ITEM 3.  KEY INFORMATION.

A.   SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA.

Luokung Technology Corp. and its consolidated subsidiaries (“Luokung Technology”, “we”, “us”, or “the Company”) consummated an asset exchange agreement pursuant to which we exchanged our existing assets with those of C Media Limited (the “Asset Exchange”) on August 17, 2018, and we changed our name from Kingtone Wirelessinfo Solution Holding Ltd. to our current name on August 20, 2018. 

On October 4, 2018, in connection with the consummation of the Asset Exchange, we changed our fiscal year end from September 30 to December 31.

The selected financial data for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements. The selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and the accompanying notes and “Item 5 – Operating and Financial Review and Prospects.” Our consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP. Our historical results do not necessarily indicate our results expected for any future periods. You should not view our historical results as an indicator of our future performance.

B.  CAPITALIZATION AND INDEBTEDNESS.

Not applicable.

C.  REASONS FOR THE OFFER AND USE OF PROCEEDS.

Not applicable.

D.  RISK FACTORS.

An investment in our ordinary shares involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below together with all other information contained in this annual report, including the matters discussed under “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” before you decide to invest in our ordinary shares. You should pay particular attention to the fact that we are a holding company with substantial operations in China and are subject to legal and regulatory environments that in many respects differ from those of the United States. If any of the following risks, or any other risks and uncertainties that are not presently foreseeable to us, actually occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and our future growth prospects would be materially and adversely affected. You should also consider all other information contained in this annual report before deciding to invest in our ordinary shares.

Our business activities for fiscal 2020 are expected to be adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus causing respiratory illness, or COVID-19, has surfaced in Wuhan, China, spreading at a fast rate in January and February of 2020, and confirmed cases were also reported in other parts of the world. In reaction to this outbreak, an increasing number of countries imposed travel suspensions to and from China following the World Health Organization’s “public health emergency of international concern” (PHEIC) announcement on January 30, 2020. Since this outbreak, domestic business activities in China have been disrupted by a series of emergency quarantine measures taken by the government. 

Emergency quarantine measures and travel restrictions caused business disruptions in many sectors across China, which seriously slowed down our business operation for the first quarter of 2020. Our sales have been and will continue to be adversely affected as a result of these measures. The Company rolled out active precautionary measures and has gradually resumed work since early March to reduce the impact on the Company’s production and operation. 

The extent to which COVID-19 negatively impacts our business is highly uncertain and cannot be accurately predicted. We believe that the coronavirus outbreak and the measures taken to control it may have a significant negative impact on economic activities in China. Our revenues are generated in China. The magnitude of this negative effect on the continuity of our business operation in China remains uncertain. These uncertainties impede our ability to conduct our daily operations and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We expect our full year 2020 results of operations to be adversely affected.

We may undertake acquisitions, investments, joint ventures or other strategic alliances, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to manage our business. In addition, such undertakings may not be successful.

Our strategy includes plans to grow both organically and through acquisitions, participation in joint ventures or other strategic alliances. Joint ventures and strategic alliances may expose us to new operational, regulatory and market risks, as well as risks associated with additional capital requirements. We may not be able, however, to identify suitable future acquisition candidates or alliance partners. Even if we identify suitable candidates or partners, we may be unable to complete an acquisition or alliance on terms commercially acceptable to us. If we fail to identify appropriate candidates or partners, or complete desired acquisitions, we may not be able to implement our strategies effectively or efficiently. 

In addition, our ability to successfully integrate acquired companies and their operations may be adversely affected by several factors. These factors include:

If we fail to integrate acquired companies efficiently, our earnings, revenue growth and business could be negatively affected.

Due to intense competition for highly-skilled personnel, we may fail to attract and retain enough sufficiently trained employees to support our operations; our ability to bid for and obtain new projects may be negatively affected and our revenues could decline as a result.

The IT industry relies on skilled employees, and our success depends to a significant extent on our ability to attract, hire, train and retain qualified employees. There is significant competition in China for professionals with the skills necessary to develop the products and perform the services we offer to our customers. Increased competition for these professionals, in the mobile application design area or otherwise, could have an adverse effect on us if we experience significant increase in the attrition rate among employees with specialized skills, which could decrease our operating efficiency and productivity and could lead to a decline in demand for our services.

In addition, our ability to serve existing customers and business partners and obtain new business will depend, in large part, on our ability to attract, train and retain skilled personnel that enable us to keep pace with growing demands for spatial-temporal big-data processing and interactive location-based services, evolving industry standards and changing customer preferences. Our failure to attract, train and retain personnel with the qualifications necessary to fulfill the needs of our existing and future customers or to assimilate new employees successfully could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our failure to retain our key personnel on business development or find suitable replacements of the key personnel upon their departure may lead to shrinking new implementation projects, which could materially adversely affect our business.

Our business depends substantially on the continuing efforts of our senior executives and other key personnel, and our business may be severely disrupted if we lose their services.

Our future success heavily depends upon the continued services of our senior executives and other key employees, particularly since we recently appointed a new Chairman. We are reliant on the services of Mr. Xuesong Song, our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and member of our board of directors. If one or more of our senior executives or key employees is unable or unwilling to continue in his or her present position, we may not be able to replace such employee easily, or at all, we may incur additional expenses to recruit, train and retain replacement personnel, our business may be severely disrupted, and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Our business could suffer if our executives and directors compete against us and our non-competition agreements with them cannot be enforced.

If any of our senior executives or key employees joins a competitor or forms a competing company, we may lose customers, know-how and key professionals and staff members to them. Also, if any of our business development managers who keep a close relationship with our customers and business partners joins a competitor or forms a competing company, we may lose customers, and our revenues may be materially adversely affected. Most of our executives have entered, or will soon enter, into employment agreements with us that contain or will contain non-competition provisions. However, if any dispute arises between our executive officers and us, such non-competition provisions may not be enforceable, especially in China, where all of these executive officers and key employees reside, in light of the uncertainties with China’s legal system. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in China — Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.”

Our computer networks may be vulnerable to security risks that could disrupt our services and adversely affect our results of operations.

Our computer networks may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer hackers, computer viruses and other security problems caused by unauthorized access to, or improper use of, systems by third parties or employees. A hacker who circumvents security measures could misappropriate proprietary information or cause interruptions or malfunctions in operations. Computer attacks or disruptions may jeopardize the security of information stored in and transmitted through computer systems and mobile devices of our customers. Actual or perceived concerns that our systems may be vulnerable to such attacks or disruptions may deter customers from using our services. As a result, we may be required to expend significant resources to protect against the threat of these security breaches or to alleviate problems caused by these breaches, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

If we do not continually enhance our solutions and service offerings, we may have difficulty in retaining existing customers and attracting new customers.

We believe that our future success will depend, to a significant extent, upon our ability to enhance our existing technologies, applications and platform, and to introduce new features to meet the preferences and requirements of our customers in a rapidly developing and evolving market. Unexpected technical, operational, distribution or other problems could delay or prevent the introduction of one or more of these products or services, or any products or services that we may plan to introduce in the future. Our present or future products may not satisfy the evolving preferences and tastes of our customers, and these solutions and services may not achieve anticipated market acceptance or generate incremental revenue. If we are unable to anticipate or respond adequately to the need for service or product enhancements due to resource, technological or other constraints, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

If we are unable to develop competitive new products and service offerings our future results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our future revenue stream depends to a large degree on our ability to utilize our technology in a way that will allow us to offer new types of products in relation to maps and geospatial data processing, mobile applications and services to a broader customer base. We will be required to make investments in research and development in order to continually develop new products, software applications and related service offerings, enhance our existing products, platform, mobile applications and related service offerings and achieve market acceptance of our mobile applications and service offerings. We may incur problems in the future in innovating and introducing new products, mobile applications and service offerings. Our development-stage products, mobile applications may not be successfully completed or, if developed, may not achieve significant customer acceptance. If we are unable to successfully define, develop and introduce competitive new mobile applications, and enhance existing mobile applications, our future results of operations would be adversely affected. The timely availability of new applications and their acceptance by customers are important to our future success. A delay in the development of new applications could have a significant impact on its results of operations.

Changes in technology could adversely affect our business by increasing our costs, reducing our profit margins and causing a decline in our competitiveness.

China’s spatial-temporal big-data processing and interactive location-based services industry, in which we operate, is characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards, frequent introductions of new services and solutions and enhancements as well as changing customer demands. New solutions and new technologies often render existing solutions and services obsolete, excessively costly or otherwise unmarketable. As a result, our success depends on our ability to adapt to the latest technological progress, such as the 5G standard and technologies, and to develop or acquire and integrate new technologies into our products, mobile applications and related services. Advances in technology also require us to commit substantial resources to developing or acquiring and then deploying new technologies for use in our operations. We must continuously train personnel in new technologies and in how to integrate existing systems with these new technologies. We may not be able to adapt quickly to new technologies or commit sufficient resources to compete successfully against existing or new competitors in bringing to market solutions and services that incorporate these new technologies. We may incur problems in the future in innovating and introducing new mobile applications and service offerings. Our development of new mobile applications and platform enhancements may not be successfully completed or, if developed, may not achieve significant customer acceptance. If we fail to adapt to changes in technologies and compete successfully against established or new competitors, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Problems with the quality or performance of our software or other systems may cause delays in the introduction of new solutions or result in the loss of customers and revenues, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our products are complex and may contain defects, errors or bugs when first introduced to the market or to a particular customer, or as new versions are released. Because we cannot test for all possible scenarios, our systems may contain errors that are not discovered until after they have been installed or implemented, and we may not be able to timely correct these problems. These defects, errors or bugs could interrupt or delay the completion of projects or sales to our customers. In addition, our reputation may be damaged and we may fail to acquire new projects from existing customers or new customers. Errors may occur when we provide systems integration and maintenance services. Even in cases where we have agreements with our customers that contain provisions designed to limit our exposure to potential claims and liabilities arising from customer problems, these provisions may not effectively protect us against such claims in all cases and in all jurisdictions. In addition, as a result of business and other considerations, we may undertake to compensate our customers for damages arising from the use of our solutions, even if our liability is limited by these provisions. Moreover, claims and liabilities arising from customer problems could also result in adverse publicity and materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. We currently do not carry any product or service liability insurance and any imposition of liability on us may materially and adversely affect our business and increase our costs, resulting in reduced revenues and profitability.

Our products may contain undetected software defects, which could negatively affect our revenues.

Our software products are complex and may contain undetected defects. Although we test our products, it is possible that errors may be found or occur in our new or existing products after we have delivered those products to the customers. Defects, whether actual or perceived, could result in adverse publicity, loss of revenues, product returns, a delay in market acceptance of our products, loss of competitive position or claims against us by customers. Any such problems could be costly to remedy and could cause interruptions, delays, or cessation of our product sales, which could cause us to lose existing or prospective customers and could negatively affect our results of operations.

We may be subject to infringement, misappropriation and indemnity claims in the future, which may cause us to incur significant expenses, pay substantial damages and be prevented from providing our services or technologies.

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to carry out our business without infringing the intellectual property rights of third parties. Patent and copyright law covering software-related technologies is evolving rapidly and is subject to a great deal of uncertainty. Our self-developed or licensed technologies, processes or methods may be covered by third-party patents or copyrights, either now existing or to be issued in the future. Any potential litigation may cause us to incur significant expenses. Third-party claims, if successfully asserted against us may cause us to pay substantial damages, seek licenses from third parties, pay ongoing royalties, redesign our services or technologies, or prevent us from providing services or technologies subject to these claims. Even if we were to prevail, any litigation would likely be costly and time-consuming and divert the attention of our management and key personnel from our business operations.

Our failure to protect our intellectual property rights may undermine our competitive position, and subject us to costly litigation to protect our intellectual property rights.

Any misappropriation of our technology or the development of competitive technology could seriously harm our business. We regard a substantial portion of our hardware and software systems as proprietary and rely on statutory copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret laws, customer license agreements, employee and third-party non-disclosure agreements and other methods to protect our proprietary rights. Nevertheless, these resources afford only limited protection and the actions we take to protect our intellectual property rights may not be adequate. In particular, third parties may infringe or misappropriate our proprietary technologies or other intellectual property rights, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, intellectual property rights and confidentiality protection in China may not be as effective as in the United States, and policing unauthorized use of proprietary technology can be difficult and expensive. Further, litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights, protect our trade secrets or determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. The outcome of any such litigation may not be in our favor. Any such litigation may be costly and may divert management attention, as well as our other resources, away from our business. An adverse determination in any such litigation will impair our intellectual property rights and may harm our business, prospects and reputation. In addition, we have no insurance coverage against litigation costs and would have to bear all litigation costs in excess of the amount recoverable from other parties. The occurrence of any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. 

Our solutions incorporate a portion of, and work in conjunction with, third-party hardware and software solutions. If these third-party hardware or software solutions are not available to us at reasonable costs, or at all, our results of operations could be adversely impacted.

Although our hardware and software systems and mobile applications primarily rely on our own core technologies, some elements of our systems incorporate a small portion of third-party hardware and software solutions. If any third party were to discontinue making their intellectual property available to us or our customers on a timely basis, or increase materially the cost of their licensing such intellectual property, or if our systems or applications failed to properly function or interoperate with replacement intellectual property, we may need to incur costs in finding replacement third-party solutions and/or redesigning our systems or applications to replace or function with or on replacement third-party proprietary technology. Replacement technology may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all, and we may be unable to develop alternative solutions or redesign our systems or applications on a timely basis or at a reasonable cost. If any of these were to occur, our results of operations could be adversely impacted.

Our ability to sell our products is highly dependent on the quality of our service and support offerings, and our failure to offer high quality service could have a material adverse effect on our ability to market and sell our products.

Our customers depend upon our customer service and support staff to resolve issues relating to our products. High-quality support services are critical for the successful marketing and sale of our products. If we fail to provide high-quality support on an ongoing basis, our customers may react negatively and we may be materially and adversely affected in our ability to sell additional products to these customers. This could also damage our reputation and prospects with potential customers. Our failure to maintain high-quality support services could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting or disclosure controls and procedures may have a material adverse effect on our business, the price of our ordinary shares, operating results and financial condition.

We are required to establish and maintain appropriate internal controls over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the related rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, every public company is required to include a management report on its internal controls over financial reporting in its annual report, which contains management’s assessment of the effectiveness of the company’s internal controls over financial reporting.  This requirement first applied to our annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended on September 30, 2011. In connection with our assessments of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting, management concluded that as of December 31, 2019, our disclosure controls and procedures and our internal controls over financial reporting were not effective due to lack of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) expertise in our current accounting team. Please refer to the discussion under Item 15, “Controls and Procedures” for further discussion of our material weakness as of December 31, 2019. Should we be unable to remediate the material weakness promptly and effectively, such weakness could harm our operating results, result in a material misstatement of our financial statements, cause us to fail to meet our financial reporting obligations or prevent us from providing reliable and accurate financial reports or avoiding or detecting fraud. This, in turn, could result in a loss of investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which could have an adverse effect on the trading price of our ordinary shares. Any litigation or other proceeding or adverse publicity relating to the material weaknesses could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results. 

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

We do not maintain any insurance coverage for our leased properties. Should any natural catastrophes such as earthquakes, floods, typhoons or any acts of terrorism occur in Beijing, China, where our head office is located and most of our employees are based, or elsewhere in China, we might suffer not only significant property damages, but also loss of revenues due to interruptions in our business operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results or financial condition.

The insurance industry in China is still at an early stage of development. Insurance companies in China offer limited business insurance products, and do not, to our knowledge, offer business liability insurance. As a result, we do not have any business liability insurance coverage for our operations. Moreover, while business disruption insurance is available, we have determined that the risks of disruption and cost of the insurance are such that we do not require it at this time. Any business disruption, litigation or natural disaster might result in substantial costs and diversion of resources, particularly if it affects our technology platforms which we depend on for delivery of our software and services, and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We may be liable to our customers for damages caused by unauthorized disclosure of sensitive and confidential information, whether through our employees or otherwise.

We are typically required to manage, utilize and store sensitive or confidential customer data in connection with the products and services we provide. Under the terms of our customer contracts, we are required to keep such information strictly confidential. We seek to implement specific measures to protect sensitive and confidential customer data. We require our employees to enter into non-disclosure agreements to limit such employees’ access to, and distribution of, our customers’ sensitive and confidential information and our own trade secrets. We can give no assurance that the steps taken by us in this regard will be adequate to protect our customers’ confidential information. If our customers’ proprietary rights are misappropriated by our employees, in violation of any applicable confidentiality agreements or otherwise, our customers may consider us liable for that act and seek damages and compensation from us. However, we currently do not have any insurance coverage for mismanagement or misappropriation of such information by our employees. Any litigation with respect to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive and confidential information might result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.

We may face intellectual property infringement claims that could be time-consuming and costly to defend. If we fail to defend ourselves against such claims, we may lose significant intellectual property rights and may be unable to continue providing our existing products and services.

It is critical that we use and develop our technology and products without infringing upon the intellectual property rights of third parties, including patents, copyrights, trade secrets and trademarks. Intellectual property litigation is expensive and time-consuming and could divert management’s attention from our business. A successful infringement claim against us, whether with or without merit, could, among others things, require us to pay substantial damages, develop non-infringing technology, or re-brand our name or enter into royalty or license agreements that may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all, and cease making, licensing or using products that have infringed a third party’s intellectual property rights. Protracted litigation could also result in existing or potential customers deferring or limiting their purchase or use of our products until resolution of such litigation, or could require us to indemnify our customers against infringement claims in certain instances. Also, we may be unaware of intellectual property registrations or applications relating to our services that may give rise to potential infringement claims against us. Parties making infringement claims may be able to obtain an injunction to prevent us from delivering our services or using technology containing the allegedly infringing intellectual property. Any intellectual property litigation could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition. 

On February 15, 2019, Beijing iQIYI Technology Co., Ltd. filed lawsuits with Beijing Internet Court alleging Shenzhen Jiu Zhou Shi Dai Digital and Technology Limited and Beijing Zhong Chuan Shi Xun Technology Limited are in infringement of exclusive rights to communication through information network of certain works, performances, audio and video products and claiming the economic loss amounts to approximately $562,000 (RMB 3,920,000).

On December 14, 2019, Beijing Internet Court arranged a trial; Beijing iQIYI and the Company are negotiating a potential settlement while expecting a verdict from the court. According to legal counsel, it is probable that the settlement will amount to approximately $93,000 (RMB650,000).

Seasonality and fluctuations in our customers’ spending cycles and other factors can cause our revenues and operating results to vary significantly from quarter to quarter and from year to year.

Our revenues and operating results will vary from quarter to quarter and from year to year due to a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control. Our new lines of business acquired upon the consummation of the asset exchange transaction discussed below see higher customer use and activity during the Chinese New Year holiday than other times during the year, which lead to higher revenue during this period as more customers would like to place more advertising. Historically, the products of our subsidiary Superengine Graphics Software Technology Development (Suzhou) Co., Ltd (“Superengine”) have a pattern of decreased sales in the first fiscal quarter as a result of industry buying patterns. Due to these and other factors, our operating results may fluctuate from quarter to quarter and from year to year. These fluctuations are likely to continue in the future, and operating results for any period may not be indicative of our future performance in any future period.

Our corporate actions are substantially controlled by Mr. Xuesong Song, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, who can cause us to take actions in ways you may not agree with.

Mr. Xuesong Song, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, beneficially owns 18.25% of our outstanding ordinary shares and 1,000,000 preferred shares, and each preferred share has the right to 399 votes at a meeting of the shareholders of the Company. As a result, Mr. Song has approximately 71.89% of the voting rights of the shareholders of the Company. Mr. Song can exert control and substantial influence over matters such as electing directors, amending our constitutional documents, and approving acquisitions, mergers or other business combination transactions. This concentration of ownership and voting power may also discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could deprive our shareholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and might reduce the price of our shares. Alternatively, our controlling shareholders may cause a merger, consolidation or change of control transaction even if it is opposed by our other shareholders, including those who purchase shares in this offering

We depend on a small number of customers to derive a significant portion of our revenues.  If we were to continue being dependent upon a few customers, such dependency could negatively impact our business, operating results and financial condition.

We derived a material portion of our revenues from a small number of customers.  In the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, our five largest customers accounted for 69.3%, 94.4% and 99.8% of our total sales, respectively. As our customer base may change from year-to-year, during such years that the customer base is highly concentrated, the fluctuation of our sales to any of such major customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. Moreover, our high customer base concentration may also adversely affect our ability to negotiate contract prices with these customers, which may in turn materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

Our historical outstanding accounts receivable have been relatively high. Inability to collect our accounts receivable on a timely basis, if at all, could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

Historically, our outstanding accounts receivable have been relatively high.  As of December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, our outstanding accounts receivable before impairment were $23.8 million $25.0 million and $10.4 million, respectively. Although we conduct credit evaluations of our customers, we generally do not require collateral or other security from our customers. In addition, we have had a relatively high customer concentration. The largest outstanding accounts receivable balance accounted for 31.8%, 24.4% and 48.5% of our total accounts receivable balance as of December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. As a result, an extended delay or default in payment relating to a significant account would likely have a material and adverse effect on the aging schedule and turnover days of our accounts receivable. Our inability to collect our accounts receivable on a timely basis, if at all, could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

Risks Related to Doing Business in China

Adverse changes in political and economic policies of the PRC government could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of China, which could reduce the demand for our services and materially and adversely affect our competitive position.

Substantially all of our business operations are conducted in China. Accordingly, our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects are subject to a significant degree to economic, political and legal developments in China. Although the Chinese economy is no longer a planned economy, the PRC government continues to exercise significant control over China’s economic growth through direct allocation of resources, monetary and tax policies, and a host of other government policies such as those that encourage or restrict investment in certain industries by foreign investors, control the exchange between RMB and foreign currencies, and regulate the growth of the general or specific market. These government involvements have been instrumental in China’s significant growth in the past 30 years. The reorganization of the telecommunications industry encouraged by the PRC government has directly affected our industry and our growth prospect.

Growth of China’s economy has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy, and the growth of the Chinese economy has slowed down in recent years. Some of the government measures may benefit the overall Chinese economy, but may have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations. Any stimulus measures designed to boost the Chinese economy may contribute to higher inflation, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. For example, certain operating costs and expenses, such as employee compensation and office operating expenses, may increase as a result of higher inflation.

Our business benefits from certain government tax incentives. Expiration, reduction or discontinuation of, or changes to, these incentives will increase our tax burden and reduce our net income.

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law passed in 2007 and the implementing rules, both of which became effective on January 1, 2008, or the New EIT Law, a unified enterprise income tax rate of 25% and unified tax deduction standard is applied equally to both domestic-invested enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises, or FIEs. Enterprises established prior to March 16, 2007 eligible for preferential tax treatment in accordance with the then tax laws and administrative regulations shall gradually become subject to the New EIT Law rate over a five-year transition period starting from the date of effectiveness of the New EIT Law. However, certain qualifying high-technology enterprises may still benefit from a preferential tax rate of 15% if they own their core intellectual properties and they are enterprises in certain State-supported high-tech industries to be later specified by the government. As a result, if our PRC subsidiaries qualify as “high-technology enterprises,” they will continue to benefit from the preferential tax rate of 15%, subject to transitional rules implemented from January 1, 2008. Our subsidiaries, Beijing Zhong Chuan Shi Xun Technology Limited and Superengine Graphics Software Technology Development (Suzhou) Co., Ltd, are qualified as a “high-technology enterprise” until the end of the November 2021 and October 2021, respectively, and therefore they have benefited from the preferential tax rate of 15%, subject to transitional rules implemented on January 1, 2008. Although we intend to apply for a renewal of this qualification, if Beijing Zhong Chuan Shi Xun and Suzhou Superengine cease to qualify as a “high-technology enterprise”, or the tax authorities change their position on our preferential tax treatments in the future, our future tax liabilities may materially increase, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

If we were deemed a “resident enterprise” by PRC tax authorities, we could be subject to tax on our global income at the rate of 25% under the New EIT Law and our non-PRC shareholders could be subject to certain PRC taxes.

Under the New EIT Law and the implementing rules, both of which became effective January 1, 2008, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with “de facto management bodies” within the PRC may be considered a PRC “resident enterprise” and will be subject to the enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% on its global income as well as PRC enterprise income tax reporting obligations. The implementing rules of the New EIT Law define “de facto management” as “substantial and overall management and control over the production and operations, personnel, accounting, and properties” of the enterprise. However, as of the date of this annual report, no final interpretations on the implementation of the “resident enterprise” designation are available. Moreover, any such designation, when made by PRC tax authorities, will be determined based on the facts and circumstances of individual cases. Therefore, if we were to be considered a “resident enterprise” by the PRC tax authorities, our global income would be taxable under the New EIT Law at the rate of 25% and, to the extent we were to generate a substantial amount of income outside of PRC in the future, we would be subject to additional taxes. In addition, the dividends we pay to our non-PRC enterprise shareholders and gains derived by such shareholders from the transfer of our shares may also be subject to PRC withholding tax at the rate up to 10%, if such income were regarded as China-sourced income.

Our holding company structure may limit the payment of dividends.

We have no direct business operations, other than our ownership of our subsidiaries. While we have no current intention of paying dividends, should we decide in the future to do so, as a holding company, our ability to pay dividends and meet other obligations depends upon the receipt of dividends or other payments from our operating subsidiaries and other holdings and investments. Current PRC regulations permit our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, each of our subsidiaries in China is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. Furthermore, if our subsidiaries in China incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other payments to us. As a result, there may be limitations on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business or otherwise fund and conduct our business.

In addition, under the New EIT Law and the implementing rules that became effective on January 1, 2008, dividends generated from the business of our PRC subsidiaries after January 1, 2008 and payable to us may be subject to a withholding tax rate of 10% if the PRC tax authorities subsequently determine that we are a non-resident enterprise, unless there is a tax treaty with China that provides for a different withholding arrangement.

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

We conduct all of our business through our subsidiaries in China. Our operations in China are governed by PRC laws and regulations. Our PRC subsidiaries are generally subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign investments in China and, in particular, laws and regulations applicable to wholly foreign-owned enterprises. The PRC legal system is based on statutes. Prior court decisions may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value.

Since 1979, PRC legislation and regulations have significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investments in China. However, China has not developed a fully integrated legal system and recently enacted laws and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in China. In particular, because these laws and regulations are relatively new, and because of the limited volume of published decisions and their nonbinding nature, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations involve uncertainties. In addition, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules (some of which are not published on a timely basis or at all) that may have a retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until some time after the violation. In addition, any litigation in China may be protracted and result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.

Governmental control of currency conversion may affect the value of your investment.

The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the RMB into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We receive substantially all of our revenues in RMB. Under our current corporate structure, our income is primarily derived from dividend payments from our PRC subsidiaries. Shortages in the availability of foreign currency may restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to remit sufficient foreign currency to pay dividends or other payments to us, or otherwise satisfy their foreign currency denominated obligations. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and expenditures from trade-related transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, approval from appropriate government authorities is required where RMB is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may also at its discretion restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currency to satisfy our currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders.

Fluctuation in the value of the RMB may have a material adverse effect on the value of your investment.

The value of the RMB against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate and is affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions. On July 21, 2005, the PRC government changed its decade-old policy of pegging the value of the RMB to the U.S. dollar. Under the new policy, the RMB is permitted to fluctuate within a narrow and managed band against a basket of certain foreign currencies. This change in policy has resulted in an approximate 26.8% appreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar between July 21, 2005 and September 30, 2015. Provisions on Administration of Foreign Exchange, as amended in August 2008, further changed China’s exchange regime to a managed floating exchange rate regime based on market supply and demand. Since reaching a high against the U.S. dollar in July 2008, however, the RMB has traded within a narrow band against the U.S. dollar, remaining within 1% of its July 2008 high but never exceeding it. As a consequence, the RMB has fluctuated sharply since July 2008 against other freely-traded currencies, in tandem with the U.S. dollar. In August 2015, the PRC Government devalued its currency by approximately 3%, representing the largest yuan depreciation for 20 years. Concerns remain that China’s slowing economy, and in particular its exports, will need a stimulus that can only come from further cuts in the exchange rate.

It is difficult to predict how long the current situation may continue and when and how it may change again as the People’s Bank of China may regularly intervene in the foreign exchange market to achieve economic policy goals. Substantially all of our revenues and costs are denominated in the RMB, and a significant portion of our financial assets are also denominated in RMB. We principally rely on dividends and other distributions paid to us by our subsidiaries in China. Any significant revaluation of the RMB may materially and adversely affect our cash flows, revenues, earnings and financial position, and the value of, and any dividends payable on, our ADSs or ordinary shares in U.S. dollars. Any fluctuations of the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar could also result in foreign currency translation losses for financial reporting purposes.

PRC laws and regulations governing our businesses. If we are found to be in violation of such PRC laws and regulations, we could be subject to sanctions. In addition, changes in such PRC laws and regulations may materially and adversely affect our business.

There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the laws and regulations governing our business. These laws and regulations are relatively new and may be subject to change, and their official interpretation and enforcement may involve substantial uncertainty. The effectiveness of newly enacted laws, regulations or amendments may be delayed, resulting in detrimental reliance by foreign investors. New laws and regulations that affect existing and proposed future businesses may also be applied retroactively.

The PRC government has broad discretion in dealing with violations of laws and regulations, including levying fines, revoking business and other licenses and requiring actions necessary for compliance. In particular, licenses and permits issued or granted to us by relevant governmental bodies may be revoked at a later time by higher regulatory bodies. We cannot predict the effect of the interpretation of existing or new PRC laws or regulations on our businesses. We cannot assure you that our current ownership and operating structure would not be found in violation of any current or future PRC laws or regulations. As a result, we may be subject to sanctions, including fines, and could be required to restructure our operations or cease to provide certain services. In addition, any litigation in China may be protracted and result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention. Any of these or similar actions could significantly disrupt our business operations or restrict us from conducting a substantial portion of our business operations, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

On February 15, 2019, Beijing iQIYI Technology Co., Ltd. filed lawsuits with Beijing Internet Court alleging Shenzhen Jiu Zhou Shi Dai Digital and Technology Limited and Beijing Zhong Chuan Shi Xun Technology Limited are in infringement of exclusive rights to communication through information network of certain works, performances, audio and video products and claiming the economic loss amounts to approximately $562,000 (RMB 3,920,000).

On December 14, 2019, Beijing Internet Court arranged a trial; Beijing iQIYI and the Company are negotiating a potential settlement while expecting a verdict from the court. According to legal counsel, it is probable that the settlement will amount to approximately $93,000 (RMB650,000).

If we were required to obtain the prior approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or CSRC, of the listing and trading of our ordinary shares on the NASDAQ Capital Market, we may face regulatory actions or other sanctions from the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies.

On August 8, 2006, six PRC regulatory agencies, including the Ministry of Commerce, the State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Administration for Taxation, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the CSRC and the SAFE, jointly issued the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, which became effective on September 8, 2006 (the “New M&A Rules”). This regulation, among other things, includes provisions that purport to require that an offshore special purpose vehicle formed for the purposes of overseas listing of equity interests in PRC companies and controlled directly or indirectly by PRC companies or individuals obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. On September 21, 2006, the CSRC published on its official website procedures regarding its approval of overseas listings by special purpose vehicles. The CSRC approval procedures require the filing of a number of documents with the CSRC and it would take several months to complete the approval process, if practicable at all. The application of this new PRC regulation remains unclear with no consensus currently existing among leading PRC law firms regarding the scope of the applicability of the CSRC approval requirement. 

Prior to our May 2010 initial public offering, our PRC counsel has advised us that, based on its understanding of the current PRC laws and regulations as well as the procedures announced on September 21, 2006: (i) Softech was directly incorporated by Topsky as a foreign investment enterprise under PRC law; therefore, there was no acquisition of the equity of a “PRC domestic company” as defined under the New M&A Rules; and (ii) the contractual arrangements between Kingtone Information and Softech were not clearly defined and considered as the transaction which shall be applied to the New M&A Rules. Therefore, we did not seek prior CSRC approval for our initial public offering.

However, if the CSRC required that we obtain its approval prior to the completion of our initial public offering and the listing of our ordinary shares on the NASDAQ Capital Market, we may face regulatory actions or other sanctions from the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies. These regulatory agencies may impose fines and penalties on our operations in the PRC, limit our operating privileges in the PRC, delay or restrict the repatriation of the proceeds from our initial public offering into the PRC, or take other actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects, as well as the trading price of our shares.

Also, if the CSRC requires that we obtain its approval, we may be unable to obtain a waiver of the CSRC approval requirements if and when procedures are established to obtain such a waiver. Any uncertainties and/or negative publicity regarding this CSRC approval requirement could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of our shares.

PRC regulations relating to the establishment of offshore special purpose companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident shareholders to penalties and limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries, limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute profits to us, or otherwise adversely affect us.

On October 21, 2005, the SAFE issued the Notice on Issues Relating to the Administration of Foreign Exchange in Fund-raising and Reverse Investment Activities of Domestic Residents Conducted via Offshore Special Purpose Companies, or Notice 75, which became effective as of November 1, 2005. According to Notice 75, prior registration with the local SAFE branch is required for PRC residents to establish or to control an offshore company for the purposes of financing such offshore company with assets or equity interests in an onshore enterprise located in the PRC, or an offshore special purpose company. An amendment to registration or filing with the local SAFE branch by such PRC resident is also required for the injection of equity interests or assets of an onshore enterprise in the offshore special purpose company or overseas funds raised by such offshore company, or any other material change involving a change in the capital of the offshore special purpose company. Moreover, Notice 75 applies retroactively. As a result, PRC residents who have established or acquired control of offshore special purpose companies that have made onshore investments in the PRC in the past are required to have completed the relevant registration procedures with the local SAFE branch by March 31, 2006. To further clarify the implementation of Notice 75, the SAFE issued Circular 106 on May 29, 2007. Under Circular 106, PRC subsidiaries of an offshore special purpose company are required to coordinate and supervise the filing of SAFE registrations by the offshore holding company’s shareholders or beneficial owners who are PRC residents in a timely manner.

Some of our current shareholders and/or beneficial owners may fall within the ambit of the SAFE notice and be required to register with the local SAFE branch as required under the SAFE notice. If so required, and if such shareholders and/or beneficial owners fail to timely register their SAFE registrations pursuant to the SAFE notice, or if future shareholders and/or beneficial owners of our company who are PRC residents fail to comply with the registration procedures set forth in the SAFE notice, this may subject such shareholders, beneficial owners and/or our PRC subsidiaries to fines and legal sanctions and may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital into our PRC subsidiaries, limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends to our company, or otherwise adversely affect our business.

Risks Associated with our Ordinary Shares

The market price of our Ordinary Shares has historically been highly volatile, and you may not be able to resell our ordinary shares at or above your initial purchase price.

There is a limited public market for our ordinary shares. We cannot assure you that there will be an active trading market for our ordinary shares. You may not be able to sell your ordinary shares quickly or at the market price if trading in our ordinary shares is not active.

The trading price of our ordinary shares may be volatile. The price of our ordinary shares could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to a variety of factors, including the following:

In addition, the stock market in general, and the NASDAQ Capital Market and software products and services companies in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of these companies. Broad market and industry factors may negatively affect the market price of our ordinary shares, regardless of our actual operating performance. 

Our ordinary shares may be subject to the SEC’s penny stock rules which may make it difficult for broker-dealers to complete customer transactions and trading activity in our securities.

Our ordinary shares may be deemed to be “penny stock” as that term is defined under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.  Penny stocks generally are equity securities with a price of less than $5.00 (other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or quoted on the NASDAQ system, provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions in such securities is provided by the exchange or system).  Penny stock rules impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell to persons other than established customers and “accredited investors.” The term “accredited investor” refers generally to institutions with assets in excess of $5,000,000 or individuals with a net worth in excess of $1,000,000 or annual income exceeding $200,000 or $300,000 jointly with their spouse in each of the prior two years.

The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from the rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document in a form prepared by the SEC, which provides information about penny stocks and the nature and level of risks in the penny stock market.  Moreover, broker-dealers are required to determine whether an investment in a penny stock is a suitable investment for a prospective investor. A broker-dealer must receive a written agreement to the transaction from the investor setting forth the identity and quantity of the penny stock to be purchased.  These requirements may make it more difficult for broker-dealers to effectuate customer transactions and trading activity in our securities. As a result, the market price of our ordinary shares may be depressed, and you may find it more difficult to sell our ordinary shares.

Sales of a substantial number of ordinary shares in the public market by our existing shareholders could cause the price of our ordinary shares to fall.

Sales of a substantial number of our ordinary shares in the public market or the perception that these sales might occur, could depress the market price of our ordinary shares and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We are unable to predict the effect that sales may have on the prevailing market price of our ordinary shares.

Subject to certain limitations all of our total outstanding shares are now eligible for sale. Sales of ordinary shares by these shareholders could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of our ordinary shares.

Future sales and issuances of our ordinary shares, or rights to purchase our ordinary shares, including pursuant to our 2010 Omnibus Incentive Plan, could result in additional dilution of the percentage ownership of our shareholders and could cause the price of our ordinary shares to fall.

We expect that significant additional capital will be needed in the future to continue our planned operations. To the extent we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our shareholders may experience substantial dilution. We may sell ordinary shares, convertible securities or other equity securities in one or more transactions at prices and in a manner we determine from time to time. If we sell ordinary shares, convertible securities or other equity securities in more than one transaction, investors may be materially diluted by subsequent sales. Such sales may also result in material dilution to our existing shareholders, and new investors could gain rights superior to our existing shareholders.

We do not intend to pay dividends on our ordinary shares, so any returns will be limited to the value of our ordinary shares.

We have never declared or paid any cash dividend on our ordinary shares. We currently anticipate that we will retain future earnings for the development, operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate declaring or paying any cash dividends for the foreseeable future. Any return shareholders will therefore be limited to the value of their ordinary shares.

As the rights of shareholders under British Virgin Islands law differ from those under U.S. law, you may have fewer protections as a shareholder.

Our corporate affairs will be governed by our memorandum of association and articles of association, the BVI Business Companies Act, 2004, or the BVI Act, of the British Virgin Islands and the common law of the British Virgin Islands. The rights of shareholders to take legal action against our directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under British Virgin Islands law are to a large extent governed by the BVI Act and the common law of the British Virgin Islands. The common law of the British Virgin Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the British Virgin Islands as well as from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the British Virgin Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under British Virgin Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedents in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the British Virgin Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and some states (such as Delaware) have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law.

As a result of all of the above, holders of our ordinary shares may have more difficulty in protecting their interests through actions against our management, directors or major shareholders than they would as shareholders of a U.S. company.

British Virgin Islands companies may not be able to initiate shareholder derivative actions, thereby depriving shareholders of the ability to protect their interests.

British Virgin Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States. The circumstances in which any such action may be brought, and the procedures and defenses that may be available in respect to any such action, may result in the rights of shareholders of a British Virgin Islands company being more limited than those of shareholders of a company organized in the United States. Accordingly, shareholders may have fewer alternatives available to them if they believe that corporate wrongdoing has occurred. The British Virgin Islands courts are also unlikely to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts in the United States based on certain liability provisions of U.S. securities law; and to impose liabilities against us, in original actions brought in the British Virgin Islands, based on certain liability provisions of U.S. securities laws that are penal in nature. There is no statutory recognition in the British Virgin Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, although the courts of the British Virgin Islands will generally recognize and enforce the non-penal judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits.

The laws of the British Virgin Islands provide little protection for minority shareholders, so minority shareholders will have little or no recourse if the shareholders are dissatisfied with the conduct of our affairs.

Under the law of the British Virgin Islands, there is little statutory law for the protection of minority shareholders other than the provisions of the BVI Act dealing with shareholder remedies. The principal protection under statutory law is that shareholders may bring an action to enforce the constituent documents of the Company, our memorandum of association and articles of association. Shareholders are entitled to have the affairs of the Company conducted in accordance with the general law and the memorandum of association and articles of association.

There are common law rights for the protection of shareholders that may be invoked, largely dependent on English company law, since the common law of the British Virgin Islands is limited. Under the general rule pursuant to English company law known as the rule in Foss v. Harbottle, a court will generally refuse to interfere with the management of a company at the insistence of a minority of its shareholders who express dissatisfaction with the conduct of the company’s affairs by the majority or the board of directors. However, every shareholder is entitled to have the affairs of the company conducted properly according to law and the company’s constituent documents. As such, if those who control the company have persistently disregarded the requirements of company law or the provisions of the company’s memorandum of association and articles of association, then the courts will grant relief. Generally, the areas in which the courts will intervene are the following: (1) an act complained of which is outside the scope of the authorized business or is illegal or not capable of ratification by the majority; (2) acts that constitute fraud on the minority where the wrongdoers control the company; (3) acts that infringe on the personal rights of the shareholders, such as the right to vote; and (4) where the company has not complied with provisions requiring approval of a majority of shareholders, which are more limited than the rights afforded minority shareholders under the laws of many states in the United States.

Anti-takeover provisions in our memorandum of association and articles of association and our right to issue preference shares could make a third-party acquisition of us difficult.

Some provisions of our memorandum of association and articles of association may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including provisions that authorize our board of directors to issue preference shares in one or more series and to designate the price, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of such preference shares.

You may not be able to participate in rights offerings and may experience dilution of your holdings as a result.

We may from time to time distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire our securities. However, we may not offer those rights to ordinary shareholders unless both the rights and the underlying securities to be distributed to ordinary shareholders are registered under the Securities Act, or the distribution of them to ordinary shareholders is exempted from registration under the Securities Act with respect to all ordinary shareholders. We are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to any such rights or underlying securities or to endeavor to cause such a registration statement to be declared effective. In addition, we may not be able to rely on an exemption from registration under the Securities Act to distribute such rights and securities. Accordingly, our ordinary shareholders may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution in their holdings as a result.

We may be a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, which could lead to additional taxes for U.S. holders of our ordinary shares.

We do not expect to be, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a passive foreign investment company, or a PFIC, which is a foreign company for which, in any given taxable year, either at least 75% of its gross income is passive income, or investment income in general, or at least 50% of its assets produce or are held to produce passive income, for the current taxable year, and we expect to operate in such a manner so as not to become a PFIC for any future taxable year. However, because the determination of PFIC status for any taxable year cannot be made until after the close of such year and requires extensive factual investigation, including ascertaining the fair market value of our assets on a quarterly basis and determining whether each item of gross income that we earn is passive income, we cannot assure you that we will not become a PFIC for the current taxable year or any future taxable year. If we are or become a PFIC, a U.S. holder’s ordinary shares could be subject to additional U.S. federal income taxes on gain recognized with respect to the ordinary shares and on certain distributions, plus an interest charge on certain taxes treated as having been deferred under the PFIC rules. Non-corporate U.S. holders will not be eligible for reduced rates of taxation on any dividends received from us if we are a PFIC in the taxable year in which such dividends are paid or in the preceding taxable year.

If the trading price of our ordinary shares fails to comply with the continued listing requirements of the NASDAQ Capital Market, we would face possible delisting, which would result in a limited public market for our ordinary shares and make obtaining future debt or equity financing more difficult for us. 

Companies listed on NASDAQ are subject to delisting for, among other things, failure to maintain a minimum closing bid price of $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days. On April 13, 2020, we received a letter from NASDAQ indicating that for the last 30 consecutive business days, the closing bid price of our ordinary shares fell below the minimum $1.00 per share requirement pursuant to NASDAQ Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) for continued listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market. Under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), the Company has been granted a 180 calendar day grace period, or until October 12, 2020, to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement. The continued listing standard will be met if the Company evidences a closing bid price of at least $1.00 per share for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days during the 180 calendar day grace period. In order for Nasdaq to consider granting the Company additional time beyond October 12, 2020, the Company would be required, among other things, to meet the continued listing requirement for market value of publicly held shares as well as all other standards for initial listing on Nasdaq, with the exception of the minimum bid price requirement. In the event the Company does not regain compliance with the $1.00 bid price requirement by October 12, 2020, eligibility for Nasdaq’s consideration of a second 180 day grace period would be determined on the Company’s compliance with the above referenced criteria on October 12, 2020. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to regain compliance or that Nasdaq will grant the Company a further extension of time to regain compliance, if necessary. We cannot be sure that the price of our ordinary shares will comply with this requirement for continued listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market in the future. If we were not able to do so, our ordinary shares would be subject to delisting and would likely trade on the over-the-counter market. If our ordinary shares were to trade on the over-the-counter market, selling our ordinary shares could be more difficult because smaller quantities of shares would likely be bought and sold, transactions could be delayed, and security analysts’ coverage of us may be reduced. In addition, broker-dealers have certain regulatory burdens imposed upon them, which may discourage broker-dealers from effecting transactions in our ordinary shares, further limiting the liquidity of our ordinary shares. As a result, the market price of our ordinary shares may be depressed, and you may find it more difficult to sell our ordinary shares. Such delisting from the NASDAQ Capital Market and continued or further declines in our share price could also greatly impair our ability to raise additional necessary capital through equity or debt financing.