Item 3. Key Information

A. Selected Financial Data

The following table presents a summary of our selected historical consolidated financial data. We prepare our financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

The results of operations for prior years are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any future period.

On December 7, 2015, we acquired Freescale Semiconductor, Ltd. (“Freescale”) for a total consideration of approximately $11.6 billion (the “Merger”). The results of their operations and the estimated fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the business combination are included in our financial statements from the date of acquisition forward.

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The selected historical consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with the discussion under Part I, Item 5A. Operating Results and the Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

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Net debt is a non-GAAP financial measure. See “ Use of Certain Non-GAAP Financial Measures ” under Part I, 5A. Operating Results .

As used in this Annual Report, “euro”, or “€” means the single unified currency of the European Monetary Union. “U.S. dollar”, “USD”, “U.S. $” or “$” means the lawful currency of the United States of America. As used in this Annual Report, the term “noon buying rate” refers to the exchange rate for euro, expressed in U.S. dollars per euro, as announced by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for customs purposes as the rate in the city of New York for cable transfers in foreign currencies.

The table below shows the average noon buying rates for U.S. dollars per euro for the five years ended December 31, 2015. The averages set forth in the table below have been computed using the noon buying rate on the last business day of each month during the periods indicated.

The following table shows the high and low noon buying rates for U.S. dollars per euro for each of the six months in the six-month period ended February 12, 2016:

On February 12, 2016, the noon buying rate was $1.1235 per €1.00.

Fluctuations in the value of the euro relative to the U.S. dollar have had a significant effect on the translation into U.S. dollar of our euro-denominated assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and may continue to do so in the future. For further information on the impact of fluctuations in exchange rates on our operations, see the “ Fluctuations in Foreign Rates May Have An Adverse Effect On Our Financial Results ” section in Part I, Item 3D. Risk Factors and the “ Foreign Currency Risks ” section in Part I, Item 11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk .

B. Capitalization and Indebtedness

Not applicable.

C. Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

Not applicable.

D. Risk Factors

The following section provides an overview of the risks to which our business is exposed. You should carefully consider the risk factors described below and all other information contained in this Annual Report, including the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes. The occurrence of the risks described below could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Various statements in this Annual Report, including the following risk factors, contain forward-looking statements. Please also refer to Part I, Item 5G. Safe Harbor, contained elsewhere in this Annual Report.

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Risks related to our business

Our ongoing business is subject to certain risks related to our integration of Freescale.

As described elsewhere in this Annual Report, we completed the Merger on December 7, 2015. The Merger involved the integration of two companies that previously operated independently with principal offices in two distinct locations. We are devoting significant management attention and resources to integrating the companies. Potential difficulties we may encounter as part of the integration process include the following:

Any of the foregoing could adversely affect our ability to maintain relationships with customers, suppliers, employees and other constituencies or our ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of the Merger or could reduce our earnings or otherwise adversely affect our business and financial results.

Accordingly, there can be no assurance: (i) that the Merger will result in the realization of the full benefits of synergies, innovation and operational efficiencies that we currently expect; (ii) that these benefits will be achieved within the anticipated timeframe: (iii) that we will be able to fully and accurately measure any such synergies; or (iv) that we will be able to implement new strategies to transform the combined businesses of NXP and Freescale. Failure to successfully integrate the businesses and realize the projected synergies, innovation and operational efficiencies may have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.

Our future results may suffer if we do not effectively manage our expanded operations following the completion of the Merger.

Following the completion of the Merger, the size of our business has increased significantly beyond the former size of either NXP’s or Freescale’s business. Our future success depends, in part, upon our ability to manage this expanded business, which will pose substantial challenges for management, including challenges related to the management and monitoring of new operations and associated increased costs and complexity. There can be no assurances that we will be successful or that it will realize the expected operating efficiencies, cost savings and other benefits that were anticipated from the Merger.

The semiconductor industry is highly cyclical.

Historically, the relationship between supply and demand in the semiconductor industry has caused a high degree of cyclicality in the semiconductor market. Semiconductor supply is partly driven by manufacturing capacity, which in the past has demonstrated alternating periods of substantial capacity additions and periods in which no or limited capacity was added. As a general matter, semiconductor companies are more likely to add capacity in periods when current or expected future demand is strong and margins are, or are expected to be, high. Investments in new capacity can result in overcapacity, which can lead to a reduction in prices and margins. In response, companies typically limit further capacity additions, eventually causing the market to be relatively undersupplied. In addition, demand for semiconductors varies, which can exacerbate the effect of supply fluctuations. As a result of this cyclicality, the semiconductor industry has in the past experienced significant downturns, such as in 1997/1998, 2001/2002 and in 2008/2009, often in connection with, or in anticipation of, maturing life cycles of semiconductor companies’ products and declines in general economic conditions. These downturns have been characterized by diminishing demand for end-user products, high inventory levels, under-utilization of manufacturing capacity and accelerated erosion of average selling prices. The foregoing risks have historically had, and may continue to have, a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Significantly increased volatility and instability and unfavorable economic conditions may adversely affect our business.

In 2008 and 2009, Europe, the United States and international markets experienced increased volatility and instability. In 2015, volatility and instability in financial markets continued following renewed investor concerns related to the economic situation in parts of the world, a decline in the growth rate of the Chinese economy, increased hostilities in the Middle East, and other world events. These, or other events, could further adversely affect the economies of the European Union, the United States and those of other countries and may exacerbate the cyclicality of our business. Among other factors, we face risks attendant to declines in general economic conditions, changes in demand for end-user products and changes in interest rates.

Despite indications of recovery and aggressive measures taken by governments and central banks, there is a significant risk that the global economy could fall into recession again. If economic conditions remain uncertain or deteriorate, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

As a consequence of the significantly increased volatility and instability, it is difficult for us, our customers and suppliers to forecast demand trends. We may be unable to accurately predict the extent or duration of cycles or their effect on our financial condition or result of operations and can give no assurance as to the timing, extent or duration of the current or future business cycles. A recurrent decline in demand or the failure of demand to return to prior levels could place pressure on our results of operations. The timing and extent of any changes to currently prevailing market conditions is uncertain and supply and demand may be unbalanced at any time.

The semiconductor industry is highly competitive. If we fail to introduce new technologies and products in a timely manner, this could adversely affect our business.

The semiconductor industry is highly competitive and characterized by constant and rapid technological change, short product lifecycles, significant price erosion and evolving standards. Accordingly, the success of our business depends to a significant extent on our ability to develop new technologies and products that are ultimately successful in the market. The costs related to the research and development necessary to develop new technologies and products are significant and any reduction of our research and development budget could harm our competitiveness. Meeting evolving industry requirements and introducing new products to the market in a timely manner and at prices that are acceptable to our customers are significant factors in determining our competitiveness and success. Commitments to develop new products must be made well in advance of any resulting sales, and technologies and standards may change during development, potentially rendering our products outdated or uncompetitive before their introduction. If we are unable to successfully develop new products, our revenue may decline substantially. Moreover, some of our competitors are well-established entities, are larger than us and have greater resources than we do. If these competitors increase the resources they devote to developing and marketing their products, we may not be able to compete effectively. Any consolidation among our competitors could enhance their product offerings and financial resources, further strengthening their competitive position. In addition, some of our competitors operate in narrow business areas relative to us, allowing them to concentrate their research and development efforts directly on products and services for those areas, which may give them a competitive advantage. As a result of these competitive pressures, we may face declining sales volumes or lower prevailing prices for our products, and we may not be able to reduce our total costs in line with this declining revenue. If any of these risks materialize, they could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In many of the market segments in which we compete, we depend on winning selection processes, and failure to be selected could adversely affect our business in those market segments.

One of our business strategies is to participate in and win competitive bid selection processes to develop products for use in our customers’ equipment and products. These selection processes can be lengthy and require us to incur significant design and development expenditures, with no guarantee of winning a contract or generating revenue. Failure to win new design projects and delays in developing new products with anticipated technological advances or in commencing volume shipments of these products may have an adverse effect on our business. This risk is particularly pronounced in markets where there are only a few potential customers and in the automotive market, where, due to the longer design cycles involved, failure to win a design-in could prevent access to a customer for several years. Our failure to win a sufficient number of these bids could result in reduced revenue and hurt our competitive position in future selection processes because we may not be perceived as being a technology or industry leader, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The demand for our products depends to a significant degree on the demand for our customers’ end products.

The vast majority of our revenue is derived from sales to manufacturers in the automotive, identification, wireless infrastructure, lighting, industrial, mobile, consumer and computing markets. Demand in these markets fluctuates significantly, driven by consumer spending, consumer preferences, the development of new technologies and prevailing economic conditions. In addition, the specific products in which our semiconductors are incorporated may not be successful, or may experience price erosion or other competitive factors that affect the price manufacturers are willing to pay us. Such customers have in the past, and may in the future, vary order levels significantly from period to period, request postponements to scheduled delivery dates, modify their orders or reduce lead times. This is particularly common during periods of low demand. This can make managing our business difficult, as it limits the predictability of future revenue. It can also affect the accuracy of our financial forecasts. Furthermore, developing industry trends, including customers’ use of outsourcing and new and revised supply chain models, may affect our revenue, costs and working capital requirements. Additionally, a significant portion of our products is made to order.

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If customers do not purchase products made specifically for them, we may not be able to resell such products to other customers or may not be able to require the customers who have ordered these products to pay a cancellation fee. The foregoing risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The semiconductor industry is characterized by continued price erosion, especially after a product has been on the market.

One of the results of the rapid innovation in the semiconductor industry is that pricing pressure, especially on products containing older technology, can be intense. Product life cycles are relatively short, and as a result, products tend to be replaced by more technologically advanced substitutes on a regular basis.

In turn, demand for older technology falls, causing the price at which such products can be sold to drop, in some cases precipitously. In order to continue profitably supplying these products, we must reduce our production costs in line with the lower revenue we can expect to generate per unit. Usually, this must be accomplished through improvements in process technology and production efficiencies. If we cannot advance our process technologies or improve our efficiencies to a degree sufficient to maintain required margins, we will no longer be able to make a profit from the sale of these products. Moreover, we may not be able to cease production of such products, either due to contractual obligations or for customer relationship reasons, and as a result may be required to bear a loss on such products. We cannot guarantee that competition in our core product markets will not lead to price erosion, lower revenue or lower margins in the future. Should reductions in our manufacturing costs fail to keep pace with reductions in market prices for the products we sell, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets represent a significant portion of our total assets, and we may never realize the full value of our intangible assets.

Goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets are recorded at fair value on the date of an acquisition. As a result of our acquisition of Freescale, we recognized goodwill of approximately $7.4 billion and intangible assets of approximately $8.5 billion. We review our goodwill and other intangible assets balance for impairment upon any indication of a potential impairment, and in the case of goodwill, at a minimum of once a year. Impairment may result from, among other things, a sustained decrease in share price, deterioration in performance, adverse market conditions, adverse changes in applicable laws or regulations, including changes that restrict the activities of or affect the products and services we sell, challenges to the validity of certain registered intellectual property, reduced sales of certain products incorporating registered intellectual property and a variety of other factors. The amount of any quantified impairment must be expensed immediately as a charge to results of operations. Depending on future circumstances, it is possible that we may never realize the full value of our intangible assets. Any future determination of impairment of goodwill or other identifiable intangible assets could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and stockholders’ equity.

As our business is global, we need to comply with laws and regulations in countries across the world and are exposed to international business risks that could adversely affect our business.

We operate globally, with manufacturing, assembly and testing facilities in several continents, and we market our products globally.

As a result, we are subject to environmental, labor and health and safety laws and regulations in each jurisdiction in which we operate. We are also required to obtain environmental permits and other authorizations or licenses from governmental authorities for certain of our operations and have to protect our intellectual property worldwide. In the jurisdictions where we operate, we need to comply with differing standards and varying practices of regulatory, tax, judicial and administrative bodies.

In addition, the business environment is also subject to many economic and political uncertainties, including the following international business risks:

No assurance can be given that we have been or will be at all times in complete compliance with the laws and regulations to which we are subject or that we have obtained or will obtain the permits and other authorizations or licenses that we need. If we violate or fail to comply with laws, regulations, permits and other authorizations or licenses, we could be fined or otherwise sanctioned by regulators. In this case, or if any of the international business risks were to materialize or become worse, they could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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In addition, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies, further increasing legal and financial compliance costs. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure.

Interruptions in our information technology systems could adversely affect our business.

We rely on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of complex information technology applications, systems and networks to operate our business. The reliability and security of our information technology infrastructure and software, and our ability to expand and continually update technologies in response to our changing needs is critical to our business. Any significant interruption in our business applications, systems or networks, including but not limited to new system implementations, computer viruses, cyberattacks, security breaches, facility issues or energy blackouts could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our computer systems and networks are subject to attempted security breaches and other cybersecurity incidents, which, if successful, could impact our business.

We have, from time to time, experienced attempted cyber-attacks of varying degrees to obtain access to our computer systems and networks. As of the date of this Annual Report, no such attacks have succeeded in obtaining access to our critical systems. However, such attacks may be successful in the future. Cyber-attacks could result in the misappropriation of our proprietary information and technology, the compromise of personal and confidential information of our employees, customers or suppliers or interrupt our business. In the current environment, there are numerous and evolving risks to cybersecurity and privacy, including criminal hackers, state-sponsored intrusions, industrial espionage, employee malfeasance, and human or technological error. Computer hackers and others routinely attempt to breach the security of technology products, services, and systems, and those of customers, suppliers, and some of those attempts may be successful. Such breaches could result in, for example, unauthorized access to, disclosure, modification, misuse, loss, or destruction of our, our customer, or other third party data or systems, theft of sensitive or confidential data including personal information and intellectual property, system disruptions, and denial of service. In the event of such breaches, we, our customers or other third parties could be exposed to potential liability, litigation, and regulatory action, as well as the loss of existing or potential customers, damage to our reputation, and other financial loss. In addition, the cost and operational consequences of responding to breaches and implementing remediation measures could be significant. As these threats continue to develop and grow, we have been adapting the security measures and we continue to increase the amount we allocate to implement, maintain and/or update security systems to protect data and infrastructure. As a global enterprise, we could also be impacted by existing and proposed laws and regulations, as well as government policies and practices related to cybersecurity, privacy and data protection. Additionally, cyber-attacks or other catastrophic events resulting in disruptions to or failures in power, information technology, communication systems or other critical infrastructure could result in interruptions or delays to us, our customers, or other third party operations or services, financial loss, potential liability, and damage our reputation and affect our relationships with our customers and suppliers.

In difficult market conditions, our high fixed costs combined with low revenue may negatively affect our results of operations.

The semiconductor industry is characterized by high fixed costs and, notwithstanding our utilization of third-party manufacturing capacity, most of our production requirements are met by our own manufacturing facilities. In less favorable industry environments, like we faced in the second half in 2011, we are generally faced with a decline in the utilization rates of our manufacturing facilities due to decreases in demand for our products. During such periods, our fabrication plants could operate at lower loading level, while the fixed costs associated with the full capacity continue to be incurred, resulting in lower gross profit.

The semiconductor industry is capital intensive and if we are unable to invest the necessary capital to operate and grow our business, we may not remain competitive.

To remain competitive, we must constantly improve our facilities and process technologies and carry out extensive research and development, each of which requires investment of significant amounts of capital. This risk is magnified by the indebtedness we currently have, since we are required to use a portion of our cash flow to service that debt. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow or raise sufficient capital to meet both our debt service and capital investment requirements, or if we are unable to raise required capital on favorable terms when needed, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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We rely to a significant extent on proprietary intellectual property. We may not be able to protect this intellectual property against improper use by our competitors or others.

Our success and future revenue growth depends, in part, on our ability to protect our proprietary technology, our products, our proprietary designs and fabrication processes, and other intellectual property against misappropriation by others. We primarily rely on patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, as well as nondisclosure agreements and other methods, to protect our intellectual property. We may have difficulty obtaining patents and other intellectual property rights to protect our proprietary products, technology and intellectual property, and the patents and other intellectual property rights we receive may be insufficient to provide us with meaningful protection or commercial advantage. We may not be able to obtain patent protection or secure other intellectual property rights in all the countries in which we operate, and under the laws of such countries, patents and other intellectual property rights may be or become unavailable or limited in scope. Even if new patents are issued, the claims allowed may not be sufficiently broad to effectively protect our proprietary technology, processes and other intellectual property. In addition, any of our existing patents, and any future patents issued to us may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented. The protection offered by intellectual property rights may be inadequate or weakened for reasons or circumstances that are out of our control. Further, our proprietary technology, designs and processes and other intellectual property may be vulnerable to disclosure or misappropriation by employees, contractors and other persons. It is possible that competitors or other unauthorized third parties may obtain, copy, use or disclose our proprietary technologies, our products, designs, processes and other intellectual property despite our efforts to protect our intellectual property. While we hold a significant number of patents, there can be no assurances that additional patents will be issued or that any rights granted under our patents will provide meaningful protection against misappropriation of our intellectual property. Our competitors may also be able to develop similar technology independently or design around our patents. We may not have foreign patents or pending applications corresponding to all of our primary patents and applications. Even if foreign patents are granted, effective enforcement in foreign countries may not be available. In particular, intellectual property rights are difficult to enforce in some countries, since the application and enforcement of the laws governing such rights may not have reached the same level as compared to other jurisdictions where we operate, such as the United States, Germany and the Netherlands. Consequently, operating in some countries may subject us to an increased risk that unauthorized parties may attempt to copy or otherwise use our intellectual property or the intellectual property of our suppliers or other parties with whom we engage. There is no assurance that we will be able to protect our intellectual property rights or have adequate legal recourse in the event that we seek legal or judicial enforcement of our intellectual property rights under the laws of such countries. Any inability on our part to adequately protect our intellectual property may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may become party to intellectual property claims or litigation that could cause us to incur substantial costs, pay substantial damages or prohibit us from selling our products.

We have from time to time received, and may in the future receive, communications alleging possible infringement of patents and other intellectual property rights of others. Further, we may become involved in costly litigation brought against us regarding patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets or other intellectual property rights. If any such claims are asserted against us, we may seek to obtain a license under the third party’s intellectual property rights. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain any or all of the necessary licenses on satisfactory terms, if at all. In the event that we cannot obtain or take the view that we don’t need a license, these parties may file lawsuits against us seeking damages (and potentially treble damages in the United States) or an injunction against the sale of our products that incorporate allegedly infringed intellectual property or against the operation of our business as presently conducted. Such lawsuits, if successful, could result in an increase in the costs of selling certain of our products, our having to partially or completely redesign our products or stop the sale of some of our products and could cause damage to our reputation. Any litigation could require significant financial and management resources regardless of the merits or outcome, and we cannot assure you that we would prevail in any litigation or that our intellectual property rights can be successfully asserted in the future or will not be invalidated, circumvented or challenged. The award of damages, including material royalty payments, or the entry of an injunction against the manufacture and sale of some or all of our products, could affect our ability to compete or have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on strategic partnerships, joint ventures and alliances for manufacturing and research and development. However, we often do not control these partnerships and joint ventures, and actions taken by any of our partners or the termination of these partnerships or joint ventures could adversely affect our business.

As part of our strategy, we have entered into a number of long-term strategic partnerships with other leading industry participants. For example, we have entered into a joint venture with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (“TSMC”) called Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Company Pte. Ltd. (“SSMC”). We have also established Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation Limited (“ASMC”) together with a number of Chinese partners. Furthermore, together with Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. (“ASE”), we established the assembly and test joint venture ASEN Semiconductors Co. Ltd. (“ASEN”). In 2015, we established WeEn Semiconductors, a Bipolar joint venture in China with JianGuang Asset Management Co, Ltd. See Part I, Item 4B.- Business Overview , “Other Significant Transactions”.

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If any of our strategic partners in industry groups or in any of the other alliances we engage with were to encounter financial difficulties or change their business strategies, they may no longer be able or willing to participate in these groups or alliances, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We do not control some of these strategic partnerships, joint ventures and alliances in which we participate. We may also have certain obligations, including some limited funding obligations or take or pay obligations, with regard to some of our strategic partnerships, joint ventures and alliances. For example, we have made certain commitments to SSMC, in which we have a 61.2% ownership share, whereby we are obligated to make cash payments to SSMC should we fail to utilize, and TSMC does not utilize, an agreed upon percentage of the total available capacity at SSMC’s fabrication facilities if overall SSMC utilization levels drop below a fixed proportion of the total available capacity.

Notwithstanding the recent closing of the Merger, we may continue to make other acquisitions and engage in other transactions to complement or expand our existing businesses. However, we may not be successful in acquiring other suitable targets or we may not be successful in integrating Freescale or any such other target into our operations. Any acquisitions we make may lead to a diversion of management resources.

Our future success may depend on acquiring businesses and technologies, making investments or forming joint ventures that complement, enhance or expand our current portfolio or otherwise offer us growth opportunities. We may engage in acquisitions or strategic transactions or make strategic investments that could adversely affect our financial results or fail to enhance stockholder value. On December 7, 2015, we completed the Merger with Freescale. In pursuing further acquisitions, we may face competition from other companies in the semiconductor industry. We may have to expend substantial amounts of cash, incur debt, assume loss-making divisions and incur other types of expenses in order to pursue such further acquisitions. Our acquisitions or strategic investments may not generate financial returns or result in increased adoption or continued use of our technologies, products or services. In some cases, we may be required to consolidate or record our share of the earnings or losses of companies in which we have acquired ownership interests. In addition, we may record impairment charges related to our acquisitions or strategic investments. Any losses or impairment charges that we incur related to strategic investments or other transactions will have a negative impact on our financial results, and we may continue to incur new or additional losses related to strategic assets or investments that we have not fully impaired or exited.

Achieving the anticipated benefits of business acquisitions depends in part upon our ability to integrate the acquired businesses in an efficient and effective manner. The integration of companies that have previously operated independently involves significant challenges, including, among others: retaining key employees; successfully integrating new employees, business systems, technology and products; retaining customers and suppliers of the acquired business; consolidating research and development and/or supply operations; minimizing the diversion of management’s attention from ongoing business matters; and consolidating corporate and administrative infrastructures. We may not derive any commercial value from acquired technologies or products or from future technologies or products based on the acquired technologies, and we may be subject to liabilities that are not covered by indemnification protection that we may obtain, or we may become subject to litigation. We may also face challenges in successfully integrating Freescale or any such other acquired companies into our existing organization or in creating the anticipated cost synergies. Each of these risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may from time to time desire to exit certain product lines or businesses, or to restructure our operations, but may not be successful in doing so.

From time to time, we may decide to divest certain product lines and businesses or restructure our operations, including through the contribution of assets to joint ventures. We have, in recent years, exited several of our product lines and businesses, and we have closed several of our manufacturing and research facilities. We may continue to do so in the future. However, our ability to successfully exit product lines and businesses, or to close or consolidate operations, depends on a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control. For example, if we are seeking a buyer for a particular business line, none may be available, or we may not be successful in negotiating satisfactory terms with prospective buyers. In addition, we may face internal obstacles to our efforts. In particular, several of our operations and facilities are subject to collective bargaining agreements and social plans or require us to consult with our employee representatives, such as work councils which may prevent or complicate our efforts to sell or restructure our businesses. In some cases, particularly with respect to our European operations, there may be laws or other legal impediments affecting our ability to carry out such sales or restructuring.

If we are unable to exit a product line or business in a timely manner, or to restructure our operations in a manner we deem to be advantageous, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Even if a divestment is successful, we may face indemnity and other liability claims by the acquirer or other parties.

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We may from time to time restructure parts of our processes. Any such restructuring may impact customer satisfaction and the costs of implementation may be difficult to predict.

Between 2008 and 2011, we executed a redesign program and, in 2013 we executed a restructuring initiative designed to improve operational efficiency and to competitively position the company for sustainable growth. In 2015, we began a restructuring initiative to prepare for and implement the integration of Freescale into our existing businesses. We plan to continue to restructure and make changes to parts of the processes in our organization. Furthermore, if the global economy remains volatile or if the global economy reenters a deeper and longer lasting recession, our revenues could decline, and we may be forced to take additional cost savings steps that could result in additional charges and materially affect our business. The costs of implementing any restructurings, changes or cost savings steps may differ from our estimates and any negative impacts on our revenues or otherwise of such restructurings, changes or steps, such as situations in which customer satisfaction is negatively impacted, may be larger than originally estimated.

If we fail to extend or renegotiate our collective bargaining agreements and social plans with our labor unions as they expire from time to time, if regular or statutory consultation processes with employee representatives such as works councils fail or are delayed, or if our unionized employees were to engage in a strike or other work stoppage, our business and operating results could be materially harmed.

We are a party to collective bargaining agreements and social plans with our labor unions. We are also required to consult with our employee representatives, such as works councils, on items such as restructurings, acquisitions and divestitures. Although we believe that our relations with our employees, employee representatives and unions are satisfactory, no assurance can be given that we will be able to successfully extend or renegotiate these agreements as they expire from time to time or to conclude the consultation processes in a timely and favorable way. The impact of future negotiations and consultation processes with employee representatives could have a material impact on our financial results. Also, if we fail to extend or renegotiate our labor agreements and social plans, if significant disputes with our unions arise, or if our unionized workers engage in a strike or other work stoppage, we could incur higher ongoing labor costs or experience a significant disruption of operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our working capital needs are difficult to predict.

Our working capital needs are difficult to predict and may fluctuate. The comparatively long period between the time at which we commence development of a product and the time at which it may be delivered to a customer leads to high inventory and work-in-progress levels. The volatility of our customers’ own businesses and the time required to manufacture products also makes it difficult to manage inventory levels and requires us to stockpile products across many different specifications.

Our business may be adversely affected by costs relating to product defects, and we could be faced with product liability and warranty claims.

We make highly complex electronic components and, accordingly, there is a risk that defects may occur in any of our products. Such defects can give rise to significant costs, including expenses relating to recalling products, replacing defective items, writing down defective inventory and loss of potential sales. In addition, the occurrence of such defects may give rise to product liability and warranty claims, including liability for damages caused by such defects. If we release defective products into the market, our reputation could suffer and we may lose sales opportunities and incur liability for damages. Moreover, since the cost of replacing defective semiconductor devices is often much higher than the value of the devices themselves, we may at times face damage claims from customers in excess of the amounts they pay us for our products, including consequential damages. We also face exposure to potential liability resulting from the fact that our customers typically integrate the semiconductors we sell into numerous consumer products, which are then sold into the marketplace. We are exposed to product liability claims if our semiconductors or the consumer products based on them malfunction and result in personal injury or death. We may be named in product liability claims even if there is no evidence that our products caused the damage in question, and such claims could result in significant costs and expenses relating to attorneys’ fees and damages. In addition, our customers may recall their products if they prove to be defective or make compensatory payments in accordance with industry or business practice or in order to maintain good customer relationships. If such a recall or payment is caused by a defect in one of our products, our customers may seek to recover all or a portion of their losses from us. If any of these risks materialize, our reputation would be harmed and there could be a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business has suffered, and could in the future suffer, from manufacturing problems.

We manufacture, in our own factories as well as with third parties, our products using processes that are highly complex, require advanced and costly equipment and must continuously be modified to improve yields and performance. Difficulties in the production process can reduce yields or interrupt production, and, as a result of such problems, we may on occasion not be able to deliver products or do so in a timely or cost-effective or competitive manner. As the complexity of both our products and our fabrication processes has become more advanced, manufacturing tolerances have been reduced and requirements for precision have become more demanding. As is common in the semiconductor industry, we have in the past experienced manufacturing difficulties that have given rise to delays in delivery and quality control problems. There can be no assurance that any such occurrence in the future would not materially harm our results of operations. Further, we may suffer disruptions in our manufacturing operations, either due to production difficulties such as those described above or as a result of external factors beyond our control. We may, in the future, experience manufacturing difficulties or permanent or temporary loss of manufacturing capacity due to the preceding or other risks. Any such event could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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We rely on the timely supply of equipment and materials and could suffer if suppliers fail to meet their delivery obligations or raise prices. Certain equipment and materials needed in our manufacturing operations are only available from a limited number of suppliers.

Our manufacturing operations depend on deliveries of equipment and materials in a timely manner and, in some cases, on a just-in-time basis. From time to time, suppliers may extend lead times, limit the amounts supplied to us or increase prices due to capacity constraints or other factors. Supply disruptions may also occur due to shortages in critical materials, such as silicon wafers or specialized chemicals. Because the equipment that we purchase is complex, it is frequently difficult or impossible for us to substitute one piece of equipment for another or replace one type of material with another. A failure by our suppliers to deliver our requirements could result in disruptions to our manufacturing operations. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed if we are unable to obtain adequate supplies of quality equipment or materials in a timely manner or if there are significant increases in the costs of equipment or materials.

Failure of our third party suppliers to perform could adversely affect our ability to exploit growth opportunities.

We currently use outside suppliers for a portion of our manufacturing capacity. Outsourcing our production presents a number of risks. If our outside suppliers are unable to satisfy our demand, or experience manufacturing difficulties, delays or reduced yields, our results of operations and ability to satisfy customer demand could suffer. In addition, purchasing rather than manufacturing these products may adversely affect our gross profit margin if the purchase costs of these products are higher than our own manufacturing costs would have been. Prices for foundry products also vary depending on capacity utilization rates at our suppliers, quantities demanded, product technology and geometry. Furthermore, these outsourcing costs can vary materially from quarter to quarter and, in cases of industry shortages, they can increase significantly, negatively affecting our gross profit.

Loss of our key management and other personnel, or an inability to attract such management and other personnel, could affect our business.

We depend on our key management to run our business and on our senior engineers to develop new products and technologies. Our success will depend on the continued service of these individuals. Although we have several share based compensation plans in place, we cannot be sure that these plans will help us in our ability to retain key personnel, especially considering the fact that the stock options under some of our plans become exercisable upon a change of control (in particular, when a third party, or third parties acting in concert, obtains, whether directly or indirectly, control of us). The loss of any of our key personnel, whether due to departures, death, ill health or otherwise, could have a material adverse effect on our business. The market for qualified employees, including skilled engineers and other individuals with the required technical expertise to succeed in our business, is highly competitive and the loss of qualified employees or an inability to attract, retain and motivate the additional highly skilled employees required for the operation and expansion of our business could hinder our ability to successfully conduct research activities or develop marketable products. The foregoing risks could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Disruptions in our relationships with any one of our key customers could adversely affect our business.

A substantial portion of our revenue is derived from our top customers, including our distributors. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to generate similar levels of revenue from our largest customers in the future. If one or more of these customers substantially reduce their purchases from us, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We receive subsidies and grants in certain countries, and a reduction in the amount of governmental funding available to us or demands for repayment could increase our costs and affect our results of operations.

As is the case with other large semiconductor companies, we receive subsidies and grants from governments in some countries. These programs are subject to periodic review by the relevant governments, and if any of these programs are curtailed or discontinued, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. As the availability of government funding is outside our control, we cannot guarantee that we will continue to benefit from government support or that sufficient alternative funding will be available if we lose such support. Moreover, if we terminate any activities or operations, including strategic alliances or joint ventures, we may face adverse actions from the local governmental agencies providing such subsidies to us. In particular, such government agencies could seek to recover such subsidies from us and they could cancel or reduce other subsidies we receive from them. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Legal proceedings covering a range of matters are pending in various jurisdictions. Due to the uncertainty inherent in litigation, it is difficult to predict the final outcome. An adverse outcome might affect our results of operations.

We and certain of our businesses are involved as plaintiffs or defendants in legal proceedings in various matters. For example, we are involved in legal proceedings claiming personal injuries to the children of former employees as a result of employees’ alleged exposure to chemicals used in semiconductor manufacturing clean room environments operated by us or our former parent companies Philips and Motorola. Furthermore, because we continue to utilize these clean rooms, we may become subject to future claims alleging personal injury that may lead to additional liability. A judgment against us or material defense cost could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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We are exposed to a variety of financial risks, including currency risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, commodity price risk, credit risk and other non-insured risks, which may have an adverse effect on our financial results.

We are a global company and, as a direct consequence, movements in the financial markets may impact our financial results. We are exposed to a variety of financial risks, including currency fluctuations, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, commodity price risk and credit risk and other non-insured risks. We have euro-denominated assets and liabilities and, since our reporting currency is the U.S. dollar, the impact of currency translation adjustments to such assets and liabilities may have a negative effect on our stockholders’ equity. We continue to hold or convert a part of our cash in euros as a hedge for euro expenses and euro interest payments. We are exposed to fluctuations in exchange rates when we convert U.S. dollars to euro. We enter into diverse financial transactions with several counterparties to mitigate our currency risk. We only use derivative instruments for hedging purposes. The U.S. dollar-denominated debt issued by us and our subsidiary, NXP B.V., with functional currency euro may generate adverse currency results in our financial income and expenses. Part of this effect is mitigated due to the application of net investment hedge accounting, since May 2011, pursuant to which the currency results on (part of) the U.S. dollar-denominated debt is reported as part of other comprehensive income within equity instead of financial income and expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Absent the application of net investment hedge accounting, we would have recorded an additional charge of $190 million, before tax, within financial income and expense in the 2015 statement of operations. As of January 1, 2016, as a result of the acquisition of Freescale, NXP has concluded that the functional currency of the holding company is USD. Beginning from January 1, 2016, our U.S. dollar-denominated notes and short-term loans will no longer need to be re-measured.

We are also a purchaser of certain base metals, precious metals, chemicals and energy used in the manufacturing process of our products, the prices of which can be volatile. Credit risk represents the loss that would be recognized at the reporting date if counterparties failed to perform upon their agreed payment obligations. Credit risk is present within our trade receivables. Such exposure is reduced through ongoing credit evaluations of the financial conditions of our customers and by adjusting payment terms and credit limits when appropriate. We invest available cash and cash equivalents with various financial institutions and are in that respect exposed to credit risk with these counterparties. We actively manage concentration risk on a daily basis adhering to a treasury management policy. We seek to limit the financial institutions with which we enter into financial transactions, such as depositing cash, to those with a strong credit rating wherever possible. If we are unable to successfully manage these risks, they could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The impact of a negative performance of financial markets and demographic trends on our defined benefit pension liabilities and costs cannot be predicted.

We sponsor defined benefit pension plans in a number of countries and a significant number of our employees are covered by our defined benefit pension plans. As of December 31, 2015, we had recognized a net accrued benefit liability of $371 million, representing the unfunded benefit obligations of our defined pension plans. The funding status and the liabilities and costs of maintaining these defined benefit pension plans may be impacted by financial market developments. For example, the accounting for such plans requires determining discount rates, expected rates of compensation and expected returns on plan assets, and any changes in these variables can have a significant impact on the projected benefit obligations and net periodic pension costs. Negative performance of the financial markets could also have a material impact on funding requirements and net periodic pension costs. Our defined benefit pension plans may also be subject to demographic trends. Accordingly, our costs to meet pension liabilities going forward may be significantly higher than they are today, which could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition.

Changes in the tax deductibility of interest may adversely affect our financial position and our ability to service the obligations under our indebtedness.

Effective January 1, 2013 certain new limitations apply to the tax deductibility of interest expense in the Netherlands. A Dutch company that is considered to be financed with excessive debt, may not be entitled to deduct interest expense on such excessive debt. Existing debt is not grandfathered under these rules. The measurement of whether there is excessive debt is based on arithmetic tests based on the amount of equity of the company in relation to the acquisition cost of and capital invested in the Netherlands and foreign subsidiaries of the Netherlands consolidated group. When the equity of the company is below a certain minimum threshold, the company may be considered to have excessive debt. Certain safe harbor rules apply when new operational businesses are acquired by the company. Even though these limitations on tax deductibility have not yet impacted us, the application of the potential limitation on tax deductibility of interest expense in the future may adversely affect our financial position and our ability to service the obligations under our indebtedness.

We are exposed to a number of different tax uncertainties, which could have an impact on tax results.

We are required to pay taxes in multiple jurisdictions. We determine the taxes we are required to pay based on our interpretation of the applicable tax laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which we operate. We may be subject to unfavorable changes in the respective tax laws and regulations to which we are subject. Tax controls, audits, change in controls and changes in tax laws or regulations or the interpretation given to them may expose us to negative tax consequences, including interest payments and potentially penalties. We have issued transfer-pricing directives in the areas of goods, services and financing, which are in accordance with the Guidelines of the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). As transfer pricing has a cross border effect, the focus of local tax authorities on implemented transfer pricing procedures in a country may have an impact on results in another country.

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Transfer pricing uncertainties can also result from disputes with local tax authorities about transfer pricing of internal deliveries of goods and services or related to financing, acquisitions and divestments, the use of tax credits and permanent establishments, and tax losses carried forward. These uncertainties may have a significant impact on local tax results. We also have various tax assets resulting from acquisitions. Tax assets can also result from the generation of tax losses in certain legal entities. Tax authorities may challenge these tax assets. In addition, the value of the tax assets resulting from tax losses carried forward depends on having sufficient taxable profits in the future.

There may from time to time exist deficiencies in our internal control systems that could adversely affect the accuracy and reliability of our periodic reporting.

We are required to establish and periodically assess the design and operating effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Despite the compliance procedures that we have adopted to ensure internal control over financial controls, there may from time to time exist deficiencies in our internal control systems that could adversely affect the accuracy and reliability of our periodic reporting. Our periodic reporting is the basis of investors’ and other market professionals’ understanding of our businesses. Imperfections in our periodic reporting could create uncertainty regarding the reliability of our results of operations and financial results, which in turn could have a material adverse impact on our reputation or share price.

Environmental laws and regulations expose us to liability and compliance with these laws and regulations, and any such liability may adversely affect our business.

We are subject to many environmental, health and safety laws and regulations in each jurisdiction in which we operate, which govern, among other things, emissions of pollutants into the air, wastewater discharges, the use and handling of hazardous substances, waste disposal, the investigation and remediation of soil and ground water contamination and the health and safety of our employees. We are also required to obtain environmental permits from governmental authorities for certain of our operations. We cannot assure you that we have been or will be at all times in complete compliance with such laws, regulations and permits. If we violate or fail to comply with these laws, regulations or permits, we could be fined or otherwise sanctioned by regulators.

As with other companies engaged in similar activities or that own or operate real property, we face inherent risks of environmental liability at our current and historical manufacturing facilities. Certain environmental laws impose strict, and in certain circumstances, joint and several liability on current or previous owners or operators of real property for the cost of investigation, removal or remediation of hazardous substances as well as liability for related damages to natural resources. Certain of these laws also assess liability on persons who arrange for hazardous substances to be sent to disposal or treatment facilities when such facilities are found to be contaminated. While we do not expect that any contamination currently known to us will have a material adverse effect on our business, we cannot assure you that this is the case or that we will not discover new facts or conditions or that environmental laws or the enforcement of such laws will not change such that our liabilities would be increased significantly. In addition, we could also be held liable for consequences arising out of human exposure to hazardous substances or other environmental damage. In summary, we cannot assure you that our costs of complying with current and future environmental and health and safety laws, or our liabilities arising from past or future releases of, or exposures to, regulated materials, will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial conditions and results of operations.

Scientific examination of, political attention to and rules and regulations on issues surrounding the existence and extent of climate change may result in an increase in the cost of production due to increase in the prices of energy and introduction of energy or carbon tax. A variety of regulatory developments have been introduced that focus on restricting or managing the emission of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases. Enterprises may need to purchase at higher costs new equipment or raw materials with lower carbon footprints. Environmental laws and regulations could also require us to acquire pollution abatement or remediation equipment, modify product designs, or incur expenses. New materials that we are evaluating for use in our operations may become subject to regulation. These developments and further legislation that is likely to be enacted could affect our operations negatively. Changes in environmental regulations could increase our production and operational costs, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Certain natural disasters, such as flooding, large earthquakes, volcanic eruptions or nuclear or other disasters, may negatively impact our business. There is increasing concern that climate change is occurring and may cause a rising number of natural disasters.

Environmental and other disasters, such as flooding, large earthquakes, volcanic eruptions or nuclear or other disasters, or a combination thereof may negatively impact our business. If flooding, a large earthquake, volcanic eruption or other natural disaster were to directly damage, destroy or disrupt our manufacturing facilities, it could disrupt our operations, delay new production and shipments of existing inventory or result in costly repairs, replacements or other costs, all of which would negatively impact our business. Even if our manufacturing facilities are not directly damaged, a large natural disaster may result in disruptions in distribution channels or supply chains and significant increases in the prices of raw materials used for our manufacturing process. For instance, the nuclear incident following the tsunami in Japan in 2011 impacted the supply chains of our customers and suppliers. Furthermore, any disaster affecting our customers (or their respective customers) may significantly negatively impact the demand for our products and our revenues.

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The impact of any such natural disasters depends on the specific geographic circumstances but could be significant, as some of our factories are located in areas with known earthquake fault zones, flood or storm risks, including but not limited to the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia or Thailand. There is increasing concern that climate change is occurring that may cause a rising number of natural disasters with potentially dramatic effects on human activity. We cannot predict the economic impact, if any, of natural disasters or climate change.

The price of our common stock historically has been volatile. The price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly.

The stock market in recent years has experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated to the operating performance of companies. The market price for our common stock has varied between a high of $114.00 on June 1, 2015 and a low of $72.05 on August 24, 2015 in the twelve-month period ending on December 31, 2015. The market price of our common stock is likely to continue to be volatile and subject to significant price and volume fluctuations for many reasons, including in response to the risks described in this section, or for reasons unrelated to our operations, such as reports by industry analysts, investor perceptions or negative announcements by our customers, competitors, peer companies or suppliers regarding their own performance, or announcements by our competitors of significant contracts, market perception of the Merger with Freescale or other acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, joint marketing relationships or capital commitments, the passage of legislation or other regulatory developments affecting us or our industry, as well as industry conditions and general financial, economic and political instability. In the past, following periods of market volatility, shareholders have instituted securities class action litigation. If we were involved in securities litigation, it could have a substantial cost and divert resources and the attention of executive management from our business regardless of the outcome of such litigation.

The Merger may not be accretive and may cause dilution to our earnings per share, which may harm the market price of our shares of common stock.

We entered into the Merger with the expectation that it will be accretive to earnings per share in the near term. This expectation is based on preliminary estimates which may materially change. We could also encounter additional transaction and integration-related costs or other factors such as the failure to realize all of the benefits anticipated in the Merger. All of these factors could cause dilution to our earnings per share or decrease or delay the expected accretive effect of the Merger and cause a decrease in the price of our shares of common stock.

Future sales of our shares of common stock could depress the market price of our outstanding shares of common stock.

The market price of our shares of common stock could decline as a result of sales of a large number of shares of our common stock in the market, or the perception that these sales could occur. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate.

In the future, we may issue additional shares of common stock in connection with acquisitions and other investments, as well as in connection with our current or any revised or new equity plans for management and other employees. The amount of our common stock issued in connection with any such transaction could constitute a material portion of our then outstanding common stock.

Our actual operating results may differ significantly from our guidance.

From time to time, we release guidance regarding our future performance that represents our management’s estimates as of the date of release. This guidance, which consists of forward-looking statements, is prepared by our management and is qualified by, and subject to, the assumptions and the other information contained or referred to in such release and the factors described under “Forward-Looking Statements”. Our guidance is not prepared with a view toward compliance with published guidelines of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and neither our independent registered public accounting firm nor any other independent expert or outside party compiles or examines the guidance and, accordingly, no such person expresses any opinion or any other form of assurance with respect thereto.

Our guidance is based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while presented with numerical specificity, is inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control and are based upon specific assumptions with respect to future business decisions, some of which will change. We generally state possible outcomes as high and low ranges which are intended to provide a sensitivity analysis as variables are changed but are not intended to represent that actual results could not fall outside of the suggested ranges. The principal reason that we release this data is to provide a basis for our management to discuss our business outlook with analysts and investors. We do not accept any responsibility for any projections or reports published by any such persons.

Guidance is necessarily speculative in nature, and it can be expected that some or all of the assumptions of the guidance furnished by us will not materialize or will vary significantly from actual results. Accordingly, our guidance is only an estimate of what management believes is realizable as of the date of release. Actual results will vary from the guidance and the variations may be material. Investors should also recognize that the reliability of any forecasted financial data diminishes the farther in the future the data is forecasted. In light of the foregoing, investors are urged to put the guidance in context and not to place undue reliance on it.

Any failure to successfully implement our operating strategy, or the occurrence of any of the events or circumstances set forth in, or incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report could result in the actual operating results being different than the guidance, and such differences may be adverse and material.

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Charges to earnings resulting from the application of the purchase method of accounting in relation to the Merger may adversely affect the market value of our shares of common stock.

We have acquired Freescale for accounting purposes in accordance with U.S. GAAP and will account for the Merger using the acquisition method of accounting, which will result in charges to our earnings that could adversely affect the market value of our shares of common stock. Under the acquisition method of accounting, we will allocate the total purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed from Freescale based on their fair values as of the date of the completion of the Merger, and record any excess of the purchase price over those fair values as goodwill. For certain tangible and intangible assets, reevaluating their fair values as of the completion date of the Merger will result in our incurring additional depreciation and/or amortization expense that exceed the combined amounts recorded by NXP and Freescale prior to the Merger. This increased expense will be recorded by us over the remaining useful lives of the underlying assets. In addition, to the extent the value of goodwill or intangible assets were to become impaired, we may be required to incur charges relating to the impairment of those assets.

Risks related to our corporate structure

United States civil liabilities may not be enforceable against us.

We are incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands and substantial portions of our assets are located outside of the United States. In addition, certain members of our board, our officers and certain experts named herein reside outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon us or such other persons residing outside the United States, or to enforce outside the United States judgments obtained against such persons in U.S. courts in any action. In addition, it may be difficult for investors to enforce, in original actions brought in courts in jurisdictions located outside the United States, rights predicated upon the U.S. laws.

In the absence of an applicable treaty for the mutual recognition and enforcement of judgments (other than arbitration awards) in civil and commercial matters to which the United States and the Netherlands are a party, a judgment obtained against the Company in the courts of the United States, whether or not predicated solely upon the U.S. federal securities laws, including a judgment predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. securities law or securities laws of any State or territory within the United States, will not be directly enforceable in the Netherlands.

In order to obtain a judgment which is enforceable in the Netherlands, the claim must be relitigated before a competent court of the Netherlands; the relevant Netherlands court has discretion to attach such weight to a judgment of the courts of the United States as it deems appropriate; based on case law, the courts of the Netherlands may be expected to recognize and grant permission for enforcement of a judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction in the United States without re-examination or relitigation of the substantive matters adjudicated thereby, provided that (i) the relevant court in the United States had jurisdiction in the matter in accordance with standards which are generally accepted internationally; (ii) the proceedings before that court complied with principles of proper procedure; (iii) recognition and/or enforcement of that judgment does not conflict with the public policy of the Netherlands; and (iv) recognition and/or enforcement of that judgment is not irreconcilable with a decision of a Dutch court rendered between the same parties or with an earlier decision of a foreign court rendered between the same parties in a dispute that is about the same subject matter and that is based on the same cause, provided that earlier decision can be recognized in the Netherlands.

Based on the foregoing, there can be no assurance that U.S. investors will be able to enforce against us or members of our board of directors, officers or certain experts named herein who are residents of the Netherlands or countries other than the United States any judgments obtained in U.S. courts in civil and commercial matters.

In addition, there is doubt as to whether a Dutch court would impose civil liability on us, the members of our board of directors, our officers or certain experts named herein in an original action predicated solely upon the U.S. laws brought in a court of competent jurisdiction in the Netherlands against us or such members, officers or experts, respectively.

We are a Dutch public company with limited liability. The rights of our stockholders may be different from the rights of stockholders governed by the laws of U.S. jurisdictions.

We are a Dutch public company with limited liability (naamloze vennootschap) . Our corporate affairs are governed by our articles of association and by the laws governing companies incorporated in the Netherlands. The rights of stockholders and the responsibilities of members of our board of directors may be different from the rights and obligations of stockholders in companies governed by the laws of U.S. jurisdictions. In the performance of its duties, our board of directors is required by Dutch law to consider the interests of our company, its stockholders, its employees and other stakeholders, in all cases with due observation of the principles of reasonableness and fairness. It is possible that some of these parties will have interests that are different from, or in addition to, your interests as a stockholder. See Part II, Item 16G. Corporate Governance .

Our articles of association, Dutch corporate law and our current and future debt instruments contain provisions that may discourage a takeover attempt.

Provisions contained in our articles of association and the laws of the Netherlands, the country in which we are incorporated, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so might be beneficial to our stockholders. Provisions of our articles of association impose various procedural and other requirements, which could make it more difficult for stockholders to effect certain corporate actions.

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On June 2, 2015, our general meeting of shareholders has empowered our board of directors to issue additional shares and grant rights to subscribe for shares of common stock, up to 10% of the issued share capital which authorization can be used for general purposes and an additional 10% if the shares of common stock are issued or rights are granted in connection with an acquisition, merger or (strategic) alliance, and to restrict or exclude pre-emptive rights pertaining to (the right to subscribe for) shares for a period of 18 months from June 2, 2015 until December 2, 2016. On July 2, 2015, a separate authorization was approved by the general meeting of shareholders to issue additional shares to effect the Merger.

In addition, our debt instruments contain, and future debt instruments may also contain, provisions that require prepayment or offers to prepay upon a change of control. These clauses may also discourage takeover attempts.

We are a foreign private issuer and, as a result, are not subject to U.S. proxy rules but are subject to Exchange Act reporting obligations that, to some extent, are more lenient and less frequent than those of a U.S. issuer.

We report under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), as a non-U.S. company with foreign private issuer status. Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act and although we follow Dutch laws and regulations with regard to such matters, we are exempt from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to U.S. public companies, including: (i) the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act (ii) 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 (iii) the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the Commission of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q containing unaudited financial and other specified information, or current reports on Form 8-K, upon the occurrence of specified significant events. In addition, foreign private issuers are required to file their Annual Report on Form 20-F by 120 days after the end of each fiscal year while U.S. domestic issuers that are large accelerated filers are required to file their Annual Report on Form 10-K within 60 days after the end of each fiscal year. Foreign private issuers are also exempt from the Regulation Fair Disclosure, aimed at preventing issuers from making selective disclosures of material information. As a result of the above, even though we are contractually obligated and intend to make interim reports available to our stockholders, copies of which we are required to furnish to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on a Form 6-K, and even though we are required to furnish reports on Form 6-K disclosing whatever information we have made or are required to make public pursuant to Dutch law or distribute to our stockholders and that is material to our company, you may not have the same protections afforded to investors in companies that are not foreign private issuers.

We are a foreign private issuer and, as a result, in accordance with the listing requirements of the NASDAQ Global Select Market we rely on certain home country governance practices rather than the corporate governance requirements of the NASDAQ Global Select Market.

We are a foreign private issuer. As a result, in accordance with the listing requirements of the NASDAQ Global Select Market we rely on home country governance requirements and certain exemptions thereunder rather than relying on the corporate governance requirements of the NASDAQ Global Select Market. For an overview of our corporate governance principles, see Item 16G.- Corporate Governance of our 2015 Annual Report, including the section describing the differences between the corporate governance requirements applicable to common stock listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market and the Dutch corporate governance requirements. Accordingly, you may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are not foreign private issuers.

Risks related to our indebtedness

Our debt obligations expose us to risks that could adversely affect our financial condition, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

As of December 31, 2015, we had outstanding indebtedness with an aggregate principal amount of $9,380 million. Our substantial indebtedness could have a material adverse effect on our business by:

Despite our level of indebtedness, we may still incur significantly more debt, which could further exacerbate the risks described above and affect our ability to service and repay our debt.

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If we do not comply with the covenants in our debt agreements or fail to generate sufficient cash to service and repay our debt, it could adversely affect our operating results and our financial condition.

The New RCF Agreement, the Term Loans, the indentures governing our Secured Notes and Unsecured Notes or any other debt arrangements that we may have require us to comply with various covenants. If there were an event of default under any of our debt instruments that was not cured or waived, the holders of the defaulted debt could terminate commitments to lend and cause all amounts outstanding with respect to the debt to be due and payable immediately, which in turn could result in cross defaults under our other debt instruments. Our assets and cash flow may not be sufficient to fully repay borrowings under all of our outstanding debt instruments if some or all of these instruments are accelerated upon an event of default.

Our ability to make scheduled payments or to refinance our debt obligations depends on our financial condition and operating performance, which is subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors beyond our control. Our business may not generate sufficient cash flow from operations, or future borrowings under the New RCF Agreement or from other sources may not be available to us in an amount sufficient to enable us to repay our indebtedness, or to fund our other liquidity needs, including our working capital and capital expenditure requirements, and we may be forced to reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell assets or operations, seek additional capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness.

If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures, or to sell assets, seek additional capital, restructure or refinance our indebtedness or reduce or delay capital expenditures, strategic acquisitions, investments and alliances, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to obtain enough capital to service our debt and fund our planned capital expenditures and business plan. Our ability to restructure or refinance our debt will depend on the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. Any refinancing of our debt could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants, which could further restrict our business operations. The terms of existing or future debt instruments may restrict us from adopting some of these alternatives. In addition, any failure to make payments of interest and principal on our outstanding indebtedness on a timely basis would likely result in a reduction of our credit rating, which could harm our ability to incur additional indebtedness. These alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations.

The rating of our debt by major rating agencies may further improve or deteriorate, which could affect our additional borrowing capacity and financing costs.

The major debt rating agencies routinely evaluate our debt. These ratings are based on current information furnished to the ratings agencies by us and information obtained by the ratings agencies from other sources. An explanation of the significance of such rating may be obtained from such rating agency. There can be no assurance that such credit ratings will remain in effect for any given period of time or that such ratings will not be lowered, suspended or withdrawn entirely by the rating agencies, if, in each rating agency’s judgment, circumstances so warrant. Actual or anticipated changes or downgrades in our credit ratings, including any announcement that our ratings are under further review for a downgrade, could affect our market value and/or increase our corporate borrowing costs.

Increases in interest rates could adversely affect our results of operations.

An increase in prevailing interest rates could adversely affect our financial condition. LIBOR (the interest rate index on which our variable rate debt is based) fluctuates on a regular basis. At December 31, 2015, we had approximately $3,483 million aggregate principal amount of variable interest rate indebtedness under our Term Loan agreements, which are subject to LIBOR floors. Any increased interest expense associated with increases in interest rates affects our cash flow and our ability to service our debt. Therefore, if the LIBOR rate exceeds the LIBOR floors on our Term Loan agreements, our cash interest obligation would increase and could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. At December 31, 2015, a 100 basis point increase in LIBOR rates from their then current levels would result in an increase in our interest expense of $30 million per year. Our New RCF Agreement, which was undrawn at December 31, 2015, also has a variable interest rate .

The conditional conversion feature of the 2019 Cash Convertible Senior Notes, if triggered, may adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.

In the event the conditional conversion feature of the 2019 Cash Convertible Senior Notes is triggered, holders thereof will be entitled to convert the 2019 Cash Convertible Senior Notes solely into cash at any time during specified periods at their option. If one or more holders elect to convert their 2019 Cash Convertible Senior Notes, we would be required to pay cash to settle any such conversion, which could adversely affect our liquidity. In addition, even if holders do not elect to convert their 2019 Cash Convertible Senior Notes, we could be required under applicable accounting rules to reclassify all or a portion of the outstanding aggregate principal of the 2019 Cash Convertible Senior Notes as a current rather than long-term liability, which may adversely affect our net working capital.

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The accounting for the 2019 Cash Convertible Senior Notes results in recognized interest expense significantly greater than the stated interest rate of the 2019 Cash Convertible Senior Notes and may result in volatility to our Consolidated Statements of Operations.

We will settle conversions of the 2019 Cash Convertible Senior Notes entirely in cash. Accordingly, the conversion option that is part of the 2019 Cash Convertible Senior Notes is accounted for as a derivative pursuant to applicable accounting standards relating to derivative instruments and hedging activities. In general, this resulted in an initial valuation of the conversion option, which was bifurcated from the debt component of the 2019 Cash Convertible Senior Notes, resulting in an original issue discount. The original issue discount is amortized and recognized as a component of interest expense over the term of the 2019 Cash Convertible Senior Notes, which results in an effective interest rate reported in our Consolidated Statements of Operations significantly in excess of the stated coupon of 1.0%. This accounting treatment reduces our earnings, but does not affect the amount of cash interest paid to holders of Notes or our cash flows.

For each financial statement period after issuance of the 2019 Cash Convertible Senior Notes, a hedge gain or loss is reported in our Consolidated Statements of Operations to the extent the valuation of the conversion option changes from the previous period. The cash convertible note hedge transactions we entered into in connection with the 2019 Cash Convertible Senior Notes are also accounted for as derivative instruments, generally offsetting the gain or loss associated with changes to the valuation of the conversion option. Although we do not expect there to be a material net impact to our Consolidated Statements of Operations as a result of issuing the 2019 Cash Convertible Senior Notes and entering into the cash convertible note hedge transactions, we cannot assure you that these transactions will be completely offset, which may result in volatility to our Consolidated Statements of Operations.