As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2017 .
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM F-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
GOLDEN BULL LIMITED
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
Not Applicable
(Translation of Registrants name into English)
Cayman Islands |
6199 |
Not Applicable |
(State or other jurisdiction of |
(Primary Standard Industrial |
(I.R.S. Employee |
incorporation or organization) |
Classification Code Number) |
Identification number) |
707 Zhang Yang Road, Sino Life Tower, F35,
Pudong, Shanghai, China 200120
Tel: + (86) 021-61659027
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrants principal executive offices)
Corporation Service Company
1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 210
New York, New York 10036
(800) 927-9801
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
David Selengut, Esq. Bill Huo, Esq. Ari Edelman, Esq. Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP 1345 Avenue of the Americas, 11th Floor New York, New York 10105 Tel: (212) 370-1300 Fax: (212) 370-7889 |
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Anthony W. Basch, Esq. Kaufman & Canoles, P.C. Two James Center, 14th Floor 1021 East Cary Street Richmond, Virginia 23219 Tel: (804) 771-5700 Fax: (888) 360-9092 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public : as soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933. Emerging growth company ☒
If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards † provided pursuant to section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. o
† The term “ new or revised financial accounting standard refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.
Calculation of Registration Fee
Title of Class of Securities to be Registered |
Amount to Be Registered |
Proposed Maximum Offering Price per Share |
Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price (1) |
Amount of Registration Fee |
Ordinary shares, par value $0.01 per share (2) |
2,300,000 |
$ 4.50 |
$ 10,350,000 |
$ 1,288.58 |
Underwriters warrants (2)(3)(4) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Ordinary shares underlying underwriters warrants (2)(3) |
115,000 |
4.50 |
517,500 |
64.43 |
Total |
2,415,000 |
|
$ 10,971,000 |
$ 1,353.01 |
(1) |
The registration fee for securities to be offered by the Registrant is based on an estimate of the Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price of the securities, and such estimate is solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(o). |
(2) |
In accordance with Rule 416(a), the Registrant is also registering an indeterminate number of additional ordinary shares that shall be issuable pursuant to Rule 416 to prevent dilution resulting from share splits, share dividends or similar transactions. |
(3) |
We have agreed to issue, on the closing date of this offering, warrants to our underwriters, exercisable at a rate of one warrant per share to purchase 5% of the aggregate number of ordinary shares sold by the Registrant (the Underwriters Warrants). The exercise price of the Underwriters Warrants is equal to 120% of the price of the ordinary shares offered hereby. The ordinary shares underlying the Underwriters Warrants are exercisable for a period of three years following six months of the date of this offering and are deemed to commence simultaneously with the Underwriters Warrants. |
(4) |
No fee required pursuant to Rule 457(g) under the Securities Act. |
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The Registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and we are not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS (Subject to Completion) Dated December 22, 2017
2,000,000 Ordinary Shares
GOLDEN BULL LIMITED
This is the initial public offering of our ordinary shares. We are offering 2,000,000 ordinary shares. We expect the initial public offering price of the shares to be between $4.00 and $4.50 per share. Currently, no public market exists for our ordinary shares. We intend to apply to have our ordinary shares listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market (Nasdaq) under the symbol DNJR.
We are an emerging growth company, as that term is used in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements.
Investing in our ordinary shares is highly speculative and involves a significant degree of risk. See Risk Factors beginning on page 13 of this prospectus for a discussion of information that should be considered before making a decision to purchase our ordinary shares.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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Per Share |
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Total |
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Public offering price |
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$ |
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$ |
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Underwriting discount |
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$ |
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$ |
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Proceeds to us, before expenses |
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$ |
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$ |
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(1) |
The underwriter will receive compensation in addition to such discount and commissions as set forth under Underwriting. |
, Securities
We expect our total cash expenses for this offering (including cash expenses payable to our underwriter for its out-of-pocket expenses) to be approximately $1.09 million, exclusive of the above commissions. In addition, we will pay additional items of value in connection with this offering that are viewed by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, as underwriting compensation. These payments will further reduce proceeds available to us before expenses. See Underwriting.
This offering is being conducted on a firm commitment basis. The underwriter, ViewTrade Securities Inc., is obligated to take and pay for all of the shares if any such shares are taken. We have granted the underwriter an option for a period of 45 days after the closing of this offering to purchase up to 15% of the total number of our ordinary shares to be offered by us pursuant to this offering (excluding shares subject to this option), solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, at the initial public offering price less the underwriting discount. If the underwriter exercises the option in full, the total underwriting discounts and commissions payable will be between $552,000 and $621,000 based on an offering price between $4.00 and $4.50 per share, and the total proceeds to us, before expenses, will be between $8,648,000 and $9,729,000. If we complete this offering, net proceeds will be delivered to our company on the closing date. We will not be able to use such proceeds in China (except for $200,000 that is immediately available and will remitted to China to fund the registered capital of our wholly foreign owned entity), however, until we complete capital contribution procedures which requires prior approval from each of the respective local counterparts of MOFCOM, SAIC and SAFE in China. See remittance procedures in the section titled Use of Proceeds beginning on page 49.
The underwriter expects to deliver the ordinary shares against payment as set forth under Underwriting, on or about ____, 2018.
The date of this prospectus is _______________, 2018
TABLE OF CONTENTS |
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Page |
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY |
1 |
RISK FACTORS |
13 |
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS |
48 |
USE OF PROCEEDS |
49 |
CAPITALIZATION |
50 |
DILUTION |
51 |
EXCHANGE RATE INFORMATION |
52 |
ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES |
53 |
SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OPERATING DATA |
55 |
MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS |
57 |
BUSINESS |
79 |
MANAGEMENT |
104 |
PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS |
108 |
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS |
110 |
DESCRIPTION OF SHARE CAPITAL |
111 |
SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE |
117 |
TAXATION |
119 |
UNDERWRITING |
126 |
EXPENSES RELATING TO THIS OFFERING |
132 |
LEGAL MATTERS |
132 |
EXPERTS |
132 |
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION |
132 |
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
F-1 |
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You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus or in any related free-writing prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained in this prospectus or any free-writing prospectus. We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, the ordinary shares only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale of the ordinary shares. |
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
This summary highlights certain information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. You should read the entire prospectus carefully, including our financial statements and related notes and the risks described under Risk Factors beginning on page 13. We note that our actual results and future events may differ significantly based upon a number of factors. The reader should not put undue reliance on the forward-looking statements in this document, which speak only as of the date on the cover of this prospectus.
All references to we, us, our, Company, Registrant or similar terms used in this prospectus refer to Golden Bull Limited, a Cayman Islands exempted company (Golden Bull), including its consolidated subsidiaries and variable interest entities (VIEs), unless the context otherwise indicates. We currently conduct our business through Shanghai Dianniu Internet Finance Information Service Co. Ltd. (Dianniu), our operating entity in China. We also have another VIE, Shanghai Baoxun Advertisement Design Co., Ltd. (Baoxun), which currently does not have any operation but we expect will in the future engage in the design and production of online advertisement and marketing survey services for online marketplaces.
PRC or China refers to the Peoples Republic of China, excluding, for the purpose of this prospectus, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, RMB or Renminbi refers to the legal currency of China and $, US$ or U.S. Dollars refers to the legal currency of the United States.
Our Business
We are an online finance marketplace, or peer-to-peer lending company, in China that provides borrowers access to short-term loans. The loans that we are currently arranging generally range from 30 days to 90 days, and are secured by borrowers automobiles. Through our online marketplace, we connect individual lenders with individual and small business borrowers. We currently conduct our business operations exclusively in China.
We believe our technology-driven marketplace provides eligible borrowers with a quick, accessible and affordable way to meet their liquidity needs. Our online marketplace may be accessed only by qualified borrowers, as discussed below in Business Our Platform. We currently target borrowers who display stable credit performance and salary income. We implement a risk management process to try to minimize the risk of nonpayment to lenders. Such process involves a thorough review of credit reports prepared by third parties and may also include inquiries by us of employers or associates of potential borrowers.
Our marketplace also provides lenders with risk-adjusted returns that we believe are attractive. The average annualized return for lenders that have provided loans through our platform in 2016 was 11.64%, compared to a peer-to-peer industry average return rate of 10.45%, based on the Research Report on the Internet Finance Industry and Development Strategy for 2017 to 2022 (the China IRN Report), issued by ChinaIRN.com, an independent research institution in PRC that specializes in industry survey and research.
From our inception in November 2015 through June 30, 2017, we facilitated loans in the aggregate principal amount of approximately RMB 734.9 million ($108.8 million). We generate revenues primarily from transaction fees, which averaged 2.31% and 2.84% of the principal amount loaned through our platform during the six months ended June 30, 2017 and the year ended December 31, 2016, respectively, and management fees, which averaged 3.1% and 4.1% of the principal amount loaned through our platform during the six months ended June 30, 2017 and the year ended December 31, 2016, respectively, each of which is charged to borrowers for our services and not included in the above return rates. Our revenues totaled approximately $3.7 million in 2016, our first year of operations, and approximately $2.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017. See Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of OperationsResults of OperationRevenue for a description of our transaction and management fees.
We attract borrowers to our platform primarily through offline sources, including through relationships with traditional lending or guarantee institutions. In addition, we attract borrowers through referrals from existing borrowers and through online sources, including search engine marketing, search engine optimization, mobile application downloads through major application stores, partnering with online channels through application programming interfaces, as well as various marketing campaigns. The lending and guarantee institutions we work with are compensated directly by the borrowers, and not by us or the lenders we introduce.
1
We have used various social media and mobile platforms and networks to market our platform to potential lenders. Currently, lenders through our platform consist of individuals of varying levels of net worth. We conduct a limited background check of individuals who lend money through our platform.
As an intermediary, we do not use our own capital to invest in loans facilitated through our marketplace nor do we manage our borrowers and lenders account portfolios. We facilitate loans by connecting borrowers and lenders, preparing all necessary paperwork related to borrowers applications and assisting with securing collateral. However, we do not take control of funds that pass between such lenders and borrowers. Instead, payments are made through third party payment systems. Prior to August 2017, we used Shanghai PnR Data Service Co., Ltd. (China PnR), a reputable custodian for lending platforms, for payment services. On June 15, 2017, Bank of Shanghai started to serve as the exclusive custodian for our lending platform, providing account management, funds depository, custodian, and account segregation services in connection with funds transfers in loan transactions facilitated via our platform. For loan transactions facilitated through our platform, the bank sets up separate accounts for borrowers, lenders and guarantors and withdraws and deposits funds based on our instructions. The bank also provides other ancillary services such as platform user identity verification and account statements preparation. In August 2017, we completed our transition from utilizing the custodian system of China PnR to the custodian system of Bank of Shanghai.
We currently facilitate loans exclusively to borrowers that provide an automobile as security to lenders, and in many instances third-party institutions provide a guarantee to lenders as additional security. The automobiles that are secured must be owned by the borrower and may not be encumbered by existing loans. We require that the size of each loan be no more than 70% of the value of the collateral of such loan. However, since none of the loans facilitated through our platform has defaulted to date, neither our collateralization standards nor our collection efforts have been tested in practice.
Historically, we structured many of the loans facilitated through our platform such that representatives of traditional lending or guarantee institutions would borrow the funds from the lenders on our platform and in turn lend such funds to underlying individual or small company borrowers. Pursuant to our agreements with these institutions or their representatives, such institutions and the individuals controlling such institutions committed (i) to borrow from our lenders a target loan amount per month, (ii) to cover all costs incurred in connection with such institutions loans made by the institutions to underlying borrowers, (iii) to secure loans through security interests in cars of their underlying borrowers and (iv) to repay all loans made by our lenders to these institutions or their representatives. Under our old loan structure, underlying borrowers provided their automobiles as security to the representatives of financing institutions, including our major borrowers, who in turn borrowed funds through our platform. Such security arrangement did not directly involve us or our lenders. The financing institutions affiliated with our borrowers guaranteed the repayment of the respective loans facilitated through our platform. As of December 31, 2016, we partner with an aggregate of 4 lending and guarantee companies of loans facilitated through our platform. As of June 30, 2017, we partnered with an aggregate of 11 lending and guarantee companies of loans facilitated through our platform.
However, due to limitations on loan sizes to borrowers set forth in the P2P Measures (defined below), since the beginning of 2017, we begun to structure loans such that the underlying individual or small company borrowers borrow the funds directly from the lenders on our platform. The loan institutions that previously borrowed from our lenders are now guarantors of such loans. We believe that not all of the loans we facilitated were within the limitations set forth in the P2P Measures. Given that the P2P Measures are new and their implementation is just beginning, there is no guarantee that the relevant government authorities will deem our operations to be in full compliance with the P2P Measures once these measures are implemented. Furthermore, such lending and guarantee institutions are under no contractual obligation to continue partnering with us in the long-term pursuant to these new arrangements. As such, our revenues may decline and we may be subject to penalties imposed by the relevant governmental agencies in the event that we fail to comply with the P2P Measures.
Through September 30, 2016, all of the loans facilitated through our platform were made to borrowers that borrowed through our platform multiple times. During the quarters ended December 31, 2016, March 31, 2017 and June 30, 2017, approximately 66.7%, 48.5%, and 71.2%, respectively, of the loans facilitated through our platform were made to borrowers that borrowed through our platform multiple times. During the six months ended June 30, 2017, the average number of loans per individual borrower was 6.57 and the average number of loans per small business borrower was 7.53.
We do not allow borrowers to borrow through our platform unless their prior loans facilitated through our platform have previously been paid in full and we do not allow borrowers to repay their existing loans with new loans facilitated through our platform. Consequently, borrowers must repay loans using funds obtained from other sources other than our platform. Alternatively, the borrower can provide additional collateral, in which case we would allow the borrower to borrow 70% of the value of the additional collateral.
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Our Strategy
We have a limited operating history. We plan to continue to expand our borrower base by continuing to attract traditional lending or guarantee institutions whose customers utilize our platform, and generating more referrals from existing clients, through offline marketing methods, and by attracting more individual borrowers directly through online methods such as search engine marketing, search engine optimization, mobile application downloads through major application stores, partnering with online channels through application programming interfaces, as well as various marketing campaigns. In addition, we plan to continue to expand our lender base using various social media and mobile platforms and networks to market our platform to potential lenders. In addition, we intend to branch out into new areas of peer to peer lending in the future by, for example, facilitating loans that are not secured by automobiles or attracting institutional lenders. However, there is no guarantee that our expansion plans will be successful.
In 2015 and 2016, we raised an aggregate of approximately $8.0 million through four private placements in China. We had approximately $5.6 million of cash as of June 30, 2017. We intend to continue to use such funds, and the funds we expect to raise in this offering, to grow our business primarily by:
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enhancing our marketing efforts in order to increase awareness of our marketplace among potential lenders throughout China;
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enhancing our online platform and mobile app;
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hiring additional employees to enhance our business structure and management; and
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increasing our efforts to expand our borrower base by utilizing social networks and e-commerce platforms.
Our Challenges
The online consumer finance marketplace industry in China is intensely competitive and we compete with many other consumer finance marketplaces. According to the China IRN Report, as of December 2016, there were 2,448 online consumer finance marketplaces in China. In light of the low barriers to entry in the online consumer finance industry in China, we expect more players to enter this market and increase the level of competition. We anticipate that more established internet, technology and financial services companies that possess large, existing user bases, substantial financial resources and established distribution channels may enter the market in the future.
Historically, we have been dependent on loans made to a limited number of traditional lending or guarantee institutions, their representatives or their clients. For the year ended December 31, 2016, fees generated from loans provided to two borrowers accounted for 45.8% and 31.1% of our revenues, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2017, fees generated from loans provided to two borrowers accounted for 30.4% and 14.5% of our revenues, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2016, fees generated from loans provided to two borrowers accounted for 72.6% and 27.4% of our revenues, respectively.
As of June 30, 2017, no loans facilitated through our platform had defaulted and all payments were timely made. In the event that a loan facilitated through our platform defaults or a payment is not made timely, we are not obligated to repay, or otherwise pay any penalties to, lenders. As such, unlike some of our better capitalized competitors, we have not established a risk reserve fund designed to compensate lenders for any losses they incur in the event of default. Competitors that have established a risk reserve fund may be better positioned to attract lenders than we are.
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The China Banking Regulatory Commission, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Public Security published Provisional Measures for Administration of Business Activities of Internet Lending Information Intermediaries (the P2P Measures) on August 17, 2016. According to the P2P Measures, effective August 17, 2017, the maximum loan balance at any given time for an individual shall be not more than RMB 200,000, and for a business enterprise not more than RMB 1,000,000, borrowed from a single internet lending information intermediary platform and not more than RMB 1 million for an individual and RMB 5 million for a business enterprise, respectively, in total from all platforms. If we were found to be in violation of the P2P Measures, a penalty of up to RMB30,000 would be imposed for such violation. We would not be fined for each violation; however, if there were repetitive violations, more severe penalties may be imposed. However, it is unclear from the P2P Measures as to the magnitude of such penalties. As of December 31, 2016, 13, or 86.67%, of our borrowers held loans exceeding the limitations set forth in the P2P Measures. As of June 30, 2017, 51, or 18.68%, of our borrowers held loans exceeding the limitations set forth in the P2P Measures. These loans were facilitated prior to the effectiveness of the P2P Measures and substantially all of them were paid off as of the date of this prospectus. We believe that we are in full compliance with the P2P Measures and that our new loan structure should continue to be in compliance with the P2P Measures.
We cooperate with Shanghai Credit Information Service Co., Ltd, by joining its internet financial credit information system (NFCS). NFCS is one of the primary systems to collect personal lending records for P2P companies. We utilize NFCS to determine whether borrowers obtain loans through other platforms.
In addition, our ability to achieve our goal and execute our strategy is subject to additional risks and uncertainties, including those relating to our ability to:
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attract and retain borrowers and lenders on our marketplace in an effective and cost-efficient way;
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effectively evaluate a borrowers credit profile to appropriately price our loan products and maintain low default rates;
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compete effectively; and
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continue to establish successful strategic relationships with lending and referral institutions.
Mr. Zeng, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, and Mr. Liu, a member of our board of directors, currently own 19.12% and 48.28% of our outstanding ordinary shares, respectively, and will beneficially own 16.57% and 41.84%, respectively, of our outstanding ordinary shares upon completion of our initial public offering. As a result of their significant shareholding, Messrs. Zeng and Liu have, and will continue to have, substantial influence over our business, including decisions regarding mergers, consolidations and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, election of directors and other significant corporate actions. They may take actions that are not in the best interests of us or our other shareholders. This concentration of ownership may 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 market price of our ordinary shares. These actions may be taken even if they are opposed by our other shareholders. For more information regarding our principal shareholders and their affiliated entities, see Principal Shareholders.
We face additional risks and uncertainties related to our corporate structure and regulatory environment in China. Please see Risk Factors and other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties that we face.
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Corporate History and Structure
We began our operations in China through Shanghai Dianniu Internet Finance Information Service Co. Ltd., which was formed in November 2015. In early 2017, we incorporated Golden Bull Limited under the laws of the Cayman Islands as our offshore holding company under our former name Point Cattle International Limited. In March 2017, we established our wholly owned Hong Kong subsidiary, Point Cattle Group Company Limited, which formed Shanghai Fuyu Information and Technology Co., Ltd., its wholly owned subsidiary in PRC (the WFOE). Through the contractual arrangements between the WFOE, Dianniu and the majority shareholders of Dianniu, we control 93.2% of Dianniu. These contractual arrangements allow us to effectively control and derive 93.2% of the economic interest from Dianniu.
In addition to Dianniu, the WFOE has entered into a series of contracts with Shanghai Baoxun Advertisement Design Co., Ltd. (Baoxun), a company formed in February 2017 under the laws of PRC, and Baoxuns shareholders. Baoxun currently does not have any operations. However, we expect that in the future Baoxun will engage in the design and production of online advertisement and marketing survey services for online marketplaces.
The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure, including our subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities, as of the date of this prospectus:
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* Huishi Equity Investment Fund Management (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. is a third party institutional investor in Dianniu and is not a party to any of the VIE Agreements described herein. Shanxi Xifeng Investment Co., Ltd., a former shareholder of Dianniu, transferred its 4.0625% equity interest in Dianniu to Xiaohui Liu for a consideration of RMB 3,000,000 on December 4, 2017.
Foreign Private Issuer Status
We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act). As such, we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to United States domestic public companies. For example:
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we are not required to provide as many Exchange Act reports, or as frequently, as a domestic public company;
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for interim reporting, we are permitted to comply solely with our home country requirements, which are less rigorous than the rules that apply to domestic public companies;
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we are not required to provide the same level of disclosure on certain issues, such as executive compensation;
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we are exempt from provisions of Regulation FD aimed at preventing issuers from making selective disclosures of material information;
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we are not required to comply with the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; and
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Our insiders are not required to comply with Section 16 of the Exchange Act requiring such individuals, and entities to file public reports of their share ownership and trading activities and establishing insider liability for profits realized from any short-swing trading transaction.
Variable Interest Entity Arrangements
In establishing our business, we have used a variable interest entity, or VIE, structure. In the PRC, investment activities by foreign investors are principally governed by the Guidance Catalog of Industries for Foreign Investment, or the Catalog, which was promulgated and is amended from time to time by the PRC Ministry of Commerce, or MOFCOM, and the PRC National Development and Reform Commission, or NDRC. The Catalog divides industries into three categories: encouraged, restricted and prohibited. Industries not listed in the Catalog are generally open to foreign investment unless specifically restricted by other PRC regulations. Our Company and the WFOE are considered as foreign investors or foreign invested enterprises under PRC law. The provision of internet financing services providing value-add telecommunications business, which we conduct through our VIE, is within the category under the Catalog in which foreign investment is currently restricted, which makes a VIE structure necessary. In addition, we intend to centralize our management and operation in the PRC without being restricted to conduct certain business activities which are important for our current or future business but are restricted or might be restricted in the future. As such, we believe the agreements between the WFOE and Dianniu are essential for our business operation. These contractual arrangements with Dianniu and its shareholders enable us to exercise effective control over Dianniu and hence consolidate its financial results as our VIE.
In our case, the WFOE effectively assumed management of the business activities of Dianniu through a series of agreements which are referred to as the VIE Agreements. The VIE Agreements are comprised of a series of agreements and amendments to some of the agreements, including Equity Pledge Agreements and an Amendment, a Technical Consultation and Service Agreement and an Amendment to it, a Business Cooperation Agreement and an Amendment to it, Equity Option Agreements and an Amendment, and Voting Rights Proxy and Finance Supporting Agreements and an Amendment. Through the VIE Agreements, the WFOE has the right to advise, consult, manage and operate Dianniu for an annual consulting service fee in the amount of 93.2% of Diannius net profit. Three Shareholders of Dianniu Erxin Zeng, Xiaohui Liu and Qian Lai Qian Wang (Shanghai) Equity Investment Fund Management Co., Ltd . (the Dianniu Participating Shareholders) have each pledged all of their right, title and equity interests in Dianniu as security for the WFOE to collect consulting services fees provided to Dianniu through the Equity Pledge Agreement. In order to further reinforce the WFOEs rights to control and operate Dianniu, the Dianniu Participating Shareholders have granted the WFOE an exclusive right and option to acquire all of their equity interests in Dianniu through the Equity Option Agreement.
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The material terms of the VIE Agreements with Dianniu are as follows:
Technical Consultation and Service Agreement . Pursuant to the Technical Consultation and Service Agreement between WFOE and Dianniu dated June 8, 2017 , as amended by the Amendment to Technical Consultation and Service Agreement between WFOE and Dianniu dated December 4, 2017, WFOE has the exclusive right to provide consultation and services to Dianniu in the area of fund, human, technology and intellectual property rights. For such services, Dianniu agrees to pay service fees in the amount of 93.2% of its net income and also has the obligation to absorb 93.2% of Diannius losses. WFOE exclusively owns any intellectual property rights arising from the performance of this Technical Consultation and Service Agreement. The amount of service fees and payment term can be amended by the WFOE and Diannius consultation and the implementation. The term of the Technical Consultation and Service Agreement is 20 years. WFOE may terminate this agreement at any time by giving 30 days written notice to Dianniu.
Business Cooperation Agreement . Pursuant to the Business Cooperation Agreement between WFOE and Dianniu dated June 8, 2017 , as amended by the Amendment to Business Cooperation Agreement between WFOE and Dianniu dated December 4, 2017, WFOE has the exclusive right to provide Dianniu with technical support, business support and related consulting services, including but not limited to technical services, business consultations, equipment or property leasing, marketing consultancy, system integration, product research and development, and system maintenance. In exchange, WFOE is entitled to a service fee that equals to 93.2% of the net income of Dianniu determined by U.S. GAAP, the service fees may be adjusted based on the services rendered by WFOE in that month and the operational needs of Dianniu. WFOE also exclusively owns any intellectual property rights arising from the performance of the Business Cooperation Agreement. The Business Cooperation Agreement shall remain effective unless it is terminated or is compelled to terminate under applicable PRC laws and regulations. WFOE may terminate this Business Cooperation Agreement at any time by giving 30 days prior written notice to Dianniu.
Equity Pledge Agreement . Pursuant to the Equity Pledge Agreements among WFOE, Dianniu and Dianniu Participating Shareholders dated June 8, 2017 and the Amendment to Equity Pledge Agreement among WFOE, Dianniu and Xiaohui Liu dated December 4, 2017, Dianniu Participating Shareholders pledged all of their equity interests in Dianniu to WFOE to guarantee Dianniu's performance of relevant obligations and indebtedness under the Technical Consultation and Service Agreement and other control agreements (Control Agreement). In addition, Dianniu Participating Shareholders have completed the registration of the equity pledge under the Equity Pledge Agreement with the competent local authority. If Dianniu breaches its obligation under the Control Agreement, WFOE, as pledgee, will be entitled to certain rights, including the right to dispose the pledged equity interests in order to recover these breached amounts. The Pledge shall be continuously valid until all of the Dianniu Participating Shareholders are no longer shareholders of Dianniu or the satisfaction of all its obligations by Dianniu under the Control Agreements.
Equity Option Agreement . Pursuant to the Equity Option Agreements among WFOE, Dianniu and Dianniu Participating Shareholders dated June 8, 2017 and the Amendment to Equity Option Agreement among WFOE, Dianniu and Xiaohui Liu dated December 4, 2017, WFOE has the exclusive right to require each Dianniu Participating Shareholder to fulfill and complete all approval and registration procedures required under PRC laws for WFOE to purchase, or designate one or more persons to purchase, each Dianniu Participating Shareholders equity interests in Dianniu, once or at multiple times at any time in part or in whole at WFOE's sole and absolute discretion. The purchase price shall be the lowest price allowed by PRC laws. The Equity Option Agreements shall remain effective until all the equity interest owned by each Dianniu Participating Shareholder has been legally transferred to WFOE or its designee(s).
Voting Rights Proxy and Financial Supporting Agreement . Pursuant to the Voting Rights Proxy and Financial Supporting Agreements among WFOE, Dianniu and Dianniu Participating Shareholders dated June 8, 2017 and pursuant to the Amendment to Voting Rights Proxy and Financial Supporting Agreement among WFOE, Dianniu and Xiaohui Liu dated December 4, 2017, each Dianniu Participating Shareholder irrevocably appointed WFOE or WFOEs designee to exercise all his or her rights as Dianniu Participating Shareholders under the Articles of Association of Dianniu, including but not limited to the power to exercise all shareholder's voting rights with respect to all matters to be discussed and voted in the shareholders meeting of Dianniu. The term of the Voting Rights Proxy and Financial Supporting Agreements is 20 years.
7
The WFOE has also entered into a series of VIE agreements with Baoxun, and Baoxuns shareholders, upon the same materials terms as described above. Baoxun currently does not have any operations. However, we expect that in the future Baoxun will engage in the design and production of online advertisement and marketing survey services for online marketplaces. Social survey, including marketing survey service, is within the category in which foreign investment is restricted pursuant to the Catalog.
The material terms of the VIE Agreements with Baoxun are as follows:
Technical Consultation and Service Agreement . Pursuant to the Technical Consultation and Service Agreement between WFOE and Baoxun dated June 8, 2017, WFOE has the exclusive right to provide consultation and technology services to Baoxun in the areas of finance, human resource, technology and intellectual property rights. For such services, Baoxun agrees to pay an annual service fee in the amount of 100% of its net income as determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP and a quarterly flowing charge and also has the obligation to absorb 100% of Baoxuns net loss determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. WFOE exclusively owns any intellectual property rights arising from the performance of this Technical Consultation and Service Agreement. The service fees can be adjusted by the parties upon the request of the WFOE. The term of the Technical Consultation and Service Agreement is 20 years. WFOE may terminate this agreement at any time by giving 30 days written notice to Baoxun.
Business Cooperation Agreement. Pursuant to the Business Cooperation Agreement between WFOE and Baoxun dated June 8, 2017, WFOE has the exclusive right to provide Baoxun with technical support, business support and related consulting services, including but not limited to technical services, business consultation, equipment and property leasing, marketing consulting, system integration, product research and development, and system maintenance. In exchange, WFOE is entitled to a service fee that equals to 100% of the net income of Baoxun determined by U.S. GAAP and absorb all the losses of Baoxun determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The service fees may be adjusted based on the services rendered by WFOE in that month and the operational needs of Baoxun. WFOE also exclusively owns any intellectual property rights arising from the performance of the Business Cooperation Agreement. The Business Cooperation Agreement shall maintain effective unless it is terminated by WFOE upon 30 days written notice or in accordance with applicable PRC laws and regulations. WFOE may terminate this Business Cooperation Agreement at any time by giving 30 days prior written notice to Baoxun.
Equity Pledge Agreements. Pursuant to the Equity Pledge Agreements among WFOE, Baoxun and all the shareholders of Baoxun (Baoxun Shareholders) dated June 8, 2017, Baoxun Shareholders pledged all of their equity interests in Baoxun to WFOE to guarantee Baoxun's performance of its obligations under the Technical Consultation and Service Agreement and other control agreements (Baoxun Control Agreements). The equity pledge shall become effective on such date when the pledge has been registered with relevant local authority. Baoxun Shareholders have completed the registration of the equity pledge with the competent local authority. If Baoxun breaches its obligation under the Baoxun Control Agreement, WFOE, as pledgee, will be entitled to certain rights, including the right to dispose the pledged equity interests. The Equity Pledge Agreement is valid until the satisfaction of all its obligations by Baoxun under the Baoxun Control Agreements.
Equity Option Agreements. Pursuant to the Equity Option Agreements among WFOE, Baoxun and Baoxun Shareholders dated June 8, 2017, for a consideration of RMB 1, WFOE is granted an option to require each Baoxun Shareholder to fulfill and complete all approval and registration procedures required under PRC laws for WFOE or its designee to purchase Baoxun Shareholders equity interests in Baoxun, once or at multiple times at any time in part or in whole at WFOE's sole and absolute discretion. The purchase price shall be the lowest price allowed by PRC laws. The Equity Option Agreement shall remain effective until all the equity interest owned by each Baoxun Shareholder has been legally transferred to WFOE or its designee(s).
Voting Rights Proxy and Financial Supporting Agreements . Pursuant to the Voting Rights Proxy and Financial Supporting Agreements among WFOE, Baoxun and Baoxun Shareholders dated June 8, 2017, each Baoxun Shareholder irrevocably appointed WFOE or its designee to exercise all his or her rights as Baoxun Shareholders under the Articles of Association of Baoxun, including but not limited to the power to exercise all shareholder's voting rights with respect to all matters to be discussed and voted in the shareholders meeting of Baoxun. The Baoxun Shareholders also agree to provide necessary financial support to Baoxun in connection with its operation. The term of the Voting Rights Proxy and Finance Supporting Agreements is 20 years.
8
We do not expect that the classification of either Dianniu or Baoxun under the Catalog will change or either of our VIE entities will be re-classified to a different industry in the near future.
Emerging Growth Company Status
We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the JOBS Act), and we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting and financial disclosure requirements that are applicable to other public companies, that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, (1) presenting only two years of audited financial statements and only two years of related managements discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations in this prospectus, (2) not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the Sarbanes-Oxley Act), (3) reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and (4) exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We intend to take advantage of these exemptions. As a result, investors may find investing in our ordinary shares less attractive.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), for complying with new or revised accounting standards. As a result, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of such extended transition period.
We could remain an emerging growth company for up to five years, or until the earliest of (1) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenues exceed $1.07 billion, (2) the date that we become a large accelerated filer as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of our ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter and we have been publicly reporting for at least 12 months, or (3) the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt during the preceding three-year period.
Corporate Information
Our principal executive offices are located at 707 Zhang Yang Road, Sino Life Tower, F35, Pudong, Shanghai, China 200120. Our telephone number at this address is (86) 021-61659027. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at Corporate Filing Services Ltd., 3 rd Floor, Harbour Place, 103 South Church Street, Grand Cayman, KY 1-1002, Cayman Islands. Our agent for service of process in the United States is Corporation Service Company located at 1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 210, New York, New York 10036. Investors should contact us for any inquiries through the address and telephone number of our principal executive offices.
Our website is http://www.dianniu98.com . The information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus.
Recent Development
On November 3, 2017, our shareholders approved the subdivision of our 50,000 issued ordinary shares, par value US $1.00 per share, into 5,000,000 ordinary shares, par value US $0.01 per share, and the increase of our authorized share capital to 50,000,000 ordinary shares from 50,000 ordinary shares. Simultaneously, our board of directors approved the issuance of an additional 8,000,000 ordinary shares to our existing shareholders proportionately with their respective existing ownership percentage immediately prior to this offering.
The above transactions are considered as a 260 for 1 stock split of our ordinary shares and the original 50,000 ordinary shares were deemed part of our recapitalization to result in 13,000,000 ordinary shares issued and outstanding prior to this offering.
All shares and per share amounts used in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part have been retroactively restated to reflect the stock split.
9
Number of ordinary shares Outstanding After the Offering 1 : |
15,000,000 ordinary shares |
|
|
Gross proceeds to us, net of underwriting discount but before expenses: |
Between $7,520,000 and $8,460,000, based on an offering price between $4.00 and $4.50. |
|
|
Use of proceeds: |
We intend to use the net proceeds of this offering to expand our marketing activities to reach more potential borrowers and lenders in China, for development of our online platform and mobile app, to hire more employees to enhance our business structure and management and for other general corporate purposes. For more information on the use of proceeds, see Use of Proceeds on page 49. |
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|
Indemnification Escrow |
Net proceeds of this offering in the amount of $600,000 shall be used to fund an escrow account for a period of 24 months following the closing date of this offering, which account shall be used in the event we have to indemnify the underwriters pursuant to the terms of an underwriting agreement with the underwriters. |
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Lock-up |
All of our directors and officers and certain shareholders have agreed with the underwriters, subject to certain exceptions, not to sell, transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any of our ordinary shares or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our ordinary shares for a period of 12 months after the date of this prospectus. See Shares Eligible for Future Sale and Underwriting for more information. |
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Proposed Nasdaq Symbol: |
DNJR |
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|
Risk factors: |
Investing in our ordinary shares involves a high degree of risk. As an investor you should be able to bear a complete loss of your investment. You should carefully consider the information set forth in the Risk Factors section beginning on page 13. |
11 In addition, we may issue up to 300,000 ordinary shares pursuant to the underwriters over-allotment option.
2 Excludes ordinary shares underlying underwriters warrants and ordinary shares pursuant to the underwriters over-allotment option.
10
SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OPERATING DATA
The following summary consolidated financial statements for the period from November 2015 to December 2015 and the year ended December 31, 2016 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The following summary consolidated financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 are derived from our unaudited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or U.S. GAAP.
Our historical results for any period are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any future period. You should read the following summary financial information in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes and the information under Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included elsewhere in this prospectus.
The following table presents our summary consolidated statement of comprehensive income for the period from November 2015 to December 2015 and the year ended December 31, 2016 and the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016.
|
For the Year Ended |
|
For the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to |
|
For the Six Months Ended |
||
|
December 31, 2016 |
|
December 31, 2015 |
|
June 30, 2017 |
|
June 30, 2016 |
|
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited) |
|
(Unaudited) |
Summary Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating revenue |
$ 3,705,770 |
|
$ - |
|
$ 2,797,640 |
|
$ 1,117,596 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating expense |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Selling |
(1,434,662) |
|
(30,091) |
|
(1,715,617) |
|
(715,433) |
General and administrative |
(1,636,353) |
|
(81,659) |
|
(1,680,715) |
|
(670,283) |
Research and development |
(417,901) |
|
(29,943) |
|
(204,691) |
|
(240,679) |
Total operating expenses |
(3,488,916) |
|
(141,693) |
|
(3,601,023) |
|
(1,626,395) |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other income (expense) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other income, net |
2,895 |
|
1 |
|
17,228 |
|
964 |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income (loss) before income taxes |
219,749 |
|
(141,692) |
|
(786,155) |
|
(507,835) |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Provision (benefit) for income taxes |
54,938 |
|
(35,423) |
|
(184,750) |
|
(126,958) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income (loss) |
164,811 |
|
(106,269) |
|
(601,405) |
|
(380,877) |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
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Less: Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest |
3,906 |
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- |
|
(63,050) |
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- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income (loss) attributable to Golden Bull Limited |
$ 160,905 |
|
$ (106,269) |
|
$ (538,355) |
|
$ (380,877) |
11
The following table presents our summary consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2016 and 2015 and as of June 30, 2017.
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As of December 31, |
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As of June 30, |
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2016 |
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2015 |
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2017 |
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|
|
|
|
(Unaudited) |
Summary Consolidated Balance Sheet Data: |
|
|
|
|
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Cash and cash equivalents |
$ 7,378,920 |
|
$ 674,515 |
|
$ 5,565,815 |
Other assets |
1,723,173 |
|
205,476 |
|
7,455,661 |
Total assets |
9,102,093 |
|
879,991 |
|
13,021,476 |
Total liabilities |
282,293 |
|
61,238 |
|
548,920 |
Total shareholders equity |
$ 8,819,800 |
|
$ 818,753 |
|
$ 12,472,556 |
12
RISK FACTORS
An investment in our ordinary shares involves significant risks. You should carefully consider all of the information in this prospectus, including the risks and uncertainties described below, before making an investment in our ordinary shares. Any of the following risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In any such case, the market price of our ordinary shares could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Business
We have a limited operating history in a new and evolving market, which makes it difficult to evaluate our future prospects.
The market for online consumer finance marketplaces is new and may not develop as expected. The regulatory framework for this market is also evolving and may remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. Potential borrowers and lenders may not be familiar with this market and may have difficulty distinguishing our services from those of our competitors. Convincing potential new borrowers and lenders of the value of our services is critical to increasing the volume of loan transactions facilitated through our marketplace and to the success of our business. We launched our online marketplace in January 2016 and have a limited operating history. As our business develops, or in response to competition, we may continue to introduce new products or make adjustments to our existing products, or make adjustments to our business model. In connection with the introduction of new products, or in response to general economic conditions, we may impose more stringent borrower qualifications to ensure the quality of loans on our platform, which may negatively affect the growth of our business. Any significant change to our business model may not achieve expected results and may have a material and adverse impact on our financial conditions and results of operations. It is therefore difficult to effectively assess our future prospects.
If we fail to educate potential borrowers and lenders about the value of our platform and services, if the market for our marketplace does not develop as we expect, or if we fail to address the needs of our target market, our business and results of operations will be harmed.
If we are unable to maintain or increase the volume of loan transactions facilitated through our marketplace or if we are unable to retain existing borrowers or lenders or attract new borrowers or lenders, our business and results of operations will be adversely affected.
The volume of loan transactions facilitated through our marketplace has grown rapidly since our inception. The total amount of loans facilitated through our marketplace was $108.8 million as of June 30, 2017, which increased substantially from $17.8 million as of June 30, 2016. In the six months ended June 30, 2017, the total amount of loans facilitated through our marketplace was $53.8 million, compared with $17.8 million in the six months ended June 30, 2016. To maintain the high growth momentum of our marketplace, we must continuously increase the volume of loan transactions by retaining current participants and attracting more users. We intend to continue to dedicate significant resources to establishing new acquisition channels and introducing a wider range of loan products. Furthermore, if there are insufficient qualified loan requests, lenders may be unable to deploy their capital in a timely or efficient manner and may seek other investment opportunities. Furthermore, if there are insufficient lender commitments, borrowers may be unable to obtain capital through our marketplace and may turn to other sources for their borrowing needs and lenders who wish to exit their investments prior to maturity may not be able to do so in a timely manner.
13
The overall transaction volume may be affected by several factors, including our brand recognition and reputation, the interest rates offered to borrowers and lenders relative to market rates, the effectiveness of our risk management system, the repayment rate of borrowers on our marketplace, the efficiency of our platform, the macroeconomic environment, changes in the regulatory environment and other factors. In connection with the introduction of new products or in response to general economic conditions, we may also impose more stringent borrower qualifications to ensure the quality of loans on our platform, which may negatively affect the growth of loan volume. If any of our current user acquisition channels becomes less effective, if we are unable to continue to use any of these channels or if we are not successful in using new channels, we may not be able to attract new borrowers and lenders in a cost-effective manner or convert potential borrowers and lenders into active borrowers and lenders, and may even lose our existing borrowers and lenders to our competitors. If we are unable to attract qualified borrowers and sufficient lender commitments or if borrowers and lenders do not continue to participate in our marketplace at the current rates, we might be unable to increase our loan transaction volume and revenues as we expect, and our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.
Failure to manage our liquidity and cash flows may materially and adversely affect our financial conditions and results of operations. As a result, we may need additional capital, and financing may not be available on terms acceptable to us, or at all.
We generated negative cash flows from operating activities in the amount of approximately $1.1 million in 2016. In addition, we generated a net loss of approximately $0.6 million during the six months ended June 30, 2017. We cannot assure you our business model will allow us to generate positive cash, given our substantial expenses in relation to our revenue at this stage of our companys development. Inability to collect our fees from borrowers in a timely and sufficient manner, or the inability to offset our expenses with adequate revenue, may adversely affect our liquidity, financial condition and results of operations. Although we believe that our cash on hand and anticipated cash flows from operating activities will be sufficient to meet our anticipated working capital requirements and capital expenditures in the ordinary course of business for the next 12 months, we cannot assure you this will be the case. We may need additional cash resources in the future if we experience changes in business conditions or other developments. We may also need additional cash resources in the future if we find and wish to pursue opportunities for investment, acquisition, capital expenditure or similar actions, or to grow our business organically. If we determine that our cash requirements exceed the amount of cash and cash equivalents we have on hand at the time, we may seek to issue equity or debt securities or obtain credit facilities. The issuance and sale of additional equity would result in further dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased fixed obligations and could result in operating covenants that would restrict our operations. We cannot assure you that financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all.
14
The laws and regulations governing the peer-to-peer lending service industry in China are developing and evolving and subject to changes. If our practice is deemed to violate any PRC laws or regulations, our business, financial conditions and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.
Due to the relatively short history of the peer-to-peer lending service industry in China, the regulatory framework governing our industry is under development by the PRC government. Currently, the PRC government has not promulgated any specific rules, laws or regulations to specially regulate the peer-to-peer lending service industry. See RegulationRegulations Relating to Peer-to-Peer Lending Business. As of the date of this prospectus, we believe that we are in compliance with PRC laws and regulations, including those governing the peer-to-peer lending service industry in China and have not been subject to any material fines or other penalties under these laws or regulations. However, due to the lack of detailed regulations and guidance in the area of peer-to-peer lending services and the possibility that the PRC government authority may promulgate new laws and regulations regulating peer-to-peer lending services in the future, there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current or future PRC laws and regulations for the peer-to-peer lending service industry, and there can be no assurance that the PRC government authority will ultimately take a view that is consistent with us. For instance, we cannot rule out the possibility that the PRC government will change its regulatory framework to institute a licensing regime covering our industry. If such a licensing regime were introduced, we cannot assure you that we would be able to obtain any newly required license in a timely manner, or at all, which could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.
In addition, the PRC laws and regulations relating to online peer-to-peer lending do not set out the liabilities that will be imposed on the service providers who fail to comply with the principles and requirements contained thereunder, nor do other applicable rules, laws and regulations contain specific liability provisions specially as to the peer-to-peer lending platform or similar online marketplace like us. However, if our practice is deemed to violate any rules, laws or regulations, we may face injunctions, including orders to cease illegal activities, and may be exposed to other penalties as determined by the relevant government authorities as well. If such situations occur, our business, financial condition and prospects would be materially and adversely affected.
The China Banking Regulatory Commission, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Public Security published the P2P Measures on August 17, 2016. According to the P2P Measures, effective August 17, 2017, the maximum loan balance at any given time for an individual or business enterprise shall be not more than RMB 200,000 and RMB 1,000,000, respectively, borrowed from a single internet lending information intermediary platform and not more than RMB 1 million for an individual or RMB 5 million for business enterprise, respectively, in total from all platforms. If we were found to be in violation of the P2P Measures, a penalty of up to RMB30,000 would be imposed for such violation. We would not be fined for each violation; however, if there were repetitive violations, more severe penalties may be imposed. However, it is unclear from the P2P Measures as to the magnitude of such penalties. Historically, we structured many of the loans facilitated through our platform such that traditional lending or guarantee institutions would borrow the funds from the lenders on our platform and in turn lend such funds to underlying individual or small company borrowers. However, due to limitations on loan sizes to borrowers set forth in the P2P Measures, we have begun to structure loans such that the underlying individual or small company borrowers borrow the funds directly from the lenders on our platform. We believe that not all of the loans we facilitated were within the limitations set forth in the P2P Measures. As of December 31, 2016, 13, or 86.67%, of our borrowers held loans exceeding the limitations set forth in the P2P Measures. As of June 30, 2017, 51, or 18.68%, of our borrowers held loans exceeding the limitations set forth in the P2P Measures. These loans were facilitated prior to the effectiveness of the P2P Measures and substantially all of them were paid off as of the date of this prospectus. Approximately 66% and 84.7% of our revenues were attributable to these borrowers for the year ended December 31, 2016 and the six months ended June 30, 2017. We believe that we are in full compliance with the P2P Measures that our new loan structure should continue to be in compliance with the P2P Measures. Given that the P2P Measures are new and their implementation is just beginning, there is no guarantee that the relevant government authorities will deem our operations to be in full compliance with the P2P Measures.
15
If our loan products do not achieve sufficient market acceptance, our financial results and competitive position will be harmed.
Our existing or new loan products and changes to our platform could fail to attain sufficient market acceptance for many reasons, including but not limited to:
·
our failure to predict market demand accurately and supply loan products that meet this demand in a timely fashion;
·
borrowers and lenders using our platform may not like, find useful or agree with any changes;
·
our failure to properly price new loan products;
·
a substantial number of loan defaults by borrowers through our platform;
·
defects, errors or failures on our platform;
·
negative publicity about our loan products or our platforms performance or effectiveness;
·
views taken by regulatory authorities that the new products or platform changes do not comply with PRC laws, rules or regulations applicable to us; and
·
the introduction or anticipated introduction of competing products by our competitors.
If our new loan products do not achieve adequate acceptance in the market, our competitive position, results of operations and financial condition could be harmed.
Our revenues for 2016 were highly dependent on loans made to a limited number of borrowers. If such concentration continues, the loss of any of our major borrowers could materially and adversely affect our growth and our revenues.
For the year ended December 31, 2016, fees generated from two borrowers accounted for 45.8% and 31.1% of our revenues, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2017, fees generated from two borrowers accounted for 30.4% and 14.5% of our revenues, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2016, transaction and management fees generated through two borrowers accounted for 72.6% and 27.4% of our revenues, respectively. As a result of our reliance on a limited number of borrowers, we may face competitive pressures, which may have a material adverse effect on our profits and our revenues. In addition, there are a number of factors, other than our performance, that could cause the loss of a borrower. The loss of any of these lending or guarantee institutions or their customers or referrals, or a decrease in the number of borrowers, could materially adversely affect our profits and our revenues. Unless and until we diversify our base of borrowers, our future success will significantly depend upon the timing and volume of business from significant borrowers.
If we do not compete effectively, our results of operations could be harmed.
The online consumer finance marketplace industry in China is intensely competitive and evolving. According to the China IRN Report, as of December 2016, there were 2,448 online consumer finance marketplaces in China. With respect to borrowers, we primarily compete with traditional and other inline consumer finance companies, financial institutions, such as consumer finance business units in commercial banks, credit card issuers and a significant number of other unlike consumer finance companies such as ours. With respect to lenders, we primarily compete with other investment products and asset classes, such as equities, bonds, investment trust products, bank savings accounts, and real estate alternative asset classes.
Our competitors operate with different business models, have different cost structures or participate selectively in different market segments. They may ultimately prove more successful or more adaptable to new regulatory, technological and other developments. Many of our current and potential competitors have significantly more financial, technical, marketing and other resources than we do and may be able to devote greater resources to the development, promotion, sale and support of their platforms. Our competitors may also have longer operating histories, more extensive borrower or lender bases, greater brand recognition and brand loyalty and broader partner relationships than us. Additionally, a current or potential competitor may acquire one or more of our existing competitors or form a strategic alliance with one or more of our competitors. Our competitors may be better at
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developing new products, offering more attractive investment returns or lower fees, responding faster to new technologies and undertaking more extensive and effective marketing campaigns. In response to competition and in order to grow or maintain the volume of loan transactions facilitated through our marketplace, we may have to offer higher investment returns to lenders or charge lower transaction fees, which could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations. If we are unable to compete with such companies and meet the need for innovation in our industry, the demand for our marketplace could stagnate or substantially decline, we could experience reduced revenues or our marketplace could fail to achieve or maintain more widespread market acceptance, any of which could harm our business and results of operations.
Credit and other information that we receive from third parties about a borrower may be inaccurate or may not accurately reflect the borrowers creditworthiness, which may compromise the accuracy of our credit assessment.
For the purpose of credit assessment, we obtain borrower credit information from third parties, such as financial institutions and e-commerce providers such as Alibaba Cloud, and assess applicants credit based on such credit information. A credit score assigned to a borrower may not reflect that particular borrowers actual creditworthiness because the credit score may be based on outdated, incomplete or inaccurate consumer reporting data. In addition, we currently do not have a comprehensive way to determine whether borrowers have obtained loans through other consumer finance marketplaces, creating the risk whereby a borrower may borrow money through our platform in order to pay off loans to lenders on other platforms. Additionally, there is a risk that, following our obtaining a borrowers credit information, the borrower may have:
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become delinquent in the payment of an outstanding obligation;
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defaulted on a pre-existing debt obligation;
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taken on additional debt; or
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sustained other adverse financial events.
Such inaccurate or incomplete borrower credit information could compromise the accuracy of our credit assessment and adversely affect the effectiveness of our control over our default rates, which could in turn harm our reputation and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, under the PRC Contract Law, if we fail to provide material information to lenders, or if we fail to identify false information received from borrowers or others and in turn provide such information to lenders, and in either case if we are also found to be at fault due to failure or deemed failure to exercise proper care, we could be held liable for damages caused to lenders as an intermediary pursuant to the PRC Contract Law. In addition, if we fail to complete our obligations under the agreements entered into with lenders and borrowers, we could also be held liable for damages caused to borrowers or lenders.
We may continue to incur net losses in the future.
We had net income of $0.16 million in 2016, the first year of our operations while we incurred net losses of $0.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017. We cannot assure you that we will be able to generate net income or will have retained earnings in the future. We anticipate that our operating expenses will increase in the foreseeable future as we seek to continue to grow our business, attract borrowers, lenders and partners and further enhance and develop our loan products and platform. These efforts may prove more expensive than we currently anticipate, and we may not succeed in increasing our revenue sufficiently to offset these higher expenses. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, we may incur additional net losses in the future and may not be able to maintain profitability on a quarterly or annual basis.
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Our quarterly results may fluctuate significantly and may not fully reflect the underlying performance of our business.
Our quarterly results of operations, including the levels of our net revenues, expenses, net (loss)/income and other key metrics, may vary significantly in the future due to a variety of factors, some of which are outside of our control, and period-to-period comparisons of our operating results may not be meaningful, especially given our limited operating history. Accordingly, the results for any one quarter are not necessarily an indication of future performance. Fluctuations in quarterly results may adversely affect the market price of our ordinary shares. Factors that may cause fluctuations in our quarterly financial results include:
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our ability to attract new borrowers and lenders and retain existing borrowers and lenders;
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loan volumes and the channels through which borrowers and lenders are sourced, including the relative mix of online and offline channels;
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changes in risk reserve liability related to changes in provisional expenses for expected default and payouts;
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changes in our product mix and introduction of new loan products;
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the amount and timing of operating expenses related to facilitating loans for new borrowers and lenders and the maintenance and expansion of our business, operations and infrastructure;
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our decision to manage loan volume growth during the period;
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network outages or security breaches;
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general economic, industry and market conditions; and
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the timing of expenses related to the development or acquisition of technologies or businesses.
Fraudulent activity on our marketplace could negatively impact our operating results, brand and reputation and cause the use of our loan products and services to decrease.
We are subject to the risk of fraudulent activity both on our marketplace and associated with borrowers, lenders and third parties handling borrower and lender information. Our resources, technologies and fraud detection tools may be insufficient to accurately detect and prevent fraud. Increases in fraudulent activity, either on our marketplace or associated with participants of our marketplace, could negatively impact our brand and reputation, reduce the volume of loan transactions facilitated through our platform and lead us to take additional steps to reduce fraud risk, which could increase our costs. High profile fraudulent activity could even lead to regulatory intervention, and may divert our managements attention and cause us to incur additional expenses and costs. Although we have not experienced any material business or reputational harm as a result of fraudulent activities in the past, we cannot rule out the possibility that any of the foregoing may occur causing harm to our business or reputation in the future. If any of the foregoing were to occur, our results of operations and financial conditions could be materially and adversely affected.
Despite our marketing efforts, we may not be able to promote and maintain our brand in an effective and cost-efficient way and our business and results of operations may be harmed accordingly.
We believe that developing and maintaining awareness of our brand effectively is critical to attracting new and retaining existing borrowers and lenders to our marketplace. Successful promotion of our brand and our ability to attract qualified borrowers and sufficient lenders depend largely on the effectiveness of our marketing efforts and the success of the channels we use to promote our marketplace. As such, we have entered into marketing and promotion agreements with a network of advertising agencies in various regions in the PRC to promote our products and platform. Our efforts to build our brand have caused us to incur marketing and advertising expenses in the amount of approximately $759,000 in 2016 in connection with lender acquisition. Despite our marketing efforts, it is likely that our future marketing efforts will require us to incur significant additional expenses. These efforts may not result in increased revenues in the immediate future or at all and, even if they do, any increases in revenues may not offset the expenses incurred. If we fail to successfully promote and maintain our brand while incurring substantial expenses, our results of operations and financial condition would be adversely affected, which may impair our ability to grow our business.
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Our brand or reputation and the reputation of the online consumer finance marketplace industry may materially and adversely affected by factors outside of our control.
Enhancing the recognition and reputation of our brand is critical to our business and competitiveness. Factors that are vital to this objective include but are not limited to our ability to:
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maintain the quality and reliability of our platform;
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provide borrowers and lenders with a superior experience in our marketplace;
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maintain accurate credit assessment tools and decision-making models;
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effectively manage and resolve borrower and lender complaints; and
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effectively protect personal information and privacy of borrowers and lenders.
Any malicious or innocent negative allegation made by the media or other parties about the foregoing or other aspects of our company, including but not limited to our management, business, compliance with law, financial conditions or prospects, whether with merit or not, could severely hurt our reputation and harm our business and operating results. In addition, the market for Chinas online consumer finance marketplaces is new and the regulatory framework for this market is also evolving, negative publicity about this industry may arise from time to time. Negative publicity about Chinas online consumer finance marketplace industry in general may also have a negative impact on our reputation, regardless of whether we have engaged in any inappropriate activities.
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Certain factors that may adversely affect our reputation are beyond our control. Negative publicity about our partners, outsourced service providers or other counterparties, such as negative publicity about their debt collection practices and any failure by them to adequately protect the information of borrowers and lenders, to comply with applicable laws and regulations or to otherwise meet required quality and service standards could harm our reputation. Furthermore, any negative development in the online consumer finance marketplace industry, such as bankruptcies or failures of other consumer finance marketplaces, and especially a large number of such bankruptcies or failures, or negative perception of the industry as a whole, such as that arises from any failure of other consumer finance marketplaces to detect or prevent money laundering or other illegal activities, even if factually incorrect or based on isolated incidents, could compromise our image, undermine the trust and credibility we have established and impose a negative impact on our ability to attract new borrowers and lenders. Negative developments in the online consumer finance marketplace industry, such as widespread borrower defaults, fraudulent behavior and/or the closure of other online consumer finance marketplaces, may also lead to tightened regulatory scrutiny of the sector and limit the scope of permissible business activities that may be conducted by online consumer finance marketplaces like us. If any of the foregoing takes place, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Successful strategic relationships with traditional lending and guarantee institutions are important for our future success.
We anticipate that we will continue to leverage our existing strategic relationships with traditional lending and guarantee institutions to grow our business while we will also pursue new relationships with additional partners. Identifying, negotiating and documenting relationships with partners requires significant time and resources as does integrating third-party data and services into our system. Our current agreements with traditional lending and guarantee institutions do not prohibit them from working with our competitors or from offering competing services. Our competitors may be effective in providing incentives to such entities to favor their products or services, which may in turn reduce the volume of loans facilitated through our marketplace. In addition, partners may not perform as expected under our agreements with them, and we may have disagreements or disputes with such partners, which could adversely affect our brand and reputation. If we cannot successfully enter into and maintain effective strategic relationships with business partners, our business will be harmed.
If borrowers default on loans, lenders on our marketplace might not be able to collect principal and accrued interest.
We currently facilitate loans exclusively to borrowers that provide an automobile as security to lenders, and in many instances third-party institutions provide a guarantee to lenders as additional security. We require that the size of each loan be no more than 70% of the value of the collateral of such loan. Because no loans facilitated through our platform have defaulted to date, neither our collateralization standards nor our collection efforts have been tested in practice. A borrowers ability to repay us can be negatively impacted by increases in such borrowers payment obligations to other lenders under mortgage, credit card and other loans, including student loans and home equity lines of credit. These changes can result from increases in base lending rates or structured increases in payment obligations and could reduce the ability of our borrowers to meet their payment obligations. Lenders on our marketplace therefore are limited in their ability to collect on the loans if a borrower is unwilling or unable to repay. Given such risks, our marketplace might be less attractive to existing and potential lenders, and as a results, our operating results might be adversely affected. Given such risks, our marketplace might be less attractive to existing and potential lenders, and as a results, our operating results might be adversely affected.
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We are not obligated to repay lenders in the event of a defaulted loan, which may not be desirable to lenders.
Some of our competitors are obligated to repay lenders in the event that loans facilitated through their platform have defaulted and such competitors have set up risk reserve funds for such purpose. As such, these companies allow lenders to recover up to 100% of the outstanding principal and accrued interest upon loan defaults. According to the P2P Measures, online P2P lending marketplaces generally do not undertake the risk of lending contract breach and thus are not obligated by law to reimburse lenders for loan defaults. The fact that we do not allow lenders to recover 100% of the outstanding principal and accrued interest from us upon loan defaults, and do not have a related risk reserve fund, may not be desirable to lenders. A failure to attract lenders to our platform can cause a material adverse impact on our competitive position and results of operations.
Misconduct, errors and failure to function by our employees and third-party service providers could harm our business and reputation.
We are exposed to many types of operational risks, including the risk of misconduct and errors by our employees and third-party service providers. Our business depends on our employees and third-party service providers to interact with potential borrowers and lenders, process large numbers of transactions and support the loan collection process. We could be materially adversely affected if transactions were redirected, misappropriated or otherwise improperly executed. It is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct or errors by employees or third-party service providers, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses. If any of our employees or third-party service providers take, convert or misuse funds, documents or data or fail to follow protocol when interacting with borrowers and lenders, we could be liable for damages and subject to regulatory actions and penalties. We could also be perceived to have facilitated or participated in the illegal misappropriation of funds, documents or data, or the failure to follow protocol, and therefore be subject to civil or criminal liability.
Furthermore, as we rely on certain third-party service providers, such as third-party payment platforms and custody and settlement service providers, to conduct our business, if these third-party service providers failed to function properly, we cannot assure you that we would be able to find an alternative in a timely and cost-efficient manner or at all. Any of these occurrences could result in our diminished ability to operate our business, potential liability to borrowers and lenders, inability to attract borrowers and lenders, reputational damage, regulatory intervention and financial harm, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Fluctuations in interest rates could negatively affect transaction volume.
All loans facilitated through our marketplace are issued with fixed interest rates. If interest rates rise, lenders who have already invested in a loan at a fixed rate through our platform may lose the opportunity to take advantage of the higher rates. If interest rates decrease after a loan is made, borrowers through our platform may prepay their loans to take advantage of the lower rates. As a result, fluctuations in the interest rate environment may discourage lenders and borrowers from participating in our marketplace, which may adversely affect our business.
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Our ability to protect the confidential information of our borrowers and lenders may be adversely affected by cyber-attacks, computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins or similar disruptions.
Our platform collects, stores and processes certain personal and other sensitive data from our borrowers and lenders, which makes it an attractive target and potentially vulnerable to cyber attacks, computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins or similar disruptions. While we have taken steps to protect the confidential information that we have access to, our security measures could be breached. Because techniques used to sabotage or obtain unauthorized access to systems change frequently and generally are not recognized until they are launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. Any accidental or willful security breaches or other unauthorized access to our platform could cause confidential borrower and lender information to be stolen and used for criminal purposes. Security breaches or unauthorized access to confidential information could also expose us to liability related to the loss of the information, time-consuming and expensive litigation and negative publicity. If security measures are breached because of third-party action, employee error, malfeasance or otherwise, or if design flaws in our technology infrastructure are exposed and exploited, our relationships with borrowers and lenders could be severely damaged, we could incur significant liability and our business and operations could be adversely affected.
Our operations depend on the performance of the internet infrastructure and fixed telecommunications networks in China.
Almost all access to the internet in China is maintained through state-owned telecommunication operators under the administrative control and regulatory supervision of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or the MIIT. We primarily rely on a limited number of telecommunication service providers to provide us with data communications capacity through local telecommunications lines and internet data centers to host our servers. We have limited access to alternative networks or services in the event of disruptions, failures or other problems with Chinas internet infrastructure or the fixed telecommunications networks provided by telecommunication service providers. With the expansion of our business, we may be required to upgrade our technology and infrastructure to keep up with the increasing traffic on our platform. We cannot assure you that the internet infrastructure and the fixed telecommunications networks in China will be able to support the demands associated with the continued growth in internet usage.
In addition, we have no control over the costs of the services provided by telecommunication service providers. If the prices we pay for telecommunications and internet services rise significantly, our results of operations may be adversely affected. Furthermore, if internet access fees or other charges to internet users increase, our user traffic may decline and our business may be harmed.
Any significant disruption in service on our platform or in our computer systems, including events beyond our control, could prevent us from processing or posting loans on our marketplace, reduce the attractiveness of our marketplace and result in a loss of borrowers or lenders.
In the event of a platform outage and physical data loss, our ability to perform our servicing obligations, process applications or make loans available on our marketplace would be materially and adversely affected. The satisfactory performance, reliability and availability of our platform and our underlying network infrastructure are critical to our operations, customer service, reputation and our ability to retain existing and attract new borrowers and lenders. Much of our system hardware is hosted in a leased facility located in Shanghai that is operated by our IT staff. We also maintain a real-time backup system at a separate facility also located in Shanghai. Our operations depend on our ability to protect our systems against damage or interruption from natural disasters, power or telecommunications failures, air quality issues, environmental conditions, computer viruses or attempts to harm our systems, criminal acts and similar events. If there is a lapse in service or damage to our leased Shanghai facilities, we could experience interruptions in our service as well as delays and additional expense in arranging new facilities.
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Any interruptions or delays in our service, whether as a result of third-party errors, our errors, natural disasters or security breaches, whether accidental or willful, could harm our relationships with our borrowers and lenders and our reputation. Additionally, in the event of damage or interruption, our insurance policies may not adequately compensate us for any losses that we may incur. Our disaster recovery plan has not been tested under actual disaster conditions, and we may not have sufficient capacity to recover all data and services in the event of an outage. These factors could prevent us from processing or posting payments on loans, damage our brand and reputation, divert our employees attention, subject us to liability and cause borrowers and lenders to abandon our marketplace, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our platform and internal systems rely on software that is highly technical, and if it contains undetected errors, our business could be adversely affected.
Our platform and internal systems rely on software that is highly technical and complex. In addition, our platform and internal systems depend on the ability of such software to store, retrieve, process and manage immense amounts of data. The software on which we rely has contained, and may now or in the future contain, undetected errors or bugs. Some errors may only be discovered after the code has been released for external or internal use. Errors or other design defects within the software on which we rely may result in a negative experience for borrowers and lenders using our platform, delay introductions of new features or enhancements, result in errors or compromise our ability to protect borrower or lender data or our intellectual property. Any errors, bugs or defects discovered in the software on which we rely could result in harm to our reputation, loss of borrowers or lenders or liability for damages, any of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial conditions.
We may not be able to prevent others from unauthorized use of our intellectual property, which could harm our business and competitive position.
We regard our trademarks, domain names, know-how, proprietary technologies and similar intellectual property as critical to our success, and we rely on a combination of intellectual property laws and contractual arrangements, including confidentiality and non-compete agreements with our employees and others to protect our proprietary rights. See BusinessIntellectual Property and RegulationRegulation on Intellectual Property Rights. Thus, we cannot assure you that any of our intellectual property rights would not be challenged, invalidated, circumvented or misappropriated, or such intellectual property will be sufficient to provide us with competitive advantages. In addition, because of the rapid pace of technological change in our industry, parts of our business rely on technologies developed or licensed by third parties, and we may not be able to obtain or continue to obtain licenses and technologies from these third parties on reasonable terms, or at all.
It is often difficult to register, maintain and enforce intellectual property rights in China. Statutory laws and regulations are subject to judicial interpretation and enforcement and may not be applied consistently due to the lack of clear guidance on statutory interpretation. Confidentiality, invention assignment and non-compete agreements may be breached by counterparties, and there may not be adequate remedies available to us for any such breach. Accordingly, we may not be able to effectively protect our intellectual property rights or to enforce our contractual rights in China. Preventing any unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult and costly and the steps we take may be inadequate to prevent the misappropriation of our intellectual property. In the event that we resort to litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights, such litigation could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our managerial and financial resources. We can provide no assurance that we will prevail in such litigation. In addition, our trade secrets may be leaked or otherwise become available to, or be independently discovered by, our competitors. To the extent that our employees or consultants use intellectual property owned by others in their work for us, disputes may arise as to the rights in related know-how and inventions. Any failure in protecting or enforcing our intellectual property rights could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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We may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims, which may be expensive to defend and may disrupt our business and operations.
We cannot be certain that our operations or any aspects of our business do not or will not infringe upon or otherwise violate trademarks, patents, copyrights, know-how or other intellectual property rights held by third parties. We may be from time to time in the future subject to legal proceedings and claims relating to the intellectual property rights of others. In addition, there may be third-party trademarks, patents, copyrights, know-how or other intellectual property rights that are infringed by our products, services or other aspects of our business without our awareness. Holders of such intellectual property rights may seek to enforce such intellectual property rights against us in China, the United States or other jurisdictions. If any third-party infringement claims are brought against us, we may be forced to divert managements time and other resources from our business and operations to defend against these claims, regardless of their merits.
Additionally, the application and interpretation of Chinas intellectual property right laws and the procedures and standards for granting trademarks, patents, copyrights, know-how or other intellectual property rights in China are still evolving and are uncertain, and we cannot assure you that PRC courts or regulatory authorities would agree with our analysis. If we were found to have violated the intellectual property rights of others, we may be subject to liability for our infringement activities or may be prohibited from using such intellectual property, and we may incur licensing fees or be forced to develop alternatives of our own. As a result, our business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
From time to time we may evaluate and potentially consummate strategic investments or acquisitions, which could require significant management attention, disrupt our business and adversely affect our financial results.
We may evaluate and consider strategic investments, combinations, acquisitions or alliances to further increase the value of our marketplace and better serve borrowers and lenders. These transactions could be material to our financial condition and results of operations if consummated. If we are able to identify an appropriate business opportunity, we may not be able to successfully consummate the transaction and, even if we do consummate such a transaction, we may be unable to obtain the benefits or avoid the difficulties and risks of such transaction.
Strategic investments or acquisitions will involve risks commonly encountered in business relationships, including:
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difficulties in assimilating and integrating the operations, personnel, systems, data, technologies, products and services of the acquired business;
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inability of the acquired technologies, products or businesses to achieve expected levels of revenue, profitability, productivity or other benefits;
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difficulties in retaining, training, motivating and integrating key personnel;
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diversion of managements time and resources from our normal daily operations;
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difficulties in successfully incorporating licensed or acquired technology and rights into our platform and loan products;
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difficulties in maintaining uniform standards, controls, procedures and policies within the combined organizations;
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difficulties in retaining relationships with customers, employees and suppliers of the acquired business;
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risks of entering markets in which we have limited or no prior experience;
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regulatory risks, including remaining in good standing with existing regulatory bodies or receiving any necessary pre-closing or post-closing approvals, as well as being subject to new regulators with oversight over an acquired business;
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assumption of contractual obligations that contain terms that are not beneficial to us, require us to license or waive intellectual property rights or increase our risk for liability;
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failure to successfully further develop the acquired technology;
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liability for activities of the acquired business before the acquisition, including intellectual property infringement claims, violations of laws, commercial disputes, tax liabilities and other known and unknown liabilities;
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potential disruptions to our ongoing businesses; and
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unexpected costs and unknown risks and liabilities associated with strategic investments or acquisitions.
We may not make any investments or acquisitions, or any future investments or acquisitions may not be successful, may not benefit our business strategy, may not generate sufficient revenues to offset the associated acquisition costs or may not otherwise result in the intended benefits. In addition, we cannot assure you that any future investment in or acquisition of new businesses or technology will lead to the successful development of new or enhanced loan products and services or that any new or enhanced loan products and services, if developed, will achieve market acceptance or prove to be profitable.
Our business depends on the continued efforts of our senior management. If one or more of our key executives were unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, our business may be severely disrupted.
Our business operations depend on the continued services of our senior management, particularly the executive officers named in this prospectus. While we have the ability to provide different incentives to our management, we cannot assure you that we can continue to retain their services. If one or more of our key executives were unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, we may not be able to replace them easily or at all, our future growth may be constrained, our business may be severely disrupted and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected, and we may incur additional expenses to recruit, train and retain qualified personnel. In addition, although we have entered into confidentiality and non-competition agreements with our management, there is no assurance that any member of our management team will not join our competitors or form a competing business. If any dispute arises between our current or former officers and us, we may have to incur substantial costs and expenses in order to enforce such agreements in China or we may be unable to enforce them at all.
Competition for employees is intense, and we may not be able to attract and retain the qualified and skilled employees needed to support our business.
We believe our success depends on the efforts and talent of our employees, including risk management, software engineering, financial and marketing personnel. Our future success depends on our continued ability to attract, develop, motivate and retain qualified and skilled employees. Competition for highly skilled technical, risk management and financial personnel is extremely intense. We may not be able to hire and retain these personnel at compensation levels consistent with our existing compensation and salary structure. Some of the companies with which we compete for experienced employees have greater resources than we have and may be able to offer more attractive terms of employment.
In addition, we invest significant time and expenses in training our employees, which increases their value to competitors who may seek to recruit them. If we fail to retain our employees, we could incur significant expenses in hiring and training their replacements, and the quality of our services and our ability to serve borrowers and lenders could diminish, resulting in a material adverse effect to our business.
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Increases in labor costs in the PRC may adversely affect our business and results of operations.
The economy in China has experienced increases in inflation and labor costs in recent years. As a result, average wages in the PRC are expected to continue to increase. In addition, we are required by PRC laws and regulations to pay various statutory employee benefits, including pension, housing fund, medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance to designated government agencies for the benefit of our employees. The relevant government agencies may examine whether an employer has made adequate payments to the statutory employee benefits, and those employers who fail to make adequate payments may be subject to late payment fees, fines and/or other penalties. We expect that our labor costs, including wages and employee benefits, will continue to increase. Unless we are able to control our labor costs or pass on these increased labor costs to our users by increasing the fees of our services, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
If we cannot maintain our corporate culture as we grow, we could lose the innovation, collaboration and focus that contribute to our business.
We believe that a critical component of our success is our corporate culture, which we believe fosters innovation, encourages teamwork and cultivates creativity. As we develop the infrastructure of a public company and continue to grow, we may find it difficult to maintain these valuable aspects of our corporate culture. Any failure to preserve our culture could negatively impact our future success, including our ability to attract and retain employees, encourage innovation and teamwork and effectively focus on and pursue our corporate objectives.
We do not have any business insurance coverage.
Insurance companies in China currently do not offer as extensive an array of insurance products as insurance companies in more developed economies. Currently, we do not have any business liability or disruption insurance to cover our operations. We have determined that the costs of insuring for these risks and the difficulties associated with acquiring such insurance on commercially reasonable terms make it impractical for us to have such insurance. Any uninsured business disruptions may result in our incurring substantial costs and the diversion of resources, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure
If the PRC government deems that the contractual arrangements in relation to our consolidated variable interest entities do not comply with PRC regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.
Foreign ownership of internet-based businesses, such as distribution of online information, is subject to restrictions under current PRC laws and regulations. For example, foreign investors are not allowed to own more than 50% of the equity interests in a value-added telecommunication service provider (except e-commerce) and any such foreign investor must have experience in providing value-added telecommunications services overseas and maintain a good track record in accordance with the Guidance Catalog of Industries for Foreign Investment promulgated in 2007, as amended in 2011 and in 2015, respectively, and other applicable laws and regulations.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and our PRC subsidiary is considered a foreign invested enterprise. To comply with PRC laws and regulations, we conduct our operations in China through a series of contractual arrangements entered into among WFOE, our VIEs and the shareholders of our VIEs. As a result of these contractual arrangements, we exert control over our VIEs and consolidate their operating results in our financial statements under U.S. GAAP. For a detailed description of these contractual arrangements, see Corporate History and Structure.
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In the opinion of our PRC counsel, Allbright Law Offices, our current ownership structure, the ownership structure of our PRC subsidiary and our consolidated VIEs, and the contractual arrangements among WFOE, our VIEs and the shareholders of our VIEs are not in violation of existing PRC laws, rules and regulations; and these contractual arrangements are valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with their terms and applicable PRC laws and regulations currently in effect. However, Allbright Law Offices has also advised us that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current or future PRC laws and regulations and there can be no assurance that the PRC government will ultimately take a view that is consistent with the opinion of our PRC counsel.
It is uncertain whether any new PRC laws, rules or regulations relating to variable interest entity structures will be adopted or if adopted, what they would provide. In particular, in January 2015, the Ministry of Commerce, or MOFCOM, published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law for public review and comments. Among other things, the draft Foreign Investment Law expands the definition of foreign investment and introduces the principle of actual control in determining whether a company is considered a foreign-invested enterprise, or an FIE. Under the draft Foreign Investment Law, variable interest entities would also be deemed as FIEs, if they are ultimately controlled by foreign investors, and be subject to restrictions on foreign investments. However, the draft law has not taken a position on what actions will be taken with respect to the existing companies with the variable interest entity structure, whether or not these companies are controlled by Chinese parties. It is uncertain when the draft would be signed into law and whether the final version would have any substantial changes from the draft. See RegulationRegulations Relating to Foreign InvestmentThe Draft PRC Foreign Investment Law and Risk FactorsSubstantial uncertainties exist with respect to the enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation of draft PRC Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations. If the ownership structure, contractual arrangements and business of our company, our PRC subsidiary or our consolidated variable interest entities are found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or we fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant governmental authorities would have broad discretion in dealing with such violation, including levying fines, confiscating our income or the income of our PRC subsidiary or consolidated variable interest entity, revoking the business licenses or operating licenses of our PRC subsidiary or consolidated variable interest entity, shutting down our servers or blocking our online platform, discontinuing or placing restrictions or onerous conditions on our operations, requiring us to undergo a costly and disruptive restructuring, restricting or prohibiting our use of proceeds from this offering to finance our business and operations in China, and taking other regulatory or enforcement actions that could be harmful to our business. Any of these actions could cause significant disruption to our business operations and severely damage our reputation, which would in turn materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If any of these occurrences results in our inability to direct the activities of our consolidated variable interest entities, and/or our failure to receive economic benefits from our consolidated variable interest entities, we may not be able to consolidate its results into our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
We rely on contractual arrangements with our VIEs and the shareholders of our VIEs for our business operations, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control.
We have relied and expect to continue to rely on contractual arrangements with Dianniu and Dianniu Participating shareholders to operate our platform. We intend to rely on contractual arrangements with Baoxun and Baoxun Shareholders to engage in design and production of online advertisement and marketing survey services for online marketplace in the future. For a description of these contractual arrangements, see Corporate History and Structure. These contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over our consolidated variable interest entities. For example, our consolidated variable interest entities and their shareholders could breach their contractual arrangements with us by, among other things, failing to conduct their operations, including maintaining our website and using the domain names and trademarks, in an acceptable manner or taking other actions that are detrimental to our interests.
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If we had direct ownership of our VIEs, we would be able to exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the board of directors of our VIEs, which in turn could implement changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at the management and operational level. However, under the current contractual arrangements, we rely on the performance by our consolidated variable interest entities and their shareholders of their obligations under the contracts to exercise control over our consolidated variable interest entities. The shareholders of our consolidated variable interest entities may not act in the best interests of our company or may not perform their obligations under these contracts. Such risks exist throughout the period in which we intend to operate our business through the contractual arrangements with our consolidated variable interest entities. Although we have the right to replace any shareholder of our consolidated variable interest entities under the contractual arrangement, if any shareholder of our consolidated variable interest entities is uncooperative or any dispute relating to these contracts remains unresolved, we will have to enforce our rights under these contracts through the operations of PRC laws and arbitration, litigation and other legal proceedings and therefore will be subject to uncertainties in the PRC legal system. See Any failure by our consolidated variable interest entities or its shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material adverse effect on our business. Therefore, our contractual arrangements with our consolidated variable interest entities may not be as effective in ensuring our control over the relevant portion of our business operations as direct ownership would be.
Any failure by our consolidated VIEs or their shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material adverse effect on our business.
If our consolidated VIEs or their shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under the contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend additional resources to enforce such arrangements. We may also have to rely on legal remedies under PRC laws, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief, and claiming damages, which we cannot assure you will be effective under PRC laws. For example, if the shareholders of our VIEs were to refuse to transfer their equity interest in the VIEs to us or our designee if we exercise the purchase option pursuant to these contractual arrangements, or if they were otherwise to act in bad faith toward us, then we may have to take legal actions to compel them to perform their contractual obligations.
All the agreements under our contractual arrangements are governed by PRC laws and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in China. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC laws and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal system in the PRC is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. Meanwhile, there are very few precedents and little formal guidance as to how contractual arrangements in the context of a consolidated variable interest entity should be interpreted or enforced under PRC laws. There remain significant uncertainties regarding the ultimate outcome of such arbitration should legal action become necessary. In addition, under PRC laws, rulings by arbitrators are final and parties cannot appeal arbitration results in court unless such rulings are revoked or determined unenforceable by a competent court. If the losing parties fail to carry out the arbitration awards within a prescribed time limit, the prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards in PRC courts through arbitration award recognition proceedings, which would require additional expenses and delay. In the event that we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, or if we suffer significant delay or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to exert effective control over our consolidated variable interest entities, and our ability to conduct our business may be negatively affected. See Risks Related to Doing Business in ChinaUncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of Chinese laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to you and us.
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The shareholders of our consolidated VIEs may have potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.
The equity interests of Dianniu are held by Erxin Zeng, Xiaohui Liu and Qian Lai Qian Wang (Shanghai) Equity Investment Fund Management Co., Ltd. and the equity interests of Baoxun are held by Erxin Zeng and Xiaohui Liu. Their interests in Dianniu and Baoxun may differ from the interests of our company as a whole. These shareholders may breach, or cause our consolidated variable interest entities to breach, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and our consolidated variable interest entities, which would have a material adverse effect on our ability to effectively control our consolidated variable interest entities and receive economic benefits from it. For example, the shareholders may be able to cause our agreements with Dianniu and/or Baoxun to be performed in a manner adverse to us by, among other things, failing to remit payments due under the contractual arrangements to us on a timely basis. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise, any or all of these shareholders will act in the best interests of our company or such conflicts will be resolved in our favor.
Currently, we do not have any arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest between these shareholders and our company, except that we could exercise our purchase option under the exclusive option agreements with these shareholders to request them to transfer all of their equity interests in Dianniu and/or Baoxun to a PRC entity or individual designated by us, to the extent permitted by PRC laws. If we cannot resolve any conflict of interest or dispute between us and the shareholders of Dianniu and/or Banxun, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in the disruption of our business and subject us to substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.
Contractual arrangements in relation to our consolidated variable interest entities may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities and they may determine that we or our PRC consolidated variable interest entities owe additional taxes, which could negatively affect our financial condition and the value of your investment.
Under applicable PRC laws and regulations, arrangements and transactions among related parties may be subject to audit or challenge by the PRC tax authorities within ten years after the taxable year when the transactions are conducted. The PRC enterprise income tax law requires every enterprise in China to submit its annual enterprise income tax return together with a report on transactions with its related parties to the relevant tax authorities. The tax authorities may impose reasonable adjustments on taxation if they have identified any related party transactions that are inconsistent with arms length principles. We may face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that the contractual arrangements between WFOE, our wholly-owned subsidiary in China, our consolidated VIEs in China, and the shareholders of our VIEs were not entered into on an arms length basis in such a way as to result in an impermissible reduction in taxes under applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, and adjust our VIEs income in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could, among other things, result in a reduction of expense deductions recorded by our VIEs for PRC tax purposes, which could in turn increase its tax liabilities without reducing WFOEs tax expenses. In addition, if WFOE requests the shareholders of our VIEs to transfer their equity interests in the VIEs at nominal or no value pursuant to these contractual arrangements, such transfer could be viewed as a gift and subject our VIEs to PRC income tax. Furthermore, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment fees and other penalties on our VIEs for the adjusted but unpaid taxes according to the applicable regulations. Our financial position could be materially and adversely affected if our consolidated variable interest entities tax liabilities increase or if it is required to pay late payment fees and other penalties.
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We may lose the ability to use and enjoy assets held by our consolidated VIEs that are material to the operation of our business if the entities goes bankrupt or becomes subject to a dissolution or liquidation proceeding.
Our consolidated VIEs holds certain assets that are material to the operation of our business, including domain names and equipment for online lending marketplace. Under the contractual arrangements, our consolidated VIEs may not and their shareholders may not cause it to, in any manner, sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of their assets or their legal or beneficial interests in the business without our prior consent. However, in the event our consolidated VIEs shareholders breach the these contractual arrangements and voluntarily liquidate our consolidated VIEs or our consolidated VIEs declare bankruptcy and all or part of their assets become subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors, or are otherwise disposed of without our consent, we may be unable to continue some or all of our business activities, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If our consolidated VIEs undergo a voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceeding, independent third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of these assets, thereby hindering our ability to operate our business, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Doing Business in China
Changes in Chinas economic, political or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
All of our operations are located in China. Accordingly, our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations may be influenced to a significant degree by political, economic and social conditions in China generally and by continued economic growth in China as a whole.
The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the amount of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. Although the Chinese government has implemented measures emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduction of state ownership of productive assets and the establishment of improved corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of productive assets in China is still owned by the government. In addition, the Chinese government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The Chinese government also exercises significant control over Chinas economic growth through allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy, and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.
While the Chinese economy has experienced significant growth over the past decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. The Chinese government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures may benefit the overall Chinese economy, but may have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations. In addition, in the past the Chinese government has implemented certain measures, including interest rate increases, to control the pace of economic growth. These measures may cause decreased economic activity in China, and since 2012, Chinas economic growth has slowed down. Any prolonged slowdown in the Chinese economy may reduce the demand for our products and services and materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of Chinese laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to us.
The PRC legal system is based on written statutes and prior court decisions have limited value as precedents. Since these laws and regulations are relatively new and the PRC legal system continues to rapidly evolve, the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules are not always uniform and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involves uncertainties.
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In particular, PRC laws and regulations concerning the peer-to-peer lending service industry are developing and evolving. Although we have taken measures to comply with the laws and regulations that are applicable to our business operations, including the regulatory principles raised by the CBRC, and avoid conducting any activities that may be deemed as illegal fund-raising, forming capital pool or providing guarantees to lenders under the current applicable laws and regulations, the PRC government authority may promulgate new laws and regulations regulating the peer-to-peer lending service industry in the future. We cannot assure you that our practices would not be deemed to violate any PRC laws or regulations relating to illegal fund-raising, forming capital pools or the provision of credit enhancement services. Moreover, developments in the peer-to-peer lending service industry may lead to changes in PRC laws, regulations and policies or in the interpretation and application of existing laws, regulations and policies that may limit or restrict online consumer finance marketplaces like us, which could materially and adversely affect our business and operations. Furthermore, we cannot rule out the possibility that the PRC government will institute a licensing regime covering our industry at some point in the future. If such a licensing regime were introduced, we cannot assure you that we would be able to obtain any newly required license in a timely manner, or at all, which could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.
From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. However, since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules (some of which are not published in a timely manner or at all) that may have retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Such uncertainties, including uncertainty over the scope and effect of our contractual, property (including intellectual property) and procedural rights, could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.
Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation of draft PRC Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations.
The MOFCOM published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law in January 2015 aiming to, upon its enactment, replace the trio of existing laws regulating foreign investment in China, namely, the Sino-foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law and the Wholly Foreign-invested Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations. The draft Foreign Investment Law embodies an expected PRC regulatory trend to rationalize its foreign investment regulatory regime in line with prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic investments. The MOFCOM is currently soliciting comments on this draft and substantial uncertainties exist with respect to its enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation. The draft Foreign Investment Law, if enacted as proposed, may materially impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations in many aspects.
Among other things, the draft Foreign Investment Law expands the definition of foreign investment and introduces the principle of actual control in determining whether a company is considered a foreign-invested enterprise, or an FIE. The draft Foreign Investment Law specifically provides that entities established in China but controlled by foreign investors will be treated as FIEs. Once an entity is considered to be an FIE, it may be subject to the foreign investment restrictions or prohibitions set forth in a negative list to be separately issued by the State Council later. If an FIE proposes to conduct business in an industry subject to foreign investment restrictions in the negative list, the FIE must go through a market entry clearance by the MOFCOM before being established. If an FIE proposes to conduct business in an industry subject to foreign investment prohibitions in the negative list, it must not engage in the business. However, an FIE that is subject to foreign investment restrictions, upon market entry clearance, may apply in writing for being treated as a PRC domestic investment if it is ultimately controlled by PRC government authorities and its affiliates and/or PRC citizens. In this connection, control is
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broadly defined in the draft law to cover the following summarized categories: (i) holding 50% or more of the voting rights of the subject entity; (ii) holding less than 50% of the voting rights of the subject entity but having the power to secure at least 50% of the seats on the board or other equivalent decision making bodies, or having the voting power to exert material influence on the board, the shareholders meeting or other equivalent decision making bodies; or (iii) having the power to exert decisive influence, via contractual or trust arrangements, over the subject entitys operations, financial matters or other key aspects of business operations. Once an entity is determined to be an FIE, it will be subject to the foreign investment restrictions or prohibitions set forth in a negative list, to be separately issued by the State Council at a later date, if the FIE is engaged in an industry listed in the negative list. Unless the underlying business of the FIE falls within the negative list, which calls for market entry clearance by the MOFCOM, prior approval from the government authorities as mandated by the existing foreign investment legal regime would no longer be required for establishment of the FIE.
The variable interest entity structure, or VIE structure, has been adopted by many PRC-based companies, including us, to obtain necessary licenses and permits in the industries that are currently subject to foreign investment restrictions in China. See Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure and Our Corporate History and Structure. Under the draft Foreign Investment Law, variable interest entities that are controlled via contractual arrangement would also be deemed as FIEs, if they are ultimately controlled by foreign investors. Therefore, for any companies with a VIE structure in an industry category that is included in the negative list as restricted industry, the VIE structure may be deemed legitimate only if the ultimate controlling person(s) is/are of PRC nationality (either PRC companies or PRC citizens). Conversely, if the actual controlling person(s) is/are of foreign nationalities, then the variable interest entities will be treated as FIEs and any operation in the industry category on the negative list without market entry clearance may be considered as illegal.
The draft Foreign Investment Law has not taken a position on what actions will be taken with respect to the companies currently employing a VIE structure, whether or not these companies are controlled by Chinese parties, while it is soliciting comments from the public on this point. In addition, it is uncertain whether the online consumer finance marketplace industry, in which our variable interest entity operates, will be subject to the foreign investment restrictions or prohibitions set forth in the negative list that is to be issued. If the enacted version of the Foreign Investment Law and the final negative list mandate further actions, such as MOFCOM market entry clearance or certain restructuring of our corporate structure and operations, to be completed by companies with existing VIE structure like us, there may be substantial uncertainties as to whether we can complete these actions in a timely manner, or at all, and our business and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.
The draft Foreign Investment Law, if enacted as proposed, may also materially impact our corporate governance practice and increase our compliance costs. For instance, the draft Foreign Investment Law imposes stringent ad hoc and periodic information reporting requirements on foreign investors and the applicable FIEs. Aside from an investment implementation report and an investment amendment report that are required for each investment and alteration of investment specifics, an annual report is mandatory, and large foreign investors meeting certain criteria are required to report on a quarterly basis. Any company found to be non-compliant with these information reporting obligations may potentially be subject to fines and/or administrative or criminal liabilities, and the persons directly responsible may be subject to criminal liabilities.
We may be adversely affected by the complexity, uncertainties and changes in PRC regulation of internet-related businesses and companies, and any lack of requisite approvals, licenses or permits applicable to our business may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
The PRC government extensively regulates the internet industry, including foreign ownership of, and the licensing and permit requirements pertaining to, companies in the internet industry. These internet-related laws and regulations are relatively new and evolving, and their interpretation and enforcement involve significant uncertainties. As a result, in certain circumstances it may be difficult to determine what actions or omissions may be deemed to be in violation of applicable laws and regulations.
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We only have contractual control over our website. We do not directly own the website due to the restriction of foreign investment in businesses providing value-added telecommunication services in China, including internet information provision services. This may significantly disrupt our business, subject us to sanctions, compromise enforceability of related contractual arrangements, or have other harmful effects on us.
The evolving PRC regulatory system for the internet industry may lead to the establishment of new regulatory agencies. For example, in May 2011, the State Council announced the establishment of a new department, the State Internet Information Office (with the involvement of the State Council Information Office, the MITT, and the Ministry of Public Security). The primary role of this new agency is to facilitate the policy-making and legislative development in this field, to direct and coordinate with the relevant departments in connection with online content administration and to deal with cross-ministry regulatory matters in relation to the internet industry.
Our online marketplace, operated by our consolidated variable interest entity, Dianniu, may be deemed to be providing commercial internet information services, which would require Dianniu to obtain an ICP License. An ICP License is a value-added telecommunications business operating license required for provision of commercial internet information services. Dianniu, our PRC consolidated variable interest entity is in the process of applying for an ICP license as an internet information provider. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain the ICP license in the near future. Given the ambiguity of PRC laws and regulations, we cannot predict the impact of any delay or failure on our financial conditions and results of operations. Furthermore, as we are providing mobile applications to mobile device users, it is uncertain if Dianniu will be required to obtain a separate operating license in addition to the ICP License. Although we believe that not obtaining such separate license is in line with the current market practice, there can be no assurance that we will not be required to apply for an operating license for mobile applications in the future.
The Circular on Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Investment in and Operation of Value-added Telecommunications Business, issued by the MITT in July 2006, prohibits domestic telecommunication service providers from leasing, transferring or selling telecommunications business operating licenses to any foreign investor in any form, or providing any resources, sites or facilities to any foreign investor for their illegal operation of a telecommunications business in China. According to this circular, either the holder of a value-added telecommunication services operation permit or its shareholders must directly own the domain names and trademarks used by such license holders in their provision of value-added telecommunication services. The circular also requires each license holder to have the necessary facilities, including servers, for its approved business operations and to maintain such facilities in the regions covered by its license. Dianniu owns the relevant domain names in connection with our value-added telecommunications business and has the necessary personnel to operate our website. If, after obtaining its ICP license, Dianniu fails to comply with the requirements for ICP license holders and also fails to remedy such non-compliance within a specified period of time, the MITT or its local counterparts have the discretion to take administrative measures against Dianniu, including revoking its ICP License.
The interpretation and application of existing PRC laws, regulations and policies and possible new laws, regulations or policies relating to the internet industry have created substantial uncertainties regarding the legality of existing and future foreign investments in, and the businesses and activities of, internet businesses in China, including our business. We cannot assure you that we have obtained all the permits or licenses required for conducting our business in China or will be able to maintain our existing licenses or obtain new ones. If the PRC government considers that we were operating without the proper approvals, licenses or permits or promulgates new laws and regulations that require additional approvals or licenses or imposes additional restrictions on the operation of any part of our business, it has the power, among other things, to levy fines, confiscate our income, revoke our business licenses, and require us to discontinue our relevant business or impose restrictions on the affected portion of our business. Any of these actions by the PRC government may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
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Any failure by us or our third-party service providers to comply with applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations could damage our reputation
In cooperation with our partners, we have adopted various policies and procedures, such as internal controls and know-your-customer procedures, for anti-money laundering purposes. In addition, we rely on our third-party service providers, in particular the custody banks and payment companies that handle the transfer of funds between borrowers and lenders, to have their own appropriate anti-money laundering policies and procedures. The custody banks and payment companies are subject to anti-money laundering obligations under applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations and are regulated in that respect by the Peoples Bank of China, or the PBOC. If any of our third-party service provides fail to comply with applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations, our reputation could suffer and we could become subject to regulatory intervention, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any negative perception of the industry, such as that arises from any failure of other consumer finance marketplaces to detect or prevent money laundering activities, even if factually incorrect or based on isolated incidents, could compromise our image or undermine the trust and credibility we have established.
The Guidelines (as defined below) jointly released by ten PRC regulatory agencies in July 2015 purport, among other things, to require internet finance service providers, including online peer-to-peer lending platforms, to comply with certain anti-money laundering requirements, including the establishment of a customer identification program, the monitoring and reporting of suspicious transactions, the preservation of customer information and transaction records, and the provision of assistance to the public security department and judicial authority in investigations and proceedings in relation to anti-money laundering matters. The PBOC will formulate implementing rules to further specify the anti-money laundering obligations of internet finance service providers. We cannot assure you that the anti-money laundering policies and procedures we have adopted will be effective in protecting our marketplace from being exploited for money laundering purposes or will be deemed to be in compliance with applicable anti-money laundering implementing rules if and when adopted.
We rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiary to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, and any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiary to make payments to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.
We are a holding company, and we rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiary for our cash and financing requirements, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and other cash distributions to our shareholders and service any debt we may incur. If our PRC subsidiary incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may require Dianniu to adjust its taxable income under the contractual arrangements it currently has in place with our consolidated variable interest entities in a manner that would materially and adversely affect its ability to pay dividends and other distributions to us. See Risks Related to Our Corporate StructureContractual arrangements in relation to our consolidated variable interest entities may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities and they may determine that we or our PRC consolidated variable interest entity owe additional taxes, which could negatively affect our financial condition and the value of your investment.
Under PRC laws and regulations, our PRC subsidiary, as a wholly foreign-owned enterprise in China, may pay dividends only out of their respective accumulated after-tax profits as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, a wholly foreign-owned enterprise is required to set aside at least 10% of its accumulated after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund certain statutory reserve funds, until the aggregate amount of such funds reaches 50% of its registered capital. At its discretion, a wholly foreign-owned enterprise may allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to staff welfare and bonus funds. These reserve funds and staff welfare and bonus funds are not distributable as cash dividends.
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Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiary to pay dividends or make other distributions to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business. See also If we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC income tax purposes, such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders.
PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of this offering to make loans to or make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.
Under PRC laws and regulations, we are permitted to utilize the proceeds from this offering to fund our PRC subsidiary by making loans to or additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary, subject to applicable government registration and approval requirements.
Any loans to our PRC subsidiary, which are treated as foreign-invested enterprises under PRC laws, are subject to PRC regulations and foreign exchange loan registrations. For example, loans by us to our PRC subsidiary to finance their activities cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with the local counterpart of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE. The statutory limit for the total amount of foreign debts of a foreign-invested company is the difference between the amount of total investment as approved by the MOFCOM or its local counterpart and the amount of registered capital of such foreign-invested company.
We may also decide to finance our PRC subsidiary by means of capital contributions. These capital contributions must be approved by the MOFCOM or its local counterpart. In addition, SAFE issued a circular in September 2008, SAFE Circular 142, regulating the conversion by a foreign-invested enterprise of foreign currency registered capital into RMB by restricting how the converted RMB may be used. SAFE Circular 142 provides that the RMB capital converted from foreign currency registered capital of a foreign-invested enterprise may only be used for purposes within the business scope approved by the applicable government authority and unless otherwise provided by law, may not be used for equity investments within the PRC. Although on July 4, 2014, the SAFE issued the Circular of the SAFE on Relevant Issues Concerning the Pilot Reform in Certain Areas of the Administrative Method of the Conversion of Foreign Exchange Funds by Foreign-invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 36, which launched a pilot reform of the administration of the settlement of the foreign exchange capitals of foreign-invested enterprises in certain designated areas from August 4, 2014 and some of the restrictions under SAFE Circular 142 will not apply to the settlement of the foreign exchange capitals of the foreign-invested enterprises established within the designate areas and such enterprises mainly engaging in investment are allowed to use its RMB capital converted from foreign exchange capitals to make equity investment, our PRC subsidiary is not established within the designated areas. On March 30, 2015, SAFE promulgated Circular 19, to expand the reform nationwide. Circular 19 came into force and replaced both Circular 142 and Circular 36 on June 1, 2015. Circular 19 allows foreign-invested enterprises to make equity investments by using RMB fund converted from foreign exchange capital. However, Circular 19 continues to prohibit foreign-invested enterprises from, among other things, using RMB fund converted from its foreign exchange capitals for expenditure beyond its business scope, providing entrusted loans or repaying loans between non-financial enterprises. In addition, SAFE strengthened its oversight of the flow and use of the RMB capital converted from foreign currency registered capital of a foreign-invested company. The use of such RMB capital may not be altered without SAFEs approval, and such RMB capital may not in any case be used to repay RMB loans if the proceeds of such loans have not been used. Violations of these Circulars could result in severe monetary or other penalties. These circulars may significantly limit our ability to use RMB converted from the net proceeds of this offering to fund the establishment of new entities in China by our PRC subsidiary, to invest in or acquire any other PRC companies through our PRC subsidiary, or to establish new variable interest entities in the PRC.
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In light of the various requirements imposed by PRC regulations on loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary government registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans to our PRC subsidiary or future capital contributions by us to our PRC subsidiary. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to use the proceeds we expect to receive from this offering to capitalize or otherwise fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.
Fluctuations in exchange rates could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.
Substantially all of our revenues and expenditures are denominated in RMB, whereas our reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. As a result, fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and RMB will affect the relative purchasing power in RMB terms of our U.S. dollar assets and the proceeds from this offering. Our reporting currency is the U.S. dollar while the functional currency for our PRC subsidiary and consolidated variable interest entity is RMB. Gains and losses from the remeasurement of assets and liabilities that are receivable or payable in RMB are included in our consolidated statements of operations. The remeasurement has caused the U.S. dollar value of our results of operations to vary with exchange rate fluctuations, and the U.S. dollar value of our results of operations will continue to vary with exchange rate fluctuations. A fluctuation in the value of RMB relative to the U.S. dollar could reduce our profits from operations and the translated value of our net assets when reported in U.S. dollars in our financial statements. This could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations as reported in U.S. dollars. If we decide to convert our RMB into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the RMB would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us. In addition, fluctuations in currencies relative to the periods in which the earnings are generated may make it more difficult to perform period-to-period comparisons of our reported results of operations.
There remains significant international pressure on the PRC government to adopt a flexible currency policy. Any significant appreciation or depreciation of the RMB may materially and adversely affect our revenues, earnings and financial position, and the value of, and any dividends payable on, our ordinary shares in U.S. dollars. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars we receive from this initial public offering into RMB to pay our operating expenses, appreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the RMB amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, a significant depreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar may significantly reduce the U.S. dollar equivalent of our earnings, which in turn could adversely affect the market price of our ordinary shares.
Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. To date, we have not entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert RMB into foreign currency. As a result, fluctuations in exchange rates may have a material adverse effect on your investment.
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Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to utilize our net revenues effectively and affect the value of your investment.
The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the RMB into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We receive substantially all of our net revenues in RMB. Under our current corporate structure, our company in the Cayman Islands rely on dividend payments from our PRC subsidiary to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, such as profit distributions and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. Therefore, our PRC subsidiary is able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to us without prior approval from SAFE, subject to the condition that the remittance of such dividends outside of the PRC complies with certain procedures under PRC foreign exchange regulation, such as the overseas investment registrations by the beneficial owners of our company who are PRC residents. But approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where RMB is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may also at its discretion restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy our foreign currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders.
Failure to make adequate contributions to various employee benefit plans as required by PRC regulations may subject us to penalties.
We are required under PRC laws and regulations to participate in various government sponsored employee benefit plans, including certain social insurance, housing funds and other welfare-oriented payment obligations, and contribute to the plans in amounts equal to certain percentages of salaries, including bonuses and allowances, of our employees up to a maximum amount specified by the local government from time to time at locations where we operate our businesses. The requirement of employee benefit plans has not been implemented consistently by the local governments in China given the different levels of economic development in different locations. As of the date of this prospectus, we believe that we have made adequate employee benefit payments. If we fail to make adequate payments in the future, we may be required to make up the contributions for these plans in the amount of 110% of the amount in the preceding month. If we fail to make or supplement contributions of social security premiums within the stipulated period, the social security premiums collection agency may enquire into the deposit accounts of the employer with banks and other financial institutions. In an extreme situation, where we failed to contribute social security premiums in full amount and do not provide guarantee, the social security premiums collection agency may apply to a Chinese court for seizure, foreclosure or auction of our properties of value equivalent to the amount of social security premiums payable, and the proceeds from auction shall be used for contribution of social security premiums. If we are subject to deposit, seizure, foreclosure or auction in relation to the underpaid employee benefits, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
The approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission may be required in connection with this offering under a regulation adopted in August 2006, as amended, and, if required, we cannot predict whether we will be able to obtain such approval.
The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in August 2006 and amended in 2009, requires an overseas special purpose vehicle formed for listing purposes through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies and controlled by PRC companies or individuals to obtain the approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicles securities on an overseas stock exchange. In September 2006, the CSRC published a notice on its official website specifying documents and materials required to be submitted to it by a special purpose vehicle seeking CSRC approval of its overseas listings. The application of the M&A Rules remains unclear.
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Our PRC counsel, Allbright Law Offices, has advised us based on their understanding of the current PRC laws, rules and regulations that the CSRCs approval is not required for the listing and trading of our ordinary shares on the NASDAQ in the context of this offering, given that:
we established our PRC subsidiary, WFOE, by means of direct investment rather than by merger with or acquisition of PRC domestic companies; and
no explicit provision in the M&A Rules classifies the respective contractual arrangements between WFOE, Dianniu and its shareholders as a type of acquisition transaction falling under the M&A Rules.
However, there remains some uncertainty as to how the M&A Rules will be interpreted or implemented in the context of an overseas offering and the CSRCs opinions summarized above are subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules. We cannot assure you that relevant PRC government agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as we do. If the CSRC or any other PRC regulatory agencies subsequently determines that we need to obtain the CSRCs approval for this offering or if the CSRC or any other PRC government agencies promulgates any interpretation or implements rules before our listing that would require us to obtain CSRC or other governmental approvals for this offering, we may face adverse actions or sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies. Sanctions may include fines and penalties on our operations in the PRC, limitations on our operating privileges in the PRC, delays in or restrictions on the repatriation of the proceeds from this offering into the PRC, restrictions on or prohibition of the payments or remittance of dividends by our PRC subsidiary, or 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 ordinary shares. The CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies may also take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt this offering before the settlement and delivery of ordinary shares that we are offering. Consequently, if you engage in market trading or other activities in anticipation of and prior to the settlement and delivery of ordinary shares we are offering, you would be doing so at the risk that the settlement and delivery may not occur. In addition, if the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies later promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain their approvals for this offering, we may be unable to obtain a waiver of such approval requirements, if and when procedures are established to obtain such a waiver. Any uncertainties and/or negative publicity regarding such approval requirement could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of ordinary shares.
The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for some acquisitions of Chinese companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China.
The M&A Rules discussed in the preceding risk factor and some other regulations and rules concerning mergers and acquisitions established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time consuming and complex, including requirements in some instances that the MOFCOM be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise. Moreover, the Anti-Monopoly Law requires that the MOFCOM shall be notified in advance of any concentration of undertaking if certain thresholds are triggered. In addition, the security review rules issued by the MOFCOM that became effective in September 2011 specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors that raise national defense and security concerns and mergers and acquisitions through which foreign investors may acquire de facto control over domestic enterprises that raise national security concerns are subject to strict review by the MOFCOM, and the rules prohibit any activities attempting to bypass a security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions could be time consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the MOFCOM or its local counterparts may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share.
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PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents may limit our PRC subsidiary ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits to us or otherwise expose us or our PRC resident beneficial owners to liability and penalties under PRC law.
SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Relating to Domestic Residents Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, in July 2014 that requires PRC residents or entities to register with SAFE or its local branch in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore entity established for the purpose of overseas investment or financing. In addition, such PRC residents or entities must update their SAFE registrations when the offshore special purpose vehicle undergoes material events relating to any change of basic information (including change of such PRC citizens or residents, name and operation term), increases or decreases in investment amount, transfers or exchanges of shares, or mergers or divisions. SAFE Circular 37 is issued to replace the Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for PRC Residents Engaging in Financing and Roundtrip Investments via Overseas Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 75. SAFE promulgated the Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving the Administration of the Foreign Exchange Concerning Direct Investment in February 2015, which took effect on June 1, 2015. This notice has amended SAFE Circular 37 requiring PRC residents or entities to register with qualified banks rather than SAFE or its local branch in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore entity established for the purpose of overseas investment or financing.
If our shareholders who are PRC residents or entities do not complete their registration as required, our PRC subsidiary may be prohibited from distributing their profits and proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation to us, and we may be restricted in our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiary. Moreover, failure to comply with the SAFE registration described above could result in liability under PRC laws for evasion of applicable foreign exchange restrictions.
Mr. Erxin Zeng and Mr. Xiaohui Liu, who directly or indirectly hold shares in our company and who are known to us as being PRC residents, have completed the foreign exchange registrations required in connection with our recent corporate restructuring. The remaining shareholders who directly or indirectly hold shares in our Company and who are known to us as being PRC residents are currently processing such registrations.
However, we may not be informed of the identities of all the PRC residents or entities holding direct or indirect interest in our company, nor can we compel our beneficial owners to comply with SAFE registration requirements. As a result, we cannot assure you that all of our shareholders or beneficial owners who are PRC residents or entities have complied with, and will in the future make or obtain any applicable registrations or approvals required by, SAFE regulations. Failure by such shareholders or beneficial owners to comply with SAFE regulations, or failure by us to amend the foreign exchange registrations of our PRC subsidiary, could subject us to fines or legal sanctions, restrict our overseas or cross-border investment activities, limit our PRC subsidiary ability to make distributions or pay dividends to us or affect our ownership structure, which could adversely affect our business and prospects.
Any failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration requirements for employee stock incentive plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.
In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notices on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Publicly-Listed Company, replacing earlier rules promulgated in March 2007. Pursuant to these rules, PRC citizens and non-PRC citizens who reside in China for a continuous period of not less than one year who participate in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company, subject to a few exceptions, are required to register with SAFE through a domestic qualified agent, which could be the PRC subsidiary of such overseas listed company, and complete certain other procedures. In addition, an overseas entrusted institution must be retained to handle matters in connection with the
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exercise or sale of stock options and the purchase or sale of shares and interests. We and our executive officers and other employees who are PRC citizens or who have resided in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year and who have been granted options or other awards will be subject to these regulations when our company becomes an overseas listed company upon the completion of this offering. Failure to complete the SAFE registrations may subject them to fines and legal sanctions and may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital into our PRC subsidiary and limit our PRC subsidiary ability to distribute dividends to us. We also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional incentive plans for our directors, executive officers and employees under PRC law. See RegulationRegulations on Stock Incentive Plans.
If we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC income tax purposes, such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders.
Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with a de facto management body within the PRC is considered a resident enterprise and will be subject to the enterprise income tax on its global income at the rate of 25%. The implementation rules define the term de facto management body as the body that exercises full and substantial control over and overall management of the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. In April 2009, the State Administration of Taxation issued a circular, known as Circular 82, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the de facto management body of a PRC-controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. Although this circular only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners like us, the criteria set forth in the circular may reflect the State Administration of Taxations general position on how the de facto management body test should be applied in determining the tax resident status of all offshore enterprises. According to Circular 82, an offshore incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having its de facto management body in China and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its global income only if all of the following conditions are met: (i) the primary location of the day-to-day operational management is in the PRC; (ii) decisions relating to the enterprises financial and human resource matters are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel in the PRC; (iii) the enterprises primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholder resolutions, are located or maintained in the PRC; and (iv) at least 50% of voting board members or senior executives habitually reside in the PRC.
We believe none of our entities outside of China is a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. See TaxationPeoples Republic of China Taxation. However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term de facto management body. As all of our management members are based in China, it remains unclear how the tax residency rule will apply to our case. If the PRC tax authorities determine that we or any of our subsidiaries outside of China is a PRC resident enterprise for PRC enterprise income tax purposes, then we or such subsidiary could be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 25% on its world-wide income, which could materially reduce our net income. In addition, we will also be subject to PRC enterprise income tax reporting obligations. Furthermore, if the PRC tax authorities determine that we are a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, gains realized on the sale or other disposition of our ordinary shares may be subject to PRC tax, at a rate of 10% in the case of non-PRC enterprises or 20% in the case of non-PRC individuals (in each case, subject to the provisions of any applicable tax treaty), if such gains are deemed to be from PRC sources. It is unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of our company would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise. Any such tax may reduce the returns on your investment in our ordinary shares.
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Regulatory bodies of the United States may be limited in their ability to conduct investigations or inspections of our operations in China.
From time to time, the Company may receive requests from certain U.S. agencies to investigate or inspect the Companys operations, or to otherwise provide information. While the Company will be compliant with these requests from these regulators, there is no guarantee that such requests will be honored by those entities who provide services to us or with whom we associate, especially as those entities are located in China. Furthermore, an on-site inspection of our facilities by any of these regulators may be limited or entirely prohibited. Such inspections, though permitted by the Company and its affiliates, are subject to the unpredictability of the Chinese enforcers, and may therefore be impossible to facilitate.
Enhanced scrutiny over acquisition transactions by the PRC tax authorities may have a negative impact on potential acquisitions we may pursue in the future.
The PRC tax authorities have enhanced their scrutiny over the direct or indirect transfer of certain taxable assets, including, in particular, equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise, by a non-resident enterprise by promulgating and implementing SAT Circular 59 and Circular 698, which became effective in January 2008, and a Circular 7 in replacement of some of the existing rules in Circular 698, which became effective in February 2015.
Under Circular 698, where a non-resident enterprise conducts an indirect transfer by transferring the equity interests of a PRC resident enterprise indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, the non-resident enterprise, being the transferor, may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, if the indirect transfer is considered to be an abusive use of company structure without reasonable commercial purposes. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of up to 10%. Circular 698 also provides that, where a non-PRC resident enterprise transfers its equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise to its related parties at a price lower than the fair market value, the relevant tax authority has the power to make a reasonable adjustment to the taxable income of the transaction.
In February 2015, the SAT issued Circular 7 to replace the rules relating to indirect transfers in Circular 698. Circular 7 has introduced a new tax regime that is significantly different from that under Circular 698. Circular 7 extends its tax jurisdiction to not only indirect transfers set forth under Circular 698 but also transactions involving transfer of other taxable assets, through the offshore transfer of a foreign intermediate holding company. In addition, Circular 7 provides clearer criteria than Circular 698 on how to assess reasonable commercial purposes and has introduced safe harbors for internal group restructurings and the purchase and sale of equity through a public securities market. Circular 7 also brings challenges to both the foreign transferor and transferee (or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer) of the taxable assets. Where a non-resident enterprise conducts an indirect transfer by transferring the taxable assets indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, the non-resident enterprise being the transferor, or the transferee, or the PRC entity which directly owned the taxable assets may report to the relevant tax authority such indirect transfer. Using a substance over form principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise.
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We face uncertainties on the reporting and consequences on future private equity financing transactions, share exchange or other transactions involving the transfer of shares in our company by investors that are non-PRC resident enterprises. The PRC tax authorities may pursue such non-resident enterprises with respect to a filing or the transferees with respect to withholding obligation, and request our PRC subsidiaries to assist in the filing. As a result, we and non-resident enterprises in such transactions may become at risk of being subject to filing obligations or being taxed, under Circular 59 or Circular 698 and Circular 7, and may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with Circular 59, Circular 698 and Circular 7 or to establish that we and our non-resident enterprises should not be taxed under these circulars, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
The PRC tax authorities have the discretion under SAT Circular 59, Circular 698 and Circular 7 to make adjustments to the taxable capital gains based on the difference between the fair value of the taxable assets transferred and the cost of investment. Although we currently have no plans to pursue any acquisitions in China or elsewhere in the world, we may pursue acquisitions in the future that may involve complex corporate structures. If we are considered a non-resident enterprise under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and if the PRC tax authorities make adjustments to the taxable income of the transactions under SAT Circular 59 or Circular 698 and Circular 7, our income tax costs associated with such potential acquisitions will be increased, which may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Ordinary Shares and This Offering
There has been no public market for our shares prior to this offering, and if an active trading market does not develop you may not be able to resell our shares at or above the price you paid, or at all.
Prior to this public offering, there has been no public market for our ordinary shares. We intend to apply to have our ordinary shares listed on NASDAQ. If an active trading market for our ordinary shares does not develop after this offering, the market price and liquidity of our ordinary shares will be materially adversely affected. The public offering price for our ordinary shares will be determined by negotiations between us and the underwriter and may bear little or no relationship to the market price for our ordinary shares after the public offering. You may not be able to sell any ordinary shares that you purchase in the offering at or above the public offering price. Accordingly, investors should be prepared to face a complete loss of their investment.
Our ordinary shares may be thinly traded and you may be unable to sell at or near ask prices or at all if you need to sell your shares to raise money or otherwise desire to liquidate your shares.
Assuming our ordinary shares begin trading on NASDAQ, our ordinary shares may be thinly-traded, meaning that the number of persons interested in purchasing our ordinary shares at or near bid prices at any given time may be relatively small or non-existent. This situation may be attributable to a number of factors, including the fact that we are relatively unknown to stock analysts, stock brokers, institutional investors and others in the investment community that generate or influence sales volume, and that even if we came to the attention of such persons, they tend to be risk-averse and might be reluctant to follow an unproven company such as ours or purchase or recommend the purchase of our shares until such time as we became more seasoned. As a consequence, there may be periods of several days or more when trading activity in our shares is minimal or non-existent, as compared to a seasoned issuer which has a large and steady volume of trading activity that will generally support continuous sales without an adverse effect on share price. Broad or active public trading market for our ordinary shares may not develop or be sustained.
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The market price for our ordinary shares may be volatile.
The market price for our ordinary shares may be volatile and subject to wide fluctuations due to factors such as:
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the perception of U.S. investors and regulators of U.S. listed Chinese companies;
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actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly operating results;
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changes in financial estimates by securities research analysts;
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negative publicity, studies or reports;
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conditions in Chinese online consumer finance markets;
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our capability to catch up with the technology innovations in the industry;
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changes in the economic performance or market valuations of other online consumer finance companies;
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announcements by us or our competitors of acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;
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addition or departure of key personnel;
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fluctuations of exchange rates between RMB and the U.S. dollar; and
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general economic or political conditions in China.
In addition, the securities market has from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to the operating performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations may also materially and adversely affect the market price of our ordinary shares.
Volatility in our ordinary shares price may subject us to securities litigation.
The market for our ordinary shares may have, when compared to seasoned issuers, significant price volatility and we expect that our share price may continue to be more volatile than that of a seasoned issuer for the indefinite future. In the past, plaintiffs have often initiated securities class action litigation against a company following periods of volatility in the market price of its securities. We may, in the future, be the target of similar litigation. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and liabilities and could divert managements attention and resources.
We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering and may not use them effectively.
Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds, including for any of the purposes described in the section entitled Use of Proceeds, and you will not have the opportunity as part of your investment decision to assess whether the net proceeds are being used appropriately. Because of the number and variability of factors that will determine our use of the net proceeds from this offering, their ultimate use may vary substantially from their currently intended use. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could harm our business.
In order to raise sufficient funds to enhance operations, we may have to issue additional securities at prices which may result in substantial dilution to our shareholders.
If we raise additional funds through the sale of equity or convertible debt, our current shareholders percentage ownership will be reduced. In addition, these transactions may dilute the value of ordinary shares outstanding. We may have to issue securities that may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to our ordinary shares. We cannot provide assurance that we will be able to raise additional funds on terms acceptable to us, if at all. If future financing is not available or is not available on acceptable terms, we may not be able to fund our future needs, which would have a material adverse effect on our business plans, prospects, results of operations and financial condition.
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We are not likely to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
We currently intend to retain any future earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business. Accordingly, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future, but will review this policy as circumstances dictate. Should we determine to pay dividends in the future, our ability to do so will depend upon the receipt of dividends or other payments from WFOE. WFOE may, from time to time, be subject to restrictions on its ability to make distributions to us, including restrictions on the conversion of RMB into U.S. dollars or other hard currency and other regulatory restrictions.
You may face difficulties in protecting your interests as a shareholder, as Cayman Islands law provides substantially less protection when compared to the laws of the United States and it may be difficult for a shareholder of ours to effect service of process or to enforce judgements obtained in the United States courts.
Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association and by the Companies Law (2016 Revision) and common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take legal action against our directors and us, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law. Decisions of the Privy Council (which is the final court of appeal for British overseas territories such as the Cayman Islands) are binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. Decisions of the English courts, and particularly the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and the Court of Appeal are generally of persuasive authority but are not binding on the courts of the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedents in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and provide significantly less protection to investors. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action before the United States federal courts. The Cayman Islands courts are also unlikely to impose liabilities against us in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, based on certain civil liability provisions of United States securities laws.
Currently, all of our operations are conducted outside the United States, and substantially all of our assets are located outside the United States. All of our directors and officers are nationals or residents of jurisdictions other than the United States and a substantial portion of their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for a shareholder to effect service of process within the United States upon these persons, or to enforce against us or them judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.
As a result of all of the above, our shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests through actions against us or our officers, directors or major shareholders than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction in the United States.
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We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to United States domestic public companies.
We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act. As such, we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to United States domestic public companies. For example:
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we are not required to provide as many Exchange Act reports, or as frequently, as a domestic public company;
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for interim reporting, we are permitted to comply solely with our home country requirements, which are less rigorous than the rules that apply to domestic public companies;
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we are not required to provide the same level of disclosure on certain issues, such as executive compensation;
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we are exempt from provisions of Regulation FD aimed at preventing issuers from making selective disclosures of material information;
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we are not required to comply with the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; and
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we are not required to comply with Section 16 of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their share ownership and trading activities and establishing insider liability for profits realized from any short-swing trading transaction.
We currently intend to file annual reports on Form 20-F and reports on Form 6-K as a foreign private issuer. Accordingly, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important.
We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies, this could make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies .
We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accountant standards used.
As an emerging growth company under applicable law, we will be subject to lessened disclosure requirements. Such reduced disclosure may make our ordinary shares less attractive to investors.
For as long as we remain an emerging growth company, as defined in the JOBS Act, we will elect to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. Because of these lessened regulatory requirements, our shareholders would be left without information or rights available to shareholders of more mature companies. If some investors find our ordinary shares less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our ordinary shares and our share price may be more volatile.
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If we are classified as a passive foreign investment company, United States taxpayers who own our ordinary shares may have adverse United States federal income tax consequences.
A non-U.S. corporation such as ourselves will be classified as a passive foreign investment company, which is known as a PFIC, for any taxable year if, for such year, either
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The average percentage of our assets (determined at the end of each quarter) during the taxable year which produce passive income or which are held for the production of passive income is at least 50%. |
Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business) and gains from the disposition of passive assets.
If we are determined to be a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. taxpayer who holds our ordinary shares, the U.S. taxpayer may be subject to increased U.S. federal income tax liability and may be subject to additional reporting requirements.
Depending on the amount of cash we raise in this offering, together with any other assets held for the production of passive income, it is possible that, for our 2017 taxable year or for any subsequent year, more than 50% of our assets may be assets which produce passive income. We will make this determination following the end of any particular tax year. Although the law in this regard is unclear, we treat our consolidated affiliated entities as being owned by us for United States federal income tax purposes, not only because we exercise effective control over the operation of such entities but also because we are entitled to substantially all of their economic benefits, and, as a result, we consolidate their operating results in our consolidated financial statements. For purposes of the PFIC analysis, in general, a non-U.S. corporation is deemed to own its pro rata share of the gross income and assets of any entity in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the equity by value.
For a more detailed discussion of the application of the PFIC rules to us and the consequences to U.S. taxpayers if we were determined to be a PFIC, see Taxation United States Federal Income Taxation Passive Foreign Investment Company.
We will incur increased costs as a result of being a public company, particularly after we cease to qualify as an emerging growth company.
Upon consummation of this offering, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses as a public company that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and NASDAQ Capital Market, impose various requirements on the corporate governance practices of public companies. We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the JOBS Act and will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 in the assessment of the emerging growth companys internal control over financial reporting and permission to delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies.
46
Compliance with these rules and regulations increases our legal and financial compliance costs and makes some corporate activities more time-consuming and costly. After we are no longer an emerging growth company, or until five years following the completion of our initial public offering, whichever is earlier, we expect to incur significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance with the requirements of Section 404 and the other rules and regulations of the SEC. For example, as a public company, we have been required to increase the number of independent directors and adopt policies regarding internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures. We have incurred additional costs in obtaining director and officer liability insurance. In addition, we incur additional costs associated with our public company reporting requirements. It may also be more difficult for us to find qualified persons to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers. We are currently evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these rules and regulations, and we cannot predict or estimate with any degree of certainty the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs.
Two members of our management team will have substantial influence over our company and their interests may not be aligned with the interests of our other shareholders.
Mr. Zeng, our Chief Executive Officer and chairman and Mr. Liu, our director, currently own 19.12% and 48.28% of our outstanding ordinary shares, respectively, and will beneficially own [ · ]% and [ · ]%, respectively, of our outstanding ordinary shares upon completion of our initial public offering assuming a minimum offering or [ · ]% and [ · ]%, respectively assuming a maximum offering. As a result of their significant shareholding, Messrs. Zeng and Liu have, and will continue to have, substantial influence over our business, including decisions regarding mergers, consolidations and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, election of directors and other significant corporate actions. They may take actions that are not in the best interests of us or our other shareholders. This concentration of ownership may 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 market price of our ordinary shares. These actions may be taken even if they are opposed by our other shareholders. For more information regarding our principal shareholders and their affiliated entities, see Principal Shareholders.
Following this offering, we may be a controlled company within the meaning of the NASDAQ Stock Market Rules and, as a result, may rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to shareholders of other companies.
We do not believe we are a controlled company as defined under the NASDAQ Stock Market Rules. However, in the event that two of our principal shareholders, Messrs. Zeng and Liu, who will beneficially own more than 50% of our outstanding ordinary shares following this offering, decide to act as a group, we may be deemed to be a controlled company. For so long as we are a controlled company under that definition, we are permitted to elect to rely, and may rely, on certain exemptions from corporate governance rules, including:
·
an exemption from the rule that a majority of our board of directors must be independent directors;
·
an exemption from the rule that the compensation of our chief executive officer must be determined or recommended solely by independent directors; and
·
an exemption from the rule that our director nominees must be selected or recommended solely by independent directors.
As a result, you will not have the same protection afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to these corporate governance requirements.
47
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations and views of future events. The forward-looking statements are contained principally in the sections entitled Prospectus Summary, Risk Factors, Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Business. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those listed under Risk Factors, may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
You can identify some of these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as may, will, expect, anticipate, aim, estimate, intend, plan, believe, is/are likely to, potential, continue or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include statements relating to:
·
our goals and strategies;
·
our future business development, financial conditions and results of operations;
·
the expected growth of the online consumer finance marketplace market in China;
·
fluctuations in interest rates;
·
our expectations as to collectability of loans facilitated through our platform;
·
our expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of our products and services;
·
our expectations regarding our relationships with lenders and borrowers;
·
competition in our industry; and
·
relevant government policies and regulations relating to our industry.
These forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. Although we believe that our expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, our expectations may later be found to be incorrect. Our actual results could be materially different from our expectations. Important risks and factors that could cause our actual results to be materially different from our expectations are generally set forth in Risk Factors, Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Business, Regulation and other sections in this prospectus. You should thoroughly read this prospectus and the documents that we refer to with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from and worse than what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.
This prospectus contains certain data and information that we obtained from various government and private publications. Statistical data in these publications also include projections based on a number of assumptions. Our industry may not grow at the rate projected by market data, or at all. Failure of this market to grow at the projected rate may have a material and adverse effect on our business and the market price of our ordinary shares. In addition, the rapidly changing nature of the online consumer finance marketplace industry results in significant uncertainties for any projections or estimates relating to the growth prospects or future condition of our market. Furthermore, if any one or more of the assumptions underlying the market data are later found to be incorrect, actual results may differ from the projections based on these assumptions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.
The forward-looking statements made in this prospectus relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this prospectus. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this prospectus and the documents that we refer to in this prospectus and have filed as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect.
48
USE OF PROCEEDS
We estimate that we will receive net proceeds from this offering of approximately $6.9 million after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated offering expenses payable by us and based upon an assumed initial offering price of $4.25 per ordinary share (the mid-point of the estimated public offering price range shown on the cover page of this prospectus) (excluding any exercise of the underwriters ’ over-allotment option). A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $4.25 per share would increase (decrease) the net proceeds to us from this offering by approximately $1.9 million, after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated aggregate offering expenses payable by us and assuming no change to the number of ordinary share offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, provided, however, that in no case would we decrease the initial public offering price to less than $4.00 per share.
Proceeds of this offering in the amount of $600,000 shall be used to fund an escrow account for a period of 24 months following the closing date of this offering, which account shall be used in the event we have to indemnify the underwriters pursuant to the terms of an underwriting agreement with the underwriters.
Excluding $600,000 shall be used to fund an escrow account, we plan to use approximately $2.0 million of the net proceeds we will receive from this offering to expand our marketing activities to reach more potential borrowers and lenders in China, approximately $2.0 million for development of our online platform and mobile app, approximately $0.6 million to hire additional employees to enhance our business structure and management, and approximately $0.2 million for general corporate purposes.
To the extent that a certain portion or all of the net proceeds we receive from this offering are not immediately applied for the above purposes, we plan to invest the net proceeds in short-term, interest-bearing debt instruments or bank deposits.
The foregoing represents our current intentions based upon our present plans and business conditions to use and allocate the net proceeds of this offering. Our management, however, will have significant flexibility and discretion to apply the net proceeds of this offering. If an unforeseen event occurs or business conditions change, we may use the proceeds of this offering differently than as described in this prospectus. See Risk FactorsRisks Related to This Offering and our Ordinary SharesYou must rely on the judgment of our management as to the use of the net proceeds from this offering, and such use may not produce income or increase the price of our ordinary shares.
We plan to use approximately $1.5 million out of the proceeds to pay the costs and expenses associated with being a public company. This portion of the offering proceeds will be immediately available to us following the closing of the offering as it will not be remitted to China.
Approximately $200,000 of the proceeds will be immediately remitted to China following the completion of this offering to fund the registered capital of the WFOE. Except that, in using the proceeds of this offering, we are permitted under PRC laws and regulations as an offshore holding company to provide funding to our wholly foreign-owned subsidiary in China only through loans or capital contributions and to our consolidated variable interest entities only through loans, subject to the approval of government authorities and limit on the amount of capital contributions and loans. Subject to satisfaction of applicable government registration and approval requirements, we may extend inter-company loans to our wholly foreign-owned subsidiary in China or make additional capital contributions to our wholly-foreign-owned subsidiary to fund its capital expenditures or working capital. For an increase of registered capital of our wholly foreign-owned subsidiary, we need to obtain approval from the MOFCOM or its local counterparts, which will decide within 90 days after receiving the application. If we provide funding to our wholly foreign-owned subsidiary through loans, the total amount of such loans may not exceed the difference between the entitys total investment as approved by the foreign investment authorities and its registered capital. Such loans must be registered with SAFE or its local branches, which usually takes up to 20 working days to complete. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain these government registrations or approvals on a timely basis, if at all. See Risk FactorsRisks Related to Our Corporate StructurePRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of this offering to make loans to or make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.
49
CAPITALIZATION
The following tables set forth our capitalization as of June 30, 2017:
·
on an actual basis (giving effect to the 260 for 1 split effected on November 3, 2017) ;
·
on a pro forma and as adjusted basis to reflect (i) the sale of 2,000,000 ordinary shares by us in this offering at the initial public offering price of US$4.25 per share (the mid-point of the estimated public offering price range shown on the cover of this prospectus), after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
You should read this table together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus and the information under Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
|
|
As of June 30, 2017 |
|
|||||
|
|
Actual |
|
|
As Adjusted (1) |
|
||
|
|
(in US$) |
|
|||||
Equity: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ordinary shares, US$0.01 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized, 13,000,000 shares issued and outstanding on an actual basis and 15,000,000 ordinary shares outstanding on an as adjusted basis (1) |
|
130,000 |
|
|
|
|
150,000 |
|
Shares subscription receivables |
|
(45,457) |
|
|
|
|
(45,457) |
|
Additional paid-in capital |
|
11,964,505 |
|
|
|
|
18,848,882 |
|
Statutory reserves |
|
6,189 |
|
|
|
|
6,189 |
|
Retained earnings (accumulated deficit) |
|
(489,908) |
|
|
|
|
(489,908) |
|
Accumulated other comprehensive loss |
|
(12,183) |
|
|
|
|
(12,183) |
|
Total equity |
|
11,553,146 |
|
|
|
|
18,457,523 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total capitalization |
|
11,533,146 |
|
|
|
|
18,457,523 |
|
50
DILUTION
If you invest in our ordinary shares, you will incur immediate dilution since the public offering price per share you will pay in this offering is more than the net tangible book value per ordinary share immediately after this offering.
The net tangible book value of our ordinary shares as of June 30, 2017 was $11,553,146, or $0.89 per share based upon 13,000,000 ordinary shares outstanding. Net tangible book value per share represents the amount of our total tangible assets reduced by the amount of our total liabilities, divided by the total number of ordinary shares outstanding. Tangible assets equal our total assets less goodwill and intangible assets.
The dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors, represents the difference between the amount per share paid by purchasers of shares in this offering and the pro forma net tangible book value per share immediately after completion of this offering. After giving effect to the sale of the 2,000,000 shares being sold pursuant to this offering at $4.25 per share (the mid-point of the estimated public offering price range shown on the cover page of this prospectus) and after deducting underwriting discount and commission payable by us in the amount of $660,000, and estimated offering expenses in the amount of approximately $0.9 million, our pro forma net tangible book value would be approximately $18.5 million or $1.23 per share of ordinary shares. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $0.34 per share to existing shareholders and an immediate decrease in net tangible book value of $1.23 per share to new investors purchasing the shares in this offering.
The following table illustrates this per share dilution:
|
|
As of June 30, 2017 |
|
Public offering price per share (the mid-point of the estimated public offering price range shown on the cover page of this prospectus) |
|
$ |
4.25 |
Net tangible book value per share as of June 30, 2017 |
|
0.89 |
|
Increase in net tangible book value per share attributable to existing shareholders |
|
|
0.34 |
Pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering |
|
|
1.23 |
Dilution per share to new investors |
|
$ |
3.02 |
A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed public offering price would increase (decrease) our pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering by approximately $1.9 million, and increase the value per share to new investors by approximately $0.13, after deducting the underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
The following table sets forth, on an as adjusted basis as of June 30, 2017, the difference between the number of ordinary shares purchased from us, the total cash consideration paid, and the average price per share paid by our existing shareholders and by new public investors before deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, using an assumed public offering price of $4.25 per ordinary share: (the mid-point of the estimated public offering price range shown on the cover page of this prospectus):
|
|
Shares Purchased |
|
|
Total Cash Consideration |
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
|
Number |
|
|
Percent |
|
|
Amount |
|
Percent |
|
|
Average Price Per Share |
|
|||
Existing shareholders |
|
|
13,000,000 |
|
|
|
86.7% |
|
|
$ 12,049,048 |
|
|
58.6% |
|
|
$ 0.93 |
|
New investors from public offering |
|
|
2,000,000 |
|
|
|
13.3% |
|
|
$ 8,500,000 |
|
|
41.4% |
|
|
$ 4.25 |
|
Total |
|
|
15,000,000 |
|
|
|
100% |
|
|
$ 20,549,048 |
|
|
100% |
|
|
|
|
51
EXCHANGE RATE INFORMATION
Our business is primarily conducted in China and all of our revenues are received and denominated in RMB. Capital accounts of our condensed financial statements are translated into United States dollars from RMB at their historical exchange rates when the capital transactions occurred. Assets and liabilities are translated at the exchange rates as of the balance sheet date. Income and expenditures are translated at the average exchange rate of the period. RMB is not freely convertible into foreign currency and all foreign exchange transactions must take place through authorized institutions. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted into United States dollars at the rates used in translation.
The following table sets forth information concerning exchange rates between the RMB and the United States dollar for the periods indicated.
|
|
|
Midpoint of Buy and Sell Prices for U.S. Dollar per RMB |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Period |
|
|
Period-End |
|
|
Average |
|
|
High |
|
|
Low |
|
||||||||||||
2012 |
|
|
|
|
6.3090 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.3115 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.3862 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.2289 |
|
|
2013 |
|
|
|
|
6.1090 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.1938 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.3087 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.1084 |
|
|
2014 |
|
|
|
|
6.1484 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.1458 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.2080 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.0881 |
|
|
2015 |
|
|
|
|
6.4917 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.2288 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.4917 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.0933 |
|
|
2016 |
|
|
|
|
6.9448 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.6441 |
|
|
|
|
|
7.0672 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.4494 |
|
|
2017 (through December 15, 2017) |
|
|
|
|
6.6099 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.7652 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.9448 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.4686 |
|
|
April |
|
|
|
|
6.8969 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.8890 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.9094 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.8457 |
|
|
May |
|
|
|
|
6.8284 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.8852 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.9063 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.8284 |
|
|
June |
|
|
|
|
6.7774 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.8090 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.8381 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.7774 |
|
|
July |
|
|
|
|
6.7252 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.7722 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.8054 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.7252 |
|
|
August |
|
|
|
|
6.5944 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.6726 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.7320 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.5918 |
|
|
September |
|
|
|
|
6.5525 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.5316 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.5692 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.4686 |
|
|
October |
|
|
|
|
6.6324 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.6276 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.6564 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.5790 |
|
|
November |
|
|
|
|
6.6133 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.6242 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.6415 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.5822 |
|
|
December (through December 15, 2017) |
|
|
|
|
6.6099 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.6177 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.6221 |
|
|
|
|
|
6.6099 |
|
|
Source: www.oanda.com.
As of December 15, 2017 , the exchange rate is RMB 6.6099 to $1.00.
52
ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES
We were incorporated in the Cayman Islands in order to enjoy the following benefits:
·
political and economic stability;
·
an effective judicial system;
·
a favorable tax system;
·
the absence of exchange control or currency restrictions; and
·
the availability of professional and support services.
However, certain disadvantages accompany incorporation in the Cayman Islands. These disadvantages include, but are not limited to, the following:
the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States and these securities laws provide significantly less protection to investors; and
Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the federal courts of the United States.
Our constitutional documents do not contain provisions requiring that disputes, including those arising under the securities laws of the United States, between us, our officers, directors and shareholders, be arbitrated. Currently, all of our operations are conducted outside the United States, and substantially all of our assets are located outside the United States. All of our officers are nationals or residents of jurisdictions other than the United States and a substantial portion of their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for a shareholder to effect service of process within the United States upon these persons, or to enforce against us or them judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.
We have appointed Corporation Service Company located at 1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 210, New York, New York 10036, as our agent upon whom process may be served in any action brought against us under the securities laws of the United States.
Harney Westwood & Riegels, our counsel as to Cayman Islands law, and Allbright Law Offices, our counsel as to PRC law, have advised us, respectively, that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands and China, respectively, would:
recognize or enforce judgments of United States courts obtained against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States; or
entertain original actions brought in each respective jurisdiction against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.
Harney Westwood & Riegels has informed us that it is uncertain whether the courts of the Cayman Islands will allow shareholders of our company to originate actions in the Cayman Islands based upon securities laws of the United States. In addition, there is uncertainty with regard to Cayman Islands law related to whether a judgment obtained from the U.S. courts under civil liability provisions of U.S. securities laws will be determined by the courts of the Cayman Islands as penal or punitive in nature. If such a determination is made, the courts of the Cayman Islands will not recognize or enforce the judgment against a Cayman Islands company, such as our company. As the courts of the Cayman Islands have yet to rule on making such a determination in relation to judgments obtained from U.S. courts under civil liability provisions of U.S. securities laws, it is uncertain whether such judgments would be enforceable in the Cayman Islands. Harney Westwood & Riegels has further advised us that the courts of
53
the Cayman Islands would recognize as a valid judgment a final and conclusive judgment in personam obtained in the federal or state courts in the United States under which a sum of money is payable (other than a sum of money payable in respect of multiple damages, taxes or other charges of a like nature or in respect of a fine or other penalty) or, in certain circumstances, an in personam judgment for non-monetary relief, and would give a judgment based thereon provided that: (a) such courts had proper jurisdiction over the parties subject to such judgment; (b) such courts did not contravene the rules of natural justice of the Cayman Islands; (c) such judgment was not obtained by fraud; (d) the enforcement of the judgment would not be contrary to the public policy of the Cayman Islands; (e) no new admissible evidence relevant to the action is submitted prior to the rendering of the judgment by the courts of the Cayman Islands; and (f) there is due compliance with the correct procedures under the laws of the Cayman Islands.
Allbright Law Offices has further advised us that the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are subject to compliance with the PRC Civil Procedures Law and relevant civil procedure requirements in the PRC. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other form of reciprocity with the United States or the Cayman Islands that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, courts in the PRC will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC law or national sovereignty, security or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States or in the Cayman Islands.
54
SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OPERATING DATA
The following selected consolidated financial statements for the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015 and for the year ended December 31, 2016 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The following summary consolidated financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 are derived from our unaudited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
The consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss data and consolidated cash flow data for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 and consolidated balance sheet data as of June 30, 2017 have been derived from our unaudited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as our audited consolidated financial statements and include all adjustments, consisting only of normal and recurring adjustments, that we consider necessary for a fair statement of our financial position and operating results for the periods presented.
Our historical results for any period are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any future period. You should read the following summary financial information in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes and the information under Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included elsewhere in this prospectus.
|
For the Year Ended |
|
For the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to |
|
For the Six Months Ended |
||
|
December 31, 2016 |
|
December 31, 2015 |
|
June 30, 2017 |
|
June 30, 2016 |
|
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited) |
|
(Unaudited) |
Summary Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating revenue |
$ 3,705,770 |
|
$ - |
|
$ 2,797,640 |
|
$ 1,117,596 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating expense |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Selling |
(1,434,662) |
|
(30,091) |
|
(1,715,617) |
|
(715,433) |
General and administrative |
(1,636,353) |
|
(81,659) |
|
(1,680,715) |
|
(670,283) |
Research and development |
(417,901) |
|
(29,943) |
|
(204,691) |
|
(240,679) |
Total operating expenses |
(3,488,916) |
|
(141,693) |
|
(3,601,023) |
|
(1,626,395) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other income (expense) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other income, net |
2,895 |
|
1 |
|
17,228 |
|
964 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income (loss) before income taxes |
219,749 |
|
(141,692) |
|
(786,155) |
|
(507,835) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Provision (benefit) for income taxes |
54,938 |
|
(35,423) |
|
(184,750) |
|
(126,958) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income (loss) |
164,811 |
|
(106,269) |
|
(601,405) |
|
(380,877) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest |
3,906 |
|
- |
|
(63,050) |
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income (loss) attributable to Golden Bull Limited |
$ 160,905 |
|
$ (106,269) |
|
$ (538,355) |
|
$ (380,877) |
55
The following table presents our summary consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2016 and 2015 and June 30, 2017.
|
As of December 31, |
|
As of June 30, |
||
|
2016 |
|
2015 |
|
2017 |
|
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited) |
Summary Consolidated Balance Sheet Data: |
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ 7,378,920 |
|
$ 674,515 |
|
$ 5,565,815 |
Other assets |
1,723,173 |
|
205,476 |
|
7,455,661 |
Total assets |
9,102,093 |
|
879,991 |
|
13,021,476 |
Total liabilities |
282,293 |
|
61,238 |
|
548,920 |
Total shareholders equity |
$ 8,819,800 |
|
$ 818,753 |
|
$ 12,472,556 |
56
MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following managements discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations contains forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including those set forth under Risk Factors and elsewhere in this prospectus. We assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements or the risk factors. You should read the following discussion in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus .
Overview
We have a limited operating history as an online finance marketplace, or peer-to-peer lending company, in China that provides borrowers access to short-term loans. The loans that we are arranging currently generally range from 30 days to 90 days and are, secured by borrowers automobiles. Through our online marketplace, we connect individual lenders with individual and small business borrowers. We currently conduct our business operations exclusively in China.
We believe our technology-driven marketplace provides eligible borrowers with a quick, accessible and affordable way to meet their liquidity needs. Our online marketplace may be accessed only by qualified borrowers, as discussed below under the heading Our Platform. We currently target individual borrowers that display stable credit performance and salary income and small business borrowers that have stable cash income and are able to provide acceptable guarantee by their legal representatives. We implement a risk management process to try to minimize the risk of nonpayment to lenders. Such process involves a thorough review of credit reports prepared by third parties and may also include inquiries by us of employers or associates of potential borrowers.
Our marketplace also provides lenders with risk-adjusted returns that we believe are attractive. The average annualized return for lenders that have provided loans through our platform in 2016 was 11.64%, compared to a peer-to-peer industry average return rate of 10.45%, based on the China IRN Report, issued by ChinaIRN.com, an independent research institution in PRC that specializes in industry survey and research.
From our inception in November 2015 through June 2017, we facilitated loans in the aggregate principal amount of approximately RMB 734.9 million ($108.8 million). We generate revenues primarily from transaction fees, which averaged 2.3% and 2.84% of the initial principal amount loaned through our platform during the six months ended June 30, 2017 and the year ended December 31, 2016, respectively, and management fees, which averaged 3.1% and 4.1% of the initial principal amount loaned through our platform during the six months ended June 30, 2017 and the year ended December 31, 2016, respectively, each of which is charged to borrowers for our services. Our revenues totaled approximately $3.7 million in 2016, the first year of our operations, and approximately $2.8 million for the first six months of 2017.
We attract borrowers to our platform primarily through offline sources, including through relationships with traditional lending or guarantee institutions. In addition, we attract borrowers through referrals from existing borrowers and through online sources, including search engine marketing, search engine optimization, mobile application downloads through major application stores, partnering with online channels through application programming interfaces, as well as various marketing campaigns. The lending and guarantee institutions we work with are compensated directly by the borrowers, and not by us or the lenders we introduce.
We have used various social media and mobile platforms and networks to market our platform to potential lenders. Currently, lenders through our platform consist of individuals of varying levels of net worth. We conduct a limited background check of individuals that lend money through our platform.
57
As an intermediary, we do not use our own capital to invest in loans facilitated through our marketplace nor do we manage our borrowers and lenders account portfolios. We facilitate loans by connecting borrowers and lenders, preparing all necessary paperwork related to borrowers applications and assisting with securing collateral. However, we do not take control of funds that pass between such lenders and borrowers. Instead, payments are made through third party payment systems, such as China PnR. We have arrangements with China PnR pursuant to which our fees are paid by the custodian directly. After each loan transaction is funded through our marketplace, we have access to the account management system of China PnR. Based on information provided by such system, we calculate default rates of loans, if any, facilitated through our platform. On August 13, 2017, we have switched the custodian in our platform from China PnR to Bank of Shanghai.
We currently facilitate loans exclusively to borrowers that provide an automobile as security to lenders, and in many instances third-party institutions provide a guarantee to lenders as additional security. The automobiles that are secured must be owned by the borrower and the lien imposed by our lenders must be a first lien. We require that the size of each loan be no more than 70% of the value of the collateral of such loan. However, since none of the loans facilitated through our platform has defaulted to date, neither our collateralization standards nor our collection efforts have been tested in practice.
Through September 30, 2016, 100% of the loans facilitated through our platform were made to borrowers that have borrowed through our platform multiple times. During the quarters ended December 31, 2016, March 31, 2017 and June 30, 2017, approximately 66.7%, 48.5%, and 71.2% respectively, of the loans facilitated through our platform were made to borrowers that have borrowed through our platform multiple times. We do not allow borrowers to borrow through our platform unless their prior loans facilitated through our platform have previously been paid in full and we do not allow borrowers to repay their existing loans with new loans facilitated through our platform. Consequently, borrowers must repay loans using funds obtained from other sources other than our platform. Alternatively, the borrower can provide additional collateral, in which case we would allow the borrower to borrow 70% of the value of the additional collateral.
In 2015 and 2016, we raised an aggregate of approximately $8.0 million through four private placements in China. We had approximately $5.6 million of cash as of June 30, 2017. We intend to continue to use such funds, and the funds we expect to raise in this offering, to grow our business primarily by:
·
enhancing our marketing efforts in order to increase awareness of our marketplace among potential lenders throughout China;
·
enhancing our online platform and mobile app;
·
hiring addition employees to enhance our business structure and management; and
·
increasing our efforts to expand our borrower base by utilizing social networks and e-commerce platforms.
Key Factors Affecting Our Results
We believe the key factors affecting our financial condition and results of operations include the following:
58
Reliance on Limited Number of Borrowers
Historically, we structured many of the loans facilitated through our platform such that individuals and referrals from traditional lending or guarantee institutions would borrow the funds from the lenders on our platform and in turn lend such funds to underlying individual or small company borrowers. Pursuant to our agreements with these institutions, such institutions and the individuals controlling such institutions committed (i) to borrow a target loan amount per month, (ii) to cover all costs incurred in connection with collections from underlying borrowers, (iii) to secure loans through security interests in cars of underlying borrowers and (iv) to repay all loans made by our lenders to these institutions or their representatives. Under our old loan structure, underlying borrowers provided their automobiles as security to the representatives of financing institutions, including our major borrowers, who in turn borrowed funds through our platform. Such security arrangement did not directly involve us or our lenders. The financing institutions affiliated with our borrowers guaranteed the repayment of the respective loans facilitated through our platform. As of December 31, 2016, we partnered with an aggregate of 4 lending and guarantee companies of loans facilitated through our platform. As of June 30, 2017, we partnered with an aggregate of 11 lending and guarantee companies of loans facilitated through our platform.
However, due to limitations on loan sizes to borrowers set forth in the P2P Measures (defined below), we have begun to structure loans such that the underlying individual or small company borrowers borrow the funds directly from the lenders on our platform. The loan institutions are guarantors of such loans. We believe that not all of the loans we facilitated were within the limitations set forth in the P2P Measures. As of December 31, 2016, 13, or 86.67%, of our borrowers held loans exceeding the limitations set forth in the P2P Measures. As of June 30, 2017, 51, or 18.68%, of our borrowers held loans exceeding the limitations set forth in the P2P Measures. These loans were facilitated prior to the effectiveness of the P2P Measures and substantially all of them were paid off as of the date of this prospectus. Approximately 66% and 84.7% of our revenues were attributable to these borrowers for the year ended December 31, 2016 and the six months ended June 30, 2017.We believe that we are in full compliance with the P2P Measures and that our new loan structure should continue to be in compliance with the P2P Measures.
Given that the P2P Measures are new and their implementation is just beginning, there is no guarantee that the relevant government authorities will deem our operations to be in full compliance with the P2P Measures once these measures are implemented. Furthermore, such lending and guarantee institutions are under no contractual obligation to continue partnering with us in the long-term pursuant to these new arrangements. As we further adjust our business due to the P2P Measures, our revenues may decline and we may be subject to penalties imposed by the relevant governmental agencies in the event that we fail to comply with the P2P Measures.
Competition
The online consumer finance marketplace industry in China is intensely competitive and we compete with other consumer finance marketplaces. According to the China IRN Report, as of December 2016, there were 2,448 online consumer finance marketplaces. Many of our competitors are more established and have greater resources than our company. In light of the low barriers to entry in the online consumer finance industry, we expect more players to enter this market and increase the level of competition. We anticipate that more established internet, technology and financial services companies that possess large, existing user bases, substantial financial resources and established distribution channels may enter the market in the future.
Supply and Demand for Consumer Credit in China
Our success is largely dependent on the demand for consumer credit in China and our ability to make our marketplace accessible to a large number of potential borrowers. According to the China IRN Report, the demand for consumer credit on peer-to-peer platforms in China in 2017 is approximately $3.2 trillion and is expected to grow to $4.0 trillion in the year 2018. However, in the event that such demand decreases, or we are unable to attract borrowers to our platform and properly service their loans upon acceptable terms, we may not be successful.
PRC Regulatory Environment
The regulatory environment for the peer-to-peer lending industry in China is evolving. Most recently, multiple PRC governmental authorities have published and promulgated various new laws and rules to further regulate the marketplace lending industry in China. We have closely tracked the development and implementation of new rules and regulations likely to affect us. We will continue to ensure timely compliance with new rules, and believe that such timely compliance with these newly promulgated rules is essential to our growth. To the extent that we need to modify our operations to comply with relevant PRC laws and regulations, or implement certain compliance measures, such changes may increase our operating costs and impact our profitability.
59
The China Banking Regulatory Commission, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Public Security published the P2P Measures on August 17, 2016. According to the P2P Measures, effective August 17, 2017, the maximum loan balance at any given time for an individual shall be not more than RMB 200,000, and for a business enterprise not more than RMB 1,000,000, borrowed from a single internet lending information intermediary platform and not more than RMB 1 million for an individual, and RMB 5 million for a business enterprise, in total from all platforms. Pursuant to the P2P Measures, if an online lending information service provider violates any applicable laws, regulations or relevant regulatory provisions relating to online lending information services, sanctions could be imposed by the local financial regulatory departments or other relevant regulatory departments, including, among others, supervision interviews, regulatory warning, correction order, condemnation, credit record modification, fine up to RMB30,000, and criminal liabilities if the act constitutes a criminal offense. Historically, we facilitated loans in excess of the RMB 200,000 limitation set forth in the P2P Measures. However, in advance of the implementation of the P2P Measures, we restructured our business model. In 2017, all of the loans we facilitated were within the limitations set forth in the P2P Measures.
Historically, we structured many of the loans facilitated through our platform such that representatives of traditional lending or guarantee institutions would borrow the funds from the lenders on our platform and in turn lend such funds to underlying individual or small company borrowers. Pursuant to our agreements with these institutions or their representatives, such institutions and the individuals controlling such institutions committed (i) to borrow from our lenders a target loan amount per month, (ii) to cover all costs incurred in connection with such institutions loans made by the institutions to underlying borrowers, (iii) to secure loans through security interests in cars of their underlying borrowers and (iv) to repay all loans made by our lenders to these institutions or their representatives. Under our old loan structure, underlying borrowers provided their automobiles as security to the representatives of financing institutions, including our major borrowers, who in turn borrowed funds through our platform. Such security arrangement did not directly involve us or our lenders. The financing institutions affiliated with our borrowers guaranteed the repayment of the respective loans facilitated through our platform. As of December 31, 2016, we partnered with an aggregate of 4 lending and guarantee companies of loans facilitated through our platform. As of June 30, 2017, we partnered with an aggregate of 11 lending and guarantee companies of loans facilitated through our platform.
However, due to limitations on loan sizes to borrowers set forth in the P2P Measures, since the beginning of 2017, we begun to structure loans such that the underlying individual or small company borrowers borrow the funds directly from the lenders on our platform. The loan institutions that previously borrowed from our lenders are now guarantors of such loans. We believe that not all of the loans we facilitated were within the limitations set forth in the P2P Measures. Given that the P2P Measures are new and their implementation is just beginning, there is no guarantee that the relevant government authorities will deem our operations to be in full compliance with the P2P Measures once these measures are implemented. Furthermore, such lending and guarantee institutions are under no contractual obligation to continue partnering with us in the long-term pursuant to these new arrangements. As such, our revenues may decline and we may be subject to penalties imposed by the relevant governmental agencies in the event that we fail to comply with the P2P Measures.
Investment Returns
Our success is largely dependent on our ability to provide lenders with opportunities to generate competitive returns on their investments through our platform. To the extent that returns that we offer lenders, based on interest rates that borrowers on our platform are willing to pay, are lower than rates offered by our competitors or other investment vehicles, or are deemed riskier than loans facilitated by our competitors or other investment opportunities that offer comparable return rates, we may be unable to attract lenders to our platform and grow our business.
60
Key Operating Metrics
Our management regularly reviews a number of metrics to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends, formulate financial projections and make strategic decisions. The main metrics we consider, and are results for each quarter during the year ended December 31, 2016 and the six months ended June 30, 2017, are set forth in the table below.
|
|
|
For the three months ended March 31, 2016 |
|
For the three months ended June 30, 2016 |
|
For the three months ended September30, 2016 |
|
|
For the three months ended December 31, 2016 |
||
Number of loans facilitated (1) |
|
|
143 |
|
320 |
|
|
347 |
|
|
|
821 |
Number of borrowers (2) |
|
|
2 |
|
2 |
|
|
3 |
|
|
|
15 |
Loan volume (in $ millions) (3) |
|
|
5.9 |
|
11.6 |
|
|
13.1 |
|
|
|
24.4 |
Reinvestment rate of existing lenders (4) |
|
|
36.5% |
|
18.9% |
|
|
38.1% |
|
|
|
25.7% |
Number of new lenders that made a loan |
|
|
2,059 |
|
5,184 |
|
|
4,978 |
|
|
|
5,702 |
Number of lenders that made a loan |
|
|
2,059 |
|
5,388 |
|
|
5,647 |
|
|
|
6,544 |
Re-borrowing rate of existing borrowers |
|
|
100.0% |
|
100.0% |
|
|
100.0% |
|
|
|
66.7% |
Number of new borrowers |
|
|
2 |
|
1 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
12 |
|
|
|
For the three months ended March 31, 2017 |
|
For the three months ended June 30, 2017 |
|
|
Number of loans facilitated (1) |
|
|
1034 |
|
1,162 |
|
|
Number of borrowers (2) |
|
|
98 |
|
226 |
|
|
Loan volume (in $ millions) (3) |
|
|
25.4 |
|
28.3 |
|
|
Reinvestment rate of existing lenders (4) |
|
|
40.4% |
|
22.1% |
|
|
Number of new lenders that made a loan |
|
|
4,426 |
|
10,714 |
|
|
Number of lenders that made a loan |
|
|
5,480 |
|
12,278 |
|
|
Re-borrowing rate of existing borrowers |
|
|
48.5% |
|
71.2% |
|
|
Number of new borrowers |
|
|
86 |
|
172 |
|
|
(1)
Number of loans facilitated is defined as the total number of loans initially facilitated on our marketplace during the relevant period.
(2)
Number of borrowers is defined as the total number of individual or small company borrowers that borrowed at least one loan through our marketplace during the relevant period. Historically, we structured many of the loans facilitated through our platform such that individuals affiliated with traditional lending or guarantee institutions would borrow the funds from the lenders on our platform and in turn lend such funds to underlying individual or small company borrowers. However, due to limitations on loan sizes to borrowers set forth in the P2P Measures, since the beginning of 2017, we begun to structure loans such that the underlying individual or small company borrowers borrow the funds directly from the lenders on our platform. Approximately 68% of our borrowers in the second quarter of 2017 were individuals and the remainder were small companies.
(3)
Loan volume is defined as the total principal amount of loans facilitated through our marketplace during the relevant period.
(4)
Reinvestment rate is equal to the existing lenders divided by the sum of existing lenders and new lenders during the quarter.
61
We believe that loan volume will continue to increase as our business grows.
The number of borrowers increased in large part because we changed our business model to loan directly to individual and small company borrowers rather than to the referrals from lending or guarantee institutions because of the P2P Measures. We would expect the number of borrowers to increase after this offering after we have had the opportunity to employ the capital raised to grow our marketing efforts and capabilities.
We expect reinvestment rates to fluctuate, as they have to date, because lenders often seek different opportunities in the market in ways that are difficult to predict. Our reinvestment rate of existing lenders decreased in the second quarter of 2017 as we have more new lenders invested during the quarter, which drove down the reinvestment rate of existing lenders.
Our re-borrowing rate decreased in the first quarter of 2017 as we changed our business model from lending to referrals from lending and guarantee institutions to lending directly to borrowers due to the P2P Measures. Our re-borrowing rate increased in the second quarter of 2017 as we believe our loan application process is simpler in contrast for the borrowers to go through the loan with banks. Banks often require deposits of up to 30% to 40% of the amount borrowed. We believe that the loans we facilitate are simple and quality credit products that make it easy for borrowers to budget their repayment obligations and meet their financial needs.
The above data and narrative disclosure may not accurately predict our future results, especially since we have a limited operating history. Our historical performance is based on a very limited amount of time. Furthermore, during such time, we adjusted our business model in order to comply with new regulations. In addition, as our business grows in the future, we cannot be certain as to whether or not historical trends will continue.
We dont have any material spending on borrower acquisition because we attract borrowers primarily through lending and guarantee companies that receive payments from the borrowers they introduce to our platform. We do not pay such institutions. However, as we expand our borrower base, these costs may increase over time following this offering although we are unable to accurately calculate such potential costs at this time.
We calculate average lender acquisition costs as our total marketing expense divided by the number of lenders that loaned funds through our platform. Our average lender acquisition costs, on a quarterly basis, were as follows:
Our average lender acquisition costs, on a quarterly basis, were as follows:
Q1 2016 |
$83.43 |
Q2 2016 |
$100.75 |
Q3 2016 |
$64.30 |
Q4 2016 |
$85.89 |
Q1 2017 |
$159.31 |
Q2 2017 |
$74.72 |
Overall, our lender acquisition costs have decreased from $83.43 per person in the first quarter of 2016 to $74.72 per person in the second quarter of 2017 and we expect such trend to continue as our brand recognition increases. We believe that the higher costs in the first quarter of 2017 resulted from the Chinese New Year.
Results of Operations
The tables in the following discussion summarize our consolidated statements of operations for the periods indicated. This information should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. The operating results in any period are not necessarily of the results that may be expected for any future period.
Revenue
Our primary sources of revenue consist of fees received for transactions through our platform and include transaction and management fees. The Companys operating revenues consisted of the following:
62
|
|
For the year ended December 31, 2016 |
|
|
For the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015 |
|
|
For the six months ended June 30, 2017 |
|
For the six months ended June 30, 2016 |
||
Operating revenues: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Transaction Fee |
|
|
$ 1,561,172 |
|
|
|
$ - |
|
|
$ 1,240,720 |
|
$ 437,802 |
Management Fee |
|
|
2,264,241 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
1,685,693 |
|
715,735 |
Sales taxes |
|
|
(119,643) |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
(129,043) |
|
(35,941) |
Total operating revenues |
|
|
$ 3,705,770 |
|
|
|
$ - |
|
|
$ 2,797,640 |
|
$ 1,117,596 |
Transaction Fee : Transaction fees are paid by borrowers to the Company for the work the Company performs through its platform. These fees are recognized as a component of operating revenue at the time of loan issuance. The amount of these fees is based upon the loan amount and other terms of the loan, including credit grade, maturity and other factors. These fees are non-refundable upon the issuance of loan.
Management Fee : Loan borrowers pay a management fee on each loan payment to compensate us for services provided in connection with facilitation of the loan transactions, including review of a borrowers application with required supporting documentation, evaluation of such borrowers credit, assessing and verification of collaterals as well as the maintenance of profiles in our system. The Company records management fees as a component of operating revenue at the time of loan issuance. The amount of these fees is based upon the loan amount and other terms of the loan, including credit grade, maturity and other factors. These fees are non-refundable upon the issuance of loan.
Sales Taxes : Transaction fee, management fee and license fee that are earned and received in the PRC are subject to a Chinese value-added tax (VAT) at a rate of 3% prior to March 2017 (6% starting in April 2017) of the gross proceed or at a rate approved by the Chinese local government. Transaction fees and management fees that are earned and received in the PRC are also subject to various miscellaneous sales taxes at a rate of 7% of the VAT. VAT and miscellaneous sales taxes are accounted for as reduction of revenue.
Year Ended December 31, 2016 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2015
Transaction Fees
|
|
For the Year ended December 31, 2016 |
|
|
For the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015 |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Transaction Fees |
|
|
$ 1,561,172 |
|
|
|
$ - |
|
Loans |
|
|
54,948,482 |
|
|
|
- |
|
Average Transaction fee in % (as a percentage of loan principal) |
|
|
2.84% |
|
|
|
|
|
Transaction fees increased $1,561,172, or 100% in 2016 from 2015. We were established on November 17, 2015 and we started our business operations in the end of January 2016. No revenue was generated in 2015. In 2016, the average transaction fee as a percentage of the initial principal was 2.84% and the loans facilitated through our platform was $54.9 million.
63
Management Fee
|
|
For the Year ended December 31, 2016 |
|
|
|
For the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015 |
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
Management fees |
|
|
$ 2,264,241 |
|
|
|
|
$ - |
|
|||
Loans |
|
|
54,948,482 |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|||
Average Management fee in % (as a percentage of loan principal) |
|
|
4.1% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Management fees increased $2,264,241, or 100% in 2016 from 2015. We were established on November 17, 2015 and we began our operations in the end of January 2016. No revenue was generated in 2015. In 2016, the average transaction fee as a percentage of the initial principal was 4.1% and the loans facilitated through our platform was $54.9 million.
Major Borrowers
For the year ended December 31, 2016, transaction and management fees generated from loans facilitated to two borrowers accounted for 45.8% and 31.1% of our revenues, respectively. The transaction fees and management fees paid by the borrowers and the borrowing amounts are as follows:
For the year ended December 31, 2016
|
|
Borrower 1 |
|
|
Borrower 2 |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Loans |
|
|
$ 23,643,868 |
|
|
|
$ 17,460,885 |
|
Transaction fees |
|
|
$ 666,782 |
|
|
|
$ 489,456 |
|
Transaction fee in % (as a percentage of loan principal) |
|
|
2.8% |
|
|
|
2.8% |
|
Management fees |
|
|
$ 1,086,340 |
|
|
|
$ 700,995 |
|
Management fee in % (as a percentage of loan principal) |
|
|
4.6% |
|
|
|
4.0% |
|
Operating Expenses
Our operating expenses consist of selling, research and development and general and administrative expenses.
|
|
For the Year ended December 31, 2016 |
|
|
For the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015 |
|
|
Change |
|
Change (%) |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Selling |
|
|
$ 1,434,662 |
|
|
|
$ 30,091 |
|
|
$ 1,404,571 |
|
4,668% |
General and administrative |
|
|
1,636,353 |
|
|
|
81,659 |
|
|
1,554,694 |
|
1,904% |
Research and development |
|
|
417,901 |
|
|
|
29,943 |
|
|
387,958 |
|
1,296% |
Total operating expenses |
|
|
$ 3,488,916 |
|
|
|
$ 141,693 |
|
|
$ 3,347,223 |
|
2,362% |
64
Selling Expenses
Selling expenses consist primarily of various marketing expenses, including those related to lender acquisition and retention, general brand and awareness building and salaries and benefits expense related to our sales and marketing team.
Our selling expenses were $1,434,662 and $30,091 for the year ended December 31, 2016 and for the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015, respectively, an increase of $1,404,571 or 4,668%. We were established on November 17, 2015 and we began our operations at the end of January 2016.
Our major selling expenses comprised of the following items during the respective periods as follows:
|
|
For the Year ended December 31, 2016 |
|
|
For the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015 |
|
|
Change |
|
Change (%) |
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Advertisement |
|
|
$ 373,510 |
|
$ |
|
- |
|
|
$ 373,510 |
|
100% |
|
Brand promotion |
|
|
$ 373,525 |
|
$ |
|
- |
|
|
$ 373,525 |
|
100% |
|
Incentive |
|
|
$ 503,238 |
|
$ |
|
- |
|
|
$ 503,238 |
|
100% |
|
Servicing expenses |
|
|
$ 105,386 |
|
$ |
|
- |
|
|
$ 105,386 |
|
100% |
This increase was primarily due to expenses in connection with advertisement that we have placed to promote our brand, and the implementation of our marketing strategy aiming at promoting brand recognition and attracting more lenders. The increase also due to promotional incentives that we offered to our lenders to attract them to invest in our platform and service expenses that are paid by us to a third party platform provider on each deposit made by the lenders into their respective fund accounts held by the third party platform fund accounts. We expect that our overall sales and marketing expenses, including but not limited to, advertisement, brand promotion, incentive and servicing expense, will continue to increase in the foreseeable future as our business further grows.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and benefits expenses for our accounting and finance, business development, legal, human resources and other personnel, and outside professional services fees and facilities expenses.
Our general and administrative expenses were $1,636,353 and $81,659 for the year ended December 31, 2016 and for the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015, respectively, an increase of $1,554,694 or 1,904%.
65
Our major general and administrative expenses comprised of the following items during the respective periods as follows:
This increase was primarily due to higher expenses resulting from the expansion of our business operations, including but not limited to, increased overtime meals, salaries, business consulting and office space rent. We expect our general and administrative expenses, including but not to, salary and business consulting, to continue to increase in the foreseeable future, as our business further grows and as we become a public company upon the completion of this offering. We expect our rental expenses remain consistent unless we need to further expand our administrative office due to lack of office spaces. We expect our meals expense will decrease as we have hired additional employees to cut down the overtime working hours of our employees.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses consist primarily of salaries and benefits expenses for engineering and product management teams, and outside contractors who work on the development and maintenance of our platform.
Our research and development expenses was $417,901 and $29,943 for the year ended December 31, 2016 and for the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015, respectively, an increase of $387,958 or 1,296%. The increase was primarily driven by investment in our platform.
Provision for Income Taxes
Provision for income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2016 increased by $90,361 to $54,938, compared to $35,423 of tax benefit generated for the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015. We incurred an operating loss of $141,692 for the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015, the loss can be carried forward to offset taxable income for the next five years. We recorded non-current deferred tax assets of $35,082 as of December 31, 2015. For the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company generated an operating income of $219,749. 100% of the tax benefit from 2015 was recognized as of December 31, 2016.
The Company believes that a valuation allowance is not deemed necessary for the deferred assets because there will be sufficient operating income generated in future years based on the fact that the Company generated profits for the year ended December 31, 2016 and is expected to continue generate profits for future periods.
Net Income (Loss)
Net income for the year ended December 31, 2016 was $164,811 as compared to net loss of $106,269 for the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015. There was no revenue generated for the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015 as the Company began its operations in January 2016.
66
Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment
Changes in foreign currency translation adjustment are mainly due to the fluctuation of foreign exchange rates between RMB (the functional currency of WFOE and our VIEs).
Foreign currency translation adjustment loss increased to $208,333 for the year ended December 31, 2016 from $11,578 for the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015.
Six Months Ended June 30, 2017 Compared to Six Months Ended June 30, 2016
Transaction Fees
|
|
For the six months ended June 30, 2017 |
|
|
For the six months ended June 30, 2016 |
|
|
Change |
|
Change (%) |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Transaction Fee |
|
|
$ 1,240,720 |
|
|
|
$ 437,803 |
|
|
$ 802,917 |
|
183% |
Loans |
|
|
53,826,654 |
|
|
|
17,778,251 |
|
|
36,048,403 |
|
203% |
Average Transaction fee in (%) |
|
|
2.3% |
|
|
|
2.5% |
|
|
(0.2%) |
|
(6%) |
Transaction fees increased $802,917, or 183%, from $437,803 for the six months ended June 30, 2016 to $1,240,720 for the six months ended June 30, 2017. The increase was primarily due to an increase in loans facilitated through our platform of $36.0 million, or 203%, from $17.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016 to $53.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017. The average transaction fee as a percentage of the initial principal balance of the loan was 2.3% for the six months ended June 30, 2017 compared to 2.5% for the six months ended June 30, 2016. The Company lowered its transaction fee rate during the six months ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the same period in 2016 to attract more borrowers.
Management Fee
|
|
For the six months ended June 30, 2017 |
|
|
For the six months ended June 30, 2016 |
|
|
Change |
|
|
Change (%) |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Management fees |
|
|
$ 1,685,963 |
|
|
|
$ 715,735 |
|
|
$ 970,228 |
|
|
136% |
Loans |
|
|
53,826,654 |
|
|
|
17,778,251 |
|
|
36,048,403 |
|
|
203% |
Average management fee in (as a percentage of loan principal) |
|
|
3.1% |
|
|
|
4.0% |
|
|
(0.9%) |
|
|
(22%) |
Management fees increased $970,228, or 136%, from $715,735 for the six months ended June 30, 2016 to $1,685,963 for the six months ended June 30, 2017. The increase was primarily due to an increase in loans facilitated through our platform of $36.0 million, or 203%, from $17.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016 to $53.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017. The average management fee as a percentage of the initial principal balance of the loan was 3.1% for the six months ended June 30, 2017 compared to 4.0% for the six months ended June 30, 2016. The Company lowered its management fee rate during the six months ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the same period in 2016 to attract more borrowers.
67
Major Borrowers
For the six months ended June 30, 2017, transaction and management fees generated from loans facilitated to two borrowers accounted for 30.4% and 14.5% of our revenues, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2016, transaction and management fees generated from loans provided to two borrowers accounted for 72.6% and 27.4% of our revenues. The transaction fees and management fees paid by the borrowers and the borrowing amounts are as follows:
For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2017
|
|
Borrower 1 |
|
|
Borrower 2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loans |
|
|
$ 13,746,065 |
|
|
$ 6,476,287 |
|
Transaction fees |
|
|
$ 343,652 |
|
|
$ 194,289 |
|
Transaction fee in % (as a percentage of loan principal) |
|
|
2.5% |
|
|
3.0% |
|
Management fees |
|
|
$ 549,843 |
|
|
$ 226,670 |
|
Management fee in % (as a percentage of loan principal) |
|
|
4.0% |
|
|
3.5% |
|
For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2016
|
|
Borrower 1 |
|
|
Borrower 2 |
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Loans |
|
|
$ 11,796,069 |
|
|
$ 5,905,684 |
|
||
Transaction fees |
|
|
$ 319,202 |
|
|
$ 118,496 |
|
||
Transaction fee in % (as a percentage of loan principal) |
|
|
2.7% |
|
|
2.0% |
|
||
Management fees |
|
|
$ 518,277 |
|
|
$ 197,366 |
|
||
Management fee in % (as a percentage of loan principal) |
|
|
4.4% |
|
|
3.3% |
|
||
|
|
Operating Expenses
Our operating expenses consist of selling, research and development and general and administrative expenses.
|
|
For the six months ended June 30, 2017 |
|
|
For the six months ended June 30, 2016 |
|
|
Change |
|
Change (%) |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Selling |
|
|
$ 1,715,617 |
|
|
|
$ 715,433 |
|
|
$ 1,000,184 |
|
140% |
General and administrative |
|
|
1,680,715 |
|
|
|
670,283 |
|
|
1,010,432 |
|
151% |
Research and development |
|
|
204,691 |
|
|
|
240,679 |
|
|
(35,988) |
|
(15%) |
Total operating expenses |
|
|
$ 3,601,023 |
|
|
|
$ 1,626,395 |
|
|
$ 1,974,628 |
|
121% |
Selling Expenses
Selling expenses consist primarily of various marketing expenses, including those related to lender acquisition and retention, general brand and awareness building and salaries and benefits expense related to our sales and marketing team.
68
Our major selling expenses comprised of the following items during the respective periods as follows:
|
|
For the Six months ended June 30, 2017 |
|
|
For the Six months ended June 30, 2016 |
|
|
Change |
|
Change (%) |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Advertisement |
|
|
$ 254,961 |
|
|
|
$ 467,826 |
|
|
$ (212,865) |
|
(46%) |
Brand promotion |
|
|
$ 507,708 |
|
|
|
$ 92,925 |
|
|
$ 414,783 |
|
446% |
Incentive |
|
|
$ 654,403 |
|
|
|
$ 89,065 |
|
|
$ 565,338 |
|
635% |
Servicing expenses |
|
|
$ 92,607 |
|
|
|
$ 39,642 |
|
|
$ 52,965 |
|
134% |
Our selling expenses were $1,715,617 and $715,433 for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, an increase of $1,000,184 or 140%. The increase was primarily due to approximately $415,000 increase in promotion expenses in connection with implementation of our marketing strategy aiming at promoting brand recognition and attracting more lenders, an approximately $565,000 increase in promotional incentive that we offered to our investors to attract them to invest in our platform, and an approximately $53,000 increase in servicing expenses that we paid to a third party platform provider on each deposit made by the lenders into their respective fund accounts held by the third party platform fund accounts, which was offset by approximately $213,000 decrease in advertising expenses as we focused more on the promotion of our brand instead of advertising during the six months ended June 30, 2017 as compared to the same period of 2016.
We expect that our overall sales and marketing expenses, including but not limited to, advertisement and brand promotion, incentive and servicing expense, will continue to increase in the foreseeable future as our business further grows.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and benefits expenses for our accounting and finance, business development, legal, human resources and other personnel, and outside professional services fees and facilities expenses.
Our major general and administrative expenses comprised of the following items during the respective periods as follows:
|
|
For the Six months ended June 30, 2017 |
|
|
For the Six months ended June 30, 2016 |
|
|
Change |
|
Change (%) |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Office space rental |
|
|
$ 188,312 |
|
|
|
$ 166,344 |
|
|
$ 21,968 |
|
13% |
Salary |
|
|
$ 173,840 |
|
|
|
$ 97,486 |
|
|
$ 76,354 |
|
78% |
Business consulting |
|
|
$ 529,300 |
|
|
|
$ 182,090 |
|
|
$ 260,955 |
|
143% |
Professional fees |
|
|
$ 493,131 |
|
|
|
$ 25,328 |
|
|
$ 347,210 |
|
191% |
69
Our general and administrative expenses were $1,680,715 and $670,283 for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, an increase of $1,010,432 or 151%. The increase was primarily due to approximately $77,000 in salary increase as we have hired more employees due to our operating needs, an approximately $347,000 increase in business consulting as we need to hire a professional team continuingly to monitor and ensure our platform are working properly and to resolve any issues encountered by the users of our platform, and an approximately $468,000 increase in professional fee on legal, audit, and advisory fees associated with our IPO process. We expect our general and administrative expenses, including but not to, salary and business consulting, to continue to increase in the foreseeable future, as our business further grows. We expect our rental expenses to remain consistent unless we need to further expand our administrative office due to lack of office spaces. We expect our profession fees on legal, audit, and advisory fees will increase as we become a public company upon the completion of this offering.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses consist primarily of salaries and benefits expenses for engineering and product management teams, and outside contractors who work on the development and maintenance of our platform.
Our research and development expenses were $204,691 and $240,679 for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, a decrease of $35,988 or 15%. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in the amount of investment in our platform and product development.
Provision for Income Taxes
For the six months ended June 30, 2017, the Company incurred an operating loss and recorded non-current deferred tax assets on net operating losses of $195,111.
Net Income (Loss)
Net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2017 was $601,405 as compared to net loss of $380,877 for the same period last year.
Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment
Changes in foreign currency translation adjustment are mainly due to the fluctuation of foreign exchange rates between RMB (the functional currency of Golden Bull WFOE and our VIEs).
Foreign currency translation adjustment increased to $206,308 for the six months ended June 30, 2017 from loss of $30,165 for the same period last year.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
To date, we have financed our operations primarily through cash flows from operations and proceeds from private placements.
70
We incurred losses from operations of $141,693 for the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015 and generated an income of $216,854 from operations for the year ended December 31, 2016. We incurred losses from operations of $803,383 in the six months ended June 30, 2017. In 2015 and 2016, we raised an aggregate of approximately $8.0 million through four private placements in China. We had approximately $5.6 million of cash as of June 30, 2017. We intend to continue to use such funds, and the funds we expect to raise in this offering, to grow our business primarily by:
·
enhancing our marketing efforts in order to increase awareness of our marketplace among potential lenders throughout China; and
·
increasing our efforts to expand our borrower base by utilizing social networks and e-commerce platforms.
We believe that our current working capital is sufficient to support our operations for the next twelve months.
All of our revenue is denominated in RMB. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior SAFE approval as long as certain routine procedural requirements are fulfilled. Therefore, our PRC subsidiaries are allowed to pay dividends in foreign currencies to us without prior SAFE approval by following certain routine procedural requirements. However, current PRC regulations permit our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. Our PRC subsidiaries are required to set aside at least 10% of their after-tax profits after making up previous years accumulated losses each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds until the total amount set aside reaches 50% of their registered capital. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. Furthermore, capital account transactions, which include foreign direct investment and loans, must be approved by and/or registered with SAFE and its local branches. See Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Doing Business in ChinaWe rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiary to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, and any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiary to make payments to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.
Cash Flows
As of June 30, 2017, we had cash and cash equivalent approximately $5.6 million as compared to $7.4 million as of December 31, 2016. The table below sets forth a summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:
|
|
For the year ended December 31, 2016 |
|
|
For the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015 |
|
|
For the six months ended June 30, 2017 |
|
For the six months ended June 30, 2016 |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Net cash used in operating activities |
|
|
$ (1,092,322) |
|
|
|
$ (230,354) |
|
|
$ (1,948,687) |
|
$ (204,768) |
Net cash used in investing activities |
|
|
$ (108,757) |
|
|
|
$ (21,552) |
|
|
$ (16,808) |
|
$ (94,023) |
Net cash provided by financing activities |
|
|
$ 8,044,569 |
|
|
|
$ 936,600 |
|
|
$ - |
|
$ 1,071,312 |
Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities was approximately $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2016, which was attributable primarily to an approximately $1.5 million increase in prepaid for advertisement and was offset by unpaid expense of $0.3 million other payables and accrued liabilities and taxes payable.
Net cash used in operating activities for the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015 was approximately $0.2 million, attributable primarily to a net loss of approximately $0.1 million and $0.1 million paid for prepaid rent and security deposits.
71
Net cash used in operating activities was approximately $1.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017, which was attributable primarily to a net loss of approximately $0.6 million, an approximately $0.6 million increase in security deposits and approximately $0.8 million paid for prepaid advertisement, marketing promotion and professional services.
Net cash used in operating activities was approximately $0.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016, which was attributable primarily to a net loss of approximately $0.4 million, an approximate $0.5 million paid for prepaid advertisement and marketing promotion, an approximate $0.1 million of deferred tax benefit, and was offset by unpaid expense of $0.8 million other payables and accrued liabilities and taxes payable.
Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities was approximately $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2016, which was attributable primarily to the additional office equipment and furniture and leasehold improvements.
Net cash used in investing activities was approximately $22,000 for the year ended December 31, 2015, which was attributable primarily to purchase of office equipment and furniture and leasehold improvements.
Net cash used in investing activities was approximately $17,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2017, which was attributable primarily to $34,000 additional purchase of office equipment and leasehold improvements, and $18,000 cash acquired through variable interest entity.
Net cash used in investing activities was approximately $94,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2016, which was attributable primarily to the additional office equipment and furniture and leasehold improvements.
Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities was approximately $8.0 million in the year ended December 31, 2016, which was attributable to proceeds from private placements of our operating entitys securities, and approximately $0.9 million during the period from November 17, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015, which was attributable to additional capital contributions from our founders.
Net cash provided by financing activities was approximately $1.1 million in the six months ended June 30, 2016, which was attributable to additional capital contribution from our founders.
Contractual Obligations
Our contractual obligations as of June 30, 2017 consisted of approximately $208,192 of lease commitment due within one year. We lease our office premises under a non-cancelable operating lease with an expiration date in January 2018.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have not entered into any derivative contracts that are indexed to our shares and classified as shareholders equity or that are not reflected in our consolidated financial statements. Furthermore, we do not have any retained or contingent interest in assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity that serves as credit, liquidity or market risk support to such entity. We do not have any variable interest in any unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk or credit support to us or that engages in leasing, hedging or research and development services with us.
72
Critical Accounting Policies
Our managements discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements that have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (U.S. GAAP). The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements as well as the reported net sales and expenses during the reporting periods. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and assumptions. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
While our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus, we believe that the following accounting policies are the most critical to aid you in fully understanding and evaluating our managements discussion and analysis:
Principles of consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, its subsidiaries, and the VIEs. All intercompany transactions and balances between the Company, its subsidiaries and the VIE are eliminated upon consolidation.
Since Golden Bull, its subsidiaries and the VIEs are under common control, the consolidation of Dianniu has been accounted for as a reorganization of entities under common control at carrying value and prepared on the basis as if the reorganization became effective as of the beginning of the first period presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and the consolidation of Baoxun has been consolidated from February 22, 2017, the date of which Baoxun becomes under common control.
Fair value measurement
The accounting standard regarding fair value of financial instruments and related fair value measurements defines financial instruments and requires disclosure of the fair value of financial instruments held by the Company. The Company considers the carrying amount of cash and cash equivalents, other receivables, prepaid expenses, accounts payable, other payables and accrued liabilities, deferred rent liabilities and taxes payable to approximate their fair values because of their short term nature.
The accounting standards define fair value, establish a three-level valuation hierarchy for disclosures of fair value measurement and enhance disclosure requirements for fair value measures. The three levels are defined as follow:
Level 1 inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.
Level 2 inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, and inputs that are observable for the assets or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the financial instruments.
Level 3 inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value.
Revenue recognition
Revenue is recognized when all of the following have occurred: (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (ii) delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, (iii) the price is fixed or determinable, and (iv) the ability to collect is reasonably assured.
73
Transaction Fee: Transaction fees are paid by borrowers to the Company for the work the Company performs through its platform. These fees are recognized as a component of operating revenue at the time of loan issuance. The amount of these fees is based upon the loan amount and other terms of the loan, including credit grade, maturity and other factors. These fees are non-refundable upon the issuance of loan.
Management Fee: Loan borrowers pay a management fee on each loan payment to compensate the Company for services provided in connection with facilitation of the loan transactions. The Company records management fees as a component of operating revenue at the time of loan issuance. The amount of these fees is based upon the loan amount and other terms of the loan, including credit grade, maturity and other factors. These fees are non-refundable upon the issuance of loan.
Sales taxes : Transaction fee, management fee and license fee that are earned and received in the PRC are subject to a Chinese value-added tax (VAT) at a rate of 3% prior to March 2017 (6% starting in April 2017) of the gross proceed or at a rate approved by the Chinese local government Transaction fee and management fee that are earned and received in the PRC are also subject to various miscellaneous sales taxes at a rate of 7% of the VAT. VAT and miscellaneous sales taxes are accounted for as reduction of revenue.
Incentives
In order to incentivize lenders, the Company provides incentives to marketplace lenders, who commit a certain amount of money for a period of time. During the relevant incentive program period, the Company set certain thresholds for the lender to qualify to enjoy the cash incentive. Such incentives generally consist of a credit to be used by a lender to invest in a future loan. When qualified investment is made by the lenders, the cash payment is provided to the lender as a percentage of investment amount at the time of loan issuance as part of its investment to the specified loan that he/she has invested. The incentive expenses are recognized in our selling expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
Servicing Expense
Servicing expenses are paid by the Company to a third party platform provider on each deposit made by the lenders into their respective fund accounts held by the third party platform fund accounts. The amount of these expenses is based upon the deposit amount. The servicing expenses are recognized in our selling expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss
Income taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with U.S. GAAP for income taxes. Under the asset and liability method as required by this accounting standard, the recognition of deferred income tax liabilities and assets for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the income tax basis and financial reporting basis of assets and liabilities. Provision for income taxes consists of taxes currently due plus deferred taxes.
The charge for taxation is based on the results for the fiscal year as adjusted for items, which are non-assessable or disallowed. It is calculated using tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the balance sheet date.
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Deferred taxes are accounted for using the asset and liability method in respect of temporary differences arising from differences between the carrying amount of assets and liabilities in the consolidated financial statements and the corresponding tax basis used in the computation of assessable tax profit. In principle, deferred tax liabilities are recognized for all taxable temporary differences. Deferred tax assets are recognized to the extent that it is probable that taxable income will be available against which deductible temporary differences can be utilized. Deferred tax is calculated using tax rates that are expected to apply to the period when the asset is realized or the liability is settled. Deferred tax is charged or credited in the income statement, except when it is related to items credited or charged directly to equity, in which case the deferred tax is also dealt with in equity. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Current income taxes are provided for in accordance with the laws of the relevant taxing authorities.
An uncertain tax position is recognized as a benefit only if it is more likely than not that the tax position would be sustained in a tax examination, with a tax examination being presumed to occur. The amount recognized is the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized on examination. For tax positions not meeting the more likely than not test, no tax benefit is recorded. Penalties and interest incurred related to underpayment of income tax are classified as income tax expense in the period incurred. PRC tax returns filed in 2016 are subject to examination by any applicable tax authorities.
Commitments and Contingencies
In the normal course of business, the Company is subject to contingencies, including legal proceedings and claims arising out of the business that relate to a wide range of matters, such as government investigations and tax matters. The Company recognizes a liability for such contingency if it determines it is probable that a loss has occurred and a reasonable estimate of the loss can be made. The Company may consider many factors in making these assessments including historical and the specific facts and circumstances of each matter.
JOBS Act
On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an emerging growth company and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risks
Liquidity risk
We are exposed to liquidity risk, which is the risk that we will be unable to provide sufficient capital resources and liquidity to meet our commitments and business needs. Liquidity risk is controlled by the application of financial position analysis and monitoring procedures. When necessary, we will turn to other financial institutions to obtain short-term funding to meet the liquidity shortage.
Inflation risk
Inflationary factors, such as increases in raw material and overhead costs, could impair our operating results. Although we do not believe that inflation has had a material impact on our financial position or results of operations to date, a high rate of inflation in the future may have an adverse effect on our ability to maintain current levels of gross margin and operating expenses as a percentage of sales revenue if the selling prices of our products do not increase with such increased costs.
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Interest rate risk
Our exposure to interest rate risk primarily relates to the interest rate we are subject to in connection with our short term bank loans, on the one hand, which can vary but not more than 110% of the Peoples Bank of China benchmark interest rate, and the interest rates we impose on our borrowers or that our deposited cash can earn, on the other hand. We have not used any derivative financial instruments to manage our interest risk exposure. Interest-earning instruments carry a degree of interest rate risk. We have not been exposed to material risks due to changes in interest rates. An increase, however, may raise the cost of any debt we incur in the future.
Foreign currency translation and transaction
The reporting currency of the Company is the U.S. dollar. The Company in China conducts its businesses in the local currency, Renminbi (RMB), as its functional currency. Assets and liabilities are translated at the unified exchange rate as quoted by the Peoples Bank of China at the end of the period. The statement of income accounts are translated at the average translation rates and the equity accounts are translated at historical rates. Translation adjustments resulting from this process are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Transaction gains and losses that arise from exchange rate fluctuations on transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency are included in the results of operations as incurred.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
In November 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2015-17, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes , to simplify the presentation of deferred income taxes. The update requires that deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position. The update applies to all entities that present a classified statement of financial position. For public business entities, the ASU is effective for consolidated financial statements issued for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods. Earlier application is permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. The Company has elected to early adopt the ASU, and its effects are reflected in the Companys consolidated financial statements.
In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities , to enhance the reporting model for financial instruments to provide users of financial statements with more decision-useful information. The update requires equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method or those that result in consolidation of the investee) to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income. It eliminated the requirement for public entities to disclose the method(s) and significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value that is require to be disclosed for financial instruments measured at amortized cost on the balance sheet. For public entities, the ASU is effective for the fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Management plans to adopt this ASU after December 15, 2017 assuming the Company will remain an emerging growth company at that date. Management does not believe the adoption of this ASU would have a material effect on the Companys consolidated financial statements.
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02 , Amendments to the ASC 842 Leases . This update requires lessee to recognize the assets and liability (the lease liability) arising from operating leases on the balance sheet for the lease term. When measuring assets and liabilities arising from a lease, a lessee (and a lessor) should include payments to be made in optional periods only if the lessee is reasonably certain to exercise an option to extend the lease or not to exercise an option to terminate the lease. Within twelve months or less lease term, a lessee is permitted to make an accounting policy election not to recognize lease assets and liabilities. If a lessee makes this election, it should recognize lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term. In transition, this update will be effective for public entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Management plans to adopt this ASU after December 15, 2018 assuming the Company will remain an emerging growth company at that date. Management does not believe the adoption of this ASU would have a material effect on the Companys consolidated financial statements.
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In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing . The objective is to clarify the two aspects of Topic 606: identifying performance obligations and the licensing implementation guidance, while retaining the related principles for these areas. The ASU affects the guidance in ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which is not yet effective. The effective date and transition requirements for this ASU are the same as the effective date and transition requirements in Topic 606 (and any other Topic amended by ASU 2014-09). ASU 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date, defers the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year. Management plans to adopt this ASU after December 15, 2017 assuming the Company will remain an emerging growth company at that date. Management does not believe the adoption of this ASU would have a material effect on the Companys consolidated financial statements.
In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients. The object is to address certain issues identified by the FASB-IASB Joint Transition Resource Group for Revenue Recognition. The amendments in this Update affect the guidance in Accounting Standards Update 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which is not yet effective. The effective date and transition requirements for the amendments in this Update are the same as the effective date and transition requirements for Topic 606 (and any other Topic amended by Update 2014-09). Accounting Standards Update 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date, defers the effective date of Update 2014-09 by one year. Management plans to adopt this ASU after December 15, 2017 assuming the Company will remain an emerging growth company at that date. Management does not believe the adoption of this ASU would have a material effect on the Companys consolidated financial statements.
In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, to address diversity in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The amendments provide guidance on the following eight specific cash flow issues: (1) Debt Prepayment or Debt Extinguishment Costs; (2) Settlement of Zero-Coupon Debt Instruments or Other Debt Instruments with Coupon Interest Rates That Are Insignificant in Relation to the Effective Interest Rate of the Borrowing; (3) Contingent Consideration Payments Made after a Business Combination; (4) Proceeds from the Settlement of Insurance Claims; (5) Proceeds from the Settlement of Corporate-Owned Life Insurance Policies, including Bank-Owned; (6) Life Insurance Policies; (7) Distributions Received from Equity Method Investees; (8) Beneficial Interests in Securitization Transactions; and Separately Identifiable Cash Flows and Application of the Predominance Principle. The amendments are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. The amendments should be applied using a retrospective transition method to each period presented. If it is impracticable to apply the amendments retrospectively for some of the issues, the amendments for those issues would be applied prospectively as of the earliest date practicable. Management plans to adopt this ASU after December 15, 2017 assuming the Company will remain an emerging growth company at that date. Management does not believe the adoption of this ASU would have a material effect on the Companys consolidated financial statements.
In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-17, Consolidation (Topic 810): Interests held through related parties that are under common control. The amendments in this ASU require that the reporting entity, in determining whether it satisfies the second characteristic of a primary beneficiary, to include all of its direct variable interests in a VIE and, on a proportionate basis, its indirect variable interests in a VIE held through related parties, including related parties that are under common control with the reporting entity. The amendments are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. Management does not believe the adoption of this ASU would have a material effect on the Companys consolidated financial statements.
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In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the definition of a business. The amendments in this ASU is to clarify the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. The definition of a business affects many areas of accounting including acquisitions, disposals, goodwill, and consolidation. The amendments are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Management plans to adopt this ASU after December 15, 2017 assuming the Company will remain an emerging growth company at that date. Management does not believe the adoption of this ASU would have a material effect on the Companys consolidated financial statements.
In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-09, Scope of Modification Accounting, which amends the scope of modification accounting for share-based payment arrangements and provides guidance on the types of changes to the terms or conditions of share-based payment awards to which an entity would be required to apply modification accounting under ASC 718. For all entities, this ASU is effective for annual reporting periods, including interim periods within those annual reporting periods, beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in any interim period. Management plans to adopt this ASU after December 15, 2017 assuming the Company will remain an emerging growth company at that date. The adoption of this ASU would not have a material effect on the Companys consolidated financial statements.
The Company does not believe other recently issued but not yet effective accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Companys consolidated balance sheets, statements of income and comprehensive income and statements of cash flows.
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Overview
We are an online finance marketplace, or peer-to-peer lending company, in China that provides borrowers access to short-term loans. The loans that we are currently arranging generally range from 30 days to 90 days, and are secured by borrowers automobiles. Through our online marketplace, we connect individual lenders with individual and small business borrowers. We currently conduct our business operations exclusively in China.
We believe our technology-driven marketplace provides eligible borrowers with a quick, accessible and affordable way to meet their liquidity needs. Our online marketplace may be accessed only by qualified borrowers, as discussed below in Business Our Platform. We currently target borrowers that display stable credit performance and salary income. We implement a risk management process to try to minimize the risk of nonpayment to lenders. Such process involves a thorough review of credit reports prepared by third parties and may also include inquiries by us of employers or associates of potential borrowers.
Our marketplace also provides lenders with risk-adjusted returns that we believe are attractive. The average annualized return for lenders that have provided loans through our platform in 2016 was 11.64%, compared to a peer-to-peer industry average return rate of 10.45%, based on the Research Report on the Internet Finance Industry and Development Strategy for 2017 to 2022 (the China IRN Report), issued by ChinaIRN.com, an independent research institution in PRC that specializes in industry survey and research.
From our inception in November 2015 through June 2017, we facilitated loans in the aggregate principal amount of approximately RMB 734.9 million ($108.8 million). We generate revenues primarily from transaction fees, which averaged 2.31% and 2.84% of the principal amount loaned through our platform during the six months ended June 30, 2017 and the year ended December 31, 2016, respectively, and management fees, which averaged 3.1% and 4.1% of the principal amount loaned through our platform during the six months ended June 30, 2017 and the year ended December 31, 2016, respectively, each of which is charged to borrowers for our services. Our revenues totaled approximately $3.7 million in 2016, our first year of operations, and approximately $2.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017. See Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of OperationsResults of OperationRevenue for a description of our transaction and management fees.
We attract borrowers to our platform primarily through offline sources, including through relationships with traditional lending or guarantee institutions. In addition, we attract borrowers through referrals from existing borrowers and through online sources, including search engine marketing, search engine optimization, mobile application downloads through major application stores, partnering with online channels through application programming interfaces, as well as various marketing campaigns. The lending and guarantee institutions we work with are compensated directly by the borrowers, and not by us or the lenders we introduce.
We have used various social media and mobile platforms and networks to market our platform to potential lenders. Currently, lenders through our platform consist of individuals of varying levels of net worth. We conduct a limited background check of individuals that lend money through our platform.
As an intermediary, we do not use our own capital to invest in loans facilitated through our marketplace nor do we manage our borrowers and lenders account portfolios. We facilitate loans by connecting borrowers and lenders, preparing all necessary paperwork related to borrowers applications and assisting with securing collateral. However, we do not take control of funds that pass between such lenders and borrowers. Instead, payments are made through third party payment systems. Prior to August 2017, we used China PnR for payment services. On June 15, 2017, Bank of Shanghai started to serve as the exclusive custodian for our lending platform, providing account management, funds depository, custodian, and account segregation services in connection with funds transfers in loan transactions facilitated via our platform. For loan transactions facilitated through our platform, the bank sets up separate accounts for borrowers, lenders and guarantors and withdraws and deposits funds based on instructions generated by our platform. The bank also provides other ancillary services such as platform user identity verification and account statements preparation. In August 2017, we finished the transition from the custodian system of China PnR to the custodian system of Bank of Shanghai.