Item 1A. Risk Factors

Discussion of our business and operations included in this Annual Report should be read together with the risk factors set forth below. They describe various risks and uncertainties to which we are or may become subject. These risks and uncertainties, together with other factors described elsewhere in this report, have the potential to affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, strategies or prospects in a material and adverse manner. New risks may emerge at any time, and we cannot predict those risks or estimate the extent to which they may affect our financial performance. Each of the risks described below could adversely impact the value of our securities. These statements, like all statements in this report, speak only as of the date of this Annual Report (unless another date is indicated), and we undertake no obligation to update or revise the statements in light of future developments.

The Company generates limited revenue from operations upon which an evaluation of our prospects can be made. The Company’s prospects must be considered keeping in mind the risks, expenses and difficulties frequently encountered in the establishment of a new business in a constantly changing industry. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to achieve profitable operations in the foreseeable future, if at all.

The Company has identified several specific risk areas that may affect our operations and results in the future:

Risks Related to Our Business

We have had limited commercial results and revenues, and we may be required to curtail operations if adequate funds are not available to us.

Our commercial results have been limited. Historically, the Company has not generated significant revenues to fund its operations, and the Company cannot be certain that revenues will be sufficient to fund operations for the foreseeable future. The Company’s primary source of operating funds since inception has been debt and equity financings. The Company has also earned a limited amount of revenue through its Bitcoin operations. At December 31, 2019, MGT’s cash and cash equivalents were approximately $216.

The Company may raise additional capital, either through debt or equity financings, in order to achieve its business plan objectives. Management believes that it can be successful in obtaining additional capital; however, no assurance can be provided that the Company will be able to do so. There is no assurance, moreover, that any funds raised will be sufficient to enable the Company to attain profitable operations or continue as a going concern. To the extent that the Company is unsuccessful, the Company may need to curtail its operations and implement a plan to extend payables or reduce overhead until sufficient additional capital is raised to support further operations. The Company may also attempt to obtain funds through entering into arrangements with collaborative partners or others that may require the Company to relinquish rights to certain of our technologies or products that the Company would not otherwise relinquish. There can be no assurance that any such plan will be successful.

The Company’s consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, and do not include adjustments that might be necessary if the Company is unable to continue as a going concern.

The Company’s consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. As of December 31, 2019, the Company had incurred significant operating losses since inception, and continues to generate losses from operations, and has an accumulated deficit of $414,502. These matters raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The consolidated financial statements incorporated in this Annual Report do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of asset amounts or the classification of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.

The further development and acceptance of Bitcoin and other cryptographic and algorithmic protocols governing the issuance of transactions in Bitcoin and other digital currencies, which represent a new and rapidly changing industry, are subject to a variety of factors that are difficult to evaluate. The slowing or stopping of the development or acceptance of Bitcoin may adversely affect our results of operations.

The use of digital currencies such as Bitcoin to, among other things, buy and sell goods and services, and the acquisition of digital currencies as an investment, is part of a new and rapidly evolving industry that employs digital assets based upon a computer-generated mathematical and/or cryptographic protocol. Bitcoin is a prominent, but not a unique part of this industry. The growth of this industry in general, and Bitcoin in particular, is subject to a high degree of uncertainty. The factors affecting the further development of this industry, include, but are not limited to:

A decline in the popularity or acceptance of Bitcoin may adversely affect our results of operations.

The supply of Bitcoin is limited, and production of Bitcoin will be negatively impacted upon the next Bitcoin halving protocol expected in May 2020.

The supply of Bitcoin is finite. Once 21 million Bitcoin are generated, the network will stop producing more. Currently, there are approximately 18 million Bitcoin in circulation, or 85% of the total supply of Bitcoin. Within the Bitcoin protocol is an event referred to as Halving where the Bitcoin reward provided upon mining a block is reduced by 50%. Halvings are scheduled to occur once every 210,000 blocks, or roughly every four years, until the maximum supply of 21 million Bitcoin is reached. The next Halving is expected to occur in May 2020, with a revised payout of 6.25 Bitcoin per block.

Given a stable hash rate, a Halving reduces the number of new Bitcoin being generated by the network. While the effect is to limit the supply of new coins, it has no impact on the quantity of total Bitcoin outstanding. As a result, the price of Bitcoin could rise or fall based on overall investor and consumer demand. Should the price of Bitcoin remain unchanged after the next Halving, the Company’s revenue would be reduced by 50%, with a much larger impact to profit.

Currently, there is relatively small use of Bitcoin in the retail and commercial marketplace in comparison to relatively large use by speculators, thus contributing to price volatility that could adversely affect our results of operations.

Bitcoin has only recently become accepted as a means of payment for goods and services by certain major retail and commercial outlets, and use of Bitcoin by consumers to pay such retail and commercial outlets remains limited. Conversely, a significant portion of Bitcoin demand is generated by speculators and investors seeking to profit from the short- or long-term holding of Bitcoin. Many industry commentators believe that Bitcoin’s best use case is as a store of wealth, rather than as a currency for transactions, and that other cryptocurrencies having better scalability and faster settlement times will better serve as currency. This could limit Bitcoin’s acceptance as transactional currency. A lack of expansion by Bitcoin into retail and commercial markets, or a contraction of such use, may result in increased volatility or a reduction in the Bitcoin price, either of which could adversely affect our results of operations.

Security threats could result in the halting of our operations and a loss of assets or damage to our reputation, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Security breaches, computer malware and computer hacking attacks have been a prevalent concern in the Blockchain industry. Any security breach caused by hacking, which involves efforts to gain unauthorized access to information or systems, or to cause intentional malfunctions or loss or corruption of data, software, hardware or other computer equipment, and the inadvertent transmission of computer viruses, could harm our business operations or result in loss of our assets. Any breach of our infrastructure could result in damage to our reputation.

Any Bitcoin we mine may be subject to loss, damage, theft or restriction on access.

There is a risk that some or all of the Bitcoin we mine could be lost, stolen or destroyed. Although we will seek to use various technology to minimize the risk of loss, damage and theft, we cannot guarantee the prevention of such loss, damage or theft, whether caused intentionally, accidentally or by an act of God. Access to our Bitcoin could also be restricted by natural events (such as an earthquake or flood) or human actions (such as a terrorist attack). Any of these events may adversely affect our operations. In addition, government regulations in the United States and abroad could materially alter the landscape for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies use and accessibility, including through tax regulations, restrictions on use in transactions and regulation or prohibition of cryptocurrency exchanges.

If we do not keep pace with technological changes, our solutions may become less competitive and our business may suffer.

The market for Bitcoin technology is characterized by rapid technological change, frequent product and service innovation and evolving industry standards. We may need to continuously modify and enhance our solutions to keep pace with changes in internet-related hardware, software, communication, browser and database technologies. We may not be successful in either developing these modifications and enhancements. Furthermore, uncertainties about the timing and nature of new network platforms or technologies, or modifications to existing platforms or technologies, could increase our research and development expenses. Any failure of our solutions to keep pace with technological changes or operate effectively with future network platforms and technologies could adversely affect our business.

Adverse economic conditions or reduced technology spending may adversely impact our business.

Our business depends on the overall demand for technology and on the economic health of our prospective customers. In general, worldwide economic conditions remain unstable, and these conditions may make it difficult for our prospective customers and us to forecast and plan future business activities accurately. Weak global economic conditions, or a reduction in technology spending even if economic conditions improve, could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations in a number of ways, including longer sales cycles, lower prices for our solutions, reduced bookings and lower or no growth.

Our ability to attract, train and retain qualified employees is crucial to our results of operations and any future growth.

To execute our growth plan, we must attract and retain highly qualified personnel. Competition for these individuals is intense, especially for engineers with high levels of experience in designing and developing software and internet-related services, and professional services personnel with appropriate financial reporting experience. We have, from time to time, experienced, and we expect to continue to experience, difficulty in hiring and retaining employees with appropriate qualifications. Many of the companies with which we compete for experienced personnel have greater resources than we have. If we hire employees from competitors or other companies, their former employers may attempt to assert that these employees have breached their legal obligations or that we have induced such breaches, resulting in a diversion of our time and resources. If we fail to attract new personnel or fail to retain and motivate our current personnel, our business and future growth prospects could be adversely affected.

Regulatory changes or actions may alter the nature of an investment in the Company or restrict the use of cryptocurrencies in a manner that adversely affects the Company’s business, prospects or operations.

Governments around the world have reacted differently to cryptocurrencies, with certain governments deeming them illegal while others have allowed their use and trade. On-going and future regulatory actions may impact the ability of the Company to continue to operate and such actions could affect the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern or to pursue this segment at all, which could have a material adverse effect on the business, prospects or operations of the Company.

The effect of any future regulatory change on the Company or any cryptocurrency that the Company may mine or hold for others is impossible to predict, and such change could have a material adverse effect on the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern or to pursue this segment at all, which would have a material adverse effect on the business, prospects or operations of the Company.

Governments may in the future curtail or outlaw the acquisition, use or redemption of cryptocurrencies. Ownership of, holding or trading in cryptocurrencies may then be considered illegal and subject to sanction. Governments may also take regulatory action that may increase the cost and/or subject cryptocurrency companies to additional regulation.

On July 25, 2017, the SEC released an investigative report which states that the United States would, in some circumstances, consider the offer and sale of Blockchain tokens pursuant to an initial coin offering (“ICO”) subject to federal securities laws. Although the Company does not participate in ICOs, its clients and customers may participate in ICOs and these actions may be a prelude to further action which chills widespread acceptance of Blockchain and cryptocurrency adoption and have a material adverse effect on the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern or to pursue this segment at all, which would have a material adverse effect on the business, prospects or operations of the Company.

Further, the Peoples Bank of China has instituted restrictions on certain exchange trading in cryptocurrencies and ICOs. Further governmental regulation in that country or others could negatively impact pricing for Bitcoin. In addition, the Company’s sole source of mining computers is a Chinese company, and we are exposed to existing tariffs for certain equipment used in our operations. If outright restrictions or even more punitive tariffs are placed on the export of such computers, it could have a material adverse effect on the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern or to pursue this segment at all, which would have a material adverse effect on the business, prospects or operations of the Company.

Governments may in the future take regulatory actions that prohibit or severely restrict the right to acquire, own, hold, sell, use or trade cryptocurrencies or to exchange cryptocurrencies for fiat currency. Similar actions by governments or regulatory bodies (such as an exchange on which the Company’s securities are listed, quoted or traded) could result in restrictions of the acquisition, ownership, holding, selling, use or trading in the Company’s securities. Such a restriction could result in the Company liquidating its inventory at unfavorable prices and may adversely affect the Company’s shareholders and have a material adverse effect on the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern or to pursue this segment at all, raise new capital or maintain a securities listing with an exchange which could have a material adverse effect on the business, prospects or operations of the Company and harm investors in the Company’s securities.

Terrorist actions and attacks may have a negative impact on economic conditions and market liquidity.

There is a risk of terrorist attacks on the United States and elsewhere causing significant loss of life and property damage and disruptions in the global market. Economic and diplomatic sanctions may be in place or imposed on certain states and military action may be commenced. The impact of such events is unclear, but could have a material effect on general economic conditions and market liquidity.

The real estate assets we own subject to the risks associated with real property.

Real estate assets are subject to various risks, including:

The occurrence of any of the foregoing or similar events may reduce the value of our property, impair our ability to conduct our mining operations and, consequently, materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We face possible risks associated with the physical effects of climate change.

The physical effects of climate change could have a material adverse effect on our properties, operations, and business. However, the impacts of climate change on our operations are highly uncertain and their significance will vary depending on the type and geographic location of any physical impact. The impacts of climate change could include changing temperatures, flooding, water shortages, changes in weather and rainfall patterns, and changing storm patterns and intensities. To the extent that climate change impacts changes in weather patterns, some of our properties could experience increases in storm intensity, loss of power, and rising sea levels. Climate change may also have indirect effects on our business by increasing the cost of, or availability of, property insurance on terms we find acceptable or increasing the cost of energy. There can be no assurance that climate change will not have a material adverse effect on our properties, operations, or business.

Our business is subject to risks arising from epidemic diseases, such as the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 illness.

The recent outbreak of COVID-19, which has been declared by the World Health Organization to be a pandemic, has spread across the globe and is impacting worldwide economic activity. A pandemic, including COVID-19, or other public health epidemic poses the risk that we or our employees, suppliers, and other partners may be prevented from conducting business activities at full capacity for an indefinite period of time, including due to spread of the disease within these groups or due to shutdowns that may be requested or mandated by governmental authorities. While it is not possible at this time to estimate the impact that COVID-19 could have on our business, the continued spread of COVID-19 and the measures taken by the governments of countries affected and in which we operate could disrupt the operation of our business. The COVID-19 outbreak and mitigation measures may also have an adverse impact on global economic conditions, which could have an adverse effect on our business and financial condition, including on our potential to conduct financings on terms acceptable to us, if at all. In addition, we may take temporary precautionary measures intended to help minimize the risk of the virus to our employees, including temporarily requiring all employees to work remotely, and discouraging employee attendance at in-person work-related meetings, which could negatively affect our business. The extent to which the COVID-19 outbreak impacts our results will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information that may emerge concerning the severity of the virus and the actions to contain its impact.

Reliance on third parties to operate our mining machines may cause delays in production and mining and could have an impact on our business, financial condition and prospects.

The Company relies on third parties to operate its Bitcoin mining machinery. These third parties are not our employees and, except for restrictions imposed by our contracts with such third parties, we have limited ability to control the amount or timing of resources that they devote to our programs. Although we rely on these third parties to operate our mining machinery, we remain responsible for the overall mining operations. Many of the third parties with whom we contract may also have relationships with other commercial entities, some of which may compete with us. If the third parties operating our machinery do not perform their contractual duties or obligations, we may need to enter into new arrangements with alternative third parties. This could be costly, and mining operations may be delayed or terminated. If any of our relationships with these third parties terminate, we may not be able to enter into arrangements with alternative third party contractors or to do so on commercially reasonable terms. Though we carefully manage our relationships with our contract machinery operators, there can be no assurance that we will not encounter similar challenges or delays in the future or that these delays or challenges will not have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and prospects.

The Company’s reliance on a third-party mining pool service provider, such as Slush Pool or Antpool, for our mining revenue payouts may have a negative impact on the Company operations.

We use a third–party mining pool to receive our mining rewards from the network. Bitcoin mining pools allow miners to combine their computing power, increasing their chances of solving a block and getting paid by the network. The rewards are distributed by the pool operator, proportionally to our contribution to the pool’s overall mining power, used to generate each block. Should the pool operator’s system suffer downtime due to a cyber-attack, software malfunction or other similar issues, it will negatively impact our ability to mine and receive revenue.

Banks and financial institutions may not provide banking services, or may cut off services, to businesses that provide cryptocurrency-related services or that accept cryptocurrencies as payment, including financial institutions of investors in the Company’s securities.

A number of companies that provide Bitcoin and/or other cryptocurrency-related services have been unable to find banks or financial institutions that are willing to provide them with bank accounts and other services. Similarly, a number of companies and individuals or businesses associated with cryptocurrencies may have had and may continue to have their existing bank accounts closed or services discontinued with financial institutions. We also may be unable to obtain or maintain these services for our business. The difficulty that many businesses that provide Bitcoin and/or other cryptocurrency-related services have and may continue to have in finding banks and financial institutions willing to provide them services may be decreasing the usefulness of cryptocurrencies as a payment system and harming public perception of cryptocurrencies and could decrease its usefulness and harm its public perception in the future. Similarly, the usefulness of cryptocurrencies as a payment system and the public perception of cryptocurrencies could be damaged if banks or financial institutions were to close the accounts of businesses providing Bitcoin and/or other cryptocurrency-related services. This could occur as a result of compliance risk, cost, government regulation or public pressure. The risk applies to securities firms, clearance and settlement firms, national stock and commodities exchanges, the over the counter market and the Depository Trust Company, which, if any of such entities adopts or implements similar policies, rules or regulations, could result in the inability of our investors to open or maintain stock or commodities accounts, including the ability to deposit, maintain or trade the Company’s securities. Such factors would have a material adverse effect the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern or to pursue this segment at all, which could have a material adverse effect on the business, prospects or operations of the Company and harm investors.

To the extent that the profit margins of Bitcoin mining operations are not high, operators of Bitcoin mining operations are more likely to immediately sell Bitcoin earned by mining in the market, resulting in a reduction in the price of Bitcoin that could adversely impact the Company and similar actions could affect other cryptocurrencies.

Over the past several years, Bitcoin mining operations have evolved from individual users mining with computer processors, graphics processing units and first-generation ASIC servers. Currently, new processing power is predominantly added by incorporated and unincorporated “professionalized” mining operations. Professionalized mining operations may use proprietary hardware or sophisticated ASIC machines acquired from ASIC manufacturers. These operations require the investment of significant capital for the acquisition of this hardware, the leasing of operating space (often in data centers or warehousing facilities), incurring of electricity costs and the employment of technicians to operate the mining farms. As a result, professionalized mining operations are of a greater scale than prior miners and have more defined, regular expenses and liabilities. These regular expenses and liabilities require professionalized mining operations to more immediately sell Bitcoin earned from mining operations, whereas it is believed that individual miners in past years were more likely to hold newly mined Bitcoin for more extended periods. The immediate selling of newly mined Bitcoin may create downward pressure on the price of Bitcoin.

The extent to which the value of Bitcoin mined by a professionalized mining operation exceeds the allocable capital and operating costs determines the profit margin of such operation. A professionalized mining operation may be more likely to sell a higher percentage of its newly mined Bitcoin rapidly if it is operating at a low profit margin—and it may partially or completely cease operations if its profit margin is negative. In a low profit margin environment, a higher percentage of mined Bitcoin could be sold more rapidly, thereby potentially reducing Bitcoin prices. Lower Bitcoin prices could result in further tightening of profit margins, particularly for professionalized mining operations with higher costs and more limited capital reserves, creating a network effect that may further reduce the price of Bitcoin until mining operations with higher operating costs become unprofitable and remove mining power. The network effect of reduced profit margins resulting in greater sales of newly mined Bitcoin could result in a reduction in the price of Bitcoin that would adversely impact the Company.

The foregoing risks associated with Bitcoin could be equally applicable to other cryptocurrencies, existing now or introduced in the future. Such circumstances would have a material adverse effect on the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern or to pursue this segment at all, which could have a material adverse effect on the business, prospects or operations of the Company and potentially the value of any cryptocurrencies the Company holds or expects to acquire for its own account.

Political or economic crises may motivate large-scale sales of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, which could result in a reduction in value and adversely affect the Company.

As an alternative to fiat currencies that are backed by central governments, digital assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, which are relatively new, are subject to supply and demand forces based upon the desirability of an alternative, decentralized means of buying and selling goods and services, and it is unclear how such supply and demand will be impacted by geopolitical events. Nevertheless, political or economic crises may motivate large-scale acquisitions or sales of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies either globally or locally. Large-scale sales of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies would result in a reduction in their value and would adversely affect the Company. Such circumstances could have a material adverse effect on the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern or to pursue this segment at all, which would have a material adverse effect on the business, prospects or operations of the Company and potentially the value of any cryptocurrencies the Company holds or expects to acquire for its own account.

It may be illegal now, or in the future, to acquire, own, hold, sell or use Bitcoin, Ethereum, or other cryptocurrencies, participate in the Blockchain or utilize similar digital assets in one or more countries, the ruling of which could adversely affect the Company.

Although currently Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, the Blockchain and digital assets generally are not regulated or are lightly regulated in most countries, including the United States, one or more countries such as China and Russia may take regulatory actions in the future that could severely restrict the right to acquire, own, hold, sell or use these digital assets or to exchange for fiat currency. Such restrictions may adversely affect the Company. Such circumstances could have a material adverse effect on the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern or to pursue this segment at all, which could have a material adverse effect on the business, prospects or operations of the Company and potentially the value of any cryptocurrencies the Company holds or expects to acquire for its own account and harm investors.

If regulatory changes or interpretations require the regulation of Bitcoin or other digital assets under the securities laws of the United States or elsewhere, including the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and the Investment Company Act of 1940 or similar laws of other jurisdictions and interpretations by the SEC, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”), the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), Department of Treasury or other agencies or authorities, the Company may be required to register and comply with such regulations, including at a state or local level. To the extent that the Company decides to continue operations, the required registrations and regulatory compliance steps may result in extraordinary expense or burdens to the Company. The Company may also decide to cease certain operations. Any disruption of the Company’s operations in response to the changed regulatory circumstances may be at a time that is disadvantageous to the Company.

Current and future legislation and SEC rulemaking and other regulatory developments, including interpretations released by a regulatory authority, may impact the manner in which Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency is viewed or treated for classification and clearing purposes. In particular, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency may not be excluded from the definition of “security” by SEC rulemaking or interpretation requiring registration of all transactions, unless another exemption is available, including transacting in Bitcoin or cryptocurrency amongst owners and require registration of trading platforms as exchanges. The Company cannot be certain as to how future regulatory developments will impact the treatment of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies under the law. If the Company fails to comply with such additional regulatory and registration requirements, the Company may seek to cease certain of its operations or be subjected to fines, penalties and other governmental action. Such circumstances could have a material adverse effect on the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern or to pursue this segment at all, which could have a material adverse effect on the business, prospects or operations of the Company and potentially the value of any cryptocurrencies the Company holds or expects to acquire for its own account and harm investors.

Demand for Bitcoin is driven, in part, by its status as the most prominent and secure digital asset. It is possible that a digital asset other than Bitcoin could have features that make it more desirable to a material portion of the digital asset user base, resulting in a reduction in demand for Bitcoins.

Bitcoin holds a “first-to-market” advantage over other digital currencies. This first-to-market advantage is driven in large part by having the largest user base and, more importantly, the largest combined mining power in use. Having a large mining network results in greater user confidence regarding the security and long-term stability of a digital asset’s network and its Blockchain; as a result, the advantage of more users and miners makes a digital asset more secure, which makes it more attractive to new users and miners, resulting in a network effect that strengthens the first-to-market advantage. Nonetheless, it is possible that another form of digital currency could become materially popular due to either a perceived or exposed shortcoming of the Bitcoin network or a perceived advantage of another form of digital currency. If another form of digital currency obtains significant market share, this could reduce the profitability of our Bitcoin operations.

Because the number of Bitcoin awarded for solving a block in the Bitcoin network Blockchain continually decreases, miners must invest in increasing processing power to maintain their yield of Bitcoins, which might make Bitcoin mining uneconomical for the Company.

The award of new Bitcoin for solving blocks continually declines, so that Bitcoin miners must invest in increasing processing power in order to maintain or increase their yield of Bitcoin. The Company is committed to increasing its investment in its Bitcoin mining operations, but if the pricing of Bitcoin were to decline significantly, there can be no assurance that the Company would be able to recover its investment in the computer hardware and processing power required to upgrade its mining operations. There can, moreover, be no assurance that the Company will have the resources to upgrade its processing power in order to maintain the continuing profitability of its Bitcoin mining operations. Also, the developers of the Bitcoin network or other programmers could propose amendments to the network’s protocols and software that, if accepted, might require the Company to modify its Bitcoin operations, and increase its investment in Bitcoin, in order to maintain profitability. There can be no assurance, however, that the Company will be able to do so.

The Company continues to have discussions with potential investors to purchase more Bitcoin mining machines, but we cannot assure you that we will be successful in obtaining the necessary financing.

The Company is considering further increasing the processing power of its Bitcoin mining operations, as the Company seeks to leverage its experience and expertise in this area of operations. To do so, however, the Company will need to raise additional investment capital. While we are in discussions with potential investors to provide the necessary capital to purchase additional Bitcoin mining machines, we cannot assure you that these discussions will lead to our obtaining additional capital or that we will otherwise be successful in obtaining the necessary financing to expand our Bitcoin operations. If we are successful in raising capital to expand our Bitcoin operations, the form in which the capital is invested could be different from the way we have traditionally structured capital investments in the Company. For example, funds could be invested through a joint venture or similar arrangement, in which the Company does not have the entire equity ownership interest.

The SEC has filed an action against the Company’s Chief Executive Officer alleging violations of federal securities laws which could result in liabilities for the Company.

On September 7, 2018, the SEC commenced a legal action, SEC v. Barry C. Honig et al. (the “SEC Action”), in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York naming as defendant Mr. Ladd, among others. An amended complaint in the SEC Action was filed on March 8, 2019. The SEC filed a second amended complaint in the SEC Action on March 16, 2020 asserting additional civil charges against Robert Ladd. On May 24, 2019, the SEC issued a subpoena in the SEC Action to the Company and on October 31, 2019, the SEC issued subpoenas in the SEC Action to our Chairman and our Independent Director. The SEC Action asserts civil charges against multiple individuals and entities, including former shareholders of the Company, who are alleged to have violated the securities laws by engaging in pump and dump schemes in connection with certain microcap stocks and three unidentified companies. The Company is one of the three unidentified companies but is not named as a defendant. We cannot predict the impact that this action may have on the Company, or whether it might result in future actions, penalties or other liabilities against the Company. Moreover, we expect to incur costs in responding to related requests for information and subpoenas, and if instituted, in defending against any resulting governmental proceedings that may be instituted against the Company.

The Company and its directors and officer have received subpoenas from the SEC, whose response is imposing costs on the Company and create a perception of wrongdoing.

At various times since September 15, 2016, and most recently on October 31, 2019, the Company and its directors and officers have received subpoenas from the SEC. In addition, in December 2017, the President and Chief Executive Officer also received a subpoena from the SEC. These subpoenas have requested the recipients to provide the SEC with certain information, including but not limited to, with respect to risk factors contained in certain of the Company’s filings with the SEC, any investigations by any government agency into Robert B. Ladd, a director of the Company and its Chief Executive Officer, and certain other matters related to the Company’s securities. The Company has publicly announced receipt of the subpoenas and has been fully complying with the SEC’s request for information. Response to the subpoenas has entailed, and may continue to entail, legal costs and the diversion of management’s attention, and the issuance of the subpoenas may create a perception of wrongdoing that could be harmful to our business. The Company has no information concerning the SEC’s purposes in serving these subpoenas, and although the Company has no indication that any enforcement proceedings are contemplated against the Company, the Company cannot predict whether the subpoenas will lead to any such proceedings.

A number of shareholder class actions and shareholder derivative actions have been filed against the Company and its CEO alleging violations of federal securities laws.

Certain shareholders of the Company filed two putative class action lawsuits (the “Class Actions”) against the Company, and Mr. Ladd, alleging violations of federal securities laws and seeking damages. The Class Actions followed and referenced allegations made against Mr. Ladd and others in a complaint filed by the SEC in the SEC Action. The first Class Action was filed on September 28, 2018, in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and alleges generally that defendants were engaged in a pump-and-dump scheme to artificially inflate MGT’s stock price and that, as a result, defendants’ statements about MGT’s business and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. The second Class Action was filed on October 9, 2018, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and makes similar allegations. On May 28, 2019, the parties to the Class Actions entered into a binding settlement term sheet, and on September 24, 2019, the parties entered into a stipulation of settlement. On August 7, 2019, the lead plaintiff in the first Class Action filed a notice and order of voluntary dismissal with prejudice, and on October 11, 2019, the lead plaintiff in the second Class Action filed an unopposed motion for preliminary approval of the proposed class action settlement. There can be no assurance that the court will approve the settlement, that particular shareholders will not opt out of the settlement or that other shareholders will not bring other shareholder class actions alleging different violations of law.

Certain shareholders of the Company have filed derivative actions against the Company and certain of our directors, officers and shareholders, including Mr. Ladd (the “Derivative Actions”). The allegations in the Derivative Actions largely repeat the allegations in the Class Actions. While the Company intends to defend against the Derivative Actions and believes that they are without merit, the outcome of these actions cannot be predicted. Moreover, regardless of their outcome, these actions may entail a significant amount of defense costs, may divert the attention of management and could create a public perception of wrongdoing.

The SEC and shareholder actions against the Company’s CEO could result in the loss of his services or otherwise divert his attention from the management of the Company.

Mr. Ladd is a director of the Company and has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company since January 2012 (except for the periods from November 2016 through August 2017 and September 10, 2018 through April 30, 2019). During this time, he has been largely responsible for the Company’s strategic direction and has been influential in all major policy decisions of the Company. As described above, the SEC has filed a lawsuit against Mr. Ladd, alleging violations of securities laws. In addition to injunctive relief and monetary penalties, the complaint seeks an officer and director bar with respect to Mr. Ladd, which if obtained by the SEC would prevent him from continuing to serve in such capacities with the Company. Also as described above, Mr. Ladd has also been named as a defendant in shareholder actions against the Company. While the Company has no reason to believe that Mr. Ladd has failed to comply with applicable securities law in respect of the Company, the outcome of these litigations is uncertain. In the event Mr. Ladd is prevented from serving as an executive officer and/or director of the Company, the Company’s business, operations and strategic direction may be adversely impacted. Also, the SEC and shareholder actions may divert Mr. Ladd’s attention from the management of the Company and could result in an increase in our director and officer insurance costs.

Risks Related to Our Stock

Penny stock regulations may impose certain restrictions on marketability of our securities.

The SEC has adopted regulations which generally define a “penny stock” to be any equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share or an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. A security listed on a national securities exchange is exempt from the definition of a penny stock. Our common stock is not currently listed on a national security exchange. Our common stock is therefore subject to rules that impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell such securities to persons other than established customers and accredited investors (generally those with assets in excess of $1,000 or annual income exceeding $200, or $300 together with their spouse). For transactions covered by such rules, the broker-dealer must make a special suitability determination for the purchase of such securities and have received the purchaser’s written consent to the transaction prior to the purchase.

Additionally, for any transaction involving a penny stock, unless exempt, the rules require the delivery, prior to the transaction, of a risk disclosure document mandated by the SEC relating to the penny stock market. The broker-dealer must also disclose the commission payable to both the broker-dealer and the registered representative, current quotations for the securities and, if the broker-dealer is the sole market maker, the broker dealer must disclose this fact and the broker-dealer’s presumed control over the market. Finally, monthly statements must be sent disclosing recent price information for the penny stock held in the account and information on the limited market in penny stocks. Broker-dealers must wait two business days after providing buyers with disclosure materials regarding a security before effecting a transaction in such security. Consequently, the “penny stock” rules restrict the ability of broker-dealers to sell our securities and affect the ability of investors to sell our securities in the secondary market and the price at which such purchasers can sell any such securities, thereby affecting the liquidity of the market for our common stock.

Stockholders should also be aware that, according to the SEC, the market for penny stocks has suffered in recent years from patterns of fraud and abuse. Such patterns include:

Our stock price and trading volume may be volatile, which could result in losses for our stockholders.

The equity markets may experience periods of volatility, which could result in highly variable and unpredictable pricing of equity securities. The market price of our common stock could change in ways that may or may not be related to our business, our industry or our operating performance and financial condition and could negatively affect our share price or result in fluctuations in the price or trading volume of our common stock. We cannot predict the potential impact of these periods of volatility on the price of our common stock. The Company cannot assure you that the market price of our common stock will not fluctuate or decline significantly in the future.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they publish inaccurate or unfavorable research reports about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock will, to some extent, depend on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. If one or more of the analysts who cover us should downgrade our shares or change their opinion of our business prospects, our share price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our Company or fails to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our share price and volume to decline.

Future sales and issuances of our equity securities or rights to purchase our equity securities, including pursuant to equity incentive plans, would result in additional dilution of the percentage ownership of our stockholders and could cause our stock price to fall.

To the extent we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities through an agreement with Oasis Capital, LLC (the “Oasis Equity Line”) or otherwise, our stockholders may experience substantial dilution. We may, as we have in the past, sell common stock, rights, warrants, options or 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 common stock, rights, warrants, options or convertible securities or other equity securities in more than one transaction, investors may be further diluted by subsequent sales. Such sales may also result in material dilution to our existing stockholders, and new investors could gain rights superior to existing stockholders. Because we are quoted on the OTCQB instead of a national securities exchange or quotation system, our investors may experience significant volatility in the market price of our stock and have difficulty selling their shares.

Our common stock is currently quoted on the OTC Market Group’s OTCQB market quotation system under the ticker symbol “MGTI.” The OTCQB is a regulated quotation services that displays real-time quotes and last sale prices in over-the-counter securities. Trading in shares quoted on the OTCQB is often thin and characterized by volatility in trading prices. This volatility may be caused by a variety of factors, including the lack of readily available price quotations, the absence of consistent administrative supervision of bid and ask quotations, lower trading volume and market conditions. As a result, there may be wide fluctuations in the market price of the shares of our common stock for reasons unrelated to operating performance, and this volatility, when it occurs, may have a negative effect on the market price for our securities. Moreover, the OTCQB is not a stock exchange, and trading of securities on this platform is more sporadic than the trading of securities listed on a national quotation system or stock exchange. Accordingly, our stockholders may not be able to realize a fair price from their shares when they determine to sell them or may have to hold them for a substantial period of time until the market for our common stock improves.

A significant number of additional shares of our common stock may be issued at a later date, and their sale could depress the market price of our common stock.

As of December 31, 2019, we had options exercisable for 6,000,000 shares of our common stock. In addition, we have 78,050,084 shares issuable upon conversion of outstanding notes and 115 shares of Series C Preferred Stock which are convertible into 96,638,655 shares of our common stock at any time at the option of the holder in an amount determined by dividing the Stated Value ($10) by the conversion price. The conversion price of the Series C Preferred Stock will be equal to the lower of (i) $0.05 per share (subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, and similar transactions) or (ii) 70% of the lowest trading price of the common stock for the 10 days prior to the conversion date. The holder of both the convertible debt and the Series C Preferred Stock share common ownership and are subject to a combined ownership limitation of 9.99% of our common stock. The possibility of the issuance of all or some of the shares upon the exercise or conversion of the outstanding warrants, options or Series C Preferred Stock, as well as the sale of shares pursuant to the Oasis Equity Line, could substantially reduce the market price for our common stock.

Offers or availability for sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock may cause the price of our common stock to decline.

If our stockholders sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, including upon the expiration of any statutory holding period under Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or registration for resale, or the conversion of preferred stock or exercise of warrants, circumstances commonly referred to as an “overhang” could result, in anticipation of which the market price of our common stock could fall. The existence of an overhang, whether or not sales have occurred or are occurring, could also make more difficult our ability to raise additional financing through the sale of equity or equity–related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem reasonable or appropriate.

The price of our common stock has fluctuated considerably and is likely to remain volatile, in part due to the limited market for our common stock, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

There is a limited public market for our common stock, and we cannot provide assurances that a more active trading market will develop or continue. As a result of low trading volume in our common stock, the purchase or sale of a relatively small number of shares could result in significant share price fluctuations. Additionally, the market price of our common stock may continue to fluctuate significantly in response to a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control.

For these reasons and others, an investment in our securities is risky and you should invest only if you can withstand a significant loss and wide fluctuations in the value of your investment.