                      at the request of Lender (or a party designated by Lender), to execute contracts/agreements on business cooperation with Lender

 

5



 

(or a party designated by Lender), and to strictly abide by such contracts/agreements;

 

3.1.3                      to provide Lender with all of the information on Borrower Company’s business operations and financial condition at Lender’s request;

 

3.1.4                      to immediately notify Lender of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Borrower Company’s assets, business or income;

 

3.1.5                      at the request of Lender, to appoint any persons designated by Lender as directors of Borrower Company;

 

3.2        Borrower covenants that during the term of this Agreement, he shall:

 

3.2.1                      endeavor to keep Borrower Company to engage in its principle businesses;

 

3.2.2                      abide by the provisions of this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement (“Equity Interest Pledge Agreement”) and the Exclusive Option Agreement to which the Borrower is a party, perform his obligations under this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Option Agreement, and refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability of this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Option Agreement;

 

3.2.3                      not sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of in any other manner the legal or beneficial interest in Borrower Equity Interest, or allow the

 

6



 

encumbrance thereon of any security interest or the encumbrance, except in accordance with the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement;

 

3.2.4                      cause any shareholders’ meeting and/or the board of directors of Borrower Company not to approve the sale, transfer, mortgage or disposition in any other manner of any legal or beneficial interest in Borrower Equity Interest, or allow the encumbrance thereon of any security interest, except to Lender or Lender’s designated person;

 

3.2.5                      cause any shareholders’ meeting and/or the board of directors of the Borrower Company not to approve the merger or consolidation of Borrower Company with any person, or its acquisition of or investment in any person, without the prior written consent of Lender;

 

3.2.6                      immediately notify Lender of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Borrower Equity Interest;

 

3.2.7                      to the extent necessary to maintain his ownership of the Borrower Equity Interest, execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate actions and file all necessary or appropriate complaints or raise necessary and appropriate defense against all claims;

 

3.2.8                      without the prior written consent of Lender, refrain from any action /omission that may have a material impact on the assets, business and liabilities of Borrower Company;

 

3.2.9                      appoint any designee of Lender as director of Borrower Company, at the request of Lender;

 

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3.2.10               to the extent permitted by the laws of China, at the request of Lender at any time, promptly and unconditionally transfer all of Borrower Equity Interest to Lender or Lender’s designated representative(s) at any time, and cause the other shareholders of Borrower Company to waive their right of first refusal with respect to the share transfer described in this Section;

 

3.2.11               to the extent permitted by the laws of China, at the request of Lender at any time, cause the other shareholders of Borrower Company to promptly and unconditionally transfer all of their equity interests to Lender or Lender’s designated representative(s) at any time, and Borrower hereby waives his right of first refusal (if any) with respect to the share transfer described in this Section;

 

3.2.12               in the event that Lender purchases Borrower Equity Interest from Borrower in accordance with the provisions of the Exclusive Option Agreement, use such purchase price obtained thereby to repay the Loan to Lender; and

 

3.2.13               without the prior written consent of Lender, not to cause Borrower Company to supplement, change, or amend its articles of association in any manner, increase or decreases its registered capital or change its share capital structure in any manner.

 

4                  Liability for Default

 

4.1        If Borrower conducts any material breach of any term of this Agreement, Lender shall have right to terminate this Agreement and require the Borrower to compensate all damages; this Section 4.1 shall not prejudice any other rights of Lender herein.

 

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4.2        Borrower shall not terminate this Agreement in any event unless otherwise required by applicable laws.

 

4.3        In the event that Borrower fails to perform the repayment obligations set forth in this Agreement, Borrower shall pay overdue interest of 0.01% per day for the outstanding payment, until the day Borrower repays the full principal of the Loan, overdue interests and other payable amounts.

 

5                  Notices

 

5.1        All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of such Party set forth below. A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by email. The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

5.1.1                      Notices given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail, postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of delivery.

 

5.1.2                      Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).

 

5.2        For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

Lender:                            Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

Address:                          Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District,

 

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Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Attn:                                             Xiaobo An

 

Phone:                                   +86 10-56579025

 

Borrower:             Xiaobin Zhai

 

Address:                          No. 36, West Road, Sishang Village, Yehe Town, Luancheng Country, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province

 

Phone:                                   +86 187 0143 1292

 

5.3        Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Party in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

6                  Confidentiality

 

The Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement and any oral or written information exchanged between the Parties in connection with the preparation and performance this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Each Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of the other Party, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third parties, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed

 

10



 

disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

7                  Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

7.1        The execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes shall be governed by the laws of China.

 

7.2        In the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s request to the other Party for resolution of the dispute through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with its then effective arbitration rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on all Parties.

 

7.3        Upon the occurrence of any disputes arising from the construction and performance of this Agreement or during the pending arbitration of any dispute, except for the matters under dispute, the Parties to this Agreement shall continue to exercise their respective rights under this Agreement and perform their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

8                    Miscellaneous

 

8.1        This Agreement should become effective upon execution by the Parties, and shall expire upon the date of full performance by the Parties of their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

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8.2        This Agreement shall be written in both Chinese and English language in two copies, each Party having one copy. The Chinese version and English version shall have equal legal validity.

 

8.3        This Agreement may be amended or supplemented through written agreement by and between Lender and Borrower. Such written amendment agreement and/or supplementary agreement executed by and between Lender and Borrower are an integral part of this Agreement, and shall have the same legal validity as this Agreement.

 

8.4        In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Agreement are found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or compromised in any respect. The Parties shall strive in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

8.5        The attachments (if any) to this Agreement shall be an integral part of this Agreement and shall have the same legal validity as this Agreement.

 

8.6        Any obligations that occur or that are due as a result of this Agreement upon the expiration or early termination of this Agreement shall survive the expiration or early termination thereof. The provisions of Sections 4, 6, 7 and this Section 8.6 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Loan Agreement as of the date firs above written .

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

Lender:

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

Borrower:

Xiaobin Zhai

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobin Zhai

 

 


 

Power of Attorney

 

I, Xiaobin Zhai, a Chinese citizen with Chinese Identification Card No.: *******, and a holder of 5% of the entire registered capital in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. (“Hexin E-Commerce”) as of the date when the Power of Attorney is executed, hereby irrevocably authorize Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd (“WFOE”) to exercise the following rights relating to all equity interests held by me now and in the future in Hexin E-Commerce (“My Shareholding”) during the term of this Power of Attorney:

 

WFOE is hereby authorized to act on behalf of myself as my exclusive agent and attorney with respect to all matters concerning My Shareholding, including without limitation to: 1) attending shareholders’ meetings of Hexin E-Commerce; 2) exercising all the shareholder’s rights and shareholder’s voting rights I am entitled to under the laws of China and H Hexin E-Commerce’s Articles of Association, including but not limited to the sale or transfer or pledge or disposition of My Shareholding in part or in whole; and 3) designate and appoint on behalf of myself the legal representative, the directors, supervisors, the chief executive officer and other senior management members of Hexin E-Commerce.

 

Without limiting the generality of the powers granted hereunder, WFOE shall have the power and authority to, on behalf of myself, execute all the documents I shall sign as stipulated in the Exclusive Option Agreement entered into by and among me, WFOE and Hexin E-Commerce on 1 st  November, 2016 and the Equity Pledge Agreement entered into by and among me, WFOE and Hexin E-Commerce on 1 st November, 2016 (including any modification, amendment and restatement thereto, collectively the “Transaction Documents”), and perform the terms of the Transaction Documents.

 

Strictly Confidential

 

1



 

All the actions associated with My Shareholding conducted by WFOE shall be deemed as my own actions, and all the documents related to My Shareholding executed by WFOE shall be deemed to be executed by me. I hereby acknowledge and ratify those actions and/or documents by WFOE.

 

WFOE is entitled to re-authorize or assign its rights related to the aforesaid matters to any other person or entity at its own discretion and without giving prior notice to me or obtaining my consent. If required by PRC laws, WFOE shall designate a PRC citizen to exercise the aforementioned rights.

 

During the period that I am a shareholder of Hexin E-Commerce, this Power of Attorney shall be irrevocable and continuously effective and valid from the date of execution of this Power of Attorney.

 

During the term of this Power of Attorney, I hereby waive all the rights associated with My Shareholding, which have been authorized to WFOE through this Power of Attorney, and shall not exercise such rights by myself.

 

This Power of Attorney is written in Chinese and English. In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

This Power of Attorney is signed on 1 st  November, 2016.

 

2



 

 

Xiaobin Zhai

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobin Zhai

 

 

 

 

 

Accepted by

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

Acknowledged by:

 

 

 

 

 

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

3




Exhibit 10.5

 

Exclusive Option Agreement

 

This Exclusive Option Agreement (this “Agreement”) is executed by and among the following Parties as of 1 st  November, 2016 in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”):

 

Party A:           Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd, a wholly foreign owned enterprise, organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China;

 

Party B:            Xiaobo An, a Chinese citizen with Identification No.: *******; and

 

Party C:           Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd., a limited liability company organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China.

 

In this Agreement, each of Party A, Party B and Party C shall be referred to as a “Party” respectively, and they shall be collectively referred to as the “Parties”.

 

Whereas:

 

1.               Party B is a shareholder of Party C and as of the date hereof holds 94.99% of equity interests of Party C, representing RMB99,999,999 in the registered capital of Party C.

 

2.               Party A and Party B executed a Loan Agreement (“Loan Agreement”) on 1 st November, 2016, according to which Party A agreed to provide Party B with a

 

Strictly Confidential

 

1



 

loan in amount of RMB 484,449,000, to be used for the purpose of subscribing the registered capital of Party C.

 

3.               Party B agrees to grant Party A an exclusive right through this Agreement, and Party A agrees to accept such exclusive right to purchase all or part equity interest held by Party B in Party C.

 

Now therefore, upon mutual discussion and negotiation, the Parties have reached the following agreement:

 

1.               Sale and Purchase of Equity Interest

 

1.1        Option Granted

 

In consideration of the payment of RMB10 by Party A, the receipt and adequacy of which is hereby acknowledged by Party B, Party B hereby irrevocably grants Party A an irrevocable and exclusive right to purchase, or designate one or more persons (each, a “Designee”) to purchase the equity interests in Party C then held by Party B once or at multiple times at any time in part or in whole at Party A’s sole and absolute discretion to the extent permitted by Chinese laws and at the price described in Section 1.3 herein (such right being the “Equity Interest Purchase Option”). Except for Party A and the Designee(s), no other person shall be entitled to the Equity Interest Purchase Option or other rights with respect to the equity interests of Party B. Party C hereby agrees to the grant by Party B of the Equity Interest Purchase Option to Party A. The term “person” as used herein shall refer to individuals, corporations, partnerships, partners, enterprises, trusts or non-corporate organizations.

 

2



 

1.2        Steps for Exercise of Equity Interest Purchase Option

 

Subject to the provisions of the laws and regulations of China, Party A may exercise the Equity Interest Purchase Option by issuing a written notice to Party B (the “Equity Interest Purchase Option Notice”), specifying: (a) Party A’s or the Designee’s decision to exercise the Equity Interest Purchase Option; (b) the portion of equity interests to be purchased by Party A or the Designee from Party B (the “Optioned Interests”); and (c) the date for purchasing the Optioned Interests or the date for transfer of the Optioned Interests.

 

1.3        Equity Interest Purchase Price

 

The purchase price of all equity interests held by Party B in Party C purchased by Party A by exercising the Equity Interest Purchase Option shall be RMB 1.00; if Party A exercises the Equity Interest Purchase Option to purchase part of the equity interests held by Party B in Party C, the purchase price shall be calculated pro rata. If PRC law requires a minimum price higher than aforementioned price when Party A exercises Equity Interest Purchase Option, the minimum price regulated by PRC law shall be the purchase price (collectively, the “Equity Interest Purchase Price”).

 

1.4        Transfer of Optioned Interests

 

For each exercise of the Equity Interest Purchase Option:

 

1.4.1                      Party B shall cause Party C to promptly convene a shareholders’ meeting, at which a resolution shall be adopted approving Party B’s transfer of the Optioned Interests to Party A and/or the Designee(s);

 

1.4.2                      Party B shall obtain written statements from the other shareholders of Party C giving consent to the transfer of the equity interest to

 

3



 

Party A and/or the Designee(s) and waiving any right of first refusal related thereto;

 

1.4.3                      Party B shall execute an equity interest transfer contract with respect to each transfer with Party A and/or each Designee (whichever is applicable), in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement and the Equity Interest Purchase Option Notice regarding the Optioned Interests;

 

1.4.4                      The relevant Parties shall execute all other necessary contracts, agreements or documents, obtain all necessary government licenses and permits and take all necessary actions to transfer valid ownership of the Optioned Interests to Party A and/or the Designee(s), unencumbered by any security interests, and cause Party A and/or the Designee(s) to become the registered owner(s) of the Optioned Interests. For the purpose of this Section and this Agreement, “security interests” shall include securities, mortgages, third party’s rights or interests, any stock options, acquisition right, right of first refusal, right to offset, ownership retention or other security arrangements, but shall be deemed to exclude any security interest created by this Agreement, Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney. “Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement” as used in this Agreement shall refer to the Interest Pledge Agreement executed by and among Party A, Party B and Party C on the date hereof and any modification, amendment and restatement thereto. “Party B’s Power of Attorney” as used in this Agreement shall refer to the Power of Attorney executed by Party B on the date hereof granting Party A with power of attorney and any modification, amendment and restatement thereto.

 

4



 

2.               Covenants

 

2.1        Covenants regarding Party C

 

Party B (as a shareholder of Party C) and Party C hereby covenant as follows:

 

2.1.1                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not in any manner supplement, change or amend the articles of association of Party C, increase or decrease its registered capital, or change its structure of registered capital in other manners;

 

2.1.2                      They shall maintain Party C’s corporate existence in accordance with good financial and business standards and practices, obtain and maintain all necessary government licenses and permits by prudently and effectively operating its business and handling its affairs;

 

2.1.3                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not at any time following the date hereof, sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of in any manner any assets of Party C or legal or beneficial interest in the material business or revenues of Party C, or allow the encumbrance thereon of any security interest;

 

2.1.4                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not incur, inherit, guarantee or suffer the existence of any debt, except for payables incurred in the ordinary course of business other than through loans;

 

2.1.5                      They shall always operate all of Party C’s businesses in the ordinary course of business to maintain the asset value of Party C and refrain

 

5



 

from any action/omission that may affect Party C’s operating status and asset value;

 

2.1.6                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not cause Party C to execute any major contract, except the contracts in the ordinary course of business (for purpose of this subsection, a contract with a price exceeding RMB100,00 shall be deemed a major contract);

 

2.1.7                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not cause Party C to provide any person with any loan or credit;

 

2.1.8                      They shall provide party A with information on Party C’s business operations and financial condition at Party A’s request;

 

2.1.9                      If requested by Party A, they shall procure and maintain insurance in respect of Party C’s assets and business from an insurance carrier acceptable to Party A, at an amount and type of coverage typical for companies that operate similar businesses;

 

2.1.10               Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not cause or permit Party C to merge, consolidate with, acquire or invest in any person;

 

2.1.11               They shall immediately notify Party A of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Party C’s assets, business or revenue;

 

2.1.12               To maintain the ownership by Party C of all of its assets, they shall execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate actions, file all necessary or appropriate complaints, and raise necessary or appropriate defenses against all claims;

 

6



 

2.1.13               Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall ensure that Party C shall not in any manner distribute dividends to its shareholders, provided that upon Party A’s written request, Party C shall immediately distribute all distributable profits to its shareholders;

 

2.1.14               At the request of Party A, they shall appoint any person designated by Party A as the director or executive director of Party C.

 

2.1.15               Without Party A’s prior written consent, they shall not engage in any business in competition with Party A or its affiliates; and

 

2.1.16               Unless otherwise required by PRC law, Party C shall not be dissolved or liquated without prior written consent by Party A.

 

2.2        Covenants of Party B

 

Party B hereby covenants as follows:

 

2.2.1                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall not sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of in any other manner any legal or beneficial interest in the equity interests in Party C held by Party B, or allow the encumbrance thereon, except for the interest placed in accordance with Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney;

 

2.2.2                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall cause the shareholders’ meeting and/or the directors (or the executive director)

 

7



 

of Party C not to approve any sale, transfer, mortgage or disposition in any other manner of any legal or beneficial interest in the equity interests in Party C held by Party B, or allow the encumbrance thereon of any security interest, except for the interest placed in accordance with Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney;

 

2.2.3                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall cause the shareholders’ meeting or the directors (or the executive director) of Party C not to approve the merger or consolidation with any person, or the acquisition of or investment in any person;

 

2.2.4                      Party B shall immediately notify Party A of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to the equity interests in Party C held by Party B;

 

2.2.5                      Party B shall cause the shareholders’ meeting or the directors (or the executive director) of Party C to vote their approval of the transfer of the Optioned Interests as set forth in this Agreement and to take any and all other actions that may be requested by Party A;

 

2.2.6                      To the extent necessary to maintain Party B’s ownership in Party C, Party B shall execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate actions, file all necessary or appropriate complaints, and raise necessary or appropriate defenses against all claims;

 

2.2.7                      Party B shall appoint any designee of Party A as the director or the executive director of Party C, at the request of Party A;

 

8


 

2.2.8                      Party B hereby waives its right of first of refusal to transfer of equity interest by any other shareholder of Party C to Party A (if any), and gives consent to execution by each other shareholder of Party C with Party A and Party C the exclusive option agreement, the equity interest pledge agreement and the power of attorney similar to this Agreement, Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney and undertakes not to take any action in conflict with such documents executed by the other shareholders;

 

2.2.9                      Party B shall promptly donate any profit, interest, dividend or proceeds of liquidation, or any proceeds from transferring its entire or a part of equity interest in Party C, to Party A or any other person designated by Party A to the extent permitted under applicable PRC laws; and

 

2.2.10               Party B shall strictly abide by the provisions of this Agreement and other contracts jointly or separately executed by and among Party B, Party C and Party A, perform the obligations hereunder and thereunder, and refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability thereof. To the extent that Party B has any remaining rights with respect to the equity interests subject to this Agreement hereunder or under the Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement or under the Party B’s Power of Attorney, Party B shall not exercise such rights except in accordance with the written instructions of Party A.

 

3.               Representations and Warranties

 

Party B and Party C hereby represent and warrant to Party A, jointly and severally, as of the date of this Agreement and each date of transfer of the Optioned Interests, that:

 

9



 

3.1        They have the power, capacity and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and any equity interest transfer contracts to which they are parties concerning the Optioned Interests to be transferred thereunder (each, a “Transfer Contract”), and to perform their obligations under this Agreement and any Transfer Contracts. Party B and Party C agree to enter into Transfer Contracts consistent with the terms of this Agreement upon Party A’s exercise of the Equity Interest Purchase Option. This Agreement and the Transfer Contracts to which they are parties constitute or will constitute their legal, valid and binding obligations and shall be enforceable against them in accordance with the provisions thereof;

 

3.2        Party B and Party C have obtained any and all approvals and consents from government authorities and third parties (if required) for execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement.

 

3.3        The execution and delivery of this Agreement or any Transfer Contracts and the obligations under this Agreement or any Transfer Contracts shall not: (i) cause any violation of any applicable laws of China; (ii) be inconsistent with the articles of association, bylaws or other organizational documents of Party C; (iii) cause the violation of any contracts or instruments to which they are a party or which are binding on them, or constitute any breach under any contracts or instruments to which they are a party or which are binding on them; (iv) cause any violation of any condition for the grant and/or continued effectiveness of any licenses or permits issued to either of them; or (v) cause the suspension or revocation of or imposition of additional conditions to any licenses or permits issued to either of them;

 

3.4        Party B has a good and merchantable title to the equity interests held by Party B in Party C. Except for Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney, Party B has not placed any security interest on such equity interests;

 

10



 

3.5        Party C has a good and merchantable title to all of its assets, and has not placed any security interest on the aforementioned assets;

 

3.6        Party C does not have any outstanding debts, except for (i) debt incurred in the ordinary course of business; and (ii) debts disclosed to Party A for which Party A’s written consent has been obtained.

 

3.7        Party C has complied with all applicable laws and regulations; and

 

3.8        There are no pending or threatened litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to the equity interests in Party C, assets of Party C or Party C.

 

4.               Effective Date and Term

 

This Agreement shall become effective upon execution by the Parties, and remain effective until all equity interests held by Party B in Party C have been transferred or assigned to Party A and/or any other person designated by Party A in accordance with this Agreement.

 

5.               Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

5.1        Governing law

 

The execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes hereunder shall be governed by the laws of PRC.

 

11



 

5.2        Methods of Resolution of Disputes

 

In the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s request to the other Parties for resolution of the dispute through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with its arbitration rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on all Parties.

 

6.               Taxes and Fees

 

Each Party shall pay any and all transfer and registration tax, expenses and fees incurred thereby or levied thereon in accordance with the laws of China in connection with the preparation and execution of this Agreement and the Transfer Contracts, as well as the consummation of the transactions contemplated under this Agreement and the Transfer Contracts.

 

7.               Notices

 

7.1        All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of such Party set forth below. A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by email. The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

7.1.1                      Notices given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail, postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of receipt or refusal at the address specified for notices;

 

12



 

7.1.2                      Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).

 

7.2        For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

Party A:                         Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

Address:                          Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Attn:                                             Xiaobo An

Phone:                                   +86 10-56579025

 

Party B:                         Xiaobo An

Address:                          No. 1, Guangming Lane, Fuye West Road, Guanqia Village, Qidi Town, Jinzhou City, Hebei Province

Phone:                                   +86 10-53579038

 

Party C:                         Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

Address:                          Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Dirstrict, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Attn:                                             Xiaobo An

Phone:                                   +86 10-53579038

 

7.3        Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Parties in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

13



 

8.               Confidentiality

 

The Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement, and any oral or written information exchanged between the Parties in connection with the preparation and performance this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Each Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of other Parties, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third parties, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

9.               Further Warranties

 

The Parties agree to promptly execute documents that are reasonably required for or are conducive to the implementation of the provisions and purposes of this Agreement and take further actions that are reasonably required for or are conducive to the implementation of the provisions and purposes of this Agreement.

 

10.        Breach of Agreement

 

10.1           If Party B or Party C conducts any material breach of any term of this Agreement, Party A shall have right to terminate this Agreement and/or require the Party B or Party C to compensate all damages; this Section 10 shall not prejudice any other rights of Party A herein;

 

14



 

10.2           Party B or Party C shall not have any right to terminate this Agreement in any event unless otherwise required by applicable laws.

 

11.        Miscellaneous

 

11.1           Amendment, change and supplement

 

Any amendment, change and supplement to this Agreement shall require the execution of a written agreement by all of the Parties.

 

11.2           Entire agreement

 

Except for the amendments, supplements or changes in writing executed after the execution of this Agreement, this Agreement shall constitute the entire agreement reached by and among the Parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and shall supercede all prior oral and written consultations, representations and contracts reached with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement.

 

11.3           Headings

 

The headings of this Agreement are for convenience only, and shall not be used to interpret, explain or otherwise affect the meanings of the provisions of this Agreement.

 

11.4           Language

 

This Agreement is written in both Chinese and English language in three copies, each Party having one copy. In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

15



 

11.5           Severability

 

In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Agreement are found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or compromised in any respect. The Parties shall strive in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law and the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

11.6           Successors

 

This Agreement shall be binding on and shall inure to the interest of the respective successors of the Parties and the permitted assigns of such Parties.

 

11.7           Survival

 

11.7.1               Any obligations that occur or that are due as a result of this Agreement upon the expiration or early termination of this Agreement shall survive the expiration or early termination thereof.

 

11.7.2               The provisions of Sections 5, 8, 10 and this Section 11.7 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

16



 

11.8           Waivers

 

Any Party may waive the terms and conditions of this Agreement, provided that such a waiver must be provided in writing and shall require the signatures of the Parties. No waiver by any Party in certain circumstances with respect to a breach by other Parties shall operate as a waiver by such a Party with respect to any similar breach in other circumstances.

 

17



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Exclusive Option Agreement as of the date first above written.

 

 

Party A:

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

 

Party B:

Xiaobo An

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

 

 

 

 

Party C:

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 




Exhibit 10.6

 

Exclusive Option Agreement

 

This Exclusive Option Agreement (this “Agreement”) is executed by and among the following Parties as of 1 st  November, 2016 in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”):

 

Party A:           Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd, a wholly foreign owned enterprise, organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China;

 

Party B:     Xiaoning An, a Chinese citizen with Identification No.: *******; and

 

Party C:           Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd., a limited liability company organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Dirstrict, Beijing, People’s Republic of China.

 

In this Agreement, each of Party A, Party B and Party C shall be referred to as a “Party” respectively, and they shall be collectively referred to as the “Parties”.

 

Whereas:

 

1.               Party B is a shareholder of Party C and as of the date hereof holds 0.01% of equity interests of Party C, representing RMB 10,001 in the registered capital of Party C.

 

2.               Party A and Party B executed a Loan Agreement (“Loan Agreement”) on 1 st November, 2016, according to which Party A agreed to provide Party B with a

 

Strictly Confidential

 

1



 

loan in amount of RMB 51,000, to be used for the purpose of subscribing the registered capital of Party C.

 

3.               Party B agrees to grant Party A an exclusive right through this Agreement, and Party A agrees to accept such exclusive right to purchase all or part equity interest held by Party B in Party C.

 

Now therefore, upon mutual discussion and negotiation, the Parties have reached the following agreement:

 

1.      Sale and Purchase of Equity Interest

 

1.1  Option Granted

 

In consideration of the payment of RMB 10 by Party A, the receipt and adequacy of which is hereby acknowledged by Party B, Party B hereby irrevocably grants Party A an irrevocable and exclusive right to purchase, or designate one or more persons (each, a “Designee”) to purchase the equity interests in Party C then held by Party B once or at multiple times at any time in part or in whole at Party A’s sole and absolute discretion to the extent permitted by Chinese laws and at the price described in Section 1.3 herein (such right being the “Equity Interest Purchase Option”). Except for Party A and the Designee(s), no other person shall be entitled to the Equity Interest Purchase Option or other rights with respect to the equity interests of Party B. Party C hereby agrees to the grant by Party B of the Equity Interest Purchase Option to Party A. The term “person” as used herein shall refer to individuals, corporations, partnerships, partners, enterprises, trusts or non-corporate organizations.

 

2



 

1.2  Steps for Exercise of Equity Interest Purchase Option

 

Subject to the provisions of the laws and regulations of China, Party A may exercise the Equity Interest Purchase Option by issuing a written notice to Party B (the “Equity Interest Purchase Option Notice”), specifying: (a) Party A’s or the Designee’s decision to exercise the Equity Interest Purchase Option; (b) the portion of equity interests to be purchased by Party A or the Designee from Party B (the “Optioned Interests”); and (c) the date for purchasing the Optioned Interests or the date for transfer of the Optioned Interests.

 

1.3  Equity Interest Purchase Price

 

The purchase price of all equity interests held by Party B in Party C purchased by Party A by exercising the Equity Interest Purchase Option shall be RMB 1.00; if Party A exercises the Equity Interest Purchase Option to purchase part of the equity interests held by Party B in Party C, the purchase price shall be calculated pro rata. If PRC law requires a minimum price higher than aforementioned price when Party A exercises Equity Interest Purchase Option, the minimum price regulated by PRC law shall be the purchase price (collectively, the “Equity Interest Purchase Price”).

 

1.4  Transfer of Optional Interests

 

For each exercise of the Equity Interest Purchase Option:

 

1.4.1                      Party B shall cause Party C to promptly convene a shareholders’ meeting, at which a resolution shall be adopted approving Party B’s transfer of the Optioned Interests to Party A and/or the Designee(s);

 

1.4.2                      Party B shall obtain written statements from the other shareholders of Party C giving consent to the transfer of the equity interest to

 

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Party A and/or the Designee(s) and waiving any right of first refusal related thereto;

 

1.4.3                      Party B shall execute an equity interest transfer contract with respect to each transfer with Party A and/or each Designee (whichever is applicable), in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement and the Equity Interest Purchase Option Notice regarding the Optioned Interests;

 

1.4.4                      The relevant Parties shall execute all other necessary contracts, agreements or documents, obtain all necessary government licenses and permits and take all necessary actions to transfer valid ownership of the Optioned Interests to Party A and/or the Designee(s), unencumbered by any security interests, and cause Party A and/or the Designee(s) to become the registered owner(s) of the Optioned Interests. For the purpose of this Section and this Agreement, “security interests” shall include securities, mortgages, third party’s rights or interests, any stock options, acquisition right, right of first refusal, right to offset, ownership retention or other security arrangements, but shall be deemed to exclude any security interest created by this Agreement, Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney. “Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement” as used in this Agreement shall refer to the Interest Pledge Agreement executed by and among Party A, Party B and Party C on the date hereof and any modification, amendment and restatement thereto. “Party B’s Power of Attorney” as used in this Agreement shall refer to the Power of Attorney executed by Party B on the date hereof granting Party A with power of attorney and any modification, amendment and restatement thereto.

 

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2.      Covenants

 

2.1  Covenants regarding Party C

 

Party B (as a shareholder of Party C) and Party C hereby covenant as follows:

 

2.1.1                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not in any manner supplement, change or amend the articles of association of Party C, increase or decrease its registered capital, or change its structure of registered capital in other manners;

 

2.1.2                      They shall maintain Party C’s corporate existence in accordance with good financial and business standards and practices, obtain and maintain all necessary government licenses and permits by prudently and effectively operating its business and handling its affairs;

 

2.1.3                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not at any time following the date hereof, sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of in any manner any assets of Party C or legal or beneficial interest in the material business or revenues of Party C, or allow the encumbrance thereon of any security interest;

 

2.1.4                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not incur, inherit, guarantee or suffer the existence of any debt, except for payables incurred in the ordinary course of business other than through loans;

 

2.1.5                      They shall always operate all of Party C’s businesses in the ordinary course of business to maintain the asset value of Party C and refrain

 

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from any action/omission that may affect Party C’s operating status and asset value;

 

2.1.6                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not cause Party C to execute any major contract, except the contracts in the ordinary course of business (for purpose of this subsection, a contract with a price exceeding RMB 100,000 shall be deemed a major contract);

 

2.1.7                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not cause Party C to provide any person with any loan or credit;

 

2.1.8                      They shall provide Party A with information on Party C’s business operations and financial condition at Party A’s request;

 

2.1.9                      If requested by Party A, they shall procure and maintain insurance in respect of Party C’s assets and business from an insurance carrier acceptable to Party A, at an amount and type of coverage typical for companies that operate similar businesses;

 

2.1.10               Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not cause or permit Party C to merge, consolidate with, acquire or invest in any person;

 

2.1.11               They shall immediately notify Party A of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Party C’s assets, business or revenue;

 

2.1.12               To maintain the ownership by Party C of all of its assets, they shall execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate actions, file all necessary or appropriate complaints, and raise necessary or appropriate defenses against all claims;

 

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2.1.13               Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall ensure that Party C shall not in any manner distribute dividends to its shareholders, provided that upon Party A’s written request, Party C shall immediately distribute all distributable profits to its shareholders;

 

2.1.14               At the request of Party A, they shall appoint any person designated by Party A as the director or executive director of Party C.

 

2.1.15               Without Party A’s prior written consent, they shall not engage in any business in competition with Party A or its affiliates; and

 

2.1.16               Unless otherwise required by PRC law, Party C shall not be dissolved or liquated without prior written consent by Party A.

 

2.2  Covenants of Party B

 

Party B hereby covenants as follows:

 

2.2.1                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall not sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of in any other manner any legal or beneficial interest in the equity interests in Party C held by Party B, or allow the encumbrance thereon, except for the interest placed in accordance with Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney;

 

2.2.2                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall cause the shareholders’ meeting and/or the directors (or the executive director)

 

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of Party C not to approve any sale, transfer, mortgage or disposition in any other manner of any legal or beneficial interest in the equity interests in Party C held by Party B, or allow the encumbrance thereon of any security interest, except for the interest placed in accordance with Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney;

 

2.2.3                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall cause the shareholders’ meeting or the directors (or the executive director) of Party C not to approve the merger or consolidation with any person, or the acquisition of or investment in any person;

 

2.2.4                      Party B shall immediately notify Party A of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to the equity interests in Party C held by Party B;

 

2.2.5                      Party B shall cause the shareholders’ meeting or the directors (or the executive director) of Party C to vote their approval of the transfer of the Optioned Interests as set forth in this Agreement and to take any and all other actions that may be requested by Party A;

 

2.2.6                      To the extent necessary to maintain Party B’s ownership in Party C, Party B shall execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate actions, file all necessary or appropriate complaints, and raise necessary or appropriate defenses against all claims;

 

2.2.7                      Party B shall appoint any designee of Party A as the director or the executive director of Party C, at the request of Party A;

 

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2.2.8                      Party B hereby waives its right of first of refusal to transfer of equity interest by any other shareholder of Party C to Party A (if any), and gives consent to execution by each other shareholder of Party C with Party A and Party C the exclusive option agreement, the equity interest pledge agreement and the power of attorney similar to this Agreement, Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney and undertakes not to take any action in conflict with such documents executed by the other shareholders;

 

2.2.9                      Party B shall promptly donate any profit, interest, dividend or proceeds of liquidation, or any proceeds from transferring its entire or a part of equity interest in Party C, to Party A or any other person designated by Party A to the extent permitted under applicable PRC laws; and

 

2.2.10               Party B shall strictly abide by the provisions of this Agreement and other contracts jointly or separately executed by and among Party B, Party C and Party A, perform the obligations hereunder and thereunder, and refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability thereof. To the extent that Party B has any remaining rights with respect to the equity interests subject to this Agreement hereunder or under the Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement or under the Party B’s Power of Attorney, Party B shall not exercise such rights except in accordance with the written instructions of Party A.

 

3.      Representations and Warranties

 

Party B and Party C hereby represent and warrant to Party A, jointly and severally, as of the date of this Agreement and each date of transfer of the Optioned Interests, that:

 

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3.1        They have the power, capacity and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and any equity interest transfer contracts to which they are parties concerning the Optioned Interests to be transferred thereunder (each, a “Transfer Contract”), and to perform their obligations under this Agreement and any Transfer Contracts. Party B and Party C agree to enter into Transfer Contracts consistent with the terms of this Agreement upon Party A’s exercise of the Equity Interest Purchase Option. This Agreement and the Transfer Contracts to which they are parties constitute or will constitute their legal, valid and binding obligations and shall be enforceable against them in accordance with the provisions thereof;

 

3.2        Party B and Party C have obtained any and all approvals and consents from government authorities and third parties (if required) for execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement.

 

3.3        The execution and delivery of this Agreement or any Transfer Contracts and the obligations under this Agreement or any Transfer Contracts shall not: (i) cause any violation of any applicable laws of China; (ii) be inconsistent with the articles of association, bylaws or other organizational documents of Party C; (iii) cause the violation of any contracts or instruments to which they are a party or which are binding on them, or constitute any breach under any contracts or instruments to which they are a party or which are binding on them; (iv) cause any violation of any condition for the grant and/or continued effectiveness of any licenses or permits issued to either of them; or (v) cause the suspension or revocation of or imposition of additional conditions to any licenses or permits issued to either of them;

 

3.4        Party B has a good and merchantable title to the equity interests held by Party B in Party C. Except for Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney, Party B has not placed any security interest on such equity interests;

 

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3.5        Party C has a good and merchantable title to all of its assets, and has not placed any security interest on the aforementioned assets;

 

3.6        Party C does not have any outstanding debts, except for (i) debt incurred in the ordinary course of business; and (ii) debts disclosed to Party A for which Party A’s written consent has been obtained.

 

3.7        Party C has complied with all applicable laws and regulations; and

 

3.8        There are no pending or threatened litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to the equity interests in Party C, assets of Party C or Party C.

 

4.      Effective Date and Term

 

This Agreement shall become effective upon execution by the Parties, and remain effective until all equity interests held by Party B in Party C have been transferred or assigned to Party A and/or any other person designated by Party A in accordance with this Agreement.

 

5.      Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

5.1  Governing law

 

The execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes hereunder shall be governed by the laws of PRC.

 

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5.2  Methods of Resolution of Disputes

 

In the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s request to the other Parties for resolution of the dispute through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with its arbitration rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on all Parties.

 

6.      Taxes and Fees

 

Each Party shall pay any and all transfer and registration tax, expenses and fees incurred thereby or levied thereon in accordance with the laws of China in connection with the preparation and execution of this Agreement and the Transfer Contracts, as well as the consummation of the transactions contemplated under this Agreement and the Transfer Contracts.

 

7.      Notices

 

7.1        All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of such Party set forth below. A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by email. The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

7.1.1                      Notices given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail, postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of receipt or refusal at the address specified for notices;

 

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7.1.2                      Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).

 

7.2        For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

Party A:         Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

Address:        Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Attn:               Xiaobo An

 

Phone:           +86 10-56579025

 

Party B:         Xiaonig An

 

Address:        No. 89, Qingchun Road, Qidi Village, Qidi Town, Jinzhou City, Hebei Province

 

Phone:           +86 10-53579038

 

Party C:         Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Address:        Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Dirstrict, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Attn:               Xiaobo An

 

Phone:           +86 10-53579038

 

7.3        Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Parties in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

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8.      Confidentiality

 

The Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement, and any oral or written information exchanged between the Parties in connection with the preparation and performance this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Each Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of other Parties, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third parties, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

9.      Further Warranties

 

The Parties agree to promptly execute documents that are reasonably required for or are conducive to the implementation of the provisions and purposes of this Agreement and take further actions that are reasonably required for or are conducive to the implementation of the provisions and purposes of this Agreement.

 

10.   Breach of Agreement

 

10.1           If Party B or Party C conducts any material breach of any term of this Agreement, Party A shall have right to terminate this Agreement and/or require the Party B or Party C to compensate all damages; this Section 10 shall not prejudice any other rights of Party A herein;

 

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10.2           Party B or Party C shall not have any right to terminate this Agreement in any event unless otherwise required by applicable laws.

 

11.   Miscellaneous

 

11.1           Amendment, change and supplement

 

Any amendment, change and supplement to this Agreement shall require the execution of a written agreement by all of the Parties.

 

11.2           Entire agreement

 

Except for the amendments, supplements or changes in writing executed after the execution of this Agreement, this Agreement shall constitute the entire agreement reached by and among the Parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and shall supercede all prior oral and written consultations, representations and contracts reached with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement.

 

11.3           Headings

 

The headings of this Agreement are for convenience only, and shall not be used to interpret, explain or otherwise affect the meanings of the provisions of this Agreement.

 

11.4           Language

 

This Agreement is written in both Chinese and English language in three copies, each Party having one copy. In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

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11.5           Severability

 

In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Agreement are found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or compromised in any respect. The Parties shall strive in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law and the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

11.6           Successors

 

This Agreement shall be binding on and shall inure to the interest of the respective successors of the Parties and the permitted assigns of such Parties.

 

11.7           Survival

 

11.7.1               Any obligations that occur or that are due as a result of this Agreement upon the expiration or early termination of this Agreement shall survive the expiration or early termination thereof.

 

11.7.2               The provisions of Sections 5, 8, 10 and this Section 11.7 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

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11.8           Waivers

 

Any Party may waive the terms and conditions of this Agreement, provided that such a waiver must be provided in writing and shall require the signatures of the Parties. No waiver by any Party in certain circumstances with respect to a breach by other Parties shall operate as a waiver by such a Party with respect to any similar breach in other circumstances.

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Exclusive Option Agreement as of the date first above written.

 

Party A:

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party B:

Xiaoning An

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaoning An

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party C:

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 




Exhibit 10.7

 

Exclusive Option Agreement

 

This Exclusive Option Agreement (this “Agreement”) is executed by and among the following Parties as of 1 st  November, 2016 in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”):

 

Party A:                         Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd, a wholly foreign owned enterprise, organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China;

 

Party B:                         Xiaobin Zhai, a Chinese citizen with Identification No.: *******; and

 

Party C:                         Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd., a limited liability company organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Dirstrict, Beijing, People’s Republic of China.

 

In this Agreement, each of Party A, Party B and Party C shall be referred to as a “Party” respectively, and they shall be collectively referred to as the “Parties”.

 

Whereas:

 

1.               Party B is a shareholder of Party C and as of the date hereof holds 5% of equity interests of Party C, representing RMB 5,260,000 in the registered capital of Party C.

 

2.               Party A and Party B executed a Loan Agreement (“Loan Agreement”) on 1 st November, 2016, according to which Party A agreed to provide Party B with a loan in amount of RMB 25,500,000, to be used for the purpose of subscribing the registered capital of Party C.

 

Strictly Confidential

 

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3.               Party B agrees to grant Party A an exclusive right through this Agreement, and Party A agrees to accept such exclusive right to purchase all or part equity interest held by Party B in Party C.

 

Now therefore, upon mutual discussion and negotiation, the Parties have reached the following agreement:

 

1.               Sale and Purchase of Equity Interest

 

1.1        Option Granted

 

In consideration of the payment of RMB10 by Party A, the receipt and adequacy of which is hereby acknowledged by Party B, Party B hereby irrevocably grants Party A an irrevocable and exclusive right to purchase, or designate one or more persons (each, a “Designee”) to purchase the equity interests in Party C then held by Party B once or at multiple times at any time in part or in whole at Party A’s sole and absolute discretion to the extent permitted by Chinese laws and at the price described in Section 1.3 herein (such right being the “Equity Interest Purchase Option”). Except for Party A and the Designee(s), no other person shall be entitled to the Equity Interest Purchase Option or other rights with respect to the equity interests of Party B. Party C hereby agrees to the grant by Party B of the Equity Interest Purchase Option to Party A. The term “person” as used herein shall refer to individuals, corporations, partnerships, partners, enterprises, trusts or non-corporate organizations.

 

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1.2        Steps for Exercise of Equity Interest Purchase Option

 

Subject to the provisions of the laws and regulations of China, Party A may exercise the Equity Interest Purchase Option by issuing a written notice to Party B (the “Equity Interest Purchase Option Notice”), specifying: (a) Party A’s or the Designee’s decision to exercise the Equity Interest Purchase Option; (b) the portion of equity interests to be purchased by Party A or the Designee from Party B (the “Optioned Interests”); and (c) the date for purchasing the Optioned Interests or the date for transfer of the Optioned Interests.

 

1.3        Equity Interest Purchase Price

 

The purchase price of all equity interests held by Party B in Party C purchased by Party A by exercising the Equity Interest Purchase Option shall be RMB 1.00; if Party A exercises the Equity Interest Purchase Option to purchase part of the equity interests held by Party B in Party C, the purchase price shall be calculated pro rata. If PRC law requires a minimum price higher than aforementioned price when Party A exercises Equity Interest Purchase Option, the minimum price regulated by PRC law shall be the purchase price (collectively, the “Equity Interest Purchase Price”).

 

1.4        Transfer of Optioned Interests

 

For each exercise of the Equity Interest Purchase Option:

 

1.4.1                      Party B shall cause Party C to promptly convene a shareholders’ meeting, at which a resolution shall be adopted approving Party B’s transfer of the Optioned Interests to Party A and/or the Designee(s);

 

1.4.2                      Party B shall obtain written statements from the other shareholders of Party C giving consent to the transfer of the equity interest to Party A and/or the Designee(s) and waiving any right of first refusal related thereto;

 

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1.4.3                      Party B shall execute an equity interest transfer contract with respect to each transfer with Party A and/or each Designee (whichever is applicable), in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement and the Equity Interest Purchase Option Notice regarding the Optioned Interests;

 

1.4.4                      The relevant Parties shall execute all other necessary contracts, agreements or documents, obtain all necessary government licenses and permits and take all necessary actions to transfer valid ownership of the Optioned Interests to Party A and/or the Designee(s), unencumbered by any security interests, and cause Party A and/or the Designee(s) to become the registered owner(s) of the Optioned Interests. For the purpose of this Section and this Agreement, “security interests” shall include securities, mortgages, third party’s rights or interests, any stock options, acquisition right, right of first refusal, right to offset, ownership retention or other security arrangements, but shall be deemed to exclude any security interest created by this Agreement, Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney. “Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement” as used in this Agreement shall refer to the Interest Pledge Agreement executed by and among Party A, Party B and Party C on the date hereof and any modification, amendment and restatement thereto. “Party B’s Power of Attorney” as used in this Agreement shall refer to the Power of Attorney executed by Party B on the date hereof granting Party A with power of attorney and any modification, amendment and restatement thereto.

 

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2.               Covenants

 

2.1        Covenants regarding Party C

 

Party B (as a shareholder of Party C) and Party C hereby covenant as follows:

 

2.1.1                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not in any manner supplement, change or amend the articles of association of Party C, increase or decrease its registered capital, or change its structure of registered capital in other manners;

 

2.1.2                      They shall maintain Party C’s corporate existence in accordance with good financial and business standards and practices, obtain and maintain all necessary government licenses and permits by prudently and effectively operating its business and handling its affairs;

 

2.1.3                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not at any time following the date hereof, sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of in any manner any assets of Party C or legal or beneficial interest in the material business or revenues of Party C, or allow the encumbrance thereon of any security interest;

 

2.1.4                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not incur, inherit, guarantee or suffer the existence of any debt, except for payables incurred in the ordinary course of business other than through loans;

 

2.1.5                      They shall always operate all of Party C’s businesses in the ordinary course of business to maintain the asset value of Party C and refrain from any action/omission that may affect Party C’s operating status and asset value;

 

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2.1.6                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not cause Party C to execute any major contract, except the contracts in the ordinary course of business (for purpose of this subsection, a contract with a price exceeding RMB100,000 shall be deemed a major contract);

 

2.1.7                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not cause Party C to provide any person with any loan or credit;

 

2.1.8                      They shall provide Party A with information on Party C’s business operations and financial condition at Party A’s request;

 

2.1.9                      If requested by Party A, they shall procure and maintain insurance in respect of Party C’s assets and business from an insurance carrier acceptable to Party A, at an amount and type of coverage typical for companies that operate similar businesses;

 

2.1.10               Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall not cause or permit Party C to merge, consolidate with, acquire or invest in any person;

 

2.1.11               They shall immediately notify Party A of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Party C’s assets, business or revenue;

 

2.1.12               To maintain the ownership by Party C of all of its assets, they shall execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate actions, file all necessary or appropriate complaints, and raise necessary or appropriate defenses against all claims;

 

2.1.13               Without the prior written consent of Party A, they shall ensure that Party C shall not in any manner distribute dividends to its shareholders, provided that upon Party A’s written request, Party C shall immediately distribute all distributable profits to its shareholders;

 

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2.1.14               At the request of Party A, they shall appoint any person designated by Party A as the director or executive director of Party C.

 

2.1.15               Without Party A’s prior written consent, they shall not engage in any business in competition with Party A or its affiliates; and

 

2.1.16               Unless otherwise required by PRC law, Party C shall not be dissolved or liquated without prior written consent by Party A.

 

2.2        Covenants of Party B

 

Party B hereby covenants as follows:

 

2.2.1                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall not sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of in any other manner any legal or beneficial interest in the equity interests in Party C held by Party B, or allow the encumbrance thereon, except for the interest placed in accordance with Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney;

 

2.2.2                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall cause the shareholders’ meeting and/or the directors (or the executive director) of Party C not to approve any sale, transfer, mortgage or disposition in any other manner of any legal or beneficial interest in the equity interests in Party C held by Party B, or allow the encumbrance

 

7



 

thereon of any security interest, except for the interest placed in accordance with Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney;

 

2.2.3                      Without the prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall cause the shareholders’ meeting or the directors (or the executive director) of Party C not to approve the merger or consolidation with any person, or the acquisition of or investment in any person;

 

2.2.4                      Party B shall immediately notify Party A of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to the equity interests in Party C held by Party B;

 

2.2.5                      Party B shall cause the shareholders’ meeting or the directors (or the executive director) of Party C to vote their approval of the transfer of the Optioned Interests as set forth in this Agreement and to take any and all other actions that may be requested by Party A;

 

2.2.6                      To the extent necessary to maintain Party B’s ownership in Party C, Party B shall execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate actions, file all necessary or appropriate complaints, and raise necessary or appropriate defenses against all claims;

 

2.2.7                      Party B shall appoint any designee of Party A as the director or the executive director of Party C, at the request of Party A;

 

2.2.8                      Party B hereby waives its right of first of refusal to transfer of equity interest by any other shareholder of Party C to Party A (if any), and gives consent to execution by each other shareholder of Party C with

 

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Party A and Party C the exclusive option agreement, the equity interest pledge agreement and the power of attorney similar to this Agreement, Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney and undertakes not to take any action in conflict with such documents executed by the other shareholders;

 

2.2.9                      Party B shall promptly donate any profit, interest, dividend or proceeds of liquidation, or any proceeds from transferring its entire or a part of equity interest in Party C, to Party A or any other person designated by Party A to the extent permitted under applicable PRC laws; and

 

2.2.10               Party B shall strictly abide by the provisions of this Agreement and other contracts jointly or separately executed by and among Party B, Party C and Party A, perform the obligations hereunder and thereunder, and refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability thereof. To the extent that Party B has any remaining rights with respect to the equity interests subject to this Agreement hereunder or under the Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge Agreement or under the Party B’s Power of Attorney, Party B shall not exercise such rights except in accordance with the written instructions of Party A.

 

3.               Representations and Warranties

 

Party B and Party C hereby represent and warrant to Party A, jointly and severally, as of the date of this Agreement and each date of transfer of the Optioned Interests, that:

 

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3.1        They have the power, capacity and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and any equity interest transfer contracts to which they are parties concerning the Optioned Interests to be transferred thereunder (each, a “Transfer Contract”), and to perform their obligations under this Agreement and any Transfer Contracts. Party B and Party C agree to enter into Transfer Contracts consistent with the terms of this Agreement upon Party A’s exercise of the Equity Interest Purchase Option. This Agreement and the Transfer Contracts to which they are parties constitute or will constitute their legal, valid and binding obligations and shall be enforceable against them in accordance with the provisions thereof;

 

3.2        Party B and Party C have obtained any and all approvals and consents from government authorities and third parties (if required) for execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement.

 

3.3        The execution and delivery of this Agreement or any Transfer Contracts and the obligations under this Agreement or any Transfer Contracts shall not: (i) cause any violation of any applicable laws of China; (ii) be inconsistent with the articles of association, bylaws or other organizational documents of Party C; (iii) cause the violation of any contracts or instruments to which they are a party or which are binding on them, or constitute any breach under any contracts or instruments to which they are a party or which are binding on them; (iv) cause any violation of any condition for the grant and/or continued effectiveness of any licenses or permits issued to either of them; or (v) cause the suspension or revocation of or imposition of additional conditions to any licenses or permits issued to either of them;

 

3.4        Party B has a good and merchantable title to the equity interests held by Party B in Party C. Except for Party B’s Equity Interest Pledge

 

10



 

Agreement and Party B’s Power of Attorney, Party B has not placed any security interest on such equity interests;

 

3.5        Party C has a good and merchantable title to all of its assets, and has not placed any security interest on the aforementioned assets;

 

3.6        Party C does not have any outstanding debts, except for (i) debt incurred in the ordinary course of business; and (ii) debts disclosed to Party A for which Party A’s written consent has been obtained.

 

3 . 7        Party C has complied with all applicable laws and regulations; and

 

3.8        There are no pending or threatened litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to the equity interests in Party C, assets of Party C or Party C.

 

4.               Effective Date and Term

 

This Agreement shall become effective upon execution by the Parties, and remain effective until all equity interests held by Party B in Party C have been transferred or assigned to Party A and/or any other person designated by Party A in accordance with this Agreement.

 

5.               Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

5.1        Governing law

 

The execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes hereunder shall be governed by the laws of PRC.

 

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5.2        Methods of Resolution of Disputes

 

In the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s request to the other Parties for resolution of the dispute through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with its arbitration rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on all Parties.

 

6.               Taxes and Fees

 

Each Party shall pay any and all transfer and registration tax, expenses and fees incurred thereby or levied thereon in accordance with the laws of China in connection with the preparation and execution of this Agreement and the Transfer Contracts, as well as the consummation of the transactions contemplated under this Agreement and the Transfer Contracts.

 

7.               Notices

 

7.1        All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of such Party set forth below. A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by email. The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

7.1.1                      Notices given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail, postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of receipt or refusal at the address specified for notices;

 

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7.1.2                      Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).

 

7.2        For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

Party A:                         Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

Address:                          Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Attn:                                             Xiaobo An

Phone:                                   +86 10-56579025

 

Party B:                         Xiaobin Zhai

Address:                          No. 36, West Road, Sishang Village, Yehe Town, Luancheng Country, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province

Phone:                                   +86 187 0143 1292

 

Party C:                         Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

Address:                          Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Dirstrict, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Attn:                                             Xiaobo An

Phone:                                   +86 10-53579038

 

7.3        Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Parties in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

13



 

8.               Confidentiality

 

The Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement, and any oral or written information exchanged between the Parties in connection with the preparation and performance this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Each Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of other Parties, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third parties, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

9.               Further Warranties

 

The Parties agree to promptly execute documents that are reasonably required for or are conducive to the implementation of the provisions and purposes of this Agreement and take further actions that are reasonably required for or are conducive to the implementation of the provisions and purposes of this Agreement.

 

10.        Breach of Agreement

 

10.1           If Party B or Party C conducts any material breach of any term of this Agreement, Party A shall have right to terminate this Agreement and/or

 

14



 

require the Party B or Party C to compensate all damages; this Section 10 shall not prejudice any other rights of Party A herein;

 

10.2           Party B or Party C shall not have any right to terminate this Agreement in any event unless otherwise required by applicable laws.

 

11.        Miscellaneous

 

11.1           Amendment, change and supplement

 

Any amendment, change and supplement to this Agreement shall require the execution of a written agreement by all of the Parties.

 

11.2           Entire agreement

 

Except for the amendments, supplements or changes in writing executed after the execution of this Agreement, this Agreement shall constitute the entire agreement reached by and among the Parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and shall supercede all prior oral and written consultations, representations and contracts reached with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement.

 

11.3           Headings

 

The headings of this Agreement are for convenience only, and shall not be used to interpret, explain or otherwise affect the meanings of the provisions of this Agreement.

 

11.4           Language

 

This Agreement is written in both Chinese and English language in three copies, each Party having one copy. In case of any discrepancy between

 

15



 

the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

11.5           Severability

 

In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Agreement are found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or compromised in any respect. The Parties shall strive in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law and the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

11.6           Successors

 

This Agreement shall be binding on and shall inure to the interest of the respective successors of the Parties and the permitted assigns of such Parties.

 

11.7           Survival

 

11.7.1               Any obligations that occur or that are due as a result of this Agreement upon the expiration or early termination of this Agreement shall survive the expiration or early termination thereof.

 

11.7.2               The provisions of Sections 5, 8, 10 and this Section 11.7 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

16



 

11.8           Waivers

 

Any Party may waive the terms and conditions of this Agreement, provided that such a waiver must be provided in writing and shall require the signatures of the Parties. No waiver by any Party in certain circumstances with respect to a breach by other Parties shall operate as a waiver by such a Party with respect to any similar breach in other circumstances.

 

17



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Exclusive Option Agreement as of the date first above written.

 

 

Party A:

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party B:

Xiaobin Zhai

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobin Zhai

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party C:

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 




Exhibit 10.8

 

Loan Agreement

 

This Loan Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between the Parties below as of 1 st  November, 2016 in Beijing, China:

 

(1)          Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd (“Lender”), a wholly foreign owned enterprise, organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China;

 

(2)          Xiaobo An (“Borrower”), a citizen of China with Chinese Identification No.: *******.

 

Each of the Lender and the Borrower shall be hereinafter referred to as a “Party” respectively, and as the “Parties” collectively.

 

Whereas:

 

1.               As of the date hereof, Borrower holds 94.99% of equity interests in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. (“Borrower Company”). All of the equity interest now held and hereafter acquired by Borrower in Borrower Company shall be referred to as Borrower Equity Interest;

 

2.               Lender confirms that it agrees to provide Borrower with and Borrower confirms that he/she has received a loan which equals to RMB 484,449,000 to be used for the purposes set forth under this Agreement.

 

After friendly consultation, the Parties agree as follows:

 

Strictly Confidential

 

1



 

1                  Loan

 

1.1        In accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Lender and Borrower hereby acknowledge that Borrower has obtained from Lender a loan in the amount of RMB 484,449,000 (the “Loan”). The term of the Loan shall be 10 years from the effective date of this Agreement, which may be extended upon mutual written consent of the Parties. During the term of the Loan or the extended term of the Loan, Borrower shall immediately repay the full amount of the Loan in the event any one or more of the following circumstances occur:

 

1.1.1            30 days elapse after Borrower receives a written notice from Lender requesting repayment of the Loan;

 

1.1.2            Borrower’s death, lack or limitation of civil capacity;

 

1.1.3            Borrower ceases (for any reason) to be an employee of Lender, Borrower Company or their affiliates;

 

1.1.4            Borrower engages in criminal act or is involved in criminal activities;

 

1.1.5            According to the applicable laws of China, foreign investors are permitted to invest in the principle business that is currently conducted by Borrower Company in China with a controlling stake and/or in the form of wholly-foreign-owned enterprises, the relevant competent authorities of China begin to approve such investments, and Lender exercises the exclusive option under the Exclusive Option Agreement (the “Exclusive Option Agreement”) described in this Agreement.

 

2



 

1.2        The Loan provided by Lender under this Agreement shall inure to Borrower’s benefit only and not to Borrower’s successors or assigns.

 

1.3        Borrower agrees to accept the aforementioned Loan provided by Lender, and hereby agrees and warrants using the Loan to subscribe the registered capital of Borrower Company. Without Lender’s prior written consent, Borrower shall not use the Loan for any purpose other than as set forth herein.

 

1.4        Lender and Borrower hereby agree and acknowledge that Borrower’s method of repayment shall be at the sole discretion of Lender, and shall at Lender’s option take the form of Borrower’s transferring the Borrower Equity Interest in whole to Lender or Lender’s designated persons (legal or natural persons) pursuant to the Lender’s exercise of its right to acquire the Borrower Equity Interest under the Exclusive Option Agreement, and any proceeds from the transfer of the Borrower Equity Interest (to the extent permissible) shall be used by the Borrower to repay the Loan to Lender, in accordance with this Agreement and in the manner designated by Lender.

 

1.5        Lender and Borrower hereby agree and acknowledge that to the extent permitted by applicable laws, Lender shall have the right but not the obligation to purchase or designate other persons (legal or natural persons) to purchase Borrower Equity Interest in part or in whole at any time, at the price stipulated in the Exclusive Option Agreement.

 

1.6        Borrower also undertakes to execute an irrevocable Power of Attorney (the “Power of Attorney”), which authorizes Lender or a legal or natural person designated by Lender to exercise all of Borrower’s rights as a shareholder of Borrower Company.

 

3



 

1.7        When Borrower transfers Borrower Equity Interest to Lender or Lender’s designated person(s), in the event that the transfer price of such equity interest equals or is lower than the principal of the Loan under this Agreement, the Loan under this Agreement shall be deemed an interest-free loan. In the event that the transfer price of such equity interest exceeds the principal of the Loan under this Agreement, the excess over the principal shall be deemed the interest of the Loan under this Agreement payable by Borrower to Lender.

 

2                  Representations and Warranties

 

2.1        Between the date of this Agreement and the date of termination of this Agreement, Lender hereby makes the following representations and warranties to Borrower:

 

2.1.1            Lender is a corporation duly organized and legally existing in accordance with the laws of China;

 

2.1.2            Lender has the legal capacity to execute and perform this Agreement. The execution and performance by Lender of this Agreement is consistent with Lender’s scope of business and the provisions of Lender’s corporate bylaws and other organizational documents, and Lender has obtained all necessary and proper approvals and authorizations for the execution and performance of this Agreement; and

 

2.1.3            This Agreement constitutes Lender’s legal, valid and binding obligations enforceable in accordance with its terms.

 

2.2        Between the date of this Agreement and the date of termination of this Agreement, Borrower hereby makes the following representations and warranties:

 

4



 

2.2.1            Borrower has the legal capacity to execute and perform this Agreement. Borrower has obtained all necessary and proper approvals and authorizations for the execution and performance of this Agreement;

 

2.2.2            This Agreement constitutes Borrower’s legal, valid and binding obligations enforceable in accordance with its terms; and

 

2.2.3            There are no disputes, litigations, arbitrations, administrative proceedings or any other legal proceedings relating to Borrower, nor are there any potential disputes, litigations, arbitrations, administrative proceedings or any other legal proceedings relating to Borrower.

 

3                  Borrower’s Covenants

 

3.1        As and when he becomes, and for so long as he remains a shareholder of Borrower Company, Borrower covenants irrevocably that during the term of this Agreement, Borrower shall cause Borrower Company:

 

3.1.1            to strictly abide by the provisions of the Exclusive Option Agreement and the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (“Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement”) to which the Borrower Company is a party, and to refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability of the Exclusive Option Agreement and Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement.

 

3.1.2            at the request of Lender (or a party designated by Lender), to execute contracts/agreements on business cooperation with Lender

 

5



 

(or a party designated by Lender), and to strictly abide by such contracts/agreements;

 

3.1.3            to provide Lender with all of the information on Borrower Company’s business operations and financial condition at Lender’s request;

 

3.1.4            to immediately notify Lender of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Borrower Company’s assets, business or income;

 

3.1.5            at the request of Lender, to appoint any persons designated by Lender as directors of Borrower Company;

 

3.2        Borrower covenants that during the term of this Agreement, he shall:

 

3.2.1            endeavor to keep Borrower Company to engage in its principle businesses;

 

3.2.2            abide by the provisions of this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement (“Equity Interest Pledge Agreement”) and the Exclusive Option Agreement to which the Borrower is a party, perform his obligations under this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Option Agreement, and refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability of this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Option Agreement;

 

3.2.3            not sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of in any other manner the legal or beneficial interest in Borrower Equity Interest, or allow the

 

6



 

encumbrance thereon of any security interest or the encumbrance, except in accordance with the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement;

 

3.2.4            cause any shareholders’ meeting and/or the board of directors of Borrower Company not to approve the sale, transfer, mortgage or disposition in any other manner of any legal or beneficial interest in Borrower Equity Interest, or allow the encumbrance thereon of any security interest, except to Lender or Lender’s designated person;

 

3.2.5            cause any shareholders’ meeting and/or the board of directors of the Borrower Company not to approve the merger or consolidation of Borrower Company with any person, or its acquisition of or investment in any person, without the prior written consent of Lender;

 

3.2.6            immediately notify Lender of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Borrower Equity Interest;

 

3.2.7            to the extent necessary to maintain his ownership of the Borrower Equity Interest, execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate actions and file all necessary or appropriate complaints or raise necessary and appropriate defense against all claims;

 

3.2.8            without the prior written consent of Lender, refrain from any action/omission that may have a material impact on the assets, business and liabilities of Borrower Company;

 

3.2.9            appoint any designee of Lender as director of Borrower Company, at the request of Lender;

 

7



 

3.2.10     to the extent permitted by the laws of China, at the request of Lender at any time, promptly and unconditionally transfer all of Borrower Equity Interest to Lender or Lender’s designated representative(s) at any time, and cause the other shareholders of Borrower Company to waive their right of first refusal with respect to the share transfer described in this Section;

 

3.2.11     to the extent permitted by the laws of China, at the request of Lender at any time, cause the other shareholders of Borrower Company to promptly and unconditionally transfer all of their equity interests to Lender or Lender’s designated representative(s) at any time, and Borrower hereby waives his right of first refusal (if any) with respect to the share transfer described in this Section;

 

3.2.12     in the event that Lender purchases Borrower Equity Interest from Borrower in accordance with the provisions of the Exclusive Option Agreement, use such purchase price obtained thereby to repay the Loan to Lender; and

 

3.2.13     without the prior written consent of Lender, not to cause Borrower Company to supplement, change, or amend its articles of association in any manner, increase or decreases its registered capital or change its share capital structure in any manner.

 

4                  Liability for Default

 

4.1        If Borrower conducts any material breach of any term of this Agreement, Lender shall have right to terminate this Agreement and require the Borrower to compensate all damages; this Section 4.1 shall not prejudice any other rights of Lender herein.

 

8



 

4.2        Borrower shall not terminate this Agreement in any event unless otherwise required by applicable laws.

 

4.3        In the event that Borrower fails to perform the repayment obligations set forth in this Agreement, Borrower shall pay overdue interest of 0.01% per day for the outstanding payment, until the day Borrower repays the full principal of the Loan, overdue interests and other payable amounts.

 

5                  Notices

 

5.1        All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of such Party set forth below. A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by email. The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

5.1.1            Notices given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail, postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of delivery.

 

5.1.2            Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).

 

5.2        For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

Lender:                            Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

Address:                          Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District,

 

9



 

Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Attn:                                             Xiaobo An

 

Phone:                                   +86 10-56579025

 

Borrower:             Xiaobo An

 

Address:                          No. 1, Guangming Lane, Fuye West Road, Guanqia Village, Qidi Town, Jinzhou City, Hebei Province

 

Phone:                                   +86 10-53579038

 

5.3        Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Party in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

6                  Confidentiality

 

The Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement and any oral or written information exchanged between the Parties in connection with the preparation and performance this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Each Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of the other Party, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third parties, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed

 

10



 

disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

7                  Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

7.1        The execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes shall be governed by the laws of China.

 

7.2        In the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s request to the other Party for resolution of the dispute through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with its then effective arbitration rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on all Parties.

 

7.3        Upon the occurrence of any disputes arising from the construction and performance of this Agreement or during the pending arbitration of any dispute, except for the matters under dispute, the Parties to this Agreement shall continue to exercise their respective rights under this Agreement and perform their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

8                  Miscellaneous

 

8.1        This Agreement should become effective upon execution by the Parties, and shall expire upon the date of full performance by the Parties of their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

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8.2        This Agreement shall be written in both Chinese and English language in two copies, each Party having one copy. The Chinese version and English version shall have equal legal validity.

 

8.3        This Agreement may be amended or supplemented through written agreement by and between Lender and Borrower. Such written amendment agreement and/or supplementary agreement executed by and between Lender and Borrower are an integral part of this Agreement, and shall have the same legal validity as this Agreement.

 

8.4        In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Agreement are found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or compromised in any respect. The Parties shall strive in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

8.5        The attachments (if any) to this Agreement shall be an integral part of this Agreement and shall have the same legal validity as this Agreement.

 

8.6        Any obligations that occur or that are due as a result of this Agreement upon the expiration or early termination of this Agreement shall survive the expiration or early termination thereof. The provisions of Sections 4, 6, 7 and this Section 8.6 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

12



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Loan Agreement as of the date firs above written.

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

Lender:

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

Borrower:

Xiaobo An

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

 




Exhibit 10.9

 

Loan Agreement

 

This Loan Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between the Parties below as of 1 st  November, 2016 in Beijing, China:

 

(1)          Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd (“Lender”), a wholly foreign owned enterprise, organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China;

 

(2)          Xiaoning An (“Borrower”), a citizen of China with Chinese Identification No.: *******.

 

Each of the Lender and the Borrower shall be hereinafter referred to as a “Party” respectively, and as the “Parties” collectively.

 

Whereas:

 

1.               As of the date hereof, Borrower holds 0.01% of equity interests in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. (“Borrower Company”). All of the equity interest now held and hereafter acquired by Borrower in Borrower Company shall be referred to as Borrower Equity Interest;

 

2.               Lender confirms that it agrees to provide Borrower with and Borrower confirms that he/she has received a loan which equals to RMB 51,000 to be used for the purposes set forth under this Agreement.

 

After friendly consultation, the Parties agree as follows:

 

Strictly Confidential

 

1



 

1                  Loan

 

1.1        In accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Lender and Borrower hereby acknowledge that Borrower has obtained from Lender a loan in the amount of RMB 51,000 (the “Loan”). The term of the Loan shall be 10 years from the effective date of this Agreement, which may be extended upon mutual written consent of the Parties. During the term of the Loan or the extended term of the Loan, Borrower shall immediately repay the full amount of the Loan in the event any one or more of the following circumstances occur:

 

1.1.1            30 days elapse after Borrower receives a written notice from Lender requesting repayment of the Loan;

 

1.1.2            Borrower’s death, lack or limitation of civil capacity;

 

1.1.3            Borrower ceases (for any reason) to be an employee of Lender, Borrower Company or their affiliates;

 

1.1.4            Borrower engages in criminal act or is involved in criminal activities;

 

1.1.5            According to the applicable laws of China, foreign investors are permitted to invest in the principle business that is currently conducted by Borrower Company in China with a controlling stake and/or in the form of wholly-foreign-owned enterprises, the relevant competent authorities of China begin to approve such investments, and Lender exercises the exclusive option under the Exclusive Option Agreement (the “Exclusive Option Agreement”) described in this Agreement.

 

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1.2        The Loan provided by Lender under this Agreement shall inure to Borrower’s benefit only and not to Borrower’s successors or assigns.

 

1.3        Borrower agrees to accept the aforementioned Loan provided by Lender, and hereby agrees and warrants using the Loan to subscribe the registered capital of Borrower Company. Without Lender’s prior written consent, Borrower shall not use the Loan for any purpose other than as set forth herein.

 

1.4        Lender and Borrower hereby agree and acknowledge that Borrower’s method of repayment shall be at the sole discretion of Lender, and shall at Lender’s option take the form of Borrower’s transferring the Borrower Equity Interest in whole to Lender or Lender’s designated persons (legal or natural persons) pursuant to the Lender’s exercise of its right to acquire the Borrower Equity Interest under the Exclusive Option Agreement, and any proceeds from the transfer of the Borrower Equity Interest (to the extent permissible) shall be used by the Borrower to repay the Loan to Lender, in accordance with this Agreement and in the manner designated by Lender.

 

1.5        Lender and Borrower hereby agree and acknowledge that to the extent permitted by applicable laws, Lender shall have the right but not the obligation to purchase or designate other persons (legal or natural persons) to purchase Borrower Equity Interest in part or in whole at any time, at the price stipulated in the Exclusive Option Agreement.

 

1.6        Borrower also undertakes to execute an irrevocable Power of Attorney (the “Power of Attorney”), which authorizes Lender or a legal or natural person designated by Lender to exercise all of Borrower’s rights as a shareholder of Borrower Company.

 

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1.7        When Borrower transfers Borrower Equity Interest to Lender or Lender’s designated person(s), in the event that the transfer price of such equity interest equals or is lower than the principal of the Loan under this Agreement, the Loan under this Agreement shall be deemed an interest-free loan. In the event that the transfer price of such equity interest exceeds the principal of the Loan under this Agreement, the excess over the principal shall be deemed the interest of the Loan under this Agreement payable by Borrower to Lender.

 

2                  Representations and Warranties

 

2.1        Between the date of this Agreement and the date of termination of this Agreement, Lender hereby makes the following representations and warranties to Borrower:

 

2.1.1            Lender is a corporation duly organized and legally existing in accordance with the laws of China;

 

2.1.2            Lender has the legal capacity to execute and perform this Agreement. The execution and performance by Lender of this Agreement is consistent with Lender’s scope of business and the provisions of Lender’s corporate bylaws and other organizational documents, and Lender has obtained all necessary and proper approvals and authorizations for the execution and performance of this Agreement; and

 

2.1.3            This Agreement constitutes Lender’s legal, valid and binding obligations enforceable in accordance with its terms.

 

2.2        Between the date of this Agreement and the date of termination of this Agreement, Borrower hereby makes the following representations and warranties:

 

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2.2.1            Borrower has the legal capacity to execute and perform this Agreement. Borrower has obtained all necessary and proper approvals and authorizations for the execution and performance of this Agreement;

 

2.2.2            This Agreement constitutes Borrower’s legal, valid and binding obligations enforceable in accordance with its terms; and

 

2.2.3            There are no disputes, litigations, arbitrations, administrative proceedings or any other legal proceedings relating to Borrower, nor are there any potential disputes, litigations, arbitrations, administrative proceedings or any other legal proceedings relating to Borrower.

 

3                  Borrower’s Covenants

 

3.1        As and when he becomes, and for so long as he remains a shareholder of Borrower Company, Borrower covenants irrevocably that during the term of this Agreement, Borrower shall cause Borrower Company:

 

3.1.1            to strictly abide by the provisions of the Exclusive Option Agreement and the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (“Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement”) to which the Borrower Company is a party, and to refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability of the Exclusive Option Agreement and Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement.

 

3.1.2            at the request of Lender (or a party designated by Lender), to execute contracts/agreements on business cooperation with Lender (or a party designated by Lender), and to strictly abide by such contracts/agreements;

 

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3.1.3            to provide Lender with all of the information on Borrower Company’s business operations and financial condition at Lender’s request;

 

3.1.4            to immediately notify Lender of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Borrower Company’s assets, business or income;

 

3.1.5            at the request of Lender, to appoint any persons designated by Lender as directors of Borrower Company;

 

3.2        Borrower covenants that during the term of this Agreement, he shall:

 

3.2.1            endeavor to keep Borrower Company to engage in its principle businesses;

 

3.2.2            abide by the provisions of this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement (“Equity Interest Pledge Agreement”) and the Exclusive Option Agreement to which the Borrower is a party, perform his obligations under this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Option Agreement, and refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability of this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Option Agreement;

 

3.2.3            not sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of in any other manner the legal or beneficial interest in Borrower Equity Interest, or allow the encumbrance thereon of any security interest or the encumbrance, except in accordance with the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement;

 

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3.2.4            cause any shareholders’ meeting and/or the board of directors of Borrower Company not to approve the sale, transfer, mortgage or disposition in any other manner of any legal or beneficial interest in Borrower Equity Interest, or allow the encumbrance thereon of any security interest, except to Lender or Lender’s designated person;

 

3.2.5            cause any shareholders’ meeting and/or the board of directors of the Borrower Company not to approve the merger or consolidation of Borrower Company with any person, or its acquisition of or investment in any person, without the prior written consent of Lender;

 

3.2.6            immediately notify Lender of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Borrower Equity Interest;

 

3.2.7            to the extent necessary to maintain his ownership of the Borrower Equity Interest, execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate actions and file all necessary or appropriate complaints or raise necessary and appropriate defense against all claims;

 

3.2.8            without the prior written consent of Lender, refrain from any action/omission that may have a material impact on the assets, business and liabilities of Borrower Company;

 

3.2.9            appoint any designee of Lender as director of Borrower Company, at the request of Lender;

 

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3.2.10     to the extent permitted by the laws of China, at the request of Lender at any time, promptly and unconditionally transfer all of Borrower Equity Interest to Lender or Lender’s designated representative(s) at any time, and cause the other shareholders of Borrower Company to waive their right of first refusal with respect to the share transfer described in this Section;

 

3.2.11     to the extent permitted by the laws of China, at the request of Lender at any time, cause the other shareholders of Borrower Company to promptly and unconditionally transfer all of their equity interests to Lender or Lender’s designated representative(s) at any time, and Borrower hereby waives his right of first refusal (if any) with respect to the share transfer described in this Section;

 

3.2.12     in the event that Lender purchases Borrower Equity Interest from Borrower in accordance with the provisions of the Exclusive Option Agreement, use such purchase price obtained thereby to repay the Loan to Lender; and

 

3.2.13     without the prior written consent of Lender, not to cause Borrower Company to supplement, change, or amend its articles of association in any manner, increase or decreases its registered capital or change its share capital structure in any manner.

 

4                  Liability for Default

 

4.1        If Borrower conducts any material breach of any term of this Agreement, Lender shall have right to terminate this Agreement and require the Borrower to compensate all damages; this Section 4.1 shall not prejudice any other rights of Lender herein.

 

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4.2        Borrower shall not terminate this Agreement in any event unless otherwise required by applicable laws.

 

4.3        In the event that Borrower fails to perform the repayment obligations set forth in this Agreement, Borrower shall pay overdue interest of 0.01% per day for the outstanding payment, until the day Borrower repays the full principal of the Loan, overdue interests and other payable amounts.

 

5                  Notices

 

5.1        All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of such Party set forth below. A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by email. The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

5.1.1            Notices given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail, postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of delivery.

 

5.1.2            Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).

 

5.2        For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

Lender:                            Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

Address:                          Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

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Attn:                                             Xiaobo An

 

Phone:                                   +86 10-56579025

 

Borrower:             Xiaoning An

 

Address:                          No. 89, Qingchun Road, Qidi Village, Qidi Town, Jinzhou City, Hebei Province

 

Phone:                                   +86 10-53579038

 

5.3        Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Party in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

6                  Confidentiality

 

The Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement and any oral or written information exchanged between the Parties in connection with the preparation and performance this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Each Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of the other Party, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third parties, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

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7                  Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

7.1        The execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes shall be governed by the laws of China.

 

7.2        In the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s request to the other Party for resolution of the dispute through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with its then effective arbitration rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on all Parties.

 

7.3        Upon the occurrence of any disputes arising from the construction and performance of this Agreement or during the pending arbitration of any dispute, except for the matters under dispute, the Parties to this Agreement shall continue to exercise their respective rights under this Agreement and perform their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

8                  Miscellaneous

 

8.1        This Agreement should become effective upon execution by the Parties, and shall expire upon the date of full performance by the Parties of their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

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8.2        This Agreement shall be written in both Chinese and English language in two copies, each Party having one copy. The Chinese version and English version shall have equal legal validity.

 

8.3        This Agreement may be amended or supplemented through written agreement by and between Lender and Borrower. Such written amendment agreement and/or supplementary agreement executed by and between Lender and Borrower are an integral part of this Agreement, and shall have the same legal validity as this Agreement.

 

8.4        In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Agreement are found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or compromised in any respect. The Parties shall strive in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

8.5        The attachments (if any) to this Agreement shall be an integral part of this Agreement and shall have the same legal validity as this Agreement.

 

8.6        Any obligations that occur or that are due as a result of this Agreement upon the expiration or early termination of this Agreement shall survive the expiration or early termination thereof. The provisions of Sections 4, 6, 7 and this Section 8.6 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Loan Agreement as of the date firs above written.

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

Lender:

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

Borrower:

Xiaoning An

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaoning An

 

 




Exhibit 10.10

 

Loan Agreement

 

This Loan Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between the Parties below as of 1 st  November, 2016 in Beijing, China:

 

(1)          Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd (“Lender”), a wholly foreign owned enterprise, organized and existing under the laws of the PRC, with its address at Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China;

 

(2)          Xiaobin Zhai (“Borrower”), a citizen of China with Chinese Identification No.: *******.

 

Each of the Lender and the Borrower shall be hereinafter referred to as a “Party” respectively, and as the “Parties” collectively.

 

Whereas:

 

1.               As of the date hereof, Borrower holds 5% of equity interests in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. (“Borrower Company”). All of the equity interest now held and hereafter acquired by Borrower in Borrower Company shall be referred to as Borrower Equity Interest;

 

2.               Lender confirms that it agrees to provide Borrower with and Borrower confirms that he/she has received a loan which equals to RMB 25,500,000 to be used for the purposes set forth under this Agreement.

 

After friendly consultation, the Parties agree as follows:

 

Strictly Confidential

 

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1                  Loan

 

1.1        In accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Lender and Borrower hereby acknowledge that Borrower has obtained from Lender a loan in the amount of RMB 25,500,000 (the “Loan”). The term of the Loan shall be 10 years from the effective date of this Agreement, which may be extended upon mutual written consent of the Parties. During the term of the Loan or the extended term of the Loan, Borrower shall immediately repay the full amount of the Loan in the event any one or more of the following circumstances occur:

 

1.1.1                      30 days elapse after Borrower receives a written notice from Lender requesting repayment of the Loan;

 

1.1.2                      Borrower’s death, lack or limitation of civil capacity;

 

1.1.3                      Borrower ceases (for any reason) to be an employee of Lender, Borrower Company or their affiliates;

 

1.1.4                      Borrower engages in criminal act or is involved in criminal activities;

 

1.1.5                      According to the applicable laws of China, foreign investors are permitted to invest in the principle business that is currently conducted by Borrower Company in China with a controlling stake and/or in the form of wholly-foreign-owned enterprises, the relevant competent authorities of China begin to approve such investments, and Lender exercises the exclusive option under the Exclusive Option Agreement (the “Exclusive Option Agreement”) described in this Agreement.

 

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1.2        The Loan provided by Lender under this Agreement shall inure to Borrower’s benefit only and not to Borrower’s successors or assigns.

 

1.3        Borrower agrees to accept the aforementioned Loan provided by Lender, and hereby agrees and warrants using the Loan to subscribe the registered capital of Borrower Company. Without Lender’s prior written consent, Borrower shall not use the Loan for any purpose other than as set forth herein.

 

1.4        Lender and Borrower hereby agree and acknowledge that Borrower’s method of repayment shall be at the sole discretion of Lender, and shall at Lender’s option take the form of Borrower’s transferring the Borrower Equity Interest in whole to Lender or Lender’s designated persons (legal or natural persons) pursuant to the Lender’s exercise of its right to acquire the Borrower Equity Interest under the Exclusive Option Agreement, and any proceeds from the transfer of the Borrower Equity Interest (to the extent permissible) shall be used by the Borrower to repay the Loan to Lender, in accordance with this Agreement and in the manner designated by Lender.

 

1.5        Lender and Borrower hereby agree and acknowledge that to the extent permitted by applicable laws, Lender shall have the right but not the obligation to purchase or designate other persons (legal or natural persons) to purchase Borrower Equity Interest in part or in whole at any time, at the price stipulated in the Exclusive Option Agreement.

 

1.6        Borrower also undertakes to execute an irrevocable Power of Attorney (the “Power of Attorney”), which authorizes Lender or a legal or natural person designated by Lender to exercise all of Borrower’s rights as a shareholder of Borrower Company.

 

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1.7        When Borrower transfers Borrower Equity Interest to Lender or Lender’s designated person(s), in the event that the transfer price of such equity interest equals or is lower than the principal of the Loan under this Agreement, the Loan under this Agreement shall be deemed an interest-free loan. In the event that the transfer price of such equity interest exceeds the principal of the Loan under this Agreement, the excess over the principal shall be deemed the interest of the Loan under this Agreement payable by Borrower to Lender.

 

2                  Representations and Warranties

 

2.1        Between the date of this Agreement and the date of termination of this Agreement, Lender hereby makes the following representations and warranties to Borrower:

 

2.1.1                      Lender is a corporation duly organized and legally existing in accordance with the laws of China;

 

2.1.2                      Lender has the legal capacity to execute and perform this Agreement. The execution and performance by Lender of this Agreement is consistent with Lender’s scope of business and the provisions of Lender’s corporate bylaws and other organizational documents, and Lender has obtained all necessary and proper approvals and authorizations for the execution and performance of this Agreement; and

 

2.1.3                      This Agreement constitutes Lender’s legal, valid and binding obligations enforceable in accordance with its terms.

 

2.2        Between the date of this Agreement and the date of termination of this Agreement, Borrower hereby makes the following representations and warranties:

 

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2.2.1                      Borrower has the legal capacity to execute and perform this Agreement. Borrower has obtained all necessary and proper approvals and authorizations for the execution and performance of this Agreement;

 

2.2.2                      This Agreement constitutes Borrower’s legal, valid and binding obligations enforceable in accordance with its terms; and

 

2.2.3                      There are no disputes, litigations, arbitrations, administrative proceedings or any other legal proceedings relating to Borrower, nor are there any potential disputes, litigations, arbitrations, administrative proceedings or any other legal proceedings relating to Borrower.

 

3                  Borrower’s Covenants

 

3.1        As and when he becomes, and for so long as he remains a shareholder of Borrower Company, Borrower covenants irrevocably that during the term of this Agreement, Borrower shall cause Borrower Company:

 

3.1.1                      to strictly abide by the provisions of the Exclusive Option Agreement and the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (“Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement”) to which the Borrower Company is a party, and to refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability of the Exclusive Option Agreement and Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement.

 

3.1.2                      at the request of Lender (or a party designated by Lender), to execute contracts/agreements on business cooperation with Lender

 

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(or a party designated by Lender), and to strictly abide by such contracts/agreements;

 

3.1.3                      to provide Lender with all of the information on Borrower Company’s business operations and financial condition at Lender’s request;

 

3.1.4                      to immediately notify Lender of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Borrower Company’s assets, business or income;

 

3.1.5                      at the request of Lender, to appoint any persons designated by Lender as directors of Borrower Company;

 

3.2        Borrower covenants that during the term of this Agreement, he shall:

 

3.2.1                      endeavor to keep Borrower Company to engage in its principle businesses;

 

3.2.2                      abide by the provisions of this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement (“Equity Interest Pledge Agreement”) and the Exclusive Option Agreement to which the Borrower is a party, perform his obligations under this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Option Agreement, and refrain from any action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability of this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Option Agreement;

 

3.2.3                      not sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of in any other manner the legal or beneficial interest in Borrower Equity Interest, or allow the

 

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encumbrance thereon of any security interest or the encumbrance, except in accordance with the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement;

 

3.2.4                      cause any shareholders’ meeting and/or the board of directors of Borrower Company not to approve the sale, transfer, mortgage or disposition in any other manner of any legal or beneficial interest in Borrower Equity Interest, or allow the encumbrance thereon of any security interest, except to Lender or Lender’s designated person;

 

3.2.5                      cause any shareholders’ meeting and/or the board of directors of the Borrower Company not to approve the merger or consolidation of Borrower Company with any person, or its acquisition of or investment in any person, without the prior written consent of Lender;

 

3.2.6                      immediately notify Lender of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Borrower Equity Interest;

 

3.2.7                      to the extent necessary to maintain his ownership of the Borrower Equity Interest, execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate actions and file all necessary or appropriate complaints or raise necessary and appropriate defense against all claims;

 

3.2.8                      without the prior written consent of Lender, refrain from any action /omission that may have a material impact on the assets, business and liabilities of Borrower Company;

 

3.2.9                      appoint any designee of Lender as director of Borrower Company, at the request of Lender;

 

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3.2.10               to the extent permitted by the laws of China, at the request of Lender at any time, promptly and unconditionally transfer all of Borrower Equity Interest to Lender or Lender’s designated representative(s) at any time, and cause the other shareholders of Borrower Company to waive their right of first refusal with respect to the share transfer described in this Section;

 

3.2.11               to the extent permitted by the laws of China, at the request of Lender at any time, cause the other shareholders of Borrower Company to promptly and unconditionally transfer all of their equity interests to Lender or Lender’s designated representative(s) at any time, and Borrower hereby waives his right of first refusal (if any) with respect to the share transfer described in this Section;

 

3.2.12               in the event that Lender purchases Borrower Equity Interest from Borrower in accordance with the provisions of the Exclusive Option Agreement, use such purchase price obtained thereby to repay the Loan to Lender; and

 

3.2.13               without the prior written consent of Lender, not to cause Borrower Company to supplement, change, or amend its articles of association in any manner, increase or decreases its registered capital or change its share capital structure in any manner.

 

4                  Liability for Default

 

4.1        If Borrower conducts any material breach of any term of this Agreement, Lender shall have right to terminate this Agreement and require the Borrower to compensate all damages; this Section 4.1 shall not prejudice any other rights of Lender herein.

 

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4.2        Borrower shall not terminate this Agreement in any event unless otherwise required by applicable laws.

 

4.3        In the event that Borrower fails to perform the repayment obligations set forth in this Agreement, Borrower shall pay overdue interest of 0.01% per day for the outstanding payment, until the day Borrower repays the full principal of the Loan, overdue interests and other payable amounts.

 

5                  Notices

 

5.1        All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of such Party set forth below. A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by email. The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

5.1.1                      Notices given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail, postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of delivery.

 

5.1.2                      Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).

 

5.2        For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

Lender:                            Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

Address:                          Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District,

 

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Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Attn:                                             Xiaobo An

 

Phone:                                   +86 10-56579025

 

Borrower:             Xiaobin Zhai

 

Address:                          No. 36, West Road, Sishang Village, Yehe Town, Luancheng Country, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province

 

Phone:                                   +86 187 0143 1292

 

5.3        Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Party in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

6                  Confidentiality

 

The Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement and any oral or written information exchanged between the Parties in connection with the preparation and performance this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Each Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of the other Party, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third parties, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed

 

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disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

7                  Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

7.1        The execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes shall be governed by the laws of China.

 

7.2        In the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s request to the other Party for resolution of the dispute through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with its then effective arbitration rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on all Parties.

 

7.3        Upon the occurrence of any disputes arising from the construction and performance of this Agreement or during the pending arbitration of any dispute, except for the matters under dispute, the Parties to this Agreement shall continue to exercise their respective rights under this Agreement and perform their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

8                    Miscellaneous

 

8.1        This Agreement should become effective upon execution by the Parties, and shall expire upon the date of full performance by the Parties of their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

11



 

8.2        This Agreement shall be written in both Chinese and English language in two copies, each Party having one copy. The Chinese version and English version shall have equal legal validity.

 

8.3        This Agreement may be amended or supplemented through written agreement by and between Lender and Borrower. Such written amendment agreement and/or supplementary agreement executed by and between Lender and Borrower are an integral part of this Agreement, and shall have the same legal validity as this Agreement.

 

8.4        In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Agreement are found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or compromised in any respect. The Parties shall strive in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

8.5        The attachments (if any) to this Agreement shall be an integral part of this Agreement and shall have the same legal validity as this Agreement.

 

8.6        Any obligations that occur or that are due as a result of this Agreement upon the expiration or early termination of this Agreement shall survive the expiration or early termination thereof. The provisions of Sections 4, 6, 7 and this Section 8.6 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

12



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Loan Agreement as of the date firs above written .

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

Lender:

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

Borrower:

Xiaobin Zhai

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobin Zhai

 

 




Exhibit 10.11

 

Power of Attorney

 

I, Xiaobo An, a Chinese citizen with Chinese Identification Card No.: *******, and a holder of 94.99% of the entire registered capital in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. (“Hexin E-Commerce”) as of the date when the Power of Attorney is executed, hereby irrevocably authorize Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd (“WFOE”) to exercise the following rights relating to all equity interests held by me now and in the future in Hexin E-Commerce (“My Shareholding”) during the term of this Power of Attorney:

 

WFOE is hereby authorized to act on behalf of myself as my exclusive agent and attorney with respect to all matters concerning My Shareholding, including without limitation to: 1) attending shareholders’ meetings of Hexin E-Commerce; 2) exercising all the shareholder’s rights and shareholder’s voting rights I am entitled to under the laws of China and H Hexin E-Commerce’s Articles of Association, including but not limited to the sale or transfer or pledge or disposition of My Shareholding in part or in whole; and 3) designate and appoint on behalf of myself the legal representative, the directors, supervisors, the chief executive officer and other senior management members of Hexin E-Commerce.

 

Without limiting the generality of the powers granted hereunder, WFOE shall have the power and authority to, on behalf of myself, execute all the documents I shall sign as stipulated in the Exclusive Option Agreement entered into by and among me, WFOE and Hexin E-Commerce on 1 st  November, 2016 and the Equity Pledge Agreement entered into by and among me, WFOE and Hexin E-Commerce on 1 st November, 2016 (including any modification, amendment and restatement thereto, collectively the “Transaction Documents”), and perform the terms of the Transaction Documents.

 

Strictly Confidential

 

1



 

All the actions associated with My Shareholding conducted by WFOE shall be deemed as my own actions, and all the documents related to My Shareholding executed by WFOE shall be deemed to be executed by me. I hereby acknowledge and ratify those actions and/or documents by WFOE.

 

WFOE is entitled to re-authorize or assign its rights related to the aforesaid matters to any other person or entity at its own discretion and without giving prior notice to me or obtaining my consent. If required by PRC laws, WFOE shall designate a PRC citizen to exercise the aforementioned rights.

 

During the period that I am a shareholder of Hexin E-Commerce, this Power of Attorney shall be irrevocable and continuously effective and valid from the date of execution of this Power of Attorney.

 

During the term of this Power of Attorney, I hereby waive all the rights associated with My Shareholding, which have been authorized to WFOE through this Power of Attorney, and shall not exercise such rights by myself.

 

This Power of Attorney is written in Chinese and English. In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

This Power of Attorney is signed on 1 st  November, 2016.

 

2



 

 

Xiaobo An

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

[SEAL]

 

 

Accepted by

 

 

 

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

Acknowledged by:

 

 

 

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

3




Exhibit 10.12

 

Power of Attorney

 

I, Xiaoning An, a Chinese citizen with Chinese Identification Card No.:******* , and a holder of 0.01% of the entire registered capital in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. (“Hexin E-Commerce”) as of the date when the Power of Attorney is executed, hereby irrevocably authorize Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd (“WFOE”) to exercise the following rights relating to all equity interests held by me now and in the future in Hexin E-Commerce (“My Shareholding”) during the term of this Power of Attorney:

 

WFOE is hereby authorized to act on behalf of myself as my exclusive agent and attorney with respect to all matters concerning My Shareholding, including without limitation to: 1) attending shareholders’ meetings of Hexin E-Commerce; 2) exercising all the shareholder’s rights and shareholder’s voting rights I am entitled to under the laws of China and H Hexin E-Commerce’s Articles of Association, including but not limited to the sale or transfer or pledge or disposition of My Shareholding in part or in whole; and 3) designate and appoint on behalf of myself the legal representative, the directors, supervisors, the chief executive officer and other senior management members of Hexin E-Commerce.

 

Without limiting the generality of the powers granted hereunder, WFOE shall have the power and authority to, on behalf of myself, execute all the documents I shall sign as stipulated in the Exclusive Option Agreement entered into by and among me, WFOE and Hexin E-Commerce on 1 st  November, 2016 and the Equity Pledge Agreement entered into by and among me, WFOE and Hexin E-Commerce on 1 st November, 2016 (including any modification, amendment and restatement thereto, collectively the “Transaction Documents”), and perform the terms of the Transaction Documents.

 

Strictly Confidential

 

1



 

All the actions associated with My Shareholding conducted by WFOE shall be deemed as my own actions, and all the documents related to My Shareholding executed by WFOE shall be deemed to be executed by me. I hereby acknowledge and ratify those actions and/or documents by WFOE.

 

WFOE is entitled to re-authorize or assign its rights related to the aforesaid matters to any other person or entity at its own discretion and without giving prior notice to me or obtaining my consent. If required by PRC laws, WFOE shall designate a PRC citizen to exercise the aforementioned rights.

 

During the period that I am a shareholder of Hexin E-Commerce, this Power of Attorney shall be irrevocable and continuously effective and valid from the date of execution of this Power of Attorney.

 

During the term of this Power of Attorney, I hereby waive all the rights associated with My Shareholding, which have been authorized to WFOE through this Power of Attorney, and shall not exercise such rights by myself.

 

This Power of Attorney is written in Chinese and English. In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

This Power of Attorney is signed on 1 st  November, 2016.

 

2



 

 

Xiaoning An

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaoning An

 

 

 

 

Accepted by

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

 

Acknowledged by:

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

3




Exhibit 10.13

 

Power of Attorney

 

I, Xiaobin Zhai, a Chinese citizen with Chinese Identification Card No.: *******, and a holder of 5% of the entire registered capital in Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd. (“Hexin E-Commerce”) as of the date when the Power of Attorney is executed, hereby irrevocably authorize Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd (“WFOE”) to exercise the following rights relating to all equity interests held by me now and in the future in Hexin E-Commerce (“My Shareholding”) during the term of this Power of Attorney:

 

WFOE is hereby authorized to act on behalf of myself as my exclusive agent and attorney with respect to all matters concerning My Shareholding, including without limitation to: 1) attending shareholders’ meetings of Hexin E-Commerce; 2) exercising all the shareholder’s rights and shareholder’s voting rights I am entitled to under the laws of China and H Hexin E-Commerce’s Articles of Association, including but not limited to the sale or transfer or pledge or disposition of My Shareholding in part or in whole; and 3) designate and appoint on behalf of myself the legal representative, the directors, supervisors, the chief executive officer and other senior management members of Hexin E-Commerce.

 

Without limiting the generality of the powers granted hereunder, WFOE shall have the power and authority to, on behalf of myself, execute all the documents I shall sign as stipulated in the Exclusive Option Agreement entered into by and among me, WFOE and Hexin E-Commerce on 1 st  November, 2016 and the Equity Pledge Agreement entered into by and among me, WFOE and Hexin E-Commerce on 1 st November, 2016 (including any modification, amendment and restatement thereto, collectively the “Transaction Documents”), and perform the terms of the Transaction Documents.

 

Strictly Confidential

 

1



 

All the actions associated with My Shareholding conducted by WFOE shall be deemed as my own actions, and all the documents related to My Shareholding executed by WFOE shall be deemed to be executed by me. I hereby acknowledge and ratify those actions and/or documents by WFOE.

 

WFOE is entitled to re-authorize or assign its rights related to the aforesaid matters to any other person or entity at its own discretion and without giving prior notice to me or obtaining my consent. If required by PRC laws, WFOE shall designate a PRC citizen to exercise the aforementioned rights.

 

During the period that I am a shareholder of Hexin E-Commerce, this Power of Attorney shall be irrevocable and continuously effective and valid from the date of execution of this Power of Attorney.

 

During the term of this Power of Attorney, I hereby waive all the rights associated with My Shareholding, which have been authorized to WFOE through this Power of Attorney, and shall not exercise such rights by myself.

 

This Power of Attorney is written in Chinese and English. In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

This Power of Attorney is signed on 1 st  November, 2016.

 

2



 

 

Xiaobin Zhai

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobin Zhai

 

 

 

 

 

Accepted by

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

Acknowledged by:

 

 

 

 

 

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

3




Exhibit 10.14

 

Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement

 

This Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between the following parties on 1 st  November, 2016 in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”).

 

Party A:               Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

Address:                Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Party B:               Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Address:                Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang Dirstrict, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Each of Party A and Party B shall be hereinafter referred to as a “Party” respectively, and as the “Parties” collectively.

 

Whereas,

 

1.               Party A is a wholly foreign owned enterprise established in China, and has the necessary resources to provide technical and consulting services;

 

Strictly Confidential

 

1



 

2.               Party B is a company established in China with exclusively domestic capital and is permitted to engage in Economic information consultation, Investment management, Investment consultation, Asset management, E-commerce, financial consultation by relevant PRC government authorities. The businesses conducted by Party B currently and any time during the term of this Agreement are collectively referred to as the “Principal Business”;

 

3.               Party A is willing to provide Party B with technical support, consulting services and other services on exclusive basis in relation to the Principal Business during the term of this Agreement, utilizing its advantages in technology, human resources, and information, and Party B is willing to accept such services provided by Party A or Party A’s designee(s), each on the terms set forth herein.

 

Now, therefore, through mutual discussion, the Parties have reached the following agreements:

 

1.                                       Services Provided by Party A

 

1.1                                Party B hereby appoints Party A as Party B’s exclusive services provider to provide Party B with comprehensive technical support, consulting services and other services during the term of this Agreement, in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including but not limited to the follows:

 

(1)                                  Licensing Party B to use any software legally owned by Party A;

 

(2)                                  Development, maintenance and update of software involved in Party B’s business;

 

2



 

(3)                                  Design, installation, daily management, maintenance and updating of network system, hardware and database design;

 

(4)                                  Technical support and training for employees of Party B;

 

(5)                                  Assisting Party B in consultancy, collection and research of technology and market information (excluding market research business that wholly foreign-owned enterprises are prohibited from conducting under PRC law);

 

(6)                                  Providing business management consultation for Party B;

 

(7)                                  Providing marketing and promotion services for Party B;

 

(8)                                  Providing customer order management and customer services for Party B;

 

(9)                                  Leasing of equipments or properties; and

 

(10)                           Other services requested by Party B from time to time to the extent permitted under PRC law.

 

3



 

1.2        Party B agrees to accept all the services provided by Party A. Party B further agrees that unless with Party A’s prior written consent, during the term of this Agreement, Party B shall not directly or indirectly accept the same or any similar services provided by any third party and shall not establish similar corporation relationship with any third party regarding the matters contemplated by this Agreement. Party A may designate other parties, who may enter into certain agreements described in Section 1.3 with Party B, to provide Party B with the services under this Agreement. For the purpose of this Agreement, Party A and other parties designated by Party A may be respectively referred to as a “Service Provider,” or collectively as “Service Providers.”

 

1.3        Service Providing Methodology

 

1.3.1                      Party A and Party B agree that during the term of this Agreement, where necessary, Party B may enter into further service agreements with Party A or any other party designated by Party A, which shall provide the specific contents, manner, personnel, and fees for the specific services.

 

1.3.2                      To fulfill this Agreement, Party A and Party B agree that during the term of this Agreement, where necessary, Party B may enter into equipment or property leases with Party A or any other party designated by Party A which shall permit Party B to use Party A’s relevant equipment or property based on the needs of the business of Party B.

 

1.3.3                      Party B hereby grants to Party A an irrevocable and exclusive option to purchase from Party B, at Party A’s sole discretion, any or all of the assets and business of Party B, to the extent

 

4



 

permitted under PRC law, at the lowest purchase price permitted by PRC law. The Parties shall then enter into a separate assets or business transfer agreement, specifying the terms and conditions of the transfer of the assets.

 

2.                                       The Calculation and Payment of the Service Fees

 

2.1                                The fees payable by Party B to Service Providers during the term of this Agreement shall be calculated as follows:

 

2.1.1                      Party B shall pay service fee to Party A or to Service Providers as instructed by Party A in each month. The service fee for each month shall consist of management fee and fee for services provided, which shall be determined or adjusted (if necessary) by the Party A by considering the following factors. Party B shall accept such determination and adjustments.

 

(1)                                  Complexity and difficulty of the services provided by Party A;

 

(2)                                  Title of and time consumed by employees of the Service Provider providing the services;

 

(3)                                  Contents and value of the services provided by Party A;

 

(4)                                  Market price of the same type of services;

 

5



 

(5)                                  Operation conditions of the Party B.

 

2.1.2                      If a Service Provider transfers technology to Party B or develops software or other technology as entrusted by Party B or leases equipments or properties to Party B, the technology transfer price, development fees or rent shall be determined by Party A or the Service Provider as instructed by Party A based on the actual situations.

 

3.                                       Intellectual Property Rights and Confidentiality Clauses

 

3.1                                Party A shall have exclusive and proprietary ownership, rights and interests in any and all intellectual properties arising out of or created during the performance of this Agreement, including but not limited to copyrights, patents, patent applications, software, technical secrets, trade secrets and others. Party B shall execute all appropriate documents, take all appropriate actions, submit all filings and/or applications, render all appropriate assistance and otherwise conduct whatever is necessary as deemed by Party A at its sole discretion for the purposes of vesting any ownership, right or interest of any such intellectual property rights in Party A, and/or perfecting the protections for any such intellectual property rights in Party A.

 

6



 

3.2                                The Parties acknowledge that the existence and the terms of this Agreement and any oral or written information exchanged between the Parties in connection with the preparation and performance of this Agreement are regarded as confidential information. Each Party shall maintain confidentiality of all such confidential information, and without obtaining the written consent of the other Party, it shall not disclose any relevant confidential information to any third party, except for the information that: (a) is or will be in the public domain (other than through the receiving Party’s unauthorized disclosure); (b) is under the obligation to be disclosed pursuant to the applicable laws or regulations, rules of any stock exchange, or orders of the court or other government authorities; or (c) is required to be disclosed by any Party to its shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, provided that such shareholders, directors, employees, legal counsels or financial advisors shall be bound by the confidentiality obligations similar to those set forth in this Section. Disclosure of any confidential information by the shareholders, director, employees of or agencies engaged by any Party shall be deemed disclosure of such confidential information by such Party and such Party shall be held liable for breach of this Agreement.

 

4.                                       Representations and Warranties

 

4.1                                Party A hereby represents, warrants and covenants as follows:

 

4.1.1                      Party A is a wholly foreign owned enterprise legally established and validly existing in accordance with the laws of China; Party A or the service providers designated by Party A will obtain all government permits and licenses for providing the service under this Agreement before providing such services.

 

7



 

4.1.2                      Party A has taken all necessary corporate actions, obtained all necessary authorizations as well as all consents and approvals from third parties and government agencies (if required) for the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement. Party A’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement do not violate any explicit requirements under any law or regulation.

 

4.1.3                      This Agreement constitutes Party A’s legal, valid and binding obligations, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms.

 

4.2                                Party B hereby represents, warrants and covenants as follows:

 

4.2.1                      Party B is a company legally established and validly existing in accordance with the laws of China and has obtained and will maintain all permits and licenses for engaging in the Principal Business in a timely manner.

 

4.2.2                      Party B has taken all necessary corporate actions, obtained all necessary authorizations as well as all consents and approvals from third parties and government agencies (if required) for the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement. Party B’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement do not violate any explicit requirements under any law or regulation.

 

4.2.3                      This Agreement constitutes Party B’s legal, valid and binding obligations, and shall be enforceable against it in accordance with its terms.

 

8


 

5.                                       Term of Agreement

 

5.1                                This Agreement shall become effective upon execution by the Parties. Unless terminated in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement or terminated in writing by Party A, this Agreement shall remain effective.

 

5.2                                During the term of this Agreement, each Party shall renew its operation term prior to the expiration thereof so as to enable this Agreement to remain effective. This Agreement shall be terminated upon the expiration of the operation term of a Party if the application for renewal of its operation term is not approved by relevant government authorities.

 

5.3                                The rights and obligations of the Parties under Sections 3, 6, 7 and this Section 5.3 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

6.                                       Governing Law and Resolution of Disputes

 

6.1                                The execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes hereunder shall be governed by the laws of China.

 

9



 

6.2                                In the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s request to the other Party for resolution of the dispute through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration, in accordance with its arbitration rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on both Parties.

 

6.3                                Upon the occurrence of any disputes arising from the construction and performance of this Agreement or during the pending arbitration of any dispute, except for the matters under dispute, the Parties shall continue to exercise their respective rights under this Agreement and perform their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

7.                                       Breach of Agreement and Indemnification

 

7.1                                If Party B conducts any material breach of any term of this Agreement, Party A shall have right to terminate this Agreement and/or require Party B to indemnify all damages; this Section 7.1 shall not prejudice any other rights of Party A herein.

 

7.2                                Unless otherwise required by applicable laws, Party B shall not have any right to terminate this Agreement in any event.

 

10



 

7.3                                Party B shall indemnify and hold harmless Party A from any losses, injuries, obligations or expenses caused by any lawsuit, claims or other demands against Party A arising from or caused by the services provided by Party A to Party B pursuant this Agreement, except where such losses, injuries, obligations or expenses arise from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of Party A.

 

8.                                       Force Majeure

 

8.1                                In the case of any force majeure events (“Force Majeure”) such as earthquake, typhoon, flood, fire, flu, war, strikes or any other events that cannot be predicted and are unpreventable and unavoidable by the affected Party, which directly or indirectly causes the failure of either Party to perform or completely perform this Agreement, then the Party affected by such Force Majeure shall give the other Party written notices without any delay, and shall provide details of such event within 15 days after sending out such notice, explaining the reasons for such failure of, partial or delay of performance.

 

8.2                                If such Party claiming Force Majeure fails to notify the other Party and furnish it with proof pursuant to the above provision, such Party shall not be excused from the non-performance of its obligations hereunder. The Party so affected by the event of Force Majeure shall use reasonable efforts to minimize the consequences of such Force Majeure and to promptly resume performance hereunder whenever the causes of such excuse are cured. Should the Party so affected by the event of Force Majeure fail to resume performance hereunder when the causes of such excuse are cured, such Party shall be liable to the other Party.

 

11



 

8.3                                In the event of Force Majeure, the Parties shall immediately consult with each other to find an equitable solution and shall use all reasonable endeavours to minimize the consequences of such Force Majeure.

 

9.                                       Notices

 

9.1                                All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of such Party set forth below. A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by email. The dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given shall be determined as follows:

 

9.1.1                      Notices given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail, postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of receipt or refusal at the address specified for notices.

 

9.1.2                      Notices given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically generated confirmation of transmission).

 

9.2                                For the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as follows:

 

12



 

Party A:                                                 Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

Address:                                                  Room C107, Floor 2, No. 88 Xiangshan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Attn:                                                                     Xiaobo An

 

Phone:                                                           +86 10-56579025

 

Party B:                                                 Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Address:                                                  Floor 13, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

 

Attn:                                                                     Xiaobo An

 

Phone:                                                           +86 10-53579038

 

9.3                                Any Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered to the other Party in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

10.                                Assignment

 

10.1                         Without Party A’s prior written consent, Party B shall not assign its rights and obligations under this Agreement to any third party.

 

10.2                         Party B agrees that Party A may assign its obligations and rights under this Agreement to any third party and in case of such assignment, Party

 

13



 

A is only required to give written notice to Party B and does not need any consent from Party B for such assignment.

 

11.                                Severability

 

In the event that one or several of the provisions of this Agreement are found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or compromised in any aspect. The Parties shall negotiate in good faith to replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law and the intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.

 

12.                                Amendments and Supplements

 

Any amendments and supplements to this Agreement shall be in writing. The amendment agreements and supplementary agreements that have been signed by the Parties and relate to this Agreement shall be an integral part of this Agreement and shall have the same legal validity as this Agreement.

 

13.                                Language and Counterparts

 

This Agreement is written in both Chinese and English language in two copies, each Party having one copy. In case of any discrepancy between the Chinese version and the English version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

14



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to execute this Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement as of the date first above written.

 

Party A: Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

[SEAL]

 

 

 

Party B: Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Xiaobo An

 

Name:

Xiaobo An

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

[SEAL]

 




Exhibit 10.15

 

Framework Agreement on Insurance Cooperation

 

Party A: Chang An Property And Liability Insurance Ltd. Beijing Branch

Person-in-charge: FU Zhenghong

Address: Room 101, Building 6, 80 West Railway StationSouth Road, Xicheng District, Beijing

Telephone:010-63370171

 

Party B: Hexin E-commerce Co., Ltd.

Legal Representative: AN Xiaobo

Address: C-13F, Shimao Tower, 92A Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

Telephone: 010-53579041

 

In order to promote the integrated development of the business of Chang An Property And Liability Insurance Ltd. Beijing Branch (hereinafter referred to as “Party A”) and Hexin E-commerce Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Party B”), Party A and Party B have reached the following agreement for win-win purpose based on friendly cooperation.

 

I.                                         Relationship between the Parties

 

In this Agreement, Party A (referring to Party A and its affiliated branches for specific business) is an insurance company qualified to engage in credit and guarantee insurance, short-term accident insurance and property insurance.

 

In this Agreement, Party B shall be an intermediary agency providing the Borrower with matching services for loans, as well as providing the funding party with risk control services of loans.

 

In this Agreement, the Borrower shall mean a borrower who seeks a loan by the matching and risk management services of Party B.

 

In this Agreement, the Lender shall mean a natural person or legal person that extends a loan to the Borrower.

 

II.                                    Cooperation project of both Parties

 

During the period of cooperation, based on the insurance products and rates provided by Party A to Party B, Party A and Party B, on the basis of the principles of equality, voluntariness, mutual benefit and honesty, in accordance with relevant regulations of the insurance regulatory authority, after friendly consultation reach and execute the following agreement to mutually abide by with respect to the mutual promotion of the credit and guarantee insurance business and cooperation in other insurance related business.

 



 

III.                               Rights and obligations of Party A and Party B

 

(A)        Rights and obligations of Party A

 

1.                   During the term of insurance, Party A shall provide credit and guarantee insurance and other insurance related business to the Borrower’s loan extended by the Lender. Party A shall review the materials provided by Party B and issue the policy after the insurance conditions of Party A are satisfied.

 

If Party B fails to comply with the established operation procedures and risk control standards, Party A shall be entitled to refuse such insurance. If the materials provided by Party B are untrue, including but not limited to circumstances whereby the agreed risk control standards are not complied with leading to incorrectness and incompleteness of the Borrower’s materials and thus Party A issues a policy mistakenly, Party A shall be entitled to require Party B to compensate for its economic losses.

 

2.                   In the event of a breach of contract by the Borrower, Party A shall compensate the investors for the principal and expected interest by the Borrower.

 

3.                   During the term of insurance, Party A shall ,on a monthly basis, check and assess the repayment ability of the debtors of Party B’s creditor’s rights and Party B shall cooperate. Both Parties shall jointly enhance the post-loan management and take measures to reduce or eliminate risks.

 

4.                   Party B shall serve a collection notice for the breach of the Borrower and provide proof of failure to collect after such notice. Party A confirms that Party B’s proof of failure to collect overdue payment shall be the loan outstanding after the maturity date set out in the loan agreement between the Borrower and the Lender, including but not limited to relevant evidence proving the debtor of Party B’s creditor’s right owing the principal and expected interest of loan, collection documents for overdue payment issued by Party B or attorney’s letters.

 

(B)        Rights and obligations of Party B

 

1.                   Party B shall provide Borrowers with loans to meet the consumption demand.

 

2.                   Party B shall recommend Borrowers to Party A and shall be responsible for the Borrowers and the authenticity and completeness of the application materials.

 

3.                   In the event that a Borrower recommended by Party B fails to repay on time, Party A shall follow the compensation methods set out in the Memorandum, and Part B shall cooperate.

 

4.                   Party B accepts the policyholder’s and the insured’s entrustment to handle the insurance and claim matters on their behalf. Only one invoice shall be issued for the same policy and the invoice title shall the policyholder. If a third party requires to issue an invoice repetitively, Party B shall negotiate with such third party to settle and Party A shall not issue a repeated invoice. Party B shall be fully responsible for the losses incurred to Party A arising from repeated invoicing or invoice disputes.

 

5.                   Party B shall take risk control measures, including but not limited to conducting

 



 

interviews prior to creation of the creditor’s rights, reviewing the authenticity of the materials and information, pre-loan risk control such as strictly following the prerequisites to screen, taking risk control measures during the loan such as verification of information and communication with customers, adopting post-loan risk control measures such as regular repayment reminder, periodic collection for overdue payment according to procedures and litigation, so as to take measures to reduce or eliminate risks.

 

6.                   Party B shall paid the amount of the risk reserves to the account designated by Party A, and the premium shall not exceed the amount of the balance of the risk reserves, which is acutely paid-in the account designated by Party A. Party B shall provide a complete set of insurance materials as well as credit inquiry materials besides standard insurance information as required by Party A based on the actual circumstances of the cooperation project.

 

7.                   Party B shall provide Party A with access to the network platform of risk control materials for the cooperation project so that Party A is able to expediently and accurately verify the information.

 

8.                   After repayment of the Borrower is overdue, Party B shall provide a list of overdue customers to Party A to report such cases and compile a complete set of claim materials.

 

9.                   When publicizing the cooperation project to business partners or social public, Party B shall state clearly that Party B only offers bond insurance and other insurance-related business services to lending with Party A’s permission to insure. Party A shall not publicize projects without Party A’s permission or details other than insurance liabilities. The publication shall be reviewed and approved by Party A in writing. Party A reserves the right to provide information regarding Party B’s breach of contract and dishonesty to credit agencies or media and shall not be responsible for negative consequences therefrom.

 

10.            Party B shall conduct a review of materials of the customers stringently. In the event that Party B fails to review the customers’ materials strictly and Party A issues a policy mistakenly due to incorrectness and incompleteness of the customer’ materials (including customers’ materials provided by Party B to Party A), Party A shall be entitled to require Party B to compensate for all the losses and relevant expenses.

 

11.            Where there is transfer of loans, Party B shall provide a list of the transfer of the loans to Party A within forty-eight hours from the completion of transfer of the loans so that Party A can review and revise promptly to ensure the validity of the policies. If Party B violates this provision so that Party A fails to promptly review and revise and to insure the losses covered, Party B shall be fully responsible.

 

In the event that a breach of this provision by Party B results in losses to Party A, Party B shall compensate Party A for all the losses except this Agreement stipulates otherwise.

 

IV.                                Confidentiality

 

Party A and Party B shall keep the trade secrets strictly confidential. Either Party shall not disclose the content of this Agreement and relevant business materials without the consent of the other Party. The effect of this provision shall not be affected upon expiration the term of the cooperation of this Agreement, suspension or termination of the cooperation.

 



 

V.                                     Miscellaneous

 

1.                   This Agreement shall be made in four copies, with two copies held by each Party. Both Parties shall negotiate and enter into a supplemental cooperation agreement on the matters that are not covered by this Agreement. The supplemental cooperation agreement shall have the same legal effect as this Agreement.

 

2.                   In the event that either of Party A or Party B violates the state laws, regulations and this Agreement, the other Party shall be entitled to terminate this Agreement unilaterally and reserve the rights to pursue legal and economic liability. This Agreement shall terminate automatically upon confirmation of the breach and sending the other Party a notice to terminate this Agreement.

 

3.                   Either Party A or Party B shall not notify a third party of all or part of the rights and obligations of this Agreement without written consent of the other Party. Otherwise, the breaching Party shall be responsible for the economic losses incurred to the other Party.

 

4.                   Party A and Party B shall settle any dispute arising from or relevant to this Agreement through friendly consultation.

 

5.                   This Agreement shall take effect upon the date of execution and have the term of one year. This Agreement shall be automatically extended for one year if both Parties have not objected in writing one month before expiration, and so on. This Agreement shall terminate upon full performance of the rights and obligations of both Parties.

 

Party A (stamp): [seal of Chang An Property And Liability Insurance Ltd. Beijing Branch]

 

Signature of legal representative or authorized representative: [signature]

 

Date: 25 January 2017

 

Party B (stamp): [seal of Hexin E-commerce Co., Ltd.]

 

Signature of legal representative or authorized representative:[signature]

 

Date: 25 January 2017

 




Exhibit 10.16

 

Memorandum on

 

Framework Agreement on Insurance Cooperation

 

between

 

Chang An Property And Liability Insurance Ltd.

 

and

 

Hexin E-commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Chang An Property And Liability Insurance Ltd. Beijing Branch

Person-in-charge: FU Zhenghong

Address: Room 101, Building 6, 80 West Railway StationSouth Road, Xicheng District, Beijing

Telephone: 010-63370171

 

Party B: Hexin E-commerce Co., Ltd.

Legal Representative: AN Xiaobo

Address: C-13F, Shimao Tower, 92A Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

Telephone: 010-53579041

 

Chang An Property And Liability Insurance Ltd. Beijing Branch (hereinafter referred to as “Party A”) and Hexin E-commerce Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Party B”)entered into a Framework Agreement on Insurance Cooperation on 25 January 2017. Both Parties have reached the following agreement on the foregoing Agreement after negotiation and discussion:

 

I.                                         Coverage: during the term of insurance, based on the Cooperation Agreement on the Payment and Settlement Service of Fund Custodian Business (Agreement number: Jiang Yin Wang Jin Cun Zi No. 201701001), the insurance coverage over existing loan products which are managed through Jiangxi Bank’s custody accounts.

 

II.                                    Territory of insurance: The insurance territory of the bond insurance for the performance of the loan shall follow the regulations.

 

III.                               The insured amount on the commencement date of formal cooperation (the meaning ascribed thereto in Section V) is equal to loans outstanding balance, which is under the  Loan Agreements  entered into between the Investors and the Borrowers, which meet the insurance requirements of Party A. Party B shall paid the amount of the risk reserves to the account designated by Party A as a one-time payment of the premium of the insurance agreement over all existing loan products as of the commencement date, and the premium shall not exceed the amount of the balance of the risk reserves, which is acutely paid-in the account designated by Party A.

 

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IV.                                From the commencement date of formal cooperation agreed upon by Party A and Party B, for the creditor’s rights which meet the insurance requirements of Party A, the Borrower shall voluntarily pay the premium to Party A in accordance with the Loan Agreement and the premium rate for the creditor’s rights within Party A’s scope of insurance.

 

V.                                     The commencement date of formal cooperation agreed upon by Party A and Party B shall be 1 February 2017.

 

VI.                                When publicizing the cooperation project to business partners or social public, Party B shall state clearly that Party B only offers bond services to lending with Party A’s permission to insure. The publication shall be approved by Party A in advance. Party B shall not publicize claim information in any manner without Party A’s consent.

 

VII.                           This Memorandum shall take effect from execution by both Parties and terminate upon termination of the Framework Agreement on Insurance Cooperation.

 

VIII.                      This Memorandum shall be made in six copies, three copies of which shall be held by each Party and have equal legal effect.

 

Party A (stamp): [seal of Chang An Property And Liability Insurance Ltd. Beijing Branch]

Signature of legal representative or authorized representative:

Date: 31March 2017

 

Party B (stamp): [seal of Hexin E-commerce Co., Ltd.]

Signature of legal representative or authorized representative:

Date:

 

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Exhibit 10.17

 

HEXINDAI INC.

 

AMENDED AND RESTATED 2016 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

 

1.     Purposes of this Plan .  The purposes of this Plan are to attract and retain the best available personnel for positions of substantial responsibility, to provide additional incentive to Employees, Directors and Consultants (each a “ Service Provider ” and, together, the “ Service Providers ”) and to promote the success of the Company’s business.  This Plan permits the grant of an Option, Restricted Shares, Restricted Share Units and Local Awards.

 

2.     Definitions .  As used herein, the following definitions will apply:

 

(a)           “ Administrator ” means the Board, a Committee or any subcommittee or specified Officers to whom the Board or Committee delegates its administrative authority consistent with Applicable Laws and in accordance with Section 4 of the Plan.

 

(b)           “ Applicable Laws ” means any applicable legal requirements relating to the administration of and the issuance of equity-based awards under the applicable laws of any country or jurisdiction in connection with the granting, vesting and/or exercising of Awards under this Plan, including, without limitation, the requirements of the laws of the PRC, U.S. federal and state securities laws, the Code, the laws of the Cayman Islands, and the requirements of any stock exchange or quotation system upon which the Shares may be listed or quoted and the applicable laws of any country or jurisdiction where Awards are granted under the Plan.  For all purposes of this Plan, references to statutes and regulations shall be deemed to include any successor statutes or regulations, where necessary as determined by the Administrator.

 

(c)           “ Award ” means, individually or collectively, a grant under this Plan of an Option, Restricted Shares, Restricted Share Units or Local Awards.

 

(d)           “ Award Agreement ” means the written or electronic agreement setting forth the terms and provisions applicable to each Award granted under this Plan.  The Award Agreement is subject to the terms and conditions of this Plan.

 

(e)           “ Board ” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

(f)            “ Change in Control ” means the occurrence of any of the following events:

 

(i)            Any person (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act) is or becomes the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing 50% or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities; or

 

(ii)           The individuals who, as of the date of grant, constituted the Company’s Board of Directors (the “ Incumbent Board ”) cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board; provided , however , that any individual (other than any individual whose initial assumption of office is in connection with an actual or threatened election contest (as such

 



 

term is used in Rule 14a-11 of Regulation 14A promulgated under the Exchange Act)) becoming a Director subsequent to the date of grant of an award, whose election, or nomination for election by the stockholders of the Company, was approved by a vote of at least a majority of the Directors then comprising the Incumbent Board, shall be considered as though such individual was a member of the Incumbent Board; or

 

(iii)          The consummation of the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets; or

 

(iv)          The consummation of a merger, amalgamation or consolidation of the Company with any other corporation or business entity, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or its parent) at least fifty percent (50%) of the total voting power represented by the voting securities of the Company or such surviving entity or its parent outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation.

 

Anything in the foregoing to the contrary notwithstanding, a transaction shall not constitute a Change in Control if its sole purpose is to change the legal jurisdiction of the Company’s incorporation or to create a holding company that will be owned in substantially the same proportions by the Persons who held the Company’s Securities immediately before such transaction.  In addition, a sale by the Company of its Securities in a transaction, the primary purpose of which is to raise capital for the Company’s operations and business activities including, without limitation, a Qualified IPO, shall not constitute a Change in Control.

 

(g)           “ Code ” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations promulgated thereunder.  Any reference to a section of the Code herein will be a reference to any successor or amended section of the Code.

 

(h)           “ Committee ” means the compensation committee of the Board or such other committee satisfying Applicable Laws appointed by the Board to administer the Plan, in accordance with Section 4 of the Plan.

 

(i)            “ Company ” means Hexindai Inc., a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, or any successor thereto.

 

(j)            “ Consultant ” means any person, including an advisor, engaged by the Company or any Subsidiary to render services to such entity.

 

(k)           “ Director ” means a member of the Board.

 

(l)            “ Disability ” means, unless determined otherwise by the Administrator, a disability that entitles the Participant to benefits under the Company’s long-term disability plan, if any, and in the absence of such a plan, the Participant being unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.

 

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(m)          “ Employee ” means any person employed by the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company.  Neither service as a Non-Employee Director nor payment of a Director’s fee by the Company will be sufficient to constitute “employment” by the Company.

 

(n)           Exchange Act ” means the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

(o)           “ Fair Market Value ” means, as of any date, the value of the Shares determined as follows:

 

(i)            If the Shares are listed on any established stock exchange or a national market system, the Fair Market Value (on a per Share basis) will be the closing sales price for such Shares (or the closing bid, if no sales were reported) as quoted on such exchange or system on the day of determination, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable;

 

(ii)           If the Shares are regularly quoted by a recognized securities dealer but selling prices are not reported, the Fair Market Value (on a per Share basis) will be the mean between the high bid and low asked prices for the Shares on the day of determination (or, if no bids and asks were reported on that date, as applicable, on the last trading date such bids and asks were reported), as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable;

 

(iii)          For purposes of any Awards granted on the date of a Qualified IPO, the Fair Market Value (on a per Share basis) will be the initial price to the public as set forth in the final prospectus for the initial public offering of Shares; or

 

(iv)          In the absence of an established market for the Shares, the Fair Market Value will be determined in good faith by the Administrator in accordance with Applicable Laws.

 

(p)           “ Liquidity Event ” means the occurrence of (i) a Qualified IPO or (ii) a Change in Control; p rovided , however , that the Board may determine that a particular transaction is or is not a Liquidity Event notwithstanding that the transaction falls within the foregoing definition.

 

(q)           “ Local Award ” shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 9 of this Plan.

 

(r)            “ Lock-Up Agreement ” shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 13(d) of this Plan.

 

(s)            “ Non-Employee Director ” means a member of the Board who is not an Officer or Employee.

 

(t)            “ Officer ” means a person who is an officer of the Company, as determined by the Board.

 

(u)           “ Option ” means a share option granted pursuant to this Plan.

 

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(v)           Participant ” means the holder of an outstanding Award.

 

(w)          “ Person ” means any individual, partnership, firm, corporation, association, trust, unincorporated organization or other entity, as well as any syndicate or group that would be deemed to be a person under Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act.

 

(x)           “ Plan ” means this 2016 Equity Incentive Plan, as it may be amended from time to time.

 

(y)           Plan Limit ” shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 3(a) of this Plan.

 

(z)           “ PRC ” means the People’s Republic of China, which, for the purposes of this Plan, shall exclude the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan.

 

(aa)         “ PRC Requirements ” shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 15 of this Plan.

 

(bb)         “ PRC Plan Agent ” means Hexin Ecommerce Co., Ltd., a limited liability company owned by the Company and registered in the PRC, or any other Subsidiary of the Company as determined by the Administrator.

 

(cc)         “ PRC Plan Registration ” means any and all regulatory approvals, registrations, filings and other formalities required under the Applicable Laws in connection with a PRC citizen or resident’s participation in an employee equity incentive plan of a company incorporated outside of China, including without limitation, the registration of such employee incentive plan and its participants with the State Administration of Foreign Exchange or its competent local branch.

 

(dd)         “ Qualified IPO means the closing of an underwritten initial public offering of  not less than 15% of the Shares (i) pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act or (ii) on the basis of an approved prospectus and/or pursuant to a valid registration, qualification or filing under Applicable Law of another jurisdiction, in each case of the Shares or other equity securities of the Company; provided , however , that a Qualified IPO shall not include a registration relating solely to employee benefit plans or to a Rule 145 transaction under the Securities Act or to similar registrations under Applicable Law of another jurisdiction.

 

(ee)         “ Restriction Period ” shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 7(d)(i) of this Plan.

 

(ff)          “ Restricted Shares means Shares issued and allotted pursuant to a Restricted Share award under Section 7 of this Plan, or issued and allotted pursuant to the early exercise of an Option.

 

(gg)         “ Restricted Share Unit ” means a bookkeeping entry representing an amount equal to the Fair Market Value of one Share, granted pursuant to Section 8 of this Plan.  Each Restricted Share Unit represents an unfunded and unsecured obligation of the Company.

 

4



 

(hh)         “ Securities ” means any equity interest in, or shares of any class in the share capital (equity, preferred or otherwise) of, the Company and any convertible securities, options, warrants and any other type of equity or equity-linked securities convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for any such equity interest or shares of any class in the share capital of the Company.

 

(ii)           “ Service Provider ” or “ Service Providers ” shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 1 of this Plan.

 

(jj)           “ Share ” means ordinary shares of US$0.0001 par value in the share capital of the Company, as adjusted in accordance with Section 13 of this Plan.

 

(kk)         “ Shareholder ” means a person whose name is entered in the Register of Members of the Company as the holder of one or more shares in the capital of the Company.

 

(ll)           “ Subsidiary ” means any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, or other organization, whether incorporated or unincorporated, which is controlled by the Company.

 

(mm)      “ Successor Plan ” means in the event of a Change in Control where Awards are assumed or replaced by substituted awards, the successor plan applicable to assumed Awards and/or new substituted awards.

 

(nn)         “ Termination of Service ” shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 6(d)(iii) of this Plan.

 

(oo)         “ Triggering Event ” means the later to occur of (i) a Liquidity Event and (ii) if so determined by the Administrator at or before the time of a Liquidity Event in order for the issuance of Shares to comply with Applicable Laws, the completion of the PRC Plan Registration of this Plan or a Successor Plan prior to or following a Liquidity Event.

 

(pp)         “ Triggering Event Exercise Period ” means:

 

(i)            in the event of a Change of Control, whichever of the following two periods expires later: (x) the ninety (90) day period commencing on a Change in Control and (y) the ninety (90) day period commencing on the completion of the PRC Plan Registration of this Plan or the Successor Plan, if necessary to comply with Applicable Law; and

 

(ii)           in the event of a Qualified IPO, whichever of the following two periods expires later: (x) the thirty (30) day period commencing on the expiration of the Lock-Up Agreement period and (y) the ninety (90) day period commencing on the completion of the PRC Plan Registration of this Plan or the Successor Plan, if necessary to comply with Applicable Law to permit the issue and allotment of Shares.

 

3.     Shares Subject to this Plan .

 

(a)           Shares Subject to this Plan Subject to the provisions of Section 13 of this Plan, the maximum aggregate number of Shares that may be issued for all purposes under the Plan shall be 6,312,000 (the “ Plan Limit ”).  Shares to be issued under the Plan may be authorized and

 

5



 

unissued Shares, issued Shares that have been reacquired by the Company and that are being held in treasury, or a combination thereof.

 

(b)           Automatic Share Reserve Increase .  Subject to the provisions of Sections 13 and 19 of the Plan, the number of Shares available for issuance under the Plan will be increased on the last calendar day of the last fiscal year during each year of the term of the Plan beginning with the 2017 fiscal year by an amount equal to fifteen percent (15%) of (i) the total number of outstanding shares of all classes of the Company’s common stock (“X”) less (ii) the total number of unissued Shares available under the Plan (“Y”) less (iii) the total number of Shares subject to then-outstanding awards under the Plan (“Z”), in each case of (i), (ii) and (iii) as of the last calendar day of the last immediately preceding fiscal year (i.e., (X * 0.15) – Y – Z)); provided , however , that in no case shall the foregoing equation cause the number of Shares available for issuance under the Plan to be reduced.

 

(c)           Rules Applicable to Determining Shares Available for Issuance .  The number of Shares remaining available for issuance will be reduced by the number of Shares subject to outstanding Awards.  For purposes of determining the number of Shares that remain available for issuance under the Plan, the number of Shares that are tendered by a Participant or withheld by the Company to pay the exercise price of an Option or to satisfy the Participant’s tax withholding obligations in connection with an Award, shall not be added back to the Plan Limit.  However, for purposes of determining the number of Shares that remain available for issuance under the Plan, the number of Shares corresponding to an Option under the Plan that are forfeited or cancelled or otherwise expire for any reason without having been exercised shall be added back to the Plan Limit and again be available for the grant of Awards.  Similarly, if and to the extent an Award of Restricted Shares or Restricted Share Units is canceled or forfeited for any reason, the Shares subject to that Award shall be added back to the Plan Limit and again be available for the grant of Awards.  The Shares underlying any cash-settled Award of Restricted Share Units shall not be added back to the Plan Limit. In contrast, and for the avoidance of doubt, the Shares underlying any Local Awards settled in cash shall not be counted against the Plan Limit.

 

(d)           Limits on Awards to Non-Employee Directors and Other Service Providers . 1   After the occurrence of a Qualified IPO, the aggregate grant date fair value (as determined in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718 or any successor provision) of all Awards granted during any calendar year to (i) any Non-Employee Director shall not exceed US$500,000 and (ii) any other Service Provider shall not exceed US$500,000.

 

(e)           Share Reserve .  The Company, during the term of this Plan, will at all times keep available such number of unissued Shares available for issue as will be sufficient to satisfy the requirements of this Plan.

 


 

1                    NTD:  Query whether to impose limits on the value of Awards or number of Shares other Service Providers can receive during a calendar year.

 

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4.     Administration of the Plan .

 

(a)           Administration .  Other than as provided in the remainder of this Section 4(a), the Plan will be administered by (i) the Board or (ii) a Committee, which Committee will be constituted to satisfy Applicable Laws.

 

(b)           Multiple Administrative Bodies .  Different Committees with respect to different groups of Service Providers may administer the Plan.

 

(c)           Delegation of Authority .  Except to the extent prohibited by Applicable Law, the Administrator may, from time to time, delegate limited authority over the day-to-day administration of the Plan to such other subcommittees or specified Officers as it deems necessary, appropriate or advisable under such conditions or limitations as it may set at the time of such delegation or thereafter.  Such delegation may be revoked at any time.

 

(d)           Powers of the Administrator .  Subject to the provisions of this Plan, and in the case of a Committee, subject to the specific duties delegated by the Board to such Committee, the Administrator will have the authority:

 

(i)            to determine the Fair Market Value;

 

(ii)           to determine eligibility for Plan participant and select the Service Providers to whom Awards may be granted hereunder;

 

(iii)          to determine the number of Shares to be covered by each Award granted hereunder;

 

(iv)          to approve forms of Award Agreements for use under this Plan;

 

(v)           to determine the terms and conditions of any Award granted hereunder.  Such terms and conditions include, but are not limited to, the exercise price, the time or times when Awards may be exercised (which may be based on performance criteria), any vesting acceleration or waiver of forfeiture restrictions, cancellation or repurchase restrictions, and any restriction or limitation regarding any Award or the Shares relating thereto, based in each case on such factors as the Administrator will determine;

 

(vi)          to construe and interpret the terms of this Plan and Awards granted pursuant to this Plan;

 

(vii)         to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to this Plan, including rules and regulations relating to sub-plans and/or Local Awards established for the purpose of satisfying Applicable Laws, including, without limitation, the Exchange Act, the Securities Act and PRC Requirements, and/or qualifying for preferred tax treatment under Applicable Laws, including, without limitation, the Code;

 

(viii)        to modify or amend each Award (subject to Section 20 of this Plan), including but not limited to (A) the discretionary authority to extend the post-termination exercisability period of Awards and to extend the maximum term of an Option and (B) accelerate the

 

7



 

satisfaction of any vesting or exercisability criteria or waiver of forfeiture, cancellation or repurchase restrictions;

 

(ix)          t o allow Participants to satisfy withholding tax obligations in such manner as prescribed in Section 13 of this Plan;

 

(x)           to authorize any person to execute on behalf of the Company any instrument required to effect the grant of an Award previously granted by the Administrator;

 

(xi)          to allow a Participant to defer the receipt of the payment of cash or the delivery of Shares that would otherwise be due to such Participant under an Award;

 

(xii)         to determine whether Awards will be settled in Shares, cash or in any combination thereof;

 

(xiii)        to determine whether Awards will be adjusted for dividend equivalents;

 

(xiv)        to establish a program whereby Service Providers designated by the Administrator can reduce compensation otherwise payable in cash in exchange for Awards under the Plan;

 

(xv)         to impose such restrictions, conditions or limitations as it determines appropriate as to the timing and manner of any resales by a Participant or other subsequent transfers by the Participant of any Shares issued as a result of or under an Award, including without limitation, (A) restrictions under an insider trading policy and (B) restrictions as to the use of a specified brokerage firm for such resales or other transfers; and

 

(xvi)        to make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable for administering this Plan.

 

(e)           Plan Construction and Interpretation .  The Administrator shall have full power and authority, subject to the express provisions hereof, to construe and interpret the Plan.  The Administrator’s decisions, determinations and interpretations in carrying out and administering the Plan and in construing and interpreting the Plan shall be made in the Administrator’s sole discretion and shall be final, binding and conclusive for all purposes and upon all persons interested herein.

 

(f)            Liability of Administrator .  Subject to Applicable Laws: (i) no member of the Administrator (or its delegates) shall be liable for any good faith action or determination made in connection with the operation, administration or interpretation of the Plan and (ii) the members of the Administrator (and its delegates) shall be entitled to indemnification and reimbursement in the manner provided in the Company’s governing documents, as they may be amended from time to time.  In the performance of its responsibilities with respect to the Plan, the Administrator shall be entitled to rely upon information and/or advice furnished by the Company’s Officers or Employees, the accountants of the Company or the Administrator, the counsel of the Company or the Administrator and any other party the Administrator deems necessary, and no member of the Administrator shall be liable for any action taken or not taken in reliance upon any such information and/or advice.

 

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(g)           Action by the Board .  Anything in the Plan to the contrary notwithstanding, subject to Applicable Laws, any authority or responsibility that, under the terms of the Plan, may be exercised by a Committee or the delegate of such Committee may alternatively be exercised by the Board.

 

5.     Eligibility .  Awards may be granted to Service Providers.  Neither the Plan nor any Award shall confer upon a Participant any right with respect to continuing his or her relationship as a Service Provider, nor shall they interfere in any way with the right of the Participant or the right of the Company or its Parent or Subsidiaries to terminate such relationship at any time, with or without cause.

 

6.     Share Option .

 

(a)           Stock Option Award Agreement .  Each Award of an Option will be evidenced by an Award Agreement that will specify the vesting and exercise terms of such Award, the number of Shares that may be granted upon exercise of an Option, any restrictions or limitations regarding the Option, and such other terms and conditions as the Administrator will determine.  The terms of an Option may vary among Participants, and the Plan does not impose upon the Administrator any requirement to make each Award of an Option subject to uniform terms.  Accordingly, the terms of individual Award Agreements may vary.

 

(b)           Term of Option .  Unless the Administrator provides otherwise in the applicable Award Agreement, the term of an Option will be ten (10) years.

 

(c)           Option Exercise Price and Consideration .

 

(i)            Exercise Price .  The per share exercise price for the Shares to be issued pursuant to exercise of an Option will be determined by the Administrator; provided , however , that the per Share exercise price will be no less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, an Option may be granted with a per Share exercise price of less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant pursuant to a transaction resulting in the issuance of an Option in substitution for options from an acquired company, where such new issuance is intended to preserve the intrinsic value in the acquired company options.

 

(ii)           Vesting and Exercise Dates .  At the time an Option is granted, the Administrator will fix the period within which the Option shall vest and may be exercised and will determine any conditions that must be satisfied before the Option may vest or be exercised.  Unless specified otherwise in the Award Agreement, and subject to the other provisions of the Plan, including, without limitation, Section 6(d) and Section 13(c) of the Plan, one-third (1/3) of the Shares subject to an Award will vest on each of the first, second and third annual anniversaries of the vesting commencement date.  The Administrator may accelerate the Vesting of an Award at any time.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless the Administrator provides otherwise, no Option will be permitted to be exercised prior to the occurrence of a Triggering Event.  For the avoidance of doubt, any Awards granted after the occurrence of a Triggering Event shall become vested and exercisable only as set forth in the applicable Award Agreement and in accordance with this Section 6(d)(iv).

 

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The Administrator shall notify Participants as soon as practicable following the occurrence of a Triggering Event.

 

(iii)                                Form of Consideration .  The Administrator will determine the acceptable form of consideration for exercising an Option, including the method of payment.  Such consideration may consist entirely of: (A) cash; (B) check; (C) promissory note, to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws, (D) other Shares, provided that such Shares have a Fair Market Value on the date of surrender equal to the aggregate exercise price of the Shares as to which such Option will be exercised and provided that accepting such Shares will not result in any adverse accounting consequences to the Company, as the Administrator determines; (E) consideration received by the Company under a broker-assisted (or other) cashless exercise program (whether through a broker or otherwise) implemented by the Company in connection with this Plan; (F) by net exercise; (G) such other consideration and method of payment for the issuance of Shares to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws; or (H) any combination of the foregoing methods of payment.

 

(d)                                  Exercise of Option .

 

(i)                                      Procedure for Exercise; Rights as a Shareholder .  Any vested portion of the Option granted hereunder will be exercisable according to the terms of this Plan and at such times and under such conditions as determined by the Administrator and set forth in the Award Agreement; provided , however , that unless the Administrator provides otherwise in an Award Agreement, or except as provided in Section 13(c) of this Plan, an Option may not be exercised prior to a Triggering Event.  An Option will be deemed exercised when the Company receives: (A) a notice of exercise (in such form as the Administrator may specify from time to time) from the person entitled to exercise the Option, (B) full payment for the Shares with respect to which the Option is exercised (together with applicable withholding taxes) and (C) all representations, indemnifications, and documents reasonably requested by the Administrator including, without limitation, any shareholders agreement; provided , that such exercise complies with the terms of this Plan and the applicable provisions of the applicable Award Agreement.  Full payment may consist of any consideration and method of payment authorized by the Administrator and permitted by the Award Agreement and the Plan.  Shares issued and allotted upon exercise of an Option will be issued in the name of the Participant or, if requested by the Participant, in the name of the Participant and his or her spouse.  Exercising an Option in any manner will decrease the number of Shares thereafter available for sale under the Option, by the number of Shares as to which the Option is exercised.  An Option may not be exercised for a fraction of a Share.

 

(ii)                                   Rights of a Shareholder .  Until Shares are issued and allotted (as evidenced by the appropriate entry in the Register of Members of the Company), no right to receive dividends or any other rights as a Shareholder will exist with respect to the Shares subject to an Option, notwithstanding the exercise of the Option.  Subject to subsection (vi) below, the Company will issue and allot (or cause to be issued and allotted) Shares promptly after the Option is exercised.  No adjustment will be made for a dividend or other right for which the record date is prior to the date the Shares are issued and allotted, except as provided in Section 13 of this Plan.

 

(iii)                                Termination of Relationship as a Service Provider Prior to the Occurrence of a Triggering Event .  If a Participant ceases to be a Service Provider (“ Termination of Service ”) prior to the occurrence of a Triggering Event, any vested Option held by such Participant

 

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shall remain outstanding for such period of time as is specified in the Award Agreement (but in no event following the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Award Agreement), and, in the absence of a specified time in the Award Agreement, such vested Option shall remain outstanding following the Termination of Service until the expiration of the Triggering Event Exercise Period; provided , however , that in the event of Termination of Service due to death or Disability of such Participant within the three (3) month period preceding a Triggering Event, the periods referenced in the Triggering Event Exercise Period shall be extended to twelve (12) months.  Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, on the date of Termination of Service, the Shares covered by any unvested Option will revert to this Plan.  If after the Termination of Service the Participant does not exercise any vested Option within the time specified by the Administrator (and in the absence of any such specification, within the foregoing default periods), such Option will terminate, and the Shares covered by such Option will revert to this Plan.

 

(iv)                               Termination of Relationship as a Service Provider After the Occurrence of a Triggering Event .  In the event of a Participant’s Termination of Service after the occurrence of a Triggering Event, any vested Option shall remain exercisable for such period as is specified in the Award Agreement, and, in the absence of a specified time in the Award Agreement, an Option shall remain outstanding for twelve (12) months in the event of Termination of Service due to death or Disability of such Participant and three (3) months otherwise; provided , however , an Option shall cease to be outstanding and shall no longer be exercisable ten (10) years from the date the Option is granted.  Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, on the date of Termination of Service, the Shares covered by any unvested Option will revert to this Plan.  If after Termination of Service the Participant does not exercise any vested Option within the time specified by the Administrator (and in the absence of any such specification, within the foregoing default periods), such Option will terminate, and the Shares covered by such Option will revert to this Plan.

 

(v)                                  Exercise upon death .  In the event of the Participant’s death, the Participant’s Option, to the extent vested and exercisable, may be exercised by the Participant’s designated beneficiary, provided such beneficiary has been designated prior to the Participant’s death in a form acceptable to the Administrator.  If no such beneficiary has been designated by the Participant, then the Participant’s Option may be exercised by the personal representative of the Participant’s estate or by the person(s) to whom the Participant’s Option is transferred pursuant to the Participant’s will or in accordance with the laws of descent and distribution.  In the absence of a specified time in the Award Agreement, the Option will remain exercisable for twelve (12) months following the Participant’s death.  Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, if at the time of death the Participant is not vested as to his entire Option, the Shares covered by the unvested portion of the Option will immediately revert to the Plan.  If the Option is not exercised as to all of the vested Awarded Shares within the time specified by the Administrator, the Option will terminate, and the remaining Shares covered by such Option will revert to the Plan.

 

(vi)                               Issuance of Shares .  Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, upon the exercise of an Option, the Administrator shall have to discretion to provide for payment in cash or property of equivalent value in lieu of the Shares that otherwise would be issued.

 

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7.               Restricted Shares .

 

(a)                                  Issue and Allotment of Restricted Shares .  Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Administrator, at any time and from time to time, may issue and allot Restricted Shares to Service Providers in such amounts as the Administrator will determine.  Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Administrator may place restrictions on the issuance and allotment of Restricted Shares and until the PRC Plan Registration is complete or as otherwise required in accordance with Applicable Laws.

 

(b)                                  Restricted Share Award Agreement .  Each Award of Restricted Shares will be evidenced by an Award Agreement that will specify the Restriction Period, the number of Shares issued and allotted, and such other terms and conditions as the Administrator will determine.  The prospective recipient of an Award of Restricted Shares will not have any rights with respect to such Award, unless and until such recipient has delivered to the Company an executed Award Agreement and has otherwise complied with the applicable terms and conditions of such Award.  The Administrator shall designate an escrow agent to hold Restricted Shares until the restrictions on such Shares have lapsed.

 

(c)                                   Certificates .  Any share certificate issued in connection with an Award of Restricted Shares will be registered in the name of the Participant receiving the Award, and will bear the following legend and/or any other legend required by this Plan, any shareholders agreement among Shareholders of the Company, the Award Agreement or by Applicable Law:

 

THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR QUALIFIED OR REGISTERED UNDER STATE SECURITIES OR BLUE SKY LAWS.  THESE SECURITIES HAVE BEEN ACQUIRED FOR INVESTMENT AND NOT WITH A VIEW TO DISTRIBUTION, AND NEITHER THESE SECURITIES NOR ANY INTEREST OR PARTICIPATION THEREIN MAY BE SOLD, OFFERED FOR SALE, PLEDGED, HYPOTHECATED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED OR DISPOSED OF EXCEPT IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES OR BLUE SKY LAWS AND THE APPLICABLE RULES AND REGULATIONS THEREUNDER.  THE ISSUER OF THESE SECURITIES MAY REQUIRE AN OPINION OF COUNSEL IN FORM AND SUBSTANCE SATISFACTORY TO THE ISSUER TO THE EFFECT THAT ANY PROPOSED TRANSFER OR RESALE IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE ACT AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS.

 

THE SHARES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER AND A RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL HELD BY THE ISSUER OR ITS ASSIGNEE(S) AS SET FORTH IN THE RESTRICTED

 

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SHARE AWARD AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE ISSUER AND THE ORIGINAL HOLDER OF THESE SHARES, A COPY OF WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE PRINCIPAL OFFICE OF THE ISSUER.  SUCH TRANSFER RESTRICTIONS AND RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL ARE BINDING ON TRANSFEREES OF THESE SHARES.

 

Share certificates evidencing Restricted Shares will be held in custody by the Company or in escrow by an escrow agent until the restrictions thereon have lapsed.

 

(d)                                  Restrictions and Conditions .  The Award Agreement evidencing the grant of any Restricted Shares will incorporate the following terms and conditions and such additional terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Administrator deems appropriate:

 

(i)                                      Restriction Period .  During a period commencing with the date of an Award of Restricted Shares and ending on the later to occur of (i) such time or times as specified by the Award Agreement (the “ Restriction Period ”) or (ii) a Triggering Event, the Participant will not be permitted to sell, transfer, pledge, assign or otherwise encumber Restricted Shares awarded under the Plan.  The Administrator may condition the lapse of restrictions on Restricted Shares upon the continued employment or service of the recipient, the attainment of specified individual or corporate performance goals, or such other factors as the Administrator may determine.  Unless specified otherwise in the Award Agreement, and subject to the other provisions of the Plan, including, without limitation, this Section 7 and Section 13(c) of the Plan, one-third (1/3) of the Restricted Shares subject to an Award will vest, and the restrictions on those Shares will lapse, on each of the first, second and third annual anniversaries of the vesting commencement date.

 

(ii)                                   Termination of Service .  Subject to the provisions of the applicable Award Agreement or as otherwise determined by the Administrator, in the event of a Participant’s Termination of Service prior to the expiration of the applicable Restriction Period, the Participant’s Restricted Shares then remaining subject to forfeiture will be forfeited automatically.

 

(iii)                                Removal of Restrictions .  Upon the later to occur of (i) the expiration of the Restriction Period without a prior forfeiture of the Restricted Shares subject to such Restriction Period or (ii) a Triggering Event, the Restricted Shares will be released from escrow and any certificates for such Shares will be replaced with new certificates, without the restrictive legends described in Section 7(c) applicable to such lapsed restrictions, and such new certificates will be delivered to the Participant, the Participant’s representative (if the Participant has suffered a Disability), or the Participant’s estate or heir (if the Participant has died).  Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Administrator may accelerate the time at which any restrictions will lapse or be removed.

 

(e)                                   Dividends and Other Distributions .  During the Restriction Period, Service Providers holding Restricted Shares will be entitled to receive all dividends and other distributions paid with respect to such Shares, unless the Administrator provides otherwise and except as required to comply with Applicable Laws, including the PRC Requirements.  If any such dividends or distributions are paid in Shares, the Shares will be subject to the same restrictions and provisions on transferability and repurchase by the Company as the Restricted Shares with respect to which they

 

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were paid until such restrictions on the Restricted Shares have lapsed or been removed in accordance with Section 7(d) of this Plan.

 

(f)                                    Return of Restricted Shares to Company .  On the date set forth in the Award Agreement, the Restricted Shares for which restrictions have not lapsed will be subject to repurchase by the Company and, if so repurchased, again will become available for grant under this Plan.

 

8.                                       Restricted Share Units .

 

(a)                                  Grant .  Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Administrator, at any time and from time to time, may grant Restricted Share Units to Service Providers and may impose conditions on such units as it may deem appropriate, including, without limitation, the continued employment or service of the recipient or the attainment of specified individual or corporate performance goals.  Notwithstanding anything in this Plan to the contrary, the Administrator may place restrictions on the grant and/or vesting of Restricted Share Units until the PRC Plan Registration is complete or as otherwise required in accordance with Applicable Laws.

 

(b)                                  Vesting Criteria and Other Terms .  Each Restricted Share Unit shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that will specify the applicable vesting criteria, the number of Restricted Share Units granted, the terms and conditions relating to the time and form of payment and termination of units, and such other terms and conditions as the Administrator will determine.  Each Restricted Share Unit will represent a right to receive from the Company, upon fulfillment of any applicable conditions, an amount equal to the Fair Market Value (at the time of the distribution) of one Share.  The Participant shall not have any shareholder rights with respect to any Shares subject to a Restricted Share Unit until that Award vests and such Shares are actually issued thereunder.  The Participant will not be permitted to sell, transfer, pledge, assign or otherwise encumber Restricted Share Units awarded under the Plan.  Subject to the provisions of the applicable Award Agreement, or as otherwise determined by the Administrator, if a Participant’s service with the Company terminates prior to the Restricted Share Unit vesting, the Participant’s Restricted Share Units that then remain subject to forfeiture will then be forfeited automatically.

 

(c)                                   Form and Timing of Payment .  Upon meeting the applicable vesting criteria, the Participant will be entitled to receive a distribution in the form of cash and/or Shares as determined by the Administrator in accordance with Applicable Laws.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, at any time after the grant of Restricted Share Units, the Administrator may reduce or waive any vesting criteria that must be met to receive a payout.  Unless the Administrator provides otherwise, no distributions of cash and/or Shares will be issued in settlement of vested Restricted Share Units before the occurrence of a Triggering Event.

 

(d)                                  Cancellation .  On the date set forth in the Award Agreement, all unearned Restricted Share Units will be forfeited to the Company.

 

9.               Other Local Awards .  In order to comply with Applicable Laws, including any PRC Requirements, the Administrator may cause a local PRC Subsidiary to grant local cash-settled awards in lieu of any other Award described hereunder, which such local awards shall be paid through local payroll and wholly funded by the local PRC Subisdiary (a “ Local Award ”).  Each Local Award shall be linked to the Fair Market Value of a Share of the Company.  The terms and

 

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conditions of each Local Award shall be set forth in an Award Agreement in a form approved by the Administrator for such Local Award, which Award Agreement shall contain terms and conditions not inconsistent with the Plan.

 

10.        Leaves of Absence/Transfer Between Locations .  Unless the Administrator provides otherwise, vesting of Awards granted hereunder will be suspended during any unpaid leave of absence.  A Participant will not cease to be an Employee in the case of (i) any leave of absence approved by the Company or (ii) transfers between locations of the Company or between the Company, any parent entity or any Subsidiary, unless determined otherwise by the Administrator.

 

11.        Transferability of Awards .  Unless determined otherwise by the Administrator, an Award may not be sold, pledged, assigned, hypothecated, transferred or disposed of in any manner other than by will or by the laws of descent or distribution and may be exercised, during the lifetime of the Participant, only by the Participant.  If the Administrator makes an Award transferable, such Award will contain such additional terms and conditions as the Administrator deems appropriate.  Shares issued upon the exercise of an Option or in connection with the vesting of any Restricted Shares or Restricted Share Units may be subject to such special forfeiture conditions, rights of repurchase or redemption, rights of first refusal, and other transfer restrictions as the Administrator may determine or as may apply to holders of Shares pursuant to the Company’s articles of incorporation.

 

12.        Voting Rights .  The Awards and the Shares relating thereto issued pursuant to the Plan shall only entitle the Participant to the economic rights of a Shareholder of the Company and shall not confer on the Participant any rights to vote on matters submitted to the Shareholders of the Company.

 

13.        Adjustments; Dissolution or Liquidation; Merger or Change in Control; Lock-Up Agreement .

 

(a)                                  Adjustments .  In the event that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Shares, other Securities or other property), recapitalization, share division, share consolidation, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, repurchase or exchange of Shares or other Securities, or other change in the corporate structure of the Company affecting the Shares occurs, the Administrator, in order to prevent diminution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under this Plan, will adjust the number and class of shares that may be delivered under this Plan and/or the number, class, and price of shares covered by each outstanding Award, and the numerical share limits in Section 3 of this Plan.

 

(b)                                  Dissolution or Liquidation .  In the event of the proposed dissolution or liquidation of the Company, the Administrator will notify each Participant as soon as practicable prior to the effective date of such proposed transaction.  To the extent it has not been previously exercised, an Award will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such proposed action.

 

(c)                                   Change in Control .

 

(i)                                      In the event of a Change in Control, each outstanding Award will be treated as the Administrator determines, including, without limitation, that each Award be assumed or an equivalent replacement award be substituted by the successor corporation or a parent or

 

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Subsidiary of the successor corporation.  The Administrator will not be required to treat all Awards similarly in the transaction.

 

(ii)                                   In the event that the successor corporation does not assume or substitute for the Award, the Participant will fully vest in and have the right to exercise all of his or her outstanding Option, including Shares as to which such Awards would not otherwise be vested or exercisable, and all restrictions on Restricted Shares, Restricted Share Units and Local Awards will lapse.  In addition, if an Option is not assumed or substituted in the event of a Change in Control, the Administrator will notify the Participant in writing or electronically that the Option will be exercisable for a period of time determined by the Administrator, and the Option will terminate upon the expiration of such period.

 

(iii)                                For the purposes of this subsection (c), an Award will be considered assumed if, following the Change in Control, the Award confers the right to purchase or receive, for each Share subject to the Award immediately prior to the Change in Control, the consideration (whether stock, shares, cash or other securities or property) received in the Change in Control by holders of Shares for each Share held on the effective date of the transaction (and if holders were offered a choice of consideration, the type of consideration chosen by the holders of a majority of the outstanding Shares); provided , however , that if such consideration received in the Change in Control is not solely common stock or ordinary shares of the successor corporation or its parent, the Administrator may, with the consent of the successor corporation, provide for the consideration to be received upon the exercise of an Option or upon the payout of a Restricted Share Unit, for each Share subject to such Award, to be solely common stock or ordinary shares of the successor corporation or its parent equal in fair market value to the per share consideration received by holders of Shares in the Change in Control.

 

(d)                                  Lock-Up Agreement .  By exercising any right granted under this Plan, each Participant shall be deemed to have agreed that, in connection with any underwritten public offering by the Company of its equity securities, including the Company’s initial public offering, such Participant will not sell, make any short sale of, loan, hypothecate, pledge, grant any option for the repurchase of, or otherwise dispose or transfer for value or otherwise agree to engage in any of the foregoing transactions with respect to any Shares without the prior written consent of the Company or its underwriters, for such period of time from and after the effective date of such registration statement as may be requested by the Company or such underwriters (the “ Lock-Up Agreement ”).

 

14.        PRC Registration Events .  Upon the occurrence of a Qualified IPO or at any time prior, to the extent required or permitted by Applicable Laws, the Administrator shall use reasonable efforts to cause the PRC Plan Agent to complete the PRC Plan Registration of this Plan to enable the outstanding Awards to be settled.

 

15.        PRC Requirements .  Notwithstanding anything in this Plan or any applicable Award Agreement to the contrary, including without limitation Section 20 of the Plan, the issuance, allotment, vesting and settlement of Awards and any transfers of Shares and/or cash in or out of the PRC shall be subject to the approval of the State Authority for Foreign Exchange or its competent local branch, to the extent that such approval shall be required or advisable under Applicable Laws.  Pursuant to PRC laws and regulations governing the participation of a PRC citizen or resident in an employee equity incentive plan of a company incorporated outside of China (the “ PRC

 

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Requirements ”), local governmental authorities may review and examine the Plan from time to time and request that the Plan be modified, amended or cancelled in accordance with PRC Requirements.  If the Plan is modified, amended or cancelled, the rights of Participants under the Plan or pursuant to any Award Agreement issued hereunder may be materially and adversely affected.  No compensation shall be due to a Participant in respect of any such change in the Participant’s rights.

 

16.        Tax .

 

(a)                                  Withholding Requirements .  Subject to Applicable Laws, including without limitation the PRC Requirements, prior to the delivery of any Shares or cash pursuant to an Award (or exercise thereof) or such earlier time as any tax withholding obligations are due, the Company will have the power and the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, an amount sufficient to satisfy federal, state, local, foreign or other taxes (including the Participant’s employment tax obligation) required to be withheld with respect to such Award (or exercise thereof).

 

(b)                                  Withholding Arrangements .  Subject to Applicable Laws, including without limitation the PRC Requirements, the Administrator, pursuant to such procedures as it may specify from time to time, may permit a Participant to satisfy such tax withholding obligation, in whole or in part by (without limitation) (i) paying cash, (ii) electing to have the Company withhold otherwise deliverable cash or Shares having a Fair Market Value equal to the minimum statutory amount required to be withheld, or (iii) delivering to the Company already-owned Shares having a Fair Market Value equal to the minimum statutory amount required to be withheld.  The Fair Market Value of the Shares to be withheld or delivered will be determined as of the date that the taxes are required to be withheld.

 

17.        No Effect on Employment or Service .  Neither this Plan nor any Award will confer upon a Participant any right with respect to continuing the Participant’s relationship as a Service Provider with the Company, nor will they interfere in any way with the Participant’s right or the Company’s right to terminate such relationship at any time, with or without cause, to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws.

 

18.        Date of Grant .  The date of grant of an Award will be, for all purposes, the date on which the Administrator makes the determination granting such Award, or such other later date as is determined by the Administrator.  Notice of the determination will be provided to each Participant within a reasonable time after the date of such grant.

 

19.        Term of Plan .  This Plan will become effective upon its adoption by the Board.  It will continue in effect for a term of ten (10) years from the date it becomes effective, unless terminated earlier under Section 20 of this Plan.

 

20.        Amendment and Termination of this Plan .

 

(a)                                  Amendment and Termination .  The Board may at any time amend, alter, suspend or terminate this Plan.

 

(b)                                  Shareholder Approval .  The Company will obtain Shareholder approval of any Plan amendment to the extent necessary and desirable to comply with Applicable Laws, the

 

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Company’s memorandum of associations and articles of association and any shareholders agreement among Shareholders of the Company.

 

(c)                                   Effect of Amendment or Termination .  Subject to compliance with Applicable Laws, including without limitation PRC Requirements, no amendment, alteration, suspension or termination of this Plan will materially impair the rights of any Participant with respect to an Award outstanding at the time of the amendment, alteration, suspension or termination of the Plan, unless mutually agreed otherwise between the Participant and the Administrator, which agreement must be in writing and signed by the Participant and the Company.  Termination of this Plan will not affect the Administrator’s ability to exercise the powers granted to it hereunder with respect to Awards granted under this Plan prior to the date of such termination.

 

21.        Conditions Upon Issuance of Shares .

 

(a)                                  Legal Compliance .  Shares will not be issued and allotted pursuant to the exercise of an Award unless the exercise of such Award and the issuance and delivery of such Shares will comply with Applicable Laws, including without limitation the PRC Requirements, and will be further subject to the approval of counsel for the Company with respect to such compliance if deemed necessary by the Administrator.

 

(b)                                  Investment Representations .  As a condition to the exercise, vesting or settlement of an Award, the Company may require the person exercising such Award or receiving rights to transfer or payment upon such vesting or settlement to represent and warrant at the time of any such exercise, vesting or settlement that the Shares are being acquired only for investment and without any present intention to sell or distribute such Shares if, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, any such representation is required.

 

(c)                                   Foreign Currency .  A Participant may be required to provide evidence that any currency used to pay the exercise price of any Award was acquired and taken out of the jurisdiction in which the Participant resides in accordance with Applicable Laws, including without limitation foreign exchange control laws and regulations pursuant to the PRC Requirements.  In the event the exercise price for an Award is paid in Chinese Renminbi or other foreign currency, as permitted by the Committee, the amount payable will be determined by conversion from U.S. dollars at the official rate promulgated by the People’s Bank of China for Chinese Renminbi, or for jurisdictions other than the PRC, the exchange rate as selected by the Committee on the date of exercise.

 

22.        Inability to Obtain Authority .  The inability of the Company to obtain authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction or to complete or comply with the requirements of any registration or other qualification of the Shares under any state, federal or foreign law or under the rules and regulations of the stock exchange on which Shares of the same class are then listed, or any other governmental or regulatory body, which authority, registration, qualification or rule compliance is deemed by the Company’s counsel to be necessary or advisable for the issuance and sale of any Shares hereunder, will relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell such Shares as to which such requisite authority, registration, qualification or rule compliance will not have been obtained.

 

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23.        Severability .  Notwithstanding any contrary provision of the Plan or an Award to the contrary, if any one or more of the provisions (or any part thereof) of this Plan or the Awards shall be held invalid, illegal, or unenforceable in any respect, such provision shall be modified so as to make it valid, legal, and enforceable, and the validity, legality, and enforceability of the remaining provisions (or any part thereof) of the Plan or Award, as applicable, shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.

 

24.        Sections 409A and 457A .  Notwithstanding other provisions of the Plan or any Option Agreement, no Award may be granted, deferred, accelerated, extended, paid out or modified under this Plan in a manner that would result in the imposition of an additional tax under Section 409A or Section 457A of the Code upon a Participant.  In the event that it is reasonably determined by the Board or, if delegated by the Board to the Administrator, by the Administrator that, as a result of Section 409A of the Code, payments in respect of any Award under the Plan may not be made at the time contemplated by the terms of the Plan or the relevant Option Agreement, as the case may be, without causing the Participant holding such Award to be subject to taxation under Section 409A of the Code, including as a result of the fact that the Participant is a “specified employee” under Section 409A of the Code, the Company will make such payment on the first day that would not result in the Participant incurring any tax liability under Section 409A of the Code.  The Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to implement the provisions of this Section 25 in good faith; provided that neither the Company, the Administrator nor any of the Company’s Employees, Directors or representatives will have any liability to Participants with respect to this Section 25.

 

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Exhibit 10.18

 

HEXINDAI INC.
2016 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
OPTION AGREEMENT

 

THIS OPTION AGREEMENT (this “ Option Agreement ”), dated                     , by and between Hexindai Inc., an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands (the “ Company ”), and                            (the “ Participant ”) evidences the option (the “ Option ”) granted by the Company to the Participant as to the number of the Company’s Ordinary Shares, par value US$0.0001 per share (the “ Ordinary Shares ”), first set forth below.

 

Number of Ordinary Shares : 1                   

Vesting Commencement Date :                         

Award Date :                          

Expiration Date : 2                            

Exercise Price per Share : 1 US$                      

Type of Option (for U.S. residents) : Nonqualified Option

 

Vesting 1,2  Subject to Section 2 of the Terms (as defined below), the Option shall become vested as to one third (1/3) of the total number of Ordinary Shares subject to the Option on the Vesting Commencement Date which shall be the later of the first anniversary of the Award Date or the closing date of a Qualified IPO.  Subject to Section 2 of the Terms, the Option shall become vested as to the remaining two thirds (2/3) of the total number of Ordinary Shares subject to the Option in two (2) substantially equal annual installments, with the first installment vesting on the second anniversary of the Award Date and the second installment vesting on the third  anniversary of the Award Date; provided that a Qualified IPO shall have occurred on or prior to the second anniversary of the Award Date.

 

The Option is granted under the Hexindai Inc. 2016 Equity Incentive Plan (the “ Plan ”).  The Option and all rights of the Participant under this Option Agreement are subject to the Terms and Conditions of the Option (the “ Terms ”) and the Exercise Agreement attached to this Option Agreement and to the Plan, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.  The Participant agrees to be bound by the terms of the Plan and this Option Agreement (including the Terms).  The Participant acknowledges having read and understood the Plan and this Option Agreement.  Unless otherwise expressly provided in other sections of this Option Agreement, provisions of the Plan that confer discretionary authority on the Board or the Administrator do not and shall not be deemed to create any rights in the Participant unless such rights are expressly set forth herein or are otherwise in the sole discretion of the Board or the Administrator so conferred by appropriate action of the Board or the Administrator under the Plan after the date hereof.  The Option has been granted to the Participant in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other form of compensation otherwise payable or to be paid to the Participant.  Capitalized terms are defined in the Plan if not defined herein.  The Participant acknowledges receipt of a copy of the Option Agreement (including the Terms) and the Plan and agrees to maintain in confidence all information provided to him or her in connection with the Option.

 

[ Signature page follows ]

 


1                                            Subject to adjustment under Section 12 of the Plan.

 

2                                            Not more than 10 years.  Subject to early termination under Section 19 of the Plan.

 



 

 “ PARTICIPANT

 

Hexindai Inc ., an exempted company organized under the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands

 

 

By:

 

Signature

 

Its:

Authorized Representative

 

 

 

 

 

 

Print Name

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Address

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

City, State, Zip Code

 

 

 

2



 

CONSENT OF SPOUSE

 

In consideration of the Company’s execution of this Option Agreement, the undersigned spouse of the Participant agrees to be bound by all of the terms and provisions hereof and of the Plan.

 

 

 

 

Signature of Spouse

 

Date

 

3



 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF OPTION

 

1              Vesting; Limits on Exercise .  The Option shall vest and become exercisable in percentage installments of the aggregate number of shares subject to the Option as set forth on the cover page of this Option Agreement.  The Option may be exercised only to the extent the Option is vested and exercisable.

 

(a)           Cumulative Exercisability .  To the extent that the Option is vested and exercisable, the Participant has the right to exercise the Option (to the extent not previously exercised), and such right shall continue, until the expiration or earlier termination of the Option.

 

(b)           No Fractional Shares .  Fractional share interests shall be disregarded, but may be cumulated.

 

(c)           Minimum Exercise .  No fewer than one hundred (100) Ordinary Shares (subject to adjustment under Section 12(a) of the Plan) may be purchased at any one time, unless the number purchased is the total number at the time exercisable under the Option.

 

(d)           Triggering Event .  Except as otherwise provided in Section 12(c) of the Plan regarding a Change in Control or as permitted by the Administrator in accordance with Applicable Law, this Option may not be exercised prior to the occurrence of a Triggering Event.

 

2              Continuance of Employment/Service Required; No Employment/Service Commitment .  The vesting schedule requires continued employment or service through each applicable vesting date as a condition to the vesting of the applicable installment of the Option and the rights and benefits under this Option Agreement.  Employment or service for only a portion of the vesting period, even if a substantial portion, will not entitle the Participant to any proportionate vesting or avoid or mitigate a termination of rights and benefits upon or following a termination of employment or services as provided in Section 6 of these Terms or under the Plan.

 

Nothing contained in this Option Agreement or the Plan constitutes a continued employment or service commitment by the Company or any of its Affiliates, affects the Participant’s status, if he or she is an employee, as an employee at will who is subject to termination without cause, confers upon the Participant any right to remain employed by or in service to the Company or any Affiliate, interferes in any way with the right of the Company or any Affiliate at any time to terminate such employment or service, or affects the right of the Company or any Affiliate to increase or decrease the Participant’s other compensation.

 

3              Leaves of Absence .  During any leave of absence approved by the Company, the vesting of the Option will be suspended if the Participant’s leave of absence exceeds thirty (30) days.  Vesting in the Option will resume when the Participant returns to service to the Company, its subsidiaries (“ Subsidiaries ”) or its affiliated entities (“ Affiliates ”).  The vesting schedule of the Option will be extended for the length of the suspension.  For avoidance of doubt, leave of absence does not include public holidays or annual vacation and sick days allotted to the Participant in accordance with the terms of the Participant’s employment.

 

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4              Method of Exercise of Option .  The Option shall be exercisable by the delivery to the Secretary of the Company (or such other person as the Administrator may require pursuant to such administrative exercise procedures as the Administrator may implement from time to time) of:

 

(a)           an executed Option Exercise and Ordinary Share Purchase Agreement (stating the number of Ordinary Shares to be purchased pursuant to the Option) in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit A or such other form as the Administrator may require from time to time (the “ Exercise Agreement ”);

 

(b)           payment in full for the Exercise Price of the shares to be purchased, in cash or by electronic funds transfer to the Company, or by certified or cashier’s check payable to the order of the Company (including, in each case, to satisfy a Prepayment Deposit), subject to such specific procedures or directions as the Administrator may establish;

 

(c)           any written statements or agreements required pursuant to Section 20 of the Plan; and

 

(d)           satisfaction of the tax withholding provisions of Section 15 of the Plan.

 

5              Cashless Exercise and Cash Settlement .

 

(a)           The Administrator also may, but is not required to, authorize a non-cash payment alternative specified below at or prior to the time of exercise.  In which case, the Exercise Price and/or applicable withholding taxes, to the extent so authorized may be paid in full or in part by delivery to the Company of:

 

(i)            Ordinary Shares already owned by the Participant, valued at their Fair Market Value on the exercise date; and/or

 

(ii)           if the Ordinary Shares are then registered under the Exchange Act or a similar statute in a jurisdiction other than the United States and listed or quoted on a recognized national or international securities exchange, irrevocable instructions to a broker to, upon exercise of the Option, promptly sell a sufficient number of Ordinary Shares acquired upon exercise of the Option and deliver to the Company the amount necessary to pay the Exercise Price (and, if applicable, the amount of any related tax withholding obligations) or any other consideration received by the Company under a formal broker-assisted (or other) cashless exercise program adopted by the Company in connection with the Plan; and/or

 

(iii)          a promissory note, to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws; and/or

 

(iv)          such other method or manner of payment as the Administrator may approve, to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws.

 

(b)           In addition, the Administrator may permit the exercise of the Option through either (i) a cash payment to the Participant equal to the excess, if any, of the Fair Market

 

5



 

Value of the aggregate number of Ordinary Shares for which the Option may be exercised over the aggregate exercise price thereof or (ii) the delivery of a number of Ordinary Shares for such portion of the Option which may be exercised calculated by dividing the amount determined pursuant to clause (i) by the Fair Market Value of the Ordinary Shares on the date of exercise.

 

6              Vesting and Exercise upon a Termination of Service .  Upon the termination of the Participant’s status as a Service Provider, for any reason, whether such termination is occasioned by the Participant or by the Company or any of its Affiliates (a “ Termination of Service ”):

 

(a)           prior to the occurrence of a Triggering Event, this Option (i) will immediately expire to the extent unvested, and (ii) the Participant shall have the opportunity to deposit with the Company an amount in cash (or cash equivalents such as a check or electronic funds transfer) equal to the Exercise Price per Share for each Share as to which the Option has vested and that the Participant may wish to purchase in the future.  Any such deposit (the “ Prepayment Deposit ”) must be made within twelve (12) months following Termination of Service due to death or Disability and three (3) months otherwise, with the Option expiring on the foregoing deadline to the extent the foregoing “ Prepayment Condition ” is not satisfied.  For the avoidance of doubt, the Participant may provide a Prepayment Deposit with respect to only a portion of the vested Option; provided , however , a Prepayment Deposit may be deposited only with respect to whole Ordinary Shares and the Participant may make only one Prepayment Deposit for the Option.

 

The Prepayment Deposit shall be credited to the Participant in the books and records of the Company, but the Company may use such amounts for any corporate purposes.  The Prepayment Deposit shall not bear any interest and shall be returned to the Participant within thirty (30) days of the Participant’s request in writing.  Upon any such request, the Option shall immediately expire and may no longer be exercised as to any of the covered Ordinary Shares.  The Participant shall have status as a general unsecured creditor of the Company with respect to the Prepayment Deposit.

 

To the extent the Prepayment Condition is satisfied, the Option shall remain outstanding until the earlier of (i) the expiration of the Triggering Event Exercise Period and (ii) the Expiration Date.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event of Termination of Service due to death or Disability of the Participant within the three (3) month period preceding a Triggering Event, the periods referenced in the Triggering Event Exercise Period shall be extended to twelve (12) months.  In the event the Option expires and has not been exercised, the related Prepayment Deposit, if any, shall be promptly returned to the Participant.

 

(b)           Upon the Participant’s Termination of Service on or after the occurrence of a Triggering Event, this Option (i) will immediately expire to the extent unvested, and (ii) remain outstanding, to the extent vested, for twelve (12) months in the event of Termination of Service due to death or Disability and three (3) months otherwise; provided , however , that this Option shall terminate earlier upon the Expiration Date or as otherwise provided in the Plan, including pursuant to Section 12 thereof with respect to the dissolution or liquidation of the Company or a Change in Control.

 

6



 

7              Early Termination of Option .  The Option, to the extent not previously exercised, and all other rights in respect thereof, whether vested and exercisable or not, shall terminate and become null and void prior to the Expiration Date in the event of:  (a) the termination of the Participant’s employment or service as provided in Section 6(d) of the Plan and Section 6 of these Terms, or (b) the termination of the Option pursuant to Section 12, 14 or 19 of the Plan.

 

8              Non-Transferability and Other Restrictions .  The Option and any other rights of the Participant under this Option Agreement or the Plan are non-transferable and exercisable during the Participant’s lifetime only by the Participant, other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution.  Any Ordinary Shares issued on exercise of the Option are subject to substantial restrictions on transfer, and are subject to rights of first refusal and other rights in favor of the Company as set forth herein and in the Exercise Agreement.  The Participant will be entitled to any dividends on Ordinary Shares issued upon the exercise of the Option. The Participant hereby authorizes the Administrator or its nominee to hold all such Ordinary Shares for his or her benefit.

 

9              Securities Law Compliance .  The Participant acknowledges that the Option and the Ordinary Shares underlying the Option have not been registered under any securities act (including the Securities Act), as each may be amended from time to time.  The Participant, by executing this Option Agreement, hereby makes the following representations to the Company and acknowledges that the Company’s reliance on applicable securities law exemptions from registration and qualification is predicated, in substantial part, upon the accuracy of these representations:

 

(a)           The Participant is acquiring the Option and, if and when he/she exercises the Option, will acquire the Ordinary Shares solely for the Participant’s own account, for investment purposes only, and not with a view to or an intent to sell, or to offer for resale in connection with any unregistered distribution, all or any portion of the shares within the meaning of any applicable securities laws.

 

(b)           The Participant has had an opportunity to ask questions and receive answers from the Company regarding the terms and conditions of the Option and the restrictions imposed on any Ordinary Shares purchased upon exercise of the Option.  The Participant has been furnished with, and/or has access to, such information as he or she considers necessary or appropriate for deciding whether to exercise the Option and purchase Ordinary Shares.  However, in evaluating the merits and risks of an investment in the Ordinary Shares, the Participant has and will rely upon the advice of his/her own legal counsel, tax advisors, and/or investment advisors.

 

(c)           The Participant is aware that the Option may be of no practical value, that any value it may have depends on its vesting and exercisability as well as an increase in the Fair Market Value of the underlying Ordinary Shares to an amount in excess of the Exercise Price, and that any investment in the equity of a closely held entity such as the Company is non-marketable, non-transferable and could require capital to be invested for an indefinite period of time, possibly without return, and at substantial risk of loss.

 

7



 

(d)           The Participant understands that any Ordinary Shares acquired on exercise of the Option will be characterized as “restricted securities” under the Securities Act, and that, under such laws and applicable regulations, such securities may be resold without registration under the Securities Act only in certain limited circumstances, including in accordance with the conditions of Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act, as presently in effect, with which the Participant is familiar.

 

(e)           The Participant has read and understands the restrictions and limitations set forth in the Plan, this Option Agreement (including these Terms), and the Exercise Agreement, which are imposed on the Option and any Ordinary Shares underlying the Option which may be acquired upon exercise of the Option.

 

(f)            At no time was an oral representation made to the Participant relating to the Option or the purchase of Ordinary Shares and the Participant was not presented with or solicited by any promotional meeting or material relating to the Option or the underlying Ordinary Shares.

 

10           Lock-Up Agreement .  Neither the Participant nor any permitted transferee under the Plan may, directly or indirectly, offer, sell or transfer or dispose of any of the Ordinary Shares acquired upon exercise of the Option or any interest therein (or agree to do any thereof) (collectively, a “ Transfer ”) during the period commencing as of fourteen (14) days prior to and ending one hundred eighty (180) days, or such lesser period of time as the relevant underwriters may permit, after (a) the occurrence of a Qualified IPO or (b) the effective date of a registration statement for a firm commitment underwritten public offering of the Company’s Securities (a “ Public Offering ”) of which the Participant has notice.  For purposes of this Section 10, the term “Participant” includes, where the context so requires, any permitted direct or indirect transferee of the Participant.  The Participant shall agree and consent to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent against the Transfer of the Company’s Securities beneficially owned by the Participant and shall confirm the limitations hereunder and under the Exercise Agreement by agreement with and for the benefit of the relevant underwriters by a lock-up agreement or other agreement in customary form.  Notwithstanding anything else herein to the contrary, this paragraph shall not be construed so as to prohibit the Participant from participating in a registration or a public offering of the Ordinary Shares with respect to any shares which he or she may hold at that time, provided , however , that such participation shall be at the sole discretion of the Board.

 

11           Right of First Refusal .  The Company shall have a right of first refusal, as set forth below, to purchase the Ordinary Shares acquired by the Participant upon exercise of the Option before the Ordinary Shares (or any interest therein) can be validly transferred to any other person or entity.  For purposes of this Section 11, the term “Participant” includes, where the context so requires, any permitted direct or indirect transferee of the Participant.

 

(a)           Notice of Intent to Sell .  Before there can be a valid Transfer of any Ordinary Shares by the Participant, the Participant shall first give notice in writing to the Company, mailed or delivered in accordance with the notice provisions of Section 16, of his or her intention to Transfer such Ordinary Shares (the “ Option Notice ”).

 

8


 

The Option Notice shall specify the identity of the proposed transferee, the number of Ordinary Shares to be sold or transferred to the transferee, the price per Ordinary Share and the terms upon which such holder intends to make such Transfer.  If the payment terms for the Ordinary Shares described in the Option Notice differ from delivery of cash or a check at closing, the Company shall have the option, as set forth herein, of purchasing the Ordinary Shares for cash (or a cash equivalent) at closing in an amount which the Company determines is a fair value equivalent of the payment described in the Option Notice.  The determination of a fair value equivalent shall be made in the Company’s best judgment and such determination shall be mailed or delivered to the Participant (the “ Company’s Notice ”) within ten (10) days of the Company’s receipt of the Option Notice.  Should the Participant disagree with the Company’s determination of a fair value equivalent, he or she shall have the right (the “ Retraction Right ”) to retract the proposed Transfer to a third party and the offer of Ordinary Shares to the Company pursuant to the Option Notice (such retraction to be made in writing and mailed or delivered in accordance with the notice provisions of Section 16).  If the Participant again proposes to Transfer the Ordinary Shares, the Participant shall again offer such Ordinary Shares to the Company pursuant to the terms of this Section 11 prior to any Transfer.

 

(b)           Option to Purchase .  Subject to the Participant’s Retraction Right, during the 60-day period commencing upon receipt of the Option Notice by the Company (the “ Option Period ”), the Company shall have an option to purchase any or all of the Ordinary Shares specified in the Option Notice at the price offered therein or at such alternative price as set forth in the Company’s Notice in accordance with Section 11(a) (the “ Right of First Refusal ”).

 

(c)           Purchase of Shares .  Not more than thirty (30) days after receipt of the Option Notice, the Company shall give written notice to the Participant of the number of such Ordinary Shares to be purchased (or, if no Ordinary Shares are to be purchased, stating such fact) by the Company pursuant to the terms of this Section 11 (the “ Purchase Notice ”).  Purchases pursuant to this Section 11 shall be consummated within thirty (30) days after delivery of the Purchase Notice to the Participant, but in no event later than the expiration of the Option Period.  The purchase price shall be paid at the closing in cash, by check, by cancellation of money purchase indebtedness, or, if the payment terms set forth in the Option Notice differ from payment in cash or by check at closing, in accordance with the payment terms set forth in the Option Notice (or payment of the amount set forth in the Company’s Notice in cash, by cancellation of money purchase indebtedness, or by check).  The purchase price shall be paid against surrender by the Participant of a share certificate evidencing the number of Ordinary Shares specified in the Option Notice, with duly endorsed share powers.

 

(d)           Ability to Sell Unpurchased Shares .  Unless all of the Ordinary Shares referred to in the Option Notice are to be purchased as indicated in the Purchase Notice, the Participant may dispose of any Ordinary Shares referred to in the Option Notice that are not to be purchased by the Company to the person or persons specified in the Option Notice during a period of twenty (20) days commencing upon his or her receipt of the Purchase Notice; provided , however , that (i) any such person specified in the Option Notice is not a person listed under Exhibit A hereto, (ii) the Participant shall not Transfer such Ordinary Shares at a lower price or on terms more favorable to the Participant or transferee than those specified in the Option Notice and (iii) the Participant shall not Transfer such Ordinary Shares to a person other than the person or persons specified in the Option Notice; and, provided , further , that such Transfer is consistent

 

9



 

with the other provisions and limitations of the Plan, this Option Agreement (including these Terms), and the Exercise Agreement.  If the Transfer is not consummated within such twenty (20) day period, the Participant shall again offer such Ordinary Shares to the Company pursuant to the terms of this Section 11 prior to any Transfer to the same or any other person.

 

(e)           Assignment .  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the Company may assign any or all of its rights under this Section 11 to one or more shareholders of the Company.

 

(f)            Termination of Right of First Refusal .  The Company’s Right of First Refusal shall terminate upon the occurrence of a Triggering Event.

 

(g)           No Shareholder Rights Following Repurchase .  If the Participant (or any permitted transferee) holds Ordinary Shares as to which the Right of First Refusal has been exercised (in connection with the termination of the Participant’s employment or otherwise), the Participant shall be entitled to payment in accordance with the provisions of this Section 11, but (unless otherwise required by Applicable Law) shall no longer be entitled to participation in the Company or other rights as a shareholder with respect to the shares subject to the repurchase.  To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Participant’s rights following the exercise of the Right of First Refusal shall, with respect to the repurchase and the Ordinary Shares covered thereby, be solely the rights that he or she has as a general creditor of the Company to receive payment of the amount specified in this Section 11.

 

(h)           No Transfer to Competitors .  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the Participant shall not transfer any shares to any person or entity listed under Exhibit B hereto or any Affiliate thereof; the Company shall not transfer any shares it purchases pursuant to this Section 11 to any person or entity listed under Exhibit B hereto or any Affiliate thereof.

 

12           Withholding of Taxes .  To the extent required by Applicable Law, the Company has the authority to deduct or withhold, or require the Participant to remit to the Company, an amount sufficient to satisfy all applicable federal, state, local and foreign taxes (including the Participant’s tax obligation) required by Applicable Law to be withheld with respect to any taxable event arising from the grant of the Option.  At the Company’s election, the Participant may satisfy his or her tax obligation, in whole or in part, by either: (a) electing to have the Company withhold Ordinary Shares otherwise to be delivered with a Fair Market Value (as defined in the Plan) equal to the tax withholding obligation; (b) surrendering to the Company previously owned Ordinary Shares with a Fair Market Value equal to the tax withholding obligation; (c) allowing the Company to withhold the amount of the tax withholding obligation from the Participant’s cash compensation; or (d) paying the amount of the tax withholding obligation directly to the Company in cash.  If the Administrator determines that the Participant has not satisfied or performed his or her tax obligations, then the Administrator has the right, but not the obligation, to suspend the vesting of the Option (the “ Suspended Period ”) commencing upon the Participant’s failure or default until such time the Participant has fully satisfied or performed such tax obligations.  For the avoidance of doubt: (i) the Administrator has discretion in determining whether or not the Participant has satisfied or performed, fully or otherwise, his or her tax obligations; and (ii) after the vesting suspension is lifted, the time at which the specific number of Ordinary Shares underlying the Option may otherwise vest under the original vesting

 

10



 

schedule shall be postponed, in each case, by the same number of days that elapse during the Suspended Period.

 

13           Voluntary Participation .  The Participant’s participation in the Plan is voluntary.  The value of the Option is an extraordinary item of compensation outside the scope of the Participant’s employment contract, if any.  As such, the Option is not part of normal or expected compensation for purposes of calculating any severance, resignation, redundancy, end of service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pensions or retirement benefits or similar payments unless specifically and otherwise provided.

 

14           Discretionary Option .  This Option is granted under and governed by the terms and conditions of the Plan.  The Participant acknowledges and agrees that the Plan is discretionary in nature and may be amended, canceled, or terminated by the Administrator, in its sole discretion, at any time.  The grant of the Option under the Plan is a one-time benefit and does not create any contractual or other right to receive an award of Ordinary Shares or benefits in lieu of Ordinary Shares in the future.  Future awards of an Option, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Administrator, including, but not limited to, the timing of the award, the number of shares and vesting provisions.  The Plan has been introduced voluntarily by the Company and in accordance with the provisions of the Plan may be terminated by the Administrator at any time.  By execution of this Agreement, the Participant consents to the provisions of the Plan and this Agreement.

 

15           Adjustments .  The Participant hereby acknowledges and confirms that in the event the Company decides to implement any other actions affecting any of its Ordinary Shares, including share splits, reverse splits, spin-offs, combinations, exchanges or distribution of unusual/nonrecurring large dividends after the date of this Agreement, (i) the number of Ordinary Shares underlying this Option grant may be subject to adjustments in accordance with such actions and (ii) the Administrator shall have the sole discretion to make such adjustments.

 

16           Notices .  Any notice required or permitted pursuant to this Option Agreement or the Exercise Agreement shall be given in writing and shall be given either personally or by sending it by an internationally-recognized express courier service, fax, or electronic mail to the following applicable address:  (i) if to the Company, at its principal executive office to the attention of the Secretary, or (ii) if to the Participant, at the Participant’s last address reflected in the Company’s payroll records (or, in each case, at such other address as such party may designate by fifteen (15) days’ advance written notice to the other parties to this Option Agreement given in accordance with this Section).  Where a notice is sent by an internationally-recognized express courier service, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing, pre-paying and sending by express service through such service a letter containing the notice, with a confirmation of delivery, and to have been effected at the expiration of three (3) days after the letter containing the same is sent as aforesaid.  Where a notice is sent by fax or electronic mail, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing, and sending such notice through a transmitting organization, with a written confirmation of delivery, and to have been effected on the day the same is sent as aforesaid.

 

17           Entire Agreement .  This Option Agreement (including these Terms and together with the form of Exercise Agreement attached hereto) and the Plan together constitute

 

11



 

the entire agreement and supersede all prior understandings and agreements, written or oral, of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof.  The Plan, this Option Agreement and the Exercise Agreement may be amended pursuant to Sections 15 and 19 of the Plan.  Such amendment must be in writing and signed by the Company.  The Company may, however, unilaterally waive any provision hereof or of the Exercise Agreement in writing to the extent such waiver does not adversely affect the interests of the Participant hereunder, but no such waiver shall operate as or be construed to be a subsequent waiver of the same provision or a waiver of any other provision hereof.

 

18           Satisfaction of All Rights to Equity .  The Option is in complete satisfaction of any and all rights that the Participant may have (under an employment, consulting, or other written or oral agreement with the Company or any of its Affiliates, or otherwise) to receive (1) options or share awards with respect to the Securities of the Company or any of its Affiliates, and/or (2) any other equity or derivative security in or with respect to the Company or any of its Affiliates.  This Option Agreement supersedes the terms of all prior understandings and agreements, written or oral, of the parties with respect to such matters.  The Participant shall have no further rights or benefits under any prior agreement conveying any right with respect to any security or derivative security in or with respect to the Company or any of its Affiliates.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Section 18 shall not adversely affect the Participant’s rights under any prior option or share award agreement under the Plan (provided such agreement is expressly labeled as an option or share award agreement under the Plan and is similar in form to this Option Agreement) which has been signed by an authorized officer of the Company.

 

19           Governing Law; Construction .  This Option Agreement and the Exercise Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the Cayman Islands without regard to conflict of law principles thereunder.  The terms of the Option grant have resulted from the negotiations of the parties and each of the parties has had an opportunity to obtain and consult with its own counsel.  The language of all parts of the Plan, this Option Agreement (including these Terms) and the Exercise Agreement shall in all cases be construed as a whole, according to its fair meaning, and not strictly for or against either of the parties.

 

20           Limited Rights .  Until the Option is exercised and Ordinary Shares are issued and allotted to the Participant, the Participant has no rights as a shareholder of the Company with respect to the Option as set forth in Section 6(d) of the Plan.  The Option does not place any limit on the corporate authority of the Company.

 

21           Arbitration .  Any dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or in connection with or relating to this Agreement, or the interpretation, breach, termination or validity hereof, shall be resolved through arbitration. A dispute may be submitted to arbitration upon the request of either party with written notice to the other party (the “ Notice ”). The arbitration shall be conducted in Singapore under the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (the “ Centre ”). There shall be a single arbitrator. If the parties do not agree on the nomination of an arbitrator within thirty (30) days after the delivery of the Notice to the other party, the appointment shall be made by the Secretary General of the Centre. The arbitration proceedings shall be conducted in English.

 

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23           Severability .  If the arbitrator or a court of competent jurisdiction determines that any portion of this Option Agreement, the Plan, or the Exercise Agreement is in violation of any statute or public policy, then only the portions of this Option Agreement, the Plan, or the Exercise Agreement, as applicable, which violate such statute or public policy shall be stricken, and all portions of this Option Agreement, the Plan, and the Exercise Agreement which do not violate any statute or public policy shall continue in full force and effect.  Furthermore, it is the parties’ intent that any court order striking any portion of this Option Agreement, the Plan, and/or the Exercise Agreement should modify the stricken terms as narrowly as possible to give as much effect as possible to the intentions of the parties hereunder.

 

24           PRC Compliance .  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Option Agreement, with respect to any Participant who is a PRC citizen or resident in China, or otherwise, as the Administrator in its sole discretion may determine, may be deemed as a “domestic resident” as defined in the Circular No. 75 (and/or such successor circular, the “ SAFE Circular ”) issued by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the People’s Republic of China (the “ PRC ”) on October 21, 2005 (a “ PRC Participant ”) and as supplemented by that certain implementing rule issued by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the PRC on May 31, 2007 (known as Notice 106), the Option shall become exercisable only upon the receipt of written confirmation from the PRC Participant, or counsel to the Company, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrator that

 

(a)           (i) such PRC Participant is not subject to the registration or other compliance requirements of the SAFE Circular, or (ii) such PRC Participant (X) is subject to such registration and compliance requirements of the SAFE Circular and (Y) has fully complied with such registration and compliance requirements of the SAFE Circular; and

 

(b)           the exercise of the Option by the PRC Participant will not violate any Applicable Laws or regulations of the PRC and will not subject the Participant or the Company to any filing or registration with, or obtain any approval or permit from, any PRC governmental or regulatory authorities (the “ PRC Compliance ”) which, as the Administrator may determine in its sole discretion, would be unreasonably burdensome on the Company or is likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, operations or prospects.

 

The PRC Participant shall have executed a Power of Attorney in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit C (or in such form and substance as may be required by the then applicable PRC laws or regulations and is determined by the Administrator as reasonably satisfactory to the Company) authorizing the Company (or any representative designated by the Company) to take such actions and execute such instruments on behalf of such PRC Participant in the event where such PRC Compliance is required, and the PRC Participant agrees to take, or cause to be taken, any additional actions and execute any additional instruments as may be requested by the Company to ensure such compliance.

 

In addition, notwithstanding anything else contained herein to the contrary, the Administrator may, at its discretion, limit the method of Option exercise to a cashless method for such PRC Participant for purpose of such PRC Compliance in accordance with Section 5(b) of these Terms.  Such discretion includes and is not limited to the required exchange of proceeds by the Administrator into Renminbi for transmittal to such PRC Participant, deductions for fees

 

13



 

associated with the exchange, and deductions for PRC taxes, as may be necessary to comply with the applicable PRC foreign exchange and tax regulations.

 

25           Personal Data .  The Participant acknowledges and consents to the collection, use, processing and transfer of personal data as described in this paragraph.  The Company and the Participant’s employer hold certain personal information, including the Participant’s name, home address and telephone number, date of birth, national ID card number, social security number or other employee tax identification number, salary, nationality, job title and any shares awarded, canceled, purchased, vested, unvested or outstanding in the Participant’s favor, for the purpose of managing and administering the Plan (the “ Data ”).  The Company and the Participant’s employer may transfer the Data to any third parties assisting the Company in the implementation, administration and management of the Plan.  These recipients may be located in Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, China or elsewhere.  The Participant hereby authorizes these recipients to receive, possess, use, retain and transfer the Data, in electronic or other form, for the purposes of implementing, administering and managing the Participant’s participation in the Plan, including any requisite transfer of such Data as may be required for the administration of the Plan and/or the subsequent holding of Ordinary Shares on the Participant’s behalf to a broker or other third party with whom the Participant may elect to deposit any Ordinary Shares acquired pursuant to the Plan.  The Participant may, at any time, review the Data, require any necessary amendments to it or withdraw the consent herein in writing by contacting the Company; however, withdrawing the consent may affect the Participant’s ability to participate in the Plan.

 

26           Sections 409A and 457A .  Notwithstanding other provisions of the Plan or this Agreement, no Option or any rights therein may be granted, deferred, accelerated, extended, paid out or modified under this Option Agreement in a manner that would result in the imposition of an additional tax under Section 409A or Section 457A of the Code upon the Participant.  In the event that it is reasonably determined by the Board or, if delegated by the Board to the Administrator, by the Administrator that, as a result of Section 409A of the Code, payments or any other rights in respect of the Option may not be granted at the time contemplated by the terms of the Plan or this Option Agreement, as the case may be, without causing the Participant holding the Option to be subject to taxation under Section 409A of the Code, including as a result of the fact that the Participant is a “specified employee” under Section 409A of the Code, the Company will make such payment or grant such rights on the first day that would not result in the Participant incurring any tax liability under Section 409A of the Code.  The Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to implement the provisions of this Section 22 in good faith; provided , however , that neither the Company, the Administrator nor any of the Company’s Employees, Directors or representatives will have any liability to the Participant with respect to this Section 22.

 

( Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank )

 

14


 

EXHIBIT A

 

HEXINDAI INC.
SHARE INCENTIVE PLAN
OPTION EXERCISE AND ORDINARY SHARE
PURCHASE AGREEMENT

 

The undersigned (the “ Purchaser ”) hereby irrevocably elects to exercise his/her right, evidenced by that certain Option Agreement dated as of                      (the “ Exercise Agreement ”) under the Hexindai Inc. 2016 Equity Incentive Plan (the “ Plan ”), as follows:

 

·                                           the Purchaser hereby irrevocably elects to purchase                    Ordinary Shares, par value US$0.0001 per share (the “ Shares ”), of Hexindai Inc. , an exempted company organized under the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands (the “ Company ”), and

 

·                                           such purchase shall be at the price of US$                    per share, for an aggregate amount of US$                    (subject to applicable withholding taxes pursuant to Section 15 of the Plan).

 

Capitalized terms are defined in the Plan if not defined herein.

 

1.             Delivery of Share Certificate .  The Purchaser requests that a certificate representing the Shares be registered and delivered to:                                                                                                                                                        .

 

The Purchaser hereby acknowledges and confirms that the Shares purchased hereunder may be, at the sole discretion of the Company, issued to and registered under the name of an entity for and on behalf of the Purchaser and designated by the Company.

 

In lieu of delivery of certificates or entry in the register of the Company’s members representing the Shares purchased hereunder, the Company may, at the sole discretion, deliver any other consideration under a formal broker-assisted (or other) cashless exercise program adopted by the Company in connection with the Plan.

 

2.             Investment Representations .  The Purchaser acknowledges that the sale of the Shares by the Purchaser is restricted by applicable securities laws and regulations (for example, Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 701).  The Purchaser hereby affirms as made as of the date hereof the representations in Section 9 of the “Terms and Conditions of Option” (which are attached to and a part of the Option Agreement, the “ Terms ”) and such representations are incorporated herein by this reference.  The Purchaser represents that he/she has no need for liquidity in this investment, has the ability to bear the economic risk of this investment, and can afford a complete loss of the purchase price for the Shares.

 

The Purchaser also understands and acknowledges (a) that the Company has no obligation to register the Shares or file any registration statement under the applicable securities

 



 

laws, and (b) that the Company may cause the legend set forth below or legends substantially equivalent thereto to be placed upon any certificate(s) representing ownership of the Shares:

 

THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR QUALIFIED OR REGISTERED UNDER STATE SECURITIES OR BLUE SKY LAWS.  THESE SECURITIES HAVE BEEN ACQUIRED FOR INVESTMENT AND NOT WITH A VIEW TO DISTRIBUTION, AND NEITHER THESE SECURITIES NOR ANY INTEREST OR PARTICIPATION THEREIN MAY BE SOLD, OFFERED FOR SALE, PLEDGED, HYPOTHECATED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED OR DISPOSED OF EXCEPT IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES OR BLUE SKY LAWS AND THE APPLICABLE RULES AND REGULATIONS THEREUNDER.  THE ISSUER OF THESE SECURITIES MAY REQUIRE AN OPINION OF COUNSEL IN FORM AND SUBSTANCE SATISFACTORY TO THE ISSUER TO THE EFFECT THAT ANY PROPOSED TRANSFER OR RESALE IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE ACT AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS.

 

THE SHARES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER AND A RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL HELD BY THE ISSUER OR ITS ASSIGNEE(S) AS SET FORTH IN THE RESTRICTED SHARE AWARD AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE ISSUER AND THE ORIGINAL HOLDER OF THESE SHARES, A COPY OF WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE PRINCIPAL OFFICE OF THE ISSUER.  SUCH TRANSFER RESTRICTIONS AND RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL ARE BINDING ON TRANSFEREES OF THESE SHARES.

 

3.             Limitation on Disposition a nd Other Restrictions .  The Shares are subject to and the Purchaser hereby agrees to the following terms and conditions of the sale of the Shares to the Purchaser:

 

(a)           any transfer of the Shares must comply with the restrictions on transfer set forth in  the Plan, the Terms and all Applicable Laws;

 

(b)           the Shares are subject to, and following any otherwise permitted transfer of the Shares, the Shares shall remain subject to and the transferee shall be bound by, the transfer restrictions set forth in Section 8 of the Terms, the lock-up provisions set forth in Section 10 of the Terms, the Company’s right of first refusal set forth in Section 11 of the Terms, the share legend requirements of Section 2 of this Exercise Agreement, the foregoing provisions of this Section 3, and the arbitration provisions of Section 21 of the Terms; and

 

(c)           as a condition to any otherwise permitted transfer of the Shares, the Company may require the transferee to execute a written agreement, in a form acceptable to the Administrator, that the transferee acknowledges and agrees to the foregoing terms and restrictions imposed on the Shares.

 



 

4.             Plan and Option Agreement .  The Purchaser acknowledges that all of his/her rights are subject to, and the Purchaser agrees to be bound by, all of the terms and conditions of the Plan and the Option Agreement (including the Terms), both of which are incorporated herein by this reference.  If a conflict or inconsistency between the terms and conditions of this Option Exercise and Ordinary Share Purchase Agreement (this “ Exercise Agreement ”) and of the Plan or the Option Agreement shall arise, the terms and conditions of the Plan and/or the Option Agreement shall govern.  The Purchaser acknowledges receipt of a copy of all documents referenced herein and acknowledges reading and understanding these documents and having an opportunity to ask any questions that he/she may have had about them.  Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Exercise Agreement shall be submitted to arbitration in accordance with Section 21 of the Terms, and Cayman Islands law shall apply as provided in Section 19 of the Terms.

 

5.             Entire Agreement .  This Exercise Agreement, the Option Agreement (including the Terms), and the Plan together constitute the entire agreement and supersede all prior understandings and agreements, written or oral, of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof.  The Plan, the Option Agreement and this Exercise Agreement may be amended pursuant to Section 19 of the Plan.  Such amendment must be in writing and signed by the Company.  The Company may, however, unilaterally waive any provision hereof or of the Option Agreement in writing to the extent such waiver does not adversely affect the interests of the Purchaser hereunder, but no such waiver shall operate as or be construed to be a subsequent waiver of the same provision or a waiver of any other provision hereof.

 

PURCHASER

 

ACCEPTED BY :

 

 

 

 

 

Hexindai Inc., an exempted company organized under the

Signature

 

Companies Law of theCayman Islands

 

 

By:

 

 

 

Its:

 

Print Name

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(To be completed by the company after the price (including

Date

 

 applicable withholding taxes), value (if applicable) and receipt of funds is verified.)

 



 

EXHIBIT B 3

 


3                                            NTD:  Include list of competitors to whom Transfer is prohibited.

 



 

EXHIBIT C

Power of Attorney

 

Principal:

 

Name:

 

 

 

 

 

ID Card No.:

 

 

 

 

 

Address:

 

 

 

 

 

Postal Code:

 

 

 

 

 

Telephone:

 

 

 

Attorney:

 

Address:

 

 

 

 

 

Postal Code:

 

 

 

 

 

Telephone:

 

The Principal intends to exercise the options granted to him/her under the Stock Option Incentive Plan of [name of the Offshore Company] (an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands; the “Offshore Company”) adopted on [date], as amended from time to time (the “Plan”).  Subject to satisfaction of the applicable conditions set forth in the Plan and upon exercise of all or part of the options to which the Principal is entitled that have become due, the Principal will acquire             common shares in the Offshore Company.  The Principal hereby authorizes the Attorney to complete on behalf of the Principal the foreign exchange registration procedures in relation to the Principal’s exercise of the options as described above.

 

The powers granted to the Attorney hereunder shall be: to the extent related to the completion of the proposed foreign exchange registration, to submit applications, complete the procedures in relation to the making of declarations, admissions, modifications and waivers, receive relevant notices, certificates, materials, etc., and handle any other relevant matters.

 

 

Principal:

                              (signature)

 

 

 

 

 

Dated:

 

 




Exhibit 10.19

 

FORM OF INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

 

THIS INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”) dated as of     , 20    , by and between Hexindai Inc., an exempted Cayman Islands company (the “ Company ”) and , a [director and/or executive officer] of the Company (the “ Indemnitee ”).

 

WHEREAS , it is essential to the Company that it be able to retain and attract the most capable persons available as directors and officers;

 

WHEREAS , increased corporate litigation has subjected directors and officers to litigation risks and expenses, and the limitations on the availability of directors and officers liability insurance have made it increasingly difficult for the Company to attract and retain such persons;

 

WHEREAS , the Company’s governing documents require it to indemnify its directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by law and permit it to make other indemnification arrangements and agreements; and

 

WHEREAS , the Company desires to provide the Indemnitee with specific contractual assurance of the Indemnitee’s rights to full indemnification against litigation risks and expenses (regardless of any amendment to or revocation of the Company’s governing documents or any change in the ownership of the Company or the composition of its Board of Directors).

 

NOW, THEREFORE , in consideration of the promises and the covenants contained herein, the Company and Indemnitee do hereby covenant and agree as follows:

 

1. Indemnification .

 

(a)  Indemnification of Expenses .

 

(i)  Third-Party Claims . Subject to Section 8 below, the Company shall indemnify and hold harmless the Indemnitee to the fullest extent permitted by law if the Indemnitee was or is or becomes a party to or witness in, or is threatened to be made a party to or witness in, any threatened, pending or completed action, suit, proceeding or alternative dispute resolution mechanism, or any hearing, inquiry or investigation that such Indemnitee reasonably believes might lead to the institution of any such action, suit, proceeding or alternative dispute resolution mechanism, whether civil, criminal, administrative, investigative or other (hereinafter a “ Claim ”) (other than an action by right of the Company) by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee is or was a director or officer of the Company, or any subsidiary or affiliated entity of the Company, or is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director or officer of another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, or by reason of any action or inaction on the part of the Indemnitee while serving in such capacity (hereinafter, an “ Agent ”) or as a direct or indirect result of any Claim made by any shareholder of the Company against the Indemnitee and arising out of or related to any round of financing of the Company (including but not limited to Claims regarding non-participation, or non-pro rata participation, in such round by such shareholder), or made by a third party against the Indemnitee based on any misstatement or omission of a material fact by the Company in violation of any duty of disclosure imposed on the Company by securities or common laws (hereinafter an “ Indemnification Event ”) against any and all expenses (including attorneys’ fees and all other costs, expenses and obligations), judgments, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement (if, and only if, such settlement is approved in advance by the Company, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld) (the “ Expenses ”) actually and reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with investigating, attempting to amicably resolve, preparing for, defending or participating in (including on appeal) such Claim if the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Company and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful.

 

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(ii)  Derivative Actions . If the Indemnitee is a person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any Claim by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that he or she is or was an Agent of the Company, or by reason of anything done or not done by him or her in any such capacity, the Company shall indemnify the Indemnitee against any amounts paid in settlement of any such Claim and all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or her in connection with investigating, attempting to amicably resolve, preparing for, defending, settling or appealing such Claim if he or she acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Company; except that no indemnification under this subsection shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been finally adjudged to be liable to the Company by a court of competent jurisdiction due to willful misconduct or gross negligence in the performance of his or her duty to the Company, unless and only to the extent that the court in which such proceeding was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability and in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such amounts the court may deem proper.

 

(b)  Reviewing Party . Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) the obligations of the Company under Section 1(a) shall be subject to the condition that the Reviewing Party (as defined in Section 10(e) hereof) shall not have determined that the Indemnitee would not be permitted to be indemnified under applicable law or pursuant to Section 8 hereof, and (ii) the Indemnitee acknowledges and agrees that the obligation of the Company to make an advance payment of Expenses to the Indemnitee pursuant to Section 2(a) (an “ Expense Advance ”) shall be subject to the condition that, if, when and to the extent that the Reviewing Party determines that the Indemnitee would not be permitted to be so indemnified under applicable law or Section 8 hereof, the Company shall be entitled to be reimbursed by the Indemnitee (who hereby agrees to promptly reimburse the Company) for all such amounts theretofore paid; provided, however, that if the Indemnitee has commenced or thereafter commences legal proceedings in a court of competent jurisdiction to secure a determination that the Indemnitee should be indemnified under applicable law or Section 8 hereof, any determination made by the Reviewing Party that the Indemnitee would not be permitted to be indemnified under applicable law shall not be binding and the Indemnitee shall not be required to reimburse the Company for any Expense Advance until a final judicial determination is made with respect thereto (as to which all rights of appeal therefrom have been exhausted or lapsed). The Indemnitee’s obligation to reimburse the Company for any Expense Advance shall be unsecured and no interest shall be charged thereon. If there has not been a Change in Control (as defined in Section 10(c) hereof), the Reviewing Party shall be selected by a majority of the Board of Directors (excluding the Indemnitee who is a director), and if there has been such a Change in Control (other than a Change in Control which has been approved by a majority of the Company’s Board of Directors (other than the Indemnitee who is a director) who were directors immediately prior to such Change in Control), the Reviewing Party shall be the Independent Legal Counsel referred to in Section 1(e) hereof. If there has been no determination by the Reviewing Party or if the Reviewing Party determines that the Indemnitee substantively would not be permitted to be indemnified in whole or in part under applicable law or Section 8 hereof, the Indemnitee shall have the right to commence litigation seeking an initial determination by the court or challenging any such determination by the Reviewing Party or any aspect thereof, including the legal or factual bases therefor, and the Company hereby consents to service of process and to appear in any such proceeding. Any determination by the Reviewing Party otherwise shall be conclusive and binding on the Company and the Indemnitee.

 

(c)  Contribution . If the indemnification provided for in Section 1(a) above is, for any reason other than the statutory limitations of applicable law or as provided in Section 8, held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unavailable to the Indemnitee in respect of any losses, claims, damages, expenses or liabilities in which the Company is jointly liable with the Indemnitee, as the case may be (or would be jointly liable if joined), then the Company, in lieu of indemnifying the Indemnitee thereunder, shall contribute to the amount actually and reasonably incurred and paid or payable by the Indemnitee as a result of such losses, claims, damages, expenses or liabilities in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect (i) the relative benefits received by the Company and the Indemnitee, and (ii) the relative fault of the Company and the Indemnitee in connection with the action or inaction that resulted in such losses, claims, damages, expenses or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of the Company and the Indemnitee shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or allegedly untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the Indemnitee and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent the circumstances resulting in such losses, claims, damages, expenses or liabilities.

 

2



 

The Company and the Indemnitee agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 1(c) were determined by pro rata or per capita allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to in the immediately preceding paragraph. No person found guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Securities Act ”)) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not found guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

 

(d)  Survival Regardless of Investigation . The indemnification and contribution provided for in this Section 1 will remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Indemnitee.

 

(e)  Change in Control . The Company agrees that if there is a Change in Control of the Company (other than a Change in Control which has been approved by a majority of the Company’s Board of Directors who were directors immediately prior to such Change in Control) then, with respect to all matters thereafter arising concerning the rights of Indemnitee to payments of Expenses under this Agreement, any other agreement or under the Company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association, as amended (the “ M&A ”), Independent Legal Counsel (as defined in Section 10(d) hereof) shall be selected by the Indemnitee and approved by the Company (which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld). The Company agrees to abide by the determination of the Independent Legal Counsel and to pay the reasonable fees of the Independent Legal Counsel referred to above and to fully indemnify such counsel against any and all expenses (including attorneys’ fees), claims, liabilities and damages arising out of or relating to this Agreement or its engagement pursuant hereto.

 

(f)  Mandatory Payment of Expenses . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, to the extent the Indemnitee has been successful on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any Claim referred to in Section 1(a) hereof or in the defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, the Indemnitee shall be indemnified against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee in connection herewith.

 

2. Expenses; Indemnification Procedure .

 

(a)  Advancement of Expenses . Subject to Section 8 and except as prohibited by applicable law, the Company shall advance all Expenses incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with investigating, attempting to amicably resolve, preparing for, defending, settling or appealing any Claim to which the Indemnitee is a party or is threatened to be made a party by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee is or was an Agent of the Company or by reason of anything done or not done by him or her in any such capacity. The Indemnitee hereby undertakes to promptly repay such amounts advanced only if, and to the extent that, it shall ultimately be determined that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company under the provisions of this Agreement, the M&A, applicable law or otherwise. The advances to be made hereunder shall be paid by the Company to the Indemnitee as soon as practicable but in any event no later than thirty (30) days after written demand by the Indemnitee therefor to the Company.

 

(b)  Notice/Cooperation by Indemnitee . The Indemnitee shall give the Company notice in writing promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any Claim, or the threat of the commencement of any Claim, made against the Indemnitee for which indemnification will or could be sought under this Agreement. Notice to the Company shall be directed to the Chief Executive Officer of the Company at the address shown on the signature page of this Agreement (or such other person and/or address as the Company shall designate in writing to the Indemnitee).

 

(c)  No Presumptions; Burden of Proof . For purposes of this Agreement, the termination of any Claim by judgment, order, settlement (whether with or without court approval) or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere, or its equivalent, shall not create a presumption that the Indemnitee did not meet any particular standard of conduct or have any particular belief or that a court has determined that indemnification is not permitted by applicable law. In addition, neither the failure of the Reviewing Party to have made a determination as to whether the Indemnitee has met any particular standard of conduct or had any particular belief, nor an actual determination by the Reviewing Party that Indemnitee had not met such standard of conduct or did not have such belief, prior to the commencement of legal proceedings by the Indemnitee to secure a judicial determination that the Indemnitee should be indemnified under applicable law, shall be a defense to the Indemnitee’s claim or create a presumption that the Indemnitee had not met any particular standard of conduct or did not have any particular belief. In connection with any determination by the Reviewing Party or otherwise as to whether the Indemnitee is entitled to be indemnified hereunder, the burden of proof shall be on the Company to establish that the Indemnitee is not so entitled.

 

3



 

(d)  Notice to Insurers . If, at the time of the receipt by the Company of a notice of a Claim pursuant to Section 2(b) hereof, the Company has liability insurance in effect which may cover such Claim, the Company shall give prompt written notice of the commencement of such Claim to the insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in each of the policies. The Company shall thereafter take all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of the Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation in accordance with the terms of such policies.

 

(e)  Selection of Counsel . In the event the Company shall be obligated hereunder to pay the Expenses of any Claim, the Company shall be entitled to assume the defense of such Claim, with legal counsel reasonably approved by the Indemnitee, upon the delivery to the Indemnitee of written notice of its election to do so. After delivery of such notice, approval of such legal counsel by the Indemnitee and the retention of such legal counsel by the Company, the Company will not be liable to the Indemnitee under this Agreement for any fees of counsel subsequently incurred by the Indemnitee with respect to the same Claim; provided that, (i) the Indemnitee shall have the right to employ the Indemnitee’s legal counsel in any such Claim at the Indemnitee’s expense; (ii) the Indemnitee shall have the right to employ its own legal counsel in connection with any such proceeding, at the expense of the Company, if such legal counsel serves in a review, observer, advice and counseling capacity and does not otherwise materially control or participate in the defense of such proceeding; and (iii) if (A) the employment of legal counsel by the Indemnitee has been previously authorized by the Company, (B) the Indemnitee shall have reasonably concluded that there is a conflict of interest between the Company and the Indemnitee in the conduct of any such defense, or (C) the Company shall not in fact continue to retain such legal counsel to defend such Claim, then the fees and expenses of the Indemnitee’s legal counsel shall be at the expense of the Company.

 

3. Additional Indemnification Rights; Nonexclusivity .

 

(a)  Scope . The Company hereby agrees to indemnify the Indemnitee to the fullest extent permitted by law (except as provided in Section 8) with respect to Claims for Indemnification Events, even if such indemnification is not specifically authorized by the other provisions of this Agreement or any other agreement, the M&A, or by statute. In the event of any change after the date of this Agreement in any applicable law, statute or rule which expands the right of a Cayman Islands company to indemnify a member of its Board of Directors or an officer, it is the intent of the parties hereto that the Indemnitee shall enjoy by this Agreement the greater benefits afforded by such change. In the event of any change in any applicable law, statute or rule which narrows the right of a Cayman Islands company to indemnify a member of its Board of Directors or an officer, such change, to the extent not otherwise required by such law, statute or rule to be applied to this Agreement, shall have no effect on this Agreement or the parties’ rights and obligations hereunder except as set forth in Section 8 hereof.

 

(b)  Nonexclusivity . Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement, the indemnification provided by this Agreement shall be in addition to any rights to which the Indemnitee may be entitled under the M&A, any agreement, any vote of shareholders or disinterested directors, the laws of the Cayman Islands, or otherwise. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement, the indemnification provided under this Agreement shall continue as to the Indemnitee for any action the Indemnitee took or did not take while serving in an indemnified capacity even though such Indemnitee may have ceased to serve in such capacity and such indemnification shall inure to the benefit of the Indemnitee from and after the Indemnitee’s first day of service as a director or officer with the Company.

 

4. No Duplication of Payments . The Company shall not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment in connection with any Claim made against the Indemnitee to the extent the Indemnitee has otherwise actually received payment (under any insurance policy, M&A or otherwise) of the amounts otherwise indemnifiable hereunder.

 

5. Partial Indemnification . If the Indemnitee is entitled under any provision of this Agreement to indemnification by the Company for any portion of Expenses incurred in connection with any Claim, but not, however, for all of the total amount thereof, the Company shall nevertheless indemnify the Indemnitee for the portion of such Expenses to which the Indemnitee is entitled.

 

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6. Mutual Acknowledgement . The Company and the Indemnitee acknowledge that in certain instances, applicable law or public policy may prohibit the Company from indemnifying its directors, officers, employees, controlling persons, agents or fiduciaries under this Agreement or otherwise.

 

7. Liability Insurance . To the extent the Company maintains liability insurance applicable to directors and officers, the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to provide that the Indemnitee shall be covered by such policies in such a manner as to provide the Indemnitee the same rights and benefits as are accorded to the most favorably insured of the Company’s directors and officers.

 

8. Exceptions . Any other provision herein to the contrary notwithstanding, the Company shall not be obligated pursuant to the terms of this Agreement:

 

(a)  Claims Under Section 16(b) . To indemnify the Indemnitee for expenses and the payment of profits or an accounting thereof arising from the purchase and sale by the Indemnitee of securities in violation of the provisions of Section 16(b) of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “ Exchange Act ”), or any similar provisions of any international, federal, state or local statutory law;

 

(b)  Unauthorized Settlements . To indemnify the Indemnitee hereunder for any amounts paid in settlement of a proceeding unless the Company consents in advance in writing to such settlement, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld;

 

(c)  Unlawful Indemnification . To indemnify the Indemnitee if a final decision by a court having jurisdiction in the matter shall determine that such indemnification is not lawful. In this respect, the Company and the Indemnitee have been advised that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission takes the position that indemnification for liabilities arising under securities laws is against public policy and is, therefore, unenforceable and that claims for indemnification should be submitted to appropriate courts for adjudication;

 

(d)  Fraud . To indemnify the Indemnitee if a final decision by a court having jurisdiction in the matter shall determine that the Indemnitee has committed fraud on the Company;

 

(e)  Insurance . To indemnify the Indemnitee for which payment is actually and fully made to the Indemnitee under a valid and collectible insurance policy; or

 

(f)  Company Contracts . To indemnify the Indemnitee with respect to any Claim related to any dispute or breach arising under any contract or similar obligation between the Company and the Indemnitee.

 

9. Period of Limitations . No legal action shall be brought and no cause of action shall be asserted by or in the right of the Company against the Indemnitee, the Indemnitee’s estate, spouse, heirs, executors or personal or legal representatives after the expiration of five (5) years from the date of accrual of such cause of action, and any claim or cause of action of the Company shall be extinguished and deemed released unless asserted by the timely filing of a legal action within such five (5) year period; provided, however, that if any shorter period of limitations is otherwise applicable to any such cause of action, such shorter period shall govern.

 

10. Construction of Certain Phrases .

 

(a) For purposes of this Agreement, references to the “ Company ” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors and officers, so that if the Indemnitee is or was or may be deemed a director or officer of such constituent corporation, or is or was or may be deemed to be serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director or officer of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, employee benefit plan, trust or other enterprise, the Indemnitee shall stand in the same position under the provisions of this Agreement with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as the Indemnitee would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.

 

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(b) For purposes of this Agreement, references to “ other enterprises ” shall include employee benefit plans; references to “ fines ” shall include any excise taxes assessed on the Indemnitee with respect to an employee benefit plan; and references to “ serving at the request of the Company ” shall include any service as a director or officer of the Company which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director or officer with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or its beneficiaries; and if the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan, the Indemnitee shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “ not opposed to the best interests of the Company ” as referred to in this Agreement.

 

(c) For purposes of this Agreement a “ Change in Control ” shall be deemed to have occurred if (i) any “person” (as such term is used in Sections 13(d)(3) and 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act), other than a trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or a corporation owned directly or indirectly by the shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock of the Company, becomes the “ beneficial owner ” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing more than thirty percent (30%) of the total voting power represented by the Company’s then outstanding Voting Securities, (ii) during any period of two (2) consecutive years, individuals who at the beginning of such period constitute the Board of Directors of the Company and any new director whose election by the Board of Directors or nomination for election by the Company’s shareholders was approved by a vote of at least a majority of the directors then still in office who either were directors at the beginning of the period or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved, cease for any reason to constitute a majority thereof, or (iii) the shareholders of the Company approve a merger or consolidation of the Company with any other corporation other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the Voting Securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into Voting Securities of the surviving entity) at least two-thirds (2/3) of the total voting power represented by the Voting Securities of the Company or such surviving entity outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation, or (iv) the shareholders of the Company approve a plan of complete liquidation of the Company or an agreement for the sale or disposition by the Company of (in one transaction or a series of transactions) all or substantially all of the Company’s assets; provided that in no event shall a Change in Control be deemed to include (A) a merger, consolidation or reorganization of the Company for the purpose of changing the Company’s state of incorporation and in which there is no substantial change in the shareholders of the Company or its successor (as the case may be), or (B) the Company’s first firm commitment underwritten public offering of any of its securities to the general public pursuant to (x) a registration statement filed under the Securities Act, or (y) the securities laws applicable to an offering of securities in another jurisdiction pursuant to which such securities will be listed on an internationally recognized securities exchange (the “ IPO ”).

 

(d) For purposes of this Agreement, “ Independent Legal Counsel ” shall mean an attorney or firm of attorneys, selected in accordance with the provisions of Section 1(e) hereof, who shall not have otherwise performed services for the Company or the Indemnitee within the last two (2) years (other than with respect to matters concerning the right of the Indemnitee under this Agreement).

 

(e) For purposes of this Agreement, a “ Reviewing Party ” shall mean any appropriate person or body consisting of a member or members of the Company’s Board of Directors (other than the Indemnitee who is a director) or any other person or body appointed by the Board of Directors who is not a named party to the particular Claim for which Indemnitee is seeking indemnification, or Independent Legal Counsel.

 

(f) For purposes of this Agreement, “ Voting Securities ” shall mean any securities of the Company that vote generally in the election of directors.

 

11. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original.

 

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12. Binding Effect; Successors and Assigns . This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors, assigns, including any direct or indirect successor by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise to all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company, spouses, heirs, and personal and legal representatives. The Company shall require and cause any successor (whether direct or indirect by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all, substantially all, or a substantial part, of the business and/or assets of the Company, by written agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnitee, expressly to assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform if no such succession had taken place. This Agreement shall continue in effect with respect to Claims relating to Indemnifiable Events regardless of whether the Indemnitee continues to serve as a director or officer of the Company or of any other enterprise, including subsidiaries of the Company, at the Company’s request.

 

13. Attorneys’ Fees . Subject to Section 8 and except as prohibited by applicable law, in the event that any action is instituted by the Indemnitee under this Agreement or under any liability insurance policies maintained by the Company to enforce or interpret any of the terms hereof or thereof, the Indemnitee shall be entitled to be paid all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee with respect to such action if the Indemnitee is ultimately successful in such action. In the event of an action instituted by or in the name of the Company under this Agreement to enforce or interpret any of the terms of this Agreement, the Indemnitee shall be entitled to be paid Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee in defense of such action (including costs and expenses incurred with respect to the Indemnitee counterclaims and cross-claims made in such action), and shall be entitled to the advancement of Expenses with respect to such action, in each case only to the extent that the Indemnitee is ultimately successful in such action.

 

14. Notice . All notices and other communications required or permitted hereunder shall be in writing, shall be effective when given, and shall in any event be deemed to be given (a) five (5) days after deposit with the U.S. Postal Service or other applicable postal service, if delivered by first class mail, postage prepaid, (b) upon delivery, if delivered by hand, (c) one (1) business day after the business day of deposit with Federal Express or similar overnight courier, freight prepaid, or (d) one (1) day after the business day of delivery by facsimile transmission or email, with a copy thereof delivered by first class mail, postage prepaid. Any mail shall be directed, if addressed to the Indemnitee, at his or her address as set forth beneath his or her signature to this Agreement and, if to the Company, at the address of its principal corporate offices (attention: Chief Executive Officer), or at such other address as such party may designate by ten (10) days’ advance written notice to the other party hereto.

 

15. Severability . The provisions of this Agreement shall be severable in the event that any of the provisions hereof (including any provision within a single section, paragraph or sentence) are held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, void or otherwise unenforceable, and the remaining provisions shall remain enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law. Furthermore, to the fullest extent possible, the provisions of this Agreement (including, without limitations, each portion of this Agreement containing any provision held to be invalid, void or otherwise unenforceable, that is not itself invalid, void or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to give effect to the intent manifested by the provision held invalid, illegal or unenforceable.

 

16. Choice of Law . This Agreement shall be governed by and its provisions construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without regard to the conflict of laws principles thereof.

 

17. Subrogation . In the event of payment under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of the Indemnitee who shall execute all documents required and shall do all acts that may be necessary to secure such rights and to enable the Company effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights.

 

18. Amendment and Termination . No amendment, modification, termination or cancellation of this Agreement shall be effective unless it is in writing signed by the parties to be bound thereby. Notice of same shall be provided to all parties hereto. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other provisions hereof (whether or not similar) nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver.

 

19. No Construction as Employment Agreement . Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed as giving the Indemnitee any right to be retained in the employment or service of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliated entities.

 

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20. Corporate Authority . The Board of Directors of the Company and its shareholders in accordance with Cayman Islands law have approved the terms of this Agreement.

 

[The remainder of this page is intentionally left blank.]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the parties hereto have executed this Indemnification Agreement on and as of the day and year first above written.

 

COMPANY:

 

Hexindai Inc.

a Cayman Islands exempted company

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

Name:

 

 

Title:

 

 

 

 

INDEMNITEE:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name:

 

 

Address:

 

 

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Exhibit 10.20

 

ESCROW AGREEMENT (PUBLIC OFFERING)

 

THIS AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”) is made this             , 2017 by and among Hexindai Inc.  (the “ Issuer ”) and the Underwriter whose name and address appears on the Information Sheet (as defined herein) attached to this Agreement and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 1 State Street, 30th Floor, New York, New York 10004 (the “ Escrow Agent ”).

 

W I T N E S S E T H:

 

WHEREAS , the Issuer has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “ Commission ”) a Registration Statement (the “ Registration Statement ”) covering a proposed public offering of its securities as described on the Information Sheet;

 

WHEREAS , the Underwriter proposes to offer the Securities, as agent for the Issuer, for sale to the public on a “best efforts” only basis for at least the Minimum Securities Amount and Minimum Dollar Amount and at most the Maximum Securities Amount and Maximum Dollar Amount and at the price per share or other unit all as set forth, on the Information Sheet;

 

WHEREAS the Issuer and the Underwriter propose to establish an Escrow Account (the “ Escrow Account ”), to which subscription monies which are received by the Escrow Agent from the Underwriter in connection with such public offering are to be credited, and the Escrow Agent is willing to establish the Escrow Account and the terms are subject to the conditions hereinafter set forth;

 

WHEREAS , the Escrow Agent has an agreement with JP Morgan Chase (the “ Bank ”) to establish a special Bank Account (defined below) into which the subscription monies, which are received by the Escrow Agent from the Underwriter and credited to the Escrow Account, are to be deposited; and

 

NOW, THEREFORE in consideration of the premises and mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

 

1                                          Information Sheet . Each capitalized term not otherwise defined in this Agreement shall have the meaning set forth for such term on the information sheet which is attached to this Agreement and is incorporated by reference herein and made a part hereof (the “ Information Sheet ”).

 

2                                          Establishment of the Bank Account .

 

2.1                                The Escrow Agent shall establish a non-interest bearing bank account at a branch of JP Morgan Chase selected by the Escrow Agent, and bearing the designation set forth on the Information Sheet (heretofore defined as the “ Bank Account ”). The purpose of the Bank Account is for (a) the deposit of all subscription monies (checks, or wire transfers) which are received by the Underwriter from prospective purchasers of the Securities and are delivered by the Underwriter to the Escrow Agent, (b) the holding of amounts of subscription monies which are collected through the banking system, and (c) the disbursement of collected funds, all as described herein.

 



 

2.2                                On or before the date of the initial deposit in the Bank Account pursuant to this Agreement, the Underwriter shall notify the Escrow Agent in writing of the effective date of the Registration Statement (the “ Effective Date ”), and the Escrow Agent shall not be required to accept any amounts for credit to the Escrow Account or for deposit in the Bank Account prior to its receipt of such notification.

 

2.3                                The offering period, which shall be deemed to commence on the Effective Date, shall consist of the number of calendar days or business days set forth on the Information Sheet (the “ Offering Period ”). The Offering Period shall be extended by an Extension Period (as defined in the Information Sheet) only if the Escrow Agent shall have received joint written notice thereof from the Issuer and the Underwriter at least five (5) business days prior to the expiration of the Offering Period. The Extension Period, which shall be deemed to commence on the next calendar day following the expiration of the Offering Period, shall consist of the number of calendar days or business days set forth on the Information Sheet. The last day of the Offering Period, or the last day of the Extension Period (if the Escrow Agent has received written notice thereof as hereinabove provided), is referred to herein as the “ Termination Date ”. Except as provided in Section 4.3 hereof, after the Termination Date the Underwriter shall not deposit, and the Escrow Agent shall not accept, any additional amounts representing payments by prospective purchasers.

 

3                                          Deposits to the Bank Account .

 

3.1                                The Underwriter shall promptly deliver to the Escrow Agent all monies in the form of checks or wire transfers which it receives from prospective purchasers of the Securities by noon of the next business day following receipt where internal supervisory review is conducted at the same location at which subscription documents and monies are received.  Upon the Escrow Agent’s receipt of such monies, they shall be credited to the Escrow Account. All checks delivered to the Escrow Agent shall be made payable to “Continental Stock Transfer & Trust AAF Hexindai Inc. Escrow Account.”  Any check payable other than to the Escrow Agent as required hereby shall be returned to the prospective purchaser, or if the Escrow Agent has insufficient information to do so, then to the Underwriter (together with any Subscription Information, as defined below, or other documents delivered therewith) by noon of the next business day following receipt of such check by the Escrow Agent, and such check shall be deemed not to have been delivered to the Escrow Agent pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.

 

3.2                                Promptly after receiving subscription monies as described in Section 3.1, the Escrow Agent shall deposit the same into the Bank Account.  Amounts of monies so deposited are hereinafter referred to as “ Escrow Amounts ”.  The Escrow Agent shall cause the Bank to process all Escrow Amounts for collection through the banking system.  Simultaneously with each deposit to the Escrow Account, the Underwriter (or the Issuer, if such deposit is made by the Issuer) shall inform the Escrow Agent in writing of the name, address, and the tax identification number of the purchaser, the amount of Securities subscribed for by such purchase, and the aggregate dollar amount of such subscription (collectively, the “ Subscription Information ”).

 

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3.3                                The Escrow Agent shall not be required to accept for credit to the Escrow Account or for deposit into the Bank Account checks which are not accompanied by the appropriate Subscription Information, which at minimum shall include the name address, tax identification number and the number of shares/units.  Wire transfers representing payments by prospective purchasers shall not be deemed deposited in the Escrow Account until the Escrow Agent has received in writing the Subscription Information required with respect to such payments.

 

3.4                                The Escrow Agent shall not be required to accept in the Escrow Account any amounts representing payments by prospective purchasers, whether by check or wire, except during the Escrow Agent’s regular business hours.

 

3.5                                Only those Escrow Amounts, which have been deposited in the Bank Account and which have cleared the banking system and have been collected by the Escrow Agent, are herein referred to as the “ Fund ”.

 

3.6                                If the proposed offering is terminated before the Termination Date, the Escrow Agent shall refund any portion of the Fund prior to disbursement of the Fund in accordance with Article 4 hereof upon instructions in writing signed by both the Issuer and the Underwriter.

 

4                                          Disbursement from the Bank Account .

 

4.1                                Subject to Section 4.3 below, if by the close of regular banking hours on the Termination Date the Escrow Agent determines that the amount in the Fund is less than the Minimum Dollar Amount or the Minimum Securities Amount, as indicated by the Subscription information submitted to the Escrow Agent, then in either such case, the Escrow Agent shall promptly refund to each prospective purchaser the amount of payment received from such purchaser which is then held in the Fund or which thereafter clears the banking system, without interest thereon or deduction therefrom, by drawing checks on the Bank Account for the amounts of such payments and transmitting them to the purchasers. In such event, the Escrow Agent shall promptly notify the Issuer and the Underwriter of its distribution of the Fund.

 

4.2                                Subject to Section 4.3 below, if at any time up to the close of regular banking hours on the Termination Date, the Escrow Agent determines that the amount in the Fund is at least equal to the Minimum Dollar Amount and represents the sale of not less than the Minimum Securities Amount, the Escrow Agent shall promptly notify the Issuer and the Underwriter of such fact in writing. The Escrow Agent shall promptly disburse the Fund, by drawing checks on the Bank Account in accordance with instructions in writing signed by both the Issuer and the Underwriter as to the disbursement of the Fund, promptly after it receives such instructions.

 

4.3                                Upon disbursement of the total amount of the Fund pursuant to the terms of this Article 4, the Escrow Agent shall be relieved of all further obligations and released from all liability under this Agreement. It is expressly agreed and understood that in no event shall the

 

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aggregate amount of payments made by the Escrow Agent exceed the amount of the Fund.

 

5                                          Rights, Duties and Responsibilities of Escrow Agent .  It is understood and agreed that the duties of the Escrow Agent are purely ministerial in nature, and that:

 

5.1                                The Escrow Agent shall notify the Underwriter, on a daily basis, of the Escrow Amounts which have been deposited in the Bank Account and of the amounts, constituting the Fund, which have cleared the banking system and have been collected by the Escrow Agent.

 

5.2                                The Escrow Agent shall not be responsible for or be required to enforce any of the terms or conditions of the underwriting agreement or any other agreement between the Underwriter and the Issuer nor shall the Escrow Agent be responsible for the performance by the Underwriter or the Issuer of their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

5.3                                The Escrow Agent shall not be required to accept from the Underwriter (or the Issuer) any Subscription Information pertaining to prospective purchasers unless such Subscription Information is accompanied by checks, or wire transfers meeting the requirements of Section 3.1, nor shall the Escrow Agent be required to keep records of any information with respect to payments deposited by the Underwriter (or the Issuer) except as to the amount of such payments; however, the Escrow Agent shall notify the Underwriter within a reasonable time of any discrepancy between the amount set forth in any Subscription Information and the amount delivered to the Escrow Agent therewith. Such amount need not be accepted for deposit in the Escrow Account until such discrepancy has been resolved.

 

5.4                                The Escrow Agent shall be under no duty or responsibility to enforce collection of any check delivered to it hereunder. The Escrow Agent, within a reasonable time, shall return to the Underwriter any check received which is dishonored, together with the Subscription Information, if any, which accompanied such check.

 

5.5                                The Escrow Agent shall be entitled to rely upon the accuracy, act in reliance upon the contents, and assume the genuineness of any notice, instruction, certificate , signature, instrument or other document which is given to the Escrow Agent pursuant to this Agreement without the necessity of the Escrow Agent verifying the truth or accuracy thereof. The Escrow Agent shall not be obligated to make any inquiry as to the authority, capacity, existence or identity or any person purporting to give any such notice or instructions or to execute any such certificate, instrument or other document.

 

5.6                                If the Escrow Agent is uncertain as to its duties or rights hereunder or shall receive instructions with respect to the Bank Account, the Escrow Amounts or the Fund which, in its sole determination, are in conflict either with other, instructions received by it or with any provision of this Agreement, it shall be entitled to hold the Escrow Amounts, the Fund, or a portion thereof, in the Bank Account pending the resolution of such uncertainty to the Escrow Agent’s sole satisfaction, by final judgment of a court or courts

 

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of competent jurisdiction or otherwise;  or the Escrow Agent, at its sole option, may deposit the Fund (and any other Escrow Amounts that thereafter become part of the Fund) with the Clerk of a court of competent jurisdiction in a proceeding to which all parties in interest are joined. Upon the deposit by the Escrow Agent of the Fund with the Clerk of any court, the Escrow Agent shall be relieved of all further obligations and released from all liability hereunder.

 

5.7                                The Escrow Agent shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted hereunder, or for the misconduct of any employee, agent or attorney appointed by it, except in the case of willful misconduct or gross negligence. The Escrow Agent shall be entitled to consult with counsel of its own choosing and shall not be Liable for any action taken, suffered or omitted by it in accordance with the advice of such counsel.

 

5.8                                The Escrow Agent shall have no responsibility at any time to ascertain whether or not any security interest exists in the Escrow Amounts, the Fund or any part thereof or to file any statement under the Uniform Commercial Code with respect to the Fund or any part thereof.

 

6                                          Amendment; Resignation .   This Agreement may be altered or amended only with the written consent of the Issuer, the Underwriter and the Escrow Agent.

 

6.1                                The Escrow Agent may resign for any reason upon thirty (30) business days’ written notice to the Issuer and the Underwriter. Should the Escrow Agent resign as herein provided , it shall not be required to accept any deposit, make any disbursement or otherwise dispose of the Escrow Amounts or the Fund, but its only duty shall be to hold the Escrow Amounts until they clear the banking system and the Fund for a period of not more than five (5) business days following the effective date of such resignation, at which time (a) if a successor escrow agent shall have been appointed and written notice thereof (including the name and address of such successor escrow agent) shall have been given to the resigning Escrow Agent by the Issuer, the Underwriter and such successor escrow agent, then the resigning Escrow Agent shall pay over to the successor escrow agent the Fund, less any portion thereof previously paid out in accordance with this Agreement; or (b) if the resigning Escrow Agent shall not have received written notice signed by the Issuer, the Underwriter and a successor escrow agent, then the resigning Escrow Agent shall promptly refund the amount in the Fund to each prospective purchaser without interest thereon or deduction therefrom, and the resigning Escrow Agent shall promptly notify the Issuer and the Underwriter in writing of its liquidation and distribution of the Fund; whereupon, in either case, the Escrow Agent shall be relieved of all further obligations and released from all liability under this Agreement. Without limiting the provisions of Section 8 hereof, the resigning Escrow Agent shall be entitled to be reimbursed by the Issuer and the Underwriter for any actual expenses incurred in connection with its resignation, transfer of the Fund to a successor escrow agent or distribution of the Fund pursuant to this Section 6.

 

7                                          Representations and Warranties .  The Issuer and the Underwriter hereby jointly and severally represent and warrant to the Escrow Agent that:

 

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7.1                                No party other than the parties hereto and the prospective purchasers have, or shall have, any lien, claim or security interest in the Escrow Amounts or the Fund or any part thereof.

 

7.2                                No financing statement under the Uniform Commercial Code is on file in any jurisdiction claiming a security interest in or describing (whether specifically or generally) the Escrow Amounts or the Fund or any part thereof.

 

7.3                                The Subscription Information submitted with each deposit shall, at the time of submission and at the time of disbursement of the Fund, be deemed a representation and warranty that such deposit represents a bona fide payment by the purchaser described therein for the amount of securities in such described as Subscription Information.

 

7.4                                All of the information contained in the Information Sheet is, as of the date hereof, and will be, at the time of any disbursement of the Fund, true and correct.

 

7.5                                Reasonable controls have been established and required due diligence performed to comply with “Know Your Customer” regulations, USA Patriot Act, Office of the Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) regulations and the Bank Secrecy Act.

 

8                                          Fees and Expenses .  The Escrow Agent shall be entitled to the Escrow Agent Fees set forth on the Information Sheet, payable as and when stated therein. In addition, the Issuer and the Underwriter jointly and severally agree to reimburse the Escrow Agent for any reasonable expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement, including, but not limited to, reasonable counsel fees. Upon receipt of the Minimum Dollar Amount, the Escrow Agent shall have a lien upon the Fund to the extent of its fees for services as Escrow Agent.

 

9                                          Indemnification and Contribution .

 

9.1                                The Issuer and the Underwriter (collectively referred to as the “ Indemnitors ”) jointly and severally agree to indemnify the Escrow Agent and its officers, directors, employees, agents and shareholders (collectively referred to as the “ Indemnitees ”) against, and hold them harmless of and from, any and all loss, liability, cost, damage and expense, including without limitation, reasonable counsel fees, which the Indemnitees may suffer or incur by reason of any action, claim or proceeding brought against the Indemnitees arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement or any transaction to which this Agreement relates, unless such action, claim or proceeding is the result of the willful misconduct or gross negligence of the Indemnitees.

 

9.2                                If the indemnification provided for in Section 9.1 is applicable, but for any reason is held to be unavailable, the Indemnitors shall contribute such amounts as are just and equitable to pay, or to reimburse the Indemnitees for, the aggregate of any and all losses, liabilities, costs, damages and expenses, including counsel fees, actually incurred by the Indemnitees as a result of or in connection with, and any amount paid in settlement of, any action, claim or proceeding arising out of or relating in any way to any actions or omissions of the Indemnitors.

 

6



 

9.3                                The provisions of this Article 9 shall survive any termination of this Agreement, whether by disbursement of the Fund, resignation of the Escrow Agent or otherwise.

 

10                                   Governing Law and Assignment . This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of New York and shall be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns; provided, however, that any assignment or transfer by any party of its rights under this Agreement or with respect to the Escrow Amounts or the Fund shall be void as against the Escrow Agent unless (a) written notice thereof shall be given to the Escrow Agent; and (b) the Escrow Agent shall have consented in writing to such assignment or transfer.

 

11                                   Notices .   All notices required to be given in connection with this Agreement shall be sent by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, electronic mail (“e-mail”) with PDF attachment executed by an authorized signer of the Party/Parties to the e-mail address given below or by hand delivery with receipt acknowledged, or by the Express Mail service offered by the United States Post Office, and addressed, if to the Issuer or the Underwriter, at their respective addresses set forth on the Information Sheet, and if to the Escrow Agent, at its address set forth above, to the attention of the Trust Department. The notice shall be deemed to have been duly given: (a) when received if personally delivered; (b) the day after it is sent, if sent for next day delivery to a domestic address by a recognized overnight delivery service ( e.g. , Federal Express); and (c) upon receipt, if sent by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested.  The commencement of any notice periods set forth in a notice shall begin upon the deemed delivery date of such notice.

 

12                                   Severability .   If any provision of this Agreement or the application thereof to any person or circumstance shall be determined to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions of this Agreement or the application of such provision to persons or circumstances other than those to which it is held invalid or unenforceable shall not be affected thereby and shall be valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law.

 

13                                   Execution in Several Counterparts .   This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts or by separate instruments, and all of such counterparts and instruments shall constitute one agreement, binding on all of the parties hereto.

 

14                                   Entire Agreement .   This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (written or oral) of the parties in connection therewith.

 

7



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have executed this Agreement as of the day and year first above written.

 

THE ISSUER

THE ESCROW AGENT

 

 

 

 

HEXINDAI INC.

CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

By:

 

 

Name:

 

 

Name:

 

Title:

 

 

Title:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE UNDERWRITER

 

 

 

NETWORK 1 FINANCIAL SECURITIES, INC.

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

 

Name:

 

 

 

Title:

 

 

 



 

EXHIBIT A

 

ESCROW AGREEMENT INFORMATION SHEET

 

1.                                       The Issuer

Name: Hexindai Inc.

Address: 13th Floor, Block C, Shimao No. 92 Jianguo Road Chaoyang District, Beijing People’s Republic of China 100020

 

2.                                       The Underwriter

Name: Network 1 Financial Securities, Inc.

Address: 2 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank, NJ 07701 USA

 

3.                                       The Securities

Description of the Securities to be offered: Up to               shares of the Issuer.

 

4.                                       Minimum Securities Amount and Conditions Required for Disbursement of the Escrow Account

Aggregate dollar amount which must be collected before the Escrow Account may be disbursed to the Issuer: US$                (“Minimum Dollar Amount”)

 

Maximum Securities Amount and Conditions Required for Disbursement of the Escrow Account US$                     (“Maximum Dollar Amount”)

 

5.                                       Plan of Distribution of the Securities

Initial Offering Period: Through                 , 2017

Extension Period, if any: Until                  , 2018

 

6.                                       Title of Escrow Account

“Continental Stock Transfer & Trust AAF Hexindai Inc. Escrow Account”

 

7.                                       Escrow Agent Fees and Charges

$5,500 for the first 6 months:  $2,750.00 payable at signing of the Escrow Agreement, plus $2,750.00 at the Closing. (Note:  $250.00 online “view only” access to the bank account is included).  A fee of $500 will be payable for document review services related to each amendment/extension to the Escrow Agreement.  In addition, the Escrow Agent shall be paid a fee of $500.00 for each additional closing beyond the Initial Offering Period.  Should the Escrow Agent continue for more than six months, the Escrow Agent shall receive a fee of $600.00 per month, or any portion thereof, payable in advance or the first business day of the month.

 

Distribution charges:

$10.00 per check

$50.00 per wire

$100.00 per check returned (NSF) check

$100.00 lost check replacement fee

$50.00 per DWAC (share movement to DTC)

$10.00 per share certificate

 




Exhibit 21.1

 

List of Subsidiaries of the Registrant

 

Name

 

Subsidiaries

 

Place of
Incorporation

 

Hexindai Hong Kong Limited

 

100

%

Hong Kong

 

Beijing Hexin Yongheng Technology Development Co., Ltd

 

100

%

People’s Republic of China

 

Hexin E-Commerce Co., Ltd

 

VIE

 

People’s Republic of China

 

Xizang Qinhe E-Commerce Technology Co. Ltd

 

Subsidiary of VIE

 

People’s Republic of China

 

 

1




Exhibit 23.1

 

谢尔曼 · 思特灵律师事务所

 

SOLICITORS AND INTERNATIONAL LAWYERS

12TH FLOOR GLOUCESTER TOWER | THE LANDMARK | 15 QUEEN’S ROAD CENTRAL | HONG KONG

香港 | 中环 | 皇后大道中十五号 | 置地广场 | 告罗士打大厦十二楼

WWW.SHEARMAN.COM | T 电话 +852.2978.8000 | F 传真 +852.2978.8099

 

PARTNERS
Matthew D. Bersani
Nils Eliasson

 

Sidharth Bhasin  
Colin Law

 

Brian G. Burke  
Paul Strecker

 

Lorna Xin Chen
Paloma P. Wang

 

Peter C.M. Chen
Alan Y.L. Yeung

 

REGISTERED FOREIGN LAWYERS

 

Emmanuel Jacomy

Shichun Tang ‡‡

Xiaogang Wang ‡‡

 

September 29, 2017

 

Hexindai Inc.

13th Floor, Block C, Shimao

No. 92 Jianguo Road

Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020

People’s Republic of China

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

We hereby consent to the use of our name under the caption “Legal Matters” and “Taxation” in the prospectus included in the registration statement on Form F-1, originally filed on the date hereof by Hexindai Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the regulations promulgated thereunder.

 


† Non-resident Partner

‡ Admitted in England and Wales (U.K.) and partner of Shearman & Sterling LLP

‡‡ Admitted in the State of New York (U.S.A.) and partners of Shearman & Sterling LLP

 

ABU DHABI  |  BEIJING  |  BRUSSELS  |  DUBAI  |  FRANKFURT  |  HONG KONG  |  LONDON  |  MENLO PARK  |  MILAN  |  NEW YORK
PARIS  |  ROME  |  SAN FRANCISCO  |  SÃO PAULO  |  SAUDI ARABIA*  |  SHANGHAI  |  SINGAPORE  |  TOKYO  |  TORONTO  |  WASHINGTON, DC

SHEARMAN & STERLING IS A GENERAL PARTNERSHIP FORMED PURSUANT TO THE HONG KONG PARTNERSHIP ORDINANCE AND REGISTERED WITH THE LAW SOCIETY OF HONG KONG.

*DR. SULTAN ALMASOUD & PARTNERS IN ASSOCIATION WITH SHEARMAN & STERLING LLP

 

 

Sincerely yours,

 

 

 

/s/ Shearman & Sterling

 

Shearman & Sterling

 




Exhibit 23.3

 

Hexindai Inc.

 

13 th  Floor, Block C, Shimao

 

No. 92 Jianguo Road

 

Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020

 

People’s Republic of China

 

 

September 29, 2017

Re: Consent of Oliver Wyman

 

 

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

 

We understand that Hexindai Inc. (the “Company”) plans to file a registration statement on Form F-1 (the “Registration Statement”) with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) in connection with its proposed initial public offering (the “Proposed IPO”).

 

We hereby consent to the references to our name, data and statements from our research reports and amendments thereto, including but not limited to the industry research report titled “China Consumer Lending Marketplace — Overview and Perspectives” (the “Report”), and any subsequent amendments to the Report, (i) in the preliminary and final Registration Statements and any amendments thereto, including under the heading “Experts”, (ii) in any written correspondences with the SEC, (iii) in any other future filings with the SEC by the Company, including filings on Form 20-F, Form 6-K and other SEC filings (collectively, the “SEC Filings”), (iv) on the websites of the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates, (v) in institutional and retail road shows and other activities in connection with the Proposed IPO, and in other publicity materials in connection with the Proposed IPO.

 

We further hereby consent to the filing of this letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto and as an exhibit to any other SEC Filings.

 

 

For and on behalf of Oliver Wyman,

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ Cliff Sheng

 

 

 

Name: Cliff Sheng

 

 

 

Title: Partner

 




Exhibit 23.4

 

 

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM’S CONSENT

 

We consent to the inclusion in this Registration Statement of Hexindai Inc. on Form F-1 of our report dated July 6, 2017, except for Note 17, as to which the date is September 19, 2017, with respect to our audits of the consolidated financial statements of Hexindai Inc. as of March 31, 2017 and 2016 and for the years ended March 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, which report appears in the Prospectus, which is part of this Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to our Firm under the heading “Experts” in such Prospectus.

 

/s/ Marcum Bernstein & Pinchuk LLP

 

 

 

Marcum Bernstein & Pinchuk LLP

 

Beijing, China

 

 

 

September 29, 2017

 

 

BEIJING OFFICE  • Unit 2419-2422 • Kerry Center South Tower • #1 Guang Hua Road • Chaoyang District, Beijing • 100020

Phone 8610.8518.7992 •  Fax 8610.8518.7993 • www.marcumbp.com

 




Exhibit 23.6

 

Hexindai Inc.

13 th  Floor, Block C, Shimao

No. 92 Jianguo Road

Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020

People’s Republic of China

 

September 29, 2017

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Pursuant to Rule 438 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, I hereby consent to be named in the Registration Statement on Form F-1 (the “Registration Statement”) of Hexindai Inc. (the “Company”), and any amendments thereto, as a person about to become a director of the Company and agree that following the effectiveness of the Registration Statement and commencing at the time the Securities and Exchange Commission declares the registration statement on Form 8-A under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, effective, I will serve as a member of the board of directors of the Company.

 

[ Signature page to follow ]

 



 

 

Sincerely yours,

 

 

/s/ Stephen Markscheid

 

Name: Stephen Markscheid

 




Exhibit 23.7

 

Hexindai Inc.

13 th  Floor, Block C, Shimao

No. 92 Jianguo Road

Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020

People’s Republic of China

 

September 29, 2017

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Pursuant to Rule 438 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, I hereby consent to be named in the Registration Statement on Form F-1 (the “Registration Statement”) of Hexindai Inc. (the “Company”), and any amendments thereto, as a person about to become a director of the Company and agree that following the effectiveness of the Registration Statement and commencing at the time the Securities and Exchange Commission declares the registration statement on Form 8-A under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, effective, I will serve as a member of the board of directors of the Company.

 

[ Signature page to follow ]

 



 

 

Sincerely yours,

 

 

 

/s/ Guo Dagang

 

Name: Guo Dagang

 




Exhibit 99.1

 

HEXINDAI INC.

 

CODE OF BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS

 



 

Table of Contents

 

 

 

Page

 

 

 

1.

INTRODUCTION

1

 

 

 

 

1.1

About the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

1

 

1.2

Meeting Our Shared Obligations

1

 

 

 

2.

RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR ORGANIZATION

1

 

 

 

 

2.1

Conflicts of Interest

1

 

2.2

Company Opportunities

3

 

2.3

Entertainment, Gifts and Gratuities

3

 

2.4

Protection and Proper Use of Company Assets

4

 

2.5

Network Use, Integrity & Security

4

 

2.6

Company Books and Records

5

 

2.7

Compliance with Laws, Rules and Regulations

6

 

2.8

Insider Trading

6

 

2.9

Documentation

7

 

2.10

Responding to Inquiries from the Press and Others

7

 

 

 

3.

FAIR DEALING

7

 

 

 

 

3.1

Trade Practice and Antitrust Compliance

7

 

 

 

4.

RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR PEOPLE

8

 

 

 

 

4.1

Respecting One Another

8

 

4.2

Employee Privacy

8

 

4.3

Equal Employment Opportunity and Nondiscrimination

8

 

4.4

Sexual and Other Forms of Harassment

8

 

4.5

Other Forms of Harassment

9

 

4.6

Reporting Responsibilities and Procedures

9

 

4.7

Safety in the Workplace

9

 

 

 

5.

INTERACTING WITH GOVERNMENT

9

 

 

 

 

5.1

Prohibition on Gifts to Government Officials and Employees

9

 

5.2

Political Contributions and Activities

10

 

5.3

Lobbying Activities

10

 

5.4

Bribery of Foreign Officials

10

 

 

 

6.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CODE

10

 

 

 

 

6.1

Reporting Violations

10

 

6.2

Investigations of Suspected Violations

11

 

6.3

Subpoenas and Government Investigations

11

 

6.4

Discipline for Violations

11

 

6.5

Waivers of the Code

11

 

6.6

No Rights Created

11

 



 

1.                                       INTRODUCTION

 

1.1                                About the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

 

This Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the “Code”) is designed to develop the values, principles and standards that guide the actions of Hexindai Inc., including its direct and indirect subsidiaries that currently exist or that may be created in the future (collectively, the “Company”) and what is expected of its employees, officers and directors. The Code has been approved by the Company’s Board of Directors. The Code helps the Company conduct its business in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations and in accordance with the highest standards of business conduct that govern its operations. The Code contains values, principles and standards that guide the conduct of the Company and its employees, officers and directors among themselves, in front of customers and in the community in general, which do not exclude the obligations assumed under local and international laws and regulations binding the Company and its employees, officers and directors in each of the countries where it has a presence, and where its employees, officers and directors provide their services.

 

The Company expects all employees, officers and directors to act in accordance with the highest levels of professional integrity in all aspects, and to comply with all applicable laws, policies or procedures adopted by the Company. The Company will not tolerate any behavior that violates or jeopardizes the Code, or any other external or internal policies or rules.

 

The Code is a statement of policies for individual and business conduct and does not, in any way, constitute an employment contract or an assurance of continued employment.

 

Nothing in this Code is meant to limit or restrict the terms of (i) any employment letter or confidentiality agreement an employee may have previously signed, (ii) any policy or directives adopted by the Company or advised by the Company’s general counsel (the “General Counsel”) from time to time or (iii) any employee handbook.

 

1.2                                Meeting Our Shared Obligations

 

All employees, officers and directors are responsible for knowing and understanding the policies and guidelines contained in the following pages. Any questions should be raised with the General Counsel and the Company’s compliance officer. The Legal Department, which is responsible for overseeing and monitoring compliance with the Code, and the other resources set forth in this Code, is available to answer any questions and provide guidance and can be reached at 13th Floor, Block C, Shimao No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020, People’s Republic of China. The same address may also be used to report suspected misconduct. Reports can be made online at acctingcomp@hexindai.com. The conduct of our employees, officers and directors should reflect the Company’s values, demonstrate ethical leadership, and promote a work environment that upholds the Company’s reputation for integrity, ethical conduct and trust.

 

2.                                       RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR ORGANIZATION

 

The employees, officers and directors of the Company are expected to dedicate their best efforts to advancing the Company’s interests and to make decisions that affect the Company based on the Company’s best interests, independent of outside influences.

 

2.1                                Conflicts of Interest

 

A conflict of interest occurs when an employee, officer or director of the Company has a private interest which is adverse to, or may appear to be adverse to, the Company’s interests. The Company expects all employees, officers and directors to exercise good judgment and the highest ethical standards in their activities on behalf of the Company as well as in their private activities outside the Company. Particular care should be taken to ensure that no detriment to the interests of the Company (or appearance of such detriment) may result from a conflict between those interests and any personal or business interests which an individual employee, officer or director may have. In particular, every employee, officer and director has an obligation to avoid, or, if avoidance is not feasible, disclose in accordance with this Code, any activity, agreement, business investment or interest or other situation that might in fact or in appearance cause the individual to place his or her own interests, or those of another, above his or her obligation to the Company. Care should be taken about the appearance of a conflict since such appearance might impair confidence in, or the reputation of, the Company even if there is no actual conflict and no wrongdoing.

 

1



 

Special rules apply to executive officers and directors who engage in conduct that creates an actual, apparent or potential conflict of interest. Before engaging in any such conduct, executive officers and directors must make full disclosure of all facts and circumstances to the General Counsel, who shall inform and seek the prior approval of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.

 

While it is not possible to describe or anticipate all the circumstances and situations that might involve a conflict of interest, a conflict of interest can arise whenever an employee, officer or director takes action or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her work objectively or effectively or when they (or a member of their family) receive improper personal benefits as a result of their position in the Company. Conflicts may arise where an employee, officer or director, or member of his or her family:

 

·                   Has a financial interest in the Company’s competitors, customers, suppliers or others dealing with the Company (excluding interests that are less than 1% of the outstanding securities of a publicly traded corporation);

 

·                   Is indebted to a competitor or supplier of goods or services to the Company, other than banks or other financial institutions for typical consumer debt generally available to non-Company employees;

 

·                   Has a consulting, managerial or employment relationship in any capacity with, or is a board member of, a competitor, customer, supplier or others dealing with the Company; or

 

·                   Acquires, directly or indirectly, real property, leaseholds, patents or other property or rights in which the Company has, or the employee, officer or director knows or has reason to believe at the time of acquisition that the Company is likely to have, an interest.

 

Focus of Employees and Officers The Company’s employees and officers are expected to devote their full time and attention to the Company’s business during regular working hours and for whatever additional time may be required. Outside business activities can easily create conflicts of interest or diminish productivity and effectiveness. For these reasons, employees and officers should avoid outside business activities that divert their time and talents from the Company’s business. Though the Company encourages professional activities and community involvement, special care must be taken not to compromise duties owed to the Company. Employees and officers are expected to disclose the nature of any non-Company activity for which compensation is received. Employees and officers must obtain approval from the Board before agreeing to serve on the board of directors or similar body of a for-profit enterprise or government agency. Serving on boards of not-for-profit or community organizations does not require prior approval. However, if service with a not-for-profit or community organization creates a situation that poses a conflict of interest with the Company (for example, the organization solicits charitable contributions from the Company or purchases significant services from the Company), the Company’s General Counsel should be contacted for approval to continue such service.

 

Investments in Other Companies Employees, officers and directors of the Company should not acquire a significant equity ownership position in any significant customer, supplier or competitor of the Company or in any company with which the Company is engaged in, or proposes to engage in, or, to the knowledge of the employee, officer or director, is considering entering into, a significant business transaction. The significance of an equity ownership position will be determined with reference to the size of the position with respect to the other company’s outstanding equity and with respect to the size of the employee’s, officer’s or director’s personal net worth. An equity ownership position that exceeds 1% of the outstanding equity securities of another company will be deemed to be significant (regardless of its size with respect to the size of the employee’s, officer’s or director’s personal net worth), unless the Audit Committee determines otherwise based on a review of the specific facts and circumstances relating to the investment. An employee, officer or director who holds a significant equity ownership position in another company that, subsequent to the acquisition of the ownership position, becomes a significant customer, supplier or competitor of the Company, or with which the Company is considering or proposes to enter into a significant business transaction, shall promptly disclose his or her ownership in the other company to the Audit Committee and shall recuse himself or herself with respect to final Board deliberations and votes of directors regarding the Company’s relationship with the other company, unless the Bye-laws provide otherwise. In addition, upon the request of the Audit Committee or a majority of disinterested directors, a director shall also recuse himself or herself from any negotiations or preliminary Board discussions regarding the Company’s relationship with the other company, unless the Bye-laws provide otherwise. Employees, officers and directors should contact the General Counsel if they have a question as to whether a company in which they have invested or wish to invest is a significant customer, supplier or competitor of the Company, or is a company with which the Company is considering or proposes to enter into a significant business transaction. No employee, officer or director of the Company may participate in an initial public offering or otherwise accept special investment opportunities from a supplier, vendor (including banks or financial advisers), or customer with whom the Company is doing business or that is seeking to sell products or services to the Company without first disclosing the opportunity to the Audit Committee.

 

2



 

There are several factors to consider in assessing a situation involving a potential conflict of interest. Among them: the relationship between the Company and the other company; the nature of the employee, officer or director’s responsibilities as a representative of the Company and those of the other person; and the access each employee, officer and director has to the Company’s confidential information. The very appearance of a conflict of interest can create problems, regardless of the propriety of the employee, officer or director’s behavior. To remove any such doubts or suspicions, the employee, officer or director must disclose their specific situation to the General Counsel to assess the nature and extent of any concern and how it can be resolved. In some instances, any risk to the Company’s interests is sufficiently remote that the General Counsel may only remind the employee, officer or director to guard against inadvertently disclosing Company confidential information and not to be involved in decisions on behalf of the Company that involve the other company.

 

2.2                                Company Opportunities

 

Employees, officers and directors owe a duty to advance the legitimate interests of the Company when they arise. No employee, officer or director of the Company shall for personal or any other person’s or entity’s gain deprive the Company of any business opportunity for benefit which could be construed as related to any existing or reasonably anticipated future activity of the Company. Employees, officers and directors who learn of any such opportunity through their association with the Company may not disclose it to a third party or invest in the opportunity without first offering it to the Company. Nor should any employee, officer or director use Company property, information or position for personal gain.

 

2.3                                Entertainment, Gifts and Gratuities

 

The following should be read in conjunction with the Company’s “Anti-Corruption Policy and Procedures,” as adopted by the Board of Directors and as amended from time to time (the “Anti-Corruption Policy”). Employees, officers and directors are required to abide by all of the terms of the Anti-Corruption Policy.

 

Receipt of Gifts and Entertainment When an employee, officer or director is involved in making business decisions on behalf of the Company, their decisions must be based on uncompromised, objective judgment. Employees, officer and directors interacting with any person who has business dealings with the Company (including suppliers, customers, competitors, contractors and consultants) must conduct such activities in the best interest of the Company, using consistent and unbiased standards. Employees, officers and directors must never accept gifts or other benefits if their business judgment or decisions could be affected.

 

Employees, officers and directors must never ask for gifts, entertainment or any other business courtesies from people doing business with the Company. Unsolicited gifts and business courtesies, including meals and entertainment, are permissible if they are customary and commonly accepted business courtesies; not excessive in value; and given and accepted without an express or implied understanding that the employee, officer or director is in any way obligated by their acceptance of the gift or that the gift is a reward or inducement for any particular business decision already made or forthcoming. Gifts that are or seem extravagant in value or unusual in nature should not be accepted without the prior written approval of the Legal Department. Gifts of cash or cash equivalents (including securities, below-market loans, etc.) in any amount are prohibited and must be returned promptly to the donor.

 

Offering Gifts and Entertainment Employees, officers and directors providing a gift, entertainment or other accommodation in connection with Company business, must do so in a manner that is in good taste and without excessive expense. Gifts may not be furnished or offered to be furnished that are of more than token value or that go beyond the common courtesies associated with accepted business practices or that are an inducement or reward for entering into a business transaction. Employees, officers and directors should follow the Anti-Corruption Policy in determining when it is appropriate to give gifts and when prior written approval from the Legal Department is required.

 

The Company’s suppliers, customers and consultants likely have gift and entertainment policies of their own. Employees, officers and directors must be careful never to provide a gift or entertainment that violates the other company’s gift and entertainment policy.

 

What is acceptable in the commercial business environment may be entirely unacceptable in dealings with the government, including representatives of foreign governments and government-owned companies in foreign countries. There are strict laws that govern providing gifts, including meals, entertainment, transportation and lodging, to government officials and employees. Employees, officers and directors are prohibited from providing gifts or anything of value to government officials or employees or members of their families, including representatives of foreign governments and government-owned companies in foreign countries, in connection with Company business without prior written approval from the Legal Department in accordance with the Anti-Corruption Policy. Giving or receiving any payment or gift in the nature of a bribe or kickback is absolutely prohibited.

 

3



 

2.4                                Protection and Proper Use of Company Assets

 

Employees, officers and directors have the responsibility of protecting the Company’s assets and preventing their misuse and misappropriation. The assets of the Company include tangible assets, such as products, equipment and facilities, as well as intangible assets, such as corporate opportunities, intellectual property, trade secrets and business information (including any nonpublic information learned as an employee, officer or director of the Company).

 

Theft/Misuse of Company Assets The Company’s assets may only be used for business purposes and such other purposes as are approved by the Company. No employee, officer or director may take, make use of, or knowingly misappropriate the assets of the Company, for personal use, for use by another, or for an improper or illegal purpose. No employee, officer or director is permitted to remove, dispose of, or destroy anything of value belonging to the Company without the Company’s consent, including both physical items and electronic information.

 

Confidential Information/Privacy No employee, officer or director of the Company who is entrusted with information of a confidential or proprietary nature (about the Company, its suppliers, customers or other constituents) shall disclose that information outside the Company, either during or after service with the Company, except with written authorization of the Company or as may be otherwise required by law. Employees, officers and directors may not use confidential information for their own personal benefit or the benefit of persons or entities outside the Company.

 

Confidential information includes all non-public information learned as an employee, officer or director of the Company. It includes, but is not limited to:

 

·                   Non-public information that might be (i) of use to competitors, suppliers, vendors, joint venture partners or others, (ii) of interest to the press, or (iii) harmful to the Company or its customers, if disclosed;

 

·                   Non-public information about the Company’s financial condition, prospects or plans, its marketing and sales programs and research and development information, as well as information relating to mergers and acquisitions, stock splits and divestitures;

 

·                   Non-public information concerning possible transactions with other companies or information about the Company’s customers, suppliers or joint venture partners, which the Company is under an obligation to maintain as confidential;

 

·                   Non-public information about discussions and deliberations, relating to business issues and decisions, between and among employees, officers and directors. See section relating to Insider Trading and Fair Disclosure; and

 

·                   Non-public information about fellow employees or any other individuals about whom the Company may hold information from time to time.

 

2.5                                Network Use, Integrity & Security

 

The Company reserves the right to monitor or review any and all data and information contained on any employee’s or officer’s computer or other electronic device issued by the Company. In addition, the Company reserves the right to monitor or review an employee’s or officer’s use of the Internet, Company Intranet and Company e-mail or any other electronic communications without prior notice.

 

Access to Company systems will be revoked and disciplinary action may be taken in the event that such systems are used to commit illegal acts, or to violate the nondiscrimination, harassment, pornography, solicitation or proprietary information terms of this Code, or any other terms of this Code.

 

In order to maintain systems integrity and protect the Company network, no employee or officer should divulge any passwords used to access any Company computer or database. Any suspected breach of the Company’s network security systems should be reported to a responsible supervisor or appropriate internal authority immediately.

 

All employees and officers should refrain from using or distributing software that may damage or disrupt the Company’s work environment by transmitting a virus or conflicting with Company systems. No employee or officer should engage in the unauthorized use, copying, distribution or alteration of computer software whether obtained from outside sources or developed internally. All software, including “shareware,” contains terms of use that must be adhered to.

 

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2.6                                Company Books and Records

 

It is the Company’s policy to fully and fairly disclose the financial condition of the Company in compliance with applicable accounting principles, laws, rules and regulations and to make full, fair, accurate timely and understandable disclosure in our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in other communications to securities analysts, rating agencies and investors. Honest and accurate recording and reporting of information is critical to our ability to make responsible business decisions. The Company’s accounting records are relied upon to produce reports for the Company’s management, rating agencies, investors, creditors, governmental agencies and others. Our financial statements and the books and records on which they are based must accurately reflect all corporate transactions and conform to all legal and accounting requirements and our system of internal controls.

 

All employees, officers and directors and, in particular, the CEO and the CFO, have a responsibility to ensure that the Company’s accounting records do not contain any false or intentionally misleading entries. We do not tolerate intentional misclassification of transactions as to accounts, departments or accounting periods and, in particular:

 

·                   All accounting records, as well as reports produced from those records, are to be kept and presented in accordance with the laws of each applicable jurisdiction;

 

·                   All records are to fairly and accurately reflect the transactions or occurrences to which they relate;

 

·                   All records are to fairly and accurately reflect in reasonable detail the Company’s assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses;

 

·                   No accounting records are to contain any intentionally false or misleading entries;

 

·                   No transactions are to be misclassified as to accounts, departments or accounting periods;

 

·                   All transactions are to be supported by accurate documentation in reasonable detail and recorded in the proper account and in the proper accounting period;

 

·                   All accounting records are to comply with generally accepted accounting principles; and

 

·                   The Company’s system of internal accounting controls, including compensation controls, is required to be followed at all times.

 

Any effort to mislead or coerce the independent auditors or a member of internal audit staff concerning issues related to audit, accounting or financial disclosure has serious legal consequences for the perpetrator, including criminal sanctions, and for the Company, and is strictly prohibited. If an employee, officer or directors become aware of any violation of this policy, they must report the matter immediately to the Audit Committee as follows:

 

Audit Committee, Hexindai Inc.

13th Floor, Block C, Shimao

No. 92 Jianguo Road

Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020

People’s Republic of China

 

Consistent with the reporting and recordkeeping commitments discussed above and elsewhere in the Code, all employees, officers and directors should accurately and truthfully complete all records used to determine compensation or expense reimbursement. This includes, among other items, reporting of hours worked (including overtime), reimbursable expenses (including travel and meals), and sales activity.

 

Compliance with the Company’s records retention procedures is mandatory. Destroying or altering a document with the intent to impair the document’s integrity or availability for use in any potential official proceeding is a crime. Destruction of corporate records may only take place in compliance with the records retention policy. Documents relevant to any pending, threatened or anticipated litigation, investigation or audit shall not be destroyed for any reason. Any belief that Company records are being improperly altered or destroyed should be reported to a responsible supervisor, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer or the Chairman of the Audit Committee.

 

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2.7                                Compliance with Laws, Rules and Regulations

 

The Company requires its employees, officers and directors to comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations in countries where the Company does business. Violation of domestic or foreign laws and regulations may subject an individual, as well as the Company, to civil and/or criminal penalties.

 

Legal compliance is not always intuitive. To comply with the law, employees, officers and directors must learn enough about the national, state and local laws that affect the Company to spot potential issues and to obtain proper guidance on the right way to proceed. This means, for example, that employees and officers whose day-to-day work is directly affected by particular laws have a responsibility to understand them well enough to recognize potential problem areas and to know when and where to seek advice. When there is any doubt as to the lawfulness of any proposed activity, advice should be sought from the Company’s General Counsel, who may retain outside legal counsel to investigate the proposed activity.

 

Specific laws and regulations apply to participation in international business. Employees and officers involved in foreign business transactions must be fully familiar with, and strictly adhere to, all applicable foreign and domestic laws and regulations. Employees and officers involved in international business matters must, at a minimum, be familiar with and comply with all applicable laws controlling exports or regulating with whom the Company and its employees may do business. These laws include export control and licensing laws, economic sanctions, anti-boycott laws and various laws regulating the transnational movement of technology, goods and services. Questions regarding whether particular international transactions are permissible and compliance with applicable laws and this policy must be directed to the Company’s General Counsel.

 

2.8                                Insider Trading

 

The following is intended to provide a summary of certain provisions of the Company’s “Insider Trading Policy,” as adopted by the Board of Directors and as amended from time to time (the “Trading Policy”), and should be read in conjunction with the Trading Policy. Employees, officers and directors are required to abide by all of the terms of the Trading Policy. Nothing in this summary is intended to amend, modify or limit the terms of the Trading Policy.

 

Employees, officers and directors are prohibited by Company policy and the law from buying or selling securities of the Company at a time when in possession of “material nonpublic information.” (There is, however, an exception for trades made pursuant to a pre-existing trading plan, discussed below.) This conduct is known as “insider trading.” Passing such information on to someone who may buy or sell securities, known as “tipping,” is also illegal. The prohibition applies to Company securities and to securities of other companies if employees, officers and directors learn material nonpublic information about other companies, such as the Company’s customers, in the course of the employees’, officers’ and directors’ duties for the Company.

 

Information is “material” if (a) there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable investor would find the information “important” in determining whether to trade in a security; or (b) the information, if made public, likely would affect the market price of a company’s securities. Examples of types of material information include unannounced dividends, earnings, financial results, new or lost contracts or products, sales results, important personnel changes, business plans, possible mergers, acquisitions, divestitures or joint ventures, important litigation developments, and important regulatory, judicial or legislative actions. Information may be material even if it relates to future, speculative or contingent events and even if it is significant only when considered in combination with publicly available information.

 

Information is considered to be nonpublic unless it has been adequately disclosed to the public, which means that the information must be publicly disclosed, and adequate time must have passed for the securities markets to digest the information. Examples of adequate disclosure include public filings with securities regulatory authorities and the issuance of press releases, and may also include meetings with members of the press and the public. A delay of one or two business days is generally considered a sufficient period for routine information to be absorbed by the market. Nevertheless, a longer period of delay might be considered appropriate in more complex disclosures. The appropriate amount of time is something that must be discussed, before trading, with the General Counsel.

 

The Trading Policy establishes restrictions on the trading of the Company’s securities by directors, officers and certain “Restricted Employees.”  Such persons are not permitted to trade the Company’s securities during “blackout periods.” In addition, directors and offers must have their trades cleared by the Company’s General Counsel prior to completing the trade.

 

Employees, officers and directors are not permitted to disclose material nonpublic information to anyone, including co-workers, unless the person receiving the information has a legitimate need to know the information for purposes of carrying out the Company’s business. Employees, officers and directors that leave the Company must maintain the confidentiality of all such information until it has been adequately disclosed to the public by the Company. If there is

 

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any question as to whether information regarding the Company or another company with which the Company has dealings is material or has been adequately disclosed to the public, employees, officers and directors should contact the General Counsel.

 

Notwithstanding the prohibition against insider trading, the law and Company policy permit employees, directors and officers to trade in Company securities regardless of their awareness of material nonpublic information if the transaction is made pursuant to a pre-arranged trading plan that was established in compliance with applicable law and was entered into when the person was not in possession of material nonpublic information. A person who wishes to enter into a trading plan must submit the plan to the General Counsel for approval prior to the adoption, modification or termination of the trading plan.

 

2.9                                Documentation

 

Employees, officers and directors who are authorized to make expenditures or enter into transactions on behalf of the Company must ensure that the applicable records comply with the Company’s accounting and purchasing policies and that all transactions are recorded properly.

 

2.10                         Responding to Inquiries from the Press and Others

 

Company employees who are not official Company spokespersons may not speak with the press, securities analysts, other members of the financial community, shareholders or groups or organizations as a Company representative or about Company business unless specifically authorized to do so by Investor Relations. Requests for financial or other information about the Company from the media, the press, the financial community, shareholders or the public should be referred to the Investor Relations Manager or the General Counsel. Requests for information from regulators or the government should be referred to the General Counsel.

 

3.                                       FAIR DEALING

 

All employees, officers and directors should deal fairly with the Company’s customers, competitors, suppliers and employees. Employees, officers and directors must never take unfair advantage of others through manipulation, concealment, abuse of privileged information, misrepresentation of material facts or any other unfair dealing practice.

 

3.1                                Trade Practice and Antitrust Compliance

 

The Company’s efforts in the marketplace must be conducted in accordance with all applicable antitrust and competition laws. Moreover, failure to comply with antitrust and other trade regulation laws in every jurisdiction in which the Company does business could result in serious consequences both for the Company and the offending individuals, including significant civil and criminal penalties and damage to the Company’s reputation. Therefore, it is the Company’s policy to compete solely on the basis of its superior and innovative products and services, through the efforts and contributions of its employees, officers and directors, and to avoid improper actions that unreasonably restrain trade. Every Company employee, officer and director is expected to support Company efforts to compete vigorously in the marketplace in compliance with both the letter and the spirit of all applicable federal, state and foreign antitrust laws. Antitrust and trade regulation issues are very complex. Determining what actions unreasonably restrain trade or are otherwise improper will depend on the structure of the market and a number of other factors. Employees, officers and directors should consult the General Counsel for further guidance if they are involved in any conduct that could potentially raise antitrust concerns.

 

To avoid even the perception of unlawful conduct, employees should avoid: (a) discussing with a competitor: prices, costs, products and services, bidding practices, other non-public business matters, or customers; and (b) restricting the right of a customer to sell or lease a product or service at or above any price. In addition, the following practices should not be engaged in without advanced written approval by the Company’s General Counsel: (a) conditioning the sale or lease of a product or service on the sale or lease of another product or service (“tying”); (b) conditioning the purchase, sale or lease of a product or service on a reciprocal agreement with a customer or supplier; (c) entering into an exclusive dealing arrangement with a customer (including a lessee) or supplier; (d) limiting a customer (including a lessee) as to the territories in which, or the customers to whom, a product or service can be resold or leased; and (e) discriminating in the prices or allowances offered to competing customers (including lessees).

 

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4.                                       RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR PEOPLE

 

4.1                                Respecting One Another

 

All employees want and deserve a work place where they are respected and appreciated. Everyone who works for the Company must contribute to the creation and maintenance of such an environment, and supervisors and managers have a special responsibility to foster a workplace that supports honesty, integrity, respect and trust.

 

4.2                                Employee Privacy

 

The Company respects the privacy and dignity of all individuals. The Company collects and maintains personal information that relates to the employment of employees, officers and directors, including medical and benefit information. Special care is taken to limit access to personal information to Company personnel with a need to know such information for a legitimate purpose. Employees who are responsible for maintaining personal information and those who are provided access to such information must not disclose private information in violation of applicable law or in violation of the Company’s policies.

 

Employees, directors and officers should not search for or retrieve items from another employee’s workspace without prior approval of that employee or management. Similarly, employees, directors and officers should not use communication or information systems to obtain access to information directed to or created by others without the prior approval of management, unless such access is part of their job function and responsibilities at the Company.

 

Personal items, messages or information that is considered to be private should not be placed or kept in telephone systems, computer or electronic mail systems, office systems, offices, work spaces, desks, credenzas or file cabinets. The Company reserves all rights, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to inspect such systems and areas and to retrieve information or property from them when deemed appropriate in the judgment of management.

 

4.3                                Equal Employment Opportunity and Nondiscrimination

 

The Company is an equal opportunity employer in hiring and promoting practices, benefits and wages. The Company will not tolerate discrimination against any person on the basis of race, religion, color, gender, age, marital status, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation, citizenship, disabled veteran status or disability (where the applicant or employee is qualified to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation), or any other basis prohibited by law in recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, or any other condition of employment.

 

All Company people, employees, customers, suppliers and others must be treated with respect and dignity.

 

4.4                                Sexual and Other Forms of Harassment

 

Company policy strictly prohibits any form of harassment in the workplace, including sexual harassment. The Company will take prompt and appropriate action to prevent and, where necessary, discipline behavior that violates this policy.

 

Sexual harassment consists of unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

 

·                   submission to such conduct is made a term or condition of employment;

 

·                   submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as a basis for employment decisions; or

 

·                   such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, offensive or hostile work environment.

 

Forms of sexual harassment include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

·                   verbal harassment, such as unwelcome comments, jokes or slurs of a sexual nature;

 

·                   physical harassment, such as unnecessary or offensive touching, or impeding or blocking movement; and

 

·                   visual harassment, such as derogatory or offensive posters, cards, cartoons, graffiti, drawings or gestures.

 

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4.5                                Other Forms of Harassment

 

Harassment on the basis of other characteristics is also strictly prohibited. Under this policy, harassment is verbal or physical conduct that degrades or shows hostility or hatred toward an individual because of his or her race, gender, color, national origin, sexual orientation, citizenship, religion, marital status, age, mental or physical handicap or disability, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law, which:

 

·                   has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment;

 

·                   has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance; or

 

·                   otherwise adversely affects an individual’s employment.

 

Harassing conduct includes, but is not limited to, the following: epithets; slurs; negative stereotyping; threatening, intimidating or hostile acts; and written or graphic material that ridicules or shows hostility or aversion to an individual or group and that is posted on Company premises or circulated in the workplace.

 

4.6                                Reporting Responsibilities and Procedures

 

Harassment of any kind should be promptly reported to the General Counsel. The harassed persons may also wish to confront the offender and state that the conduct is unacceptable and must stop. Complaints of harassment, abuse or discrimination will be investigated promptly and thoroughly and will be kept confidential to the extent possible. The Company will not in any way retaliate against any employee for making a good faith complaint or report of harassment or participating in the investigation of such a complaint or report.

 

The Company encourages the prompt reporting of all incidents of harassment, regardless of the offender’s identity and relationship to the Company. This procedure should also be followed for dealings with non-employees who have engaged in prohibited conduct. Supervisors must promptly report all complaints of harassment to the General Counsel.

 

Any employee who is found to be responsible for harassment, or for retaliating against any individual for reporting a claim of harassment or cooperating in an investigation, will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and include discharge.

 

Regardless of legal definitions, the Company expects employees to interact with each other in a professional and respectful manner.

 

4.7                                Safety in the Workplace

 

The safety and security of employees is of primary importance. All employees, officers and directors are responsible for maintaining the Company’s facilities free from recognized hazards and obeying all Company safety rules. Working conditions should be maintained in a clean and orderly state to encourage efficient operations and promote good safety practices.

 

Weapons and Workplace Violence No employees, officers or directors may bring firearms, explosives, incendiary devices or any other weapons into the workplace or any work-related setting, regardless of whether or not they are licensed to carry such weapons. Similarly, the Company will not tolerate any level of violence in the workplace or in any work-related setting. Violations of this policy must be referred to a supervisor, manager or Human Resources immediately. Threats or assaults that require immediate attention should be reported to the police.

 

Drugs and Alcohol The Company intends to maintain a drug-free work environment. Except at approved Company functions, employees, officers and directors may not use, possess or be under the influence of alcohol on Company premises. Employees, officers and directors cannot use, sell, attempt to use or sell, purchase, possess or be under the influence of any illegal drug on Company premises or while performing Company business on or off the premises.

 

5.                                       INTERACTING WITH GOVERNMENT

 

5.1                                Prohibition on Gifts to Government Officials and Employees

 

The branches and levels of governments of various jurisdictions have different laws restricting gifts, including meals, entertainment, transportation and lodging, that may be provided to government officials and government employees. Employees, officers and directors are prohibited from providing gifts, meals or anything of value to government officials or employees or members of their families without prior written approval from General Counsel.

 

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5.2                                Political Contributions and Activities

 

Laws of certain jurisdictions prohibit the use of Company funds, assets, services or facilities on behalf of a political party or candidate. Payments of Company funds to any political party, candidate or campaign may be made only if permitted under applicable law and approved in writing and in advance by General Counsel. Indirect political contributions or payments of political contributions through third parties (such as suppliers or consultants) in the name of the Company are not permitted, unless permitted under applicable law and approved in writing and in advance by General Counsel.

 

The work time of an employee, officer or director may be considered the equivalent of a contribution by the Company, and as such, employees, officers and directors will not be paid by the Company for any time spent running for public office, serving as an elected official, or campaigning for a political candidate. The Company will not compensate or reimburse an employee, officer or director, in any form, for a political contribution made or intended to be made.

 

Employees, officers and directors may make personal contributions, but they must avoid any appearance that the contribution is made with Company funds or on behalf of the Company. Personal political contributions will not be reimbursed by the Company.

 

5.3                                Lobbying Activities

 

Laws of some jurisdictions require registration and reporting by anyone who engages in a lobbying activity. Generally, lobbying includes: (1) communicating with any member or employee of a legislative branch of government for the purpose of influencing legislation; (2) communicating with certain government officials for the purpose of influencing government action; or (3) engaging in research or other activities to support or prepare for such communication. Employees, directors and officers must notify the Legal Department before engaging in any activity on behalf of the Company that might be considered “lobbying” as described above.

 

5.4                                Bribery of Foreign Officials

 

The Company strictly prohibits giving or promising, directly or indirectly, anything of value to any employee or official of a government (including state-owned companies) or a political party, candidate for office, or to any person performing public duties or state functions, anywhere in the world, in order to obtain or retain business or to secure an improper advantage (including the failure by such individual to perform his/her official duty), the purpose of which is to obtain favored treatment with respect to any aspect of the Company’s business. Under no circumstance is it acceptable for any employee, officer or director to offer, give, solicit or receive any form of bribe, kickback, payoff, or inducement.

 

As a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the Company is subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which makes it illegal for the Company to offer, pay, give, promise or authorize the payment of any money or of anything of value, directly or indirectly, to any foreign government official or employee, foreign political party or candidate for foreign political office for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or to secure an improper advantage, and comparable laws in other countries. Under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, improper payments are defined expansively to include payments, both direct and indirect (for example through agents or contactors); gifts; entertainment; and certain travel expenses. Although written local law may permit gift-giving or the payment of entertainment expenses, the Company’s General Counsel must approve in advance any such payments. Although the anti-bribery laws permit in narrow circumstances small “facilitation” payments to expedite the routine performance of legitimate duties, this area is not always clear, and the situation must be discussed with the Company’s General Counsel prior to any action being taken. Any question as to whether a gift or payment would be considered improper under the Company’s guidelines or national or foreign laws must be discussed with the Company’s General Counsel.

 

6.                                       IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CODE

 

Each employee, officer and director is responsible compliance with the Code. Copies of this Code are available from the Legal Department. A statement of compliance with the Code must be signed by all officers, directors and employees on an annual basis. If there are any questions regarding any of the policies discussed in this Code or if the best course of action is unclear, guidance should be sought from supervisors, managers, or the other resources identified in this Code.

 

6.1                                Reporting Violations

 

Each employee, officer and director is responsible for promptly reporting to the Company any circumstances that such person believes in good faith may constitute a violation of this Code, or any other Company policy, or applicable law, regulations and rules.

 

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Any complaint regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters(including confidential complaints) should be reported to the Audit Committee by contacting Zhang Ning. Employees, officers and directors may make a confidential report by:

 

·                   Sending an e-mail to acctingcomp@hexindai.com;

 

·                   Sending a letter to Zhang Ning at 13th Floor, Block C, Shimao, No. 92 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020, People’s Republic of China.

 

No retribution against any individual who reports violations of this Code in good faith will be permitted, and mechanisms for reporting in a confidential manner are noted above. Every effort will be made to investigate confidential reports within the confines of the limits on information or disclosure such reports entail.

 

While self-reporting a violation will not excuse the violation itself, the extent and promptness of such reporting will be considered in determining any appropriate sanction, including dismissal. The Company will investigate any matter which is reported and will take any appropriate corrective action.

 

6.2                                Investigations of Suspected Violations

 

All reported violations will be promptly and thoroughly investigated and treated confidentially to the extent reasonably possible. It is imperative that reporting persons not conduct their own preliminary investigations. Investigations of alleged violations may involve complex legal issues. Employees, officers and directors are encouraged not to act on their own as that action may compromise the integrity of an investigation and lead to adverse consequences.

 

6.3                                Subpoenas and Government Investigations

 

As a general matter, it is the Company’s policy to cooperate in any government investigations and inquiries. All subpoenas, information document requests, or other inquiries should be referred immediately to the Company’s General Counsel.

 

6.4                                Discipline for Violations

 

The Company intends to use every reasonable effort to prevent the occurrence of conduct not in compliance with its Code and to halt any such conduct that may occur as soon as reasonably possible after its discovery. Subject to applicable law and agreements, Company personnel who violate this Code and other Company policies and procedures may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including discharge.

 

6.5                                Waivers of the Code

 

The Company will waive application of the policies set forth in this Code only where circumstances warrant granting a waiver. Waivers of the Code for directors and executive officers may be made only by the Board of Directors as a whole or the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors and must be promptly disclosed as required by law or regulation. Any waiver given shall not constitute a waiver for future purposes or bind the Company to give any such waiver in the future.

 

6.6                                No Rights Created

 

This Code is a statement of the fundamental principles and key policies and procedures that govern the conduct of the Company’s business. It is not intended to and does not create any obligations to or rights in any employee, director, officer, client, supplier, competitor, shareholder or any other person or entity.

 

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT FORM

 

I have received and read the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the “Code”), and I understand its contents. I agree to comply fully with the standards, policies and procedures contained in the Code and Hexindai Inc.’s related policies and procedures. I understand that I have an obligation to report to Human Resources, the General Counsel or the compliance officer any suspected violations of the Code that I am aware of. I acknowledge that the Code is a statement of policies for business conduct and does not, in any way, constitute an employment contract or an assurance of continued employment.

 

 

 

 

 

Printed Name

 

 

 

 

 

Signature

 

 

 

 

 

Date

 

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