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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 20-F

 

(Mark One)

o     REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR 12(g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

 

x     ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015.

OR

 

¨     TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                       to                    

OR

 

¨     SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

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

Commission file number: 001-36450

 

JD.com, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

N/A

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

 

Cayman Islands

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

 

20th Floor, Building A, No. 18 Kechuang 11 Street
Yizhuang Economic and Technological Development Zone
Daxing District, Beijing 101111
The People’s Republic of China

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

Sidney Xuande Huang, Chief Financial Officer

Telephone: +86 10 8911-8888

Email: ir@jd.com

 

20th Floor, Building A, No. 18 Kechuang 11 Street

Yizhuang Economic and Technological Development Zone

Daxing District, Beijing 101111

The People’s Republic of China

(Name, Telephone, Email and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

 

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

 

Title of each class

 

Name of each exchange on which
registered

American depositary shares (one
American depositary share
representing two Class A ordinary
shares, par value US$0.00002 per
share)

 

The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC
(The NASDAQ Global Select Market)

Class A ordinary shares, par value
US$0.00002 per share*

 

The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC
(The NASDAQ Global Select Market)

 


*  Not for trading, but only in connection with the listing on The NASDAQ Global Select Market of American depositary shares.

 

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

 

None

(Title of Class)

 

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act:

 

None

(Title of Class)

 

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report.

 

 

2,313,578,195 Class A ordinary shares and 480,178,455 Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.00002 per share, as of December 31, 2015.

 

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. x Yes   o No

 

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. o Yes   x No

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. x Yes   o No

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). x Yes   o No

 

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

 

Large accelerated filer x

 

Accelerated filer o

 

Non-accelerated filer o

 

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

 

U.S. GAAP x

 

International Financial Reporting Standards as issued
by the International Accounting Standards Board
o

 

Other o

 

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow. o Item 17   o Item 18

 

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). o Yes   x No

 

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

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court. o Yes   o No

 

 

 



Table of Contents

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

Page

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

1

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

1

PART I

 

2

 

Item 1.

Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisers

2

 

Item 2.

Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable

2

 

Item 3.

Key Information

2

 

Item 4.

Information on the Company

48

 

Item 4A.

Unresolved Staff Comments

82

 

Item 5.

Operating and Financial Review and Prospects

83

 

Item 6.

Directors, Senior Management and Employees

107

 

Item 7.

Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions

118

 

Item 8.

Financial Information

121

 

Item 9.

The Offer and Listing

122

 

Item 10.

Additional Information

123

 

Item 11.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

134

 

Item 12.

Description of Securities Other than Equity Securities

135

PART II

137

 

Item 13.

Defaults, Dividend Arrearages and Delinquencies

137

 

Item 14.

Material Modifications to the Rights of Security Holders and Use of Proceeds

137

 

Item 15.

Controls and Procedures

137

 

Item 16A.

Audit Committee Financial Expert

138

 

Item 16B.

Code of Ethics

138

 

Item 16C.

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

138

 

Item 16D.

Exemptions from the Listing Standards for Audit Committees

139

 

Item 16E.

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

139

 

Item 16F.

Change in Registrant’s Certifying Accountant

139

 

Item 16G.

Corporate Governance

139

 

Item 16H.

Mine Safety Disclosure

140

PART III

140

 

Item 17.

Financial Statements

140

 

Item 18.

Financial Statements

140

 

Item 19.

Exhibits

140

SIGNATURES

 

144

 

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INTRODUCTION

 

Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references in this annual report to:

 

·                   “ADSs” are to our American depositary shares, each of which represents two Class A ordinary shares;

 

·                   “annual active customer accounts from core business” are to annual active customer accounts excluding Paipai.com unique customers, while “annual active customer accounts” are to customer accounts that made at least one purchase during the twelve months ended on the respective dates, including both online direct sales and online marketplace, which include Paipai.com, or Paipai, since the third quarter of 2014 after our acquisition of it from Tencent Holdings Limited on March 10, 2014;

 

·                   “China” or the “PRC” are to the People’s Republic of China, excluding, for the purposes of this annual report only, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan;

 

·                   “core GMV” are to GMV excluding that from Paipai.com, while “GMV” are to the total value of all orders for products and services placed in our online direct sales business and on our online marketplaces, regardless of whether the goods are sold or delivered or whether the goods are returned. GMV includes the value from orders placed on our website and mobile applications as well as orders placed on third-party mobile applications that are fulfilled by us or by our third-party merchants. Our calculation of GMV includes shipping charges paid by buyers to sellers and excludes (i) any transactions in our B2C business with order value exceeding RMB2,000 (US$309) that are not ultimately sold or delivered, (ii) products or services on our C2C marketplace, Paipai.com, with list prices above RMB100,000 (US$15,437), and (iii) transactions conducted by buyers on Paipai.com who make purchases exceeding RMB1,000,000 (US$154,373) in the aggregate in a single day;

 

·                   “orders fulfilled for core business” are to orders fulfilled excluding orders from Paipai.com, while “orders fulfilled” are to the total number of orders delivered, including the orders for products and services sold in our online direct sales business and on our online marketplaces, net of orders returned;

 

·                   “ordinary shares” are to our Class A and Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.00002 per share; and

 

·                   “we,” “us,” “our company” and “our” are to JD.com, Inc., its subsidiaries and its consolidated variable interest entities.

 

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

 

This annual report on Form 20-F contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations and views of future events. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward-looking statements by terminology 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 and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include statements relating to, among other things:

 

·                   our goals and strategies;

 

·                   our future business development, financial conditions and results of operations;

 

·                   the expected growth of the retail and online retail markets in China;

 

·                   our expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of our products and services;

 

·                   our expectations regarding our relationships with customers, suppliers and third-party sellers;

 

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·                   our plans to invest in our fulfillment infrastructure and technology platform as well as new business initiatives;

 

·                   competition in our industry; and

 

·                   relevant government policies and regulations relating to our industry.

 

We would like to caution you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and you should read these statements in conjunction with the risk factors disclosed in “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors.” Those risks are not exhaustive. We operate in an evolving environment. New risks emerge from time to time and it is impossible for our management to predict all risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking statement. We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements except as required under applicable law. You should read this annual report and the documents that we reference in this annual report completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect.

 

PART I

 

Item 1.                    Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisers

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 2.                    Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 3.                    Key Information

 

A.             Selected Financial Data

 

The following table presents the selected consolidated financial information for our company. The selected consolidated statements of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, selected consolidated balance sheets data as of December 31, 2014 and 2015 and selected consolidated cash flow data for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements, which are included in this annual report beginning on page F-1. The selected consolidated statements of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2012, selected consolidated balance sheets data as of December 31, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and selected consolidated cash flow data for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2012 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements not included in this annual report. Our historical results do not necessarily indicate results expected for any future periods. The selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with, and are qualified in their entirety by reference to, our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” below. Our consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

 

 

 

For the Year Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2011

 

2012

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

(in millions, except for share, per share and per ADS data)

 

Selected Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Online direct sales

 

20,888

 

40,335

 

67,018

 

108,549

 

167,721

 

25,892

 

Services and others

 

241

 

1,046

 

2,322

 

6,453

 

13,566

 

2,094

 

Total net revenues

 

21,129

 

41,381

 

69,340

 

115,002

 

181,287

 

27,986

 

Operating expenses (1) :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of revenues

 

(19,977

)

(37,898

)

(62,496

)

(101,631

)

(157,008

)

(24,238

)

Fulfillment

 

(1,515

)

(3,061

)

(4,109

)

(8,067

)

(13,921

)

(2,149

)

Marketing

 

(479

)

(1,097

)

(1,590

)

(4,010

)

(7,736

)

(1,194

)

Technology and content

 

(240

)

(636

)

(964

)

(1,836

)

(3,454

)

(533

)

General and administrative

 

(322

)

(640

)

(760

)

(5,260

)

(2,877

)

(444

)

Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets

 

 

 

 

 

(2,750

)

(425

)

Total operating expenses

 

(22,533

)

(43,332

)

(69,919

)

(120,804

)

(187,746

)

(28,983

)

Loss from operations

 

(1,404

)

(1,951

)

(579

)

(5,802

)

(6,459

)

(997

)

Other income/(expense):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share of results of equity investees

 

 

 

 

 

(3,134

)

(484

)

Interest income

 

56

 

176

 

344

 

638

 

415

 

64

 

Interest expense

 

 

(8

)

(8

)

(29

)

(83

)

(13

)

Others, net

 

64

 

60

 

193

 

216

 

(141

)

(21

)

Loss before tax

 

(1,284

)

(1,723

)

(50

)

(4,977

)

(9,402

)

(1,451

)

Income tax benefits/(expenses)

 

 

(6

)

0

 

(19

)

14

 

2

 

Net loss

 

(1,284

)

(1,729

)

(50

)

(4,996

)

(9,388

)

(1,449

)

Preferred shares redemption value accretion

 

(1,660

)

(1,588

)

(2,435

)

(7,958

)

 

 

Net loss attributable to non-controlling interests

 

 

 

 

 

(10

)

(1

)

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

 

(2,944

)

(3,317

)

(2,485

)

(12,954

)

(9,378

)

(1,448

)

Net loss per share

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

(2.23

)

(2.18

)

(1.47

)

(5.35

)

(3.43

)

(0.53

)

Diluted

 

(2.23

)

(2.18

)

(1.47

)

(5.35

)

(3.43

)

(0.53

)

Net loss per ADS (2)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

(4.45

)

(4.35

)

(2.93

)

(10.71

)

(6.86

)

(1.06

)

Diluted

 

(4.45

)

(4.35

)

(2.93

)

(10.71

)

(6.86

)

(1.06

)

Weighted average number of shares: (3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

1,322,840,034

 

1,523,639,783

 

1,694,495,048

 

2,419,668,247

 

2,735,034,034

 

2,735,034,034

 

Diluted

 

1,322,840,034

 

1,523,639,783

 

1,694,495,048

 

2,419,668,247

 

2,735,034,034

 

2,735,034,034

 

 

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(1)          Share-based compensation expenses are allocated in operating expense items as follows:

 

 

 

For the Year Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2011

 

2012

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

(in millions)

 

Fulfillment

 

(38

)

(78

)

(81

)

(129

)

(185

)

(28

)

Marketing

 

(6

)

(9

)

(9

)

(24

)

(50

)

(8

)

Technology and content

 

(1

)

(25

)

(33

)

(79

)

(234

)

(36

)

General and administrative

 

(26

)

(113

)

(138

)

(4,018

)

(725

)

(112

)

 

(2)          Each ADS represents two Class A ordinary shares.

 

(3)          On April 18, 2012, we effected a 5-for-1 share split whereby each of our then issued and outstanding ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each was converted into five ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.00002 each, each of our then issued and outstanding series A preferred shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each was converted into five series A preferred shares of a par value of US$0.00002 each, each of our then issued and outstanding series B preferred shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each was converted into five series B preferred shares of a par value of US$0.00002 each, each of our then issued and outstanding series C preferred shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each was converted into five series C preferred shares of a par value of US$0.00002 each. The share split has been retroactively reflected for all periods presented herein.

 

 

 

As of December 31,

 

 

 

2011

 

2012

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

(In millions, except for share data)

 

Selected Consolidated Balance Sheets Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

6,289

 

7,177

 

10,812

 

16,915

 

17,864

 

2,758

 

Restricted cash

 

290

 

1,920

 

1,887

 

3,038

 

2,115

 

326

 

Short-term investments

 

 

1,080

 

1,903

 

12,162

 

2,780

 

429

 

Inventories, net

 

2,764

 

4,754

 

6,386

 

12,191

 

20,540

 

3,171

 

Total assets

 

10,579

 

17,886

 

26,010

 

66,493

 

85,166

 

13,147

 

Accounts payable

 

3,636

 

8,097

 

11,019

 

16,364

 

29,819

 

4,603

 

Total liabilities

 

4,645

 

11,483

 

16,770

 

28,995

 

54,487

 

8,411

 

Total mezzanine equity

 

3,150

 

4,738

 

7,173

 

 

 

 

Total JD.com, Inc. shareholders’ equity

 

2,784

 

1,665

 

2,067

 

37,498

 

30,541

 

4,715

 

Number of outstanding ordinary shares

 

1,439,470,960

 

1,597,137,250

 

1,715,087,336

 

2,731,718,357

 

2,741,990,486

 

2,741,990,486

 

 

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For the Year Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2011

 

2012

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

(in millions)

 

Selected Consolidated Cash Flows Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities

 

(86

)

1,404

 

3,570

 

1,015

 

(1,812

)

(280

)

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(624

)

(3,369

)

(2,671

)

(13,203

)

(2,283

)

(352

)

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

6,237

 

2,854

 

2,795

 

18,392

 

4,700

 

726

 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

 

(108

)

(1

)

(59

)

(101

)

344

 

53

 

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

 

5,419

 

888

 

3,635

 

6,103

 

949

 

147

 

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

 

870

 

6,289

 

7,177

 

10,812

 

16,915

 

2,611

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

 

6,289

 

7,177

 

10,812

 

16,915

 

17,864

 

2,758

 

 

Exchange Rate Information

 

Our business is primarily conducted in China and almost all of our revenues are denominated in RMB. However, 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. The conversion of RMB into U.S. dollars in this annual report is based on the noon buying rate in New York City for cable transfers in RMB as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Board. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to RMB in this annual report were made at a rate of RMB6.4778 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect as of December 31, 2015. 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. On April 8, 2016, the noon buying rate was RMB6.4628 to US$1.00.

 

The following table sets forth information concerning exchange rates between the RMB and the U.S. dollar for the periods indicated.

 

 

 

Noon Buying Rate

 

Period

 

Period-End

 

Average (1)

 

Low

 

High

 

 

 

(RMB per U.S. Dollar)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2011

 

6.2939

 

6.4475

 

6.6364

 

6.2939

 

2012

 

6.2301

 

6.2990

 

6.3879

 

6.2221

 

2013

 

6.0537

 

6.1412

 

6.2438

 

6.0537

 

2014

 

6.2046

 

6.1704

 

6.2591

 

6.0402

 

2015

 

6.4778

 

6.2869

 

6.4896

 

6.1870

 

October

 

6.3180

 

6.3505

 

6.3591

 

6.3180

 

November

 

6.3883

 

6.3640

 

6.3945

 

6.3180

 

December

 

6.4778

 

6.4491

 

6.4896

 

6.3883

 

2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January

 

6.5752

 

6.5726

 

6.5932

 

6.5219

 

February

 

6.5525

 

6.5501

 

6.5795

 

6.5154

 

March

 

6.4480

 

6.5027

 

6.5500

 

6.4480

 

April (through April 8, 2016)

 

6.4628

 

6.4720

 

6.4780

 

6.4599

 

 


Source: Federal Reserve Statistical Release

 

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Table of Contents

 

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

 

B.                                   Capitalization and Indebtedness

 

Not applicable.

 

C.                                   Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

 

Not applicable.

 

D.                                   Risk Factors

 

Risks Related to Our Business

 

If we are unable to manage our growth or execute our strategies effectively, our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

 

Our business has grown substantially in recent years, and we expect continued growth in our business, revenues and number of employees. We plan to further expand our fulfillment infrastructure and technology platform, increase our product offerings and hire more employees. For example, we plan to continue to build larger, custom-designed warehouses. We have already finished construction of the initial phase in Shanghai, the first phase in Guangzhou, and other warehouses in Wuhan, Guiyang and Shenyang. In addition, w e are constructing the remaining phases of warehouses in Shanghai and Guangzhou, and additional custom-designed warehouses are also under construction in Beijing, Chongqing and Kunshan. We also plan to continue to establish new delivery stations in additional locations across China, including smaller, less developed areas. In 2015, we recruited additional employees in connection with the expansion of our fulfillment infrastructure and additional research and development personnel in connection with the expansion of our technology platform, and we will continue to invest significant resources in training, managing and motivating our workforce. In addition, as we continued to increase our product offerings, we will need to work with a large number of new suppliers and third-party sellers efficiently and establish and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with our existing and new suppliers and third-party sellers. To support our growth, we also plan to implement a variety of new and upgraded managerial, operating, financial and human resource systems, procedures and controls. We have further developed our business initiatives in finance and online-to-offline (O2O) solutions, among others. All these efforts will require significant managerial, financial and human resources. We cannot assure you that we will be able to effectively manage our growth or to implement all these systems, procedures and control measures successfully or that our new business initiatives will be successful. If we are not able to manage our growth or execute our strategies effectively, our expansion may not be successful and our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

 

We have incurred significant net losses and we may continue to experience significant losses in the future.

 

We have incurred significant net losses since our inception. We had net losses of RMB50 million, RMB4,996 million and RMB9,388 million (US$1,449 million) in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. We had accumulated deficits of RMB4,264 million, RMB9,272 million and RMB18,691 million (US$2,885 million) as of December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively.

 

We cannot assure you that we will be able to generate net profits or positive cash flow from operating activities in the future. Our ability to achieve profitability depends in large part on our ability to increase our gross margin by obtaining more favorable terms from our suppliers as our business further grows in scale, managing our product mix, expanding our online marketplace and offering value-added services with higher margins. Accordingly, we intend to continue to invest heavily for the foreseeable future in our fulfillment infrastructure and technology platform to support an even larger selection of products and to offer additional value-added services. As a result of the foregoing, we believe that we may incur net losses for some time in the future.

 

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If we are unable to provide superior customer experience, our business and reputation may be materially and adversely affected.

 

The success of our business hinges on our ability to provide superior customer experience, which in turn depends on a variety of factors. These factors include our ability to continue to offer authentic products at competitive prices, source products to respond to customer demands, maintain the quality of our products and services, and provide timely and reliable delivery, flexible payment options and superior after-sales service.

 

We rely primarily on our own fulfillment infrastructure, and to a lesser extent on contracted third-party couriers, to deliver our products. Interruptions or failures in our delivery services could prevent the timely or successful delivery of our products. These interruptions may be due to unforeseen events that are beyond our control or the control of our third-party couriers, such as inclement weather, natural disasters, transportation disruptions or labor unrest. If our products are not delivered on time or are delivered in a damaged state, customers may refuse to accept our products and have less confidence in our services. Furthermore, our own delivery personnel and those of contracted third-party couriers act on our behalf and interact with our customers personally. We maintain cooperation arrangements with a number of third-party couriers to deliver our products to our customers in those areas not covered by our own fulfillment infrastructure and for a portion of our bulky item deliveries, and we need to effectively manage these third-party service providers to ensure the quality of customer services. We have in the past received customer complaints from time to time regarding our delivery and return and exchange services. Any failure to provide high-quality delivery services to our customers may negatively impact the shopping experience of our customers, damage our reputation and cause us to lose customers.

 

We operate three 24-7 customer service centers in Suqian and Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, and Chengdu, Sichuan Province, handling all kinds of customer queries and complaints regarding our products and services. As of December 31, 2015, we had 2,984, 859, and 2,021 full-time customer service representatives at these three centers respectively. We plan to continue to increase headcount at our customer service centers, and there is no assurance that we will be able to provide sufficient training to new employees to meet our standards of customer service or that an influx of less experienced personnel will not dilute the quality of our customer service. If our customer service representatives fail to provide satisfactory service, or if waiting times are too long due to the high volume of calls from customers at peak times, our brand and customer loyalty may be adversely affected. In addition, any negative publicity or poor feedback regarding our customer service may harm our brand and reputation and in turn cause us to lose customers and market share.

 

Any harm to our JD brand or reputation may materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

We believe that the recognition and reputation of our JD ( ) brand among our customers, suppliers and third-party sellers have contributed significantly to the growth and success of our business. Maintaining and enhancing the recognition and reputation of our brand are critical to our business and competitiveness. Many factors, some of which are beyond our control, are important to maintaining and enhancing our brand. These factors include our ability to:

 

·                   provide a compelling online shopping experience to customers;

 

·                   maintain the popularity, attractiveness, diversity, quality and authenticity of the products we offer;

 

·                   maintain the efficiency, reliability and quality of our fulfillment services;

 

·                   maintain or improve customers’ satisfaction with our after-sale services;

 

·                   increase brand awareness through marketing and brand promotion activities; and

 

·                   preserve our reputation and goodwill in the event of any negative publicity on customer service, internet security, product quality, price or authenticity, or other issues affecting us or other online retail businesses in China.

 

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A public perception that non-authentic, counterfeit or defective goods are sold on our website or that we or third-party service providers do not provide satisfactory customer service, even if factually incorrect or based on isolated incidents, could damage our reputation, diminish the value of our brand, undermine the trust and credibility we have established and have a negative impact on our ability to attract new customers or retain our current customers. If we are unable to maintain our reputation, enhance our brand recognition or increase positive awareness of our website, products and services, it may be difficult to maintain and grow our customer base, and our business and growth prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

 

If we are unable to offer products that attract new customers and new purchases from existing customers, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

 

Our future growth depends on our ability to continue to attract new customers as well as new purchases from existing customers. Constantly changing consumer preferences have affected and will continue to affect the online retail industry. We must stay abreast of emerging consumer preferences and anticipate product trends that will appeal to existing and potential customers. Our website makes recommendations to customers based on their past purchases or on products that they viewed but did not purchase, and we also send e-mails to our customers with product recommendations tailored to their purchase profile. Our ability to make individually tailored recommendations is dependent on our business intelligence system, which tracks, collects and analyzes our users’ browsing and purchasing behavior, to provide accurate and reliable information. Our customers choose to purchase authentic and quality products on our website due in part to the attractive prices that we offer, and they may choose to shop elsewhere if we cannot match the prices offered by other websites or by physical stores. If our customers cannot find their desired products on our website at attractive prices, they may lose interest in us and visit our website less frequently or even stop visiting our website altogether, which in turn may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We plan to further expand our fulfillment infrastructure. If we are not able to manage such expansion successfully, our growth potential, business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

 

We believe that our own nationwide fulfillment infrastructure, consisting of strategically located warehouses and delivery and pickup stations, is essential to our success. We operated fulfillment centers in 7 cities, front distribution centers in 19 cities and standalone warehouses for bulky items in another 24 cities, as well as 5,367 delivery stations and pickup stations in 2,356 counties and districts across China, and we employed 74,883 warehouse and delivery personnel as of December 31, 2015. We are constructing larger, custom-designed warehouses to increase our storage capacity and to restructure and reorganize our fulfillment workflow and processes. We also plan to continue to establish more delivery stations in additional locations, including those smaller and less developed counties and districts, to further enhance our ability to deliver products to customers directly ourselves. Furthermore, we hired additional employees in 2015 in connection with the strengthening of our fulfillment capabilities. As we continue to add fulfillment and warehouse capability and expand our reach to those smaller, less-developed areas, our fulfillment network becomes increasingly complex and challenging to operate. We cannot assure you that we will be able to acquire land use rights and set up warehouses, or lease suitable facilities for the delivery stations, on commercially acceptable terms or at all. Moreover, the order density in those smaller, less developed areas may not be sufficient to allow us to operate our own delivery network in a cost efficient manner. We may not be able to recruit a sufficient number of qualified employees in connection with the expansion of our fulfillment infrastructure. In addition, the expansion of our fulfillment infrastructure may strain our managerial, financial, operational and other resources. If we fail to manage such expansion successfully, our growth potential, business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. Even if we manage the expansion of our fulfillment infrastructure successfully, it may not give us the competitive advantage that we expect if improved third-party fulfillment services become widely available at reasonable prices to retailers in China.

 

We face intense competition. We may lose market share and customers if we fail to compete effectively.

 

The online retail industry in China is intensely competitive. We compete for customers, orders, and third-party sellers. Our current or potential competitors include major online retailers in China that offer a wide range of general merchandise product categories, major traditional retailers in China that are moving into online retailing, major internet companies that have commenced online retail businesses, online retail companies in China focused on specific product categories and physical retail stores, including big-box stores that also aim to offer a one-stop shopping experience. See “Item 4.B. Information on the Company—Business Overview—Competition.” In addition, new and enhanced technologies may increase the competition in the online retail industry. New competitive business models may appear, for example based on new forms of social media or social commerce.

 

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Increased competition may reduce our margins, market share and brand recognition, or result in significant losses. When we set prices, we have to consider how competitors have set prices for the same or similar products. When they cut prices or offer additional benefits to compete with us, we may have to lower our own prices or offer additional benefits or risk losing market share, either of which could harm our financial condition and results of operations.

 

Some of our current or future competitors may have longer operating histories, greater brand recognition, better supplier relationships, larger customer bases or greater financial, technical or marketing resources than we do. Those smaller companies or new entrants may be acquired by, receive investment from or enter into strategic relationships with well-established and well-financed companies or investors which would help enhance their competitive positions. Some of our competitors may be able to secure more favorable terms from suppliers, devote greater resources to marketing and promotional campaigns, adopt more aggressive pricing or inventory policies and devote substantially more resources to their website, mobile application and systems development than us. We cannot assure you that we will be able to compete successfully against current or future competitors, and competitive pressures may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We rely on online direct sale of computer, communication and consumer electronics for a significant portion of our net revenues.

 

Historically, online direct sales of electronics products, including home appliances, have accounted for a majority of our total net revenues. We expect that sales of these products will continue to represent a significant portion of our total net revenues in the near future. We have increased our offerings to include other product categories, and we have continually added new products within each product category. We expect to continue to expand our product offerings to diversify our revenue sources in the future. However, our sales of these new products and services may not increase to a level that would substantially reduce our dependence on sales of electronics products. Electronics products and home appliances sold in our online direct sales accounted for 81.9%, 79.0% and 74.1% of our total net revenues in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. Electronic products and home appliances sold in our online direct sales and our online marketplace together accounted for 63.6%, 57.2% and 51.3% of our total core GMV in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. We face intense competition from online sellers of electronics products and from established companies with physical stores that are moving into online retail, such as Suning Appliance Company Limited, which operates suning.com. Any event that results in a reduction in our sales of electronics products could materially and adversely affect our ability to maintain or increase our current level of revenue and maintain or improve our business prospects.

 

Our expansion into new product categories and substantial increase in the number of products may expose us to new challenges and more risks.

 

In recent years, we have expanded our product offerings to include a wide range of products including clothing, handbags, furniture, cosmetics, food, books, toys, and fitness equipment. Expansion into diverse new product categories and substantially increased number of products involves new risks and challenges. Our lack of familiarity with these products and lack of relevant customer data relating to these products may make it more difficult for us to anticipate customer demand and preferences. We may misjudge customer demand, resulting in inventory buildup and possible inventory write-down. It may also make it more difficult for us to inspect and control quality and ensure proper handling, storage and delivery. We may experience higher return rates on new products, receive more customer complaints about them and face costly product liability claims as a result of selling them, which would harm our brand and reputation as well as our financial performance. Furthermore, we may not have much purchasing power in new categories of products and we may not be able to negotiate favorable terms with suppliers. We may need to price aggressively to gain market share or remain competitive in new categories. It may be difficult for us to achieve profitability in the new product categories and our profit margin, if any, may be lower than we anticipate, which would adversely affect our overall profitability and results of operations. We cannot assure you that we will be able to recoup our investments in introducing these new product categories.

 

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If we fail to manage our inventory effectively, our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity may be materially and adversely affected.

 

Our scale and business model require us to manage a large volume of inventory effectively. We depend on our demand forecasts for various kinds of products to make purchase decisions and to manage our inventory. Demand for products, however, can change significantly between the time inventory is ordered and the date by which we hope to sell it. Demand may be affected by seasonality, new product launches, changes in product cycles and pricing, product defects, changes in consumer spending patterns, changes in consumer tastes with respect to our products and other factors, and our customers may not order products in the quantities that we expect. In addition, when we begin selling a new product, it may be difficult to establish supplier relationships, determine appropriate product selection, and accurately forecast demand. The acquisition of certain types of inventory may require significant lead time and prepayment and they may not be returnable. For those products we sell directly, aside from books, most media products and certain other products, we normally do not have the right to return unsold items to our suppliers.

 

Our net inventories have increased significantly in recent periods, from RMB6,386 million as of December 31, 2013 to RMB12,191 million as of December 31, 2014 and further to RMB20,540 million (US$3,171 million) as of December 31, 2015. Our annual inventory turnover days were 34.2 days in 2013, 34.8 days in 2014 and 36.9 days in 2015. Annual inventory turnover days are the quotient of average inventory over five quarter ends to total cost of revenues and then multiplied by the number of days during the year. As we plan to continue expanding our product offerings, we expect to include more products in our inventory, which will make it more challenging for us to manage our inventory effectively and will put more pressure on our warehousing system.

 

If we fail to manage our inventory effectively, we may be subject to a heightened risk of inventory obsolescence, a decline in inventory values, and significant inventory write-downs or write-offs. In addition, we may be required to lower sale prices in order to reduce inventory level, which may lead to lower gross margins. High inventory levels may also require us to commit substantial capital resources, preventing us from using that capital for other important purposes. Any of the above may materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

 

On the other hand, if we underestimate demand for our products, or if our suppliers fail to supply quality products in a timely manner, we may experience inventory shortages, which might result in missed sales, diminished brand loyalty and lost revenues, any of which could harm our business and reputation.

 

We may not be able to sustain our historical growth rates.

 

We have experienced rapid growth since we commenced our online retail business in 2004. Our total net revenues increased from RMB21,129 million in 2011 to RMB181,287 million (US$27,986 million) in 2015, for a four-year CAGR of 71.1%. However, there is no assurance that we will be able to maintain our historical growth rates in future periods. Our revenue growth may slow or our revenues may decline for any number of possible reasons, including decreasing consumer spending, increasing competition, slowing growth of the China retail or China online retail industry, fulfillment bottlenecks, emergence of alternative business models, changes in government policies or general economic conditions. If our growth rate declines, investors’ perceptions of our business and business prospects may be adversely affected and the market price of our ADSs could decline.

 

If we are unable to conduct our marketing activities cost-effectively, our results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

 

We have incurred significant expenses on a variety of different marketing and brand promotion efforts designed to enhance our brand recognition and increase sales of our products. Our brand promotion and marketing activities may not be well received by customers and may not result in the levels of product sales that we anticipate. We incurred RMB1,590 million, RMB4,010 million and RMB7,736 million (US$1,194 million) of marketing expenses in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. Marketing approaches and tools in the consumer products market in China are evolving. This further requires us to enhance our marketing approaches and experiment with new marketing methods to keep pace with industry developments and customer preferences. Failure to refine our existing marketing approaches or to introduce new marketing approaches in a cost-effective manner could reduce our market share, cause our net revenues to decline and negatively impact our profitability.

 

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If we fail to manage and expand our relationships with suppliers, or otherwise fail to procure products at favorable terms, our business and growth prospects may suffer.

 

We source products from third-party suppliers for our online direct sales. We had approximately 9,600 suppliers as of December 31, 2015. Our suppliers include manufacturers, distributors and resellers. Maintaining strong relationships with these suppliers is important to the growth of our business. In particular, we depend significantly on our ability to procure products from suppliers on favorable pricing terms. We typically enter into one-year framework agreements with suppliers on an annual basis, and these framework agreements do not ensure the availability of products or the continuation of particular pricing practices or payment terms beyond the end of the contractual term. In addition, our agreements with suppliers typically do not restrict the suppliers from selling products to other buyers. We cannot assure you that our current suppliers will continue to sell products to us on commercially acceptable terms, or at all, after the term of the current agreement expires. Even if we maintain good relations with our suppliers, their ability to supply products to us in sufficient quantity and at competitive prices may be adversely affected by economic conditions, labor actions, regulatory or legal decisions, natural disasters or other causes. In the event that we are not able to purchase merchandise at favorable prices, our revenues and cost of revenues may be materially and adversely affected. In the event any distributor or reseller does not have authority from the relevant manufacturer to sell certain products to us, such distributor or reseller may cease selling such products to us at any time. In addition, our annual accounts payable turnover days for our online direct sales business excluding the impact from supply chain financing were 42.2 days in 2013, 40.9 days in 2014 and 44.6 days in 2015. Annual accounts payable turnover days are the quotient of average accounts payable over five quarter ends to total cost of revenues and then multiplied by the number of days during the year. If our suppliers cease to provide us with favorable payment terms, our requirements for working capital may increase and our operations may be materially and adversely affected. We will also need to establish new supplier relationships to ensure that we have access to a steady supply of products on favorable commercial terms. If we are unable to develop and maintain good relationships with suppliers that would allow us to obtain a sufficient amount and variety of authentic and quality merchandise on acceptable commercial terms, it may inhibit our ability to offer sufficient products sought by our customers, or to offer these products at competitive prices. Any adverse developments in our relationships with suppliers could materially and adversely affect our business and growth prospects. In addition, as part of our growth strategy, we plan to further expand our product offerings. If we fail to attract new suppliers to sell their products to us due to any reason, our business and growth prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

 

Any interruption in the operation of our fulfillment centers, front distribution centers, standalone warehouses, delivery stations or pickup stations for an extended period may have an adverse impact on our business.

 

Our ability to process and fulfill orders accurately and provide high-quality customer service depends on the smooth operation of our fulfillment centers, front distribution centers, standalone warehouses, and our delivery and pickup stations. Our fulfillment infrastructure may be vulnerable to damage caused by fire, flood, power outage, telecommunications failure, break-ins, earthquake, human error and other events. If any of our fulfillment centers were rendered incapable of operations, then we may be unable to fulfill any orders in any of the provinces that rely on that center. We do not carry business interruption insurance, and the occurrence of any of the foregoing risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We may not be able to recoup the investments we make to expand and upgrade our fulfillment and technology capabilities.

 

We have invested and will continue to invest significant sums in expanding our fulfillment infrastructure and upgrading our technology platform. In connection with our expansion of our fulfillment infrastructure, we had paid an aggregate of approximately RMB3.2 billion (US$0.5 billion) for the acquisition of land use rights, building of warehouses and purchase of warehousing equipment as of December 31, 2015.  We also paid significant amounts for upgrading our technology platform during the same periods. We expect to continue to invest heavily in our fulfillment and technology capabilities for a number of years. We also intend to continue to add personnel and other resources to our fulfillment infrastructure and technology platform as we focus on expanding our product selection and offering new services. We are likely to recognize the costs associated with these investments earlier than some of the anticipated benefits, and the return on these investments may be lower, or may develop more slowly, than we expect. We may not be able to recover our capital expenditures or investments, in part or in full, or the recovery of these capital expenditures or investments may take longer than expected. As a result, the carrying value of the related assets may be subject to an impairment charge, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operation.

 

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Moreover, our heavy investment in building our own fulfillment infrastructure may put us at a competitive disadvantage against those competitors who primarily rely on third-party fulfillment services and focus their investment on improving other aspects of their business. We have designed our own fulfillment infrastructure to satisfy our business and operation requirements and to accommodate our fast growth, but there is no guarantee that we will be successful in meeting our objectives or that our own fulfillment structure will function more effectively and efficiently than third-party solutions.

 

We use third-party couriers to deliver some orders, and our third-party sellers use couriers to deliver a significant number of orders. If these couriers fail to provide reliable delivery services, our business and reputation may be materially and adversely affected.

 

We maintain cooperation arrangements with a number of third-party couriers to deliver our products to our customers in those areas not covered by our own fulfillment infrastructure, particularly in smaller and less developed areas. We may also use third-party service providers to ship products from our fulfillment centers or front distribution centers to delivery stations or to deliver bulky item products. Third-party sellers also use third-party couriers if they do not make use of our delivery services. Interruptions to or failures in these third parties’ delivery services could prevent the timely or proper delivery of our products to customers. These interruptions may be due to events that are beyond our control or the control of these delivery companies, such as inclement weather, natural disasters, transportation disruptions or labor unrest. In addition, if our third-party couriers fail to comply with applicable rules and regulations in China, our delivery services may be materially and adversely affected. We may not be able to find alternative delivery companies to provide delivery services in a timely and reliable manner, or at all. Delivery of our products could also be affected or interrupted by the merger, acquisition, insolvency or government shut-down of the delivery companies we engage to make deliveries, especially those local companies with relatively small business scales. If our products are not delivered in proper condition or on a timely basis, our business and reputation could suffer.

 

Our online marketplace is subject to risks associated with third-party sellers.

 

As of December 31, 2015, there were approximately 99,000 third-party sellers on our online marketplace. We do not have as much control over the storage and delivery of products sold on our online marketplace as we do over the products that we sell directly ourselves. Many of our third-party sellers use their own facilities to store their products, and many of them use their own or third-party delivery systems to deliver their products to our customers, which makes it more difficult for us to ensure that our customers get the same high quality service for all products sold on our website. If any third-party seller does not control the quality of the products that it sells on our website, or if it does not deliver the products or delivers them late or delivers products that are materially different from its description of them, or if it sells counterfeit or unlicensed products on our website, or if it sells certain products without licenses or permits as required by the relevant laws and regulations even though we have requested such licenses or permits in our standard form contract with the third-party seller, the reputation of our online marketplace and our JD brand may be materially and adversely affected and we could face claims that we should be held liable for any losses. In December 2015, we terminated the Paipai C2C platform and as of the date of this report, we completely closed down the website of Paipai.com. The shut-down of the Paipai C2C platform is in line with our policy to combat the marketing and sale of counterfeit products. Moreover, despite our efforts to prevent it, some products sold on our online marketplace may compete with the products we sell directly, which may cannibalize our online direct sales. In addition, the supplier relationships, customer acquisition dynamics and other requirements for our online marketplace may not be the same as those for our online direct sales operations, which may complicate the management of our business. In order for our online marketplace to be successful, we must continue to identify and attract third-party sellers, and we may not be successful in this regard.

 

We may also face risks with respect to fraudulent activities on our online marketplace. Although we have implemented various measures to detect and reduce the occurrence of fraudulent activities on our marketplace, there can be no assurance that such measures will be effective in combating fraudulent transactions or improving overall satisfaction among third-party sellers and customers. In addition to fraudulent transactions with legitimate customers, sellers may also engage in fictitious or “phantom” transactions with themselves or collaborators in order to artificially inflate their own ratings on our online marketplace, reputation and search results rankings. This activity may harm other sellers by enabling the perpetrating seller to be favored over legitimate sellers, and may harm our customers by deceiving them into believing that a seller is more reliable or trusted than the seller actually is. This activity may also result in inflated GMV from our online marketplace. Moreover, illegal, fraudulent or collusive activities by our employees could also subject us to liability or negative publicity. Although we have internal controls and policies with regard to the review and approval of sales activities and other relevant matters, we cannot assure you that such controls and policies will prevent fraud or illegal activity by our employees. Negative publicity and user sentiment generated as a result of actual or alleged fraudulent or deceptive conduct on our platform or by our employees could severely diminish consumer confidence in us, reduce our ability to attract new or retain current third-party sellers and customers, damage our reputation and diminish the value of our brand names, and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Strategic alliances, investments or acquisitions may have a material and adverse effect on our business, reputation, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We may enter into strategic alliances with various third parties to further our business purposes from time to time. Strategic alliances with third parties could subject us to a number of risks, including risks associated with sharing proprietary information, non-performance by the counterparty, and an increase in expenses incurred in establishing new strategic alliances, any of which may materially and adversely affect our business. We may have little ability to control or monitor their actions. To the extent the third parties suffer negative publicity or harm to their reputations from events relating to their business, we may also suffer negative publicity or harm to our reputation by virtue of our association with such third parties.

 

In addition, we have in the past invested in or acquired additional assets, technologies or businesses that are complementary to our existing business, such as the following:

 

·                   In March 2014, we acquired certain e-commerce businesses and assets from Tencent and entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Tencent, and concurrently we issued 15% of our then total issued and outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis under the treasury method to a subsidiary of Tencent.

 

·                   In February 2015, we invested a combination of US$400 million in cash and certain resources valued at US$497 million, as consideration for newly issued ordinary shares from Bitauto Holdings Limited, or Bitauto, an NYSE-listed provider of internet content and marketing services for China’s fast-growing automotive industry, and also invested US$100 million in newly issued series A preferred shares of Yixin Capital Limited, a subsidiary of Bitauto primarily engaged in e-commerce-related automotive financing platform business.

 

·                   In May 2015, we invested a combination of US$250 million in cash and certain resources valued at US$108 million as consideration for newly issued Class A ordinary shares of Tuniu Corporation, or Tuniu, a Nasdaq-listed and leading online leisure travel company in China.

 

·                   In August 2015, we entered into definitive agreements with Yonghui Superstores Co., Ltd, or Yonghui, a leading hypermarket and supermarket operator in China, pursuant to which we will subscribe for newly issued ordinary shares of Yonghui with a total consideration of RMB4.31 billion (US$665 million), and the transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2016.

 

·                   In April 2016, we entered into a definitive agreement with Dada Nexus Limited, or Dada, China’s largest crowdsourcing delivery company, pursuant to which agreement we will merge our O2O business, JD Daojia, with Dada to form a new company, and contribute certain resources and US$200 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2016, and upon the completion of the transaction we will own approximately 47% equity interest of the new company on a fully diluted basis.

 

If we are presented with appropriate opportunities, we may continue to do so in the future. Investments or acquisitions and the subsequent integration of new assets and businesses into our own would require significant attention from our management and could result in a diversion of resources from our existing business, which in turn could have an adverse effect on our business operations. The costs of identifying and consummating investments and acquisitions may be significant. We may also incur significant expenses in obtaining necessary approvals from relevant government authorities in China and elsewhere in the world. In addition, investments and acquisitions could result in the use of substantial amounts of cash, potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities and exposure to potential unknown liabilities of the acquired business.  The cost and duration of integrating newly acquired businesses could also materially exceed our expectations. Any such negative developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Furthermore, our financial results could be adversely affected by our investments or acquisitions. The investments and acquired assets or businesses may not generate the financial results we expect. They could result in occurrence of significant investments and goodwill impairment charges, and amortization expenses for other intangible assets. We periodically review goodwill and investments for impairment. In November 2015, we decided to terminate the C2C business of Paipai.com acquired from Tencent, combating the marketing and sales of counterfeit products. As a result, we decided that the goodwill arising from the acquisition of the Paipai and QQ Wanggou combined platform business was fully impaired and an impairment charge of RMB2.6 billion (US$0.4 billion) was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2015. In addition, the remaining balance of the intangible assets arising from the acquisition, which amounted to RMB0.2 billion (US$0.02 billion) as of December 31, 2015, was also impaired.  Moreover, we share the results of the investments which we account for as equity investees, although we have no control on the factors and risks that affect their business, results of operations and financial condition. In 2015, our share of results of equity investees was RMB3.1 billion (US$0.5 billion), primarily attributable to impairment of investment in Bitauto and losses picked up from our equity method investments.  In the fourth quarter of 2015, based on an assessment of other-than-temporary impairment by considering the degree and severity of the continued decline in Bitauto’s share price, we recorded a RMB2.9 billion (US$0.4 billion) charge to write down the investment in Bitauto to its fair value of RMB2.9 billion (US$0.4 billion) based on Bitauto’s quoted closing stock price of US$28.28 per ADS as of December 31, 2015. Such impairment charges had an adverse impact on our profitability in the fourth quarter of 2015.  If the investments that we account for using the equity method were in a loss position, we would pick up their loss in our consolidated statement of operations. We may continue to incur impairment charges in connection with our investments or acquisitions and pick up the losses by our equity investments, which could depress our profitability and have a material adverse impact on our financial results.

 

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Uncertainties relating to the growth and profitability of the retail industry in China in general, and the online retail industry in particular, could adversely affect our revenues and business prospects.

 

We generate substantially all of our revenues from online retail. While online retail has existed in China since the 1990s, only recently have certain large online retail companies become profitable. The long-term viability and prospects of various online retail business models in China remain relatively untested. Our future results of operations will depend on numerous factors affecting the development of the online retail industry in China, which may be beyond our control. These factors include:

 

·                   the growth of internet, broadband, personal computer and mobile penetration and usage in China, and the rate of any such growth;

 

·                   the trust and confidence level of online retail consumers in China, as well as changes in customer demographics and consumer tastes and preferences;

 

·                   the selection, price and popularity of products that we and our competitors offer online;

 

·                   whether alternative retail channels or business models that better address the needs of consumers emerge in China; and

 

·                   the development of fulfillment, payment and other ancillary services associated with online purchases.

 

A decline in the popularity of online shopping in general, or any failure by us to adapt our website and improve the online shopping experience of our customers in response to trends and consumer requirements, may adversely affect our net revenues and business prospects.

 

Furthermore, the retail industry is very sensitive to macroeconomic changes, and retail purchases tend to decline during recessionary periods. Substantially all of our net revenues are derived from retail sales in China. Many factors outside of our control, including inflation and deflation, currency exchange rate fluctuation, volatility of stock and property markets, interest rates, tax rates and other government policies and unemployment rates can adversely affect consumer confidence and spending, which could in turn materially and adversely affect our growth and profitability. Unfavorable developments in domestic and international politics, including military conflicts, political turmoil and social instability, may also adversely affect consumer confidence and reduce spending, which could in turn materially and adversely affect our growth and profitability.

 

If we fail to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud.

 

Since our initial public offering, we have become subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we include a report from management on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report on Form 20-F beginning with our annual report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2015. In addition, beginning at the same time, our independent registered public accounting firm must report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.

 

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Our management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2015. In addition, our independent registered public accounting firm attested the effectiveness of our internal control and reported that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2015. However, there is no assurance that we will not have any material weakness in the future. Failure to discover and address any control deficiencies could result in inaccuracies in our financial statements and impair our ability to comply with applicable financial reporting requirements and related regulatory filings on a timely basis. Moreover, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could significantly hinder our ability to prevent fraud. If we fail to develop or maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, our management and our independent registered public accounting firm may not conclude on an on-going basis that our internal control over financial reporting is effective. This conclusion could adversely impact the market price of our ADSs due to a loss of investor confidence in the reliability of our reporting processes. Furthermore, we have incurred and anticipate that we will continue to incur considerable costs, management time and other resources in an effort to comply with Section 404 and other requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

 

Our success depends on the continuing and collaborative efforts of our management team, and our business may be severely disrupted if we lose their services.

 

Our success heavily depends upon the continued services of our management. In particular, we rely on the expertise and experience of Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu, our chairman and chief executive officer, and other executive officers. If one or more of our senior management were unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, we might not be able to replace them easily or at all, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. If any of our senior management joins a competitor or forms a competing business, we may lose customers, suppliers, know-how and key professionals and staff members. Our senior management has entered into employment agreements and confidentiality and non-competition agreements with us. However, if any dispute arises between our officers and us, we may have to incur substantial costs and expenses in order to enforce such agreements in China or we may be unable to enforce them at all.

 

If we are unable to recruit, train and retain qualified personnel or sufficient workforce while controlling our labor costs, our business may be materially and adversely affected.

 

We intend to hire additional qualified employees to support our business operations and planned expansion. Our future success depends, to a significant extent, on our ability to recruit, train and retain qualified personnel, particularly technical, fulfillment, marketing and other operational personnel with experience in the online retail industry. Our experienced mid-level managers are instrumental in implementing our business strategies, executing our business plans and supporting our business operations and growth. The effective operation of our managerial and operating systems, fulfillment infrastructure, customer service center and other back office functions also depends on the hard work and quality performance of our management and employees. Since our industry is characterized by high demand and intense competition for talent and labor, we can provide no assurance that we will be able to attract or retain qualified staff or other highly skilled employees that we will need to achieve our strategic objectives. Our fulfillment infrastructure is labor intensive and requires a substantial number of blue-collar workers, and these positions tend to have higher than average turnover. As of December 31, 2015, we employed a total of 74,883 warehouse and delivery personnel. We have observed an overall tightening of the labor market and an emerging trend of shortage of labor supply. Failure to obtain stable and dedicated warehousing, delivery and other labor support may lead to underperformance of these functions and cause disruption to our business. Labor costs in China have increased with China’s economic development, particularly in the large cities where we operate our fulfillment centers and more generally in the urban areas where we maintain our delivery and pickup stations. Because we operate our own fulfillment infrastructure, which requires a large and rapidly growing work force, our cost structure is more vulnerable to labor costs than that of many of our competitors, which may put us at a competitive disadvantage. In addition, our ability to train and integrate new employees into our operations may also be limited and may not meet the demand for our business growth on a timely fashion, or at all, and rapid expansion may impair our ability to maintain our corporate culture.

 

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We may incur liability or become subject to administrative penalties for counterfeit or unauthorized products sold on our website, or for products sold on our website or content posted on our website that infringe on third-party intellectual property rights, or for other misconduct.

 

We sourced our products from approximately 9,600 suppliers as of December 31, 2015. Third-party sellers on our online marketplace are separately responsible for sourcing the products they sell on our website. As of December 31, 2015, we had approximately 99,000 third-party sellers on our online marketplace. Although we have adopted measures to verify the authenticity and authorization of products sold on our website and avoid potential infringement of third-party intellectual property rights in the course of sourcing and selling products, we may not always be successful. As part of our cross-border e-commerce business, we source products outside of China and allow overseas brands or partners to sell their products through our online marketplace, which could make it more difficult for us to verify the authenticity and authorization of products sold.

 

In the event that counterfeit, unauthorized or infringing products are sold on our website or infringing content is posted on our website, we could face claims that we should be held liable. We have in the past received claims alleging our infringement of third parties’ rights. Irrespective of the validity of such claims, we could incur significant costs and efforts in either defending against or settling such claims. If there is a successful claim against us, we might be required to pay substantial damages or refrain from further sale of the relevant products. Potential liability under PRC law if we negligently participated or assisted in infringement activities associated with counterfeit goods includes injunctions to cease infringing activities, rectification, compensation, administrative penalties and even criminal liability. Moreover, such third-party claims or administrative penalties could result in negative publicity and our reputation could be severely damaged. Any of these events could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

 

Under our standard form agreements, we require suppliers or third-party sellers to indemnify us for any losses we suffer or any costs that we incur due to any products we source from these suppliers or any products sold by these third-party sellers. However, not all of our agreements with suppliers and third-party sellers have such terms, and for those agreements that have such terms, we may not be able to successfully enforce our contractual rights and may need to initiate costly and lengthy legal proceedings in China to protect our rights. See “—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—We may be adversely affected by the complexity, uncertainties and changes in PRC regulation of internet-related business and companies.”

 

We may be subject to product liability claims if people or properties are harmed by the products we sell.

 

We sell products manufactured by third parties, some of which may be defectively designed or manufactured. As a result, sales of such products could expose us to product liability claims relating to personal injury or property damage and may require product recalls or other actions. Third parties subject to such injury or damage may bring claims or legal proceedings against us as the retailer of the product. Although we would have legal recourse against the manufacturer of such products under PRC law, attempting to enforce our rights against the manufacturer may be expensive, time-consuming and ultimately futile. In addition, we do not currently maintain any third-party liability insurance or product liability insurance in relation to products we sell. As a result, any material product liability claim or litigation could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Even unsuccessful claims could result in the expenditure of funds and managerial efforts in defending them and could have a negative impact on our reputation.

 

The proper functioning of our technology platform is essential to our business. Any failure to maintain the satisfactory performance of our website and systems could materially and adversely affect our business and reputation.

 

The satisfactory performance, reliability and availability of our technology platform are critical to our success and our ability to attract and retain customers and provide quality customer service. All of our sales of products are made online through our website and mobile applications, and the fulfillment services we provide to third-party sellers are related to sales of their products through our website and mobile applications. Any system interruptions caused by telecommunications failures, computer viruses, hacking or other attempts to harm our systems that result in the unavailability or slowdown of our website or reduced order fulfillment performance could reduce the volume of products sold and the attractiveness of product offerings on our website. Our servers may also be vulnerable to computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins and similar disruptions, which could lead to system interruptions, website slowdown or unavailability, delays or errors in transaction processing, loss of data or the inability to accept and fulfill customer orders. Security breaches, computer viruses and hacking attacks have become more prevalent in our industry. Because of our brand recognition in the online retail industry in China, we believe we are a particularly attractive target for such attacks. We have experienced in the past, and may experience in the future, such attacks and unexpected interruptions. We can provide no assurance that our current security mechanisms will be sufficient to protect our IT systems from any third-party intrusions, viruses or hacker attacks, information or data theft or other similar activities. Any such future occurrences could reduce customer satisfaction, damage our reputation and result in a material decrease in our revenue.

 

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Additionally, we must continue to upgrade and improve our technology platform to support our business growth, and failure to do so could impede our growth. However, we cannot assure you that we will be successful in executing these system upgrades and improvement strategies. In particular, our systems may experience interruptions during upgrades, and the new technologies or infrastructures may not be fully integrated with the existing systems on a timely basis, or at all. In addition, we experience surges in online traffic and orders associated with promotional activities and holiday seasons, such as June 18 and November 11, which can put additional demands on our technology platform at specific times. If our existing or future technology platform does not function properly, it could cause system disruptions and slow response times, affecting data transmission, which in turn could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Any deficiencies in China’s internet infrastructure could impair our ability to sell products over our website and mobile applications, which could cause us to lose customers and harm our operating results.

 

All of our sales of products are made online through our website and mobile applications, and the fulfillment services we provide to third-party sellers are related to sales of their products through our website and mobile applications. Our business depends on the performance and reliability of the internet infrastructure in China. The availability of our website depends on telecommunications carriers and other third-party providers for communications and storage capacity, including bandwidth and server storage, among other things. If we are unable to enter into and renew agreements with these providers on acceptable terms, or if any of our existing agreements with such providers are terminated as a result of our breach or otherwise, our ability to provide our services to our customers could be adversely affected. Almost all access to the internet in China is maintained through state-owned telecommunication carriers under administrative control, and we obtain access to end-user networks operated by such telecommunications carriers and internet service providers to give customers access to our website. We have experienced service interruptions in the past, which were typically caused by service interruptions at the underlying external telecommunications service providers, such as the internet data centers and broadband carriers from which we lease services. Service interruptions prevent consumers from accessing our website and mobile applications and placing orders, and frequent interruptions could frustrate customers and discourage them from attempting to place orders, which could cause us to lose customers and harm our operating results.

 

If we fail to adopt new technologies or adapt our website, mobile applications and systems to changing customer requirements or emerging industry standards, our business may be materially and adversely affected.

 

To remain competitive, we must continue to enhance and improve the responsiveness, functionality and features of our website and mobile applications. The internet and the online retail industry are characterized by rapid technological evolution, changes in customer requirements and preferences, frequent introductions of new products and services embodying new technologies and the emergence of new industry standards and practices, any of which could render our existing technologies and systems obsolete. Our success will depend, in part, on our ability to identify, develop, acquire or license leading technologies useful in our business, and respond to technological advances and emerging industry standards and practices, such as mobile internet, in a cost-effective and timely way. The development of websites, mobile applications and other proprietary technology entails significant technical and business risks. We cannot assure you that we will be able to use new technologies effectively or adapt our website, mobile applications, proprietary technologies and systems to meet customer requirements or emerging industry standards. If we are unable to adapt in a cost-effective and timely manner in response to changing market conditions or customer requirements, whether for technical, legal, financial or other reasons, our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

 

Customer growth and activity on mobile devices depends upon effective use of mobile operating systems, networks and standards that we do not control.

 

Purchases using mobile devices by consumers generally, and by our customers specifically, have increased significantly, and we expect this trend to continue. To optimize the mobile shopping experience, we are somewhat dependent on our customers downloading our specific mobile applications for their particular devices as opposed to accessing our sites from an internet browser on their mobile device. As new mobile devices and platforms are released, it is difficult to predict the problems we may encounter in developing applications for these alternative devices and platforms, and we may need to devote significant resources to the development, support and maintenance of such applications. In addition, our future growth and our results of operations could suffer if we experience difficulties in the future in integrating our mobile applications into mobile devices or if problems arise with our relationships with providers of mobile operating systems or mobile application download stores, if our applications receive unfavorable treatment compared to competing applications on the download stores, or if we face increased costs to distribute or have customers use our mobile applications. We are further dependent on the interoperability of our sites with popular mobile operating systems that we do not control, such as iOS and Android, and any changes in such systems that degrade the functionality of our sites or give preferential treatment to competitive products could adversely affect the usage of our sites on mobile devices. In the event that it is more difficult for our customers to access and use our sites on their mobile devices, or if our customers choose not to access or to use our sites on their mobile devices or to use mobile products that do not offer access to our sites, our customer growth could be harmed and our business, financial condition and operating results may be adversely affected.

 

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Failure to protect confidential information of our customers and network against security breaches could damage our reputation and brand and substantially harm our business and results of operations.

 

A significant challenge to the online retail industry is the secure storage of confidential information and its secure transmission over public networks. All of the orders and some of the payments for products we offer are made through our website and our mobile applications. In addition, some online payments for our products are settled through third-party online payment services. We also share certain personal information about our customers with contracted third-party couriers, such as their names, addresses, phone numbers and transaction records. Maintaining complete security for the storage and transmission of confidential information on our technology platform, such as customer names, personal information and billing addresses, is essential to maintaining customer confidence.

 

We have adopted security policies and measures, including encryption technology, to protect our proprietary data and customer information. However, advances in technology, the expertise of hackers, new discoveries in the field of cryptography or other events or developments could result in a compromise or breach of the technology that we use to protect confidential information. We may not be able to prevent third parties, especially hackers or other individuals or entities engaging in similar activities, from illegally obtaining such confidential or private information we hold as a result of our customers’ visits to our website and use of our mobile applications. Such individuals or entities obtaining our customers’ confidential or private information may further engage in various other illegal activities using such information. In addition, we have limited control or influence over the security policies or measures adopted by third-party providers of online payment services through which some of our customers may choose to make payment for purchases. The contracted third-party couriers we use may also violate their confidentiality obligations and disclose or use information about our customers illegally. Any negative publicity on our website’s or mobile applications’ safety or privacy protection mechanisms and policies, and any claims asserted against us or fines imposed upon us as a result of actual or perceived failures, could have a material and adverse effect on our public image, reputation, financial condition and results of operations. We have experienced breaches of our information security measures in the past due to external causes beyond our control, such as a leak of user account information from the China Software Developer Network (CSDN) in 2011, although none of the past breaches individually or in the aggregate was material to our business or operations. We cannot assure you that similar events will not occur in the future. If we give third parties greater access to our technology platform in the future as part of providing more technology services to third-party sellers and others, it may become more challenging for us to ensure the security of our systems. Any compromise of our information security or the information security measures of our contracted third-party couriers or third-party online payment service providers could have a material and adverse effect on our reputation, business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Practices regarding the collection, use, storage, transmission and security of personal information by companies operating over the internet and mobile platforms are under increased public scrutiny. As online retail continues to evolve, we believe that increased regulation by the PRC government of data privacy on the internet is likely. We may become subject to new laws and regulations applying to the solicitation, collection, processing or use of personal or consumer information that could affect how we store, process and share data with our customers, suppliers and third-party sellers. We generally comply with industry standards and are subject to the terms of our own privacy policies. Compliance with any additional laws could be expensive, and may place restrictions on the conduct of our business and the manner in which we interact with our customers. Any failure to comply with applicable regulations could also result in regulatory enforcement actions against us.

 

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Significant capital and other resources may be required to protect against information security breaches or to alleviate problems caused by such breaches or to comply with our privacy policies or privacy-related legal obligations. The resources required may increase over time as the methods used by hackers and others engaged in online criminal activities are increasingly sophisticated and constantly evolving. Any failure or perceived failure by us to prevent information security breaches or to comply with privacy policies or privacy-related legal obligations, or any compromise of security that results in the unauthorized release or transfer of personally identifiable information or other customer data, could cause our customers to lose trust in us and could expose us to legal claims. Any perception by the public that online transactions or the privacy of user information are becoming increasingly unsafe or vulnerable to attacks could inhibit the growth of online retail and other online services generally, which may reduce the number of orders we receive.

 

The wide variety of payment methods that we accept subjects us to third-party payment processing-related risks.

 

We accept payments using a variety of methods, including payment on delivery, bank transfers, online payments through various third-party online payment platforms such as 99Bill, Weixin Pay and UnionPay. For certain payment methods, we pay interchange and other fees, which may increase over time and raise our operating costs and lower our profit margins. We may also be subject to fraud and other illegal activities in connection with the various payment methods we offer, including online payment and cash on delivery options. Although we deliver a majority of the orders directly to customers ourselves, we use contracted third-party couriers to service areas that are not directly covered by our delivery network. Given that customers place their orders online but often choose the cash-on-delivery option, the delivery personnel of our contracted third-party couriers collect payments on our behalf, and we require the contracted third-party couriers to remit the payment collected to us on the following day. If these companies fail to remit the payment collected to us in a timely fashion or at all, if they become unwilling or unable to provide these services to us, or if their service quality deteriorates, our business could be disrupted. We are also subject to various rules, regulations and requirements, regulatory or otherwise, governing electronic funds transfers, which could change or be reinterpreted to make it difficult or impossible for us to comply. If we fail to comply with these rules or requirements, we may be subject to fines and higher transaction fees and lose our ability to accept credit and debit card payments from our customers, process electronic funds transfers or facilitate other types of online payments, and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

 

Our delivery, return and exchange policies may adversely affect our results of operations.

 

We have adopted shipping policies that do not necessarily pass the full cost of shipping on to our customers. We also have adopted customer-friendly return and exchange policies that make it convenient and easy for customers to change their minds after completing purchases. We may also be required by law to adopt new or amend existing return and exchange policies from time to time. For example, pursuant to the amended Consumer Protection Law, which became effective in March 2014, consumers are generally entitled to return the products purchased within seven days upon receipt without giving any reasons when they purchase the products from business operators on the internet. See “Item 4.B. Information on the Company—Business Overview—Regulation—Regulations Relating to Product Quality and Consumer Protection.” These policies improve customers’ shopping experience and promote customer loyalty, which in turn help us acquire and retain customers. However, these policies also subject us to additional costs and expenses which we may not recoup through increased revenue. Our ability to handle a large volume of returns is unproven. If our return and exchange policy is misused by a significant number of customers, our costs may increase significantly and our results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. If we revise these policies to reduce our costs and expenses, our customers may be dissatisfied, which may result in loss of existing customers or failure to acquire new customers at a desirable pace, which may materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

 

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We have limited experience in operating a finance business. Increased exposure to credit risks or significant deterioration in the asset quality of our finance business may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We started to participate in the finance sector in China in recent years. Our finance business, which we refer to as JD Finance, has developed various financial products and services, including supply chain financing and microcredit, which are additional value-added services we provide to our suppliers and third-party sellers on our online marketplace, and consumer financing. Expansion in this new business area involves new risks and challenges. For certain financial products, we have committed or will commit our own capital. Our lack of familiarity with the finance sector may make it difficult for us to anticipate the demands and preferences in the market and develop financial products that meet the requirements and preference. We may not be able to successfully identify new product and service opportunities or develop and introduce these opportunities to our clients in a timely and cost-effective manner, or our clients may be disappointed in the returns from financial products that we offer.

 

Our account receivables and loan receivables increased over 2014 and 2015 due to the credit we extended for certain of our financial products, which in turn increased our exposure to bad debts. The risk of nonpayment of loans is inherent in the finance business and we are subject to credit risk resulting from defaults in payment for loans by the suppliers, third-party sellers on our marketplace and customers.  Credit risks are exacerbated in microcredit and consumer financing because there is relatively limited information available about the credit histories of the third-party sellers and customers. There can be no assurances that our monitoring of credit risk issues and our efforts to mitigate credit risks through our credit assessment and risk management policies are or will be sufficient to result in lower delinquencies. Furthermore, our ability to manage the quality of our loan portfolio and the associated credit risks will have significant impact on the results of operations of our finance business. Deterioration in the overall quality of loan portfolio and increased exposure to credit risks may occur due to a variety of reasons, including factors beyond our control, such as a slowdown in the growth of the PRC or global economies or a liquidity or credit crisis in the PRC or global finance sectors, which may adversely affect the businesses, operations or liquidity of our suppliers, third-party sellers and customers or their ability to repay or roll over their debt. Any significant deterioration in the asset quality of our finance business and significant increase in associated credit risks may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

In addition, the development of finance business is capital intensive.  To address such capital requirement, JD Finance has entered into asset-backed securitization arrangements with third party financial institutions, under which JD Finance has transferred the legal titles or economic benefits in certain financial assets in exchange for cash proceeds. JD Finance continues to provide management, administration and collection services on the transferred financial assets and is obligated to absorb a portion of the losses incurred in the outstanding portfolio of the transferred financial assets in the event of default. Additionally, in March 2016, JD Finance raised an aggregate of RMB6.65 billion (US$1.03 billion) from a group of investors. Despite such arrangement and capital injection, JD Finance may require additional cash resources due to further developments or changed business conditions. JD Finance may seek to obtain a credit facility or sell additional equity or debt securities. The sale of additional equity securities could result in dilution of our equity stake in JD Finance, and the investors may have a strategy or objective different from ours with respect to JD Finance or impose conditions that could restrict the operations of JD Finance. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations and could result in operating and financial covenants that would restrict its operations. It is uncertain whether financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable, if at all.

 

Our use of some leased properties could be challenged by third parties or government authorities, which may cause interruptions to our business operations.

 

Approximately 7% of the lessors of our leased warehouses, approximately 13% of the lessors of our leased offices, and approximately 8% of the lessors of our leased delivery stations and pickup stations have not provided us with their property ownership certificates or any other documentation proving their right to lease those properties to us. If our lessors are not the owners of the properties and they have not obtained consents from the owners or their lessors or permits from the relevant government authorities, our leases could be invalidated. If this occurs, we may have to renegotiate the leases with the owners or the parties who have the right to lease the properties, and the terms of the new leases may be less favorable to us. Some of the leased properties were also subject to mortgage at the time the leases were entered into. If no consent had been obtained from the mortgage holder under such circumstances, the lease may not be binding on the transferee of the property in the event that the mortgage holder forecloses on the mortgage and transfers the property to another party. In addition, a substantial portion of our leasehold interests in leased properties have not been registered with the relevant PRC government authorities as required by PRC law, which may expose us to potential fines if we fail to remediate after receiving any notice from the relevant PRC government authorities.

 

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As of the date of this annual report, we are not aware of any material claims or actions being contemplated or initiated by government authorities, property owners or any other third parties with respect to our leasehold interests in or use of such properties. However, we cannot assure you that our use of such leased properties will not be challenged. In the event that our use of properties is successfully challenged, we may be subject to fines and forced to relocate the affected operations. In addition, we may become involved in disputes with the property owners or third parties who otherwise have rights to or interests in our leased properties. We can provide no assurance that we will be able to find suitable replacement sites on terms acceptable to us on a timely basis, or at all, or that we will not be subject to material liability resulting from third parties’ challenges on our use of such properties. As a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

 

Failure to renew our current leases or locate desirable alternatives for our facilities could materially and adversely affect our business.

 

We lease properties for our offices, customer service center, warehouses, sorting centers, and delivery and pickup stations. We may not be able to successfully extend or renew such leases upon expiration of the current term on commercially reasonable terms or at all, and may therefore be forced to relocate our affected operations. This could disrupt our operations and result in significant relocation expenses, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we compete with other businesses for premises at certain locations or of desirable sizes. As a result, even though we could extend or renew our leases, rental payments may significantly increase as a result of the high demand for the leased properties. In addition, we may not be able to locate desirable alternative sites for our facilities as our business continues to grow and failure in relocating our affected operations could adversely affect our business and operations.

 

Any lack of requisite approvals, licenses or permits applicable to our business may have a material and adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our business is subject to governmental supervision and regulation by the relevant PRC governmental authorities, including but not limited to the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or MIIT, the Ministry of Transport, the State Post Bureau and the People’s Bank of China. Together, these government authorities promulgate and enforce regulations that cover many aspects of the operation of the online retail, courier, road freight transportation and finance industries, including entry into these industries, the scope of permissible business activities, licenses and permits for various business activities, and foreign investment. See “Item 4.B. Information on the Company—Business Overview—Regulation—Regulations Relating to Foreign Investment” and “—Licenses and Permits.”

 

Under PRC law, an entity operating courier services across multiple provinces must obtain a cross-provincial Courier Service Operation Permit and conduct its courier services within the permitted scope as indicated in the permit. Furthermore, any entity engaging in road freight transportation services in China must obtain a Road Transportation Operation Permit from the relevant road transportation administrative authorities. We operate a nationwide road freight transportation and delivery network. As of the date of this annual report, we have one cross-provincial Courier Service Operation Permit that allows Jingbangda, one of our PRC subsidiaries providing logistics services, to operate an express delivery business in 30 provinces and 45 cities in China. As of December 31, 2015, Jingbangda and its 127 branches had obtained Courier Service Operation Permits. As of the same date, Jiangsu Jingdong and its 35 branches, Jingbangda and its 12 branches had obtained Road Transportation Operation Permits that allow these entities to provide road freight transportation services. We are in the process of applying for extension of the coverage of our Courier Service Operation Permits to other areas of China and for additional Road Transportation Operation Permits for Jiangsu Jingdong’s other branches and Jingbangda’s branches from the appropriate level of government authorities and obtaining necessary licenses for all of our vehicles used for transporting goods. However, we cannot assure you that we can obtain such permits and licenses in a timely manner, or at all, due to complex procedural requirements and policies.

 

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In addition, we issue one type of prepaid cards which can be used to buy most of the products sold on our website, including those sold by third-party sellers on our online marketplace. These cards may be deemed to be multiple-purpose commercial pre-paid cards and if so, a license from the relevant authority is required. An indirect subsidiary of Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co., Ltd., or Suqian Limao, one of our consolidated variable interest entities, has applied to the relevant government authority for the expansion of the business types covered by its Payment Service License to cover issuance and acceptance of pre-paid cards, and the application has been publicized by the relevant government authority on its official website. However, we cannot assure you that we can obtain the approval to expand the business types of the license in a timely manner, or at all.

 

There may be some defects with respect to the process of establishing certain of our indirect subsidiaries in China. Certain subsidiaries of our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China were established without obtaining the prior approval from the relevant government authorities that supervise the relevant industries, and some obtain the relevant permits from the government authority at a level lower than as required. We have not received any notice of warning or been subject to penalties or other disciplinary action from the relevant governmental authorities with respect to these defects. However, we cannot assure you that the relevant governmental authorities would not require us to obtain the approvals, or the permits from proper level of government authorities to cure the defects, or take any other actions retrospectively in the future. If the relevant government authorities require us to cure such defects, we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain the approvals, or the permits from proper level of government authorities, in a timely manner or at all.

 

We provide payment by installments or payment on credit service to certain qualified customers for purchasing relevant products sold on our website, including those sold by us directly and those sold by third-party sellers on our online marketplace. These payment services may be deemed to be providing consumer loans. If so, a license for consumer finance company from the relevant authority is required, and we cannot assure you that we can obtain such license in a timely manner, or at all.

 

If the PRC government considers that we were operating without the proper approvals, licenses or permits, 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 and adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

The e-commerce industry, and online retail in particular, is highly regulated by the PRC government. We are required to obtain various licenses and permits from different regulatory authorities in order to distribute certain categories of products on our website. See “Item 4.B. Information on the Company—Business Overview—Regulation—Licenses and Permits.” We have made great efforts to obtain all the applicable licenses and permits, but due to the large number of products sold on our website, we may not always be able to do so and we were penalized by governmental authorities for selling products without proper licenses. As we increase our product selection, we may also become subject to new or existing laws and regulations that did not affect us before.

 

As online retail and finance are evolving rapidly in China, new laws and regulations may be adopted from time to time to require additional licenses and permits other than those we currently have, and to address new issues that arise from time to time. As a result, substantial uncertainties exist regarding the interpretation and implementation of PRC laws and regulations applicable to online retail businesses and finance businesses. If we are unable to maintain and renew one or more of our licenses and certificates when their current term expires, or obtain such renewals on commercially reasonable terms, our operations could be disrupted.  Accordingly, if the PRC government requires additional licenses or permits or provides more strict supervision requirements in the future in order for us to conduct our businesses, there is no guarantee that we would be able to obtain such licenses or permits or meet all the supervision requirements in a timely manner, or at all.

 

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We have granted, and may continue to grant, restricted share units and other types of awards under our Share Incentive Plan, which may result in increased share-based compensation expenses.

 

We have adopted a share incentive plan to provide additional incentives to employees, directors and consultants. See “Item 6.B. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—Compensation—Share Incentive Plan” for a detailed discussion. As of December 31, 2015, we had an aggregate of 12,999,472 restricted shares, which are treated as non-vested ordinary shares under U.S. GAAP, 56,278,439 restricted share units and options to purchase an aggregate of 53,434,622 ordinary shares that had been granted to our directors, officers, employees and consultants and remained outstanding, excluding awards that were forfeited or cancelled after the relevant grant date. In the first quarter of 2014, we granted 93,780,970 immediately vesting restricted share units to our chairman and chief executive officer, Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu, and we incurred share-based compensation expenses in connection with this grant to Mr. Liu in an amount of RMB3,685 million (US$569 million) in the quarter. In the same quarter, we granted additional 12,296,594 restricted share units and options to purchase an aggregate of 1,955,000 ordinary shares to former Tencent employees who joined us after our transactions with Tencent, and certain of our existing employees and consultants, and we incurred additional share-based compensation expenses in connection with these grants. In May 2015, our board of directors approved a 10-year compensation plan for Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu, under which, Mr. Liu will receive RMB1.00 per year in cash salary and zero cash bonus during the 10-year period and in the meantime, Mr. Liu was granted an option to acquire a total of 26,000,000 Class A ordinary shares of the Company, at an exercise price of US$16.70 per share or US$33.40 per ADS, subject to a 10-year vesting schedule with 10% of the award vested on each anniversary of the grant date. We will not grant any additional equity incentive to Mr. Liu during the 10-year period. In 2015, we incurred share-based compensation expenses of RMB240 million (US$37 million) in connection with this grant of option to Mr. Liu. In addition, in 2015, JD Finance adopted its own share incentive plan and granted to its employees restricted shares units of JD Finance equivalent to approximately 7.25% of its ordinary shares on a fully diluted basis. For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, we recorded an aggregate of RMB261 million, RMB4,250 million and RMB1,194 million (US$184 million), respectively, in share-based compensation expenses. We believe the granting of share-based compensation is of significant importance to our ability to attract and retain key personnel and employees, and we will continue to grant share-based compensation to employees in the future. As a result, our expenses associated with share-based compensation may increase, which may have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

Our results of operations are subject to seasonal fluctuations.

 

We experience seasonality in our business, reflecting a combination of traditional retail seasonality patterns and new patterns associated with online retail in particular. For example, we generally experience less user traffic and purchase orders during national holidays in China, particularly during the Chinese New Year holiday season in the first quarter of each year. Furthermore, sales in the traditional retail industry are significantly higher in the fourth quarter of each calendar year than in the preceding three quarters. E-commerce companies in China hold special promotional campaigns on November 11 each year, and we hold a special promotional campaign in the second quarter of each year, on June 18, to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of our business, both of which can affect our results for those quarters. Overall, the historical seasonality of our business has been relatively mild due to the rapid growth we have experienced and may increase further in the future. Our financial condition and results of operations for future periods may continue to fluctuate. As a result, the trading price of our ADSs may fluctuate from time to time due to seasonality.

 

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We may need additional capital, and financing may not be available on terms acceptable to us, or at all.

 

We believe that our current cash and cash equivalents and anticipated cash flow from operations will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for the next 12 months. We may, however, require additional cash resources due to changed business conditions or other future developments, including any changes in our account payable policy, marketing initiatives or investments we may decide to pursue. If these resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may seek to obtain a credit facility or sell additional equity or debt securities. The sale of additional equity securities could result in dilution of our existing shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations and could result in operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations. It is uncertain whether financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all.

 

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Our revenues and financial results may be adversely affected by any economic slowdown in China as well as globally.

 

The success of our business ultimately depends on consumer spending. We derive substantially all of our revenues from China. As a result, our revenues and financial results are impacted to a significant extent by economic conditions in China and globally, as well as economic conditions specific to online retail. The global economy, markets and levels of consumer spending are influenced by many factors beyond our control, including consumer perception of current and future economic conditions, political uncertainty, levels of employment, inflation or deflation, real disposable income, interest rates, taxation and currency exchange rates. The PRC government has in recent years implemented a number of measures to control the rate of economic growth, which have contributed to a slowdown of the PRC economy. The growth of the Chinese economy has slowed since 2012 and such slowdown may continue. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, China’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth slowed to 6.9% in 2015. Any continuing or worsening slowdown could significantly reduce domestic commerce in China, including through the internet generally and through us. An economic downturn, whether actual or perceived, a further decrease in economic growth rates or an otherwise uncertain economic outlook in China or any other market in which we may operate could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We may not be able to prevent others from unauthorized use of our intellectual property, which could harm our business and competitive position.

 

We regard our trademarks, copyrights, patents, domain names, know-how, proprietary technologies, and similar intellectual property as critical to our success, and we rely on a combination of intellectual property laws and contractual arrangements, including confidentiality, invention assignment and non-compete agreements with our employees and others, to protect our proprietary rights. Although we are not aware of any copycat websites that attempt to cause confusion or diversion of traffic from us at the moment, we may become an attractive target to such attacks in the future because of our brand recognition in the online retail industry in China. Despite these measures, any of our intellectual property rights could be challenged, invalidated, circumvented or misappropriated, or such intellectual property may not be sufficient to provide us with competitive advantages. In addition, there can be no assurance that our patent applications will be approved, that any issued patents will adequately protect our intellectual property, or that such patents will not be challenged by third parties or found by a judicial authority to be invalid or unenforceable. Further, because of the rapid pace of technological change in our industry, parts of our business rely on technologies developed or licensed by third parties, and we may not be able to obtain or continue to obtain licenses and technologies from these third parties at all or on reasonable terms.

 

It is often difficult to register, maintain and enforce intellectual property rights in China. Statutory laws and regulations are subject to judicial interpretation and enforcement and may not be applied consistently due to the lack of clear guidance on statutory interpretation. Confidentiality, invention assignment and non-compete agreements may be breached by counterparties, and there may not be adequate remedies available to us for any such breach. Accordingly, we may not be able to effectively protect our intellectual property rights or to enforce our contractual rights in China. Policing any unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult and costly and the steps we take may be inadequate to prevent the infringement or misappropriation of our intellectual property. In the event that we resort to litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights, such litigation could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our managerial and financial resources, and could put our intellectual property at risk of being invalidated or narrowed in scope. We can provide no assurance that we will prevail in such litigation, and even if we do prevail, we may not obtain a meaningful recovery. In addition, our trade secrets may be leaked or otherwise become available to, or be independently discovered by, our competitors. Any failure in maintaining, protecting or enforcing our intellectual property rights could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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We may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims, which may be expensive to defend and may disrupt our business and operations.

 

We cannot be certain that our operations or any aspects of our business do not or will not infringe upon or otherwise violate patents, copyrights or other intellectual property rights held by third parties. We have been, and from time to time in the future may be, subject to legal proceedings and claims relating to the intellectual property rights of others. In addition, there may be other third-party intellectual property that is infringed by our products, services or other aspects of our business. There could also be existing patents of which we are not aware that our products may inadvertently infringe. We cannot assure you that holders of patents purportedly relating to some aspect of our technology platform or business, if any such holders exist, would not seek to enforce such patents against us in China, the United States or any other jurisdictions. Further, the application and interpretation of China’s patent laws and the procedures and standards for granting patents in China are still evolving and are uncertain, and we cannot assure you that PRC courts or regulatory authorities would agree with our analysis. If we are found to have violated the intellectual property rights of others, we may be subject to liability for our infringement activities or may be prohibited from using such intellectual property, and we may incur licensing fees or be forced to develop alternatives of our own. In addition, we may incur significant expenses, and may be forced to divert management’s time and other resources from our business and operations to defend against these third-party infringement claims, regardless of their merits. Successful infringement or licensing claims made against us may result in significant monetary liabilities and may materially disrupt our business and operations by restricting or prohibiting our use of the intellectual property in question. Finally, we use open source software in connection with our products and services. Companies that incorporate open source software into their products and services have, from time to time, faced claims challenging the ownership of open source software and compliance with open source license terms. As a result, we could be subject to suits by parties claiming ownership of what we believe to be open source software or noncompliance with open source licensing terms. Some open source software licenses require users who distribute open source software as part of their software to publicly disclose all or part of the source code to such software and make available any derivative works of the open source code on unfavorable terms or at no cost. Any requirement to disclose our source code or pay damages for breach of contract could be harmful to our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We have limited insurance coverage which could expose us to significant costs and business disruption.

 

We maintain various insurance policies to safeguard against risks and unexpected events. We have purchased all risk property insurance covering our inventory and fixed assets such as equipment, furniture and office facilities. We maintain public liability insurance for our business activities at one location. We also provide social security insurance including pension insurance, unemployment insurance, work-related injury insurance and medical insurance for our employees. Additionally, we provide group accident insurance for all employees and supplementary medical insurance for all management and technology and other professional personnel. However, as the insurance industry in China is still in an early stage of development, insurance companies in China currently offer limited business-related insurance products. We do not maintain business interruption insurance or product liability insurance, nor do we maintain key-man life insurance. We cannot assure you that our insurance coverage is sufficient to prevent us from any loss or that we will be able to successfully claim our losses under our current insurance policy on a timely basis, or at all. If we incur any loss that is not covered by our insurance policies, or the compensated amount is significantly less than our actual loss, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

 

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Our chairman and chief executive officer, Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu, has considerable influence over important corporate matters. Our dual-class voting structure will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

 

Our chairman and chief executive officer, Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu, has considerable influence over important corporate matters. Our ordinary shares are divided into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Holders of Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote per share in respect of matters requiring the votes of shareholders, while holders of Class B ordinary shares are entitled to twenty votes per share, subject to certain exceptions. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof, while Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon any transfer of Class B ordinary shares by a holder thereof to any person or entity which is not an affiliate of such holder, such Class B ordinary shares shall be automatically and immediately converted into the equal number of Class A ordinary shares. Due to the disparate voting powers associated with our two classes of ordinary shares, as of February 29, 2016, Mr. Liu beneficially owned 80.9% of the aggregate voting power of our company, including the 9.3% of the aggregate voting power of our company that he may exercise on behalf of Fortune Rising Holdings Limited. Mr. Liu is the sole shareholder and the sole director of Fortune Rising Holdings Limited. Fortune Rising Holdings Limited holds 55,141,700 Class B ordinary shares, representing 9.3% of the aggregate voting power of our company, for the purpose of transferring such shares to the plan participants according to our awards under our Original Plans, which were replaced by the 2013 Plan and further by the current Share Incentive Plan, and administers the awards and acts according to our instruction. Fortune Rising Holdings Limited exercises this 9.3% of the aggregate voting power of our company following our instruction. Mr. Liu, as the representative of Fortune Rising Holdings Limited, can exercise this 9.3% of the aggregate voting power of our company on behalf of Fortune Rising Holdings Limited. See “Item 6.E. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—Share Ownership.” As a result, Mr. Liu has considerable influence over matters such as electing directors and approving material mergers, acquisitions or other business combination transactions. In addition, under our current memorandum and articles of association, our board of directors will not be able to form a quorum without Mr. Liu for so long as Mr. Liu remains a director. This concentrated control will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could also discourage others from pursuing any potential merger, takeover or other change of control transactions, which could have the effect of depriving the holders of our Class A ordinary shares and our ADSs of the opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over the prevailing market price.

 

We may be the subject of anti-competitive, harassing, or other detrimental conduct by third parties including complaints to regulatory agencies, negative blog postings, and the public dissemination of malicious assessments of our business that could harm our reputation and cause us to lose market share, customers and revenues and adversely affect the price of our ADSs.

 

We may be the target of anti-competitive, harassing, or other detrimental conduct by third parties. Such conduct includes complaints, anonymous or otherwise, to regulatory agencies. Our brand name and our business may be harmed by aggressive marketing and communications strategies of our competitors. We may be subject to government or regulatory investigation as a result of such third-party conduct and may be required to expend significant time and incur substantial costs to address such third-party conduct, and there is no assurance that we will be able to conclusively refute each of the allegations within a reasonable period of time, or at all. Additionally, allegations, directly or indirectly against us, may be posted in internet chat-rooms or on blogs or websites by anyone, whether or not related to us, on an anonymous basis. Consumers value readily available information concerning retailers, manufacturers, and their goods and services and often act on such information without further investigation or authentication and without regard to its accuracy. The availability of information on social media platforms and devices is virtually immediate, as is its impact. Social media platforms and devices immediately publish the content their subscribers and participants post, often without filters or checks on the accuracy of the content posted. Information posted may be inaccurate and adverse to us, and it may harm our financial performance, prospects or business. The harm may be immediate without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction. Our reputation may be negatively affected as a result of the public dissemination of anonymous allegations or malicious statements about our business, which in turn may cause us to lose market share, customers and revenues and adversely affect the price of our ADSs.

 

We face risks related to natural disasters, health epidemics and other outbreaks, which could significantly disrupt our operations.

 

Our business could be materially and adversely affected by natural disasters or the outbreak of avian influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, influenza A (H1N1), Ebola or another epidemic. Any such occurrences could cause severe disruption to our daily operations, including our fulfillment infrastructure and our customer service centers, and may even require a temporary closure of our facilities. In August 2014, a severe earthquake hit part of Yunnan province in south western China, which resulted in significant casualties and property damage. While we did not suffer any loss or experience any significant increase in cost resulting from these earthquakes, if a similar disaster were to occur in the future affecting Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu, Shenyang or Xi’an, or any other city where we have major operations in China, our operations could be materially and adversely affected due to loss of personnel and damages to property, including our inventory and our technology systems. Our operation could also be severely disrupted if our suppliers, customers or business partners were affected by such natural disasters or health epidemics.

 

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Our auditor, like other independent registered public accounting firms operating in China, is not permitted to be subject to inspection by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, as such, investors may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection.

 

Our independent registered public accounting firm that issued the audit reports included in this annual report filed with the SEC, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB, is required by the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess its compliance with the laws of the United States and professional standards. Because our auditor is located in China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the PRC authorities, our auditor, like other independent registered public accounting firms operating in China, is currently not inspected by the PCAOB.

 

Inspections of other firms that the PCAOB has conducted outside of China have identified deficiencies in those firms’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of independent registered public accounting firms operating in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our auditor’s audit procedures or quality control procedures. As a result, investors may be deprived of the benefits of PCAOB inspections and lose confidence in our reported financial information and procedures and the quality of our financial statements.

 

Proceedings instituted by the SEC against certain PRC-based accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act.

 

In December 2012, the SEC brought administrative proceedings against five accounting firms in China, including our independent registered public accounting firm, alleging that they had refused to produce audit work papers and other documents related to certain other China-based companies under investigation by the SEC. In January 2014, an initial administrative law decision was issued, censuring these accounting firms and suspending four of these firms from practicing before the SEC for a period of six months. The decision was neither final nor legally effective unless and until reviewed and approved by the SEC. In February 2014, four of these PRC-based accounting firms appealed to the SEC against this decision. In February 2015, each of the four PRC-based accounting firms agreed to a censure and to pay a fine to the SEC to settle the dispute and avoid suspension of their ability to practice before the SEC. The settlement requires the firms to follow detailed procedures to seek to provide the SEC with access to Chinese firms’ audit documents via the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC. If the firms do not follow these procedures, the SEC could impose penalties such as suspensions, or it could restart the administrative proceedings.

 

In the event that the SEC restarts the administrative proceedings, depending upon the final outcome, listed companies in the United States with major PRC operations may find it difficult or impossible to retain auditors in respect of their operations in the PRC, which could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, including possible delisting. Moreover, any negative news about the proceedings against these audit firms may cause investor uncertainty regarding China-based, United States-listed companies and the market price of our ADSs may be adversely affected.

 

If our independent registered public accounting firm were denied, even temporarily, the ability to practice before the SEC and we were unable to timely find another registered public accounting firm to audit and issue an opinion on our financial statements, our financial statements could be determined not to be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act. Such a determination could ultimately lead to delisting of our ordinary shares from NASDAQ or deregistration from the SEC, or both, which would substantially reduce or effectively terminate the trading of our ADSs in the United States.

 

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Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure

 

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

 

Foreign ownership of certain of our businesses including value-added telecommunication services 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 (excluding e-commerce) and any such foreign investor must have experience in providing value-added telecommunications services overseas and maintain a good track record, and foreign investors may engage in the distribution of audio and video products in China only in the form of contractual joint ventures between foreign and Chinese investors. In addition, foreign investors may engage in air freight transport agency services in China only in the form of equity or contractual joint ventures between foreign and Chinese investors.

 

We are a Cayman Islands company and our PRC subsidiaries Jingdong Century, Star East, Jingbangda and Shanghai Shengdayuan are considered foreign-invested enterprises. Accordingly, none of these PRC subsidiaries is eligible to provide value-added telecommunication services or sell audio and video products in China or provide certain other restricted services related to our businesses, such as air freight transport agency services. As a result, we conduct or will conduct such business activities through our variable interest entities in PRC, including Jingdong 360 and Jiangsu Yuanzhou. Jingdong 360 holds our ICP license as an internet information provider.  Jiangsu Yuanzhou primarily conducts the sale of books and audio and video products.

 

All of Jingdong 360, Jiangsu Yuanzhou and other variable interest entities in PRC are 45% owned by Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu, our chairman and chief executive officer, and 55% owned by Mr. Jiaming Sun, our former employee. Mr. Liu and Mr. Sun are both PRC citizens. We entered into a series of contractual arrangements with Jingdong 360, Jiangsu Yuanzhou and other variable interest entities in China and their respective shareholders, which enable us to:

 

·                   exercise effective control over Jingdong 360, Jiangsu Yuanzhou and other variable interest entities in China;

 

·                   receive substantially all of the economic benefits and bear the obligation to absorb substantially all of the losses of Jingdong 360, Jiangsu Yuanzhou and other variable interest entities in China; and

 

·                   have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in Jingdong 360,  Jiangsu Yuanzhou and other variable interest entities in China when and to the extent permitted by PRC law.

 

Because of these contractual arrangements, we are the primary beneficiary of Jingdong 360, Jiangsu Yuanzhou and other variable interest entities in China and hence consolidate their financial results as our variable interest entities. For a detailed discussion of these contractual arrangements, see “Item 4.C. Information on the Company—Organizational Structure.”

 

In the opinion of Zhong Lun Law Firm, our PRC legal counsel, (i) the ownership structures of our variable interest entities in China and the PRC subsidiaries that have entered into contractual arrangements with the variable interest entities, including Jingdong Century, comply with all existing PRC laws and regulations; and (ii) the contractual arrangements between the PRC subsidiaries, including Jingdong Century, the variable interest entities and their respective shareholders governed by PRC law are valid, binding and enforceable, and will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect. However, our PRC legal counsel has also advised us that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules; accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities may take a view that is contrary to the opinion of our PRC legal counsel. For example, substantial uncertainties exist as to how the draft PRC Foreign Investment Law or its implementation rules may impact the viability of our current corporate structure in the future. See “—Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation of the draft PRC Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations.”  It is uncertain whether any other new PRC laws or regulations relating to variable interest entity structures will be adopted or if adopted, what they would provide. If we or any of our variable interest entities are found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion to take action in dealing with such violations or failures, including:

 

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·                   revoking the business licenses of such entities;

 

·                   discontinuing or restricting the conduct of any transactions between certain of our PRC subsidiaries and variable interest entities;

 

·                   imposing fines, confiscating the income from our variable interest entities, or imposing other requirements with which we or our variable interest entities may not be able to comply;

 

·                   requiring us to restructure our ownership structure or operations, including terminating the contractual arrangements with our variable interest entities and deregistering the equity pledges of our variable interest entities, which in turn would affect our ability to consolidate, derive economic interests from, or exert effective control over our variable interest entities; or

 

·                   restricting or prohibiting our use of the proceeds of our initial public offering to finance our business and operations in China.

 

The imposition of any of these penalties would result in a material and adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business. In addition, it is unclear what impact the PRC government actions would have on us and on our ability to consolidate the financial results of our variable interest entities in our consolidated financial statements, if the PRC government authorities were to find our legal structure and contractual arrangements to be in violation of PRC laws and regulations. If the imposition of any of these government actions causes us to lose our right to direct the activities of our variable interest entities or our right to receive substantially all the economic benefits and residual returns from our variable interest entities and we are not able to restructure our ownership structure and operations in a satisfactory manner, we would no longer be able to consolidate the financial results of our variable interest entities in our consolidated financial statements. Either of these results, or any other significant penalties that might be imposed on us in this event, would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

We rely on contractual arrangements with our variable interest entities and their shareholders for a portion of our business operations, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control.

 

We have relied and expect to continue to rely on contractual arrangements with Jingdong 360 and its shareholders to hold our ICP license as an internet information provider, contractual arrangements with Jiangsu Yuanzhou and its shareholders to conduct the sale of books and audio and video products and contractual arrangements with other variable interest entities for the relevant restricted businesses. Suqian Limao  has an indirect subsidiary that holds our online payment license and provides online payment and settlement services. For a description of these contractual arrangements, see “Item 4.C. Information on the Company—Organizational Structure.” These contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over our variable interest entities.

 

If we had direct ownership of our variable interest entities, we would be able to exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the board of directors of those entities, which in turn could effect changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at the management level. However, under the current contractual arrangements, we rely on the performance by our variable interest entities and their respective shareholders of their obligations under the contracts to exercise control over our variable interest entities. However, the shareholders of our variable interest entities may not act in the best interests of our company or may not perform their obligations under these contracts. Such risks exist throughout the period in which we intend to operate our business through the contractual arrangements with our variable interest entities. We may replace the shareholders of our variable interest entities at any time pursuant to our contractual arrangements with them and their shareholders. However, if any dispute relating to these contracts remains unresolved, we will have to enforce our rights under these contracts through the operations of PRC law and courts and therefore will be subject to uncertainties in the PRC legal system. See “—Any failure by our variable interest entities or their shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business.” Therefore, our contractual arrangements with our variable interest entities may not be as effective in ensuring our control over the relevant portion of our business operations as direct ownership would be.

 

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Any failure by our variable interest entities or their shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business.

 

If our variable interest entities or their shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under the contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend additional resources to enforce such arrangements. We may also have to rely on legal remedies under PRC law, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief, and claiming damages, which we cannot assure you will be effective. For example, if the shareholders of our variable interest entities were to refuse to transfer their equity interest in the variable interest entities to us or our designee when we exercise the purchase option pursuant to these contractual arrangements, or if they were otherwise to act in bad faith toward us, we may have to take legal actions to compel them to perform their contractual obligations.

 

All the agreements under our contractual arrangements are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in China. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal system in the PRC is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions, such as the United States. See “—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.” Meanwhile, there are very few precedents and little formal guidance as to how contractual arrangements in the context of a variable interest entity should be interpreted or enforced under PRC law, and as a result it may be difficult to predict how an arbitration panel would view such contractual arrangements. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. Additionally, under PRC law, rulings by arbitrators are final, parties cannot appeal the arbitration results in courts, and if the losing parties fail to carry out the arbitration awards within a prescribed time limit, the prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards in PRC courts through arbitration award recognition proceedings, which would require additional expenses and delay.

 

Our variable interest entities hold our necessary licenses and permits including ICP license, online payment license and Aviation Transport Sales Agency Certificate and conduct our sales of books and audio and video products (including publication of e-books and online audio and video products). In the event we are unable to enforce our contractual arrangements, we may not be able to exert effective control over our variable interest entities, and our ability to conduct these businesses may be negatively affected. We generate substantially all of our revenues from products and services that are offered to customers through our website and mobile applications and any interruption in our ability to use our website and mobile applications may have a material and adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

The shareholders of our variable interest entities may have potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.

 

Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu and Mr. Jiaming Sun are the shareholders of each of our variable interest entities, including Jingdong 360 and Jiangsu Yuanzhou, among others. Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu is our chairman and chief executive officer, and Mr. Jiaming Sun is our former employee. The shareholders of our variable interest entities may have potential conflicts of interest with us. These shareholders may breach, or cause our variable interest entities to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and our variable interest entities, which would have a material and adverse effect on our ability to effectively control our variable interest entities and receive substantially all the economic benefits from them. For example, the shareholders may be able to cause our agreements with our variable interest entities to be performed in a manner adverse to us by, among other things, failing to remit payments due under the contractual arrangements to us on a timely basis. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise, any or all of these shareholders will act in the best interests of our company or such conflicts will be resolved in our favor.

 

Currently, we do not have any arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest between these shareholders and our company. Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu is also a director and executive officer of our company. We rely on Mr. Liu to abide by the laws of the Cayman Islands and China, which provide that directors owe a fiduciary duty to the company that requires them to act in good faith and in what they believe to be the best interests of the company and not to use their position for personal gains. If we cannot resolve any conflict of interest or dispute between us and the shareholders of our variable interest entities, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of our business and subject us to substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.

 

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

 

We are a holding company, and we may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiaries like Jingdong Century 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 these subsidiaries 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 Jingdong Century or any other relevant PRC subsidiary to adjust its taxable income under the contractual arrangements it currently has in place with our variable interest entities in a manner that would materially and adversely affect its ability to pay dividends and other distributions to us. See “—Contractual arrangements in relation to our variable interest entities may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities and they may determine that we or our PRC variable interest entities owe additional taxes, which could negatively affected our financial condition and the value of your investment.”

 

Under PRC laws and regulations, our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China may pay dividends only out of their respective accumulated 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 fund, until the aggregate amount of such fund 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 enterprise expansion fund and staff welfare and bonus fund. The statutory reserve fund, enterprise expansion fund and staff welfare and bonus fund are not distributable as cash dividends.

 

Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries 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 “—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—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.”

 

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

 

We are an offshore holding company conducting our operations in China through our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities. We may make loans to our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities subject to the approval from governmental authorities and limitation of amount, or we may make additional capital contributions to our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China.

 

Any loans to our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China, which are treated as foreign-invested enterprises under PRC law, are subject to PRC regulations and foreign exchange loan registrations. For example, loans by us to our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China 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 Ministry of Commerce or its local counterpart and the amount of registered capital of such foreign-invested company. For example, the current amounts of approved total investment and registered capital of Jingdong Century are approximately US$1,450 million and US$790 million, respectively, which means Jingdong Century cannot obtain loans in excess of US$660 million from our entities outside of China currently. The current statutory limit on the loans to our other wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China, such as Star East, Jingbangda and Shanghai Shengdayuan, is RMB1,800 million (US$278 million), RMB2,000 million (US$309 million) and US$49 million, respectively.

 

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We may also decide to finance our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China by means of capital contributions. These capital contributions must be approved by the Ministry of Commerce or its local counterpart. In addition, SAFE issued a circular in September 2008, SAFE Circular No. 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 No. 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. SAFE also 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 SAFE Circular No. 142 could result in severe monetary or other penalties. On March 30, 2015, SAFE issued SAFE Circular No.19, which will take effective and replace SAFE Circular No. 142 from June 1, 2015. Although SAFE Circular No.19 allows for the use of RMB converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital for equity investments in the PRC, the restrictions will continue to apply as to foreign-invested enterprises’ use of the converted RMB for purposes beyond the business scope, for entrusted loans or for inter-company RMB loans. The applicable circulars may significantly limit our ability to transfer any foreign currency we hold, including the net proceeds from our initial public offering, to our consolidated variable interest entities and the subsidiaries of our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China, and we may not be able to convert the foreign currency into RMB to invest in or establish certain other PRC companies in China.

 

Due to the restrictions imposed on loans in foreign currencies extended to any PRC domestic companies, we are not likely to make such loans to the subsidiaries of our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China and our consolidated variable interest entities, each a PRC domestic company. Meanwhile, we are not likely to finance the activities of our consolidated variable interest entities by means of capital contributions given the restrictions on foreign investment in the businesses that are currently conducted by our consolidated variable interest entities.

 

In light of the various requirements imposed by PRC regulations on loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies, including SAFE Circular No. 142 or SAFE Circular No. 19 and other relevant rules and regulations, 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 subsidiaries or any consolidated variable interest entity or future capital contributions by us to our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China. As a result, uncertainties exist as to our ability to provide prompt financial support to our PRC subsidiaries or consolidated variable interest entities when needed. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to use foreign currency, including the proceeds we received from our initial public offering, 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.

 

Contractual arrangements in relation to our variable interest entities may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities and they may determine that we or our PRC variable interest entities owe additional taxes, which could negatively affect our financial condition and the value of 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. We could face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that the contractual arrangements between Jingdong Century, our wholly owned subsidiary in China,  our variable interest entities in China, and their respective shareholders 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 those variable interest entities’ 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 the variable interest entities for PRC tax purposes, which could in turn increase their tax liabilities. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may impose punitive interest on our variable interest entities for the adjusted but unpaid taxes at the rate of 5% over the basic RMB lending rate published by the People’s Bank of China for a period according to the applicable regulations. Our financial position could be materially and adversely affected if our variable interest entities’ tax liabilities increase or if they are required to pay punitive interest.

 

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

 

The Ministry of Commerce 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. While the Ministry of Commerce solicited public comments on this draft in January and February 2015, 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 the investment in China is made by a foreign investor or a PRC domestic investor. The draft Foreign Investment Law specifically provides that an entity established in China but “controlled” by foreign investors will be treated as a foreign investor, whereas an entity set up in a foreign jurisdiction would nonetheless be, upon market entry clearance by the Ministry of Commerce or its local branches, treated as a PRC domestic investor provided that the entity is “controlled” by PRC entities and/or citizens. In this connection, “control” is broadly defined in the draft law to cover, among others, 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.  If the foreign investment falls within a “negative list”, to be separately issued by the State Council in the future, market entry clearance by the Ministry of Commerce or its local branches would be required.  Otherwise, all foreign investors may make investments on the same terms as Chinese investors without being subject to additional approval from the government authorities as mandated by the existing foreign investment legal regime.

 

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 Corporate Structure—If the PRC government deems that the contractual arrangements in relation to our variable interest entities do not comply with PRC regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.” and “Item 4.C. Information on the Company—Organizational Structure.” Under the draft Foreign Investment Law, if a variable interest entity is ultimately controlled by a foreign investor via contractual arrangement, it would be deemed as a foreign investment. Accordingly, for the companies with a VIE structure in an industry category that is on the “negative list”, the VIE structure may be deemed legitimate only if the ultimate controlling person(s) is/ are of PRC nationality (either PRC individual, or PRC government and its branches or agencies) Conversely, if the actual controlling person(s) is/are of foreign nationalities, then the variable interest entities will be treated as foreign invested enterprises and any operation in the industry category on the “negative list” without market entry clearance may be considered as illegal.

 

As of the date of this annual report, over 50% of the voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital is controlled by PRC nationals. However, the draft Foreign Investment Law has not taken a position on what actions shall be taken with respect to the existing companies with a VIE structure, although a few possible options were proffered in the draft. Under these options, a company with VIE structures and in the business on the “negative list” at the time of enactment of the new Foreign Investment Law has either the option or obligation to disclose its corporate structure to the authorities, while the authorities, after reviewing the ultimate control structure of the company, may either permit the company to continue its business by maintaining the VIE structure (when the company is deemed ultimately controlled by PRC citizens), or require the company to dispose of its businesses and/or VIE structure.  Moreover, it is uncertain whether the industries in which our variable interest entities operate, such as  the industry of providing value-added telecommunication services or selling audio and video products, will be subject to the foreign investment restrictions or prohibitions set forth in the “negative list” to be issued.  If the enacted version of the Foreign Investment Law and the final “negative list” mandate further actions, such as market entry clearance, to be completed by companies with existing VIE structure like us, or we plan to apply for determination on the PRC investor during the clearance process, we face uncertainties as to whether such clearance or ratification can be timely obtained, or at all.

 

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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 foreign invested entities. Aside from investment implementation report and investment amendment report that are required at 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 the 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.

 

Risks Related to Doing Business in China

 

Changes in China’s economic, political or social conditions or government policies could have a material and adverse effect on our business and operations.

 

Substantially all of our operations are located in China. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be influenced to a significant degree by political, economic and social conditions in China generally and by continued economic growth in China as a whole.

 

The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the 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 owned by the government. In addition, the Chinese government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The Chinese government also exercises significant control over China’s economic growth through allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy, and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.

 

While the Chinese economy has experienced significant growth over the past decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy, and the rate of growth has been slowing. 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, which may adversely affect our business and operating results.

 

Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.

 

We conduct our business primarily through our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities in China. Our operations in China are governed by PRC laws and regulations. Our PRC subsidiaries are subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign investment in China. The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value. The PRC legal system is evolving rapidly, and the interpretation of many laws, regulations and rules may contain inconsistencies and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involves uncertainties.

 

From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. Any administrative and court proceedings in China may be protracted, resulting in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention. Since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. These uncertainties may impede our ability to enforce the contracts we have entered into and could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations. 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, but which may have retroactive effect. As a result, we may not always be aware of any potential violation of these policies and rules. Such unpredictability towards our contractual, property and procedural rights could adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.

 

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We are subject to consumer protection laws that could require us to modify our current business practices and incur increased costs.

 

We are subject to numerous PRC laws and regulations that regulate retailers generally or govern online retailers specifically, such as the Consumer Protection Law. If these regulations were to change or if we, suppliers or third-party sellers on our marketplace were to violate them, the costs of certain products or services could increase, or we could be subject to fines or penalties or suffer reputational harm, which could reduce demand for the products or services offered on our website and hurt our business and results of operations. For example, the amended Consumer Protection Law, which became effective in March 2014, further strengthens the protection of consumers and imposes more stringent requirements and obligations on business operators, especially on businesses that operate on the internet. Pursuant to the Consumer Protection Law, consumers are generally entitled to return goods purchased within seven days upon receipt without giving any reasons if they purchased the goods over the internet. Consumers whose interests have been damaged due to their purchase of goods or acceptance of services on online marketplace platforms may claim damages from sellers or service providers. Where the operators of an online marketplace platform are unable to provide the real names, addresses and valid contact details of the sellers or service providers, the consumers may also claim damages from the operators of the online marketplace platforms. Operators of online marketplace platforms that know or should have known that sellers or service providers use their platforms to infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of consumers but fail to take necessary measures must bear joint and several liability with the sellers or service providers. Moreover, if business operators deceive consumers or knowingly sell substandard or defective products, they should not only compensate consumers for their losses, but also pay additional damages equal to three times the price of the goods or services. Legal requirements are frequently changed and subject to interpretation, and we are unable to predict the ultimate cost of compliance with these requirements or their effect on our operations. We may be required to make significant expenditures or modify our business practices to comply with existing or future laws and regulations, which may increase our costs and materially limit our ability to operate our business.

 

We may be adversely affected by the complexity, uncertainties and changes in PRC regulation of internet-related business and companies.

 

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. Issues, risks and uncertainties relating to PRC government regulation of the internet industry include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

We only have control over our website through contractual arrangements. We do not own the website in China 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 MIIT, and the Ministry of Public Security). The primary role of this 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.

 

New laws and regulations may be promulgated that will regulate internet activities, including online retail. If these new laws and regulations are promulgated, additional licenses may be required for our operations. If our operations do not comply with these new regulations at the time they become effective, or if we fail to obtain any licenses required under these new laws and regulations, we could be subject to penalties.

 

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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 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. 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. Currently, Jingdong 360, our PRC consolidated variable interest entity, holds an ICP license and operates our website. Jingdong 360 owns the relevant domain names and registered trademarks and has the necessary personnel to operate such website.

 

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.

 

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

 

Companies operating in China are required 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. Our PRC operating entities incorporated in various locations in China have not made adequate employee benefit payments and we have recorded accruals for estimated underpaid amounts in our financial statements. 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.

 

We may be required to register our operating offices outside of our residence addresses as branch offices under PRC law.

 

Under PRC law, a company setting up premises for business operations outside its residence address must register them as branch offices with the relevant local industry and commerce bureau at the place where the premises are located and obtain business licenses for them as branch offices. We had 5,367 delivery stations and pickup stations in 2,356 counties and districts across China as of December 31, 2015.  We seek to register branch offices in all the locations where we have delivery stations and pickup stations. However, as of the date of this annual report, we have not been able to register branch offices in all of these locations. Furthermore, we may expand our fulfillment network in the future to additional locations in China, and we may not be able to register branch offices in a timely manner due to complex procedural requirements and relocation of branch offices from time to time. If the PRC regulatory authorities determine that we are in violation of the relevant laws and regulations, we may be subject to penalties, including fines, confiscation of income and suspension of operation. If we become subject to these penalties, our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

 

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Regulation and censorship of information disseminated over the internet in China may adversely affect our business, and we may be liable for content that is displayed on our website.

 

China has enacted laws and regulations governing internet access and the distribution of products, services, news, information, audio-video programs and other content through the internet. In the past, the PRC government has prohibited the distribution of information through the internet that it deems to be in violation of PRC laws and regulations. If any of our internet information were deemed by the PRC government to violate any content restrictions, we would not be able to continue to display such content and could become subject to penalties, including confiscation of income, fines, suspension of business and revocation of required licenses, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We may also be subject to potential liability for any unlawful actions of our customers or users of our website or for content we distribute that is deemed inappropriate. It may be difficult to determine the type of content that may result in liability to us, and if we are found to be liable, we may be prevented from operating our website in China.

 

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

 

The value of the RMB against the U.S. dollar and other currencies is affected by changes in China’s political and economic conditions and by China’s foreign exchange policies, among other things. In July 2005, the PRC government changed its decades-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. Between July 2008 and June 2010, this appreciation halted and the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar remained within a narrow band. Since June 2010, the RMB has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar in the future.

 

Significant revaluation of the RMB may have a material and adverse effect on your investment. For example, 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 would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert our 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 amount available to us. In addition, appreciation or depreciation in the value of the RMB relative to U.S. dollars would affect our financial results reported in U.S. dollar terms regardless of any underlying change in our business or results of operations.

 

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.

 

Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to utilize our 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 revenues in RMB. Under our current corporate structure, our company in the Cayman Islands may rely on dividend payments from our PRC subsidiaries 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 wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China 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 our shareholders or the ultimate shareholders of our corporate shareholders 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 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.

 

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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.

 

PRC regulations and rules concerning mergers and acquisitions including the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time consuming and complex. For example, the M&A Rules require that the Ministry of Commerce be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise, if (i) any important industry is concerned, (ii) such transaction involves factors that have or may have impact on the national economic security, or (iii) such transaction will lead to a change in control of a domestic enterprise which holds a famous trademark or PRC time-honored brand. Mergers, acquisitions or contractual arrangements that allow one market player to take control of or to exert decisive impact on another market player must also be notified in advance to the Ministry of Commerce when the threshold under the Provisions on Thresholds for Prior Notification of Concentrations of Undertakings, or the Prior Notification Rules, issued by the State Council in August 2008 is triggered. In addition, the security review rules issued by the Ministry of Commerce 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 Ministry of Commerce, 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 Ministry of Commerce or its local counterparts may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions. It is unclear whether our business would be deemed to be in an industry that raises “national defense and security” or “national security” concerns. However, the Ministry of Commerce or other government agencies may publish explanations in the future determining that our business is in an industry subject to the security review, in which case our future acquisitions in the PRC, including those by way of entering into contractual control arrangements with target entities, may be closely scrutinized or prohibited. Our ability to expand our business or maintain or expand our market share through future acquisitions would as such be materially and adversely affected.

 

PRC regulations relating to the establishment of offshore special purpose companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident beneficial owners or our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into these subsidiaries, limit these subsidiaries’ ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits to us, or may otherwise adversely affect us.

 

The Notice on Issues Relating to the Administration of Foreign Exchange in Fund-Raising and Round-Trip Investment Activities of Domestic Residents Conducted via Offshore Special Purpose Companies, or SAFE Circular No. 75, requires PRC residents to register with the relevant local branch of SAFE before establishing or controlling any company outside of China, referred to as an offshore special purpose company, for the purpose of raising funds from overseas to acquire or exchange the assets of, or acquiring equity interests in, PRC entities held by such PRC residents and to update such registration in the event of any significant changes with respect to that offshore company. SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents’ Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular No. 37, in July 2014, which replaced the SAFE Circular No. 75. SAFE Circular No. 37 requires PRC residents to register with local branches of SAFE in connection with their direct establishment or indirect control of an offshore entity, for the purpose of overseas investment and financing, with such PRC residents’ legally owned assets or equity interests in domestic enterprises or offshore assets or interests, referred to in SAFE Circular No.37 as a “special purpose vehicle.” The term “control” under SAFE Circular No. 37 is broadly defined as the operation rights, beneficiary rights or decision-making rights acquired by the PRC residents in the offshore special purpose vehicles or PRC companies by such means as acquisition, trust, proxy, voting rights, repurchase, convertible bonds or other arrangements. SAFE Circular No. 37 further requires amendment to the registration in the event of any changes with respect to the basic information of the special purpose vehicle, such as changes in a PRC resident individual shareholder, name or operation period; or any significant changes with respect to the special purpose vehicle, such as increase or decrease of capital contributed by PRC individuals, share transfer or exchange, merger, division or other material event. If the shareholders of the offshore holding company who are PRC residents do not complete their registration with the local SAFE branches, the PRC subsidiaries may be prohibited from distributing their profits and proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation to the offshore company, and the offshore company may be restricted in its ability to contribute additional capital to its PRC subsidiaries. Moreover, failure to comply with SAFE registration and amendment requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for evasion of applicable foreign exchange restrictions. In February 2015, SAFE issued SAFE Circular No. 13, which took effect on June 1, 2015.  SAFE Circular No. 13 has delegated to the qualified banks the authority to register all PRC residents’ investment in “special purpose vehicle” pursuant to the SAFE Circular No. 37, except that those PRC residents who have failed to comply with the SAFE Circular No. 37 will remain to fall into the jurisdiction of the local SAFE branch and must make their supplementary registration application with the local SAFE branch.

 

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We have requested PRC residents who we know hold direct or indirect interest in our company to make the necessary applications, filings and amendments as required under SAFE Circular No. 37 and other related rules. Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu, our founder and beneficial owner, has completed required registrations with SAFE in relation to our financing and restructuring and will make amendments when needed and required in accordance with SAFE Circular No. 37. However, we may not be informed of the identities of all the PRC residents holding direct or indirect interest in our company, and we cannot provide any assurance that these PRC residents will comply with our request to make or obtain any applicable registrations or comply with other requirements under SAFE Circular No. 37 or other related rules. The failure or inability of our PRC resident shareholders to comply with the registration procedures set forth in these regulations may subject us to fines and legal sanctions, restrict our cross-border investment activities, limit the ability of our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China to distribute dividends and the proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation to us, and we may also be prohibited from injecting additional capital into these subsidiaries. Moreover, failure to comply with the various foreign exchange registration requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for circumventing applicable foreign exchange restrictions. As a result, our business operations and our ability to distribute profits to you could be materially and adversely affected.

 

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.

 

Pursuant to the Notice on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Publicly Listed Company, issued by SAFE in February 2012, employees, directors, supervisors and other senior management participating in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company who are PRC citizens or who are non-PRC citizens residing in China for a continuous period of not less than one year, subject to a few exceptions, are required to register with SAFE through a domestic qualified agent, which could be a PRC subsidiary of such overseas listed company, and complete certain other procedures. We and our directors, executive officers and other employees who are PRC citizens or who reside in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year and who have been granted restricted shares, restricted share units or options are subject to these regulations. 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 wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China and limit these subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends to us. We also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional incentive plans for our directors and employees under PRC law.

 

In addition, the State Administration for Taxation has issued certain circulars concerning employee share options or restricted shares. Under these circulars, the employees working in the PRC who exercise share options or are granted restricted shares will be subject to PRC individual income tax. The PRC subsidiaries of such overseas listed company have obligations to file documents related to employee share options or restricted shares with relevant tax authorities and to withhold individual income taxes of those employees who exercise their share options. If the employees fail to pay or the PRC subsidiaries fail to withhold their income taxes according to relevant laws and regulations, the PRC subsidiaries may face sanctions imposed by the tax authorities or other PRC government authorities.

 

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Our business benefits from certain financial incentives and discretionary policies granted by local governments. Expiration of, or changes to, these incentives or policies would have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

In the past, local governments in China granted certain financial incentives from time to time to our PRC subsidiaries or consolidated variable interest entities as part of their efforts to encourage the development of local businesses. We received approximately RMB120 million, RMB215 million and RMB392 million (US$61 million) in financial incentives from local governments relating to our business operations in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. The timing, amount and criteria of government financial incentives are determined within the sole discretion of the local government authorities and cannot be predicted with certainty before we actually receive any financial incentive. We generally do not have the ability to influence local governments in making these decisions. Local governments may decide to reduce or eliminate incentives at any time. We cannot assure you of the continued availability of the government incentives currently enjoyed by our PRC subsidiaries or consolidated variable interest entities. Any reduction or elimination of incentives would have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

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 PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with “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 and overall management over the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. In April 2009, the State Administration of Taxation 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, the criteria set forth in the circular may reflect the State Administration of Taxation’s general position on how the “de facto management body” text 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 that none of JD.com, Inc. and its subsidiaries outside of China is a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. See “Item 10.E. Additional Information—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.” If the PRC tax authorities determine that JD.com, Inc. or any of its subsidiaries outside of China is a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, they would be subject to a 25% enterprise income tax on their global income. If these entities derive income other than dividends from their wholly owned subsidiaries in the PRC, a 25% enterprise income tax on their global income may increase our tax burden. If JD.com, Inc. or any of its subsidiaries outside of China is classified as a PRC resident enterprise, dividends paid to it from its wholly owned subsidiaries in China may be regarded as tax-exempted income if such dividends are deemed to be “dividends between qualified PRC resident enterprises” under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules. However, we cannot assure you that such dividends will not be subject to PRC withholding tax, as the PRC tax authorities, which enforce the withholding tax, have not yet issued guidance with respect to the processing of outbound remittances to entities that are treated as resident enterprises for PRC income tax purposes.

 

In addition, if JD.com, Inc. is classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes and unless a tax treaty or similar arrangement provides otherwise, we may be required to withhold a 10% withholding tax from dividends we pay to our shareholders that are non-resident enterprises, including the holders of our ADSs. In addition, non-resident enterprise shareholders (including our ADS holders) may be subject to a 10% PRC withholding tax on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares, if such income is treated as sourced from within the PRC. Furthermore, gains derived by our non-PRC individual shareholders from the sale of our shares and ADSs may be subject to a 20% PRC withholding tax. It is unclear whether our non-PRC individual shareholders (including our ADS holders) would be subject to any PRC tax on dividends obtained by such non-PRC individual shareholders in the event we are determined to be a PRC resident enterprise. If any PRC tax were to apply to such dividends, it would generally apply at a rate of 20% unless a reduced rate is available under an applicable tax treaty. However, it is also unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of JD.com, Inc. would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that JD.com, Inc. is treated as a PRC resident enterprise.

 

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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 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%. In October 2009, the State Administration of Taxation issued a circular, known as Circular 601, which provides guidance on determining whether an enterprise is a “beneficial owner” under China’s tax treaties and tax arrangements. Circular 601 provides that, in order to be a beneficial owner, an entity generally must be engaged in substantive business activities, and that a company that is set up for the purpose of avoiding or reducing taxes or transferring or accumulating profits will not be regarded as a beneficial owner and will not qualify for treaty benefits such as preferential dividend withholding tax rates. If our Hong Kong subsidiaries are, in the light of Circular 601, considered to be a non-beneficial owner for purposes of the tax arrangement mentioned above, any dividends paid to them by our wholly foreign-owned PRC subsidiaries would not qualify for the preferential dividend withholding tax rate of 5%, but rather would be subject to a rate of 10%.

 

We face uncertainties with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises by their non-PRC holding companies, and heightened scrutiny over acquisition transactions by the PRC tax authorities may have a negative impact on potential acquisitions we may pursue in the future.

 

The State Administration of Taxation has issued several rules and notices to tighten the scrutiny over acquisition transactions in recent years, including the Notice on Strengthening Administration of Enterprise Income Tax for Share Transfers by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises issued in December 2009 , or SAT Circular 698, the Notice on Several Issues Regarding the Income Tax of Non-PRC Resident Enterprises promulgated issued in March 2011, or SAT Circular 24, and the Notice on Certain Corporate Income Tax Matters on Indirect Transfer of Properties by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises issued in February 2015, or SAT Circular 7.  Pursuant to these rules and notices, if a non-PRC resident enterprise indirectly transfers PRC taxable properties, referring to properties of an establishment or a place in the PRC, real estate properties in the PRC or equity investments in a PRC tax resident enterprise, by disposing of equity interest in an overseas holding company, excluding trading of a public overseas company’s shares through stock exchanges without a reasonable commercial purpose and resulting in the avoidance of PRC enterprise income tax, such indirect transfer should be deemed as a direct transfer of PRC taxable properties and gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to the PRC withholding tax at a rate of up to 10%. SAT Circular 7 sets out several factors to be taken into consideration by tax authorities in determining whether an indirect transfer has a reasonable commercial purpose. An indirect transfer satisfying all the following criteria will be deemed to lack reasonable commercial purpose and be taxable under PRC law: (i) 75% or more of the equity value of the intermediary enterprise being transferred is derived directly or indirectly from the PRC taxable properties; (ii) at any time during the one-year period before the indirect transfer, 90% or more of the asset value of the intermediary enterprise (excluding cash) is comprised directly or indirectly of investments in the PRC, or 90% or more of its income is derived directly or indirectly from the PRC; (iii) the functions performed and risks assumed by the intermediary enterprise and any of its subsidiaries that directly or indirectly hold the PRC taxable properties are limited and are insufficient to prove their economic substance; and (iv) the foreign tax payable on the gain derived from the indirect transfer of the PRC taxable properties is lower than the potential PRC income tax on the direct transfer of such assets. Nevertheless, the indirect transfer falling into the safe harbor available under SAT Circular 7 may not be subject to PRC tax and the scope of the safe harbor includes qualified group restructuring as specifically set out in SAT Circular 7, public market trading and tax treaty exemptions.

 

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Under SAT Circular 7, the entities or individuals obligated to pay the transfer price to the transferor are the withholding agents and must withhold the PRC income tax from the transfer price if the indirect transfer is subject to the PRC enterprise income tax.  If the withholding agent fails to do so, the transferor should report to and pay the tax to the PRC tax authorities. In the event that neither the withholding agent nor the transferor fulfills their obligations under SAT Circular 7, according to the applicable law, apart from imposing penalties such as late payment interest on the transferor, the tax authority may also hold the withholding agent liable and impose a penalty of 50% to 300% of the unpaid tax on the withholding agent. The penalty imposed on the withholding agent may be reduced or waived if the withholding agent has submitted the relevant materials in connection with the indirect transfer to the PRC tax authorities in accordance with SAT Circular 7.

 

However, as these rules and notices are relatively new and there is a lack of clear statutory interpretation, we 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, or sale or purchase of shares in other non-PRC resident companies or other taxable assets by us. Our company and other non-resident enterprises in our group may be subject to filing obligations or being taxed if our company and other non-resident enterprises in our group are transferors in such transactions, and may be subject to withholding obligations if our company and other non-resident enterprises in our group are transferees in such transactions. For the transfer of shares in our company by investors that are non-PRC resident enterprises, our PRC subsidiaries may be requested to assist in the filing under the rules and notices. As a result, we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with these rules and notices or to request the relevant transferors from whom we purchase taxable assets to comply, or to establish that our company and other non-resident enterprises in our group should not be taxed under these rules and notices, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. There is no assurance that the tax authorities will not apply the rules and notices to our offshore restructuring transactions where non-PRC residents were involved if any of such transactions were determined by the tax authorities to lack reasonable commercial purpose. As a result, we and our non-PRC resident investors may be at risk of being taxed under these rules and notices and may be required to comply with or to establish that we should not be taxed under such rules and notices, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations or such non-PRC resident investors’ investments in us. We have conducted acquisition transactions in the past and may conduct additional acquisition transactions in the future. We cannot assure you that the PRC tax authorities will not, at their discretion, adjust any capital gains and impose tax return filing obligations on us or require us to provide assistance for the investigation of PRC tax authorities with respect thereto. Heightened scrutiny over acquisition transactions by the PRC tax authorities may have a negative impact on potential acquisitions we may pursue in the future.

 

Risks Related to Our ADSs

 

The trading price of our ADSs may be volatile.

 

The trading price of our ADSs ranged from US$21.55 to US$38 per ADS in 2015. The trading prices 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 in the market prices or the underperformance or deteriorating financial results of other listed companies based in China. The securities of some of these companies have experienced significant volatility since their initial public offerings, including, in some cases, substantial price declines in the trading prices of their securities. The trading performances of other Chinese companies’ securities after their offerings, including internet and e-commerce companies, may affect the attitudes of investors toward Chinese companies listed in the United States, which consequently may impact the trading performance of our ADSs, regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition, any negative news or perceptions about inadequate corporate governance practices or fraudulent accounting, corporate structure or matters of other Chinese companies may also negatively affect the attitudes of investors towards Chinese companies in general, including us, regardless of whether we have conducted any inappropriate activities. In addition, securities markets may from time to time experience significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to our operating performance, such as the large decline in share prices in the United States, China and other jurisdictions in late 2008, early 2009, the second half of 2011, mid-2015 and early 2016, which may have a material and adverse effect on the trading price of our ADSs.

 

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In addition to the above factors, the price and trading volume of our ADSs may be highly volatile due to multiple factors, including the following:

 

·                   regulatory developments affecting us or our industry, customers, suppliers or third-party sellers;

 

·                   announcements of studies and reports relating to the quality of our product and service offerings or those of our competitors;

 

·                   changes in the economic performance or market valuations of other online retail or e-commerce companies;

 

·                   actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations and changes or revisions of our expected results;

 

·                   changes in financial estimates by securities research analysts;

 

·                   conditions in the online retail market;

 

·                   announcements by us or our competitors of new product and service offerings, acquisitions, strategic relationships, joint ventures, capital raisings or capital commitments;

 

·                   additions to or departures of our senior management;

 

·                   fluctuations of exchange rates between the RMB and the U.S. dollar;

 

·                   release or expiry of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding shares or ADSs;

 

·                   sales or perceived potential sales of additional ordinary shares or ADSs; and

 

·                   proceedings instituted by the SEC against five PRC-based accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm.

 

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

 

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

 

Because we do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future, 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 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 subject to our memorandum and articles of association and certain restrictions under Cayman Islands law. Our shareholders may by ordinary resolutions declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our board of directors. 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 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 in our ADSs.

 

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Substantial future sales or perceived potential sales of our ADSs in the public market could cause the price of our ADSs to decline.

 

Sales of our ADSs in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the market price of our ADSs to decline. As of February 29, 2016, we had 2,767,893,260 ordinary shares outstanding, comprising of (i) 2,291,244,137 Class A ordinary shares (excluding the 25,863,390 Class A ordinary shares issued to our depositary bank for bulk issuance of ADSs reserved for future issuances upon the exercise or vesting of awards granted under our Share Incentive Plan), and (ii) 476,649,123 Class B ordinary shares. Among these shares, 1,791,229,134 Class A ordinary shares are in the form of ADSs, which are freely transferable without restriction or additional registration under the Securities Act. The remaining Class A ordinary shares outstanding and the Class B ordinary shares will be available for sale, subject to volume and other restrictions as applicable under Rules 144 and 701 under the Securities Act and the applicable lock-up agreements. Huang River Investment Limited, a company wholly owned by Tencent, continues to be subject to the lock-up obligations in connection with its investment in our company in March 2014, pursuant to which it has agreed not to sell or transfer any of the 486,245,393 Class A ordinary shares it holds during the three-year period commencing from March 10, 2014, subject to limited exceptions. Certain holders of our ordinary shares may cause us to register under the Securities Act the sale of their shares, subject to the applicable lock-up period. Registration of these shares under the Securities Act would result in ADSs representing these shares becoming freely tradable without restriction under the Securities Act immediately upon the effectiveness of the registration. Sales of these registered shares in the form of ADSs in the public market could cause the price of our ADSs to decline.

 

You, as holders of ADSs, may have fewer rights than holders of our ordinary shares and must act through the depositary to exercise those rights.

 

Holders of ADSs do not have the same rights of our shareholders and may only exercise the voting rights with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Under our memorandum and articles of association, the minimum notice period required to convene a general meeting is seven days. When a general meeting is convened, you may not receive sufficient notice of a shareholders’ meeting to permit you to withdraw the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs to allow you to cast your vote with respect to any specific matter. In addition, the depositary and its agents may not be able to send voting instructions to you or carry out your voting instructions in a timely manner. We will make all reasonable efforts to cause the depositary to extend voting rights to you in a timely manner, but we cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote your ADSs. Furthermore, the depositary and its agents will not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote, for the manner in which any vote is cast or for the effect of any such vote. As a result, you may not be able to exercise your right to vote and you may lack recourse if the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs are not voted as you requested. In addition, in your capacity as an ADS holder, you will not be able to call a shareholders’ meeting.

 

Except in limited circumstances, the depositary for our ADSs will give us a discretionary proxy to vote the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs if you do not vote at shareholders’ meetings, which could adversely affect your interests.

 

Under the deposit agreement for the ADSs, if you do not vote, the depositary will give us a discretionary proxy to vote the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs at shareholders’ meetings unless:

 

·                   we have instructed the depositary that we do not wish a discretionary proxy to be given;

 

·                   we have informed the depositary that there is substantial opposition as to a matter to be voted on at the meeting;

 

·                   a matter to be voted on at the meeting would have a material adverse impact on shareholders; or

 

·                   the voting at the meeting is to be made on a show of hands.

 

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The effect of this discretionary proxy is that you cannot prevent our ordinary shares underlying your ADSs from being voted, except under the circumstances described above. This may make it more difficult for shareholders to influence the management of our company. Holders of our ordinary shares are not subject to this discretionary proxy.

 

Your right to participate in any future rights offerings may be limited, which may cause dilution to your holdings.

 

We may from time to time distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire our securities. However, we cannot make rights available to you in the United States unless we register both the rights and the securities to which the rights relate under the Securities Act or an exemption from the registration requirements is available. Under the deposit agreement, the depositary will not make rights available to you unless both the rights and the underlying securities to be distributed to ADS holders are either registered under the Securities Act or exempt from registration under the Securities Act. We are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to any such rights or securities or to endeavor to cause such a registration statement to be declared effective and we may not be able to establish a necessary exemption from registration under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution in your holdings.

 

You may not receive cash dividends if the depositary decides it is impractical to make them available to you.

 

The depositary will pay cash dividends on the ADSs only to the extent that we decide to distribute dividends on our Class A ordinary shares or other deposited securities, and we do not have any present plan to pay any cash dividends on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future. To the extent that there is a distribution, the depositary of our ADSs has agreed to pay to you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on our Class A ordinary shares or other deposited securities after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of Class A ordinary shares your ADSs represent. However, the depositary may, at its discretion, decide that it is inequitable or impractical to make a distribution available to any holders of ADSs. For example, the depositary may determine that it is not practicable to distribute certain property through the mail, or that the value of certain distributions may be less than the cost of mailing them. In these cases, the depositary may decide not to distribute such property to you.

 

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

 

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

 

We are an exempted company with limited liability registered by way of continuation under the laws of the Cayman Islands. We conduct our operations in China and substantially all of our assets are located in China. In addition, our directors and executive officers, and some of the experts named in this annual report, reside within China, and most of the assets of these persons are located within China. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to effect service of process within the United States upon us or these persons, or to bring an action against us or against these persons 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 the PRC may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers.

 

There is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the federal or state courts of the United States (and the Cayman Islands are not a party to any treaties for the reciprocal enforcement or recognition of such judgments), 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 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. However, the Cayman Islands courts are unlikely to enforce a judgment obtained from the U.S. courts under civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities law if such judgment is determined by the courts of the Cayman Islands to give rise to obligations to make payments that are penal or punitive in nature. Because such a determination has not yet been made by a court of the Cayman Islands, it is uncertain whether such civil liability judgments from U.S. courts would be enforceable in the Cayman Islands.

 

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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 forms of reciprocity with the United States that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, the PRC courts will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our director and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC laws 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.

 

Since we are a Cayman Islands company, the rights of our shareholders may be more limited than those of shareholders of a company organized in the United States.

 

Under the laws of some jurisdictions in the United States, majority and controlling shareholders generally have certain fiduciary responsibilities to the minority shareholders. Shareholder action must be taken in good faith, and actions by controlling shareholders which are obviously unreasonable may be declared null and void. Cayman Islands law protecting the interests of minority shareholders may not be as protective in all circumstances as the law protecting minority shareholders in some U.S. jurisdictions. In addition, the circumstances in which a shareholder of a Cayman Islands company may sue the company derivatively, and the procedures and defenses that may be available to the company, may result in the rights of shareholders of a Cayman Islands company being more limited than those of shareholders of a company organized in the United States.

 

Furthermore, our directors have the power to take certain actions without shareholder approval which would require shareholder approval under the laws of most U.S. jurisdictions. The directors of a Cayman Islands company, without shareholder approval, may implement a sale of any assets, property, part of the business, or securities of the company. Our ability to create and issue new classes or series of shares without shareholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control without any further action by our shareholders, including a tender offer to purchase our ordinary shares at a premium over then current market prices.

 

Our memorandum and articles of association contains anti-takeover provisions that could discourage a third party from acquiring us and adversely affect the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs.

 

Our memorandum and articles of association contain certain provisions that could limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company, including a dual-class voting structure that gives disproportionate voting power to the Class B ordinary shares held by Max Smart Limited, a company wholly owned by our chairman and chief executive officer, Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu and of which he is the sole director, and those held by Fortune Rising Holdings Limited of which Mr. Liu is the sole shareholder and sole director. As of February 29, 2016, Mr. Liu beneficially owned 80.9% of the aggregate voting power of our company, including the 9.3% of the aggregate voting power of our company that he may exercise on behalf of Fortune Rising Holdings Limited. Fortune Rising Holdings Limited holds the shares for the purpose of transferring such shares to the plan participants according to our awards under our Share Incentive Plan, and administers the awards and acts according to our instruction, and is therefore treated as our consolidated variable interest entity under U.S. GAAP. In addition, our memorandum and articles of association also contains a provision that grants authority to our board of directors to establish and issue from time to time one or more series of preferred shares without action by our shareholders and to determine, with respect to any series of preferred shares, the terms and rights of that series. These provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of the opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over the prevailing market price by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transactions.

 

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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 U.S. domestic public companies.

 

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

 

·                   the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K;

 

·                   the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents, or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act;

 

·                   the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and

 

·                   the selective disclosure rules by issuers of material nonpublic information under Regulation FD.

 

We are 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 as press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of NASDAQ. 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 that would be made available to you were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.

 

As a Cayman Islands company, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from NASDAQ corporate governance listing standards; these practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with NASDAQ corporate governance listing standards.

 

As a Cayman Islands company listed on NASDAQ, we are subject to NASDAQ corporate governance listing standards. However, NASDAQ rules permit a foreign private issuer like us to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country. Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly from NASDAQ corporate governance listing standards. For example, neither the Companies Law (2013 Revision) of the Cayman Islands nor our memorandum and articles of association requires a majority of our directors to be independent and we could include non-independent directors as members of our compensation committee and nominating committee, and our independent directors would not necessarily hold regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present. We follow home country practice with respect to annual meetings and did not hold an annual meeting of shareholders in 2015. We will, however, hold annual shareholders meetings in the future if there are matters that require shareholders’ approval. If we choose to follow other home country practice in the future, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under NASDAQ corporate governance listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.

 

We may be classified as a passive foreign investment company for United States federal income tax purposes, which could subject United States investors in the ADSs or ordinary shares to significant adverse tax consequences.

 

Depending upon the value of our assets, which may be determined based, in part, on the market value of our ADSs and ordinary shares, and the nature of our assets and income over time, we could be classified as a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for United States federal income tax purposes. A non-United States corporation, such as our company, will be classified as a PFIC for United States 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. The average percentage of a corporation’s assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income generally is determined on the basis of the fair market value of the corporation’s assets at the end of each quarter. This determination is based on the adjusted tax basis of the corporation’s assets, however, if the corporation is a “controlled foreign corporation,” or CFC, that is not a publicly traded corporation for the taxable year. If we are treated as a CFC for United States federal income tax purposes for any portion of our taxable year ended December 31, 2015, we would likely be classified as a PFIC for that year. Although no assurances can be made in this regard, based on our shareholder composition during the taxable year ended December 31, 2015, we believe that we were not a CFC for any portion of such taxable year.

 

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In addition, we will be treated as owning a proportionate share of the assets and earning a proportionate share of the income of any other corporation in which we own, directly or indirectly, more than 25% (by value) of the stock. Although the law in this regard is unclear, we treat our variable interest entities as being owned by us for United States federal income tax purposes because we control their management decisions and we are entitled to substantially all of the economic benefits and obligated to absorb substantially all of the losses associated with these entities, and, as a result, we consolidate their results of operations in our U.S. GAAP financial statements and treat them as being owned by us for United States federal income tax purposes. If it were determined, however, that that we are not the owner of our variable interest entities for United States federal income tax purposes, we may be treated as a PFIC for our taxable year ended December 31, 2015 and in future taxable years.

 

Based on our current income and assets and the value of our ADSs and outstanding ordinary shares, we do not believe that we were a PFIC for our taxable year ended December 31, 2015 and we do not expect to be classified as a PFIC in the foreseeable future. Because PFIC status is a fact-intensive determination and our expectation for our taxable year ended December 31, 2015 is based, in part, on our belief that we were not CFC for any portion of such taxable year, no assurance can be given that we will not be classified as a PFIC for that year. While we do not anticipate becoming a PFIC, changes in the nature of our income or assets, or fluctuations in the market price of our ADSs or ordinary shares, may cause us to become a PFIC for future taxable years. In estimating the value of our goodwill and other unbooked intangibles, we have taken into account our market capitalization, which may fluctuate over time. Under circumstances where revenues from activities that produce passive income significantly increase relative to our revenues from activities that produce non-passive income or where we determine not to deploy significant amounts of cash for working capital or other purposes, our risk of becoming classified as a PFIC may substantially increase.

 

If we are classified as a PFIC for any year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or ordinary shares, a U.S. Holder may incur significantly increased United States 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 United States federal income tax rules. If we are so classified, our ADSs or ordinary shares generally will continue to be treated as shares in a PFIC for all succeeding years during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or ordinary shares, even if we cease to be a PFIC. See the discussion under “Item 10.E. Additional Information—Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules” concerning the United States federal income tax consequences of an investment in the ADSs or ordinary shares if we are or become classified as a PFIC, including the possibility of making a “deemed sale” election.

 

We incur increased costs as a result of being a public company.

 

As a public company, we incur significant accounting, legal and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and NASDAQ, have detailed requirements concerning corporate governance practices of public companies, including Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act relating to internal controls over financial reporting. We expect these rules and regulations applicable to public companies to increase our accounting, legal and financial compliance costs and to make certain corporate activities more time-consuming and costly. Our management will be required to devote substantial time and attention to our public company reporting obligations and other compliance matters. We are currently evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these rules and regulations, and we cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs. Our reporting and other compliance obligations as a public company may place a strain on our management, operational and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable future.

 

In the past, shareholders of a public company often brought securities class action suits against the company following periods of instability in the market price of that company’s 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, which could harm our results of operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit. 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 and adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

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Item 4.                    Information on the Company

 

A.             History and Development of the Company

 

Our chairman and chief executive officer, Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu, launched an online retail website in January 2004. He subsequently formed a company in Beijing and another company in Shanghai and conducted his online retail business through these two companies. In April 2007, we established a wholly owned PRC subsidiary, Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd., or Jingdong Century, and we acquired certain intellectual property rights from the two companies Mr. Liu had established earlier, which ceased business operations and were later liquidated and dissolved.

 

In November 2006, we incorporated Star Wave Investments Holdings Limited under the laws of the British Virgin Islands as our offshore holding company in order to facilitate international financing. We later changed the name of this entity to 360buy Jingdong Inc. In January 2014, 360buy Jingdong Inc. was redomiciled in the Cayman Islands as an exempted company registered under the laws of the Cayman Islands, and was renamed JD.com, Inc.

 

We have established additional subsidiaries inside and outside of China and assisted in establishing PRC consolidated variable interest entities to conduct our business operations.

 

Our significant subsidiaries that conduct business operations in China include the following:

 

·                   Jingdong Century, established in April 2007, and certain of its subsidiaries in China, which primarily engage in retail business;

 

·                   Shanghai Shengdayuan Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Shanghai Shengdayuan, which was established in April 2011 and primarily operates our online marketplace business;

 

·                   Tianjin Star East Corporation Limited, or Star East, which was established in April 2012 and provides primarily warehousing and related services; and

 

·                   Beijing Jingbangda Trade Co., Ltd., or Jingbangda, which was established in August 2012 and provides primarily courier services.

 

The significant consolidated variable interest entities and their subsidiaries that conduct our business operations in China include the following:

 

·                   Beijing Jingdong 360 Degree E-Commerce Co., Ltd., or Jingdong 360, which was established in April 2007 and holds our ICP license as an internet information provider and operates our website www.jd.com;

 

·                   Jiangsu Yuanzhou E-Commerce Co., Ltd., or Jiangsu Yuanzhou, which was established in September 2010 and primarily conducts the sale of books and audio and video products;

 

·                   Suqian Limao, which was established in December 2015 and holds our interest in the finance business, JD Finance;

 

·                   Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd., or Shangboguangyi, a subsidiary of Suqian Limao, which was established in September 2012 and is the holding company of JD Finance;

 

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·                   Chinabank Payment Technology Co., Ltd., currently an indirect subsidiary of Shangboguangyi, which was acquired in October 2012 and holds our online payment license and provides online payment services; and

 

·                   Shanghai Banghui Commercial Factoring Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Shangboguangyi, which engages in commercial factoring business.

 

In March 2014, we entered into a series of agreements with Tencent and its affiliates pursuant to which we acquired 100% interests in Tencent’s Paipai and QQ Wanggou online marketplace businesses, a 9.9% stake in Shanghai Icson, logistics personnel and certain other assets. We also entered into a five-year strategic cooperation agreement and an eight-year non-compete agreement with Tencent. In April 2016, we acquired the remaining equity interest in Shanghai Icson by exercising the right previously granted to us in March 2014.

 

On May 22, 2014, our ADSs commenced trading on NASDAQ under the symbol “JD.” We raised from our initial public offering approximately US$1.5 billion in net proceeds after deducting underwriting commissions and the offering expenses payable by us. Concurrently with our initial public offering, we also raised US$1.3 billion from Huang River Investment Limited, our existing shareholder, in a private placement.

 

In December 2014, we completed a secondary public offering, pursuant to which certain selling shareholders sold an aggregate of 26,003,171 ADSs, representing 52,006,342 Class A ordinary shares, for an aggregate gross proceeds of approximately US$619 million, and we did not sell any ADSs in the offering.

 

In February 2015, we completed our investment into Bitauto, a leading provider of internet content and marketing services for China’s fast-growing automotive industry and listed on the NYSE, and Yixin Capital Limited, a subsidiary of Bitauto primarily engaged in e-commerce-related automotive financing platform business. We invested a combination of US$400 million in cash and certain resources valued at US$497 million, including exclusive access to the new and used car channels on our e-commerce sites including mobile apps and additional support from our key platforms, as consideration for newly issued ordinary shares from Bitauto. In addition, we invested US$100 million in newly issued series A preferred shares of Yixin Capital Limited. At the closing of the transactions, we held approximately 25% of Bitauto on a fully diluted basis, and 17.7% of Yixin Capital Limited. Our new and used car channels are currently operated by Bitauto.

 

In May 2015, we made further investment to acquire newly issued Class A ordinary shares of Tuniu, a Nasdaq-listed and leading online leisure travel company in China, through a combination of US$250 million in cash and certain resources valued at US$108 million, including exclusive rights to operate the leisure travel channel for both our website and mobile apps, and Tuniu’s being our preferred partner for hotel and air tickets booking services. Previously in December 2014, we purchased certain newly issued Class A ordinary shares of Tuniu by a cash consideration of US$50 million. We currently hold approximately 20.7% of Tuniu’s outstanding shares. Our leisure travel channel is currently operated by Tuniu.

 

In August 2015, we entered into definitive agreements with Yonghui, pursuant to which we will subscribe for newly issued ordinary shares of Yonghui with a total consideration of RMB4.31 billion (US$665 million). Upon the completion of the transaction, which is expected to close in the first half of 2016, we will hold approximately 10% equity interest in Yonghui. In addition, we have formed a strategic partnership with Yonghui to strengthen supply chain management capability primarily through joint procurement, and will continue to explore development opportunities in O2O initiatives and other areas of potential strategic cooperation.

 

In January 2016, we entered into definitive agreements with a group of investors for a RMB6.65 billion (US$1.03 billion) financing for JD Finance. Following the closing of the financing in March 2016, we maintain a majority ownership in JD Finance.

 

In April 2016, we entered into a definitive agreement with Dada, China’s largest crowdsourcing delivery company, pursuant to which agreement we will merge our O2O business, JD Daojia, with Dada to form a new company, and contribute certain resources and US$200 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2016, and upon completion of the transaction we will own approximately 47% equity interest of the new company on a fully diluted basis.

 

B.             Business Overview

 

We are the largest online direct sales company in China in terms of transaction volume, with a 56.9% market share in the third quarter of 2015, according to iResearch. Our core GMV increased from RMB125.5 billion in 2013 to RMB242.5 billion in 2014 and further to RMB446.5 billion (US$68.9 billion) in 2015. We believe we are also the largest retailer in China in terms of net revenues in 2015.

 

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We believe we provide consumers an enjoyable online retail experience. Through our content-rich and user-friendly website www.jd.com and mobile applications, we offer a wide selection of authentic products at competitive prices which are delivered in a speedy and reliable manner. We also offer convenient online and in-person payment options and comprehensive customer services. In order to have better control over fulfillment and to ensure customer satisfaction, we have built our own nationwide fulfillment infrastructure and last-mile delivery network, staffed by our own employees, which supports both our online direct sales and our online marketplace businesses. We have established strong relationships with our suppliers as we develop our online direct sales business. Leveraging our strengths, we launched our online marketplace business in 2010, which has allowed us to significantly expand our selection of products and services.

 

As a result of our superior customer experience, our business has grown rapidly. As a result of the rapid growth of the number of products we offer through online direct sales and marketplace, electronic products and home appliances accounted for 63.6%, 57.2% and 51.3% of our total core GMV in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively, and general merchandise and others for 36.4%, 42.8% and 48.7%.

 

We foster an interactive user community that discusses, rates and reviews our products and services. We believe we have the largest online product review database of any online direct sales company in China with approximately 1,228 million product reviews generated by our customers as of December 31, 2015. We had 47.4 million, 90.6 million and 155.0 million annual active customer accounts from our core business and fulfilled approximately 323.3 million, 651.9 million and 1,263.1 million orders for our core business in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively.

 

Timely and reliable fulfillment is critical to the success of an online retail business. Given the underdevelopment of third-party fulfillment services in China in terms of both warehousing and logistics facilities and last-mile delivery services, we made a strategic decision in 2007 to build and operate our own nationwide fulfillment infrastructure. We believe we have the largest fulfillment infrastructure of any e-commerce company in China. We operated 213 warehouses with an aggregate gross floor area of approximately 4 million square meters in 50 cities and 5,367 delivery stations and pickup stations in 2,356 counties and districts across China as of December 31, 2015, and had 59,118 delivery personnel, 15,765 warehouse staff and 10,696 customer service personnel as of the same date. Leveraging this nationwide fulfillment infrastructure, we deliver a majority of the orders directly to customers ourselves. During 2015, over 85% of direct sales orders were delivered on the same day the order was placed or the day after. As of December 31, 2015, we provided same-day delivery in 137 counties and districts under our 211 program and next-day delivery in another 884 counties and districts across China.

 

We are a technology-driven company and have invested heavily in developing our own highly scalable proprietary technology platform that supports our rapid growth and enables us to provide value-added technology services. In addition, our sophisticated business intelligence system enables us to refine our merchandise sourcing strategy to manage our inventory turnover and control costs and to leverage our large customer database to create customized product recommendations and cost-effective and targeted advertising.

 

We introduced an online marketplace to leverage our brand recognition, large and growing customer base, extensive transaction data, fulfillment infrastructure and proprietary technology platform. Our online marketplace allows us to provide customers a much greater selection of products. Our online direct sales and marketplace businesses together made us the second largest B2C e-commerce company in China, with a 21.8% market share based on transaction volume in the last twelve months ended at September 30, 2015, according to iResearch. We attract and select third-party sellers to offer authentic products to our customers through our online marketplace. We monitor third-party sellers’ performance and activities on our online marketplace closely to ensure that they meet our requirements for authentic products and high-quality customer service. In addition to basic transaction processing and billing services, we offer third-party sellers a suite of value-added fulfillment and other services.

 

Core Philosophy

 

Our core philosophy to put customers always as our top priority can be illustrated by the following:

 

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GRAPHIC

 

·                   Our team is the foundation of our company. We have built a strong and dedicated team and made significant efforts in hiring, training and retaining our workforce.

 

·                   To support our anticipated growth, we have developed a platform of comprehensive IT, logistics and financial systems to manage our flow of products, services, information and finances.

 

·                   Our data-driven management employs an array of key performance indicators to minimize costs and maximize efficiency in our operations.

 

·                   As a result, we are able to offer a broad selection of authentic products at competitive prices with comprehensive services. We strive to create a compelling online shopping experience that generates customer loyalty.

 

Our Business Model

 

Since founding our company, we have focused on developing our online direct sales business as well as building our own fulfillment infrastructure, including last mile delivery capability, and our proprietary technology platform to support our operations. As our online direct sales business grew substantially in size, we launched our online marketplace to complement it to expand our product offerings, leverage our established fulfillment infrastructure and technology platform and ensure superior customer experience. We believe that the combination of our online direct sales and online marketplace with our own nationwide fulfillment infrastructure and technology platform makes us an uniquely strong player in China’s online retail industry in terms of providing superior customer experience.

 

Leveraging the significant scale of our business, we have also begun to offer other services that are complementary to our core business, create significant value to our business partners, including third-party sellers and suppliers, and ultimately benefit our business and customers.

 

Online Direct Sales

 

In our online direct sales business, we acquire products from suppliers and sell them directly to customers. We started selling computer products online in 2004 and had introduced mobile handsets, consumer electronics products and autoparts and accessories by 2007. We significantly expanded our product offerings in 2008 with home appliances and a wide array of general merchandise product categories, and have been continually bringing new products since then. As of December 31, 2015, we offered 15 product categories through our online direct sales business model. As a result, net revenues from electronics products, which include computers, mobile handsets and other mobile digital products, and home appliances, have declined as a percentage of our total net revenues.

 

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Online Marketplace

 

In our online marketplace business, third-party sellers offer products to customers over our online marketplace and pay us commissions on their sales. We launched our online marketplace in October 2010, and have been bringing new products and services to our online marketplace since then. As of December 31, 2015, there were approximately 99,000 third-party sellers over our online marketplace. The core GMV from our online marketplace increased from RMB31.8 billion in 2013 to RMB83.2 billion in 2014, and further to RMB190.9 billion (US$29.5 billion) in 2015. We provide transaction processing and billing services on all orders on our online marketplace, and we leverage our own nationwide fulfillment infrastructure to offer our third-party sellers additional value-added services, including delivery services or a combination of warehousing and delivery services. We require third-party sellers to meet our standards for authenticity and reliability. We aim to offer customers the same high quality customer experience regardless of the source of the products they choose.

 

The Paipai C2C marketplace was re-launched in July 2014 following our acquisition of the business from Tencent in March 2014. As of the date of this annual report, we have completely closed down the Paiai C2C marketplace. The shut-down of the Paipai C2C platform is in line with our policy to combat the marketing and sale of counterfeit products.

 

Other Services

 

Value-added services . The significant scale of our business allows us to provide a variety of services to create value for our business partners and ultimately benefit our customers. For example, we provide extra value-added fulfillment services to the third-party sellers on our online marketplace, including their choice of either delivery services or a combination of warehousing plus delivery services, in addition to the basic transaction processing and billing services that we provide to them at no extra cost. We also provide online marketing services in various formats, including a proprietary online marketing technology platform through which we offer services to our suppliers and sellers on our marketplace.

 

JD Finance . JD Finance has developed various financial products and services, including supply chain financing and microcredit, which are additional value-added services we provide to our suppliers and third-party sellers on our online marketplace, as well as consumer financing, online payment, and various others. We are investing in our risk assessment technologies and we believe our risk management is prudent. We will continue to develop innovative financial products that can further leverage our technology platform and our strengths in online retail.

 

O2O solutions . We believe we are well positioned to provide online-to-offline (O2O) solutions to customers and offline retailers in select locations in China by capitalizing on our strong online presence and leveraging crowdsourced delivery system. JD Daojia, our O2O platform, has cooperated with some local retail chains, convenience stores and hypermarkets in a number of cities to offer their products on our website and deliver their products to our customers. As of February 29, 2016, JD Daojia had partnered with 56 Yonghui stores in 5 cities to provide 2-hour delivery service for customers’ grocery orders, and provided O2O services in a total of 12 major cities across China.

 

In April 2016, we entered into a definitive agreement with Dada, China’s largest crowdsourcing delivery company, pursuant to which agreement we will merge our O2O business, JD Daojia, with Dada to form a new company, and contribute certain resources and US$200 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2016, and upon completion of the transaction we will own approximately 47% equity interest of the new company on a fully diluted basis. After closing, the new company will continue to operate its crowdsourcing delivery platform under the Dada brand. By leveraging the combined extensive crowdsourcing network of Dada and JD Daojia, the new company will provide low-cost delivery services to China’s retailers, service providers and O2O enterprises. The O2O supermarket platform will continue to be operated under the JD Daojia brand, and will leverage the expanded delivery network, focus on the location-based mobile commerce sector and collaborate with offline supermarkets, convenience stores and other local businesses to provide consumers with speedy premium shopping experience.

 

Strategic Cooperation with Tencent

 

On March 10, 2014, we acquired certain e-commerce businesses and assets from, and entered into a strategic cooperation agreement and formed a strategic partnership with, Tencent, a leading internet company serving the largest online community in China. Tencent offers a wide variety of internet services in China including instant messaging, social networking, online games and online media. Tencent has a large mobile internet user base, as evidenced by 697 million monthly active user accounts on Tencent’s mobile applications Weixin and Wechat as of December 31, 2015 based on publicly available data.

 

As part of the strategic partnership, Tencent agrees to offer us prominent level 1 access points in its mobile applications Weixin and Mobile QQ and provide internet traffic and other support from other key platforms to us. Level 1 access points refer to entries and links that Tencent users can directly access on the interfaces that will launch after one click on the home interface on Tencent’s mobile applications. We launched level 1 access on Tencent’s Weixin platform for selected Weixin users in Beijing and Shanghai first in May 2014 and subsequently rolled it out to all Weixin users in June 2014, and we also launched direct access on Tencent’s Mobile QQ in August 2014. Our partnership with Tencent’s dominant Weixin and Mobile QQ platforms has helped us generate mobile user traffic from Tencent’s large mobile user base and enhance our customers’ mobile shopping experience.

 

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The two parties agree to cooperate in a number of areas including mobile-related products, social networking services, membership systems and payment solutions. The strategic cooperation agreement has a term of five years and applies within the territory of the Greater China, including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Under the strategic cooperation agreement, we are Tencent’s preferred partner for all physical goods e-commerce businesses, and Tencent agrees not to engage in any direct sales or managed marketplace business model in physical goods e-commerce businesses in Greater China and a few selected international markets for a period of eight years, whether through a direct sales or managed marketplace business model, other than through its controlled affiliate Shanghai Icson E-Commerce Development Company Limited, or Shanghai Icson. We expect to further leverage the strategic partnership with Tencent to enhance our customers’ online shopping experience, reach Tencent’s large mobile and internet user base and further expand our presence on mobile commerce.

 

On March 10, 2014, we entered into a series of agreements with Tencent and its affiliates pursuant to which we acquired 100% interests in Tencent’s Paipai and QQ Wanggou online marketplace businesses, a 9.9% stake in Shanghai Icson, logistics personnel and certain other assets. Paipai and QQ Wanggou, which we acquired from Tencent, are online marketplaces in China that bring buyers and sellers together online. Paipai is a consumer-to-consumer or C2C marketplace, whereas QQ Wanggou is a business-to-consumer or B2C marketplace. We re-launched the Paipai C2C marketplace in July 2014, but have closed it down as of the date of this annual report. In addition, we obtained the right to acquire the remaining equity of Shanghai Icson by March 10, 2017 at the higher of the then fair value of Shanghai Icson or RMB800 million (US$123 million). In April 2016, we exercised the right paying RMB800 million (US$123 million) and acquired the remaining equity interest in Shanghai Icson. Shanghai Icson operates a B2C e-commerce platform in China.

 

Concurrent with the above transactions, the execution of the strategic cooperation agreement and for US$214.7 million in cash to us, we issued a total of 351,678,637 ordinary shares to Huang River Investment Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tencent. We paid Tencent RMB181 million (US$28 million) in cash as part of the consideration for the transaction during 2014. As part of the agreements, in a private placement concurrent with our initial public offering in May 2014, we issued an aggregate of 139,493,960 Class A ordinary shares to Huang River Investment Limited at the per share equivalent of the price to the public. Huang River Investment Limited has agreed not to sell or transfer any of the 486,245,393 Class A ordinary shares it holds during the three-year period commencing from March 10, 2014, subject to limited exceptions. Huang River Investment Limited is currently one of our principal shareholders, holding 18.0% of our total issued and outstanding shares.

 

We expect to continue to leverage our strategic partnership with Tencent to enhance our ability to increase our internet and mobile user traffic, to strengthen our direct sales and marketplace businesses on internet and mobile. We believe our continued cooperation with Tencent will raise our profile among China’s fast growing and large mobile internet users, many of whom frequently use Weixin and Mobile QQ in their daily lives. We have further strengthened our team with the addition of former employees from Tencent. In October 2015, we expanded partnership with Tencent to provide merchants with innovative mobile marketing solutions. The collaboration offers businesses advanced online tools to more precisely reach their target customer groups, build brand recognition and increase return on investment on marketing by providing brands access to Tencent users.

 

Customer Experience

 

Our slogan is “ ” (selection, speed, quality, value), and we are committed to optimizing customer experience and achieving customer satisfaction. This commitment drives every aspect of our operations, which are focused on six core components: extensive product offerings, compelling online experience, competitive pricing, timely and accurate fulfillment, convenient payment options and superior customer service.

 

Products

 

We continually seek to add more products that appeal to our target customers. The number of products we offer has grown rapidly. Our offerings are organized into 15 product categories on our website:

 

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·                   computers, including desktop, laptop and other varieties, as well as printers and other office equipment;

 

·                   mobile handsets and other digital products;

 

·                   home appliances;

 

·                   automobiles and accessories;

 

·                   apparel;

 

·                   shoes, bags, jewelry and luxury goods;

 

·                   furniture and household goods;

 

·                   cosmetics and other personal care items and cleaning products;

 

·                   food, beverage and fresh produce;

 

·                   nutritional supplements;

 

·                   books, e-books, music, movies and other media products;

 

·                   mother and childcare products and toys;

 

·                   sports and fitness equipment and watches;

 

·                   virtual goods, including online travel agency, tickets to the performing arts, and credits for online games and cell phones; and

 

·                   financing services and financial products

 

Each of these categories is further divided into numerous subcategories to facilitate browsing.

 

In building up our product offerings, we focus on quality as well as quantity. Due to our nationwide reach and our efficient fulfillment system, suppliers often choose us to launch new products that they expect will be in high demand, and we often act as the exclusive distributor for a period of days or weeks when a hot new product first becomes available for sale to the public.

 

Online Experience

 

We believe that providing a compelling online experience is critical to attracting and retaining customers and increasing orders. We make sales primarily through our content-rich and user-friendly website www.jd.com and mobile applications. Our website not only offers a broad selection of authentic products at competitive prices but also provides easy site navigation, basic and advanced search functions, comprehensive product information and a large volume of customer reviews and ratings. These features address customers’ desire to view, understand and compare products before purchasing. With the increasing popularity of mobile internet-enabled devices, we have also developed applications and features adapted to mobile internet users, and we currently offer mobile access through our mobile website m.jd.com and our various iOS, Android and Windows-based mobile applications. As part of our strategic partnership with Tencent, we have launched level 1 access on Tencent’s Weixin and Mobile QQ, whereby Tencent users can easily access our product offerings and have enjoyable mobile shopping experience. Approximately 61.4% of orders fulfilled from our core business were placed through our mobile applications in the fourth quarter of 2015, as compared to approximately 36.4% in the fourth quarter of 2014.

 

Our website contains the following information and features:

 

Comprehensive product information .  Each product page contains pictures of the product, the price, a pull-down menu to show whether the product is in stock at the customer’s location, customer reviews and ratings, and whether the product will be delivered by us or by one of our third-party sellers. Depending on the type of product, there will be additional information to help the customer make a purchase decision or recommendations to steer the customer towards additional products.

 

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Interactive user community .  Our website contains a large volume of helpful user-generated content. For each product, customers can provide reviews and ratings that are featured prominently on the product page. We encourage participation by granting membership points for posting reviews and ratings, and popular products may have thousands of reviews. We believe that we have the largest online product review database of any online direct sales company in China, which benefits our customers, suppliers and third-party sellers. We provide discussion boards where customers can discuss topics of mutual interest, respond to each other’s questions, and post photos and text to share their experiences with our products. We believe that user-generated content is an effective tool for giving customers the confidence to order products online that they are not personally familiar with.

 

Product recommendations .  Our business intelligence system generates recommendations to customers of additional products that they may wish to buy. These recommendations come in two forms. Each product page typically has recommendations for other products that are often purchased together with that product. In addition, our website makes recommendations to customers based on their past purchases and on products that they viewed but did not purchase. Our sales volume gives us extensive marketing data about customer preferences that we believe enables us to make recommendations that are appealing to our customers.

 

Online order tracking .  Customers can log into their accounts to check the status of their orders. All packages in our system are given a bar code and their location is updated each time they are handled by one of our warehouse or delivery personnel or one of our contracted third-party couriers. Furthermore, each of our delivery personnel carries a mobile personal digital assistant, which allows customers to track their location in real time on an online map.

 

Pricing

 

We offer competitive pricing to attract and retain customers. We make continual efforts to maintain and improve an efficient cost structure and create incentives for our suppliers to provide us with competitive prices.

 

Pricing policy .  We set our prices to be competitive with those on other major online retail websites and in physical stores in China. We typically negotiate with our suppliers for prices that are comparable to or lower than those offered to retailers in other sales channels. If we reduce the price on our website before the product is delivered to the customer, then the customer generally has an opportunity to lock in the lower price. Currently, third-party sellers are free to set their own prices on our online marketplace.

 

Special promotions .  We offer a selection of discounted products on special occasions, such as the anniversary of the founding of our company on June 18 and China’s new online shopping festival on November 11, and on important holidays such as Christmas and Chinese New Year. We also hold daily promotions for selected products for a limited period of time. Special promotions attract bargain hunters and give our customers an additional incentive to visit our website regularly.

 

Delivery

 

We believe that timely and reliable fulfillment is critical to the continuing success of our business. To this end, we have incurred and will continue to incur significant expenditures in building and operating our own nationwide fulfillment infrastructure. The following are some of the advantages that derive from our nationwide fulfillment infrastructure:

 

Delivery network and personnel .  We delivered products directly to customers in 2,356 counties and districts across China as of December 31, 2015. We deliver a majority of the orders directly to customers ourselves. Given that customers place their orders online but often choose the payment-on-delivery option, our customers interact with delivery personnel more often than with any other representatives of our company. For this reason, we place great emphasis on training our delivery personnel and setting up delivery stations in more and more counties and districts. We believe that our professionally trained delivery personnel are important in helping us to shape customer experience and distinguish ourselves from our competitors.

 

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Flexible delivery arrangements .  We believe that timely and convenient delivery is an essential part of customer satisfaction, and we arrange our delivery schedule to suit our customers’ needs. Customers can choose their preferred delivery period during a day, including evening delivery in selected areas, when they place orders. Our delivery personnel contact customers by telephone to arrange a convenient time for delivery. Customers who need to reschedule a delivery can log into their account on our website to look up the contact information for the delivery person and contact the delivery person directly themselves, provided that the delivery will be made by our employees.

 

Speedy delivery .  We introduced our 211 program in 2010, and it covered 137 counties and districts across China as of December 31, 2015. For goods that we have in stock at the corresponding fulfillment center or front distribution center, any orders received by the morning deadline (11:00 a.m. in most of the locations) will be delivered on the same day, and any orders received by the evening deadline (11:00 p.m.) will be delivered by 3:00 p.m. on the following day. Customers also can request that an order placed by 3:00 p.m. be delivered in the evening on the same day in seven cities. There is no extra charge for expedited delivery under our 211 program for orders that satisfy the minimum size requirement, and customers can check the product page on our website to see whether the product is in stock and thus eligible. The program does not cover delivery to addresses through third-party couriers or products shipped directly from our third-party sellers. Bulky items such as refrigerators or washing machines are also eligible for same-day or next-day delivery in selected areas. During 2015, over 85% of direct sales orders were delivered on the same day the order was placed or the day after. We also currently provide next-day delivery to addresses in another 884 counties and districts across China. Customers can also request expedited delivery within three hours by paying an extra charge in a few of the major cities where we have fulfillment centers.

 

Customer pickup .  Customers who prefer to pick up their order themselves can select a pickup station when placing the order and use the tracking function on our website to find out when the order has arrived there. We had pickup stations at convenient locations across the country and payment can be made at the pickup station.

 

Global shipping .  We can ship to addresses outside of China using trusted third-party courier services such as UPS, DHL and EMS. The cost of delivery is calculated and charged based on the shipping method, destination country/region and the combined product weight. We take payment through various global or local payment methods, such as credit card, PayPal or Yandex money for sales outside of China.

 

Payment

 

Payment-on-delivery .  We accept payment-on-delivery in all of the 2,356 counties and districts where we make deliveries through our own delivery personnel. Our delivery personnel carry mobile POS machines for processing debit cards and credit cards and they also accept cash. Customers chose payment-on-delivery approximately 25% of the time in 2015.

 

Online payment .  Customers may pay online at the time they place their order, using third-party online payment platforms such as 99Bill, Weixin Pay and UnionPay. Customers chose online payment approximately 75% of the time in 2015. We also provide our own online payment and settlement services, which we use for all of our own payment processing needs.

 

Other payment options .  Customers may also choose to pay by postal money order. Enterprise customers can also make payment by wire transfer. Customers chose other payment options less than 1% of the time in 2015.

 

Customer Service

 

Providing satisfactory customer services is a high priority. Our commitment to customers is reflected in the high service levels provided by our customer service staff as well as in our product return and exchange policies.

 

24-7 customer service centers .  We operate three 24-7 customer service centers in Suqian and Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, and Chengdu, Sichuan Province, handling all kinds of customer queries and complaints regarding our products and services. We obtained COPC (Customer Operation Performance Center) Certification in November 2014. Customers can make queries and file complaints by various means such as phone calls, online written instant messengers, JD official accounts in Weixin and Weibo, and emails. Our customer representatives handled approximately 31.8 million customer-initiated communications over the telephone in 2015. As of December 31, 2015, we had 2,984, 859, and 2,021 full-time customer service representatives at the Suqian, Yangzhou and Chengdu centers respectively.

 

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Returns and exchanges .  We generally allow customers to return unused goods within 7 days and to exchange defective goods within 15 days, in each case counting from the date when the customer receives the product. If customers report defects more than 15 days after receipt but still within the warranty period, we will have defective goods repaired or take other appropriate action to satisfy the customer, depending on the nature of the problem. We will generally pick up defective items for return or exchange at the customer’s address, provided that the return or exchange is requested within 15 days of receipt of the item and the address is one that is serviced by our own employees or by one of the third-party couriers that have agreed to provide this service for us. Otherwise, the customer can mail the item to one of our fulfillment centers or bring it in person to one of our pickup stations. The same policies apply to products sold through our online marketplace.

 

Membership program .  We have established a membership program to cultivate customer loyalty and encourage our customers to make additional purchases. There are five levels of members, and promotion to higher levels is based on the amount a customer has spent with us and also the customer’s level of activity on our website, for example in reviewing and recommending products. Members get a variety of benefits that increase with membership level. We grant membership points to members who make purchases more than RMB50, and review and recommend our products to others. Members can convert their membership points into credits or coupons towards new purchases on our website. We have also launched a paid membership program, called JD Plus, on a trial basis to further enhance customer service level and increase customer stickiness. With membership fee of RMB149 per year, customers can enjoy distinct advantages including expanded free delivery coupons, extra membership points and access to certain exclusive products or hot selling items.

 

Merchandise Sourcing

 

In our online direct sales business, we sourced products from approximately 9,600 suppliers as of December 31, 2015. Procuring products on such a massive scale requires considerable expertise, which we have built up over a number of years. Among the top 100 suppliers (by value of purchases) from which we sourced products in 2015, 51 of them are manufacturers, accounting for approximately 54% of the aggregate value of purchases from these top 100 suppliers. We negotiate with the manufacturer or a higher-level distributor where possible in order to obtain the most favorable terms, even if we sign a contract with a lower-level distributor for operational reasons. None of our suppliers accounted for over 10% (by value) of the products we purchased in 2015. In addition, we had approximately 99,000 third-party sellers on our online marketplace as of December 31, 2015.

 

As we increase in scale in particular product categories, we expect to increase our purchases directly from manufacturers and, where appropriate, to become an authorized reseller. We believe that our ability to establish direct relationships with manufacturers will provide improved product pricing and access to hard-to-get products. We believe that manufacturers and distributors consider us an important channel in certain product categories such as computers and mobile devices, where we are one of the largest channels in China, and we are gaining significant traction in related categories like home electronics. In addition, we have created a supplier interface on our website where our suppliers and third-party sellers access reports regarding inventory status, purchase history and customer reviews of their products. Suppliers and third-party sellers can use this information in their marketing and product development efforts and also in managing their own inventory, which helps them manage costs and makes our services more valuable to them. Leveraging our scale, strong brand and geographic reach, we seek to enter into exclusive arrangements with selected suppliers and third-party sellers for some or all of their products.

 

We select suppliers and third-party sellers on the basis of brand, reliability, volume and price. They must be able to meet our demands for timely supply of authentic products and also provide high quality post-sale customer service. We perform background checks on each supplier and third-party seller and the products it provides before we enter into any agreement. We examine their business licenses and the qualification certificates for their products, and check their brand recognition and make inquiries about the market acceptance of their products among players in the same industry. We also conduct on-site visits to assess and verify their location, scale of business, production capacity, property and equipment, human resources, research and development capability, quality control system and fulfillment capability. Our standard form contract requires suppliers and third-party sellers to represent that their goods are authentic and from lawful sources and do not infringe upon lawful rights of third parties and to pay us liquidated damages for any breach. We normally enter into one-year framework agreements with our suppliers and third-party sellers and renew them annually. We have also put stringent rules in place governing the operations of third-party sellers on our online marketplace. Third-party sellers will be subject to penalties or be asked to end their operations on our online marketplace if they violate the marketplace rules, for example by selling counterfeit products.

 

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We have leveraged our insights into our suppliers’ business operations to develop various financial products, including supply chain financing, as an additional value-added service we provide to our suppliers, which we believe will further strengthen our merchandising capability.

 

Fulfillment

 

We deliver a compelling customer experience by fulfilling orders quickly and accurately. To this end, we have built our nationwide fulfillment infrastructure for the prompt receipt, storage and shipment of our products. Our fulfillment infrastructure is primarily comprised of a nationwide warehouse and delivery network that we operate ourselves, supplemented by contracted third-party couriers to service areas that are not covered by our network. To further enhance inventory accountability and security, we track our inventory at all stages of the receiving and order fulfillment process.

 

Nationwide Fulfillment Infrastructure

 

We have built a nationwide fulfillment infrastructure that we believe is the largest among all e-commerce companies in China.

 

We had established fulfillment centers in seven major cities in China as of December 31, 2015: Shenyang in the northeast, Beijing in the north, Shanghai in the east, Wuhan in the center, Guangzhou in the south, Chengdu in the southwest and Xi’an in the northwest. Each of these fulfillment centers consists of between 10 and 25 warehouses for normal-sized items, 1 warehouse for bulky items, and associated sorting centers and related facilities. We had also established front distribution centers in another 19 major cities in China as of December 31, 2015: Jinan, Qingdao, Nanjing, Xiamen, Chongqing, Zhengzhou, Nanning, Changsha, Harbin, Hefei, Kunming, Urumqi, Taiyuan, Suqian, Nanchang, Changchun, Lanzhou, Haikou and Guiyang. Each front distribution center consists of one to two warehouse stocking products that are in high demand with high turnover, one warehouse for bulky items, and associated sorting centers and related facilities. We have also established standalone warehouses for bulky items in another 24 cities in China. We operated a total of 213 warehouses with an aggregate gross floor area of approximately 4 million square meters in 50 cities as of December 31, 2015.

 

We operated 5,367 delivery stations and pickup stations in 2,356 counties and districts across China as of December 31, 2015. Each delivery station has a delivery team ranging from 1 to 58 persons. As of the same date, we operated 175 additional delivery stations under contractual arrangements, whereby the contracted delivery stations deliver our orders following the same standard as our own delivery stations, while the personnel at those delivery stations are not part of our headcount. Each pickup station has 1 to 17 persons available 10 hours a day and 7 days a week to handle customers’ pickups and on-site payment.

 

We deliver a majority of the orders directly to customers ourselves. We maintain cooperation arrangements with a number of third-party couriers to deliver our products to our customers in those areas not covered by our own fulfillment infrastructure, particularly in smaller and less developed cities. Third-party sellers also use third-party couriers if they do not use our delivery services.

 

Fulfillment Process

 

The following flow chart outlines our fulfillment process:

 

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GRAPHIC

 

When a customer places an order, our delivery management system automatically processes the order and matches it to the warehouse or warehouses with the appropriate inventory. Picking is done manually on the basis of instructions that are generated automatically by our warehouse management system. The warehouse management system also automatically generates the bar codes and shipping labels that allow our staff to match the items to the correct order in the packing process. After picking and packing, the sorting center at the warehouse ships the order to a delivery or pickup station in the customer’s city for further handling and delivery. Products from different warehouses are not combined before shipping, so some orders require multiple deliveries. If the customer’s address is not one to which we make deliveries ourselves, we will have a third-party courier pick up the order at our sorting center to make the delivery. In some cases we also use third-party couriers to carry orders between a sorting center and a delivery station. Once the order has shipped, our system automatically updates the inventory level for each product in the order, ensuring that additional inventory will be ordered as needed. Our customers can track the shipping status of their orders through our website at each step in the process.

 

We are in the process of constructing new, larger, custom-designed warehouses on land where we have obtained land use rights. We launched the initial phase of the new custom-designed warehouse in Shanghai in October 2014, comprising a total floor space of approximately 100,000 square meters. During the second half of 2015, we launched the first phase of warehouses in Guangzhou, and others in Wuhan, Guiyang and Shenyang with an aggregate total floor space of approximately 250,000 square meters.  In addition, we are constructing the remaining phases of warehouses in Shanghai and Guangzhou, and additional custom-designed warehouses are also under construction in Beijing, Chongqing and Kunshan. We plan to construct additional such warehouses. We believe that building our own custom-designed warehouses will not only increase our storage capacity but also allow us to restructure and reorganize our fulfillment workflow and processes.

 

Technology Platform

 

We have built our technology platform relying primarily on software and systems that we have developed in-house and to a lesser extent on third-party software that we have modified and incorporated. Our server fleet consisted of approximately 49,611 servers stored in multiple locations across the country as of December 31, 2015, and we employed 7,525 IT professionals to design, develop and operate our technology platform as of the same date. We believe that creating a comparable technology platform is an expensive and time-consuming process and constitutes a significant barrier to entry for potential competitors.

 

Our proprietary technology platform supports our rapidly growing processing capacity requirements, provides us detailed and accurate visibility and information throughout our operation value chain, and enables harnessing of insightful data analytics.

 

Our strong technology platform is vital in supporting our pursuit of a continually improving customer experience, including the customer experience of our mobile users. From our website, the primary customer interface, to the back end management systems, our technology platform supports smooth and accurate operational execution as well as seamless information flow, data consistency and analytics.

 

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The principal components of our technology platform include:

 

·                   Website and mobile applications .  Our website, together with our mobile applications, is our primary customer interface. It provides a user-friendly customer interface, including a powerful search engine and customized product recommendations to enhance our customers’ shopping experience.

 

·                   Supplier interfaces .  Our supplier interfaces support key functions such as order tracking and inventory checking and provide data analytics to help our suppliers and third-party sellers better understand consumer needs. We have separate supplier interfaces for suppliers and third-party sellers.

 

·                   Customer relationship management system .  Our customer relationship management system tracks customer information, including customers’ outstanding orders, order and payment history, and settings and preferences, as well as all interaction between our customer service representatives and our customers, to ensure consistent and high quality customer service.

 

·                   Supply chain management system .  Our supply chain management system includes sales forecasting, inventory management, inventory reallocation, inventory restocking, supplier management, supplier evaluations and other subsystems. It enables effective sales forecasting and inventory management that increases the efficiency of our supply chain and helps us control costs.

 

·                   Warehouse management system .  Our warehouse management system includes such features as multiple location inventory management, cross-docking, and pick-and-pack, packaging, labeling and sorting functions to efficiently manage our warehouse workflow.

 

·                   Delivery management system .  Our delivery management system coordinates the flow of goods between our fulfillment centers, front distribution centers and standalone warehouses and our delivery and pickup stations and the delivery address for each package in each order, providing instructions for both our own delivery personnel and our contracted third-party couriers.

 

·                   Transaction processing system .  Our transaction processing system handles transaction processing, online receipts and disbursements, remote reimbursement and other prerequisites for conducting an online business.

 

·                   Business intelligence system .  Our sophisticated business intelligence system leverages our large customer database to create customized product recommendations to support push and targeted marketing, allowing us to efficiently acquire new customers and increase revenue per active customer.

 

We have adopted security policies and measures, including encryption technology, to protect our proprietary data and customer information, and we back up our database, including customer data, every day with both on-site and off-site storage.

 

We will continue to develop our business intelligence system to effectively utilize the huge amount of transaction, logging and click stream data generated by our website. We are in the process of rolling out a big data platform built on top of our cloud computing infrastructure, which will further automate and streamline our data extraction, loading, transformation and mining on a distributed data storage infrastructure with unified logical data models, unified data sources, and unified access and access control.

 

Marketing

 

We believe that the most effective form of marketing is to continually enhance our customer experience, as customer satisfaction engenders word-of-mouth referrals and additional purchases. We have been able to build a large base of loyal customers primarily through providing superior customer experience and conducting marketing and brand promotion activities. We provide various incentives to our customers to increase their spending and loyalty, and we send e-mails to our customers periodically with product recommendations or promotions.

 

We conduct marketing activities online through major search engines, portals, social media, online video and other major websites in China. To enhance our brand awareness, we also have engaged in brand promotion activities such as sponsoring high profile sports events and advertising on national television networks. In 2013, we became the official sponsor of the China Football Association Super League, the top soccer league in China, for a period of five seasons, and we also sponsored several popular movies, TV shows and variety shows. We sponsored the Chinese Basketball Association from November 2014 to March 2015. We incurred RMB1,590 million, RMB4,010 million and RMB7,736 million (US$1,194 million) of marketing expenses in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively.

 

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Competition

 

The online retail industry in China is intensely competitive. Our current or potential competitors include (i) major online retailers in China that offer a wide range of general merchandise product categories, such as Alibaba Group, which operates taobao.com and tmall.com , and Amazon China, which operates amazon.cn , and (ii) major traditional retailers in China that are moving into online retailing, such as Suning Appliance Company Limited, which operates suning.com , Walmart, which holds a majority interest in yihaodian.com , and Gome Electrical Appliances, which operates gome.com.cn . We also face competition from online retail companies in China focused on specific product categories and from physical retail stores, including big-box stores that also aim to offer a one-stop shopping experience.

 

We anticipate that the online retail market will continually evolve and will continue to experience rapid technological change, evolving industry standards, shifting customer requirements, and frequent innovation. We must continually innovate to remain competitive. We believe that the principal competitive factors in our industry are:

 

·                   brand recognition and reputation;

 

·                   product quality and selection;

 

·                   pricing;

 

·                   fulfillment capabilities; and

 

·                   customer service.

 

In addition, new and enhanced technologies may increase the competition in the online retail industry. New competitive business models may appear, for example based on new forms of social media or social commerce.

 

We believe that we are well-positioned to effectively compete on the basis of the factors listed above. However, some of our current or future competitors may have longer operating histories, greater brand recognition, better supplier relationships, larger customer bases or greater financial, technical or marketing resources than we do.

 

Seasonality

 

We experience seasonality in our business, reflecting a combination of seasonal fluctuations in internet usage and traditional retail seasonality patterns. For example, we generally experience less user traffic and purchase orders during national holidays in China, particularly during the Chinese New Year holiday season in the first quarter of each year. Furthermore, sales in the traditional retail industry are significantly higher in the fourth quarter of each calendar year than in the preceding three quarters. E-commerce companies in China hold special promotional campaigns on November 11 each year that also tend to boost sales in the fourth quarter relative to other quarters, and we hold a special promotional campaign in the second quarter of each year, on June 18, to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of our e-commerce business. Overall, the historical seasonality of our business has been relatively mild due to our rapid growth but may increase further in the future. Due to our limited operating history, the seasonal trends that we have experienced in the past may not apply to, or be indicative of, our future operating results.

 

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Intellectual Property

 

We regard our trademarks, copyrights, patents, domain names, know-how, proprietary technologies, and similar intellectual property as critical to our success, and we rely on copyright, trademark and patent law and confidentiality, invention assignment and non-compete agreements with our employees and others to protect our proprietary rights. As of December 31, 2015, we owned 201 computer software copyrights in China relating to various aspects of our operations and maintained 2,216 trademark registrations inside China and 380 trademark registrations outside China. We had approximately 3,167 trademark applications inside China and 339 outside China. As of December 31, 2015, we had 84 patents granted in China, 1,052 patent applications pending in China and 173 patent applications pending outside China. As of December 31, 2015, we had registered approximately 2,687 generic top-level domain names. Our registered domain names include jd.com , m.jd.com , 360buy.com , 360buy.com.cn and 360buy.cn , among others.

 

Insurance

 

We maintain various insurance policies to safeguard against risks and unexpected events. We have purchased all risk property insurance covering our inventory and fixed assets such as equipment, furniture and office facilities. We maintain public liability insurance for our business activities at one location. We also provide social security insurance including pension insurance, unemployment insurance, work-related injury insurance and medical insurance for our employees. Additionally, we provide group accident insurance for all employees and supplementary medical insurance for all management and technology and other professional personnel. We do not maintain business interruption insurance, nor do we maintain product liability insurance or key-man life insurance. We consider our insurance coverage to be sufficient for our business operations in China.

 

Regulation

 

This section sets forth a summary of the most significant rules and regulations that affect our business activities in China.

 

Regulations Relating to Foreign Investment

 

Industry Catalogue Relating to Foreign Investment .  Investment activities in the PRC by foreign investors are principally governed by the Guidance Catalogue of Industries for Foreign Investment, or the Catalogue, which was promulgated and is amended from time to time by the Ministry of Commerce and the National Development and Reform Commission. Industries listed in the Catalogue are divided into three categories: encouraged, restricted and prohibited. Industries not listed in the Catalogue 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 Catalogue are generally open to foreign investment unless specifically restricted by other PRC regulations.

 

Through our subsidiaries and variable interest entities, we are engaged in certain industries that are classified as “restricted” or “prohibited” under the Catalogue. Pursuant to the latest Catalogue amended in March 2015, the provision of value-added telecommunications services falls in the restricted category and the percentage of foreign ownership cannot exceed 50% (excluding e-commerce). The publication of e-books and online audio and video products and online publication are in the prohibited category.

 

Each of Jingdong Century and Shanghai Shengdayuan primarily engages in the online wholesale and retail of products, the development of computer network technology, technical consultancy and technical services, which are in the permitted category. Jingbangda primarily engages in courier services that are in the permitted category and Star East primarily engages in warehousing and related services that are in the permitted category as well. Under PRC law, the establishment of a wholly foreign owned enterprise is subject to the approval of the Ministry of Commerce or its local counterparts and the wholly foreign owned enterprise must register with the competent industry and commerce bureau. We have duly obtained the approvals from the Ministry of Commerce or its local counterparts for our interest in our wholly owned PRC subsidiaries and completed the registration of these PRC subsidiaries with the competent industry and commerce bureau.

 

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Foreign Investment in the Commercial Sector .  According to the Administrative Measures on Foreign Investment in the Commercial Sector issued by the Ministry of Commerce in April 2004 and amended in October 2015, a foreign-invested enterprise may, upon approval, undertake one or more types of businesses in the commercial sector, which is defined in the measures to include wholesale, retail, commission agency and franchising, and the types of commodities it deals with must be specified in the scope of business prescribed in its articles of association. In order to establish a foreign-invested company in the commercial sector, foreign investors must apply to the relevant provincial counterpart of the Ministry of Commerce, and such provincial authority will, after making preliminary examination of the documents submitted, report to the Ministry of Commerce to obtain its approval. The incorporation of an enterprise by a foreign-invested enterprise that intends to conduct business in the commercial sector is also subject to the approval of the local counterpart of the Ministry of Commerce. On several occasions in 2005, 2008 and 2010, the Ministry of Commerce delegated its approval authority to its provincial counterparts and authorized them to examine and approve certain applications. Currently, the provincial counterparts of the Ministry of Commerce have the authority to approve applications for setting up foreign-invested enterprises solely engaging in sale of goods through the internet, among others. Our PRC subsidiary Jingdong Century and its subsidiaries engage in retail, wholesale and commission agency of consumer electronics and other general merchandise via the internet. While Jingdong Century has obtained approval from the relevant authorities for this business, most of its subsidiaries were established without obtaining the prior approval from the local counterpart of the Ministry of Commerce. See “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Any lack of requisite approvals, licenses or permits applicable to our business may have a material and adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.”

 

Foreign Investment in Value-Added Telecommunications Businesses .  The Regulations for Administration of Foreign-invested Telecommunications Enterprises promulgated by the PRC State Council in December 2001 and subsequently amended in September 2008 set forth detailed requirements with respect to capitalization, investor qualifications and application procedures in connection with the establishment of a foreign-invested telecommunications enterprise. These regulations prohibit a foreign entity 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 have a good and profitable record and operating experience in this industry. Due to these regulations, we operate our website through Jingdong 360, one of our consolidated variable interest entities.

 

In July 2006, the Ministry of Information Industry, the predecessor of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or 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 an ICP License, is prohibited from leasing, transferring or selling the ICP 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 company’s operational premises and equipment must comply with the approved coverage region on its ICP License, and the company must establish and improve its internal internet and information security policies and standards and emergency management procedures. 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 the license holder, including revoking its ICP license. Jingdong 360, the operator of our website, owns the relevant domain names and registered trademarks and has the necessary personnel to operate the website.

 

Foreign Investment in Road Transportation Businesses .  According to the Administrative Provisions for Foreign Investment in the Road Transportation Industry promulgated in November 2001 by the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, the predecessor of the Ministry of Commerce, and amended in January 2014 and its supplements and implementing rules, investment in a road transportation business (including, among other things, road freight transportation, and flitting, loading, unloading and storage of road cargo) by a foreign investor is subject to the approval of the provincial counterparts of the Ministry of Transport, and the newly established foreign-invested enterprise must obtain a Road Transportation Operation Permit from the provincial-level Ministry of Transport. The incorporation of a subsidiary of a foreign-invested enterprise that intends to engage in a road transportation business is subject to the same approval procedure. Currently, Jiangsu Jingdong, a subsidiary of Jingdong Century, and Jingbangda engage in our road transportation business. Jingbangda has obtained a Road Transportation Operation Permit from the provincial-level Ministry of Transport. Jiangsu Jingdong was established without obtaining the prior approval from the local counterpart of the Ministry of Transport and each of the branches of Jiangsu Jingdong obtained a Road Transportation Operation Permit from the county level instead of provincial-level Ministry of Transport. See “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Any lack of requisite approvals, licenses or permits applicable to our business may have a material and adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.”

 

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Licenses and Permits

 

We are required to hold a variety of licenses and permits in connection with various aspects of our business, including the following:

 

Value-added Telecommunication License .  The Telecommunications Regulations promulgated by the State Council and its related implementation rules, including the Catalogue 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, are classified as value-added telecommunications businesses. Under the Telecommunications Regulations, commercial operators of value-added telecommunications services must first obtain an ICP License from the MIIT or its provincial level counterparts. In 2000, the State Council also issued the Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services, which was amended in 2011. According to these measures, a commercial ICP service operator must obtain an ICP License from the relevant government authorities before engaging in any commercial ICP service in China. When the ICP service involves areas of news, publication, education, medical treatment, health, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, and if required by law or relevant regulations, specific approval from the respective regulatory authorities must be obtained prior to applying for the ICP License from the MIIT or its provincial level counterpart. 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. Jingdong 360, as our ICP operator, holds an ICP License issued by the Beijing Telecommunications Administration for the provision of information services through the internet and also a value-added telecommunication license issued by the MIIT for the provision of information services through a mobile network, the provision of internet data center services, internet access services,  and online data processing and transaction processing services.

 

Internet Publication License .  The General Administration of Press and Publication, Radio, Film and Television, or the GAPPRFT, established in March 2013 as a result of institutional reform integrating the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, and the General Administration of Press and Publication, is the government agency responsible for regulating publication activities in China. In June 2002, the MIIT and the General Administration of Press and Publication jointly promulgated the Tentative Administrative Measures on Internet Publication, which require internet publishers to obtain a license from the General Administration of Press and Publication to conduct internet publication activities. In February 2016, the GAPPRFT and the MITT jointly issued the Administrative Measures on Network Publication, which took effect in March 2016 and replaced the Tentative Administrative Measures on Internet Publication. The Administrative Measures on Network Publication further strengthened and expanded the supervision and management on the network publication service. Pursuant to the Administrative Measures on Network Publication, entities engage in the network publication service are required to obtain a Network Publication Service License from GAPPRFT; the network publishing services refer to the activities of providing network publications to the public through information networks; and the network publications refer to the digitalized works with the publishing features such as editing, producing and processing. The Administrative Measures on Network Publication also provide the detailed qualifications and application procedures for obtaining a Network Publication Service License. Jingdong 360 obtained an internet publication license from the GAPPRFT in 2011 and has renewed the license, which will remain valid until December 2016. Jingdong 360 should apply for the network publication service license after the expiry of its existing internet publication license.

 

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Online Culture Operating Permit .  The Provisional Measures on Administration of Internet Culture, promulgated by the Ministry of Culture in 2011, and other related rules require entities to obtain an Online Culture Operating Permit from the applicable provincial level culture administrative authority to engage in activities related to “online cultural products.” Cultural products include music, games, performances, performing arts, works of art, and animation features and cartoons, while “online” includes both products produced for the internet and products converted from offline products and disseminated over the internet. Jingdong 360 obtained an Online Culture Operating Permit from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture in January 2012 and has renewed the license, which will remain valid until December 2017.

 

Internet Drug Information Service Qualification Certificate .  The State Food and Drug Administration, or the SFDA, promulgated the Administrative Measures on Internet Drug Information Service in July 2004 and certain implementing rules and notices thereafter. These measures set out regulations governing the classification, application, approval, content, qualifications and requirements for internet drug information services. An ICP service operator that provides information regarding drugs or medical equipment must obtain an Internet Drug Information Service Qualification Certificate from the applicable provincial level counterpart of the SFDA. Jingdong 360 obtained an Internet Drug Information Service Qualification Certificate from the Beijing Drug Administration in 2011 for the provision of internet medical information services, which was renewed in 2014 and will remain valid until August 2019.

 

Aviation Transport Sales Agency Certificate.   The Rules on Cognizance of Qualification for Civil Aviation Transport Sales Agencies, issued by the China Aviation Transportation Association in 2006, require any entity acting as an air-ticketing sales agency to obtain an Aviation Transport Sales Agency Certificate. Supplemental rules issued in 2008 require any air-ticketing sales agency engaging in online ticket sales to obtain an ICP License and complete a commercial website registration with the local administration for industry and commerce. Jingdong 360, one of our consolidated variable interest entities, has obtained an ICP License as well as Aviation Transport Sales Agency Certificate for sales of air passengers transport tickets for both domestic and international air routes. In addition, Beijing Yuanyi, another consolidated variable interest entity, has obtained an Aviation Transport Sales Agency Certificate for sales of air freight transport tickets for domestic air routes.

 

Courier Service Operation Permit .  Pursuant to the Administrative Measures on the Courier Service Market and the Administrative Measures on Courier Service Operation Permits, any entity engaging in courier services must obtain a Courier Service Operation Permit from the State Post Bureau or its local counterpart and is subject to their supervision and regulation. Entities applying for a permit to operate courier services in a certain province should apply to the provincial level post bureau, while an entity applying for a permit to operate courier services across multiple provinces should apply to the State Post Bureau. An entity holding a cross-provincial Courier Service Operation Permit may provide courier services in cities other than its place of registration by establishing new branches at these cities and then filing with the relevant provincial post bureau for those branches within 20 days. The courier business must be operated within the permitted scope and valid term of the Courier Service Operation Permit. We have one cross-provincial Courier Service Operation Permit that allows Jingbangda, one of our PRC subsidiaries providing logistics services, to operate an express delivery business in 30 provinces and 45 cities in China. As of December 31, 2015, Jingbangda and its 127 branches had obtained Courier Service Operation Permits. We are in the process of applying for extension of the coverage of our Courier Service Operation Permits to other areas of China. See “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Any lack of requisite approvals, licenses or permits applicable to our business may have a material and adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.”

 

Road Transportation Operation Permit .  Under the Regulations on Road Transportation promulgated by the State Council in April 2004 and amended in September 2012, and the Provisions on Administration of Road Transportation and Stations (Sites) issued by the Ministry of Transport in June 2005 and amended subsequently in July 2008, April 2009 and March 2012, anyone engaging in the business of operating road transportation and stations (sites) must obtain a Road Transportation Operation Permit, and each vehicle used for shipping must have a Road Transportation Certificate. As of December 31, 2015, Jiangsu Jingdong and its 35 branches and Jingbangda and its 12 branches had obtained Road Transportation Operation Permits, and Jiangsu Jingdong’s and Jingbangda’s other branches are in the process of applying for additional Road Transportation Operation Permits. See “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Any lack of requisite approvals, licenses or permits applicable to our business may have a material and adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.”

 

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Publication Operation Permit .  Pursuant to the Administrative Measures for the Publication Market jointly issued by the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Press and Publication in March 2011, any entity or individual engaging in the wholesale or retail of books and audio and video products must obtain an approval from the relevant press and publication administrative authority and receive a Publication Operation Permit. An enterprise that has obtained a Publication Operation Permit is not required to obtain any special permission if it utilizes the internet and other information networks to sell books, but must file with the relevant press and publication administrative authority within 15 days following its commencement of operations on the internet. Although the distribution of audio and video products is not classified as “restricted” under the Catalogue, as amended in March 2015, foreign investors may engage in the distribution of audio and video products in China only in the form of contractual joint ventures between foreign and Chinese investors according to the Administrative Measures for the Publication Market. Due to these measures, we engage in wholesale and retail of books and audio and video products through Jiangsu Yuanzhou, one of our consolidated variable interest entities. Jiangsu Yuanzhou has obtained a Publication Operation Permit and is in the process of renewing this permit.

 

Payment Service License .  The Measures for the Administration of Payment Services of Non-Financial Institutions, issued by the People’s Bank of China in 2010, and its implementing rules require any non-financial institution engaging in payment services, such as online payment, issuance and acceptance of prepaid cards, and bill collection via bankcard, to obtain a Payment Service License. The registered capital of an applicant that engages in a nationwide payment business must be at least RMB100 million (US$15.4 million), while that of an applicant engaging in payment business within a province must be at least RMB30 million (US$4.6 million). Pursuant to the Administrative Measures for Online Payment Services of Non-bank Payment Institutions issued by the People’s Bank of China in 2015, which will take effect on July 1, 2016, a payment institution must follow the principles of “know your clients” and establish a sound client identification mechanism. A payment institution must not open payment accounts for financial institutions, or other institutions engaging in financial services such as credit extension, financing, wealth management, guarantee, trust or currency exchange. In addition, it must not engage in or, in a disguised form, engage in businesses such as securities, insurance, credit loans, financing, wealth management, guarantee, trust, currency exchange, cash deposit and withdrawal services. Pursuant to the Guiding Opinions on Pilot Services of Cross-border Foreign Exchange Payment by Payment Institutions issued by SAFE in January 2015, any payment institution engaging in providing cross-border foreign exchange payment services must be approved by SAFE or its branches. An indirect subsidiary of Suqian Limao, one of our consolidated variable interest entities, has obtained a Payment Service License from the People’s Bank of China with a term valid until May 2016 and is in the process of having the license renewed. The Payment Service License enables us to engage in nationwide online payment business through internet, mobile phone and fixed phone and bill collection business via bankcard in Beijing. In addition, the subsidiary has also applied to the People’s Bank of China for the expansion of the business types covered in the Payment Service License to cover issuance and acceptance of pre-paid cards, and the application has been publicized by the relevant government authority on its official website. Furthermore, the subsidiary has also obtained the approval from SAFE for cross-border foreign exchange payment services.

 

Food Distribution Permit .  China has adopted a licensing system for food supply operations under the Food Safety Law and its implementation rules. Entities or individuals that intend to engage in food production, food distribution or food service businesses must obtain licenses or permits for such businesses. Pursuant to the Administrative Measures on Food Distribution Permits issued by the State Administration of Industry and Commerce in July 2009, which expired recently in November 2015, an enterprise needs to obtain a Food Distribution Permit from a local branch of the State Administration of Industry and Commerce to engage in the food distribution business. Pursuant to the Administrative Measures on Food Operation Licensing issued by the SFDA in August 2015, an enterprise needs to obtain a Food Operation Permit from the local food and drug administration, and the permits already obtained by food business operators prior to the effective date of these new measures will remain valid for their originally approved validity period. We sell food and nutritional supplements through our website. Our PRC subsidiaries or their branches engaging in food distribution business have obtained Food Distribution Permits.

 

License or Registration for Wholesale and Retail of Liquor .  The Measures for the Administration of Liquor Circulation, issued by the Ministry of Commerce in November 2005, require any entity engaged in the wholesale or retail of liquor to file and register, within 60 days of acquiring a business license, with the local branch of the Ministry of Commerce at the same level as the local branch of the State Administration of Industry and Commerce where the entity is registered. In addition, certain provinces in the PRC have adopted a licensing system for the wholesale or retail of liquor. We sell liquor through our website. Our PRC subsidiaries or their branches engaging in the wholesale or retail of liquor have obtained the license or completed the required registration with the local branches of the Ministry of Commerce for such business.

 

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Medical Device Operation Enterprise Permit .  The Regulations on Supervision and Administration of Medical Devices, issued by the State Council in 2000 and further amended in March 2014, divide medical devices into three types. Enterprises engaging in the sale of Type I medical devices must file with the relevant drug supervision and administration authority while those engaging in the sale of Type II and Type III medical devices must obtain a Medical Device Operation Enterprise Permit from the relevant drug supervision and administrative authority. Beijing Jingdong Century Information Technology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Jingdong Century, has obtained a Medical Device Operation Enterprise Permit for the sale of several types of Type III medical devices.

 

Permit for Production and Operation of Radio and TV Programs .  Under the Regulations on the Administration of Production of Radio and Television Programs issued by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television in July 2004 and amended in August 2015, any entities that engage in the production of radio and television programs are required to apply for a Permit for Production and Operation of Radio and TV Programs from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, now the General Administration of Press and Publication, Radio, Film and Television, or its provincial branches. Entities with this permit must conduct their business operations in compliance with the approved scope of production and operation. Furthermore, entities other than radio and TV stations are prohibited from producing consolidated radio and TV programs regarding current political news or similar subjects. Jingdong 360, one of our consolidated variable interest entities, has obtained a Permit for Production and Operation of Radio and TV Programs.

 

Regulations Relating to E-Commerce

 

China’s e-commerce industry is at a relatively early stage of development and there are few PRC laws or regulations specifically regulating the e-commerce industry. In May 2010, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce adopted the Interim Measures for the Administration of Online Commodities Trading and Relevant Services, which took effective in July 2010. Under these measures, enterprises or other operators which engage in online commodities trading and other services and have been registered with the State Administration of Industry and Commerce or its local branches must make the information stated in their business license available to the public or provide a link to their business license on their website. Online distributors must adopt measures to ensure safe online transactions, protect online shoppers’ rights and prevent the sale of counterfeit goods. Information on products and transactions released by online distributors must be authentic, accurate, complete and sufficient.

 

In January 2014, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce promulgated the Administrative Measures for Online Trading, which terminated the above interim measures and became effective in March 2014. The Administrative Measures for Online Trading further strengthen the protection of consumers and impose more stringent requirements and obligations on online business operators and third-party online marketplace operators. For example, online business operators are required to issue invoices to consumers for online products and services. Consumers are generally entitled to return products purchased from online business operators within seven days upon receipt, without giving any reason. Online business operators and third-party online marketplace operators are prohibited from collecting any information on consumers and business operators, or disclosing, selling or providing any such information to any third party, or sending commercial electronic messages to consumers, without their consent. Fictitious transactions, deletion of adverse comments and technical attacks on competitors’ websites are prohibited as well. In addition, third-party online marketplace operators are required to examine and verify the identifications of the online business operators and set up and keep relevant records for at least two years. Moreover, any third-party online marketplace operator that simultaneously engages in online trading for products and services should clearly distinguish itself from other online business operators on the marketplace platform. We are subject to these measures as a result of our online direct sales and online marketplace.

 

Regulations Relating to Internet Content and Information Security

 

The Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services specify that internet information services regarding news, publications, education, medical and health care, pharmacy and medical appliances, among other things, are to be examined, approved and regulated by the relevant authorities. Internet information providers are prohibited from providing services beyond those included in the scope of their ICP licenses or filings. Furthermore, these measures clearly specify a list of prohibited content. Internet information providers are prohibited from producing, copying, publishing or distributing information that is humiliating or defamatory to others or that infringes the lawful rights and interests of others. Internet information providers that violate the prohibition may face criminal charges or administrative sanctions by the PRC authorities. Internet information providers must monitor and control the information posted on their websites. If any prohibited content is found, they must remove the offending content immediately, keep a record of it and report to the relevant authorities.

 

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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: (1) gain improper entry into a computer or system of strategic importance; (2) disseminate politically disruptive information; (3) leak state secrets; (4) spread false commercial information; or (5) 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.

 

Regulations Relating to Internet Privacy

 

In recent years, PRC government authorities have enacted laws and regulations on internet use to protect personal information from any unauthorized disclosure. The Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services prohibit ICP service operators from insulting or slandering a third party or infringing upon the lawful rights and interests of a third party. Under the Several Provisions on Regulating the Market Order of Internet Information Services, issued by the MIIT in 2011, an ICP operator may not collect any user personal information or provide any such information 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 keep 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, to 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 of any such information, or selling or proving such information to other parties. Any violation of the above decision or order 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. We have required our users to consent to our collecting and using their personal information, and established information security systems to protect user’s privacy.

 

Regulations Relating to Product Quality and Consumer Protection

 

The Product Quality Law applies to all production and sale activities in China. Pursuant to this law, products offered for sale must satisfy relevant quality and safety standards. Enterprises may not produce or sell counterfeit products in any fashion, including forging brand labels or giving false information regarding a product’s manufacturer. Violations of state or industrial standards for health and safety and any other related violations may result in civil liabilities and administrative penalties, such as compensation for damages, fines, suspension or shutdown of business, as well as confiscation of products illegally produced and sold and the proceeds from such sales. Severe violations may subject the responsible individual or enterprise to criminal liabilities. Where a defective product causes physical injury to a person or damage to another person’s property, the victim may claim compensation from the manufacturer or from the seller of the product. If the seller pays compensation and it is the manufacturer that should bear the liability, the seller has a right of recourse against the manufacturer. Similarly, if the manufacturer pays compensation and it is the seller that should bear the liability, the manufacturer has a right of recourse against the seller.

 

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The Consumer Protection Law sets out the obligations of business operators and the rights and interests of the consumers in China. Pursuant to this law, business operators must guarantee that the commodities they sell satisfy the requirements for personal or property safety, provide consumers with authentic information about the commodities, and guarantee the quality, function, usage and term of validity of the commodities. Failure to comply with the Consumer Protection Law may subject business operators to civil liabilities such as refunding purchase prices, replacement of commodities, repairing, ceasing damages, compensation, and restoring reputation, and even subject the business operators or the responsible individuals to criminal penalties when personal damages are involved or if the circumstances are severe. The Consumer Protection Law was further amended in October 2013 and became effective in March 2014. The amended Consumer Protection Law further strengthen the protection of consumers and impose more stringent requirements and obligations on business operators, especially on the business operators through the internet. For example, the consumers are entitled to return the goods (except for certain specific goods) within seven days upon receipt without any reasons when they purchase the goods from business operators on the internet. The consumers whose interests have been damaged due to their purchase of goods or acceptance of services on online marketplace platforms may claim damages from sellers or service providers. Where the providers of the online marketplace platforms are unable to provide the real names, addresses and valid contact details of the sellers or service providers, the consumers may also claim damages from the providers of the online marketplace platforms. Providers of online marketplace platforms that know or should have known that sellers or service providers use their platforms to infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of consumers but fail to take necessary measures must bear joint and several liabilities with the sellers or service providers. Moreover, if business operators deceive consumers or knowingly sell substandard or defective products, they should not only compensate consumers for their losses, but also pay additional damages equal to three times the price of the goods or services.

 

We are subject to the Product Quality Law and the Consumer Protection Law as an online supplier of commodities and a provider of online marketplace platform and believe that we are currently in compliance with these regulations in all material aspects.

 

Regulations Relating to Pricing

 

In China, the prices of a very small number of products and services are guided or fixed by the government. According to the Pricing Law, business operators must, as required by the government departments in charge of pricing, mark the prices explicitly and indicate the name, origin of production, specifications, and other related particulars clearly. Business operators may not sell products at a premium or charge any fees that are not explicitly indicated. Business operators must not commit the specified unlawful pricing activities, such as colluding with others to manipulate the market price, using false or misleading prices to deceive consumers to transact, or conducting price discrimination against other business operators. Failure to comply with the Pricing Law may subject business operators to administrative sanctions such as warning, ceasing unlawful activities, compensation, confiscating illegal gains, fines. The business operators may be ordered to suspend business for rectification, or have their business licenses revoked if the circumstances are severe. We are subject to the Pricing Law as an online retailer and believe that our pricing activities are currently in compliance with the law in all material aspects.

 

Regulations Relating to Consumer Finance

 

Pursuant to the Pilot Administrative Measures for Consumer Finance Companies issued by China Banking Regulatory Commission, or the CBRC, in November 2013, which became effective in January 2014, any non-banking financial institution providing consumer loans to individual residents in mainland China must be approved by the CBRC. The capital contributors of a consumer finance company include a principal contributor and ordinary contributors. In order for a financial institution to serve as a principal contributor, it must satisfy a series of conditions, including the following: it must have at least five years of experience in the field of consumer finance, its total assets as at the end of the past year must be no less than RMB60 billion (US$9.3 billion) or its equivalent in a freely convertible currency, it must be in sound financial conditions, and it has been profitable for the past two consecutive fiscal years. In order for a non-financial institution to serve as a principal contributor, it must satisfy a series of conditions, including the following: its revenue for the past year must be not less than RMB30 billion (US$4.6 billion) or its equivalent in a freely convertible currency, its net assets as at the end of the past year must be not less than 30% of its total assets, it must be in sound financial conditions, and it has been profitable for the past two consecutive fiscal years. The minimum amount of registered capital of a consumer finance company is RMB300 million (US$46.3 million) or its equivalent in a freely convertible currency, which must be fully paid in a lump sum. See “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Any lack of requisite approvals, licenses or permits applicable to our business may have a material and adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.”

 

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Regulations Relating to Microcredit

 

The Guidance on the Pilot Establishment of Microcredit Companies, jointly promulgated by the CBRC and the People’s Bank of China in 2008, allows provincial governments to approved the establishment of microcredit companies on a trial basis. Based on this guidance, many provincial governments in China, including that of Shanghai and Beijing, promulgated local implementing rules on the administration of microcredit companies. The Implementing Rules for Works on Pilot Establishment of Microcredit Companies, issued by the Shanghai Municipal Government in 2008 and the Measures for Implementing Pilot Programs for Microcredit Companies in Beijing Municipality, jointly issued by several government authorities in Beijing in 2009, provide that the sources of funds of a microcredit company must be limited to the capital contributions paid by its shareholders, monetary donations, and loans provided by no more than two banking financial institutions, and do not allow the loans from such banking financial institutions to exceed 50% of the net capital of the microcredit company. In addition, a microcredit company is not permitted to conduct any businesses outside the region where it is located. In May 2011, the Beijing Financial Service Office, the regulatory authority for microcredit companies in Beijing, issued the Interim Measures for Supervision and Administration of Pilot Program of Microcredit Company in Beijing (Trial) to provide more specific rules on the supervision and administration on microcredit companies in Beijing. In July 2014, the Shanghai Financial Services Office, the regulatory entity for microcredit companies in Shanghai, and Shanghai Administration for Industry and Commerce, jointly issued Several Opinions on Further Development Promotion of Microcredit Companies, pursuant to which the paid capital contribution of newly established microcredit company must be no less than RMB200 million (US$30.9 million). In addition, the authorities have permitted certain qualified microcredit companies to conduct a cross-region microcredit business on a pilot basis. We engage in online microcredit businesses through two subsidiaries of Jingdong Century in Shanghai and Beijing, which have obtained the authorities’ permission.

 

Regulations Relating to Commercial Factoring

 

The Notice on the Pilot Launch of Commercial Factoring, issued by the Ministry of Commerce in June 2012, launched commercial factoring in the Shanghai Pudong New Area and the Tianjin Binhai New Area. The Ministry of Commerce also issued several other notices to expand the list of pilot areas to include Guangzhou, Shenzhen, the Chongqing Liangjiang New Area and other areas. Under these notices and local implementing rules, commercial factoring companies may be established in these areas upon the approval of the local counterpart of the Ministry of Commerce or other competent authority. The business scope of a commercial factoring company may include the services of trade financing, management of sales ledgers, investigation and assessment of client credit standings, management and collection of accounts receivable and credit risk guarantee. The commercial factoring company is not allowed to conduct other financial business, such as taking deposits and lending loans, or to specialize in or carry out debt collection. Currently, we engage in a commercial factoring business through an indirect subsidiary of Suqian Limao in Shanghai.

 

Regulations Relating to Mobile Telecommunications Resale Business

 

In May 2013, the MIIT issued the Circular regarding the Pilot Work on Implementation of Mobile Telecommunications Resale Business and the Pilot Program on Mobile Telecommunications Resale Business, pursuant to which private capitals are encouraged to invest in the mobile telecommunications resale business. The resale business refers to the business whereby a reseller purchases mobile telecommunications services (excluding mobile satellite telecommunications service) from a basic telecommunications service provider who owns a mobile network, repackages the services with its private brand and sells the services to end users.  Under the circular and the pilot program, the mobile telecommunications resale is categorized as a Class II basic telecommunications business but managed by reference to the value-added telecommunications business. A mobile communications reseller does not build its own wireless network, core network, transmission network and other mobile telecommunications network infrastructures, but must build its customer service system and may build its own business management platform, and billing, business accounting and other business supporting systems as needed. The applicant for the mobile telecommunications resale business shall be a private company of which the private funds shall not be less than 50% of the capital and the capital contributed by its sole biggest shareholder shall come from the private funds, and it shall also enter into a commercial contract for mobile telecommunications resale business with a basic telecommunications service provider, specifying the number resources for resale to mobile communications users, division of responsibilities for service quality assurance between both parties, protection of users’ rights and interests, as well as user information. Resellers may pre-collect service fees for a period of up to two year from users on condition that they offer proofs of their measures to ensure long-term services, and must abide by the Telecommunications Regulations, the Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services and other PRC related laws and regulations. Jingdong 360 has been approved to be a pilot to conduct the mobile telecommunications resale business and cooperate with China Telecom in 50 cities and with China Unicom in 51 cities. Although the pilot program expired on December 31, 2015, the Information and Communications Development Department of MITT issued a notice to the pilot enterprises, including Jingdong 360, and the basic telecommunications service providers in December 2015, pursuant to which notice the pilot enterprises may continue the mobile telecommunications resale business after the expiration of the pilot program.

 

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Regulations relating to Insurance Brokerages

 

The primary regulation governing the insurance intermediaries is the PRC Insurance Law, as amended. According to the PRC Insurance law, the China Insurance Regulatory Commission, or the CIRC, is the regulatory authority responsible for the supervision and administration of the PRC insurance companies and the intermediaries in the insurance sector, including insurance agencies and brokers. The principal regulation governing insurance brokerages is the Provisions on the Supervision and Administration of Insurance Brokerages promulgated by the CIRC in September 2009 and recently amended in October 2015. According to this regulation, the establishment of an insurance brokerage company is subject to the approval of the CIRC. An “insurance brokerage company” refers to an entity that receives commissions for providing intermediary services to policyholders and insurance company to facilitate their entering into insurance contracts based on the interests of the policyholders. An insurance brokerage company established in the PRC must meet the qualification requirements specified by the CIRC and obtain a license to operate an insurance brokerage business with the approval of the CIRC.

 

In September 2011, the CIRC issued Measures for Administration of Internet Insurance Business of Insurance Agencies and Insurance Brokerage Companies (For Trial Implementation).  Pursuant to this measure, to engage in the internet insurance brokerage business, an insurance brokerage company must meet the requirements including, but not limited to, having a sound management system and appropriate operational procedures for the internet insurance business, and having a registered capital of no less than RMB 10 million. An insurance brokerage company must, within ten working days from the date of its operation, report the internet insurance brokerage business to the CIRC.

 

Pursuant to the current Foreign Investment Catalogue, as amended in March 2015, the insurance brokerage business falls within the industries in which foreign investment is permitted. We engage in insurance brokerage business through an indirect subsidiary of Suqian Limao. The entity has obtained an insurance brokerage license issued by the CIRC, which will remain valid until September 2018. We acquired 100% equity interest of this entity in November 2014, and the entity has reported the change in its shareholder to the CIRC and registered its internet insurance brokerage business with the CIRC.

 

Regulations relating to the Fund Sales, Payment and Settlement Service for Securities Investment Funds Distribution and Online Distributors through Third-Party E-Commerce Platforms

 

The Measures for the Administration of the Sales of Securities Investment Funds issued by the CSRC in June 2011 and amended in March 2013, and the Interim Provisions on the Administration of the Business Operations of Securities Investment Fund Distributors through Third-Party E-Commerce Platforms issued by the CSRC in March 2013, provide that any entity engaging in fund sales activities must obtain a qualification for fund sales business from the CSRC. Where a third-party e-commerce platform provides ancillary services for fund sales institutions, the operator of the platform, together with the fund sales institutions, must report to the CSRC for record-filing. Fund sales institutions must select commercial banks or payment institutions that meet certain requirements to make payment and settlement for fund sales, the payment institutions must have safe and efficient information systems and effective risk control systems to handle payment and settlement business. Among others, the payment institutions should hold the payment service license and their accounts of payment and settlement for fund sales must be effectively separated from their other business accounts. Currently, we engage in fund sales business through an indirect subsidiary of Suqian Limao, and it has obtained the required qualification from the Beijing branch of CSRC. We also provide ancillary services for fund sales institutions through Jingdong 360, which has reported to the CSRC as a third-party e-commerce platform. In addition, we provide payment and settlement for fund sales through an indirect subsidiary of Suqian Limao, which has also reported to the CSRC as a payment and settlement institution.

 

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Regulations Relating to Leasing

 

Pursuant to the Law on Administration of Urban Real Estate, when leasing premises, the lessor and lessee are required to enter into a written lease contract, containing such provisions as the leasing term, use of the premises, rental and repair liabilities, and other rights and obligations of both parties. Both lessor and lessee are also required to register the lease with the real estate administration department. If the lessor and lessee fail to go through the registration procedures, both lessor and lessee may be subject to fines.

 

According to the PRC Contract Law, the lessee may sublease the leased premises to a third party, subject to the consent of the lessor. Where the lessee subleases the premises, the lease contract between the lessee and the lessor remains valid. The lessor is entitled to terminate the lease contract if the lessee subleases the premises without the consent of the lessor. In addition, if the lessor transfers the premises, the lease contract between the lessee and the lessor will still remain valid.

 

Pursuant to the PRC Property Law, if a mortgagor leases the mortgaged property before the mortgage contract is executed, the previously established leasehold interest will not be affected by the subsequent mortgage; and where a mortgagor leases the mortgaged property after the creation and registration of the mortgage interest, the leasehold interest will be subordinated to the registered mortgage.

 

Regulations Relating to Advertising Business

 

The State Administration for Industry and Commerce is the government agency responsible for regulating advertising activities in the PRC. According to PRC laws and regulations, companies that engage in advertising activities must obtain a business license from the State Administration for Industry and Commerce or its local branches which specifically includes operating an advertising business within its business scope. The business license of an advertising company is valid for the duration of its existence, unless the license is suspended or revoked due to a violation of any relevant law or regulation. PRC advertising laws and regulations set forth certain content requirements for advertisements in the PRC including, among other things, prohibitions on false or misleading content, superlative wording, socially destabilizing content or content involving obscenities, superstition, violence, discrimination or infringement of the public interest. Advertisers, advertising agencies, and advertising distributors are required to ensure that the content of the advertisements they prepare or distribute is true and in full compliance with applicable law. In providing advertising services, advertising operators and advertising distributors must review the supporting documents provided by advertisers for advertisements and verify that the content of the advertisements complies with applicable PRC laws and regulations. Prior to distributing advertisements that are subject to government censorship and approval, advertising distributors are obligated to verify that such censorship has been performed and approval has been obtained. The release or delivery of advertisements through the internet must not impair the normal use of the network by users. The advertisements released in pop-up form on a webpage and other forms must show the close flag prominently and ensure one-click close. Violation of these regulations may result in penalties, including fines, confiscation of advertising income, orders to cease dissemination of the advertisements and orders to eliminate the effect of illegal advertisement. In circumstances involving serious violations, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce or its local branches may revoke the violators’ licenses or permits for their advertising business operations.

 

Regulations Relating to Intellectual Property Rights

 

The PRC has adopted comprehensive legislation governing intellectual property rights, including copyrights, patents, trademarks and domain names.

 

Copyright .  Pursuant to the Copyright Law and its implementation rules, creators of protected works enjoy personal and property rights, including, among others, the right of disseminating the works through information networks. Pursuant to the relevant PRC regulations, rules and interpretations, internet service providers will be jointly liable with the infringer if they (a) participate in, assist in or abet infringing activities committed by any other person through the internet, (b) are or should be aware of the infringing activities committed by their website users through the internet, or (c) fail to remove infringing content or take other action to eliminate infringing consequences after receiving a warning with evidence of such infringing activities from the copyright holder. In addition, where an ICP service operator is clearly aware of the infringement of certain content against another’s copyright through the internet, or fails to take measures to remove relevant contents upon receipt of the copyright owner’s notice, and as a result, it damages the public interest, the ICP service operator could be ordered to stop the tortious act and be subject to other administrative penalties such as confiscation of illegal income and fines. To comply with these laws and regulations, we have implemented internal procedures to monitor and review the content we have licensed from content providers before they are released on our website and remove any infringing content promptly after we receive notice of infringement from the legitimate rights holder.

 

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Patent .  The Patent Law provides for patentable inventions, utility models and designs, which must meet three conditions: novelty, inventiveness and practical applicability. The State Intellectual Property Office under the State Council is responsible for examining and approving patent applications. As of December 31, 2015, we had 84 patents granted in China, 1,052 patent applications pending in China and 173 patent applications pending outside China.

 

Trademark .  The Trademark Law and its implementation rules protect registered trademarks. The PRC Trademark Office of State Administration of Industry and Commerce is responsible for the registration and administration of trademarks throughout the PRC. The Trademark Law has adopted a “first-to-file” principle with respect to trademark registration. As of December 31, 2015, we had 2,216 registered trademarks in different applicable trademark categories and had approximately 3,167 trademark applications in China.

 

Domain Name .  Domain names are protected under the Administrative Measures on the Internet Domain Names promulgated by the MIIT. The MIIT is the major regulatory body responsible for the administration of the PRC internet domain names, under supervision of which the CNNIC is responsible for the daily administration of .cn domain names and Chinese domain names. CNNIC adopts the “first to file” principle with respect to the registration of domain names. We have registered jd.com, 360buy.com, 360buy.cn, 360buy.com.cn and other domain names.

 

Regulations Relating to Employment

 

The Labor Contract Law and its implementation rules provide requirements concerning employment contracts between an employer and its 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. The Labor Contract Law and its implementation rules also require compensation to be paid upon certain terminations, which significantly affects the cost of reducing workforce for employers. In addition, if an employer intends to enforce a non-compete provision with an employee in an employment contract or non-competition agreement, it has to compensate the employee on a monthly basis during the term of the restriction period after the termination or ending of the labor contract. Employers in most cases are also required to provide a severance payment to their employees after their employment relationships are terminated.

 

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. According to the Social Insurance Law, an employer that fails to make social insurance contributions may be ordered to pay the required contributions within a stipulated deadline and be subject to a late fee. If the employer still fails to rectify the failure to make social insurance contributions within the stipulated deadline, it may be subject to a fine ranging from one to three times the amount overdue. According to the Regulations on Management of Housing Fund, an enterprise that fails to make housing fund contributions may be ordered to rectify the noncompliance and pay the required contributions within a stipulated deadline; otherwise, an application may be made to a local court for compulsory enforcement. We have not made adequate contributions to employee benefit plans, as required by applicable PRC laws and regulations. See “Item 3.D. Key Information—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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Regulations Relating to Dividend Withholding Tax

 

Pursuant to the Enterprise Income Tax 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%. Pursuant to the Arrangement between Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Tax Evasion on Income, 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 the Notice of the State Administration of Taxation on the Issues concerning the Application of the Dividend Clauses of Tax Agreements, or 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 directly own the required percentage of equity interests and voting rights in the PRC resident enterprise; and (ii) it must have directly owned such percentage in the PRC resident enterprise throughout the 12 months prior to receiving the dividends. Furthermore, the Administrative Measures for Non-Resident Enterprises to Enjoy Treatments under Tax Treaties (For Trial Implementation), which became effective in October 2009, require that non-resident enterprises must obtain approval from the relevant tax authority in order to enjoy the reduced withholding tax rate. There are also other conditions for enjoying the reduced withholding tax rate according to other relevant tax rules and regulations. Accordingly, JD.com International Limited, Jingdong E-Commerce (Logistics) Hong Kong Corporation Limited, 360buy E-Commerce (Jingdong) Hong Kong Corporation Limited and Jingdong E-Commerce (Trade) Hong Kong Corporation Limited may be able to enjoy the 5% withholding tax rate for the dividends they receive from Star East, Jingbangda and Shanghai Shengdayuan, respectively, if they satisfy the conditions prescribed under Circular 81 and other relevant tax rules and regulations, and obtain the approvals as required. However, according to Circular 81, 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

 

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 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 expenses such as the repayment of foreign currency-denominated loans.

 

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 No. 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 No. 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. SAFE also 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. In March 2015, SAFE issued SAFE Circular No.19, which took effective and replaced SAFE Circular No. 142 from June 1, 2015. Although SAFE Circular No.19 allows for the use of RMB converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital for equity investments in the PRC, the restrictions continue to apply as to foreign-invested enterprises’ use of the converted RMB for purposes beyond the business scope, for entrusted loans or for inter-company RMB loans.

 

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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 (e.g. pre-establishment expenses account, foreign exchange capital account, guarantee account), the reinvestment of lawful incomes derived by foreign investors in the PRC (e.g. profit, proceeds of equity transfer, capital reduction, liquidation and early repatriation of investment), and purchase and remittance of foreign exchange as a result of capital reduction, liquidation, early repatriation or share transfer in a foreign-invested enterprise no longer require SAFE approval, and multiple capital accounts for the same entity may be opened in different provinces, which was not possible before. In addition, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Printing and Distributing the Provisions on Foreign Exchange Administration over Domestic Direct Investment by Foreign Investors and the Supporting Documents in May 2013, which specifies that the administration by SAFE or its local branches over direct investment by foreign investors in the PRC shall be conducted by way of registration and banks shall process foreign exchange business relating to the direct investment in the PRC based on the registration information provided by SAFE and its branches.

 

In February 2015, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Further Simplifying and Improving the Policies Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Direct Investment, or SAFE Circular No. 13, which took effect on June 1, 2015. SAFE Circular No. 13 delegates the authority to enforce the foreign exchange registration in connection with the inbound and outbound direct investment under relevant SAFE rules to certain banks and therefore further simplifies the foreign exchange registration procedures for inbound and outbound direct investment.

 

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C.             Organizational Structure

 

The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure, including our principal subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities as of the date of this annual report on Form 20-F:

 

GRAPHIC

 


(1)          Jingdong 360, Jiangsu Yuanzhou and Suqian Limao are our principal consolidated variable interest entities. Each of them is 45% owned by Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu, our chairman of board of directors and chief executive officer, and 55% owned by Mr. Jiaming Sun, our former employee. We effectively control these entities through contractual arrangements.

 

(2)          Jingdong Century has two other subsidiaries, Beijing Jinghui Microcredit Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Jinghui Microcredit Co., Ltd., which engage in in online microcredit businesses.

 

(3)          The other shareholders of Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd. include a limited partnership controlled by us and a group of investors that made the investment in March 2016.

 

*                  The diagram above omits our equity investees, which are insignificant individually and in the aggregate.

 

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Our Consolidated Variable Interest Entities

 

We obtained control over Jingdong 360 through Jingdong Century in April 2007 by entering into a series of contractual arrangements with Jingdong 360 and the shareholders of Jingdong 360, which we refer to as the Jingdong 360 Agreements. The Jingdong 360 Agreements were subsequently amended and restated in April 2011 and again in May 2012, and some of the Jingdong 360 Agreements were further amended and restated in December 2013. As a result of our ownership of Jingdong Century, we became the primary beneficiary of Jingdong 360 in April 2007. We treat Jingdong 360 as our variable interest entity and have consolidated its financial results in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

 

We obtained control over Jiangsu Yuanzhou through Jingdong Century by commitments between Mr. Liu, Mr. Sun, Jiangsu Yuanzhou and Jingdong Century at the time Jiangsu Yuanzhou was established. Jingdong Century entered into a series of contractual arrangements with Jiangsu Yuanzhou and its shareholders in April 2011, which we refer to as the Jiangsu Yuanzhou Agreements. The Jiangsu Yuanzhou Agreements were subsequently amended and restated in May 2012, and some of the Jiangsu Yuanzhou Agreements were further amended and restated in November 2012 and December 2013. We became the primary beneficiary of Jiangsu Yuanzhou in September 2010. We treat Jiangsu Yuanzhou as our variable interest entity and have consolidated its financial results in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

 

In addition to Jingdong 360 and Jiangsu Yuanzhou, we assisted in establishing the following consolidated variable interest entities:

 

·                   Suqian Limao;

 

·                   Beijing Yuanyi Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd., or Beijing Yuanyi;

 

·                   Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd, or Beijing Jiasheng;

 

·                   Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng Investment Management Co., Ltd., or Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng;

 

·                   Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Youheng E-commerce Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Youheng; and

 

·                   Jiangsu Jingdong Saide E-commerce Co., Ltd., or Jiangsu Jingdong Saide.

 

We have entered into a series of contractual arrangements with each of these variable interest entities and their respective shareholders. The contractual arrangements allow us to:

 

·                   exercise effective control over our variable interest entities;

 

·                   receive substantially all of the economic benefits and bear the obligation to absorb substantially all of the losses of our variable interest entities; and

 

·                   have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in our variable interest entities when and to the extent permitted by PRC law.

 

We became the primary beneficiary of Beijing Yuanyi and Beijing Jiasheng in December 2014, of Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng in August 2015, of Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Youheng and Suqian Limao in December 2015, and of Jiangsu Jingdong Saide in January 2016, and we treat them as our variable interest entities under U.S. GAAP. We have consolidated the financial results of these variable interest entities in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our consolidated variable interest entities collectively contributed 2.9%, 3.0% and 2.6% of our consolidated total net revenues for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively.

 

In the opinion of Zhong Lun Law Firm, our PRC legal counsel:

 

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·                   the ownership structures of our variable interest entities and the PRC subsidiaries that have entered into contractual arrangements with the variable interest entities, including Jingdong Century, will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect; and

 

·                   the contractual arrangements among the PRC subsidiaries, including Jingdong Century, the variable interest entities and their respective shareholders governed by PRC law are valid, binding and enforceable, and will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect.

 

However, we have been further advised by our PRC legal counsel that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules. Accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities may in the future take a view that is contrary to the above opinion of our PRC legal counsel. We have been further advised by our PRC counsel that if the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating our online retail business do not comply with PRC government restrictions on foreign investment in e-commerce and related businesses, including but not limited to online retail businesses, we could be subject to severe penalties including being prohibited from continuing operations. See “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—If the PRC government deems that the contractual arrangements in relation to our variable interest entities do not comply with PRC regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.” and “—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.”

 

Contractual Arrangements with Jingdong 360 and Jiangsu Yuanzhou

 

The following is a summary of the currently effective Jingdong 360 Agreements and Jiangsu Yuanzhou Agreements.

 

Agreements that Provide Us with Effective Control over Jingdong 360 and Jiangsu Yuanzhou

 

Equity Pledge Agreements .    On December 25, 2013, Jingdong Century and each of the shareholders of Jingdong 360 entered into an amended and restated equity pledge agreement in replacement of the previous equity pledge agreement. Pursuant to the amended and restated equity pledge agreements, each of the shareholders of Jingdong 360 has pledged all of his equity interest in Jingdong 360 to guarantee their and Jingdong 360’s performance of his obligations under, where applicable, the amended and restated exclusive technology consulting and services agreement, loan agreement, exclusive purchase option agreement and power of attorney. If Jingdong 360 or the shareholders of Jingdong 360 breach their contractual obligations under these agreements, Jingdong Century, as pledgee, will have the right to dispose of the pledged equity interests. The shareholders of Jingdong 360 agree that, during the term of the equity pledge agreements, they will not dispose of the pledged equity interests or create or allow any encumbrance on the pledged equity interests, and they also agree that Jingdong Century’s rights relating to the equity pledge should not be prejudiced by the legal actions of the shareholders, their successors or their designates. During the term of the equity pledge, Jingdong Century has the right to receive all of the dividends and profits distributed on the pledged equity. The amended and restated equity pledge agreements will terminate on the second anniversary of the date when Jingdong 360 and the shareholders of Jingdong 360 have completed all their obligations under the amended and restated exclusive technology consulting and services agreement, loan agreement, exclusive purchase option agreement and powers of attorney.

 

On December 18, 2013, Jingdong Century and each of the shareholders of Jiangsu Yuanzhou entered into an amended and restated equity pledge agreement in replacement of the previous equity pledge agreements. The amended and restated equity pledge agreements between Jingdong Century and the shareholders of Jiangsu Yuanzhou contain terms substantially similar to the amended and restated equity pledge agreements relating to Jingdong 360 described above.

 

We have completed the registration of all the equity pledge for our variable interest entities with the relevant office of the administration for industry and commerce in accordance with the PRC Property Rights Law.

 

Powers of Attorney .    On December 25, 2013, each of the shareholders of Jingdong 360 granted another irrevocable power of attorney to replace the irrevocable powers of attorney previously executed, Pursuant to the irrevocable power of attorney, each of the shareholders of Jingdong 360 appointed Jingdong Century’s designated person as his attorney-in-fact to exercise all shareholder rights, including but not limited to voting on their behalf on all matters of Jingdong 360 requiring shareholder approval, disposing of all or part of the shareholder’s equity interest in Jingdong 360, and electing, appointing or removing directors and executive officers. The person designated by Jingdong Century is entitled to dispose of dividends and profits on the equity interest subject to the instructions of the shareholder. Each power of attorney will remain in force for so long as the shareholder remains a shareholder of Jingdong 360. Each shareholder has waived all the rights which have been authorized to Jingdong Century’s designated person under each power of attorney.

 

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On December 18, 2013, each of the shareholders of Jiangsu Yuanzhou granted another irrevocable power of attorney in replacement of the irrevocable powers of attorney previously executed. The powers of attorney contain terms substantially similar to the powers of attorney granted by the shareholders of Jingdong 360 described above.

 

Agreements that Allow Us to Receive Economic Benefits from Jingdong 360 and Jiangsu Yuanzhou

 

Exclusive Technology Consulting and Services Agreement .    On May 29, 2012, Jingdong Century and Jingdong 360 entered into an amended and restated exclusive technology consulting and services agreement in replacement of the previous exclusive technology consulting and services agreement. Pursuant to the amended and restated exclusive technology consulting and services agreement, Jingdong Century has the sole and exclusive right to provide specified technology consulting and services to Jingdong 360. Without the prior written consent of Jingdong Century, Jingdong 360 may not accept the same or similar technology consulting and services provided by any third party during the term of the agreement. All the benefits and interests generated from the agreement, including but not limited to intellectual property rights, know-how and trade secrets, will be Jingdong Century’s sole and exclusive rights. Jingdong 360 agrees to pay service fees to Jingdong Century on a quarterly basis and the amount of the service fee is decided by Jingdong Century on the basis of the work performed and commercial value of the services, the minimum amount of which is RMB10,000 (US$1,544) per quarter subject to annual evaluation and adjustment. The term of this agreement will expire on May 28, 2022 and may be extended unilaterally by Jingdong Century with Jingdong Century’s written confirmation prior to the expiration date. Jingdong 360 cannot terminate the agreement early unless Jingdong Century commits fraud, gross negligence or illegal acts, or becomes bankrupt or winds up.

 

Jingdong Century and Jiangsu Yuanzhou entered into an amended and restated exclusive technology consulting and services agreement on May 29, 2012 in replacement of the previous exclusive technology consulting and services agreement. The amended and restated exclusive technology consulting and services agreement between Jingdong Century and Jiangsu Yuanzhou contains terms substantially similar to the exclusive technology consulting and services agreement relating to Jingdong 360 described above.

 

Intellectual Property Rights License Agreement .    On December 25, 2013, Jingdong Century and certain of its subsidiaries entered into an amended and restated intellectual property rights license agreement with Jingdong 360 in replacement of the previous intellectual property rights license agreement. Pursuant to the amended and restated intellectual property rights license agreement, Jingdong Century and the subsidiaries grant Jingdong 360 a non-exclusive right to use certain of its trademarks, patents, copyrights to computer software and other copyrights. Jingdong 360 is permitted to use the intellectual property rights only within the scope of its internet information service operation and in the territory of China. Jingdong 360 agrees that at any time it will not challenge the validity of Jingdong Century’s license rights and other rights with respect to the licensed intellectual property and will not take actions that would prejudice Jingdong Century’s rights and the license. Jingdong 360 agrees to pay license fees to Jingdong Century and the amount of the license fee is at least RMB10,000 (US$1,544) per year, subject to annual evaluation and adjustment. Without Jingdong Century’s written consent, Jingdong 360 cannot assign or sublicense its rights under the license agreement or transfer the economic interests arising from the license to any third party. The initial term of this agreement is 10 years and may be extended unilaterally by Jingdong Century with Jingdong Century’s written confirmation prior to the expiration date.

 

On December 18, 2013, Jingdong Century and certain of its subsidiaries entered into an amended and restated intellectual property rights license agreement with Jiangsu Yuanzhou in replacement of the previous intellectual property rights license agreement. The amended and restated intellectual property rights license agreement with Jiangsu Yuanzhou contains terms substantially similar to the intellectual property rights license agreement with Jingdong 360 described above.

 

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Business Cooperation Agreement .    On May 29, 2012, Jingdong Century and Shanghai Shengdayuan entered into an amended and restated business cooperation agreement with Jingdong 360 in replacement of the previous business cooperation agreement between Jingdong Century and Jingdong 360. Pursuant to the amended and restated business cooperation agreement, Jingdong 360 agrees to provide to Jingdong Century and Shanghai Shengdayuan services, including operating our website, posting Jingdong Century’s and Shanghai Shengdayuan’s product and service information on the website, transmitting the users’ order and transaction information to Jingdong Century and Shanghai Shengdayuan, processing user data and transactions in collaboration with banks and payment agents and other services reasonably requested by Jingdong Century and Shanghai Shengdayuan. Jingdong Century and Shanghai Shengdayuan agree to pay service fees to Jingdong 360 on a quarterly basis. The service fee should be 105% of Jingdong 360’s operating costs incurred in the previous quarter, but in no event more than RMB20,000 (US$3,087) per quarter. The term of this agreement will expire on May 28, 2022 and may be extended unilaterally by Jingdong Century and Shanghai Shengdayuan with their written confirmation prior to the expiration date.

 

Agreements that Provide Us with the Option to Purchase the Equity Interest in Jingdong 360 and Jiangsu Yuanzhou

 

Exclusive Purchase Option Agreements .    On December 25, 2013, Jingdong Century, Jingdong 360 and the shareholders of Jingdong 360 entered into an amended and restated exclusive purchase option agreement in replacement of the previous exclusive purchase option agreements. Pursuant to the amended and restated exclusive purchase option agreement, the shareholders of Jingdong 360 irrevocably grant Jingdong Century an exclusive option to purchase or have its designated persons to purchase at its discretion, to the extent permitted under PRC law, all or part of their equity interests in Jingdong 360. In addition, the purchase price should equal the amount that the shareholders contributed to Jingdong 360 as registered capital for the equity interest to be purchased, or be the lowest price permitted by applicable PRC law. Without the prior written consent of Jingdong Century, Jingdong 360 may not amend its articles of associate, 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 for any third parties, enter into any material contract with a value of more than RMB100,000 (US$15,437) (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 Jingdong 360 agree that, without the prior written consent of Jingdong Century, they will not dispose of their equity interests in Jingdong 360 or create or allow any encumbrance on the equity interests. The initial term of the amended and restated exclusive purchase option agreement is 10 years and can be renewed for an additional 10 years on the same terms at Jingdong Century’s option, for an unlimited number of times.

 

On December 18, 2013, Jingdong Century, Jiangsu Yuanzhou and the shareholders of Jiangsu Yuanzhou entered into an amended and restated exclusive purchase option agreement in replacement of the previous exclusive purchase option agreement. The amended and restated exclusive purchase option agreement contains terms substantially similar to the amended and restated exclusive purchase option agreement relating to Jingdong 360 described above.

 

Loan Agreements .    Pursuant to the amended and restated loan agreement dated December 25, 2013 between Jingdong Century and the shareholders of Jingdong 360, Jingdong Century made loans in an aggregate amount of RMB22 million (US$3.4 million) to the shareholders of Jingdong 360 solely for the capitalization of Jingdong 360. Pursuant to the amended and restated loan agreement, the shareholders can only repay the loans by the sale of all their equity interest in Jingdong 360 to Jingdong Century or its designated person. The shareholders must sell all of their equity interests in Jingdong 360 to Jingdong Century or its designated person and pay all of the proceeds from sale of such equity interests or the maximum amount permitted under PRC law to Jingdong Century. In the event that shareholders sell their equity interests to Jingdong Century or its designated person 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 Jingdong Century as the loan interest. The maturity date of the loans is on the tenth anniversary of the date when the shareholders received the loans and paid the amount as capital contribution to Jingdong 360. The term of the loans will be extended automatically for an additional 10 years, unless Jingdong Century objects, for an unlimited number of times. The loan must be repaid immediately under certain circumstances, including, among others, (i) if the shareholders terminate their services with us, (ii) if any other third party claims against shareholders for an amount more than RMB100,000 (US$15,437) and Jingdong Century has reasonable ground to believe that the shareholders are unable to repay the claimed amount, (iii) if a foreign investor is permitted to hold majority or 100% equity interest in Jingdong 360 and Jingdong Century elects to exercise its exclusive equity purchase option, or (iv) if the loan agreement, relevant equity pledge agreement or exclusive purchase option agreement terminates for cause not attributable to Jingdong Century or is deemed to be invalid by a court.

 

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Pursuant to the amended and restated loan agreement dated December 18, 2013 between Jingdong Century and the shareholders of Jiangsu Yuanzhou, Jingdong Century made loans in an aggregate amount of RMB22 million (US$3.4 million) to the shareholders of Jiangsu Yuanzhou solely for the capitalization of Jiangsu Yuanzhou. The amended and restated loan agreement contains terms substantially similar to the amended and restated loan agreement relating to Jingdong 360 described above.

 

Additional Contractual Arrangements

 

In addition to the Jingdong 360 Agreements and Jiangsu Yuanzhou Agreements, we have also entered into contractual arrangements with each of our other variable interest entities, Beijing Yuanyi, Beijing Jiasheng, Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng,  Suqian Limao, Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Youheng and Jiangsu Jingdong Saide, and their respective shareholders, including: equity pledge agreements, powers of attorney, exclusive technology consulting and services agreements, business operation agreements, exclusive purchase option agreements and loan agreements. Our contractual agreements with these other variable interest entities contain terms substantially similar to those in the Jingdong 360 Agreements and Jiangsu Yuanzhou Agreements, unless otherwise described below.

 

On December 5, 2014, Jingdong Century entered into a business operation agreement with Beijing Jiasheng and its shareholders. Pursuant to the business operation agreement, Beijing Jiasheng’s shareholders must appoint the candidates nominated by Jingdong Century to be the directors on its board of directors in accordance with applicable laws and the articles of association of Beijing Jiasheng, and must cause the persons recommended by Jingdong Century to be appointed as its general manager, chief financial officer and other senior executives. Bejing Jiasheng and its shareholders also agree to accept and strictly follow the guidance provided by Jingdong Century from time to time relating to employment, termination of employment, daily operations and financial management. Moreover, Beijing Jiasheng and its shareholders agree that Beijing Jiasheng will not engage in any transactions that could materially affect its assets, business, personnel, liabilities, rights or operations, including but not limited to the amendment of Beijing Jiasheng’s articles of association, without the prior consent of Jingdong Century’s respective designees. Unless otherwise terminated early by Jingdong Century, the agreement will remain effective until Beijing Jiasheng is dissolved according to the PRC law. On December 8, 2014, August 7, 2015 and January 7, 2016, Jingdong Century entered into a business operation agreement with each of Beijing Yuanyi, Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng and Jiangsu Jingdong Saide and their respective shareholders, respectively. On December 10, 2015 and January 26, 2016, we, through two other different subsidiaries, entered into a business operation agreement with each of Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Youheng and Suqian Limao and their respective shareholders, respectively. Each of these business operation agreements contains terms substantially the same as the business operation agreement for Beijing Jiasheng.

 

Under the applicable loan agreements, we, through the applicable subsidiary, extended loans in an aggregate amount of RMB1.0 million (US$0.2 million) to the shareholders of Beijing Jiasheng, RMB1.3 million (US$0.2 million) to the shareholders of Beijing Yuanyi, and RMB80.0 million (US$12.3 million) to the shareholders of Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng, and have agreed to extend RMB50.0 million (US$7.7 million) to the shareholders of  Jiangsu Jingdong Saide, RMB1.0 million (US$0.2 million) to the shareholders of Suqian Limao, and RMB100,000 (US$15,437) to the shareholders of Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Youheng.

 

D.                                   Property, Plant and Equipment

 

Our national headquarters are located in Yizhuang Economic and Technological Development Zone in Beijing, where we own the office building with an aggregate floor area of approximately 280,000 square meters. We lease our other offices in Beijing and regional office in 13 other cities with an aggregate floor area of approximately 116,000 square meters.

 

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We own our national customer service center in Suqian, which, together with our own data center in Suqian, have an aggregate floor area of approximately 70,000 square meters. We lease our customer service center in Chengdu and Yangzhou with an aggregate floor area of approximately 40,000 square meters.

 

As of December 31, 2015, we operated fulfillment centers in 7 cities, front distribution centers in 19 cities and standalone warehouses for bulky items in another 24 cities, as well as 5,367 delivery stations and pickup stations in 2,356 counties and districts across China. We own the initial phase of our warehouse in Shanghai launched in October 2014, and our custom-designed warehouses in Guangzhou, Wuhan, Guiyang and Shenyang launched in the second half of 2015.  We lease the other warehousing facilities we currently have in operation.

 

The table below gives additional details about our fulfillment centers as of December 31, 2015:

 

Location

 

Gross
Floor Area

 

Use

 

 

 

(sq. m.)

 

 

 

Fulfillment centers

 

 

 

 

 

Beijing

 

631,150

 

22 warehouses and 1 bulky item warehouse

 

Shanghai

 

601,625

 

23 warehouses and 1 bulky item warehouse

 

Wuhan

 

346,803

 

22 warehouses and 1 bulky item warehouse

 

Guangzhou

 

595,030

 

25 warehouses and 1 bulky item warehouse

 

Chengdu

 

215,040

 

15 warehouses and 1 bulky item warehouse

 

Shenyang

 

173,040

 

11 warehouses and 1 bulky item warehouse

 

Xi’an

 

187,724

 

10 warehouse and 1 bulky item warehouse

 

 

In addition to the above, we also operated front distribution centers in additional 19 cities with aggregate gross floor area of approximately 667,208 square meters, each consisting of one to two warehouses stocking products that are in high demand with high turnover, and one warehouse for bulky items, as well as additional warehouses in other 24 cities with aggregate gross floor area of 752,990 square meters as of December 31, 2015.

 

We plan to expand our nationwide fulfillment network by leasing or purchasing additional facilities across China over the next several years. As of December 31, 2015, we had land use rights in 12 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Shenyang, Kunshan, Guiyang, Suqian, Chongqing, Xi’an, Nanjing and Tianjin, to build our own warehouses. We launched the initial phase of the custom-designed warehouse in Shanghai in October 2014, comprising a total floor space of approximately 100,000 square meters. During the second half of 2015, we launched the first phase of warehouses in Guangzhou, and others in Wuhan, Guiyang and Shenyang with an aggregate total floor space of approximately 250,000 square meters. In addition, we are in the process of constructing the remaining phases of warehouses in Shanghai and Guangzhou, and additional custom-designed warehouses in Beijing, Chongqing and Kunshan. The highly automated and efficient warehouse will not only expand our ability to fulfill orders by ourselves but also support the third-party merchants on our online marketplace. In connection with our expansion of our fulfillment infrastructure, we had paid an aggregate of approximately RMB3.2 billion (US$0.5 billion) for the acquisition of land use rights, building of warehouses and purchase of warehousing equipment as of December 31, 2015.

 

We have acquired land use rights in Beijing to build our new headquarters. The phase one construction of the new office buildings was completed in the third quarter of 2015. As of December 31, 2015, we had paid an aggregate of approximately RMB1.5 billion (US$0.2 billion) for the acquisition of land use rights and construction of the office buildings.

 

Item 4A.                 Unresolved Staff Comments

 

None.

 

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Item 5.                    Operating and Financial Review and Prospects

 

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon, and should be read in conjunction with, our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in this annual report on Form 20-F. This report contains forward-looking statements. See “Forward-Looking Information.” In evaluating our business, you should carefully consider the information provided under the caption “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors” in this annual report on Form 20-F. We caution you that our businesses and financial performance are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties.

 

A.             Operating Results

 

Overview

 

We are the largest online direct sales company in China in terms of transaction volume, with a 56.9% market share in the third quarter of 2015, according to iResearch. Our core GMV increased from RMB125.5 billion in 2013 to RMB242.5 billion in 2014 and further to RMB446.5 billion (US$68.9 billion) in 2015. We believe we are also the largest retailer in China in terms of net revenues in 2015.

 

Our primary business model is online direct sales, where we acquire products from suppliers and sell them directly to our customers through our website and mobile applications. We also operate an online marketplace, whereby third-party sellers sell products to customers through our website and mobile applications and these sellers may also use our fulfillment and other value-added services. We also offer other services such as advertising, transaction processing and financing.

 

Our business has grown substantially in recent years. The number of products we offer has grown rapidly. We had 47.4 million, 90.6 million and 155.0 million active customer accounts from our core business and fulfilled approximately 323.3 million, 651.9 million and 1,263.1 million orders from our core business in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. Our total net revenues increased from RMB69.3 billion in 2013 to RMB115.0 billion in 2014 and further to RMB181.3 billion (US$28.0 billion) in 2015. We had net losses of RMB0.05 billion, RMB5.0 billion and RMB9.4 billion (US$1.4 billion) in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively.

 

Due to the PRC legal restrictions on foreign ownership of companies that engage in a value-added telecommunications service business or the distribution of media products and certain other businesses in China, we conduct the relevant parts of our operations through eight consolidated variable interest entities. We have contractual arrangements with these entities and their shareholders that enable us to effectively control and receive substantially all of the economic benefits from the entities. Accordingly, we consolidate the results of these entities in our financial statements.

 

Major Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations

 

Our results of operations and financial condition are affected by the general factors driving China’s retail industry, including levels of per capita disposable income and consumer spending in China. In addition, they are also affected by factors driving online retail in China, such as the growing number of online shoppers, the adoption of online sales strategies by manufacturers and service providers, the availability of improved delivery services and the increasing variety of payment options. Our results of operations are also affected by general economic conditions in China. In particular, we have experienced and expect to continue to experience upward pressure on our operating expenses.

 

Our results of operations are also affected by PRC regulations and industry policies related to our business operations, licenses and permits and corporate structure. For example, the product quality and consumer protection laws require us to ensure the quality of the goods we sell and give customers the right to return goods within seven days of receipt with no questions asked, the labor contract law and related rules require employers to enter into written contracts with workers and to pay compensation to workers who are terminated under certain circumstances, regulations on foreign ownership and on transfer of funds into and out of China affect our corporate structure and financing, and regulations on business licenses affect our legal and compliance functions. For a summary of the principal PRC laws and regulations that affect us, see “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors” and “Item 4.B. Information on the Company—Business Overview—Regulation.” Although we have generally benefited from the Chinese government’s policies to encourage economic growth, we are also affected by the complexity, uncertainties and changes in PRC regulations governing various aspects of our operations. For a detailed description of the PRC regulations applicable to us, see “Item 4.B. Information on the Company—Business Overview—Regulation.”

 

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In terms of PRC regulations that may affect our results of operations, the amendments to the Consumer Protection Law that came into effect in March 2014 give consumers the right to return goods within seven days of receipt. Although we recognize revenues net of return allowances, we do not expect the amendments to the Consumer Protection Law will affect our net revenues. We have adopted shipping policies that do not necessarily pass the full cost of shipping on to our customers. We also have adopted customer-friendly return and exchange policies that make it convenient and easy for customers to change their minds after completing purchases. However, if we experience an increased volume of returns after the amendments to the Consumer Protection Law became effective, our shipping and handling costs and related personnel costs may increase significantly and our results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. If we revise our policies to pass these costs to customers, our customers may be dissatisfied, which may result in loss of existing customers or adversely affect our ability to acquire new customers, which in turn may materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

 

JD.com, Inc., the holding company that is listed on NASDAQ, has no material operations of its own. We conduct our operations primarily through our subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities in China. As a result, JD.com, Inc.’s ability to pay dividends to our shareholders depends in part upon dividends paid by our PRC subsidiaries subject to compliance with applicable PRC regulations. Our wholly-owned PRC subsidiaries are permitted to pay dividends to us only out of their retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. Under PRC regulations, each of our wholly-owned PRC subsidiaries is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund certain statutory reserve funds until such reserve funds reach 50% of its registered capital. In addition, each of our wholly-owned PRC subsidiaries in China may allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to enterprise expansion fund and staff bonus and welfare fund at its discretion, which are not distributable as cash dividends. Remittance of dividends by a wholly foreign-owned company out of China is subject to examination by the banks designated by SAFE. As of December 31, 2015, the amount restricted, including paid-in capital and statutory reserve funds, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations, was approximately RMB20,261 million (US$3,128 million). Our PRC subsidiaries have never paid dividends and will not be able to pay dividends until they generate accumulated profits and meet the requirements for statutory reserve funds.

 

While our business is influenced by general factors affecting our industry, our operating results are more directly affected by company specific factors, including the following major factors:

 

·                   our ability to increase active customer accounts and orders from customers;

 

·                   our ability to manage our mix of product and service offerings;

 

·                   our ability to further increase and leverage our scale of business;

 

·                   our ability to effectively invest in our fulfillment infrastructure and technology platform; and

 

·                   our ability to conduct and manage strategic investments and acquisitions.

 

Our Ability to Increase Active Customer Accounts and Orders from Customers

 

Growth in the number of our active customer accounts and orders are key drivers of our revenue growth. Our annual active customer accounts from our core business increased from 47.4 million in 2013 to 90.6 million in 2014 and further to 155.0 million in 2015. This increase was primarily driven by our success in attracting new active customer accounts, as well as by our success in attracting new orders from existing customer accounts. During the same period, total orders we fulfilled for our core business also increased substantially from approximately 323.3 million in 2013 to 651.9 million in 2014 and further to 1,263.1 million in 2015.

 

Our ability to attract new customer accounts and new orders from existing customer accounts depends on our ability to provide superior customer experience. To this end, we offer a wide selection of authentic products at competitive prices on our website and mobile applications and provide speedy and reliable delivery, convenient online and in-person payment options and comprehensive customer services. The number of products we offer has grown rapidly. We have developed a business intelligence system that enables us to increase our operating efficiency through enhanced product merchandising and supply chain management capabilities, and to drive more targeted and relevant product promotions and recommendations to our customers. We have benefited from word-of-mouth viral marketing in winning new customers, and we also conduct online and offline marketing and brand promotion activities to attract new customers. In addition, we encourage existing customers to place more orders with us through a variety of means, including granting coupons and loyalty points and holding special promotions.

 

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We have a growing and loyal active customer base. Over the years, our customers have shown loyalty to us through their increased activity levels. For example, those customer accounts that were active in 2008 increased their average number of purchases each year thereafter, from approximately 3.7 in 2008 to 4.4 in 2009, 6.2 in 2010, 10.7 in 2011, 14.9 in 2012, 16.6 in 2013, 18.7 in 2014 and 21.8 in 2015.

 

Our Ability to Manage Our Mix of Product and Service Offerings

 

Our results of operations are also affected by the mix of products and services we offer. We commenced our e-commerce business by primarily selling electronics and home appliances products. We began offering general merchandise products around the end of 2008, and we launched our online marketplace in 2010. We earn commissions and service fees from third-party sellers on our online marketplace. We offer a wide range of products and services and aim to provide one-stop shopping to maximize our wallet share. Our mix of products and services also affects our gross margin. Different products have different gross margins but the commissions and service fees that we earn from third-party sellers and the other services that we offer have the highest gross margins, since they have no associated cost of revenues. The split between our online direct sales business and our online marketplace business thus has a major influence on our revenue growth and our gross margins. Core GMV from our online direct sales increased from RMB93.7 billion in 2013 to RMB159.3 billion in 2014 and further to RMB255.6 billion (US$39.4 billion) in 2015. Core GMV from our online marketplace increased from RMB31.8 billion in 2013 to RMB83.2 billion in 2014, and further to RMB190.9 billion (US$29.5 billion) in 2015. We intend to further expand our selection of general merchandise products, attract more third-party sellers to our online marketplace, and provide more fulfillment and other value-added services to third-party sellers and others. Our core GMV from general merchandise and other products represented 36.4%, 42.8% and 48.7% of our total GMV in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. The following table presents the core GMV of the electronics and home appliances products and general merchandise and others sold through our online direct sales and online marketplace by amounts and as percentages of core GMV for each of the periods presented:

 

 

 

For the Year Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

(in billions, except for percentages)

 

Core GMV:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Electronics and home appliances products

 

79.8

 

63.6

%

138.6

 

57.2

%

228.9

 

51.3

%

General merchandise and others

 

45.7

 

36.4

%

103.9

 

42.8

%

217.6

 

48.7

%

Total

 

125.5

 

100.0

%

242.5

 

100.0

%

446.5

 

100.0

%

 

Our Ability to Further Increase and Leverage our Scale of Business

 

Our results of operations are directly affected by our ability to further increase and leverage our scale of business. As our business further grows in scale, we expect to obtain more favorable terms from suppliers, including pricing terms and volume-based rebates. In addition, we aim to create value for our suppliers by providing an effective channel for selling large volumes of their products online and by offering them comprehensive information on customer preferences and market demand and ensuring the high quality of fulfillment services. We believe this value proposition also helps us obtain favorable terms from suppliers.

 

As of December 31, 2015, our nationwide fulfillment infrastructure employed a total of 74,883 warehouse and delivery personnel, and we also employed 7,525 IT professionals to monitor, maintain, upgrade and develop the technology platform that manages this fulfillment infrastructure and the large number of orders we receive, process and fulfill each year. Our fulfillment expenses in absolute amount increased over 2013, 2014 and 2015, while the fulfillment expenses as a percentage of our total net revenues increased from 5.9% in 2013 to 7.0% in 2014 and further increased to 7.7% in 2015. Personnel costs are the largest component of our fulfillment costs and of our technology and content costs and are likely to remain the largest component for the foreseeable future as we continue to expand our operations.  We expect our fulfillment expenses to increase both in absolute amount and as a percentage of our total net revenues in the near future. Labor costs are rising in China and we strive to continue improving efficiency and utilization of our fulfillment and other personnel to mitigate this effect. Our fulfillment expenses and thus operational efficiency are also affected by the average size of orders placed by our customers.

 

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Our Ability to Effectively Invest in Our Fulfillment Infrastructure and Technology Platform

 

Our results of operations depend in part on our ability to invest in our fulfillment infrastructure and technology platform to cost-effectively meet the demands of our anticipated growth. Our nationwide fulfillment infrastructure included a warehouse network of 213 warehouses with an aggregate gross floor area of approximately 4 million square meters in 50 cities and 5,367 delivery stations and pickup stations in 2,356 counties and districts across China as of December 31, 2015. We have acquired land use rights to over three million square meters of land in 12 cities in China. We plan to continue to build large scale, custom-designed warehouse facilities with optimized configurations on these sites to improve our fulfillment efficiency, minimize order splitting, reduce our reliance on leased warehouses, decrease our rental expenses over time, accommodate greater product selection and fulfill the anticipated sales of our own products as well as sales by third-party sellers using our fulfillment services. We had paid an aggregate of approximately RMB3.2 billion (US$0.5 billion) for the acquisition of land use rights, building of warehouses and purchase of warehousing equipment as of December 31, 2015.  In selecting locations for our pickup and delivery stations, order density, a parameter we use to measure the frequency and number of orders generated from a geographical area, is an important criterion. To efficiently deploy our delivery network, we have established delivery stations and pickup stations in areas where we expect order density to increase to the extent where operating our own delivery network will be more cost efficient than using third-party couriers. We also paid significant amounts for upgrading our technology platform during the same periods. To enhance our technology platform, we intend to further invest in technology, including initiatives to provide innovative features, solutions and services to customers and suppliers, while increasing our operational efficiency.

 

Our Ability to Conduct and Manage Strategic Investments and Acquisitions

 

We have made, and may continue to make, strategic investments and acquisitions to add assets or businesses that are complementary to our existing business. Our financial results could be adversely affected by our investments or acquisitions. The investments and acquired assets or businesses may not generate the financial results we expect. They could result in occurrence of significant investments and goodwill impairment charges, and amortization expenses for other intangible assets. For example, in November 2015, we decided to terminate the C2C business of Paipai.com acquired from Tencent, combating the marketing and sales of counterfeit products. As a result, we decided that the goodwill arising from the acquisition of the Paipai and QQ Wanggou combined platform business was fully impaired and an impairment charge of RMB2.6 billion (US$0.4 billion) was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2015. In addition, the remaining balance of the intangible assets arising from the acquisition, which amounted to RMB0.2 billion (US$0.02 billion) as of December 31, 2015, was also impaired.  Moreover, we share the results of the investments which we account for as equity investees. In 2015, our share of results of equity investees was RMB3.1 billion (US$0.5 billion), primarily attributable to impairment of investment in Bitauto and losses picked up from our equity method investments.  In the fourth quarter of 2015, based on an assessment of other-than-temporary impairment by considering the degree and severity of the continued decline in Bitauto’s share price, we recorded a RMB2.9 billion (US$0.4 billion) charge to write down the investment in Bitauto to its fair value of RMB2.9 billion (US$0.4 billion) based on Bitauto’s quoted closing stock price of US$28.28 per ADS as of December 31, 2015. Such impairment charges had an adverse impact on our profitability in the fourth quarter of 2015.  We may continue to incur impairment charges in connection with our investments or acquisitions and pick up the losses by our equity investments, which could depress our profitability and have a material adverse impact on our financial results.

 

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Selected Statements of Operations Items

 

Net Revenues

 

Net revenues are provided from online direct sales and services and others. Online direct sales is further divided into sales of electronics and home appliances products and general merchandise products. Net revenues from electronics and home appliances products include revenues from sales of computer, communication and consumer electronics products as well as home appliances. The following table breaks down our total net revenues by these categories, by amounts and as percentages of total net revenues:

 

 

 

For the Year Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

%

 

RMB

 

%

 

RMB

 

US$

 

%

 

 

 

(in millions, except for percentages)

 

Online direct sales:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Electronics and home appliances products

 

56,814

 

81.9

 

90,890

 

79.0

 

134,346

 

20,740

 

74.1

 

General merchandise products

 

10,204

 

14.7

 

17,659

 

15.4

 

33,375

 

5,152

 

18.4

 

Total

 

67,018

 

96.6

 

108,549

 

94.4

 

167,721

 

25,892

 

92.5

 

Services and others

 

2,322

 

3.4

 

6,453

 

5.6

 

13,566

 

2,094

 

7.5

 

Total

 

69,340

 

100.0

 

115,002

 

100.0

 

181,287

 

27,986

 

100.0

 

 

We expect net revenues from all categories to continue to increase in the foreseeable future. Sales of electronics and home appliances products may decrease as a percentage of our total net revenues and sales from services and others may increase as a percentage of our total net revenues.

 

Net revenues from services and others primarily consist of commissions earned from third-party sellers for sales made through our online marketplace and service fees we charge them for value-added fulfillment or other services we provide upon their request. Currently, we recognize revenues from the third-party sellers on a net basis as we may not always be the primary obligor, we do not have general inventory risk and we do not have latitude to establish prices for them. In addition, net revenues from services and others also include fees we earn by selling advertisements on our website and transaction fees from processing transactions for our online payment service customers, typically e-commerce companies.

 

We record revenue net of discounts, return allowances, price protection allowances, value-added taxes, or VAT, and business taxes and surcharges.

 

Operating Expenses

 

Operating expenses consist primarily of cost of revenues, fulfillment expenses, marketing expenses, technology and content expenses, and general and administrative expenses. The following table breaks down our total operating expenses by these categories, by amounts and as percentages of total net revenues for each of the periods presented:

 

 

 

For the Year Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

%

 

RMB

 

%

 

RMB

 

US$

 

%

 

 

 

(in millions, except for percentages)

 

Cost of revenues

 

62,496

 

90.1

 

101,631

 

88.4

 

157,008

 

24,238

 

86.6

 

Fulfillment

 

4,109

 

5.9

 

8,067

 

7.0

 

13,921

 

2,149

 

7.7

 

Marketing

 

1,590

 

2.3

 

4,010

 

3.5

 

7,736

 

1,194

 

4.3

 

Technology and content

 

964

 

1.4

 

1,836

 

1.6

 

3,454

 

533

 

1.9

 

General and administrative

 

760

 

1.1

 

5,260

 

4.6

 

2,877

 

444

 

1.6

 

Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets

 

 

 

 

 

2,750

 

425

 

1.5

 

Total

 

69,919

 

100.8

 

120,804

 

105.1

 

187,746

 

28,983

 

103.6

 

 

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Cost of revenues consists of our cost for acquiring the products that we sell directly and the related inbound shipping charges, as well as inventory write-downs. The rebates and subsidies we receive from suppliers are accounted as a reduction to the purchase price, and will be recorded as a reduction of cost of revenues when the product is sold.

 

Our gross margin is affected by our scale and by the mix of our net revenues, particularly between products and services and others. We expect our gross margin to increase as we further optimize our product mix and provide more value-added services and as our online marketplace grows. The following table shows our gross profit and gross margin for each of the periods presented:

 

 

 

For the Year Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

(in millions, except for percentages)

 

Gross profit (1)

 

6,844

 

13,371

 

24,279

 

3,748

 

Gross margin

 

9.9

%

11.6

%

13.4

%

13.4

%

 


(1)          Gross profit is net revenues minus cost of revenues.

 

Our fulfillment expenses primarily consist of (i) expenses incurred in operating our fulfillment and customer service centers, including personnel cost and expenses attributable to buying, receiving, inspecting and warehousing inventories, picking, packaging, and preparing customer orders for shipment, processing payment and related transaction costs, (ii) expenses charged by third-party couriers for dispatching and delivering our products and (iii) rental expenses of leased warehouses, delivery and pickup stations. We expect our fulfillment expenses to increase both in absolute amount and as a percentage of our total net revenues in the near run, as we invest in new businesses, hire additional fulfillment personnel, build and lease new warehouses and establish more delivery stations to penetrate lower tier cities and to meet our anticipated growth in sales volume and ensure satisfactory customer experience. We plan to make our fulfillment operations more efficient by setting up large customized warehouse facilities to make full use of the available space, improve the pick-and-pack workflow efficiency, accommodate greater product selection and minimize order splitting.

 

Our marketing expenses consist primarily of expenses for online and offline marketing and brand promotion activities. We plan to continue to conduct brand promotion and marketing activities to enhance our brand recognition and attract new purchases from new and existing customers.

 

Our technology and content expenses consist primarily of payroll and related expenses for IT professionals involved in developing and maintaining our technology platform and website, server and other equipment depreciation, bandwidth and data center costs, and rental expenses. We expect spending in technology and content to increase over time as we add more experienced IT professionals and continue to invest in our technology platform to enhance customer experience and provide value-added services to suppliers and third-party sellers.

 

Our general and administrative expenses consist primarily of payroll and related expenses for our management and other employees involved in general corporate functions. As we hire additional management talents and invest in new businesses, our general and administrative expenses are expected to increase. In the first quarter of 2014, we granted 93,780,970 immediately vesting restricted share units to our chairman and chief executive officer, Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu, and we incurred share-based compensation expenses in an amount of RMB3,685 million (US$569 million) in this quarter, which materially increased our general and administrative expenses for the quarter. In May 2015, we granted Mr. Liu an option to acquire a total of 26,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, at an exercise price of US$16.70 per share or US$33.40 per ADS, subject to a 10-year vesting schedule with 10% of the award vested on each anniversary of the grant date, and incurred share-based compensation expenses of RMB240 million (US$37 million) in 2015 in connection with this grant.

 

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We believe that operating income is a more meaningful measure than gross profit and gross margin due to the diversity of our product categories and services.

 

Taxation

 

Cayman Islands

 

We are not subject to income or capital gains tax under the current laws of the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands does not impose a withholding tax on payments of dividends to shareholders.

 

Hong Kong

 

Our subsidiaries incorporated in Hong Kong are subject to Hong Kong profit tax at a rate of 16.5%. Hong Kong does not impose a withholding tax on dividends.

 

China

 

Generally, our subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities in China are subject to enterprise income tax on their taxable income in China at a rate of 25%, except that a few entities in our group benefit from a preferential tax rate of 15% as they are qualified as a “High and New Technology Enterprise” or conduct business in certain encouraged sectors or areas. The enterprise income tax is calculated based on the entity’s global income as determined under PRC tax laws and accounting standards.

 

We are subject to VAT at a rate of 13% on sales of books, audio and video products, 17% on sales of other products, 6% or 11% on logistics services and 6% on advertising and other services, in each case less any deductible VAT we have already paid or borne. Since January 1, 2014, we have been exempted from VAT on sales of books. We are also subject to surcharges on VAT payments in accordance with PRC law.

 

VAT has been phased in since January 1, 2012, to replace the business tax. Previously, we were subject to business tax at a rate of 3% on logistics services and 5% on advertising and other services. We are still subject to business tax at a rate of 5% and related surcharges for online payment services. We are also still subject to a 3% cultural undertaking development fees on online advertising services.

 

Dividends paid by our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China to our intermediary holding companies in Hong Kong will be subject to a withholding tax rate of 10%, unless the relevant Hong Kong entity satisfies all the requirements 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 and receives approval from the relevant tax authority. If the relevant Hong Kong entity satisfies all the requirements under the tax arrangement and receives approval from the relevant tax authority, then the dividends paid to the Hong Kong entity would be subject to withholding tax at the standard rate of 5%. Effective from November 1, 2015, the above mentioned approval requirement has been abolished, but a Hong Kong entity is still required to file application package with the relevant tax authority, and settle the overdue taxes if the preferential 5% tax rate is denied based on the subsequent review of the application package by the relevant tax authority. See “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—We may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, and any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material and adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.”

 

If our holding company in the Cayman Islands or any of our subsidiaries outside of China were deemed to be a “resident enterprise” under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, it would be subject to enterprise income tax on its worldwide income at a rate of 25%. See “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—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.”

 

Results of Operations

 

The following table summarizes our consolidated results of operations in absolute amount and as a percentage of our total net revenues for the periods indicated. Our business has grown rapidly in recent years. Period-to-period comparisons of historical results of operations should not be relied upon as indicative of future performance.

 

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For the Year Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

%

 

RMB

 

%

 

RMB

 

US$

 

%

 

 

 

(in millions, except for percentages)

 

Net revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Online direct sales

 

67,018

 

96.6

 

108,549

 

94.4

 

167,721

 

25,892

 

92.5

 

Services and others

 

2,322

 

3.4

 

6,453

 

5.6

 

13,566

 

2,094

 

7.5

 

Total net revenues

 

69,340

 

100.0

 

115,002

 

100.0

 

181,287

 

27,986

 

100.0

 

Operating expenses (1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of revenues

 

(62,496

)

(90.1

)

(101,631

)

(88.4

)

(157,008

)

(24,238

)

(86.6

)

Fulfillment

 

(4,109

)

(5.9

)

(8,067

)

(7.0

)

(13,921

)

(2,149

)

(7.7

)

Marketing

 

(1,590

)

(2.3

)

(4,010

)

(3.5

)

(7,736

)

(1,194

)

(4.3

)

Technology and content

 

(964

)

(1.4

)

(1,836

)

(1.6

)

(3,454

)

(533

)

(1.9

)

General and administrative

 

(760

)

(1.1

)

(5,260

)

(4.6

)

(2,877

)

(444

)

(1.6

)

Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets

 

 

 

 

 

(2,750

)

(425

)

(1.5

)

Total operating expenses

 

(69,919

)

(100.8

)

(120,804

)

(105.1

)

(187,746

)

(28,983

)

(103.6

)

Loss from operations

 

(579

)

(0.8

)

(5,802

)

(5.1

)

(6,459

)

(997

)

(3.6

)

Other income/(expense):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share of results of equity investees

 

 

 

 

 

(3,134

)

(484

)

(1.7

)

Interest income

 

344

 

0.5

 

638

 

0.6

 

415

 

64

 

0.2

 

Interest expense

 

(8

)

(0.0

)

(29

)

(0.0

)

(83

)

(13

)

(0.0

)

Others, net

 

193

 

0.3

 

216

 

0.2

 

(141

)

(21

)

(0.1

)

Loss before tax

 

(50

)

(0.0

)

(4,977

)

(4.3

)

(9,402

)

(1,451

)

(5.2

)

Income tax benefits/(expenses)

 

0

 

0.0

 

(19

)

(0.0

)

14

 

2

 

0.0

 

Net loss

 

(50

)

(0.0

)

(4,996

)

(4.3

)

(9,388

)

(1,449

)

(5.2

)

 


(1)          Share-based compensation expenses are allocated in operating expenses items as follows:

 

 

 

For the Year Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

(in millions)

 

Fulfillment

 

(81

)

(129

)

(185

)

(28

)

Marketing

 

(9

)

(24

)

(50

)

(8

)

Technology and content

 

(33

)

(79

)

(234

)

(36

)

General and administrative

 

(138

)

(4,018

)

(725

)

(112

)

 

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Years Ended December 31, 2015 and 2014

 

Net Revenues .  Our total net revenues increased by 57.6% from RMB115,002 million in 2014 to RMB181,287 million (US$27,986 million) in 2015, with increases in both categories of net revenues.

 

The increase in our total net revenues was primarily due to the growth in our annual active customer accounts from core business from 90.6 million in 2014 to 155.0 million in 2015 and the growth in the number of orders we fulfilled for our core business from approximately 651.9 million in 2014 to approximately 1,263.1 million in 2015.

 

Operating Expenses .  Our total operating expenses increased by 55.4% from RMB120,804 million in 2014 to RMB187,746 million (US$28,983 million) in 2015. This increase was due to increases in our cost of revenues, fulfillment expenses, marketing expenses, technology and content expenses and impairment of goodwill and intangible assets.

 

·                   Cost of revenues .  Our cost of revenues increased by 54.5% from RMB101,631 million in 2014 to RMB157,008 million (US$24,238 million) in 2015. This increase reflects the increase in our volume of online direct sales and the increased traffic acquisition costs directly related to the online marketing services provided to merchants and suppliers. Our gross profit increased by 81.6% from RMB13,371 million in 2014 to RMB24,279 million (US$3,748 million) in 2015, primarily due to the overall increase in the scale of our business. Our gross margin increased from 11.6% in 2014 to 13.4% in 2015, primarily due to the increase in net revenues from services and others attributable to our online marketplace and our provision of online marketing services.

 

·                   Fulfillment expenses .  Our fulfillment expenses increased by 72.6% from RMB8,067 million in 2014 to RMB13,921 million (US$2,149 million) in 2015. This increase was primarily due to the expansion of delivery services provided to merchants on our marketplace and an increase in compensation costs relating to fulfillment expenses from RMB4,111 million in 2014 to RMB7,289 million (US$1,125 million) in 2015, which was due in turn to the increase in the number of our fulfillment employees from 58,913 as of December 31, 2014 to 89,879 as of December 31, 2015, as well as higher average compensation expenses. The increase in our fulfillment expenses was also attributable to (i) increased shipping charges from contracted third-party shipping companies and couriers from RMB1,290 million in 2014 to RMB2,059 million (US$318 million) in 2015 as our sales volume increased, even as our use of contracted third-party couriers has declined as a percentage of all orders fulfilled, (ii) an increase in the rental expenses for our fulfillment infrastructure from RMB715 million in 2014 to RMB1,243 million (US$192 million) in 2015, which was primarily due to the increase in the aggregate gross floor area leased in 2015, and (iii) to an increase in payment processing charges from RMB435 million in 2014 to RMB613 million (US$95 million) in 2015 as our volume of sales increased.

 

·                   Marketing expenses .  Our marketing expenses increased by 92.9% from RMB4,010 million in 2014 to RMB7,736 million (US$1,194 million) in 2015. This increase was primarily due to an increase in our advertising expenditures on both online and offline channels, from RMB2,781 million in 2014 to RMB5,721 million (US$883 million) in 2015 as we continued to enhance our brand recognition and to promote JD Finance products and O2O services.

 

·                   Technology and content expenses .  Our technology and content expenses increased by 88.1% from RMB1,836 million in 2014 to RMB3,454 million (US$533 million) in 2015. This increase was primarily due to the increase in the headcount of our technology employees from 5,076 as of December 31, 2014 to 7,525 as of December 31, 2015, which involved the addition of research and development talent and the hiring of additional senior and experienced technology employees to execute our technology-related strategies of continuously improving our mobile, big data and cloud computing technologies.

 

·                   General and administrative expenses . Our general and administrative expenses decreased by 45.3% from RMB5,260 million in 2014 to RMB2,877 million (US$444 million) in 2015. This decrease was primarily due to a decrease in share-based compensation expenses from RMB4,018 million to RMB725 million (US$112 million) in 2015, which was primarily attributable to our grant of 93,780,970 immediately vesting restricted share units to our chairman and chief executive officer, Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu, in the first quarter of 2014, partially offset by an increase in staff cost associated with the increase in headcount of general and administrative employees from 3,011 as of December 31, 2014 to 4,838 as of December 31, 2015.

 

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·                   Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets. Our impairment of goodwill and intangible assets was RMB2,750 million (US$425 million) in 2015, compared to nil last year, primarily attributable to the impairment related to Paipai.com, which had ceased business operations as of December 31, 2015.

 

Share of results of equity investees.  Share of results of equity investees was RMB3,134 million loss (US$484 million) in 2015, compared to nil last year. This increase was primarily due to losses picked up from our equity method investments and impairment of investment in Bitauto recognized during the year.

 

Interest Income .  Our interest income decreased from RMB638 million in 2014 to RMB415 million (US$64 million) in 2015, primarily due to our use of cash for operating and investing activities.

 

Others, Net .  Others, net was RMB216 million income in 2014 and RMB141 million (US$21 million) loss in 2015. This loss was primarily attributable to impairment of certain investments recognized during the year.

 

Net Loss .  As a result of the foregoing, we had a net loss of RMB9,388 million (US$1,449 million) in 2015, as compared to a net loss of RMB4,996 million in 2014.

 

Years Ended December 31, 2014 and 2013

 

Net Revenues .  Our total net revenues increased by 65.9% from RMB69,340 million in 2013 to RMB115,002 million in 2014, with increases in both categories of net revenues.

 

The increase in our total net revenues was primarily due to the growth in our annual active customer accounts from our core business from 47.4 million in 2013 to 90.6 million in 2014 and the growth in the number of orders we fulfilled for our core business from approximately 323.3 million in 2013 to approximately 651.9 million in 2014.

 

Operating Expenses .  Our total operating expenses increased by 72.8% from RMB69,919 million in 2013 to RMB120,804 million in 2014. This increase was due to increases in all of our operating expense line items.

 

·                   Cost of revenues .  Our cost of revenues increased by 62.6% from RMB62,496 million in 2013 to RMB101,631 million in 2014. This increase reflects the increase in our volume of online direct sales and the increased traffic acquisition costs directly related to the online marketing services provided to merchants and suppliers. Our gross profit increased by 95.4% from RMB6,844 million in 2013 to RMB13,371 million in 2014, primarily due to the overall increase in the scale of our business. Our gross margin increased from 9.9% in 2013 to 11.6% in 2014, primarily due to the increase in net revenues from services and others attributable to our online marketplace and our provision of online marketing services.

 

·                   Fulfillment expenses .  Our fulfillment expenses increased by 96.3% from RMB4,109 million in 2013 to RMB8,067 million in 2014. This increase was primarily due to the expansion of delivery services provided to merchants on our marketplace and an increase in compensation costs relating to fulfillment expenses from RMB2,005 million in 2013 to RMB4,111 million in 2014, which was due in turn to the increase in the number of our fulfillment employees from 32,953 as of December 31, 2013 to 58,913  as of December 31, 2014, as well as higher average compensation expenses. The increase in our fulfillment expenses was also attributable to (i) increased shipping charges from contracted third-party shipping companies and couriers from RMB794 million in 2013 to RMB1,290 million in 2014 as our sales volume increased, even as our use of contracted third-party couriers has declined as a percentage of all orders fulfilled, (ii) an increase in the rental expenses for our fulfillment infrastructure from RMB422 million in 2013 to RMB715 million in 2014, which was primarily due to the increase in the aggregate gross floor area leased in 2014, and (iii) to an increase in payment processing charges from RMB235 million in 2013 to RMB435 million in 2014 as our volume of sales increased.

 

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·                   Marketing expenses .  Our marketing expenses increased by 152.2% from RMB1,590 million in 2013 to RMB4,010 million in 2014. This increase was primarily due to an increase in our advertising expenditures, including offline and online advertising for the special promotional campaigns in June 2014 to celebrate our anniversary and during China’s online shopping festival in November 2014, from RMB1,491 million in 2013 to RMB2,781 million in 2014 as we continued to enhance our brand recognition and attract new purchases, as well as amortization of intangible assets related to our strategic cooperation with Tencent.

 

·                   Technology and content expenses .  Our technology and content expenses increased by 90.5% from RMB964 million in 2013 to RMB1,836 million in 2014. This increase was primarily due to the increase in the headcount of our technology employees from 2,720 as of December 31, 2013 to 5,076 as of December 31, 2014, which involved the addition of research and development talent after our transaction with Tencent in March 2014 and the hiring of additional senior and experienced technology employees to execute our technology-related strategies of continuously improving our mobile and big data technologies.

 

·                   General and administrative expenses . Our general and administrative expenses increased by 591.8% from RMB760 million in 2013 to RMB5,260 million in 2014. This increase was primarily due to an increase in share-based compensation expenses from RMB138 million in 2013 to RMB4,018 million in 2014, which was primarily attributable to our grant of 93,780,970 immediately vesting restricted share units to our chairman and chief executive officer, Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu, in the first quarter of 2014. The increase was also due to an increase in staff cost associated with the increase in headcount of general and administrative employees from 2,372 as of December 31, 2013 to 3,011 as of December 31, 2014, as well as amortization of intangible assets related to our strategic cooperation with Tencent.

 

Interest Income .  Our interest income increased from RMB344 million in 2013 to RMB638 million in 2014. This increase was primarily due to the larger cash balance we held in 2014, which was attributable primarily to the proceeds from our initial public offering and private issuances of ordinary shares.

 

Others, Net .  Others, net, increased from RMB193 million in 2013 to RMB216 million in 2014. This increase was primarily attributable to the government financial incentives provided to us, which we recognized as income upon receipt of these financial incentives.

 

Net Loss .  As a result of the foregoing, we had a net loss of RMB4,996 million in 2014, as compared to a net loss of RMB50 million in 2013.

 

Critical Accounting Policies

 

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.

 

We prepare our financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP, which requires us to make judgments, estimates and assumptions. We continually evaluate these estimates and assumptions based on the most recently available information, our own historical experiences and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Since the use of estimates is an integral component of the financial reporting process, actual results could differ from our expectations as a result of changes in our estimates. Some of our accounting policies require a higher degree of judgment than others in their application and require us to make significant accounting estimates.

 

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 annual report. 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.

 

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Consolidation of Affiliated Entities

 

Foreign ownership of internet-based businesses is subject to significant restrictions under current PRC laws and regulations. The PRC government regulates internet access, the distribution of online information and the conduct of online commerce through strict business licensing requirements and other government regulations. These laws and regulations also include limitations on foreign ownership in PRC companies that provide internet content distribution services.

 

To comply with PRC laws and regulations, we conduct our operations in China through a series of contractual arrangements entered into between our PRC subsidiaries, including Jingdong Century, and our affiliated PRC entities, including, among others Jingdong 360 and Jiangsu Yuanzhou, and their respective shareholders. As a result of these contractual arrangements, we have the ability to direct the activities of these PRC affiliates that most significantly impact their economic performance, and to obtain a majority of the residual returns of these entities. We are considered the primary beneficiary of these entities, and accordingly these entities are our variable interest entities under U.S. GAAP and we consolidate the results in our consolidated financial statements. Any changes in PRC laws and regulations that affect our ability to control these entities might preclude us from consolidating these entities in the future.

 

Non-controlling Interests

 

For our consolidated subsidiaries, variable interest entities and the subsidiaries of our variable interest entities, non-controlling interests are recognized to reflect the portion of their equity that is not attributable, directly or indirectly, to us as the controlling shareholder. Non-controlling interests are classified as a separate line item in the equity section of our consolidated balance sheets and have been separately disclosed in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss to distinguish the interests from our interests.

 

Investment in Equity Investees

 

Investment in equity investees represent our investments in privately held companies and publicly traded companies. We apply the equity method of accounting to account for an equity investment, in common stock or in-substance common stock, according to ASC 323 “Investment—Equity Method and Joint Ventures,” over which it has significant influence but does not own a majority equity interest or otherwise control.

 

An investment in in-substance common stock is an investment in an entity that has risk and reward characteristics that are substantially similar to that entity’s common stock. We consider subordination, risks and rewards of ownership and obligation to transfer value when determining whether an investment in an entity is substantially similar to an investment in that entity’s common stock.

 

For other equity investments that are not considered as debt securities or equity securities that have readily determinable fair values and over which we have neither significant influence nor control through investments in common stock or in-substance common stock, the cost method of accounting is used.

 

Under the equity method, our share of the post-acquisition profits or losses of the equity investees are recorded in “share of results of equity investees” in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss and our share of post-acquisition movements in accumulated other comprehensive income is recognized in “shareholders’ equity.” We record our share of the results of equity investments in publicly listed companies one quarter in arrears. The excess of the carrying amount of the investment over the underlying equity in net assets of the equity investee represents goodwill and intangible assets acquired. When our share of losses in the equity investee equals or exceeds our interest in the equity investee, we do not recognize further losses, unless we have incurred obligations or made payments or guarantees on behalf of the equity investee.

 

Under the cost method, we carry the investment at cost and recognize income to the extent of dividends received from the distribution of the equity investee’s post-acquisition profits.

 

We continually review our investment in equity investees to determine whether a decline in fair value to below the carrying value is other-than-temporary. The primary factors we consider in our determination are the length of time that the fair value of the investment is below our carrying value; the financial condition, operating performance and the prospects of the equity investee; and other company specific information such as recent rounds of financing. If the decline in fair value is deemed to be other-than-temporary, the carrying value of the equity investee is written down to fair value.

 

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Loan Receivables, net

 

Loan receivables consist primarily of micro loan services to small and medium size enterprises that are merchants on our online marketplace and qualified individual customers. Such amounts are recorded at the principal amount less allowance for doubtful accounts relating to micro loans, and include accrued interest receivable as of the balance sheet date. Allowance for doubtful accounts relating to micro loans represents our best estimate of the losses inherent in the outstanding portfolio of loans. The loan periods extended by us to merchants and individual customers generally range from one day to six months. Judgment is required to determine the allowance amounts and whether such amounts are adequate to cover potential bad debts, and periodic reviews are performed to ensure such amounts continue to reflect the best estimate of the losses inherent in the outstanding portfolio of loans. As of December 31, 2015, allowance for doubtful accounts relating to micro loans was insignificant.

 

Investment Securities

 

We invest in marketable equity securities to meet business objectives. These marketable securities are reported at fair value, classified and accounted for as available-for-sale securities in investment securities. The treatment of a decline in the fair value of an individual security is based on whether the decline is other-than-temporary. We assess our available-for-sale securities for other-than-temporary impairment by considering factors including, but not limited to, our ability and intent to hold the individual security, severity of the impairment, expected duration of the impairment and forecasted recovery of fair value. Investments classified as available-for-sale securities are reported at fair value with unrealized gains or losses, if any, recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income in shareholders’ equity. If we determine a decline in fair value is other-than-temporary, the cost basis of the individual security is written down to fair value as a new cost basis and the amount of the write-down is accounted for as a realized loss charged in our consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. The fair value of the investment would not be adjusted for subsequent recoveries in fair value.

 

Revenue

 

We engage primarily in the sale of electronics products and general merchandise products (including audio, video products and books) sourced from manufacturers, distributors and publishers in China on the internet through our website jd.com. We also offer an online marketplace that enables third-party sellers to sell their products to customers on jd.com. Customers place their orders for products online through the website jd.com. Payment for the purchased products is generally made either before delivery or upon delivery.

 

Consistent with the criteria of ASC 605, Revenue Recognition, we recognize revenues when the following four revenue recognition criteria are met: (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (ii) delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, (iii) the selling price is fixed or determinable, and (iv) collectability is reasonably assured.

 

In accordance with ASC 605, Revenue Recognition, we evaluate whether it is appropriate to record the gross amount of product sales and related costs or the net amount earned as commissions. When we are primarily obligated in a transaction, are subject to inventory risk, have latitude in establishing prices and selecting suppliers, or have several but not all of these indicators, revenues should be recorded on a gross basis. When we are not the primary obligor, don’t bear the inventory risk and don’t have the ability to establish the price, revenues are recorded on a net basis.

 

Revenue arrangements with multiple deliverables are divided into separate units of accounting and arrangement consideration is allocated using estimated selling prices if we do not have vendor-specific objective evidence or third-party evidence of the selling prices of the deliverables.

 

We recognize revenue net of discounts and return allowances when the products are delivered and title passes to customers. Return allowances, which reduce net revenues, are estimated based on historical experiences.

 

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Rebates and Subsidies

 

We periodically receive consideration from certain suppliers, representing rebates for products sold and subsidies for the sales of the suppliers’ products over a period of time. The rebates are not sufficiently separable from our purchase of the suppliers’ products and they do not represent a reimbursement of costs incurred by us to sell vendors’ products. We account for the rebates received from our suppliers as a reduction to the price we pay for the products purchased and therefore we record such amounts as a reduction of cost of revenues when recognized in our consolidated financial statements. Rebates are earned based on reaching minimum purchase thresholds for a specified period. When volume rebates can be reasonably estimated based on our past experiences and current forecasts, a portion of the rebate is recognized as we make progress towards the purchase threshold. Subsidies are calculated based on the volume of products sold through us and are recorded as a reduction of cost of revenues when the sales have been completed and the amount is determinable.

 

Inventories

 

Inventories are primarily accounted for using the weighted average cost method and are valued at the lower of cost or market value. This valuation requires us to make judgments, based on currently-available information, about the likely method of disposition, such as through sales to individual customers, returns to product vendors, or liquidations, and expected recoverable values of each disposition category. These assumptions about future disposition of inventory are inherently uncertain and changes in our estimates and assumptions may cause us to realize material write-downs in the future. As a measure of sensitivity, for every 1% of additional inventory valuation allowance as of December 31, 2015, we would have recorded an additional cost of sales of approximately RMB205 million (US$32 million).

 

Goodwill

 

We evaluate goodwill for impairment annually or more frequently when an event occurs or circumstances change that indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Our annual testing date is December 31. We test goodwill for impairment by first comparing the book value of net assets to the fair value of the reporting units. If the fair value is determined to be less than the book value or qualitative factors indicate that it is more likely than not that goodwill is impaired, a second step is performed to compute the amount of impairment as the difference between the estimated fair value of goodwill and the carrying value. We estimate the fair value of the reporting units using discounted cash flows. Forecasts of future cash flows are based on our best estimate of future net sales and operating expenses, based primarily on expected category expansion, pricing, market segment share, and general economic conditions. Certain estimates of discounted cash flows involve businesses with limited financial history and developing revenue models. Changes in these forecasts could significantly change the amount of impairment recorded, if any.

 

During the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, management monitored the actual performance of the business relative to the fair value assumptions used during our annual goodwill impairment test. In November 2015 we decided to terminate the C2C business of Paipai.com acquired from Tencent, combating the marketing and sales of counterfeit products. As a result, we decided that the goodwill arising from the acquisition of the Paipai and QQ Wanggou combined platform business was fully impaired and an impairment charge of RMB2.6 billion (US$0.4 billion) was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2015.

 

Nonrecourse securitization debt

 

We periodically securitize accounts receivables and loans arising from our consumer and supply chain financing businesses through the transfer of those assets to securitization vehicles. The securitization vehicles then issue debt securities to third-party investors, collateralized by the transferred assets. The asset-backed debt securities issued by the securitization vehicles are nonrecourse to us and are payable only out of collections on their respective underlying collateralized assets. The securitization vehicles are considered consolidated variable interest entities based upon the applicable accounting guidance, and the asset-backed debt securities issued by the securitization vehicles are reported as current and non-current liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets based on their respective expected repayment dates. While the contractual maturity of the asset-backed debt securities is in 2019, the securities are repaid as collections on the underlying collateralized assets occur. As of December 31, 2014 and 2015, the collateralized accounts receivables and loans were nil and RMB4,320 million (US$667 million), respectively. The weighted average interest rate for the outstanding nonrecourse securitization debt as of December 31, 2015 was approximately 5.30%.

 

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Share-Based Compensation

 

We grant non-vested ordinary shares, restricted share units and share options to eligible employees, non-employee consultants and our founder and account for these share-based awards in accordance with ASC 718 Compensation — Stock Compensation and ASC 505-50 Equity-Based Payments to Non-Employees.

 

Employees’ share-based awards and the founder’s share-based awards are measured at the grant date fair value of the awards and recognized as expenses (a) immediately at grant date if no vesting conditions are required, or (b) using graded vesting method, net of estimated forfeitures, over the requisite service period, which is the vesting period.

 

All transactions in which goods or services are received in exchange for equity instruments are accounted for based on the fair value of the consideration received or the fair value of the equity instrument issued, whichever is more reliably measurable.

 

Non-employees’ share-based awards are measured at fair value at the earlier of the commitment date or the date the services are completed. Awards granted to non-employees are re-measured at each reporting date using the fair value as at each period end until the measurement date, generally when the services are completed and awards are vested. Changes in fair value between the reporting dates are recognized by graded vesting method.

 

If a share-based award is modified after the grant date, we evaluate for such modifications in accordance with ASC 718 Compensation — Stock Compensation and the modification is determined to be a probable-to-probable (Type 1) modification, additional compensation expenses are recognized in an amount equal to the excess of the fair value of the modified equity instrument over the fair value of the original equity instrument immediately before modification. The additional compensation expenses are recognized immediately on the date of modification or over the remaining requisite service period, depending on the vesting status of the award.

 

Non-vested ordinary shares and restricted share units

 

Prior to our initial public offering, the fair value of the non-vested ordinary shares and restricted share units were assessed using the income approach / discounted cash flow method, with a discount for lack of marketability given that the shares underlying the award were not publicly traded at the time of grant, and was determined partly in reliance on a valuation determined with the assistance of an independent valuation firm using our estimates and assumptions. This assessment required complex and subjective judgments regarding our projected financial and operating results, our unique business risks, the liquidity of our ordinary shares and our operating history and prospects at the time the grants were made.

 

After our initial public offering, in determining the fair value of the non-vested ordinary shares and restricted share units granted, the closing market price of the underlying shares on the last trading date prior to the grant dates is applied. In determining the fair value of the non-vested ordinary shares and restricted share units granted on May 22, 2014, the date when our ADSs first commenced trading on NASDAQ, the per share equivalent of our initial public offering price is applied.

 

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Share options

 

Management is responsible for determining the fair value of options granted to employees and our founder and considered a number of factors including valuations.

 

In determining the fair value of our stock options, the binomial option pricing model was applied. The key assumptions used to determine the fair value of the options at the relevant grant dates in 2013, 2014 and 2015 were as follows. Changes in these assumptions could significantly affect the fair value of stock options and hence the amount of compensation expenses we recognize in our consolidated financial statements.

 

Our share-based compensation expense is measured at the fair value of the awards as calculated under the Binomial option-pricing model. Assumptions used in the Binomial Model are presented below:

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expected volatility (1)

 

47%~50%

 

52%~53%

 

33%~50%

 

Risk-free interest rate (per annum) (2)

 

1.83%~2.91%

 

2.42%~3.50%

 

2.17%~2.79%

 

Exercise multiples (3)

 

2.8

 

2.8

 

2.0~2.8

 

Expected dividend yield (4)

 

 

 

 

Expected term (in years) (5)

 

7.4~10.0

 

10.0

 

10.0

 

 


(1)          We estimate expected volatility based on the annualized standard deviation of the daily return embedded in historical share prices of comparable companies with a time horizon close to the expected expiry of the term.

 

(2)          We estimate risk-free interest rate based on the yield to maturity of U.S. treasury bonds with a maturity similar to the expected expiry of the term.

 

(3)          The exercise multiple is estimated as the ratio of fair value of underlying shares over the exercise price as at the time the option is exercised, based on a consideration of research study regarding exercise pattern based on historical statistical data.

 

(4)          We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock, and we do not anticipate any dividend payments on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future.

 

(5)          Expected term is the contract life of the option.

 

The assumptions used in share-based compensation expense recognition represent our best estimates, but these estimates involve inherent uncertainties and the application of our judgment. If factors change or different assumptions are used, the share-based compensation expense could be materially different for any period. Moreover, the estimates of fair value are not intended to predict actual future events or the value that ultimately will be realized by grantees who receive share-based awards, and subsequent events are not indicative of the reasonableness of the original estimates of fair value made by us for accounting purposes.

 

Share-based Compensation of Subsidiaries

 

Determination of estimated fair value of our subsidiaries before they were publicly listed requires complex and subjective judgments due to their limited financial and operating history, unique business risks and limited public information on companies in China similar to our subsidiaries. We, with the assistance of an independent valuation firm, evaluated the use of two generally accepted valuation approaches. The income approach is used if a revenue model had been established, the market approach is used if information from comparable companies had been available, or a weighted blend of these two approaches is used if more than one is applicable, to estimate our subsidiaries’ enterprise value for purposes of recording stock-based compensation.

 

In October 2015, JD Finance adopted a 2015 Share Incentive Plan, which permits the granting of stock options, share appreciation rights, restricted share units and restricted shares of JD Finance to its employees, directors and consultants. In 2015, we granted restricted shares units of JD Finance equivalent to approximately 7.25% of the subsidiary’s ordinary shares on a fully diluted basis. Share-based compensation expenses related to the grants recorded in year 2015 were RMB95.7 million (US$14.8 million).

 

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Fair Value of Our Ordinary Shares

 

Prior to our initial public offering, we were a private company with no quoted market prices for our ordinary shares. We therefore needed to make estimates of the fair value of our ordinary shares at various dates for the following purposes:

 

·                   determining the fair value of our ordinary shares at the date of issuance of convertible instruments as one of the inputs into determining the intrinsic value of the beneficial conversion feature, if any; and

 

·                   determining the fair value of our ordinary shares at the date of the grant of a share-based compensation award to our employees or non-employees as one of the inputs into determining the grant date fair value of the award.

 

The following table sets forth the fair value of our ordinary shares estimated at different times prior to our initial public offering and during the past three fiscal years with the assistance from an independent valuation firm:

 

Date

 

Equity Value

 

Fair Value
per Share

 

DLOM

 

Discount
Rate

 

Type of Valuation

 

 

 

(US$ thousands)

 

(US$)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 2, 2013

 

7,552,785

 

3.70

 

15

%

19

%

Retrospective

 

December 20, 2013

 

8,030,000

 

3.96

 

10

%

19

%

Contemporaneous

 

March 11, 2014

 

15,721,000

 

6.30

 

10

%

17.5

%

Contemporaneous

 

March 31, 2014

 

15,794,000

 

6.33

 

10

%

17.5

%

Contemporaneous

 

May 22, 2014

 

25,974,631

 

9.50

 

 

N/A

 

Contemporaneous

 

 

In determining the fair value of our ordinary shares in 2012 and February 2013, we relied in part on a valuation retrospectively determined with the assistance of an independent valuation firm based on data we provided. The valuation report provided us with guidelines in determining the fair value, but the determination was made by our management. We obtained a retrospective valuation instead of a contemporaneous valuation by an unrelated valuation specialist because, prior to December 2013, our financial and limited human resources were principally focused on our business development efforts. We applied the income approach/discounted cash flow analysis based on our projected cash flow using our best estimate as of the valuation date. The determination of the fair value of our ordinary shares requires complex and subjective judgments to be made regarding our projected financial and operating results, our unique business risks, the liquidity of our shares and our operating history and prospects at the time of valuation.

 

The major assumptions used in calculating the fair value of ordinary shares include:

 

Discount rates .    The discount rates listed out in the table above were based on the weighted average cost of capital, which was determined based on a consideration of the factors including risk-free rate, comparative industry risk, equity risk premium, company size and non-systemic risk factors.

 

Comparable companies .    In deriving the weighted average cost of capital used as the discount rates under the income approach, seven publicly traded companies were selected for reference as our guideline companies. The guideline companies were selected based on the following criteria: (i) they operate in the e-commerce industry and (ii) their shares are publicly traded in developed capital markets, including the United States, the UK and Japan.

 

Discount for lack of marketability, or DLOM .    DLOM was quantified by the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Under this option-pricing method, the cost of the put option, which can hedge the price change before the privately held shares can be sold, was considered as a basis to determine the DLOM. This option pricing method is one of the methods commonly used in estimating DLOM as it can take into consideration factors like timing of a liquidity event (such as an IPO) and estimated volatility of our shares. The farther the valuation date is from an expected liquidity event, the higher the put option value and thus the higher the implied DLOM. The lower DLOM is used for the valuation, the higher is the determined fair value of the ordinary shares.

 

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The income approach involves applying appropriate discount rates to estimated cash flows that are based on earnings forecasts. Our revenues and earnings growth rates, as well as major milestones that we have achieved, contributed to the increase in the fair value of our ordinary shares. However, these fair values are inherently uncertain and highly subjective. The assumptions used in deriving the fair values are consistent with our business plan. These assumptions include: no material changes in the existing political, legal and economic conditions in China; our ability to retain competent management, key personnel and staff to support our ongoing operations; and no material deviation in market conditions from economic forecasts. These assumptions are inherently uncertain.

 

The option-pricing method was used to allocate enterprise value to preferred and ordinary shares, taking into account the guidance prescribed by the AICPA Audit and Accounting Practice Aid, “Valuation of Privately-Held Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation.” The method treats common stock and preferred stock as call options on the enterprise’s value, with exercise prices based on the liquidation preference of the preferred stock.

 

The option-pricing method involves making estimates of the anticipated timing of a potential liquidity event, such as a sale of our company or an initial public offering, and estimates of the volatility of our equity securities. The anticipated timing is based on the plans of our board of directors and management. Estimating the volatility of the share price of a privately held company is complex because there is no readily available market for the shares. We estimated the volatility of our shares to range from 35.7% to 48.8% based on the historical volatilities of comparable publicly traded companies engaged in similar lines of business. Had we used different estimates of volatility, the allocations between preferred and ordinary shares would have been different.

 

The fair value of our ordinary shares increased from US$3.70 as of February 2, 2013 to US$3.96 as of December 20, 2013. The increase in fair value of our ordinary shares was primarily attributable to both the organic growth of our business and the decrease of DLOM from 15% to 10%. The decrease of DLOM was primarily due to our expectations for the timing of our initial public offering and the improved capital market sentiment in the United States.

 

The fair value of our ordinary shares increased from US$3.96 as of December 20, 2013 to US$6.33 as of March 31, 2014. We believe the increase in the fair value of our ordinary shares was primarily attributable to the fact that on March 10, 2014, we entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Tencent and a series of agreements to acquire the Paipai and QQ Wanggou marketplace businesses, equity interests in Shanghai Icson and other intangible assets. We believed that this transaction would further extend our presence in the China e-commerce market and create synergies through economies of scales. In view of the above, we adjusted our financial forecast to reflect the expected economic benefits and synergistic of this transaction. We also lowered the discount rate from 19.0% as of December 20, 2013 to 17.5% as of March 31, 2014 due to the increase in the size of our business and the reduction in perceived uncertainties associated with our business plan.

 

The fair value of our ordinary shares on May 22, 2014 was US$9.50, which was based on our initial public offering price.

 

Income Taxes

 

Current income taxes are provided on the basis of net income for financial reporting purposes, adjusted for income and expense items which are not assessable or deductible for income tax purposes, in accordance with the regulations of the relevant tax jurisdictions. We follow the liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the temporary differences between the financial statements carrying amounts and tax bases of assets and liabilities by applying enacted statutory tax rates that will be in effect in the period in which the temporary differences are expected to reverse. We record a valuation allowance to offset deferred tax assets if based on the weight of available evidence, it is more likely than not that some portion, or all, of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The effect on deferred taxes of a change in tax rate is recognized in our consolidated financial statements in the period of change.

 

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In accordance with the provisions of ASC 740, we recognize in our financial statements the benefit of a tax position if the tax position is “more likely than not” to prevail based on the facts and technical merits of the position. Tax positions that meet the “more likely than not” recognition threshold are measured at the largest amount of tax benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon settlement. We estimate our liability for unrecognized tax benefits which are periodically assessed and may be affected by changing interpretations of laws, rulings by tax authorities, changes and/or developments with respect to tax audits, and expiration of the statute of limitations. The ultimate outcome for a particular tax position may not be determined with certainty prior to the conclusion of a tax audit and, in some cases, appeal or litigation process. The actual benefits ultimately realized may differ from our estimates. As each audit is concluded, adjustments, if any, are recorded in our financial statements in the period in which the audit is concluded. Additionally, in future periods, changes in facts, circumstances and new information may require us to adjust the recognition and measurement estimates with regard to individual tax positions. Changes in recognition and measurement estimates are recognized in the period in which the changes occur. As of December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, we did not have any significant unrecognized uncertain tax positions.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in “Revenue Recognition (Topic 605)”, and requires entities to recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, the FASB deferred the effective date of the revenue recognition guidance to reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption in our consolidated financial statements.

 

In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-02, “Consolidation (Topic 810) - Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis,” which provides guidance for reporting entities that are required to evaluate whether they should consolidate certain legal entities. In accordance with ASU 2015-02, all legal entities are subject to reevaluation under the revised consolidation model. ASU 2015-02 is effective for public business entities for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. We do not expect the adoption to have a material impact in our consolidated financial statements.

 

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11, “Inventory (Topic 330),” which modifies the accounting for inventory. Under this ASU, the measurement principle for inventory will change from lower of cost or market value to lower of cost and net realizable value. The ASU defines net realizable value as the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. The ASU is effective for reporting periods after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. We do not expect the adoption to have a material impact in our consolidated financial statements.

 

In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-17, “Income taxes (Topic 740),” which amends the accounting for income taxes and requiring all deferred tax assets and liabilities to be classified as non-current on the consolidated balance sheets. The ASU is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The ASU may be adopted either prospectively or retrospectively. We do not expect the adoption to have a material impact in our consolidated financial statements.

 

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842),” which introduces a new lessee model that brings substantially all leases in the balance sheets. This standard will be effective for us beginning the first quarter of fiscal year 2019. We are currently evaluating the impact of this new guidance in our consolidated financial statements.

 

B.             Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

Our primary sources of liquidity have been proceeds from operating activities, private issuances of ordinary and preferred shares, and our initial public offering. In May 2014, we completed our initial public offering in which we issued and sold an aggregate of 83,060,200 ADSs, representing 166,120,400 Class A ordinary shares resulting in net proceeds to us of approximately US$1.5 billion. Concurrently with our initial public offering, we also raised US$1.3 billion from Huang River Investment Limited, our existing shareholder, by selling 139,493,960 Class A ordinary shares to Huang River via private placement.

 

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As of December 31, 2015, we had a total of RMB22.8 billion (US$3.5 billion) in cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments. This included primarily US$1.3 billion in an offshore US$ account with a Chinese bank, RMB12.6 billion (US$1.9 billion) and US$1.4 million in China, RMB275.5 million (US$42.5 million), HK$40.7 million (US$5.2 million) and US$145.1 million in Hong Kong and US$38.2 million in the Singapore. Our cash and cash equivalents generally consist of bank deposits and liquid investments with maturities of three months or less. As of December 31, 2015, we had one-year revolving lines of credit for an aggregate amount of RMB14.1 billion (US$2.2 billion) from several Chinese commercial banks. We had RMB8.8 billion (US$1.4 billion) outstanding under these revolving lines of credit as of December 31, 2015.

 

We believe that our current cash and cash equivalents and anticipated cash flow from operations will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for the next 12 months. We may, however, need additional cash resources in the future if we experience changes in business conditions or other developments. We may also need additional cash resources in the future if we find and wish to pursue opportunities for investment, acquisition, capital expenditure or similar actions. If we determine that our cash requirements exceed the amount of cash and cash equivalents we have on hand, we may seek to issue debt or equity securities or obtain additional credit facilities.

 

Our net inventories have increased significantly in recent periods, from RMB6.4 billion as of December 31, 2013 to RMB12.2 billion as of December 31, 2014 and further to RMB20.5 billion (US$3.2 billion) as of December 31, 2015. These increases reflected the additional inventory required to support our substantially expanded sales volumes. Our annual inventory turnover days were 34.2 days in 2013, 34.8 days in 2014 and 36.9 days in 2015. Annual inventory turnover days are the quotient of average inventory over five quarter ends to total cost of revenues and then multiplied by the number of days during the year. Our inventory balances will fluctuate over time due to a number of factors, including expansion in our product selection and changes in our product mix. Our inventory balances typically increase when we prepare for special promotion events, such as the anniversary of the founding of our company on June 18 and China’s new online shopping festival on November 11.

 

Our accounts payable primarily include accounts payable to suppliers associated with our online direct sales business and those to third-party sellers on our online marketplace. As of December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, our accounts payable amounted to RMB11.0 billion, RMB16.4 billion and RMB29.8 billion (US$4.6 billion), respectively. These increases reflected a significant growth in our sales volumes and scale of operations for our online direct sales business and the related increase in products sourced from our suppliers, as well as the growth in the scale of operations of our online marketplace. From late 2013, we started to provide supply chain financing to our suppliers of online direct sales business. As of December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, the balances of financing we provided to our suppliers amounted to RMB0.1 billion, RMB1.5 billion and RMB4.7 billion (US$0.7 billion), respectively. Our annual accounts payable turnover days for our online direct sales business excluding the impact from supply chain financing were 42.2 days in 2013, 40.9 days in 2014 and 44.6 days in 2015. Annual accounts payable turnover days are the quotient of average accounts payable over five quarter ends to total cost of revenues and then multiplied by the number of days during the year.

 

Our accounts receivable primarily include amounts due from customers and online payment channels. As of December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, our accounts receivable amounted to RMB0.5 billion, RMB2.4 billion and RMB9.5 billion (US$1.5 billion), respectively. These increases were primarily due to a significant growth in our sales volumes as well as the credit we extended for our financial products. From early 2014, we started to provide consumer financing to our customers. As of December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, the balances of current portion of financing provided to our customers that affected accounts receivable balances amounted to nil, RMB1.1 billion and RMB7.7 billion (US$1.2 billion), respectively. Our accounts receivable turnover days excluding the impact from consumer financing were 3.0 days in 2013, 2.9 days in 2014 and 3.2 days in 2015. Annual accounts receivable turnover days are the quotient of average accounts receivable over five quarter ends to total net revenues and then multiplied by the number of days during the year.

 

Although we consolidate the results of our consolidated variable interest entities, we only have access to cash balances or future earnings of our consolidated variable interest entities through our contractual arrangements with them. See “Item 4.C. Information on the Company—Organizational Structure.” For restrictions and limitations on liquidity and capital resources as a result of our corporate structure, see “—Holding Company Structure.”

 

As a Cayman Islands exempted company and offshore holding company, we are permitted under PRC laws and regulations to provide funding to our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China only through loans or capital contributions, subject to the approval of government authorities and limits on the amount of capital contributions and loans. In addition, our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China may provide Renminbi funding to their respective subsidiaries through capital contributions and entrusted loans, and to our consolidated variable interest entities only through entrusted loans. See “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from making loans to our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities or making additional capital contributions to our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.”

 

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Renminbi may be converted into foreign exchange for current account items, including interest and trade- and service-related transactions. As a result, our PRC subsidiaries and our consolidated variable interest entities in China may purchase foreign exchange for the payment of license, content or other royalty fees and expenses to offshore licensors and content partners, for example.

 

Our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries may convert Renminbi amounts that they generate in their own business activities, including technical consulting and related service fees pursuant to their contracts with the consolidated variable interest entities, as well as dividends they receive from their own subsidiaries, into foreign exchange and pay them to their non-PRC parent companies in the form of dividends. However, current PRC regulations permit our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries to pay dividends to us only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. Each of our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits after making up previous years’ accumulated losses each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds until the total amount set aside reaches 50% of its registered capital. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. Furthermore, capital account transactions, which include foreign direct investment and loans, must be approved by and/or registered with SAFE and its local branches.

 

The following table sets forth a summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:

 

 

 

For the Year Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

(in millions)

 

Summary Consolidated Cash Flows Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities

 

3,570

 

1,015

 

(1,812

)

(280

)

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(2,671

)

(13,203

)

(2,283

)

(352

)

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

2,795

 

18,392

 

4,700

 

726

 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

 

(59

)

(101

)

344

 

53

 

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

 

3,635

 

6,103

 

949

 

147

 

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

 

7,177

 

10,812

 

16,915

 

2,611

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

 

10,812

 

16,915

 

17,864

 

2,758

 

 

Operating Activities

 

Net cash used in operating activities in 2015 was RMB1,812 million (US$280 million). In 2015, the principal items accounting for the difference between our net cash used in operating activities and our net loss were certain non-cash expenses, principally share of results of equity investees of RMB3,134 million (US$484 million), impairment of goodwill and intangible assets of RMB2,750 million (US$425 million), depreciation and amortization of RMB2,619 million (US$404 million) and share-based compensation of RMB1,194 million (US$184 million), and changes in certain working capital accounts, principally an increase in accounts payable of RMB13,113 million (US$2,024 million), an increase in accrued expenses and other current liabilities of RMB2,207 million (US$341 million) and an increase in advance from customers of RMB2,507 million (US$387 million), partially offset by an increase in inventories of RMB8,349 million (US$1,289 million) and an increase in accounts receivable of RMB7,395 million (US$1,142 million). The increase in our accounts payable was due to the growth of our business. The increase in our accrued expenses and other current liabilities was primarily due to the growth in payroll and related accruals primarily associated with the increase in our headcount, the growth in our online marketplace business which resulted in the increase of vendor deposits, partially offset by the decrease in the payable to employees in relation to the exercise of options or pursuant to other awards. The increase in our advance from customers was due to the increase in advance from customers related to the sales on our online marketplace, since third-party sellers tend to take longer to complete deliveries to the extent that they do not use our fulfillment services, as well as the increase in our sales of prepaid cards.  The increase in our inventories was due to the growth of our business. The increase in accounts receivable was due to the growth of our business as well as the credit we extended for our financial products.

 

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Net cash provided by operating activities in 2014 was RMB1,015 million. In 2014, the principal items accounting for the difference between our net cash provided by operating activities and our net loss were certain non-cash expenses, principally share-based compensation of RMB4,250 million and depreciation and amortization of RMB1,651 million, and changes in certain working capital accounts, principally an increase in accounts payable of RMB4,903 million, an increase in accrued expenses and other current liabilities of RMB2,988 million and an increase in advance from customers of RMB2,611 million, partially offset by an increase in inventories of RMB5,805 million an increase in accounts receivable of RMB2,005 million and an increase in prepayments and other current assets RMB1,211 million. The increase in our accounts payable was due to the growth of our business. The increase in our accrued expenses and other current liabilities was primarily due to the growth in payroll and related accruals primarily associated with the increase in our headcount, the growth in our online marketplace business which resulted in the increase of vendor deposits as well as the payable to employees in relation to the exercise of options or pursuant to other awards. The increase in our advance from customers was due to the increase in advance from customers related to the sales on our online marketplace, since third-party sellers tend to take longer to complete deliveries to the extent that they do not use our fulfillment services, as well as the increase in our sales of prepaid cards.  The increase in our inventories was due to the growth of our business. The increase in accounts receivable was due to the consumer financing we started providing to our selected customers as part of our internet financing initiatives in 2014. The increase in prepayments and other current assets was attributable to the receivables on behalf of our employees in relation to the exercise of options or pursuant to other awards.

 

Net cash provided by operating activities in 2013 was RMB3,570 million. In 2013, the principal items accounting for the difference between our net cash provided by operating activities and our net loss were an increase in accounts payable of RMB2,687 million, an increase in advance from customers of RMB1,159 million and an increase in accrued expenses and other current liabilities of RMB929 million, partially offset by an increase in inventories of RMB1,632 million and an increase in advance to suppliers of RMB660 million. The increase in our accounts payable was due to the growth of our business. The increase in our advance from customers was due to the increase in our sales of prepaid cards as well as the increase in advance from customers related to the sales on our online marketplace, since third-party sellers tend to take longer to complete deliveries to the extent that they do not use our fulfillment services. The increase in our accrued expenses and other current liabilities was primarily due to the growth in payroll and related accruals primarily associated with the increase in our headcount as well as the growth in our online marketplace business which resulted in the increase of vendor deposits. The increase in our inventories was due to the growth of our business. The increase in advance to suppliers was due to increased advance payments made to our suppliers in order to secure steady supply of products during the Chinese New Year season, which was close to the 2013 year end.

 

Investing Activities

 

Net cash used in investing activities in 2015 was RMB2,283 million (US$352 million), consisting primarily of the purchase of short-term investments, investment in equity investees and investment securities, purchases of property, equipment and software, cash paid for construction in progress and cash paid for business combinations, partially offset by the maturity of short-term investments.

 

Net cash used in investing activities in 2014 was RMB13,203 million, consisting primarily of the purchase of short-term investments along with purchases of property, equipment and software and cash paid for construction in progress, partially offset by the maturity of short-term investments, as well as net cash acquired from business combinations.

 

Net cash used in investing activities in 2013 was RMB2,671 million, consisting primarily of the purchase of short-term investments, largely offset by the maturity of short-term investments, as well as cash paid for construction in progress on our new warehouses and office building, purchases of property, equipment and software and deposit for capital verification associated with capital contributions to our entities in China.

 

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Financing Activities

 

Net cash provided by financing activities in 2015 was RMB4,700 million (US$726 million), consisting primarily of proceeds from short-term bank loans and nonrecourse securitization debt partially offset by the repayment of short-term bank loans.

 

Net cash provided by financing activities in 2014 was RMB18,392 million, consisting of proceeds from our initial public offering and private issuances of ordinary shares, as well as proceeds from short-term bank loans, partially offset by the repayment of short-term bank loans.

 

Net cash provided by financing activities in 2013 was RMB2,795 million, consisting of proceeds from the issuance of ordinary shares and proceeds from short-term bank loans, partially offset by the repayment of short-term bank loans.

 

Holding Company Structure

 

JD.com, Inc. is a holding company with no material operations of its own. We conduct our operations primarily through our subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities in China. As a result, JD.com, Inc.’s ability to pay dividends depends upon dividends paid by our PRC subsidiaries. If our existing PRC subsidiaries or any newly formed ones incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing their debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends to us. In addition, our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China are permitted to pay dividends to us only out of their retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. Under PRC law, each of our subsidiaries and our consolidated variable interest entities in China is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund certain statutory reserve funds until such reserve funds reach 50% of its registered capital. In addition, each of our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China may allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to enterprise expansion fund and staff bonus and welfare fund at its discretion. Each of the other PRC subsidiaries and our consolidated variable interest entities may allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to a discretionary surplus fund at its discretion. The statutory reserve funds and the discretionary funds are not distributable as cash dividends. Remittance of dividends by a wholly foreign-owned company out of China is subject to examination by the banks designated by SAFE. As of December 31, 2015, the amount restricted, including paid-in capital and statutory reserve funds, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations, was approximately RMB20,261 million (US$3,128 million). Our PRC subsidiaries have never paid dividends and will not be able to pay dividends until they generate accumulated profits and meet the requirements for statutory reserve funds.

 

Capital Expenditures

 

We made capital expenditures of RMB1,292 million, RMB2,902 million and RMB5,300 million (US$818 million) in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. In 2013, our capital expenditures mainly included our payment for the purchase of land use rights for premises on which we plan to construct warehouses and office buildings, our payment for construction in progress, and our payment for the purchase of property, equipment and software and other intangible assets. Our capital expenditures for 2014 and 2015 consisted primarily of expenditures related to the expansion of our fulfillment infrastructure, technology platform, logistics equipment as well as our new office buildings. Our capital expenditures will continue to be significant in the foreseeable future as we expand and improve our fulfillment infrastructure and technology platform to meet the needs of our anticipated growth.

 

C.             Research and Development

 

We have built our technology platform relying primarily on software and systems that we have developed in-house and to a lesser extent on third-party software that we have modified and incorporated. We employed 7,525 IT professionals to design, develop and operate our technology platform as of December 31, 2015.

 

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In the three years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, our technology and content expenses, including share-based compensation expenses for research and development staff, were RMB964 million, RMB1,836 million and RMB3,454 million (US$533 million), respectively. Our technology and content expenses consist primarily of payroll and related expenses for IT professionals involved in developing and maintaining our technology platform and website, server and other equipment depreciation, bandwidth and data center costs, and rental expenses. We expect spending in technology and content to increase over time as we add more experienced IT professionals and continue to invest in our technology platform to enhance customer experience and provide value-added services to suppliers and third-party sellers.

 

D.             Trend Information

 

Other than as disclosed elsewhere in this annual report, we are not aware of any trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments or events for the year ended December 31, 2015 that are reasonably likely to have a material and adverse effect on our net revenues, income, profitability, liquidity or capital resources, or that would cause the disclosed financial information to be not necessarily indicative of future results of operations or financial conditions.

 

E.             Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

We have not entered into any financial guarantees or other commitments to guarantee the payment obligations of any third parties. We have not entered into any derivative contracts that are indexed to our shares and classified as shareholder’s equity or that are not reflected in our consolidated financial statements. Furthermore, we do not have any retained or contingent interest in assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity that serves as credit, liquidity or market risk support to such entity. We do not have any variable interest in any unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk or credit support to us or engages in leasing, hedging or product development services with us.

 

F.             Contractual Obligations

 

The following table sets forth our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2015:

 

 

 

 

 

Payment Due by Period

 

 

 

Total

 

Less than
1 year

 

1-3 years

 

3-5 years

 

More than
5 years

 

 

 

(in RMB thousands)

 

Operating lease commitments (1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rental expenses

 

3,577,698

 

1,355,914

 

1,404,359

 

576,375

 

241,050

 

Bandwidth leasing

 

623,711

 

240,386

 

287,835

 

95,490

 

 

Capital commitments (2)

 

1,289,609

 

1,289,609

 

 

 

 

Equity investment commitment (3)

 

4,306,708

 

4,306,708

 

 

 

 

Long-term debt obligations (4)

 

3,333,542

 

579,843

 

2,753,699

 

 

 

Total

 

13,131,268

 

7,772,460

 

4,445,893

 

671,865

 

241,050

 

 


(1)          Our operating lease obligations relate to our leases of offices and fulfillment centers and our lease of bandwidth and data centers.

 

(2)          Our capital commitments primarily relate to commitments on construction of office buildings and warehouses, and are to be paid in the following years according to the construction progress.

 

(3)          In August 2015, we entered into definitive agreements with Yonghui, pursuant to which we will subscribe for newly issued ordinary shares of Yonghui with a total consideration of RMB4.31 billion (US$665 million). The transaction is subject to certain approval from regulatory authority and other customary closing conditions. Upon the completion of the transaction, which is expected to close in the first half of 2016, we will hold a 10% equity interest in Yonghui.

 

(4)          Our long-term debt obligations are mainly nonrecourse securitization debt, which consists primarily of debt securities issued in connection with securitization of certain financial assets.

 

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Item 6.                    Directors, Senior Management and Employees

 

A.             Directors and Senior Management

 

The following table sets forth information regarding our executive officers and directors as of the date of this annual report.

 

Directors and Executive Officers

 

Age

 

Position/Title

Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

43

 

Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer

Martin Chiping Lau

 

43

 

Director

Ming Huang

 

52

 

Independent Director

Louis T. Hsieh

 

51

 

Independent Director

David Daokui Li

 

52

 

Independent Director

Haoyu Shen

 

45

 

Chief Executive Officer of JD Mall

Ye Lan

 

46

 

Chief Public Affairs Officer

Yu Long

 

40

 

Chief Human Resources Officer and General Counsel

Sidney Xuande Huang

 

50

 

Chief Financial Officer

Shengqiang Chen

 

39

 

Chief Executive Officer of JD Finance

Chen Zhang

 

52

 

Chief Technology Officer

 

Richard Qiangdong Liu has been our chairman and chief executive officer since our inception. Mr. Liu has over 15 years of experience in the retail and e-commerce industries. In June 1998, Mr. Liu started his own business in Beijing, which was mainly engaged in the distribution of magneto-optical products. In January 2004, Mr. Liu launched his first online retail website. He founded our business later that year and has guided our development and growth since then. In December 2011, Mr. Liu received the prestigious award “2011 China Economic Person of the Year” from CCTV, China’s largest nationwide television network. Mr. Liu has received numerous other awards for his achievements in the e-commerce industry in China, such as “2011 Chinese Business Leader” and Fortune China’s “2012 Chinese Businessman.” Mr. Liu received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Renmin University of China in Beijing and an EMBA degree from the China Europe International Business School.

 

Martin Chiping Lau has served as our director since March 2014. Mr. Lau is president and executive director of Tencent Holdings Limited, a provider of comprehensive internet services serving the largest online community in China and listed on Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In 2007, Mr. Lau was appointed as an executive director of Tencent. In 2006, Mr. Lau was promoted as the president of Tencent to manage the day-to-day operation of Tencent. In February 2005, he joined Tencent as the chief strategy and investment officer, and was responsible for corporate strategies, investments, merger and acquisitions and investor relations. Prior to joining Tencent, Mr. Lau was an executive director at Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C.’s investment banking division and the chief operating officer of its telecom, media and technology group. Prior to that, he worked at McKinsey & Company, Inc. as a management consultant. Mr. Lau also serves as a non-executive director of Kingsoft Corporation Limited, an internet based software developer, distributor and software service provider listed on Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and a director of Leju Holdings Limited, an online-to-offline real estate services provider in China listed on the NYSE. Mr. Lau received a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan, a master of science degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University and an MBA degree from Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University.

 

Ming Huang has served as our independent director since March 2014. Mr. Huang has been a professor of finance at China Europe International Business School since July 2010 and a professor of finance at the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University since July 2005. Mr. Huang also served as a professor of finance at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in China from July 2008 to June 2010 and Dean of the School of Finance at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics from April 2006 to March 2009. Prior to 2005, he was an associate professor of finance at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University from September 2002 to June 2005 and an associate dean and visiting professor of finance at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business from July 2004 to June 2005. Professor Huang’s academic research primarily focuses on behavioral finance, credit risk and derivatives. In recent years, his research has focused on Chinese capital market and public companies. Professor Huang serves as an independent director of Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited, a company listed on the NYSE, an independent director of Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd., a company listed on the NYSE. Mr. Huang is also an independent non-executive director of several companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange including WH Group Limited, Fantasia Holdings Group Co., Ltd., Guosen Security Company, and China Medical System Holdings Ltd. Professor Huang also serves as a non-executive director of the Annuity Fund Management Board of China National Petroleum Corporation and Aegon-Industrial Fund Management Co., Ltd. Professor Huang received his bachelor’s degree in physics from Peking University, a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in finance from Stanford University.

 

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Louis T. Hsieh has served as our independent director since May 2014. Mr. Hsieh has served as the director of New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc., the largest provider of private educational services in China listed on the NYSE, since March 2007, and served as its chief financial officer from December 2005 to April 2015 and its president from May 2009 to January 2016. Previously, Mr. Hsieh was the chief financial officer of ARIO Data Networks, Inc. in San Jose, California from 2004 to 2005. Prior to that, Mr. Hsieh was a managing director for the private equity firm of Darby Asia Investors (HK) Limited from 2002 to 2003. From 2000 to 2002, Mr. Hsieh was managing director and Asia-Pacific tech/media/telecoms head of UBS Capital Asia Pacific, the private equity division of UBS AG. From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Hsieh was a technology investment banker at JP Morgan in San Francisco, California, where he was a vice president, and Credit Suisse First Boston in Palo Alto, California, where he was an associate. From 1990 to 1996, Mr. Hsieh was a corporate and securities attorney at White & Case LLP in Los Angeles. Mr. Hsieh also serves as an independent director of United Information Technologies, a leading Chinese storage solutions company. Mr. Hsieh holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and engineering management from Stanford University, an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School, and a J.D. degree from the University of California at Berkeley.

 

David Daokui Li has served as our independent director since May 2014. Mr. Li is currently the Mansfield Freeman Chair Professor of the School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University. He is also the director of the Schwarzman Scholars Program at Tsinghua University, and the director of Center for China in the World Economy (CCWE) at the School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University. Before joining Tsinghua University in 2004, Mr. Li was on the faculty of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology from 1999 to 2004 and the University of Michigan from 1992 to 1999. From 1997 to 1998, he was a National Fellow of Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Professor Li is currently a delegate to the Beijing People’s Congress and a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Committee (CPPCC). He is now a member of the Global Agenda Councils and a Rapporteur of the International Financial Institutions Reform Cluster of the Global Redesign Initiative (GRI) of the World Economic Forum based in Davos, Switzerland. Professor Li received a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in management information systems from Tsinghua University as one of the first undergraduate class of the School of Economics and Management, where he is now serving as a faculty member.

 

Haoyu Shen has served as the chief executive officer of JD Mall, our B2C business group, since April 2014. From August 2011 to April 2014, he was our chief operating officer, in charge of our entire supply chain management and customer service functions. Mr. Shen has extensive experience across different countries and industries. Prior to joining us, Mr. Shen worked at Baidu, Inc., the leading Chinese language internet search provider, where he served as a senior vice president from January 2010 to July 2011 and the vice president of business operations from July 2007 to July 2010. From June 2001 to June 2007, Mr. Shen worked at American Express in New York as a director at the strategic planning and business development group, a vice president at the prepaid card group and a vice president at the U.S. consumer card group. Prior to that, Mr. Shen was a management consultant at McKinsey & Company from 1997 to 2000 and a financial analyst at Sinochem Group from 1992 to 1995. Mr. Shen received a bachelor’s degree in international finance from Renmin University of China in Beijing and an MBA degree from the University of Iowa. Mr. Shen is a CFA charterholder.

 

Ye Lan has served as our chief public affairs officer since August 2015, and is in charge of overseeing a number of key operational areas, including our public affairs team.  Prior to this role, he was our chief marketing officer from February 2012, and was in charge of our procurement, sales, marketing and public relationships functions. Mr. Lan has over 18 years of experience in sales and marketing in the Greater China region. Prior to joining us, Mr. Lan was an executive vice president for the China region at Acer Group, a Taiwan-based electronics company, from October 2010 to February 2012. Mr. Lan was the president and the chief executive officer of Founder Technology Group Corporation, a China-based computer producer listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, from October 2008 to September 2010. From 1993 to October 2008, Mr. Lan was at Lenovo Group, where he became the vice president responsible for the sales in the Greater China region. Mr. Lan received an EMBA degree from Tsinghua University in Beijing.

 

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Yu Long (also known as Rain Long) has served as our chief human resources officer and general counsel since August 2012. Ms. Long has extensive experience in handling the legal affairs of U.S. listed companies and managing multinational companies. Prior to joining us, Ms. Long served as the general counsel and chief compliance officer of UTStarcom Holdings Corp., a provider of interactive, IP-based network solutions listed on NASDAQ, from November 2009 to July 2012. Prior to that, Ms. Long worked for several Chinese and multinational telecommunication companies, and last served as the APAC Legal Affairs Director for the Swiss stock market listed Myriad Group AG and was appointed by its head office to be the key member of its China Executive Management Team. Ms. Long received her bachelor’s degree in economic law from China Southwest Political and Law University in Chongqing and an EMBA from the China Europe International Business School. Ms. Long is a qualified attorney in the PRC.

 

Sidney Xuande Huang has served as our chief financial officer since September 2013. Prior to joining us, Mr. Huang was the chief financial officer of Pactera Technology International Ltd., a NASDAQ-listed IT services provider, and its predecessor company, VanceInfo Technologies Inc., from July 2006 to September 2013. He was also the co-president of VanceInfo Technologies Inc. from 2011 to 2012 and its chief operating officer from 2008 to 2010. Prior to that, he was the chief financial officer with two other China-based companies in technology and internet sectors between 2004 and 2006. Mr. Huang was an investment banker with Citigroup Global Markets Inc. in New York from 2002 to 2004. He served as an audit manager of KPMG LLP from 1996 to 2000 and was a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York. Mr. Huang is currently a director of Bitauto, an internet company listed on the NYSE. Mr. Huang obtained his masters of business administration with distinction from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University as an Austin Scholar. He received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bernard M. Baruch College, where he graduated as class valedictorian.

 

Shengqiang Chen has served as the chief executive officer of JD Finance since September 2013. Mr. Chen has over 15 years of experience in finance and accounting management in China. Mr. Chen was our chief financial officer from March 2012 to September 2013, our finance vice president from January 2009 to March 2012 and our financial controller from April 2007 to December 2008. Mr. Chen received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Beijing Technology and Business University and an MBA degree from Beijing Institute of Technology in Beijing and has completed his studies at the EMBA program of China Europe International Business School.

 

Chen Zhang has served as our chief technology officer since November 2015. Mr. Zhang joined us in April 2015 as senior vice president in charge of JD Mall’s research and development system. Prior to joining us, he was the president of Yahoo global research and development center in Beijing, responsible for the development of Yahoo’s global core platforms, such as its science driven advertising and personalization platforms, mobile and cloud platforms. He worked at Yahoo for 18 years, during which he was also responsible for the development of Yahoo Messenger. Mr. Zhang is currently a non-executive director of Kingdee International Software Group Company Limited, a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Mr. Zhang received a bachelor’s degree in computer science from East China Normal University and a master’s degree in computer science from Indiana University Bloomington.

 

B.             Compensation

 

In 2015, we paid an aggregate of approximately RMB15.3 million (US$2.4 million) in cash to our executive officers, and approximately US$0.2 million in cash 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 and consolidated variable interest entities 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.

 

Employment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements

 

We have entered into employment agreements with each of our executive officers. Under these agreements, each of our executive officers is employed for a specified time period. We may terminate employment for cause, at any time, without advance notice or remuneration, for certain acts of the executive officer, such as conviction or plea of guilty to a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude, negligent or dishonest acts to our detriment, or misconduct or a failure to perform agreed duties. We may also terminate an executive officer’s employment without cause upon three-month advance written notice. In such case of termination by us, we will provide severance payments to the executive officer as expressly required by applicable law of the jurisdiction where the executive officer is based. The executive officer may resign at any time with a three-month advance written notice.

 

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Each executive officer has agreed to hold, both during and after the termination or expiry of his or her employment agreement, in strict confidence and not to use, except as required in the performance of his or her duties in connection with the employment or pursuant to applicable law, any of our confidential information or trade secrets, any confidential information or trade secrets of our clients or prospective clients, or the confidential or proprietary information of any third party received by us and for which we have confidential obligations. The executive officers have also agreed to disclose in confidence to us all inventions, designs and trade secrets which they conceive, develop or reduce to practice during the executive officer’s employment with us and to assign all right, title and interest in them to us, and assist us in obtaining and enforcing patents, copyrights and other legal rights for these inventions, designs and trade secrets.

 

In addition, each executive officer has agreed to be bound by non-competition and non-solicitation restrictions during the term of his or her employment and typically for two years following the last date of employment. Specifically, each executive officer has agreed not to (i) approach our suppliers, clients, customers or contacts or other persons or entities introduced to the executive officer in his or her capacity as a representative of us for the purpose of doing business with such persons or entities that will harm our business relationships with these persons or entities; (ii) assume employment with or provide services to any of our competitors, or engage, whether as principal, partner, licensor or otherwise, any of our competitors, without our express consent; or (iii) seek directly or indirectly, to solicit the services of any of our employees who is employed by us on or after the date of the executive officer’s termination, or in the year preceding such termination, without our express consent.

 

We have also entered into indemnification agreements with our directors and executive officers. Under these agreements, we 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 a director or officer of our company.

 

Share Incentive Plan

 

We adopted a 2008 stock issuance plan in June 2008, a 2009 employee stock incentive plan in February 2009, a 2010 employee stock incentive plan in March 2010, a 2011 employee stock incentive plan in April 2011 and a 2011 special employee stock incentive plan in April 2011, to attract and retain the best available personnel, provide additional incentives to employees, directors and consultants and promote the success of our business. We refer to these plans collectively as the Original Plans. Pursuant to the Original Plans, we issued a total of 106,850,910 ordinary shares to Fortune Rising Holdings Limited. Fortune Rising Holdings Limited holds these ordinary shares for the purpose of transferring such shares to the plan participants according to our awards under our Original Plans, which were replaced by the 2013 Plan as described below, and administers the awards and acts according to our instruction, and is therefore treated as our consolidated variable interest entity under U.S. GAAP.

 

On December 20, 2013, we adopted a 2013 Share Incentive Plan, or the 2013 Plan, which replaced all of the Original Plans in their entirety, and the Original Plans are no longer effective. The awards granted and outstanding under the Original Plans survive the termination of the Original Plans and remain effective and binding under the 2013 Plan, subject to certain amendments to the original award agreements. We amended and restated the 2013 Plan on March 6, 2014, increasing the number of shares reserved for future awards under the 2013 Plan. In November 2014, the 2013 Plan was replaced by a share incentive plan entitled “Share Incentive Plan” containing substantially the same terms as the 2013 Plan.

 

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The maximum aggregate number of our shares which may be issued pursuant to all awards under the Share Incentive Plan is 468,133,012 shares as of the date of this annual report, consisting of 106,850,910 shares that have been issued to and reserved with Fortune Rising Holdings Limited under the Original Plans, and 361,282,102 shares that are reserved under the Share Incentive Plan. The number of shares reserved for future issuances under the Share Incentive Plan will be increased by a number equal to 1% of the total number of outstanding shares as of the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year, on the first day of each fiscal year during the term of the Share Incentive Plan commencing with the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, the sixth fiscal year that occurs after the date when the 2013 Plan was adopted.

 

The following paragraphs describe the principal terms of the Share Incentive Plan.

 

Types of Awards .    The Plan permits the awards of options, restricted shares, restricted share units or any other type of awards that the committee or the board decides.

 

Plan Administration .    Our board of directors, our compensation committee or a sub-committee designated by our board will administer the Share Incentive Plan. The committee or the full board of directors, as applicable, will determine the participants to receive awards, the type and number of awards to be granted to each participant, and the terms and conditions of each award grant. Fortune Rising Holdings Limited is the holder on record of the original award pool of 106,850,910 shares and will grant awards to plan participants and execute the award agreements and other related agreements with plan participants based on the instructions of the committee or the full board of directors who administers the Share Incentive Plan.

 

Award Agreement .    Awards granted under the Share Incentive Plan are evidenced by an award agreement that sets forth terms, conditions and limitations for each award, which may include the term of the award, the provisions applicable in the event of the grantee’s employment or service terminates, and our authority to unilaterally or bilaterally amend, modify, suspend, cancel or rescind the award.

 

Eligibility .    We may grant awards to our employees, directors and consultants. However, we may grant options that are intended to qualify as incentive share options only to our employees.

 

Acceleration of Awards upon Change in Control .    If a change in control of our company occurs, the plan administrator may, in its sole discretion, provide for (i) all awards outstanding to terminate at a specific time in the future and give each participant the right to exercise the vested portion of such awards during a specific period of time, or (ii) the purchase of any award for an amount of cash equal to the amount that could have been attained upon the exercise of such award, or (iii) the replacement of such award with other rights or property selected by the plan administrator in its sole discretion, or (iv) payment of award in cash based on the value of ordinary shares on the date of the change-in-control transaction plus reasonable interest.

 

Vesting Schedule .    In general, the plan administrator determines the vesting schedule, which is specified in the relevant award agreement.

 

Exercise of Options .    The plan administrator determines the exercise price for each award, which is stated in the award agreement. The vested portion of option will expire if not exercised prior to the time as the plan administrator determines at the time of its grant. However, the maximum exercisable term is the tenth anniversary after the date of a grant.

 

Transfer Restrictions .    Awards may not be transferred in any manner by the recipient other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, except as otherwise provided by the plan administrator.

 

Termination of the Share Incentive Plan .    Unless terminated earlier, the Share Incentive Plan will terminate automatically on December 20, 2023. Our board of directors has the authority to amend or terminate the plan subject to shareholder approval to the extent necessary and desirable to comply with applicable law. Shareholder approval is required for any amendment to the Share Incentive Plan that (i) increases the number of shares available under the Share Incentive Plan, or (ii) permits the plan administrator to extend the term of the Share Incentive Plan or the exercise period for an option beyond ten years from the date of grant.

 

As of December 31, 2015, we had an aggregate of 12,999,472 restricted shares, which are treated as non-vested ordinary shares under U.S. GAAP, 56,278,439 restricted share units and options to purchase an aggregate of 53,434,622 ordinary shares that had been granted to our directors, officers, employees and consultants and remained outstanding, excluding awards that were forfeited or cancelled after the relevant grant date.

 

In March 2014, we granted 93,780,970 immediately vested restricted share units to Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu, our chairman and chief executive officer, pursuant to which we issued 93,780,970 ordinary shares to Max Smart Limited, a British Virgin Islands company wholly owned by Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu, on May 22, 2014 immediately after the listing of our ADSs on NASDAQ. In May 2015, the board of directors approved a 10-year compensation plan for Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu, under which, Mr. Liu will receive RMB1.00 per year in cash salary and zero cash bonus during the 10-year period and in the meantime, Mr. Liu was granted an option to acquire a total of 26,000,000 Class A ordinary shares of the Company, at an exercise price of US$16.70 per share or US$33.40 per ADS, subject to a 10-year vesting schedule with 10% of the award vested on each anniversary of the grant date. We will not grant any additional equity incentive to Mr. Liu during the 10-year period. The number of restricted shares, restricted share units and options granted to each of our other directors and executive officers represents less than 1% of our total outstanding ordinary shares on an as-converted basis as of the date of this annual report. The awards to our other directors and executive officers have two-year, four-year, five-year or six-year vesting schedule, with an equal installment vesting at the end of each calendar year following the grant or on the anniversary of the grant date.

 

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In October 2015, JD Finance adopted a 2015 Share Incentive Plan, which permits the granting of stock options, share appreciation rights, restricted share units and restricted shares of JD Finance to its employees, directors and consultants. In 2015, we granted to JD Finance’s chief executive officer and certain other employees restricted shares units of JD Finance equivalent to approximately 7.25% of the subsidiary’s ordinary shares on a fully diluted basis.

 

C.             Board Practices

 

Board of Directors

 

Our board of directors consists of five directors. A director is not required to hold any shares in our company by way of qualification. A director who is in any way, whether directly or indirectly, interested in a contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction with our company must declare the nature of his interest at a meeting of the directors. Subject to the NASDAQ Rules and disqualification by the chairman of the relevant board meeting, a director may vote in respect of any contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction notwithstanding that he may be interested therein, and if he does so his vote will be counted and he may be counted in the quorum at the relevant board meeting at which such contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction is considered. The directors may exercise all the powers of the company to borrow money and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and uncalled capital, and to issue debentures or other securities whenever money is borrowed or as security for any debt, liability or obligation of the company or of any third party. None of our non-executive directors has a service contract with us that provides for benefits upon termination of service.

 

Under our current memorandum and articles of association, our board of directors will not be able to form a quorum without Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu for so long as Mr. Liu remains a director.

 

Committees of the Board of Directors

 

We have established three committees under the board of directors: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. We have adopted a charter for each of the three committees.

 

Audit Committee

 

Our audit committee consists of Louis T. Hsieh, Ming Huang and David Daokui Li. Mr. Hsieh is the chairman of our audit committee. We have determined that Mr. Hsieh, Mr. Huang and Mr. Li satisfy the “independence” requirements of NASDAQ and Rule 10A-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. 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:

 

·                   appointing the independent auditors and pre-approving all auditing and non-auditing services permitted to be performed by the independent auditors;

 

·                   reviewing with the independent auditors any audit problems or difficulties and management’s response;

 

·                   discussing the annual audited financial statements with management and the independent auditors;

 

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·                   reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our accounting and internal control policies and procedures and any steps taken to monitor and control major financial risk exposures;

 

·                   reviewing and approving all proposed related party transactions;

 

·                   meeting separately and periodically with management and the independent auditors; and

 

·                   monitoring compliance with our code of business conduct and ethics, including reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our procedures to ensure proper compliance.

 

Compensation Committee

 

Our compensation committee consists of Ming Huang and Martin Chiping Lau. Mr. Huang is the chairman of our compensation committee. We have determined that Mr. Huang and Mr. Lau satisfy the “independence” requirements of NASDAQ. The compensation committee assists the board in reviewing and approving the compensation structure, including all forms of compensation, relating to our directors and executive officers. Our chief executive officer may not be present at any committee meeting during which his compensation is deliberated. The compensation committee is responsible for, among other things:

 

·                   reviewing and approving, or recommending to the board for its approval, the compensation for our chief executive officer and other executive officers;

 

·                   reviewing and recommending to the board for determination with respect to the compensation of our non-employee directors;

 

·                   reviewing periodically and approving any incentive compensation or equity plans, programs or similar arrangements; and

 

·                   selecting compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser only after taking into consideration all factors relevant to that person’s independence from management.

 

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

 

Our nominating and corporate governance committee consists of David Daokui Li and Louis T. Hsieh. Mr. Li is the chairperson of our nominating and corporate governance committee. Mr. Li and Mr. Hsieh satisfy the “independence” requirements of NASDAQ. 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 and its committees. The nominating and corporate governance committee is responsible for, among other things:

 

·                   selecting and recommending to the board nominees for election by the shareholders or appointment by the board;

 

·                   reviewing annually with the board the current composition of the board with regards to characteristics such as independence, knowledge, skills, experience and diversity;

 

·                   making recommendations on the frequency and structure of board meetings and monitoring the functioning of the committees of the board; and

 

·                   advising the board periodically with regards to significant developments in the law and practice of corporate governance as well as our compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and making recommendations to the board on all matters of corporate governance and on any remedial action to be taken.

 

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Terms of Directors and Executive Officers

 

Our officers are elected by and serve at the discretion of the board of directors. Our directors are appointed either by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders, or by a resolution of our board of directors (including the affirmative vote of Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu for so long as he is a director). Our non-independent directors are not subject to a term of office and hold office until such time as they are removed from office by ordinary resolution of the shareholders. Our independent directors are subject to a contractual one-year term, which may be renewed for one additional year, unless either party provides a prior written notice to the other party before the initial term expires indicating the intention not to renew. A director will cease to be a director if, among other things, the director (i) becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors; (ii) dies or is found by our company to be or becomes of unsound mind; (iii) resigns his office by notice in writing to our company; or (iv) without special leave of absence from our board of directors, is absent from meetings of our board of directors for three consecutive meetings and the board resolves that his office be vacated.

 

D.             Employees

 

As of December 31, 2015, we had a total of 105,963 fulltime employees. We had a total of 68,109 employees as of December 31, 2014 and 38,325 employees as of December 31, 2013.

 

The following tables give breakdowns of our employees as of December 31, 2015, by function and by region:

 

Function 

 

Number

 

Procurement

 

4,300

 

Warehouses

 

15,765

 

Delivery

 

59,118

 

Customer Service

 

10,696

 

Technology

 

7,525

 

Sales and Marketing

 

3,721

 

General and Administrative

 

4,838

 

TOTAL

 

105,963

 

 

Region

 

Number

 

Northeastern China

 

4,431

 

Northern China (1)

 

40,244

 

Eastern China (2)

 

21,727

 

Central China

 

6,897

 

Southern China

 

18,729

 

Southwestern China (3)

 

10,387

 

Northwestern China

 

3,548

 

TOTAL

 

105,963

 

 


(1)          Includes the employees at our national headquarters in Beijing.

 

(2)          Includes the employees at our customer service centers in Suqian and Yangzhou, Jiangsu.

 

(3)          Includes the employees at our national customer service center in Chengdu, Sichuan.

 

With so many employees in so many locations across China, we place great emphasis on our corporate culture to ensure that we maintain consistently high standards everywhere we operate. We believe that our corporate culture and core philosophy will help us to realize our goal of becoming the largest e-commerce company in the world.

 

We invest significant resources in the recruitment of employees in support of our fast-growing business operations. In 2015, we recruited additional employees in connection with the expansion of our fulfillment infrastructure and additional research and development personnel in connection with the expansion of our technology platform. We have established comprehensive training programs that cover such topics as our corporate culture, employee rights and responsibilities, team-building, professional behavior, job performance, management skills, leadership and executive decision-making. We have a special dedicated training facility, JD Corporate University, to further strengthen our internal training programs. As of December 31, 2015, over 400 management trainees had undergone our dedicated management training program. We have also sponsored certain senior and mid-level management to attend part-time MBA education. In November 2013, we set up a “Go to College at Jingdong” program in collaboration with external educational and training institutions, offering tailored courses to our employees and allowing them to obtain a college degree through online education. To boost our strategy of exploring oversea markets, we also have been recruiting international management trainees from top universities in the United States.

 

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As required by regulations in China, we participate in various government statutory employee benefit plans, including social insurance funds, namely a pension contribution 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. 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. We also provide entrusted loans with commercial banks as intermediaries to qualified employees to assist them in purchasing houses and cars.

 

We enter into standard labor contracts with our employees. We also enter into standard confidentiality and non-compete agreements with our senior management. The non-compete restricted period typically expires two years after the termination of employment, and we agree to compensate the employee with a certain percentage of his or her pre-departure salary during the restricted period.

 

We believe that we maintain a good working relationship with our employees, and we have not experienced any major labor disputes.

 

E.             Share Ownership

 

The following table sets forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of February 29, 2016 by:

 

·                   each of our directors and executive officers; and

 

·                   each person known to us to own beneficially more than 5% of our total outstanding shares.

 

The calculations in the table below are based on 2,767,893,260 ordinary shares outstanding as of February 29, 2016, comprising of (i) 2,291,244,137 Class A ordinary shares, excluding the 25,863,390 Class A ordinary shares issued to our depositary bank for bulk issuance of ADSs reserved for future issuances upon the exercise or vesting of awards granted under our Share Incentive Plan, and (ii) 476,649,123 Class B ordinary shares.

 

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. In computing the number of shares beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, we have included 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 shares, however, are not included in the computation of the percentage ownership of any other person. Ordinary shares held by a shareholder are determined in accordance with our register of members.

 

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Class A
Ordinary
Shares

 

Class B
Ordinary
Shares

 

Total
Ordinary
Shares

 

%†

 

% of
Aggregate
Voting
Power††

 

Directors and Executive Officers:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

27,937,566

(1)

421,507,423

(1)

449,444,989

(1)

16.2

(1)

80.9

(2)

Martin Chiping Lau (3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ming Huang

 

*

 

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

Louis T. Hsieh (4)

 

*

 

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

David Daokui Li (5)

 

*

 

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

Haoyu Shen

 

*

 

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

Ye Lan

 

*

 

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

Rain Yu Long

 

*

 

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

Sidney Xuande Huang

 

*

 

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

Shengqiang Chen

 

*

 

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

All Directors and Executive Officers as a Group

 

38,478,411

 

421,507,423

 

459,985,834

 

16.6

 

80.9

(2)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Principal and Selling Shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Max Smart Limited (6)

 

27,937,566

 

421,507,423

 

449,444,989

 

16.2

 

71.5

 

Huang River Investment Limited (7)

 

498,850,435

 

 

498,850,435

 

18.0

 

4.2

 

Hillhouse Capital Management,  Ltd. (8)

 

245,217,184

 

 

245,217,184

 

8.9

 

2.1

 

Fortune Rising Holdings Limited (9)

 

 

55,141,700

 

55,141,700

 

2.0

 

9.3

 

 


*                  Less than 1% of our total outstanding ordinary shares.

 

**           Except for Mr. Martin Chiping Lau, Mr. Louis T. Hsieh and Mr. Daokui Li, the business address of our directors and executive officers is JD national headquarters at No. 18 Kechuang 11 Street, Yizhuang Economic and Technological Development Zone, Daxing District, Beijing 101111, P.R. China.

 

                 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 by the sum of the total number of ordinary shares outstanding, which is 2,767,893,260 on an as-converted basis as of February 29, 2016.

 

††           For each person and group included in this column, percentage of voting power is calculated by dividing the voting power beneficially owned by such person or group by the voting power of all of our Class A and Class B ordinary shares as a single class. Each holder of Class A ordinary shares is entitled to one vote per share and each holder of our Class B ordinary shares is entitled to twenty votes per share on all matters submitted to them for a vote. Our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, except as may otherwise be required by law. Our Class B ordinary shares are convertible at any time by the holder thereof into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis.

 

(1)          Represents (i) 421,507,423 Class B ordinary shares directly held by Max Smart Limited, and (ii) 13,968,783 restricted ADSs, representing 27,937,566 Class A ordinary shares, owned by Max Smart Limited. Max Smart Limited is a British Virgin Islands company beneficially owned by Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu through a trust and of which Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu is the sole director, as described in footnote (6) below. The ordinary shares beneficially owned by Mr. Liu do not include 55,141,700 Class B ordinary shares held by Fortune Rising Holdings Limited, a British Virgin Islands company, as described in footnote (9) below.

 

(2)          The aggregate voting power includes the voting power with respect to the 55,141,700 Class B ordinary shares held by Fortune Rising Holdings Limited. Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu is the sole shareholder and the sole director of Fortune Rising Holdings Limited and he may be deemed to beneficially own the voting power with respect to all of the ordinary shares held by Fortune Rising Holdings Limited in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC, notwithstanding the facts described in footnote (9) below.

 

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(3)          Mr. Lau was appointed by Huang River Investment Limited. The business address of Mr. Lau is 39/F, Tencent Building, Kejizhongyi Avenue, Hi-Tech Park, Nanshan District, Shenzhen 518057, P.R. China.

 

(4)          The business address of Mr. Hsieh is No. 6 Hai Dian Zhong Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100080, P.R. China.

 

(5)          The business address of Professor Li is School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.

 

(6)          Represents (i) 421,507,423 Class B ordinary shares directly held by Max Smart Limited and (ii) 13,968,783 restricted ADSs, representing 27,937,566 Class A ordinary shares, owned by Max Smart Limited. Max Smart Limited is a British Virgin Islands company beneficially owned by Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu through a trust and of which Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu is the sole director. The registered address of Max Smart Limited is P.O. Box 957, Offshore Incorporations Centre, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands.

 

(7)          Represents (i) 486,245,393 Class A ordinary shares held by Huang River Investment Limited, and (ii) 12,605,042 Class A ordinary shares in the form of ADSs purchased by Huang River Investment Limited or its affiliate in our public follow-on offering in December 2014. Huang River Investment Limited is a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, and is wholly owned by Tencent Holdings Limited, a company listed on Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The registered address of Huang River Investment Limited is P.O. Box 957, Offshore Incorporations Centre, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands.

 

(8)          Based on a Schedule 13G/A filed on February 16, 2016 by Hillhouse Capital Management, Ltd., or Hillhouse Capital, an exempted Cayman Islands company, with respect to the Class A ordinary shares held by Gaoling Fund, L.P. and YHG Investment, L.P. As the sole management company of Gaoling Fund, L.P. and sole general partner of YHG Investment, L.P., Hillhouse Capital is deemed to be the sole beneficial owner of, and to solely control the voting power of, the Class A ordinary shares held by Gaoling Fund, L.P. and YHG Investment, L.P. Through share ownership and as the President and Chief Investment Officer of Hillhouse Capital, Mr. Lei Zhang may be deemed to have controlling power over Hillhouse Capital. Mr. Zhang disclaims beneficial ownership of all the Class A ordinary shares owned or controlled by Hillhouse Capital except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein. The address of the business office of Hillhouse Capital is Suite 1608, One Exchange Square, 8 Connaught Place, Hong Kong.

 

(9)          Represents 55,141,700 Class B ordinary shares held by Fortune Rising Holdings Limited. Fortune Rising Holdings Limited holds these Class B ordinary shares for the purpose of transferring such shares to the plan participants according to our awards under our Share Incentive Plan, and administers the awards and acts according to our instruction, and is therefore treated as our consolidated variable interest entity under U.S. GAAP. Fortune Rising Holdings Limited exercises the voting power with respect to these shares according to our instruction. Fortune Rising Holdings Limited is a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu is the sole shareholder and the sole director of Fortune Rising Holdings Limited. The registered address of Fortune Rising Holdings Limited is P.O. Box 957, Offshore Incorporations Centre, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands

 

To our knowledge, as of February 29, 2016, a total of 1,817,092,527 class A ordinary shares were held by four record holders in the United States, representing approximately 65.6% of our total outstanding shares on an as-converted basis. One of these holders is Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, the depositary of our ADS program, which held 1,817,092,524 Class A ordinary shares on record (including the 25,863,390 Class A ordinary shares issued to it for bulk issuance of ADSs reserved for future issuances upon the exercise or vesting of awards granted under our Share Incentive Plan), representing approximately 65.6% of our total outstanding shares on record as of February 29, 2016. None of our outstanding Class B ordinary shares were held by record holders in the United States as of February 29, 2016. The number of beneficial owners of our ADSs in the United States is likely to be much larger than the number of record holders of our ordinary shares in the United States.

 

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Our ordinary shares are divided into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Holders of Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote per share, while holders of Class B ordinary shares are entitled to twenty votes per share. Holders of Class A and Class B ordinary shares vote together as one class on all matters subject to a shareholders’ vote. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof, while Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstance. See “Item 10.B. Additional Information—Memorandum and Articles of Association” for a more detailed description of our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares.

 

Except for the above, we are not aware of any arrangement that may, at a subsequent date, result in a change of control of our company.

 

Item 7.                    Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions

 

A.             Major Shareholders

 

Please refer to “Item 6.E. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—Share Ownership.”

 

B.             Related Party Transactions

 

Contractual Arrangements with Our Variable Interest Entities and Their Shareholders

 

PRC laws and regulations currently limit foreign ownership of companies that engage in businesses such as value-added telecommunications service business, the distribution of media products and the provision of air freight transport agency services in China. Due to these restrictions, we operate our relevant business through contractual arrangements with our variable interest entities. For a description of these contractual arrangements, see “Item 4.C. Information on the Company—Organizational Structure.”

 

Agreements and Business Cooperation with Tencent

 

Strategic Cooperation Agreement .    On March 10, 2014, we entered into a strategic cooperation agreement and formed a strategic partnership with Tencent. As part of the strategic partnership, Tencent agreed to offer us prominent level 1 access points in its mobile applications Weixin and Mobile QQ and provide internet traffic and other support from other key platforms to us. The two parties agreed to cooperate in a number of areas including mobile-related products, social networking services, membership systems and payment solutions. The strategic cooperation agreement has a term of five years and applies within the territory of the Greater China. Under the strategic cooperation agreement, we are Tencent’s preferred partner for all physical goods e-commerce businesses, and Tencent agrees not to engage in any direct sales or managed marketplace business model in physical goods e-commerce businesses in the Greater China and a few selected international markets for a period of eight years, other than through its controlled affiliate Shanghai Icson.

 

Share Purchase Agreement .    In connection with the strategic cooperation agreement, we also entered into a share purchase agreement with Tencent and Huang River Investment Limited on March 10, 2014. Pursuant to the agreement, we issued a total of 351,678,637 ordinary shares to Huang River Investment Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tencent, representing 15% of our total issued and outstanding shares as of the closing of the transaction, calculated on a fully diluted basis under the treasury method. Huang River Investment Limited has agreed not to sell or transfer any of our shares it acquired in this transaction during the three-year period commencing from March 10, 2014, subject to limited exceptions.

 

Share Subscription Agreement .    We entered into a share subscription agreement with Tencent and Huang River Investment Limited on March 10, 2014. Huang River Investment Limited agreed to purchase a number of Class A ordinary shares from us at the per share equivalent of the price to the public in our initial public offering that represents 5% of our total issued and outstanding share capital on a fully diluted basis immediately following the completion of our initial public offering (including an option to further subscribe if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional securities is exercised). Pursuant to the agreement, we issued a total of 139,493,960 Class A ordinary shares to Huang River Investment Limited in a private placement concurrent with our initial public offering in May 2014. Huang River Investment Limited has agreed not to sell or transfer any of our shares it acquired in the concurrent private placement during the three-year period commencing from March 10, 2014, subject to limited exceptions.

 

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Business Cooperation with Tencent .    Huang River Investment Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tencent, has been a principal shareholder of us since March 2014. In 2014, we generated a total amount of RMB95.3 million (US$14.7 million) commission services revenues from cooperation on advertising business with Tencent, and also purchased a total amount of RMB88.1 million (US$13.6 million) advertising resources from Tencent and also generated a total amount of RMB0.3 million (US$46.3 thousand) commission services revenues from online marketplace services provided to Tencent. In 2015, we generated a total amount of RMB139.6 million (US$21.6 million) commission services revenues from cooperation on advertising business with Tencent, and also purchased a total amount of RMB195.8 million (US$30.2 million) advertising resources from Tencent and also generated a total amount of RMB0.1 million (US$17.2 thousand) commission services revenues from online marketplace services provided to Tencent. As of December 31, 2015, we had a total amount of RMB520.1 million (US$80.3 million) due from Tencent and a total amount of RMB77.9 million (US$12.0 million) due to Tencent.

 

Shareholders Agreements and Registration Rights

 

We entered into our thirteenth amended and restated shareholders agreement on March 10, 2014 with the then-existing shareholders. Pursuant to this shareholders agreement, Huang River Investment Limited is entitled to appoint one director so long as it holds in aggregate 80% of the aggregate number of shares it acquired in March 2014 plus the shares acquired concurrently with our initial public offering. Huang River Investment Limited’s right to appoint one director will terminate upon the earlier of March 10, 2017 and the date on which Huang River Investment Limited holds less than 75% of the aggregate of the number of shares it acquired in March 2014 plus the shares acquired concurrently with our initial public offering in May 2014.

 

Pursuant to our thirteenth amended and restated shareholders agreement, we have granted certain registration rights to holders of our registrable securities, which include our ordinary shares issued or issuable pursuant to conversion of our preferred shares, except those held by Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu, Max Smart Limited and Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu’s associate as defined in the agreement. Set forth below is a description of the registration rights granted under the agreement.

 

Demand Registration Rights .    At any time after six months following the completion of our initial public offering in May 2014, holders of at least 15% of our outstanding registrable securities have the right to demand that we file a registration statement covering the registration of more than 10% of the total registrable securities then outstanding or the registration of the registrable securities with anticipated aggregate gross proceeds in excess of US$20 million. We, however, are not obligated to effect a demand registration if we have already effected a registration within six months preceding the date of such request or if we have effected three demand registrations. We have the right to defer filing of a registration statement for a period of not more than 90 days after the receipt of the request of the initiating holders if our board of directors determines in good faith that filing of a registration will be materially detrimental to us and our shareholders, but we cannot exercise the deferral right more than once in any 12-month period and cannot register any securities during such 12-month period. Further, if the registrable securities are offered by means of an underwriting and the underwriter advises us in writing that marketing factors require a limitation of the number of securities to be underwritten, a maximum of 75% of such registrable securities may be reduced as required by the underwriters and the number of the registrable securities will be allocated among the holders on a pro rata basis according to the number of registrable securities then outstanding held by each holder requesting registration, provided that in no event may any registrable securities be excluded from such underwriting unless all other securities are first excluded.

 

Piggyback Registration Rights .    If we propose to file a registration statement for a public offering of our securities other than relating to any employee benefit plan or a corporate reorganization, we must offer holders of our registrable securities an opportunity to include in the registration all or any part of their registrable securities. If the managing underwriters of any underwritten offering determine in good faith that marketing factors require a limitation of the number of shares to be underwritten, the managing underwriters may decide to exclude shares from the registration and the underwriting and to allocate the number of securities first to us and second to each of holders requesting for the inclusion of their registrable securities on a pro rata basis based on the total number of registrable securities held by each such holder and third, to holders of other securities of our company, provided that (1) in no event may any registrable securities be excluded from such offering unless all other securities are first excluded, and (2) in no event may the amount of securities of selling holders of registrable securities be reduced below 25% of the aggregate number of registrable securities requested to be included in such offering.

 

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Form F-3 Registration Rights .    Holders of at least 15% of our outstanding registrable securities have the right to request that we effect registration statements on Form F-3 at any time after our initial public offering. We, however, are not obligated to effect such registration if, among other things, (1) Form F-3 is not available for such offering by the holders of registrable securities, (2) the aggregate anticipated price of such offering is less than US$5 million, (3) we have effected a registration within the six-month period preceding the date of such request for Form F-3 registration and (4) we have effected at least three Form F-3 registrations in any 12-month period. We have the right to defer filing of a Form F-3 registration statement for a period of not more than 90 days after the receipt of the request of relevant holders if our board of directors determines in good faith that filing of such registration will be materially detrimental to us and our shareholders, but we cannot exercise the deferral right more than once in any 12-month period and cannot register any other securities during such 90-day period.

 

Expenses of Registration .    We will bear all registration expenses, other than underwriting discounts and selling commissions incurred in connection with any demand, piggyback or F-3 registration, except each holder that exercised its demand, piggyback or F-3 registration rights will bear such holder’s proportionate share (based on the total number of shares sold in such registration other than for our account) of all underwriting discounts and selling commissions or other amounts payable to underwriters or brokers. We are also not required to pay for any expenses of any registration proceeding begun in response to holders’ exercise of their demand registration rights if the registration request is subsequently withdrawn at the request of the holders of a majority of the registrable securities to be registered, subject to a few exceptions.

 

Termination of Obligations .    We have no obligation to effect any demand, piggyback or Form F-3 registration upon the earlier of (i) the second anniversary after the completion of our initial public offering; and (ii) as to any registrable security holder, at such time as all registrable securities owned by such holder may be sold in any 90-day period without registration pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act, except that Huang River Investment Limited has the right to demand on one occasion registration of its shares during the two-year period following March 10, 2017.

 

Transactions with our Equity Investees

 

Business Transactions with Shanghai Icson and its subsidiaries, or Shanghai Icson Group.     As part of our transactions with Tencent in March 2014, we acquired a 9.9% stake in Shanghai Icson. In 2014 and 2015, we provided service and sold goods in a total amount of RMB164.8 million and RMB6.3 thousand (US$1.0 thousand), respectively, to Shanghai Icson Group, and in the same period, we also had purchases and received services from Shanghai Icson Group in a total amount of RMB104.0 million and RMB168.9 million (US$26.1 million), respectively. As of December 31, 2015, we had a total amount of RMB105.2 million (US$16.2 million) due from Shanghai Icson Group.

 

Goods Sold to Staging Finance Holding Ltd. and its subsidiaries, or Staging Finance Group.   Staging Finance Group is an equity investee of us. In 2015, we sold goods to Staging Finance Group in a total amount of RMB1.0 billion (US$156.9 million). As of December 31, 2015, we had a total amount of RMB183.3 million (US$28.3 million) due from Staging Finance Group.

 

Services Provided and Goods Sold to China Business Infinite Co., Ltd. and its subsidiaries , or Business Infinite Group.   Business Infinite Group is an equity investee of us. In 2015, we provided services and sold goods to Business Infinite Group in a total amount of RMB112.5 million (US$17.4 million). As of December 31, 2015, we had a total amount of RMB6.2 million (US$1.0 million) due to Business Infinite Group, representing advances from this customer.

 

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Traffic support, marketing and promotion services Provided to Bitauto and its subsidiaries, or Bitauto Group.  Bitauto Group is an equity investee of us. In February 2015, we invested a combination of US$400 million in cash and certain resources valued at US$497 million as consideration for the newly issued ordinary shares of Bitauto. On the completion date of the transaction, the traffic support, marketing and promotion services to be provided to Bitauto which had a fair value of US$497 million were recorded as deferred revenue and would be recognized as other revenue over the cooperation period of five years on a straight line basis starting from April 2015. In 2015, other revenue in the amount of RMB455.2 million (US$70.3 million) had been recognized. As of December 31, 2015, we had a total amount of RMB2,755.2 million (US$425.3 million) deferred revenue in relation to traffic support, marketing and promotion services to be provided to Bitauto Group. As of December 31, 2015, we had an amount of RMB0.3 million (US$48.0 thousand) due to Bitauto Group, representing the amount that we collected from customers on behalf of Bitauto Group but had not been transferred to it at the time.

 

Traffic support, marketing and promotion services Provided to Tuniu and its subsidiaries, or Tuniu Group.   Tuniu Group is an equity investee of us. In May 2015, we invested in Tuniu with a combination of US$250 million in cash and certain resources valued at US$108 million as consideration for the newly issued ordinary shares of Tuniu. On the completion date of the transaction, the traffic support, marketing and promotion services to be provided to Tuniu which had a fair value of US$108 million were recorded as deferred revenue and would be recognized as other revenue over the cooperation period of five years on a straight line basis starting from August 2015. In 2015, other revenue in the amount of RMB51.1 million (US$7.9 million) had been recognized. As of December 31, 2015, we had a total amount of RMB649.0 million (US$100.2 million) deferred revenue in relation to traffic support, marketing and promotion services to be provided to Tuniu Group. As of December 31, 2015, we had an amount of RMB0.7 million (US$0.1 million) due to Tuniu Group, representing the amount that we collected from customers on behalf of Tuniu Group but had not been transferred to it at the time.

 

Our transactions with equity investees other than those discussed above were insignificant, individually or in the aggregate, in each of the past three fiscal years.

 

Employment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements

 

See “Item 6.B. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—Compensation.”

 

Share Incentives

 

See “Item 6.B. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—Compensation.”

 

C.                                     Interests of Experts and Counsel

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 8.                    Financial Information

 

A.                                     Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information

 

We have appended consolidated financial statements filed as part of this annual report.

 

Legal Proceedings

 

From time to time, we may be involved in legal proceedings in the ordinary course of our business. We are currently not a party to any material legal or administrative proceedings.

 

Dividend Policy

 

Our board of directors has complete discretion on whether to distribute dividends subject to our memorandum and articles of association and certain restrictions under Cayman Islands law. Our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare dividends, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our directors. 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 not declared or paid any dividends on our ordinary shares, nor do we have any present plan to pay any cash dividends on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to operate and expand our business.

 

We are a holding company registered by way of continuation under the laws of 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 “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—We may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, and any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material and adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.”

 

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If we pay any dividends, we will pay 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. Cash dividends on our ordinary shares, if any, will be paid in U.S. dollars.

 

B.                                     Significant Changes

 

Except as disclosed elsewhere in this annual report, we have not experienced any significant changes since the date of our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report.

 

Item 9.                    The Offer and Listing

 

A.                                     Offering and Listing Details

 

Our ADSs, each representing two of our Class A ordinary shares, have been listed on NASDAQ since May 22, 2014. Our ADSs trade under the symbol “JD.” The following table provides the high and low trading prices for our ADSs on NASDAQ since the date of our initial public offering.

 

 

 

Trading Price

 

 

 

High

 

Low

 

Annual Highs and Lows

 

 

 

 

 

2014 (Since May 22, 2014)

 

33.10

 

19.94

 

2015

 

38.00

 

21.55

 

Quarterly Highs and Lows

 

 

 

 

 

Second Quarter 2014 (Since May 22, 2014)

 

29.60

 

19.94

 

Third Quarter 2014

 

33.10

 

25.28

 

Fourth Quarter 2014

 

28.40

 

21.78

 

First Quarter 2015

 

30.60

 

22.96

 

Second Quarter 2015

 

38.00

 

29.01

 

Third Quarter 2015

 

35.56

 

21.55

 

Fourth Quarter 2015

 

33.48

 

25.10

 

Monthly Highs and Lows

 

 

 

 

 

October 2015

 

29.40

 

25.10

 

November 2015

 

31.18

 

26.53

 

December 2015

 

33.48

 

30.03

 

January 2016

 

30.66

 

24.97

 

February 2016

 

26.47

 

22.14

 

March 2016

 

28.25

 

25.21

 

April 2016 (through April 15, 2016)

 

30.01

 

26.09

 

 

B.                                     Plan of Distribution

 

Not applicable.

 

C.                                     Markets

 

Our ADSs have been listed on NASDAQ since May 22, 2014 under the symbol “JD.”

 

D.                                     Selling Shareholders

 

Not applicable.

 

E.                                     Dilution

 

Not applicable.

 

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F.                                      Expenses of the Issue

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 10.                  Additional Information

 

A.                                     Share Capital

 

Not applicable.

 

B.                                     Memorandum and Articles of Association

 

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 (2013 Revision) of the Cayman Islands, which is referred to as the Companies Law below, and the common law of the Cayman Islands.

 

The following are summaries of material provisions of our current amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that became effective immediately prior to the completion of our initial public offering in May 2014, insofar as they relate to the material terms of our ordinary shares.

 

Registered Office and Objects

 

Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at the offices of Maples Corporate Services Limited at PO Box 309, Ugland House, Grand Cayman, KY1-1104, Cayman Islands, or at such other location within the Cayman Islands as our board of directors may from time to time decide. The objects for which our company is established are unrestricted and we have full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the Companies Law, as amended from time to time, or any other law of the Cayman Islands.

 

Board of Directors

 

See “Item 6.C. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—Board Practices.”

 

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. Our company will issue only non-negotiable shares, and will not issue bearer or negotiable shares.

 

Ordinary Shares .    Our ordinary shares are divided into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares will have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. Our ordinary shares are issued in registered form. Our shareholders who are non-residents of the Cayman Islands may freely hold and vote their shares.

 

Conversion .    Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon (i) any transfer of Class B ordinary shares or the voting power attached to Class B ordinary shares by a holder thereof to any person or entity that is not an Affiliate (as defined in our memorandum and articles of association) of such holder, or (ii) the transfer of a majority of the issued and outstanding voting securities or the voting power attached to such voting securities or the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of a holder of Class B ordinary shares that is an entity to any person or entity that is not an Affiliate of such holder, such Class B ordinary shares will be automatically and immediately converted into an equal number of Class A ordinary shares. All Class B ordinary shares will be automatically and immediately converted into an equal number of Class A ordinary shares when Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu ceases to be a director and the chief executive officer of our company, or in some other specified situations.

 

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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, dividends may be declared and paid only out of funds legally available therefor, namely out of either profit or our share premium account, and provided further that a dividend may not be paid if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. Dividends received by each Class B ordinary share and Class A ordinary share in any dividend distribution shall be the same.

 

Voting Rights .    Our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, except as may otherwise be required by law or provided for in our memorandum and articles of association. In respect of matters requiring shareholders’ vote, each Class A ordinary share is entitled to one vote, and each Class B ordinary share is entitled to twenty votes. Voting at any shareholders’ meeting is by show of hands unless a poll is demanded. A poll may be demanded by the chairman of such meeting or any shareholder holding not less than 10% of the votes of the outstanding voting shares in our company present in person or by proxy.

 

A quorum required for a meeting of shareholders consists of one or more shareholders present and holding shares which represent, in aggregate, not less than one-third of the votes attaching to the issued and outstanding voting shares in our company entitled to vote at general meeting. Shareholders may be present in person or by proxy or, if the shareholder is a legal entity, by its duly authorized representative. Shareholders’ meetings may be convened by our board of directors on its own initiative or by our chairman or upon a request to the directors by one or more shareholders holding shares which represent, in aggregate, no less than one-third of the votes attaching to our voting share capital. Advance notice of at least seven days is required for the convening of our annual general shareholders’ meeting and any other general shareholders’ meeting.

 

An ordinary resolution to be passed by the shareholders requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the votes cast by those shareholders entitled to vote who are present in person or by proxy at a general meeting. Holders of the ordinary shares may, among other things, divide or consolidate their shares by ordinary resolution. A special resolution requires the affirmative vote of no less than two-thirds of the votes cast by those shareholders entitled to vote who are present in person or by proxy at a general meeting. A special resolution will be required for important matters such as a change of name or making changes to our memorandum and articles of association. Both ordinary resolutions and special resolutions 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 memorandum and articles of association.

 

Under our memorandum and articles of association, so long as the total issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares constitute a majority of our aggregate voting rights and a majority of the total issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares are held by the persons (exclusive of Max Smart Limited, Fortune Rising Holdings Limited, Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu and their Affiliates) that were our shareholders immediately prior to the completion of our initial public offering, any amendments to our memorandum and articles of association and certain related party transactions between Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu or any of his immediate family members or Affiliates, on one hand, and us on the other hand, require approval by both (i) holders of a majority of the total issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares (exclusive of Max Smart Limited, Fortune Rising Holdings Limited, Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu and their Affiliates) and (ii) holders of a majority of our aggregate voting rights.

 

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 will be distributed among our shareholders 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.

 

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 shares. The shares that have been called upon and remain unpaid are subject to forfeiture.

 

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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 thereof, on such terms and in such manner as may be determined, before the issue of such shares, by our board of directors 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 our 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 .    The rights attached to any class or series of shares (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class or series), whether or not our company is being wound-up, may only be varied with the consent in writing of the holders of a majority of the issued shares of that class or series or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the shares of that class or series.

 

Anti-Takeover Provisions .    Some provisions of our 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:

 

·                   authorize 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; and

 

·                   limit the ability of shareholders to requisition and convene general meetings of shareholders.

 

However, under Cayman Islands law, our directors may only exercise the rights and powers granted to them under our 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.

 

General Meetings of Shareholders and Shareholder Proposals .    Our shareholders’ general meetings may be held in such place within or outside the Cayman Islands as our board of directors considers appropriate.

 

As a Cayman Islands exempted company, we are not obliged by the Companies Law to call shareholders’ annual general meetings. Our 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.

 

Shareholders’ annual general meetings and any other general meetings of our shareholders may be convened by a majority of our board of directors or our chairman. Our board of directors shall give not less than seven days’ written notice of a shareholders’ meeting to those persons whose names appear as members in our register of members on the date the notice is given (or on any other date determined by our directors to be the record date for such meeting) and who are entitled to vote at the meeting.

 

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 memorandum and articles of association allow one or more of our shareholders holding shares representing in 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 our 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 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.

 

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Limitations on the Right to Own Shares .    There are no limitations on the right to own our shares.

 

Transfer of Shares .    Any of our shareholders may transfer all or any of his or her ordinary shares by an instrument of transfer in the usual or common form or any other form approved by our board of directors.

 

However, our board of directors may, in its absolute discretion, decline to register any transfer of any ordinary share which is not fully paid up or on which our company has a lien. Our board of directors may also decline to register any transfer of any ordinary share unless:

 

·                   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;

 

·                   the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of shares;

 

·                   the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required;

 

·                   the ordinary shares transferred are free of any lien in favor of us;

 

·                   any fee related to the transfer has been paid to us; or

 

·                   in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the transfer is not to more than four joint holders.

 

If our directors refuse to register a transfer they are required, within three months after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged, to send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of such refusal.

 

Directors’ Power to Issue Shares .    Our memorandum and articles of association authorize our board of directors to issue additional ordinary shares from time to time as our board of directors shall determine, to the extent of available authorized but unissued shares.

 

Our memorandum and articles of association also authorize our board of directors to establish from time to time one or more series of preference shares and to determine, with respect to any series of preference shares, the terms and rights of that series, including:

 

·                   the designation of the series;

 

·                   the number of shares of the series;

 

·                   the dividend rights, dividend rates, conversion rights, voting rights; and

 

·                   the rights and terms of redemption and liquidation preferences.

 

Our board of directors may issue preference shares without action by our shareholders to the extent of available authorized but unissued shares. Issuance of these shares may dilute the voting power of holders of ordinary shares.

 

Exempted Company .    We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Law. The Companies Law in the Cayman Islands distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the 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 for the exemptions and privileges listed below:

 

·                   an exempted company does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies;

 

·                   an exempted company’s register of members is not required to be open to inspection;

 

·                   an exempted company does not have to hold an annual general meeting;

 

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·                   an exempted company may issue no par value, negotiable or bearer shares;

 

·                   an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 20 years in the first instance);

 

·                   an exempted company may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands;

 

·                   an exempted company may register as a limited duration company; and

 

·                   an exempted company may register as a segregated portfolio company.

 

“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on that shareholder’s 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). We are subject to reporting and other informational requirements of the Exchange Act, as applicable to foreign private issuers. Except as otherwise disclosed in this annual report, we currently intend to comply with the NASDAQ rules in lieu of following home country practice.

 

Register of Members .    Under the Companies Law, we must keep a register of members and there should be entered therein:

 

·                   the names and addresses of our members, a statement of the shares held by each member, and of the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member;

 

·                   the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and

 

·                   the date on which any person ceased to be a member.

 

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.

 

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.

 

C.                                     Material Contracts

 

We have not entered into any material contracts other than in the ordinary course of business and other than those described in “Item 4. Information on the Company,” “Item 7.B. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—Related Party Transactions,” or elsewhere in this annual report on Form 20-F.

 

D.                                     Exchange Controls

 

See “Item 4.B. Information on the Company—Business Overview—Regulation—Regulations Relating to Foreign Exchange.”

 

E.                                     Taxation

 

The following summary of the principal 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 annual report, 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, the People’s Republic of China and the United States.

 

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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 which are applicable to any payments made by or to our company. There are no exchange control regulations or currency restrictions in the Cayman Islands.

 

There is no income tax treaty or convention currently in effect between the United States and the Cayman Islands.

 

People’s Republic of China Taxation

 

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with “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 and overall management over the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. In 2009, the State Administration of Taxation 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, the criteria set forth in the circular may reflect the State Administration of Taxation’s general position on how the “de facto management body” text 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 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 that none of JD.com, Inc. and its subsidiaries outside of China is a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. JD.com, Inc. is not controlled by a PRC enterprise or PRC enterprise group and we do not believe that JD.com, Inc. meets all of the conditions above. JD.com, Inc. is a company incorporated outside the PRC. As a holding company, its key assets are its ownership interests in its subsidiaries, and its key assets are located, and its records (including the resolutions of its board of directors and the resolutions of its shareholders) are maintained, outside the PRC. For the same reasons, we believe our other subsidiaries outside of China are not PRC resident enterprises either. 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.”

 

If the PRC tax authorities determine that JD.com, Inc. is a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, we may be required to withhold a 10% withholding tax from dividends we pay to our shareholders that are non-resident enterprises, including the holders of our ADSs. In addition, non-resident enterprise shareholders (including our ADS holders) may be subject to a 10% PRC withholding tax on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares, if such income is treated as sourced from within the PRC. In addition, gains derived by our non-PRC individual shareholders from the sale of our shares and ADSs may be subject to a 20% PRC withholding tax. It is unclear whether our non-PRC individual shareholders (including our ADS holders) would be subject to any PRC tax on dividends obtained by such non-PRC individual shareholders in the event we are determined to be a PRC resident enterprise. If any PRC tax were to apply to dividends realized by non-PRC individuals, it would generally apply at a rate of 20% unless a reduced rate is available under an applicable tax treaty. However, it is also unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of JD.com, Inc. would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that JD.com, Inc. is treated as a PRC resident enterprise.

 

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Provided that our Cayman Islands holding company, JD.com, Inc., is not deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise, holders of our ADSs and ordinary shares who are not PRC residents will not be subject to PRC income tax on dividends distributed by us or gains realized from the sale or other disposition of our shares or ADSs. SAT Circular 7 further clarifies that, if a non-resident enterprise derives income by acquiring and selling shares in an offshore listed enterprise in the public market, such income will not be subject to PRC tax. However, there is uncertainty as to the application of SAT Circular 698 and SAT Circular 7, we and our non-PRC resident investors may be at risk of being required to file a return and being taxed under SAT Circular 698 and SAT Circular 7 and we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with SAT Circular 698 and SAT Circular 7 or to establish that we should not be taxed under SAT Circular 698 and SAT Circular 7. See “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—We face uncertainties with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises by their non-PRC holding companies, and heightened scrutiny over acquisition transactions by the PRC tax authorities may have a negative impact on potential acquisitions we may pursue in the future.”

 

United States Federal Income Tax Considerations

 

The following discussion is a summary of United States federal income tax considerations relating to the ownership and disposition of our ADSs or ordinary shares by a U.S. Holder (as defined below) that hold our ADSs or ordinary shares as “capital assets” (generally, property held for investment) under the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). This discussion is based upon existing United States federal tax law, which is subject to differing interpretations or change, possibly with retroactive effect. This discussion does not address all aspects of United States 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, traders in securities that elect mark-to-market treatment, partnerships and their partners, tax-exempt organizations (including private foundations), investors who are not U.S. Holders, investors 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 United States federal income tax purposes, or investors that have a functional currency other than the United States dollar), all of whom may be subject to tax rules that differ significantly from those summarized below.

 

In addition, this discussion does not address any state, local or non-United States tax considerations (other than the discussion below relating to certain withholding rules and the United States—PRC income tax treaty). Each U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisor regarding the United States federal, state, local, and non-United States income and other tax considerations of an investment in ADSs or ordinary shares.

 

General

 

For purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. Holder” is a beneficial owner of our ADSs or ordinary shares that is, for United States federal income tax purposes, (i) an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States, (ii) a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes) created in, or organized under the law of, the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia, (iii) an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for United States 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 United States court and which has one or more United States persons who have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (B) that has otherwise elected to be treated as a United States person under the Code.

 

If a partnership (or other entity treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes) owns our ADSs or ordinary shares, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships holding our ADSs or ordinary shares and their partners are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding an investment in our ADSs or ordinary shares.

 

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Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations

 

A non-United States corporation, such as our company, will be classified as a “passive foreign investment company,” or PFIC, for United States 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. For this purpose, cash is categorized as a passive asset and the company’s unbooked intangibles associated with active business activity are taken into account as a non-passive asset. The average percentage of a corporation’s assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income generally is determined on the basis of the fair market value of the corporation’s assets at the end of each quarter. This determination is based on the adjusted tax basis of the corporation’s assets, however, if the corporation is a controlled foreign corporation, or CFC, that is not a publicly traded corporation for the taxable year. We would be treated as a CFC for any year on any day in which U.S. Holders each own (directly, indirectly or by attribution) at least 10% of our voting shares and together own more than 50% of the total combined voting power of all classes of our voting shares or more than 50% of the total value of all of our shares. If we are treated as a CFC for United States federal income tax purposes for any portion of our taxable year ended December 31, 2015, we would likely be classified as a PFIC for that year. The CFC determination involves a highly complex and technical factual analysis and, in certain cases such as our own, potentially cannot be made with complete certainty. However, although no assurances can be made in this regard, based on our shareholder composition during the taxable year ended December 31, 2015, we believe that we were not a CFC for any portion of such taxable year.

 

In addition, we will be treated as owning a proportionate share of the assets and earning a proportionate share of the income of any other corporation in which we own, directly or indirectly, more than 25% (by value) of the stock. Although the law in this regard is unclear, we treat our VIEs as being owned by us for United States federal income tax purposes because we control their management decisions and we are entitled to substantially all of the economic benefits associated with these entities, and, as a result, we consolidate their results of operations in our U.S. GAAP financial statements and treat them as being owned by us for United States federal income tax purposes. If it were determined, however, that that we are not the owner of our VIEs for United States federal income tax purposes, we may be treated as a PFIC for our taxable year ended December 31, 2015 and in future taxable years.

 

Subject to the foregoing uncertainties, based on our current income and assets and the value of our ADSs and outstanding ordinary shares, we do not expect to be classified as a PFIC for our taxable year ended December 31, 2015 or in the foreseeable future. While we do not anticipate becoming a PFIC, changes in the nature of our income or assets, or fluctuations in the market price of our ADSs or ordinary shares, may cause us to become a PFIC for future taxable years. In estimating the value of our goodwill and other unbooked intangibles, we have taken into account market capitalization, which may fluctuate over time. Among other factors, if our market capitalization subsequently declines, we may be or become classified as a PFIC for the current or future taxable years. Under circumstances where revenues from activities that produce passive income significantly increase relative to our revenues from activities that produce non-passive income or where we determine not to deploy significant amounts of cash for working capital or other purposes, our risk of becoming classified as a PFIC may substantially increase.

 

If we are classified as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or ordinary shares, the PFIC tax rules discussed below under “—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules” generally will apply to such U.S. Holder for such taxable year and, unless the U.S. Holder makes certain elections, will apply in future years even if we cease to be a PFIC. The discussion below under “—Dividends” and “—Sale or Other Disposition of ADSs or Ordinary Shares” assumes that we will not be classified as a PFIC for United States federal income tax purposes.

 

Dividends

 

Any cash distributions (including any 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 United States federal income tax principles, will generally be includible in the gross income of a U.S. Holder as dividend income on the day actually or constructively received by the U.S. Holder, 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 on the basis of United States federal income tax principles, any distribution we pay will generally be treated as a “dividend” for United States 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.

 

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A non-corporate recipient will be subject to tax at the lower capital gain tax rate applicable to “qualified dividend income” on dividends paid on our ADSs, provided that certain conditions are satisfied, including that (1) our ADSs are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States, or, in the event that we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise under the PRC tax law, we are eligible for the benefit of the United States-PRC income tax treaty (the “Treaty”), (2) we are neither a passive foreign investment company 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. Because we do not expect that our ordinary shares will be listed on an established securities market, we do not believe that dividends we pay on our ordinary shares that are not represented by ADSs will meet the conditions required for such reduced tax rates, unless we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise (as described above). In the event that we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, a U.S. Holder may be subject to PRC taxes on dividends paid on our ADSs or ordinary shares. We may, however, be eligible for the benefits of the United States-PRC income tax treaty. If we are eligible for such benefits, dividends we pay on our ordinary shares, regardless of whether such shares are represented by the ADSs, would be eligible for the reduced rates of taxation described in the preceding paragraph.

 

For United States foreign tax credit purposes, dividends generally will be treated as income from foreign sources and generally will constitute passive category income. A U.S. Holder may be eligible, subject to a number of complex limitations, to claim a foreign tax credit not in excess of any applicable treaty rate in respect of any foreign withholding taxes imposed on dividends received on our ADSs or ordinary shares. A U.S. Holder who does not elect to claim a foreign tax credit for foreign tax withheld may instead claim a deduction, for United States federal income tax purposes, in respect of such withholding, but only for a year in which such holder elects to do so for all creditable foreign income taxes. The rules governing the foreign tax credit are complex. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the availability of the foreign tax credit under their particular circumstances.

 

Sale or Other Disposition of ADSs or Ordinary Shares

 

A U.S. Holder will generally recognize capital gain or loss upon the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized upon the sale or other disposition and the holder’s adjusted tax basis in such ADSs or ordinary shares. Any capital gain or loss will be long-term if the ADSs or ordinary shares have been held for more than one year and will generally be United States-source gain or loss for United States foreign tax credit purposes. However, in the event that gain from the disposition of the ADSs or ordinary shares is subject to tax in the PRC because we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise, a U.S. Holder may be able to elect to treat such gain as PRC-source gain. The deductibility of a capital loss may be subject to limitations. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors 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 their particular circumstances.

 

Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules

 

If we are classified as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or ordinary shares, and unless the U.S. Holder makes a “mark-to-market” election (as described below), the U.S. Holder will generally be subject to special tax rules that have a penalizing effect, regardless of whether we remain a PFIC, on (i) any excess distribution that we make to the U.S. Holder (which generally means any distribution paid during a taxable year to a U.S. Holder that is greater than 125% of the average annual distributions paid in the three preceding taxable years or, if shorter, the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the ADSs or ordinary shares), and (ii) any gain realized on the sale or other disposition, including a pledge, of ADSs or ordinary shares. Under the PFIC rules:

 

·                   the excess distribution or gain will be allocated ratably over the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the ADSs or ordinary shares;

 

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·                   amounts allocated to the current taxable year and any taxable years in a U.S. Holder’s holding period prior to the first taxable year in which we are classified as a PFIC (a “pre-PFIC year”) will be taxable as ordinary income; and

 

·                   amounts allocated to each prior taxable year, other than the current taxable year or a pre-PFIC year, will be subject to tax at the highest tax rate in effect applicable to such U.S. Holder for that year, and such amounts will be increased by an additional tax equal to interest on the resulting tax deemed deferred with respect to such years.

 

If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or ordinary shares and any of our subsidiaries is also a PFIC, such U.S. Holder would be treated as owning a proportionate amount (by value) of the shares of the lower-tier PFIC for purposes of the application of these rules. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to any of our subsidiaries.

 

As an alternative to the foregoing rules, a U.S. Holder of “marketable stock” in a PFIC may make a mark-to-market election with respect to our ADSs, but not our ordinary shares, provided that our ADSs remained listed on NASDAQ and that the ADSs are regularly traded. We anticipate that our ADSs should qualify as being regularly traded, but no assurances may be given in this regard. If a U.S. Holder makes this election, the holder will generally (i) include as ordinary income for each taxable year that we are a PFIC the excess, if any, of the fair market value of ADSs held at the end of the taxable year over the adjusted tax basis of such ADSs and (ii) deduct as an ordinary loss the excess, if any, of the adjusted tax basis of the ADSs over the fair market value of such ADSs held at the end of the taxable year, but such deduction will only be allowed to the extent of the amount previously included in income as a result of the mark-to-market election. The U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in the ADSs would be adjusted to reflect any income or loss resulting from the mark-to-market election. If a U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election in respect of our ADSs and we cease to be a PFIC, the holder will not be required to take into account the gain or loss described above during any period that we are not classified as a PFIC. If a U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election, any gain such U.S. Holder recognizes upon the sale or other disposition of our ADSs in a year when we are a PFIC will be treated as ordinary income and any loss will be treated as ordinary loss, but such loss will only be treated as ordinary loss to the extent of the net amount previously included in income as a result of the mark-to-market election.

 

Because, as a technical matter, a mark-to-market election cannot be made for any lower-tier PFICs that we may own, a U.S. Holder may continue to be subject to the general PFIC rules described above with respect to such U.S. Holder’s indirect interest in any investments held by us that are treated as an equity interest in a PFIC for United States federal income tax purposes.

 

A U.S. Holder that holds ADSs or ordinary shares in any year in which we are classified as a PFIC may make a “deemed sale” election with respect to such ADSs or ordinary shares in a subsequent taxable year in which we are not classified as a PFIC. If a U.S. Holder makes a valid deemed sale election with respect to such ADSs or ordinary shares, such U.S. Holder will be treated as having sold all of its ADSs or ordinary shares for their fair market value on the last day of the last taxable year in which we were a PFIC and such ADSs or ordinary shares will no longer be treated as PFIC stock. A U.S. Holder will recognize gain (but not loss), which will be subject to tax as an ‘excess distribution’ received on the last day of the last taxable year in which we were a PFIC. A U.S. Holder’s basis in the ADSs or ordinary shares would be increased to reflect gain recognized, and such U.S. Holder’s holding period would begin on the day after we ceased to be a PFIC.

 

The deemed sale election is only relevant to U.S. Holders that hold the ADSs or ordinary shares during a taxable year in which we cease to be a PFIC. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the advisability of making a deemed sale election and the consequences thereof in light of the U.S. Holder’s individual circumstances.

 

We do not 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 tax treatment for PFICs described above.

 

If a U.S. Holder owns our ADSs or ordinary shares during any taxable year that we are a PFIC, the holder must file an annual Internal Revenue Service Form 8621.

 

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Each U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisor concerning the United States federal income tax consequences of purchasing, holding, and disposing of ADSs or ordinary shares if we are or become classified as a PFIC, including the possibility of making a mark-to-market election and the unavailability of the qualified electing fund election.

 

Medicare Tax

 

An additional 3.8% tax is imposed on a portion or all of the net investment income of certain individuals with a modified adjusted gross income of over US$200,000 (or US$250,000 in the case of joint filers or US$125,000 in the case of married individuals filing separately) and on the undistributed net investment income of certain estates and trusts. For these purposes, “net investment income” generally includes interest, dividends (including dividends paid with respect to our ADSs or ordinary shares), annuities, royalties, rents, net gain attributable to the disposition of property not held in a trade or business (including net gain from the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of an ADS or ordinary share) and certain other income, reduced by any deductions properly allocable to such income or net gain. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the applicability of this tax to their income and gains in respect of an investment in the ADSs or ordinary shares.

 

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

 

Individual U.S. Holders and certain entities may be required to submit to the IRS certain information with respect to his or her beneficial ownership of the ADSs or ordinary shares, if such ADSs or ordinary shares are not held on his or her behalf by a financial institution. This new law also imposes penalties if an individual U.S. Holder is required to submit such information to the IRS and fails to do so.

 

Proceeds from the sale, exchange or other disposition of, or a distribution on, the ADSs or ordinary shares may be subject to information reporting to the IRS and possible backup withholding. Backup withholding generally 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.

 

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules generally will be allowed as a refund or a credit against a U.S. Holder’s United States federal income tax liability if the required information is furnished by the U.S. Holder on a timely basis to the IRS. Each U.S. Holder is encouraged to consult its tax advisor regarding the application of the information reporting and backup withholding rules.

 

F.                                      Dividends and Paying Agents

 

Not applicable.

 

G.                                    Statement by Experts

 

Not applicable.

 

H.                                    Documents on Display

 

We previously filed with the SEC our registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, including the prospectus contained therein, to register the issuance and sale of our ordinary shares represented by ADSs in relation to our initial public offering, our registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-200450), as amended, including the prospectus contained therein, to register the sale of our ordinary shares represented by ADSs by certain shareholders in relation to a follow-on public offering and our registration statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-206653), including the prospectus contained therein, to register the sale of our ordinary shares represented by ADSs from time to time by Fortune Rising Holdings Limited on behalf of and for the benefit of our employees and other award recipients under our Share Incentive Plan. We have also filed with the SEC registration statements on Form F-6 (Registration No. 333-195849 and No. 333-200954) to register our ADSs.

 

We are subject to periodic reporting and other informational requirements of the Exchange Act as applicable to foreign private issuers, and are required to file reports and other information with the SEC. Specifically, we are required to file annually an annual report on Form 20-F within four months after the end of each fiscal year, which is December 31. All information filed with the SEC can be obtained over the internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or 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 documents, upon payment of a duplicating fee, by writing to the SEC. As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from the rules under the Exchange Act prescribing the furnishing and content of quarterly reports and proxy statements, and officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act.

 

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We will furnish Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, the depositary of our ADSs, 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’ meetings 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 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.

 

In accordance with NASDAQ Stock Market Rule 5250(d), we will post this annual report on Form 20-F on our website at http://ir.jd.com. In addition, we will provide hardcopies of our annual report free of charge to shareholders and ADS holders upon request.

 

I.                                         Subsidiary Information

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 11.                                                   Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

 

Interest Rate Risk

 

Our exposure to interest rate risk primarily relates to the interest income generated by excess cash, which is mostly held in interest-bearing bank deposits. We have not used derivative financial instruments in our investment portfolio. Interest earning instruments carry a degree of interest rate risk. We have not been exposed to, nor do we anticipate being exposed to, material risks due to changes in market interest rates. However, our future interest income may fall short of expectations due to changes in market interest rates.

 

Foreign Exchange Risk

 

All of our revenues and substantially all of our expenses are denominated in Renminbi. 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. Although in general our exposure to foreign exchange risks should be limited, the value of your investment in our ADSs will be affected by the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Renminbi because the value of our business is effectively denominated in Renminbi, while our ADSs will be traded in U.S. dollars.

 

The conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies, including U.S. dollars, is based on rates set by the People’s Bank of China. The PRC government allowed the Renminbi to appreciate by more than 20% against the U.S. dollar between July 2005 and July 2008. Between July 2008 and June 2010, this appreciation halted and the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar remained within a narrow band. Since June 2010, the RMB has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar in the future.

 

To the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into Renminbi for our operations, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or ADSs or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amounts available to us.

 

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As of December 31, 2015, we had RMB-denominated cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments of RMB12.9 billion, and U.S. dollar-denominated cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of US$1.5 billion.  Assuming we had converted RMB12.9 billion into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate of RMB6.4778 for US$1.00 as of December 31, 2015, our U.S. dollar cash balance would have been US$3.5 billion. If the RMB had depreciated by 10% against the U.S. dollar, our U.S. dollar cash balance would have been US$3.3 billion instead. Assuming we had converted US$1.5 billion into RMB at the exchange rate of RMB6.4778 for US$1.00 as of December 31, 2015, our RMB cash balance would have been RMB22.7 billion. If the RMB had depreciated by 10% against the U.S. dollar, our RMB cash balance would have been RMB23.8 billion instead.

 

Inflation

 

Inflation in China has not affected our results of operations in recent years. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the year-over-year percent changes in the consumer price index for December  2013, 2014 and 2015 were increases of  2.5%, 1.5% and 1.6%, respectively. Although we have not been affected by inflation in the past, we may be affected if China experiences higher rates of inflation in the future.

 

Item 12.                                                   Description of Securities Other than Equity Securities

 

A.                                     Debt Securities

 

Not applicable.

 

B.                                     Warrants and Rights

 

Not applicable.

 

C.                                     Other Securities

 

Not applicable.

 

D.                                     American Depositary Shares

 

Fees and Charges Our ADS holders May Have to Pay

 

An ADS holder will be required to pay the following service fees to the depositary bank 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 the ADSs):

 

Service

 

Fees

·

to any person to whom ADSs are issued or to any person to whom a distribution is made in respect of ADS distributions pursuant to stock dividends or other free distributions of stock, bonus distributions, stock splits or other distributions (except where converted to cash)

 

Up to US$0.05 per ADS issued

·

Surrendering ADSs for cancellation and withdrawal of deposited securities

 

Up to US$0.05 per ADS surrendered

·

Distribution of cash dividends

 

Up to US$0.05 per ADS held

·

Distribution of cash entitlements (other than cash dividends) and/or cash proceeds, including proceeds from the sale of rights, securities and other entitlements

 

Up to US$0.05 per ADS held

·

Distribution of ADSs pursuant to exercise of rights

 

Up to US$0.05 per ADS held

·

Operation and maintenance costs

 

Up to US$0.05 per ADS held on the applicable record date(s) established by the depositary bank

 

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An ADS holder will also be responsible to pay certain fees and expenses incurred by the depositary bank 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 the ADSs) such as:

 

·                   Fees for the transfer and registration of ordinary shares charged by the registrar and transfer agent for the ordinary shares in the Cayman Islands (i.e., upon deposit and withdrawal of ordinary shares).

 

·                   Expenses incurred for converting foreign currency into U.S. dollars.

 

·                   Expenses for cable, telex, fax and electronic transmissions and for delivery of securities.

 

·                   Taxes and duties upon the transfer of securities, including any applicable stamp duties, any stock transfer charges or withholding taxes (i.e., when ordinary shares are deposited or withdrawn from deposit).

 

·                   Fees and expenses incurred in connection with the delivery of ordinary shares on deposit or the servicing of ordinary shares, deposited securities and/or ADSs.

 

·                   Fees and expenses incurred in connection with complying with exchange control regulations and other regulatory requirements applicable to ordinary shares, deposited securities, ADSs and ADRs.

 

The depositary fees payable upon the issuance and cancellation of ADSs are typically paid to the depositary bank by the brokers (on behalf of their clients) receiving the newly issued ADSs from the depositary bank and by the brokers (on behalf of their clients) delivering the ADSs to the depositary bank for cancellation. The brokers in turn charge these fees to their clients. Depositary fees payable in connection with distributions of cash or securities to ADS holders and the depositary services fee are charged by the depositary bank to the holders of record of ADSs as of the applicable ADS record date.

 

The depositary fees payable for cash distributions are generally deducted from the cash being distributed or by selling a portion of distributable property to pay the fees. In the case of distributions other than cash (i.e., share dividends, rights), the depositary bank charges the applicable fee to the ADS record date holders concurrent with the distribution. In the case of ADSs registered in the name of the investor (whether certificated or uncertificated in direct registration), the depositary bank sends invoices to the applicable record date ADS holders. In the case of ADSs held in brokerage and custodian accounts (via DTC), the depositary bank generally collects its fees through the systems provided by DTC (whose nominee is the registered holder of the ADSs held in DTC) from the brokers and custodians holding ADSs in their DTC accounts. The brokers and custodians who hold their clients’ ADSs in DTC accounts in turn charge their clients’ accounts the amount of the fees paid to the depositary banks.

 

In the event of refusal to pay the depositary 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 fees from any distribution to be made to the ADS holder.

 

Fees and Other Payments Made by the Depositary to Us

 

Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as depositary, has agreed to reimburse us for a portion of certain expenses we incur that are related to establishment and maintenance of the ADR program, including investor relations expenses. There are limits on the amount of expenses for which the depositary will reimburse us, but the amount of reimbursement available to us is not related to the amounts of fees the depositary collects from investors. Further, the depositary has agreed to reimburse us certain fees payable to the depositary by holders of ADSs. Neither the depositary nor we can determine the exact amount to be made available to us because (i) the number of ADSs that will be issued and outstanding, (ii) the level of service fees to be charged to holders of ADSs and (iii) our reimbursable expenses related to the program are not known at this time. In 2015, we received approximately US$13.6 million reimbursement from the depositary for our expenses incurred in connection with investor relationship programs related to the ADS facility and the travel expense of our key personnel in connection with such programs.

 

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PART II

 

Item 13.                                                   Defaults, Dividend Arrearages and Delinquencies

 

None.

 

Item 14.                                                   Material Modifications to the Rights of Security Holders and Use of Proceeds

 

See “Item 10.B—Additional Information—Memorandum and Articles of Association—Ordinary Shares” for a description of the rights of securities holders, which remain unchanged.

 

The following “Use of Proceeds” information relates to the registration statement on Form F-1, as amended (File No. 333-193650) in relation to our initial public offering, which was declared effective by the SEC on May 21, 2014. In May 2014, we completed our initial public offering in which we issued and sold an aggregate of 83,060,200 ADSs, representing 166,120,400 Class A ordinary shares, resulting in net proceeds to us of approximately US$1.5 billion. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and UBS Securities LLC were the representatives of the underwriters for our initial public offering.

 

For the period from May 21, 2014, the date that the F-1 Registration Statement was declared effective by the SEC, to December 31, 2015, we used the net proceeds from our initial public offering as follows:

 

·                   Approximately US$0.4 billion to expand our fulfillment infrastructure; and

 

·                   Approximately US$0.9 billion for general corporate purposes, including funding investments and acquisitions of complementary businesses, assets and technologies.

 

We still intend to use the remainder of the proceeds from our initial public offering, as disclosed in our registration statement on Form F-1, for (i) the expansion of our fulfillment infrastructure by acquiring land use rights, building new warehouses and purchasing vehicles for shipping and delivery, and (ii) general corporate purposes, including funding potential investments and acquisitions of complementary businesses, assets and technologies.

 

We filed another registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-200450), as amended, in relation to the sale of our ordinary shares represented by ADSs by certain shareholders in a follow-on public offering. The follow-on offering closed in December 2014, and we did not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of ADSs by the selling shareholders in the follow-on offering.

 

We also filed a registration statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-206653) in relation to the sale from time to time by Fortune Rising Holdings Limited of our ordinary shares represented by ADSs on behalf of and for the benefit of our employees and other award recipients under our Share Incentive Plan and we did not and will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of ADSs by Fortune Rising Holdings Limited.

 

Item 15.                                                   Controls and Procedures

 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

Our management, with the participation of our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, has performed an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this report, as required by Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act.

 

Based upon that evaluation, our management has concluded that, as of December 31, 2015, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective in ensuring that the information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file and furnish under the Exchange Act was recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that the information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

 

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Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

 

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) in the United States of America and includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of our company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP, and that receipts and expenditures of our company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of the unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our company’s assets that could have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements.

 

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risks that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

 

As required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and related rules as promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, our management including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer assessed the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2015 using the criteria set forth in the report  “Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013)” published by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this evaluation, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2015.

 

Attestation Report of the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, audited the effectiveness of our company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2015, as stated in its attestation report, which appears on page F-2 of this annual report.

 

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

 

There were no changes in our internal controls over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by this annual report on Form 20-F that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

Item 16A.                                          Audit Committee Financial Expert

 

Our board of directors has determined that Mr. Louis T. Hsieh, an independent director (under the standards set forth in NASDAQ Stock Market Rule 5605(a)(2) and Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act) and member of our audit committee, is an audit committee financial expert.

 

Item 16B.                                          Code of Ethics

 

Our board of directors adopted a code of business conduct and ethics that applies to our directors, officers and employees in April 2014. We have posted a copy of our code of business conduct and ethics on our website at http://ir.jd.com .

 

Item 16C.                                          Principal Accountant Fees and Services

 

The following table sets forth the aggregate fees by categories specified below in connection with certain professional services rendered by PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP, our principal external auditors, for the periods indicated.

 

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2014

 

2015

 

Audit fees (1)

 

US$

2,464,301

 

US$

3,746,708

 

Audit-related fees (2)

 

US$

4,494,703

 

 

All other fees (3)

 

US$

1,310,613

 

US$

656,376

 

 


(1)          “Audit fees” means the aggregate fees billed in each of the fiscal years listed for professional services rendered by our principal auditors for the audit of our annual financial statements and assistance with and review of documents filed with the SEC. In 2014, the audit refers to financial audit. In 2015, the audit refers to financial audit and audit pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

(2)          “Audit-related fees” means fees billed in each of the fiscal years listed for the issue of comfort letter, rendering of listing advice and other audit-related services.

 

(3)          “All other fees” means the aggregate fees billed in each of the fiscal years listed for professional services rendered by our principal auditors associated with certain financial due diligence projects, permissible services to review and comment on internal control design over financial reporting and other advisory services.

 

The policy of our audit committee is to pre-approve all audit and non-audit services provided by PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP, including audit services, audit-related services, tax services and other services as described above, other than those for de minimis services which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit.

 

Item 16D.                                          Exemptions from the Listing Standards for Audit Committees

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 16E.                                          Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

 

In September 2015, our board of directors authorized a share repurchase program, whereby our company may repurchase up to US$1.0 billion of ADSs over the next 24 months. The share repurchases may be made in accordance with applicable laws and regulations through open market transactions, privately negotiated transactions or other legally permissible means as determined by our management, including through Rule 10b5-1 share repurchase plans.

 

We did not make any repurchases during 2015, either pursuant to or outside of the share repurchase program.

 

Item 16F.                                           Change in Registrant’s Certifying Accountant

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 16G.                                         Corporate Governance

 

As a Cayman Islands company listed on NASDAQ, we are subject to the NASDAQ corporate governance listing standards. However, NASDAQ rules permit a foreign private issuer like us to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country. Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly from the NASDAQ corporate governance listing standards. Maples and Calder, our Cayman Islands counsel, has provided a letter to the NASDAQ Stock Market certifying that under Cayman Islands law, we are not required to hold annual shareholders meetings every year. We follow home country practice with respect to annual meetings and did not hold an annual meeting of shareholders in 2015. We will, however, hold annual shareholders meetings in the future if there are matters that require shareholders’ approval.

 

Other than the annual meeting practice described above, there are no significant differences between our corporate governance practices and those followed by U.S. domestic companies under NASDAQ Stock Market Rules.

 

However, if we choose to follow other home country practice in the future, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under the NASDAQ corporate governance listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers. See “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our ADSs—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 U.S. domestic public companies.”

 

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Item 16H.                                         Mine Safety Disclosure

 

Not applicable.

 

PART III

 

Item 17.                                                   Financial Statements

 

We have elected to provide financial statements pursuant to Item 18.

 

Item 18.                                                   Financial Statements

 

The consolidated financial statements of JD.com, Inc., its subsidiaries and its consolidated variable interest entities are included at the end of this annual report.

 

Item 19.                                                   Exhibits

 

Exhibit
Number

 

Description of Document

1.1

 

Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Registrant (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

2.1

 

Registrant’s Specimen American Depositary Receipt (included in Exhibit 2.3)

2.2

 

Registrant’s Specimen Certificate for Class A Ordinary Shares (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

2.3

 

Deposit Agreement dated May 21, 2014 among the Registrant, the depositary and holder of the American Depositary Receipts (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to the registration statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-198578), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 5, 2014)

2.4

 

Thirteenth Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement between the Registrant and other parties therein dated March 10, 2014 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.4 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

4.1

 

Share Incentive Plan (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-200450), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 21, 2014)

4.2

 

Form of Indemnification Agreement between the Registrant and its directors and executive officers (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

4.3

 

Form of Employment Agreement between the Registrant and its executive officers (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

4.4

 

English translation of the Amended and Restated Loan Agreement between Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd. and the shareholders of Beijing Jingdong 360 Degree E-Commerce Co., Ltd. dated December 25, 2013 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

 

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Exhibit
Number

 

Description of Document

4.5

 

English translation of the Amended and Restated Equity Pledge Agreements between Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd. and the shareholders of Beijing Jingdong 360 Degree E-Commerce Co., Ltd. dated December 25, 2013 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

4.6

 

English translation of the Power of Attorney by the shareholders of Beijing Jingdong 360 Degree E-Commerce Co., Ltd. dated December 25, 2013 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

4.7

 

English translation of the Amended and Restated Exclusive Technology Consulting and Service Agreement between Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd. and Beijing Jingdong 360 Degree E-Commerce Co.,  Ltd. dated May 29, 2012 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

4.8

 

English translation of the Amended and Restated Intellectual Property Rights License Agreement between Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd. and Beijing Jingdong 360 Degree E-Commerce Co., Ltd. dated December 25, 2013 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

4.9

 

English translation of the Amended and Restated Business Cooperation Agreement between Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd., Shanghai Shengdayuan Information Technology Co., Ltd. and Beijing Jingdong 360 Degree E-Commerce Co., Ltd. dated May 29, 2012 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.9 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

4.10

 

English translation of the Amended and Restated Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement between Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd., Beijing Jingdong 360 Degree E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and the shareholders of Beijing Jingdong 360 Degree E-Commerce Co., Ltd. dated December 25, 2013 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

4.11

 

English translation of the Amended and Restated Loan Agreement between Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd. and the shareholders of Jiangsu Yuanzhou E-Commerce Co., Ltd. dated December 18, 2013 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

4.12

 

English translation of the Amended and Restated Equity Pledge Agreements between Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd. and the shareholders of Jiangsu Yuanzhou E-Commerce Co., Ltd. dated December 18, 2013 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.12 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

4.13

 

English translation of the Power of Attorney by the shareholders of Jiangsu Yuanzhou E-Commerce Co., Ltd. dated December 18, 2013 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.13 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

4.14

 

English translation of the Amended and Restated Exclusive Technology Consulting and Service Agreement between Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd. and Jiangsu Yuanzhou E-Commerce Co., Ltd. dated May 29, 2012 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.14 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

4.15

 

English translation of the Amended and Restated Intellectual Property Rights License

 

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Exhibit
Number

 

Description of Document

 

 

Agreement between Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd. and Jiangsu Yuanzhou E-Commerce Co., Ltd. dated December 18, 2013 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.15 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

4.16

 

English translation of the Amended and Restated Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement between Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Yuanzhou E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and the shareholders of Jiangsu Yuanzhou E-Commerce Co., Ltd. dated December 18, 2013 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.16 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

4.17

 

Share Purchase Agreement by and between the Registrant and Tencent Holdings Limited and Huang River Investment Limited dated March 10, 2014 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.20 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

4.18

 

Share Subscription Agreement by and between the Registrant and Tencent Holdings Limited and Huang River Investment Limited dated March 10, 2014 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.21 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

4.19

 

Strategic Cooperation Agreement by and between the Registrant and Tencent Holdings Limited dated March 10, 2014 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.22 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

4.20

 

Subscription Agreement by and among Bitauto Holdings Limited, JD.com Global Investment Limited, JD.com, Inc. and Dongting Lake Investment Limited dated January 9, 2015 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 99.2 to Schedule 13D (File No. 005-85981) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 26 , 2015)

4.21

 

English translation of Business Cooperation Agreement between the Registrant and Bitauto Holdings Limited, dated January 9, 2015 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 99.3 to Schedule 13D (File No. 005-85981) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 26 , 2015)

4.22

 

Investor Rights Agreement by and among Bitauto Holdings Limited, JD.com Global Investment Limited and Dongting Lake Investment Limited dated February 16, 2015 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 99.4 to Schedule 13D (File No. 005-85981) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 26 , 2015)

4.23*

 

English translation of Executed Form of the Equity Pledge Agreement between a wholly owned subsidiary of the Registrant and the shareholders of the Chinese variable interest entity of the Registrant, as currently in effect

4.24*

 

English translation of Executed Form of the Power of Attorney by the shareholders of the Chinese variable interest entity of the Registrant, as currently in effect

4.25*

 

English translation of Executed Form of the Exclusive Technology Consulting and Service Agreement between a wholly owned subsidiary of the Registrant and a Chinese variable interest entity of the Registrant, as currently in effect

4.26*

 

English translation of Executed Form of the Business Cooperation Agreement between a wholly owned subsidiary of the Registrant, a Chinese variable interest entity of the Registrant, and the shareholders of the Chinese variable interest entity of the Registrant, as currently in effect

4.27*

 

English translation of Executed Form of the Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement between a wholly owned subsidiary of the Registrant, a Chinese variable interest entity of the Registrant, and the shareholders of the Chinese variable interest entity of the Registrant, as currently in effect

 

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Exhibit
Number

 

Description of Document

4.28*

 

English translation of Executed Form of the Loan Agreement between a wholly owned subsidiary of the Registrant and the shareholders of the Chinese variable interest entity of the Registrant, as currently in effect

4.29*

 

English translation of Executed Form of the Subscription Agreement between a Chinese variable interest entity of the Registrant and Yonghui, dated August 7, 2015

4.30*

 

English translation of Subscription Agreement of Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd. by and among Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd., the investors and other parties listed therein, dated January 8, 2016

4.31*

 

English translation of Executed Form of Commitment by the investors relating to investment in Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd., dated January 2016

4.32*

 

Share Purchase Agreement by and among the Registrant, Dada Nexus Limited and other parties listed therein, dated April 15, 2016

8.1*

 

List of Principal Subsidiaries and Consolidated Variable Interest Entities

11.1

 

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics of the Registrant (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-193650), as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2014)

12.1*

 

Certification by Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

12.2*

 

Certification by Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

13.1**

 

Certification by Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

13.2**

 

Certification by Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

15.1*

 

Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP

15.2*

 

Consent of Zhong Lun Law Firm

101.INS*

 

XBRL Instance Document

101.SCH*

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

101.CAL*

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

101.DEF*

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

101.LAB*

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document

101.PRE*

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

 


*                  Filed herewith

 

**           Furnished herewith

 

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SIGNATURES

 

The registrant hereby certifies that it meets all of the requirements for filing its annual report on Form 20-F and that it has duly caused and authorized the undersigned to sign this annual report on its behalf.

 

 

JD.com, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

 

Name:

Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

 

Title:

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

 

Date:      April 18, 2016

 

 

 

 

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JD.COM, INC.

 

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

 

 

Page(s)

 

 

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

F-2

 

 

 

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2014 and 2015

 

F-3 ~ F-4

 

 

 

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015

 

F-5~ F-6

 

 

 

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015

 

F-7 ~ F-8

 

 

 

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015

 

F-9

 

 

 

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

F-10 ~ F-63

 

F- 1



Table of Contents

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of JD.Com, Inc.:

 

In our opinion, the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, changes in shareholders’ equity and  cash flows present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of JD.com, Inc. and its subsidiaries at December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2015 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.  Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2015, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The Company’s management is responsible for these financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in management’s annual report on internal control over financial reporting appearing under Item 15. Our responsibility is to express opinions on these financial statements and on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audits (which was an integrated audit in 2015). We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audits of the financial statements included 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, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.  Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk.  Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

 

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

 

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements.  Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

 

 

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP

Beijing, the People’s Republic of China

April 18, 2016

 

F- 2



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

 

 

As of December 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$
Note 2(f)

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

16,914,651

 

17,863,868

 

2,757,706

 

Restricted cash

 

3,038,286

 

2,114,913

 

326,486

 

Short-term investments

 

12,161,643

 

2,780,482

 

429,232

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

2,436,256

 

9,508,284

 

1,467,826

 

Advance to suppliers

 

930,026

 

927,177

 

143,131

 

Inventories, net

 

12,190,843

 

20,539,543

 

3,170,759

 

Loan receivables, net

 

123,344

 

2,383,869

 

368,006

 

Prepayments and other current assets

 

1,734,334

 

1,486,441

 

229,467

 

Amount due from related parties

 

412,314

 

863,516

 

133,304

 

Total current assets

 

49,941,697

 

58,468,093

 

9,025,917

 

Non-current assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Property, equipment and software, net

 

2,408,438

 

6,233,106

 

962,226

 

Construction in progress

 

1,928,899

 

1,266,992

 

195,590

 

Intangible assets, net

 

6,877,947

 

5,263,983

 

812,619

 

Land use rights, net

 

1,067,253

 

1,928,192

 

297,662

 

Goodwill

 

2,622,470

 

29,050

 

4,485

 

Investment in equity investees

 

586,959

 

8,864,249

 

1,368,404

 

Investment securities

 

434,118

 

1,005,831

 

155,274

 

Other non-current assets

 

625,391

 

2,106,673

 

325,214

 

Total non-current assets

 

16,551,475

 

26,698,076

 

4,121,474

 

Total assets

 

66,493,172

 

85,166,169

 

13,147,391

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities (including amounts of the consolidated VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries without recourse to the primary beneficiaries of RMB2,383,405 and RMB6,313,410 as of December 31, 2014 and 2015 respectively. Note 1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Short-term bank loans

 

1,890,771

 

3,040,209

 

469,327

 

Nonrecourse securitization debt

 

 

579,843

 

89,512

 

Accounts payable

 

16,363,671

 

29,819,341

 

4,603,313

 

Advance from customers

 

4,666,660

 

7,173,885

 

1,107,457

 

Deferred revenues (including amounts in relation to traffic support, marketing and promotion services to be provided to related parties of nil and RMB799,255 as of December 31, 2014 and 2015, respectively)

 

157,080

 

1,028,350

 

158,750

 

Taxes payable

 

236,160

 

103,211

 

15,933

 

Amount due to related parties

 

325,119

 

104,726

 

16,167

 

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

 

5,311,832

 

7,178,065

 

1,108,102

 

Deferred tax liabilities

 

43,812

 

1,228

 

190

 

Total current liabilities

 

28,995,105

 

49,028,858

 

7,568,751

 

Non-current liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred revenues (including amounts in relation to traffic support, marketing and promotion services to be provided to related parties of nil and RMB2,664,421 as of December 31, 2014 and 2015, respectively)

 

 

2,705,164

 

417,605

 

Nonrecourse securitization debt

 

 

2,753,699

 

425,098

 

Total non-current liabilities

 

 

5,458,863

 

842,703

 

Total liabilities

 

28,995,105

 

54,487,721

 

8,411,454

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

F- 3



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

 

 

As of December 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$
Note 2(f)

 

Commitments and contingencies (Note 28)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JD.com, Inc. shareholders’ equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ordinary shares (US$0.00002 par value; 100,000,000,000 shares authorized; 2,237,460,751 Class A ordinary shares issued and 2,208,310,595 outstanding, 556,295,899 Class B ordinary shares issued and 523,407,762 outstanding as of December 31, 2014; 2,313,578,195 Class A ordinary shares issued and 2,287,701,055 outstanding, 480,178,455 Class B ordinary shares issued and 454,289,431 outstanding as of December 31, 2015.)

 

358

 

358

 

55

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

47,131,172

 

48,393,126

 

7,470,611

 

Statutory reserves

 

15,009

 

55,560

 

8,577

 

Treasury stock

 

(4

)

(3

)

(0

)

Accumulated deficit

 

(9,272,343

)

(18,690,910

)

(2,885,379

)

Accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss)

 

(376,125

)

782,484

 

120,795

 

Total JD.com, Inc. shareholders’ equity

 

37,498,067

 

30,540,615

 

4,714,659

 

Non-controlling interests

 

 

137,833

 

21,278

 

Total shareholders’ equity

 

37,498,067

 

30,678,448

 

4,735,937

 

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

 

66,493,172

 

85,166,169

 

13,147,391

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

F- 4



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

 

 

For the year ended December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note 2(f)

 

Net revenues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Online direct sales

 

67,017,977

 

108,549,258

 

167,720,984

 

25,891,658

 

Services and others

 

2,321,835

 

6,453,059

 

13,565,971

 

2,094,225

 

Total net revenues

 

69,339,812

 

115,002,317

 

181,286,955

 

27,985,883

 

Operating expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of revenues

 

(62,495,538

)

(101,631,443

)

(157,008,329

)

(24,237,909

)

Fulfillment

 

(4,108,939

)

(8,067,048

)

(13,920,988

)

(2,149,030

)

Marketing

 

(1,590,171

)

(4,010,280

)

(7,736,172

)

(1,194,259

)

Technology and content

 

(963,653

)

(1,835,919

)

(3,453,804

)

(533,175

)

General and administrative

 

(760,338

)

(5,260,064

)

(2,876,989

)

(444,131

)

Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets

 

 

 

(2,750,129

)

(424,547

)

Total operating expenses

 

(69,918,639

)

(120,804,754

)

(187,746,411

)

(28,983,051

)

Loss from operations

 

(578,827

)

(5,802,437

)

(6,459,456

)

(997,168

)

Other income/(expense)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share of results of equity investees

 

 

 

(3,134,283

)

(483,850

)

Interest income

 

343,770

 

637,641

 

414,999

 

64,065

 

Interest expense

 

(8,437

)

(28,825

)

(82,507

)

(12,737

)

Others, net

 

193,555

 

216,587

 

(140,597

)

(21,704

)

Loss before tax

 

(49,939

)

(4,977,034

)

(9,401,844

)

(1,451,394

)

Income tax benefits/(expenses)

 

40

 

(19,324

)

14,262

 

2,202

 

Net loss

 

(49,899

)

(4,996,358

)

(9,387,582

)

(1,449,192

)

Net loss attributable to non-controlling interests

 

 

 

(9,566

)

(1,477

)

Net loss attributable to JD.com, Inc.

 

(49,899

)

(4,996,358

)

(9,378,016

)

(1,447,715

)

Preferred shares redemption value accretion

 

(2,435,366

)

(7,957,640

)

 

 

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

 

(2,485,265

)

(12,953,998

)

(9,378,016

)

(1,447,715

)

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

F- 5



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

 

 

For the year ended December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note 2(f)

 

Net loss

 

(49,899

)

(4,996,358

)

(9,387,582

)

(1,449,192

)

Other comprehensive loss:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustments

 

(137,921

)

(121,612

)

1,182,445

 

182,538

 

Net change in unrealized gains/(losses) on available-for-sale securities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unrealized gains/(losses), nil of tax

 

96,501

 

71,286

 

(238,852

)

(36,872

)

Reclassification adjustment for (gains)/losses recorded in net income, nil of tax

 

(73,277

)

(57,181

)

216,230

 

33,380

 

Net unrealized gains/(losses) on available-for-sale securities

 

23,224

 

14,105

 

(22,622

)

(3,492

)

Total other comprehensive income/(loss)

 

(114,697

)

(107,507

)

1,159,823

 

179,046

 

Total comprehensive loss

 

(164,596

)

(5,103,865

)

(8,227,759

)

(1,270,146

)

Total comprehensive loss attributable to non-controlling interests

 

 

 

(8,352

)

(1,289

)

Total comprehensive loss attributable to JD.com, Inc.

 

(164,596

)

(5,103,865

)

(8,219,407

)

(1,268,857

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss per share

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

(1.47

)

(5.35

)

(3.43

)

(0.53

)

Diluted

 

(1.47

)

(5.35

)

(3.43

)

(0.53

)

Weighted average number of shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

1,694,495,048

 

2,419,668,247

 

2,735,034,034

 

2,735,034,034

 

Diluted

 

1,694,495,048

 

2,419,668,247

 

2,735,034,034

 

2,735,034,034

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share-based compensation expenses included in:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fulfillment

 

(81,013

)

(128,623

)

(184,733

)

(28,518

)

Marketing

 

(8,741

)

(23,570

)

(50,091

)

(7,733

)

Technology and content

 

(33,269

)

(79,469

)

(234,165

)

(36,149

)

General and administrative

 

(138,150

)

(4,017,886

)

(724,956

)

(111,914

)

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

F- 6



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

 

 

For the year ended December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note2(f)

 

Cash flows from operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

(49,899

)

(4,996,358

)

(9,387,582

)

(1,449,192

)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

293,141

 

1,650,533

 

2,619,061

 

404,313

 

Share-based compensation

 

261,173

 

4,249,548

 

1,193,945

 

184,314

 

Allowance for doubtful accounts

 

(107

)

74,332

 

420,750

 

64,953

 

Loss from disposal of property, equipment and software

 

22,726

 

26,043

 

7,714

 

1,191

 

Non-cash marketing services contributed by certain shareholder

 

24,682

 

 

 

 

Deferred income tax

 

(40

)

(4,169

)

(42,584

)

(6,574

)

Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets

 

 

 

2,750,129

 

424,547

 

Impairment of investments accounted for under cost method and available-for-sale securities

 

 

 

611,108

 

94,339

 

Gain from the sales of investments

 

 

 

(1,507

)

(233

)

Share of results of equity investees

 

309

 

(638

)

3,134,283

 

483,850

 

Foreign exchange (gains)/losses

 

(92,761

)

28,980

 

57,395

 

8,860

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable

 

(22,844

)

(2,004,884

)

(7,395,424

)

(1,141,657

)

Restricted cash

 

577,743

 

(689,499

)

(1,076,628

)

(166,203

)

Inventories

 

(1,632,326

)

(5,804,688

)

(8,348,700

)

(1,288,817

)

Loan receivables

 

 

(125,935

)

(2,306,631

)

(356,082

)

Advance to suppliers

 

(660,000

)

(160,203

)

(18,010

)

(2,780

)

Prepayments and other current assets

 

(59,684

)

(1,210,697

)

252,397

 

38,963

 

Amount due from related parties

 

 

(412,314

)

(402,795

)

(62,181

)

Other non-current assets

 

(78,644

)

(66,485

)

(1,170,454

)

(180,687

)

Accounts payable

 

2,687,361

 

4,902,844

 

13,113,084

 

2,024,311

 

Advance from customers

 

1,158,745

 

2,611,035

 

2,507,225

 

387,049

 

Deferred revenues

 

103,258

 

(65,725

)

(472,800

)

(72,988

)

Taxes payable

 

112,951

 

(42,615

)

(132,949

)

(20,524

)

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

 

928,920

 

2,988,499

 

2,207,476

 

340,775

 

Amount due to related parties

 

(4,885

)

67,412

 

69,946

 

10,798

 

Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities

 

3,569,819

 

1,015,016

 

(1,811,551

)

(279,655

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash flows from investing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchase of short-term investments

 

(9,966,200

)

(19,104,408

)

(5,022,000

)

(775,263

)

Maturity of short-term investments

 

9,166,200

 

7,853,607

 

16,625,621

 

2,566,553

 

Changes of deposits for capital verification

 

(545,000

)

545,000

 

 

 

Purchases of investment securities

 

 

(421,133

)

(1,139,386

)

(175,891

)

Prepayments and investments in equity investees

 

(35,133

)

(434,585

)

(7,156,789

)

(1,104,818

)

Cash received from disposal of investment in equity investees

 

1,162

 

 

 

 

Purchase of property, equipment and software

 

(439,881

)

(1,424,534

)

(2,826,830

)

(436,387

)

Cash paid for construction in progress

 

(737,411

)

(1,036,513

)

(1,540,615

)

(237,830

)

Purchase of intangible assets

 

(10,237

)

(17,935

)

(6,556

)

(1,012

)

Purchase of land use rights

 

(104,552

)

(423,084

)

(925,758

)

(142,912

)

Cash received from/(paid for) business combination, net of cash acquired (Note 7)

 

 

1,260,337

 

(290,339

)

(44,821

)

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(2,671,052

)

(13,203,248

)

(2,282,652

)

(352,381

)

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

F- 7



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

 

 

For the year ended December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$
Note 2(f)

 

Cash flows from financing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from issuance of ordinary shares, net

 

2,720,076

 

17,447,653

 

 

 

Proceeds from issuance of ordinary shares upon exercising of share-based awards

 

 

 

75,713

 

11,688

 

Capital injection from non-controlling interest

 

 

 

146,185

 

22,567

 

Proceeds from short-term bank loans

 

940,216

 

1,890,771

 

4,871,004

 

751,955

 

Repayment of short-term bank loans

 

(865,108

)

(946,396

)

(3,726,171

)

(575,222

)

Proceeds from nonrecourse securitization debt

 

 

 

3,333,542

 

514,610

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

2,795,184

 

18,392,028

 

4,700,273

 

725,598

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

 

(58,906

)

(101,484

)

343,147

 

52,973

 

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

 

3,635,045

 

6,102,312

 

949,217

 

146,535

 

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

 

7,177,294

 

10,812,339

 

16,914,651

 

2,611,171

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

 

10,812,339

 

16,914,651

 

17,863,868

 

2,757,706

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental cash flow disclosures:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash paid for income taxes

 

(251

)

(9,807

)

(23,219

)

(3,584

)

Cash paid for interest

 

(8,437

)

(27,268

)

(62,396

)

(9,632

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosures of non-cash investing and financing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conversion of preferred shares to ordinary shares

 

38,176

 

15,474,994

 

 

 

Issuance of ordinary shares in connection with Tencent Transactions, net

 

 

11,644,310

 

 

 

Certain time deposits pledged for short-term bank loan

 

 

2,000,000

 

 

 

Equity investments obtained through commitment of future services

 

 

 

3,838,933

 

592,629

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

F- 8



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

 

 

Ordinary shares

 

Treasury stock

 

Series A and A-1 convertible
preferred shares

 

Series B convertible
preferred shares

 

Additional

 

Statutory

 

Accumulated
other
comprehensive

 

Accumulated

 

Non-controlling

 

Total
Shareholders’

 

 

 

Shares

 

Amount

 

Shares

 

Amount

 

Shares

 

Amount

 

Shares

 

Amount

 

paid-in capital

 

reserves

 

loss

 

deficit

 

interests

 

equity

 

 

 

 

 

RMB

 

 

 

RMB

 

 

 

RMB

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Balance as of December 31, 2012

 

1,358,540,331

 

182

 

(38,083,486

)

(7,781

)

191,894,000

 

255,850

 

84,786,405

 

126,417

 

5,654,991

 

1,838

 

(153,921

)

(4,212,915

)

 

1,664,661

 

Issuance of ordinary shares

 

119,145,642

 

14

 

(9,960,005

)

 

 

 

 

 

2,720,062

 

 

 

 

 

2,720,076

 

Conversion of series B preferred shares to ordinary shares

 

25,247,161

 

3

 

 

 

 

 

(25,247,161

)

(38,176

)

34,108

 

 

4,065

 

 

 

 

Stock-based compensation and vesting of share-based awards

 

 

 

8,764,449

 

7,781

 

 

 

 

 

253,392

 

 

 

 

 

261,173

 

Preferred shares redemption value accretion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2,435,366

)

 

 

 

 

(2,435,366

)

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(49,899

)

 

(49,899

)

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(141,986

)

 

 

(141,986

)

Net change in unrealized gains on available for sale securities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

23,224

 

 

 

23,224

 

Non-cash marketing services contributed by certain shareholder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

24,682

 

 

 

 

 

24,682

 

Statutory reserves

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

810

 

 

(810

)

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2013

 

1,502,933,134

 

199

 

(39,279,042

)

 

191,894,000

 

255,850

 

59,539,244

 

88,241

 

6,251,869

 

2,648

 

(268,618

)

(4,263,624

)

 

2,066,565

 

Issuance of ordinary shares

 

657,292,997

 

80

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

29,091,883

 

 

 

 

 

29,091,963

 

Issuance of Class A ordinary shares reserved for future exercise of share-based awards

 

30,000,000

 

4

 

(30,000,000

)

(4

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred shares redemption value accretion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(7,957,640

)

 

 

 

 

(7,957,640

)

Conversion of series A and A-1 preferred shares to Class A ordinary shares

 

191,894,000

 

24

 

 

 

(191,894,000

)

(255,850

)

 

 

255,826

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conversion of series B preferred shares to Class A ordinary shares

 

59,539,244

 

7

 

 

 

 

 

(59,539,244

)

(88,241

)

88,234

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conversion of series C preferred shares to Class A ordinary shares

 

258,316,305

 

32

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15,130,871

 

 

 

 

 

15,130,903

 

Exercise of share-based awards

 

 

 

849,844

 

 

 

 

 

 

20,593

 

 

 

 

 

20,593

 

Stock-based compensation and vesting of share-based awards

 

93,780,970

 

12

 

6,390,905

 

 

 

 

 

 

4,249,536

 

 

 

 

 

4,249,548

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4,996,358

)

 

(4,996,358

)

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(121,612

)

 

 

(121,612

)

Net change in unrealized gains on available for sale securities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14,105

 

 

 

14,105

 

Statutory reserves

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12,361

 

 

(12,361

)

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2014

 

2,793,756,650

 

358

 

(62,038,293

)

(4

)

 

 

 

 

47,131,172

 

15,009

 

(376,125

)

(9,272,343

)

 

37,498,067

 

Exercise of share-based awards

 

 

 

2,694,404

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

68,009

 

 

 

 

 

68,010

 

Stock-based compensation and vesting of share-based awards

 

 

 

7,577,725

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,193,945

 

 

 

 

 

1,193,945

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(9,378,016

)

(9,566

)

(9,387,582

)

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,181,231

 

 

1,214

 

1,182,445

 

Net change in unrealized losses on available for sale securities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(22,622

)

 

 

(22,622

)

Statutory reserves

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

40,551

 

 

(40,551

)

 

 

Capital injection from non-controlling interests

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

146,185

 

146,185

 

Balance as of December 31, 2015

 

2,793,756,650

 

358

 

(51,766,164

)

(3

)

 

 

 

 

48,393,126

 

55,560

 

782,484

 

(18,690,910

)

137,833

 

30,678,448

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

F- 9



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

1.      Principal activities and organization

 

JD.com, Inc. (the “Company”, formerly known as 360buy Jingdong Inc. and Starwave Investments Holdings Limited), through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, variable interest entities (“VIEs”) and VIEs’ subsidiaries (collectively, the “Group”) serves consumers through its retail website www.jd.com and focuses on selection, price and convenience. The Group also offers programs that enable third party sellers to sell their products on its website and to fulfill the orders either by the sellers or through the Group (known as “online marketplace”). The Group’s principal operations and geographic markets are in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”). The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company, its subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries.

 

As of December 31, 2015, the Company’s major subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries are as follows:

 

 

 

Equity
interest held

 

Place and Date of incorporation or date of
acquisition

Subsidiaries

 

 

 

 

Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd. (“Jingdong Century”)

 

100

%

Beijing, China, April 2007

Guangzhou Jingdong Trading Co., Ltd.

 

100

%

Guangzhou, China, July 2007

Shanghai Yuanmai Trading Co., Ltd.

 

100

%

Shanghai, China, August 2007

Jiangsu Jingdong Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

100

%

Jiangsu, China, June 2009

Chengdu Jingdong Century Trading Co., Ltd. (“Chengdu Century”)

 

100

%

Chengdu, China, December 2009

Beijing Jingdong Century Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

100

%

Beijing, China, September 2010

Wuhan Jingdong Century Trading Co., Ltd.

 

100

%

Wuhan, China, February 2011

Shanghai Shengdayuan Information Technology Co., Ltd. (“Shanghai Shengdayuan”)

 

100

%

Shanghai, China, April 2011

Jingdong E-Commerce (Express) Hong Kong Co., Ltd.

 

100

%

Hong Kong, China, August 2011

Jingdong Technology Group Corporation

 

100

%

Cayman Islands, November 2011

Shenyang Jingdong Century Trading Co., Ltd.

 

100

%

Shenyang, China, January 2012

Jingdong Logistics Group Corporation

 

100

%

Cayman Islands, January 2012

Jingdong E-Commerce (Logistics) Hong Kong Co., Ltd.

 

100

%

Hong Kong, China, February 2012

Jingdong E-Commerce (Trade) Hong Kong Co., Ltd.

 

100

%

Hong Kong, China, February 2012

JD.com International Limited

 

100

%

Hong Kong, China, February 2012

Beijing Jingdong Shangke Information Technology Co., Ltd. (“Beijing Shangke”)

 

100

%

Beijing, China, March 2012

Tianjin Star East Co., Ltd.

 

100

%

Tianjin, China, April 2012

Beijing Jingbangda Trade Co., Ltd.

 

100

%

Beijing, China, August 2012

Shanghai Jinghui Microcredit Co., Ltd.

 

100

%

Shanghai, China, December 2013

Chongqing Jingdong Haijia E-commerce Co., Ltd. (“Chongqing Haijia”)

 

100

%

Chongqing, China, June 2014

Beijing Jinghui Microcredit Co., Ltd.

 

100

%

Beijing, China, September 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Economic
interest held

 

Place and Date of incorporation or date of
acquisition

 

 

 

 

 

VIEs

 

 

 

 

Beijing Jingdong 360 Degree E-commerce Co., Ltd. (“Jingdong 360”)

 

100

%

Beijing, China, April 2007

Fortune Rising Holdings Ltd. (“Fortune Rising”)

 

100

%

British Virgin Islands, May 2008

Jiangsu Yuanzhou E-commerce Co., Ltd. (“Jiangsu Yuanzhou”)

 

100

%

Jiangsu, China, September 2010

Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co., Ltd. (“Suqian Limao”)

 

100

%

Jiangsu, China, December 2015

 

 

 

 

 

VIEs’ Subsidiaries

 

 

 

 

Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd. (“Shangboguangyi”)

 

100

%

Beijing, China, September 2012

Chinabank Payment Business Services Co., Ltd. (“Chinabank Payment”)

 

100

%

Beijing, China, Acquired in October 2012

Chinabank Payment Technology Co., Ltd. (“Chinabank Payment Technology”)

 

100

%

Beijing, China, Acquired in October 2012

Shanghai Banghui Commercial Factoring Co., Ltd.

 

100

%

Shanghai, China, June 2013

 

Organization

 

The Company was incorporated in the British Virgin Islands (“BVI”) in November 2006 and was re-domiciled in the Cayman Islands in January 2014 as an exempted company registered under the laws of the Cayman Islands, and was renamed as JD.com, Inc.

 

F- 10



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

1.      Principal activities and organization (Continued)

 

In April 2007 and April 2011, the Company established Jingdong Century and Shanghai Shengdayuan as wholly foreign-owned enterprises in the PRC, respectively. In April 2007, September 2010 and December 2015, Jingdong 360, Jiangsu Yuanzhou and Suqian Limao were incorporated in the PRC, respectively. The paid-in capital of these entities were funded by the Company, and they were established to facilitate the Group’s operation and business expansion plans and comply with the PRC laws and regulations which prohibit or restrict foreign ownership of the companies where the PRC operating licenses are required. By entering into a series of agreements, Jingdong 360 and Jiangsu Yuanzhou became VIEs of Jingdong Century and Suqian Limao became a VIE of Shanghai Shengdayuan. Consequently, Jingdong Century became the primary beneficiary of Jingdong 360 and Jiangsu Yuanzhou, and Shanghai Shengdayuan became the primary beneficiary of Suqian Limao.

 

In May 2008, Fortune Rising, a BVI incorporated company and a consolidated variable interest entity of the Group, was established by the Group to facilitate the adoption of the Company’s stock incentive plans.

 

Variable interest entities

 

In order to comply with the PRC laws and regulations which prohibit or restrict foreign control of companies involved in provision of internet content and other restricted businesses, the Group operates its website and other restricted businesses in the PRC through certain PRC domestic companies, whose equity interests are held by certain management members of the Company (“Nominee Shareholders”). The Company obtained control over these PRC domestic companies by entering into a series of Contractual Arrangements with these PRC domestic companies and their respective Nominee Shareholders. These contractual agreements include loan agreements, exclusive purchase option agreements, exclusive technology consulting and services agreements, intellectual property rights license agreement, equity pledge agreements, powers of attorney, business cooperation agreements and business operation agreements. These contractual agreements can be extended at the relevant PRC subsidiaries’ options prior to the expiration date. As a result, the Company maintains the ability to control these PRC domestic companies, is entitled to substantially all of the economic benefits from these PRC domestic companies and is obligated to absorb expected losses of these PRC domestic companies. Management concluded that these PRC domestic companies are VIEs of the Company, of which the Company is the ultimate primary beneficiary. As such, the Group consolidated financial results of these PRC domestic companies and their subsidiaries in the Group’s consolidated financial statements. Refer to Note 2(b) to the consolidated financial statements for the principles of consolidation.

 

The following is a summary of the contractual agreements (collectively, “Contractual Agreements”) that the Company, through Jingdong Century and Shanghai Shengdayuan, entered into with the VIEs and their Nominee Shareholders:

 

· Loan agreements

 

Pursuant to the relevant loan agreements, the relevant PRC subsidiaries have granted interest-free loans to the relevant Nominee Shareholders of the VIEs with the sole purpose of providing funds necessary for the capital injection to the relevant VIEs. The loans for initial and subsequent capital injections are eliminated with the capital of the relevant VIEs during consolidation. The relevant PRC subsidiaries can require the Nominee Shareholders to settle the loan amount with the equity interests of relevant VIEs, subject to any applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations. The loan agreements are renewable upon expiration.

 

· Exclusive purchase option agreements

 

The Nominee Shareholders of the VIEs have granted the relevant PRC subsidiaries the exclusive and irrevocable right to purchase from the Nominee Shareholders, to the extent permitted under PRC laws and regulations, part or all of the equity interests in these entities for a purchase price equal to the lowest price permitted by PRC laws and regulations. The relevant PRC subsidiaries may exercise such option at any time. In addition, the VIEs and their Nominee Shareholders agree that without prior written consent of the relevant PRC subsidiaries, they will not transfer or otherwise dispose the equity interests or declare any dividend.

 

F- 11



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

1.      Principal activities and organization (Continued)

 

· Exclusive technology consulting and services agreements

 

The relevant PRC subsidiaries and relevant VIEs entered into exclusive technology consulting and services agreements under which relevant VIEs engage the relevant PRC subsidiaries as their exclusive provider of technical platform and technical support, maintenance and other services. The VIEs shall pay to the relevant PRC subsidiaries service fees determined based on the volume and market price of the service provided. The relevant PRC subsidiaries shall exclusively own any intellectual property arising from the performance of the agreements. During the term of the agreements, relevant VIEs may not enter into any agreement with third parties for the provision of identical or similar services without prior consent of the relevant PRC subsidiaries.

 

· Intellectual property rights license agreement

 

Pursuant to the intellectual property rights license agreement, Jingdong Century grants Jingdong 360 non-exclusive rights to use certain software products, trademarks, website, copyrights, and domain names developed or owned by Jingdong Century within the scope of internet information service operation of Jingdong 360 and in the territory of PRC. Jingdong 360 agrees to pay license fees to Jingdong Century and the amount of the license fee is at least RMB10 per year, subject to annual evaluation and adjustment.

 

· Equity pledge agreements

 

Pursuant to the relevant equity pledge agreements, the Nominee Shareholders of the VIEs have pledged all of their equity interests in relevant VIEs to the relevant PRC subsidiaries as collateral for all of their payments due to the relevant PRC subsidiaries and to secure their obligations under the above agreements. The Nominee Shareholders may not transfer or assign the equity interests, the rights and obligations in the equity pledge agreements or create or permit to create any pledges which may have an adverse effect on the rights or benefits of the relevant PRC subsidiaries without the relevant PRC subsidiaries’ preapproval. The relevant PRC subsidiaries are entitled to transfer or assign in full or in part the equity interests pledged. In the event of default, the relevant PRC subsidiaries as the pledgee, will be entitled to request immediate repayment of the loans or to dispose of the pledged equity interests through transfer or assignment. The equity pledge agreements will expire on the second anniversary of the date when the Nominee Shareholders have completed all their obligations under the above agreements unless otherwise terminated earlier by the relevant PRC subsidiaries.

 

· Power of attorney

 

Pursuant to the irrevocable power of attorney, each of the Nominee Shareholders appointed any person designated by the relevant PRC subsidiaries as their attorney-in-fact to exercise all shareholder rights under PRC law and the relevant articles of association, including but not limited to, voting on their behalf on all matters requiring shareholder approval, disposing of all or part of the Nominee Shareholders’ equity interests, and electing, appointing or removing directors and the general manager of the VIEs. Each power of attorney will remain in force during the period when the Nominee Shareholders continues to be shareholders of the VIEs. Each Nominee Shareholders has waived all the rights which have been authorized to the person designated by the relevant PRC subsidiaries under each power of attorney.

 

F- 12



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

1.      Principal activities and organization (Continued)

 

· Business cooperation agreement

 

Pursuant to the business cooperation agreement, Jingdong 360 agrees to provide to Jingdong Century and Shanghai Shengdayuan services, including operating the Group’s website, posting Jingdong Century’s and Shanghai Shengdayuan’s product and service information on the website, transmitting the users’ order and transaction information to Jingdong Century and Shanghai Shengdayuan, processing user data and transactions in collaboration with banks and payment agents and other services reasonably requested by Jingdong Century and Shanghai Shengdayuan. Jingdong Century and Shanghai Shengdayuan agree to pay service fees to Jingdong 360 on a quarterly basis. The service fee should be 105% of Jingdong 360’s operating costs incurred in the previous quarter, but in no event more than RMB20 per quarter.

 

· Business operation agreements

 

Pursuant to the business operation agreements, the relevant Nominee Shareholders of the VIEs must appoint the candidates nominated by the relevant PRC subsidiaries to be the directors on their board of directors in accordance with applicable laws and the articles of association of VIEs, and must cause the persons recommended by the relevant PRC subsidiaries to be appointed as their general manager, chief financial officer and other senior executives.

 

· Risks in relations to the VIE structure

 

In the opinion of management, the relevant PRC subsidiaries’ Contractual Arrangements with the VIEs and the Nominee Shareholders are in compliance with PRC laws and regulations and are legally binding and enforceable. The Nominee Shareholders are also shareholders or nominees of shareholders of the Company and therefore have no current interest in seeking to act contrary to the Contractual Arrangements. However, there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations including those that govern the Group’s Contractual Arrangements, which could limit the Group’s ability to enforce these Contractual Arrangements and if the Nominee Shareholders of the VIEs were to reduce their interests in the Company, their interest may diverge from that of the Company and that may potentially increase the risk that they would seek to act contrary to the Contractual Arrangements. The Company’s ability to control the VIEs also depends on the power of attorney the relevant PRC subsidiaries have to vote on all matters requiring shareholder approval in the VIEs. As noted above, the Company believes these power of attorney are legally enforceable but may not be as effective as direct equity ownership. In addition, if the Group’s corporate structure and the Contractual Arrangements with the VIEs through which the Group conducts its business in PRC were found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws and regulations, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities could:

 

· revoke or refuse to grant or renew the Group’s business and operating licenses;

 

· restrict or prohibit related party transactions between the relevant PRC subsidiaries and their subsidiaries, the VIEs;

 

· impose fines, confiscate income or other requirements which the Group may find difficult or impossible to comply with;

 

· require the Group to alter the corporate structure operations; and

 

· restrict or prohibit the Group’s ability to finance its operations.

 

F- 13



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

1.      Principal activities and organization (Continued)

 

The imposition of any of these government actions could result in a material adverse effect on the Group’s ability to conduct its operations. In such case, the Group may not be able to operate or control the VIEs, which may result in deconsolidation of the VIEs in the Group’s consolidated financial statements. In the opinion of management, the likelihood for the Company to lose such ability is remote based on current facts and circumstances. The Company’s operations depend on the VIEs to honor their contractual agreements with the Company. These agreements are governed by PRC law and disputes arising out of these agreements are expected to be decided by arbitration in China. The management believes that each of the Contractual Agreements constitutes valid and legally binding obligations of each party to such contractual agreements under PRC Laws. However, the interpretation and implementation of the laws and regulations in the PRC and their application to an effect on the legality, binding effect and enforceability of contracts are subject to the discretion of competent PRC authorities, and therefore there is no assurance that relevant PRC authorities will take the same position as the Group herein in respect of the legality, binding effect and enforceability of each of the Contractual Agreements. Meanwhile, since 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 involve uncertainties, which may limit legal protections available to the Company to enforce the Contractual Arrangements should the VIEs or the Nominee Shareholders of the VIEs fail to perform their obligations under those arrangements.

 

The following table sets forth the assets, liabilities, results of operations and changes in cash and cash equivalents of the VIEs and their subsidiaries taken as a whole, which were included in the Group’s consolidated financial statements with intercompany transactions eliminated:

 

 

 

 

 

As of December 31,

 

 

 

 

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Total assets

 

 

 

3,784,170

 

12,369,251

 

Total liabilities

 

 

 

4,180,518

 

12,705,021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the year ended December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Total net revenues

 

2,023,143

 

3,431,134

 

4,637,086

 

Net loss

 

(206,144

)

(41,228

)

(293,862

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the year ended December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities

 

(144,315

)

1,450,744

 

1,394,182

 

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(22,659

)

(494,633

)

(169,549

)

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

262,270

 

438,891

 

610,194

 

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

 

95,296

 

1,395,002

 

1,834,827

 

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

 

238,082

 

333,378

 

1,728,380

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

 

333,378

 

1,728,380

 

3,563,207

 

 

As of December 31, 2014 and 2015, the total assets of the Group’s VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries were mainly consisting of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, inventories, prepayments and other current assets, property, equipment and software and intangible assets. As of December 31, 2014 and 2015, the total liabilities of the VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries were mainly consisting of short-term bank loans, accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities and liabilities to the Group’s other subsidiaries. These balances have been reflected in the Group’s consolidated financial statements with intercompany transactions eliminated.

 

F- 14



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

1.      Principal activities and organization (Continued)

 

In accordance with the Contractual Agreements, the relevant PRC subsidiaries have the power to direct activities of the Group’s VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries, and can have assets transferred out of the Group’s VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries. Therefore, the relevant PRC subsidiaries consider that there is no asset in the Group’s VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries that can be used only to settle their obligations except for registered capitals of the Group’s VIEs amounting to RMB304,320 as of December 31, 2015. As the Group’s VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries are incorporated as limited liability companies under the PRC Company Law, the creditors do not have recourse to the general credit of the relevant PRC subsidiaries for all the liabilities of the Group’s VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries. The total shareholders’ deficit of the Group’s VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries was RMB396,348 and RMB335,770 as of December 31, 2014 and 2015, respectively.

 

Currently there is no contractual arrangement that could require the relevant PRC subsidiaries or the Group to provide additional financial support to the Group’s VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries. As the Group is conducting certain businesses in the PRC through the VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries, the Group may provide additional financial support on a discretionary basis in the future, which could expose the Group to a loss.

 

There is no VIE where the Company or any subsidiary has a variable interest but is not the primary beneficiary.

 

2.      Summary of significant accounting policies

 

a.               Basis of presentation

 

The consolidated financial statements of the Group have been prepared in accordance with the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). Significant accounting policies followed by the Group in the preparation of the accompanying consolidated financial statements are summarized below.

 

b.               Principles of consolidation

 

The consolidated financial statements of the Group have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company, its subsidiaries, the VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries for which the Company is the ultimate primary beneficiary. Subsidiaries are those entities in which the Company, directly or indirectly, controls more than one half of the voting power; or has the power to govern the financial and operating policies, to appoint or remove the majority of the members of the board of directors, or to cast a majority of votes at the meeting of directors.

 

A VIE is an entity in which the Company, or its subsidiaries, through Contractual Arrangements, bears the risks of, and enjoys the rewards normally associated with, ownership of the entity, and therefore the Company or its subsidiaries are the primary beneficiary of the entity.

 

All transactions and balances among the Company, its subsidiaries, the VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries have been eliminated upon consolidation.

 

c.                Non-controlling interests

 

For the Company’s consolidated subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries, non-controlling interests are recognized to reflect the portion of their equity that is not attributable, directly or indirectly, to the Company as the controlling shareholder. Non-controlling interests are classified as a separate line item in the equity section of the Group’s Consolidated Balance Sheets and have been separately disclosed in the Group’s Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss to distinguish the interests from that of the Company.

 

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Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

2.      Summary of significant accounting policies (Continued)

 

d.               Use of estimates

 

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, related disclosures of contingent liabilities at the balance sheet date, and the reported revenues and expenses during the reported period in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Significant accounting estimates are used for, but not limited to, sales returns, vendor and customer incentives, the valuation and recognition of share-based compensation arrangements, realization of deferred tax assets, fair value of assets and liabilities acquired in business combinations, assessment for impairment of long-lived assets, investment in equity investees, investment securities, intangible assets and goodwill, allowance for doubtful accounts, inventory valuation for excess and obsolete inventories, lower of cost and market value of inventories, depreciable lives of property, equipment and software, useful lives of intangible assets and redemption value of the redeemable preferred shares. Actual results may differ materially from those estimates.

 

e.                Foreign currency translation

 

The Group’s reporting currency is Renminbi (“RMB”). The functional currency of the Group’s entities incorporated in Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands (“BVI”), Hong Kong (“HK”), Singapore and The United States of America is the United States dollars (“US$”). The functional currency of the Group’s entities incorporated in The Republic of Indonesia is the Indonesian rupiah (“IDR”). The Group’s PRC subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries determined their functional currency to be RMB. The determination of the respective functional currency is based on the criteria of ASC 830, Foreign Currency Matters .

 

Transactions denominated in currencies other than functional currency are translated into functional currency at the exchange rates quoted by authoritative banks prevailing at the dates of the transactions. Exchange gains and losses resulting from those foreign currency transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency are recorded as a component of others, net in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss. Total exchange gains were RMB92,761 for the years ended December 31 2013, and total exchange losses were RMB28,980 and RMB57,395 for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2015, respectively.

 

The financial statements of the Group are translated from the functional currency into RMB. Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into RMB using the applicable exchange rates at the balance sheet date. Equity accounts other than earnings generated in current period are translated into RMB at the appropriate historical rates. Revenues, expenses, gains and losses are translated into RMB using the periodic average exchange rates. The resulting foreign currency translation adjustments are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income or loss in the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity. Total foreign currency translation adjustments to the Group’s comprehensive income were a loss of RMB137,921, a loss of RMB121,612 and a gain of RMB1,182,445 for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively. The grant-date fair value of the Group’s share-based awards is reported in US$ as the respective valuation is conducted on US$ basis.

 

f.                  Convenience translation

 

Translations of balances in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss and Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows from RMB into US$ as of and for the years ended December 31, 2015 are solely for the convenience of the readers and were calculated at the rate of US$1.00=RMB6.4778, representing the noon buying rate set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board on December 31, 2015. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted, realized or settled into US$ at that rate on December 31, 2015, or at any other rate.

 

g.               Cash and cash equivalents

 

Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash on hand, time deposits, as well as highly liquid investments, some of which are subject to certain penalty as to early withdrawal, which have original maturities of three months or less.

 

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Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

2.      Summary of significant accounting policies (Continued)

 

h.               Restricted cash

 

Cash that is restricted as to withdrawal for use or pledged as security is reported separately on the face of the Consolidated Balance Sheets, and is not included in the total cash and cash equivalents in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. The Group’s restricted cash mainly represents (a) secured deposits held in designated bank accounts for issuance of bank acceptance and letter of guarantee; and (b) time deposits that are pledged for short-term bank loans.

 

i.                  Short-term investments

 

Short-term investments include wealth management products, which are certain deposits with variable interest rates or principal not-guaranteed with certain financial institutions. The Group classifies the wealth management products as “available-for-sale” securities. These investments were recorded at fair market value with the unrealized gains or losses recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) in the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity. Realized gains are reflected as a component of interest income.

 

In addition, short-term investments are also comprised of time deposits placed with banks with original maturities longer than three months but less than one year.

 

The Group assesses whether there are any other-than-temporary impairment to its short-term investments due to declines in fair value or other market conditions. Declines in fair values that are considered other-than-temporary are recorded as an impairment loss in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss. No impairment losses in relation to its short-term investments were recorded for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

 

j.                  Accounts receivable, net

 

Accounts receivable, net mainly represents amounts due from customers and online payment channels, are recorded net of allowance for doubtful accounts. The Group considers many factors in assessing the collectability of its accounts receivable, such as, the age of the amounts due, the customer’s payment history, credit-worthiness, financial conditions of the customers and industry trend. An allowance for doubtful accounts is recorded in the period in which a loss is determined to be probable. The Group also makes specific allowance if there is strong evidence indicating that the accounts receivable is likely to be unrecoverable. Accounts receivable balances are written off after all collection efforts have been exhausted. The accounts receivable with the collection period over one year was classified into other non-current assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

 

k.               Inventories, net

 

Inventories, consisting of products available for sale, are stated at the lower of cost or market value. Cost of inventory is determined using the weighted average cost method. Adjustments are recorded to write down the cost of inventory to the estimated market value due to slow-moving merchandise and damaged goods, which is dependent upon factors such as historical and forecasted consumer demand, and promotional environment. The Group takes ownership, risks and rewards of the products purchased, but has arrangements to return unsold goods with certain vendors. Write downs are recorded in cost of revenues in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss.

 

The Group also provides fulfillment-related services in connection with the Group’s online marketplace. Third-party sellers maintain ownership of their inventories and therefore these products are not included in the Group’s inventories.

 

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Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

2.      Summary of significant accounting policies (Continued)

 

l.                  Loan receivables, net

 

Loan receivables consist primarily of micro loans services to small and medium size enterprises that are merchants on the Group’s online marketplace and qualified individual customers as well. Such amounts are recorded at the principal amount less allowance for doubtful accounts relating to micro loans, and include accrued interest receivable as of the balance sheet date. Allowance for doubtful accounts relating to micro loans represents the Group’s best estimate of the losses inherent in the outstanding portfolio of loans. The loan periods extended by the Group to the merchants and the individual customers generally range from 1 day to 6 months. Judgment is required to determine the allowance amounts and whether such amounts are adequate to cover potential bad debts, and periodic reviews are performed to ensure such amounts continue to reflect the best estimate of the losses inherent in the outstanding portfolio of loans. As of December 31, 2015, allowance for doubtful accounts relating to micro loans was insignificant.

 

m.            Property, equipment and software, net

 

Property, equipment and software are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment. Property, equipment and software are depreciated at rates sufficient to write off their costs less impairment and residual value, if any, over the estimated useful lives on a straight-line basis. The estimated useful lives are as follows:

 

Category

 

Estimated Useful lives

Electronic equipment

 

3 years

Office equipment

 

5 years

Vehicles

 

5 years

Logistic and warehouse equipment

 

5 years

Leasehold improvement

 

Over the shorter of the expected life of
leasehold improvements or the lease term

Software

 

3-5 years

Building

 

40 years

Building improvement

 

5-10 years

 

Repairs and maintenance costs are charged to expenses as incurred, whereas the costs of renewals and betterment that extends the useful lives of property, equipment and software are capitalized as additions to the related assets. Retirements, sales and disposals of assets are recorded by removing the costs, accumulated depreciation and impairment with any resulting gain or loss recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss.

 

n.               Construction in progress

 

Direct costs that are related to the construction of property, equipment and software and incurred in connection with bringing the assets to their intended use are capitalized as construction in progress. Construction in progress is transferred to specific property, equipment and software items and the depreciation of these assets commences when the assets are ready for their intended use. As of December 31, 2014 and 2015, the balances of construction in progress were RMB1,928,899 and RMB1,266,992, which were primarily relating to the construction of office buildings and warehouses.

 

o.               Land use rights, net

 

Land use rights are recorded at cost less accumulated amortization. Amortization is provided on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives which are generally 40-70 years and represent the shorter of the estimated usage periods or the terms of the agreements.

 

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Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

2.      Summary of significant accounting policies (Continued)

 

p.               Intangible assets, net

 

Domain name and copyrights

 

Domain name and copyrights purchased from third parties are initially recorded at cost and amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated economic useful lives of approximately ten years and two to five years, respectively.

 

Intangible assets arising from business combination

 

The Group performs valuation of the intangible assets arising from business combination to determine the relative fair value to be assigned to each asset acquired. The acquired intangible assets are recognized and measured at fair value and are expensed or amortized using the straight-line approach over the estimated economic useful life of the assets.

 

q.               Goodwill

 

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities acquired in a business combination.

 

Goodwill is not depreciated or amortized but is tested for impairment on an annual basis as of December 31, and in between annual tests when an event occurs or circumstances change that could indicate that the asset might be impaired. In accordance with the FASB guidance on “Testing of Goodwill for Impairment,” a company first has the option to assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If the company decides, as a result of its qualitative assessment, that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, the quantitative impairment test is mandatory. Otherwise, no further testing is required. The quantitative impairment test consists of a comparison of the fair value of each reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. If the carrying amount of each reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss equal to the difference between the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill and the carrying amount of goodwill will be recorded. Application of a goodwill impairment test requires significant management judgment, including the identification of reporting units, assigning assets and liabilities to reporting units, assigning goodwill to reporting units, and determining the fair value of each reporting unit. The judgment in estimating the fair value of reporting units includes estimating future cash flows, determining appropriate discount rates and making other assumptions. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of fair value for each reporting unit.

 

r.                 Investment in equity investees

 

Investment in equity investees represents the Company’s investments in privately held companies and publicly traded companies. The Company applies the equity method of accounting to account for an equity investment, in common stock or in-substance common stock, according to ASC 323 “Investment—Equity Method and Joint Ventures”, over which it has significant influence but does not own a majority equity interest or otherwise control.

 

An investment in in-substance common stock is an investment in an entity that has risk and reward characteristics that are substantially similar to that entity’s common stock. The Company considers subordination, risks and rewards of ownership and obligation to transfer value when determining whether an investment in an entity is substantially similar to an investment in that entity’s common stock.

 

For other equity investments that are not considered as debt securities or equity securities that have readily determinable fair values and over which the Company has neither significant influence nor control through investments in common stock or in-substance common stock, the cost method of accounting is used.

 

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Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

2.      Summary of significant accounting policies (Continued)

 

r.      Investment in equity investees (Continued)

 

Under the equity method, the Company’s share of the post-acquisition profits or losses of the equity investees are recorded in share of results of equity investees in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss and its share of post-acquisition movements in accumulated other comprehensive income is recognized in shareholders’ equity. The Company records its share of the results of equity investments in publicly listed companies on a one quarter in arrears basis. The excess of the carrying amount of the investment over the underlying equity in net assets of the equity investee represents goodwill and intangible assets acquired. When the Company’s share of losses in the equity investee equals or exceeds its interest in the equity investee, the Company does not recognize further losses, unless the Company has incurred obligations or made payments or guarantees on behalf of the equity investee.

 

Under the cost method, the Company carries the investment at cost and recognizes income to the extent of dividends received from the distribution of the equity investee’s post-acquisition profits.

 

The Company continually reviews its investment in equity investees to determine whether a decline in fair value to below the carrying value is other-than-temporary. The primary factors the Company considers in its determination are the length of time that the fair value of the investment is below the Company’s carrying value; the financial condition, operating performance and the prospects of the equity investee; and other company specific information such as recent financing rounds. If the decline in fair value is deemed to be other-than-temporary, the carrying value of the equity investee is written down to fair value.

 

s.                 Investment securities

 

The Company invests in marketable equity securities to meet business objectives. These marketable securities are reported at fair value, classified and accounted for as available-for-sale securities in investment securities. The treatment of a decline in the fair value of an individual security is based on whether the decline is other-than-temporary. The Company assesses its available-for-sale securities for other-than-temporary impairment by considering factors including, but not limited to, its ability and intent to hold the individual security, severity of the impairment, expected duration of the impairment and forecasted recovery of fair value. Investments classified as available-for-sale securities are reported at fair value with unrealized gains or losses, if any, recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income in shareholders’ equity. If the Company determines a decline in fair value is other-than-temporary, the cost basis of the individual security is written down to fair value as a new cost basis and the amount of the write-down is accounted for as a realized loss charged in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive loss. The fair value of the investment would not be adjusted for subsequent recoveries in fair value.

 

t.                  Impairment of long-lived assets

 

Long-lived assets are evaluated for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances (such as a significant adverse change to market conditions that will impact the future use of the assets) indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be fully recoverable or that the useful life is shorter than the Group had originally estimated. When these events occur, the Group evaluates the impairment for the long-lived assets by comparing the carrying value of the assets to an estimate of future undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated from the use of the assets and their eventual disposition. If the sum of the expected future undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying value of the assets, the Group recognizes an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying value of the assets over the fair value of the assets.

 

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Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

2.      Summary of significant accounting policies (Continued)

 

u.               Nonrecourse securitization debt

 

The Group periodically securitizes accounts receivables and loans arising from its consumer and supply chain financing businesses through the transfer of those assets to securitization vehicles. The securitization vehicles then issue debt securities to third-party investors, collateralized by the transferred assets. The asset-backed debt securities issued by the securitization vehicles are nonrecourse to the Group and are payable only out of collections on their respective underlying collateralized assets. The securitization vehicles are considered consolidated variable interest entities based upon the applicable accounting guidance, and the asset-backed debt securities issued by the securitization vehicles are reported as current and non-current liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets based on their respective expected repayment dates. While the contractual maturity of the asset-backed debt securities is in 2019, the securities are repaid as collections on the underlying collateralized assets occur. As of December 31, 2014 and 2015, the collateralized accounts receivables and loans were nil and RMB4,320,000, respectively. The weighted average interest rate for the outstanding nonrecourse securitization debt as of December 31, 2015 was approximately 5.30%.

 

v.                Fair value

 

Accounting guidance defines fair value as the price that would be received from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. When determining the fair value measurement for assets and liabilities required or permitted to be recorded at fair value, the Group considers the principal or most advantageous market in which it would transact and it considers assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset or liability.

 

The Company measures certain financial assets, including the investments under the cost method and equity method on other-than-temporary basis, intangible assets, goodwill and fixed assets are marked to fair value when an impairment charge is recognized.

 

Accounting guidance establishes a fair value hierarchy that requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. A financial instrument’s categorization within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Accounting guidance establishes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:

 

Level 1 — Observable inputs that reflect quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.

 

Level 2 — Include other inputs that are directly or indirectly observable in the marketplace.

 

Level 3 — Unobservable inputs which are supported by little or no market activity.

 

Accounting guidance also describes three main approaches to measuring the fair value of assets and liabilities: (1) market approach; (2) income approach and (3) cost approach. The market approach uses prices and other relevant information generated from market transactions involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities. The income approach uses valuation techniques to convert future amounts to a single present value amount. The measurement is based on the value indicated by current market expectations about those future amounts. The cost approach is based on the amount that would currently be required to replace an asset.

 

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Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

2.      Summary of significant accounting policies (Continued)

 

w.             Revenue

 

The Group engages primarily in the sale of electronics and home appliance products and general merchandise products (including audio, video products and books) sourced from manufacturers, distributors and publishers in China on the internet through its website www.jd.com. The Group also offers an online marketplace that enables third-party sellers to sell their products to customers on www.jd.com. Customers place their orders for products online through the website www.jd.com. Payment for the purchased products is generally made either before delivery or upon delivery.

 

Consistent with the criteria of ASC 605, Revenue Recognition , the Group recognizes revenues when the following four revenue recognition criteria are met: (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (ii) delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, (iii) the selling price is fixed or determinable, and (iv) collectability is reasonably assured.

 

In accordance with ASC 605, Revenue Recognition , the Group evaluates whether it is appropriate to record the gross amount of product sales and related costs or the net amount earned as commissions. When the Group is primarily obligated in a transaction, is subject to inventory risk, has latitude in establishing prices and selecting suppliers, or has several but not all of these indicators, revenues should be recorded on a gross basis. When the Group is not the primary obligor, doesn’t bear the inventory risk and doesn’t have the ability to establish the price, revenues are recorded on a net basis.

 

Revenue arrangements with multiple deliverables are divided into separate units of accounting and arrangement considerations are allocated using estimated selling prices if the Group does not have vendor-specific objective evidence or third-party evidence of the selling prices of the deliverables.

 

The Group recognizes revenue net of discounts and return allowances when the products are delivered and title passes to customers. Return allowances, which reduce net revenues, are estimated based on historical experiences.

 

The Group also sells prepaid cards which can be redeemed to purchase products on the website www.jd.com. The cash collected from the sales of prepaid cards is initially recorded in advance from customers in the Consolidated Balance Sheets and subsequently recognized as revenues upon the sales of the respective products through redemption of prepaid cards are completed.

 

Revenue is recorded net of value-added taxes, business taxes and related surcharges.

 

Online Direct Sales

 

The Group primarily sells electronics and home appliance products and general merchandise products through online direct sales. The Group recognizes the revenues from the online direct sales on a gross basis as the Group is primarily obligated in these transactions, is subject to inventory risk, has latitude in establishing prices and selecting suppliers, or has met several but not all of these indicators. Revenues from the sales of electronics and home appliance products were RMB56,814,078, RMB90,890,026 and RMB134,346,243, and revenues from the sales of general merchandise products were RMB10,203,899, RMB17,659,232 and RMB33,374,741, for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively.

 

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Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

2.      Summary of significant accounting policies (Continued)

 

w.     Revenue (Continued)

 

Services and Others

 

The revenues of services and others primarily consist of commission fees charged to third-party sellers for participating in the Group’s online marketplace, where the Group generally is not the primary obligor, does not bear the inventory risk, does not have the ability to establish the price or control the related shipping services when utilized by the online marketplace merchants. Upon successful sales at www.jd.com, the Group will charge the third-party sellers a negotiated amount or a fixed rate commission fee based on the sales amount. Commission fee revenues are recognized on a net basis at the point of delivery of products, net of return allowance.

 

The Group also provides online marketing services to merchants and suppliers on its various website channels and third party marketing affiliate’s websites, including but not limited to advertising placements such as banners, links, logos and buttons, and pay for performance marketing services on which merchants and suppliers are charged based on effective click on their products or service listings. The Group recognizes revenues from advertising placements ratably over the period during which the advertising services were provided or on the number of times that the advertisement has been displayed based on cost per thousand impressions, and recognizes revenues from pay for performance marketing services based on effective clicks. Advertising arrangements involving multiple deliverables are allocated into single-element arrangements based on their relative selling price in the absence of both vendor specific objective evidence and third party evidence, and the related revenue is recognized over the period during which the element is provided. Significant assumptions and estimates have been made in estimating the relative selling price of each single-element, and changes in judgments on these assumptions and estimates could materially impact the timing of advertising revenue recognition. The Group did not enter into material advertising-for-advertising barter transactions, or any other types of barter transactions.

 

The Group earns transaction fees from processing transactions for online payment customers. Revenues resulting from these transactions are recognized when transactions are completed. Transaction fee is charged based on certain criteria (such as account type and volume of payments received per month) for funds they receive.

 

The Group offers comprehensive customer services, primarily include 7*24 hours customer service to respond to customer post-sales requests, return and exchange service to facilitate customer’s return, exchange and repair of defective goods. These services are free of charge. The Group also provides return/exchange logistic service to the customers, of which the revenues recognized was not material for the periods presented.

 

x.               Customer incentives and loyalty programs

 

The Group provides two types of discounted coupons, referred to as D Coupons and J Coupons, for free to its customers to incentivize purchase.

 

·                       D Coupons are given to a customer upon their current purchase or can be given for free to promote future purchases. This coupon requires the customer to make future purchase of a minimum value in order to enjoy the value provided by the coupon. The right to purchase discounted products in the future is not considered an element of an arrangement within the scope of the multiple-element arrangements guidance in ASC 605, as the right does not represent a significant and incremental discount to the customer. The Group assesses the significance of the discount by considering its percentage of the total future minimum purchase value, historical usage pattern by the customers and relative outstanding volume and monetary value of D Coupons compared to the other discounts offered by the Group. D Coupons are accounted for as a reduction of revenue on the future purchase.

 

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Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

2.      Summary of significant accounting policies (Continued)

 

x .      Customer incentives and loyalty programs (Continued)

 

·                       J Coupons are given to a customer that has made a qualified purchase and is to be used on a future purchase, with no limitation as to the minimum value of the future purchase. Accordingly, the Group has determined that J Coupons awarded during a purchase activity are considered an element of an arrangement within the scope of ASC 605-25, as the J Coupons represent a significant and incremental discount to the customer. Therefore, the delivered products and the J Coupons awarded are treated as separate unit of accounting. The selling price of the J Coupons awarded is generally determined by management’s best estimate of the selling price in the absence of both vendor specific objective evidence and third party evidence. The amount allocated to the J Coupons is deferred and recognized when the J Coupons are redeemed or at the coupon’s expiration, whichever occurs first. J Coupons have an expiration of one year after issuance. For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, the amount of expired J Coupons was not material.

 

Registered customers may also earn loyalty points or J Beans, which was launched in October 2013 based on certain activities performed on the Group’s website by the customers such as purchasing merchandise or reviewing their buying experiences. Customers may redeem the loyalty points for J Coupons or J Beans to be used for future purchase of selected items without minimum purchase requirements. The Group considers loyalty points and J Beans awarded from sales of products and reviewing buying experiences to be part of its revenue generating activities, and such arrangements are considered to have multiple elements. Therefore, the sales consideration is allocated to the products and loyalty points or J Beans based on the relative selling price of the products and loyalty points or J Beans awarded. Consideration allocated to the loyalty points or J Beans is initially recorded as deferred revenues, and recognized as revenues when the J Coupons for which the loyalty points are redeemed are used, or when J Beans are used or expired. In October 2014, the Group terminated its loyalty points program and transferred all of the loyalty points to J Beans for the customers. J Beans will expire at the subsequent year end after issuance. For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, the amount of expired J Beans was not material.

 

y.                Cost of revenues

 

Cost of revenues consists of purchase price of products, inbound shipping charges, write-downs of inventory and traffic acquisition costs related to online marketing services. Shipping charges to receive products from the suppliers are included in the inventories, and recognized as cost of revenues upon sale of the products to the customers. Payment processing and related transaction costs, including those associated with the sales transactions as well as packaging material costs, are classified in fulfillment in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss.

 

z.                 Rebates and subsidies

 

The Group periodically receives considerations from certain vendors, representing rebates for products sold and subsidies for the sales of the vendors’ products over a period of time. The rebates are not sufficiently separable from the Group’s purchase of the vendors’ products and they do not represent a reimbursement of costs incurred by the Group to sell vendors’ products. The Group accounts for the rebates received from its vendors as a reduction to the prices it pays for the products purchased and therefore the Group records such amounts as a reduction of cost of revenues when recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss. Rebates are earned upon reaching minimum purchase thresholds for a specified period. When volume rebates can be reasonably estimated based on the Group’s past experiences and current forecasts, a portion of the rebates is recognized as the Group makes progress towards the purchase threshold. Subsidies are calculated based on the volume of products sold through the Group and are recorded as a reduction of cost of revenues when the sales have been completed and the amount is determinable.

 

aa.        Fulfillment

 

Fulfillment costs represent packaging material costs and those costs incurred in outbound shipping, operating and staffing the Group’s fulfillment and customer service centers, including costs attributable to buying, receiving, inspecting and warehousing inventories; picking, packaging and preparing customer orders for shipment; processing payment and related transaction costs and responding to inquiries from customers. Fulfillment costs also contain third party transaction fees, such as credit card processing and debit card processing fees. Shipping cost amounted to RMB2,068,781, RMB4,077,586 and RMB7,236,163 for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively.

 

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Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

2.      Summary of significant accounting policies (Continued)

 

bb.        Marketing

 

Marketing expenses consist primarily of advertising costs and related expenses for personnel engaged in marketing and business development activities.

 

Advertising costs, which consist primarily of online advertising, offline television, movie and outdoor advertising, are expensed as incurred, and totaled RMB1,491,467, RMB2,780,642 and RMB5,721,216 for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively.

 

cc.          Technology and content

 

Technology and content expenses consist primarily of technology infrastructure expenses and payroll and related expenses for employees involved in platform development, category expansion, editorial content, buying and merchandising selection systems support, as well as costs associated with the compute, storage and telecommunications infrastructure for internal use that supports the Group’s web services. Technology and content expenses are expensed as incurred. Software development costs are recorded in “Technology and content” as incurred as the costs qualifying for capitalization have been insignificant.

 

dd.        General and administrative

 

General and administrative expenses consist of payroll and related expenses for employees involved in general corporate functions, including accounting, finance, tax, legal and human relations; costs associated with use by these functions of facilities and equipment, such as depreciation expenses, rental and other general corporate related expenses.

 

ee.          Share-based compensation

 

The Company grants non-vested ordinary shares, restricted share units (“RSUs”) and share options to eligible employees, non-employee consultants and the Founder of the Company and accounts for these share-based awards in accordance with ASC 718 Compensation — Stock Compensation and ASC 505-50 Equity-Based Payments to Non-Employees.

 

Employees’ share-based awards and the Founder’s share-based awards are measured at the grant date fair value of the awards and recognized as expenses a) immediately at grant date if no vesting conditions are required; or b) using graded vesting method, net of estimated forfeitures, over the requisite service period, which is the vesting period.

 

All transactions in which goods or services are received in exchange for equity instruments are accounted for based on the fair value of the consideration received or the fair value of the equity instrument issued, whichever is more reliably measurable.

 

Non-employees’ share-based awards are measured at fair value at the earlier of the commitment date or the date the services are completed. Awards granted to non-employees are re-measured at each reporting date using the fair value as at each period end until the measurement date, generally when the services are completed and awards are vested. Changes in fair value between the reporting dates are recognized by graded vesting method.

 

If a share-based award is modified after the grant date, the Company evaluate for such modifications in accordance with ASC 718 Compensation — Stock Compensation and the modification is determined to be a probable-to-probable (Type 1) modification, additional compensation expenses are recognized in an amount equal to the excess of the fair value of the modified equity instrument over the fair value of the original equity instrument immediately before modification. The additional compensation expenses are recognized immediately on the date of modification or over the remaining requisite service period, depending on the vesting status of the award.

 

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Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

2.      Summary of significant accounting policies (Continued)

 

ee.          Share-based compensation(Continued)

 

Prior to the Company’s initial public offering, the fair value of the non-vested ordinary shares and RSUs were assessed using the income approach/discounted cash flow method, with a discount for lack of marketability given that the shares underlying the awards were not publicly traded at the time of grant. This assessment required complex and subjective judgments regarding the Company’s projected financial and operating results, its unique business risks, the liquidity of its ordinary shares and its operating history and prospects at the time the grants were made. In addition, the binomial option-pricing model is used to measure the value of share options. The determination of the fair value is affected by the fair value of the ordinary shares as well as assumptions regarding a number of complex and subjective variables, including the expected share price volatility, actual and projected employee and non-employee share option exercise behavior, risk-free interest rates and expected dividend yield. Binomial option-pricing model incorporates the assumptions about grantees’ future exercise patterns. The fair value of these awards was determined with the assistance from an independent valuation firm using management’s estimates and assumptions.

 

After the Company’s initial public offering, in determining the fair value of the non-vested ordinary shares and RSUs granted, the closing market price of the underlying shares on the last trading date prior to the grant dates is applied. In determining the fair value of the non-vested ordinary shares and RSUs granted on May 22, 2014, the date when the Group’s ADSs first commenced trading on NASDAQ, the per share equivalent of the Company’s initial public offering price is applied.

 

Determination of estimated fair value of the Company’s subsidiaries before they were publicly listed requires complex and subjective judgments due to their limited financial and operating history, unique business risks and limited public information on companies in China similar to the Company’s subsidiaries. The Company, with the assistance of an independent valuation firm, evaluated the use of two generally accepted valuation approaches. The income approach is used if a revenue model had been established, the market approach is used if information from comparable companies had been available, or a weighted blend of these two approaches is used if more than one is applicable, to estimate the Company’s subsidiaries’ enterprise value for purposes of recording stock-based compensation.

 

The assumptions used in share-based compensation expense recognition represent management’s best estimates, but these estimates involve inherent uncertainties and application of management judgment. If factors change or different assumptions are used, the share-based compensation expenses could be materially different for any period. Moreover, the estimates of fair value of the awards are not intended to predict actual future events or the value that ultimately will be realized by grantees who receive share-based awards, and subsequent events are not indicative of the reasonableness of the original estimates of fair value made by the Company for accounting purposes.

 

Forfeitures are estimated at the time of grant and revised in the subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates.

 

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Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

2.     Summary of significant accounting policies (Continued)

 

ff.              Income tax

 

Current income taxes are provided on the basis of net income for financial reporting purposes, adjusted for income and expense items which are not assessable or deductible for income tax purposes, in accordance with the regulations of the relevant tax jurisdictions. The Group follows the liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the temporary differences between the financial statements carrying amounts and tax bases of existing assets and liabilities by applying enacted statutory tax rates that will be in effect in the period in which the temporary differences are expected to reverse. The Group records a valuation allowance to reduce the amount of deferred tax assets if based on the weight of available evidence, it is more-likely-than-not that some portion, or all, of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The effect on deferred taxes of a change in tax rates is recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss in the period of change.

 

The Group recognizes in its consolidated financial statements the benefit of a tax position if the tax position is “more likely than not” to prevail based on the facts and technical merits of the position. Tax positions that meet the “more likely than not” recognition threshold are measured at the largest amount of tax benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon settlement. The Group estimates its liability for unrecognized tax benefits which are periodically assessed and may be affected by changing interpretations of laws, rulings by tax authorities, changes and/or developments with respect to tax audits, and expiration of the statute of limitations. The ultimate outcome for a particular tax position may not be determined with certainty prior to the conclusion of a tax audit and, in some cases, appeal or litigation process. The actual benefits ultimately realized may differ from the Group’s estimates. As each audit is concluded, adjustments, if any, are recorded in the Group’s consolidated financial statements in the period in which the audit is concluded. Additionally, in future periods, changes in facts, circumstances and new information may require the Group to adjust the recognition and measurement estimates with regard to individual tax positions. Changes in recognition and measurement estimates are recognized in the period in which the changes occur. As of December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, the Group did not have any significant unrecognized uncertain tax positions.

 

gg.        Leases

 

Each lease is classified at the inception date as either a capital lease or an operating lease. For the lessee, a lease is a capital lease if any of the following conditions exist: a) ownership is transferred to the lessee by the end of the lease term, b) there is a bargain purchase option, c) the lease term is at least 75% of the property’s estimated remaining economic life or d) the present value of the minimum lease payments at the beginning of the lease term is 90% or more of the fair value of the leased property to the leaser at the inception date. A capital lease is accounted for as if there was an acquisition of an asset and an incurrence of an obligation at the inception of the lease. All other leases are accounted for as operating leases. Payments made under operating lease are charged to the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss on a straight-line basis over the terms of underlying lease. The Group has no capital leases for any of the periods presented.

 

hh.        Comprehensive income/(loss)

 

Comprehensive income/(loss) is defined as the changes in equity of the Group during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances excluding transactions resulting from investments from shareholders and distributions to shareholders. Comprehensive income/(loss) for the periods presented includes net loss, changes in unrealized gains/(losses) on available for sales securities, foreign currency translation adjustments, and share of change in other comprehensive income of equity investments in publicly listed companies one quarter in arrears.

 

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Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

2.     Summary of significant accounting policies (Continued)

 

ii.              Earnings / (Loss) per share

 

Basic earnings/(loss) per share is computed by dividing net income/(loss) attributable to holders of ordinary shares, considering the accretions to redemption value of the preferred shares, by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period using the two-class method. Under the two-class method, net income is allocated between ordinary shares and other participating securities based on their participating rights. Diluted earnings/(loss) per share is calculated by dividing net income/(loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders, as adjusted for the accretion and allocation of net income related to the preferred shares, if any, by the weighted average number of ordinary and dilutive ordinary equivalent shares outstanding during the period. Ordinary equivalent shares consist of shares issuable upon the conversion of the preferred shares using the if-converted method, unvested restricted shares, restricted share units and ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding share options using the treasury stock method. Ordinary equivalent shares are not included in the denominator of the diluted earnings per share calculation when inclusion of such shares would be anti-dilutive.

 

jj.              Segment reporting

 

The Group engages primarily in the sale of electronics and home appliance products and general merchandise products (including audio, video products and books) sourced from manufacturers, distributors and publishers in PRC on the internet through its website www.jd.com. The Group also operates its online marketplace under which third-party sellers sell products on the Group’s website to customers. The Group does not distinguish revenues, costs and expenses between segments in its internal reporting, and reports costs and expenses by nature as a whole. The Group’s chief operating decision maker, who has been identified as the Chief Executive Officer, reviews the consolidated results when making decisions about allocating resources and assessing performance of the Group as a whole and hence, the Group has only one reportable segment. The Group operates and manages its business as a single segment mainly through the provision of a single class of services for accelerating and improving the delivery of its products over the internet. The Group does not distinguish between markets or segments for the purpose of internal reports. As the Group’s long-lived assets are all located in the PRC and most of all the Group’s revenues are derived from the PRC, no geographical information is presented.

 

kk.        Statutory reserves

 

The Company’s subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries established in the PRC are required to make appropriations to certain non-distributable reserve funds.

 

In accordance with the laws applicable to the Foreign Investment Enterprises established in the PRC, the Group’s subsidiaries registered as wholly-owned foreign enterprise have to make appropriations from their after-tax profits (as determined under generally accepted accounting principles in the PRC (“PRC GAAP”) to reserve funds including general reserve fund, enterprise expansion fund and staff bonus and welfare fund. The appropriation to the general reserve fund must be at least 10% of the after-tax profits calculated in accordance with PRC GAAP. Appropriation is not required if the general reserve fund has reached 50% of the registered capital of the company. Appropriations to the enterprise expansion fund and staff bonus and welfare fund are made at the respective company’s discretion.

 

In addition, in accordance with the PRC Company Laws, the Group’s VIE and VIEs subsidiaries, registered as Chinese domestic companies, must make appropriations from their after-tax profits as determined under the PRC GAAP to non-distributable reserve funds including statutory surplus fund and discretionary surplus fund. The appropriation to the statutory surplus fund must be 10% of the after-tax profits as determined under PRC GAAP. Appropriation is not required if the statutory surplus fund has reached 50% of the registered capital of the company. Appropriation to the discretionary surplus fund is made at the discretion of the respective company.

 

The use of the general reserve fund, enterprise expansion fund, statutory surplus fund and discretionary surplus fund are restricted to the offsetting of losses or increasing of the registered capital of the respective company. The staff bonus and welfare fund is a liability in nature and is restricted to fund payments of special bonus to employees and for the collective welfare of employees. None of these reserves are allowed to be transferred to the company in terms of cash dividends, loans or advances, nor can they be distributed except under liquidation.

 

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Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

2.  Summary of significant accounting policies (Continued)

 

kk.  Statutory reserves (Continued)

 

For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, profit appropriation to statutory surplus fund for the Group’s entities incorporated in the PRC was approximately RMB810, RMB12,361 and RMB40,551 respectively. No appropriation to other reserve funds was made for any of the periods presented.

 

ll.              Recent accounting pronouncements

 

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in “Revenue Recognition (Topic 605)”, and requires entities to recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, the FASB deferred the effective date of the revenue recognition guidance to reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The Group is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption on its consolidated financial statements.

 

In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-02, “Consolidation (Topic 810) - Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis,” which provides guidance for reporting entities that are required to evaluate whether they should consolidate certain legal entities. In accordance with ASU 2015-02, all legal entities are subject to reevaluation under the revised consolidation model. ASU 2015-02 is effective for public business entities for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. The Group does not expect the adoption to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

 

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11, “Inventory (Topic 330),” which modifies the accounting for inventory. Under this ASU, the measurement principle for inventory will change from lower of cost or market value to lower of cost and net realizable value. The ASU defines net realizable value as the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. The ASU is effective for reporting periods after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The Group does not expect the adoption to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

 

In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-17, “Income taxes (Topic 740),” which amends the accounting for income taxes and requiring all deferred tax assets and liabilities to be classified as non-current in the consolidated balance sheets. The ASU is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The ASU may be adopted either prospectively or retrospectively. The Group does not expect the adoption to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

 

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842),” which introduces a new lessee model that brings substantially all leases in the balance sheets. This standard will be effective for the Group beginning the first quarter of fiscal year 2019. The Group is currently evaluating the impact this new guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements.

 

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Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

3.  Concentration and risks

 

Concentration of customers and suppliers

 

There are no customers or suppliers from whom revenues or purchases individually represent greater than 10% of the total revenues or the total purchases of the Group for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

 

Concentration of credit risk

 

Assets that potentially subject the Group to significant concentrations of credit risk primarily consist of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable and short-term investments. The maximum exposure of such assets to credit risk is their carrying amounts as of the balance sheet dates. As of December 31, 2014 and 2015, all of the Group’s cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments were held by major financial institutions located in the PRC and Hong Kong which management believes are of high credit quality. On May 1, 2015, China’s new Deposit Insurance Regulation came into effect, pursuant to which banking financial institutions, such as commercial banks, established in China are required to purchase deposit insurance for deposits in RMB and in foreign currency placed with them. Such Deposit Insurance Regulation would not be effective in providing complete protection for the Group’s accounts, as its aggregate deposits is much higher than the compensation limit. However, the Group believes that the risk of failure of any of these PRC banks is remote. Bank failure is uncommon in China and the Group believes that those Chinese banks that hold the Group’s cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments are financially sound based on public available information. Accounts receivable are typically unsecured and are derived from revenues earned from customers in the PRC. The risk with respect to accounts receivable is mitigated by credit evaluations the Group performs on its customers and its ongoing monitoring process of outstanding balances.

 

Currency convertibility risk

 

The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of RMB into foreign currencies. The Group’s cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments denominated in RMB that are subject to such government controls amounted to RMB9,054,762 and RMB12,630,577 as of December 31, 2014 and 2015, respectively. The value of RMB is subject to changes in the central government policies and to international economic and political developments affecting supply and demand in the PRC foreign exchange trading system market. In the PRC, certain foreign exchange transactions are required by law to be transacted only by authorized financial institutions at exchange rates set by the People’s Bank of China (the “PBOC”). Remittances in currencies other than RMB by the Group in the PRC must be processed through PBOC or other Chinese foreign exchange regulatory bodies which require certain supporting documentation in order to process the remittance.

 

Foreign currency exchange rate risk

 

In July 2005, the PRC government changed its decades-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. Between July 2008 and June 2010, this appreciation halted and the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar remained within a narrow band. Since June 2010, the RMB has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar in the future.

 

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Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

4.  Restricted cash and restricted time deposit

 

To meet the requirements of specific business operations, primarily including secured deposits held in designated bank accounts for issuance of bank acceptance, the Group held restricted cash of RMB1,038,286 and RMB2,114,913 as of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2015 respectively. Changes in the restricted cash balances associated with the bank acceptance are classified as cash flows from operating activities in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows as the Group considers restricted cash arising from these activities directly related to the Group’s ordinary business operations.

 

To maintain guarantee balances at the bank as collaterals for the short-term bank loans of US$309,000 (see Note 16), the Group held restricted cash of RMB2,000,000 as of December 31, 2014, which was bank deposit with the original term of one year at the bank. Changes in the restricted cash balances associated with short-term bank loans are classified as cash flow from investing activities in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows as the Group considers restricted cash arising from these activities similar to an investment.

 

5.  Fair value measurement

 

As of December 31, 2014 and 2015, information about inputs into the fair value measurement of the Group’s assets that are measured and recorded at fair value on a recurring basis in periods subsequent to their initial recognition is as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

Fair value measurement at reporting date using

 

Description

 

December 31,
2014

 

Quoted Prices in Active
Markets for Identical Assets
(Level 1)

 

Significant Other
Observable Inputs
(Level 2)

 

Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash equivalents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time deposits

 

4,323,900

 

 

4,323,900

 

 

Restricted cash

 

3,038,286

 

 

3,038,286

 

 

Short-term investments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time deposits

 

10,402,301

 

 

10,402,301

 

 

Wealth management products

 

1,759,342

 

 

1,759,342

 

 

Investment securities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Listed equity securities

 

434,118

 

434,118

 

 

 

Total assets

 

19,957,947

 

434,118

 

19,523,829

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fair value measurement at reporting date using

 

Description

 

December 31,
2015

 

Quoted Prices in Active
Markets for Identical Assets
(Level 1)

 

Significant Other
Observable Inputs
(Level 2)

 

Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash equivalents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time deposits

 

462,158

 

 

462,158

 

 

Restricted cash

 

2,114,913

 

 

2,114,913

 

 

Short-term investments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time deposits

 

28,501

 

 

28,501

 

 

Wealth management products

 

2,751,981

 

 

2,751,981

 

 

Investment securities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Listed equity securities

 

1,005,831

 

1,005,831

 

 

 

Total assets

 

6,363,384

 

1,005,831

 

5,357,553

 

 

 

When available, the Group uses quoted market prices to determine the fair value of an asset or liability. If quoted market prices are not available, the Group will measure fair value using valuation techniques that use, when possible, current market-based or independently sourced market parameters, such as interest rates and currency rates. Following is a description of the valuation techniques that the Group uses to measure the fair value of assets that the Group reports in its Consolidated Balance Sheets at fair value on a recurring basis.

 

F- 31



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

5.  Fair value measurement (Continued)

 

Cash equivalents

 

Time deposits. The Group values its time deposits held in certain bank accounts using quoted prices for securities with similar characteristics and other observable inputs, and accordingly, the Group classifies the valuation techniques that use these inputs as Level 2.

 

Restricted cash

 

Restricted cash are valued based on the pervasive interest rate in the market, and accordingly, the Group classifies the valuation techniques that use these inputs as Level 2.

 

Short-term investments

 

Wealth management products. The Group values its wealth management products using alternative pricing sources and models utilizing market observable inputs, and accordingly the Group classifies the valuation techniques that use these inputs as Level 2.

 

As of December 31, 2014 and 2015, gross unrealized gains of RMB24,344 and RMB1,981 were recorded on wealth management products, respectively. No impairment charges were recorded for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively.

 

Investment securities

 

Listed equity securities. The Group values its listed equity securities using quoted prices for the underlying securities in active markets, and accordingly, the Group classifies the valuation techniques that use these inputs as Level 1. The following table summaries the carrying value and fair value of the investment securities which are accounted for as available-for-sale securities:

 

 

 

Cost
Basis

 

Gross
Unrealized
Gains

 

Gross
Unrealized
Losses

 

Provision
for decline
in value

 

Fair
Value

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2014

 

421,133

 

14,512

 

(1,527

)

 

434,118

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2015

 

1,254,589

 

77,299

 

 

(326,057

)

1,005,831

 

 

On May 26, 2015, the Company invested in Kingdee International Software Group Company Limited (“Kingdee”) by subscription of its newly issued ordinary shares, representing approximately 10% of the outstanding ordinary shares of Kingdee. Total cash consideration for the investment in Kingdee was RMB1,047,296.

 

The Company reviews its available-for-sale securities investments regularly to determine if an investment is other-than-temporarily impaired due to changes in quoted market price or other impairment indicators. For the year ended December 31, 2015, considering the severity and duration of the decline in quoted stock prices of the investment compared to the carrying value, the Company recognized an impairment charge of RMB326,057 on its investments on listed equity securities to write down the investment to the quoted closing stock price as of December 31, 2015. No impairment charges were recorded for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2014 respectively.

 

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Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

5.  Fair value measurement (Continued)

 

Other financial instruments

 

The followings are other financial instruments not measured at fair value in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, but for which the fair value is estimated for disclosure purposes.

 

Short-term receivables and payables. Accounts receivable, loan receivables and prepayments and other assets are financial assets with carrying values that approximate fair value due to their short-term nature. Accounts payable, advance from customers, accrued expenses and other liabilities and deferred revenues are financial liabilities with carrying values that approximate fair value due to their short-term nature.

 

Short-term bank loans. Interest rates under the loan agreements with the lending banks were determined based on the prevailing interest rates in the market. The Group classifies the valuation techniques that use these inputs as Level 2 fair value measurement.

 

Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis

 

Goodwill. The inputs used to measure the estimated fair value of goodwill are classified as Level 3 fair value measurement due to the significance of unobservable inputs using company-specific information. The valuation methodology used to estimate the fair value of goodwill is discussed in Note 7 —“Business Combination”.

 

Other Investments. As of December 31, 2014 and 2015, the Company held approximately RMB586,959 and RMB3,308,127, respectively, of investments in equity securities of privately-held companies that are accounted for using the cost method. These investments are included within investment in equity investees in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Such investments are reviewed periodically for impairment using fair value measurement. As of December 31, 2015, investments under cost method were measured using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) and impairment charges of RMB285,051 was recorded in others, net in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss for the year then ended. No impairment charges were recorded for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2014 respectively.

 

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Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

6.     Investment in equity investees

 

 

 

Cost method

 

Equity method

 

Total

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2013

 

36,502

 

 

36,502

 

Additions

 

552,493

 

 

552,493

 

Foreign currency translation adjustments

 

(2,036

)

 

(2,036

)

Balance at December 31, 2014

 

586,959

 

 

586,959

 

Additions

 

2,856,500

 

7,870,773

 

10,727,273

 

Share of results and other comprehensive income

 

 

(186,302

)

(186,302

)

Transferred from investment securities

 

 

305,655

 

305,655

 

Impairment loss

 

(285,051

)

(2,867,247

)

(3,152,298

)

Foreign currency translation adjustments

 

149,719

 

433,243

 

582,962

 

Balance at December 31, 2015

 

3,308,127

 

5,556,122

 

8,864,249

 

 

Cost method

 

As of December 31, 2014 and 2015, carrying value of the Company’s cost method investments were RMB586,959 and RMB3,308,127, respectively. Investments were accounted for under the cost method if the Company had no significant influence over the investee or if the underlying shares the Company invested in were not considered in-substance common stock and had no readily determinable fair value. During the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company invested RMB2,856,500 in multiple private companies accounted for under cost method, which may have operational synergy with the Company’s core business. Among these entities, investment consideration for the top two investees were RMB648,829 and RMB551,957, respectively.

 

Equity method

 

As of December 31, 2015, the Company’s investments accounted for under the equity method totaled RMB5,556,122 which mainly included the investment in Bitauto Holdings Limited (“Bitauto”) with amount of RMB2,881,194 and the investment in Tuniu Corporation (“Tuniu”) with amount of RMB2,494,331. The Company applies the equity method of accounting to account for its equity investments, in common stock or in-substance common stock, over which it has significant influence but does not own a majority equity interest or otherwise control.

 

F- 34



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

6.       Investment in equity investees (Continued)

 

Investment in Bitauto

 

On February 16, 2015, the Company completed its investment in Bitauto through the subscription of Bitauto’s newly issued ordinary shares, representing approximately 25% of the outstanding ordinary shares of Bitauto. Total consideration for the investment in Bitauto was RMB5,496,188 with a combination of RMB2,450,920 in cash and RMB3,045,268 in the form of future services, including exclusive access to the new and used car channels on the Company’s website and mobile apps and additional support from the Company’s key platforms for a period of 5 years. Investment in Bitauto is accounted for using the equity method with the investment cost allocated as follows:

 

 

 

February 16,
2015

 

December 31,
2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carrying value of investment in Bitauto (*)

 

5,496,188

 

2,881,194

 

Proportionate share of Bitauto’s net tangible and intangible assets

 

2,119,109

 

2,422,659

 

Excess of carrying value of the investment over proportionate share of Bitauto’s net tangible and intangible assets

 

3,377,079

 

458,535

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The excess of carrying value has been primarily assigned to:

 

 

 

 

 

Goodwill (*)

 

2,846,260

 

 

Amortizable intangible assets (**)

 

707,758

 

611,379

 

Deferred tax liabilities

 

(176,939

)

(152,844

)

 

 

3,377,079

 

458,535

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cumulative losses in equity interest in Bitauto

 

 

(2,614,994

)

 


(*) In the fourth quarter of 2015, the Company conducted an impairment assessment on its investment in Bitauto with consideration of the duration and severity of the continued decline of Bitauto’s stock price after the investment, and concluded the decline in fair value of the investment was other-than-temporary. Accordingly, the Company recorded a charge of RMB2,867,247 to write down the carrying value of its investment in Bitauto to the fair value of RMB2,881,194, based on quoted closing price of Bitauto’s stock of US$28.28 per ADS as of December 31, 2015.

 

(**) Weighted average life of the intangible assets not included in Bitauto’s consolidated financial statements was 6 years.

 

F- 35



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

6.       Investment in equity investees (Continued)

 

Investment in Tuniu

 

In December 2014, the Company acquired 6.5% equity interest in Tuniu with cash consideration of RMB305,930 (“Initial Investment”), and accounted for the investment as an available-for-sale security.

 

On May 22, 2015, the Company additionally acquired Tuniu’s newly issued ordinary shares for total consideration of RMB2,188,490 with a combination of RMB1,528,275 in cash and RMB660,215 in the form of future services, including granting Tuniu an exclusive right, for a period of 5 years, to operate the leisure travel channels on the Company’s website and mobile apps, and Tuniu becomes the Company’s preferred partner for hotel and air ticket booking services. After the subsequent investment in May 2015, the Company held approximately 28% of Tuniu’s issued and outstanding shares and had one board seat, hence, the Company adopted equity method of accounting to account for the investment in Tuniu. In accordance with ASC 323, accumulated unrealized gains of RMB14,395 that were previously recorded for fair value change of the Initial Investment were reversed in the second quarter of 2015, and the cost of Initial Investment balance was adjusted as if the equity method of accounting had been applied since the Initial Investment was made and reclassified from investment securities to investment in equity investees in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

 

Investment in Tuniu is accounted for using the equity method with the cost allocated as follows:

 

 

 

May 22,
2015

 

December 31,
2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carrying value of investment in Tuniu

 

2,494,145

 

2,494,331

 

Proportionate share of Tuniu’s net tangible and intangible assets

 

1,014,296

 

1,029,698

 

Excess of carrying value of the investment over proportionate share of Tuniu’s net tangible and intangible assets

 

1,479,849

 

1,464,633

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The excess of carrying value has been primarily assigned to:

 

 

 

 

 

Goodwill

 

1,212,149

 

1,212,149

 

Amortizable intangible assets (*)

 

356,933

 

336,645

 

Deferred tax liabilities

 

(89,233

)

(84,161

)

 

 

1,479,849

 

1,464,633

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cumulative gains in equity interest in Tuniu

 

 

186

 

 


(*) Weighted average life of the intangible assets not included in Tuniu’s financial statements was 9 years.

 

As of December 31, 2015, aggregate market value of the Company’s investment in Tuniu was approximately RMB2,700,098 based on quoted closing price of Tuniu’s stock of US$15.98 per ADS as of December 31, 2015.

 

The Company recorded its interests in Bitauto and Tuniu one quarter in arrears, which will enable the Company to provide its financial disclosure independent of the reporting schedule of Bitauto and Tuniu.

 

The Company performs impairment assessment of its investments under the cost method and equity method whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the investment may not be fully recoverable. Impairment charges in connection with the cost method investments of nil, nil and RMB285,051 were recorded in others, net in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. Impairment charges in connection with the equity method investments of nil, nil and RMB2,867,247 were recorded in share of results of equity investees in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively.

 

F- 36



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

7.       Business Combination

 

Transaction with Tencent

 

On March 10, 2014, the Company entered into a Strategic Cooperation Agreement (“Agreement”) with Tencent Holdings Limited (“Tencent”), for a period of 5 years from April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2019. Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company will become Tencent’s preferred partner in the development of physical goods e-Commerce business in Greater China including: (a) Tencent will grant the Company prominent level-1 access points in Weixin and mobile QQ applications; (b) Tencent will provide internet traffic and other support from other key platforms to the Company; and (c) the Company will cooperate with Tencent in a number of areas primarily mobile-related products, social networking services, membership systems and payment solutions. Terms described in (a), (b) and (c) above are hereinafter collectively referred to as “Strategic Cooperation”. In addition, for a period of 8 years from April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2022, other than the operation of Shanghai Icson E-Commerce Development Company Limited (“Shanghai Icson”), a subsidiary of Tencent, Tencent will not engage in any online direct sales or managed marketplace business model in physical goods e-Commerce businesses in Greater China and a few selected international markets, hereinafter referred to as “Non-Compete”.

 

On the same date, the Company also entered into a series of agreements with Tencent and its affiliates, pursuant to which, the Company acquired from Tencent: (i) 100% business operation of two online marketplace platforms, Paipai and QQ Wanggou (“Combined Platform Business”); (ii) 9.9% equity interest in Shanghai Icson (“Investment in Shanghai Icson”); (iii) a call option (“Call Option”) to acquire the remaining equity interest of Shanghai Icson, with a price higher of the fair value of the remaining equity interest or RMB800,000 within three years commencing the closing of the Transaction; (iv) certain logistic workforce; and (v) a land use right. The above (i) to (v), Strategic Cooperation and Non-Compete are collectively referred to as “Transaction”. In April, 2016, the Company exercised the Call Option by paying RMB800,000 to acquire the remaining equity interest in Shanghai Iscon. The Company is currently evaluating the accounting impact of the transaction.

 

As consideration for the Transaction, the Company issued 351,678,637 ordinary shares to Huang River Investment Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tencent, representing 15% shares on a fully diluted basis under treasury method upon the closing of the Transaction, on March 10, 2014.

 

The main purpose of the transaction is to further expand product and service offerings to the Group’s online shopping customers.

 

The acquisition of Combined Platform Business is accounted for as a business combination and the results of operations of the Combined Platform Business from the acquisition date have been included in the Group’s consolidated financial statements. The acquisitions of Strategic Cooperation, Non-compete, Investment in Shanghai Icson, Logistic Workforce and Land use right are considered asset acquisitions separate from the acquisition of Combined Platform Business. The investment in Shanghai Icson was accounted for under the cost method and recorded in investment in equity investees on the acquisition day. The identifiable intangible assets acquired are amortized on a straight-line basis over the respective useful lives.

 

The Company has performed the following steps to estimate the cost of the assets and business acquired with the assistance from an independent valuation firm: 1) estimate the total fair value of 351,678,637 ordinary shares issued to Huang River Investment Limited as the consideration of the transaction on March 10, 2014 using the income approach, or the discounted cash flow, or DCF method; 2) estimate the stand-alone fair value of the Combined Platform Business as well as fair value of each of Strategic Cooperation Agreement, Non-Compete, Investment in Shanghai Icson, Logistic workforce and Land Use Right (collectively “Asset Acquisition”); 3) The excess of (1) over sum of (2) and net cash acquired in the Transaction has been allocated to each individual asset of the Asset Acquisition and the Combined Platform Business based on their relative fair values. Additionally, in accordance with the relevant accounting guidance, non-transferability relating to lock-up period associated with the shares issued to Huang River Investment Limited for a period of three years commencing from March 10, 2014, is factored in estimating the fair value of shares issued to acquire Strategic Cooperation, Non-compete, Investment in Shanghai Icson, Logistic Workforce and Land use right, but is not factored in estimating the fair value of shares issued to acquire Combined Platform Business.

 

The Company considered the following valuation method and significant assumptions in evaluating certain significant intangible assets acquired from the current Transaction:

 

F- 37



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

7.       Business Combination (Continued)

 

Strategic Cooperation Agreement —In addition to the Company’s general business cooperation with Tencent primarily in areas of mobile-related products, social networking services, membership systems and payment solutions, the other parts of the Strategic Cooperation Agreement is in substance a prepaid advertising/promotion service where Tencent users can be diverted to the Company’s websites/platforms where (a) Tencent will grant the Company prominent level-1 access points in Weixin and mobile QQ applications and (b) Tencent will provide internet traffic and other support from its other key platforms to the Company. These advertising/promotion services include push messages, advertising, payment processing and application activation. The general business cooperation is not recognized as a separate intangible asset because such provisions only set out the general principal for the cooperation between the Company and Tencent with no specific deliverables provided to the Company. The amount recognized for the Strategic Cooperation Agreement relates to the advertising/promotion services and the fair value was established using a form of the income approach known as the cost saving method. This method recognizes that, because of the Strategic Cooperation Agreement, the Company can save advertising fees, traffic acquisition costs, payment processing fees and application activation fees that otherwise it would need to be paid to a third party for the similar services. The estimated unit market price of the advertising/promotion services were multiplied by the volume of the services to be provided by Tencent to arrive at the cost saving attributable to the Strategic Cooperation Agreement. The most significant assumptions inherent in this approach include: 1) the estimated market price of the services to be provided, 2) the volume of the services to be provided, and 3) discount rate. When applying the cost saving method for the valuation of the Strategic Cooperation Agreement, market participant assumptions were used in accordance with ASC 820. Specifically, the basis of the assumptions were determined with consideration of the terms of the Strategic Cooperation Agreement, an industry report regarding China’s e-commerce sector and a market rate that market participants have to pay to third parties for similar services on arm’s length basis. The present value of the after-tax cost savings at an appropriate discount rate indicates the value of Strategic Cooperation Agreement. The discount rate was derived by using the capital asset pricing model (the “CAPM”), which is a method that market participants commonly use to price assets. Based on the CAPM, the Company concluded a discount rate of 17.5% was appropriate for valuing the Strategic Cooperation Agreement.

 

Non-compete Agreement —Other than the operation of Shanghai Icson, Tencent will not engage in any online direct sales or managed marketplace business models in physical goods e-Commerce business in Greater China and a few selected international markets. The fair value of the Non-compete was determined based on the “with and without” method, which takes into consideration the cash flow increments between the scenario where the Non-compete is not in place and the scenario where the Non-compete is in place for a period of 8 years from April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2022. The most significant assumption inherent in this approach when valuing the Non-compete was the amount of economic impact to the Company that would occur from competition during the period when non-compete agreement is effective. Based on the CAPM, the Company concluded a discount rate of 17.5%, which reflects a market participant’s required rate of return for the risks of investing in the Non-compete, was appropriate for discounting the cash flow attributable to the Non-compete.

 

Investment in Shanghai Icson —In determining the fair value of the investment in Shanghai Icson, the Company followed a two-step process. In the first step, the discounted cash flow method, or DCF, was used as the primary approach to determine the fair value of the equity interest of Shanghai Icson and market approach to cross-check the valuation results derived by the DCF method. The free cashflow of Shanghai Icson was discounted by 22%, which was determined by the CAPM to reflect a market participant’s required rate of return for the risks of investing in the equity interest of Shanghai Icson. In the second step, since the Company’s investment in Shanghai Icson is in the form of preferred shares, an option pricing method to allocate the equity interest of Shanghai Icson to its common shares and preferred shares was used. The significant assumptions inherent in option pricing models are the expected time of liquidity event, risk free rate and volatility factor of equity interest of Shanghai Icson.

 

F- 38



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

7.  Business Combination (Continued)

 

The Group made estimates and judgments in determining the fair value of the assets and business acquired with the assistance from an independent valuation firm. The purchase price allocation is as follows:

 

 

 

Amount

 

 

 

RMB

 

Fair value of the Company’s shares issued *

 

11,644,310

 

Transaction costs**

 

20,705

 

Total value to be allocated in purchase accounting

 

11,665,015

 

 

 

 

Amount

 

Amortization
Years

 

 

 

RMB

 

 

 

Strategic Cooperation Agreement

 

6,075,289

 

5

 

Non-compete Agreement

 

1,442,389

 

8

 

Combined Platform Business

 

 

 

 

 

Cash

 

60,284

 

 

 

Other current assets

 

3,587

 

 

 

Property, plant and equipment, net

 

17,647

 

 

 

Current liabilities

 

(63,871

)

 

 

Technology ***

 

108,800

 

5

 

Domain names and trademark ***

 

33,100

 

10

 

Advertising customer relationship ***

 

80,400

 

7

 

Goodwill ***

 

2,593,420

 

 

 

Deferred tax liability

 

(41,893

)

 

 

Investment in Shanghai Icson

 

252,779

 

 

 

Call Option

 

 

 

 

Logistic workforce

 

13,900

 

3

 

Land use right

 

73,632

 

40

 

Net cash acquired

 

1,015,552

 

 

 

Total Purchase price

 

11,665,015

 

 

 

 


*   Among total fair value of the shares issued of RMB11,644,310, RMB2,791,474 is the consideration for the acquisition of Combined Platform Business and RMB8,852,836 is the consideration for the acquisition of Strategic Cooperation, Non-compete, Investment in Shanghai Icson, Logistics workforce, Land use right, and Net cash acquired.

 

** In accordance with ASC 805-10-25-23, transaction costs relating to the business combination of the Combined Platform Business are expensed as incurred while in accordance with ASC 805-50-30-2, transaction costs relating to the acquisition of the assets in the Asset Acquisition form part of the assets’ initial carrying values, and have been included in the estimated purchase price.

 

*** In November 2015, the Company announced its decision to terminate the consumer-to-consumer (C2C) business of Paipai.com by December 31, 2015 with a transitional period of three months. The shut-down of Paipai.com is to combat the marketing and sales of counterfeit products and to protect the interests of consumers and brands. As a result, the Company decided that the goodwill arisen from the acquisition of the Combined Platform Business was fully impaired and an impairment charge of RMB2,593,420 was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2015. Concurrently, remaining balance of the intangible assets arisen from the acquisition amounted to RMB156,709 as of December 31, 2015 was also impaired and the related deferred tax liability of RMB27,796 recorded from the acquisition of the Combined Platform Business was reversed as a tax benefit in the fourth quarter of 2015.

 

Based on the assessment on financial performance of the acquired Combined Platform Business made by the Group, the acquired business is not considered material to the Group. Thus the presentation of the pro-forma financial information with regard to a summary of the results of operations of the Group for the business combination is not required.

 

F- 39



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

8.  Accounts receivable, net

 

Accounts receivable, net, consists of the following:

 

 

 

As of December 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Online direct sales and online marketplace receivables

 

2,043,243

 

8,939,054

 

Online payment processing transactions receivables

 

182,412

 

385,547

 

Advertising receivables

 

62,705

 

121,170

 

Others

 

219,567

 

379,059

 

Allowance for doubtful accounts

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at beginning of the year

 

(1,770

)

(71,671

)

Additions

 

(72,608

)

(324,270

)

Reversals

 

868

 

 

Write-offs

 

1,839

 

79,395

 

Balance at end of the year

 

(71,671

)

(316,546

)

Accounts receivable, net

 

2,436,256

 

9,508,284

 

 

The value-added tax receivables due from customers are recorded in online direct sales and online marketplace receivables. The allowance for doubtful accounts related to the Group’s consumer financing business was RMB64,228 and RMB297,913 as of December 31, 2014 and 2015, respectively.

 

9.  Inventories, net

 

Inventories, net, consist of the following:

 

 

 

As of December 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Products

 

12,119,359

 

20,436,275

 

Packing materials and others

 

71,484

 

103,268

 

Inventories, net

 

12,190,843

 

20,539,543

 

 

10.  Prepayments and other current assets

 

Prepayments and other current assets consist of the following:

 

 

 

As of December 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Receivables related to employees’ exercise of share-based awards

 

811,783

 

289,196

 

VAT receivables

 

 

423,286

 

Interest receivables

 

135,498

 

7,289

 

Prepaid rental fees

 

145,501

 

272,480

 

Prepaid promotion expenses

 

45,677

 

60,788

 

Deposits

 

166,945

 

135,157

 

Bridge loans

 

157,438

 

150,000

 

Staff loans

 

151,612

 

5,182

 

Employee advances

 

16,217

 

20,206

 

Others

 

103,663

 

122,857

 

Total

 

1,734,334

 

1,486,441

 

 

F- 40



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

11.  Property, equipment and software, net

 

Property, equipment and software, net, consist of the following:

 

 

 

As of December 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Electronic equipment

 

1,372,896

 

3,089,415

 

Office equipment

 

33,190

 

202,422

 

Vehicles

 

530,731

 

843,922

 

Logistic and warehouse equipment

 

598,831

 

1,105,245

 

Leasehold improvement

 

136,522

 

306,352

 

Software

 

100,215

 

149,590

 

Building and building improvement

 

661,365

 

2,526,948

 

Total

 

3,433,750

 

8,223,894

 

Less: Accumulated depreciation

 

(1,025,312

)

(1,990,788

)

Net book value

 

2,408,438

 

6,233,106

 

 

Depreciation expenses were RMB257,213, RMB514,974 and RMB1,123,076 for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively.

 

12.  Land use rights, net

 

Land use rights, net, consist of the following:

 

 

 

As of December 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Land use rights

 

1,108,125

 

1,999,424

 

Less: Accumulated amortization

 

(40,872

)

(71,232

)

Net book value

 

1,067,253

 

1,928,192

 

 

Amortization expenses for land use rights were RMB11,700, RMB19,342 and RMB30,360 for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively.

 

As of December 31, 2015, amortization expenses related to the land use rights for future periods are estimated to be as follows:

 

 

 

For the year ended December 31,

 

 

 

2016

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

2020

 

2021 and
thereafter

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Amortization expenses

 

40,802

 

40,802

 

40,802

 

40,802

 

40,802

 

1,724,182

 

 

F- 41



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

13.  Intangible assets, net

 

Intangible assets, net, consist of the following:

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2014

 

 

 

Gross
Carrying
Amount

 

Accumulated
Amortization

 

Impairment
Amount

 

Net
Carrying
Amount

 

Strategic Cooperation

 

6,075,289

 

(915,455

)

 

5,159,834

 

Non-compete

 

1,447,189

 

(146,364

)

 

1,300,825

 

Technology

 

110,900

 

(17,965

)

 

92,935

 

Advertising customer relationship

 

80,400

 

(9,283

)

 

71,117

 

Domain names and trademark

 

79,969

 

(12,447

)

 

67,522

 

Logistic workforce

 

13,900

 

(3,745

)

 

10,155

 

Online payment and other licenses

 

189,000

 

(27,300

)

 

161,700

 

Copyrights

 

28,873

 

(15,014

)

 

13,859

 

Total

 

8,025,520

 

(1,147,573

)

 

6,877,947

 

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2015

 

 

 

Gross
Carrying
Amount

 

Accumulated
Amortization

 

Impairment
Amount

 

Net
Carrying
Amount

 

Strategic Cooperation

 

6,075,289

 

(2,130,512

)

 

3,944,777

 

Non-compete

 

1,447,189

 

(327,622

)

 

1,119,567

 

Technology

 

110,900

 

(40,715

)

(69,922

)

263

 

Advertising customer relationship

 

80,400

 

(20,737

)

(59,663

)

 

Domain names and trademark

 

85,632

 

(22,893

)

(27,124

)

35,615

 

Logistic workforce

 

13,900

 

(8,378

)

 

5,522

 

Online payment and other licenses

 

200,924

 

(45,981

)

 

154,943

 

Copyrights

 

19,656

 

(16,360

)

 

3,296

 

Total

 

8,033,890

 

(2,613,198

)

(156,709

)

5,263,983

 

 

Amortization expenses for intangible assets were RMB24,228, RMB1,116,217 and RMB1,465,625 for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. The Group recorded an impairment charge of RMB156,709 for the year ended December 31, 2015. Please refer to Note 7 for details.

 

As of December 31, 2015, amortization expenses related to the intangible assets for future periods are estimated to be as follows:

 

 

 

For the year ended December 31,

 

 

 

2016

 

2017

 

2018

 

2019

 

2020

 

2021 and
thereafter

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Amortization expenses

 

1,424,705

 

1,415,781

 

1,414,590

 

498,415

 

198,222

 

312,270

 

 

F- 42



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

14.  Other non-current assets

 

Other non-current assets consist of the following:

 

 

 

As of December 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Prepayments for purchase of office building

 

288,999

 

456,457

 

Online direct sales and online marketplace receivables

 

 

976,486

 

Staff loans

 

 

39,903

 

Prepayments for purchase of land use rights

 

96,911

 

60,519

 

Rental deposits

 

108,621

 

182,256

 

Prepayments for purchase of property, equipment and software

 

110,469

 

70,873

 

Bridge loans

 

 

258,167

 

Others

 

20,391

 

62,012

 

Total

 

625,391

 

2,106,673

 

 

15.  Goodwill

 

The changes in the carrying amount of goodwill for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015 were as follows:

 

 

 

Amounts

 

 

 

RMB

 

Balance as of January 1, 2013

 

14,649

 

Additions

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2013

 

14,649

 

Additions

 

2,607,821

 

Balance as of December 31, 2014

 

2,622,470

 

Additions

 

 

Impairment

 

(2,593,420

)

Balance as of December 31, 2015

 

29,050

 

 

The Group recorded an impairment charge of nil, nil and RMB2, 593,420 for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. Please refer to Note 7 for details.

 

16.  Short-term bank loans

 

Short-term bank loans as of December 31, 2014 amounted to RMB 1,890,771, represent bank borrowings denominated in U.S. dollar, which was repayable within one year. In March 2014, the Group entered into a loan agreement, whereby on March 7, 2014 the Group effectively pledged certain time deposits to secure the bank loan, totaling US$309,000 and bearing interest at 0.80% per annum over 1-month LIBOR with the maturity date of March 6, 2015. The loan was fully repaid in the first quarter of 2015.

 

Short-term bank loans as of December 31, 2015 amounted to RMB3,040,209, which consisted of several bank borrowings denominated in RMB. All of these bank borrowings were repayable within one year. The weighted average interest rate for the outstanding borrowings as of December 31, 2015 was approximately 4.40%.

 

17.  Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

 

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consist of the following:

 

 

 

As of December 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Salary and welfare payables

 

1,577,761

 

1,689,809

 

Deposits

 

1,834,172

 

3,627,058

 

Payable related to employees’ exercise of share-based awards

 

811,783

 

276,259

 

Rental fee payables

 

69,341

 

135,534

 

Professional fee accruals

 

48,121

 

75,086

 

Others

 

970,654

 

1,374,319

 

Total

 

5,311,832

 

7,178,065

 

 

F- 43



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

18.  Others, net

 

Others, net, consist of the following:

 

 

 

For the year ended December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Foreign exchange gains/(losses), net

 

92,761

 

(28,980

)

(57,395

)

Government financial incentives

 

120,301

 

214,623

 

392,022

 

Impairment of investments

 

 

 

(611,108

)

Others

 

(19,507

)

30,944

 

135,884

 

Total

 

193,555

 

216,587

 

(140,597

)

 

Government financial incentive s represent rewards provided by the relevant PRC municipal government authorities to the Group for business achievements made by the Group. As there is no further obligation for the Group to perform, government financial incentives are recognized as other income when received. The amount of such government financial incentives are determined solely at the discretion of the relevant government authorities and there is no assurance that the Group will continue to receive these government financial incentives in the future.

 

19.  Taxation

 

a)     Transition from PRC Business Tax to PRC Value Added Tax

 

A pilot program for transition from business tax to value added tax (“VAT”) for certain services revenues was launched in Shanghai on January 1, 2012. Starting from September 1, 2012, the pilot program has been expanded from Shanghai to other cities and provinces in China, including Beijing, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Tianjin and Suqian, in which the Group has operations. Commencing August 1, 2013, the pilot program was expanded to cover all regions in the PRC.

 

b)     Value added tax

 

During the periods presented, the Group is subject to 13% and 17% VAT for revenues from sales of audio, video products and books and sales of other products, respectively, in the PRC. The Group is exempted from VAT for revenues from sales of books since January 1, 2014.

 

Prior to the pilot program, the Group were subject to 5% or 3% business tax for revenues from online advertising and other services or for revenues from logistic services, respectively. After the launch of the pilot program, the Group is subject to 6% and 11% VAT for the revenues from logistics services and 6% VAT for the revenues from online advertising and other services.

 

The Group is also subject to 3% cultural undertaking development fees on revenues from online advertising services in China.

 

The Group is also subject to surcharges on VAT payments according to PRC tax law.

 

c )     Business tax

 

Chinabank Payment and Chinabank Payment Technology are subject to 5% business tax and related surcharges for revenues from online payment services. Business tax and the related surcharges are recognized when the revenue is earned.

 

F- 44



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

19.  Taxation (Continued)

 

d )     Income tax

 

Cayman Islands

 

Under the current laws of the Cayman Islands, the Company and its subsidiaries incorporated in the Cayman Islands are not subject to tax on income or capital gain. Additionally, the Cayman Islands does not impose a withholding tax on payments of dividends to shareholders.

 

British Virgin Islands

 

Under the current laws of the British Virgin Islands, entities incorporated in British Virgin Islands are not subject to tax on their income or capital gains.

 

Hong Kong

 

Under the current Hong Kong Inland Revenue Ordinance, the Group’s subsidiaries in Hong Kong are subject to 16.5% Hong Kong profit tax on its taxable income generated from operations in Hong Kong. Additionally, payments of dividends by the subsidiaries incorporated in Hong Kong to the Company are not subject to any Hong Kong withholding tax.

 

China

 

On March 16, 2007, the National People’s Congress of PRC enacted a new Corporate Income Tax Law (“new CIT law”), under which Foreign Investment Enterprises (“FIEs”) and domestic companies would be subject to corporate income tax at a uniform rate of 25%. The new CIT law became effective on January 1, 2008. Under the new CIT law, preferential tax treatments will continue to be granted to entities which conduct businesses in certain encouraged sectors and to entities otherwise classified as “high and new technology enterprises”.

 

Chinabank Payment Technology has been qualified as “high and new technology enterprise” in 2010, whose qualification was renewed in 2013, and enjoyed a preferential corporate income tax rate of 15% from 2010 to 2015.

 

Beijing Shangke entitles to an exemption from income tax for first two years and 50% reduction for the next three years from its first profitable year as a “software enterprise”. It has also been qualified as “high and new technology enterprise” and enjoys a preferential income tax rate of 15% from 2013 to 2016. The privileges cannot be applied simultaneously.

 

Chongqing Haijia and Chengdu Century have been recognized as within encouraged industries in the Western Regions of China and enjoyed a preferential income tax rate of 15% in 2014 and 2015.

 

The Group’s other PRC subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries are subject to the statutory income tax rate of 25%.

 

F- 45



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

19.  Taxation (Continued)

 

d )     Income tax (Continued)

 

Withholding tax on undistributed dividends

 

The new CIT Law also provides that an enterprise established under the laws of a foreign country or region but whose “de facto management body” is located in the PRC be treated as a resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes and consequently be subject to the PRC income tax at the rate of 25% for its global income. The Implementing Rules of the EIT Law merely define the location of the “de facto management body” as “the place where the exercising, in substance, of the overall management and control of the production and business operation, personnel, accounting, property, etc., of a non-PRC company is located.” Based on a review of surrounding facts and circumstances, the Group does not believe that it is likely that its operations outside of the PRC should be considered a resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes.

 

The new CIT law also imposes a withholding income tax of 10% on dividends distributed by an FIE 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. According to the arrangement between Mainland China and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion in August 2006, dividends paid by an FIE in China to its immediate holding company in Hong Kong will be subject to withholding tax at a rate of no more than 5% (if the foreign investor owns directly at least 25% of the shares of the FIE). The Company did not record any dividend withholding tax, as it has no retained earnings for any of the periods presented.

 

The components of loss before tax are as follows:

 

 

 

For the year ended December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Income/(loss) before tax

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss from China operations

 

(236,593

)

(529,173

)

(4,705,034

)

Income/(loss) from non-China operations

 

186,654

 

(4,447,861

)

(4,696,810

)

Total loss before tax

 

(49,939

)

(4,977,034

)

(9,401,844

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income tax benefits/(expenses) applicable to China operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current income tax expenses

 

 

(23,493

)

(28,322

)

Deferred tax benefits

 

40

 

4,169

 

42,584

 

Subtotal income tax benefits/(expenses) applicable to China operations

 

40

 

(19,324

)

14,262

 

Total income tax benefits/(expenses)

 

40

 

(19,324

)

14,262

 

 

F- 46



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

19.  Taxation (Continued)

 

d )     Income tax (Continued)

 

Reconciliation of difference between PRC statutory income tax rate and the Group’s effective income tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015 is as follows:

 

 

 

For the year ended December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Statutory income tax rate

 

25.0

%

25.0

%

25.0

%

Tax effect of preferential tax treatments

 

172.3

%

1.7

%

1.8

%

Tax effect of tax-exempt entities

 

54.7

%

(22.4

)%

(11.3

)%

Effect on tax rates in different tax jurisdiction

 

22.1

%

0.1

%

(0.2

)%

Tax effect of non-deductible expenses

 

(148.4

)%

(3.4

)%

(10.6

)%

Tax effect of non-taxable income

 

36.5

%

1.1

%

0.2

%

Changes in valuation allowance

 

(97.0

)%

(0.5

)%

(4.3

)%

Expiration of loss carry forward

 

(65.1

)%

(2.0

)%

(0.4

)%

Effective tax rates

 

0.1

%

(0.4

)%

0.2

%

 

e )     Deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities

 

 

 

As of December 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Deferred tax assets

 

 

 

 

 

- Allowance for doubtful accounts

 

17,918

 

79,136

 

- Deferred revenues

 

39,270

 

66,027

 

- Net operating loss carry forwards

 

874,270

 

1,215,975

 

Less: valuation allowance

 

(931,458

)

(1,361,138

)

Net deferred tax assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred tax liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

- Interest income

 

5,650

 

 

- Intangible assets arisen from business combination

 

38,162

 

1,228

 

Total deferred tax liabilities

 

43,812

 

1,228

 

 

As of December 31, 2015, the Group had net operating loss carry forwards of approximately RMB4,988,224 which arose from the subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries established in the PRC. The loss carry forwards will expire during the period from 2016 to 2020.

 

A valuation allowance is provided against deferred tax assets when the Group determines that it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will not be utilized in the future. In making such determination, the Group evaluates a variety of factors including the Group’s operating history, accumulated deficit, existence of taxable temporary differences and reversal periods.

 

The Group has incurred net accumulated operating losses for income tax purposes since its inception. The Group believes that it is more likely than not that these net accumulated operating losses and other deferred tax assets will not be utilized in the future. Therefore, the Group has provided full valuation allowances for the deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

 

Movement of valuation allowance

 

 

 

As of December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Balance at beginning of the period

 

857,413

 

905,833

 

931,458

 

Additions

 

81,119

 

156,820

 

449,381

 

Reversals

 

(32,699

)

(131,195

)

(19,701

)

Balance at end of the period

 

905,833

 

931,458

 

1,361,138

 

 

F- 47



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

20.  Convertible Preferred Shares

 

All of the preference shares were converted to ordinary shares immediately upon the completion of the Group’s initial public offering on May 28, 2014. Prior to their automatic conversion to ordinary shares upon the Company’s initial public offering on May 28, 2014, the preferred shares were entitled to certain preferences with respect to conversion, redemption, dividends and liquidation. The holders of preferred shares were entitled to vote together with the holders of ordinary shares, and not as a separate class, on all matters submitted to a vote of the shareholders of the Company, on an as-if-converted basis. Immediately prior to the initial public offering, the Company’s preference shares comprised the following:

 

Series

 

Issuance Date

 

Shares
Issued

 

Issue Price
per Share

 

Proceeds
from
Issuance

 

Shares
Outstanding

 

Carrying Amount

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

US$

 

US$

 

 

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A

 

March 27, 2007

 

155,000,000

 

0.0323

 

5,000

 

155,000,000

 

215,626

 

A-1

 

August 15, 2007

 

130,940,000

 

0.0382

 

5,000

 

36,894,000

 

40,224

 

B

 

January 12, 2009

 

235,310,000

 

0.0892

 

21,000

 

59,539,244

 

88,241

 

C

 

September 21, 2010

 

178,238,250

 

0.7742

 

138,000

 

258,316,305

*

15,130,903

 

 


*Among total shares outstanding, 64,579,075 shares and 15,498,980 shares were re-designated from Series A-1 and Series B preferred shares in conjunction with the issuance of the Series C Preferred Shares.

 

Prior to the issuance of Series C Preferred Shares, the Company determined that the Series A, A-1 and B Preferred Shares should be classified as mezzanine equity since the Series A, A-1 and B Preferred Shares were contingently redeemable. In conjunction with the issuance of the Series C Preferred Shares, as a result of the waivers to their redemption and preferential liquidation rights, the Series A, A-1 and B Preferred Shares were reclassified from mezzanine equity to permanent equity. The Series C Preference Shares were classified as mezzanine equity in the Consolidated Balance Sheets because they were contingently redeemable.

 

The Company records accretion on the Preferred Shares, where applicable, to the redemption value from the issuance dates to the earliest redemption dates. The accretion of Series C Preference Shares was RMB7,957,640 for the year ended December 31, 2014.

 

21.  Re-designation of Series B Preferred Shares

 

25,247,161 Series B Preferred Shares were transferred to new investors and re-designated into ordinary shares in December 2013. The transaction was viewed as if the holders of the Series B Preferred Shares exercised their option to convert Series B Preferred Shares into ordinary shares, and then subsequently transferred the newly converted ordinary shares to the new investors. Accordingly, the carrying amounts of the Series B Preferred Shares were reduced, offset by increases in the ordinary shares and additional paid-in capital which equaled to RMB34,108, with total translation adjustment gains amounted to RMB4,065.

 

22.  Ordinary Shares

 

Upon inception, 1 ordinary share was issued at a par value of US$0.00002 per share. In March 2014, the Company issued 351,678,637 ordinary shares to Huang River Investment Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tencent, in connection with Tencent Transaction (Note 7). Additionally, upon the initial public offering in May 2014, the Company issued 166,120,400 Class A ordinary shares. Concurrently, the Company issued 139,493,960 Class A ordinary shares in a private placement to Huang River Investment Limited.

 

The ordinary shares reserved for future exercise of the RSUs and share options were 59,786,401 and 93,722,508 as of December 31, 2014 and 2015, respectively.

 

F- 48



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

23.  Share-based Compensation

 

For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, total share-based compensation expenses recognized were RMB261,173, RMB4,249,548 and RMB1,193,945, respectively.

 

The ordinary shares issued for the Company’s equity incentive plans are held by Fortune Rising, a consolidated variable interest entity of the Company, and accounted for as treasury stocks of the Company prior to their vest. As of December 31, 2015, the Group had reserved 195,907,439 ordinary shares available to be granted as share-based awards.

 

Share incentive plan

 

The Company granted share-based awards to eligible employees and non-employees pursuant to the 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 stock incentive plans and 2011 special stock incentive plan (collectively, the “Plans”), which govern the terms of the awards. On December 20, 2013, the Company adopted a 2013 Share Incentive Plan (“2013 Plan”), which was approved by the Board of Directors of the Company, to replace the Plans. The awards granted and outstanding under the Plans will survive and remain effective and binding under the 2013 Plan, subject to certain amendments to the original award agreements. The adoption of 2013 Plan did not result in any significant incremental share-based compensation expenses. The 2013 Plan was replaced by a share incentive plan entitled “Share Incentive Plan” containing substantially the same terms as the 2013 Plan on November 13, 2014.

 

Share option exchange program

 

On December 20, 2013, the Company launched a one-time stock option exchange program (the “Program”) pursuant to which eligible employees were able to exchange certain of their unvested RSUs for share options with the exercise price of US$3.96 per share. The Group’s named executive officers and members of the Group’s Board of Directors were not eligible to participate in the Program. The Program expired on December 27, 2013. As a result of the Program, 7,954,526 unvested RSUs were accepted for exchange and were cancelled effective as of the expiration of the Program, and in exchange for those RSUs, the Company issued options to purchase 23,863,578 ordinary shares to the employees who participated in the Program. The new awards are subject to the original vesting schedule with the corresponding exchanged RSUs. The Company accounted for the Program as a probable to probable modification and expected to take a modification charge for the incremental compensation costs of RMB89,030 as a result of the exchange over the remaining vesting periods of 1 to 6 years.

 

1)              Employee awards

 

The non-vested ordinary shares, RSUs and share options are scheduled to be vested over three to six years:

 

(1) One-third, one-fourth, one-fifth or one-sixth of the awards, depending on different vesting schedules of the 2013 Plans, shall be vested upon the end of the calendar year in which the awards were granted or the first anniversary dates of the grants;

 

(2) The remaining of the awards shall be vested on straight line basis at the end of the remaining calendar or the anniversary years.

 

F- 49



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

23.  Share-based Compensation (Continued)

 

1)              Employee awards (Continued)

 

Non-vested ordinary shares

 

A summary of activities of the non-vested ordinary shares for the year ended December 31, 2013 is presented below:

 

 

 

Number of Shares

 

Weighted-Average
Grant-Date Fair Value

 

 

 

 

 

US$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unvested at January 1, 201 3

 

2, 829,080

 

0.24

 

Granted

 

 

 

 

Vested

 

(2,320,633

)

0. 24

 

Forfeited

 

(508,447

)

0. 24

 

Unvested at December 31, 201 3

 

 

 

 

No non-vested ordinary shares activities for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2015.

 

For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, total share-based compensation expenses recognized by the Group for the non-vested ordinary shares granted were RMB1,142, nil and nil, respectively.

 

As of December 31, 2013, all share-based compensation expenses related to the non-vested ordinary shares granted have been recognized.

 

F- 50



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

23.  Share-based Compensation (Continued)

 

1)              Employee awards (Continued)

 

RSUs

 

a) Service-based RSUs

 

A summary of activities of the service-based RSUs for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015 is presented below:

 

 

 

Number of RSUs

 

Weighted-Average
Grant-Date Fair Value

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unvested at January 1, 2013

 

30,818,337

 

3.65

 

Granted

 

15,075,413

 

3.95

 

RSUs exchanged in connection with the share option exchange program

 

(7,954,526

)

3.83

 

Vested

 

(6,365,824

)

3.62

 

Forfeited

 

(4,422,552

)

3.66

 

Unvested at December 31, 2013

 

27,150,848

 

3.77

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unvested at January 1, 2014

 

27,150,848

 

3.77

 

Granted

 

14,588,400

 

8.43

 

Vested

 

(6,385,905

)

3.71

 

Forfeited

 

(3,649,817

)

5.07

 

Unvested at December 31, 2014

 

31,703,526

 

5.77

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unvested at January 1, 2015

 

31,703,526

 

5.77

 

Granted

 

18,295,642

 

14.37

 

Vested

 

(7,130,556

)

4.96

 

Forfeited

 

(3,934,276

)

9.73

 

Unvested at December 31, 2015

 

38,934,336

 

9.56

 

 

For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, total share-based compensation expenses recognized by the Group for the service-based RSUs granted were RMB254,124, RMB386,632 and RMB690,742, respectively.

 

As of December 31, 2015, there were RMB1,649,328 of unrecognized share-based compensation expenses related to the service-based RSUs granted. The expenses are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 5.1 years.

 

F- 51



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

23.  Share-based Compensation (Continued)

 

1)              Employee awards (Continued)

 

b) Performance-based RSUs

 

A summary of activities of the performance-based RSUs for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2015 is presented below:

 

 

 

Number of RSUs

 

Weighted-Average
Grant-Date Fair Value

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unvested at January 1, 2014

 

 

 

Granted

 

1,515,151

 

6.33

 

Vested

 

 

 

Forfeited

 

(48,493

)

6.33

 

Unvested at December 31, 2014

 

1,466,658

 

6.33

 

Granted

 

 

 

Vested

 

(188,936

)

6.33

 

Forfeited

 

(401,358

)

6.33

 

Unvested at December 31, 2015

 

876,364

 

6.33

 

 

The Company granted nil, 1,515,151 and nil performance-based RSUs to its employees for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively.

 

For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, total share-based compensation expenses recognized by the Group for the performance-based RSUs granted were nil, 14,124, and RMB4,630, respectively.

 

As of December 31, 2015, there were RMB7,788 of unrecognized share-based compensation expenses related to the performance-based RSUs granted. The expenses are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 3.1 years.

 

Share Options

 

The Company granted 3,048,750, 2,745,000 and 5,652,500 service-based share options to its employees for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. In December, 2013, the Company launched a one-time stock option exchange program under which 7,954,526 RSUs were exchanged for 23,863,578 share options, with the exercise price of US$3.96 per share.

 

A summary of activities of the service-based share options for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015 is presented below:

 

F- 52



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

23.     Share-based Compensation (Continued)

 

1)              Employee awards (Continued)

 

Share options

 

Number of share
options

 

Weighted
Average
Exercise Price

 

Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term (years)

 

Aggregate
Intrinsic Value

 

 

 

 

 

US$

 

 

 

US$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding as of January 1, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Granted

 

3,048,750

 

3.96

 

 

 

 

 

Share options exchanged in connection with the share option exchange program

 

23,863,578

 

3.96

 

 

 

 

 

Exercised

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forfeited or cancelled

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expired

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding as of December 31, 2013

 

26,912,328

 

3.96

 

9.4

 

 

Granted

 

2,745,000

 

8.20

 

 

 

 

 

Exercised

 

(849,844

)

3.96

 

 

 

 

 

Forfeited or cancelled

 

(2,606,232

)

4.31

 

 

 

 

 

Expired

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding as of December 31, 2014

 

26,201,252

 

4.37

 

8.5

 

189,729

 

Granted

 

5,652,500

 

13.17

 

 

 

 

 

Exercised

 

(2,694,404

)

4.07

 

 

 

 

 

Forfeited or cancelled

 

(1,724,726

)

6.07

 

 

 

 

 

Expired

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding as of December 31, 2015

 

27,434,622

 

6.10

 

8.1

 

275,040

 

Vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2015

 

24,691,160

 

6.10

 

8.1

 

247,536

 

Exercisable as of December 31, 2015

 

7,250,546

 

4.08

 

7.4

 

87,394

 

 

The weighted average grant date fair value of options granted for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015 was US$1.94, US$4.48 and US$5.59 per share, respectively.

 

No options were exercised for the year ended December 31, 2013. The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2015 was US$6,648 and US$29,522, respectively. The intrinsic value is calculated as the difference between the market value on the date of exercise and the exercise price of the share options. Cash received from the exercises of share options of the Company during the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2015 was nil and US$12,332, respectively. Cash receivable from the exercises of share options of the Company as of December 31, 2014 and 2015 was US$3,365 and US$1,992, respectively.

 

For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, total share-based compensation expenses recognized by the Group for the share options granted were RMB4,007, RMB115,469 and RMB103,962, respectively. As of December 31, 2015, there were RMB271,059 of unrecognized share-based compensation expenses related to the share options granted. The expenses are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 5.0 years.

 

The estimated fair value of each option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Binominal option-pricing model with the following assumptions:

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

Expected volatility

 

47%~50%

 

52%~53%

 

33%~50%

 

Risk-free interest rate (per annum)

 

1.83%~2.91%

 

2.42%~3.50%

 

2.17%~2.65%

 

Exercise multiples

 

2.8

 

2.8

 

2.0~2.8

 

Expected dividend yield

 

 

 

 

Expected term (in years)

 

7.4~10.0

 

10.0

 

10.0

 

Fair value of the underlying shares on the date of option grants (US$)

 

3.96

 

6.33~12.51

 

11.57~14.69

 

 

F- 53



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

23.     Share-based Compensation (Continued)

 

1)              Employee awards (Continued)

 

The Group estimated the risk free interest rate based on the yield to maturity of U.S. treasury bonds denominated in USD at the option valuation date. The exercise multiple is estimated as the ratio of fair value of underlying shares over the exercise price as at the time the option is exercised, based on a research study regarding exercise pattern from historical statistical data. Expected term is the contract life of the option. The expected volatility at the date of grant date and each option valuation date was estimated based on the implied volatility of the Company and the historical stock price volatility of listed comparable companies over a period comparable to the expected term of the options. The Group has never declared or paid any cash dividends on its capital stock, and the Group does not anticipate any dividend payments in the foreseeable future.

 

2)       Non-employee awards

 

RSUs

 

A summary of activities of the non-employee RSUs for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015 is presented below:

 

 

 

Number of RSUs

 

Weighted-Average
Grant-Date Fair Value

 

 

 

 

 

US$

 

Unvested at January 1, 2013

 

 

 

 

Granted

 

107,992

 

3.96

 

Vested

 

(77,992

)

3.96

 

Unvested at December 31, 2013

 

30,000

 

3.96

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unvested at January 1, 2014

 

30,000

 

3.96

 

Granted

 

389,965

 

7.89

 

Vested

 

(5,000

)

3.96

 

Unvested at December 31, 2014

 

414,965

 

7.65

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unvested at January 1, 2015

 

414,965

 

7.65

 

Granted

 

300,000

 

12.94

 

Vested

 

(237,779

)

7.56

 

Unvested at December 31, 2015

 

477,186

 

11.02

 

 

For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, total share-based compensation expenses recognized for the non-employee RSUs granted were RMB1,900, RMB15,917 and RMB23,305, respectively.

 

As of December 31, 2015, there were RMB33,635 of unrecognized share-based compensation expenses related to the non-employee RSUs granted. The expenses are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 5.3 years.

 

F- 54



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

23.     Share-based Compensation (Continued)

 

3)              Founder awards

 

RSUs

 

On March 11, 2014, the Company approved a grant of 93,780,970 RSUs to the Founder, Mr. Richard Qiangdong Liu. The share awards were immediately vested and the Company recorded a share-based compensation charge of RMB3,685,041 for the year ended December 31, 2014. The grant date fair value of the awards was US$6.3 per share.

 

Share options

 

In May 2015, the board of directors approved a 10-year compensation plan for the Founder, Mr. Liu. Under this plan, Mr. Liu will receive RMB0.001 per year in cash salary and zero cash bonus during the 10-year period. Mr. Liu was granted an option to acquire a total of 26,000,000 Class A ordinary shares of the Company with an exercise price of US$16.70 per share (or US$33.40 per ADS) under the Company’s Share Incentive Plan, subject to a 10-year vesting schedule with 10% of the awards vesting on each anniversary of the grant date. The Company will not grant any additional equity incentive to Mr. Liu during the 10-year period.

 

For the years ended December 31, 2015, total share-based compensation expenses recognized for the Founder’s share options granted were RMB240,024.

 

As of December 31, 2015, there were RMB1,100,865 of unrecognized share-based compensation expenses related to the Founder’s share options granted. The expenses are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 9.4 years.

 

The method used to determine fair value of the share options granted to the Founder was the same as the method used for the share options granted to the employees as described above. The assumptions used in the Binominal option-pricing model to estimate fair value of the Founder’s share option on the date of grant is presented below:

 

 

 

2015

 

Expected volatility

 

36%~38%

 

Risk-free interest rate (per annum)

 

2.74%~2.79%

 

Exercise multiples

 

2.0

 

Expected dividend yield

 

 

Expected term (in years)

 

10.0

 

Fair value of the underlying shares on the date of option grants (US$)

 

16.70~16.93

 

 

4)              Share-based compensation of subsidiaries

 

In October 2015, the Group’s finance business (“JD Finance”) adopted a 2015 Share Incentive Plan (“2015 JD Finance Plan”), which permits the granting of stock options, share appreciation rights, restricted share units and restricted shares of JD Finance to employees, directors and consultants. The Company granted restricted shares units of JD Finance equivalent to approximately 7.25% of the subsidiary’s ordinary shares on a fully diluted basis in 2015. Share-based compensation expenses recognized for the JD Finance RSUs granted during the year ended December 31, 2015 were RMB95,664. As of December 31, 2015, the unrecognized compensation expenses related to 2015 JD Finance Plan was RMB484,590. The expenses are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 6.2 years.

 

F- 55



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

24.     Net loss per share

 

Basic and diluted net loss per share for each of the years presented are calculated as follows:

 

 

 

For the year ended December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Numerator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

(49,899

)

(4,996,358

)

(9,378,016

)

Series C Preferred Shares redemption value accretion

 

(2,435,366

)

(7,957,640

)

 

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

 

(2,485,265

)

(12,953,998

)

(9,378,016

)

Numerator for basic net loss per share

 

(2,485,265

)

(12,953,998

)

(9,378,016

)

Numerator for diluted net loss per share

 

(2,485,265

)

(12,953,998

)

(9,378,016

)

Denominator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average number of shares — basic

 

1,694,495,048

 

2,419,668,247

 

2,735,034,034

 

Weighted average number of shares — diluted

 

1,694,495,048

 

2,419,668,247

 

2,735,034,034

 

Basic net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders

 

(1.47

)

(5.35

)

(3.43

)

Diluted net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders

 

(1.47

)

(5.35

)

(3.43

)

 

Generally, basic net loss per share is computed using the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per share is computed using the weighted average number of ordinary shares and dilutive potential ordinary shares outstanding during the period.

 

As a result of the modification of the Series A, A-1 and B Preferred Shares on September 21, 2010, the Series A, A-1 and B Preferred Shares were classified as separate classes of permanent equity securities with no senior or prior rights to ordinary shares, except for the dividend rights. Accordingly for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2014, the “two-class” method is required to be used for the calculation of net loss per share. Since the Company did not declare any dividends for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2014, the net loss per share attributable to each class would be the same under the “two-class” method for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2014. As such, the three classes of shares have been presented on a combined basis in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss and in the above computation of net loss per share.

 

Diluted net loss per share is computed using the weighted average number of ordinary shares, Series A, A-1 and B Preferred Shares and dilutive potential ordinary shares outstanding during the respective year. The potentially dilutive ordinary shares that were not included in the calculation of diluted net loss per share in the periods presented where their inclusion would be anti-dilutive include non-vested ordinary shares, RSUs and options to purchase ordinary shares of 33,084,709, 63,453,677 and 81,737,438 for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015 on a weighted average basis, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2014, the assumed conversion of the Series C Preferred Shares was anti-dilutive and excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share.

 

F- 56



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

25.     Related party transactions

 

The table below sets forth the major related parties and their relationships with the Group as of December 31, 2015:

 

Name of related parties

 

Relationship with the Group

 

 

 

Tencent and its subsidiaries (“Tencent Group”)

 

Tencent is a shareholder of the Group

Shanghai Icson and its subsidiaries (“Shanghai Icson Group”)

 

An investee of the Group

Staging Finance Holding Ltd. and its subsidiaries (“Staging Finance Group”)

 

An investee of the Group

China Business Infinite Co., Ltd. and its subsidiaries (“Business Infinite Group”)

 

An investee of the Group

Bitauto and its subsidiaries (“Bitauto Group”)

 

An investee of the Group

Tuniu and its subsidiaries (“Tuniu Group”)

 

An investee of the Group

 

(a)          The Group entered into the following transactions with the major related parties:

 

 

 

For the year ended December 31,

 

Transactions

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales of goods to Staging Finance Group

 

 

 

1,016,286

 

Provision of fulfillment services and sales of goods to Business Infinite Group

 

 

 

112,541

 

Commission service revenue from cooperation on advertising business with Tencent Group

 

 

95,287

 

139,602

 

Online marketplace services provided to Tencent Group

 

 

272

 

111

 

Provision of fulfillment services and sales of goods to Shanghai Icson Group

 

 

164,811

 

6

 

Traffic support, marketing and promotion services provided to Bitauto Group

 

 

 

455,161

 

Traffic support, marketing and promotion services provided to Tuniu Group

 

 

 

51,095

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Service and purchases from Shanghai Icson Group

 

 

103,976

 

168,875

 

Purchase of advertising resources from Tencent Group

 

 

88,076

 

195,805

 

 

Revenues from related parties, excluding those from the major related parties as stated above, represented approximately nil, nil and 0.01% of total net revenues of the Group for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively. Transactions with related parties included in operating expenses, excluding those with the major related parties as stated above, represented nil, 0.01%, and 0.02% of total operating expenses of the Group for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively.

 

F- 57



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

25.     Related party transactions (Continued)

 

(b)     The Group had the following balances with the major related parties:

 

 

 

As of December 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Due from Shanghai Icson Group

 

237,365

 

105,176

 

Due from Tencent Group

 

174,949

 

520,094

 

Due from Staging Finance Group

 

 

183,260

 

Total

 

412,314

 

808,530

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Due to Tencent Group

 

(321,066

)

(77,893

)

Due to Business Infinite Group

 

 

(6,209

)

Due to Tuniu Group

 

 

(721

)

Due to Bitauto Group

 

 

(311

)

Total

 

(321,066

)

(85,134

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred revenues in relation to traffic support, marketing and promotion services to be provided to Bitauto Group

 

 

(2,755,158

)

Deferred revenues in relation to traffic support, marketing and promotion services to be provided to Tuniu Group

 

 

(649,047

)

Total

 

 

(3,404,205

)

 

As of December 31, 2014 and 2015, the Group recorded amount due from related parties other than the major related parties as stated above of nil and RMB54,986, which represented approximately nil and 0.50% of the Group’s total accounts receivable, net and prepayments and other current assets, respectively. As of December 31, 2014 and 2015, the Group recorded amount due to related parties other than the major related parties and deferred revenues in relation to traffic support, marketing and promotion services to be provided to related parties other than the major related parties as stated above of RMB4,053 and RMB79,064, which represented approximately 0.02% and 0.19% of the Group’s total accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities, and deferred revenues, respectively. The Group believes that the terms of the agreements with the related parties are comparable to the terms in arm’s-length transactions with third-party customers and vendors.

 

26.     Employee benefit

 

Full time employees of the Group in the PRC participate in a government mandated defined contribution plan, pursuant to which certain pension benefits, medical care, employee housing fund and other welfare benefits are provided to the employees. Chinese labor regulations require that the PRC subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries of the Group make contributions to the government for these benefits based on certain percentages of the employees’ salaries, up to a maximum amount specified by the local government. The Group has no legal obligation for the benefits beyond the contributions made. The total amounts for such employee benefit expenses, which were expensed as incurred, were approximately RMB618,052, RMB903,494 and RMB1,815,532 for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively.

 

27.     Lines of credit

 

As of December 31, 2015, the Group had agreements with eighteen PRC commercial banks for unsecured revolving lines of credit, and increased its revolving lines of credit to RMB14,092,000. The Company was in compliance with the financial covenants, if any, under those lines of credit as of December 31, 2015.

 

As of December 31, 2015, under the lines of credit, the Company had RMB3,040,209 outstanding for the liquidity loans, RMB5,510,796 reserved for the issuance of bank acceptance, RMB82,056 reserved for the bank guarantee and RMB180,000 outstanding for the bank factoring.

 

F- 58



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

28.                 Commitments and contingencies

 

Operating lease commitments

 

The Group leases office, fulfillment centers and bandwidth under non-cancelable operating lease agreements. The rental and bandwidth leasing expenses were RMB621,629, RMB1,084,264 and RMB1,917,683 for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively, and were charged to Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss when incurred.

 

Future minimum lease payments under non-cancelable operating lease agreements with initial terms of one year or more consist of the following:

 

 

 

Office and fulfillment
centers rental

 

Bandwidth
leasing

 

Total

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2016

 

1,355,914

 

240,386

 

1,596,300

 

2017

 

895,534

 

187,425

 

1,082,959

 

2018

 

508,825

 

100,410

 

609,235

 

2019

 

305,582

 

78,318

 

383,900

 

2020

 

270,793

 

17,172

 

287,965

 

2021 and Thereafter

 

241,050

 

 

241,050

 

 

 

3,577,698

 

623,711

 

4,201,409

 

 

Capital commitments

 

The Group’s capital commitments primarily relate to commitments on construction of office building and warehouses. Total capital commitments contracted but not yet reflected in the consolidated financial statements amounted to RMB1,289,609 as of December 31, 2015. All of these capital commitments will be fulfilled in the following years according to the construction progress.

 

Equity investment commitment

 

On August 7, 2015, the Company entered into definitive agreements with Yonghui Superstores Co., Ltd (“Yonghui”), a leading hypermarket and supermarket operator in China. Under the agreements, the Group will subscribe for newly issued ordinary shares of Yonghui at a purchase price of RMB9.00 per share with total consideration of RMB4,306,708. The Company will hold a 10% equity interest in Yonghui upon completion of the transaction. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2016.

 

Long-Term Debt Obligations

 

The Group’s long-term debt obligations are nonrecourse securitization debt which consists of asset-backed debt securities issued in connection with securitization of certain financial assets. The expected repayment amount of the nonrecourse securitization debt is approximately RMB579,843 and RMB2,753,699 for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively.

 

Legal proceedings

 

From time to time, the Group is subject to legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of business. Third parties assert patent infringement claims against the Group from time to time in the form of letters, lawsuits and other forms of communication. In addition, from time to time, the Group receives notification from customers claiming that they are entitled to indemnification or other obligations from the Group related to infringement claims made against them by third parties. Litigation, even if the Group is ultimately successful, can be costly and divert management’s attention away from the day-to-day operations of the Group.

 

The Group records a liability when it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. The Group reviews the need for any such liability on a regular basis. The Group has not recorded any material liabilities in this regard as of December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

 

F- 59



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

29.                 Restricted net assets

 

The Group’s ability to pay dividends is primarily dependent on the Group receiving distributions of funds from its subsidiaries. Relevant PRC statutory laws and regulations permit payments of dividends by the Group’s subsidiaries , VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries incorporated in PRC only out of their retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. The results of operations reflected in the financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP differ from those reflected in the statutory financial statements of the Group’s subsidiaries.

 

In accordance with the PRC Regulations on Enterprises with Foreign Investment, a foreign invested enterprise established in the PRC is required to provide certain statutory reserve funds, namely general reserve fund, the enterprise expansion fund and staff welfare and bonus fund which are appropriated from net profits as reported in the enterprise’s PRC statutory financial statements. A foreign invested enterprise is required to allocate at least 10% of its annual after-tax profits to the general reserve fund until such reserve fund has reached 50% of its registered capital based on the enterprise’s PRC statutory financial statements. Appropriations to the enterprise expansion fund and staff welfare and bonus fund are at the discretion of the board of directors for all foreign invested enterprises. The aforementioned reserved funds can only be used for specific purposes and are not distributable as cash dividends.

 

Additionally, in accordance with the Company Law of the PRC, a domestic enterprise is required to provide statutory surplus fund at least 10% of its annual after-tax profits until such statutory surplus fund has reached 50% of its registered capital based on the enterprise’s PRC statutory financial statements. A domestic enterprise is also required to provide discretionary surplus fund, at the discretion of the board of directors, from the net profits reported in the enterprise’s PRC statutory financial statements. The aforementioned reserve funds can only be used for specific purposes and are not distributable as cash dividends.

 

As a result of these PRC laws and regulations that require annual appropriations of 10% of net after-tax profits to be set aside prior to payment of dividends as general reserve fund or statutory surplus fund, the Group’s PRC subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries are restricted in their ability to transfer a portion of their net assets to the Company.

 

Amounts restricted include paid-in capital and statutory reserve funds, as determined pursuant to PRC GAAP, totaling approximately RMB20,261,086 as of December 31, 2015; therefore in accordance with Rules 4.08 (e) (3) of Regulation S-X, the condensed parent company only financial statements as of December 31, 2014 and 2015 and for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015 are disclosed in Note 31.

 

30.                 Subsequent events

 

In January 2016, JD Finance announced an RMB6,650,000 financing round with lead investors including Sequoia Capital China, China Harvest Investments and China Taiping Insurance, representing approximately 14% ownership of JD Finance on a fully-diluted, post-investment basis. The deal was closed on March 1, 2016. Following the financing, the Group still maintains majority ownership in JD Finance.

 

In April 2016, the Company entered into a definitive agreement with Dada Nexus Limited (“Dada”), China’s largest crowdsourcing delivery company, pursuant to which agreement the Company will merge its O2O business, JD Daojia, with Dada to form a new company, and contribute certain resources and US$200,000 in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2016, and upon completion of the transaction the Company will own approximately 47% equity interest of the new company on a fully diluted basis. The Company is still in process of evaluating the accounting impact of the transaction.

 

F- 60



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

31.  Parent company only condensed financial information

 

The Company performed a test on the restricted net assets of consolidated subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries in accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission Regulation S-X Rule 4-08 (e) (3), “General Notes to Financial Statements” and concluded that it was applicable for the Company to disclose the financial information for the parent company only.

 

The subsidiaries did not pay any dividend to the Company for the years presented. Certain information and footnote disclosures generally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed and omitted. The footnote disclosures contain supplemental information relating to the operations of the Company, as such, these statements should be read in conjunction with the notes to the consolidated financial statements of the Company.

 

The Company did not have significant capital and other commitments, long-term obligations, or guarantees as of December 31, 2015.

 

Condensed Balance Sheets

 

 

 

As of December 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note 2(f)

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

8,128,802

 

8,942,549

 

1,380,492

 

Short-term investments

 

6,119,000

 

 

 

Prepayments and other current assets

 

66,209

 

11,349

 

1,752

 

Amount due from related parties

 

170,592

 

 

 

Total current assets

 

14,484,603

 

8,953,898

 

1,382,244

 

Non-current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investments in subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries

 

16,563,755

 

16,480,937

 

2,544,218

 

Investment securities

 

 

103,363

 

15,956

 

Intangible assets, net

 

6,456,198

 

5,056,644

 

780,611

 

Total non-current assets

 

23,019,953

 

21,640,944

 

3,340,785

 

Total assets

 

37,504,556

 

30,594,842

 

4,723,029

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

 

6,489

 

54,227

 

8,370

 

Total liabilities

 

6,489

 

54,227

 

8,370

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ordinary shares (US$0.00002 par value; 100,000,000,000 shares authorized; 2,237,460,751 Class A ordinary shares issued and 2,208,310,595 outstanding, 556,295,899 Class B ordinary shares issued and 523,407,762 outstanding as of December 31, 2014; 2,313,578,195 Class A ordinary shares issued and 2,287,701,055 outstanding, 480,178,455 Class B ordinary shares issued and 454,289,431 outstanding as of December 31, 2015)

 

358

 

358

 

55

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

47,131,172

 

48,393,126

 

7,470,611

 

Statutory reserves

 

15,009

 

55,560

 

8,577

 

Treasury stock

 

(4

)

(3

)

(0

)

Accumulated deficit

 

(9,272,343

)

(18,690,910

)

(2,885,379

)

Accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss)

 

(376,125

)

782,484

 

120,795

 

Total shareholders’ equity

 

37,498,067

 

30,540,615

 

4,714,659

 

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

 

37,504,556

 

30,594,842

 

4,723,029

 

 

F- 61



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

31.  Parent company only condensed financial information (Continued)

 

Condensed Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss

 

 

 

For the year ended December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$
Note 2(f)

 

Operating expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketing

 

 

(915,455

)

(1,221,580

)

(188,579

)

General and administrative

 

(4,065

)

(3,834,699

)

(445,095

)

(68,711

)

Loss from operations

 

(4,065

)

(4,750,154

)

(1,666,675

)

(257,290

)

Equity in loss of subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries

 

(164,843

)

(449,816

)

(7,790,292

)

(1,202,613

)

Interest income

 

3,987

 

183,294

 

143,757

 

22,192

 

Others, net

 

115,022

 

20,318

 

(64,806

)

(10,004

)

Net loss

 

(49,899

)

(4,996,358

)

(9,378,016

)

(1,447,715

)

Preferred shares redemption value accretion

 

(2,435,366

)

(7,957,640

)

 

 

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

 

(2,485,265

)

(12,953,998

)

(9,378,016

)

(1,447,715

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

(49,899

)

(4,996,358

)

(9,378,016

)

(1,447,715

)

Other comprehensive loss:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustments

 

(137,921

)

(121,612

)

1,181,231

 

182,350

 

Net change in unrealized gains/(losses) on available-for-sale securities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unrealized gains/(losses), nil of tax

 

96,501

 

71,286

 

(238,852

)

(36,872

)

Reclassification adjustment for (gains)/losses recorded in net income, nil of tax

 

(73,277

)

(57,181

)

216,230

 

33,380

 

Net unrealized gains/(losses) on available-for-sale securities

 

23,224

 

14,105

 

(22,622

)

(3,492

)

Total other comprehensive income/(loss)

 

(114,697

)

(107,507

)

1,158,609

 

178,858

 

Total comprehensive loss

 

(164,596

)

(5,103,865

)

(8,219,407

)

(1,268,857

)

 

F- 62



Table of Contents

 

JD.com, Inc.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data)

 

31.  Parent company only condensed financial information (Continued)

 

Condensed Statements of Cash Flows

 

 

 

For the year ended December 31,

 

 

 

2013

 

2014

 

2015

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

US$
Note 2(f)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities

 

(1,209

)

101,150

 

169,018

 

26,092

 

Net cash provided by/(used in) investing activities

 

(5,399,613

)

(9,069,394

)

579,850

 

89,513

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

2,720,076

 

17,447,655

 

75,713

 

11,688

 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

 

(51,988

)

(363,084

)

(10,834

)

(1,672

)

Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

 

(2,732,734

)

8,116,327

 

813,747

 

125,621

 

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

 

2,745,209

 

12,475

 

8,128,802

 

1,254,871

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

 

12,475

 

8,128,802

 

8,942,549

 

1,380,492

 

 

Basis of presentation

 

The Company’s accounting policies are the same as the Group’s accounting policies with the exception of the accounting for the investments in subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries.

 

For the Company only condensed financial information, the Company records its investments in subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries under the equity method of accounting as prescribed in ASC 323, Investments-Equity Method and Joint Ventures. Such investments are presented on the Condensed Balance Sheets as “Investment in subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries” and shares in the subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries’ loss are presented as “Equity in loss of subsidiaries, VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries” on the Condensed Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss. The parent company only condensed financial information should be read in conjunction with the Group’ consolidated financial statements.

 

F- 63


Exhibit 4.23

 

Equity Pledge Agreement

 

This EQUITY PLEDGE AGREEMENT, (this “ Agreement ”), dated December 5, 2014, is made in Beijing , the People’s Republic of China (“ PRC ”) by and among:

 

Party A: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.

Registered address: Room B168, Building 2, No. 99, Kechuang 14 Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing

 

Party B: Richard Qiangdong Liu ;

Jiaming Sun

 

Party C: Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

Registered address: Floor 20, Block A, Building 1, 19 Ronghua Middle Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing

 

(Party B is referred to as “Pledgors” collectively or “Pledgor” seperately hereinafter; Party A is referred to as “Pledgee” hereinafter; and either the Pledgors or the Pledgee is individually referred to as a “Party” and collectively referred to as the “Parties”.)

 

Whereas,

 

(1)                        Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd. (“Beijing Company”) is a limited liability company duly incorporated and validly existing under the PRC laws.

 

(2)                        The Pledgors hold 100% equity interests of Beijing Company in total, of which 45% and 55% equity interests are owned by Richard Qiangdong Liu and Jiaming Sun, and the amounts of pledged debts are RMB 450,000 and RMB 550,000, respectively.

 

(3)                        The Pledgee is a wholly foreign owned company duly incorporated and existing under the laws of the PRC.

 

(4)                        The Pledgee and Beijing Company entered into an Exclusive Technology Consulting and Service Agreement on December 5, 2014 (“Services Agreement”).

 

(5)                        The Pledgors and the Pledgee entered into a Loan Agreement on December 5, 2014 (“Loan Agreement”), and entered into an Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement on December 5, 2014 (“Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement”). In addition, the Pledgors delivered the Power of Attorney to the Pledgee on December 5, 2014 (“Power of Attorney”, together with the Services Agreement, Loan Agreement and Exclusive Purchase Option

 

1



 

Agreement, collectively referred as “Master Agreement”).

 

(6)                        In order to secure the Pledgors’ performance of their obligations under this Agreement, the Loan Agreement, the Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement and the Power of Attorney, and in order to ensure Beijing Company to be able to perform its obligations under the Services Agreement, the Pledgors hereby pledge all the equity interests held by them in Beijing Company as the guaranty for their and/or Beijing Company’s performance of obligations under the Master Agreement.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, the Parties hereby agree as follows through friendly negotiations:

 

1.                   Definition

 

Unless otherwise specified herein, the following words shall have the meanings as follows:

 

1.1                          Pledge Right: means the priority right the Pledgee owns, with respect to the proceedings arising from selling at a discount, auction of, or selling off the equity interests pledged by the Pledgors to the Pledgee.

 

1.2                          Pledged Equity Interests: means all the equity interests duly held by the Pledgors in Beijing Company, i.e. 100% equity interests of Beijing Company, as well as all the other rights created over it.

 

1.3                          Term of Pledge: means the period of term specified in Article 3 hereof.

 

1.4                          Event of Default: means any of the circumstances listed in Article 7 hereof.

 

1.5                          Notice of Default: means any notice issued by the Pledgee to the Pledgors in accordance with this Agreement specifying an Event of Default.

 

2.                   Pledge Right and Scope of Guaranty

 

2.1                          The Pledgors agree to pledge all the Pledged Equity Interests to the

 

2



 

Pledgee as the guaranty for their and/or Beijing Company’s performance of all the obligations under the Master Agreement and all the liabilities of indemnification to the Pledgee which may arise due to the invalidity or cancellation of the Master Agreement. Beijing Company agrees with such equity pledge arrangement.

 

2.2                          The effect of guaranty under the Master Agreement will not be prejudiced by any amendment or change of the Master Agreement. The invalidity or cancellation of the Master Agreement does not impair the validity of this Agreement. In the event that the Master Agreement is deemed as invalid, or cancelled or revoked for any reason, the Pledgee is entitled to realized its pledge right in accordance with Article 8 hereof.

 

3.                   Creation and Term of Pledge

 

3.1                          The Pledge Right hereunder shall be reflected on the register of shareholders and the capital contribution certificate of Beijing Company in accordance with the form as attached to this Agreement.

 

3.2                          The term of the Pledge Right is two (2) years effective from the registration of pledge of equity interests with the Administration for Industry and Commerce of the place where Beijing Company is registered, till the day on which all the obligations under the Master Agreement are fully performed (“Term of Pledge”).

 

3.3                          During the Term of Pledge, if the Pledgors and/or Beijing Company fails to perform any obligation under or arising from the Master Agreement, the Pledgee has the right to dispose of the Pledge Right in accordance with Article 8 hereof.

 

4.                   Possession of Pledge Certificates

 

4.1                          The Pledgors shall deliver the register of shareholders and capital contribution certificate of Beijing Company which reflects the pledge of equity interests as mentioned in above Article 3 within three (3) business days upon the pledge is recorded on such documents, to the Pledgee for its possession , and the Pledgee is obligated to keep the received pledge documents.

 

4.2                      The Pledgee is entitled to all the proceeds in cash including the dividends and all the other non-cash proceeds arising from the Pledge Equity Interests since December 23, 2014.

 

3



 

5.                   Representations and Warranties of the Pledgors

 

5.1                          The Pledgors are the legal owners of Pledged Equity Interests.

 

5.2                          Once the Pledgee intends to exercise the rights of the Pledgee under this Agreement anytime, it shall be protected from any interference from any other party.

 

5.3                          The Pledgee has the right to dispose of or transfer the Pledge Right in the way as described hereunder.

 

5.4                          Neither of the Pledgors has ever created any other pledge right or any other third party right over the equity interests except towards the Pledgee.

 

6.                   Covenants from the Pledgor

 

6.1                          During the term of this Agreement, the Pledgors covenant to the Pledgee as follows:

 

6.1.1                       Without prior written consent of the Pledgee, the Pledgors should not transfer the Pledged Equity Interests, or create or allow creation of any new pledge or any other security upon the Pledged Equity Interests which may impair the rights and/or interest of the Pledgee, except for the transfer of equity interests to the Pledgee or the person designated by the Pledgee in accordance with the Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement.

 

6.1.2                       The Pledgors shall abide by and exercise all the provisions of laws and regulations in relation to the pledge of rights, and shall present the Pledgee any and all notices, directions or suggestions issued by related competent authorities within two (2) days upon the receipt of such notices, directions or suggestions, and shall comply with such notices, directions or suggestions, or present its opposite opinions and representations regarding the above mentioned issues according to the reasonable request of the Pledgee or with the consent from the Pledgee;

 

6.1.3                       The Pledgors shall give prompt notice to the Pledgee regarding any occurrence or received notice which may influence the equity interests or any part of the equity interests held by the Pledgee, or may change any warranties or obligations of the Pledgors under this Agreement or may influence the performance of obligations by the Pledgors hereunder.

 

6.2                          The Pledgors agree that, the right of the Pledgee to exercise of Pledge

 

4



 

Right hereunder in accordance with this Agreement, shall not be interfered or impaired by any legal proceedings taken by the Pledgors, or the successor or designated person of the Pledgors or any other person.

 

6.3                          The Pledgors warrant to the Pledgee that, in order to protect or consummate the guaranty provided by this Agreement regarding the performance of the Master Agreement, the Pledgors will faithfully sign, or cause any other party which is materially related to the Pledge Right to sign, any and all right certificates and deeds, and/or take, or cause any other party which is materially related to the Pledge Right to take, any and all actions, reasonably required by the Pledgee, and will facilitate the exercise of the rights and authorizations granted to the Pledgee under this Agreement, enter into any change to related equity certificate with the Pledgee or the Pledgee’s designated person (individual/legal person), and provide to the Pledgee any and all notices, orders and decisions as deemed necessary by the Pledgee.

 

6.4                          The Pledgors undertake to the Pledgee they will abide by and perform all representations, warranties and undertakings to protect the interests of the Pledgee. The Pledgors shall indemnify the Pledgee any and all losses suffered by the Pledgee due to the Pledgors’ failure or partial failure in performance of their representations, warranties or undertakings.

 

6.5                          The Pledgors covenant to the Pledgee they assume several and joint liabilities with respect to the obligations hereunder.

 

6.6                          The Pledgors irrevocably agree to waive the preemptive right with respect to the Pledged Equity Interests pledged by other shareholders of Beijing Company to the Pledgee, as well as the transfer of equity interests due to the exercise of Pledge Right by the Pledgee.

 

7.                   Event of Default

 

7.1                          Any of the following is deemed as an Event of Default:

 

7.1.1                       Beijing Company fails to perform its obligations under the Master Agreement;

 

7.1.2                       Any representation or warranty of the Pledgors under this Agreement is substantially misleading or untrue, and/or any of the Pledgors breaches any of his representations and warranties under this Agreement;

 

7.1.3                       Any of the Pledgors breaches its covenants hereunder;

 

5



 

7.1.4                       Any of the Pledgors breaches any provision hereof;

 

7.1.5                       Except that any of the Pledgors transfers the equity interests to the Pledgee or the Pledgee’s designated person in accordance with the Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement, any of the Pledgors waives the Pledged Equity Interests or transfers the Pledged Equity Interests without the written consent from the Pledgee;

 

7.1.6                       Any external borrowings, guaranty, indemnification, undertakings or any other liabilities of the Pledgors (1) is required to be repaid or exercised early due to its default; or (2) is not repaid or exercised when due, which makes the Pledgee reasonably believes that the ability of the Pledgors to perform their obligations under this Agreement has been impaired.

 

7.1.7                       Any of the Pledgors fails to repay general debts or other liabilities;

 

7.1.8                       This Agreement is deemed to be illegal with promulgation of related laws, or any of the Pledgors is unable to continue to perform his obligations hereunder;

 

7.1.9                       The consent, permit, approval or authorization from the competent authorities for making this Agreement enforceable, legal or valid is revoked, suspended, invalidated or materially amended;

 

7.1.10                Adverse change occur with respect to the assets of the Pledgors, which makes the Pledgee reasonably believes that the ability of the Pledgors to perform their obligations under this Agreement has been impaired.

 

7.1.11                Successor of the Pledgors or Beijing Company can only perform part of, or refuses to perform, its obligations under this Agreement.

 

7.1.12                Other circumstances occur which make the Pledgee unable to exercise or dispose of the Pledge Right in accordance with related laws.

 

7.2                          In the event that is aware of or discover that any issue described in the above Article 7.1 or any other issue which may cause the occurrence of such mentioned issues has occurred, the Pledgors shall give a prompt written notice to the Pledgee.

 

7.3                          Unless that the Event of Default specified in above Article 7.1 has been

 

6



 

resolved to the satisfaction of the Pledgee, otherwise the Pledgee is entitled to (not obligated to) serve a Notice of Default to the Pledgors immediately following or any time after the occurrence of the Event of Default, to require the Pledgors and Beijing Company to immediately perform its obligations under the Master Agreement (including without limitation to payment of the due and unpaid debts and other amounts payable under the Services Agreements) or dispose of the Pledge Right in accordance with Article 8 hereof.

 

8.                   Exercise of Pledge Right

 

8.1                          Prior to the fulfillment of performance of the obligations under the Master Agreement, neither of the Pledgors may transfer the Pledged Equity Interests without the written consent of the Pledgee.

 

8.2                          In the event of occurrence of the Event of Default described in above Article 7, the Pledgee shall give a Notice of Default to the Pledgors when exercising the Pledge Right. The Pledgee may exercise the right to dispose of the Pledge Right at the same time of or any time after the service of the Notice of Default.

 

8.3                          The Pledgee has the right to sell in accordance with legal procedure or dispose of in the other way allowed by law the Pledged Equity Interests hereunder. If the Pledgee decides to exercise the Pledge Right, the Pledgors both undertake to transfer all of their shareholder rights to the Pledgee for exercise. In addition, the Pledgee has the priority to receive the proceedings arising from selling at a discount, auction of, or selling off the equity interests pledged by the Pledgors to the Pledgee according to the legal proceedings.

 

8.4                          When the Pledgee is disposing of the Pledge Right in accordance with this Agreement, neither of the Pledgors may create any obstacle, and shall provide any necessary assistance to help the Pledgee to realize the Pledge Right.

 

9.                   Transfer of Agreement

 

9.1                          Unless with the prior consent from the Pledgee, the Pledgors have no right to grant or transfer any of their rights and obligations hereunder.

 

9.2                          This Agreement is binding upon the Pledgors and their successor, as well as the Pledgee, and its successors and assignees permitted by the Pledgee.

 

9.3                          The Pledgee is entitled to transfer any or all rights and obligations under the Master Agreement to any person (individual/legal person) designated

 

7



 

by it at anytime. Under this circumstance, the assignee have the same rights and obligations as the Pledgee under this Agreement, as if such rights and obligations are granted to it as a party to this Agreement. When transferring the rights and obligations under the Services Agreements, this Agreement, the Loan Agreement, the Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement and/or Power of Attorney, the Pledgors shall sign any and all related agreement and/or documents as required by the Pledgee.

 

9.4                          With the change of pledgee due to the transfer, all the parties to the new pledge shall enter into a new pledge contract, which shall be substantially same to this Agreement in the content and to the satisfaction of the Pledgee.

 

10.            Effectiveness and Termination

 

10.1                   This Agreement becomes effective on the date hereof. All Parties agree and confirm that the terms and conditions hereof become effective since November 18, 2014.

 

10.2                   The Parties confirm that whether the pledge hereunder has been registered and recorded or not will not impair the effectiveness and validity of this Agreement.

 

10.3                   This Agreement will terminate two (2) years after the Pledgors and /or Beijing Company no longer assume any liability under or arising from the Master Agreement.

 

10.4                   Release of pledge shall be recorded accordingly on the register of shareholders of Beijing Company and related deregistration formalities shall be proceeded with at the Administration for Industry and Commerce of the place where Beijing Company is registered.

 

11.            Processing Fee and Other Costs

 

All fees and actual costs related to this Agreement, including not limited to legal fees, processing fee, duty stamp and all the other related taxes and expenses shall be borne by the Pledgors. If related taxes is borne by the Pledgee in accordance with laws, then the Pledgor shall fully indemnify the Pledgee all the taxes withheld by the Pledgee.

 

12.            Force Majeure

 

12.1                   “Force Majeure Event” shall mean any event beyond the reasonable controls of the Party so affected, which are unpredictable, unavoidable, irresistible even if the affected Party takes a reasonable care, including but not limited to governmental

 

8



 

acts, Act of God, fires, explosion, geographical variations, storms, floods, earthquakes, morning and evening tides, lightning or wars , riot, strike, and any other such events that all Parties have reached a consensus upon . However, any shortage of credits, funding or financing shall not be deemed as the events beyond reasonable controls of the affected Party.

 

12.2                   In the event that the performance of this Agreement is delayed or interrupted due to the said Force Majeure Event, the affected Party shall be excused from any liability to the extent of the delayed or interrupted performance. The affected Party which intends to seek exemption from its obligations of performance under this Agrement or any provision of this Agreement shall immediately inform the other Party of such a Force Majeure Event and the measures it needs to take in order to complete its performance.

 

13.            Dispute Resolution

 

13.1               The formation, validity, performance and interpretation of this Agreement and the disputes resolution under this Agreement shall be governed by the PRC laws.

 

13.2               The Parties shall strive to settle any dispute arising from or in connection with this Agreement through friendly consultation.  In case no settlement can be reached through consultation within thirty (30) days after the request for consultation is made by any Party, any Party can submit such matter to Beijing Arbitration Commission for arbitration in accordance with its then effective rules. The arbitration shall take place in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding upon all the Parties.

 

14.            Notices

 

Notices or other communications required to be given by any Party pursuant to this Agreement shall be made in writ ing and delivered personally or sent by mail or facsimile transmission to the address es of the other Parties set forth below or other designated address es noti fied by such other Part ies to such Party from time to time. The date when the notice is deemed to be duly served shall be determined as the follows: (a) a notice delivered personally is deemed duly served upon the delivery; (b) a notice sent by mail is deemed duly served on the seventh (7 th ) day after the date when the air registered mail with postage prepaid has been sent out (as is shown on the postmark), or the fourth (4 th ) day after the delivery date to the internationally recognized courier service agency; and (c) a notice sent by facsimile transmission is deemed duly served upon the receipt time as is shown on the transmission confirmation of relevant documents.

 

9



 

If to the Pledgee: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.

 

Address :

Room B168, Building 2, No. 99, Kechuang 14 Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing

Phone:

010-58955008

Facsimile:

010-58955990

Attention:

Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

If to the Pledgors: Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

Address :

Room B168, Building 2, No. 99, Kechuang 14 Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing

Phone:

010-58955008

Facsimile:

010-58955990

 

Jiaming Sun

 

Address :

Room B168, Building 2, No. 99, Kechuang 14 Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing

Phone:

010-58955008

Facsimile:

010-58955990

 

15.        Miscellaneous

 

15.1                   The headings contained in this Agreement are for the convenience of reference only and shall not be used to interpret, expla in or otherwise affect the meaning of the provisions of this Agreement.

 

15.2                   The Parties agree to promptly execute any document and take any other action reasonably necessary or advisable to perform provisions and purpose of this Agreement.

 

15.3                   The Parties confirm that t his Agreement shall , upon its effectiveness, constitute the entire agreement and common understanding of the Parties with respect to the subject matters herein and fully supersede all prior verbal and /or written agreements and understandings with respect to the subject matters herein.

 

15.4                   The Parties may amend and supplement this Agreement in writing.  Any amendment and/or supplement to this Agreement duly signed by the Parties is an integral part of and has the same effect with this Agreement.

 

15.5                   Any Party’s failure to exercise the rights under th is Agreement in time shall not be deemed as its waiver of such rights and would not affect its future exercise of such rights.

 

15.6                   If any provision of this Agreement is held void, invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, governmental agency or arbitration authority , the validity, legality and enforceability of the other provisions hereof shall not be affected or impaired in any way. The Parties shall cease performing such void, invalid or unenforceable provisions and revise such

 

10



 

void, invalid or unenforceable provisions only to the extent closest to the original intention thereof to recover its validity or enforceability for such specific facts and circumstances .

 

15.7                   Any schedule hereto is an integral part of and has the same effect with this Agreement.

 

15.8                   This Agreement is made in five (5) originals with each Party holding one ( 1 ) original. And other originals are submitted to the AIC for proceeding with the formalities of registration of pledge of equity interests.

 

[No text below]

 

11



 

(Signature Page)

 

IN WITNESS THEREOF , each Party has signed or caused its legal representative to sign t his Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

 

Party A: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.

 

/s/ Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.

 

(Seal of Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.)

Signature of authorized representative:

/s/ Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

 

 

Party B: Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

By:

/s/ Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

 

 

Jiaming Sun

 

By:

/s/ Jiaming Sun

 

 

 

Party C: Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

/s/ Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

(Seal of Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.)

 

 

By:

/s/ Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

 

Signature page for the Amended and Restated Equity Pledge Agreement

 

12



 

Schedule 1:

 

Register of Shareholders of Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Name of
Shareholder

 

Capital Contribution
Amount/Shareholding Percentage

 

Registration of Pledge

Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

RMB 450,000

 

45%

 

In accordance with the Equity Pledge Agreement by and among Richard Qiangdong Liu, Jiaming Sun, Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd. and Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd. dated December 5, 2014, Richard Qiangdong Liu has pledged all the equity interests held by him to Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd..

 

 

 

 

 

Jiaming Sun

 

RMB 550,000

 

55%

 

In accordance with the Equity Pledge Agreement by and among Richard Qiangdong Liu, Jiaming Sun, Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd. and Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd. dated December 5, 2014, Jiaming Sun has pledged all the equity interests held by him to Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd..

 

 

Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd. (seal)

 

 

 

 

 

(Seal of Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.)

 

Legal representative (signature)

 

Date:  December 5, 2014

 

13



 

Schedule 2:

 

Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

Capital Contribution Certificate

(No.: 001)

 

Company: Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

Date of Incorporation: November 18, 2014

Registered Capital: RMB 1,000,000

Shareholder: Richard Qiangdong Liu

Capital Contributed by Shareholder: RMB 450,000

 

In accordance with the Equity Pledge Agreement by and among Richard Qiangdong Liu, Jiaming Sun, Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd. and Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd. dated December 5, 2014, Richard Qiangdong Liu has pledged all the equity interests held by him to Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd..

 

 

Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd. (seal)

 

 

 

 

 

Signature:

(Seal of Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.)

 

Name: Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

Title: Legal representative

 

Date: December 5, 2014

 

14



 

Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

Capital Contribution Certificate

(No.: 002)

 

Company: Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

Date of Incorporation: November 18, 2014

Registered Capital: RMB 1,000,000

Shareholder: Jiaming Sun

Capital Contributed by Shareholder: RMB 550,000

 

In accordance with the Equity Pledge Agreement by and among Richard Qiangdong Liu, Jiaming Sun, Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd. and Jiangsu Yuanzhou E-Commerce Co., Ltd. dated December 5, 2014, Jiaming Sun has pledged all the equity interests held by him to Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd..

 

 

Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd. (seal)

 

Signature:

(Seal of Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.)

 

Name: Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

Title: Legal representative

 

Date: December 5, 2014

 

15



 

Schedule A

 

The following schedule sets forth all other similar agreements the registrant entered into with the relevant Chinese variable interest entity of the registrant. Other than the information set forth below, there is no material difference between such other agreements and this exhibit.

 

VIE

 

Executing Parties

 

Capital Contribution

 

Date of
Entitlement to all
Proceeds for
Pledgee

 

Effective Date

 

Execution
Date

Beijing Yuanyi Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.


Party B: Liu Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming


Party C: Beijing Yuanyi Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd.

 

The registered capital of Beijing Yuanyi Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd. is RMB 1,320,000.00.

The capital contribution amount and shareholding percentage of the shareholders are as follows:
Richard Qiangdong Liu: RMB 594,000.00 (45%)
Jiaming Sun: RMB 726,000.00 (55%)

 

June 9, 2014

 

June 9, 2014

 

December 8, 2014

Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.


Party B: Liu Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming


Party C: Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

The registered capital of Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng Investment Management Co., Ltd. is RMB 80,000,000.00.

The capital contribution amount and shareholding percentage of the shareholders are as follows:
Richard Qiangdong Liu: RMB 3,600,000.00 (45%)
Jiaming Sun: RMB 4,400,000.00 (55%)

 

August 7, 2015

 

August 7, 2015

 

August 7, 2015

Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Youheng E-commerce Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Yuanxin Information Technology Co., Ltd.


Party B: Liu

 

The registered capital of Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Youheng E-commerce Information Technology Co., Ltd. is RMB 10,000,000.00.

The capital contribution

 

December 10, 2015

 

December 10, 2015

 

December 10, 2015

 

16



 

 

 

Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming


Party C: Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Youheng E-commerce Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

amount and shareholding percentage of the shareholders are as follows:
Richard Qiangdong Liu: RMB 4,500,000.00 (45%)
Jiaming Sun: RMB 5,500,000.00 (55%)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jiangsu Jingdong Saide E-commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.


Party B: Liu Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming


Party C: Jiangsu Jingdong Saide E-commerce Co., Ltd.

 

The registered capital of Jiangsu Jingdong Saide E-commerce Co., Ltd. is RMB 50,000,000.00.

The capital contribution amount and shareholding percentage of the shareholders are as follows:
Richard Qiangdong Liu: RMB 22,500,000.00 (45%)
Jiaming Sun: RMB 27,500,000.00 (55%)

 

January 7, 2016

 

January 7, 2016

 

January 7, 2016

Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Suqian Hanbang Investment Management Co., Ltd.


Party B: Liu Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming


Party C: Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Same as this exhibit.

 

January 26, 2016

 

January 26, 2016

 

January 26, 2016

 

17


Exhibit 4.24

 

Power of Attorney

 

The undersigned, Richard Qiangdong Liu, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) and a holder of 45% of the equity interests of Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd. (the “Beijing Company”) (the “Shareholding”), hereby irrevocably authorizes any natural person appointed by Beijing Jingdong Century Trading Co., Ltd. (the “WFOE”) to exercise the following rights during the term of this Power of Attorney:

 

Any natural person appointed by the WFOE is hereby authorized to exercise on behalf of the undersigned as his sole and exclusive agent the rights in respect of the Shareholding including without limitation: (1) attend shareholders’ meeting of the Beijing Company and sign resolutions thereof on behalf of the undersigned; (2) exercise all rights of the undersigned as a shareholder of the Beijing Company according to laws and the articles of association of the Beijing Company, including without limitation the rights to vote and to sell, transfer, pledge or dispose all or any part of the Shareholding; and (3) designate and appoint on behalf of the undersigned the legal representative, chairperson, director, supervisor, chief executive officer and any other senior management of the Beijing Company.

 

Subject to the powers and authorities provided under this Power of Attorney, any natural person appointed by the WFOE will have the right to sign on behalf of the undersigned any transfer agreement contemplated under the Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement to which the undersigned will be a party, and to perform the Equity Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement, each of which is dated the date hereof and to which the undersigned is a party.  Exercise of such right will not have any restriction upon this Power of Attorney.

 

Unless otherwise provided under this Power of Attorney, any natural person appointed by the WFOE has the right to transfer, apply or otherwise dispose any cash dividend, bonus and any other non-cash gain arising from the Shareholding on reliance of any oral or written instruction from the undersigned.

 

Unless otherwise provided under this Power of Attorney, any natural person appointed by the WFOE has the right to take any action regarding the Shareholding according to his/her own judgment without any oral or written instruction from the undersigned.

 

Any and all the actions associated with the Shareholding made by any natural person appointed by the WFOE will be deemed as the action of the undersigned, and any and all documents relating to the Shareholding executed by any natural person appointed by the WFOE shall be deemed to be executed and acknowledged by the undersigned.

 

Any natural person appointed by the WFOE may delegate this power of attorney by assigning his/her rights relating to the conduct of the aforesaid matter and exercise of the Shareholding to any other person or entity at his/her own discretion without prior notice to or consent from the undersigned.

 

1



 

This Power of Attorney is irrevocable and effective as of the date hereof as long as the undersigned is a shareholder of the Beijing Company.  This Power of Attorney supersedes any other power of attorney previously signed by the undersigned.

 

During the term of this Power of Attorney, the undersigned hereby waives all of the rights associated with the Shareholding which have been authorized to any natural person appointed by the WFOE and will not exercise any such right by himself.

 

By:

/s/ Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

 

 

Dated: December 5, 2014

 

 

2



 

Power of Attorney

 

The undersigned, Jiaming Sun, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) and a holder of 55% of the equity interests of Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd. (the “Beijing Company”) (the “Shareholding”), hereby irrevocably authorizes any natural person appointed by Beijing Jingdong Century Trading Co., Ltd. (the “WFOE”) to exercise the following rights during the term of this Power of Attorney:

 

Any natural person appointed by the WFOE is hereby authorized to exercise on behalf of the undersigned as his sole and exclusive agent the rights in respect of the Shareholding including without limitation: (1) attend shareholders’ meeting of the Beijing Company and sign resolutions thereof on behalf of the undersigned; (2) exercise all rights of the undersigned as a shareholder of the Beijing Company according to laws and the articles of association of the Beijing Company, including without limitation the rights to vote and to sell, transfer, pledge or dispose all or any part of the Shareholding; and (3) designate and appoint on behalf of the undersigned the legal representative, chairperson, director, supervisor, chief executive officer and any other senior management of the Beijing Company.

 

Subject to the powers and authorities provided under this Power of Attorney, any natural person appointed by the WFOE will have the right to sign on behalf of the undersigned any transfer agreement contemplated under the Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement to which the undersigned will be a party, and to perform the Equity Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement, each of which is dated the date hereof and to which the undersigned is a party.  Exercise of such right will not have any restriction upon this Power of Attorney.

 

Unless otherwise provided under this Power of Attorney, any natural person appointed by the WFOE has the right to transfer, apply or otherwise dispose any cash dividend, bonus and any other non-cash gain arising from the Shareholding on reliance of any oral or written instruction from the undersigned.

 

Unless otherwise provided under this Power of Attorney, any natural person appointed by the WFOE has the right to take any action regarding the Shareholding according to his/her own judgment without any oral or written instruction from the undersigned.

 

Any and all the actions associated with the Shareholding made by any natural person appointed by the WFOE will be deemed as the action of the undersigned, and any and all documents relating to the Shareholding executed by any natural person appointed by the WFOE shall be deemed to be executed and acknowledged by the undersigned.

 

Any natural person appointed by the WFOE may delegate this power of attorney by assigning his/her rights relating to the conduct of the aforesaid matter and exercise of the Shareholding to any other person or entity at his/her own discretion without prior notice to or consent from the undersigned.

 

This Power of Attorney is irrevocable and effective as of the date hereof as long as the undersigned is a shareholder of the Beijing Company.  This Power of Attorney

 

1



 

supersedes any other power of attorney previously signed by the undersigned.

 

During the term of this Power of Attorney, the undersigned hereby waives all of the rights associated with the Shareholding which have been authorized to any natural person appointed by the WFOE and will not exercise any such right by himself.

 

By:

/s/ Jiaming Sun

 

 

 

Dated: December 5, 2014

 

 

2



 

Schedule A

 

The following schedule sets forth all other similar agreements the registrant entered into with the relevant Chinese variable interest entity. Other than the information set forth below, there is no material difference between such other agreements and this exhibit.

 

VIE

 

Executing Parties

 

Execution Date

Beijing Yuanyi Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd.

 

Liu Qiangdong

Sun Jiaming

 

December 8, 2014


December 8, 2014

Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Liu Qiangdong

Sun Jiaming

 

August 7, 2015

August 7, 2015

Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Youheng E-commerce Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

Liu Qiangdong

Sun Jiaming

 

December 10, 2015

December 10, 2015

Jiangsu Jingdong Saide E-commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Liu Qiangdong

Sun Jiaming

 

January 7, 2016

January 7, 2016

Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Liu Qiangdong

Sun Jiaming

 

January 26, 2016

January 26, 2016

 

3


Exhibit 4.25

 

EXCLUSIVE TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING AND SERVICE AGREEMENT

 

This EXCLUSIVE TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING AND SERVICE AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”), dated December 5, 2014, is made in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China (the “ PRC ”) by and among:

 

Party A :                                                 Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd. , with registered address at Room B168, Building 2, No. 99, Kechuang 14 Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing; and

 

Party B:                                                 Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd. , a limited liability company incorporated and existing under the laws of the PRC, with registered address at Floor 20, Block A, Building 1, 19 Ronghua Middle Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing.

 

(Party A and Party B individually, a “ Party ”; collectively, the “ Parties ”)

 

Whereas,

 

1.                                       Party A is a wholly foreign-owned enterprise duly incorporated and validly existing under the PRC laws , having the resources and qualifications to provide Party B with technology consulting and services ;

 

2.                                       Party B is a limited liability company duly incorporated and validly existing under the PRC laws ;

 

NOW, THEREFORE, the Parties hereby agree as follows through negotiations:

 

1.                                       Technology Consulting and Service s ; Sole and Exclusive Rights and Interests

 

1.1                                During the term of this Agreement, Party A agrees to provide Party B with technology consulting and services set forth in Exhibit I attached hereto subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement .

 

1.2                                Party B agrees to accept the technology consulting and services provided by Party A. Party B further agrees that during the term hereof, it will not accept the same or similar technology consulting and services with respect to the foregoing business operations from any third party, unless with prior written consent from Party A.

 

1



 

1.3                                Any and all rights and interests arising from performance of this Agreement, including without limitation ownership, copyright, patent and other intellectual properties, technical and business secrets, which is developed by Party A or by Party B based on the intellectual property owned by Party A, will be solely and exclusively owned by Party A.

 

2.                                       Calculation and Payment of Technology Consulting and Service s Fee

 

2.1                                Party B agrees to pay technology consulting and services fee set forth under this Agreement to Party A for the technology consulting and services provided by Party A under this Agreement (the “ Consulting Services Fee ”).

 

2.2                                The Parties agree to determine and pay the Consulting Services Fee according to Exhibit II attached hereto .

 

3.                                       Representat ions and Warranties

 

3.1                                Party A hereby represents and warrants that:

 

3.1.1.                   It is a wholly foreign-owned enterprise duly incorporated and validly existing under the laws of the PRC;

 

3.1.2.                   Its execution and performance of this Agreement are within the scope of its corporate power and business ; it has taken necessary corporate action s and obtained appropriate authorization and necessary consent and approvals from third parties and government agency, and execution of this Agreement will not constitute a breach of any law or contract which has binding or other effect upon it ; and

 

3.1.3.                   This Agreement, once executed, constitute s legal, valid and binding obligation s of Party A , and is enforce able upon Party A pursuant to its terms .

 

3.2                                Party B hereby represents and warrants that:

 

3.2.1.                   It is a limited liability company duly incorporated and validly existing under the laws of the PRC;

 

3.2.2.                   Its execution and performance of this Agreement are within the scope of its corporate power and business ; it has taken necessary corporate action s and obtained appropriate authorization and necessary consent and approvals from third parties and government agency, and execution of this Agreement will not constitute a breach of any law or contract which has binding or other effect upon it ; and

 

3.2.3.                   This Agreement, once executed, constitute s legal, valid and binding obligation s of Party B , and is enforce able upon Party B pursuant to its terms .

 

2



 

4.                                       Confidentiality

 

4.1                                Party B agrees to take reasonably best efforts to keep in confidence Party A’s confidential information and materials (“ Confidential Information ”) that it may be aware of or have access to in connection with its acceptance of Party A’s exclusive consulting and services.  Without prior written consent from Party A, Party B shall not disclose , offer or transfer any Confidential Information to any third party.  If this Agreement terminates and upon Party A’s request, Party B shall return to Party A or destroy all of the documents, materials or software containing Confidential Information ,  and shall delete any Confidential Information from all relevant memory devices and cease to use any Confidential Information.

 

4.2                                This Article 4 will survive any change, termination or expiration of this Agreement.

 

5.                                       Breach of Contract

 

If either party (the “ Defaulting Party ”) breaches any provision of this Agreement, which cause s damage to the other Part y (the “ Non-defaulting Party ”), the Non-defaulting Party may notify the Defaulting Party in writ ing and request it to rectify and correct such breach of contract; if the Defaulting Party fails to take any action satisfactory to the Non-defaulting Party to rectify and correct such breach within fifteen (15) working days upon the issuance of the written notice by the Non-defaulting Party, the Non-defaulting Party may take the actions pursuant to this Agreement or pursue other remedies in accordance with laws.

 

6.                                       Effectiveness and Term

 

6.1                                This Agreement shall take effect as of the date first written above.  The term of this A greement is ten (10) years unless early termination occurs in accordance with relevant provisions herein or any other agreement reached by the Parties.

 

6.2                                This Agreement may be extended upon Party A’s written confirmation prior to the expiration of this Agreement and the extended term shall be ten (10) years or the term agreed by both Parties.

 

7.                                       Termination

 

7.1                                This Agreement shall be terminated on the expiring date unless it is renewed in accordance with the relevant provision s herein.

 

7.2                                During the term hereof, Party B may not make early termination of this Agreement unless Party A commits gross negligence, fraud or other illegal action , or goes bankrupt . Notwithstanding the foregoing, Party A shall always have the right to terminate this Agreement by issuing a thirty (30) days’ prior written notice to Party B.

 

7.3                                The rights and obligations of the Parties under Articles 4 and 5 will survive termination of this Agreement.

 

3



 

8.                                      Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

 

8.1                                The execution, interpretation , performance of this Agreement and the disputes resolution under this Agreement shall be governed by the PRC laws.

 

8.2                                The parties hereto shall strive to settle any dispute arising from the interpretation or performance of the terms under this Agreement through friendly consultation in good faith . In case no settlement can be reached through consultation within thirty (30) days after the request for consultation is made by either Party, any Party can submit such matter to Beijing Arbitration Commission for arbitration in accordance with its then effective rules. The arbitration shall take place in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding upon both Parties.

 

9.                                       Force Majeure

 

9.1                                “Force Majeure Event” shall mean any event beyond the reasonable controls of the Party so affected, which are unpredictable, unavoidable, irresistible even if the affected Party takes a reasonable care, including but not limited to governmental acts, Act of God, fires, explosion, geographical variations, storms, floods, earthquakes, morning and evening tides, lightning or wars , riot, strike, and any other such events that all Parties have reached a consensus upon . However, any shortage of credits, funding or financing shall not be deemed as the events beyond reasonable controls of the affected Party.

 

9.2                                In the event that the performance of this Agreement is delayed or interrupted due to the said Force Majeure Event, the affected Party shall be excused from any liability to the extent of the delayed or interrupted performance. The affected Party which intends to seek exemption from its obligations of performance under this Agrement or any provision of this Agreement shall immediately inform the other Party of such a Force Majeure Event and the measures it needs to take in order to complete its performance.

 

10.                                Notices

 

All notices or other correspondences given by either Party pursuant to this Agreement shall be made in writ ing and may be delivered in person, or by registered mail, postage prepaid mail, generally accepted courier service or facsimile to the following addresses of the relevant Party or both Parties , or any other address notified by the other Party from time to time, or another person’s address designated by it. The date when the notice is deemed to be duly served shall be determined as the follows: (a) a notice delivered personally is deemed duly served upon the delivery; (b) a notice sent by mail is deemed duly served on the seventh (7 th ) day after the air registered mail with postage prepaid has been sent out (as is shown on the postmark), or the fourth (4 th ) day after delivery to the internationally recognized courier service agency; and (c) a notice sent by facsimile transmission is deemed duly served upon the receipt time as is shown on the transmission confirmation of relevant documents.

 

If to Party A : Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.

Address: Room B168, Building 2, No. 99, Kechuang 14 Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing;

 

4



 

Telephone: 010-58955008

Fax: 010-58955990

Attention: Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

If to Party B:   Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

Address: Floor 20, Block A, Building 1, 19 Ronghua Middle Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing.
Telephone: 010-58955008

Fax: 010-58955990

Attention: Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

11.                                Assignment

 

Party B shall not assign its rights and obligations under this Agreement to any third party without the prior written consent of Party A.

 

12.                                Severability

 

If any provision of this Agreement is held void, invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction or arbitration authority, the validity, legality and enforceability of the other provisions hereof shall not be affected or impaired. The Parties shall cease performing such void, invalid or unenforceable provisions and revise such void, invalid or unenforceable provisions only to the extent closest to the original intention thereof to recover its validity or enforceability for such specific facts and circumstances.

 

13.                                Amendment and Supplement to Agreement

 

Any amendment and supplement to this Agreement shall be made in writing by the Parties . Any agreements on such amendment and supplement duly executed by both P arties shall be deemed as a part of this Agreement and shall have the same legal effect as this Agreement.

 

14.                                Miscellanoues

 

14.1                         The headings contained in this Agreement are for the convenience of reference only and shall not be used to interpret, expla in or otherwise affect the meaning of the provisions of this Agreement.

 

14.2                         The Parties agree to promptly execute any document and take any other action reasonably necessary or advisable to perform provisions and purpose of this Agreement.

 

14.3                         The Parties confirm that t his Agreement shall , upon its effectiveness, constitute the entire agreement and common understanding of the Parties with respect to the subject matters herein and fully supersede all prior verbal and /or written agreements and understandings with respect to the subject matters herein.

 

14.4                         This Agreement shall be binding upon and for the benefit of all the Parties hereto and their respective inheritors, successors and the permitted assigns.

 

5



 

14.5                         Any Party’s failure to exercise the rights under th is Agreement in time shall not be deemed as its waiver of such rights and would not affect its future exercise of such rights.

 

14.6                         Any attachment hereto is an integral part of and has the same effect with this Agreement.

 

14.7                         This Agreement is made in two originals with each Party hold ing one and both original s are equally authentic.

 

(No text below)

 

6



 

( Signature Page  of Exclusive Technology Consulting and Service Agreement)

 

IN WITNESS THEREOF , each Party hereto has caused this Agreement duly executed by their respective legal representative or duly authorized representative on its behalf as of the date first written above.

 

Party A: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

/s/ Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.

 

(Seal of Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.)

 

 

 

By:

Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

 

 

 

 

Party B: Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

/s/ Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

(Seal of Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.)

 

 

 

By:

Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

 

7



 

Exhibit  1 :                                         List of Technology Consulting and Services

 

Party A will provide the following technology consulting and services to Party B:

 

(1)                                  technology research and development required in connection Party B’s business operations, including development, design and production of database software for information storage and other related technologies as well as granting license of such technology to Party B;

 

(2)                                  technology application and implementation for Party B’s business operations, including without limitation master design, installation, commissioning and trial operation of technical systems;

 

(3)                                  routine maintenance, supervision, commissioning and trouble shooting for Party B’s computer network equipment, including prompt customer information input to database, or promptly update database and customer interface, as well as other related technical services;

 

(4)                                  consulting services for procurement of equipment, software and hardware systems necessary for web-based business operations by Party B, including without limitation consulting and advising on selection, installation and commissioning of tool software, application software and technical platform, as well as the selection, type and function of complementary hardware facilities and equipment;

 

(5)                                  appropriate training and technical support for Party B’s employees, including without limitation providing raining on customer services or technologies, sharing knowledge and experience on installation and operation of systems and equipment, assisting to resolve any problem in connection with system and equipment installation and operation, consulting and advising on operation of any other web edition platform and software, and assisting to collect and compile information and contents;

 

(6)                                  technology consulting and response to enquiries raised by Party B relating to network equipment, technical products and software; and

 

(7)                                  any other technical services and consulting required by Party B for business operations.

 

8



 

Exhibit II:                                      Calculation and Payment of Technology Consulting and Services Fee

 

The amount of the service fee will be determined on the basis of:

 

(1)                                  difficulty of the technology and complexity of the consulting and management services;

 

(2)                                  time required by Party A to provide technology consulting and management services; and

 

(3)                                  contents and commercial value of the technology consulting and management services.

 

Party A will issue a fee statement based on the workload and commercial value of the technical services provided by Party B as well as the prices agreed by the Parties to Party B on quarterly basis.  Party B will pay the consulting and services fee according to the time and amount set forth in the statement, provided that Party B will pay no less than RMB 10,000 as consulting and services fee (the “Quarterly Minimum Service Fee”) to Party A on quarterly basis.  Party A may revise at any time the standards of consulting and services fee based on the amount and composition of the consulting and services fee payable by Party B.

 

The Quarterly Minimum Service Fee is subject to approval from Party A’s board of directors, and will be reviewed and revised no less than once yearly.  Any revision and change of Quarterly Minimum Service Fee is subject to approval from Party A’s board of directors.

 

1



 

Schedule A

 

The following schedule sets forth all other similar agreements the registrant entered into with the relevant Chinese variable interest entity. Other than the information set forth below, there is no material difference between such other agreements and this exhibit.

 

VIE

 

Executing Parties

 

Calculation and
Payment of
Technology
Consulting and
Services Fee

 

Execution Date

Beijing Yuanyi Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.


Party B: Beijing Yuanyi Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd.

 

Party A will issue a fee statement based on the workload and commercial value of the technical services provided by Party B as well as the prices agreed by the Parties to Party B on quarterly basis. Party B will pay the consulting and services fee according to the time and amount set forth in the statement to Party A on quarterly basis. Party A may revise at any time the standards of consulting and services fee based on the amount and composition of the consulting and services fee payable by Party B.

 

December 8, 2014

Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.
Party B: Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Party A will issue a fee statement based on the workload and commercial value of the

 

August 7, 2015

 

2



 

 

 

 

 

technical services provided by Party B as well as the prices agreed by the Parties to Party B on quarterly basis. Party B will pay the consulting and services fee according to the time and amount set forth in the statement to Party A on quarterly basis. Party A may revise at any time the standards of consulting and services fee based on the amount and composition of the consulting and services fee payable by Party B.

 

 

Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Youheng E-commerce Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Yuanxin Information Technology Co., Ltd.
Party B: Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Youheng E-commerce Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

Party A will issue a fee statement based on the workload and commercial value of the technical services provided by Party B as well as the prices agreed by the Parties to Party B on quarterly basis. Party B will pay the consulting and services fee according to the time and amount set forth in the statement to Party A on quarterly basis. Party A may revise at any time the standards of

 

December 10, 2015

 

3



 

 

 

 

 

consulting and services fee based on the amount and composition of the consulting and services fee payable by Party B.

 

 

Jiangsu Jingdong Saide E-commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.
Party B: Jiangsu Jingdong Saide E-commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Same as this exhibit.

 

January 7, 2016

Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Suqian Hanbang Investment Management Co., Ltd.
Party B: Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Same as this exhibit.

 

January 26, 2016

 

4


Exhibit 4.26

 

Business Operations Agreement

 

This Business Operations Agreement (this “ Agreement ”) is made as of December 5, 2014, in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China (the “ PRC ”) by and among:

 

Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd. , with registered address at Room B168, Building 2, 99 Kechuang 14 Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing (“ Party A ”)

 

Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd. , with registered address at Floor 20, Block A, Building 1, 19 Ronghua Middle Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing (“ Party B ”)

 

And

 

LIU Qiangdong , with PRC identification number of         ; and

 

SUN Jiaming , with PRC identification number of

 

(LIU Qiangdong and SUN Jiaming collectively, “ Party C ’)

 

(Party A, Party B and Party C Individually a “ Party ”, and collectively the “ Parties ”)

 

WHEREAS :

 

A                                        Party A is a wholly foreign-owned enterprise duly incorporated and validly existing under the PRC laws;

 

B                                        Party B is a limited liability company duly incorporated and validly existing under the PRC laws;

 

C                                        A business relationship has been established between Party A and Party B by entering into an Exclusive Consulting and Services Agreement, whereby Party B is required to make all payments to Party A thereunder. Therefore, the daily operations of Party B will have a material impact on its ability to pay the payables to Party A; and

 

D                                        Party C is shareholders of Party B whose 45% and 55% equity interests are respectively owned by LIU Qiangdong and SUN Jiaming.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, the Parties hereby agree and intend to be legally bound as follows through friendly negotiations and in the principles of equity and mutual benefit:

 

1.                                       Negative Undertakings

 

In order to ensure Party B’s performance of the agreements between Party A and Party B and all its obligations owed to Party A, Party B and Party C hereby confirm and agree that unless with prior written consent from Party A or a third party appointed by Party A, Party B shall not conduct any transaction which may materially affect any of its assets, businesses, employees, duties, rights or operations, including but not limited to the following:

 

1



 

1.1                                to conduct any business that is beyond the normal business scope or in a manner inconsistent with past practices;

 

1.2                                to borrow money or incur any debt from any third party;

 

1.3                                to change or dismiss any director or to dismiss and replace any senior management member;

 

1.4                                to sell to or acquire from any third party, or otherwise dispose any of its material assets or rights, including but not limited to any intellectual property rights;

 

1.5                                to provide guarantee in favor of any third party or impose any encumbrance upon any of its assets (including intellectual property rights);

 

1.6                                to amend its articles of association or change its scope of business;

 

1.7                                to change its ordinary course of business or modify any material internal bylaws or systems;

 

1.8                                to assign any of the rights or obligations under this Agreement to any third party;

 

1.9                                to make significant adjustment to any of its business operations, marketing strategies, operation policies or client relations; and

 

1.10                         to make any form of distribution of dividend or bonus.

 

2.                                       Operational and Human Resource Management

 

2.1                                Party B and Party C hereby agree to accept and strictly perform the comments and instructions from Party A from time to time regarding employment and dismissal of its employees, the daily business management and financial management.

 

2.2                                Party B and Party C hereby jointly and severally agree that Party C shall appoint the person ellected in accordance with the procedures required by applicable laws and regulations and the articles of association of Party B or designated by Party A as director (or managing director) or supervisor of Party B, and cause such director to elect the person recommended by Party A as the chairman of the board (if any), and appoint the persons designated by Party A as Party B’s General Manager, Chief Financial Officer, and other officers.

 

2.3                                If any of the above directors or officers resigns or is dismissed by Party A, he or she will lose the qualification to hold any position in Party B and, under such circumstance, Party C shall remove such person from his or her position in Party B and immediately elect or appoint any other candidate designated by Party A to assume such position.

 

2.4                                For the purpose of Section 2.3, Party C shall effect all internal or external

 

2



 

procedures necessary to accomplish the dismissal and appointment in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, the articles of association of Party B and this Agreement.

 

2.5                                Party C hereby agree to, upon execution of this Agreement, simultaneously sign a Power of Attorney whereby Party C shall authorize irrevocably any individual  appointed by Party A to exercise shareholders’ rights, including the full voting right of a shareholder at Party B’s shareholders’ meetings.  Party C further agrees to replace the authorized person appointed according to the above mentioned power of attorney (the “ Trustee ’) at any time pursuant to the requirements of Party A by revoking its authorization to the Trustee and granting the same authorization to such other person designated by Party A by execution of a power of attorney in the form and substance similar to that contemplated in the preceding sentence with immediate effect.

 

3.                                       Right of Information

 

The Trustee may be provided with any information regarding operations, clients, financial conditions and employees of Party B and have access to relevant materials of Party B in connection with exercising any of the rights authorized to it.  The right of information provided in this Section 3 shall be the same with the right to access Party B’s information by any of its shareholders, and will be exercised with sufficient facility from Party B without any interference.

 

4.                                       Waiver

 

It is agreed by the Parties that unless caused by the material neglect or willful misconduct of Party A, Party A will not be held liable for any indemnity by any other Party or any third Party due to the Trustee’s exercise of any of its rights.

 

5.                                       Representations and Warranties by Party C

 

5.1                                Party C, in the capacity of natural person, is Chinese citizens having full civil capabilities to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and perform its obligations hereunder or, in the capacity of legal person, is a limited liability company duly incorporated and validly existing under the PRC laws, has full and independent capabilities to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement.

 

5.2                                Party C has the right to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement without any approval or authorization.

 

5.3                                None of Party C’s execution and performance of this Agreement is in violation of any of its articles of association, or any laws, regulations, governmental approvals, authorizations, notices or other documents binding upon or having effect upon Party C, or any contracts with or any covenants to any third party by Party C.

 

5.4                                Once executed, this Agreement will constitute legal and valid obligations enforceable against Party C.

 

5.5                                Unless otherwise provided under this Agreement or the Equity Pledge Agreement, there is no mortgage, pledge or any other security interest, or

 

3



 

restrictive agreement with any third party, or offer to transfer to any third party, or covenant in response to any offer to buy from any third party, or any agreement with any third party to transfer, in each case regarding any of Party B’s equity interests by Party C.

 

5.6                                Party C will be in strict compliance with this Agreement and actively perform its obligations hereunder.  Party C will also cause Party B to be in strict compliance with this Agreement and refrain from any action or omission which may affect validity or enforceability of this Agreement.

 

6.              Representations and Warranties by Party B

 

6.1                                Party B is a limited liability company duly incorporated and validly existing under the PRC laws.

 

6.2                                Party B has received all consents and authorizations necessary and desirable to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement.

 

6.3                                Party C will be in strict compliance with this Agreement, actively perform its obligations hereunder, and refrain from any action or omission which may affect validity or enforceability of this Agreement.

 

7.              Breach Liability

 

7.1                                Subject to provisions under Section 4 of this Agreement, Party B and Party C shall jointly and severally indemnify and hold harmless Party A and any of its shareholders, directors, employees, affiliates, agents, successors and trustees from any claim, harm, expenses, indemnities, liabilities, fines or any other loss or damages arising from:

 

7.1.1                      any breach or failure to perform this Agreement by Party C and/or Party B; or

 

7.12                         any material neglect or willful misconduct, or any breach of applicable laws or regulations by Party C and/or Party B.

 

7.2           Without prejudice to the indemnity liability provided under Section 7.1,

 

Party A may require Party C and Party B to stop or prevent any breach of this Agreement, and/or require Party C and Party B to perform its obligations under this Agreement.

 

8.              Confidentiality

 

Each of the Parties acknowledges and confirms that the existence and terms of this Agreement, as well as any oral or written information exchanged among the Parties in connection with preparation or performance of this Agreement, will be confidential information.  Each of Party C and party B will keep all confidential information in confidence and, without prior written consent from Party A, may not disclose any confidential information to any third party, unless such information (a) is in the public domain (not due to unauthorized disclosure by the receiving Party); (b) is required for disclosure by any applicable laws or regulations, rules of any exchange, or requirements or orders from any government authority or court having jurisdiction; or (c) is disclosed by Party C or Party B to any of its legal or financial advisors on as-

 

4



 

needed basis, provided that such legal or financial advisor shall comply with the confidentiality obligations similar to this Section 8.  Disclosure of any confidential information by any person or entity engaged by Party C or Party B shall be deemed as disclosure of such information by Party C and/or Party B, and consequently Party C and/or Party B shall be held liable for beach of this Agreement.

 

9.                                       Other Agreements

 

9.1                                This Agreement shall be binding on and inure to the benefit of each of the Parties and their respective successors, heirs and permitted assigns.  Without prior written consent from Party A, Party C may not transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement.

 

9.2                                Party C hereby agrees that Party A may transfer any of its rights and obligations under this Agreement to any third party at its discretion with notice to Party C in writing but without consent from Party C.

 

9.3                                If any agreement between Party A and Party B terminates or expires, Party A will have the right to terminate all of the agreements between Party A and Party B including, among others, the Exclusive Consulting and Services Agreement.

 

9.4                                Considering the business relationship between Party A and Party B has been established through execution of the Exclusive Consulting and Services Agreement, and daily business activities of Party B will have a material impact on Party B’s ability to pay the payables to Party A, Party C agrees that subject to Section 1 of this Agreement, any dividend, distribution or other gain or interest received by it as shareholder of Party B will be immediately, unconditionally and freely paid or transferred to Party A, and provide any document or take any action necessary to accomplish such payment or transfer at the request of Party A.

 

9.5                                Party C will provide assistance sufficient for the Trustee to exercise any right authorized to it, including without limitation prompt signing any resolution of the shareholders or any other relevant legal document when it is necessary to do so (including required in connection with any approval, registration and filing from or with any government authority).  Party C hereby confirms that its covenants under Section 9.5 of this Agreement will not restrict its authorization of any right to the Trustee.

 

10.                                Entire Agreements and Amendments

 

10.1                         This Agreement and all agreements and/or documents referred to or expressly included herein represent all agreements among the Parties regarding the subject matter hereof, and supersede all previous agreements, contracts, understandings and communications among all the Parties, oral or written, with respect to the subject matters of this Agreement.

 

10.2                         Any amendment of this Agreement will not be effective without agreement of the Parties in writing. Any amendment and supplement duly executed by the Parties shall be an integral part of and have the same effect with this Agreement.

 

5



 

11.                                Governing Law

 

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the PRC laws.

 

12.           Dispute Resolution

 

12.1                         Any dispute arising from or in connection with this Agreement will be settled through negotiations and, if the negotiations fail, be submitted to Beijing Arbitration Commission (“ BAC ”) for arbitration in accordance with its rules then effect.  The arbitration shall take place in Beijing. The language of arbitration shall be in Chinese. The arbitrary award shall be final and binding upon each of the Parties.  This Section 12.1 will survive termination or expiration of this Agreement.

 

12.2                         each of the Parties shall continue to perform its obligations under this Agreement in good faith other than the matter under dispute.

 

7.              Notice

 

Any and all notices given by any of the Parties regarding any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement shall be made in writ ing and delivered in person, by registered mail, postage prepaid mail, recognized courier service or facsimile to the following addresses.

 

If to Party A : Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.

 

Address :

Room B168, Building 2, 99 Kechuang 14 Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing

Phone:

010-58955008

Fax:

010-58955990

Attention:

LIU Qiangdong

 

If to Party B : Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd. with registered address at

 

Address :

Floor 20, Block A, Building 1, 19 Ronghua Middle Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing

Phone:

010-58955008

Fax:

010-58955990

Attention:

LIU Qiangdong

 

If to Party C:

 

LIU Qiangdong

Address :

Room B168, Building 2, 99 Kechuang 14 Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing

Phone:

010-58955008

Fax:

010-58955990

 

6



 

SUN Jiaming

Address :

Room B168, Building 2, 99 Kechuang 14 Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing

Phone:

010-58955008

Fax:

010-58955990

 

14.                                Effect, Term and Others

 

14.1                         Any written consent, proposal, appointment relating to Party A under this Agreement and any other decision having material effect upon daily business operations of Party B will be made by the board of directors/managing director of Party A.

 

14.2                         The term of this Agreement will commence as of the date hereof and, unless early terminated by Party A, expire upon dissolution of Party B under the PRC laws.  At the request of Party A, the Parties may extend the term of this Agreement prior to its expiration, and enter into separate business operation agreement or continue to perform this Agreement, in each case at the request of Party A.

 

14.3                         Neither Party B nor Party C may terminate this Agreement during the term hereof.  Party A shall have the right to terminate this Agreement at any time with written notice to Party B and Party C no less than thirty (30) days in advance.

 

14.4                         It is confirmed by the Parties that this Agreement represent their fair and reasonable agreements made on the basis of equity and mutual benefits.   If any clause hereof is held invalid or unenforceable under applicable laws, such clause shall be deemed to have been deleted from this Agreement and invalid, and the remainder of this Agreement will continue to have effect and be deemed to have excluded such clause. The Parties will negotiate to replace the deleted clause with legal, valid one acceptable to each of the Parties.

 

14.5                         Any failure or delay on the part of any Party to exercise any rights, powers or privileges hereunder shall not operate as a waiver thereof. Any single or partial exercise of such rights, powers or privileges shall not preclude any further exercise of such rights, powers or privileges.

 

14.6                         This Agreement is in four originals with each Party holding one thereof.  Each of the originals has the same effect.

 

[Remaining intentionally left blank]

 

7



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed on their behalf by a duly authorized representative as of the date first written above.

 

 

PARTY A: BEIJING JINGDONG CENTURY TRADE CO., LTD.

(Company Seal)

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/LIU Qiangdong

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PARTY B: BEIJING JIASHENG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.

(Company Seal)

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/LIU Qiangdong

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PARTY C:

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/LIU Qiangdong

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/SUN Jiaming

 

 

8



 

Schedule A

 

The following schedule sets forth all other similar agreements the registrant entered into with the relevant Chinese variable interest entity. Other than the information set forth below, there is no material difference between such other agreements and this exhibit.

 

VIE

 

Executing Parties

 

Execution Date

Beijing Yuanyi Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.


Party B: Beijing Yuanyi Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd.
Party C: Liu Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming

 

December 8, 2014

Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.


Party B: Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng Investment Management Co., Ltd.


Party C: Liu Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming

 

August 7, 2015

Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Youheng E-commerce Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Yuanxin Information Technology Co., Ltd.


Party B: Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Youheng E-commerce Information Technology Co., Ltd.


Party C: Liu Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming

 

December 10, 2015

Jiangsu Jingdong Saide E-commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.


Party B: Jiangsu Jingdong Saide E-commerce Co., Ltd.


Party C: Liu Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming

 

January 7, 2016

Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Suqian Hanbang Investment Management Co., Ltd.


Party B: Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co., Ltd.


Party C: Liu Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming

 

January 26, 2016

 

9


Exhibit 4.27

 

EXCLUSIVE PURCHASE OPTION AGREEMENT

 

This EXCLUSIVE PURCHASE OPTION AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”), dated December 5, 2014, is made in Beijing , People’s Republic of China (the “ PRC ”) by and among:

 

Party A : Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd. , a wholly foreign owned company incorporated in the PRC with registered address at Room B168, Building 2, No. 99, Kechuang 14 Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing;

 

Party B: Richard Qiangdong Liu ;

 

Jiaming Sun ;

 

And

 

Party C: Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd. , a limited liability company incorporated and existing under the laws of the PRC, with registered address at Floor 20, Block A, Building 1, 19 Ronghua Middle Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing.

 

(Party A, Party B and Party C individually being referred to as a “Party” and collectively the “Parties”)

 

Whereas,

 

1.              Party C is a limited liability company duly incorporated and validly existing under the PRC laws.  Party B has an aggregate holding of 100% equity interests in Party C, with Richard Qiangdong Liu and Jiaming Sun holding 45% and 55% thereof, respectively;

 

2.              Party B and Party C have made a Loan Agreement (the “ Loan Agreement ”) and an Equity Pledge Agreement (the “ Equity Pledge Agreement ”) dated December 5, 2014 ; and

 

NOW, THEREFORE, the Parties hereby agree as follows through negotiations:

 

1



 

1.              Purchase and Sale of Equity Interests

 

1.1           Grant of Right

 

Party B hereby exclusively and irrevocably grants Party A an exclusive option to purchase or designate one or several person(s) (the “ Designated Person ”) to purchase all or any part of the equity interests held by Party B in Party C (the “ Purchase Option ”) at any time from Party B at the price specified in Article  1.3 of this Agreement in accordance with the procedures determined by Party A at its own discretion and to the extent permitted by the PRC laws .  No party other than Party A and the Designated Person may have the Purchase Option .  Party C hereby agrees Party B to grant the Purchase Option to Party A.  For purpose of this Section 1.1 and this Agreement, “person” means any individual, corporation, joint venture, partnership, enterprise, trust or non-corporation organization.

 

1.2           Procedures

 

Party A may exercise the Purchase Option subject to its compliance with the PRC laws and regulations.  Upon exercising the Purchase Option, Party A will issue a written notice (the “ Equity Interest Purchase Notice ”) to Party B which notice will specify: (i) Party A’s decision to exercise the Purchase Option; (ii) the percentage of equity interest to be purchased from Party B (the “ Purchased Equity Interest ”); (iii) the date of purchase/equity interest transfer, and (iv) and the purchase price.

 

1.3           Purchase Price

 

1.3.1.       When Party A exercises the Purchase Option , the purchase price of the Purchased Equity Interest (“ Purchase Price ”) shall be equal to the registered capital paid by Party B for the Purchased Equity Interest , unless applicable PRC laws and regulations require appraisal of the Purchased Equity Interest or any other restriction on the P urchase P rice .

 

1.3.2.       If applicable PRC laws require appraisal of the Purchased Equity Interest or any other restriction s on the P urchase P rice in connection with exercise of the Purchase Option by Parties A, Party A and Party B agree that the Purchase Price of the Purchased Equity Interest shall be the lowest price permissible under applicable laws. If the lowest price permissible under applicable laws is higher than the registered capital corresponding to the Purchased Equity Interest, the amount of the exceeding balance shall be repaid to Party A by Party B according to the Loan Agreement.

 

1.4           Transfer of the Purchased Equity Interest

 

When Party A exercises the Purchase Option :

 

1.4.1.       Party B shall cause Party C to promptly convene a shareholders’ meeting, during which a resolution shall be adopted to approve transfer of the e quity i nterest to Party A and/or the Designated Person and waiver of its right of first refusal regarding the Purchased Equity Interest by Party B;

 

2



 

1.4.2.       Party B shall enter into an equity interest transfer agreement with Party A and/or the Designated Person pursuant to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the Purchase Notice;

 

1.4.3.       The P arties shall execute all other contracts, agreements or documents, obtain all governmental approvals and consents, and conduct all actions that are necessary to transfer the ownership of the Purchased Equity Interest to Party A and/or the Designated Person free from any security interest and cause Party A and/or the Designated Person to be registered as the owner of the Purchased Equity Interest.  For the purpose of this Section 1.4.3 and this Agreement, “ Security Interest ” includes guarantees, mortgages, pledges, third-party rights or interests, any purchase option , right of acquisition, right of first refusal, right of set-off, ownership detainment or other security arrangements, but excludes any security interest arising from this Agreement or the Equity Pledge Agreement.

 

1.4.4.       Party B and Party C shall unconditionally use its best efforts to assist Party A in obtaining the governmental approvals, permits, registrations, filings and complete all formalities necessary for the transfer of the Purchase d Equity Interest.

 

2.              Covenants regarding the Equity Interest

 

2.1           Party C hereby covenants that:

 

2.1.1        Without prior written consent by Party A, it will not supplement, change or amend the Articles of Association, increase or decrease the registered capital, or otherwise change the registered capital structure of Party C;

 

2.1.2        It will maintain du e existence of Party C, prudently and effectively operate and handle its business in accordance with fair financial and business standards and customs;

 

2.1.3        Without prior written consent of Party A and as of the date of this Agreement, it will not sell, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose any legal or beneficial interest of any assets, businesses or income of Party C, or permit existence of such security interest;

 

2.1.4        Without prior written consent by Party A , it will not incur, inherit, guarantee or allow the existence of any debt, except for (i) any debt incurred during its ordinary course of business rather than from borrowing; and (ii) any debt which has been disclosed to and obtained the written consent from Party A;

 

2.1.5        It will continue all business operations normally to maintain its asset value, and refrain from any action/omission that may adversely affect its business operations and asset value;

 

2.1.6        Without prior written consent by Party A, not to enter into any material agreement, other than those executed in the ordinary course of business;

 

3



 

2.1.7        Without prior written consent by Party A, it will not provide any loan or guaranty to any person;

 

2.1.8        Upon Party A’s request, it will provide Party A with information regarding its operations and financial conditions;

 

2.1.9        It will buy and maintain requisite insurance policies from an insurer acceptable to Party A, the amount and type of which will be the same with such insurance policies maintained by the companies having similar operations, properties or assets in the same region;

 

2.1.10      Without prior written consent by Party A, it will not combine, merge with, acquire or make investment to any person;

 

2.1.11      It will immediately notify Party A of any actual or potential litigation, arbitration or administrative proceeding regarding its assets, business and income ;

 

2.1.12      In order to keep its ownership of the equity interest of Party C, it will execute all requisite or appropriate documents, conduct all requisite or appropriate actions, and make all requisite or appropriate claims, or make requisite or appropriate defense against all claims; and

 

2.1.13      Without prior written consent by Party A, it will not distribute any dividend or bonus to any of its shareholders.

 

2.2           Party B hereby covenants that:

 

2.2.1        Without prior written consent by Party A, it will not supplement, change or amend the Articles of Association, increase or decrease the registered capital, or otherwise change the registered capital structure of Party C;

 

2.2.2        Without the prior written consent by Party A, it will not sell, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose any legal or beneficial interest of the equity interests of Party C held by it, or allow other security interests to be created on it, except for the pledge set upon Party C’s equity interests held by Party B pursuant to the Equity Pledge Agreement;

 

2.2.3        It will procure that without prior written consent by Party A, no resolution be made at any meeting of Party C’s shareholders to approve Party C to sell, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose any legal or beneficial interest of the equity interests of Party C held by it, or allow other security interests to be created on it, except for the pledge set upon Party C’s equity interests held by Party B pursuant to the Equity Pledge Agreement;

 

2.2.4        It will procure that without prior written consent by Party A, no resolution be made at any meeting of Party C’s shareholders to approve merger, consolidation, purchase or investment with or any person by Party C;

 

4



 

2.2.5        It will immediately notify Party A of any actual or potential litigation, arbitration or administrative proceeding regarding its assets, business and income ;

 

2.2.6        It will cause Party C’s shareholders’ meeting to vote for the transfer of the Purchased Equity Interest provided hereunder;

 

2.2.7        In order to keep its ownership of the equity interests of Party C, it will execute all requisite or appropriate documents, conduct all requisite or appropriate actions, and make all requisite or appropriate claims, or make requisite or appropriate defense against all claims;

 

2.2.8        At the request of Party A, it will appoint any person nominated by Party A to the board of Party C;

 

2.2.9        At the request of Party A at any time, it will transfer unconditionally and immediately the Purchased Equity Interest to Party A or any Designated Person and waive the right of first refusal regarding the Purchased Equity Interest.  If the equity interest of Party C could by sold or transferred to any party other than Party A or the Designated Person, Party B may not waive its right of first refusal without Party A’s consent;

 

2.2.10      It will strictly comply with the provisions of this Agreement and other agreements jointly or severally executed by any of the Parties, duly perform all obligations under such agreements, and will not make any act or omission which may affect the validity and enforceability of these agreements; and

 

2.2.11      It irrevocably undertakes to be severally and jointly liable for the obligations provided hereunder.

 

2.3          Party A hereby convenants that:

 

To satisfy the cash flow requirements with regard to the business operations of Party C or make up Party C’s losses accured through such operations, Party A agrees that it shall, through itself or its designated person, provide financial support to Party C.

 

3.              Representations and Warranties

 

Each of Party B and Party C represents and warrants, jointly and severally, to Party A that as of the date of this Agreement:

 

3.1           It has the rights and powers to execute and deliver this Agreement and any equity interest transfer agreement (the “ Transfer Agreement ”) executed for each transfer of the Purchased Equity Interest contemplated hereunder to which it is a party, and perform its obligations under this Agreement and any Transfer Agreement.   Once executed, this Agreement and the Transfer Agreement to which it is a party will be its legal, valid and binding obligations and enforceable against it according to the terms of this Agreement and the Transfer Agreement.

 

3.2           None of its execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement or any Transfer Agreement will: (i) breach any applicable PRC laws; (ii) conflict with its articles of association or any other organizational documents; (iii) breach any agreement or document to which it is a party or binding upon it, or constitute breach of any such agreement or document; (iv) breach any condition on which basis any of its permits or

 

5



 

approvals is granted and/or will continue to be effective; or (v) cause any of its permits or approvals to be suspended, cancelled or imposed with additional conditions.

 

3.3           Party B has good and entire ownership of and creates no security interest or encumbrance upon any of its assets.

 

3.4           Party C has no outstanding debt, except for those (i) incurred during its ordinary course of business, and (ii) disclosed to and approved in writing by Party A.

 

3.5           Party C is in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

 

4.              Effectiveness and Term

 

4.1           This Agreement shall be effective as of the date of its execution .   The Parties agree and confirm that the effect of this Agreement shall retrospect to November 18, 2014.  Once effective, this Agreement will replace the Original Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement.

 

4.2           The term of this A greement is ten (10) years. This Agreement may be extended for another ten (10) years upon Party A’s written confirmation prior to the expiration of this Agreement, and so forth thereafter.

 

4.3           During the term provided in Section 4.2 , if Party A or Party C is terminated at expiration of their respective operation term (including any extension of such term) or by any other reason, this Agreement shall be terminated upon such termination.

 

5.              Termination

 

5.1           At any time during the term of this Agreement and any extended term hereof , if Party A can not exercise the Purchase Option pursuant to Section 1 due to then applicable laws , Party A can, at its own discretion, unconditionally terminate this Agreement by issuing a written notice to Party B without a ny liability.

 

5.2           If Party C is terminated due to bankruptcy, dissol ution or being ordered to close down by the law s during the term of this Agreement and its extension period,, the obligations of Party B hereunder shall be terminated upon the termination of Party C; notwithstanding anything to the contrary, Party B shall immediately repay the principal and any interest accrued thereupon under the Loan Agreement .

 

5.3           Except under circumstances indicated in Section  5.2, Party B may not unilaterally terminate this Agreement at any time during the term and extension periods of this Agreement without Party A’s written consent.

 

6.              Taxes and Expenses

 

Each Party shall bear any and all taxes, costs and expenses related to transfer and registration as required by the PRC laws incurred by or imposed on such Party arising

 

6



 

from the preparation and execution of this Agreement and the consummation of the transaction contemplated hereunder .

 

7.              Breach of Contract

 

7.1           If either Party (“ Defaulting Party ”) breaches any provision of this Agreement, which cause s damage to other Part ies (“ Non-defaulting Party ”), the Non-defaulting Party could notify the Defaulting Party in writ ing and request it to rectify and correct such breach of contract; if the Defaulting Party fails to take any action satisfactory to the Non-defaulting Party to rectify and correct such breach within fifteen (15) days upon the issuance of the written notice by the Non-defaulting Party, the Non-defaulting Party may take the actions pursuant to this Agreement or take other remedies in accordance with the laws.

 

7.2           The following events shall constitute a default by Party B:

 

(1)      Party B breaches any provision of this Agreement, or a ny representation or warranty made Party B under this Agreement is untrue or proves inaccurate in any material aspect;

 

(2)      Party B assigns or otherwise transfers or disposes of any of its rights under this Agreement without the prior written consent by Party A; or

 

(3)      Any breaches by Party B which renders this Agreement, the Loan Agreement, and the Equity Pledge Agreement unenforceable.

 

7.3           Should a breach of contract by Party B or violation by Party B of the Loan Agreement and the Equity Pledge Agreement occur, Party A may:

 

(1)      request Party B to immediately transfer all or any part of the Purchased Equity Interests to Party A or the Designated Person pursuant to this Agreement ; and

 

(2)      recover the principal and the interest accrued thereupon under the Loan Agreement.

 

8.              Notices

 

Notices or other communications required to be given by any Party pursuant to this Agreement shall be made in writ ing and delivered personally or sent by mail or facsimile transmission to the address es of the other Parties set forth below or other designated address es noti fied by such other Part ies to such Party from time to time. The date when the notice is deemed to be duly served shall be determined as the follows: (a) a notice delivered personally is deemed duly served upon the delivery; (b) a notice sent by mail is deemed duly served on the seventh (7 th ) day after the date when the air registered mail with postage prepaid has been sent out (as is shown on the postmark), or the fourth (4 th ) day after the delivery date to the internationally recognized courier service agency; and (c) a notice sent by facsimile transmission

 

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is deemed duly served upon the receipt time as is shown on the transmission confirmation of relevant documents.

 

If to Party A : Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.

Address :         Room B168, Building 2, No. 99, Kechuang 14 Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing

Phone: 010-58955008

Fax: 010-58955990

Attention:  Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

If to Party B:

 

Richard Qiangdong Liu

Address :         Room B168, Building 2, No. 99, Kechuang 14 Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing

Phone: 010-58955008

Fax: 010-58955990

 

Jiaming Sun

Address:        Room B168, Building 2, No. 99, Kechuang 14 Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing

Phone: 010-58955008

Fax: 010-58955990

 

If to Party C : Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

Address :        Floor 20, Block A, Building 1, 19 Ronghua Middle Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Zone, Beijing

Phone: 010-58955008

Fax: 010-58955990

Attention:  Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

9.              Applicable Law and Dispute Resolution

 

9.1           The forma tion, validity, performance and interpretation of this Agreement and the disputes resolution under this Agreement shall be governed by the PRC laws.

 

9.2           The P arties shall strive to settle any dispute arising from or in connection with this Agreement through friendly consultation.  In case no settlement can be reached through consultation within thirty (30) days after the request for consultation is made by any Party , any Party can submit such matter to Beijing Arbitration Commission for arbitration in accordance with its then effective rules. The arbitration shall take place in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding upon all the Parties.

 

10.           Confidentiality

 

All P arties acknowledge and confirm that any oral or written materials exchang ed by and between the Parties in connection with this Agreement are confidential. All P arties shall keep in confidence all such information and not disclose it to any third party without prior written

 

8



 

consent from other Parties unless: (a) such information is known or wi ll be known by the public (except by disclosure of the receiving party without authorization); (b) such information is required to be disclosed in accordance with applicable laws or rules or regulations; or (c) if any information is required to be disclosed by any party to its legal or financial advisor for the purpose of the transaction of this Agreement, such legal or financial advisor shall also comply with the confidentiality obligation similar to that st ated hereof.  Any disclosure by any employee or agency engaged by any Party shall be deemed the disclosure of such Party and such Party shall assume the liabilities for its breach of contract pursuant to this Agreement. This Article shall survive expiration or termination of this Agreement.

 

11.           Miscellaneous

 

11.1         The headings contained in this Agreement are for the convenience of reference only and shall not be used to interpret, expla in or otherwise affect the meaning of the provisions of this Agreement.

 

11.2         The Parties agree to promptly execute any document and take any other action reasonably necessary or advisable to perform provisions and purpose of this Agreement.

 

11.3         The Parties confirm that t his Agreement shall , upon its effectiveness, constitute the entire agreement and common understanding of the Parties with respect to the subject matters herein and fully supersede all prior verbal and /or written agreements and understandings with respect to the subject matters herein.

 

11.4         The Parties may amend and supplement this Agreement in writing.  Any amendment and/or supplement to this Agreement by the Parties is an integral part of and has the same effect with this Agreement

 

11.5         This Agreement shall be binding upon and for the benefit of all the Parties hereto and their respective inheritors, successor s and the permitted assigns .

 

11.6         Any Party’s failure to exercise the rights under th is Agreement in time shall not be deemed as its waiver of such rights and would not affect its future exercise of such rights.

 

11.7         If any provision of this Agreement is held void, invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, governmental agency or arbitration authority , the validity, legality and enforceability of the other provisions hereof shall not be affected or impaired in any way. The Parties shall cease performing such void, invalid or unenforceable provisions and revise such void, invalid or unenforceable provisions only to the extent closest to the original intention thereof to recover its validity or enforceability for such specific facts and circumstances .

 

11.8         Unless with prior written consent from Party A, none of Party B or Party C may assign any of its rights and obligations under this Agreement to any third party.

 

11.9         This Agreement is made in four ( 4 ) originals with each Party holding one ( 1 ) original.  Each original has the same effect.

 

9



 

[No text below]

 

(Signature Page)

 

IN WITNESS THEREOF , each Party has signed or caused its legal representative to sign t his Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

 

Party A: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

/s/ Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.

 

(Seal of Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.)

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

 

 

 

 

Party B:

 

 

 

Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

 

 

Jiaming Sun

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Jiaming Sun

 

 

 

 

 

Party C: Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

/s/ Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

By:

(Seal of Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd.)

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

 

10



 

Schedule A

 

The following schedule sets forth all other similar agreements the registrant entered into with the relevant Chinese variable interest entity. Other than the information set forth below, there is no material difference between such other agreements and this exhibit.

 

VIE

 

Executing Parties

 

Effective Date

 

Execution Date

Beijing Yuanyi Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.


Party B: Liu Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming


Party C: Beijing Yuanyi Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd.

 

June 9, 2014

 

December 8, 2014

Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.


Party B: Liu Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming


Party C: Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

August 7, 2015

 

August 7, 2015

Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Youheng E-commerce Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Yuanxin Information Technology Co., Ltd.


Party B: Liu Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming


Party C: Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Youheng E-commerce Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

December 10, 2015

 

December 10, 2015

Jiangsu Jingdong Saide E-commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Party A: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.


Party B: Liu Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming


Party C: Jiangsu Jingdong Saide E-commerce Co., Ltd.

 

January 7, 2016

 

January 7, 2016

Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management

 

Party A: Suqian Hanbang Investment Management Co., 

 

January 26, 2016

 

January 26, 2016

 

11



 

Co., Ltd.

 

Ltd.


Party B: Liu Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming


Party C: Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

12


Exhibit 4.28

 

LOAN AGREEMENT

 

This LOAN AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”), dated December 5, 2014, is made in Beijing , the People’s Republic of China (“ PRC ”) by and among:

 

Lender: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd., with registered address at Room B168, Building 2, No. 99, Kechuang 14 Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing;

 

And

 

Borrowers:

 

Richard Qiangdong Liu ;

 

Jiaming Sun ;

 

(In this Agreement, the Lender and the Borrowers are individually referred to as a “ Party ”, collectively the “ Parties ”)

 

NOW, THEREFORE, the Parties hereby agree as follows through friendly negotiations:

 

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1.                                       Loan

 

1.1          Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Lender agrees to provide a loan at an aggregate amount of one million ( 1,000,000.00 ) (the “ Loan ”) to the Borrowers, which Loan will be provided by Richard Qiangdong Liu and Jiaming Sun at the amount of RMB four hundred and fifty thousand ( 450,000.00) and RMB five hundred and fifty thousand ( 550,000.00) , respectively .

 

1.2          It is confirmed that the Lender has provided, and the Borrowers have received, the full amount of the Loan upon execution of this Agreement .

 

1.3          The Borrowers agree to use the Loan to pay for their investment in the registered capital of Beijing Jiasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd. or the Borrower Company and, unless with prior written consent of the Lender, will not use the Loan for any other purpose, or transfer or pledge its shares or other interests in the Borrower Company to any third party .

 

1.4          The Borrowers confirm that they have received the Loan upon execution of this Agreement and used the Loan to pay for their investment in the Registered Capital of the Borrower Company.

 

1.5          It is confirmed that the Lender will not charge any interest upon the Loan, unless otherwise provided herein.

 

2.                                       Term of Loan

 

2.1          The term of the L oan hereunder shall be ten (10) years from the date when the Borrowers actually receive all or any part of the Loan .  Unless otherwise indicated by the Lender prior to its expiration, the term of the Loan will be automatically extended for a nother ten ( 10 ) year s, and so forth thereafter.

 

2.2          During the term or any extended term of the Loan , the Loan will become immediately due and payable by the Borrowers pursuant to the terms of this Agreement if:

 

(1)               The Borrowers die or become a person incapacitated or with limited capacity for civil acts;

 

(2)               The Borrowers resign or are dismissed by the Lender, the Borrower Company or any affiliate of the Lender;

 

(3)               The Borrowers commit a crime or are involved in a crime;

 

(4)               Any third party pursue any claim of more than RMB 100,000 against any of the Borrowers and the Lender has reasonable ground to believe that the Borrowers will not be capable to pay for such claim;

 

2



 

(5)               The Lender decides to perform the Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement (as defined below) when foreign enterprises are allowed to control or wholly own the Borrower Company under applicable PRC laws;

 

(6)               The Borrowers fail to comply with or perform any of their commitments or obligations under this Agreement (or any other agreement between them and the Lender), and further fails to remedy such breach within 30 business days upon its occurrence; and

 

(7)               This Agreement, the Equity Pledge Agreement, or the Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement is terminated or held invalid by any court for any reason other than the Lender’s .

 

3.                                       Repayment of Loan

 

3.1          The Lender and the Borrowers agree and confirm that the Loan will be repaid in the following manner only: the Borrowers will transfer all of their equity interests in the Borrower Company to the Lender or any legal or natural person designated by the Lender pursuant to requirements from the Lender .

 

3.2          The Lender and the Borrowers agree and confirm that to the extent permitted by the laws, the Lender has the right but no obligation to purchase or designate any legal or natural person designated by it to purchase all or any part of the equity interests in the Borrower Company from the Borrowers at the price set forth under the Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement .

 

3.3          It is agreed and confirmed by th e Parties that the Borrowers shall be deemed to have fulfilled their repayment obligations hereunder only after both of the following conditions have been satisfied.

 

(1)               The Borrowers have transferred all of their equity interest s in the Borrower Company to the Lender and/or their designated person; and

 

(2)               The Borrowers have repaid to the Lender all of the transfer proceeds or an amount equivalent to the maximum amount permitted by the law s .

 

3.4          The Loan will be deemed as a zero interest loan if the price to transfer the equity interests in the Borrower Company to the Lender from the Borrowers concluded by the Parties under this Agreement any other related agreements is equal or less than the amount of the Loan.  Under such circumstance, the Borrowers are not required to repay any remaining amount of and/or any interest upon the Loan; provided, however, that if the equity interest transfer price exceeds the amount of the Loan, the exceeding amount will be deemed as the interest upon the Loan (calculated by the highest interest permitted by the PRC laws) and financing cost thereof.

 

3.5          Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, if the Borrower Company goes bankruptcy, dissolution or is ordered for closure during the term or extended term of this Agreement, and Borrowers will liquidate the Borrower Company according to laws and

 

3



 

all of the proceeds from such liquidation will be used to repay the principal, interest (calculated by the highest interest permitted by the PRC laws) and financing cost of the Loan.

 

4.                                       Obligations of the Borrowers

 

4.1          The Borrowers will repay the Loan according to the provisions of this Agreement and requirements from the Lender .

 

4.2          The Borrowers will enter into an Equity Pledge Agreement (the “ Equity Pledge Agreement ”) with the Lender and the Borrower Company, whereby the Borrowers agree to pledge all of their equity interests in the Borrower Company to the Lender .

 

4.3          The Borrowers will enter into an Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement (the “ Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement ”) with the Lender and the Borrower Company, whereby the Borrowers will to the extent permitted by the PRC laws grant an irrevocable and exclusive purchase option for the Lender to purchase all or any part of the equity interest in the Borrower Company from the Borrowers.

 

4.4          The Borrowers will perform their obligations under this Agreement, the Equity Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement, and provide support for the Lender to complete all filings, approvals, authorizations, registration and other government procedures necessary to perform such agreements.

 

4.5          The Borrowers will sign an irrevocable power of attorney authorizing a person designated by the Lender to exercise on its behalf all of its rights as the shareholder of the Borrower Company.

 

5.                                       Representat ions and Warranties

 

5.1          The Lender represents and warrants to the Borrowers that from the date of this Agreement until termination hereof:

 

(1)                                  It is a wholly foreign-owned company duly incorporated and validly existing under the laws of the PRC;

 

(2)                                  It has the power and receives all approvals and authorities necessary and appropriate to execute and perform this Agreement.  Its execution and performance of this Agreement are in compliance with its articles of association or other organizational documents;

 

(3)                                  None of its execution or performance of this Agreement is in breach of any law, regulation, government approval, authorization, notice or any other government document, or any agreement between it and any third party or any covenant issued to any third party; and

 

(4)                                  This Agreement, once executed, becomes legal, valid and enforceable obligations upon the Lender.

 

4



 

5.2          The Borrowers represent and warrant that from the date of this Agreement until termination hereof:

 

(1)                                  They are fully capable to conduct civil acts;

 

(2)                                  The Borrower Company is a limited liability company incorporated and validly existing under the PRC laws, and the Borrowers are the legal owners of the Borrower Equity;

 

(3)                                  None of their execution or performance of this Agreement is in breach of any law, regulation, government approval, authorization, notice or any other government document, or any agreement between them and any third party or any covenant issued to any third party;

 

(4)                                  This Agreement, once executed, becomes legal, valid and enforceable obligations upon the Borrowers;

 

(5)                                  They have paid the full investment relating to the Borrower Equity according to law, and received a verification report for such payment from a qualified accounting firm;

 

(6)                                  Except for those provided under the Equity Pledge Agreement, they create no mortgage, pledge or any other security upon the Borrower Equity, provides no offer to any third party to transfer the Borrower Equity, make no covenant regarding any offer to purchase the Borrower Equity from any third party, or enter into any agreement with any third party to transfer the Borrower Equity;

 

(7)                                  There is no existing or potential dispute, suit, arbitration, administrative proceeding or any other legal proceeding in which the Borrowers and/or the Borrower Equity is involved; and

 

(8)                                  The Borrower Company has completed all government approvals, authorizations, licenses, registrations and filings necessary to conduct its businesses and own its assets.

 

6.                                       Covenants from the Borrowers

 

6.1          The Borrowers covenant in their capacity of the shareholders of the Borrower Company that during the term of this Agreement they will procure the Borrower Company:

 

(1)                                  without prior written consent from the Lender, not to supplement, amend or modify its articles of association, or increase or decrease its registered capital, or change its capital structures of the Company;

 

5



 

(2)                                  to maintain its existence, prudently and effectively operate its businesses and deal with its affairs in line with fair financial and business standards and customs;

 

(3)                                  without prior written consent from the Lender, not to sell, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose any legal or beneficial interest of any of its assets, businesses or income, or allow creation of any other security interests thereupon ;

 

(4)                                  without prior written consent from the Lender , not to incur, inherit, guarantee or allow the existence of any debt, except for (i) any debt incurred during its ordinary course of business rather than from borrowing; and (ii) any debt which has been disclosed to and obtained the written consent from The Lender;

 

(5)                                  to always conduct its business operations in ordinary course to maintain the value of its assets;

 

(6)                                  without prior written consent from the Lender, not to enter into any material agreement other than those executed in its ordinary course of business;

 

(7)                                  not to provide any loan or credit to any party without prior written consent from the Lender;

 

(8)                                  to provide any and all information regarding its operations and financial conditions at the request from the Lender;

 

(9)                                  to buy and maintain requisite insurance policies from an insurer acceptable to the Lender, the amount and type of which will be the same with those maintained by the companies having similar operations, properties or assets in the same region;

 

(10)                           without prior written consent from the Lender, not to combine, merge with, acquire or make investment to any person;

 

(11)                           to immediately notify the Lender of any actual or potential litigation, arbitration or administrative proceeding regarding its assets, business and income;

 

(12)                           to execute any document, conduct any action, and make any claim or defense necessary or appropriate to maintain its ownership of all of its assets;

 

(13)                           without prior written consent from the Lender, not to distribute any dividend or bonus to any of its shareholders;

 

6



 

(14)                           to appoint any person nominated by the Lender or the parent of the Lender to its board at the request of the Lender; and

 

(15)                           to strictly comply with the provisions of the Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement, and not to make any act or omission which may affect its validity and enforceability.

 

6.2          The Borrowers covenant during the term of this Agreement:

 

(1)                                  except those provided under the Equity Pledge Agreement and without prior written consent from the Lender, not to sell, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose any legal or beneficial interest of the Borrower Equity, or allow creation of any other security interests thereupon;

 

(2)                                  to procure the shareholders of the Borrower Company not to approve any sale, transfer, pledge or otherwise disposal of any legal or beneficial interest of the Borrower Equity, or creation of any other security interests thereupon without prior written consent from the Lender, except to the Lender or its designated person;

 

(3)                                  to procure the shareholders of the Borrower Company not to approve its merger or association with, or acquisition of or investment in any person without prior written consent from the Lender;

 

(4)                                  to immediately notify the Lender of any actual or potential litigation, arbitration or administrative proceeding regarding the Borrower Equity;

 

(5)                                  to execute any document, conduct any action, and make any claim or defense necessary or appropriate to maintain its ownership of the Borrower Equity;

 

(6)                                  not to make any act and/or omission which may affect any asset, business or liability of the Borrower Company without prior written consent from the Lender;

 

(7)                                  to appoint any person nominated by the Lender or the parent of the Lender to the board of the Borrower Company at the request of the Lender;

 

(8)                                  to the extent permitted under the PRC laws and at the request of the Lender at any time, to transfer unconditionally and immediately all of the equity interests owned by the Borrowers to the Lender or any person designated by it, and procure any other shareholder of the Borrower Company to waive the right of first refusal regarding such equity interests;

 

(9)                                  to the extent permitted under the PRC laws and at the request of the Lender at any time, to procure any other shareholder of the Borrower Company to transfer unconditionally and immediately all of the equity interests owned by such shareholder to the Lender or any person

 

7



 

designated by it, and the Borrowers hereby waive their right of first refusal regarding such equity interests;

 

(10)                           if the Lender purchases the Borrower Equity from the Borrowers pursuant to the Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement, to use the price of such purchase to repay the Loan to the Lender on priority; and

 

(11)                           to strictly comply with the provisions of this Agreement, the Equity Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement, perform its obligations under each of such agreements, and not to make any act or omission which may affect the validity and enforceability of each of such agreements.

 

7.                                       Liabilities for Breach of Contract

 

7.1          If any party (“ Defaulting Party ”) breaches any provision of this Agreement, which cause s damage to the other part y (“ Non-defaulting Party ”), the Non-defaulting Party could notify the Defaulting Party in writ ing and request it to rectify and correct such breach of contract; if the Defaulting Party fails to take any action satisfactory to the Non-defaulting Party to rectify and correct such breach within fifteen (15) working days upon the issuance of the written notice by the Non-defaulting Party, the Non-defaulting Party may immediately take the actions pursuant to this Agreement or take other remedies in accordance with laws.

 

7.2          If the Borrowers fail to repay the Loan pursuant to the terms under this Agreement, they will be liable for a penalty interest accrued upon the amount due and payable at a daily interest rate of 0.02% until the Loan as well as any penalty interest and any other amount accrued thereupon are fully repaid by the Borrowers.

 

8.                                       Notices

 

Notices or other communications required to be given by any Party pursuant to this Agreement shall be made in writ ing and delivered personally or sent by mail or facsimile transmission to the address es of the other Parties set forth below or other designated address es noti fied by such other Part ies to such Party from time to time. The date when the notice is deemed to be duly served shall be determined as the follows: (a) a notice delivered personally is deemed duly served upon the delivery; (b) a notice sent by mail is deemed duly served on the seventh (7 th ) day after the date when the air registered mail with postage prepaid has been sent out (as is shown on the postmark), or the fourth (4 th ) day after the delivery date to the internationally recognized courier service agency; and (c) a notice sent by facsimile transmission is deemed duly served upon the receipt time as is shown on the transmission confirmation of relevant documents.

 

8



 

If to the Lender : Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.

 

Address :

Room B168, Building 2, No. 99, Kechuang 14 Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing

Phone:

010-58955008

Fax:

010-58955990

Attention:

Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

If to the Borrowers:

 

Richard Qiangdong Liu

Address :

Room B168, Building 2, No. 99, Kechuang 14 Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing

Phone:

010-58955008

Fax:

010-58955990

 

Jiaming Sun

Address:

Room B168, Building 2, No. 99, Kechuang 14 Street, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Beijing

Phone:

010-58955008

Fax:

010-58955990

 

9.                                       Confidentiality

 

All P arties acknowledge and confirm that any oral or written materials exchang ed by and between the Parties in connection with this Agreement are confidential. All P arties shall keep in confidence all such information and not disclose it to any third party without prior written consent from other Parties unless: (a) such information is known or wi ll be known by the public (except by disclosure of the receiving party without authorization); (b) such information is required to be disclosed in accordance with applicable laws or rules or regulations; or (c) if any information is required to be disclosed by any party to its legal or financial advisor for the purpose of the transaction of this Agreement, such legal or financial advisor shall also comply with the confidentiality obligation similar to that st ated hereof.  Any disclosure by any employee or agency engaged by any Party shall be deemed the disclosure of such Party and such Party shall assume the liabilities for its breach of contract pursuant to this Agreement. This Article shall survive expiration or termination of this Agreement.

 

10.                                Applicable Law and Dispute Resolution

 

10.1        The forma tion, validity, performance and interpretation of this Agreement and the disputes resolution under this Agreement shall be governed by the PRC laws.

 

10.2        The P arties shall strive to settle any dispute arising from or in connection with this Agreement through friendly consultation.  In case no settlement can be reached through consultation within thirty (30) days after the request for consultation is made by any Party , any Party can submit such matter to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration in accordance with its then effective rules. The arbitration shall take place in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding upon all the Parties.

 

9



 

11.                                Miscellaneous

 

11.1        The headings contained in this Agreement are for the convenience of reference only and shall not be used to interpret, expla in or otherwise affect the meaning of the provisions of this Agreement.

 

11.2        This Agreement shall be effective as of the date of its execution .   The Parties agree and confirm that the effect of this Agreement shall retrospect to November 18, 2014.  Once effective, this Agreement will replace the Original Loan Agreement and expire until the Parties have performed their respective obligations under this Agreement.

 

11.3        The Parties agree to promptly execute any document and take any other action reasonably necessary or advisable to perform provisions and purpose of this Agreement.

 

11.4        The Parties confirm that t his Agreement shall , upon its effectiveness, constitute the entire agreement and common understanding of the Parties with respect to the subject matters herein and fully supersede all prior verbal and /or written agreements and understandings with respect to the subject matters herein.

 

11.5        The Parties may amend and supplement this Agreement in writing.  Any amendment and/or supplement to this Agreement by the Parties is an integral part of and has the same effect with this Agreement.

 

11.6        This Agreement shall be binding upon and for the benefit of all the Parties hereto and their respective inheritors, successor s and the permitted assigns .

 

11.7        Any Party’s failure to exercise the rights under th is Agreement in time shall not be deemed as its waiver of such rights and would not affect its future exercise of such rights.

 

11.8        If any provision of this Agreement is held void, invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, governmental agency or arbitration authority , the validity, legality and enforceability of the other provisions hereof shall not be affected or impaired in any way. The Parties shall cease performing such void, invalid or unenforceable provisions and revise such void, invalid or unenforceable provisions only to the extent closest to the original intention thereof to recover its validity or enforceability for such specific facts and circumstances .

 

11.9        Unless with prior written consent from the Lender, the Borrowers may not assign any of their rights and obligations under this Agreement to any third party.

 

11.10      This Agreement is made in three (3) originals with each Party holding one ( 1 ) original.  Each original has the same effect.

 

(No text below)

 

10



 

 

(Signature Page)

 

IN WITNESS THEREOF , each Party has signed or caused its legal representative to sign t his Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

 

Party A: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.

 

(seal)

 

(Seal of Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.)

 

By:

/s/ Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party B:

 

 

 

 

Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

 

 

 

Jiaming Sun

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Jiaming Sun

 

 

11



 

Schedule A

 

The following schedule sets forth all other similar agreements the registrant entered into with the relevant Chinese variable interest entity. Other than the information set forth below, there is no material difference between such other agreements and this exhibit.

 

VIE

 

Executing Parties

 

Loan Amount

 

Effective Date

 

Execution Date

Beijing Yuanyi Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd.

 

Lender: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.


Borrowers: Liu Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming

 

Amount: an aggregate of RMB1,320,000.00 lent to the Borrowers, of which RMB 594,000.00 will be provided to Richard Qiangdong Liu and RMB 726,000.00 will be provided to Jiaming Sun

 

June 9, 2014

 

December 8, 2014

Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Lender: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.


Borrowers: Liu Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming

 

Amount: an aggregate of RMB80,000,000.00 lent to the Borrowers, of which RMB 36,000,000.00 will be provided to Richard Qiangdong Liu and RMB 44,000,000.00 will be provided to Jiaming Sun.

 

August 7, 2015

 

August 7, 2015

Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Youheng E-commerce Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

Lender: Shanghai Jingdong Daojia Yuanxin Information Technology Co., Ltd.

Borrowers: Liu Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming

 

Amount: an aggregate of RMB10,000,000.00 lent to the Borrowers, of which RMB 4,500,000.00 will be provided to Richard Qiangdong Liu and RMB 5,500,000.00 will be provided to Jiaming Sun.

 

December 10, 2015

 

December 10, 2015

Jiangsu Jingdong Saide E-commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Lender: Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.

Borrowers: Liu Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming

 

Amount: an aggregate of RMB50,000,000.00 lent to the Borrowers, of which RMB 22,500,000.00 will be provided to Richard Qiangdong Liu and RMB 27,500,000.00 will be provided to Jiaming Sun.

 

January 7, 2015

 

January 7, 2015

Suqian Limao Donghong Investment

 

Lender: Suqian Hanbang Investment

 

Same as this exhibit

 

January 26, 2016

 

January 26, 2016

 

12



 

Management Co., Ltd.

 

Management Co., Ltd.

Borrowers: Liu Qiangdong and Sun Jiaming

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13


Exhibit 4.29

 

Subscription Agreement for Non-Publicly Issued Shares

 

by

 

Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

and

 

Yonghui Superstores Co., Ltd.

 

August 7, 2015

 



 

This Agreement is concluded on August 7, 2015 by and between:

 

Party A : Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng Investment Management Co., Ltd., a limited liability company registered in accordance with the laws of the People’s Republic of China (the PRC); and

 

Party B : Yonghui Superstores Co., Ltd., a company limited by shares registered in accordance with the PRC laws.

 

WHEREAS,

 

1. Party A is a limited liability company duly established and validly existing under the PRC laws, and Party B is a company limited by shares which has been approved by China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) to issue stocks to the public and go listed at Shanghai Stock Exchange (ticker: 601933).

 

2. Party B intends to issue Renminbi-denominated common shares to specific persons including Party A by means of non-public offering (hereinafter “ Non-public Shares ”), and Party A intends to subscribe for 239,261,553 of Party B’s Non-public Shares with a consideration of RMB 2,153,353,977 in cash.

 

Now, therefore, Party A and Party B enter into and conclude this Agreement after reaching consensus through consultation on the basis of equality, willingness and good faith in accordance with relevant laws, administrative statutes and relevant regulations of CSRC, such as Company Law of the PRC, Securities Law of the PRC, Contract Law of the PRC, Measures for the Administration of Securities Issuance of Listed Companies and Detailed Implementation Rules for the Private Placement by Listed Companies.

 

Article I Definitions and Interpretations

 

1.1 In this Agreement, except otherwise agreed, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

 

1) “ Underlying Shares ” refer to Renminbi-denominated common shares issued by Party B to Party A by means of non-public offering in a quantity stipulated by this Agreement. In accordance with the provisions hereof, the par value of each Non-public Share is RMB 1.

 

 



 

2) “ Pricing Benchmark Date ” refers to the announcement day of resolutions of board of directors about this non-public offering.

 

3) “ Offering Closing Date ” refers to the date when Underlying Shares are registered in the name of Party A with a Securities Registration and Clearing Institution.

 

4) “ CSRC ” refers to China Securities Regulatory Commission.

 

5) “ SSE ” refers to Shanghai Stock Exchange.

 

6) “ Securities Registration and Clearing Institution ” refers to China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited, Shanghai Branch.

 

1.2 Interpretation

 

1)  The headings hereof are inserted for convenience of reference only, not affecting the interpretation of this Agreement.

 

2)  Any reference to a chapter, article, paragraph, section or annex is a reference to the chapter, article, paragraph, section or annex of this Agreement.

 

3)  The annexes, schedules and other documents confirmed by both Parties as attachments hereto shall be part of this Agreement.

 

Article II Subject of Agreement

 

2.1  Party B intends to issue 717,694,946 Renminbi-denominated common shares (listed at SSE) via a non-public offering, and the par value thereof is RMB 1.

 

2.2  Party A intends to subscribe for 239,261,553 Non-public Shares issued by Party B.

 

2.3  The Non-public Shares are to be listed in Shanghai Stock Exchange, and the detailed arrangements relating to such listing will be determined subject to relevant rules of CSRC, SSE and Securities Registration and Clearing Institution and depending upon consultation with such authority.

 

Article III Subscription Price, Method and Amount

 

3.1 Both parties agree that the price of Non-public Shares will be determined in accordance with relevant provisions of Measures for the Administration of Securities Issuance of Listed Companies and Detailed Implementation Rules for the Private Placement by Listed Companies.

 



 

The issuance price of Non-public Shares of Party B is RMB 9/share, not less than 90% of average stock price of the Company during 20 trading days preceding the announcement day of the board resolutions on this issuance, that is, RMB 8.93/share. If Party B’s shares trade ex-right and ex-dividend from Pricing Benchmark Date to Issuance Date, the issuance price will be adjusted accordingly; in case of ex-right trading such as bonus issue and capital reserves capitalization, Party B shall accordingly adjust the number of Non-public Shares, so that the number of the Underlying Shares represent 5% of total share capitals of Party B after completion of this issuance.

 

3.2 Party A irrevocably agrees to subscribe for Underlying Shares at the cash price determined in Article 3.1.

 

3.3 Party A subscribes for 239,261,553 of the Non-public Shares of Party B, and the total subscription amount shall be the issuance price multiplied by the number of the Underlying Shares, that is, RMB 2,153,353,977.

 

Article IV Time and Method of Share price Payment; Delivery of Shares

 

4.1 Party A agrees to irrevocably subscribe for the Underlying Shares at the amount determined in Article III, and after the Non-public Shares issued by Party B are approved by CSRC and Party A receives the share subscription price payment notice (the “Payment Notice”) from Party B, to pay in cash the subscription price to the account opened by the sponsor (lead underwriter) specially for this issuance in a lump sum as required in the Payment Notice; after being verified by an accounting firm with qualification of trading securities and deducted by issuance cost, the aforesaid subscription price will be transferred to Party B’s special depository account for fundraising. Both Parties will negotiate about the payment period stated in Payment Notice, provided that the time limit for Party A to pay the subscription price shall be such that Party B could complete this issuance within effective period stipulated by CSRC’s approval document for this Non-public Offering.

 



 

4.2 Within thirty (30) working days after issuance of aforesaid capital verification report, Party B shall apply to Securities Registration and Clearing Institution for handling the formalities to register the Underlying Shares, so that Party A will become the legal holder of Underlying Shares.

 

Article V Lock-up Period

 

The Underlying Shares subscribed by Party A shall not be assigned within 36 months after the end of this issuance.

 

Article VI Representations and Warranties

 

For purposes of this Agreement, each Party hereby represents and warrants to each other that:

 

1) it is a corporate legal person duly established and validly existing, with full capacities for civil rights and acts of executing and performing this Agreement;

 

2) it has full capacity, rights and effective authorization to execute this Agreement as a party, and the terms hereof constitute legal, effective, binding and enforceable obligations and responsibilities for the Parties;

 

3) its execution of this Agreement and performance of any obligations or responsibilities thereunder will not contravene any provisions of applicable laws and administrative statutes and/or other contracts and agreements to which it is a party;

 

4) it will make its best endeavors to support each other, to handle and execute relevant formalities and documents required for the Non-public Offering.

 

Article VII Obligations and Responsibilities of the Parties

 

7.1 Obligations and Responsibilities of Party A

 

1) Assisting Party B in handling formalities of the Non-public Offering, executing and preparing necessary documents for the Non-public Offering;

 

2) Subscribing for Underlying Shares in cash according to provisions hereof;

 

3) Guaranteeing that the source of capitals for subscription hereunder is legal;

 

4) Abiding by the provisions on the lock-up period.

 

7.2 Obligations and Responsibilities of Party B

 

1) After the execution of this Agreement, Party B shall convene the board meeting and shareholders’ meeting for the Non-public Offering as soon as possible, and after the shareholders’ meeting deliberates and approves the issues related to the Non-public Offering, Party B shall file relevant documents with competent authorities such as CSRC for review and approval.

 



 

2) After CSRC approves the issuance, Party B shall issue shares to Party A in a non-public way based on the conditions and at a number and price agreed by this Agreement, and handle depository formalities for Underlying Shares according to relevant regulations of Securities Registration and Clearing Institution.

 

3) Party B shall timely disclose information according to relevant regulations of CSRC and SSE.

 

4) Party B shall submit true, accurate and complete application documents to CSRC, without any false or misleading statements or any major omission.

 

5) Party B shall meet the conditions of non-public offering as stipulated by laws and statutes.

 

Article VIII Party B’s Undertakings

 

Party B hereby undertakes that within two months after executing this Agreement, it will hold board meeting and shareholders’ meeting in accordance with provisions of articles of association and relevant laws and statutes, to elect two directors (including one independent director) jointly recommended by Party A and Jiangsu Circle E-commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Party A hereby agrees that if the Non-public Offering of Party B’s shares is terminated for any reasons, Party A shall ensure that the director recommended by it will resign from the position of director within five days after the termination.

 

Article IX Confidentiality

 

Unless relevant laws and administrative statutes require going through relevant approval and filing procedures in competent governmental authority or securities regulatory authority, or it is necessary to disclose to the third party for purpose of performing obligations, statements or guarantees hereunder, or the information has been publicized, the Parties agree to, and procure relevant insiders to, strictly keep confidential all terms hereof and relevant issues related to the Non-public Offering and subscription. If relevant information hereunder should be disclosed publicly in accordance with relevant provisions of laws, administrative statutes and regulations of securities regulatory authority, the disclosing Party shall notify the other Party in advance, and give the other Party reasonable time for review; no disclosure shall be made until the information to be disclosed is approved by the other party.

 



 

Article X Liabilities for Breach

 

If it is impossible to fully or partially perform this Agreement due to breach of one Party, the Party in breach shall bear all losses incurred therefrom; the non-breaching Party is entitled to require the Party in breach to continue to perform obligations, and timely take remedies to guarantee the continued performance of subscription agreement; in addition, the Party in breach shall compensate the non-breaching Party for any losses arising therefrom.

 

Article XI Applicable Laws and Dispute Resolution

 

11.1 The current Chinese laws and administrative statutes shall apply to the execution, effectiveness, interpretation and performance of this Agreement.

 

11.2 Any disputes arising from this Agreement shall firstly be settled by the Parties through friendly negotiation; if the dispute cannot be settled through negotiation, any Party can bring an action to the court with jurisdiction over the place where SSE is located.

 

Article XII Modification, Revision and Assignment of Agreement

 

12.1 Any modification to or revision of this Agreement shall be made in writing by the Parties after reaching consensus.

 

12.2 The modification to or revision of this Agreement constitutes an integral part of this Agreement.

 

12.3 Without written permission from the other Party, neither Party shall assign any or all of its rights or obligations hereunder.

 

Article XIII Effectiveness and Termination of Agreement

 

This Agreement is established after being signed by legal or authorized representatives of the Parties and affixed with official seals, and shall become effective after satisfying following conditions:

 

1) The scheme of the Non-public Offering stated herein has been approved by board of directors and shareholders’ meeting of Party B;

 

2) CSRC has approved the scheme of this Non-public Offering.

 



 

This Agreement will be terminated on the day of occurrence of any of following circumstances:

 

1) the Parties agree to terminate this Agreement by reaching a written agreement (relevant post-termination issues shall be treated according to the written agreement separately entered into between the Parties);

 

2) If any event happens that may have material adverse effect on the performance by one party of its obligations hereunder, such as liquidation, dissolution, bankruptcy, suspension of business, revocation of business license, the other party is entitled to terminate this Agreement by giving a prior written notice.

 

3) If any statement, warranty or undertaking made by one party is false in any material aspect, or one party materially breaches any of its obligations hereunder, and the breach (i) is irreparable, or (ii) is not corrected within the time limit (not less than 10 working days) after receiving written notice from non-breaching Party, the non-breaching Party can elect to continue performing this Agreement, or terminate this Agreement by giving a written notice to the Party in breach.

 

Article XIV Uncovered Matters

 

For any matters not covered herein, if any, the Parties can conclude a supplemental agreement as an attachment hereto, which shall have the same legal effect with this Agreement.

 

Article XV Counterparts

 

This Agreement is executed in eight counterparts; all of which have same legal force; each Party keeps two counterparts, and the remaining counterparts are filed with approval and registration authorities.

 

(Remainder of this page is intentionally left blank)

 



 

(No body text is contained in this page; signature page for Subscription Agreement for Non-Publicly Issued Shares between JD Bangneng and Yonghui)

 

Party A : Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng Investment Management Co., Ltd. (seal)

 

Company seal:

/s/ Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

 

Legal representative (or authorized representative):

 

/s/ Qiangdong Liu

 

 



 

(No body text is contained in this page; signature page for Subscription Agreement for Non-Publicly Issued Shares between JD Bangneng and Yonghui)

 

Party B : Yonghui Superstores Co., Ltd. (seal)

 

Company seal:

/s/ Yonghui Superstores Co., Ltd.

 

 

Legal representative (or authorized representative):

 

/s/ Authorized signatory

 

 



 

Schedule A

 

The following schedule sets forth all other similar agreements the registrant entered into with Yonghui Superstores Co., Ltd. Other than the information set forth below, there is no material difference between such other agreement and this exhibit.

 

Executing Parties

 

Subscription Amount

 

Execution Date

Party A: Jiangsu Yuanzhou E-Commerce Co., Ltd.

 

Article 3.3
Party A subscribes for 239,261,552 of the Non-public

 

August 7, 2015

 

 

 

 

 

Party B: Yonghui Superstores Co., Ltd.

 

Shares of Party B, and the total subscription amount shall be the issuance price multiplied by the number of the Underlying Shares, that is, RMB 2,153,353,968.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Article 8
Party B hereby undertakes that within two months after executing this Agreement, it will hold board meeting and shareholders’ meeting in accordance with provisions of articles of association and relevant laws and statutes, to elect two directors (including one independent director) jointly recommended by Party A and Jiangsu Jingdong Bangneng Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

 

 


Exhibit 4.30

 

Subscription Agreement

 

of

 

Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

by and among

 

Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Suqian Dongtai Jinrong Investment Management Center (Limited Partnership)

 

and

 

Beijing Sequoia Hongde Equity Investment Center (Limited Partnership)

 

Beijing Harvest Yuanrui Investment Center (Limited Partnership)

 

Suzhou Taiping Jingchuang Investment Management Enterprise (Limited Partnership) and other Investors

 

and

 

Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

January 8, 2016

 

1



 

Table of Contents

 

Articles

 

 

Page

 

 

 

 

Article 1

Definitions

 

6

Article 2

The Subscription

 

13

Article 3

Pricing For this Subscription and Payment of Subscription Price

 

14

Article 4

Pre-Closing Restructuring for this Subscription

 

15

Article 5

Closing of this Subscription

 

15

Article 6

Conditions Precedent to Closing of this Subscription

 

16

Article 7

Representations and Warranties by the Company, Suqian Limao and Suqian Dongtai

 

17

Article 8

Representations and Warranties by the Investors

 

22

Article 9

Corporate Governance After this Subscription

 

24

Article 10

Arrangement for Rights and Obligations after Closing of this Subscription

 

26

Article 11

Amendment and Termination

 

31

Article 12

Force Majeure

 

31

Article 13

Liability for Breach

 

32

Article 14

Confidentiality

 

33

Article 15

Expenses and Taxes

 

34

Article 16

Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

 

34

Article 17

Miscellaneous

 

35

 

2



 

This Subscription Agreement of Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as this “Agreement”) is made and entered into this 8 th  day of January, 2016, by and among the following parties in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC,” which for the purpose of this Agreement, excludes Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan):

 

Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co., Ltd. , a limited liability company incorporated under the laws of the PRC (hereinafter referred to as “Suqian Limao”);

 

Suqian Dongtai Jinrong Investment Management Center (limited partnership) , a limited partnership registered under the laws of the PRC (hereinafter referred to as “Suqian Dongtai”);

 

Beijing Sequoia Hongde Equity Investment Center (limited partnership) , a limited partnership registered under the laws of the PRC (hereinafter referred to as “Sequoia”);

 

Beijing Harvest Yuanrui Investment Center (limited partnership) , a limited partnership registered under the laws of the PRC (hereinafter referred to as “Harvest”);

 

Suzhou Taiping Jingchuang Investment Management Enterprise (limited partnership) , a limited partnership registered under the laws of the PRC (hereinafter referred to as “Taiping”);

 

Beijing Rongzhi Huineng Investment Management Center (limited partnership) , a limited partnership registered under the laws of the PRC (hereinafter referred to as “Ronghui”);

 

Shanghai Huasheng Lingfei Equity Investment Partnership (limited partnership) , a limited partnership registered under the laws of the PRC (hereinafter referred to as “Huasheng”);

 

Shenzhen Tiantu Investment Management Co., Ltd. , a non-listed joint stock company incorporated under the laws of the PRC (hereinafter referred to as “Tiantu”);

 

3



 

Ningbo Xinyue Kangrong Equity Investment Funds Partnership (limited partnership) , a limited partnership registered under the laws of the PRC (hereinafter referred to as “Xinyue”);

 

Harbin Henshi Dachang Tech Co., Ltd. , a limited liability company incorporated under the laws of the PRC (hereinafter referred to as “Hengshi”);

 

Beijing Kuaile Weiyun Investment Co., Ltd. , a limited liability company incorporated in accordance with the laws of the PRC (hereinafter referred to as “Kuaile Weiyun”);

 

Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd. , a limited liability company incorporated under the laws of the PRC (hereinafter referred to as the “Company”).

 

Sequoia, Harvest, Taiping, Ronghui, Huasheng, Tiantu, Xinyue, Hengshi and Kuaile Weiyun are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Investors”; Suqian Limao, Suqian Dongtai, the Investors and the Company are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Parties” and individually as a “Party.”

 

WHEREAS,

 

A)                  The Company is a limited liability company incorporated with the registered capital of RMB10 million under the laws of the PRC on September 5, 2012;

 

B)                  As of the signing date of this Agreement, Suqian Limao holds 100% equity interest of the Company, the ownership structure of which is set forth as follows:

 

Name of shareholder

 

Subscribed contribution
(unit: RMB10,000)

 

Proportion

 

Suqian Limao

 

1,000

 

100

%

Total

 

1,000

 

100

%

 

C)                  Before the completion of the closing under this Agreement, Suqian Limao and Suqian Dondtai are to increase the registered capital of the Company (hereinafter referred to as “Pre-closing Restructuring”), in order to change the ownership structure as follows:

 

Name of shareholder

 

Subscribed contribution
(unit: RMB10,000)

 

Proportion

 

Suqian Limao

 

16,000

 

80

%

Suqian Dondtai

 

4,000

 

20

%

Total

 

20,000

 

100

%

 

4



 

D)                It is agreed by the Parties upon negotiation that after the completion of the Pre-closing Restructuring, the Company plans to increase its registered capital by RMB31 million (hereinafter referred to as the “Increased Registered Capital”), and the Investors plan to subscribe for all the Increased Registered Capital with a sum of RMB6.2 billion (hereinafter referred to as this “Subscription”), in which Sequoia intends to subscribe for RMB9,250,000 of the Increased Registered Capital with RMB1.85 billion, Harvest intends to subscribe for RMB6,000,000 of the Increased Registered Capital with RMB1.2 billion, Taiping intends to subscribe for RMB5,000,000 of the Increased Registered Capital with RMB1 billion, Ronghui intends to subscribe for RMB3,500,000 of the Increased Registered Capital with RMB700 million, Huasheng intends to subscribe for RMB1,000,000 of the Increased Registered Capital with RMB200 million, Tiantu intends to subscribe for RMB500,000 of the Increased Registered Capital with RMB100 million, Xinyue intends to subscribe for RMB500,000 of the Increased Registered Capital with RMB100 million, Hengshi intends to subscribe for RMB5,000,000 of the Increased Registered Capital with RMB1 billion, and Kuaile Weiyun intends to subscribe for RMB250,000 of the Increased Registered Capital with RMB50 million.

 

E)                 The Parties agree to conclude this Agreement as basic terms and conditions for this Subscription and the subscription of the increased registered capital by the Investors, and further agree to modify the bylaws of the Company in accordance with this Agreement so as to take the modified bylaws as the basis for operation and management of the Company.

 

Based on the principles of equality and mutual benefit, the Parties hereby agree as follows:

 

5



 

Article 1             Definitions

 

1.1 Except as otherwise provided expressly or required by the context, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

 

Administration for Industry and Commerce (AIC)

 

The State Administration for Industry and Commerce of the PRC and its branches.

 

 

 

Affiliate

 

with respect to a Party, means any person who has the power to directly or indirectly control or jointly control, or exert major influence upon, or under the same control with such Party in its financial affairs or business decision making. For JD Finance, its affiliates include, without limitation, Suqian Limao, Suqian Dongtai, the Investors and the affiliates thereof, and the Company’s senior officers. The term “Control” means holding directly or indirectly more than 50% of the equity interest, equity interest or other valuable securities of a legal person, or though less than 50%, holding equity interest or equity interest obviously more than other shareholders and having the power to influence the enterprise’s financial affairs and decision-making in business operation under the bylaws or agreements. “major influence” means participation in making decision in a legal person’s financial affairs and operating policy, including but not limited to recommendation of member of the board of directors and the power to materially influence upon the target company’s business management plan.

 

 

 

AIC Registered Version

 

the simplified version of this Subscription Agreement separately signed by the Parties as actually required for purposes of the change registration at the Administration for Industry and Commerce (AIC) and without breaching this Agreement; for details, refer to Article 17.8 hereof.

 

 

 

Beijing Aodu Baisheng

 

Beijing Aodu Baisheng Network Tech. Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Beijing Century Trading

 

Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Beijing Changtian Assets

 

Beijing Changtian Assets Management Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Beijing Hefeng Yongxun

 

Beijing Hefeng Yongxun Financial Information Service Co., Ltd.

 

6



 

Beijing Jingao Zhuoyuan

 

Beijing Jing’ao Zhuoyuan Assets Management Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Beijing Jinghui Microcredit

 

Beijing Jinghui Microcredit Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Beijing Jingtai Zhuoneng

 

Beijing Jingtai Zhuoneng Consultation Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Beijing Jingtai Zhuoyi

 

Beijing Jintai Zhuoyi Investment Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Beijing Kenterui

 

Beijing Kenterui Fortune Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Beijing Online Banking Business

 

Online Banking (Beijing) Business Service Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Beijing Online Banking Tech

 

Online Banking (Beijing) Tech. Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Beijing Shihang Zhuoneng

 

Beijing JD Shihang Zhuoneng Zhongchuang Investment Funds Management Center (limited partnership)

 

 

 

Beijing Zhengdong Jinkong

 

Beijing Zhendong Jinkong Information Service Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Bitauto Financial Business

 

the online automobile financial platform business conducted by, or other new business that may be conducted in the future by, Yixin Capital Limited (which is indirectly invested by JD.com, Inc.), its subsidiary, Shanghai Yixin Finance Leasing Co., Ltd and its controlled company, Beijing Yixin Information Tech. Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Business Day

 

any day which banks in the PRC are open for normal business (excluding Saturday, Sunday and legal holidays of the PRC)

CHINASCOPE

 

CHINASCOPE LIMITED (HK)

 

 

 

Chongqing Microcredit

 

Chongqing Liangjiang New Area Shengji Microcredit Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Closing Condition

 

all conditions precedent to be satisfied before the closing of this Subscription; for details, refer to Article 6 hereof.

 

 

 

Closing Date

 

the payment deadline specified in the Payment and Closing Notice as stated in Article 5.3; provided that if none of the Investors pays as provided on or prior to the deadline, there will be no Closing Date; for details, refer to Article 5.1.

 

7



 

Company

 

Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Ltd.

 

 

 

Confidential Information

 

all terms of this Agreement and any other information related to any of the other Parties and their respective business acquired as a result of this Agreement shall be confidential information; for details, refer to Article 14.1 hereof.

 

 

 

Co-Sale Right

 

the rights of the Investors to sell the relevant equity as mentioned in Article 10.6 hereof

 

 

 

“Fenqile” Business

 

The business of installment payment shopping for students, credit consumption, P2P network financing platform and other new business to be carried out by Beijing Shijitong Tech. Ltd., Fenqile Network Tech. Co., Ltd., Beijing Lejiaxin Network Tech. Co., Ltd. and Qianhai Juzi Information Tech Co., Ltd., each of which is indirectly invested by JD.com, Inc. (and other companies that may be formed or acquired in such framework in the future)

 

 

 

Fubang International HK

 

Fubang International Finance Group Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Hanhai International BVI

 

Hanhai International Investment Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Harvest

 

Beijing Harvest Yuanrui Investment Center (limited partnership)

 

 

 

Hengshi

 

Harbin Henshi Dachang Tech Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

HK HaiYiHan

 

Haiyihan International Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Huasheng

 

Shanghai Huasheng Lingfei Equity Investment Partnership (limited partnership)

 

 

 

Increased Registered Capital

 

the increased registered capital of RMB31 million to be contributed as agreed by the Parties under this Agreement, for details, refer to (D)

 

 

 

Insurance Business

 

Any personal insurance (including but not limited to life insurance, health insurance, accident insurance), property insurance, reinsurance, pension, insurance supervision service and other insurance activities (including but not limited to risk and loss assessment, other activities related to or close to insurance and pension such as salvage management and insurance actuarial), in each case conducted in a lawful form and excludes insurance broker and agency business.

 

8



 

Investors

 

Sequoia, Harvest, Taiping, Ronghui, Huasheng, Tiantu, Xinyue, Hengshi and Kuaile Weiyun collectively

 

 

 

JD E-commerce Investment HK

 

JD.com E-COMMERCE (INVESTMENT) HONG KONG CORPORATION LIMITED

 

 

 

JD E-commerce Technology HK

 

JD.com E-COMMERCE (TECHNOLOGY) HONG KONG CORPORATION LIMITED

 

 

 

JD Finance/JD Finance Group

 

the Company and its subsidiaries

 

 

 

JD Finance Core Business

 

all financial, financial derivatives and other finance-related business currently conducted or to be conducted in the future by JD Finance, including but not limited to, existing consumer finance, supply chain finance, third party payment service, factoring business, insurance broker and agency, crowd-funding business (including products and equity-based crowd-funding), fortune management and other securities, banking, finance lease, assets management, credit investigation that will probably be carried out in the future.

 

 

 

JD.COM Asia

 

JD.com Asia Development Limited (HK)

 

 

 

JD.com, Inc.

 

JD.Com, Inc. (ticker: JD) listed on NASDAQ and entities controlled by it, excluding the Company and the entities controlled by it

 

 

 

JDPAY

 

JDPAY PTE. LTD.

 

 

 

JD-Zest Finance Gaia (Cayman)

 

JD-Zest Finance Gaia (Caymay) Inc.

 

 

 

Kuaile Weiyun

 

Beijing Kuaile Weiyun Investment Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Laws

 

laws, administrative regulations, judicial interpretations, departmental rules, local regulations, local governmental rules, government orders, notifications and regulations that are binding generally, or other governmental regulating documents that are binding on the parties or any party to this Agreement, which are promulgated and effective from time to time as of or after the execution date of this Agreement.

 

9



 

Long Stop Date

 

the 180th day following the execution date of this Agreement; for details, refer to Article 5.2.

 

 

 

Longtu International Cayman

 

Longtu International Investment Inc.

 

 

 

Major

 

Any circumstance that is likely to cause the Company to additionally bear a single item of debt or liabilities exceeding RMB10 million or debts totaling of more than RMB50 million under Article 7.4 hereof; for details, refer to Article 7.4 hereof.

 

 

 

Material Adverse Change/Effect

 

overall and material adverse effect upon the business, operation, assets and other respects of the Company (including its subsidiaries), or the circumstances posing material obstacles to Qualified IPO of the Company, for which it is impossible to take remedial measures through effective method or manner, including but not limited to: (1) major change in economic situation, or great change in the industry of the Company; (2) effects brought out by matters disclosed by the Company faithfully to the Investors without major misleading content or omissions; (3) Great change in laws or government industrial policy for the industry of the Company.

 

 

 

Payment and Closing Notice

 

the written notification to be sent to the Investors by Suqian Limao and the Company after the Conditions Precedent to the Closing of this Subscription stipulated in Article 6 hereof have been satisfied (or waived by relevant right owners in writing); for details, refer to Article 5.3 hereof.

 

 

 

Post-closing Restructuring

 

relevant restructuring to be made after the Closing under this Agreement; for details, refer to Article 10.1 hereof.

 

 

 

Post-Investment Valuation

 

the total valuation of the Company after this Subscription, i.e. RMB46.2 billion; for details, refer to Article 3.1 hereof.

 

 

 

PRC

 

For the purpose of this Agreement, it refers to the mainland of the People’s Republic of China, excluding Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan.

 

10



 

Pre-closing Restructuring

 

the capital increase of the Company by Suqian Limao and Suqian Dongtai after the execution of this Agreement and before the closing of this Subscription; for details, refer to Article 4 hereof.

 

 

 

Qualified IPO

 

the IPO and listing or reverse merger of shares on a domestic or foreign capital market approved by the board of directors of the Company, and after such IPO and listing or reverse merger, the total market value of the Company shall not be less than RMB93 billion; for details, refer to Article 10.2 hereof.

 

 

 

RMB

 

China’s legal currency Renminbi.

 

 

 

Ronghui

 

Beijing Rongzhi Huineng Investment Management Center (limited partnership)

 

 

 

Sequoia

 

Beijing Sequoia Hongde Equity Investment Center (limited partnership)

 

 

 

Shanghai Banghui Factoring

 

Shanghai Banghui Commercial Factoring Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Shanghai Hefeng Yongxun

 

Shanghai Hefeng Yongxun Financial Information Service Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Shanghai Hengxian Junzhan

 

Shanghai Hengxian Junzhan Enterprise Credit Investigation Service Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Shanghai Jiazhan Leasing

 

Shanghai Jiazhan Finance Leasing Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Shanghai Jinghui Microcredit

 

Shanghai Jinghui Microcredit Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Shanghai Jinshundong

 

Shanghai Jinshundong Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Shanghai Shengdayuan

 

Shanghai Shengdayuan Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Shengyu Guangnian HK

 

Shengyu Guangnian Information Tech. Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Subscription

 

the subscription for the Increased Registered Capital by the Investors with RMB6.2 billion; for details, refer to Article 2 hereof.

 

11



 

Subscription Price

 

the price payable by the Investors to the Company for the subscription for this Subscription, i.e. RMB6.2 billion; for details, refer to Article 3.2 hereof.

 

 

 

Suqian Dongtai

 

Suqian Dongtai Jinrong Investment Management Center (limited partnership)

 

 

 

Suqian Limao

 

Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Taihuoniao

 

Taihuoniao Science and Technology Company Limited (Cayman)

 

 

 

Taiping

 

Suzhou Taiping Jingchuang Investment Management Enterprise (limited partnership)

 

 

 

Taxes

 

Any taxes and charges in any form collected by the central and local authorities or departments of finance, taxation and customs of the PRC, including any related late fee, penalties or expenses.

 

 

 

ThinkLand

 

Suzhou ThinkLand Inc.

 

 

 

Tianjin Dongfang Qiming

 

Tianjin Dongfang Qiming Tech. Development Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Tianjin Jintou Insurance

 

Tianjin Jintou Insurance Brokerage Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Tiantu

 

Shenzhen Tiantu Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

U51.COM INC.

 

U51.COM INC.

 

 

 

Xinyue

 

Ningbo Xinyue Kangrong Equity Investment Funds Partnership (limited partnership)

 

 

 

Yuan

 

Yuan of Renminbi

 

1.2 In this Agreement,

 

(a)                                       Any reference to the preface, articles and sub-articles means the preface, articles and sub-articles of this Agreement.

 

(b)                                       Any law, regulation, rules and legal orders (whether having legal force or not) mentioned herein refers to such law, regulation, rules and legal orders modified, changed, revised, merged, or re-promulgated, and affiliated legislation made thereunder.

 

12



 

(c)                                        Any contract, agreement or document mentioned herein refers to such contract, agreement or document modified, supplemented or replaced from time to time.

 

(d)                                       The headlines used herein are used for convenience only, and will not affect the interpretation of this Agreement.

 

(e)                                        When “more than” or “below” is used herein, the following number is included; when “exceeding” or “lower than” or “less than” is used, the following number is not included.

 

1.3 The contents used as preface of this Agreement shall have the same binding force as the body text of this Agreement.

 

1.4 The date and time mentioned herein are Beijing time, unless otherwise required by the context.

 

Article 2   The Subscription

 

2.1 It is agreed by the Parties that the Investors are to subscribe for the entire Increased Registered Capital of RMB31 million of the Company under the terms and conditions of this Agreement, so as to acquire a 13.42% equity interest of the Company; out of such Increased Registered Capital, Sequoia intends to subscribe for RMB9,250,000 of the Increased Registered Capital with RMB1.85 billion, so as to acquire a 4.00% equity interest of the Company, Harvest intends to subscribe for RMB6,000,000 of the Increased Registered Capital with RMB1.2 billion, so as to acquire a 2.60% equity interest of the Company, Taiping intends to subscribe for RMB5,000,000 of the Increased Registered Capital with RMB1 billion, so as to acquire a 2.16% equity interest of the Company, Ronghui intends to subscribe for RMB3,500,000 of the Increased Registered Capital with RMB700 million, so as to acquire a 1.52% equity interest of the Company, Huasheng intends to subscribe for RMB1,000,000 of the Increased Registered Capital with RMB200 million, so as to acquire a 0.43% equity interest of the Company, Tiantu intends to subscribe for RMB500,000 of the Increased Registered Capital with RMB100 million, so as to acquire a 0.22% equity interest of the Company, Xinyue intends to subscribe for RMB500,000 of the Increased Registered Capital with RMB100 million, so as to acquire a 0.22% equity interest of the Company, Hengshi intends to subscribe for RMB5,000,000 of the Increased Registered Capital with RMB1 billion, so as to acquire a 2.16% equity interest of the Company, and Kuaile Weiyun intends to subscribe for RMB250,000 of the Increased Registered Capital with RMB50 million, so as to acquire a 0.11% equity interest of the Company. Suqian Limao and Suqian Dongtai do hereby declare to waive their right of first refusal to this Subscription.

 

2.2 After the completion of this Subscription, the equity structure of the Company will be as follows:

 

Name of shareholder

 

Subscribed contribution 
(unit: RMB10,000)

 

Proportion

 

Suqian Limao

 

16,000

 

69.26

%

Suqian Dongtai

 

4,000

 

17.32

%

Sequoia

 

925

 

4.00

%

Harvest

 

600

 

2.60

%

Taiping

 

500

 

2.16

%

Ronghui

 

350

 

1.52

%

Huasheng

 

100

 

0.43

%

Tiantu

 

50

 

0.22

%

Xinyue

 

50

 

0.22

%

Hengshi

 

500

 

2.16

%

Kuaile Weiyun

 

25

 

0.11

%

Total

 

23,100

 

100

%

 

13



 

Article 3   Pricing For This Subscription and Payment of Subscription Price

 

3.1 It is agreed by the Parties that before this Subscription, the valuation of the Company is RMB40 billion, and the valuation of the Company is RMB46.2 billion immediately after this Subscription (the “Post-Investment Valuation”).

 

3.2 On the basis of the above valuation, the Investors shall pay a total of RMB6.2 billion to the Company for subscription for this Subscription (the “Subscription Price”), in which Sequoia is to pay RMB1.85 billion (out of which RMB9,250,000 is to be counted as part of the registered capital and the remaining RMB1,840,750,000 as capital reserve), Harvest is to pay RMB1.200 billion(out of which RMB6,000,000 is to be counted as part of the registered capital and the remaining RMB1,194,000,000 as capital reserve), Taiping is to pay RMB1 billion(out of which RMB5,000,000 is to be counted as part of the registered capital and the remaining RMB995,000,000 as capital reserve), Ronghui is to pay RMB700 million (out of which RMB3,500,000 is to be counted as part of the registered capital and the remaining RMB696,500,000 as capital reserve), Huasheng is to pay RMB200 million(out of which RMB1,000,000 is to be counted as part of the registered capital and the remaining RMB199,000,000 as capital reserve), Tiantu is to pay RMB100 million (out of which RMB500,000 is to be counted as part of the registered capital and the remaining RMB99,500,000 as capital reserve), Xinyue is to pay RMB100 million (out of which RMB500,000 is to be counted as part of the registered capital and the remaining RMB99,500,000 as capital reserve), Hengshi is to pay RMB1 billion (out of which RMB5,000,000 is to be counted as part of the registered capital and the remaining RMB995,000,000 as capital reserve), and Kuaile Weiyun is to pay RMB50 million (out of which RMB250,000 is to be counted as part of the registered capital and the remaining RMB49,750,000 as capital reserve).

 

3.3 Arrangement for Payment of Subscription Price

 

The Investors shall each pay their respective Subscription Price in a lump sum to the account designated by the Company within 20 Business Days from the date on which the Company sends to the Investors the Payment and Closing Notice pursuant to Article 5.3 (if the Payment and Closing Notice is sent within January 2016 and the Company has satisfied all the Closing Conditions, then in no event shall such payment be later than February 29, 2016), .

 

14



 

3.4 The Company shall, within ten Business Days of receipt of all the Subscription Prices paid by the Investors, employ an accounting firm with relevant qualification in China to make capital verification and issue capital verification report.

 

Article 4        Pre-Closing Restructuring for this Subscription

 

4.1 Suqian Limao and Suqian Dongtai are to increase the registered capital of the Company after the execution of this Agreement and before the Closing of this Subscription: Suqian Limao is to subscribe for an Increased Registered Capital of RMB150 million of the Company by investing RMB2,093,800,000 (RMB150 million as registered capital and RMB1,943,800,000 as capital reserve), and Suqian Dongtai is to subscribe for an Increased Registered Capital of RMB40 million by investing RMB40 million (RMB40 million is to be entirely accounted as registered capital).

 

4.2 The Company shall, within ten business days of receipt of all the investment made by Suqian Limao and Suqian Dongtai, employ an accounting firm with relevant qualification in China to make capital verification and issue capital verification report.

 

4.3 After the completion of the Pre-closing Restructuring, the equity structure of the Company is as follows:

 

Name of shareholder

 

Subscribed contribution
(unit: RMB10,000)

 

Proportion

 

Suqian Limao

 

16,000

 

80

%

Suqian Dongtai

 

4,000

 

20

%

Total

 

20,000

 

100

%

 

Article 5        Closing of This Subscription

 

5.1 The Closing of this Subscription shall occur immediately after the Closing Conditions provided in Article 6 hereof are all satisfied (or waived in writing by the relevant right owners ). The Parties acknowledge that the payment deadline specified in the Payment and Closing Notice sent by the Company pursuant to Article 5.3 is the closing date for this Subscription (the “Closing Date”); provided that if none of the Investors pays as provided on or prior to the deadline, there will be no Closing Date, and none of Suqian Limao, Suqian Dongtai and the Company has the obligation to consummate the closing.

 

15



 

5.2 Suqian Limao, the Company and the Investors shall procure that the Closing Conditions provided in Article 6 hereof be achieved within the shortest possible time after the execution date specified on the first page of this Agreement (but in no event shall be later than the 180 th  day from the execution date of this Agreement (the “Long Stop Date”), provided that the relevant right owners may waive, in their own discretion, certain conditions in writing.

 

5.3 Suqian Limao and the Company shall, after the Closing Conditions provided in Article 6 hereof are all satisfied (or waived in writing by the relevant right owners ), send to the Investors a written notice (the “Payment and Closing Notice”), requiring the Investors to pay the Subscription Price as provided in Article 3.3 hereof and specifying the deadline date for payment (the “Payment Deadline”). For the avoidance of any doubt, the Payment Deadline shall not be earlier than the 20 th  Business Day from the date of sending of the Payment and Closing Notice (the stipulations in Article 3.3 hereof shall govern). The Payment and Closing Notice must be accompanied by the relevant document or confirmation evidencing that all the Closing Conditions provided in Article 6 hereof have been satisfied.

 

5.4 The Investors shall, within the shortest possible time after receiving the Payment and Closing Notice, provide all the documents necessary for consummating the Closing as required by the Company, including but not limited to the relevant documents and signature/seals of the Investors required for completing the formalities of AIC change registration. The Company shall, within 15 Business Days of receipt of such documents and all the Subscription Price, submit the relevant documents for completing the formalities of AIC change registration.

 

5.5 From the Closing Date, the Investors will have the rights and bear the obligations as new shareholders of the Company in accordance with the Company Law, the bylaws of the Company, this Agreement and other transaction documents of this Subscription.

 

5.6 Suqian Limao, the Company and the Investors shall do their best to procure that the Closing Conditions provided in Article 6 hereof be satisfied within the shortest possible time. After the execution of this Agreement, if any of the Closing Conditions is not satisfied before the Long Stop Date (unless one or more of them is waived by the relevant right owners), then the Investors and Suqian Limao shall forthwith negotiate with each other on the subsequent matters.

 

Article 6        Conditions Precedent to Closing of this Subscription

 

The Parties acknowledge and agree that the closing of this Subscription is premised on and subject to the satisfaction of all of the following conditions precedent (the “Closing Conditions” (unless one or more of the following is waived by the relevant right owners):

 

16



 

6.1 The Pre-closing Restructuring has been completed, Suqian Limao and Suqian Dongtai have paid a total of RMB200 million for the subscription to the Company, and Suqian Limao and Suqian Dongtai have completed all of their obligations of contribution pursuant to Article 4.1 of this Agreement and provided capital contribution certificates and the capital verification report issued by the accounting firm with competent qualification as evidence (it is further confirmed by the Parties that the Company does not have to present the capital verification report when the Company sends the Payment and Closing Notice, but it shall present the properly issued capital verification report to the Investors before the Closing Date).

 

6.2 Within the period from the execution date of this Agreement to the Closing Date (including the Closing Date), the representations and warranties made by the Company, Suqian Limao and Suqian Dongtai remain true and correct in material respects and are free from any major omission.

 

6.3 Within the period from the execution date of this Agreement to the Closing Date (including the Closing Date); none of the Company, Suqian Limao and Suqian Dongtai has breached this Agreement in any material respects.

 

6.4 Within the period from the execution date of this Agreement to the Closing Date (including the Closing Date), there occurs no event that may have Material Adverse Effect on the financial condition, prospect, assets or contract-performing ability of JD Finance.

 

6.5 JD.com, Inc. has executed a commitment letter in the form and substance consistent with Annex IV attached hereto.

 

6.6 The contribution (RMB1,896,200,000) to JD Finance by JD.com Inc. in form of loans in the early period has all been converted to long-term liabilities (such liabilities shall come due at the earlier of (1) the tenth anniversary of the occurrence of such liabilities or (2) the first anniversary of the Qualified IPO of the Company); and JD Finance and JD.com, Inc. have concluded relevant agreements with respect to such matters.

 

6.7 JD Finance and JD.com, Inc. have concluded affiliate transaction contracts related to business.

 

6.8 The Company has revised its bylaws on the basis of the matters related to this Subscription as stipulated in this Agreement, and the revised bylaws of the Company have been adopted by the shareholders’ meeting of the Company (such revised bylaws of the Company shall become effective as from the Closing Date; for the avoidance of doubts, the revision of the bylaws of the Company made as a result of the Pre-closing Restructuring for this Subscription must become effective immediately upon adoption by the shareholders’ meeting).

 

Article 7        Representations and Warranties by the Company, Suqian Limao and Suqian Dongtai

 

7.1 From the execution date of this Agreement to the Closing Date, the Company represents and warrants to the Investors that:

 

17



 

(1) the Company is a limited liability company incorporated and validly existing in accordance with the laws of PRC, and has the full and independent legal status and capacity to conclude, deliver and perform this Agreement; neither the execution nor performance of this Agreement by the Company will contravene the Laws or regulations of the PRC, nor will be in conflict with any contract or agreement having binding force upon the Company.

 

(2) the Company’s execution of this Agreement, performance of all its obligations stipulated herein and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereunder has obtained sufficient and necessary internal authorization. This Agreement will become legally binding on the Company once executed.

 

7.2 From the execution date of this Agreement to the Closing Date, Suqian Limao represents and warrants to the Investors that:

 

(1) Suqian Limao is a limited liability company incorporated and validly existing in accordance with the laws of PRC, and has the full and independent legal status and capacity to conclude, deliver and perform this Agreement; neither the execution nor performance of this Agreement by Suqian Limao will contravene the Laws or regulations of the PRC, nor will be in conflict with any contract or agreement having binding force upon Suqian Limao.

 

(2) Suqian Limao’s execution of this Agreement, performance of all its obligations stipulated herein and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereunder has obtained sufficient and necessary internal authorization. This Agreement will become legally binding on Suqian Limao once executed.

 

7.3 From the execution date of this Agreement to the Closing Date, Suqian Dongtai represents and warrants to the Investors that:

 

(1) Suqian Dongtai is a limited partnership incorporated and validly existing in accordance with the laws of PRC, and has the full and independent legal status and capacity to conclude, deliver and perform this Agreement; neither the execution nor performance of this Agreement by Suqian Dongtai will contravene the laws or regulations of the PRC, nor will be in conflict with any contract or agreement having binding force upon Suqian Dongtai.

 

(2) Suqian Dongtai’s execution of this Agreement, performance of all its obligations stipulated herein and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereunder has obtained sufficient and necessary internal authorization. This Agreement will become legally binding on Suqian Dongtai once executed.

 

7.4 Other than those already disclosed in the Disclosure Letter (Annex I), the Company and Suqian Limao jointly warrant that prior to the Closing Date, JD Finance Group has always been conducting business lawfully and has no major illegal violations, including but not limited to the following:

 

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(1) The procedures and methods of incorporation of JD Finance and all historical changes in registration are in compliance with the Company Law and other applicable laws. The registered capital of JD Finance has been paid in full amount by its shareholders, and the payment of its registered capital is in compliance with the applicable laws.

 

(2) As of the execution date of this Agreement, the registered capital of the Company is RMB10 million, and its ownership structure is set forth in Section (B) of the Recitals, and the ownership of JD Finance Group is set forth in Annex II attached hereto. Immediately preceding the Closing Date, the registered capital of the Company is RMB200 million, and the Company’s ownership structure shall be the same as those set forth in Article 4.2 hereof. The equity of JD Finance held by shareholders is free from any major dispute concerning ownership, and there is no pledge or trust on its equity. With respect to the equity of JD Finance, there is no priority, option, convertible securities or other related rights, and there is no outstanding obligation to repurchase, redeem or otherwise purchase its equity or provide capital investment to a legal person or other entities, and there is no circumstance that may affect any shareholders’ equity to the existing registered capital of JD Finance or may cause any third party to directly or indirectly acquire any shareholders’ equity with respect to the registered capital of JD Finance, except for the equity incentive plan that is capped by the total volume of shares held by Suqian Dongtai immediately preceding the Closing and carried out using Suqian Dongtai as the platform.

 

(3) The business scope of JD Finance is in compliance with the requirements made in accordance with the laws and regulations of the PRC and departmental rules, and JD Finance has been conducting business within the business scope provided in the business license. All approvals, verifications or permits that are expressly required by the laws for conduct of primary business of JD finance have been obtained from competent government authorities, or though not yet obtained, JD Finance has neither received penalty of more than RMB100,000 imposed by competent government departments nor caused any material damage to its primary business for failure to obtain such approval, verification or permit.

 

(4) The pro forma “consolidated financial statements” (including the profit and loss statement and the balance sheet) with respect to JD Finance for the fiscal year of 2014 and as of September 30, 2015 (the “Balance Sheet Date”) provided by the Company are all true, correct and complete representation of operation results and financial condition of JD Finance for the relevant period and as of the relevant date. All the financial records and management accounts (including transfer accounts) of JD Finance are prepared in accordance with the U.S. accounting principles or the relevant laws, regulations, accounting standards and rules of the PRC and taking into account specific conditions of JD Finance, and are all true and fair representation about financial position and performance of JD Finance for the relevant period and as of the relevant date. Such pro forma consolidated financial statements are made on the assumption that all the Company’s and relevant business of JD Finance which have not put under the name of the Company but shall be brought under the name of JD Finance after business restructuring have been brought into JD Finance. For the avoidance of any doubt, such assumption is likely to differ from the basis on which JD Finance Group prepares its audited consolidated financial statements in accordance with the accounting principles of the PRC or the U.S.

 

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(5) Except for the liabilities disclosed in the pro-forma consolidated financial statements mentioned in paragraph (4) of this Article, JD Finance has no other major liabilities or debts that have failed to disclose in the pro forma consolidated financial statements.

 

(6) JD Finance has lawfully owned or been permitted to use the land use right, property, fixed assets and other related assets necessary for operation of the primary business and business activities of the Company. The assets of JD Finance are free from major ownership dispute.

 

(7) JD Finance has lawfully owned those intellectual property rights (including but not limited to patents, trademark, copyright, know-how, domain name and trade secrets, etc.) and other important assets, technology or qualifications used in or required for business of JD Finance, or has legally executed contracts for acquisition thereof, or has been licensed by the owners thereof to use the same lawfully; and there is no circumstance that may cause loss of such intellectual property rights or cause termination or cancellation by any third party. There has been no claim, pending application or infringement upon third party intellectual property right related to the intellectual property right of the Company.

 

(8) JD Finance has completed all taxation registrations required by the applicable laws; the tax types, tax rates and tax preferences imposed on or enjoyed by JD Finance are in compliance with the provisions of the Laws and regulations; JD Finance pays taxes according to Laws and has never been fined more than RMB100,000 as a result of its violation of the Tax Laws or regulations. There is no dispute pending between JD Finance and taxation departments concerning the existing tax obligations of or tax preference for JD Finance.

 

(9) JD Finance does not have the following contracts, as currently in effect, that may cause JD Finance to bear major liability for compensation or suffer material losses: (i) any contract or other arrangement to repay any funds as a result of this Subscription; (ii) any contract or other arrangement under which the asset interests of JD Finance may be terminated or affected as a result of this Subscription; (iii) any contract that may bring any liability or obligations to JD Finance thereunder as a result of this Subscription (including but not limited to the obligations to obtain bank’s consent in advance); (iv) any contract that restricts the freedom of JD Finance to conduct business in any place.

 

(10) The material contracts that are currently performed by JD Finance are lawful and valid in both form and substance, and are being performed normally; there is no major potential dispute relating to the performance of such contracts;

 

The term “material contract” mentioned in this sub-section refers to those contracts that have major influence over the assets, financial conditions, operation or business of JD Finance, including (i) any contract with a single sum or yearly accumulated sum of a single subject or item of business exceeding RMB10,000,000; (ii) any contract under which JD Finance accepts licensing of or transfers intellectual property rights; (iii) any contract concerning adjustment of capital stock or transfer of equity; (iv) any contract of borrowing or providing security (other than the borrowings or security in the ordinary course of business); and (v) any contract for joint venture, partnership, associated enterprise or similar business in which the profits or expenditures are shared.

 

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(11) There is no Material Adverse Change to JD Finance occurring in core clauses of business-related affiliate contracts concluded between JD Finance and JD.com, Inc. (including amount, interest rates or term).

 

(12) There is no circumstance under which JD Finance materially breaches laws or regulations on labor protection or social insurance or materially infringes upon lawful rights of employees. There is no material labor dispute pending between JD Finance and its existing or former employees. JD Finance has no major defects in paying/withholding salaries, related Taxes, pension, housing funds, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, employment injury insurance and other social insurance.

 

(13) In the past two years, JD Finance has been conducting its business in accordance with all Laws applicable to it (including but not limited to laws on financial business operation, advertisement, anti-corruption, product liability, AIC registration management, sanitation, fire protection, development, construction and use of state-owned land, environmental protection, taxation and labor (including laws on social insurance) and government orders in all material respects, and has not violated such laws or government orders in any material respect during its conduct of business.

 

(14) JD Finance is not involved in any pending major lawsuit, arbitration or administrative penalty.

 

Unless otherwise expressly explained in relevant articles, the term “Major” mentioned in this Article 7.4 refers to any circumstance that is likely to cause the Company to additionally bear a single item of debt exceeding RMB10 million or accumulated debts exceeding RMB50 million.

 

7.5 Between the execution of this Agreement and the Closing Date, the Company shall carry out its business in a way consistent with past practices. Except with prior written consent of the Investors or as required for satisfaction of the Closing Conditions of this Subscription, the Company shall not, and Suqian Limao shall not, conduct the following to the Company or JD Finance:

 

(1) make, allow or procure any act or omission in breach of the warranties made by the Company or Suqian Limao;

 

(2) change the ownership structure of the Company or JD Finance, create pledge or other encumbrance over the equity (except the change made for the purpose of this Agreement and Pre-closing Restructuring);

 

(3) declare, pay or offer, or agrees, whether in oral or written form, to declare, pay or offer any dividends or other distribution;

 

(4) sell a substantial part of any of its assets (or any interest pertaining thereto), with the book value or market value (whichever is higher) individually or in aggregate exceeds 10% of its net assets, or enter into oral or written contract for the foregoing;

 

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(5) amend the terms of the bylaws of the Company (except the modification for the purpose of this Agreement or for the Pre-closing Restructuring);

 

(6) execute or agree to execute any agreement or commitment that may prevent, limit or delay the subscription for this Subscription or affect the subscription terms of this Subscription.

 

(7) take any act resulting in the occurrence of any action or event that causes any Material Adverse Effect on the investment in JD Finance Group by the Investors.

 

7.6 Suqian Dongtai warrants that if, prior to the Qualified IPO of the Company, any status of Suqian Dongtai (including but not limited to number of partners, identity of partners, source of funds, etc.) is determined in oral or written form as the breach of any related regulations by China Securities Regulatory Commission or other regulatory authority, then Suqian Dongtai agrees to (and Suqian Limao agrees to cause Suqian Dongtai to) solve such defects in reasonable methods acceptable to relevant regulatory authority within a reasonable time limit.

 

Article 8        Representations And Warranties By The Investors

 

From the execution date of this Agreement to the Closing Date, each and every one of the Investors hereby individually makes the following representations and warranties to the Company, Suqian Limao and Suqian Dongtai, and furthermore, every one of the Investors individually warrants that Article 8.4, Article 8.6, Article 8.7 and Article 8.8 of such representations and warranties are made with respect to the whole period from the execution date of this Agreement till the Qualified IPO of the Company as stipulated in Article 10 hereof.

 

8.1 Such Investor is a limited liability company or limited partnership established and validly existing in accordance with the laws of PRC, and has full legal capacity to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement. As private equity fund manager or private equity fund, the Investor has handled the formalities of registration and recordation (if applicable) in accordance with Securities Investment Fund Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Interim Measures for the Supervision and Administration on Private Investment Funds, and the Measures for Registration of Private Investment Funds Managers and Registration of Funds (Trial) (if it has not handled such formalities, such Investor shall complete such registration formalities and present relevant certificates to the Company within 30 days of the Closing Date), and will not have any adverse effect on the business operation of the Company or continuous validity of its licensing qualifications.

 

8.2 Neither the execution nor performance of this Agreement by the Investor will contravene with the laws or regulations of the PRC, nor will be in conflict with its bylaws/partnership agreement or similar documents or any contract or agreement having binding force upon such Investor.

 

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8.3 Such Investor’s execution of this Agreement, performance of all its obligations stipulated herein and consummation of transactions contemplated hereunder has obtained sufficient and necessary internal authorization. This Agreement will become legally binding on the Investor once executed.

 

8.4 Any shareholder, partner, equity owner or investor who directly holds the equity, assets or interests of the Investor are all natural persons of Chinese nationality, or legal persons or limited partnerships lawfully established and existing within the PRC.

 

8.5 The fund source for payment of the Subscription Price by the Investor is lawful, and the Investor warrants it will pay the funds for this Subscription in accordance with the terms and conditions and methods as stipulated in this Agreement.

 

8.6 Except for circumstances known by the Company, the funds used by the Investor to pay the Subscription Price of this Subscription are disposable funds available at home, and there are no funds from abroad; there are no foreign funds or entities who owns control of or is otherwise affiliated with the Investor or the funds used by such Investor as contribution through any structural arrangement; and the funds used by the Investor for payment of the Subscription Price of this Subscription do not contain any fund directly or indirectly from any trust, public offering products, asset management scheme or financing products.

 

8.7 None of the status of the Investor will have adverse effect upon the future listing plan of the Company or application for/updating of business permits by the Company. Without prejudice to the application of clause on default of this Agreement, it is further stated that, if, prior to the Company’s Qualified IPO as stipulated in Article 10 hereof, any status (including but not limited to the number of entities who directly or indirectly own any interests of the Investor) of any Investor is judged, whether orally or in writing, by China Securities Regulatory Commission or other regulatory authority as in breach of any relevant regulations, such Investor shall, within the reasonable time period specified by Suqian Limao, solve such defects in a reasonable manner acceptable to the relevant regulatory authority. If such Investor fails to solve the defects within the above-mentioned time period and thus causes Material Adverse Effect to the Company’s listing plan or business license, then such Investor shall, within the reasonable time period specified by Suqian Limao, transfer the equity held by such Investor in the Company to a qualified entity accepted by Suqian Limao, otherwise Suqian Limao has the right to require such Investor to transfer its equity and compensate the Company and other shareholders for any loss arising therefrom.

 

8.8 Unless Suqian Limao gives consent, prior to the Qualified IPO of the Company as stipulated in Article 10 hereof, the Investor may not transfer its equity to those competitors of JD.com, Inc. or JD Finance or companies whose business is in competition against JD.com, Inc. or JD Finance as at the time when such equity transfer plan is implemented. At present, the term “competitors” used herein refer to those companies that engage in e-commerce, logistics, retail, O2O and carry out financial service through Internet as main medium and take such service as primary business, including but not limited to Ant Financial, PING AN INSURANCE (GROUP) COMPANY OF CHINA ,LTD., SUNING COMMERCE GROUP CO., LTD. , Baidu, Amazon and their respective affiliates. The board of directors of the Company has the right to adjust the definition of the term “Competitor” once every year.

 

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Article 9        Corporate Governance After This Subscription

 

9.1 After the completion of this Subscription, the Company shall continue its operation in accordance with the Company Law and the bylaws of the Company, and bring into full play the functions of the shareholders’ meeting, the board of directors, and the supervisory board or supervisors.

 

9.2 After the completion of this Subscription, the board of directors of the Company will consist of seven members, of whom two are to be elected from the candidates nominated by Sequoia and Harvest; in addition, Taiping has the right to nominate one observer to the board of directors and such observer may attend the board meeting without having voting right or any other right of a director.

 

Suqian Limao may, based on the actual needs of the Company, decide to increase the total number of the board of directors from time to time, but if the total number of the board of directors exceeds 14, then any further increase has to obtain the consent of the Investors who hold more than half of the total equity interest held by the Investors in this Subscription. For the avoidance of doubts, if none of the Investors has right to nominate director under this Agreement, the relevant restrictions made in this Article will be canceled.

 

9.3 If, in the period from the completion of this Subscription to the completion of Qualified IPO of the Company, the Company intends to carry out the following matters, in addition to the approval of the board of directors, the Company shall also obtain the consent of the Investors who hold more than a half of the total equity interest held by the Investors in this Subscription:

 

(1) any amendment to the bylaws of the Company (except change of registered address and enlargement of business scope);

 

(2) equity financing at a price lower than the Post-Investment Valuation after this Subscription in order to increase the registered capital of the Company;

 

(3) decrease of the registered capital of the Company;

 

(4) merger, split or dissolution of the Company;

 

(5) change of the corporate form of the Company (except for the shareholding reform for the purpose of listing);

 

(6) reduction of the business scope of the Company;

 

(7) replacement of the directors nominated by the Investors under Article 9.2 hereof, unless otherwise stipulated herein.

 

Those matters other than the above-mentioned matters subject to examination and adoption by the shareholders’ meeting shall be approved by those shareholders representing more than half of the voting rights.

 

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9.4 If, from the period of the completion of this Subscription to the completion of Qualified IPO of the Company, the Company (or JD Finance Group, in the cases of the following (2), (3), (5), (6) and (7)) intends to carry out the following matters , in addition to the approval thereof by the board of directors of the Company, the Company shall also obtain the consent of at least one of the directors nominated by the Investors under Article 9.2 hereof (those matters that require further approval by shareholders’ meeting under the bylaws of the Company or the laws of the PRC shall also be approved by the shareholders’ meeting in accordance with such bylaws or laws of the PRC), provided that if none of the Investors has right to nominate a director under this Agreement, the relevant restrictions made in this Article shall be canceled:

 

(1) formulation of any equity incentive plans that may cause the change of ownership structure of the Company (except for the equity incentive plan that is capped by the total volume of shares held by Suqian Dongtai immediately preceding the Closing and carried out using Suqian Dongtai as the platform);

 

(2) entering into any new affiliate transaction between JD Finance Group and the Company’s directors, senior management officers or its affiliates (when JD.com, Inc. is involved, the following paragraph shall govern) whose single or accumulated value within any one fiscal year exceeds RMB1 million , except the ones involved in existing affiliate transaction and existing business model;

 

(3) entering into any new affiliate transaction between JD Finance Group and JD.com, Inc or its affiliates whose single or accumulated value within any one fiscal year reaches or exceeds a certain threshold amount , except the ones involved in existing affiliate transaction and existing business model; for the purpose of this paragraph, the threshold amount for the affiliate transaction between JD Finance Group and its natural person affiliate is RMB1 million, and that for the affiliate transaction between JD Finance Group and JD.com, Inc and their affiliates other than natural person is RMB100 million;

 

(4) appointment or dismissal of the accounting firm providing the Company with annual audit services;

 

(5) sale, transfer, license, pledge or other disposal of the patents, trademark, copyright or other intellectual property rights of JD Finance Group, except those involved in the existing business model;

 

(6) issuance of corporate bond by any one entity of the JD Finance Group.

 

(7) external guarantee incurring single or accumulated amount of more than RMB10 million by any entity of JD Finance Group within any one fiscal year (except those entities with guarantee providing as their primary business and the guarantees provided by such entities).

 

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If the prices of the existing affiliate transactions fluctuate by 5% or more or the term of the contracts is extended or shortened by one year or more, the Company must notify the directors nominated by the Investors in advance; if all the directors nominated by Investors give response and raise objection in writing within three Business Days, then the Company must modify the proposed clauses of affiliate transactions.

 

Those matters subject to examination by the board of directors except the above-mentioned shall be adopted by approval of more than a half of the directors.

 

Article 10                             Arrangement for Rights and Obligations after Closing of This Subscription

 

10.1 Suqian Limao and the Company warrant that they will carry out or continue to carry out the restructuring of the Company after the Closing so as to transfer the business, assets and related entities attributable to the Company to the Company and the subsidiaries of the Company from JD.com, Inc. The specific arrangement for restructuring (the “Post-closing Restructuring”) is set forth in Annex III attached hereto.

 

10.2 Suqian Limao warrants that it will do its utmost to materialize the separate listing of the Company. If, within 60 months of the Closing of this Subscription, (1) the Company fails to materialize Qualified IPO, or (2) the Qualified IPO of the Company is materially prevented as a result of Major illegal action, violations, Major failure in business licensing, cancellation of the Company or other reasons that renders it impossible to make remedy (except such reasons that are attributable to the Investors), or (3) the actual control of the Company changes, then the Investors are entitled to require Suqian Limao to repurchase the equity held by the Investors in the Company at the following prices within 180 days from the date on which the Investors raise their request in writing:

 

Repurchase price = Subscription Price of this Subscription paid by the Investors + proceeds calculated at 8% of the annual compound rate of return on investment.

 

If Suqian Limao fails to pay the above repurchase price to the Investors in full amount within the 180-day period, it shall pay the late fee at the rate of 0.05% of the repurchase price for every day of delay for the period till the overdue repurchase price and late fee are paid up in full amount (for the avoidance of doubts, the late fee itself will not be subject to any late penalty.)

 

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For the avoidance of any doubt, under this Article 10.2, (1) except for Suqian Limao and JD Finance, none of the enterprises controlled by JD.com, Inc. will bear any obligation to provide financing or any other responsibility for the obligation of Suqian Limao stipulated in Article 10.2 to repurchase the equity; (2) Suqian Limao shall take necessary measures provided below in this Article, and the other shareholders of the Company except Suqian Limao (furthermore, if JD Finance absorbs other shareholders in future, and such shareholders obtain equity in JD Finance by subscribing capital increase or acquiring equity from Suqian Limao or Suqian Dongtai, then Suqian Limao is under obligation to cause such shareholders to agree to bear such obligations; if such shareholders obtain equity in JD Finance by acquiring equity from the Investors, then the relevant transferring Investors are under obligation to cause such shareholders to agree to bear such obligation) are all under obligation to immediately support Suqian Limao in transferring their equity interest in the Company or with respect to the orders made to JD Finance for purposes of performing its obligations of repurchase stipulated in Article 10.2 by , and JD Finance shall take all feasible measures to the extent allowed by the law to provide assistance including but not limited to providing Suqian Limao with loans, selling the financial business interest or equity, equity in subsidiary companies or other valuable assets held by JD Finance, and making debt financing. Neither Suqian Limao nor JD Finance will be held responsible for any losses incurred as a result of the failure of Suqian Limao to fail to perform its obligations of repurchase as scheduled due to the failure of the other shareholders of the Company to support such orders; (3) JD Finance and the Investors agree that JD Finance may not initiatively recover any liabilities incurred by Suqian Limao toward JD Finance as a result of the performance of the repurchase obligation stipulated in this Article 10.2; (4) if, in order to reach the standards or conditions for listing of JD Finance on China’s domestic capital markets in future or for other reasons, Suqian Limao raise funds and execute definitive transaction documents at the level of Suqian Limao for the purpose of removing the VIE structure between Suqian Limao and JD.com, Inc. and thereby obtain relevant funds (the purpose of such funds include, without limitation, removal of the VIE structure, and such funds are hereinafter referred to as “VIE Removal-related Funds”), then the Investors agree that: (i) if such VIE Removal-related Funds have not been paid to JD.com, Inc. or injected to JD Finance Group, Suqian Limao does not have to use such funds to fulfill the request for repurchase raised by the Investors; (ii) after the Investors raise their claim for repurchase, if Suqian Limao raises funds for repurchase price by selling its equity held in the Company and Suqian Limao has other external shareholders besides JD.com, Inc. or its affiliates in accordance with the above-mentioned definitive documents, then Suqian Limao does not have to transfer the equity attributable to such external shareholders to fulfill the request for repurchase raised by the Investors. For the avoidance of any doubt, if JD.com, Inc. and its affiliates hold A% equity interest in Suqian Limao, and Suqian Limao holds B% equity interest in the Company, then the equity attributable to such external shareholders under foregoing provisions means the (100-A) %*B% equity interest in the Company. However, the request for repurchase made in writing by the Investors before the Company executes the definitive documents for VIE structure removal is not subject to the foregoing restrictions.

 

The term “Qualified IPO” mentioned in this Article refers to the IPO and listing or reverse merger of shares on a domestic or foreign capital market approved by the board of directors of the Company, and after such IPO and listing or reverse merger, the total market value of the Company shall not be less than RMB93 billion.

 

If China Securities Regulatory Commission or other related securities regulatory authority officially announces suspension of or, although it does not announce officially yet actually suspends the examination and approval/registration of the IPO and listing of shares on Shanghai Stock Exchange, then the duration of such suspension will not be calculated into the relevant periods (such as 60-month period) mentioned in this Article 10.2; but even in such circumstances, the deadline for Qualified IPO shall not be later than 84 months from the Closing of this Subscription.

 

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If the listing is delayed for reasons attributable to the Investors (including but not limited to breach of the Representations and Warranties by the Investors listed in Article VIII of this Agreement), then the term mentioned above may be extended accordingly.

 

The rights owned by the Investors under this Article will terminate automatically on the date on which the Company submits the application documents for listing to securities regulatory authority. If the Company fails to pass the examination by the securities regulatory authority and thus fails to complete the IPO and listing of the shares for reasons as, the application documents for listing are not complete or contain fraudulent representation or unfaithful disclosure, the Company initiatively withdraws the application documents or abandons the application for listing, or the securities regulatory authority judges through examination that the Company fails to satisfy the conditions for listing or for other reasons,, the rights of the Investors under this Article shall be resumed on the date of occurrence of the above-mentioned circumstances.

 

10.3 If, after this Subscription, the Company carries out new equity financing using a valuation of the Company lower than the Post-Investment Valuation after this Subscription (except subscription for the Company’s equity at the pricing lower than the Post-Investment Valuation after this Subscription due to the option incentive plan for employees or subscription for increased registered capital with shares approved by the Investors) so as to increase the registered capital of the Company, then the Investors may require Suqian Limao to give equity compensation to the Investors in the methods allowed by the Laws so that: after such equity compensation, the average consideration paid by the Investors for all the equity in the Company held by them respectively is equal to the weighted average of the prior prices and subsequent financing issue prices, namely A=B*(C+D)/E.

 

A = average per share price after obtaining equity compensation for free

B = actual per share price before new offering

C = total number of shares of the Company before new offering

D = Total price for new offering/per share price before new offering

E = Total number of shares of the Company after new offering

 

The rights owned by the Investors under this Article will terminate automatically on the date on which the Company submits the application documents for listing to securities regulatory authority. If the Company fails to pass the examination by the securities regulatory authority and thus fails to complete the IPO and listing of the shares for reasons such as, the application documents for listing are not complete or contain fraudulent representation or unfaithful disclosure, the Company initiatively withdraws the application documents or abandons the application for listing, or the securities regulatory authority judges through examination that the Company fails to satisfy the conditions for listing or for other reasons,, the rights of the Investors under this Article shall be resumed on the date of occurrence of the above-mentioned circumstances.

 

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10.4 In the period from this Subscription to completion of the Qualified IPO of the Company, Suqian Limao may not transfer the equity held by it in the Company to any third party without the consent of the Investors who hold more than half of the total equity held by the Investors in this Subscription, but the foregoing sentence does not restrict the transfer of the equity in the Company by Suqian Limao to its Affiliates, provided that such transfer will neither affect the determination of the actual controll of the Company nor have adverse effect on the Qualified IPO of the Company.

 

10.5 If, in the period from this Subscription to completion of the Qualified IPO of the Company, the Company is to increase its registered capital, the Investors shall have the preemptive rights under the same terms and conditions under the Company Law.

 

10.6 If, in the period from this Subscription to completion of the Qualified Listing of the Company, Suqian Limao receives a real offer for acquisition from an entity other than the shareholders of Suqian Limao (exclusive of affiliates of Suqian Limao), then the Investors will have the right to sell their equity to such acquiring entity at the same prices and under the same conditions pro rata based on the percentage of the equity held by an Investors to the sum of the equity held by the shareholders intending to transfer and the shareholders with the co-sale right (the “Co-Sale Right”). If Suqian Limao sells its equity held in the Company in breach of the provisions on Co-Sale Right, the Investors will be entitled to sell to Suqian Limao the equity held by them that should have been sold to the above-mentioned acquiring entity under the Co-Sale Right at the same prices and under the same conditions, and Suqian Limao is under the obligation to acquire such equity.

 

10.7 In the period from this Subscription to completion of the Qualified Listing of the Company, if Sequoia, Harvest and Taiping each holds no less than 2% equity interest of the Company, the Company shall provide such Investors with the following documents; if any one of the above-mentioned three Investors holds less than 2% equity interest in the Company, the Company has no obligation to provide the following documents to the Investors, unless the Company agrees to do so:

 

(1) within 15 Business Days of the announcement by JD.com, Inc. of its annual report, provide the unaudited annual consolidated financial statements of the Company;

 

(2) within seven Business Days of the announcement by JD.com, Inc. of its quarterly report, provide the unaudited quarterly consolidated financial statements of the Company.

 

The financial statements shall be prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the PRC (PRC GAAP), Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States of America (US GAAP) or International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

 

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10.8 Suqian Limao shall cause JD.com, Inc. to perform its commitment made to the Investors as set forth in Annex IV (3), and for so long as JD.com, Inc./Suqian Limao is under direct or indirect control of the Company, JD.com, Inc./Suqian Limao may not engage in any business within the scope of the primary business of the Company or is otherwise in competition with the primary business of the Company, by way of holding controlling interest of, or via direct ownership of or indirect control of, any other business outside the Company, and in addition, JD.com, Inc./Suqian Limao shall make arrangement exclusively for the Company with respect to related business opportunities to the extent feasible. For the avoidance of any doubt, (1) the status immediately preceding the completion of the Post-closing Restructuring listed in Annex III attached hereto does not constitute a breach of non-compete obligation stipulated in this Article by JD.com, Inc; (2) “Fenqile” Business, Insurance Business or Bitauto Financial Business or companies dealing in such business are not under such obligation of non-compete. Insurance Business means any personal insurance (including but not limited to life insurance, health insurance, accident insurance), property insurance, reinsurance, pension, insurance supervision service and other insurance activities (including but not limited to risk and loss assessment, other activities related to or close to insurance and pension such as salvage management and insurance actuarial), in each case conducted in a lawful form and excludes insurance broker and agency business; (3) in case JD.com, Inc. and JD Finance reach an arrangement on related interests sharing/transfer with respect to the “lous business” within two years of the issue of such letter, the operation of “lous business” by JD.com, Inc. does not constitute a breach of the above-mentioned non-compete obligation; (4) in case a member of the group of JD.com, Inc. reaches an arrangement with JD Finance on related interests sharing/transfer with respect to consumer finance business within two years of obtaining such license, the application by such group member for consumer business license or related arrangement for holding the consumer finance license in future will not constitute a breach of the above-mentioned non-compete obligation by JD.com, Inc.

 

10.9 Within five years from the Closing Date of this Subscription, without the consent of Suqian Limao, no Investors may transfer the equity held by themselves respectively, except that : (1) the transfer is intended to exercise the repurchase right as stipulated in Article 10.2 hereof; or (2) the Investors may transfer their equity in the Company to their respective Affiliates who are under common control with the transferring Investor and none of the status of the acquiring entity will have Material Adverse Effect on the materialization of Qualified IPO of the Company; provided that the acquiring entity shall agree to comply with and be in conformity with the obligations and conditions of the Investors stipulated in Article 8.4, Article 8.6, Article 8.7, Article 8.8 and Article 10.2; the Investors may transfer their equity in the Company after five years of the Closing Date of this Subscription, provided that none of the status of the acquiring entity will have Material Adverse Effect on the materialization of Qualified IPO of the Company and the acquiring entity shall agree to comply with and be in conformity with the obligations and conditions of the Investors stipulated in Article 8.4, Article 8.6, Article 8.7, Article 8.8 and Article 10.2.

 

10.10 Under any circumstances, if the equity in the Company transferred by any one of the Investors exceeds 50% of the equity subscribed by such Investor in this Subscription, then such Investor will no longer have the right to nominate director and (or) observer or other rights as stipulated in Article 9.2, and neither such Investor nor the director nominated by the Investor will continue to have the rights stipulated in Article 9.3 and Article 9.4. For the avoidance of doubt, any such entity acquiring the equity from the above-mentioned Investors will not have the rights as the Investors stipulated in this Agreement (including but not limited to right to arrange directorship in the board of directors).

 

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10.11 If the Company further adjusts its ownership structure in the future (including but not limited to absorbing new investors) and Sequoia and Harvest are no longer the first and second largest shareholder respectively following Suqian Limao and Suqian Dongtai, then their respective rights to nominate director stipulated in Article 9.2 hereof will become null and void automatically, and the Company may restructure its board of directors at any time and replace the directors nominated by Sequoia and Harvest with other persons; if Taiping holds less than 2% equity interest, then its right to nominate observer in board of directors stipulated in Article 9.2 will become null and void automatically, unless otherwise agreed between Taiping and the Company.

 

10.12 Suqian Limao shall cause Mr. Liu Qiangdong (the actual controller of JD.com, Inc.,) to issue the Commitment Letter as listed in Annex V.

 

Article 11                             Amendment and Termination

 

11.1                        Any amendment and modification to this Agreement shall be decided by the Investors, Suqian Limao and Suqian Dongtai through separate negotiations and may become effective only after a written agreement is executed by all the Parties hereto in connection therewith.

 

11.2                        This Agreement may terminate:

 

(1)                      upon unanimous written consent of the Parties; or

(2)                      in accordance with relevant terms hereof.

 

11.3                        The further rights and obligations of the Parties shall cease forthwith together with the termination of this Agreement, without prejudice to the rights and obligations accrued by the Parties as of the date of termination, or the right to claim responsibilities against the breaching Party with respect to its breach prior to the termination.

 

11.4                        Articles 13 (Liabilities for Breach), 14 (Confidentiality), 15 (Expenses and Taxes), 16 (Governing Law and Dispute Resolution) and 17 (Miscellaneous) shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

Article 12                             Force Majeure

 

12.1                        Force Majeure refers to any event that is unforeseeable, unavoidable and insurmountable on the part of the Parties or a Party, including without limitation, earthquake, typhoon, fire, flood and similar act of God, strike, epidemic, civil disturbance, war, changes of current laws, regulations and policies.

 

12.2                        If a Party is prevented from performing any of its obligations hereunder due to an event of force majeure, a grace period shall be given to such Party taking into account the force majeure and any delay resulting therefrom. The Party claiming non-performance due to force majeure shall take appropriate steps to mitigate or eliminate the impact of such force majeure, and exercise efforts to resume as soon as practicable its performance of the obligation hereunder impeded by such event of force majeure. In the case of force majeure, no Party shall be liable for any damages, increased expenses or losses suffered by other Parties from the non-performance or any delay resulting from the force majeure.

 

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12.3                        The Party suffering from the force majeure shall, within fifteen (15) Business Days after the occurrence of the same, notify other Parties in writing to that effect, and provide effective documentation evidencing the occurrence and duration of the same.

 

12.4                        During the continuation of the force majeure, except for those aspects in which the performance hereunder is impossible, the Parties shall continue with their performance in each other aspect.

 

12.5                        If the force majeure continues for a period of more than six (6) months, the Parties shall negotiate to decide whether to modify this Agreement to reflect the impact of such force majeure on the performance hereunder, or to terminate this Agreement.

 

Article 13                             Liability for Breach

 

13.1                        The falsehood and untruthfulness of any representations or warranties herein by any Party, or failure of full and prompt performance of the same, or the non-performance of any Party of its covenants or duties shall all constitute breach of this Agreement on the part of that Party. The Party above in breach of this Agreement is referred to the “Defaulting Party.” The Defaulting Party shall bear, in addition to other duties set forth herein, the responsibility of compensating the non-Defaulting Party for any direct loss, damages, expenses (including without limited to, reasonable attorney s fees) and liabilities as a result of such breach, with the cap thereof not exceeding the value of this transaction, i.e. the subscription Price; provided that, if otherwise provided for in this Agreement, such provisions shall prevail. For the avoidance of doubt, in respect of Suqian Limao, the Company, and Suqian Dongtai taken as a whole, the cap of their liability for breach to each of the Investors (including the liability to compensate jointly and severally) shall not exceed the Subscription Price paid by such Investor, and the total liability for breach to the Investors shall not exceed the aggregate Subscription Price paid by such Investors.

 

13.2                        If the Investors fail to pay any Subscription Price due hereunder, Suqian Limao may, unilaterally or partially, terminate this Agreement (only to the extent of such Investors in breach).

 

13.3                        If Suqian Limao, Suqian Dongtai and/or the Company are in breach of the representations and warranties set forth in Article 7, they shall be held liable for such breach pursuant to the rule established in Article 13.1, except that the Investors agree to waive such breach if their direct loss incurring therefrom is less than RMB 1 million; and Suqian Limao, Suqian Dongtai and/or the Company shall be liable for the representations and warranties set forth in Article 7 only within thirty (30) months after the Closing.

 

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13.4                        As of the Balance Sheet Day, the contingent liabilities of JD Finance (if any) not reflected in the pro forma consolidated statement, upon the actual occurrence thereof, shall be borne by Suqian Limao; provided that, the Investors agree to release Suqian Limao from such liability if the contingent liability actually occurred is less than RMB 30 million.

 

13.5                        For the avoidance of doubt, the Parties are to fulfill the duties and to be held liable respectively, and except otherwise specified herein, no Party will take any joint liabilities for the duties or obligations of other Parties.

 

13.6                        Without prejudice to the remainder of this Article 13, if any Party fails to fulfill any of its obligations hereunder, the other Parties are entitled to, in addition to any other rights and remedies available hereunder, require of the specific performance by the Defaulting Party. If Suqian Limao has fulfilled its obligation of repurchase in accordance with Article 10.2 hereof, the Investors agree that Suqian Limao, the Company and Suqian Dongtai shall be released from any other obligations and liabilities hereunder(including without limitation, any liability for breach under Article 13) and under applicable laws and regulations; and to the extent that Suqian Limao or Suqian Dongtai has satisfied any such liability by making payment (whether in the form of indemnity, damages or otherwise), the Investor shall refund the same and all the amounts related thereto.

 

Article 14                             Confidentiality

 

14.1                        All the provisions hereof as well as the information received as a result thereof relating to the business and affairs of the other Parties shall all constitute confidential information (hereinafter referred to as the Confidential Information ). The Parties shall keep secret of such information, may not use the same for any other purpose other than this Subscription, and shall not disclose the Confidential Information to any Third Party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Parties may, for the purpose of this Agreement, disclose such information to its employees, directors, managerial staff, consultants, agents, shareholders, investors, limited partners or other relevant personnel and/or entities, provided that, the Parties shall take reasonable measures to ensure any of such personnel are aware of the confidentiality of the information and agree to fulfill the obligations of confidentiality in accordance with this Agreement.

 

14.2                        The obligation of confidentiality under Article 14 does not apply to such information as is (1) known to the public(other than as a result of a breach of the confidentiality clause hereunder);  (2) in the lawful possession of the receiving Party prior to its disclosure by the disclosing Party; (3) independently developed by the receiving Party; (4) known to or obtained by the receiving Party from a Third Party that is not bound by the duty of confidentiality; (5) permitted in writing by the disclosing Party for disclosure of the receiving Party; (6) disclosed to relevant government authorities for the purpose of restructuring, operation, application for listing, or pursuant to mandatory requirement from government authorities; and (7) necessary to be disclosed under the laws or listing rules.

 

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14.3                        Without the written consent of the other Parties regarding the form, content and manner of any news report, public announcement or information publishing (such consent may not be unreasonably withheld), no party (inclusive of its actual controller) shall make the same in respect of this Agreement and this Subscription.

 

14.4                        Should this Subscription fail for whatever reason, the Parties shall remain responsible for the confidentiality, and may not divulge any information relating to the other Parties that come to their knowledge in this Subscription.

 

14.5                        In respect of any Investor in breach of the duty of confidentiality under this Article 14, Suqian Limao and the Company are entitled to cancel all of its rights hereunder (i.e. to terminate this Agreement with such Investor) and claim against it for the losses incurred by the Company and other Investors.

 

Article 15                             Expenses and Taxes

 

14.6                        Except as otherwise provided herein, each of the Parties shall bear all of its own expenses (including without limitation, expenses relating to financial counseling, audit, legal affairs and commercial investigations) incurred for the negotiations and implementation of such final agreements as this Agreement and this Subscription.

 

14.7                        The Parties shall each responsible for paying any Taxes which could be payable in connection with the execution in accordance herewith of this Subscription or other relevant arrangement made hereunder.

 

Article 16                             Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

 

16.1                        The conclusion, validity, construction, performance and dispute resolution of this Agreement shall be governed by, and interpreted in accordance with the PRC laws.

 

16.2                        The Parties agree to resolve any dispute or divergence arising out of or relating to this Agreement through amicable negotiation.  If such dispute fails to be resolved within thirty(30) days after the delivery by a Party of such notice demanding negotiation, such Party may submit the dispute to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Committee ( CIETAC ) for arbitration conducted in Beijing in accordance with its then-effective rules.

 

34



 

16.3                        The arbitration tribunal shall constitute of three arbitrators. The applicant for arbitration will appoint one arbitrator, and the respondent to arbitration will appoint the Second arbitrator. The third arbitrator will be appointed jointly by the applicant and the respondent. If no consensus has been reached in respect of the third arbitrator s appointment, the chairman of CIETAC will appoint such third arbitrator, who shall be the chief arbitrator.  The arbitration is to be conducted in Chinese. The arbitration award is final and binding upon the Parties.

 

16.4                        While settling the dispute pursuant to Article 16, except the matters in dispute, the Parties shall continue the performance of its obligations hereunder.

 

Article 17                             Miscellaneous

 

17.1                        Special Right to Amend

 

The Parties agreed that, if all the rights of any of the Investors under this Agreement are canceled or this Agreement is terminated only against such Investor due to such Investor s breach of relevant provisions hereof,  this Agreement will remain in force among other Investors, Suqian Limao, Suqian Dongtai and the Company; further, the Company is entitled to and shall modify such terms as changed due to above-mentioned matters (including, but not limited to the number of shareholders, name of the shareholder, total amount of registered capital and shareholding percentage), provided that, such modification or amendment shall not substantially impair the rights of any of the Parties (other than the Investor whose rights hereunder have been canceled or against whom this Agreement has been terminated). For the avoidance of doubt, any rise or fall in the shareholding percentage due to change in total amount of registered capital shall not be deemed as substantial impairment of right.

 

17.2                        Participation in Investment

 

The Parties agree that, within 10 Business Days following the date of this Agreement, Suqian Limao, Suqian Dongtai and the Company are entitled to enter into agreement with other investors other than those hereunder in the form of Joinder Letter for Investment or other similar instrument so as to enable the other investors accession to this Agreement pari passu with the Investors hereunder; in furtherance of the foregoing, the Company has the right to modify the provisions hereof as changed due to above-mentioned matters (including, but not limited to the number of shareholders, the name of the shareholder, the total registered capital and the equity ratio), provided that, such modification or amendment shall not substantially impair the rights of any of the Parties and the total investment of the Investors shall not exceed the amount of RMB 6.65 billion. For the avoidance of doubt, any rise or fall in the shareholding percentage due to change in total amount of registered capital shall not be deemed as substantial impairment of right.

 

35



 

17.3                        No Waiver

 

No failure or delay of a Party in exercising any of its rights, powers or privileges shall constitute a waiver of the same. No single or partial exercise of any right, power or privilege shall preclude subsequent exercise of the same.

 

17.4                        Entire Agreement

 

(1)                                  For any matters uncovered herein (if any), the Parties shall sign a supplementary agreement on the basis of negotiation. A supplementary agreement is equally effective and enforceable as this Agreement.

 

(2)                                  This Agreement prevails over all discussions, negotiations, express of intent or relevant understandings between the Parties prior to the date hereof. All the documents, commitments and agreements entered into with respect to the subject matter of this agreement prior to the date hereof, whether in oral or written or otherwise, are hereby cancelled and do not affect any provision hereof.

 

17.5                        Notices

 

Any notice given hereunder by one party to the other Parties will be deemed as well served only if it is delivered in person, by registered mail, postage prepaid, or by fax to the address or fax number specified herein or such other address or fax number as may be notified from time to time for the purpose of notification to the other Parties. A notice becomes effective, if delivered in person, at the time of delivery, if sent by fax, at the time of transmission, and if by prepaid registered mail, 48 hours after it is put in post.  The following is sufficient to evidence the service of notice: if delivered in person or by prepaid registered mail, when it is properly addressed and duly delivered or put to post (as the case may be): if by tax, upon the fax machine sending the notice confirming the receipt thereof.

 

 

36



 

17.6                        Validity

 

The validity of this Agreement is superior to the Articles of Association of the Company. If there is any discrepancy between the Articles of Association and this Agreement, this Agreement shall prevail.

 

17.7                        Severability

 

Invalidity of any provision hereof shall not affect the validity of other provisions, except that such invalidity would cause material adverse effect on the other Parties’ interests hereunder, in which case, the aggrieved Party may make adjustment pursuant to this Agreement.

 

17.8                        Version of Business Registration

 

Subject to the actual needs for business registration and the provisions hereof, the Parties may otherwise entered into a compact version of this Subscription Agreement (hereinafter referred to as “Version for Business Registration”) for the convenience of the change registration. The validity of this Agreement is superior to the Version for Business Registration, and in case of any inconformity of the Version for Business Registration with this Agreement, this Agreement shall prevail.

 

37



 

17.9                        Effectivenss

 

This Agreement becomes effective as of the date when the Parties has signed and sealed hereunto.

 

17.10                 Counterparts

 

This Agreement is made in twenty copies, with each of the Parties holding one and all having the same legal effect and force.

 

(Remainder of this Page Intentionally left blank)

 

38



 

(This page contains no body text and is the signature page of this Agreement)

 

Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co, Ltd.

(seal)

 

Company seal:

/s/ Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co, Ltd.

 

Legal or authorized representative (signature):

 

/s/ Authorized signatory

 



 

(This page contains no body text and is the signature page of this Agreement)

 

Suqian Dongtai Jinrong Investment Management Center (Limited Partnership)

(seal)

 

Company seal:

/s/ Suqian Dongtai Jinrong Investment Management Center (Limited Partnership)

 

Executive partner or authorized representative (signature):

 

/s/ Authorized signatory

 



 

(This page contains no body text and is the signature page of this Agreement)

 

Beijing Sequoia Hongde Equity Investment Center (Limited Partnership)

(seal)

 

Company seal:

/s/ Beijing Sequoia Hongde Equity Investment Center (Limited Partnership)

 

Executive partner or authorized representative (signature):

 

/s/ Authorized signatory

 



 

(This page contains no body text and is the signature page of this Agreement)

 

Beijing Harvest Yuanrui Investment Center (Limited Partnership)

(seal)

 

Company seal:

/s/ Beijing Harvest Yuanrui Investment Center (Limited Partnership)

 

Executive partner or authorized representative (signature):

 

/s/ Authorized signatory

 



 

(This page contains no body text and is the signature page of this Agreement)

 

Suzhou Taiping Jingchuang Investment Management Enterprise (Limited Partnership)

(seal)

 

Company seal:

/s/ Suzhou Taiping Jingchuang Investment Management Enterprise (Limited Partnership)

 

Executive partner or authorized representative (signature):

 

/s/ Authorized signatory

 



 

(This page contains no body text and is the signature page of this Agreement)

 

Beijing Rongzhi Huineng Investment Management Center (Limited Partnership)

(seal)

 

Company seal:

/s/ Beijing Rongzhi Huineng Investment Management Center (Limited Partnership)

 

Executive partner or authorized representative (signature):

 

/s/ Authorized signatory

 



 

(This page contains no body text and is the signature page of this Agreement)

 

Shanghai Huasheng Lingfei Equity Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership)

(seal)

 

Company seal:

/s/ Shanghai Huasheng Lingfei Equity Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership)

 

Executive partner or authorized representative (signature):

 

/s/ Authorized signatory

 



 

(This page contains no body text and is the signature page of this Agreement)

 

Shenzhen Tiantu Investment Management Co., Ltd.

(seal)

 

Company seal:

/s/ Shenzhen Tiantu Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Legal or authorized representative (signature):

 

 



 

(This page contains no body text and is the signature page of this Agreement)

 

Ningbo Xinyue Kangrong Equity Investment Fund Partnership (Limited Partnership)

(seal)

 

Company seal:

/s/ Ningbo Xinyue Kangrong Equity Investment Fund Partnership (Limited Partnership)

 

Executive partner or authorized representative (signature):

 

/s/ Authorized signatory

 



 

(This page contains no body text and is the signature page of this Agreement)

 

Harbin Hengshi Dacheng Technology Co., Ltd.

(seal)

 

Company seal:

/s/ Harbin Hengshi Dacheng Technology Co., Ltd.

 

 

Legal or authorized representative (signature):

 

/s/ Authorized signatory

 



 

(This page contains no body text and is the signature page of this Agreement)

 

Beijing Kuaile Weiyun Investment Co., Ltd.

(seal)

 

Company seal:

/s/ Beijing Kuaile Weiyun Investment Co., Ltd.

 

Legal or authorized representative (signature):

 

/s/ Authorized signatory

 



 

(This page contains no body text and is the signature page of this Agreement)

 

Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd.

(seal)

 

Company seal:

/s/ Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Legal or authorized representative (signature):

 

/s/ Authorized signatory

 


Exhibit 4.31

 

Letter of Commitment

 

on

 

Investment in Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

This Letter of Commitment on Investment in Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd. (hereinafter this “ Letter ”) is concluded in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter the “ PRC ”, which for purposes hereof shall exclude Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan) on January 11, 2016, by and among:

 

Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “ Suqian Limao ”), a limited liability company registered in accordance with PRC laws;

 

Suqian Dongtai Jinrong Investment Management Center (Limited Partnership) (hereinafter “ Suqian Dongtai ”), a limited partnership registered in accordance with PRC laws;

 

Shanghai Chuangji Investment (Limited Partnership) , a limited partnership registered in accordance with PRC laws (hereinafter “ Chuangji ”);

 

Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd. , a limited liability company registered in accordance with PRC laws (hereinafter the “ Company ”).

 

WHEREAS:

 

(1) Suqian Limao, Suqian Dongtai, Beijing Sequoia Hongde Equity Investment Center (Limited Partnership), Beijing Harvest Yuanrui Investment Center (Limited Partnership), Suzhou Taiping Jingchuang Investment Management Enterprise (Limited Partnership), Beijing Rongzhi Huineng Investment Management Center (Limited Partnership), Shanghai Huasheng Lingfei Equity Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership), Shenzhen Tiantu Investment Management Co., Ltd., Ningbo Xinyue Kangrong Equity Investment Fund Partnership (Limited Partnership), Harbin Hengshi Dacheng Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing Kuaile Wuiyun Investment Co., Ltd. (hereinafter collectively referred to as “ Investors under Subscription Agreement ”) and the Company concluded the Subscription Agreement of Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd. (hereinafter the “ Subscription Agreement ”) on January 8, 2016. In accordance with Subscription Agreement, the Investors under the Subscription Agreement intend to subscribe for the newly increased RMB 31 million registered capital of the Company with a consideration of RMB 6.2 billion.

 



 

(2) Chuangji intends to participate in the subscription for the newly increased registered capital of the Company under the same commercial conditions as offered to the Investors under the Subscription Agreement and Suqian Limao, Suqian Dongtai and the Company agree to admit Chuangji as investor of the Company subject to the same commercial conditions as offered to the Investors under the Subscription Agreement.

 

Based on the principle of equality and mutual benefits, the Parties reach the following agreement through friendly negotiation:

 

1. The Parties agree that Chuangji will subscribe for RMB 1 million of the Company’s newly increased registered capital at the price of RMB 200 million (of which, RMB 1 million to be included as registered capital, and RMB 199 million to be included as capital reserve). The shareholding proportion of Chuangji in the Company will be calculated on the basis of the final total amount of the Company’s registered capital.

 

2. The Parties agree that the execution of this Letter by Chuangji shall be irrevocably deemed as its acceptance of the provisions of the Subscription Agreement and such provisions are valid and binding on it; it is obligated to abide by various requirements of the Subscription Agreement on the Investors (no matter whether such requirements are expressed in the form of representation, warranty by the Investors or otherwise); it is entitled to all rights of the Investors under the Subscription Agreement (except those which exclusively belong to specific Investors), and it shall undertake all obligations of the Investors under the Subscription Agreement.

 

3. Pursuant to Article 17.5 of the Subscription Agreement, the contact information of Chuangji is as follows:

 



 

4. This Letter shall become effective upon the seals and signatures by the Parties hereto.

 

5. This Letter is made in quadruplicate, with each Party holding one and all having the same legal effect and force.

 

(Remainder of this page is intentionally left blank)

 



 

(This page contains no body text and is the signature page of this Letter)

 

Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

(seal)

 

Company seal:

/s/ Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co, Ltd.

 

Legal or authorized representative (signature)

 

/s/ Authorized signatory

 



 

(This page contains no body text and is the signature page of this Letter)

 

Suqian Dongtai Jinrong Investment Management Center (Limited Partnership)

 

(seal)

 

Company seal:

/s/ Suqian Dongtai Jinrong Investment Management Center (Limited Partnership)

 

Executive partner or authorized representative (signature)

 

/s/ Authorized signatory

 



 

(This page contains no body text and is the signature page of this Letter)

 

Shanghai Chuangji Investment (Limited Partnership)

 

(seal)

 

Company seal:

/s/ Shanghai Chuangji Investment (Limited Partnership)

 

Executive partner or authorized representative (signature)

 

/s/ Authorized signatory

 



 

(This page contains no body text and is the signature page of this Letter)

 

Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

(seal)

 

Company seal:

/s/ Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Legal or authorized representative (signature)

 

/s/ Authorized signatory

 



 

Schedule A

 

The following schedule sets forth all other similar letters of commitment entered for Investment in Beijing Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd. Other than the information set forth below, there is no material difference between such other letters and this exhibit.

 

Executing Parties

 

Subscription Amount

 

Execution
Date

Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co., Ltd.;

 

Suqian Dongtai Jinrong Investment Management Center (Limited Partnership);

 

Shanghai Duofangbusifeng Investment (Limited Partnership), a limited partnership registered in accordance with PRC laws;

 

Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Article 1
The Parties agree that Shanghai Duofangbusifeng Investment (Limited Partnership) will subscribe for RMB 250,000 of the Company’s newly increased registered capital at the price of RMB 50 million (of which, RMB 250,000 to be included as registered capital, and RMB 49,750,000 to be included as capital reserve).

 

January 12, 2016

 

 

 

 

 

Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co., Ltd.;

 

Suqian Dongtai Jinrong Investment Management Center (Limited Partnership);

 

Zhe Wei, PRC citizen;

 

Beijing Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Article 1
The Parties agree that Zhe Wei will subscribe for RMB 250,000 of the Company’s newly increased registered capital at the price of RMB 50 million (of which, RMB 250,000 to be included as registered capital, and RMB 49,750,000 to be included as capital reserve).

 

January 11, 2016

 



 

Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co., Ltd.;

 

Suqian Dongtai Jinrong Investment Management Center (Limited Partnership);

 

Tianjin Yuebo Investment Consulting Co., Ltd., a limited liability company registered in accordance with PRC laws;

 

Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

Article 1
The Parties agree that Tianjin Yuebo Investment Consulting Co., Ltd. will subscribe for RMB 750,000 of the Company’s newly increased registered capital at the price of RMB 150 million (of which, RMB 750,000 to be included as registered capital, and RMB 149,250,000 to be included as capital reserve).

 

January 8, 2016

 


Exhibit 4.32

 

SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT

 

THIS SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”) is made and entered into on April 15, 2016, by and among:

 

(1)                                  Dada Nexus Limited, an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands with limited liability (the “ Company ”), whose registered office is located at Suite #4-210, Governors Square, 23 Lime Tree Bay Avenue, P.O. Box 32311, Grand Cayman KY1-1209, the Cayman Islands;

 

(2)                                  Alpha Lake Limited, a company incorporated under the Laws of the British Virgin Islands (the “ BVI Subsidiary ”), whose registered office is located at Start Chambers, Wickham’s Cay II, P.O. Box 2221, Road Town, Tortola, the British Virgin Islands;

 

(3)                                  Dada Wisdom (HK) Limited ( 達智 ( 香港 ) 有限公司 ), a company limited by shares incorporated under the Laws of Hong Kong (the “ HK Subsidiary ”), whose registered office is located at Room C, 21F, CMA Building, No.64 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong;

 

(4)                                  Dada Glory Network Technology Ltd. ( 达疆网络科技 ( 上海 ) 有限公司 ), a limited liability company established under the Laws of the PRC (the “ WFOE ”), whose registered address is located at Room 336, Part 2-3F, Huadu Building, 828-838, Zhangyang Road, Pudong District, Shanghai, the PRC;

 

(5)                                  Shanghai Qusheng Internet Technology Co., Ltd. ( 上海趣盛网络科技有限公司 ), a limited liability company established under the Laws of the PRC (the “ Domestic Company ”), whose registered address is located at Floor 6C, 1036, Pudong South Road, China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone;

 

(6)                                  Shanghai Darong Express Delivery Co., Ltd. ( 上海达融速运有限公司 ), a limited liability company established under the Laws of the PRC (the “ Domestic Subsidiary ”), whose legal address is located at Room 106, Building 3, 1157 Kangqiao Road, Pudong District, Shanghai, the PRC;

 

(7)                                  The individual and his holding company listed in Schedule I attached hereto (the “ Principal ” and the “ Principal HoldCo ”);

 

(8)                                  JD Sunflower Investment Limited, a company incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands (the “ Investor ”); and

 

(9)                                  JD.com, Inc., a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands (“ JD ”).

 

Each of the parties to this Agreement is referred to herein individually as a “ Party ” and collectively as the “ Parties ”.

 

RECITALS

 

(A)                                The Company holds one hundred percent (100%) of the issued and outstanding shares in the HK Subsidiary which holds one hundred percent (100%) equity interest of the WFOE. The WFOE, in turn, Controls the Domestic Company, who established and holds one hundred percent (100%) equity interest of the Domestic Subsidiary. The Company also holds one hundred percent (100%) of the issued and outstanding shares in the BVI Subsidiary.

 



 

(B)                                The Group is currently engaged in the business of providing (i) crowd-sourced delivery services, (ii) online-to-offline platform services through which the platform users may post or take pickup and delivery orders, and (iii) two-hour express delivery services, and certain ancillary business in connection with the foregoing business (including, without limitation, sale of goods and services to freelance couriers) in the PRC (collectively, the “ Dada Business ”).

 

(C)                                JD.com, Inc., an Affiliate of the Investor, is the direct or indirect owner of, or directly or indirectly controls, the Daojia Group Companies (as defined below), which are currently engaged in the business (the “ Daojia Business ”) of JD Daojia ( 京东到家 , as defined in the Business Cooperation Agreement (as defined below)) .

 

(D)                                The Company wishes to cause one or more of the Group Companies (as defined below) to purchase from one or more of the Affiliates of the Investor, the whole equity interests of each Transferred Company (as defined below).

 

(E)                                The Company and the Investor wish to enter into the Business Cooperation Agreement pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions of this Agreement.

 

(F)                                 The Company wishes to issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor wishes to purchase from the Company, 286,832,885 Ordinary Shares (the “ JD Ordinary Shares ”) pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions of this Agreement.

 

(G)                               Additionally, the Investor wishes to invest in the Company by subscribing for 46,743,137 Series E-1 Preferred Shares (the “ JD Preferred Shares ”, together with the JD Ordinary Shares, the “ JD Target Shares ”) pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions of this Agreement, and the Company wishes to issue and sell such JD Preferred Shares to the Investor pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions of this Agreement.

 

(H)                               The Parties desire to enter into this Agreement and make the respective representations, warranties, undertakings and agreements set forth herein.

 

WITNESSETH

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing recitals, the mutual promises hereinafter set forth, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties intending to be legally bound hereby agree as follows:

 

1.                                       Definitions.

 

1.1                                The following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them below:

 

Accounting Standards ” means, with respect to a corporation or organization established in the PRC, the generally accepted accounting principles in the PRC, and with respect to a corporation or organization established outside the PRC, the generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, as applied on a consistent basis.

 

Action ” means any charge, claim, action, complaint, petition, investigation, appeal, suit, litigation, grievance, inquiry or other proceeding, whether administrative, civil, regulatory or criminal, whether at law or in equity, or otherwise under any applicable Law, and whether or not before any mediator, arbitrator or Governmental Authority.

 

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Affiliate ” with respect to any individual, corporation, partnership, association, trust, or any other entity (in each case, a “ Person ”), any Person which, directly or indirectly, controls, is Controlled by or is under common Control with such Person, including, without limitation any member, general partner, officer or director of such Person and any venture capital fund now or hereafter existing which is controlled by or under common control with one or more general partners or shares the same management company with such Person.

 

Ancillary Agreements ” means, collectively, the Fourth Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement, the Fourth Amended and Restated Right of First Refusal & Co-Sale Agreement, and the Fourth Amended and Restated Share Restriction Agreements.

 

Associate ” means, with respect to any Person, (1) a corporation or organization (other than the Group Companies or the Daojia Group Companies, as applicable) of which such Person is an officer or partner or is, directly or indirectly, the record or beneficial owner of five (5) percent or more of the outstanding Equity Securities of such corporation or organization (on a fully diluted and as converted basis), (2) any trust or other estate in which such Person has a substantial beneficial interest or as to which such Person serves as trustee or in a similar capacity, (3) such Person’s Immediate Family (as defined in the general commentary to Section 303A.02(b) of the Listed Company Manual of the New York Stock Exchange).

 

Benefit Plan ” means any employment Contract, deferred compensation Contract, bonus plan, incentive plan, profit sharing plan, mandatory provident scheme, occupational retirement scheme, retirement Contract or other employment compensation Contract or any other plan which provides or provided benefits (except for the salary, bonus or other benefits generally provided to the employees, officers, consultant, and/or directors of such Person or Social Insurance as required under the applicable Laws) for any past or present employee, officer, consultant, and/or director of a Person or with respect to which contributions (except for the contributions made in connection with the salary, bonus or other benefits generally provided to the employees, officers, consultant, and/or directors of such Person or Social Insurance as required under the applicable Laws) are or have been made on account of any past or present employee, officer, consultant, and/or director of such a Person.

 

Board ” or “ Board of Directors ” means the board of directors of the Company.

 

Business Cooperation Agreement ” means the Business Cooperation Agreement to be entered into by and among the parties named therein on or prior to the Closing, which shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A .

 

Business Day ” means any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, legal holiday or other day on which commercial banks are required or authorized by law or executive order to be closed in the PRC, Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands, or the United States of America.

 

CFC ” means a controlled foreign corporation as defined in the Code.

 

Charter Documents ” means, with respect to a particular legal entity, the articles of incorporation, certificate of incorporation, formation or registration (including, if applicable, certificates of change of name), memorandum of association, articles of association, bylaws, articles of organization, limited liability company agreement, trust deed, trust instrument, operating agreement, joint venture agreement, business license, or similar or other constitutive, governing, or charter documents, or equivalent documents, of such entity.

 

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Circular 37” means the Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Residents to Engage in Overseas Investing, Financing and Round Trip Investment via Special Purpose Companies ( 《国家外汇管理局关于境内居民通过特殊目的公司境外投融资及返程投资外汇管理有关问题的通知》 ( 汇发 [2014] 37 )) issued by SAFE on July 4, 2014.

 

Closing Date ” means the date of the Closing.

 

Code ” means the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

 

Company Key Employee ” means all key employees of the Group Companies listed in Schedule IV .

 

Company Owned IP ” means all Intellectual Property owned by, purported to be owned by, or exclusively license to, the Group Companies.

 

Company Registered IP ” means all Intellectual Property for which registrations are owned by or held in the name of, or for which applications have been made in the name of, any Group Company.

 

Consent ” means any consent, approval, authorization, release, waiver, permit, grant, franchise, concession, agreement, license, exemption or order of, registration, certificate, declaration or filing with, or report or notice to, any Person, including any Governmental Authority.

 

Contract ” means a legally binding contract, agreement, indenture, note, bond, loan, instrument, lease, mortgage, franchise, license, commitment, purchase order, and other legally binding arrangement, whether written or oral.

 

Control ” of a given Person means the power or authority, whether exercised or not, to direct the business, management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by Contract or otherwise; provided , that such power or authority shall conclusively be presumed to exist upon possession of beneficial ownership or power to direct the vote of more than fifty percent (50%) of the votes entitled to be cast at a meeting of the members or shareholders of such Person or power to control the composition of a majority of the board of directors of such Person. The terms “ Controlled ” and “ Controlling ” have meanings correlative to the foregoing.

 

Conversion Shares ” means Ordinary Shares issuable upon conversion of any Series A Preferred Shares, Series B Preferred Shares, Series C Preferred Shares, Series D Preferred Shares or Series E Preferred Shares.

 

Daojia Group Company ” means each of entities listed in Schedule III hereto, and “ Daojia Group ” refers to all Daojia Group Companies collectively.

 

Daojia Material Adverse Effect ” means any (i) event, occurrence, fact, condition, change or development that has had or has individually or together with other events, occurrences, facts, conditions, changes or developments, a material adverse effect on the business, properties, assets, operations, results of operations, financial condition, prospects, assets or liabilities of the Daojia Group taken as a whole, (ii) material impairment of the ability of the Investor or any Daojia Group Company to perform the material obligations of such party under any Transaction Documents to which it is a party, or (iii) material impairment of the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or any other Transaction Document against the Investor or any Daojia Group Company (to the extent that such Person is a party to such document).

 

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Equity Securities ” means, with respect to any Person that is a legal entity, any and all shares of capital stock, membership interests, units, profits interests, ownership interests, equity interests, registered capital, and other equity securities of such Person, and any right, warrant, option, call, commitment, conversion privilege, preemptive right or other right to acquire any of the foregoing, or security convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for any of the foregoing.

 

Existing Documents ” means, collectively, the Existing Memorandum and Articles, the Existing Shareholders Agreement, the Existing ROFR Agreement, and the Existing Share Restriction Agreements.

 

Existing Memorandum and Articles ” means the Fourth Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association of the Company and the Fourth Amended and Restated Articles of Association of the Company, adopted on September 23, 2015.

 

Existing Shareholders Agreement ” means the Third Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreements, dated September 23, 2015, by and among the Company, the existing shareholder and certain other parties therein.

 

Existing Share Restriction Agreements ” means the Third Amended and Restated Share Restriction Agreements, each dated September 23, 2015, by and among the Company, the existing shareholders of the Company and certain other parties therein.

 

Existing ROFR Agreement ” means the Third Amended and Restated Right of First Refusal & Co-Sale Agreement, dated September 23, 2015, by and among the Company, the existing shareholders of the Company and certain other parties therein.

 

FCPA ” means Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of the United States of America, as amended from time to time.

 

Fifth Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles ” means the Fifth Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association of the Company and the Fourth Amended and Restated Articles of Association of the Company attached hereto as Exhibit B , respectively, to be adopted in accordance with applicable Law on or before the Closing.

 

Fourth Amended and Restated Right of First Refusal & Co-Sale Agreement ” means the Fourth Amended and Restated Right of First Refusal & Co-Sale Agreement to be entered into by and among the parties named therein on or prior to the Closing, which shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit C .

 

Fourth Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement ” means the Fourth Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement to be entered into by and among the parties named therein on or prior to the Closing, which shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit D .

 

Fourth Amended and Restated Share Restriction Agreements ” means the Fourth Amended and Restated Share Restriction Agreements to be entered into by and among the parties named therein on or prior to the Closing, which shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit E .

 

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Governmental Authority ” means any government of any nation, federation, province or state or any other political subdivision thereof, any entity, authority or body exercising executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory or administrative functions of or pertaining to government, including any governmental authority, agency, department, board, commission or instrumentality of the PRC or any other country, or any political subdivision thereof, any court, tribunal or arbitrator, and any self-regulatory organization.

 

Governmental Order ” means any applicable order, ruling, decision, verdict, decree, writ, subpoena, mandate, precept, command, directive, consent, approval, award, judgment, injunction or other similar determination or finding by, before or under the supervision of any Governmental Authority.

 

Group Company ” means each of the Company, the BVI Subsidiary, the HK Subsidiary, the WFOE, the Domestic Company, and the Domestic Subsidiary together with each Subsidiary of any of the foregoing from time to time, and “ Group ” refers to all Group Companies collectively.

 

Hong Kong ” means the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.

 

Indebtedness ” of any Person means, without duplication, each of the following of such Person: (i) all indebtedness for borrowed money, (ii) all obligations issued, undertaken or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property or services (other than trade payables entered into in the ordinary course of business), (iii) all reimbursement or payment obligations with respect to letters of credit, surety bonds and other similar instruments, (iv) all obligations evidenced by notes, bonds, debentures or similar instruments, including obligations so evidenced that are incurred in connection with the acquisition of properties, assets or businesses, (v) all indebtedness created or arising under any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, or incurred as financing, in either case with respect to any property or assets acquired with the proceeds of such indebtedness (even though the rights and remedies of the seller or bank under such agreement in the event of default are limited to repossession or sale of such property), (vi) all obligations that are capitalized in accordance with Accounting Standards (including capitalized lease obligations), (vii) all obligations under banker’s acceptance, letter of credit or similar facilities, (viii) all obligations to purchase, redeem, retire, defease or otherwise acquire for value any Equity Securities of such Person, (ix) all obligations in respect of any interest rate swap, hedge or cap agreement, and (x) all guarantees issued in respect of the Indebtedness referred to in clauses (i) through (ix) above of any other Person, but only to the extent of the Indebtedness guaranteed.

 

Intellectual Property ” means any and all (i) patents, patent rights and applications therefor and reissues, reexaminations, continuations, continuations-in-part, divisions, and patent term extensions thereof, (ii) inventions (whether patentable or not), discoveries, improvements, concepts, innovations and industrial models, (iii) registered and unregistered copyrights, copyright registrations and applications, mask works and registrations and applications therefor, author’s rights and works of authorship (including artwork, software, computer programs, source code, object code and executable code, firmware, development tools, files, records and data, and related documentation), (iv) URLs, web sites, web pages and any part thereof, (v) technical information, know-how, trade secrets, drawings, designs, design protocols, specifications, proprietary data, customer lists, databases, proprietary processes, technology, formulae, and algorithms and other intellectual property, (vi) trade names, trade dress, trademarks, domain names, service marks, logos, business names, and registrations and applications therefor, and (vii) the goodwill symbolized or represented by the foregoing.

 

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Knowledge ” means, with respect to any Person, the knowledge of such Person after making reasonable due inquiry.

 

Law ” or “ Laws ” means any and all provisions of any applicable constitution, treaty, statute, law, regulation, ordinance, code, rule, or rule of common law, any governmental approval, concession, grant, franchise, license, agreement, directive, requirement, or other governmental restriction or any similar form of decision of, or determination by, or any formally issued written interpretation or administration of any of the foregoing by, any Governmental Authority, in each case as amended, and any and all applicable Governmental Orders.

 

Liabilities ” means, with respect to any Person, all liabilities, obligations and commitments of such Person of any nature, whether accrued, absolute, contingent or otherwise, and whether due or to become due.

 

Lien ” means any claim, charge, easement, encumbrance, lease, covenant, security interest, lien, option, pledge, rights of others, or restriction (whether on voting, sale, transfer, disposition or otherwise), whether imposed by Contract, law, equity or otherwise.

 

Material Adverse Effect ” means any (i) event, occurrence, fact, condition, change or development that has had or has individually or together with other events, occurrences, facts, conditions, changes or developments, a material adverse effect on the business, properties, assets, operations, results of operations, financial condition, prospects, assets or liabilities of the Group taken as a whole, (ii) material impairment of the ability of any Party (other than the Investor) to perform the material obligations of such Party under any Transaction Documents, or (iii) material impairment of the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or any other Transaction Document against any Party hereto or thereto (other than the Investor).

 

MOFCOM ” means the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC or, with respect to any matter to be submitted for examination and approval by the Ministry of Commerce, any Governmental Authority which is delegated or authorized by the Ministry of Commerce to examine and approve such matter under the laws of the PRC.

 

Order No. 10 ” means the Rules for Mergers with and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investor 《关于外国投资者并购境内企业的规定》 jointly issued by the MOFCOM, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Administration of Taxation, the SAIC, the China Securities Regulatory Commission and the SAFE on August 8, 2006 and amended by the MOFCOM on June 22, 2009.

 

Ordinary Shares ” means the Company’s ordinary shares, each with a par value of US$ 0.0001 per share.

 

Permitted Liens ” means (i) Liens for Taxes not yet delinquent or the validity of which are being contested in good faith and for which there are adequate reserves on the applicable financial statements, or (ii) Liens incurred in the ordinary course of business, which (x) do not individually or in the aggregate materially detract from the value, use, or transferability of the assets that are subject to such Liens, and (y) were not incurred in connection with the borrowing of money.

 

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Person ” means any individual, corporation, partnership, limited partnership, proprietorship, association, limited liability company, firm, trust, estate or other enterprise or entity.

 

PFIC ” means a passive foreign investment company as defined in the Code.

 

PRC ” means the People’s Republic of China, but solely for the purposes of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents, excluding Hong Kong, the Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan.

 

Preferred Shares ” means, collectively, the Series A Preferred Shares, the Series B Preferred Shares, the Series C Preferred Shares, the Series D Preferred Shares and the Series D Preferred Shares.

 

Prohibited Person ” means any Person that is (1) a national or resident of any U.S. embargoed or restricted country, (2) included on, or Affiliated with any Person on, the United States Commerce Department’s Denied Parties List, Entities and Unverified Lists; the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals, Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers or Specially Designated Terrorists, or the Annex to Executive Order No. 13224; the Department of State’s Debarred List; UN Sanctions, (3) a member of any PRC military organization, or (4) a Person with whom business transactions, including exports and re-exports, are restricted by a U.S. Governmental Authority, including, in each clause above, any updates or revisions to the foregoing and any newly published rules.

 

Public Official ” means any executive, official, or employee of a Governmental Authority, political party or member of a political party, political candidate; executive, employee or officer of a public international organization; or director, officer or employee or agent of a wholly owned or partially state-owned or controlled enterprise, including a PRC state-owned or controlled enterprise.

 

Public Software ” means any Software that contains, or is derived in any manner (in whole or in part) from, any software that is distributed as free software, open source software ( e.g. , Linux) or similar licensing or distribution models, including, without limitation, software licensed or distributed under any of the following licenses or distribution models, or licenses or distribution models similar to any of the following: (A) GNU’s General Public License (GPL) or Lesser/Library GPL (LGPL), (B) the Artistic License (e.g., PERL), (C) the Mozilla Public License, (D) the Netscape Public License, (E) the Sun Community Source License (SCSL), (F) the Sun Industry Standards License (SISL), (G) the BSD License, and (H) the Apache License.

 

Qualified IPO ” means a firm commitment underwritten public offering of the Ordinary Shares of the Company (or depositary receipts or depositary shares therefor) in the United States pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, with an offering price (net of underwriting commissions and expenses) per share of at least one point five (1.5) times the Series E-1 Issue Price (as adjusted), and that results in gross proceeds to the Company in excess of US$300,000,000, or in a public offering of the Ordinary Shares of the Company (or depositary receipts or depositary shares therefor) in another jurisdiction which results in the Ordinary Shares trading publicly on a recognized international securities exchange approved by the Majority Preferred Holders, so long as such offering satisfies the foregoing per share price and gross proceeds requirements.

 

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Related Party ” means, with respect to any Person, any Affiliate, officer, director, supervisory board member, employee, or holder of any Equity Security of such Person, and any Associate of any of the foregoing.

 

SAFE ” means the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the PRC or, with respect to any matter to be submitted for examination and approval by or for registration with the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the PRC, any Governmental Authority which is delegated or authorized by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the PRC to examine and approve or to effect the registration of such matter under the laws of the PRC.

 

SAFE Rules and Regulations ” means collectively, the Circular 37, and any other applicable SAFE rules and regulations.

 

SAIC ” means the State Administration of Industry and Commerce of the PRC or, with respect to the issuance of any business license or filing or registration to be effected by or with the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, any Governmental Authority which is similarly competent to issue such business license or accept such filing or registration under the laws of the PRC.

 

Securities Act ” means the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended and interpreted from time to time.

 

Series A Preferred Shares ” means the Series A Preferred Shares of the Company, each with a par value of US$0.0001 per share, with the rights and privileges as set forth in the Existing Memorandum and Articles.

 

Series B Preferred Shares ” means the Series B Preferred Shares of the Company, each with a par value of US$0.0001 per share, with the rights and privileges as set forth in the Existing Memorandum and Articles.

 

Series C Preferred Shares ” means the Series C Preferred Shares of the Company, each with a par value of US$0.0001 per share, with the rights and privileges as set forth in the Existing Memorandum and Articles.

 

Series D Preferred Shares ” means the Series D-1 Preferred Shares and Series D-2 Preferred Shares.

 

Series D-1 Preferred Shares ” means the Series D-1 Preferred Shares of the Company, each with a par value of US$0.0001 per share, with the rights and privileges as set forth in the Existing Memorandum and Articles.

 

Series D-2 Preferred Shares ” means the Series D-2 Preferred Shares of the Company, each with a par value of US$0.0001 per share, with the rights and privileges as set forth in the Existing Memorandum and Articles.

 

Series E Preferred Shares ” means the Series E-1 Preferred Shares and Series E-2 Preferred Shares.

 

Series E-1 Preferred Shares ” means the Series E-1 Preferred Shares of the Company, each with a par value of US$0.0001 per share, with the rights and privileges as set forth in the Fifth Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles.

 

 

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Series E-2 Preferred Shares ” means the Series E-2 Preferred Shares of the Company, each with a par value of US$0.0001 per share, with the rights and privileges as set forth in the Fifth Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles.

 

Series E-1 Issue Price ” means US$4.278703, as appropriately adjusted for share splits, share dividends, combinations, recapitalizations and similar events with respect to the Series E Preferred Shares.

 

Share Pledge Agreements ” means (i) the Share Pledge Agreement ( 股权质押合同 ) dated November 14, 2014, entered into by and among the WFOE, the Domestic Company and the Principal, and (ii) the Share Pledge Agreement ( 股权质押合同 ) dated November 14, 2014, entered into by and among the WFOE, the Domestic Company and Lhasa Heye Investment Management Co., Ltd., as amended from time to time.

 

Social Insurance ” means any form of social insurance required under applicable Laws, including without limitation, the PRC national and local contributions for pensions, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, work-related injury insurance, pregnancy benefits, and housing accumulation funds.

 

Software ” means any and all (A) computer programs, including any and all software implementations of algorithms, models and methodologies, including all source code and executable code, whether embodied in software, firmware or otherwise, documentation, development tools, designs, files, verilog files, RTL files, HDL, VHDL, net lists, records, data and mask works; and (B) databases and compilations, including any and all data and collections of data, whether machine readable or otherwise, and all rights therein.

 

Subsidiary ” means, with respect to any given Person, any other Person that is Controlled directly or indirectly by such given Person.

 

Tax ” means (a) any national, provincial, municipal, or local taxes, charges, fees, levies, or other assessments, including, without limitation, all net income (including enterprise income tax and individual income withholding tax), turnover (including value-added tax, business tax, and consumption tax), resource (including urban and township land use tax), special purpose (including land value-added tax, urban maintenance and construction tax, and additional education fees), property (including urban real estate tax and land use fees), documentation (including stamp duty and deed tax), filing, recording, social insurance (including pension, medical, unemployment, housing, and other social insurance withholding), tariffs (including import duty and import value-added tax), and estimated and provisional taxes, charges, fees, levies, or other assessments of any kind whatsoever, (b) all interest, penalties (administrative, civil or criminal), or additional amounts imposed by any Governmental Authority in connection with any item described in clause (a) above, and (c) any form of transferee liability imposed by any Governmental Authority on any Person in connection with any item described in clauses (a) and (b) above.

 

Tax Return ” means any return, report or statement showing Taxes, used to pay Taxes, or required to be filed with respect to any Tax (including any elections, declarations, schedules or attachments thereto, and any amendment thereof), including any information return, claim for refund, amended return or declaration of estimated or provisional Tax.

 

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Transaction Documents ” means this Agreement, the Ancillary Agreements, the Fifth Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, the Business Cooperation Agreement, the Transition Service Agreement, the Warrant, the Daojia Domestic Company Equity Interest Transfer Agreement, the Daojia WFOE Equity Interest Transfer Agreement, the Restructuring Documents and each of the other agreements and documents otherwise required in connection with implementing the transactions contemplated by any of the foregoing and otherwise designated by the Company and the Investor as a Transaction Document.

 

Transferred Company ” means each of the entities described in Schedule VI hereto.

 

Transition Service Agreement ” means the Transition Service Agreement to be entered into by and among the parties named therein on or prior to the Closing in form and substance mutually agreed by the Company and the Investor (the key terms of transferred employees to be set forth under the Transition Service Agreement are set forth in Exhibit F) .

 

U.S. real property holding corporation ” has the meaning as defined in the Code.

 

VIE Documents ” means the following contracts: (i) the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement ( 独家业务合作协议 ) dated November 14, 2014, entered into by and between the WFOE and the Domestic Company, (ii) the Exclusive Option Agreement ( 独家购买权协议 ) dated September 23, 2015, entered into by and among the WFOE, the Domestic Company and Lhasa Heye Investment Management Co., Ltd., (iii) the Exclusive Option Agreement ( 独家购买权协议 ) dated September 23, 2015, entered into by and among the WFOE, the Domestic Company and the Principal, (iv) the Exclusive Option Agreement ( 独家购买权协议 ) dated September 23, 2015, entered into by and among the WFOE, the Domestic Company and Mr. Jun Yang, (v) the Exclusive Option Agreement ( 独家购买权协议 ) dated September 23, 2015, entered into by and among the WFOE, the Domestic Company and Shanghai Jinglinxiyu Investment Center L.P., (vi) the Power of Attorney ( 授权委托书 ) dated September 23, 2015, executed by Lhasa Heye Investment Management Co., Ltd., (vii) the Power of Attorney ( 授权委托书 ) dated September 23, 2015, executed by the Principal, (viii) the Power of Attorney ( 授权委托书 ) dated September 23, 2015, executed by Mr. Jun Yang, (ix) the Power of Attorney ( 授权委托书 ) dated September 23, 2015, executed by Shanghai Jinglinxiyu Investment Center L.P., and (x) the Share Pledge Agreements, each as amended from time to time.

 

Warrant ” means the Warrant to be issued by the Company to the Investor on or prior to the Closing, which shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit G .

 

Warrantors ” means, collectively, the Group Companies.

 

11



 

1.2                                Other Defined Terms . The following terms shall have the meanings defined for such terms in the Sections set forth below:

 

Agreement

 

Preamble

Arbitration Notice

 

Section 13.4(i)

BVI Subsidiary

 

Preamble

Claim Notice

 

Section 12.3(i)

Closing

 

Section 2.2(i)

Company

 

Preamble

Company Disclosure Schedule

 

Section 3

Company IP

 

Section 3.18(i)

Compliance Laws

 

Section 3.15(i)

Dada Business

 

Recitals

Daojia Business

 

Recitals

Dispute

 

Section 13.4(i)

Domestic Company

 

Preamble

Domestic Subsidiary

 

Preamble

EDI License

 

Section 8.9

Entitlement

 

Section 3.16(ii)

ESOP

 

Section 3.2(i)

Financial Statements

 

Section 3.13(i)

Financing Terms

 

Section 10.1

Fundamental Representations

 

Section 12.1

Guaranteed Obligations

 

Section 13.18

HK Subsidiary

 

Preamble

HKIAC

 

Section 13.4(ii)

HKIAC Rules

 

Section 13.4(ii)

Indemnified Party

 

Section 12.2

Indemnifying Party

 

Section 12.2

Indemnity Notice

 

Section 12.4

Investor

 

Preamble

Investor Nominee

 

Section 8.10

JD

 

Preamble

JD Ordinary Shares

 

Recitals

JD Preferred Shares

 

Recitals

JD Target Shares

 

Recitals

Licenses

 

Section 3.18(v)

Losses

 

Section 12.2

Material Contracts

 

Section 3.14(i)

Onshore Equity Subscription

 

Section 8.10

Parties

 

Preamble

Party

 

Preamble

Principal

 

Preamble

Principal HoldCo

 

Preamble

Proceeds

 

Section 2.3

Purchase Price

 

Section 2.1(i)(b)

Representatives

 

Section 3.15(i)

Required Governmental Consents

 

Section 3.8(iii)

Security Holder

 

Section 3.8(v)

Statement Date

 

Section 3.11

Third Party Claim

 

Section 12.3(i)

WFOE

 

Preamble

 

12



 

2.                                       Certain Transactions .

 

2.1                                Certain Transactions. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the Transaction Documents, as applicable,

 

(i)                                      Preferred Share Transactions .

 

(a)                                  the Investor shall subscribe for and purchase from the Company, and the Company shall issue and sell to the Investor, free and clear of all Liens (except for restrictions created by virtue of transactions under this Agreement or any other Transaction Document), the JD Preferred Shares; and

 

(b)                                  the Investor shall pay or cause to be paid an aggregate purchase price of $200,000,000 (the “ Purchase Price ”) to the Company for the JD Preferred Shares.

 

(ii)                                   Other Transactions .

 

(a)                                  the Investor shall subscribe for and purchase from the Company, and the Company shall issue and sell to the Investor, free and clear of all Liens (except for restrictions created by virtue of transactions under this Agreement or any other Transaction Document), the JD Ordinary Shares;

 

(b)                                  the Investor shall deliver to the Company the Business Cooperation Agreement duly and validly executed by the Investor;

 

(c)                                   the Company shall deliver to the Investor the Business Cooperation Agreement duly and validly executed by the Company;

 

(d)                                  the Company shall cause one or more of the Group Companies to purchase, acquire and accept from the relevant Affiliates of the Investor the whole equity interests of each Transferred Company under the Transaction Documents as and when described therein;

 

(e)                                   the Investor shall cause one or more of its Affiliates to sell or transfer to the applicable Group Companies the whole equity interests of each Transferred Company under the Transaction Documents as described therein; and

 

(f)                                    the Company shall issue the Warrant to the Investor.

 

2.2                                Closing.

 

(i)                                      Closing . The consummation of the sale and issuance of the JD Target Shares pursuant to Section 2.1 hereof (the “ Closing ”) shall take place remotely via the exchange of documents and signatures or electronic documents no earlier than three (3) Business Days after the date hereof, but in no event later than three (3) Business Days after all closing conditions specified in Section 5 and Section 6 hereof have been waived or satisfied (other than those conditions to be satisfied at the Closing, but subject to the satisfaction or waiver thereof at the Closing), or at such other time and place as the Company and the Investor shall mutually agree in writing.

 

(ii)                                   Deliveries by the Company at Closing . At the Closing, in addition to any items the delivery of which is made an express condition to the Investor’s obligations at the Closing pursuant to Section 5 hereof, the Company shall deliver to the Investor: (a) a scanned true copy of the updated register of members of the Company, certified by the Company’s registered agent or its sub-agent, reflecting the issuance to the Investor the JD Target Shares, (b) a scanned true copy of the certificate or certificates to be issued in the name of the Investor representing the JD Target Shares at the Closing, provided that the original(s) of such share certificate(s) shall be delivered to the Investor within five (5) Business Days following the Closing, and (c) a scanned true copy of the updated register of directors of the Company evidencing the appointment of the directors of the Company in accordance with Section 5.9 , certified by the Company’s registered agent.

 



 

(iii)                                Deliveries by the Investor at Closing. At the Closing, in addition to any items the delivery of which is made an express condition to the Company’s obligations at the Closing pursuant to Section 6 hereof, the Investor shall pay the Purchase Price by wire transfer of immediately available funds in U.S. dollars to an account designated by the Company, the details of which shall be provided by the Company to the Investor at least three (3) Business Days prior to the Closing Date.

 

(iv)                               Capitalization Table Immediately After the Closin g. Schedule II hereof sets forth a complete list of shareholders of the Company immediately after the Closing (on a fully-diluted basis, including any ESOP), indicating the type and number of shares held by each such shareholder.

 

2.3                                Use of Proceeds . The Company shall use the proceeds from the issuance and sale of the JD Preferred Shares hereunder (the “ Proceeds ”) (i) for purpose of its business expansion, capital expenditures and general working capital needs, or (ii) as capital contribution by the HK Subsidiary into the WFOE or a shareholder loan lent by the HK Subsidiary to the WFOE for purpose of business expansion, capital expenditures and general working capital needs of the WFOE, in accordance with the budgets and business plans of the Company duly approved in accordance with the Charter Documents of the Company.

 

2.4                                Entitlement . The Warrantors, jointly and severally, ensure that the JD Preferred Shares, upon the valid issuance, shall have all rights, preferences and privileges as set forth in the Fifth Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles.

 

3.                                       Representations and Warranties of the Warrantors . Subject to such exceptions as may be specifically set forth in the disclosure schedule delivered by the Warrantors to the Investor as of the date hereof (the “ Company Disclosure Schedule ”) which forms part of the representations and warranties herein, each of the Warrantors jointly and severally represents and warrants to the Investor that the following statements are true and correct as of the date hereof and will be true and correct as of the Closing.

 

3.1                                Organization, Good Standing and Qualification . Each Group Company is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing (or equivalent status in the relevant jurisdiction) under, and by virtue of, the Laws of the place of its incorporation or establishment and has all requisite power and authority to own its properties and assets and to carry on its business as now conducted and as proposed to be conducted, and to perform each of its obligations under the Transaction Documents to which it is a party. Each Group Company is qualified to do business in the jurisdiction where it was incorporated and failure to be so qualified would be a Material Adverse Effect. Each Group Company that is a PRC entity has a valid business license issued by the SAIC or its local branch or other relevant Government Authorities (a true and complete copy of which has been delivered to the Investor), and has, since its establishment, carried on its business in compliance with the business scope set forth in its business license.

 



 

3.2                                Capitalization and Voting Rights.

 

(i)                                      Company . The authorized share capital of the Company immediately prior to the Closing shall be US$200,000 divided into 2,000,000,000 Shares, consisting of: (a) a total of 1,616,803,191 authorized Ordinary Shares, 68,713,999 of which are issued and outstanding, and 58,823,617 of which have been reserved for issuance pursuant to the then effective equity incentive plan of the Company (the “ ESOP ”), options for 42,555,703 of which are issued and outstanding, (b) a total of 77,000,000 Series A Preferred Shares, all of which are issued and outstanding; (c) a total of 37,748,300 Series B Preferred Shares, all of which are issued and outstanding, (d) a total of 44,286,448 Series C Preferred Shares, all of which are issued and outstanding, (e) a total of 68,060,937 Series D-1 Preferred Shares, all of which are issued and outstanding, and a total of 27,463,185 Series D-2 Preferred Shares, none of which are issued and outstanding, and (f) a total of 81,894,802 Series E-1 Preferred Shares and a total of 46,743,137 Series E-2 Preferred Shares, none of which are issued and outstanding. Section 3.2(i)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule set forth the capitalization table of each Group Company as of immediately prior to the Closing and immediately after the Closing, in each case reflecting all then outstanding and authorized Equity Securities of such Group Company, the record holders thereof, the issuance date, and the terms of any vesting applicable thereto (if any).

 

(ii)                                   BVI Subsidiary . The authorized share capital of the BVI Subsidiary is and immediately prior to and following the Closing shall be US$1, divided into 1 share of US$1 each, which is issued and outstanding and held by the Company.

 

(iii)                                HK Subsidiary . The authorized share capital of the HK Subsidiary is and immediately prior to and following the Closing shall be HK$1, divided into 1 share of HK$1 each, which is issued and outstanding and held by the Company.

 

(iv)                               WFOE . The registered capital of the WFOE is set forth on Section 3.2(i)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule. The WFOE is wholly owned by the HK Subsidiary.

 

(v)                                  Domestic Company . The registered capital of the Domestic Company is set forth opposite its name on Section 3.2(i)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule, together with an accurate list of the record and beneficial owners of such registered capital.

 

(vi)                               Domestic Subsidiary. The registered capital of the Domestic Subsidiary is set forth opposite its name on Section 3.2(i)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule, together with an accurate list of the record and beneficial owners of such registered capital.

 

(vii)                            Other Group Companies . Except for the Company, the BVI Subsidiary, the HK Subsidiary, the WFOE and the Domestic Company and otherwise set forth on Section 3.2(i)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule, there is no other Group Company.

 

(viii)                         No Other Securities . Except for (a) the conversion privileges of the Preferred Shares as contemplated under the relevant Existing Documents and Transaction Documents, and (b) certain rights provided in the Fifth Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, the Ancillary Agreements, the VIE Documents and the Existing Documents, (1) there are no and at the Closing there shall be no other authorized or outstanding Equity Securities of any Group Company; (2) no Equity Securities of any Group Company are subject to any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal (except to the extent provided by applicable PRC Laws) or other rights to purchase such Equity Securities or any other rights with respect to such Equity Securities; and (3) no Group Company is a party or subject to any Contract that affects or relates to the voting or giving of written consents with respect to, or the right to cause the redemption, or repurchase of, any Equity Security of such Group Company. Except as set forth in the Existing Shareholders Agreement and the Fourth Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement, the Company has not granted any registration or information rights to any other Person, nor is the Company obliged to list any of the Equity Securities of any Group Companies on any securities exchange. Except as contemplated under the Existing Documents and Transaction Documents, there are no voting or similar agreements which relate to the share capital or registered capital of any Group Company.

 



 

(ix)                               Issuance and Status . All presently outstanding Equity Securities of each Group Company were duly and validly issued (or subscribed for) in compliance with all applicable Laws, preemptive rights of any Person, and applicable Contracts. All share capital or registered capital, as the case may be, of each Group Company have been duly and validly issued, are fully paid (or subscribed for) and non-assessable, and are and as of the Closing shall be free of any and all Liens (except for any restrictions on transfer under the VIE Documents, the Ancillary Agreements, the Existing Documents and applicable Laws). Except as contemplated under the Existing Documents and Transaction Documents, there are no (a) resolutions pending to increase the share capital or registered capital of any Group Company or cause the liquidation, winding up, or dissolution of any Group Company, nor has any distress, execution or other process been levied against any Group Company, (b) dividends which have accrued or been declared but are unpaid by any Group Company, (c) obligations, contingent or otherwise, of any Group Company to repurchase, redeem, or otherwise acquire any Equity Securities, or (d) outstanding or authorized equity appreciation, phantom equity, equity plans or similar rights with respect to any Group Company. All dividends (if any) or distributions (if any) declared, made or paid by each Group Company, and all repurchases and redemptions of Equity Securities of each Group Company (if any), have been declared, made, paid, repurchased or redeemed, as applicable, in accordance with its Charter Documents and all applicable Laws.

 

(x)                                  Title . Each Group Company is the sole record and beneficial holder of all of the Equity Securities set forth opposite its name on Section 3.2(i)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule, free and clear of all Liens of any kind other than those arising under applicable Law or as set forth in the VIE Documents.

 

3.3                                Corporate Structure; Subsidiaries . Section 3.3 of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a complete structure chart showing Group Companies, and indicating the ownership and Control relationships among all Group Companies and the jurisdiction in which each Group Company was organized. No Group Company owns or Controls, or has ever owned or Controlled, directly or indirectly, any Equity Security, interest or share in any other Person or is or was a participant in any joint venture, partnership or similar arrangement. No Group Company is obligated to make any investment in or capital contribution in or on behalf of any other Person other than the committed capital contributions of the HK Subsidiary in the WFOE. The Company was formed solely to acquire and hold the shares in the BVI Subsidiary and the HK Subsidiary and since its formation has not engaged in any other business other than as a holding company of its Subsidiaries. The HK Subsidiary was formed solely to acquire and hold the equity interests in the WFOE and since its formation has not engaged in any other business. The Group does not engage in any business other than the Dada Business. No Principal or Principal HoldCo, and no Person owned or controlled by the Principal or the Principal HoldCo (other than a Group Company), is engaged in the Dada Business or has any assets in relation to the Dada Business or any Contract with any Group Company.

 

3.4                                Authorization . Each Warrantor has all requisite power and authority to execute and deliver the Transaction Documents to which it is a party and to carry out and perform its obligations thereunder. All action on the part of each party to the Transaction Documents (other than the Investor) (and, as applicable, its officers, directors and shareholders) necessary for the authorization, execution and delivery of the Transaction Documents, the performance of all obligations of each such party, and, in the case of the Company, the authorization, issuance (or reservation for issuance), sale and delivery of the JD Target Shares hereunder and the Conversion Shares, has been taken or will be taken prior to the Closing. Each Transaction Document has been, or will be on or prior to the Closing, duly executed and delivered by the Warrantors party thereto, the Principal and the Principal HoldCo and, when executed and delivered, constitutes valid and legally binding obligations of such party, enforceable against such party in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, and other Laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, and (ii) as limited by Laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief, or other equitable remedies.

 



 

3.5                                Valid Issuance of JD Target Shares . The JD Target Shares, when issued, delivered and paid for in accordance with the terms of this Agreement for the consideration expressed herein, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, free from any Liens (except for any restrictions on transfer under applicable Laws and under the Ancillary Agreements). The Conversion Shares will be reserved at the Closing for issuance and, upon issuance in accordance with the terms of the Fifth Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, free from any Liens (except for any restrictions on transfer under applicable securities Laws and under the Ancillary Agreements). The issuance of the JD Target Shares and the Conversion Shares is not subject to any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or similar rights other than those that have been or will be duly waived prior to the Closing in full.

 

3.6                                Consents; No Conflicts . Except as disclosed in Section 3.6 of the Company Disclosure Schedule, all Consents from or with any Governmental Authority or any other Person required in connection with the execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, in each case on the part of any party thereto (other than the Investor) have been duly obtained or completed (as applicable) and are in full force and effect. The execution, delivery and performance of each Transaction Document by each party thereto (other than the Investor) do not, and the consummation by each such party of the transactions contemplated thereby will not, with or without notice or lapse of time or both, (i) result in any violation of, be in conflict with, or constitute a default under any provision of any Charter Document of any Group Company, (ii) result in any violation of, be in conflict with, or constitute a default under, any Governmental Order or any applicable Law (including without limitation, Order No.10 and the SAFE Rules and Regulations), (iii) result in any violation of, be in conflict with, or constitute a default under, or give rise to any material right of termination, amendment, modification, acceleration or cancellation under, or give rise to any augmentation or acceleration of any Liability of any Group Company under, any Material Contract, (iv) result in the creation of any Lien upon any of the properties or assets of any Group Company other than Permitted Liens, (v) except as disclosed in Section 3.6(v)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule, result in any acceleration of any vesting (or lapse of a repurchase right) under any documents (including any ESOP documents, share purchase agreements, share restriction agreements or share option documents) to which a Group Company is subject to, or (vi) constitute a Deemed Liquidation Event or a Share Sale (both as defined under the Existing Memorandum and Articles) under any Existing Documents.

 

3.7                                Offering . Subject in part to the accuracy of the Investor’s representations set forth in Section 4 hereof, the offer, sale and issuance of the JD Target Shares are, and the issuance of the Conversion Shares will be, exempt from the qualification, registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act and any other applicable securities Laws.

 

3.8                                Compliance with Laws; Consents.

 

(i)                                      Except as set forth in Section 3.8(i)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule, each Group Company is, and has been, in compliance in all material respects with all applicable Laws. No event has occurred and no circumstance exists that (with or without notice or lapse of time) (a) may constitute or result in a violation by any Group Company of, or a failure on the part of such entity to comply with, any applicable Laws in any material respect, or (b) may give rise to any obligation on the part of any Group Company to undertake, or to bear all or any portion of the cost of, any remedial action of any nature in any material respect. None of the Group Companies has received any notice from any Governmental Authority regarding any of the foregoing. To the Knowledge of the Warrantors, no Group Company is under investigation with respect to a violation of any Law.

 

(ii)                                   The VIE Documents (individually or when taken together) do not violate any applicable Laws (including without limitation SAFE Rules and Regulations, Order No. 10 and any other applicable PRC rules and regulations).

 

(iii)                                All Consents from or with the relevant Governmental Authority required in respect of the due and proper establishment and operations of each Group Company as now conducted, including but not limited to the Consents from or with MOFCOM, SAIC, SAFE, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, any Tax bureau, customs authorities, and product registration authorities and the local counterpart thereof, as applicable (or any predecessors thereof, as applicable) (collectively, the “ Required Governmental Consents ”), other than such Required Governmental Consents as are not individually or in the aggregate material to the Group Companies, have been duly obtained or completed in accordance with all applicable Laws.

 



 

(iv)                               No Required Governmental Consent contains any materially burdensome restrictions or conditions, and each Required Governmental Consent is in full force and effect and will remain in full force and effect upon the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby. None of the Group Companies is in default in any material respect under any Required Governmental Consent. To the Knowledge of the Warrantors, there is no reason to believe that any Required Governmental Consent which is subject to periodic renewal will not be granted or renewed. No Group Company has received any letter or other communication from any Governmental Authority threatening or providing notice of revocation of any Required Governmental Consent issued to any Group Company or the need for compliance or remedial actions in respect of the activities carried out directly or indirectly by any Group Company.

 

(v)                                  Each holder or beneficial owner of an Equity Security of a Group Company (each, a “ Security Holder ”), who is a “Domestic Resident” as defined in Circular 37 and is subject to any of the registration or reporting requirements of Circular 37, has complied with all reporting and/or registration requirements (including filings of amendments to existing registrations) under the SAFE Rules and Regulations, and has made all oral or written filings, registrations, reporting or any other communications required by SAFE, or any of its local branches. No Group Company has, nor, to the Knowledge of the Warrantors, has any Security Holder, received any oral or written inquires, notifications, orders or any other form of official correspondence from SAFE or any of its local branches with respect to any actual or alleged non-compliance with SAFE Rules and Regulations.

 

3.9                                Tax Matters.

 

(i)                                      Except as set forth in Section 3.9(i)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule, each Group Company (a) has timely filed all Tax Returns that are required to have been filed by it with any Governmental Authority, (b) has timely paid all Taxes owed by it which are due and payable (whether or not shown on any Tax Return) and withheld and remitted to the appropriate Governmental Authority all Taxes which it is obligated to withhold and remit from amounts owing to any employee, creditor, customer or third party, and (c) has not waived any statute of limitations with respect to Taxes or agreed to any extension of time with respect to a Tax assessment or deficiency other than, in the case of clauses (a) and (b), unpaid Taxes that are in contest with Tax authorities by Group Company in good faith and nonmaterial in amount.

 

(ii)                                   Each Tax Return referred to in paragraph (i) above was properly prepared in compliance with applicable Law and was (and will be) true, correct and complete in all material respects. None of such Tax Returns contains a statement that is false or misleading or omits any material matter that is required to be included or without which the statement would be false or misleading. No reporting position was taken on any such Tax Return which has not been disclosed to the appropriate Tax authority or in such Tax Return, as may be required by Law. All records relating to such Tax Returns or to the preparation thereof required by applicable Law to be maintained by applicable Group Company have been duly maintained. No written claim has been made by a Governmental Authority in a jurisdiction where the Group does not file Tax Returns that any Group Company is or may be subject to taxation by that jurisdiction.

 

(iii)                                The assessment of any additional Taxes with respect to the applicable Group Company for periods for which Tax Returns have been filed is not expected to exceed the recorded Liability therefor in the most recent balance sheet in the Financial Statements, and there are no unresolved questions or claims concerning any Tax Liability of any Group Company. Since the Statement Date, no Group Company has incurred any liability for Taxes outside the ordinary course of business or otherwise inconsistent with past custom and practice. There is no pending dispute with, or notice from, any Tax authority relating to any of the Tax Returns filed by any Group Company, which if determined adversely to such Group Company, would result in the assertion by the Tax authority of any valid deficiency in any Tax, and to the Knowledge of the Warrantors, there is no proposed Liability for a deficiency in any Tax to be imposed upon the properties or assets of any Group Company.

 



 

(iv)                               No Group Company has been the subject of any examination or investigation by any Tax authority relating to the conduct of its business or the payment or withholding of Taxes that has not been resolved or is currently the subject of any examination or investigation by any Tax authority relating to the conduct of its business or the payment or withholding of Taxes. No Group Company is responsible for the Taxes of any other Person by reason of contract, successor liability or otherwise.

 

(v)                                  All Tax credits and Tax holidays enjoyed by the Group Company established under the Laws of the PRC under applicable Laws since its establishment have been in compliance with all applicable Laws and is not subject to reduction, revocation, cancellation or any other changes (including retroactive changes) in the future, except through change in applicable Laws.

 

(vi)                               No Group Company is or has ever been a PFIC or CFC or a U.S. real property holding corporation. No Group Company anticipates that it will become a PFIC or CFC or a U.S. real property holding corporation for the current taxable year or any future taxable year.

 

(vii)                            The Company is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

3.10                         Charter Documents; Books and Records . The Charter Documents of each Group Company are in the form provided to the Investor. Each Group Company has been in compliance with its Charter Documents, and none of the Group Companies has violated or breached any of their respective Charter Documents. Each Group Company has made available to the Investor or their counsel a copy of its minute books. Such copy is true, correct and complete, and contains all amendments and all minutes of meetings and actions taken by its shareholders and directors since the time of formation through the date hereof and reflects all transactions referred to in such minutes accurately in all respects. Each Group Company maintains its books of accounts and records in the usual, regular and ordinary manner, on a basis consistent with prior practice, and which permits its Financial Statements to be prepared in accordance with the Accounting Standards. The register of members and directors (if applicable) of each Group Company is correct, there has been no notice of any proceedings to rectify any such register, and to the Knowledge of the Warrantors there are no circumstances which might lead to any application for its rectification. All documents requiring to be filed by each Group Company with the applicable Governmental Authority in respect of the relevant jurisdiction in which the relevant Group Companies is being incorporated have been properly made up and filed.

 

3.11                         Changes . Since March 31, 2016 (the “ Statement Date ”), each Group Company (i) has operated its business in the ordinary course consistent with its past practice, (ii) has used its reasonable best efforts to preserve its business, (iii) has collected receivables and paid payables and similar obligations in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, and (iv) has not engaged in any new line of business or entered into any agreement, transaction or activity or made any commitment except those in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice. Since the Statement Date, there has not been any Material Adverse Effect or any change in the way the Group conducts its business, and, except as contemplated in this Agreement, there has not been by or with respect to any Group Company:

 

(i)                                      any purchase, acquisition, sale, lease, disposal of or other transfer of any assets that are individually or in the aggregate material to its business, whether tangible or intangible, other than the purchase or sale of inventory in the ordinary course of business consistent with its past practice;

 



 

(ii)                                   any acquisition (by merger, consolidation or other combination, or acquisition of stock or assets, or otherwise) of any business or other Person or division thereof, or any sale or disposition of any business or division thereof;

 

(iii)                                any waiver, termination, cancellation, settlement or compromise of a valuable right, debt or claim other than incurred in the ordinary course of business;

 

(iv)                               any incurrence, creation, assumption, repayment, satisfaction, or discharge of (1) any Lien (other than Permitted Liens) or (2) any Indebtedness or guarantee, or the making of any loan or advance (other than reasonable and normal advances to employees for bona fide expenses that are incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with its past practice), or the making of any investment or capital contribution, except as set forth in Section 3.11(iv)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule;

 

(v)                                  any material amendment to or termination of any Material Contract (other than the renewal of the Material Contract in the ordinary course), any entering of any new Contract that would have been a Material Contract if in effect on the date hereof other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with its past practice, or any amendment to or waiver under any Charter Document;

 

(vi)                               any material change in any compensation arrangement or Contract with any employee of any Group Company, or adoption of any new Benefit Plan, or made any material change in any existing Benefit Plan;

 

(vii)                            any declaration, setting aside or payment or other distribution in respect of any Equity Securities of any Group Company, or any issuance, transfer, redemption, purchase or acquisition of any Equity Securities by any Group Company;

 

(viii)                         any damage, destruction or loss, whether or not covered by insurance, adversely affecting the assets, properties, financial condition, operation or business of any Group Company in a material way;

 

(ix)                               any material change in accounting methods or practices or any revaluation of any of its assets;

 

(x)                                  except in the ordinary course of business consistent with its past practice, entry into any closing agreement in respect of any material Taxes, settlement of any claim or assessment in respect of any material Taxes, or consent to any extension or waiver of the limitation period applicable to any claim or assessment in respect of any material Taxes, entry or change of any material Tax election, change of any method of accounting resulting in a material amount of additional Tax or filing of any material amended Tax Return;

 

(xi)                               any commencement or settlement of any Action;

 

(xii)                            any authorization, sale, issuance, transfer, pledge or other disposition of any Equity Securities of any Group Company, other than the grant or forfeiture of the options under the ESOP;

 

(xiii)                         any resignation or termination of any Company Key Employee of any Group Company;

 

(xiv)                        any transaction with any Related Party; or

 

(xv)                           any agreement or commitment to do any of the things described in this Section 3.11 .

 



 

3.12                         Actions . Except as set forth in Section 3.12 of the Company Disclosure Schedule, there is no Action pending or, to the Knowledge of the Warrantors, threatened against or affecting any Group Company or any of its officers, directors or employees with respect to its businesses or proposed business activities, or, to the Knowledge of the Warrantors, any officers, directors or employees of any Group Company in connection with such person’s respective relationship with such Group Company, nor to the Knowledge of the Warrantors is there any basis for any of the foregoing. By way of example, but not by way of limitation, there are no Actions pending against any of the Group Companies or, to the Knowledge of the Warrantors, threatened against any of the Group Companies, relating to the use by any employee of any Group Company of any information, technology or techniques allegedly proprietary to any of their former employers, clients or other parties. There is no judgment or award unsatisfied against any Group Company, nor is there any Governmental Order in effect and binding on any Group Company or their respective assets or properties. There is no Action pending by any Group Company against any third party nor does any Group Company intend to commence any such Action. No Governmental Authority has at any time challenged or questioned in writing the legal right of any Group Company to conduct in any respect its business as presently being conducted.

 

3.13                         Financial Statements .

 

(i)                                      The Group Companies have delivered to the Investor the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company for the financial year ending on December 31, 2014, the unaudited consolidated financial statements of the Company for the financial year ending on December 31, 2015, and the unaudited consolidated financial statements and management accounts of the Company for the period from January 1, 2016 to the Statement Date, each including balance sheet and profit and loss statement (collectively, the “ Financial Statements ”).

 

(ii)                                   The Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the Accounting Standards. None of the Group Companies has changed any of the accounting principles or practices used by it in the past.

 

(iii)                                The Financial Statements are accurate and complete in all material respects and present fairly the financial position of each Group Company as of the respective dates thereof and the results of operations of each Group Company for the periods covered thereby. In particular, the Financial Statements reflect all debts, liabilities, and obligations of any nature whether due or to become due (including, without limitation, absolute liabilities, accrued liabilities, and contingent liabilities) of the Group Companies as of the Statement Date which are required under the Accounting Standards to be reflected in such Financial Statements, and contain all necessary reserves, provisions and accruals in accordance with the Accounting Standards, except in the case of the unaudited Financial Statements subject to normal year-end audit adjustments in accordance with the Accounting Standards. The Financial Statements present an accurate picture in all material respects of the net assets, financing and results of operations of the Group Companies taken as a whole in accordance with the Accounting Standards as of the Statement Date.

 

(iv)                               All material transactions conducted by the Group Companies have been duly recorded on their books and in their accounting records to the extent required by the Accounting Standards and other applicable local accounting provisions and regulations. As of the Statement Date, the Group Companies have not incurred, assumed or guaranteed any liabilities or debts of any nature (whether due, fixed, contingent or otherwise) that were not reflected or expressly provisioned against in the Financial Statements and that were required to be reflected therein according to the Accounting Standards.

 



 

(v)                                  Except as set forth in the Financial Statements and in Section 3.13(v)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule or incurred in the ordinary course of business since the Statement Date, (i) none of the Group Companies has any liability or obligation, absolute or contingent (individually or in the aggregate), or any Indebtedness for borrowed money that it has directly or indirectly created, incurred, assumed or guaranteed, (ii) no Group Company is a guarantor or indemnitor of any liability, obligation or Indebtedness of any Person, (iii) none of the Warrantors nor any of their respective Affiliates is a guarantor or indemnitor of any liability, obligation or Indebtedness of any Group Company, (iv) none of the Group Companies has made any loan or advance to any Person (other than trade receivables in the ordinary course of business) and (v) none of the Warrantors and the shareholders of any Group Company has pledged or created any encumbrance over any of its interest in the securities of any Group Company other than the equity pledge created under the VIE Documents.

 

(vi)                               To the Knowledge of the Warrantors, all of the accounts receivable owing to the Group Companies, including without limitation all accounts receivable set forth in the Financial Statements, constitute valid and enforceable claims and are good and collectible in the ordinary course of business, net of any reserves shown on the Financial Statements (which reserves are adequate and were calculated on a basis consistent with the Accounting Standards), and, to the Knowledge of the Warrantors, no further goods or services are required to be provided in order to complete the sales and to entitle the Group Companies to collect in full. There are no contingent or asserted claims, refusals to pay, or other rights of set-off with respect to any accounts receivable of the Group Companies.

 

3.14                         Commitments.

 

(i)                                      Section 3.14(i)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule contains a complete and accurate list of all Material Contracts. “ Material Contracts ” mean, collectively, each Contract to which a Group Company or any of its properties or assets is bound or subject to that (a) involves obligations (contingent or otherwise) or payments in excess of RMB2,000,000 per annum or has an unexpired term in excess of one year, (b) involves Intellectual Property that is material to a Group Company (other than generally-available “off-the-shelf” shrink-wrap software licenses obtained by the Group on non-exclusive and non-negotiated terms), including without limitation, the Licenses, (c) restricts the ability of a Group Company to compete or to conduct or engage in any business or activity or in any territory, (d) relates to the sale, issuance, grant, exercise, award, purchase, repurchase or redemption of any Equity Securities, (e) involves any provisions providing for exclusivity, “change in control”, “most favored nations”, rights of first refusal or first negotiation or similar rights, or grants a power of attorney, agency or similar authority, (f) is with a Related Party, (g) involves Indebtedness, an extension of credit, a guaranty, surety or assumption of any obligation or any secondary or contingent Liabilities, deed of trust, or the grant of a Lien (other than the Permitted Lien), (h) involves the lease, license, sale, use, disposition or acquisition of a material amount of assets or of a business, (i) involves the waiver, compromise, or settlement of any material dispute, claim, litigation or arbitration, (j) involves the ownership or lease of, title to, use of, or any leasehold or other interest in, any real or personal property (except for personal property leases involving payments of less than RMB2,000,000 per annum), including without limitation, the Leases, (k) involves the establishment, contribution to, or operation of a partnership, joint venture, alliance or similar entity, or involving a sharing of profits or losses (including joint development and joint marketing Contracts), or any investment in, loan to or acquisition or sale of the securities or equity interests of any Person, or any acquisition or sale of the assets of any Person in excess of RMB2,000,000, (l) is between the Domestic Company and another Group Company, (m) is with a Governmental Authority, state-owned enterprise, or sole-source supplier of any material product or service (other than utilities), (n) is a Benefits Plan, or a collective bargaining agreement or is with any labor union or other representatives of the employees, (o) is a VIE Document, (p) is a brokerage or finder’s agreement, or material sales agency, marketing or distributorship Contract, or (q) is otherwise material to a Group Company or is one on which a Group Company is substantially dependent.

 



 

(ii)                                   A true, fully-executed copy of each Material Contract including all amendments and supplements thereto (and a written summary of all terms and conditions of each non-written Material Contract, if any) has been delivered to the Investor. Each Material Contract is a valid and binding agreement of the Group Company that is a party thereto, the performance of which does not and will not violate any applicable Law or Governmental Order, and is in full force and effect and enforceable against the parties thereto, except (x) as may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, and (y) as may be limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other remedies in the nature of equitable remedies. Each Group Company has duly performed all of its obligations under each Material Contract to the extent that such obligations to perform have accrued, and no breach or default, alleged breach or alleged default, or event which would (with the passage of time, notice or both) constitute a material breach or default thereunder by such Group Company or, to the Knowledge of the Warrantors, any other party or obligor with respect thereto, has occurred, or as a result of the execution, delivery, and performance of the Transaction Documents will occur. No Group Company has given notice (whether or not written) that it intends to terminate a Material Contract or that any other party thereto has breached, violated or defaulted under any Material Contract. No Group Company has received any notice (whether written or not) that it has breached, violated or defaulted under any Material Contract or that any other party thereto intends to terminate such Material Contract.

 

3.15                         Anti-Bribery, Anti-Corruption, Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions; Absence of Government Interests.

 

(i)                                      Each Group Company and other Warrantor and their Affiliates and their respective directors, officers, managers, employees, independent contractors, representatives, agents and other persons acting on their behalf (collectively, “ Representatives ”) are and have been in compliance with all applicable Laws relating to anti-bribery, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, record keeping and internal control laws (collectively, the “ Compliance Laws ”) including the FCPA as if it were a U.S. Person and the U.K. Bribery Act. Furthermore, no Public Official (i) holds an ownership or other economic interest, direct or indirect, in any of the Group Companies or in the contractual relationship formed by this Agreement, or (ii) serves as an officer, director or employee of any Group Company. Without limiting the foregoing, neither any Group Company nor, any Representative has, directly or indirectly, offered, authorized, promised, condoned, participated in, consummated, or received notice of any allegation of,

 

(a)                                  the making of any gift or payment of anything of value to any Public Official by any Person to obtain any improper advantage, affect or influence any act or decision of any such Public Official, or assist any Group Company in obtaining or retaining business for, or with, or directing business to, any Person,

 

(b)                                  the taking of any action by any Person which (i) would violate the FCPA, if taken by an entity subject to the FCPA, (ii) would violate the U.K. Bribery Act, if taken by an entity subject to the U.K. Bribery Act, or (iii) could reasonably be expected to constitute a violation of any applicable Compliance Law,

 

(c)                                   the making of any false or fictitious entries in the books or records of any Group Company by any Person, or

 

(d)                                  the using of any assets of any Group Company for the establishment of any unlawful or unrecorded fund of monies or other assets, or the making of any unlawful or undisclosed payment.

 

(ii)                                   No Group Company or any of its representatives has ever been found by a Governmental Authority to have violated any criminal or securities Law or is subject to any indictment or any government investigation for bribery. None of the beneficial owners of any Equity Securities or other interest in any Group Company or the current or former representatives of any Group Company are or were Public Officials.

 

(iii)                                No Group Company or any of its representatives is a Prohibited Person, and no Prohibited Person will be given an offer to become an employee, officer, consultant or director of any Group Company. No Group Company has conducted or agreed to conduct any business, or entered into or agreed to enter into any transaction with a Prohibited Person, if it is known to the Warrantors that such Person is a Prohibited Person.

 



 

(iv)                               If the Group Companies have beneficial owners or representatives who are known by any Warrantor to be Public Officials, no such Public Official has been involved on behalf of a Governmental Authority in decisions as to whether any Group Company, its shareholders, or the Investor would be awarded business or that otherwise could benefit any Group Company, its shareholders, or the Investor, or in the appointment, promotion, or compensation of persons who will make such decisions.

 

3.16                         Title; Properties.

 

(i)                                      Title; Personal Property . Each Group Company has good and valid title to all of its respective assets, whether tangible or intangible (including all assets acquired thereby since the Statement Date, but excluding those that have been disposed of since the Statement Date), in each case free and clear of all Liens, other than Permitted Liens. The foregoing assets collectively represent in all respects all assets (including all rights and properties) necessary for the conduct of the business of each Group Company as presently conducted. Except for leased or licensed assets, no Person other than a Group Company owns any interest in any such assets. All leases of real or personal property to which a Group Company is a party are fully effective and afford the Group Company valid leasehold possession of the real or personal property that is the subject of the lease. All machinery, vehicles, equipment and other tangible personal property owned or leased by a Group Company are (a) in good condition and repair in all respects (reasonable wear and tear excepted) and (b) not obsolete or in need in any respect of renewal or replacement, except for renewal or replacement in the ordinary course of business. There are no facilities, services, assets or properties which are used in connection with the Dada Business and which are shared with any other Person that is not a Group Company.

 

(ii)                                   Real Property . No Group Company owns or has legal or equitable title, leasehold interest or other right or interest in any real property except as disclosed in Section 3.16(ii)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule, which sets forth each interest pursuant to which any Group Company holds any real property (an “ Entitlement ”), indicating the legal basis for such Entitlement, the address of the property demised under the Entitlement, the consideration payable for the Entitlement, if any, and the term of the Entitlement. The particulars of the Entitlement as set forth in Section 3.16(ii)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule are true and complete. Each Entitlement is in compliance in all material respects with applicable Laws, including with respect to the ownership and operation of property and conduct of business as now conducted by the applicable Group Company. No Group Company uses any real property in the conduct of its business except insofar as it has secured an Entitlement with respect thereto. The interests under the Entitlements held by each Group Company are adequate for the conduct of the business of such Group Company as currently conducted. To the Knowledge of the Warrantors, there exists no pending or threatened condemnation, confiscation, eminent domain proceeding, dispute, claim, demand or similar proceeding with respect to, or which could adversely affect, the continued use and enjoyment of such interests in all material respects. To the Knowledge of the Warrantors, there are no circumstances that would entitle any Governmental Authority or other Person to take possession or otherwise restrict use, possession or occupation of any property subject to any Entitlement. The use and operation of the real properties subject to the Entitlements by the Group Companies is in compliance with all applicable Laws, including, without limitation, all applicable building codes, environmental, zoning, subdivision, and land use laws. None of the Group Companies has received notice from any Governmental Authority advising it of a violation (or an alleged violation) of any such laws or regulations.

 



 

3.17                         Related Party Transactions . No Related Party has any Contract (other than arrangements related to employment entered into in the ordinary course of business), understanding, or proposed transaction with, or is indebted to, any Group Company or has any direct or indirect interest in any Group Company (other than as set forth in Section 3.2(i)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule), nor is any Group Company indebted (or committed to make loans or extend or guarantee credit) to any Related Party (other than for accrued salaries for the current pay period and as set forth in Section 3.17 of the Company Disclosure Schedule). No Related Party has any direct or indirect interest in any Person (other than as set forth in Section 3.2(i)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule) with which a Group Company is affiliated or with which a Group Company has a business relationship (including any Person which purchases from or sells, licenses or furnishes to a Group Company any goods, intellectual or other property rights or services) or in any Contract to which a Group Company is a party or by which it may be bound or affected, and no Related Party directly or indirectly competes with or has any interest in any Person that directly or indirectly competes with any Group Company (other than ownership of less than one percent (1%) of the stock of publicly traded companies).

 

3.18                         Intellectual Property Rights.

 

(i)                                      Company IP . Each Group Company owns or otherwise has sufficient rights (including but not limited to the rights of development, maintenance, licensing and sale) to all Intellectual Property necessary and sufficient to conduct its business as currently conducted by such Group Company (“ Company IP ”) without any conflict with or infringement of the rights of any other Person. Section 3.18(i)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a complete and accurate list of all Company Registered IP for each Group Company, including for each the relevant name or description, registration/certification or application number, and filing, registration or issue date.

 

(ii)                                   IP Ownership . Except as set forth in Section 3.18(ii)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule, all Company Registered IP is owned by and registered or applied for solely in the name of a Group Company, is valid and subsisting and has not been abandoned, and all necessary registration, maintenance and renewal fees with respect thereto and currently due have been satisfied. No Group Company or any of its employees, officers or directors has taken any actions or failed to take any actions that would cause any Company Owned IP to be invalid, unenforceable or not subsisting. No funding or facilities of a Governmental Authority or a university, college, other educational institution or research center was used in the development of any Company Owned IP. No Company Owned IP is the subject of any Lien, license or other Contract granting rights therein to any other Person. No Group Company is or has been a member or promoter of, or contributor to, any industry standards bodies, patent pooling organizations or similar organizations that could require or obligate a Group Company to grant or offer to any Person any license or right to any material Company Owned IP. No Company Owned IP is subject to any proceeding or outstanding Governmental Order or settlement agreement or stipulation that (a) restricts in any manner the use, transfer or licensing thereof, or the making, using, sale, or offering for sale of any Group Company’s products or services, by any Group Company or (b) may affect the validity, use or enforceability of such Company Owned IP. The Principal has assigned and transferred to a Group Company any and all of his Intellectual Property developed for the Dada Business of the Group. No Group Company has (a) transferred or assigned any material Company IP; (b) authorized the joint ownership of, any Company IP; or (c) permitted the rights of any Group Company in any Company IP to lapse or enter the public domain.

 

(iii)                                Infringement, Misappropriation and Claims . Except as set forth in Section 3.18(iii)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule, no Group Company has misappropriated, or violated or infringed any Intellectual Property of any other Person, nor has any Group Company received any written notice alleging any of the foregoing. To the Knowledge of the Warrantors , no Person has violated, infringed or misappropriated any Company IP of any Group Company, and no Group Company has given any written notice to any other Person alleging any of the foregoing. To the Knowledge of the Warrantors, no Person has challenged the ownership or use of any Company IP by a Group Company. No Group Company has agreed to indemnify any Person for any infringement, violation or misappropriation of any Intellectual Property by such Person.

 



 

(iv)                               Assignments and Prior IP . All inventions and know-how conceived by employees of a Group Company related to the business of such Group Company are currently owned exclusively by a Group Company. Except as set forth in Section 3.18(iv)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule, all employees, contractors, agents and consultants of a Group Company who are or were involved in the creation of any Intellectual Property for such Group Company have executed an assignment of inventions agreement that vests in a Group Company exclusive ownership of all right, title and interest in and to such Intellectual Property, to the extent not already provided by Law. All employee inventors of Company Owned IP have received reasonable reward and remunerations from a Group Company for his/her service inventions or service technology achievements in accordance with the applicable PRC Laws. To the Knowledge of the Warrantors, it will not be necessary to utilize any Intellectual Property of any such Persons made prior to their employment by a Group Company, except for those that are exclusively owned by a Group Company, and none of such Intellectual Property has been utilized by any Group Company. To the Knowledge of the Warrantors, none of the employees, consultants or independent contractors, currently or previously employed or otherwise engaged by any Group Company, (a) is in violation of any current or prior confidentiality, non-competition or non-solicitation obligations to such Group Company or to any other Persons, including former employers, or (b) is obligated under any Contract, or subject to any Governmental Order, that would interfere with the use of his or her best efforts to promote the interests of the Group Companies or that would conflict with the business of such Group Company as presently conducted.

 

(v)                                  Licenses . Section 3.18(v)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule contains a complete and accurate list of the Licenses. The “ Licenses ” means, collectively, (a) all licenses, sublicenses, and other Contracts to which any Group Company is a party and pursuant to which any third party is authorized to use, exercise or receive any benefit from any Company IP, and (b) all licenses, sublicenses and other Contracts to which any Group Company is a party and pursuant to which such Group Company is authorized to use, exercise, or receive any benefit from any Intellectual Property of another Person, in each case except for (1) agreements involving “off-the-shelf” commercially available software, and (2) non-exclusive licenses to customers of the Dada Business in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice. The Group Companies have paid all license and royalty fees required to be paid under the Licenses.

 

(vi)                               Protection of IP . Except as set forth in Section 3.18(vi)  of the Company Disclosure Schedule, each Group Company has taken reasonable and appropriate steps to protect, maintain and safeguard material Company IP and made all applicable filings, registrations and payments of fees in connection with the foregoing. Without limiting the foregoing, all current and former officers, employees, consultants and independent contractors of any Group Company and all suppliers, customers, distributors, and other third parties having access to any material Company IP have executed and delivered to such Group Company an agreement requiring the protection of such Company IP. To the extent that any Company IP has been developed or created independently or jointly by an independent contractor or other third party for any Group Company, or is incorporated into any products or services of any Group Company, such Group Company has a written agreement with such independent contractor or third party and has thereby obtained ownership of, and is the exclusive owner of all such independent contractor’s or third party’s Intellectual Property in such work, material or invention by operation of law or valid assignment.

 

(vii)                            No Public Software . No Public Software forms part of any product or service provided by any Group Company or was or is used in connection with the development of any product or service provided by any Group Company or is incorporated into, in whole or in part, or has been distributed with, in whole or in part, any product or service provided by any Group Company. No software included in any Company Owned IP has been or is being distributed, in whole or in part, or was used, or is being used in conjunction with any Public Software in a manner which would require that such software be disclosed or distributed in source code form or made available at no charge.

 



 

3.19                         Labor and Employment Matters.

 

(i)                                      Each Group Company has complied in all material respects with all applicable Laws related to labor or employment, including provisions thereof relating to wages, hours, worker classification, working conditions, benefits, retirement, social welfare, equal opportunity and collective bargaining, except as set forth in Section 3.19 of the Company Disclosure Schedule. There is not pending or to the Knowledge of the Warrantors threatened, and there has not been since, with respect to a Group Company, the incorporation of such Group Company, any Action relating to the violation or alleged violation of any applicable Laws by any Group Company related to labor or employment, including any charge or complaint filed by an employee with any Governmental Authority or any Group Company.

 

(ii)                                   None of the Group Companies currently or previously adopted, maintained, or contributed to any Benefit Plan. Except for required contributions or benefit accruals for the current plan year, no material Liability has been or is expected to be incurred by any Group Companies under or pursuant to any applicable Laws relating to any Benefit Plan or individual employment compensation agreement, and, to the Knowledge of the Warrantors, no event, transaction or condition has occurred or exists that would result in any such Liability to any Group Company. Each Group Company maintains, and has fully funded, each labor-related plan that it is required by Law or by Contract to maintain. Except as set forth in Section 3.19 of the Company Disclosure Schedule, each Group Company is in compliance in all material respects with all Laws and Contracts relating to its provision of any form of Social Insurance, and has paid, or made provision for the payment of, all Social Insurance contributions required under applicable Laws and Contracts.

 

(iii)                                There has not been, and there is not now pending or, to the Knowledge of the Warrantors, threatened, any strike, union organization activity, lockout, slowdown, picketing, or work stoppage or any unfair labor practice charge against any Group Company. No Group Companies is bound by or subject to (and none of their assets or properties is bound by or subject to) any written or oral Contract, commitment or arrangement with any labor union or any collective bargaining agreements.

 

(iv)                               Schedule IV enumerates each Company Key Employee, along with each such individual’s title. To the Knowledge of the Warrantors, each such individual is currently devoting all of his or her business time to the conduct of the business of the applicable Group Company. No such individual is subject to any covenant restricting him/her from working for any Group Company. No such individual is obligated under, or in violation of any term of, any Contract or any Governmental Order relating to the right of any such individual to be employed by, or to contract with, such Group Company. No Group Company has received any notice alleging that any such violation has occurred. No such individual is currently working or, to the Knowledge of the Warrantors plans to work for any other Person that competes with any Group Company, whether or not such individual is or will be compensated by such Person. As of the date hereof, no such individual or any group of employees of any Group Company has given any notice of an intent to terminate their employment with any Group Company, nor does any Group Company have a present intention to terminate the employment of any such individual or any group of employees.

 

3.20                         Insurance . Each Group Company has in full force and effect insurance policies necessary to conduct its business as currently conducted, with extended coverage, sufficient in amount (subject to reasonable deductibles) to allow it to reasonably replace any of its properties and material assets that might be damaged or destroyed and in amounts customary for companies similarly situated. Except as set forth in Section 3.20 of the Company Disclosure Schedule, there is no claim pending thereunder as to which coverage has been questioned, denied or disputed. All premiums due and payable under all such policies and bonds have been timely paid, and each Group Company is otherwise in compliance in all material respects with the terms of such policies and bonds.

 



 

3.21                         Internal Controls . Each Group Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions by it are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, (ii) transactions by it are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with the Accounting Standards and to maintain asset accountability, (iii) access to assets of it is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, (iv) the recorded inventory of assets is compared with the existing tangible assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any material differences, (v) segregating duties for cash deposits, cash reconciliation, cash payment, proper approval is established, and (vi) no personal assets or bank accounts of the employees, directors, officers are mingled with the corporate assets or corporate bank account, and no Group Company uses any personal bank accounts of any employees, directors, officers thereof during the operation of the business. The signatories for each bank account of each Group Company are listed on Section 3.21 of the Company Disclosure Schedule.

 

3.22                         VIE Agreements . Each of the Warrantors which is a party to the VIE Agreements has full power, authority and legal right to execute, deliver and perform their respective obligations under each of the VIE Agreements to which it is a party, and upon the execution of the VIE Agreements, has authorized, executed and delivered each of the VIE Agreements to which it is a party, and such obligations constitute valid, legal and binding obligations enforceable against it in accordance with the terms of each of such VIE Agreements. The execution, delivery and performance of each VIE Agreement by the parties thereto will not and is not reasonably expected to (i) result in any violation of the business license, articles of association or other constitutional documents (if any) of any Group Company or Principal HoldCo; (ii) result in any violation of or penalty under any Laws of the PRC as in effect as of the date hereof; or (iii) 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, agreement, arrangement, license, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument in effect as of the date hereof and the Closing to which any of them is a party or by which any of them is bound or to which any of their property or assets is subject. The equity pledges made pursuant to the Share Pledge Agreements have been duly registered with the relevant Governmental Authority pursuant to the PRC Laws and remain in full force and effect.

 

3.23                         Entire Business . No Group Company shares or provides any facilities, operational services, assets or properties with or to any other entity which is not a Group Company.

 

3.24                         No Brokers . Neither any Group Company nor any of its Affiliates has any Contract with any broker, finder or similar agent with respect to the transactions contemplated by any of the Transaction Documents, and none of them has incurred any Liability for any brokerage fees, agents’ fees, commissions or finders’ fees in connection with any of the Transaction Documents or the consummation of the transactions contemplated therein.

 

3.25                         Disclosure . No representation or warranty by the Warrantors in this Agreement and no information or materials provided by the Warrantors to the Investor in connection with the negotiation or execution of this Agreement or any agreement contemplated hereby contains any untrue statement of a material fact, or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances in which they are made, not misleading. Except as set forth in this Agreement or the Company Disclosure Schedule, to the Knowledge of the Warrantors, there is no fact that the Company has not disclosed to the Investor in writing and of which any of its officers, directors or executive employees has Knowledge and that has had or would reasonably be expected to have any Material Adverse Effect.

 

4.                                       Representations and Warranties of the Investor . The Investor hereby represents and warrants to the Company that the following statements are true and correct as of the date hereof and will be true and correct as of the Closing:

 



 

4.1                                Authorization . The Investor has all requisite power and authority to execute and deliver the Transaction Documents to which it is a party and to carry out and perform its obligations thereunder. All action on the part of the Investor (and, as applicable, its officers, directors and shareholders) necessary for the authorization, execution and delivery of the Transaction Documents to which it is a party, and the performance of all obligations of the Investor thereunder, has been taken or will be taken prior to the Closing. Each Transaction Document has been, or will be on or prior to the Closing, duly executed and delivered by the Investor (to the extent the Investor is a party) and, when executed and delivered, constitutes valid and legally binding obligations of the Investor, enforceable against the Investor in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, and other Laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, and (ii) as limited by Laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief, or other equitable remedies.

 

4.2                                Purchase for Own Account . The JD Target Shares will be acquired for the Investor’s own account, not as a nominee or agent, and not with a view to or in connection with the sale or distribution of any part thereof.

 

4.3                                Status of Investor . The Investor is either (i) an “accredited investor” within the meaning of Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 501 of Regulation D, as presently in effect, under the Securities Act, or (ii) not a “U.S. person” as defined in Rule 902 of Regulation S of the Securities Act. The Investor has the knowledge, sophistication and experience necessary to make an investment decision like that involved in the purchase of the JD Target Shares and can bear the economic risk of its purchase of the JD Target Shares.

 

4.4                                Restricted Securities . The Investor understand that the JD Target Shares are restricted securities within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act; and that the JD Target Shares are not registered or listed publicly and may be held indefinitely unless they are subsequently registered or listed publicly or an exemption from such registration or listing is available.

 

5.                                       Conditions of the Investor’s Obligations at the Closing . The obligations of the Investor to consummate the Closing under Section 2 of this Agreement are subject to the fulfillment, to the satisfaction of the Investor on or prior to the Closing, or waiver by the Investor, of the following conditions:

 

5.1                                Representations and Warranties . Each of the representations and warranties of the Warrantors contained in Section 3 hereof shall have been true and complete when made and shall be true and complete on and as of the Closing with the same effect as though such representations and warranties had been made on and as of the Closing Date, except in either case for those representations and warranties that address matters only as of a particular date, which representations will have been true and complete as of such particular date.

 

5.2                                Performance . Each of the Warrantors, the Principal and the Principal HoldCo shall have performed and complied with all covenants, obligations and conditions contained in the Transaction Documents that are required to be performed or complied with by them on or before the Closing.

 

5.3                                Authorizations . All Consents of any competent Governmental Authority or of any other Person that are required to be obtained by any Warrantor, the Principal or the Principal HoldCo in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents (including but not limited to those related to the lawful issuance and sale of the JD Target Shares, and any waivers of notice requirements, rights of first refusal, preemptive rights, put or call rights), including necessary board and shareholder approvals of the Group Companies, shall have been duly obtained and effective as of the Closing, and evidence thereof shall have been delivered to the Investor.

 

5.4                                Proceedings and Documents . All corporate and other proceedings in connection with the transactions to be completed at the Closing and all documents incident thereto, including without limitation written approval from all of the then current holders of equity interests of each Group Company, as applicable, with respect to this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, shall have been completed in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Investor, and the Investor shall have received all the photocopies of such counterpart or other copies of such documents as it may reasonably request.

 



 

5.5                                Charter Documents . The Fifth Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, in the forms attached hereto as Exhibit B , respectively, shall have been duly adopted by all necessary action of the Board of Directors and/or the members of the Company, and such adoption shall have been duly submitted for filing with the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands as of the Closing as evidenced by an email confirmation from the registered agent of the Company.

 

5.6                                No Material Adverse Effect . There shall have been no Material Adverse Effect since the Statement Date.

 

5.7                                Closing Certificat e. The chief executive officer of the Company shall have executed and delivered to the Investor at the Closing a certificate dated as of the Closing (i) stating that the conditions specified in this Section 5 have been fulfilled as of the Closing, and (ii) attaching thereto (a) the Charter Documents of the Group Companies as then in effect, (b) copies of all resolutions approved by the shareholders and board of directors of each Group Company related to the transactions contemplated hereby and the filing of the Fifth Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, and (c) a good standing certificate issued by the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands dated no earlier than ten (10) days before the Closing and incumbency certificate with respect to the Company, and with respect to the Group Companies which are incorporated under the Laws of the PRC, the then effective business licenses.

 

5.8                                Opinions of Counsel . The Investor shall have received from Hankun Law Offices, the PRC counsel for the Company, an opinion, dated as of the Closing, and from TRAVERS THORP ALBERGA, the Cayman Islands counsel of the Company, an opinion, dated as of the Closing, both of which in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Investor.

 

5.9                                Board of Directors . The Company shall have taken all necessary corporate action to ensure that effective from the Closing, the Board shall have been restructured in accordance with the Fifth Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association and the Fourth Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement.

 

5.10                         Ancillary Agreements . Each of the parties to the Ancillary Agreements, other than the Investor, shall have executed and delivered such Ancillary Agreements to the Investor.

 

5.11                         Business Cooperation Agreement . Each of the parties to the Business Cooperation Agreement, other than the Investor or its Affiliates, shall have executed and delivered the Business Cooperation Agreement to the Investor.

 

5.12                         Transition Service Agreement . Each of the parties to the Transition Service Agreement, other than the Investor or its Affiliates, shall have executed and delivered the Transition Service Agreement to the Investor.

 

5.13                         Other Transaction Documents . Each of the parties to any other Transaction Documents, other than the Investor and the Daojia Group Companies, shall have executed and delivered such Transaction Documents to the Company, unless otherwise agreed to by the Company and the Investor.

 

5.14                         Warrant . Each of the parties to the Warrant, other than the Investor, shall have executed and delivered the Warrant to the Investor.

 



 

5.15                         Indemnification Agreement . The Company shall have executed and delivered the Indemnification Agreement with respect to each director nominated by the Investor in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Investor.

 

6.                                       Conditions of the Company’s Obligations at the Closing . The obligations of the Company owed to the Investor to consummate the Closing under Section 2 hereof, unless otherwise waived in writing by the Company, are subject to the fulfillment on or before the Closing of each of the following conditions on or prior to the Closing:

 

6.1                                Representations and Warranties . The representations and warranties of the Investor contained in Section 4 hereof shall have been true and complete when made and shall be true and complete on and as of the Closing, with the same effect as though such representations and warranties had been made on and as of the Closing Date, except in either case for those representations and warranties that address matters only as of a particular date, which representations will have been true and complete as of such particular date.

 

6.2                                Performance . The Investor shall have performed and complied with all covenants, obligations and conditions contained in the Transaction Documents that are required to be performed or complied with by the Investor on or before the Closing.

 

6.3                                Authorizations . All Consents of any competent Governmental Authority or of any other Person that are required to be obtained by the Investor in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, including necessary board and shareholder approvals of the Investor and the Daojia Group Companies, shall have been duly obtained and effective as of the Closing, and evidence thereof shall have been delivered to the Company.

 

6.4                                Proceedings and Documents . All corporate and other proceedings in connection with the transactions to be completed at the Closing and all documents incident thereto, including without limitation written approval from all of the then current holders of equity interests of each Daojia Group Company, as applicable, with respect to this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, shall have been completed in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company, and the Company shall have received all the photocopies of such counterpart or other copies of such documents as it may reasonably request.

 

6.5                                No Daojia Material Adverse Effect . There shall have been no Daojia Material Adverse Effect since March 31, 2016.

 

6.6                                Closing Certificate . The chief executive officer of the Investor shall have executed and delivered to the Company at the Closing a certificate dated as of the Closing (i) stating that the conditions specified in this Section 6 have been fulfilled as of the Closing, and (ii) attaching thereto (a) the Charter Documents of the Daojia Group Companies as then in effect and (b) copies of all resolutions approved by the shareholders and board of directors of each Daojia Group Company related to the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

6.7                                Opinions of Counsel . The Company shall have received from PacGate Law Group, the PRC counsel for the Investor, an opinion, dated as of the Closing, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company.

 

6.8                                Ancillary Agreements . The Investor shall have executed and delivered such Ancillary Agreements to the Company.

 

6.9                                Business Cooperation Agreement . JD shall have executed and delivered the Business Cooperation Agreement to the Company.

 



 

6.10                         Transition Service Agreement . JD shall have executed and delivered the Transition Service Agreement to the Company.

 

6.11                         Other Transaction Documents . JD, the Investor and their respective Affiliates, to the extent that they are parties to any other Transaction Documents, shall have executed and delivered such Transaction Documents to the Company.

 

7.                                       Executive Period Covenants of the Company .

 

7.1                                Conduct of Business . Between the date hereof and the Closing, except as contemplated under the Transaction Documents or otherwise agreed in writing by the Investor, each of the Group Companies shall (and the Warrantors and the Principal shall cause each of the Group Companies to) conduct its business in the ordinary course consistent with past practice, as a going concern and in compliance with all applicable Laws and Contracts.

 

7.2                                Exclusivity . From the date hereof until the Closing Date, the Warrantors, the Principal and the Principal HoldCo shall not, and they shall not permit any of their representatives or any Group Company to, directly or indirectly solicit, initiate or encourage any inquiries or proposals from, discuss or negotiate with, provide any non-public information to, or approve or authorize any transaction with any Person that would involve an investment in, purchase of shares of, or acquisition of any Group Company or any material assets thereof or would be in substitution or an alternative for or would impede or interfere with the transactions contemplated hereby. The Warrantors, the Principal and the Principal HoldCo shall, and shall cause their representatives and the other Group Companies to, immediately terminate all existing activities, discussions and negotiations with any third parties with respect to the foregoing, and if any of them hereafter receives any correspondence or communication that constitutes, or could reasonably be expected to lead to, any such transaction they shall immediately give notice thereof (including the third party and the material terms of such transaction) to the Investor.

 

8.                                       Post- Closing Covenants of the Company Group .

 

8.1                                SAFE Amendment Registration . Each holder or beneficial owner of any Equity Security of a Group Company, if applicable, shall make his/her best efforts to apply for and obtain an initial SAFE registration or an amendment to his/her SAFE registration certificates with the applicable Governmental Authorities as soon as possible and no later than thirty (30) days after the Closing in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Investor.

 

8.2                                Stamped Corporate Documents . The Company shall obtain the duly stamped Fifth Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles, the duly stamped updated register of members and the duly stamped updated register of directors of the Company within fifteen (15) days after the Closing.

 

8.3                                Availability of Ordinary Shares . The Company hereby covenants that at all times there shall be made available, free of any Liens, for issuance and delivery upon conversion of the JD Preferred Shares such number of Ordinary Shares in the share capital of the Company as are from time to time issuable upon conversion of the JD Preferred Shares issued hereunder, and will take all steps necessary to increase its authorized share capital to provide sufficient number of Ordinary Shares issuable upon conversion of the JD Preferred Shares issued hereunder.

 

8.4                                FCPA and U.K. Bribery Act . None of the Warrantors, the Principal and the Principal HoldCo shall, or shall permit any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates or any of its or their Representatives to promise, at any time authorize or make any payment to, or otherwise contribute any item of value to, directly or indirectly, to any third party, including any Non-U.S. Official, in each case, in violation of the FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act, or any other applicable anti-bribery or anticorruption law. Each of the Warrantors, the Principal and the Principal HoldCo shall and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries, Affiliates and Representatives to cease all of its or their respective activities, as well as remediate any actions taken by each of the Warrantors, the Principal and the Principal HoldCo and any of its Subsidiaries, Affiliates, or Representatives in violation of the FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act, or any other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption law. Further, each of the Warrantors, the Principal and the Principal HoldCo shall and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries and Controlled Affiliates to maintain systems of internal controls (including, but not limited to, accounting systems, purchasing systems and billing systems) to ensure compliance with the FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act, or any other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption law.

 



 

8.5                                Conduct of Business in Compliance with Laws . Each Group Company shall conduct its business in compliance with the Laws (including without limitation applicable PRC Laws relating to telecommunication business, software, advertisement, Intellectual Property, anti-monopoly, taxation, employment and social welfare and benefits) in all material respects, and especially if any Law or competent Governmental Authority specifies and requires that, to conduct its business, any Group Company is obligated to obtain any permit, license, approval, authorization from or make any requisite filing and registration with a competent Governmental Authority, such Group Company shall obtain such permit, license, approval, authorization and complete such filing and registration in compliance with the Laws as soon as possible.

 

8.6                                Go Public . The Principal and the Company undertake to use their best efforts to complete a Qualified IPO by the fifth (5 th ) anniversary of the Closing Date.

 

8.7                                SP License . As soon as possible after being required by competent Governmental Authority, the Domestic Company shall and the other Warrantors shall cause the Domestic Company to use its best endeavors to obtain the Mobile Network Information Service Business Operation License ( 移动网信息服务业务经营许可证 ) issued by the competent Governmental Authority for its mobile telecommunication business, with a true copy of the obtained SP License being furnished to the Investor.

 

8.8                                EDI License . As soon as possible after being required by competent Governmental Authority, the Domestic Company shall and the other Warrantors shall cause the Domestic Company to use its best endeavors to obtain the Online Data Processing and Transaction Processing Business Operation License ( 在线数据处理与交易处理业务经营许可证 ) (the “ EDI License ”) issued by the competent Governmental Authority for its online data processing and transaction processing business, with a true copy of the obtained EDI License being furnished to the Investor.

 

8.9                                Change of VIE and VIE Documents . Within one hundred and eighty (180) days after the Closing, the Company shall cause the relevant parties to (i) enter into an equity subscription agreement (to be reasonably agreed upon by the Company and the Investor) with a Person designated by the Investor (the “ Investor Nominee ”), pursuant to which the Investor Nominee will subscribe for and purchase, and the Domestic Company will issue to the Investor Nominee, certain equity interest in the Domestic Company so that the Investor Nominee will be the registered owner of 10% of the entire equity interest of the Domestic Company (the “ Onshore Equity Subscription ”), (ii) apply for and complete registration with the competent SAIC with respect to the Onshore Equity Subscription and provide the Investor with a copy of the as-filed amended and restated articles of association of the Domestic Company and any other documents necessary for the registration of the Onshore Equity Subscription, (iii) amend the VIE Documents to reflect the shareholding structure of the Domestic Company post the Onshore Equity Subscription to the reasonable satisfaction of the Investor, and each of the then current holders of the equity interest of the Domestic Company and certain other parties thereto shall duly execute and comply with the amended VIE Documents to which it is a party and shall cause the transactions contemplated thereunder to be consummated in accordance with the terms and conditions thereof, and (iv) submit all the necessary documents to the requisite Governmental Authority for the registration of the equity pledge contemplated by the amended Share Pledge Agreements ( 股权质押合同 ) (included in the VIE Documents as amended pursuant to this Section 8.9 ).

 



 

8.10                         Transfer of Non-Restricted Dada Business or Asset . As soon as practicable and from time to time after Closing, unless otherwise agreed by the Majority Preferred Holders, the Domestic Company shall transfer to the WFOE any business or asset that is not subject to foreign investment restrictions under applicable PRC law, at a minimal price or any lowest price permitted by the PRC law; provided that any tax related to such transfer shall be withheld by the WFOE.

 

8.11                         Intellectual Property .

 

(i)                                      Within three (3) months after the Closing, the Domestic Company shall register all trademarks currently used in connection with the Dada Business (including without limitation “ 达达 ”, any figurative trademark or a combined trademark containing the above Chinese characters and symbols) with the competent Governmental Authority.

 

(ii)                                   Within three (3) months after the Closing, the WFOE shall complete the copyright registration for the software listed in Exhibit H with the competent Governmental Authority, and shall, as soon as possible upon request by the Investor, complete copyright registration for all other software then developed and used by it for purpose of the Dada Business (including without limitation the mobile terminal applications named “ 达达商家 Web ”, “ 达达商家 iOS ”, “ 达达 Android (v1.3)”, “ 达达商家 Android (v1.8)” and “ 达达内部客户管理系统 ”) with the competent Governmental Authority.

 

8.12                         Tax Withholding . Insofar as any Group Company is required by applicable Law or any competent Governmental Authority to withhold any taxes payable in respect of fees paid by any Group Company on behalf of any local merchants to any freelance courier or any subsidies paid by any Group Company to any freelance courier, the Company shall, promptly and in any event within such period as required by the applicable Law or the competent Government Authority, adopt policies and take all other reasonable actions to ensure compliance by the Group Companies of any such tax withholding requirements. The Company undertakes to promptly inform the Investor of any communications with or notices from the competent Government Authority with regard to such withholding requirements.

 

9.                                       Covenants of the Investor .

 

9.1                                Distribution Compliance Period . The Investor agrees not to resell, pledge or transfer any JD Target Shares within the United States or to any U.S. Person, as each of those terms is defined in Regulation S, during the forty (40) days following the Closing Date.

 

10.                                Confidentiality .

 

10.1                         Confidentiality . The terms and conditions of the Transaction Documents (collectively, the “ Financing Terms ”), including their existence, shall be considered confidential information and shall not be disclosed by any of the Parties to any other Person except that (i) each Party, as appropriate, may disclose any of the Financing Terms to its current or bona fide prospective investors, employees, investment bankers, lenders, accountants and attorneys, in each case only where such Persons are under appropriate nondisclosure obligations; (ii) the Investor may disclose any of the Financing Terms to its fund manager or advisory company and the employees thereof so long as such Persons are under appropriate nondisclosure obligations; and (iii) if any Party is requested or becomes legally compelled (including without limitation, pursuant to securities Laws) to disclose the existence or content of any of the Financing Terms in contravention of the provisions of this Section, such Party shall promptly provide the other Parties with written notice of that fact so that such other Parties may seek a protective order, confidential treatment or other appropriate remedy and in any event shall furnish only that portion of the information that is legally required and shall exercise reasonable efforts to obtain reliable assurance that confidential treatment will be accorded such information. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company and the Investor shall have the right to make a public announcement mutually agreed by the Company and the Investor in writing about the transaction contemplated in this Agreement.

 



 

11.                                Termination .

 

11.1                         Termination of Agreement . This Agreement may be terminated prior to the Closing (a) by mutual written consent of the Parties, (b) by the Investor or the Company if the Closing has not been consummated by May 30, 2016, (c) by either the Company, on the one hand, or the Investor, on the other hand, by written notice to the other if there has been a material misrepresentation or material breach of a covenant or agreement contained in this Agreement on the part of the Investor, or any Warrantor, the Principal or the Principal HoldCo, as applicable, and such breach, if curable, has not been cured within fourteen (14) days of such notice, or (d) by the Investor if, due to change of applicable Laws, the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereunder would become prohibited under applicable Laws.

 

11.2                         Effect of Termination . If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to the provision of Section 11.1 , this Agreement will be of no further force or effect, provided that no party shall be relieved of any liability for a breach of this Agreement or for any misrepresentation hereunder, nor shall such termination be deemed to constitute a waiver of any available remedy (including specific performance if available) for any such breach or misrepresentation.

 

11.3                         Survival . The provisions of Section 11.2 , this Section 11.3 and Section 13 shall survive the expiration or early termination of this Agreement.

 

12.                                Indemnification .

 

12.1                         Survival of Warranties and Covenants . The representations and warranties of the Warrantors contained in this Agreement shall survive the Closing Date until the second anniversary of the Closing Date, provided, however, that the representations and warranties contained in Sections 3.1 through 3.7 , Section 3.9 , Sections 4.1 through 4.4 (collectively, the “ Fundamental Representations ”) shall survive until the expiration of the applicable statute of limitation under applicable Laws. The covenants and other agreements of each Party contained in this Agreement shall survive the Closing until fully discharged in accordance with their terms, except for those covenants and agreements which shall be complied with or discharged prior to the Closing in accordance with this Agreement.

 

12.2                         Indemnification . From and after the Closing, each Party, as applicable (the “ Indemnifying Party ”), shall indemnify and hold the other Parties and their respective directors, officers, agents and Affiliates (collectively, the “ Indemnified Party ”) harmless from and against any losses, claims, damages, liabilities, judgments, fines, obligations, expenses and liabilities of any kind or nature whatsoever, including but not limited to any investigative, legal and other expenses incurred in connection with, and any amounts paid in settlement of, any pending or threatened legal action or proceeding, and any taxes or levies that may be payable by such person by reason of the indemnification of any indemnifiable loss hereunder (collectively, “ Losses ”) resulting from or arising out of: (i) the breach of any representation or warranty of the Indemnifying Party contained in this Agreement or any other Transaction Document; or (ii) the violation or nonperformance, partial or total, of any covenant or agreement of the Indemnifying Party contained in this Agreement or any other Transaction Document. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing and subject to Section 12.5 , each Indemnifying Party shall, jointly and severally, indemnify and hold harmless each Indemnified Party from and against any and all Losses suffered by such Indemnified Party, directly or indirectly, as a result of, or based upon or arising from (a) any Action in connection with any failure to pay Social Insurance contribution by any Group Company or by any Daojia Group Company (as applicable); (b) any dispute or infringement claim in connection with the ownership of any Company IP, and (c) any tax liability of any Group Company or any Daojia Group Company (as applicable) accrued before the Closing. Such indemnification shall not be prejudiced by or be otherwise subject to any disclosure (in the Company Disclosure Schedule or Daojia Disclosure Schedule or otherwise) and shall apply regardless of whether the Indemnifying Party have any actual or constructive knowledge with respect thereto.

 



 

12.3                         Third Party Claim .

 

(i)                                      If any third party shall notify any Indemnified Party in writing with respect to any matter involving a claim by such third party (a “ Third Party Claim ”) which such Indemnified Party believes would give rise to a claim for indemnification against the Indemnifying Party under this Section 12 , then the Indemnified Party shall promptly following receipt of notice of such claim (i) notify the Indemnifying Party thereof in writing and (ii) transmit to the Indemnifying Party a written notice (“ Claim Notice ”) describing in reasonable detail the nature of the Third Party Claim, a copy of all papers served with respect to such claim (if any), and the basis of the Indemnified Party’s request for indemnification under this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no failure or delay in providing such notice shall constitute a waiver or otherwise modify the Indemnified Party’s right to indemnity hereunder, except to the extent that the Indemnifying Party shall have been prejudiced by such failure or delay. If the Indemnifying Party does not notify the Indemnified Party in writing within thirty (30) days from receipt of such Claim Notice that the Indemnifying Party disputes such claim for indemnification under this Agreement, the Indemnifying Party shall be deemed to have accepted and agreed with such claim for indemnification under this Agreement.

 

(ii)                                   Upon receipt of a Claim Notice with respect to a Third Party Claim, the Indemnifying Party shall have the right to assume the defense of any Third Party Claim by, within thirty (30) days of receipt of the Claim Notice, notifying the Indemnified Party in writing that the Indemnifying Party elects to assume the defense of such Third Party Claim, and upon delivery of such notice by the Indemnifying Party, the Indemnifying Party shall have the right to fully control and settle the proceeding; provided, that any such settlement or compromise shall be permitted hereunder only with the written consent of the Indemnified Party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Indemnifying Party shall not be entitled to assume the defense of any Third Party Claim if (i) the Third Party Claim relates to or arises in connection with any criminal action, (ii) the Third Party Claim seeks an injunction or equitable relief against any Indemnified Party, (iii) the Third Party Claim is or would reasonably be expected to result in Losses in excess of the amounts available for indemnification pursuant to Section 12.5 or (iv) the Indemnifying Party has not acknowledged that such Third Party Claim is subject to indemnification pursuant to this Section 12 . If the Indemnifying Party assumes the defense of a Third Party Claim pursuant to this Section 12.3(ii) , the Indemnifying Party shall conduct such defense in good faith.

 

(iii)                                If requested by the Indemnifying Party, the Indemnified Party shall, at the sole cost and expense of the Indemnifying Party, cooperate reasonably with the Indemnifying Party and its counsel in contesting any Third Party Claim which the Indemnifying Party elects to contest, including in connection with the making of any related counterclaim against the person asserting the Third Party Claim or any cross complaint against any person. The Indemnified Party shall have the right to receive copies of all pleadings, notices and communications with respect to any Third Party Claim, other than any privileged communications between the Indemnifying Party and its counsel, and shall be entitled, at its sole cost and expense, to retain separate co-counsel and participate in, but not control, any defense or settlement of any Third Party Claim assumed by the Indemnifying Party pursuant to Section 12.3(ii) .

 

(iv)                               In the event of a Third Party Claim for which the Indemnifying Party elects not to assume the defense, fails to make such an election within the thirty (30) days of the Claim Notice or otherwise fails to continue the defense of the Indemnified Party reasonably and in good faith, the Indemnified Party may, at its option, defend, settle, compromise or pay such action or claim at the expense of the Indemnifying Party; provided that any such settlement or compromise shall be permitted hereunder only with the written consent of the Indemnifying Party, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.

 



 

12.4                         Other Claims . In the event any Indemnified Party should have a claim against the Indemnifying Party hereunder which does not involve a Third Party Claim, the Indemnified Party shall promptly transmit to the Indemnifying Party a written notice (the “ Indemnity Notice ”) describing in reasonable detail the nature of the claim, the Indemnified Party’s best estimate of the amount of Losses attributable to such claim and the basis of the Indemnified Party’s request for indemnification under this Agreement; provided, that no failure or delay in providing such notice shall constitute a waiver or otherwise modify the Indemnified Party’s right to indemnity hereunder, except to the extent that the Indemnifying Party shall have been prejudiced by such failure or delay. If the Indemnifying Party does not notify the Indemnified Party within thirty (30) days from its receipt of the Indemnity Notice that the Indemnifying Party disputes such claim, the Indemnifying Party shall be deemed to have accepted and agreed with such claim.

 

12.5                         Limitations on Liability . Notwithstanding the foregoing, other than with respect to fraud, breach of the Fundamental Representations, and indemnification pursuant to Section 12.2(ii) , (i) no Party shall have liability (for indemnification or otherwise) with respect to any Losses unless the aggregate amount of such Losses exceeds US$1,000,000 (in which case, the entire amount of Losses, subject to clause (ii) below, shall be payable by the liable Party), (ii) the total aggregate liability of the Warrantors for any claims in respect of the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements made by any Warrantor in or pursuant to this Agreement or any other Transaction Document to the Investor shall be limited to the Purchase Price, and (iii) the total aggregate liability of the Investor and JD and their Affiliates for any claims in respect of the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements made by the Investor or JD or their Affiliates in or pursuant to this Agreement or any other Transaction Document to any other Parties or any parties to such Transaction Document shall be limited to the Purchase Price.

 

12.6                         Other Rights and Remedies Not Affected . The indemnification rights of the Parties under this Section 12.6 are independent of, and in addition to, such rights and remedies as the Parties may have at Law or in equity or otherwise for any misrepresentation, breach of warranty or failure to fulfill any covenant, agreement or obligation hereunder on the part of any Party hereto, including the right to seek specific performance, rescission or restitution, none of which rights or remedies shall be affected or diminished hereby.

 

12.7                         Set-Off . The Indemnified Party shall be entitled to set-off any Losses (once finally determined in accordance with this Agreement, including Sections 12 and 13.4 ) against such amount owed by the Indemnified Party to the Indemnifying Party under any Transaction Document.

 

13.                                Miscellaneous .

 

13.1                         Further Assurances . Upon the terms and subject to the conditions herein, each of the Parties hereto agrees to use its reasonable best efforts to take or cause to be taken all action, to do or cause to be done, to execute such further instruments, and to assist and cooperate with the other Parties hereto in doing, all things necessary, proper or advisable under applicable Laws or otherwise to consummate and make effective, in the most expeditious manner practicable, the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents (it being understood that no Party shall be obligated to grant any waiver of any condition or other waiver hereunder).

 

13.2                         Successors and Assigns . Except as otherwise provided herein, the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the respective successors and assigns of the Parties hereto whose rights or obligations hereunder are affected by such terms and conditions. This Agreement and the rights and obligations therein may not be assigned by any Party hereto (other than the Investor) without the prior written consent of the Investor. The rights of the Investor hereunder (including, without limitation, registration rights) are assignable to an Affiliate or any third party. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to confer upon any party other than the Parties hereto or their respective successors and assigns any rights, remedies, obligations, or liabilities under or by reason of this Agreement, except as expressly provided in this Agreement.

 



 

13.3                         Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by and construed under the Laws of Hong Kong, without regard to principles of conflict of laws thereunder.

 

13.4                         Dispute Resolution .

 

(i)                                      Any dispute, controversy or claim (each, a “ Dispute ”) arising out of or relating to this Agreement, or the interpretation, breach, termination, validity or invalidity thereof, shall be referred to arbitration upon the demand of either party to the dispute with notice (the “ Arbitration Notice ”) to the other.

 

(ii)                                   The Dispute shall be settled by arbitration in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (the “ HKIAC ”) in accordance with the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre Administered Arbitration Rules (the “ HKIAC Rules ”) in force when the Arbitration Notice is submitted in accordance with the HKIAC Rules. There shall be one (1) arbitrator. The HKIAC Council shall select the arbitrator, who shall be qualified to practice law in Hong Kong.

 

(iii)                                The arbitral proceedings shall be conducted in English. To the extent that the HKIAC Rules are in conflict with the provisions of this Section, including the provisions concerning the appointment of the arbitrators, the provisions of this Section shall prevail.

 

(iv)                               Each party to the arbitration shall cooperate with each other party to the arbitration in making full disclosure of and providing complete access to all information and documents requested by such other party in connection with such arbitral proceedings, subject only to any confidentiality obligations binding on such party.

 

(v)                                  The award of the arbitral tribunal shall be final and binding upon the parties thereto, and the prevailing party may apply to a court of competent jurisdiction for enforcement of such award.

 

(vi)                               The arbitral tribunal shall decide any Dispute submitted by the parties to the arbitration strictly in accordance with the substantive Laws of Hong Kong (without regard to principles of conflict of laws thereunder) and shall not apply any other substantive Law.

 

(vii)                            Any party to the Dispute shall be entitled to seek preliminary injunctive relief, if possible, from any court of competent jurisdiction pending the constitution of the arbitral tribunal.

 

(viii)                         During the course of the arbitral tribunal’s adjudication of the Dispute, this Agreement shall continue to be performed except with respect to the part in dispute and under adjudication.

 

13.5                         Notices . Any notice required or permitted pursuant to this Agreement shall be given in writing and shall be given either personally or by sending it by next-day or second-day courier service, fax, electronic mail or similar means to the address of the relevant Party as shown on Schedule V (or at such other address as such Party may designate by fifteen (15) days’ advance written notice to the other Parties to this Agreement given in accordance with this Section). Where a notice is sent by next-day or second-day courier service, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing, pre-paying and sending by next-day or second-day service through an internationally-recognized courier a letter containing the notice, with a written confirmation of delivery, and to have been effected at the earlier of (i) delivery (or when delivery is refused) and (ii) expiration of two (2) Business 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, if such day is a Business Day and if sent during normal business hours of the recipient, otherwise the next Business Day. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent a “with a copy to” address is designated, notice must also be given to such address in the manner above for such notice, request, consent or other communication hereunder to be effective.

 



 

13.6                         Rights Cumulative; Specific Performance . Each and all of the various rights, powers and remedies of a party hereto will be considered to be cumulative with and in addition to any other rights, powers and remedies which such Party may have at Law or in equity in the event of the breach of any of the terms of this Agreement. The exercise or partial exercise of any right, power or remedy will neither constitute the exclusive election thereof nor the waiver of any other right, power or remedy available to such Party. Without limiting the foregoing, the Parties hereto acknowledge and agree irreparable harm may occur for which money damages would not be an adequate remedy in the event that any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached. It is accordingly agreed that the Parties shall be entitled to injunction to prevent breaches of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions of this Agreement.

 

13.7                         Fees and Expenses . The Company shall pay all of its own costs and expenses incurred in connection with the negotiation, execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and other Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, and additionally the Company shall pay or reimburse at the Closing all reasonable costs and expenses incurred or to be incurred by the Investor up to a maximum aggregate amount of US$100,000 in connection therewith and in connection with their due diligence investigation. If any action at Law or in equity is necessary to enforce or interpret the terms of this Agreement, the prevailing party shall be entitled to reasonable attorney’s fees, costs and necessary disbursements in addition to any other relief to which such party may be entitled.

 

13.8                         Finder’s Fee . The Investor agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company from any liability for any commission or compensation in the nature of a finders’ fee (and the costs and expenses of defending against such liability or asserted liability) for which the Investor or any of its officers, partners, employees or representatives is responsible. Each Warrantor agrees, jointly and severally, to indemnify and hold harmless the Investor from any liability for any commission or compensation in the nature of a finders’ fee (and the costs and expenses of defending against such liability or asserted liability) for which the Company or any of its officers, employees or representatives is responsible.

 

13.9                         Severability . In case any provision of the Agreement shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby. If, however, any provision of this Agreement shall be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable under any such applicable Law in any jurisdiction, it shall, as to such jurisdiction, be deemed modified to conform to the minimum requirements of such Law, or, if for any reason it is not deemed so modified, it shall be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable only to the extent of such invalidity, illegality, or limitation on enforceability without affecting the remaining provisions of this Agreement, or the validity, legality, or enforceability of such provision in any other jurisdiction.

 

13.10                  Amendments and Waivers . Any term of this Agreement may be amended, only with the written consent of each of (i) the Company, (ii) for so long as the Principal is an employee of any Group Company and holds a majority of the voting power of the Ordinary Shares, the Principal and Principal HoldCo, (iii) the Investor and (iv) JD. Any amendment effected in accordance with this paragraph shall be binding upon each of the Parties hereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the observance of any term of this Agreement may be waived (either generally or in a particular instance and either retroactively or prospectively) only with the written consent of the Party against whom such waiver is sought.

 



 

13.11                  No Waiver . Failure to insist upon strict compliance with any of the terms, covenants, or conditions hereof will not be deemed a waiver of such term, covenant, or condition, nor will any waiver or relinquishment of, or failure to insist upon strict compliance with, any right, power or remedy power hereunder at any one or more times be deemed a waiver or relinquishment of such right, power or remedy at any other time or times.

 

13.12                  Delays or Omissions . No delay or omission to exercise any right, power or remedy accruing to any Party under this Agreement, upon any breach or default of any other Party under this Agreement, shall impair any such right, power or remedy of such non-breaching or non-defaulting Party nor shall it be construed to be a waiver of any such breach or default, or an acquiescence therein, or of or in any similar breach or default thereafter occurring; nor shall any waiver of any single breach or default be deemed a waiver of any other breach or default theretofore or thereafter occurring. Any waiver, permit, consent or approval of any kind or character on the part of any Party of any breach or default under this Agreement, or any waiver on the part of any Party of any provisions or conditions of this Agreement, must be in writing and shall be effective only to the extent specifically set forth in such writing.

 

13.13                  No Presumption . The Parties acknowledge that any applicable Law that would require interpretation of any claimed ambiguities in this Agreement against the Party that drafted it has no application and is expressly waived. If any claim is made by a Party relating to any conflict, omission or ambiguity in the provisions of this Agreement, no presumption or burden of proof or persuasion will be implied because this Agreement was prepared by or at the request of any Party or its counsel.

 

13.14                  Headings and Subtitles; Interpretation . The titles and subtitles used in this Agreement are used for convenience only and are not to be considered in construing or interpreting this Agreement. Unless a provision hereof expressly provides otherwise: (i) the term “or” is not exclusive; (ii) words in the singular include the plural, and words in the plural include the singular; (iii) the terms “herein”, “hereof”, and other similar words refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular section, subsection, paragraph, clause, or other subdivision; (iv) the term “including” will be deemed to be followed by, “but not limited to”, (v) the masculine, feminine, and neuter genders will each be deemed to include the others; (vi) the terms “shall”, “will”, and “agrees” are mandatory, and the term “may” is permissive; (vii) the term “day” means “calendar day”, and “month” means calendar month, (viii) all references in this Agreement to designated “Sections” and other subdivisions are to the designated Sections and other subdivisions of the body of this Agreement, (ix) all references in this Agreement to designated Schedules, Exhibits and Appendices are to the Schedules, Exhibits and Appendices attached to this Agreement, (x) the phrase “directly or indirectly” means directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediate Persons or through contractual or other arrangements, and “direct or indirect” has the correlative meaning, (xi) references to laws include any such law modifying, re-enacting, extending or made pursuant to the same or which is modified, re-enacted, or extended by the same or pursuant to which the same is made, (xii) each representation, warranty, agreement, and covenant contained herein will have independent significance, regardless of whether also addressed by a different or more specific representation, warranty, agreement, or covenant, (xiii) all accounting terms not otherwise defined herein have the meanings assigned under the Accounting Standards, (xiv) pronouns of either gender or neuter shall include, as appropriate, the other pronoun forms, (xv) references to this Agreement, any other Transaction Documents and any other document shall be construed as references to such document as the same may be amended, supplemented or novated from time to time, and (xvi) all references to dollars or to “US$” are to currency of the United States of America and all references to RMB are to currency of the PRC (and each shall be deemed to include reference to the equivalent amount in other currencies).

 



 

13.15                  Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Facsimile and e-mailed copies of signatures shall be deemed to be originals for purposes of the effectiveness of this Agreement.

 

13.16                  Entire Agreement . This Agreement and the other Transaction Documents, together with all schedules and exhibits hereto and thereto, constitute the full and entire understanding and agreement among the Parties with regard to the subjects hereof and thereof, and supersede all other agreements between or among any of the Parties with respect to the subject matters hereof and thereof.

 

13.17                  Use of English Language . This Agreement has been executed and delivered in the English language. Any translation of this Agreement into another language shall have no interpretive effect. All documents or notices to be delivered pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement shall be in the English language or, if any such document or notice is not in the English language, accompanied by an English translation thereof, and the English language version of any such document or notice shall control for purposes thereof.

 

13.18                  Guarantee of JD . JD hereby guarantees to the Company the due and punctual performance of the obligations of the Investor under this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which the Investor is a party by the Investor (the “ Guaranteed Obligations ”). If, for any reason whatsoever, the Investor fails or is unable to duly and punctually perform the Guaranteed Obligations, JD will, on demand and without any other notice whatsoever, perform or cause to be performed the Guaranteed Obligations, and it shall not be necessary for any other Party, in order to enforce such performance by JD, first to institute suit or pursue or exhaust any rights or remedies against the Investor or others liable for the performance of any such obligation, or to join JD in any action to enforce the Investor’s obligations, or to resort to any other means of obtaining performance from the Investor. Furthermore, if JD pays, causes to be paid, performs or causes to be performed, the Guaranteed Obligations according to this Section 13.18 , JD will have the right by reason of its performance of the Investor’s obligations hereunder to take the benefit (in whole or in part and whether by way of subrogation or otherwise) of any rights, security or moneys held, received or receivable by the relevant Parties in connection with the Guaranteed Obligations that have been paid or performed by JD.

 

13.19                  Compliance with Transaction Documents . Each of the Parties hereby covenants and agrees to cause each covenant and agreement of its Subsidiaries and Affiliates party to each of the Transaction Documents to be fully performed, satisfied and discharged, as if such covenants and agreements were set forth herein and repeated by such Party hereunder as a primary obligor.

 

[ The remainder of this page has been left intentionally blank ]

 



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement on the date and year first above written.

 

GROUP COMPANIES :

 

 

 

Dada Nexus Limited

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ KUAI Jiaqi

 

Name:

KUAI Jiaqi

 

Title:

Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alpha Lake Limited

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ KUAI Jiaqi

 

Name:

KUAI Jiaqi

 

Title:

Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DaDa Wisdom (HK) Limited

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ KUAI Jiaqi

 

Name:

KUAI Jiaqi

 

Title:

Director

 



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement on the date and year first above written.

 

GROUP COMPANIES :

 

 

Dada Glory Network Technology Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Company seal:

/s/ Dada Glory Network Techonology Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ KUAI Jiaqi

 

Name:

KUAI Jiaqi

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shanghai Qusheng Internet Technology Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

Company seal:

/s/ Shanghai Qusheng Internet Technology Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ KUAI Jiaqi

 

Name:

KUAI Jiaqi

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shanghai Darong Express Delivery Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

Company seal:

/s/ Shanghai Darong Express Delivery Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ KUAI Jiaqi

 

Name:

KUAI Jiaqi

 

Title:

Legal Representative

 



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement on the date and year first above written.

 

The undersigned acknowledges that (i) before entering into this Agreement he has had the opportunity to consult with an attorney and tax advisor of his choice and is not relying on any counsel or advisor of the Investor, (ii) no promises or representations have been made to him by any Person to induce him to enter into this Agreement other than the express terms set forth herein, and (iii) he has read this Agreement and understands all of its terms.

 

PRINCIPAL :

 

 

 

/s/ KUAI Jiaqi

 

Name: KUAI Jiaqi

 



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement on the date and year first above written.

 

PRINCIPAL HOLDCO :

 

 

 

Pleasant Lake Limited

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ KUAI Jiaqi

 

Name:

KUAI Jiaqi

 

Title:

Director

 



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement on the date and year first above written.

 

INVESTOR :

 

 

 

JD Sunflower Investment Limited

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Qiangdong Liu

 

Authorized Signatory

 



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their respective duly authorized representatives to execute this Agreement on the date and year first above written.

 

JD :

 

 

 

JD.com, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Qiangdong Liu

 

Authorized Signatory

 


EXHIBIT 8.1

 

List of Principal Subsidiaries and Consolidated variable interest entities

 

 

 

Place of Incorporation

Subsidiaries:

 

 

 

 

 

Jingdong Technology Group Corporation

 

Cayman Islands

Jingdong Logistics Group Corporation

 

Cayman Islands

Jingdong E-Commerce (Express) Hong Kong Co., Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

Jingdong E-Commerce (Trade) Hong Kong Co., Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

Jingdong E-Commerce (Logistics) Hong Kong Co., Ltd.

 

Hong Kong

JD.com International Limited

 

Hong Kong

Beijing Jingdong Century Trade Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

Beijing Jingdong Century Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

Shanghai Yuanmai Trading Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

Guangzhou Jingdong Trading Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

Chengdu Jingdong Century Trading Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

Wuhan Jingdong Century Trading Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

Jiangsu Jingdong Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

Beijing Jingdong Shangke Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

Tianjin Star East Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

Beijing Jingbangda Trade Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

Shanghai Shengdayuan Information Technology Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

Chongqing Jingdong Haijia E-commerce Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

Beijing Jinghui Microcredit Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

Shanghai Jinghui Microcredit Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

 

 

 

Consolidated variable interest entities:

 

 

 

 

 

Beijing Jingdong 360 Degree E-commerce Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

Jiangsu Yuanzhou E-commerce Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

Suqian Limao Donghong Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

Fortune Rising Holdings Limited

 

British Virgin Islands

 

 

 

Subsidiaries of consolidated variable interest entities:

 

 

 

 

 

Beijing Jingdong Shangboguangyi Investment Management Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

Chinabank Payment Technology Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

Shanghai Banghui Commercial Factoring Co., Ltd.

 

PRC

 


EXHIBIT 12.1

 

Certification by the Principal Executive Officer
Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

I, Richard Qiangdong Liu, certify that:

 

1.                                       I have reviewed this annual report on Form 20-F of JD.com, Inc.;

 

2.                                       Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3.                                       Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the company as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4.                                       The company’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the company and have:

 

(a)                                  Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the company, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

(b)                                  Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

(c)                                   Evaluated the effectiveness of the company’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

(d)                                  Disclosed in this report any change in the company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by the annual report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the company’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5.                                       The company’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the company’s auditors and the audit committee of the company’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

(a)                                  All 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; and

 

(b)                                  Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the company’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Date:                   April 18, 2016

 

By:

/s/ Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

 

Name: Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

 

Title:   Chief Executive Officer

 

 


EXHIBIT 12.2

 

Certification by the Principal Financial Officer
Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

I, Sidney Xuande Huang, certify that:

 

1.                                       I have reviewed this annual report on Form 20-F of JD.com, Inc.;

 

2.                                       Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3.                                       Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the company as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4.                                       The company’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the company and have:

 

(a)                                  Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the company, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

(b)                                  Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

(c)                                   Evaluated the effectiveness of the company’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

(d)                                  Disclosed in this report any change in the company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by the annual report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the company’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5.                                       The company’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the company’s auditors and the audit committee of the company’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent function):

 

(a)                                  All 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; and

 

(b)                                  Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the company’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Date:                   April 18, 2016

 

By:

/s/ Sidney Xuande Huang

 

 

Name: Sidney Xuande Huang

 

 

Title:   Chief Financial Officer

 

 


EXHIBIT 13.1

 

Certification by the Principal Executive Officer
Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

In connection with the Annual Report of JD.com, Inc. (the “Company”) on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2015 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Richard Qiangdong Liu, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that to my knowledge:

 

(1)                                  The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

 

(2)                                  The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

 

Date:                   April 18, 2016

 

By:

/s/ Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

 

Name: Richard Qiangdong Liu

 

 

Title:   Chief Executive Officer

 

 


EXHIBIT 13.2

 

Certification by the Principal Financial Officer
Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

In connection with the Annual Report of JD.com, Inc. (the “Company”) on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2015 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Sidney Xuande Huang, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that to my knowledge:

 

(1)                                  The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

 

(2)                                  The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

 

Date:                   April 18, 2016

 

By:

/s/ Sidney Xuande Huang

 

 

Name: Sidney Xuande Huang

 

 

Title:   Chief Financial Officer

 

 


EXHIBIT 15.1

 

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-198578) and the Registration Statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-206653) of our report dated April 18, 2016 relating to the consolidated financial statements and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, which appears in this Form 20-F.

 

 

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP

 

 

 

Beijing, the People’s Republic of China

 

April 18 , 2016

 

 


EXHIBIT 15.2

 

[ Zhong Lun Law Firm Letterhead]

 

April 18, 2016

 

JD.com, Inc.

20th Floor, Building A, No. 18 Kechuang 11 Street

Yizhuang Economic and Technological Development Zone

Daxing District, Beijing 101111

People’s Republic of China

 

Dear Sir/Madam:

 

We hereby consent to the reference of our name under the headings “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure” and “Item 4.C. Information on the Company—Organizational Structure” in JD.com, Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2015 (the “ Annual Report ”), which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “ SEC ”) in the month of April 2016, and further consent to the incorporation by reference into the Registration Statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-198578) pertaining to JD.com, Inc.’s Share Incentive Plan and the Registration Statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-206653) of the summary of our opinion under the headings  “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure” and “Item 4.C. Information on the Company—Organizational Structure” in the Annual Report. We also consent to the filing of this consent letter with the SEC as an exhibit to the Annual Report.

 

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 Securities Act of 1933, or under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, in each case, as amended, or the regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

Very truly yours,

 

 

/s/ Zhong Lun Law Firm