7

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(1) The net income is presented after deduction of taxes on income, which have been reduced by virtue of tax benefits to which the Company is entitled in its capacity "Preferred Enterprise" under the Investment Law following its election to be taxed in its capacity as such commencing 2014, and as applicable with respect to each of the years indicated above. See Note 15C to the Financial Statements and "Item 10 – Additional Information – Taxation".

 

9

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On January 14, 2013, we announced that our Board of Directors has adopted a policy for distributing dividends, subject to, among other things, all applicable laws, according to which we may distribute a dividend of up to 50% of our annual "distributable profits" (as such term is defined in the Companies Law) to our shareholders. On March 15, 2018, our Board of Directors adopted a resolution to suspend until further notice.

 

For more information regarding our dividend policy and the taxation of dividends generally, see "Item 8A – Financial Information – Dividend Policy" and "Item 10.E. – Taxation – Taxation of Dividends".

 

Holders of our ordinary shares should consult their own tax advisors as to the United States, Israeli or other tax consequences of the receipt of any dividend distributions made to our shareholders, including, in particular, the effect of any foreign, state or local taxes, and of any taxes withheld at source by the Company.

 

 

Not Applicable

 

Not Applicable

This annual report and statements that we may make from time to time may contain forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from our expectations, statements or projections. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from our expectations, statements or projections include the risks and uncertainties relating to our business described below.

 

Risks Relating to Our Business

 

Our business may be adversely impacted by risks, or the public perception of the risks, related to a pandemic or other health crisis, such as the recent outbreak of novel coronavirus ("Covid-19").

 

The significant outbreak of a contagious disease, Covid-19, has resulted in a widespread health crisis that has adversely affected the economies and financial markets of many countries, resulting in a global economic downturn. As a response to the spread of Covid-19 many countries, including Israel, USA and Denmark where most of our workforce is located, have been taking measures designated to limit the continued spread of Covid-19, including the closure of workplaces, restricting travel, prohibiting assembling, closing international borders and quarantining populated areas. Additionally, the Israeli Government has announced a mandatory 14-day quarantine period for any individual who may have come in contract with a carrier of Covid-19 along with anyone who has returned from travel abroad. Governments around the globe have passed temporary emergency regulations requiring all residents to remain in their homes along with limitations on which business are allowed to remain open and the number of workers allowed at each site.  

 

While the full impact of the Covid-19 outbreak is unknown at this time, we are closely monitoring the developments and continually assessing the potential impact on our business. Our business may be adversely affected by the Covid-19 outbreak due to the following risks, any of which may lead to an adverse effect on our financial performance, revenue, financial position and results:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss of our sources for certain key components could harm our operations.

 

Although we generally use standard parts and components for our products, certain key components used in our products are currently available from only one source, and others are available from a limited number of sources, on which we depend. Nevertheless, we believe that we maintain a sufficient inventory of these components to protect against delays in deliveries. However, we cannot guarantee that we will not experience delays in the supply of critical components in the future or that we will have a sufficient inventory of critical components at such time to produce products at full capacity, especially due to disruptions to global supply chains, including those related to certain critical components relating to the production of our products, due to the spread of Covid-19, as detailed above. For example, a key component in many of our cards is manufactured by Intel®. While we have not encountered difficulties in purchasing such components from Intel's distributors, we cannot guarantee that we will continue to be able to purchase such components without delays or at reasonable prices. In the event that we are not able to purchase key components from our limited sources, or can only purchase these key components under unreasonable terms, we may need to redesign certain products. We cannot guarantee that we will have adequate resources for such a redesign or that such a redesign will be successful. Such inability to obtain alternative resources or to successfully redesign our products could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

 

We may not be able to capitalize, as planned, on our Design Wins.

 

Once we secure a Design Win, we may not be able to properly capitalize on such Design Win. For example, we may not receive revenues from a Design Win due to the customer deciding to hold the introduction of its product or service, of which our Design Win product is a component, to the market. Alternatively, we may experience delays in receiving revenues from a Design Win due to circumstances unrelated to us, such delays may stem from delays in the deployment of the customer's product/service in the market. Delays may also lead to a request by the customer to change the specifications of our product due to changes in industry standards and/or market requirements. There is no assurance that we will be able to secure a Design Win for the product with the new specifications. A customer may also experience a lower demand than forecasted by the customer at the time of securing the Design Win for its product/service, which will accordingly affect its demand for our Design Win product. Additionally, the Design Win client may decide to abandon the use of our product and use an alternate source. Due to the spread of Covid-19 we may experience extended delays in materialization of revenue from Design Wins, as mentioned above.

 

The markets for our products change rapidly and demand for new products is difficult to predict and may affect our ability to commercialize our solutions.

 

The markets for our products are characterized by rapidly changing technology and evolving industry standards. For example, the migration to higher line rate Ethernet solutions, the adaptation of new bus interfaces and increased use of emerging technologies such as Cloud, Virtualization, NFV, SD-WAN and SDN, cause some of our customers to demand such new products and technologies. In the event that such customers decide to begin using new technologies, we may not be able to develop products for the new technologies in a timely manner. Such customers may also select competing products despite our ability to develop products incorporating new technologies. For example, with the shift towards running applications in the Cloud we anticipate that the demand will grow for add-on adapters and products which address the challenges presented by the Cloud, such as switch in every server, hardware acceleration, power, heat and space limitations in such environments, which increase the need for essential building blocks in generic servers, which can potentially be served by our products. Another example is related to the NFV and SD-WAN market sectors, in which our CPE/EDGE (as defined below), as well as our networking related FPGA solutions may have significant demand. While we have announced the securing of several Design Wins such aforementioned solutions, there is no assurance that our customers will continue to buy such solutions from us or that we will be able to generate significant sales in these areas in the long run. If we do not generate significant sales in these areas we may accumulate unusable inventory which can be used only with older technologies. We intend to continue investing in product and technology development. Although we have recorded growing sales of our line of products in recent years, there can be no assurance that we will continue to be successful in the marketing of our current products and in developing, manufacturing and marketing enhanced and new products in a timely manner. Any decrease in the price of, or demand for, any of our products or solutions could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

The market for Cloud-based and Cloud-focused solutions is rapidly developing, and if it develops in ways that are different from what we anticipate or expect, our business could be harmed.

 

In recent years, the Cloud-based market has rapidly developed, and the demand for Cloud-based data centers utilizing virtualization and SDN has increased. We expect that this increase in demand will lead to increased demand for our CPE/EDGE products as well as for our networking related FPGAs. We also expect the Cloud-based data centers to be increasingly based on generic server platforms. These platforms will require offload capabilities in order to address the performance challenges resulting from enormous volume of traffic, the high volume of data, the need to encrypt such data, the need to run in virtualized environment, which by itself is a challenge for the server CPU, and the need to include switching within the server for high efficiency SDN. We anticipate that consequently the demand for add-on adapters which address these challenges will grow. Power, heat and space limitations in such environments increase the need for hardware accelerators. Such systems will require essential building blocks in their own generic severs, which can be served by our products.

 

While we believe that we address the above needs with a comprehensive suite of products, and while in recent years, we experienced significant growth in the value of Cloud related orders we received for our products, many factors may affect the market acceptance of cloud-based and cloud-focused solutions, the achievement of Design Wins relating to such solutions, the consummation of Design Wins achieved by us and/or the acceptance of products incorporated into such solutions. Some of these factors include the possibility of seeing a reduction in the number of physical servers and appliances required by the providers of cloud based or virtualized solutions, or the evolving of different architecture designs which provide for functionality which our products offer without the need for our products. These factors may also affect our ability to accurately predict the anticipated revenues which may be generated under any such Design Win, our growth potential in the Cloud, our operations, including our inventory levels, and our financial results.

 

In addition, we believe that market's demand for our products and solutions in the Cloud demonstrates that the ongoing industry transition to the Cloud continues to represent a fast growing opportunity for us. Nonetheless, if significant organizations providing Cloud based solutions or other virtualized networks do not perceive the benefits of our cloud-focused and/or virtualized network based solutions, or if our competitors or new market entrants are able to develop solutions for this market that do not require products such as ours, or offer features that are, or are perceived to be, more effective than our solutions, this would have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve and/or consummate Design Wins, on our business, and on our results of operations and financial condition.

 

The market for Edge Networking Devices to Telcos and service providers for NFV or SD-WAN deployments is rapidly developing, and if it develops in ways that are different from what we anticipate or expect, our business could be harmed.

 

Recently, with the evolution of the NFV and SD-WAN, most Telcos and service providers have begun seeking for solutions which utilize CPEs for the deployment of SD-WAN or other applications within an NFV architecture. We believe that our CPE products address the requirements of such Telcos and service providers' needs and requirements, and since 2018 we secured several Design Wins for such products.

 

While we believe that we address the above needs with a comprehensive suite of products, many factors may affect the market acceptance of such solutions and our ability to secure Design Wins and/or awards in this market. Some of these factors include our lack of experience in transacting with such Telcos and service providers, the possible offering of a wider selection of products by some of our competitors, or the possible offering by our competitors of products which include a wider, better suited or more advanced features than the ones included in our products, development of technologies of which our current products may not be compatible, and the price expectations of such Telcos and service providers which may require us to offer our products for lower prices in order to better position ourselves in the market, or remain competitive, thus leading to lower gross profit, which in turn may have an adverse effect on our financial results.

 

We believe that market's demand for our products and solutions in the NFV and SD-WAN era demonstrate that the Telcos and service providers related industry is transitioning into CPEs which represent a fast growing opportunity for us. Nonetheless, if such Telcos and service providers do not perceive the benefits of our Edge Networking CPEs, or if our competitors or new market entrants are able to develop solutions for this market that are better suited to the market demand, offer their solutions at lower prices, or offer features that are, or are perceived to be, more effective than ours, this would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Rapid development of our business in the Cloud-based, Telco and service providers markets may require us to offer our potential customers with longer payment terms in order to better position ourselves in these markets, to hold higher inventory levels and to increase our need for working capital significantly.

 

Rapid development of our business in the Cloud-based, Telco, and service providers markets, which we consider major sources of growth in the future, may require us to offer longer payment terms to our targeted customers in the Cloud, Telco and service providers markets as customary in these markets, in order to establish and maintain relationships with such targeted customers and strengthen our competitive position in such markets. In addition, we may be required by such customers to hold higher inventory levels in order to meet their expectations for on-demand deliveries, making the higher available inventory pivotal to our ability to position ourselves and compete in such markets. These factors may significantly increase our need for working capital in order to support our activities in these markets.

 

Our networking and data infrastructure solution products which are targeted by us mainly to customers in the OEM, Cloud, Telco and service providers markets, are characterized by long sales cycles.

 

We target and sell our networking and data infrastructure solution products to customers mainly in the original equipment manufacturing ("OEMs"), Cloud, Telco and service providers markets. We usually sell our products to such customers after achieving Design Wins, which are secured after a process which ends with the implementation of our products in our customers' systems or, with respect to our stand-alone products, their deployment within the relevant customer's network. Securing Design Wins is a lengthy, time-consuming process, which involves the decision making process of our customers, which usually includes several time consuming processes as well, resulting from the critical importance of our products in our customers' systems or networks. Our customers usually need to define the required configuration of their server system, appliance or network, define the needed solution and the type of products that will address their need, evaluate our products, test and qualify our products for their use and then (or in parallel) negotiate the terms for a purchase. This process is lengthy and may result in investing twelve months or more from the time we first contact a prospective customer before such customer implements our products in its system, appliance or network, constituting what is known as a Design Win. Additionally, once a Design Win for one of our products is secured, our sales of these products typically involve significant capital investment decisions by the customer or its prospective end customers, as well as a significant amount of time to educate such end customers as to the benefits of systems and appliances that include our products. As a result, before purchasing systems and appliances, which include our products (and consequently facilitating sales of our products), our potential customers usually invest a substantial amount of time performing internal reviews and obtaining capital expenditure approvals, thereby lengthening the period of time required for a Design Win to mature into consistent sales. These long sale cycles make it difficult to predict when and to what extent, discussions with potential customers will materialize into sales and could cause our revenue and operating results to fluctuate widely from period to period. These long sale cycles may be especially exacerbated due to the spread of Covid-19, as detailed above. In addition, once a Design Win has been secured, the ramp-up of sales under the Design Win is dependent on various factors which are not under our control. This introduces uncertainty as to our ability to accurately predict the ramp-up of sales of our products, may result in significant quarterly, or even annual, fluctuations in the sale rates of our products and may have an adverse effect on our backlog, actual sales and results of operation.

 

Furthermore, we are required to allocate significant resources in order to compete on the achievement of Design Wins. Since there is no guarantee that we will be successful in achieving such Design Wins or that secured Design Wins will materialize into consistent sales in the competitive and rapidly evolving market in which we operate, unsuccessful efforts to secure or materialize Design Wins may lead to substantial increases in our expenditures, divert the attention of our sales force and management from other business opportunities, and could ultimately have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

 

The loss of Design Wins from customers in the Cloud, Telco and related service providers markets may result in significant quarterly and even annual fluctuations in our revenues.

 

The Cloud, Telco and related service providers markets constitute major sources of growth. We anticipate that Design Wins secured from customers in these markets would be significantly larger in size then our Design Wins from other customers. In light of the risk factors related to our operations in the Cloud, Telco and related service providers markets as detailed elsewhere in this Annual Report, we may experience losses of Design Wins in such markets, for which we may not be able to compensate in a timely manner. The losses of such Design Wins may result in significant quarterly or even annual fluctuations in our revenues and results of operations.

 

Rapid development of our business in the Cloud, Telco and related service providers markets may lead to a decrease in our gross margins which may result in a decrease in our profitability.

 

Rapid development of our business in the Cloud, Telco and related service providers markets, and our increasing operations and efforts in these markets, require us to adopt a lower gross margin strategy relatively to our gross margins in past years in order to take advantage of increased revenue potential and opportunities in these markets. While in the past we were able to increase our profitability while operating under such lower gross margins, there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain or increase our profitability and/or earnings per share in the future and we may not be successful in maintaining or increasing our profitability and/or earnings per share while operating under such lower gross margins in the future.

 

The rapid development of the Cloud, Telco and related service providers markets may lead certain of our customers to explore various technologies at different points in time during their development process, which are not necessarily compatible with our solutions, or for which our solutions are not designed, for their own internal reasons, even after we secured Design Wins with such customers, and may ultimately decide to pursue different solutions than ours, which may impact our ability to fully consummate our sales under such secured Design Wins and impair our financial results.

 

The rapid development of the Cloud, Telco and related service providers markets may lead some of the players in these markets to explore different technologies in the course of their internal development process. Even if we secure Design Wins with some of these players, there is no guarantee that such players will ultimately decide to develop or commercialize their products for which our solutions were selected, for reasons which are not related to us and which are not under our control. If such players decide to pursue other paths than the ones for which we secured Design Wins, we may be unable to consummate such Design Wins, which may lead to excess inventory levels and write-offs, that may increase our costs. These factors may increase our operational efforts and expenses. We may also be required to find alternative use for any unused inventory relating to such Design Wins, and if we are unable to find such alternative use or sell such inventory to other customers, we may experience write-offs. All of these factors may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operation. While we focus our efforts on securing Design Wins in these markets, our share price may decline as a result of cancellation of such Design Wins in these markets, if they occur.

 

A loss of a material Design Win may lead to a decrease in the volume of orders placed in relation to such Design Win by a few of our customers, which would be harmful for our business and impair our financial results.

 

In some cases, one of our Design Wins may lead to the placement of purchase orders for our products by several of our customers for the purpose of integrating our products into other systems, as part of the assembly process relating to the said Design Win. The loss of such material Design Win may lead to a decrease in the purchase orders placed by such customers, impair our revenues generated from such customers and have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.

 

Difficulties in the fulfillment of financial obligations of one or more of our customers may have an adverse effect on our ability to consummate the collection of consideration payable under purchase orders placed by, or invoiced to, such customers under one or more Design Wins in relation to which such customers operate.

 

In some cases, one of our customers places orders for our products under several Design Wins for the purpose of integrating our products into other systems. In some cases, one or more of such customers is a major customer. Difficulties in the fulfillment of such customers' financial obligations towards us may expose us to credit risks, may have a material adverse effect on our business, including on our ability to consummate the collection of consideration payable by, or invoiced to, such customer in connection with the Design Wins under which such customer placed orders, may lead to financial losses, may increase our collection expenses, may lead to excess inventory levels, may lead to significant write-offs, may cause legal disputes, may delay the consummation of the relevant Design Win and may ultimately lead to the reduction in the volume of orders placed under such Design Win, or even lead to the cancellation thereof. This may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results.

 

The market for our products is highly competitive and some of our competitors may be better positioned than us.

 

The market for our products is highly competitive. We face competition from numerous companies, some of whom are more established, benefit from greater market recognition and have greater financial, production and marketing resources than we do. For example, as further detailed in "Item 4.B – Business Overview – Competition", our main competitors in the Server Adapters space are Mellanox, Intel^® and Broadcom, who may offer solutions competing with our developed products. However, as these companies seem to be targeting mostly major Cloud accounts and we target smaller accounts in this market and pursue major Cloud accounts only with solutions not competing with these companies' standard cards, our main competitors are Interface Masters, Portwell, Caswell, Lanner and Adlink, which compete with us on customized solutions including bypass cards. In addition, Cavium (now a part of Marvel), Mellanox, Netronome, Napatech, Myricom (a subsidiary of CSP), Bittware and Nallatech (both now a part of Molex), Lanner, Caswell, Exar, Portwell and Nexcom are the main competitors of certain of our Smart Cards products. In some cases of FPGA based cards Intel and Xilinx also compete with our Smart Cards products. In the Stand-alone Products sector, to the best of our knowledge, with respect to our uCPE/Edge Appliance products, our main competitors are, Caswell, Lanner, Advantech and Nexcom, and with respect to the Bypass Switches and Intelligent Bypass Switches solutions, our main competitors are Keysight, Gigamon, and Interface Masters. There may be other solutions which might also compete with our other products. We cannot guarantee that our present or contemplated products will continue to be distinguishable from those of our competitors or that the marketplace will find our products preferable to those of our competitors. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that competitive pressures will not result in price reductions that could materially adversely affect our business, results of our operations and financial condition. For more information regarding our competitors see "Item 4.B. – Information on the Company – Business Overview – Competition".

We may not be successful in achieving and consummating Design Wins for our products for the Cloud, Telco and the service providers markets, which constitute a main source of growth.

 

Our ability to achieve Design Wins for our products for the Cloud, Telco and related service providers markets, and to consummate the sales of our products under Design Wins achieved, is dependent on a large number of factors, many of which are out of our control. These factors include the highly competitive nature of the markets in which we operate, including the Cloud, Telco and service providers markets, the long sale cycles of our products to our OEMs, Cloud and Telco customers, as well as other factors detailed in this Item 3.D. In addition, the loss, ineffectiveness or inability to maintain our customer relationships or our inability to develop new customer relationships, especially due to limitations on travel and meetings and the general disruption of our business due to the spread of Covid-19, as detailed above, may have an adverse effect on our ability to achieve, secure or consummate Design Wins for our Cloud, Telco and service providers related products.

 

We may need to invest significantly in research and development and business development in order to diversify our product offering and enter new markets.

 

Most of our revenues are generated from the sale of our networking and data infrastructure solution products. The technology industry in which we operate is characterized by rapid technological change, frequent new product introductions, changes in customer requirements and evolving industry standards. While these changes could lead to a reduction in the demand for our existing products, they could also create an opportunity for us to expand our product offering to our existing customers and to new customers. Accordingly, our future success may depend on our ability to diversify our product offering and enter new markets, which could involve numerous risks, including:

 

 

 

 

There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully complete the development and market introduction of new products and no assurance that we will be able to successfully enter new markets. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We may experience difficulty in developing new and commercially successful products at acceptable release times.

 

We conduct extensive research, development and engineering activities. Our efforts emphasize our view of the importance of and the need for the development of new products, cost reduction of current products, and enhancement of existing products in response to rapidly changing customer preferences, technologies, and industry standards. We cannot guarantee the continued success of our efforts, or that our products will continue to be widely accepted by the marketplace or that any of our ongoing development efforts will result in other commercially successful products, that such products will be released in a timely manner or at a competitive price, or that we will be able to respond effectively to technological changes or new product announcements by others. Additionally, this may be exacerbated due to the spread of Covid-19, as detailed above, due to some our employees being infected or quarantined along with government mandated lockdowns and travel limitations. Such difficulties along with a material delay in our ability to release new products, may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Significant growth in markets demanding functionality similar to the functionality offered by certain of our products may cause manufacturers to integrate such characteristics into server motherboards or increase the market share of servers and appliances that already have such functionality in-built, eliminating the need for our products.

 

A significant portion of our products are add-on adapters that are added to existing servers in order to improve their functionality. If demand for improved functionality similar to that of our add-on adapters increases significantly, server manufacturers may begin incorporating such functionality as a part of the basic design of their servers, thereby eliminating the need to achieve such functionality through add-on adapters. Furthermore, the market-share of special purpose servers and appliances that already have such functionality built-in may increase, consequently reducing the market share of solutions based on servers with add-on adapters. We cannot assure you that such a trend will not occur in connection with our add-on adapters or any of our other products. Such a trend would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Our customers may replace the servers and appliances they currently use, use or sell servers and appliances that do not require our cards, and/or incorporate cards other than ours.

 

Many of our customers that use and/or sell servers and appliances which include our cards do so for a few years, and then consider migration to a newer generation. We cannot guarantee that our cards will be needed or selected for such new generation or compatible with it. A decision by a current customer to select a new server and/or appliance without including our cards in such new server and/or appliance may have a significant adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

 

We may experience difficulty in developing solutions for servers and appliances with proprietary interfaces, which may be used by some of our potential customers.

 

The market for networking and data infrastructure includes servers and appliances that make use of proprietary interfaces. These servers and appliances are offered to our potential customers in addition to the customary servers and appliances which use standard interfaces. Our potential customers may decide to use servers and appliances with such proprietary interfaces instead of the customary standard interfaces for which several manufacturers may provide add-on cards. There could be no assurance that we would be able to develop non-standard add-on cards for servers and appliances with proprietary interfaces or, if we are successful in developing such cards, that manufacturers of the proprietary interfaces or the customers electing to use these interfaces will make use of our cards in such non-standard environments.

 

Our short lead time of customer orders introduces uncertainty into our revenues and severely limits our ability to accurately forecast future sales.

 

Our sales are made on the basis of purchase orders, which may be placed pursuant to Design Wins, rather than long-term purchase commitments. In addition, our customers may defer purchase orders. The short lead time for firm purchase orders introduces uncertainty into our revenue and production forecasts and business planning, and leads to our inability to accurately forecast future revenues from product sales. As a result, even dramatic fluctuation in revenue (whether increase or decrease) might not be detected until the very end of a financial quarter, which may not enable us to monitor and mitigate costs in a timely manner in order to compensate for such fluctuation.

 

The short lead time of customer orders combined with the long lead time of our suppliers when ordering certain components for our products could result in either a surplus or lack of sufficient supplies, and may negatively impact on our financial results.

 

While we are generally required to fill orders for our products within one or two weeks following the receipt of a firm purchase order, we are usually required to place orders of certain components for our products within sixteen to twenty weeks prior to delivery, and in some cases on even earlier dates prior to delivery. As a result, we must have a significant amount of components in our inventory to be able to meet our best forecasts of projected purchase orders as opposed to on the basis of firm purchase orders. In the event that firm purchase orders are significantly lower than such forecasts, a significant part of our inventory will not be used and we may be unable to adjust costs in a timely manner to compensate for revenue shortfalls and in the event that firm purchase orders exceed such forecasts, we will not be able to fill such purchase orders which may lead to the loss of business from a customer.

 

The loss of a significant customer may have a material adverse effect on us.

 

We depend on a small number of customers for our products. Our top three customers in 2019 accounted for approximately 35% of our revenues in 2019 (out of which our top customer accounted for approximately 16% of our revenues in 2019). We expect that a small number of customers will continue to account for a significant portion of our revenues for the foreseeable future. Loss or cancellation of business from, significant changes in deliveries to, or decreases in the prices of products sold to, one or more of our key customers has, in the past, significantly reduced our revenues for a reporting period and could, in the future, harm our business, margins, results of operations, and financial condition.

The loss or ineffectiveness of any of our key customer relationships or a reduction of purchase orders by such customers may have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial results.

 

Our sales and marketing strategy includes development and maintenance of strategic relationships with leading OEMs in the servers industry and server-based systems industry, as well as with leading Cloud, Telco and service provider customers, which integrate our products into their own systems, or deploy our products in their network. These customers are not within our control, are not obligated to purchase our products, and may select other products that may compete with our lines of products. A reduction in sales efforts or discontinuance of sales of our products by our OEM customers, and/or the reduction in or discontinuance of deployments by our Cloud, Telco, or service provider customers, could lead to reduced sales and could materially adversely affect our operating results. In addition, there is the risk that our customers would build up inventories in anticipation of a growth in sales or deployments. If such growth does not occur as anticipated, such customers may substantially decrease the amount of products ordered in subsequent quarters or discontinue product orders. The termination or loss of either one or more of our key customer relationships at approximately the same time, without being able to compensate this loss with sales to other customers, might have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial results.

 

We are dependent on key personnel.

 

Our success has been, and will continue to be, dependent to a large degree on our ability to retain the services of key personnel and to attract additional qualified personnel in the future. Competition for such personnel is intense. There can be no assurance that we will be able to attract, assimilate, or retain key personnel in the future and our failure to do so would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We may not be able to prevent others from claiming that we have infringed their proprietary rights.

 

We cannot guarantee that one or more parties will not assert infringement claims against us. The cost of responding to claims could be significant, regardless of whether the claims have merit. Significant and protracted litigation may be necessary to determine the scope of the proprietary rights of others or to defend against claims of infringement, regardless of whether the claims have merit. Although we believe that all our products use only our intellectual property, or intellectual property which is properly licensed to us, and we are working to ensure that all our employees are properly assigning or licensing to us all rights to the intellectual property we use in our products on a regular basis, in the event that any infringement claim is brought against us and infringement is proven, we could be required to discontinue the use of the relevant technology, to cease the manufacture, use and sale of infringing products, to incur significant litigation damages, costs and expenses, to develop non-infringing technology or to obtain licenses to the alleged infringing technology and to pay royalties to use such licenses. There can be no assurance that we would be able to develop any such alternative technologies or obtain any such licenses on terms commercially acceptable to us.

 

Although in the past we have resolved a claim of infringement through a license agreement, the terms of which did not have a material effect on our business, any infringement claim or other litigation against us could seriously harm our business, operating results and financial condition. While there are no other lawsuits or other claims currently pending against us or our subsidiaries regarding the infringement of patents or intellectual property rights of others, we have been a party to such claims in the past and may be party to such claims in the future.

 

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

 

Our success, ability to compete, and future revenue growth are dependent and will depend, in part, on our ability to protect our intellectual property. It is possible that competitors or other unauthorized third parties may obtain, copy, use, or disclose our technologies and processes. Any of our existing, acquired, or future patents or other rights to our intellectual property may be challenged, invalidated, or circumvented. If our intellectual property rights do not adequately protect our technology, our competitors may be able to offer products similar to ours.

 

In order to establish and protect the technology we use in our products, we primarily rely on a combination of non-disclosure agreements and technical measures, and to a lesser degree on patents. We enter into confidentiality arrangements with our employees, key consultants and other third parties with whom we conduct business. In addition, our employees and key consultants involved in the development of our technologies are required to sign non-compete and invention assignment agreements. We also control access to and distribution of our technologies, documentation and other proprietary information. Despite these efforts, internal or external parties may attempt to copy, disclose, obtain, or use our products, services, or technology without our authorization.

 

Despite perceived exclusive access to any intellectual property rights obtained via acquisition, and our best efforts during any such acquisition process to secure such rights, internal or external parties may attempt to copy, disclose, obtain, or use our products, services, or technology without our authorization, or others may assert infringement claims against us with respect to a product of ours which utilizes such acquired intellectual property rights.

 

We believe that the measures we take afford only limited protection, and accordingly, there can be no assurance that the steps we take will be adequate to prevent the challenging of our rights in our technology, or misappropriation of our technology or the independent development of similar technologies by others.

 

In addition, the process of seeking patent protection to our technology may take a long time and be expensive. We cannot assure that pending or future patent applications will result in the issuance of patents or that, if patents are issued, they will not be challenged, invalidated, or circumvented or that the rights granted under the patents will provide us with meaningful protection or any commercial advantage.

 

In addition, we cannot assure you that other countries in which we market our services and products will protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as the United States. Effective intellectual property enforcement may be unavailable or limited in some countries. It may be difficult for us to protect our intellectual property from misuse or infringement by other companies in these countries. Our inability to enforce our intellectual property rights in some countries may harm our business and results of operations. Litigation, which could result in substantial costs to us and diversion of our resources, may also be necessary to enforce our patents or other intellectual property rights.

 

Further, we cannot assure you that we will at all times enforce our patents or other intellectual property rights or that courts will uphold our intellectual property rights, or enforce the contractual arrangements that we have entered into to protect our proprietary technology, which could reduce our opportunities to generate revenues. Our intellectual property assignment, confidentiality and non-competition agreements may not be enforceable and our proprietary technology may not remain a secret. Others may develop similar technology and use it to compete with us. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, former employees and other unauthorized parties may attempt to copy aspects of our products or obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary.

 

Inability to cooperate with and receive information from our key component manufacturers could affect our ability to develop new products required by our customers and by the industry in which we operate.

 

Our products are based on silicon which is mostly manufactured by Intel^® and Xilinx. In order to design our products, we need to receive information that enables us to design products with the use of such silicon. There can be no assurance that we will continue to receive all the information required for designing products with the use of new silicons continuously released by the above mentioned companies. The reduction in the level of cooperation with our manufacturers, including as a result of such manufacturers' decision to compete with our products, or our inability to obtain information from our manufacturers relating to their products used by us, may adversely affect our ability to develop new products required by customers and by the industry in which we operate.

 

We may make acquisitions or pursue mergers that could disrupt our business and harm our financial condition.

 

As part of our business strategy, we have sought and may continue to seek to invest in or acquire other businesses, technologies, or assets, and we may enter into joint ventures or other strategic relationships with third parties.

 

We may assume liabilities, incur amortization expenses related to intangible assets, or realize large and immediate write-offs in connection with future acquisitions. In addition, the future valuation of these acquisitions may decrease from the market price paid by us, which may result in writing-off or impairing, of the relevant assets. In addition, our operation of any acquired or merged businesses, technologies, or assets could involve numerous risks, including:

 

 

 

 

 

 

We cannot assure you that any acquisition or merger will be successful. If the operation of the business of any acquisition or merger disrupts our operations, our business may suffer. In addition, even if we successfully integrate the acquired business with our own, we may not receive the intended benefits of the acquisition.

 

We may be subject to risks associated with laws, regulations and customer initiatives, including such that relate to the environment, conflict minerals, privacy or other issues, which may force us to incur additional expenses, may make our supply chain and operations more complex and may result in damage to our reputation with customers.

 

Our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected if laws, regulations, or standards relating to our business and products, us or our employees (including labor laws and regulations) are constantly implemented or changed. Such implemented laws and regulations include requirements in the United States, Europe, Israel and other territories in relation to data privacy and protection, anti-bribery and anti-corruption, import and export, labor, tax and environmental and social issues. From time to time, we may also operate pursuant to specific authorizations of, and commitments towards, U.S., Israeli, E.U., or other governmental authorities and agencies. While we make every effort to comply with such requirements, we cannot assure you that we will be fully successful in our efforts, and that our business will not be harmed. Failure to comply with such laws, regulations, authorizations and commitments could results in fines, damages, civil liability and criminal sanctions against us, our officers and our employees, prohibitions on the conduct of our business and damage to our reputation.

 

Such laws and regulations include the EU's General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR") and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

 

The GDPR provides that companies must comply with certain standards regarding the protection of the personal data or risk significant financial penalties. Regulations or interpretive positions may be enforced specifically with respect to the use of outsourced services, such as SaaS, hosting and cloud-based services. Compliance with such legislation and regulations may require that we invest in the modification of our operations to comply with such legislation and regulations, or subject ourselves to liability resulting from a breach of such regulations. Failure to comply with privacy legislation or procedures may cause us to incur civil liability to government agencies, customers, shareholders and individuals whose privacy may have been compromised.

 

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act includes disclosure requirements regarding the use of "conflict" minerals mined from the Democratic Republic of Congo and adjoining countries ("DRC") and procedures regarding a manufacturer's efforts to prevent the sourcing of such "conflict" minerals. These requirements will require companies to diligence, disclose and report whether or not such "conflict" minerals originate from the DRC. The implementation of these requirements could adversely affect the sourcing, availability and pricing of minerals such as cassiterite, wolframite, columbite-tantalite (coltan), and gold, or their derivatives, which are limited to tantalum, tin and tungsten, which are used in the manufacture of certain components used in our products. As a result, this could limit the pool of suppliers who can provide us DRC "conflict free" components and parts, and we may not be able to obtain DRC "conflict free" products or supplies in sufficient quantities for our operations. Also, because our supply chain is complex, we may face reputational challenges with our customers, shareholders and other stakeholders if we are unable to sufficiently verify the origins for the minerals used in our products. In such event, we may also face difficulties in satisfying customers who require that all of the components of our products are certified as conflict mineral free. In addition, we will incur additional costs to comply with the disclosure requirements, including costs related to determining the source of any of the relevant minerals and metals used in our products. For additional information see "Item 4 – Information on the Company – Business Overview".

 

We depend on governmental licenses for our exports.

 

Our international sales depend largely on export licenses from the government of Israel in relation to products which contain encryption capabilities, which we are currently required to hold. As of the date of this annual report, we have obtained all such licenses necessary to carry out our international sales. If we fail to obtain a material license in the future, or if a material license previously obtained is revoked or expires and is not renewed, our ability to sell our products to overseas customers could be interrupted, resulting in a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Significant disruptions of our information technology systems or breaches of our data security could adversely affect our business.

 

A significant invasion, interruption, destruction, or breakdown of our information technology systems and/or infrastructure by persons with authorized or unauthorized access could negatively impact our business and operations. We are subject to laws and regulations governing the collection, use and transmission of personal information. As the legislative and regulatory landscape for data privacy and protection continues to evolve around the world, there has been an increasing focus on privacy and data protection issues that may affect our business, including the GDPR, and other laws and regulations governing the collection, use, disclosure and transmission of data. We could also experience business interruption, information theft, legal claims and liability, regulatory penalties and/or reputational damage from cyber-attacks, which may compromise our systems and lead to data leakage either internally or at our third party providers. Our systems may be the target of malware and other cyber-attacks. Although we have invested in measures to reduce these risks, we cannot assure you that these measures will be successful in preventing the compromise and/or disruption of our information technology systems and related data. Additionally, this may be exacerbated due to the spread of Covid-19, as detailed above, due to many of our employees working from home and remotely accessing our IT networks.

 

Risks Relating to Operations in Israel and Internationally

 

           The tax benefits available to us under Israeli law require us to meet several conditions and may be terminated or reduced in the future, which would increase our taxes.

 

Our production facilities have been granted "Approved Enterprise" or "Benefited Enterprise" status in past years and currently hold a "Preferred Enterprise" status under the Encouragement of Capital Investments Law, and as such, we are entitled to certain tax benefits. In order to be eligible for these tax benefits, we must meet certain conditions. If we fail to meet these conditions in the future, the tax benefits could be reduced or canceled. These tax benefits may not be continued in the future at their current levels, or at any level. The termination or reduction of these benefits may increase our income tax expense in the future. To the best of our knowledge, to date we have met the conditions for benefits under our "Preferred Enterprise" status in all material respects. There can be no assurance, however, that we will continue to meet such conditions in the future. If these tax benefits are reduced, cancelled, or discontinued, our Israeli taxable income would be subject to "regular" Israeli corporate tax rate. In December 2016, the regular tax rate in Israel was reduced to 24% in 2017 and to 23% as from 2018 and thereafter. See "Item 10 – Additional Information – Taxation – the Encouragement of Capital Investments Law, 1959" for more information about our "Preferred Enterprise" status.

 

The government programs and benefits, which we previously received, require us to meet several conditions in order to transfer intellectual property developed using government funding abroad, or in order to consummate a change of control.

 

We received grants from the Government of Israel through programs with the Office of the Chief Scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry, or OCS (now known as the Israel Innovation Authority, or the "IIA"), as it was known prior to Amendment No. 7 (the "R&D Amendment") to the Israeli Law for the Encouragement of Industrial Research and Development, 1984, and related regulations (the "R&D Law").

 

On July 29, 2015, the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, enacted the R&D Amendment, which, effective as of January 1, 2016, amends material provisions of the R&D Law, including royalty rates, changes to royalty rates upon transfer of manufacturing rights abroad, etc., and leaves substantial discretion with the IIA.

 

In addition, the R&D Law and the IIA impose certain limitations with respect to transfer of manufacturing rights and know-how, as well as to change of control in companies which receive government funding from the OCS or IIA. Companies which received governmental funding from the IIA or OCS are also subject to increased payment obligations with respect to outsourcing or transferring development or manufacturing activities with respect to any product or technology developed using IIA or OCS funding outside of Israel, which may impair our ability to sell such technology assets outside of Israel or to outsource, transfer development, or manufacturing activities with respect to any such product or technology outside of Israel, or impose difficulties in consummation of a change of control in the Company.

 

The political environment and hostilities in Israel could harm our business.

 

Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, a state of hostility has existed between Israel and the Arab countries in the region. This state of hostility has varied in degree and intensity over time. There has also been conflict and unrest between Israel, the Palestinian Authority and certain terrorist groups operating within the Palestinian Authority and Lebanon. In addition, internal conflicts within neighboring counties such as Egypt and Syria also affect Israel, both directly and indirectly.

 

Similar civil unrest and political turbulence has occurred in other countries in the region, including Syria which shares a common border with Israel, and is affecting the political stability of those countries. Since April 2011, internal conflict in Syria has escalated, and evidence indicates that chemical weapons have been used in the region. This instability and any intervention may lead to deterioration of the political and economic relationships that exist between the State of Israel and some of these countries, and may have the potential for additional conflicts in the region. In addition, Iran has threatened to attack Israel and is widely believed to be developing nuclear weapons. Iran is also believed to have a strong influence among extremist groups in the region, such as Hamas in Gaza, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran is known to support the government of Syria in its battles against various rebel militia groups in Syria.

 

Furthermore, several countries still restrict trade with Israeli companies and additional countries may impose such restrictions as a result of changes in the military and/or political conditions in Israel and/or the surrounding countries, which may limit our ability to make sales in, or purchase components from, those countries. Any future armed conflict, political instability, continued violence in the region or restrictions could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. While such hostilities did not in the past have a material adverse impact on our business, we cannot guarantee that hostilities will not be renewed and have such an effect in the future. The political and security situation in Israel may result in parties with whom we have contracts claiming that they are not obligated to perform their commitments under those agreements pursuant to force majeure provisions. Any hostilities involving Israel or the interruption or curtailment of trade between Israel and its present trading partners could adversely affect our operations and could make it more difficult for us to raise capital or obtain components used in our products. Since many of our facilities are located in Israel, we could experience serious disruptions if acts associated with this conflict result in any serious damage to our facilities. Any insurance coverage we may have may not adequately compensate us for losses that may occur and any losses or damages incurred by us could have a material adverse effect on our business. Any future armed conflict or political instability in the region could negatively affect business conditions and harm our results of operations.

 

Many of our employees in Israel are required to perform military reserve duty.

 

All non-exempt male adult citizens and permanent residents of Israel under the age of 40, or older for reserves officers or citizens with certain occupations, as well as certain female adult citizens and permanent residents of Israel, are obligated to perform military reserve duty and may be called to active duty under emergency circumstances. In recent years, there have been significant call-ups of military reservists, and it is possible that there will be additional call-ups in the future. While we have operated effectively despite these conditions in the past, we cannot assess what impact these conditions may have in the future, particularly if emergency circumstances arise. Our operations could be disrupted by the absence for a significant period of one or more of our executive officers or key employees or a significant number of our other employees due to military service. Any disruption in our operations would harm our business.

 

Exchange rate fluctuations and international risks could increase the cost of our operations.

 

Approximately 96% of our international sales are denominated in U.S. Dollars and may be subject to government controls and other risks, including, in some cases, export licenses, federal restrictions on export, currency fluctuations, political instability, trade restrictions, and changes in tariffs and freight rates. Our U.S. dollar costs in Israel and Denmark will increase further to the extent that inflation in Israel and/or Denmark exceeds the devaluation of the NIS and/or Danish Krone ("DKK"), respectively, against the dollar, if the timing of such devaluation lags behind inflation in Israel and/or Denmark, or if the dollar devalues against the NIS and/or DKK.

 

We are affected by worldwide downturns in industries based on technology.

 

The volatility in the securities markets and its effect on high-technology companies may have a ripple effect on our performance. In the downturn which the markets experienced beginning in 2001, technology companies dealing in communications and computers were severely affected and some were forced to cease operations. We felt the effects of this downturn in 2001 through 2003. We were also affected by the downturn in the economic markets which began in 2008, posing a risk to industries based on technology as well as the overall economy. There can be no assurance that our results will not be affected on a going forward basis by any economic downturns, including the current downturn to the global economy relating to the spread of Covid-19, as detailed above.

General economic conditions may adversely affect the Company's results.

 

Uncertainty in global economic conditions, including any disruption in financial and credit markets, such as the current disruption to the global economy relating to the spread of Covid-19, as detailed above, pose a risk to the overall economy that could impact demand for our and our customers' products, as well as our ability to manage commercial relationships with our customers and suppliers. If the global economic situation worsens, our business could be negatively impacted, including such areas as reduced demand for our products and services, or supplier or customer disruptions, which could reduce our revenues or our ability to collect our accounts receivable and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

Israeli courts might not enforce judgments rendered outside of Israel.

 

We are incorporated in Israel. All of our executive officers and directors are non-residents of the United States, and a substantial portion of our assets and the assets of these persons are located outside the United States. Therefore, it may be difficult to enforce a judgment obtained in the United States against us or any such persons. It may also be difficult to enforce civil liabilities under U.S. federal securities laws in original actions instituted in Israel. However, subject to certain time limitations, Israeli courts may enforce U.S. final executory judgments for liquidated amounts in civil matters obtained after due trial before a court of competent jurisdiction (according to the rules of private international law currently prevailing in Israel) which enforces similar Israeli judgments, provided that the requisite procedural and legal requirements are adhered to.

 

If a foreign judgment is enforced by an Israeli court, it generally will be payable in NIS, which can then be converted into foreign currency at the rate of exchange of such foreign currency on the date of payment. Pending collection, the amount of the judgment of an Israeli court stated in NIS (without any linkage to a foreign currency) ordinarily will be linked to the Israeli consumer price index plus interest at the annual statutory rate prevailing at such time. Judgment creditors bear the risk of unfavorable exchange rates.

Risks Related to our Ordinary Shares

 

We may experience a decline in our share price, including during periods of uncertainty in global economic conditions, and there is no guarantee that our share price will remain stable or not decline.

 

              In the past, our share price has declined, including during periods of uncertainty in global economic conditions, and we may be affected by, among others, downturn in economic conditions, including the current downturn to the global economy relating to the spread of Covid-19, as detailed above. We cannot assure you that our share price will remain stable or not decline in the future.

 

We may not be able to distribute dividends in the future.

 

On January 14, 2013, we announced a dividend policy for distributing up to 50% of our annual distributable profits as a dividend. As part of the stated dividend policy the Company's Board of Directors reserved the right to declare additional dividend distributions, to change the rate of dividend distributions (either as a policy or on a one-time basis), to cancel a specific distribution or to cancel the policy as a whole at any time, at its sole discretion. On March 15, 2018, our Board of Directors adopted a resolution to suspend until further notice the said dividend policy in order to increase our available funds in support of our long-term growth.

 

Our ability to distribute dividends in the future may be adversely affected by the risk factors described in this report. Any dividend will depend on our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and other business and economic factors affecting us at the time as our board of directors may consider relevant. Our ability to pay cash dividends may be restricted by instruments governing any of our obligations. We are restricted by Israeli law to pay dividends in any fiscal year only out of "profits", as defined by the Companies Law, unless otherwise authorized by an Israeli court, and provided that the distribution is not reasonably expected to impair our ability to fulfill our outstanding and expected obligations. There is no assurance that we will be able to pay dividends or increase our payment of dividends in the future, nor is there any assurance that our Board of Directors will not further change or cancel our dividend policy in the future. If we are unable to pay dividends at levels anticipated by investors in our shares, the market price of our shares may be negatively affected and the value of our shareholders' investment may be reduced. See "Item 8.A. – Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information", under the caption "A8. – Dividend Policy" for additional information regarding the payment of dividends.

 

The trading volume of our shares has been low in the past and may be low in the future, resulting in lower than expected market prices for our shares.

 

Our shares have been traded at low volumes in the past and may be traded at low volumes in the future for reasons related or unrelated to our performance. This low trading volume may result in lower than expected market prices for our ordinary shares and our shareholders may not be able to resell their shares for prices equal to or higher than the price for which they were purchased.

 

If we are characterized as a passive foreign investment company for U.S. federal income tax purposes, our U.S. shareholders may suffer adverse tax consequences.

 

We will be a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, if 75% or more of our gross income in a taxable year, including our pro-rata share of the gross income of any company, U.S. or foreign, in which we are considered to own, directly or indirectly, 25% or more of the shares by value, is passive income. Alternatively, we will be considered a PFIC if at least 50% of our assets in a taxable year, averaged over the year and ordinarily determined based on fair market value and including our pro-rata share of the assets of any company in which we are considered to own, directly or indirectly, 25% or more of the shares by value, are held for the production of, or produce, passive income. If we were to be a PFIC, and a U.S. Holder does not make an election to treat us as a "qualified electing fund", or QEF, or a "mark-to-market" election, "excess distributions" to a U.S. Holder, and any gain recognized by a U.S. Holder on a disposition or our ordinary shares, would be taxed in an unfavorable way. Among other consequences, our dividends, to the extent that they constitute "excess distributions", would be taxed at the regular rates applicable to ordinary income, rather than the 20% maximum rate applicable to certain dividends received by an individual from a "qualified foreign corporation", and certain "interest" charges may apply. In addition, gains on the sale of our shares would be treated in the same way as excess distributions. The tests for determining PFIC status are applied annually and it is difficult to make accurate predictions of future income and assets, which are relevant to the determination of PFIC status. In addition, under the applicable statutory and regulatory provisions, it is unclear whether we would be permitted to use a gross loss from sales (sales less cost of goods sold) to offset our passive income in the calculation of gross income. As a result of our substantial cash position, if the value of our shares declines, there is a substantial risk that we will be classified as a PFIC under the asset test described above. There can be no assurance that we will not be classified as a PFIC by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. In light of the uncertainties described above, no assurance can be given that we will not be a PFIC in any year. A U.S. Holder who makes a QEF election is taxed currently on such holder's proportionate share of our earnings, including both ordinary income and net capital gain. If the IRS determines that we are a PFIC for a year with respect to which we have determined that we were not a PFIC, however, it might be too late for a U.S. Holder to make a timely QEF election, unless the U.S. Holder qualifies under the applicable Treasury regulations to make a retroactive (late) election. U.S. Holders who hold ordinary shares during a period when we are a PFIC will be subject to the foregoing rules, even if we cease to be a PFIC, subject to exceptions for U.S. Holders who made a timely QEF or mark-to-market election, or certain other elections. We do not currently intend to prepare or provide the information that would enable you to make a Qualified Electing Fund election. Accordingly, our shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of PFIC rules.

 

Our investment portfolio may be impaired by disruptions in the financial and credit markets.

 

Our investment portfolio currently consists of corporate debt securities which the Company classified at December 31, 2019 as "held-to-maturity". As of December 31, 2019, we hold approximately US$ 60.6 million in corporate debt securities and government debt securities.

 

              Due to possible significant disruptions in the financial and credit markets, the corporate debt securities in our portfolio are subject to a possible increased risk of default due to bankruptcy, lack of liquidity, operational failure, or other factors affecting the issuers of those securities. In addition, securities in our portfolio are subject to other risks, such as credit, liquidity, market and interest rate risks, which may be exacerbated by market disruptions, and which may impair the assets. We may be required to adjust the carrying value of our investment securities due to a default, lack of liquidity or other event, if the event constitutes an impairment which is considered to be other-than-temporary. As of December 31, 2019, we were not required to adjust the carrying value of our investment securities since there were no other-than-temporary impairments. If we will experience such a loss, it will be recorded in our consolidated statement of operations which could materially adversely impact our consolidated results of operations and financial condition.