Table of Contents

 







 



UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549





 

 



 

 



FORM 10-Q



 

 



 

 



(Mark One)



 

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended June  3 0 , 201 6

-OR-





 

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                      to                     

Commission file number 001-33647





 

 



 

 

MercadoLibre, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)





 

 



 

 







 

 



 

 

Delaware

 

98-0212790

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

Arias 3751, 7th Floor

Buenos Aires, C1430CRG, Argentina

(Address of registrant’s principal executive offices)

(+5411) 4640-8000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)





 

 



 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes       No  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files.    Yes       No  

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or smaller reporting company. See definition of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:





 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

Large accelerated filer

 

 

Accelerated filer

 



 

 

 

Non-accelerated filer

 

  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

 

Smaller reporting company

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes       No  

APPLICABLE ONLY TO CORPORATE ISSUERS:

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

44,157,341 shares of the issuer’s common stock, $0.001 par value,   outstanding as of August 3, 2016 .







 



 

 


 

Table of Contents

 



MERCADOLIBRE, INC.

IN DEX TO FORM 10-Q

 



 

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

Item 1 — Unaudited Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

 

 Interim Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of June 30 , 201 6 and December 31, 201 5

 Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income for the six and three-month periods ended June 30 , 201 6 and 201 5

 Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the six and three-month periods ended June 30 , 201 6 and 201 5

 Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the six-month periods ended June 30 , 201 6 and 201 5

 Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

 Item 2 — Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

26 

 Item 3 — Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures About Market Risk

56 

 Item 4 — Controls and Procedures

62 

 PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

62 

 Item 1 — Legal Proceedings

62 

 Item 1A — Risk Factors

64 

 Item 6 — Exhibits

66 

 INDEX TO EXHIBITS

68 



 

 


 

Table of Contents

 

M ercadoLibre, Inc.

Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

as of June 30 , 201 6 and December 31, 201 5

and for the six and three -month periods

ended June 30 , 201 6 and 2015

 



 

 


 

Table of Contents

 



M ercadoLibre, Inc.

Interim Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

As of June 30 , 201 6 and December 31, 2015

(In thousands of U.S. dollars, except par value)

(Unaudited)





 

 

 



June 30,

 

December 31,



2016

 

2015

Assets

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

$          144,016

 

$          166,881

Short-term investments

251,416 

 

202,112 

Accounts receivable, net

40,055 

 

28,428 

Credit cards receivables, net

215,437 

 

131,946 

Prepaid expenses

6,004 

 

6,007 

Inventory

990 

 

222 

Other assets

15,349 

 

9,577 

Total current assets

673,267 

 

545,173 

Non-current assets:

 

 

 

Long-term investments

157,832 

 

187,621 

Property and equipment, net

104,808 

 

81,633 

Goodwill

96,150 

 

86,545 

Intangible assets, net

29,126 

 

28,991 

Deferred tax assets

36,417 

 

29,688 

Other assets

42,549 

 

43,955 

Total non-current assets

466,882 

 

458,433 

Total assets

$       1,140,149

 

$       1,003,606

Liabilities and Equity

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

$            86,068

 

$            62,038

Funds payable to customers

277,528 

 

203,247 

Salaries and social security payable

32,786 

 

32,918 

Taxes payable

16,419 

 

10,092 

Loans payable and other financial liabilities

782 

 

1,965 

Other liabilities

2,148 

 

7,667 

Dividends payable

6,624 

 

4,548 

Total current liabilities

422,355 

 

322,475 

Non-current liabilities:

 

 

 

Salaries and social security payable

10,239 

 

10,422 

Loans payable and other financial liabilities

296,691 

 

294,342 

Deferred tax liabilities

32,099 

 

27,049 

Other liabilities

14,198 

 

9,860 

Total non-current liabilities

353,227 

 

341,673 

Total liabilities

$          775,582

 

$          664,148



 

 

 

Equity:

 

 

 



 

 

 

Common stock, $0.001 par value, 110,000,000 shares authorized,

 

 

 

44,157,341 and 44,156,854 shares issued and outstanding at June 30,

 

 

 

2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively

$                   44

 

$                   44

Additional paid-in capital

137,979 

 

137,923 

Retained earnings

473,627 

 

440,770 

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(247,083)

 

(239,279)

Total Equity

364,567 

 

339,458 

Total Liabilities and Equity

$       1,140,149

 

$       1,003,606





The accompanying notes are an integral part of these interim condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

1


 

Table of Contents

 

M ercadoLibre, Inc.

Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income

For the six and   three -month periods ended June 30 , 201 6 and 201 5

(In thousands of U.S. dollars, except for share data)

(Unaudited)





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Six Months Ended June 30,

 

Three Months Ended June 30,



 

 

2016

 

2015

 

2016

 

2015

Net revenues

 

 

$           357,274

 

$            302,417

 

$                199,644

 

$              154,314

Cost of net revenues

 

 

(128,794)

 

(95,019)

 

(73,346)

 

(50,311)

Gross profit

 

 

228,480 

 

207,398 

 

126,298 

 

104,003 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product and technology development

 

 

(46,157)

 

(36,885)

 

(24,216)

 

(19,639)

Sales and marketing

 

 

(68,020)

 

(55,317)

 

(35,337)

 

(29,115)

General and administrative

 

 

(37,910)

 

(38,746)

 

(20,841)

 

(20,612)

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

 

 

(13,717)

 

(16,226)

 

(13,717)

 

 —

Total operating expenses

 

 

(165,804)

 

(147,174)

 

(94,111)

 

(69,366)

Income from operations

 

 

62,676 

 

60,224 

 

32,187 

 

34,637 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other income (expenses):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income and other financial gains

 

 

15,300 

 

8,991 

 

8,049 

 

4,683 

Interest expense and other financial losses

 

 

(12,315)

 

(10,151)

 

(6,631)

 

(5,201)

Foreign currency losses

 

 

(240)

 

(9,217)

 

(5,387)

 

(648)

Net income before income / asset tax expense

 

 

65,421 

 

49,847 

 

28,218 

 

33,471 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income / asset tax expense

 

 

(19,316)

 

(28,663)

 

(12,360)

 

(14,008)

Net income

 

 

$             46,105

 

$              21,184

 

$                  15,858

 

$                19,463









 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Six Months Ended June 30,

 

Three Months Ended June 30,



 

2016

 

2015

 

 

2016

 

2015

Basic EPS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic net income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders per common share

 

$               1.04

 

$               0.48

 

 

$                  0.36

 

$                     0.44

Weighted average of outstanding common shares

 

44,157,151 

 

44,155,035 

 

 

44,157,341 

 

44,155,271 

Diluted EPS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diluted net income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders per common share

 

$               1.04

 

$               0.48

 

 

$                  0.36

 

$                     0.44

Weighted average of outstanding common shares

 

44,157,151 

 

44,155,035 

 

 

44,157,341 

 

44,155,271 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash Dividends declared

 

0.150 

 

0.206 

 

 

0.150 

 

0.103 











The accompanying notes are an integral part of these interim condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

2


 

Table of Contents

 

M ercadoLibre, Inc.

Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

For the six and   three -month periods ended June 30 , 201 6 and 201 5

(In thousands of U.S. dollars)

(Unaudited)









 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Six Months Ended June 30,

 

Three Months Ended June 30,



 

2016

 

2015

 

2016

 

2015



 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

 

$         46,105

 

$         21,184

 

$         15,858

 

$         19,463



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of income tax:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Currency translation adjustment

 

(8,082)

 

(23,927)

 

3,108 

 

(1,397)

Unrealized net losses on available for sale investments

 

(394)

 

(27)

 

(842)

 

(288)

Less: Reclassification adjustment for losses on available for sale investments
included in net income

 

(672)

 

(379)

 

 —

 

 —

Net change in accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income, net of income tax

 

(7,804)

 

(23,575)

 

2,266 

 

(1,685)

Total Comprehensive Income (loss)

 

$         38,301

 

$          (2,391)

 

$         18,124

 

$         17,778





The accompanying notes are an integral part of these interim condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

3


 

Table of Contents

 



Me rcadoLibre, Inc.

Interim Condensed Consolidated Statement s of Cash Flow

For the six -month periods ended June 30 , 201 6 and 201 5

(In thousands of U.S. dollars)

(Unaudited)









 

 

 

 



 

Six Months Ended June 30,



 

2016

 

2015



 

 

Cash flows from operations:

 

 

 

 

Net income

 

$            46,105

 

$            21,184

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

 

 

 

 

Unrealized Devaluation Loss, net

 

5,162 

 

10,862 

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

 

13,717 

 

16,226 

Depreciation and amortization

 

13,178 

 

10,970 

Accrued interest

 

(7,918)

 

(5,769)

Non cash interest and convertible bonds amortization of debt discount and Amortization of debt issuance costs

 

4,705 

 

8,562 

LTRP accrued compensation

 

10,126 

 

8,463 

Deferred income taxes

 

(1,981)

 

7,736 

Changes in assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable 

 

(2,833)

 

(19,342)

Credit Card Receivables

 

(78,334)

 

(52,553)

Prepaid expenses

 

 

(2,327)

Inventory

 

(637)

 

 —

Other assets

 

(7,704)

 

(4,122)

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

 

(15,133)

 

40,974 

Funds payable to customers

 

59,309 

 

52,006 

Other liabilities

 

(566)

 

(652)

Interest received from investments

 

7,650 

 

4,613 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

44,855 

 

96,831 

Cash flows from investing activities:

 

 

 

 

Purchase of investments

 

(1,559,095)

 

(950,636)

Proceeds from sale and maturity of investments

 

1,565,336 

 

926,058 

Payment for acquired businesses, net of cash acquired

 

(7,284)

 

(45,009)

Purchases of intangible assets

 

(49)

 

(1,367)

Advance for property and equipment

 

(4,963)

 

(7,473)

Purchases of property and equipment

 

(32,590)

 

(16,305)

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(38,645)

 

(94,732)

Cash flows from financing activities:

 

 

 

 

Payments on loans payable and other financing

 

(6,299)

 

(4,438)

Dividends paid

 

(11,172)

 

(11,878)

Repurchase of Common Stock

 

 —

 

(2,714)

Net cash used in financing activities

 

(17,471)

 

(19,030)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

 

(11,604)

 

(35,822)

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

 

(22,865)

 

(52,753)

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of the period

 

$166,881 

 

223,144 

Cash and cash equivalents, end of the period

 

$144,016 

 

$          170,391



The accompanying notes are an integral part of these interim condensed consolidated financial statements.

 



 

 

4


 

Table of Contents

 

MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)



1.   Nature of Business

MercadoLibre, Inc. (“MercadoLibre” or the “Company”) was incorporated in the state of Delaware, in the United States of America in October 1999. MercadoLibre is the leading ecommerce company in Latin America, serving as an integrated regional platform and as an enabler of the necessary online and technology tools to allow businesses and individuals to trade products and services in the region. The Company enables commerce through its marketplace platform (including online classifieds for motor vehicles, vessels, aircraft, services and real estate), which allows users to buy and sell in most of Latin America. 

Through MercadoPago, MercadoLibre enables individuals and businesses to send and receive online payments; through MercadoEnvios, MercadoLibre facilitates the shipping of goods from sellers to buyers; through MercadoClics and other ad-sales products, MercadoLibre facilitates advertising services to large retailers and brands to promote their product and services on the web; and through MercadoShops, MercadoLibre facilitates users to set-up, manage, and promote their own on-line web-stores under a subscription-based business model. In addition, MercadoLibre develops and sells software enterprise solutions to e-commerce business clients in Brazil.

As of June 30, 2016, MercadoLibre, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, operated online ecommerce platforms directed towards Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua, Salvador , Portugal, Uruguay and Venezuela, including the recently launched online ecommerce platforms in Bolivia, Guatemala and Paraguay. Additionally, MercadoLibre operates an online payments solution directed towards Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, Chile and Colombia ; and added Peru to its list of countries where the service is offered since June 2016 . It also offers a shipping solution directed towards Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and added Chile to its list of countries where the service is offered since February 2016. In addition, the Company operates a real estate classified platform that covers some areas of State of Florida, in the United States of America.



2. Summary of significant accounting policies

Basis of presentation

The accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP) and include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. These interim condensed consolidated financial statements are stated in U.S. dollars , except for amounts otherwise indicated . Intercompany transactions and balances with subsidiaries have been eliminated for consolidation purposes.

Substantially all net revenues, cost of net revenues and operating expenses, are generated in the Company’s foreign operations, amounting to approximately 99.9% and 99.9% of the consolidated amounts during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015. Long-lived assets, intangible assets and goodwill located in the foreign operations totaled $219,789 thousands and $184,178 thousands as of June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively.

These interim condensed consolidated financial statements reflect the Company’s consolidated financial position as of June 30 , 201 6   and December 31, 201 5 . These financial statements also show the Company’s consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income for the six and three-month periods ended June , 201 6 and 201 5; and statement of cash flows for the six-month period ended June, 2016 and 2015 . These interim condensed consolidated financial statements include all normal recurring adjustments that management believes are necessary to fairly state the Company’s financial position, operating results and cash flows.

Because all of the disclosures required by U.S. GAAP for annual consolidated financial statements are not included herein, these unaudited interim condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 201 5 , contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The condensed consolidated statements of income, of comprehensive income and of cash flows for the periods presented herein are not necessarily indicative of results expected for any future period. For more detailed discussion about the Company’s significant accounting policies, see note 2 to the Form 10-K. During the six-month period ended June 30, 2016, there were no material updates made to the Company’s significant accounting policies.

Foreign currency translation

All of the Company’s foreign operations have determined the local currency to be their functional currency, except for Venezuela since January 1, 2010, as described below. Accordingly, these foreign operating subsidiaries translate assets and liabilities from their local currencies into U.S. dollars by using year-end exchange rates while income and expense accounts are translated at the average rates in effect during the year, unless exchange rates fluctuate significantly during the period, in which case the exchange

 

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Table of Contents

 

MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

rates at the date of the transaction are used. The resulting translat ion adjustment is recorded as a component of other comprehensive   (loss)       income.

Venezuelan currency status

Pursuant to U.S. GAAP, the Company has transitioned its Venezuelan operations to highly inflationary status as from January 1, 2010, which requires that transactions and balances are re-measured as if the U.S. dollar was the functional currency for such operation. The cumulative   three   year inflation rate as of December 31, 2010 exceeded   100% . The Company continues to treat the economy of Venezuela as highly-inflationary. Therefore,   no   translation effect was accounted for in other comprehensive income   related to the Venezuelan operations.

O n February 10, 2015, the Venezuelan government issued a decree that unified the two previous foreign exchange systems “SICAD 1 and SICAD 2” into a new single system ( SICAD ) , with an initial public foreign exchange rate of 12 BsF per U.S. dollar. The SICAD auction process remains available only to obtain foreign currency to pay for a limited list of goods considered to be of high priority by the Venezuelan government, which does not include those relating to the Company’s business. In the same decree the Venezuelan government created the “Sistema Marginal de Divisas” (“SIMADI”), a new foreign exchange system that is separate from SICAD, which publishes a foreign exchange rate from the Central Bank of Venezuela (“ BCV ”) on a daily basis.

In light of the disappearance of SICAD 2, and the Company’s inability to gain access to U.S. dollars under SICAD, it started requesting and was granted U.S. dollars through SIMADI. As a result, the Company from that moment expected to settle its transactions through SIMADI going forward and concluded that the SIMADI exchange rate should be used to re-measure its bolivar-denominated monetary assets and liabilities and to re-measure the revenues and expenses of the Venezuelan subsidiaries effective as of March 31, 2015. In connection with this re-measurement, the Company recorded a foreign exchange loss of $20.4 million during the first quarter of 2015.

Considering this change in facts and circumstances and the lower U.S. dollar-equivalent cash flows then expected from the Venezuelan business, the Company reviewed its long-lived assets, goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful life for impairment and concluded that the carrying value of certain real estate investments in Venezuela as of March 31, 2015 would not be fully recoverable. As a result, the Company recorded an impairment of long-lived assets of $ 16.2 million on March 31, 2015. The carrying amount was adjusted to its estimated fair value of approximately $9.2 million as of March 31, 2015 , by using the market approach, and considering prices for similar assets.

On March 9, 2016 the BCV issued the Exchange Agreement No.35, which is effective since March 10, 2016. The agreement established a “protected” exchange rate ( DIPRO ) for certain transactions, such as but not limited to: imports of goods of the food and health sectors, as well as supplies associated with the production of said sectors; expenses relating to health treatments, sports, culture, scientific research, and other urgent matters defined by the exchange regulations. All foreign currency transactions not expressly provided in Exchange Agreement No.35 will be processed on the alternate foreign currency markets governed by the exchange regulations, at the floating supplementary market exchange rate ( DICOM ).

Additionally, the agreement established that the alternate foreign currency markets referred to in Exchange Agreement No.33 of February 10, 2015 (SIMADI) will continue to operate until replaced by others. As of the date of issuance of these interim condensed consolidated financial statements, the SIMADI has not been replaced and for that reason, the Company continued using SIMADI. From March 31, 2016 through June 30, 2016, the SIMADI exchange rate increased from 273 BsF per U.S. dollar to 628 BsF per U.S. dollar, a 130% increase in the exchange rate. As a consequence of the local currency devaluation , the Company recorded a foreign exchange loss of $4.9 million during the second quarter of 201 6 .

Considering the significant devaluation and the lower U.S. dollar-equivalent cash flows then expected from the Venezuelan business, the Company reviewed its long-lived assets (including non-current other assets) , goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful life for impairment and concluded that the carrying value of certain real estate investments in Venezuela as of June 30, 2016 would not be fully recoverable. As a result, on June 30, 2016, the Company recorded an impairment of offices and commercial property under construction included within non-current other assets of $13.7 million . The carrying amount of offices and commercial property under construction was adjusted to its estimated fair value of approximately $12.5   million as of June 30, 2016, by using the market approach, and considering prices for similar assets.

Until 2010 the Company was able to obtain U.S. dollars for any purpose, including dividends distribution, using alternative mechanisms other than through the Commission for the Administration of Foreign Exchange Control (CADIVI). Those U.S. dollars, obtained at a higher exchange rate than the one offered by CADIVI, and held in balance at U.S. bank accounts of our Venezuelan subsidiaries, were used for dividend distributions from our Venezuelan subsidiaries. The Venezuelan subsidiaries have not requested authorization since 2012 to acquire U.S. dollars to make dividend distributions. The Company has not distributed dividends from the Venezuelan subsidiaries since 2011.

 

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Table of Contents

 

MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

The following table sets forth the assets, liabilities and net assets of the Company’s Venezuelan subsidiaries, before intercompany eliminations of a net liability of $34.3 million and $24.6 million, as of June 30 , 201 6 and December 31, 201 5 and net revenues for the six -month periods ended June 30 , 201 6 and 201 5 :







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

June 30,



 

 

2016

 

2015

 



 

 

(In thousands)

Venezuelan operations

 

 

 

 

 

 



Net Revenues

 

$

19,566 

 

$

19,669 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

June 30,

 

December 31,

 



 

 

2016

 

2015

 



 

 

(In thousands)

 



Assets

 

 

54,502 

 

 

65,407 

 



Liabilities

 

 

(39,765)

 

 

(36,266)

 



Net Assets

 

$

14,737 

 

$

29,141 

 





As of June 30 , 201 6 , net assets (before intercompany eliminations) of the Venezuelan subsidiaries amounted to approximately 4.0%  o f consolidated net assets, and cash and investments of the Venezuelan subsidiaries held in local currency in Venezuela amounted to approximately   1.0% of our consolidated cash and investments.

The Company’s ability to obtain U.S. dollars in Venezuela is negatively affected by the exchange regulations in Venezuela that are described above and elsewhere in these interim condensed consolidated financial statements. In addition, its business and ability to obtain U.S. dollars in Venezuela would be negatively affected by additional material devaluations or the imposition of significant additional and more stringent controls on foreign currency exchange by the Venezuelan government.

Despite the current difficult macroeconomic environment in Venezuela, the Company continues to actively manage, through its Venezuelan subsidiaries, its investment in Venezuela.

Argentine currency status

During December 2015 the Argentine peso exchange rate increased by approximately  37%  against the U.S. dollar to  13.3  Argentine pesos per U.S. dollar as of December 31, 2015. Due to such increase in the Argentine peso exchange rate against the U.S. dollar, during the fourth quarter of 2015, the Company recognized a foreign exchange gain of   $18.2  million (as a result of having a net asset position in U.S. dollars) and the reported Other Comprehensive Loss increased by  $22.8  million (as a result of having a net asset position in Argentine pesos). As of June 30 , 2016 the Argentine Peso exchange rate against the U.S. dollar was 15.0 .

In Argentina , access to the local foreign exchange market without requiring prior Central Bank approval is allowed for all of the following: real estate investments abroad, loans granted to non-Argentine residents, Argentine residents’ con tributions of direct investment s abroad, portfolio investment of Argentine individuals abroad, certain other investments abroad of Argentine residents, portfolio investments of Argentine legal entities abroad, purchase of foreign currency bills to be held in Argentina, as well as purchase of traveler checks. The total amount of foreign currency purchased for all the above mentioned items cannot exceed  $5.0  million per month in the aggregate.



Brazilian currency status

During   2015,   the       Brazilian Reais   exchange rate against the U.S. dollar increased in approximately   44% , from   2.7   Brazilian Reais   per U.S. dollar as of December 31, 2014   to   3.9   Brazilian Reais per U.S. dollar   as of December 31, 2015.    Due to the fluctuations of the Brazilian foreign currency against the U.S. dollar, we recognized a foreign exchange gain of       $14.6   million during the year 2015. In addition, the reported Other   Comprehensive   Loss of our Brazilian segment       increased   by   $9.0   million during   the last year.   As of June 30 , 2016 the Brazilian   Reais exchange rate against the U.S. dollar was 3.2 .



 

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Table of Contents

 

MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

Income and asset taxes

The Company is subject to U.S. and foreign income taxes. The Company accounts for income taxes following the liability method of accounting which requires the recognition of deferred tax liabilities and assets for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts and the tax bases of assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets are also recognized for tax loss carry   forwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets or liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is recorded when, based on the available evidence, it is more likely than not that all or a portion of the Company’s deferred tax assets will not be realized. The Company’s income tax expense consists of taxes currently payable, if any, plus the change during the period in the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities.

On August 17, 2011, the Argentine government issued a new software development law and on September 9, 2013 the regulatory decree was issued, which established the new requirement to become beneficiary of the new software development law. The new decree establishes compliance requirements with annual incremental ratios related to exports of services and research and development expenses that must be achieved to remain within the tax holiday. The Argentine operation will have to achieve certain required ratios annually under the new software development law.

The Industry Secretary resolution which rules, among other provisions, on the mechanism to file the information to obtain the benefits derived from the new software development law was issued in late February 2014. During May 2014, the Company presented all the required documentation in order to apply for the new software development law.

On September 17, 2015, the Argentine Industry Secretary issued Resolution 1041/2015 approving the Company’s application for eligibility under the new software development law. As a result, the Company’s Argentinean subsidiary has been granted a tax holiday retroactive from September 18, 2014. A portion of the benefits obtained as beneficiaries of the new law is a relief of  60%  of total income tax related to software development activities and a  70%  relief in payroll taxes related to software development activities.

The new software development law, which provides that beneficiaries must meet certain on-going eligibility requirements, will expire on December 31 , 2019. As a result of the Company’s eligibility under the new law, it recorded an income tax benefit of  $9,195 and $4,853 thousands for the six and three -month periods ended June 30, 2016, respectively. Furthermore, the Company recorded a labor cost benefit of  $2,006  and   $1,049 thousands for the six and three-month periods ended June 30, 2016, respectively . Additionally,  $785 and $413   thousands  were accrued to pay software development law audit fees during the six and three-month periods ended June 30, 2016, respectively During the first half of 2015, the company did not record any income tax, labor cost benefits or software development law audit fees. Aggregate per share effect of the Argentine tax holiday amounted to  $0.25 and $0.13  for the six and three-month periods ended June  3 0, 201 6, respectively .

In November 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued the Accounting Standards Update 2015-17, Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes (ASU 2015-17). The new guidance requires that deferred income tax liabilities and assets be classified as non-current in a classified statement of financial position. The amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted.

The company elected to apply the amendments retrospectively to all periods presented as it reduce s the costs and complexity in current GAAP without affecting the quality of information provided to users of financial statements.

 The quantitative effect of the change on the December 31, 2015 balance sheet presented was a decrease on current deferred tax assets and current deferred tax liabilities of 12,290 thousands and 2,551 thousands, respectively. Those balances were reclassified to non-current deferred tax assets and non-current deferred tax liabilities as appropriate. Consequently, all deferred taxes were presented as Non-current in balance sheet. 

As of June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, the Company included under non-current deferred tax assets caption the foreign tax credits related to the dividend distributions received from its subsidiaries for a total amount of   $12,040   thousands and   $10,102   thousands, respectively. Those foreign tax credits will be used to offset the future domestic income tax payable.  

 

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Table of Contents

 

MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

The following table sets forth the Company’s accumulated other comprehensive loss as of June  3 0 , 2016 and the year ended December 31, 2015:







 

 

 

 



 

June 30,

 

December 31,



 

2016

 

2015



 

(In thousands)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss:

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation

 

$             (246,689)

 

$        (238,607)

Unrealized losses on investments

 

(602)

 

(1,023)

Estimated tax gain on unrealized losses on investments

 

208 

 

351 



 

$             (247,083)

 

$        (239,279)



The following tables summarize the changes in accumulated balances of other comprehensive loss for the six -month period ended June  3 0 , 2016:

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Unrealized

 

Foreign

 

Estimated tax

 

 

 



 

(Losses) Gains on

 

Currency

 

(expense)

 

 

 



 

Investments

 

Translation

 

benefit

 

Total

 



 

(In thousands)

Balances as of December 31, 2015

 

$                (1,023)

 

$        (238,607)

 

$              351

 

$      (239,279)

 

Other comprehensive loss before reclassifications adjustments for gains (losses) on available for sale investments

 

(602)

 

(8,082)

 

208 

 

(8,476)

 

Amount of (loss) gain reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss

 

1,023 

 

 —

 

(351)

 

672 

 

Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)

 

421 

 

(8,082)

 

(143)

 

(7,804)

 

Ending balance

 

$                   (602)

 

$        (246,689)

 

$              208

 

$      (247,083)

 









 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Amount of (Loss) Gain

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Reclassified from

 

 

 

 

 

 

Details about Accumulated

 

Accumulated Other

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Comprehensive Loss

 

Comprehensive

 

Affected Line Item

Components

 

Loss

 

in the Statement of Income



 

(In thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unrealized losses on investments

 

$                (1,023)

 

Interest expense and other financial losses

Estimated tax gain on unrealized losses on investments

 

351 

 

Income / asset tax gain

Total reclassifications for the year

 

$                   (672)

 

Total, net of income taxes







Inventory

Inventory, consisting of points of sale (“POS”) devices available for sale, are accounted for using the first-in first-out (“FIFO”) method, and are valued at the lower of cost or market value.   

Impairment of long-lived assets  

The Company reviews its long-lived assets (including non-current other assets) for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable.

As explained in section “Foreign Currency Translation” of the present Note to these interim condensed consolidated financial statements, the Company has subsequently accessed to more unfavorable exchange markets in Venezuela as from March 2015.

 

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Table of Contents

 

MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

Furthermore, from March 31, 2016 through June 30, 2016, the SIMADI exchange rate increased from 273 BsF per U.S. dollar to 628 BsF per U.S. dollar, a 130% increase in the exchange rate.

Considering these changes in facts and circumstances and the lower U.S. dollar-equivalent cash flows expected from the Venezuelan business, and long-lived assets expected use, the Company concluded that certain real estate investments held in Caracas, Venezuela, should be impaired. The fair value of long-lived assets was estimated through market approach using level 3 inputs in the fair value hierarchy. These level 3 inputs included, but are not limited to, executed purchase agreements in similar assets and third party valuations. As a consequence, the Company estimated the fair value of the impaired long-lived assets, and recorded impairment losses of $13.7 million and $16.2 million on June 30, 2016 and March 31, 2015 , respectively.

Use of estimates

The preparation of interim condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Estimates are used for, but not limited to accounting for allowance for doubtful accounts and chargeback provisions, recoverability of goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful life, useful life of long-lived assets and intangible assets, impairment of short-term and long-term investments, impairment of long-lived assets, compensation costs relating to the Company’s long term retention plan, fair value of convertible debt note, recognition of income taxes and contingencies. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Recently issued accounting pronouncements

On March 8, 2016 the FASB issued the ASU 2016-04. When an entity sells a prepaid stored-value product (such as gift cards, telecommunication cards, and traveler’s checks), it recognizes a financial liability for its obligation to provide the product holder with the ability to purchase goods or services at a third-party merchant. When a prepaid stored-value product goes unused wholly or partially for an indefinite time period, the amount that remains on the product is referred to as breakage. There currently is diversity in the methodology used to recognize breakage. Subtopic 405-20 includes derecognition guidance for both financial liabilities and nonfinancial liabilities, and Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, includes authoritative breakage guidance but excludes financial liabilities. The amendments in this Update provide a narrow scope exception to the guidance in Subtopic 405-20 to require that breakage be accounted for consistent with the breakage guidance in Topic 606.   The new standard is effective for fiscal years   beginning after December 15, 201 7 .   The Company is assessing the effects that the adoption of this accounting pronouncement may have on the company´s financial statements.

On March 14, 2016 the FASB issued the ASU 2016-06. Topic 815 requires that embedded derivatives be separated from the host contract and accounted for separately as derivatives if certain criteria are met, including the “clearly and closely related” criterion. The amendments in this Update clarify the requirements for assessing whether contingent call (put) options that can accelerate the payment of principal on debt instruments are clearly and closely related to their debt hosts. An entity performing the assessment under the amendments is required to assess the embedded call (put) options solely in accordance with the four-step decision sequence. The amendments apply to all entities that are issuers of or investors in debt instruments (or hybrid financial instruments that are determined to have a debt host) with embedded call (put) options.   The new standard is effective for fiscal years   beginning after December 15, 201 7. The Company is assessing the effects that the adoption of this accounting pronouncement may have on the company´s financial statements.

On March 17, 2016 the FASB issued the ASU 2016-08. This update releases Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-08--Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net). The amendments in this Update will clarify the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations.   The new standard is effective for fiscal years   beginning after December 15, 201 7. The Company is assessing the effects that the adoption of this accounting pronouncement may have on the company´s financial statements.

On March 30, 2016 the FASB issued the ASU 2016-09. The Board is issuing this Update as part of its initiative to reduce complexity in accounting standards. The areas for simplification in this Update involve several aspects of the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. Some of the areas for simplification apply only to nonpublic entities. In addition, the amendments in this Update eliminate the guidance in Topic 718 that was indefinitely deferred shortly after the issuance of FASB Statement No. 123 (revised 2004), Share-Based Payment.   This Accounting Standards Update is the final version of Proposed Accounting Standards Update—Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee

 

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Table of Contents

 

MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

Share-Based Payment Accounting, which has been deleted.   The new standard is effective for fiscal years   beginning after December 15, 201 6. The Company is assessing the effects that the adoption of this accounting pronouncement may have on the company´s financial statements.

On April 14, 2016 the FASB issued the ASU 2016-10. This update releases Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-10—Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing. This Update clarifies guidance related to identifying performance obligations and licensing implementation guidance contained in the new revenue recognition standard.   The Update includes targeted improvements based on input the Board received from the Transition Resource Group for Revenue Recognition and other stakeholders. The Update seeks to proactively address areas in which diversity in practice potentially could arise, as well as to reduce the cost and complexity of applying certain aspects of the guidance both at implementation and on an ongoing basis .   The new standard is effective for fiscal years   beginning after December 15, 201 6. The Company is assessing the effects that the adoption of this accounting pronouncement may have on the Company´s financial statements.

On May 3, 2016 the FASB issued the ASU 2016-11 on Revenue Recognition (Topic 605) and Deriva tives and Hedging (Topic 815). The amendments in this Update eliminate some guidance related to revenue recognition and derivatives. The new standard is effective for fiscal years   beginning after December 15, 201 6. The Company is assessing the effects that the adoption of this accounting pronouncement may have on the C ompany´s financial statements .   

On May 9, 2016 the FASB issued the ASU 2016-12 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)—Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients”. The amendments in this update address narrow-scope improvements to the guidance on collectability, noncash consideration, and completed contracts at transition. Additionally, the amendments in this update provide a practical expedient for contract modifications at transition and an accounting policy election related to the presentation of sales taxes and other similar taxes collected from customers.   The new standard is effective for fiscal years   beginning after December 15, 201 6. The Company is assessing the effects that the adoption of this accounting pronouncement may have on the C ompany´s financial statements

On June 16, 2016 the FASB issued the ASU 2016-13 “Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of credit losses on financial instruments”. This update amends guidance on reporting credit losses for assets held at amortized cost basis and available for sale debt securities.   For assets held at amortized cost basis, this update eliminates the probable initial recognition threshold in current GAAP and, instead, requires an entity to reflect it’s current estimate of all expected credit losses. For available for sale debt securities, credit losses should be measured in a manner similar to current GAAP, however this topic will require that credit losses be presented as an allowance rather than as a write-down.   The new standard is effective for fiscal years   beginning after December 15, 201 9. The Company is assessing the effects that the adoption of this accounting pronouncement may have on the C ompany´s financial statements .   

 

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MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)



3. Net income per share

Basic earnings per share for the Company’s common stock is computed by dividing, net income available to common shareholders attributable to common stock for the period by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period.

Diluted earnings per share for the Company’s common stock assume the issuance of shares as a consequence of a convertible debt securities conversion event (refer to Note 9 to these interim condensed consolidated financial statements) and the effects of assumed share settlement of long term retention plans for earnings per share calculations.







Net income   per share of common st ock is as follows for the six and three -month periods ended June 30 , 201 6 and 201 5 :

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Six Months Ended June 30,

 

Three Months Ended June 30,



 

2016

 

2015

 

2016

 

 

 

2015



 

(In thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Basic

 

Diluted

 

Basic

 

Diluted

 

Basic

 

Diluted

 

Basic

 

Diluted

Net income per common share

 

$               1.04

 

$               1.04

 

$               0.48

 

$               0.48

 

$                   0.36

 

$              0.36

 

$0.44 

 

$0.44 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Numerator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

 

$           46,105

 

$           46,105

 

$           21,184

 

$           21,184

 

$               15,858

 

$          15,858

 

$19,463 

 

$19,463 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Denominator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average of common stock outstanding for Basic  earnings per share

 

44,157,151 

 

 

 

44,155,035 

 

 

 

44,157,341 

 

 

 

44,155,271 

 

 

Adjusted weighted average of common stock outstanding  for Diluted earnings per share

 

 

 

44,157,151 

 

 

 

44,155,035 

 

 

 

44,157,341 

 

 

 

44,155,271 







For the six and three-month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 there was no impact on the calculation of diluted earnings per share as a consequence of the consideration of the Convertible Notes and the Long term retention plan referred to above calculated using the “if converted” method and the “treasury stock method” respectively (Please refer to note 9 of these interim condensed consolidated financial statements).

The denominator for diluted net income per share for the six and three-month periods ended   June 30 ,   201 6 and   201 5 does not include any effect from the capped call   issued in connection with the notes because it would be antidilutive. In the event of conversion of any or all of the Notes, the shares that would be delivered to the Company under the   Note hedges are designed to partially neutralize the dilutive effect of the shares that the Company would issue under the Notes.

 

4. Business combinations, goodwill and intangible assets

Business combinations

Acquisition of a software development company in Argentina

On February   12 , 201 6 , the Company completed, through its subsidiaries Meli Participaciones S.L. and Marketplace Investment LLC, a limited liability company organized under the laws of Delaware, USA (together referred to as the “Buyers”), the acquisition of the 100% of equity interest of Monits S.A. , a software development company located and organized under the laws of the Buenos Aires City, Argentina. The objective of the acquisition was to enhance the capabilities of the Company in terms of software development.

 

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Table of Contents

 

MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

The aggregate purchase price for the acquisition of the 100% of the acquired business was $3,056 thousands, measured at its fair value, amount that included: (i) the total cash payment of $1,713 thousands at closing day ; (ii) an escrow of $128 thousands and iii) a contingent additional cash consideration up to   $1,215 thousands .  

The Company’s unaudited interim condensed consolidated statement of income includes the results of operations of the acquired business as from February 12, 2016 . The net revenues and net income   before intercompany eliminations of the acquired Company included in the Company’s interim condensed consolidated statement of income since the acquisition amounted to $1,045 thousands and $63 thousands, respectively.

In addition, the Company incurred in certain direct costs of the business combination which were expensed as incurred.

As of June 30 , 2016, the fair value of the contingent consideration recorded is $1,215 thousands. Contingent additional cash considerations are to be paid after the achievement of the performance targets.

The following table summarizes the purchase price allocation for the acquisition :







 

 

 



 

Monits S.A.
In thousands of U.S. dollars

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

Other net tangible assets

 

 

25 

Total net tangible assets acquired

 

 

28 

Non solicitation agreement

 

 

196 

Goodwill

 

 

2,832 

Purchase Price

 

$

3,056 



The purchase price was allocated based on the measurement of the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed considering the information available as of the date of these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements. The valuation of identifiable intangible assets acquired reflects management’s estimates based on the use of established valuation methods. Such assets consist of non-solicitation agreement for an amount of $196 thousands. Management of the Company estimates that the non-solicitation agreement will be amortized over a two -year period.

The Company recognized goodwill for this acquisition based on management expectation that the acquired business will improve the Company’s business.

Arising goodwill has been allocated proportionally to each of the segments identified by the Company’s management, considering the synergies expected from this acquisition and it is expected that the acquiree will contribute to the earnings generation process of such segments.   Goodwill arising from this acquisition is not deductible for tax purposes.

Acquisition of a software development company in Brazil  

On June 1 , 2016, through its subsidiary Ebazar.com.br Ltda., the Company acquired  100%  of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of Axado Informação e Tecnologia S.A. (“Axado”) , a company that develops logistic software for the e-commerce industry in Brazil .

The aggregate purchase price for the acquisition of the 100% of the acquired business was  $5,536  thousands, measured at its fair value,   amount that included: (i) the total cash payment of  $4,706   thousands at closing day; and  (ii) an escrow of  $830   thousands . Additionally, payments of $830   thousands will be transferred to the sellers by the end of the first and second year after the acquisition,   aiming to continue the employment relationship as key emp loyees. This additional payment will be expensed over the period up to fulfillment of the conditions required by the selling and purchase agreement.

In addition, the Company incurred in certain direct costs of the business combination which were expensed as incurred.

The Company’s consolidated statement of income includes the results of operations of the acquired business as from June 1, 2016 . The net revenues and net loss of the acquiree included in the Company’s statement of income since the acquisition amounted to  $69   thousands and $71 thousands, respectively.

 

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Table of Contents

 

MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

The following table summarizes the preliminary purchase price allocation for the acquisition:



 

   

   



 

 

 



 

Axado Informacao e Tecnologia Ltda
In thousands of U.S. dollars

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

90 

Other net tangible assets

 

 

77 

Total net tangible assets acquired

 

 

167 

Customer lists

 

 

676 

Trademark

 

 

251 

Software

 

 

282 

Non-solicitation and Non-compete agreements

 

 

118 

Goodwill

 

 

4,042 

Purchase Price

 

$

5,536 



The purchase price was allocated based on the provisional measurement of the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed considering the information available as of the date of these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements .   The valuation of identifiable intangible assets acquired reflects management’s estimates based on the use of established valuation methods. Such assets consist of trademark, customer lists, software and non-compete and non-solicitation agreement s for a total amount of   $1,327   thousands. Management of the Company estimates that customer lists and non-compete agreements will be amortized over a   five   - year period , while trademark and software will be amortized over a three - year period.  

The Company recognized goodwill for this acquisition based on management’s expectation that the acquired business will improve the Company’s business.  

Arising goodwill was allocated to the   Brazilian   segment identified by the Company’s management, considering the synergies expected from this acquisition and it is expected that the acquiree will contribute to the earnings gen eration process of such segment. Goodwill arising from this acquisition is deductible for tax purposes.

Supplemental pro forma financial information required by U.S. GAAP for each acquisition, both individually and in the aggregate, was not material to the interim condensed consolidated financial statements of income of the Company   and, accordingly, such information has not been presented .

Goodwill and intangible assets

The composition of goodwill and intangible assets is as follows:





 

 

 

 



 

June 30,

 

December 31,



 

2016

 

2015



 

(In thousands)

Goodwill

 

$            96,150

 

$            86,545

Intangible assets with indefinite lives

 

 

 

 

- Trademarks

 

13,278 

 

13,074 

Amortizable intangible assets

 

 

 

 

- Licenses and others

 

7,430 

 

8,691 

- Non-compete/solicitation agreement

 

1,851 

 

1,615 

- Customer lists

 

14,866 

 

12,971 

- Trademarks

 

1,011 

 

 —

Total intangible assets

 

$            38,436

 

$            36,351

Accumulated amortization

 

(9,310)

 

(7,360)

Total intangible assets, net

 

$            29,126

 

$            28,991





 







 

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Table of Contents

 

MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

Goodwill

The changes in the carrying amount of goodwill for the six -month period ended June 30, 2016 and the year ended December 31, 2015 are as follows:





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Period ended June 30, 2016



 

Brazil

 

Argentina

 

Chile

 

Mexico

 

Venezuela

 

Colombia

 

Other Countries

 

Total



 

(In thousands)

Balance, beginning of the period

 

$             18,526 

 

$               7,430 

 

$             16,438 

 

$             33,834 

 

$                            5,729 

 

$                   3,437 

 

$               1,151 

 

$             86,545 

- Business acquisition

 

5,635 

 

700 

 

 —

 

190 

 

260 

 

57 

 

32 

 

6,874 

- Effect of exchange rates changes

 

3,973 

 

(985)

 

1,153 

 

(1,677)

 

 —

 

255 

 

12 

 

2,731 

Balance, end of the period

 

$             28,134 

 

$               7,145 

 

$             17,591 

 

$             32,347 

 

$                            5,989 

 

$                   3,749 

 

$               1,195 

 

$             96,150 









 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Year ended December 31, 2015



 

Brazil

 

Argentina

 

Chile

 

Mexico

 

Venezuela

 

Colombia

 

Other Countries

 

Total



 

(In thousands)

Balance, beginning of year

 

$             10,557 

 

$             11,859 

 

$             19,101 

 

$             15,719 

 

$               5,729 

 

$                   4,521 

 

$               1,343 

 

$             68,829 

- Business acquisitions

 

14,066 

 

 —

 

 —

 

22,978 

 

 —

 

 —

 

 —

 

37,044 

- Effect of exchange rates changes

 

(6,097)

 

(4,429)

 

(2,663)

 

(4,863)

 

 —

 

(1,084)

 

(192)

 

(19,328)

Balance, end of the year

 

$             18,526 

 

$               7,430 

 

$             16,438 

 

$             33,834 

 

$               5,729 

 

$                   3,437 

 

$               1,151 

 

$             86,545 







Intangible assets with definite useful life

Intangible assets with definite useful life are comprised of customer lists and user base, non-compete and non- solicitation agreements, acquired software licenses and other acquired intangible assets including developed technologies. Aggregate amortization expense for intangible assets totaled   $905   thousands and   $853   thousands for the three-month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively, while for the six-month periods ended at such dates amounted to   $1,719   thousands and   $1,364   thousands, respectively.

The following table summarizes the remaining amortization of intangible assets (in thousands of U.S. dollars) with definite useful life as of June 30, 2016 :







 

 

 

 

 

 

For year ended 12/31/2016

 

 

 

 

 

$              2,259

For year ended 12/31/2017

 

 

 

 

 

3,884 

For year ended 12/31/2018

 

 

 

 

 

3,119 

For year ended 12/31/2019

 

 

 

 

 

2,341 

Thereafter

 

 

 

 

 

4,245 



 

 

 

 

 

$            15,848



 

 

5. Segment reporting

Reporting segments are based upon the Company’s internal organizational structure, the manner in which the Company’s operations are managed and resources are assigned , the criteria used by management to evaluate the Company’s performance, the availability of separate financial information, and overall materiality considerations.

Segment reporting is based on geography as the main basis of segment breakdown to reflect the evaluation of the Company’s performance defined by the management. The Company’s segments include Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela and other countries (such as Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua, Salvador, Bolivia, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Uruguay and USA).

 

15


 

Table of Contents

 

MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

Direct contribution consists of net revenues from external customers less direct costs and any impairment of long lived assets. Direct costs include costs of net revenues, p roduct and technology development expenses ,   sales and marketing expenses, and general and administrative expenses over which segment managers have direct discretionary control, such as advertising and marketing programs, customer support expenses, allowances for doubtful accounts, payroll, third party fees. All corporate related costs have been excluded from the Company’s direct contribution.

Expenses over which segment managers do not currently have discretionary control, such as certain technology and general and administrative costs are monitored by management through shared cost centers and are not evaluated in the measurement of segment performance.

The following tables summarize the financial performance of the Company’s reporting segments:







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Six Months Ended June 30, 2016



 

Brazil

 

Argentina

 

Mexico

 

Venezuela

 

Other Countries

 

Total



 

(In thousands)

Net revenues

 

$             180,424 

 

$             115,902 

 

$             22,568 

 

$             19,566 

 

$             18,814 

 

$               357,274 

Direct costs

 

(111,761)

 

(66,192)

 

(18,651)

 

(9,228)

 

(13,339)

 

(219,171)

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

(13,717)

 

-

 

(13,717)

Direct contribution

 

68,663 

 

49,710 

 

3,917 

 

(3,379)

 

5,475 

 

124,386 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses and indirect costs of net revenues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(61,710)

Income from operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

62,676 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other income (expenses):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income and other financial gains

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15,300 

Interest expense and other financial losses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(12,315)

Foreign currency losses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(240)

Net income before income / asset tax expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$                 65,421 









 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Six Months Ended June 30, 2015



 

Brazil

 

Argentina

 

Mexico

 

Venezuela

 

Other Countries

 

Total



 

(In thousands)

Net revenues

 

$             141,365 

 

$             104,262 

 

$             19,428 

 

$             19,669 

 

$             17,693 

 

$               302,417 

Direct costs

 

(83,676)

 

(53,842)

 

(12,615)

 

(6,835)

 

(11,083)

 

(168,051)

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

(16,226)

 

-

 

(16,226)

Direct contribution

 

57,689 

 

50,420 

 

6,813 

 

(3,392)

 

6,610 

 

118,140 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses and indirect costs of net revenues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(57,916)

Income from operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

60,224 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other income (expenses):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income and other financial gains

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8,991 

Interest expense and other financial losses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(10,151)

Foreign currency losses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(9,217)

Net income before income / asset tax expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$                 49,847 

 





 

16


 

Table of Contents

 

MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended June 30, 2016



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brazil

 

Argentina

 

Mexico

 

Venezuela

 

Other Countries

 

Total



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(In thousands)

Net revenues

 

$               102,889 

 

$               67,701 

 

$               11,452 

 

$                 7,461 

 

$                     10,141 

 

$               199,644 

Direct costs

 

(61,462)

 

(38,446)

 

(9,200)

 

(4,094)

 

(7,138)

 

(120,340)

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

(13,717)

 

-

 

(13,717)

Direct contribution

 

41,427 

 

29,255 

 

2,252 

 

(10,350)

 

3,003 

 

65,587 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses and indirect costs of net revenues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(33,400)

Income from operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

32,187 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other income (expenses):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Interest income and other financial gains

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8,049 



Interest expense and other financial losses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(6,631)



Foreign currency losses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(5,387)

Net income before income / asset tax expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$28,218 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 











 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended June 30, 2015



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brazil

 

Argentina

 

Mexico

 

Venezuela

 

Other Countries

 

Total



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(In thousands)

Net revenues

 

$72,867 

 

$56,830 

 

$9,991 

 

$5,714 

 

$8,912 

 

$154,314 

Direct costs

 

(43,995)

 

(29,057)

 

(6,646)

 

(2,631)

 

(5,912)

 

(88,241)

Direct contribution

 

28,872 

 

27,773 

 

3,345 

 

3,083 

 

3,000 

 

66,073 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses and indirect costs of net revenues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(31,436)

Income from operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

34,637 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other income (expenses):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Interest income and other financial gains

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4,683 



Interest expense and other financial losses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(5,201)



Foreign currency loss es

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(648)

Net income before income / asset tax expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$33,471 



The following table summarizes the allocation of property and equipment, net based on geography:





 

 

 

 



 

June 30,

 

December 31,



 

2016

 

2015



 

(In thousands)

US property and equipment, net

 

$            10,125

 

$            12,756

Other countries

 

 

 

 

Argentina

 

22,861 

 

22,379 

Brazil

 

39,799 

 

17,150 

Mexico

 

2,697 

 

2,475 

Venezuela

 

21,084 

 

21,556 

Other countries

 

8,242 

 

5,317 



 

$            94,683

 

$            68,877

Total property and equipment, net

 

$          104,808

 

$            81,633

 







 

17


 

Table of Contents

 

MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

The following table summarizes the allocation of the goodwill and intangible assets based on geography:

 



 

 

 

 



 

June 30,

 

December 31,



 

2016

 

2015



 

(In thousands)

US intangible assets

 

$                170

 

$                235

Other countries goodwill and intangible assets

 

 

 

 

Argentina

 

8,310 

 

8,763 

Brazil

 

32,344 

 

21,338 

Mexico

 

43,476 

 

46,186 

Venezuela

 

7,421 

 

7,217 

Other countries

 

33,555 

 

31,797 



 

$         125,106

 

$         115,301

Total goodwill and intangible assets

 

$         125,276

 

$         115,536





 

Consolidated net revenues by similar prod ucts and services for the six and three -month periods ended June 30 , 201 6 and 201 5 were as follows:

 











 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Six-months Ended June 30,

 

Three-months Ended June 30,



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Consolidated Net Revenues

 

2016

 

 

2015

 

2016

 

 

2015



 

(In thousands)

 

(In thousands)

Marketplace

 

$         207,375

 

 

$         187,943

 

$         113,252

 

 

$           93,181

Non-marketplace (*)

 

$         149,899

 

 

$         114,474

 

$           86,392

 

 

$           61,133

Total

 

$         357,274

 

 

$         302,417

 

$         199,644

 

 

$         154,314







(*)  Includes, among other things, Ad Sales, Real Estate, Motors, Financing Fees, Off-platform Payment Fees, Shipping Fees and other ancillary services.



 



6. Fair value measurement of assets and liabilities

The following table summarizes the Company’s financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of June 30 , 201 6 and December 31, 201 5 :





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

Quoted Prices in

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quoted Prices in

 

 

 

 



 

Balances as of

 

active markets for

 

Significant other

 

Unobservable

 

Balances as of

 

active markets for

 

Significant other

 

Unobservable



 

June 30,

 

identical Assets

 

observable inputs

 

inputs

 

December 31,

 

identical Assets

 

observable inputs

 

inputs

Description

 

2016

 

(Level 1)

 

(Level 2)

 

(Level 3)

 

2015

 

(Level 1)

 

(Level 2)

 

(Level 3)



 

(In thousands)

Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Money Market Funds

 

$             66,708 

 

$             66,708 

 

$                       — 

 

$                    — 

 

$           46,423 

 

$           46,423 

 

$                  — 

 

$               — 

Corporate Debt Securities

 

10,484 

 

 —

 

10,484 

 

 —

 

15,785 

 

 —

 

15,785 

 

 —

Investments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sovereign Debt Securities

 

$             62,266 

 

$             59,799 

 

$                  2,467 

 

$                    — 

 

$           69,302 

 

$           64,264 

 

$             5,038 

 

$               — 

Corporate Debt Securities

 

229,028 

 

118,724 

 

110,304 

 

 —

 

232,257 

 

51,974 

 

180,283 

 

 —

Certificates of deposit

 

19,037 

 

 —

 

19,037 

 

 —

 

11,516 

 

 —

 

11,516 

 

 —

Total Financial Assets

 

$           387,523 

 

$           245,231 

 

$              142,292 

 

$                    — 

 

$         375,283 

 

$         162,661 

 

$         212,622 

 

$               — 

Liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contingent considerations

 

$               4,115 

 

$                    — 

 

$                       — 

 

$               4,115 

 

$             9,007 

 

$                  — 

 

$                  — 

 

$          9,007 

Long-term retention plan

 

17,377 

 

 —

 

17,377 

 

 —

 

17,159 

 

 —

 

17,159 

 

 —

Total Financial Liabilities

 

$             21,492 

 

$                    — 

 

$                17,377 

 

$               4,115 

 

$           26,166 

 

$                  — 

 

$           17,159 

 

$          9,007 

 

18


 

Table of Contents

 

MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)













As of June 30 , 201 6 and December 31,2015 , the Company’s financial assets valued at fair value consisted of assets valued using i) Level 1 inputs: unadjusted quoted prices in active markets (Level 1 instrument valuations are obtained from observable inputs that reflect quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets in active markets) and ; ii) Level 2 inputs : obtained from readily-available pricing sources for comparable instruments as well as instruments with inactive markets at the measurement date.

As of June 30, 2016 and December 3

As of June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, the Company´s liabilities were valued at fair value using level 2 inputs, except for contingent considerations, which were valued using level 3 inputs (valuations based on unobservable inputs reflecting Company own assumptions). Fair value of contingent considerations are determined based on the probability of achievement of the performance targets arising from each acquisition, as well as the Company’s historical experience with similar arrangements . For the six-month period ended June 30, 2016 the Company recognized in earnings a loss of $230 thousands and a gain of $1,010 thousands within other comprehensive   income , in relation with contingent considerations. In addition, during the six-month period ended June 30, 2016, the Company assumed additional contingent considerations for an amount of $1,215 thousands and settled contingent considerations for an amount of $7,347 thousands ($1,200 thousands are withheld in escrow).

The unrealized net gains or loss on short term and long term investments are reported as a component of other comprehensive income. The Company does not anticipate any significant realized losses associated with those investments in excess of the Company’s historical cost.

As of June 30 , 201 6 and December 31, 2015 , the carrying value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities measured at amortized cost approximated their fair value mainly because of its short term maturity. These assets and liabilities included cash and cash equivalents (excluding money markets funds), accounts receivables, credit card receivables, funds payable to customers, other receivables, other assets, accounts payable ,   salaries and social secu rity payable, taxes payable , provisions and other liabilities. The convertible senior notes, the rest of the loans payable and other financial liabilities approximate their fair value because the interest rates are not materially different from market interest rates .

The following table summarizes the fair value level for those financial assets and liabilities of the Company measured at amortized cost as of June 30 , 201 6 and December 31, 201 5 :





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Balances as of

 

Significant other

 

Balances as of

 

Significant other

 

 



 

June 30,

 

observable inputs

 

December 31,

 

observable inputs

 

 



 

2016

 

(Level 2)

 

2015

 

(Level 2)

 

 



 

(In thousands)

 

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time Deposits

 

$         98,917

 

98,917 

 

$           76,658

 

76,658 

 

 

Accounts receivable

 

40,055 

 

40,055 

 

28,428 

 

28,428 

 

 

Credit Cards receivable

 

215,437 

 

215,437 

 

131,946 

 

131,946 

 

 

Other assets

 

43,318 

 

43,318 

 

53,532 

 

53,532 

 

 

Total Assets

 

$       397,727

 

$       397,727

 

$         290,564

 

$       290,564

 

 

Liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

 

$         86,068

 

$         86,068

 

$           62,038

 

$         62,038

 

 

Funds payable to customers

 

277,528 

 

277,528 

 

203,247 

 

203,247 

 

 

Salaries and social security payable

 

25,648 

 

25,648 

 

26,181 

 

26,181 

 

 

Tax payable

 

16,419 

 

16,419 

 

10,092 

 

10,092 

 

 

Dividends payable

 

6,624 

 

6,624 

 

4,548 

 

4,548 

 

 

Loans payable and other financial liabilities

 

297,473 

 

297,473 

 

296,307 

 

296,307 

 

 

Other liabilities

 

12,231 

 

12,231 

 

8,520 

 

8,520 

 

 

Total Liabilities

 

$       721,991

 

$       721,991

 

$         610,933

 

$       610,933

 

 



  As of June 30 , 201 6 and December 31, 201 5 , the Company held no direct investments in auction rate securities, collateralized debt obligations or structured investment vehicles , and does not have any non-financial assets or liabilities measured at fair value .

 

19


 

Table of Contents

 

MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

As of June 30 , 201 6 and December 31, 201 5 , the fair value of money market funds, short and long-term investments classified as available for sale securities are as follows:

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

June 30, 2016



 

Cost

 

Gross Unrealized Gains (1)

 

Gross Unrealized Losses (1)

 

Estimated Fair Value



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

(In thousands)

Cash and cash equivalents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Money Market Funds

 

$            66,708

 

$                   —

 

$                   —

 

$                66,708

Corporate Debt Securities

 

10,497 

 

 —

 

(13)

 

10,484 

Total Cash and cash equivalents

 

$            77,205

 

$                   —

 

$                  (13)

 

$                77,192



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Short-term investments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sovereign Debt Securities

 

$              9,857

 

$                   10

 

$                   —

 

$                  9,867

Corporate Debt Securities

 

123,638 

 

79 

 

(122)

 

123,595 

Certificates of deposit

 

19,030 

 

 

(1)

 

19,037 

Total Short-term investments

 

$          152,525

 

$                   97

 

$                (123)

 

$              152,499



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long-term investments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sovereign Debt Securities

 

$            52,056

 

$                 343

 

$                   —

 

$                52,399

Corporate Debt Securities

 

104,456 

 

986 

 

(9)

 

105,433 

Certificates of deposit

 

 —

 

 —

 

 —

 

 —

Total Long-term investments

 

$          156,512

 

$              1,329

 

$                    (9)

 

$              157,832



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

$          386,242

 

$              1,426

 

$                (145)

 

$              387,523









 

 

 

 

 

 

 



December 31, 2015



Cost

 

Gross Unrealized Gains (1)

 

Gross Unrealized Losses (1)

 

Estimated Fair Value



 

 

 

 

 

 

 



(In thousands)

Cash and cash equivalents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Money Market Funds

$             46,423

 

$                —

 

$                —

 

$             46,423

Corporate Debt Securities

15,796 

 

 —

 

(11)

 

15,785 

Total Cash and cash equivalents

$             62,219

 

$                —

 

$                (11)

 

$             62,208



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Short-term investments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sovereign Debt Securities

$             13,981

 

$                —

 

$                (19)

 

$             13,962

Corporate Debt Securities

103,130 

 

 

(157)

 

102,977 

Certificates of deposit

8,516 

 

 

(2)

 

8,515 

Total Short-term investments

$           125,627

 

$                  5

 

$              (178)

 

$           125,454



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long-term investments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sovereign Debt Securities

$             55,536

 

$                53

 

$              (249)

 

$             55,340

Corporate Debt Securities

129,921 

 

18 

 

(659)

 

129,280 

Certificates of deposit

3,003 

 

 —

 

(2)

 

3,001 

Total Long-term investments

$           188,460

 

$                71

 

$              (910)

 

$           187,621



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

$           376,306

 

$                76

 

$           (1,099)

 

$           375,283









(1)

Unrealized gains ( losses ) from securities are attributable to market price movements , net foreign exchange losses and foreign currency translation . Management does not believe any remaining significant unrealized losses represent other-than-temporary

 

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MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

impairments based on the evaluation of available evidence including the credit rating of the investments, as of June  3 0 , 2016 and December 31, 2015.



The material portion of the Sovereign Debt Securities is U.S. Treasury Notes with no significant risk associated.

As of June 30 , 201 6 , the estimated fair values (in thousands of U.S. dollars) of cash equivalents , short-term and long-term investments classified by its effective maturities are as follows:



 



 

 

One year or less

 

229,691 

One year to two years

 

80,405 

Two years to three years

 

52,999 

Three years to four years

 

9,923 

Four years to five years

 

14,357 

More than five years

 

148 

Total

 

$        387,523







 

7. Commitments and Contingencies

Update of Litigation and Other Legal Matters

The Company is subject to certain contingent liabilities with respect to existing or potential claims, lawsuits and other proceedings. The Company accrues liabilities when it considers probable that future costs will be incurred and such costs can be reasonably estimated. The proceeding-related reserve is based on developments to date and historical information related to actions filed against the Company. As of June 30, 2016, the Company had established reserves for proceeding-related contingencies and other estimated contingencies of $5,430 thousands to cover legal actions against the Company in which its Management has assessed the likelihood of a final adverse outcome as probable. Expected legal costs related to litigations are accrued when the legal service is actually provided. In addition, as of June 30, 2016, the Company and its subsidiaries are subject to certain legal actions considered by the Company’s management and its legal counsels to be reasonably possible for an aggregate amount up to $4,501 thousands.

No loss amount has been accrued for such reasonably possible legal actions of which most significant (individually or in the aggregate) are described below.

As of June 30, 2016, there were 56 lawsuits pending against our Argentine subsidiaries in the Argentine ordinary courts and 1,307 pending claims in the Argentine Consumer Protection Agencies, where a lawyer is not required to file or pursue a claim.

As of June 30, 2016, there were six claims pending against our Mexican subsidiaries in the Mexican ordinary courts and 102 claims pending against our Mexican subsidiaries in the Mexican Consumer Protection Agencies, where a lawyer is not required to file or pursue a claim.

As of June 30, 2016, 677 legal actions were pending in the Brazilian ordinary courts. In addition, June 30, 2016, there were 2,566 cases still pending in Brazilian consumer courts. Filing and pursuing of an action before Brazilian consumer courts do not require the assistance of a lawyer.

In most of the cases filed against the Company, the plaintiffs asserted that the Company was responsible for fraud committed against them, or responsible for damages suffered when purchasing an item on the Company’s website, when using MercadoPago   or when the Company invoiced them. Management believes that the Company has meritorious defenses to these claims and intends to continue defending them.

Citizen Watch do Brasil

On August 25, 2010, Citizen Watch do Brasil S/A, or Citizen, sued Brazilian subsidiaries in the 31th Central Civil Court State of São Paulo, Brazil. Citizen alleged that the Brazilian subsidiaries were infringing Citizen’s trademarks as a result of users selling allegedly counterfeit Citizen watches through the Brazilian page of the Brazilian subsidiaries’ website. Citizen sought an order enjoining the sale of Citizen-branded watches on the Brazilian subsidiaries’ Marketplace with a   $6,000  daily non-compliance penalty. On September 23, 2010, the Brazilian subsidiaries were summoned of an injunction granted to prohibit the offer of Citizen products on its platform, but the penalty was established at   $6,000  per day. On September 26, 2010, the Brazilian subsidiaries presented their defense and appealed the decision of the injunction relief to the State Court of Appeals of São Paulo on September 27, 2010. On October 22, 2010 the injunction granted to Citizen was suspended. On March 23, 2011, the Company’s

 

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MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

appeal regarding the injunction granted to Citizen was ruled in favor of the Brazilian subsidiaries. On May 4, 2011, Citizen presented a motion to clarify the decision but it was dismissed on March 14, 2012. On May 28, 2012, the Plaintiff filed a special recourse related to the injunction relief to the State Court of Appeals, and the Brazilian subsidiaries presented their defense on August 16, 2012 which was not admitted. In September 2012, the Plaintiff filed a legal action against the Brazilian subsidiaries with same arguments alleged in the injunction request and seeking for compensatory and statutory damages and defenses were presented on March 20, 2013. On January 9, 2013, Citizen presented a motion to request the appeal to be ruled by the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice (Superior Tribunal de Justiça). On March 1, 2013, the Company presented its response to that appeal. On August 27, 2013, the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice ruled against Citizen’s appeal. The Superior Court of Justice ruled that the Brazilian subsidiaries were not responsible for alleged infringement of intellectual property rights by its users and that they should comply with the “notice and take down” procedure it already have in place.

On October 4, 2013, Citizen presented a motion to clarify mentioned decision issued by the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice and such motion was denied on November 11, 2013. Citizen then filed, on November 25, 2013, an Extraordinary Appeal aiming the decision rendered by Brazilian Superior Court of Justice to be reviewed by Brazilian Federal Supreme Court. On February 21, 2014, Brazilian subsidiaries presented its response to Citizen’s Extraordinary Appeal. On March 10, 2014, Citizen’s extraordinary appeal was not accepted by the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice and, on March 26, 2014, Citizen filed an appeal against such decision, aiming at its Extraordinary Appeal to be accepted and ruled by Brazilian Federal Supreme Court. On May 5, 2014 the Company presented its response to Citizen’s appeal to The Brazilian Federal Supreme Court. On December, 19, 2014 Brazilian Federal Supreme Court overruled Citizen’s Extraordinary Appeal, ending the discussion regarding the injunction sought by Citizen which was definitely not granted. On February 19, 2015 the judge presiding the 31st Central Civil Court of the City of São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil ruled the case in its merits totally in favor of the Brazilian subsidiary, stating that MercadoLivre shall not be held responsible for any of Citizen’s pleas and allegations. Citizen did not appeal the mentioned decision. On February 19, 2016 a final decision on the injunction was issued in favor of the Brazilian Subsidiary and therefore the case was closed .

City of São Paulo Tax Claim

In 2007 São Paulo tax authorities have asserted taxes and fines against our Brazilian subsidiary relating to the period from 2005 to 2007 in an approximate amount of $5.9 million according to the exchange rate in effect at that time. In 2007, the Company presented administrative defenses against the authorities’ claim and the tax authorities ruled against the Brazilian subsidiary. In 2009, the Company presented an appeal to the Conselho Municipal de Tributos or São Paulo Municipal Council of Taxes which reduced the fine. On February 11, 2011, the Company appealed this decision to the Câmaras Reunidas do Egrégio Conselho Municipal de Tributos or Superior Chamber of the São Paulo Municipal Council of Taxes which affirmed the reduction of the fine. As of the date of these consolidated financial statements, the total amount of the claim is approximately $4.1 million including surcharges and interest. With this decision the administrative stage is finished. On August 15, 2011, the Company made a deposit in court of R$9.5 million, which including accrued interests amounted to R$13 . 2 million or  $4 . 1 million, according to the exchange rate at June 30, 2016, and filed a lawsuit in 8th Public Treasury Court of the County of São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil, to contest the taxes and fines asserted by the Tax Authorities. On May 31, 2016, a lower court judge ruled in favor of the Company and the São Paulo Municipal Council presented a motion to clarify mentioned decision. As of the date of this report, the Company is still waiting for a decision.  

Brazilian preliminary injunction against the Brazilian tax authorities

On November 6, 2014 the Company’s Brazilian subsidiaries requested a preliminary injunction against Receita Federal Do Brasil in order to avoid the income tax withholding over payments remitted by Brazilian subsidiaries to the Argentine subsidiary for the provision of IT support and assistance services; and requested the reimbursement of the amounts improperly withheld in the last five years. The injunction was granted considering that such withholding violates the provisions of the convention signed between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Argentine Republic to prevent double taxation. In August 2015, such injunction was revoked by the first instance judge decision of merit, which was favorable to Receita Federal Do Brasil. The Company presented an appeal in September, 2015 and as of June 30, 2016, the Company is waiting fo r the second instance decision. As a result, the Company started making deposits in court for the controversial amounts. As of June 30 , 2016, the Company recorded in the balance sheet deposits in court for R$12.5 million or $3.9 million, according to the exchange rate at June 30 , 2 016 under the caption n on-current other assets.

The Company’s management, based on the external legal counsel opinion, believe s that the tax position adopted is more likely than not, based on the technical merits of the tax position and the existence of favorable decisions of the Federal Regional Courts. For that reason, the Company has not recorded any expense or liability for the controversial amounts.

Other third parties have from time to time claimed, and others may claim in the future, that the Company was responsible for fraud committed against them, or that the Company has infringed their intellectual property rights. The underlying laws with respect to the potential liability of online intermediaries like the Company are unclear in the jurisdictions where the Company operates.

 

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MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

Management believes that additional lawsuits alleging that the Company has violated copyright or trademark laws will be filed against the Company in the future.

Intellectual property and regulatory claims, whether meritorious or not, are time consuming and costly to resolve, require significant amounts of management time, could require expensive changes in the Company’s methods of doing business, or could require the Company to enter into costly royalty or licensing agreements. The Company may be subject to patent disputes, and be subject to patent infringement claims as the Company’s services expand in scope and complexity. In particular, the Company may face additional patent infringement claims involving various aspects of the payments businesses.

From time to time, the Company is involved in other disputes or regulatory inquiries that arise in the ordinary course of business. The number and significance of these disputes and inquiries are increasing as the Company’s business expands and the Company grows larger.



8. Long term retention plan (“LTRP”)



On August 2, 2016, the Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of the Compensation Committee, adopted the 2016 Long-Term Retention Plan (“2016 LTRP”). In addition to the annual salary and bonus of each employee , certain employees (“Eligible Employees”) are eligible to participate in the 2016 LTRP, which provides for the grant to an eligible employee of a cash-settled fixed  (a “2016 LTRP Fixed Award”) and a cash-settled variable award, (a “2016 LTRP Variable Award”, and together with any 2016 LTRP Fixed Award, the “2016 LTRP Awards”). Each eligible employee will be granted both a 2016 LTRP Fixed Award and a 2016 LTRP Variable Award, in addition to receiving their annual salary and bonus. In order to receive payment in respect of the 2016 LTRP Awards, each eligible employee must satisfy the performance conditions established by the Board of Directors for such employee. If these conditions are satisfied, the eligible employee will, subject to his or her continued employment as of each applicable payment date, receive the full amount of his or her 2016 LTRP Awards, payable as follows:

·

2016 LTRP Fixed Award: The eligible employee will receive a fixed payment equal to  16.66%  of his or her 2016 Fixed Award once a year for a period of  six  years starting in March 2017 (the “Annual Fixed Payment”); and



·

2016 LTRP Variable Award: On each date the Company pays the Annual Fixed Payment to the eligible employee, he or she will also receive a 2016 LTRP Variable Award payment equal to the product of (i)  16.66%  of the applicable 2016 LTRP Variable Award and (ii) the quotient of (a) divided by (b), where (a), the numerator, equals the Applicable Year Stock Price (as defined below) and (b), the denominator, equals the 2015 Stock Price (as defined below). For purposes of the 2016 LTRP, the “2015 Stock Price” shall equal  $111.02  (the average closing price of the Company´s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final  60 -trading days of 2015) and the “Applicable Year Stock Price” shall equal the average closing price of the Company´s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final 60-trading days of the year preceding the applicable payment date for so long as the Company´s common stock is listed on the NASDAQ.



The following table summarizes the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 long term retention plan accrued compensation expense for the six and three-month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, which are payable in cash according to the decision made by the Board of Directors on August 2, 2016:





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Six Months Ended June 30,

 

Three Months Ended June 30,



 

2016

 

2015

 

2016

 

2015



 

(In thousands)

 

(In thousands)

LTRP 2009

 

283 

 

308 

 

250 

 

320 

LTRP 2010

 

464 

 

511 

 

401 

 

392 

LTRP 2011

 

590 

 

587 

 

495 

 

445 

LTRP 2012

 

726 

 

707 

 

596 

 

522 

LTRP 2013

 

1,665 

 

2,038 

 

1,252 

 

1,196 

LTRP 2014

 

1,615 

 

2,126 

 

1,111 

 

1,067 

LTRP 2015

 

2,147 

 

 -

 

1,254 

 

 -

LTRP 2016

 

2,636 

 

 -

 

2,636 

 

 -





















 

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MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)



9. 2.25% Convertible Senior Notes Due 2019

The following table presents the carrying amounts of the liability and equity components related to the 2.25% Convertible Senior Notes Due 2019 as of June 30, 2016 :



 



 

 

 

 

 



June 30, 2016

 

December 31, 2015



(In thousands)

Amount of the equity component (1)

$

45,808 

 

$

45,808 



 

 

 

 

 

2.25% convertible senior notes due 2019

$

330,000 

 

$

330,000 

Unamortized debt discount (2)

 

(29,718)

 

 

(34,214)

Unamortized transaction costs related to the debt component

 

(4,655)

 

 

(5,309)

Contractual coupon interest accrual

 

3,713 

 

 

7,425 

Contractual coupon interest payment

 

(3,713)

 

 

(7,425)

Net carrying amount

$

295,627 

 

$

290,477 







(1)

Net of $1,177 thousands of transaction costs related to the equity component of the Notes.

(2)

As of June  3 0 , 201 6 , the remaining period over which the unamortized debt discount will be amortized is 3.0 years.

 

The following table presents the interest expense for the contractual interest, the accretion of debt discount and the amortization of debt issuance costs:





 

 

 

 

 



Six-month period ended June 30, 2016

 

Three-month period ended June 30, 2016



 

 

 

 

 



(In thousands)

 

(In thousands)

Contractual coupon interest expense

$

3,713 

 

$

1,857 

Amortization of debt discount

 

4,496 

 

 

2,248 

Amortization of debt issuance costs

 

654 

 

 

327 

Total interest expense related to Notes

$

8,863 

 

$

4,432 





 









10. Cash Dividend Distribution

In each of February, April, July and November of 2015, our Board of Directors declared quarterly cash dividends of   $4,548   thousands (or   $0.103   per share on our outstanding shares of common stock). The dividends were paid on   April 16, July 16,   October 16, 2015   and   January 15, 2016   to stockholders of record as of the close of business on   March 31, June 30, September 30, and   December 31, 2015.

On February 19, 2016, the board of directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of   $6,624   thousands (or   $0.150   per share) on our   outstanding   shares of common stock. The first quarterly dividend was paid on   April 15, 2016   to stockholders of record as of the close of business on   March 31, 2016 .

On May 4, 2016, the board of directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of   $6,624   thousands (or   $0.150   per share) on our   outstanding   shares of common stock. The second quarterly dividend was paid on   July 15, 2016   to stockholders of record as of the close of business on   June 30, 2016 .

On August 2, 2016, the board of directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of   $6,624   thousands (or   $0.150   per share) on our   outstanding   shares of common stock. This quarterly dividend is payable on  October  14 , 2016   to stockholders of record as of the close of business on   September 30, 2016.

 

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MercadoLibre, Inc.

Notes to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)



 

11. New Law of “Costs, Earnings, and Fair Profits”

In November 2013 the Venezuelan Congress approved an “enabling law” granting the president of Venezuela the authority to enact laws and regulations in certain policy areas by decree. This authority includes the ability to restrict profit margins and impose greater controls on foreign exchange and the production, import, and distribution of certain goods. Among other actions, the president has used this decree power to pass the Law of Costs, Earnings, and Fair Profits, which became effective in January 2014 and, among other provisions, authorizes the Venezuelan government to set “fair prices” and maximum profit margins in the private sector. On October 26, 2015, the decree number 2,074 was published in the Official Gazette of Venezuela, establishing certain definitions related to the determination of prices in that country.

Despite the Company does not expect that this law together with the decree issued by the Venezuelan Government will have a material adverse impact on the Company´s financial condition or results of operations, considering the current difficult macroeconomic environment in Venezuela, the final potential effects remains uncertain. The effects of such potential effects, if any, would be recognized in the financial statements once the mentioned uncertainty is resolved.









 

 

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It em 2 — Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Any statements   made or implied   in this report that are not statements of historical fact, including statements about our beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27   A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1933, as amended,   and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and should be evaluated as such. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “target,” “p roject,” “should,” “may,” “could,” “will” and similar words and expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally relate to information concerning our possible or assumed future results of operations, business strategies, financing plans, competitive position, industry environment, potential growth opportunities, future economic, political and social conditions in the countries in which we operate the effects of future regulation and the effects of competition. Such forward-looking statements reflect, among other things, our current expectations, plans, projections and strategies, anticipated financial results, future events and financial trends affecting our business, all of which are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors (in addition to those discussed elsewhere in this report) that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things:

·

our expectations regarding the continued growth of online commerce and Internet usage in Latin America;

·

our ability to expand our operations and adapt to rapidly changing technologies;

·

government and central bank regulations;

·

litigation and legal liability;

·

systems interruptions or failures;

·

our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel;

·

consumer trends;

·

security breaches and illegal uses of our services;

·

competition ;

·

reliance on third-party service providers;

·

enforcement of intellectual property rights;

·

our ability to attract new customers, retain existing customers and increase revenues;

·

seasonal fluctuations; and

·

political, social and economic conditions in Latin America in general, and Venezuela and Argentina in particular, including Venezuela’s status as a highly inflationary economy for generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”), and possible future currency devaluation and other changes to its exchange rate systems such as the “Sistema Marginal de Divisas” (“SIMADI”) or “Sistema Cambiario de Divisas Complementarias” (“DICOM”) and possible further devaluations of the Argentine Peso.

Many of these risks are beyond our ability to control or predict. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors, nor can it assess the impact of all such risk factors on our company’s business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements .

These statements are based on currently available information and our current assumptions, expectations and projections about future events. While we believe that our assumptions, expectations and projections are reasonable in view of the currently available information, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance. They are subject to future events, risks and uncertainties–many of which are beyond our control-as well as potentially inaccurate assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations and projections.   Some of the material risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations and projections are described in “Item 1A — Risk Factors” in Part I of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015   filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission   (“SEC”)   on   February 26   , 2016, as updated by those described in “Item 1A — Risk Factors” in Part II of our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2016,   and this report and in other reports we file from time to time with the SEC.

You should read that information in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 2 of Part I of this report, our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes in Item 1 of Part I of this report and our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes in Item 8 of Part II of

 

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our Annual Report on Form 10-K   for the year ended December 31, 201 5 . We note such information for investors as permitted by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. There also may be other factors that we cannot anticipate or that are not described in this report, generally because they are unknown to us or we do not perceive them to be a material risk that could cause results to differ m aterially from our expectations.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we do not undertake to update these forward-looking statements except as may be required by law. You are advised, however, to review any further disclosures we make on related subjects in our periodic filings with the SEC.

The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations presents the following:

·

a brief overview of our company;

·

a   discussion of our principal trends and results of operations for the six and three-month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 ;

·

a   review of our financial presentation and accounting policies, including our critical accounting policies;

·

a   discussion of the principal factors that influence our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity;

·

a   discussion of our liquidity and capital resources and a discussion of our capital expenditures;

·

a description of our non-GAAP financial measures; and

·

a   discussion of the market risks that we face.

Business Overview

MercadoLibre, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries “us”, “we”, “our” or the “Company”) hosts the largest online commerce platform in Latin America, which is focused on enabling e-commerce and its related services. Our platforms are designed to provide our users with a complete portfolio of services facilitating e-commerce transactions. Additionally, we are market leaders in e-commerce in each of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela, based on unique visitors and page views. We also operate online commerce platforms in the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, Salvador, Panama ,   Bolivia, Guatemala, Paraguay and Portugal.

Through our online commerce platform, we provide buyers and sellers with a robust online commerce environment that fosters the development of a large and growing e-commerce community in Latin America, a region with a population of over 605 million people and one of the fastest-growing Internet penetration rates in the world. We believe that we offer a technological and commercial solution that addresses the distinctive cultural and geographic challenges of operating an online commerce platform in Latin America .

We offer our users an eco-system of six related e-commerce services: the MercadoLibre Marketplace, the MercadoLibre Classifieds service, the MercadoPago payments solution, the MercadoLibre Advertising program   (“MercadoClics”), the MercadoShops online webstores solution and the MercadoEnvios shipping service .

The MercadoLibre Marketplace, which we sometimes refer to as our Marketplace, is a fully-automated, topically-arranged and user-friendly online commerce service. This service permits both businesses and individuals to list general merchandising items and conduct their sales and purchases online in either a fixed-price or auction-based format. Any Internet user in the countries in which we operate can browse through the various products that are listed on our website and register with MercadoLibre to list, bid for and purchase such items and services .

To complement   the   MercadoLibre Marketplace, we   developed   MercadoPago, an integrated online payments solution.   MercadoPago is   designed to facilitate transactions both on and off the MercadoLibre Marketplace by providing a mechanism that allows our users to securely ,   easily and promptly send, receive and finance payments online. MercadoPago is currently available in: Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela and Chile ;   and added Peru to its list of countries where the service is offered since June 2016.

Through MercadoLibre Classifieds service, our online classified listings service, our users can offer for sale and generate leads on listings of motor vehicles , real estate and services in all counties where we operate.

As a further enhancement to the MercadoLibre Marketplace, we developed our MercadoLibre Advertising program to enable businesses to promote their products and services through a cost efficient and automated platform that allows advertisers to acquire traffic both, to our platform or to their own websites. Through MercadoLibre Advertising, MercadoLibre`s sellers, and large

 

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advertisers/brands are able to place display, product and/or text ads on our web pages, and other web pages including all vertical sites associated in the region.  

Additionally,   through MercadoShops, our online webstores solution, users can set-up, manage and promote their own online webstores. These webstores are hosted by MercadoLibre and offer integration with the   other   marketplace, payments and advertising services we offer. Users can choose from a basic, free webstore or pay monthly subscriptions for enhanced functionality and value added services on their webstores.

To further enhance our suite of e-commerce services, we launched the MercadoEnvios shipping solution in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and Chile. Through MercadoEnvios, we offer a   cost-efficient integration with existing   logistic and   shipping carriers to sellers on our platform. Sellers opting into the program are able to offer a uniform and seamlessly integrated shipping experience to their buyers   at competitive prices .

In addition , MercadoLibre   began developing and selling software enterprise solutions to   e-commerce business clients in Brazil   during the second quarter of 2015.  

Reporting Segments and Geographic I nformation

Our segment reporting is based on geography, which is the current criterion we are using to evaluate our segment performance. Our geographic segments include Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico and other countries (including Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Bolivia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Salvador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Uruguay and the United States of America (real estate classifieds in the State of Florida only)).   Although we discuss long-term trends in our business, it is our policy to not provide earnings guidance in the traditional sense. We believe that uncertain conditions make the forecasting of near-term results difficult. Further, we seek to make decisions focused primarily on the long-term welfare of our company and believe focusing on short term earnings does not best serve the interests of our stockholders. We believe that execution of key strategic initiatives as well as our expectations for long-term growth in our markets will best create stockholder value. We, therefore, encourage potential investors to consider this strategy before making an investment in our common stock. A long-term focus may make it more difficult for industry analysts and the market to evaluate the value of our company, which could reduce the value of our common stock of permit competitors with short term tactics to grow stronger than us.

The following table sets forth the percentage of our consolidated net revenues by segment for th e six and three -month periods ended June  3 0 , 201 6 and 201 5 :





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Six-month Periods Ended

 

Three-month Periods Ended

 



 

June 30,

 

June 30,

 

(% of total consolidated net revenues) (*)

 

2016

 

2015

 

2016

 

2015

 

Brazil

 

50.5 

%

 

46.7 

%

 

51.5 

%

 

47.2 

%

 

Argentina

 

32.4 

 

 

34.5 

 

 

33.9 

 

 

36.8 

 

 

Mexico

 

6.3 

 

 

6.4 

 

 

5.7 

 

 

6.5 

 

 

Venezuela

 

5.5 

 

 

6.5 

 

 

3.7 

 

 

3.7 

 

 

Other Countries

 

5.3 

 

 

5.9 

 

 

5.1 

 

 

5.8 

 

 







(*) Percentages have been calculated using whole-dollar amounts rather than rounded amounts that appear in the table. The table above may not total due to rounding.

 

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The following table summarizes the changes in our net re venues by segment for the six and three -month periods ended June  3 0 , 201 6 and 201 5 :





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Six-months Periods Ended

 

Change from 2015

 

Three-month Periods Ended

 

Change from 2015



 

June 30,

to 2016 (*)

 

June 30,

 

to 2016 (*)



 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

 

in %

 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

 

in %

 



 

(in millions, except percentages)

 

 

(in millions, except percentages)

 

Net Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brazil

 

$        180.4

 

$        141.4

 

$        39.1

 

27.6 

%

 

$        102.9

 

$             72.9

 

$        30.0

 

41.2 

%

Argentina

 

115.9 

 

104.3 

 

11.6 

 

11.2 

 

 

67.7 

 

56.8 

 

10.9 

 

19.1 

 

Mexico

 

22.6 

 

19.4 

 

3.1 

 

16.2 

 

 

11.5 

 

10.0 

 

1.5 

 

14.6 

 

Venezuela

 

19.6 

 

19.7 

 

(0.1)

 

(0.5)

 

 

7.5 

 

5.7 

 

1.7 

 

30.6 

 

Other Countries

 

18.8 

 

17.7 

 

1.1 

 

6.3 

 

 

10.1 

 

8.9 

 

1.2 

 

13.8 

 

Total Net Revenues

 

$        357.3

 

$        302.4

 

$        54.9

 

18.1 

%

 

$        199.6

 

$           154.3

 

$        45.3

 

29.4 

%





(*)     Percentages have been calculated using whole -dollar amounts rather than rounded amounts that appear in the table. The table above may not total due to rounding.



 

Recent Developments

Business acquisition

On June 1 , 2016, through our subsidiary Ebazar.com.br Ltda., we acquired 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of Axado Informação e Tecnologia S.A., a company that develops logistic software for the e-commerce industry in Brazil for a purchase price of $5.5 million. We believe this acquisition will allow us to enhance our software development capabilities on Transportation Management System and will contribute to our shipping business performance . For more detailed information see Note 4 to our interim condensed consolidated financial statements .

Commercial properties acquisition agreement s  in Caracas

During April 2016, our Venezuelan subsidiary acquired two commercial properties in process of construction for a total of 135.81 square meters, in Caracas, Venezuela for a total purchase price of approximately BF$1,359 million, or $3.7 million , for investment purposes and included in non-current other assets. The Venezuelan subsidiary paid the purchase price in Bolivares Fuertes. According to the purchase agreements, t he commercial properties will be delivered in September 2017.

Venezuela Foreign Currency Status

On March 9, 2016 , the Central Bank of Venezuela (“BCV”) issued the Exchange Agreement No.35, which is effective as from March 10, 2016. The agreement established a “protected” exchange rate (“DIPRO”) for certain transactions, such as but not limited to: imports of goods of the food and health sectors, as well as supplies associated with the production of said sectors; expenses relating to health treatments, sports, culture, scientific research, and other urgent matters defined by the exchange regulations. All foreign currency transactions not expressly provided in Exchange Agreement No.35 will be processed on the alternate foreign currency markets governed by the exchange regulations, at the floating supplementary market exchange rate (“DICOM”).

Additionally, the agreement established that the alternate foreign currency markets referred to in Exchange Agreement No.33 of February 10, 2015 (SIMADI) will continue to operate until replaced by others. As of the date of issuance of these interim condensed consolidated financial statements, the SIMADI has not been replaced and for that reason, we continued using SIMADI. From March 31, 2016 through June 30, 2016, the SIMADI exchange rate increased from 273 BsF per U.S. dollar to 628 BsF per U.S. dollar, a 130% increase in the exchange rate. As a consequence of the local currency devaluation , the Company recorded a foreign exchange loss of $ 4.9 million during the second quarter of 201 6 .

Considering the significant devaluation and the lower U.S. dollar-equivalent cash flows then expected from the Venezuelan business, the Company reviewed its long-lived assets (including non-current other assets), goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful life for impairment and concluded that the carrying value of certain real estate investments in Venezuela would not be fully recoverable. As a result, on June 30, 2016, the Company recorded an impairment of offices and commercial property under

 

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construction included within non-current other assets of $13.7 million. The carrying amount of offices and commercial property under construction was adjusted to its estimated fair value of approximately $12.5 million as of June 30, 2016, by using the market approach and considering prices for similar assets.

2016 Long.term retention plan (2016 LTRP)

On August 2, 2016, the Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of the Compensation Committee, adopted the 2016 LTRP, which provides for the grant to eligible employees of a cash-settled fixed award (the 2016 LTRP Fixed Award) and a cash-settled variable award (the 2016 LTRP Variable Award). Each eligible employee will be granted both a 2016 LTRP Fixed Award and a 2016 LTRP Variable Award, in addition to receiving their annual salary and bonus. In order to receive awards under the 2016 LTRP, each eligible employee must satisfy the performance conditions established by the Board of Directors for such employee. If these conditions are satisfied, the eligible employee will, subject to his or her continued employment as of each applicable payment date, receive the full amount of his or her 2016 LTRP Awards, payable as follows:

·

Fixed award: The eligible employee will receive a fixed payment equal to 16.66% of his or her 2016 LTRP fixed award once a year for a period of six years starting in March 2017 (the “Annual Fixed Payment”); and



·

Variable award: On each date the Company pays the Annual Fixed Payment to the eligible employee, he or she will also receive the 2016 LTRP Variable Award payment equal to the product of (i) 16.66% of the applicable 2016 LTRP Variable Award and (ii) the quotient of (a) divided by (b), where (a), the numerator, equals the Applicable Year Stock Price (as defined below) and (b), the denominator, equals the 2015 Stock Price (as defined below). For purposes of the 2016 LTRP, the “2015 Stock Price” shall equal $111.02 (the average closing price of the Company´s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final 60 -trading days of 2015) and the “Applicable Year Stock Price” shall equal the average closing price of the Company´s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final 60-trading days of the year preceding the applicable payment date for so long as the Company´s common stock is listed on the NASDAQ.



The 2016 LTRP is filed as Exhibit 10.08 to this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein, and the description of the 2016 LTRP above is qualified in its entirety by reference to such exhibit.



Description of Line Items

Net revenues

We recognize revenues in each of our five geographical reporting segments. Within each of our segments, the services we provide generally fall into two distinct revenue streams, “Marketplace” which includes our core business and “Non-Marketplace” which includes ad sales, real estate listings, motor vehicles listings, financing fees, off-platform payment fees , shipping fees and other ancillary businesses.

The following table summarizes our consolidated net revenues by revenue stream for the six and three -month periods ended June  3 0 , 201 6 and 201 5 :





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Six-month Periods Ended

 

Three-month Periods Ended



 

June 30, (*)

 

June 30, (*)

Consolidated net revenues by revenue stream

 

2016

 

2015

 

2016

 

2015



 

(in millions)

 

(in millions)

Marketplace

 

$

207.4 

 

$

187.9 

 

113.3 

 

$

93.2 

Non-Marketplace (**)

 

 

149.9 

 

 

114.5 

 

86.4 

 

 

61.1 

Total

 

$

357.3 

 

$

302.4 

 

199.6 

 

$

154.3 





(*) The table above may not total due to rounding.

(**) Includes, among other things, ad sales, real estate listings, motor vehicles listings, financing fees, off-platform payment fees, shipping fees and other ancillary services .

Revenues from Marketplace transactions are generated from:

·

final value fees; and

·

up-front fees .

 

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For Marketplace services, final value fees representing a percentage of the sale value that are charged to the seller once the item is successfully sold. Up-front fees are charged to the seller in exchange for improved exposure of the listings throughout our platform and are not subject to the successful sale of the items listed.

Revenues for Non-Marketplace services are generated from:

·

financing fees;

·

off- platform payment fees;

·

motor vehicles listings up-front fees;

·

ad sales up-front fees;

·

real estate listings up-front fees;

·

shipping fees; and

·

fees from other ancillary businesses.

With respect to our MercadoPago service, we generate payment related revenues attributable to:

·

commissions representing a percentage of the payment volume processed that are charged to sellers in connection with Non -Marketplace-platform transactions; and

·

commissions from additional fees we charge when a buyer elects to pay in installments through our MercadoPago platform, for transactions that occur either on or off our M arketplace platform.

Although we also process payments on the Marketplace, we do not charge sellers an added commission for this service, as it is already included in the Marketplace final value fee we charge .

Through our classifieds offerings in motor vehicles, real estate and services, we generate revenues from up-front fees. These fees are charged to sellers who opt to give their listings greater exposure throughout our websites .

Our Advertising revenues are generated by selling either display or t ext link ads throughout our web site s to interested advertisers.

Finally, our shipping revenues are generated when a buyer elects to receive the item through our shipping service.

When more than one service is included in one single arrangement with the customer, we recognize revenue according to multiple element arrangements accounting, distinguishing between each of the services provided and allocating revenues based on their respective selling prices.

We have a highly fragmented customer revenue base given the large numbers of sellers and buyers who use our platforms. For the six -month periods ended June 30 , 201 6 and 201 5 , no single customer accounted for more than 5.0% of our net revenues.

Our MercadoLibre Marketplace is available in 19 countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bolivia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Salvador, Guatemala and Paraguay ), and MercadoPago is available in seven countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela). Additionally, MercadoEnvios is available in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Chile. The functional currency for each country’s operations is the country’s local currency, except for Venezuela where the functional currency is the U.S. dollar due to Venezuela’s status as a highly inflationary economy. Therefore, our net revenues are generated in multiple foreign currencies and then translated into U.S. dollars at the avera ge monthly exchange rate. See “Critical A ccounting P olicies and E stimates — Foreign Currency Translation” for more information.

Our subsidiaries in Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Colombia are subject to certain taxes on revenues which are classified as a cost of net revenues. These taxes represented 8.8 % of net revenues for the   three-month period ended June 30 , 201 6, as compared to 7.7% , for the same period in 2 0 1 5 ,   mainly due to an increase in shipping and finance cost which are accounted for net of its costs in net revenues.   These taxes are applicable mainly in our Brazilian and Argentine subsidiaries.

 

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Cost of net revenues

Cost of net revenues primarily represents bank and credit card processing charges for transactions and fees paid with credit cards and other payment methods, fraud prevention fees, certain taxes on revenues, compensation for customer support personnel, ISP connectivity charges, depreciation and amortization and hosting and website operation fees .

Product and technology development expenses

Our product and technology development related expenses consist primarily of compensation for our engineering and web-development staff, depreciation and amortization costs related to product and technology development, telecommunications costs and payments to third-party suppliers who provide technology maintenance services to us .

Sales and marketing expenses

Our sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of marketing costs for our platforms through online and offline advertising, bad debt charges, chargebacks related to our MercadoPago operations, changes related to our buyer protection programs, compensation of employees involved in these activities, public relations costs, marketing activities for our users and depreciation and amortization costs .

We carry out the majority of our marketing efforts on the Internet. In that regard, we enter into agreements with portals, search engines, social networks, ad networks and other websites in order to attract Internet users to the Marketplace and convert them into confirmed registered users and active traders on our platform.

We also work intensively on attracting, developing and growing our seller community through our customer support efforts for sellers. We have dedicated professionals in most of our operations that work with sellers through trade show participation, seminars and meetings to provide them with important tools and skills to become effective sellers on our platform .

General and administrative expenses

Our general and administrative expenses consist primarily of compensation for management and administrative staff, compensation for our outside directors, long-term retention plan compensation, expenses for legal, accounting, audit and other professional services, insurance expenses, office space rental expenses, travel and business expenses, as well as depreciation and amortization costs. Our general and administrative expenses include the costs of the following areas: general management, finance, administration, accounting, legal and human resources .

Impairment of l ong- l ived assets  

We review long-lived assets (including non-current other assets) for impairments whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable.

As explained in section “Foreign Currency Translation – Venezuelan Currency Status” below, the exchange markets in Venezuela have been unfavorable to us since December 2013.

Considering these changes in facts and circumstances and the lower U.S. dollar-equivalent cash flows expected from the Venezuelan business, and long -lived assets expected use, we concluded that certain real estate investments held in Caracas, Venezuela, should be impaired. As a consequence, we estimated the fair value of the impaired long-lived assets, and r ecorded impairment losses of $13 . 7 million and $16.2 million on June 30, 2016 and March 31, 2015 , respectively, by using the market approach and considering prices for similar assets.

Other income (expenses), net

Other income (expenses) consists primarily of interest income derived from our investments and cash equivalents, interest expense related to financial liabilities and foreign currency gains or losses .

Income and asset tax

We are subject to federal and state taxes in the United States, as well as foreign taxes in the multiple jurisdictions where we operate. Our tax obligations consist of current and deferred income taxes and asset taxes incurred in these jurisdictions. We account for income taxes following the liability method of accounting. A valuation allowance is recorded when, based on the available evidence, it is more likely than not that all or a portion of our deferred tax assets will not be realized.   Therefore, our income tax expense consists of taxes currently payable, if any (given that in certain jurisdictions we still have net operating loss carry-forwards), plus the change in our deferred tax assets and liabilities during each period .

 

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Critical A ccounting P olicies and E stimates

The preparation of our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes requires us to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We have based our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Our management has discussed the development, selection and disclosure of these estimates with our audit committee and our board of directors. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

An accounting policy is considered to be critical if it requires an accounting estimate to be made based on assumptions about matters that are highly uncertain at the time the estimate is made, and if different estimates that reasonably could have been used, or changes in the accounting estimates that are reasonably likely to occur periodically, could materially impact our interim condensed consolidated financial statements. We believe that the following critical accounting policies reflect the more significant estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of our interim condensed con solidated financial statements.

There have been no significant changes in our critical accounting policies, management estimates or accounting policies since the year ended December 31, 201 5 and disclosed in the Form 10-K. See Item – “Critical Accounting Policies” .  

Foreign Currency Translation

All of our foreign operations (other than Venezuela since January 1, 2010, as described below) use the local currency as their functional currency. Accordingly, these operating foreign subsidiaries translate assets and liabilities from their local currencies to U.S. dollars using period/year-end exchange rates while income and expense accounts are translated at the average exchange rates in effect during the period , unless exchange rates fluctuate significantly during the period, in which case the exchange rates at the date of the transaction are used. The resulting translation adjustment is recorded as part of other comprehensive income (loss), a component of equity. Gains and losses resulting from transactions denominated in non-functional currencies are recognized in earnings. Net foreign currency exchange losses or gains are included in the consolidated statements of income under the caption “Foreign currency gains/ losses”.

Venezuelan Currency Status

Pursuant to U.S. GAAP, we have classified our Venezuelan operations as highly inflationary since January 1, 2010, using the U.S. dollar as the functional currency for purposes of reporting our financial statements. Therefore, no translation effect has been accounted for in other comprehensive income related to our Venezuelan operations. As of June 30 , 2016, monetary assets and liabilities in Bolivares Fuertes (“BsF”) were re-measured to the U.S. dollar using the SIMADI (defined below) closing exchange rate of 628 BsF per U.S. dollar.

O n Februa ry 10, 2015, the Venezuelan government issued a decree that unified the two previous foreign exchange systems “SICAD 1 and SICAD 2” into a new single system ( SICAD ) , with an initial public foreign exchange   rate   of 12 BsF per U.S. dollar. The SICAD auction process remains available only to obtain foreign currency to pay for a limited list of goods considered to be of high priority by the Venezuelan government, which does not include those relating to the our business. In the same decree the Venezuelan government created the “Sistema Marginal de Divisas” (“SIMADI”), a new foreign exchange system that is separate from SICAD, which publishes a foreign exchange rate from the BCV on a daily basis.

In light of the disappearance of SICAD 2, and we inability to gain access to U.S. dollars under SICAD, we started requesting and was granted U.S. dollars through SIMADI. As a result, we from that moment expected to settle its transactions through SIMADI going forward and concluded that the SIMADI exchange rate should be used to re-measure its bolivar-denominated monetary assets and liabilities and to re-measure the revenues and expenses of the Venezuelan subsidiaries effective as of March 31, 2015. In connection with this re-measurement, we reco rded a foreign exchange loss of $20.4 million during the first quarter of 2015.

Considering this change and the lower U.S. dollar-equivalent cash flows then expected from the Venezuelan business, we reviewed our long-lived assets, goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful life for impairment and concluded that the carrying value of certain real estate investments in Venezuela as of March 31, 2015 would not be fully recoverable. As a result, we recorded an impai rment of long-lived assets of $ 16.2 million on March 31, 2015. The carrying amount was adjusted to its estimated fair value as of March 31, 2015, by using the market approach, and considering prices for similar assets.

On March 9, 2016 the Central Bank of Venezuela (“ BCV ”) issued the Exchange Agreement No.35, which is effective since March 10, 2016. The agreement established a “protected” exchange rate ( DIPRO ) for certain transactions, such as but not limited to: imports of goods of the food and health sectors, as well as supplies associated with the production of said sectors; expenses relating to health treatments, sports, culture, scientific research, and other urgent matters defined by the exchange regulations. All foreign currency transactions not expressly provided in Exchange Agreement No.35 will be processed on the alternate foreign currency markets governed by the exchange regulations, at the floating supplementary market exchange rate ( DICOM ).  

 

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Additionally, the agreement established that the alternate foreign currency markets referred to in Exchange Agreement No.33 of February 10, 2015 (SIMADI) will continue to operate until replaced by others. As of the date of issuance of these interim condensed consolidated financial statements, the SIMADI has not been replaced and for that reason, we continued using SIMADI. From March 31, 2016 through June 30, 2016, the SIMADI exchange rate increased from 273 BsF per U.S. dollar to 628 BsF per U.S. dollar, a 130% increase in the exchange rate. As a consequence of the local currency devaluation , the Company recorded a foreign exchange loss of $ 4.9 million during the second quarter of 201 6 .

Considering the significant devaluation and the lower U.S. dollar-equivalent cash flows then expected from the Venezuelan business, we reviewed our long-lived assets (including non-current other assets), goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful life for impairment and concluded that the carrying value of certain real estate investments in Venezuela would not be fully recoverable. As a result, on June 30, 2016, we recorded an impairment of offices and commercial property under construction included within non-current other assets of $13.7 million. The carrying amount of offices and commercial property under construction was adjusted to its estimated fair value of approximately $12.5 million as of June 30, 201 6, by using the market approach and considering prices for similar assets.

Until 2010 we were able to obtain U.S. dollars for any purpose, including dividend distributions, using alternative mechanisms other than through the Commission for the Administration of Foreign Exchange Control (CADIVI). Those U.S. dollars, obtained at a higher exchange rate than the one offered by CADIVI and held in balance at U.S. bank accounts of our Venezuelan subsidiaries, were used for dividend distributions from our Venezuelan subsidiaries. Our Venezuelan subsidiaries have not requested authorization since 2012 to acquire U.S. dollars to make dividend distributions and we have not distributed dividends from our Venezuelan subsidiaries since 2011 .

The following table sets forth the assets, liabilities and net assets of the our Venezuelan subsidiaries, before intercompany eliminations of a net liability of $34 . 3 million and $ 24.6 million , as of June 30 , 201 6 and December 31, 201 5 and net revenues for the six-month periods ended June 3 0 , 201 6 and 201 5 :





 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 



 

Six-month Periods Ended June 30,



 

2016

 

2015

Venezuelan operations

 

(In millions)

Net Revenues

 

$               19.6

 

$               19.7



 





 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 



 

June 30,

 

December 31,



 

2016

 

2015



 

(In millions)

Assets

 

54.5 

 

65.4 

Liabilities

 

(39.8)

 

(36.3)

Net Assets

 

$               14.7

 

$               29.1



As of June 30 , 201 6 , the net assets (before intercompany eliminations) of our Venezuelan subsidiaries amount ed to approximately 4 . 0 % of our consolidated net assets, and cash and investments of our Venezuelan subsidiaries held in local currency in Venezuela amount ed to approximately 1 . 0 % of our consolidated cash and investments.

Our ability to obtain U.S. dollars in Venezuela is negatively affected by the exchange restrictions in Venezuela that are described above. If our access to U.S. dollars becomes widely available at a more unfavorable rate than the current SIMADI exchange rate (or if SIMADI exchange rate experiences significant devaluation in the future), and we decided to use that alternative mechanism considering that exchange rate as the one applicable for re-measurement, our results of operations, earnings and value of our net assets in Venezuela would be negatively impacted, and we cannot assure that the impact would not be material . In addition, our business and ability to obtain U.S. dollars in Venezuela would be negatively affected by any additional material devaluations or the imposition of significant additional and more stringent controls on foreign currency exchange by the Venezuelan government in the future.

Despite the current difficult macroeconomic environment in Venezuela, we continue managing, through our Venezuelan subsidiaries, our investment in Venezuela. Despite the current operating, political and economic conditions and certain other factors in Venezuela, we currently plan to continue supporting our business in Venezuela in the long run .

 

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In November 2013 the Venezuelan Congress approved an “enabling law” granting the president of Venezuela the authority to enact laws and regulations in certain policy areas by decree. This authority includes the ability to restrict profit margins and impose greater controls on foreign exchange and the production, import, and distribution of certain goods. Among other actions, the president has used this decree power to pass the Law of Costs, Earnings, and Fair Profits, which became effective in January 2014 and, among other provisions, authorizes the Venezuelan government to set “fair prices” and maximum profit margins in the private sector. On October 26, 2015, the decree number 2,074 was published in the Official Gazette of Venezuela, establishing certain definitions related to the determination of prices in that country.

Despite we do not expect that this law together with the decree issued by the Venezuelan Government will have a material adverse impact on our financial condition or results of operations, considering the current difficult macroeconomic environment in Venezuela, the final potential effects remains uncertain. The effects of such potential effects, if any, would be recognized in our financial statements once the mentioned uncertainty is resolved.



Allowances for doubtful accounts and for chargebacks

We are exposed to losses due to uncollectible accounts and credits to sellers. Allowances for these items represent our estimate of future losses based on our historical experience. The allowances for doubtful accounts and for chargebacks are recorded as charges to sales and marketing expenses. Historically, our actual losses have been consistent with our charges. However, future adverse changes to our historical experience for doubtful accounts and chargebacks could have a material impact on our future consolidated statements of income and cash flows .

We believe that the accounting estimate related to allowances for doubtful accounts and for chargebacks is a critical accounting estimate because it requires management to make assumptions about future collections and credit analysis. Our management’s assumptions about future collections require significant judgment .  

Legal contingencies

In connection with certain pending litigation and other claims, we have estimated the range of probable loss and provided for such losses through charges to our condensed consolidated statement of income. These estimates are based on our assessment of the facts and circumstances and historical information related to actions filed against us at each balance sheet date and are subject to change based upon new information and future events .

 

Impairment of long-lived assets

We review long-lived assets for impairments whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. For more information, see “Description of line items Impairment of long-lived assets” above .  



Convertible Senior Notes

On June 30, 2014, we issued $330 million of 2.25% convertible senior notes due 2019 (the “Notes”). The Notes are unsecured, unsubordinated obligations of the Company, which pay interest in cash semi-annually, on January 1 and July 1, at a rate of 2.25% per annum. The Notes will mature on July 1, 2019 unless earlier repurchased or converted in accordance with their terms prior to such date. The Notes may be converted, under specific conditions, based on an initial conversion rate of 7.9353 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of Notes (equivalent to an initial conversion price of $126.02 per share of common stock), subject to adjustment as described in the indenture governing the Notes   .

The convertible debt instrument within the scope of the cash conversion subsection was separated into debt and equity components at issuance and a fair value was assigned. The value assigned to the debt component was the estimated fair value, as of the issuance date, of a similar debt without the conversion feature. As of June 30, 2014, we determined the fair value of the liability component of the Notes by reviewing market data that was available for senior, unsecured nonconvertible corporate bonds issued by comparable companies. The difference between the cash proceeds and this estimated fair value, represents the value assigned to the equity component and was recorded as a debt discount. The debt discount is amortized using the effective interest method from the origination date through its stated contractual maturity date.

 

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The initial debt component of the Notes was valued at $283.0 million, based on the contractual cash flows discounted at an appropriate market rate for a non-convertible debt at the date of issuance, which was determined to be 5.55%. The carrying value of the permanent equity component reported in additional paid-in-capital was initially valued at $47.0 million. This amount represents the total unamortized debt discount we recorded at the time of issuance of the Notes. The aggregate debt discount, including the transaction costs related to the debt component, is amortized as interest expense over the contractual term of the Notes using the effective interest method using an interest rate of 6.1%.

In connection with the issuance of the Notes, we paid $19.7 million to enter into capped call transactions with respect to shares of our common stock (the “Capped Call Transactions”), with certain financial institutions. The Capped Call Transactions are expected generally to reduce the potential dilution upon conversion of the Convertible Notes in the event that the market price of our common stock is greater than the strike price of the Capped Call Transactions, initially set at $126.02 per share of common stock, which corresponds to the initial conversion price of the Notes and is subject to anti-dilution adjustments substantially similar to those applicable to the conversion rate of the Notes, and have a cap price of $155.78 per share of common stock   .

The $19.7 million cost of the capped call transactions, which net of deferred income tax effect amounts to $12.8 million, is included as a net reduction to additional paid-in capital in the stockholders’ equity section of our consolidated balance sheets.

For more detailed information in relation to the Notes and the Capped Call transactions, see   “—Results of operations for the three-month period ended March 31, 2016 compared to the three-month   period ended   March   3   1   , 201   5    —       Debt”.    



Results of operations for the six-month period ended June 30, 2016 compared to the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 and the three-month period ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the three-month period ended June 30, 2015

The selected financial data for the six and three-month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 discussed herein is derived from our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 of Part I of this report. These statements include all normal recurring adjustments that management believes are necessary to fairly state our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. The results of operations for the six and three-month periods ended June 30, 2016 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year ending December 31, 2016 or for any other period.  



Statement of income data





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

Six-months Periods Ended
June 30,

 

Three-month Periods Ended
June 30,

(In millions)

 

 

 

 

 

 

2016 (*)

 

2015 (*)

 

2016 (*)

 

2015 (*)

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

(Unaudited)

 

(Unaudited)

 

Net revenues

 

 

 

 

 

 

$357.3 

 

$302.4 

 

$199.6 

 

$154.3 

 

Cost of net revenues

 

 

 

 

 

 

(128.8)

 

(95.0)

 

(73.3)

 

(50.3)

 

Gross profit

 

 

 

 

 

 

228.5 

 

207.4 

 

126.3 

 

104.0 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product and technology development

 

 

 

 

 

 

(46.2)

 

(36.9)

 

(24.2)

 

(19.6)

 

Sales and marketing

 

 

 

 

 

 

(68.0)

 

(55.3)

 

(35.3)

 

(29.1)

 

General and administrative

 

 

 

 

 

 

(37.9)

 

(38.8)

 

(20.8)

 

(20.6)

 

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

(13.7)

 

(16.2)

 

(13.7)

 

-

 

Total operating expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

(165.8)

 

(147.2)

 

(94.1)

 

(69.4)

 

Income from operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

62.7 

 

60.2 

 

32.2 

 

34.6 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other income (expenses):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income and other financial gains

 

 

 

 

 

 

15.3 

 

9.0 

 

8.0 

 

4.6 

 

Interest expense and other financial charges

 

 

 

 

 

 

(12.3)

 

(10.2)

 

(6.6)

 

(5.2)

 

Foreign currency gain loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

(0.2)

 

(9.2)

 

(5.4)

 

(0.6)

 

 

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Net income before income / asset tax expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

65.4 

 

49.9 

 

28.2 

 

33.5 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income / asset tax expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

(19.3)

 

(28.7)

 

(12.4)

 

(14.0)

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

$46.1 

 

$21.2 

 

$15.9 

 

$19.5 

 



(*) The table above may not total due to rounding.

 



Principal trends in results of operations

Growth in net revenues

Since our inception, we have consistently generated revenue growth from our Marketplace and Non-Marketplace streams, driven by the strong growth of our key operational metrics. Our net revenues grew 18.1% in the six-month period ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the same period in 2015. Our successful items sold and total payment volume increased 42.2% and 42.3%, respectively, in the six-month period ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the same period in 2015. Additionally, our number of confirmed registered users was a 19.9% higher as of June 30, 2016 as compared to the number of confirmed registered users as of June 30, 2015. Furthermore, our GMV increased 14.6% in the six-month period ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the same period in 2015 .  

Our net revenues grew 29 . 4 % in the three -month period ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the same period in 2015. Our successful items sold and t otal payment volume increased 44 . 7 % and 50.6%, respectively, in the three -month period ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the same period in 2015. Additionally, our number of confirmed registered users was a 19.9% higher as of June 30, 2016 as compared to the number of confirmed registered users as of June 30, 2015. Furthermore, our GMV increased 21 .2 % in the three -month period ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the same period in 2015 .  

We believe that the growth in net revenues should continue in the future. However, despite this positive historical trend, current weak global macro-economic environment, coupled with devaluations of certain local currencies in Latin America versus the U.S. dollar, the effects of Venezuelan translations of local currencies into U.S. dollar, Venezuelan Government limits to prices and high interest rates in those countries, could cause a   decline year-to-year of our net revenues, particularly as measured in U.S. dollars.

Gross profit margins

During the past year, our business has experienced decreasing gross profit margins, as defined by total net revenues minus total cost of net revenues, as a percentage of net revenues.

Our gross profit margins were 64.0% and 68.6% for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. For the three-month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, our gross profit margins were 63.3% and 67.4%, respectively. The decrease in our gross profit margins resulted primarily from:

(i) Higher penetration of our payments and shipping solution into our Argentine, Brazilian and Mexican marketplaces. For the six and three -month period ended June 30, 2016, total payment volume (“TPV”) represented 84. 3 % and 90.6% of our total gross merchandise volume (“GMV”) (excluding motor vehicles, vessels, aircraft and real estate) , respectively; as compared to 67.9% and 72.9% f or the six and three -month period ended June 30, 2015 , respectively . Additionally, for the six and three -month period ended June 30, 2016, our total number of items shipped through our shipping solution represented 45.8% and 46.6% of our total number of successful items sold, respectively; as compared to 31.3% and 33.0% for the six and three -month period ended June 30, 2015 , respectively . Transactions that include such services intrinsically incur incremental costs such as collection fees, which result in lower gross profit margins. In addition, our financing and shipping revenues are disclosed net of third party provider’s costs while sales taxes are paid on the gross amount of revenues, thus, decreasing our gross profit margins. For the six-month period ended June 30, 2016, collection fees and sales taxes increased $14.7 million and $8.1 million, respectively, as compared to the six-month period ended June 30, 2015.   For the three -month period ended June 30, 2016, collection fees and sales taxes increased $ 10.0 million and $ 5.9 million, respectively, as compared to the same period in 2015.

(ii) Increased customer support costs of $4.9 million and $2.8 million for the six and three-month period ended June 30, 2016 as compared with the same period in 2015; mainly as a consequence of salaries and wages. The number of employees related to customer support were 1 , 557 as of June 30, 2016 as compared with 1 , 162 as of June 30, 2015.

In the future, gross profit margins could decline if the penetration of our payment solution and shipping grows faster than our marketplace.

Operating income margins

 

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For the six-month period ended June 30, 2016   as compared to the same period in 2015,   our operating income margin decreased from   19.9 % to 17.5 % ,   as a consequence of increases in costs of net revenues, as described in Gross profit margins section above,   increases in product and technology development expenses (driven mainly salaries and wages and maintenance expenses) and in sales and marketing (driven mainly by portal deals and buyer protection program expenses ) .   For the three-month period ended June 30, 2016   as compared to the same period in 2015,   our operating income margin decreased from   22.4 % to 16.1 % , as a consequence of the impairment of long-lived   assets recorded   during the second quarter of 2016, increases in costs of net revenues, as described in Gross profit margins section above,   increases in product and technology development expenses (driven mainly salaries and wages and maintenance expenses) and in sales and marketing (driven mainly by portal deals and buyer protection program expenses ) .

We anticipate that as we continue to invest in product development, sales, marketing and human resources in order to promote our services and capture the long-term business opportunity offered by the Internet in Latin America, it is increasingly difficult to sustain growth in operating income margins, and at some point we could continue experiencing decreases in operating income margins.



Other Data





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



  

Six-months Periods Ended
June 30,

 

 

Three-month Periods Ended
June 30,

(in millions)

  

 

2016 (*)

 

 

2015 (*)

 

 

2016 (*)

2015 (*)



  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

Number of confirmed registered users at end of period (1)

  

 

158.6 

  

 

132.3 

  

 

158.6 

  

 

132.3 

Number of confirmed new registered users during period (2)

  

 

14.0 

  

 

11.3 

  

 

7.1 

  

 

5.6 

Gross merchandise volume (3)

  

$

3,785.7 

  

$

3,302.6 

  

$

2,004.7 

  

$

1,653.5 

Number of successful items sold (4)

  

 

82.0 

  

 

57.7 

  

 

43.7 

  

 

30.2 

Number of items shipped (5)

 

 

37.6 

 

 

18.0 

 

 

20.3 

 

 

10.0 

Total payment volume (6)

  

$

3,192.9 

  

$

2,243.4 

  

$

1,816.9 

  

$

1,206.0 

Total payment transactions (7)

 

 

59.5 

 

 

33.0 

 

 

31.9 

 

 

18.1 

Capital expenditures

  

$

44.9 

  

$

70.2 

  

$

27.6 

  

$

61.9 

Depreciation and amortization

  

$

13.2 

  

$

11.0 

  

$

6.9 

  

$

5.9 





(1)

Measure of the cumulative number of users who have registered on the MercadoLibre Marketplace and confirmed their registration.

(2)

Measure of the number of new users who have registered on the MercadoLibre Marketplace and confirmed their registration.

(3)

Measure of the total U.S. dollar sum of all transactions completed through the MercadoLibre Marketplace, excluding motor vehicles, vessels, aircraft and real estate.

(4)

Measure of the number of items that were sold/purchased through the MercadoLibre Marketplace.

(5)

Measure of the number of items that were shipped through our shipping service.

(6)

Measure of the total U.S. dollar sum of all transactions paid for using MercadoPago.

(7)

Measure of the number of all transactions paid for using MercadoPago.

 

Net revenues





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Six-month Periods Ended

 

Change from 2015

 

Three-month Periods Ended

 

Change from 2015



 

 

June 30,

 

to 2016 (*)

 

June 30,

 

to 2016 (*)



 

 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

 

in %

 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

 

in %



 

 

(in millions, except percentages)

(in millions, except percentages)

Total Net Revenues

 

 

$          357.3

 

$            302.4

 

$        54.9

 

18.1% 

 

$         199.6

 

$         154.3

 

$        45.3

 

29.4% 

As a percentage of net revenues (*)

 

 

100.0% 

 

100.0% 

 

 

 

 

 

100.0% 

 

100.0% 

 

 

 

 



 

(*) Percentages have been calculated using whole-dollar amounts rather than rounded amounts that appear in the table. The table above may not total due to rounding.

 

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Six-month Periods Ended

 

 

Change from 2015

 

Three-month Periods Ended

 

Change from 2015



 

June 30,

 

 

to 2016 (**)

 

June 30,

 

to 2016 (**)

Consolidated Net Revenues by revenue stream

 

2016

 

2015

 

2010

in Dollars

 

in %

 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

 

in %



 

(in millions, except percentages)

 

(in millions, except percentages)

Brazil

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketplace

 

$             97.9 

 

$             81.2 

 

 

$        16.7 

 

20.5% 

 

$             54.2 

 

$                 40.5 

 

$        13.7 

 

33.9% 

Non-Marketplace

 

82.5 

 

60.1 

 

 

22.4 

 

37.2% 

 

48.7 

 

32.4 

 

16.3 

 

50.3% 



 

180.4 

 

141.4 

 

 

39.1 

 

27.6% 

 

102.9 

 

72.9 

 

30.0 

 

41.2% 

Argentina

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketplace

 

$             71.6 

 

$             67.7 

 

 

$          3.9 

 

5.8% 

 

$             41.7 

 

$                 37.4 

 

$          4.4 

 

11.7% 

Non-Marketplace

 

44.3 

 

36.6 

 

 

7.7 

 

21.2% 

 

26.0 

 

19.5 

 

6.5 

 

33.3% 



 

115.9 

 

104.3 

 

 

11.6 

 

11.2% 

 

67.7 

 

56.8 

 

10.9 

 

19.1% 

Mexico

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketplace

 

$             12.4 

 

$             12.3 

 

 

$          0.1 

 

0.7% 

 

$               6.6 

 

$                   6.0 

 

$          0.6 

 

10.1% 

Non-Marketplace

 

10.2 

 

7.1 

 

 

3.1 

 

43.0% 

 

4.9 

 

4.0 

 

0.9 

 

21.2% 



 

22.6 

 

19.4 

 

 

3.1 

 

16.2% 

 

11.5 

 

10.0 

 

1.5 

 

14.6% 

Venezuela

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketplace

 

$             17.9 

 

$             17.9 

 

 

$          0.0 

 

0.0% 

 

$               6.7 

 

$                   5.1 

 

$          1.7 

 

32.8% 

Non-Marketplace

 

1.7 

 

1.8 

 

 

(0.1)

 

-5.9%

 

0.7 

 

0.6 

 

0.1 

 

12.6% 



 

19.6 

 

19.7 

 

 

(0.1)

 

-0.5%

 

7.5 

 

5.7 

 

1.7 

 

30.6% 

Other countries

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketplace

 

$               7.6 

 

$               8.8 

 

 

$         (1.2)

 

-14.1%

 

$               4.0 

 

$                   4.3 

 

$         (0.3)

 

-7.1%

Non-Marketplace

 

11.2 

 

8.9 

 

 

2.4 

 

26.5% 

 

6.1 

 

4.6 

 

1.5 

 

33.4% 



 

18.8 

 

17.7 

 

 

1.1 

 

6.3% 

 

10.1 

 

8.9 

 

1.2 

 

13.8% 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketplace

 

207.4 

 

187.9 

 

 

19.4 

 

10.3% 

 

113.3 

 

93.2 

 

20.1 

 

21.5% 

Non-Marketplace (*)

 

149.9 

 

114.5 

 

 

35.4 

 

30.9% 

 

86.4 

 

61.1 

 

25.3 

 

41.3% 

Total

 

$           357.3 

 

$           302.4 

 

 

$        54.9 

 

18.1% 

 

$           199.6 

 

$               154.3 

 

$        45.3 

 

29.4% 







(*) Includes, among other thing s, ad sales, real estate listings, motor vehicles listings , financing fees, off-platform payment fees , shipping fees and other ancillary services.

(**) Percentages have been calculated using whole -dollar amounts rather than rounded amounts that appear in the table. The table above may not total due to rounding.

On a segment basis, our net revenues for the six and three-month periods ended June 30 , 201 6 and 201 5 , increased in our three main geographic segments .

Brazil

Marketplace revenue in Brazil increased   20.5 % in the first half of 2016 as compared to the same period in 201 5 .   The increase was primarily a consequence of a 62 . 1 % increase in local currency volume, partially offset by a 7.1 % decrease in our take rate (which we define as net revenues as a percentage of gross merchandise volume) and a 2 0.0 %   devaluation of local currency. The Non-Marketplace business grew 37 . 2 %, a $ 22.4 million increase, during the same period, mainly driven by increases in the volume of financing transactions offered to our users and in ad sales .

Marketplace revenue in Brazil increased   33.9 % in the second quarter of 2016 as compared to the same period in 201 5 .   The increase was primarily a consequence of a 63.8 % increase in local currency volume, partially offset by a 6.6 % decrease in our take rate (which we define as net revenues as a percentage of gross merchandise volume) and a 12.5 %   devaluation of local currency. The Non-Marketplace business grew 50.3 %, a $ 16.3 million increase, during the same period, mainly driven by increases in the volume of financing and shipping transactions and in ad sales .

A rgentina

Marketplace revenues of our Argentine segment increased   5.8 % in   the first half of 2016   a s   compared to the same period in 2015 .   The increase was primarily a consequence of a 71 . 9 % increase in local currency volume and an increase of 0.7% in our take rate (which we define as net revenues as a percentage of gross merchandise volume), partially offset by a 38.9 %   devaluation of

 

39


 

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local currency. The Non-Marketplace business grew 21.2 %, a $ 7.7 million i ncrease, during the same period, mainly driven by increases in the volume of payments of off-platform transactions offered to our users and the volume of shipped items.

Marketplace revenues of our Argentine segment increased   11.7 % in the second quarter of 2016   a s   compared to the same period in 2015 .   The increase was primarily a consequence of a 68.2 % increase in local currency volume and an increase of 5.6% in our take rate (which we define as net revenues as a percentage of gross merchandise volume), partially offset by a 37.1 %   devaluation of local currency. The Non-Marketplace business grew 33.3 %, a $ 6.5 million i ncrease, during the same period, mainly driven by increases in the volume of payments of off-platform transactions offered to our users and the volume of shipped items.

Mexico

Marketplace revenues of our Mexican segment increased by approximately 0.7 %   in the first half of 2016, as compared to the same period in 201 5 ,   mainly due to a 13.1% increase in local currency volume, partially offset by a local currency devaluation of 16.3 % .   The Non-Marketplace business increased 43.0 % or $ 3 . 1 million during the same period, mainly driven by increases in the volume of financing transactions offered to our users and shipping transactions .

Marketplace revenues of our Mexican segment increased by approximately 10.1 %   in the second quarter of 2016, as compared to the same period in 201 5 ,   mainly due to a 15.2% increase in local currency volume, partially offset by a local currency devaluation of 15.3 % .   The Non-Marketplace business increased 21.2 % or $ 0.9 million during the same period, mainly driven by increases in the volume of financing transactions offered to our users and shipping transactions .

Venezuela

Marketplace revenues of our Venezuelan segment remained breakeven during the first half of 2016,   as compared to the same period in 2015, mainly due to a 222.8% increase in local currency volume. This increase is partially offset by a 18.0% decrease in our take rate and a local currency devaluation of 62.2% .   The Non-Marketplace business decreased 5.9 %, or $0. 1 million during the same period, mainly by the devaluation mentioned above, which was partially offset by an increase in the volume of transactions.

Marketplace revenues of our Venezuelan segment increased by approximately 32.8 % during the second quarter of 2016,   when compared to the same period in 2015, mainly due to a 182.0% increase in local currency volume and an increase of 8.0% in our take rate (which we define as net revenues as a percentage of gross merchandise volume) . This increase is partially offset by a local currency devaluation of 56.4% .   The Non-Marketplace business increased 12.6%, or $0. 1 million during the same period, mainly by an increase in the volume of transactions.

The following table sets forth our total net revenues and the sequential quarterly growth of these net revenues for the periods described below:





 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 



Quarter Ended



March 31,

June 30,

September 30,

December 31,



(in millions, except percentages)



(*)

2016

 

 

 

 

Net revenues

$              157.6

$              199.6

n/a

n/a

Percent change from prior quarter

-13%

27% 

 

 

2015

 

 

 

 

Net revenues

$              148.1

$              154.3

$              168.6

$              180.7

Percent change from prior quarter

-8%

4%  9%  7% 

2014

 

 

 

 

Net revenues

$              115.4

$              131.8

$              147.9

$              161.4

Percent change from prior quarter

-14%

14%  12%  9% 

 

(*) Percentages have been calculated using whole -dollar amounts rather than rounded amounts that appear in the table.

 

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The following table sets forth the growth in net revenues in local currencies for the six and three-month period ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the same period in 2015:







 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 



 

Changes from 2015 to 2016 (*)

(% of revenue growth in Local Currency)

 

Six-months

 

Three-months

Brazil

 

58.0% 

 

61.4% 

Argentina

 

81.1% 

 

89.1% 

Mexico

 

38.7% 

 

35.3% 

Venezuela

 

209.8% 

 

184.6% 

Other Countries

 

24.3% 

 

29.7% 

Total Consolidated

 

73.7% 

 

72.5% 



(*) The local currency revenue growth was calculated by using the average monthly exchange rates for each month during 201 5 and applying them to the corresponding months in 201 6 , so as to calculate what our financial results would have been had exchange rates remained stable from one year to the next.

In Venezuela, the increase in our net revenues is mainly due to higher average selling prices pos ted by sellers during the six and three-month period ended June 30 , 201 6 , which we do not control. The increase in average selling prices is a consequence of: (i)  high inflation rate in that country; (ii) a shortage of products in Venezuela and (iii) changes in the mix of categ ories of the items sold in our M arketplace.

In the case of Argentina, the increase in   our net revenues is due to an increase in the Argentine successful items volume and higher average selling prices posted by sellers during the six and three-month period ended June 30 , 2016 , which we do not control. The increase in average selling prices is a consequence of high inflation rates in Argentina. Additionally the increase   in   our net revenues   is   a consequence of   an increase in   shipped items   volume and increases in   our   MercadoPago   transactions.

In Brazil, the significant increase in local currency growth, as compared to U.S. dollar growth, is a consequence of an increase of our Brazilian Marketplace volume and our shipped items volume and increases in   our   MercadoPago transactions.



C ost of net revenues





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Six-month Periods Ended

 

Change from 2015

 

Three-month Periods Ended

 

Change from 2015



 

 

June 30,

 

to 2016 (*)

 

June 30,

 

to 2016 (*)



 

 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

 

in %

 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

 

in %



 

 

(in millions, except percentages)

 

(in millions, except percentages)

Total cost of net revenues

 

 

$         128.8

 

$             95.0

 

$        33.8

 

35.5% 

 

$             73.3

 

$             50.3

 

$        23.0

 

45.7% 

As a percentage of net revenues (*)

 

 

36.0% 

 

31.4% 

 

 

 

 

 

36.7% 

 

32.6% 

 

 

 

 



(*) Percentages have been calculated using whole-dollar amounts rather than rounded amounts that appear in the table. The table above may not total due to rounding.

For the six -month period ended June 30 , 201 6 as compared to the same period of 201 5 , the increase of $ 33.8 million in cost of net revenues was primarily attributable to : i) an increase in collection fees of  $ 14.8 million, or 30.0 %, which was mainly attributable to our Argentine and Brazilian operations as a result of the higher penetration of MercadoPago in those countries ; ii) an increase in sales taxes amounting to $ 8.1 million, mainly related to the growth of our Argentine and Brazilian operations; iii) a $ 4.9 million increase in customer support costs mainly as a consequence of salaries and wages, iv) $2.1 million in hosting costs; and v) a $2.4 million increase in mobile points of sale costs.

For the three -month period ended June 30 , 201 6 as compared to the same period of 201 5 , the increase of $ 23.0 million in cost of net revenues was primarily attributable to : i) an increase in collection fees amounting to $ 10.1 million, or 37.7 %, which was mainly attributable to our Argentine and Brazilian operations as a result of the higher penetration of MercadoPago in those countries; ii) an increase in sales taxes amounting to $ 5.9 million, mainly related to the growth of our Argentine and Brazilian operations; iii) a $ 2.8 million increase in customer support costs mainly as a consequence of salaries and wages; iv) $1.3 million in hosting costs; and v) a $1.5 million increase in mobile points of sale costs.

 

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Product and technology development expenses





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Six-month Periods Ended

 

Change from 2015

 

Three-month Periods Ended

 

Change from 2015



 

 

June 30,

 

to 2016 (*)

 

June 30,

 

to 2016 (*)



 

 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

 

in %

 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

in %



 

 

(in millions, except percentages)

 

(in millions, except percentages)

Product and technology development

 

 

$             46.2

 

$             36.9

 

$          9.3

 

25.1% 

 

$           24.2

 

$           19.6

 

$          4.6

23.3% 

As a percentage of net revenues (*)

 

 

12.9% 

 

12.2% 

 

 

 

 

 

12.1% 

 

12.7% 

 

 

 



(*) Percentages have been calculated using whole-dollar amounts rather than rounded amounts that appear in the table. The table above may not total due to rounding.

For   the   six and three-month periods   ended   June 30, 201 6 , the increase in product and technology development expenses as compared to the same periods in 201 5 amounted to $ 9.3 million and $ 4.6 million respectively. These increases were primarily attributable to : i) an increase of $ 3 . 2 million and $ 1 . 0 million in salaries and wages , respectively ; ii) a n   increase in maintenance expenses of $ 2.2   and $1.1 million , respectively ; ii i ) an increase in depreciation and amortization expenses of $ 2.0 million and $1.0 million, respectively; and iv) an increase in other product and technology development expenses of $1.9 million and $1.4 million, respectively.

We believe development is one of our key competitive advantages and intend to continue to invest in hiring engineers to meet the increasingly sophisticated product expectations of our customer base.



Sales and marketing expenses





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Six-month Periods Ended

 

Change from 2015

 

Three-month Periods Ended

 

Change from 2015



 

 

June 30,

 

to 2016 (*)

 

June 30,

 

to 2016 (*)



 

 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

 

in %

 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

in %



 

 

(in millions, except percentages)

 

(in millions, except percentages)

Sales and marketing

 

 

$             68.0

 

$          55.3

 

$        12.7

 

23.0% 

 

$          35.3

 

$          29.1

 

$          6.2

21.4% 

As a percentage of net revenues (*)

 

 

19.0% 

 

18.3% 

 

 

 

 

 

17.7% 

 

18.9% 

 

 

 

 



(*) Percentages have been calculated using whole-dollar amounts rather than rounded amounts that appear in the table. The table above may not total due to rounding.

For the   six and three-month periods ended June 30, 201 6 , the $ 12.7 million and $6 .2 million increase in sales and marketing expenses, respectively, when comp ared to the same periods in 2015 was primarily attributable to: i) an increase of $ 4 . 8 million and $ 2.7 million in on   line portal deals expenses , respectively; ii) a $4. 7 million and $2.3 million increase in our buyer protection program expense, respectively; iii) a $2. 5 million and $0.9 million increase in salaries and wages , respectively ; and iv) a $1. 3 million and $0. 8 million increase in other marketing expenses , respectively. These increases in sales and marketing expenses were partially offset by a decrease in bad debt charge of $ 0.7 million during the six and three-month periods ended June 30, 2016, due to a higher penetration of MercadoPago and improvements in recoveries process , which represented 1.8 % and 1.4 % of our net revenues for the six and three-month period ended June 30, 201 6 as compared to   a bad debt expense equal to   2 . 4 % and 2 . 2 % for the six and three-month period ended June 30, 201 5 .



General and administrative expenses





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Six-month Periods Ended

 

Change from 2015

 

Three-month Periods Ended

 

Change from 2015



 

 

June 30,

 

to 2016 (*)

 

June 30,

 

to 2016 (*)



 

 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

 

in %

 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

in %



 

 

(in millions, except percentages)

 

(in millions, except percentages)

General and administrative

 

 

$            37.9

 

$           38.7

 

$        (0.8)

 

-2.0%

 

$            20.8

 

$            20.6

 

$         0.2

1.1% 

As a percentage of net revenues (*)

 

 

10.6% 

 

12.8% 

 

 

 

 

 

10.4% 

 

13.4% 

 

 

 





(*) Percentages have been calculated using whole-dollar amounts rather than rounded amounts that appear in the table. The table above may not total due to rounding. 

 

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For the six-month period ended June 30, 2016, the $0.8 million decrease in general and administrative expenses when compared to the same period in 2015 was primarily attributable to: i) a $0.5 million decrease in audit and legal fees; and ii) a $0.5 million decrease in other general and administrative expenses.

For the three-month period ended June 30, 2016, the $0.2 million increase in general and administrative expenses when compared to the same period in 2015 was primarily attributable to: i) a $1.1 million increase in salaries and wages; and ii) a $0.3 million increase in other fees. This increase was partially offset by: i) a $0.6 million decrease in other general and administrative expenses; ii) a $0.3 million decrease in depreciation expense; and iii) a $0.3 million decrease in audit fees.

Impairment of Long-Lived assets





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Six-month Periods Ended

 

Change from 2015

 

Three-month Periods Ended

 

Change from 2015



 

 

June 30,

 

to 2016 (*)

 

June 30,

 

to 2016 (*)



 

 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

 

in %

 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

 

in %



 

 

(in millions, except percentages)

 

(in millions, except percentages)

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

 

 

$           13.7

 

$           16.2

 

$        (2.5)

 

-15.5%

 

$            13.7

 

$               —

 

$       13.7

 

100.0% 

As a percentage of net revenues (*)

 

 

3.8% 

 

5.4% 

 

 

 

 

 

6.9% 

 

0.0% 

 

 

 

 



 (*) Percentages have been calculated using whole-dollar amounts rather than rounded amounts that appear in the table. The table above may not total due to rounding.

We recorded an impairment of certain real estate investments owned by our Venezuelan subsidiaries of $16.2 million during the first quarter of 2015 and $13.7 million during the second quarter of 2016. For further information, see section “Foreign Currency Translation— Venezuelan currency status.

Other income / (expense), net

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Six-month Periods Ended

 

Change from 2015

 

Three-month Periods Ended

 

Change from 2015



 

 

June 30,

 

to 2016 (*)

 

June 30,

 

to 2016 (*)



 

 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

 

in %

 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

in %



 

 

(in millions, except percentages)

 

(in millions, except percentages)

Other income (expense), net

 

 

$            2.7

 

$         (10.4)

 

$        13.1

 

-126.5%

 

$            (4.0)

 

$            (1.2)

 

$         (2.8)

240.4% 

As a percentage of net revenues

 

 

0.8% 

 

-3.4%

 

 

 

 

 

-2.0%

 

-0.8%

 

 

 



(*) Percentages have been calculated using whole-dollar amounts rather than rounded amounts that appear in the table. The table above may not total due to rounding.

For the   six -month period ended June 30 , 2016 , the $1 3 . 1   million   increase in other income (expense) , net when compared to the same period in 201 5 was   primarily attributable to: i) a $6 . 4 million increase in interest income arising from our financial investments in Brazil and Argentina; and i i ) a decrease   in foreign exchange loss of $ 9.0 million ,   from $9.2 million in 2015 to $0.2 million in 2016. The 2015 foreign exchange l oss was a consequence of a $20.4 million foreign exchange loss in Venezuela as a result of start using the SIMADI exchange rate since March 31, 2015, partially offset by a   foreign exchange gain in Brazil   of   $8.8 million and a $1 .6 million foreign exchange gain in Argentina.   The 2016 foreign exchange loss was a consequence of a $7.2 million loss arising from the U.S. Dollar revaluation over our Bolivares Fuertes net asset position in Venezuela, partially offset by a $5.6 million gain arising from the Argentine Peso devaluation over our U.S. Dollar net asset position in Argentina and a $1.3 million gain arising from the Reais revaluation over our U.S. Dollar net liability position in Brazil. These increases were partially offset by  a  $ 2 . 2 million increase in interest expens e due mainly to the mortgage loan entered into in the third quarter of 2015 for the acquisition of real estate in Venezuela ,   and other financial charges in Brazil .

F or the   three -month period ended June 30 , 2016 , the $ 2.8   million   decrease in other income (expense) , net when compared to the same period in 201 5 was   primarily attributable to: i) a $1.4 million increase in interest expense due mainly to the mortgage loan entered into in Venezuela in the third quarter of 2015, and other financial charges in Br azil . ; and i i ) a n increase in foreign exchange loss of $ 4.7 million ,   from $0.6 million in 2015 to $5.4 million in 2016.   The 2016 foreign exchange loss was mainly as a consequence of a $4.9 million loss arising from the U.S. Dollar revaluation over our Bolivares Fuertes net asset position in Venezuela These decreases were partially offset by  a  $ 3.5 million increase in interest income arising from our financial investments in Brazil and Argentina.

 

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Income and asset tax





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Six-month Periods Ended

 

Change from 2015

Three-month Periods Ended

 

Change from 2015



 

 

June 30,

 

to 2016 (*)

June 30,

 

to 2016 (*)



 

 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

 

in %

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

 

in %



 

 

(in millions, except percentages)

(in millions, except percentages)

Income and asset tax

 

 

$             19.3

 

$             28.7

 

$           (9.3)

 

-32.6%

$             12.4

 

$             14.0

 

$        (1.6)

 

-11.8%

As a percentage of net revenues (*)

 

 

5.4% 

 

9.5% 

 

 

 

 

6.2% 

 

9.1% 

 

 

 

 





(*) Percentages have been calculated using whole-dollar amounts rather than rounded amounts that appear in the table. The table above may not total due to rounding.

During the six and three-month periods ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the same periods in 2015, income and asset tax decreased by $9.3 million and $1.6 million, respectively, mainly as a consequence of the tax holiday granted to our Argentine subsidiary related to the new software development law recorded in the first half of 2016 while during the first half of 2015 we hadn’t been granted this tax holiday.

As a result of the application of this tax benefit, we recorded an income tax benefit of $9.2 million and $4.8 million for the six and three-month periods ended June 30, 2016, respectively. Furthermore, the Company recorded a labor cost benefit of $2.0 million and $1.0 million for the six and three-month periods ended June 30, 2016, respectively. Additionally, $0.8 million and $0.4 million were accrued to pay software development law audit fees during the six and three-month periods ended June 30, 2016, respectively.   During the first half of 2015, the Company did not record any income tax, labor cost benefits or software development law audit fees.

Our blended tax rate is defined as income and asset tax expense as a percentage of income before income and asset tax. Our effective income tax rate is defined as the provision for income taxes (net of charges related to dividend distributions from foreign subsidiaries that are offset with domestic foreign tax credits) as a percentage of income before income and asset tax. The effective income tax rate excludes the effects of the deferred income tax, and the assets and complementary income tax.

The following table summarizes our blended and effective tax rates for the six and three-month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015:





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Six-month Periods Ended

 

Three-month Periods Ended



 

 

June 30,

 

June 30,



 

 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

 

in %

Blended tax rate

 

 

29.5%

 

57.5%

 

43.8%

 

41.9%

Effective tax rate

 

 

35.1%

 

57.6%

 

46.0%

 

36.8%



Our blended and effective tax rate for the six-month period ended June 30, 2016 decreased significantly as compared to the same period in 2015 mainly due to: i) the tax holiday granted during third quarter of 2015 to our Argentine subsidiary related to the new software development law that was not recorded in first half of 2015, and ii) the one-time loss   recorded in our Venezuelan subsidiaries during the first quarter of 2015 related to the impairment of long-lived assets and the devaluation of the BsF net asset position, which was significantly higher to the one-time loss recorded in the second quarter of 2016. The impairment of long-lived assets is non-deductible for tax purposes. Additionally, the tax loss of the foreign exchange recorded in the three-month period ended June 30, 2016 was considered not recoverable.

Our blended and effective tax rate for the three-month period ended June 30, 2016 increased as compared to the same period in 2015, mainly due to the one-time loss   recorded in our Venezuelan subsidiaries during the second quarter of 2016 related to the impairment of long-lived assets and the devaluation of the BsF net asset position. The impairment of long-lived assets is non-deductible for tax purposes and the loss carryforward generated by the devaluation of the local currency was considered not recoverable for tax purposes. We did not record any impairment during the second quarter of 2015. This increase was partially offset by the tax holiday granted during third quarter of 2015 to our Argentine subsidiary related to the new software development law that was not recorded in second quarter of 2015.

 

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The following table sets forth our effective income tax rate related to our main segments for the six and three-month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015:







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Six-month Periods Ended

Three-month Periods Ended



 

 

June 30,

June 30,



 

 

2016

 

2015

 

2016

 

2015

 

Effective tax rate by country

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Argentina

 

 

19.9% 

 

38.5% 

 

16.5% 

 

34.6% 

 

Brazil

 

 

28.4% 

 

27.6% 

 

28.8% 

 

28.8% 

 

Venezuela

 

 

-0.1%

 

-0.6%

 

0.1% 

 

4.4% 

 

Mexico

 

 

-11.3%

 

25.7% 

 

-7.7%

 

52.0% 

 



The decrease in the effective income tax rate in our Argentine subsidiaries during the six and three-month periods ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the same periods in 2015, is due to the tax holiday granted during third quarter of 2015 to our Argentine subsidiary related to the new software development law that was not recorded in first half of 2015.

On August 17, 2011, the Argentine government issued a new software development law and on September 9, 2013 a   regulatory decree was issued, which established the new requirements to become a   beneficiary of the new software development law. The new decree establishes compliance requirements with annual incremental ratios related to exports of services and research and development expenses that must be achieved to remain within the tax holiday. The Argentine operation will have to achieve certain required ratios annually under the new software development law. During May 2014, we presented all the required documentation in order to apply for the new software development law.

On September 17, 2015, the Argentine Industry Secretary issued Resolution 1041/2015 approving the Company’s application for eligibility under the new software development law. As a result, our Argentine subsidiary has been granted a tax holiday retroactive from September 18, 2014 for its software developments activities. A portion of the benefits available to beneficiaries of the new law is a relief of 60% of total income tax related to software development activities and a 70% relief in payroll taxes related to software development activities.

The increase in our Brazilian effective income tax rate for the six-month period ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the same period in 2015, was mainly related to temporary differences deducted in the current period. Our Brazilian effective income tax rate remained breakeven for the three-month period ended June 30, 2016 as compared with the same period in 2015.

The decrease in our Mexican effective income tax rate for the six and three-month periods ended June 30, 2016 as compared with the same periods in 2015, is due to the pre-tax loss recorded during 2015 as a result of the devaluation in that country. The foreign exchange loss is a consequence of U.S. dollars liabilities assumed to acquire an online classified business. Such loss is non-deductible for tax purposes.

For the six and three-month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, our Venezuelan effective income tax rate was driven by losses recorded in our Venezuelan subsidiaries related to the impairment of long-lived assets and foreign exchange losses, which generated a net loss before income tax. The impairment of long-lived assets charge is non-deductible for tax purposes. The main difference year over year is that in the three-month period ended June 30, 2016, the loss carryforward generated by the devaluation of the local currency was considered not recoverable for tax purposes, while in 2015 it was considered recoverable and for that reason we record a deferred tax asset.

We do not expect the domestic effective income tax rate related to dividend distributions from foreign subsidiaries to have a significant impact on our company since our strategy is to reinvest our cash surplus in our international operations, and to distribute dividends when they can be offset with available tax credits .



 

45


 

Table of Contents

 

Segment information







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(In millions, except for percentages)

 

Six-month Period Ended June 30, 2016



 

 

 

 



 

Brazil

 

Argentina

 

Mexico

 

Venezuela

 

Other Countries

 

Total

Net revenues

 

$                180.4 

 

$                115.9 

 

$                  22.6 

 

$                  19.6 

 

$                  18.8 

 

$                357.3 

Direct costs

 

(111.8)

 

(66.2)

 

(18.7)

 

(9.2)

 

(13.3)

 

(219.2)

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

 

 —

 

 —

 

 —

 

(13.7)

 

 —

 

(13.7)

Direct contribution

 

68.7 

 

49.7 

 

3.9 

 

(3.4)

 

5.5 

 

124.4 

Margin

 

38.1% 

 

42.9% 

 

17.4% 

 

-17.3%

 

29.1% 

 

34.8% 







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Six-month Period Ended June 30, 2015



 

 

 

 



 

Brazil

 

Argentina

 

Mexico

 

Venezuela

 

Other Countries

 

Total

Net revenues

 

$                141.4 

 

$                104.3 

 

$                  19.4 

 

$                  19.7 

 

$                  17.7 

 

$                302.4 

Direct costs

 

(83.7)

 

(53.8)

 

(12.6)

 

$                  (6.8)

 

(11.1)

 

(168.1)

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

 

 —

 

 —

 

 —

 

(16.2)

 

 —

 

(16.2)

Direct contribution

 

57.7 

 

50.4 

 

6.8 

 

(3.4)

 

6.6 

 

118.1 

Margin

 

40.8% 

 

48.4% 

 

35.1% 

 

-17.2%

 

37.4% 

 

39.1% 







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Change from the Six-month Period Ended June 30, 2015 to June 30, 2016 (*)



 

 

 

 



 

Brazil

 

Argentina

 

Mexico

 

Venezuela

 

Other Countries

 

Total

Net revenues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

in Dollars

 

$                 39.1 

 

$                 11.6 

 

$                   3.1 

 

$                 (0.1)

 

$                   1.1 

 

$                 54.9 

in %

 

27.6% 

 

11.2% 

 

16.2% 

 

-0.5%

 

6.3% 

 

18.1% 

Direct costs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

in Dollars

 

$               (28.1)

 

$               (12.3)

 

$                 (6.0)

 

$                 (2.4)

 

$                 (2.3)

 

$               (51.1)

in %

 

33.6% 

 

22.9% 

 

47.9% 

 

35.0% 

 

20.4% 

 

30.4% 

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

in Dollars

 

$                    — 

 

$                    — 

 

$                    — 

 

$                   2.5 

 

$                    — 

 

$                   2.5 

in %

 

0.0% 

 

0.0% 

 

0.0% 

 

-15.5%

 

0.0% 

 

-15.5%

Direct contribution

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

in Dollars

 

$                 11.0 

 

$                 (0.7)

 

$                 (2.9)

 

$                   0.0 

 

$                 (1.1)

 

$                   6.2 

in %

 

19.0% 

 

-1.4%

 

-42.5%

 

-0.4%

 

-17.2%

 

5.3% 







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(In millions, except for percentages)

 

Three-month Period Ended June 30, 2016



 

 

 

 



 

Brazil

 

Argentina

 

Mexico

 

Venezuela

 

Other Countries

 

Total

Net revenues

 

$                102.9 

 

$                  67.7 

 

$                  11.5 

 

$                    7.5 

 

$                  10.1 

 

$                199.6 

Direct costs

 

(61.5)

 

(38.4)

 

(9.2)

 

(4.1)

 

(7.1)

 

(120.3)

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

 

 —

 

 —

 

 —

 

(13.7)

 

 —

 

(13.7)

Direct contribution

 

41.4 

 

29.3 

 

2.3 

 

(10.3)

 

3.0 

 

65.6 

Margin

 

40.3% 

 

43.2% 

 

19.7% 

 

-138.7%

 

29.6% 

 

32.9% 











 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Three-month Period Ended June 30, 2015



 

 

 

 



 

Brazil

 

Argentina

 

Mexico

 

Venezuela

 

Other Countries

 

Total

Net revenues

 

$                 72.9 

 

$                 56.8 

 

$                 10.0 

 

$                   5.7 

 

$                   8.9 

 

$               154.3 

Direct costs

 

(44.0)

 

(29.1)

 

(6.6)

 

(2.6)

 

(5.9)

 

(88.2)

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

 

 —

 

 —

 

 —

 

 —

 

 —

 

 —

Direct contribution

 

28.9 

 

27.8 

 

3.3 

 

3.1 

 

3.0 

 

66.1 

Margin

 

39.6% 

 

48.9% 

 

33.5% 

 

54.0% 

 

33.7% 

 

42.8% 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Change from the Three-month Period Ended June 30, 2015 to June 30, 2016 (*)



 

 

 

 



 

Brazil

 

Argentina

 

Mexico

 

Venezuela

 

Other Countries

 

Total

Net revenues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

in Dollars

 

$                 30.0 

 

$                 10.9 

 

$                   1.5 

 

$                   1.7 

 

$                   1.2 

 

$                 45.3 

in %

 

41.2% 

 

19.1% 

 

14.6% 

 

30.6% 

 

13.8% 

 

29.4% 

Direct costs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

in Dollars

 

$               (17.5)

 

$                 (9.4)

 

$                 (2.6)

 

$                 (1.5)

 

$                 (1.2)

 

$               (32.1)

in %

 

39.7% 

 

32.3% 

 

38.4% 

 

55.6% 

 

20.7% 

 

36.4% 

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

in Dollars

 

$                    — 

 

$                    — 

 

$                    — 

 

$               (13.7)

 

$                    — 

 

$               (13.7)

in %

 

0.0% 

 

0.0% 

 

0.0% 

 

-100.0%

 

0.0% 

 

-100.0%

Direct contribution

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

in Dollars

 

$                 12.6 

 

$                   1.5 

 

$                 (1.1)

 

$               (13.4)

 

$                   0.0 

 

$                 (0.5)

in %

 

43.5% 

 

5.3% 

 

-32.7%

 

-435.7%

 

0.1% 

 

-0.7%



(*) Percentages have been calculated using whole-dollar amounts rather than rounded amounts that appear in the table. The table above may not total due to rounding.

Net revenues

Net revenues for the six and three-month period s ended June 30 , 201 6 as compared to the same periods in 201 5 , are described above in “Item 2 — Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Net revenues”.

Direct costs and Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Brazil

For the six -month period ended June 30 , 2016 as compared to the same period in 2015 , direct costs increased by 33.6%, mainly driven by: i) a 42.4 % increase in cost of net revenues, mainly attributable to an increase in collection fees as a consequence of higher penetration of our MercadoPago business , sales tax costs an d salaries and wages; ii) a 71.1 % increase in product and technology development expenses, mainly due to an increase in salaries and wages and higher deprecia tion and amortization expenses and iii) a 27.2 % increase in sales and marketing expenses, mainly due to an increase in buyer protection program expenses, online marketing expenses , salaries and wages and other marketing expenses. These increases were partially offset by a 7.5 % decrease in general and administrative expenses, mainly attributable to a decrease in legal fees and salar y and wages.

For the three-month period ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the same period in 2015, direct costs increased by 39.7%, mainly driven by: i) a 55.5% increase in cost of net revenues, mainly attributable to an increase in collection fees as a consequence of higher penetration of our MercadoPago business, sales tax costs and salaries and wages; ii) a 51.1% increase in product and technology development expenses, mainly due to an increase in salaries and wages and higher depreciation and amortization expenses; iii) a 25.1% increase in sales and marketing expenses, mainly due to an increase in buyer protection program expenses, online marketing expenses, salaries and wages and other marketing expenses; and iv) a 3.5% increase in general and administrative expenses.

Argentina

For the six -month period ended June 30 , 201 6 as compared to the same period in 201 5, direct costs increased by 22.9 %, mainly driven by: i) a 27.9 % increase in cost of net revenues, mainly attributable to an increase in collection fees as a consequence of a higher penetration of MercadoPago business , customer support costs and sales taxes; ii) a 119.0 %   increase in product and technology development expenses, mainly due to an increase in salaries and wages and higher depreciation and amortization expenses ;   iii ) a 5.9 %  

 

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increase in sales and marketing expenses, mainly due to an increase in buyer protection program expenses, chargeback expenses , bad debt and salaries and wages; and iv) a 70.8% increase in general and administrative expenses , mainly attributable to an increase in salaries and wages.

For the three-month period ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the same period in 2015, direct costs increased by 32.3%, mainly driven by: i) a 37.1% increase in cost of net revenues, mainly attributable to an increase in collection fees as a consequence of a higher penetration of MercadoPago, customer support costs and sales taxes; ii) a 67.3% increase in product and technology development expenses, mainly due to an increase in salaries and wages and higher depreciation and amortization expenses; iii) a 7.8% increase in sales and marketing expenses, mainly due to an increase in buyer protection program expenses, chargeback expenses and salaries and wages; and iv) a 54.9% increase in general and administrative expenses, mainly attributable to an increase in salaries and wages.

Mexico

For the six -month period ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the same period in 201 5 , direct costs increased by 47.9 %, mainly driven by: i) a 45 .1% increase in sales and marketing expenses, mainly due to increases in salaries and wages, online marketing expenses, chargeback expenses and higher buyer protection program expenses; ii) a   60 . 4 % i ncrease in cost of net revenues, mainly attributable to an increase in collection fees due to higher MercadoPa go penetration and other costs; iii) a   89.9 % increase in product and technology development expenses as a result of increases in salaries and wages and depreciation and amortization expenses and vi) a 2 7.9 % increase in general and administrative expenses, mainly attributable to an increase in salaries and wages.

For the three-month period ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the same period in 2015, direct costs increased by 38.4%, mainly driven by: i) a 30.4% increase in sales and marketing expenses, mainly due to increases in salaries and wages, online marketing expenses, chargeback expenses and higher buyer protection program expenses; ii) a 55.2% increase in cost of net revenues, mainly attributable to an increase in collection fees due to higher MercadoPago penetration and other costs; iii) a 42.9% increase in product and technology development expenses as a result of increases in salaries and wages and depreciation and amortization expenses; and vi) a 31.9% increase in general and administrative expenses, mainly attributable to an increase in salaries and wages.

Venezuela

During first quarter of 2015 and the second quarter of 2016, we have recorded an impairment of long-lived assets of $16.2 million and $13.7 million respectively in our Venezuelan subsidiaries.

F or the six -month period ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the same period in 201 5 , direct costs increased by 35.0 %, mainly driven by: i) a   45.1% in crease in sales and marketing expenses that was mainly attributable to a n   increase in bad debt expenses and chargeback expenses ; ii) a   27.3 % increase in cost of net revenues that was mainly attributable to an increase in customer support costs and certain new taxes on payment business; and ii i) a 536.7 %   in crease in product and technology development expenses attributable to a n   increase in salaries and wages and depreciation and amortization expenses . These increases were partially offset by a 5.4% de crease in general and administrative expenses .

For the three-month period ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the same period in 2015, direct costs increased by 55.6%, mainly driven by: i) a 67.7% increase in sales and marketing expenses that was mainly attributable to an increase in bad debt expenses and chargeback expenses; ii) a 43.4% increase in cost of net revenues that was mainly attributable to an increase in customer support costs and certain new taxes on payment business; iii) a 963.5% increase in product and technology development expenses attributable to an increase in salaries and wages and depreciation and amortization expenses; and iv) a 33.1% increase in general and administrative expenses.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our main cash requirement historically has been working capital to fund MercadoPago financing operations in Brazil. We also require cash for capital expenditures relating to technology infrastructure, software applications, office space,   business acquisitions, to fund the payment of quarterly cash dividends on shares of our common stock and to fund the interests payments on our Convertible Notes.

Since our inception, we have funded our operations primarily through contributions received from our stockholders during the first two years of operations, from funds raised during our initial public offering, and from cash generated from our operations. W e issued on June 30, 2014, $330 million principal balance of Convertible Notes for net proceeds to us of approximately $321.7 million. We have funded MercadoPago by discounting credit card receivables, with loans backed with credit card receivables and through cash advances derived from our business.

As of June 30 , 201 6 , our main source of liquidity, amounting to $3 95.4 million of cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments and $ 157.8 million of long-term investments ,   was provided by cash generated from operations and from the issuance

 

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of the Convertible Notes. We consider our long-term investments as part of our liquidity because long-term investments are comprised of available-for-sale securities classified as long-term as a consequence of their contractual maturities.

The significant components of our working capital are cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses, funds receivable from and payable to MercadoPago users, and short-term debt. As long as we continue transferring credit card receivables to financial institutions in return for cash, we will continue generating cash.

As of June 30, 2016 cash and investments of foreign subsidiaries amounted to $2 73.0 million, or 4 9 . 3 % of our consolidated cash and investments, and approximately 34 . 2 % of our consolidated cash and investments were held outside the U.S., mostly in Brazil and Argentina. Our strategy is to reinvest the undistributed earnings of our foreign operations in those operations and to distribute dividends when they can be offset with available tax credits. We do not expect a material impact in any repatriation of undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries on our operations since the taxable domestic gains generated by any dividend distributions will be mostly offset with foreign tax credits that arise from income tax paid in our foreign operations, which we are allowed to compute for domestic income tax purposes.

In the event we change the way we manage our business, our working capital needs could be funded, as we did in the past, through a combination of the sale of credit card coupons to financial institutions, loans backed by credit card receivables and cash advances from our business.

The following table presents our cash flows from operating activities, investing activities and financing activities for the six -month periods ended June  3 0 , 201 6 and 201 5 :





 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Six-month Periods Ended



 

 

 

June 30, (*)

(In millions)

 

 

 

2016

 

2015

Net cash provided by (used in):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating activities

 

 

 

$           44.9

 

$           96.8

Investing activities

 

 

 

(38.6)

 

(94.7)

Financing activities

 

 

 

(17.5)

 

(19.0)

Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents

 

 

 

(11.6)

 

(35.8)

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

 

 

 

$           (22.9)

 

$           (52.7)





(*) The table above may not total due to rounding.

Net cash provided by operating activities

Cash provided by operating activities consists of net income adjusted for certain non-cash items, and the effect of changes in working capital and other activities:





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Six-month Periods Ended

 

 

 

 



 

June 30,

 

Change from 2015 to 2016 (*)



 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

 

in %



 

(in millions, except percentages)

Net Cash (used in) provided by:

 

   

 

   

 

 

 

 

Operating activities

 

$           44.9

 

$           96.8

 

$           (52.0)

 

-53.7%

 



(*) Percentages have been calculated using whole-dollar amounts rather than rounded amounts that appear in the table. The table above may not total due to rounding.

The $ 47.8 million de crease in net cash provided by operating activities during the six -month period ended June 30 , 201 6 , as compared to the same period in 20 15, was primarily driven by a $56.1 million decrease in accounts payable and accrued expenses and a $25.8 million increase in credit card receivables; which was partially offset by a $16.5 million decrease in accounts receivables and a $24.9 million increase in net income.

Net cash used in investing activities





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Six-month Periods Ended

 

 

 

 



 

June 30,

 

Change from 2015 to 2016 (*)



 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

 

in %



 

(in millions, except percentages)

Net Cash provided by:

 

   

 

   

 

 

 

 

Investing activities

 

$           (38.6)

 

$           (94.7)

 

$           56.1

 

-59.2%

 

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(*) Percentages have been calculated using whole-dollar amounts rather than rounded amounts that appear in the table. The table above may not total due to rounding.

Net cash   provided by investing activities in the six -month period ended June 30 , 201 6 resulted mainly from purchases of investments of $ 1,559.1 million , which was partially offset by proceeds from the sale and maturity of investments of $ 1,565.3  million, as part of our financial strategy. We used $ 32.6 million in the purchase of property plant and equipment (mainly in our Argentine and Brazilian offices and in information technology in Argentina and Brazil), $ 7.3 million to fund the acquisition s of Monits S.A. and Axado, and $5.0 million in advances for property and equipment.

Net cash used in financing activities





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Six-month Periods Ended

 

 

 

 



 

June 30,

 

Change from 2015 to 2016 (*)



 

2016

 

2015

 

in Dollars

 

in %



 

(in millions, except percentages)

Net Cash used in:

 

   

 

   

 

 

 

 

Financing activities

 

$           (17.5)

 

$           (19.0)

 

$             1.6

 

-8.2%



 (*) Percentages have been calculated using whole-dollar amounts rather than rounded amounts that appear in the table. The table above may not total due to rounding.

For the six -month period ended June 30 , 201 6 , our pri mary use of cash was to fund $11.2 million in cash dividends. In addition, we used $ 6.3 million for the  p ayments on loans payable and other financing.

In the event that we decide to pursue strategic acquisitions in the future, we may fund them with available cash, third - party debt financing, or by raising equity capital, as market conditions allow.

Debt

On June 30, 2014, we issued $330 million of 2.25% convertible senior notes due 2019 (the “Notes”). The Notes are unsecured, unsubordinated obligations of our Company, which pay interest in cash semi-annually, on January 1 and July 1, at a rate of 2.25% per annum. The Notes will mature on July 1, 2019 unless earlier repurchased or converted in accordance with their terms prior to such date. The Notes may be converted, under the conditions specified below, based on an initial conversion rate of 7.9353 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of Notes (equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $126.02 per share of common stock), subject to adjustment as described in the indenture governing the Notes.

Holders may convert their notes at their option at any time prior to January 1, 2019 only under the following circumstances: (1) during any calendar quarter commencing after the calendar quarter ending on September 30, 2014 (and only during such calendar quarter), if the last reported sale price of the common stock for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during a period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter is greater than or equal to 130% of the conversion price on each applicable trading day; (2) during the five business day period after any five consecutive trading day period (the “measurement period”) in which the trading price per $1,000 principal amount of notes for each trading day of the measurement period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price of our common stock and the conversion rate on each such trading day; or (3) upon the occurrence of specified corporate events. On or after January 1, 2019 until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date, holders may convert their notes at any time, regardless of the foregoing circumstances. Upon conversion, we will pay or deliver, as the case may be, cash, shares of our common stock or a combination of cash and shares of our common stock, at our election.

As of June 30 , 2 016 , none of the conditions allowing holders of the Notes to convert their notes had been met.

Capped   C all T ransactions

The net proceeds from the Notes were approximately $321.7 million after considering the transaction costs in an amount of $8.3 million. In connection with the issuance of the Notes, we paid approximately $19.7 million to enter into capped call transactions with respect to its common stock (the “Capped Call Transactions”), with certain financial institutions. The Capped Call Transactions are expected generally to reduce the potential dilution upon conversion of the Convertible Notes in the event that the market price of our common stock is greater than the strike price of the Capped Call Transactions, initially set at $126.02 per common share, which corresponds to the initial conversion price of the Notes and is subject to anti-dilution adjustments substantially similar to those applicable to the conversion rate of the Notes, and have a cap price of approximately $155. 78 per common share. Therefore, as a result of executing the Capped Call Transactions, we will reduce our exposure to potential dilution once the market price of its common shares

 

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exceeds the strike price of $126.02 and up to a ca p price of approximately $155.78 per common share. The Capped Call Transactions allow us to receive shares of our common stock and/or cash related to the excess conversion value that we would pay to the holders of the Notes upon conversion, up to the above mentioned cap price.

Office building acquisition agreement s in Caracas

During the third quarter of 2015, we obtained (through our   Venezuelan   subsidiary) a mortgage loan from Banco del Caribe, C.A. Banco Universal to fund a portion of the acquisition of five offices under construction in Caracas, Venezuela ,   of BsF $1,000 million   to be paid in monthly installments over five   years and which bears a fixed interest rate of 24% per annum.   The mortgage was constituted over the offices acquired up to an amount of BsF $2,000 million to cover the amounts due to the bank. As of June 30, 2016, the amount due in relation to the mentioned mortgage loan amounts to BsF $8 43 million, or $ 1 million.  



Cash Dividends

In each of February, April, July and November of 2015, our b oard of d irectors declared quarterly cash dividends of   $4 .6   million (or   $0.103   per share on our outstanding shares of common stock). The dividends were paid on   April 16, July 16,   October 16, 2015   and   January 15, 2016   to stockholders of record as of the close of business on   March 31, June 30, September 30, and   December 31, 2015 , respectively .

On February 19, 2016, our board of directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of   $6. 6 million (or   $0.150   per share) on our   outstanding   shares of common stock. The first quarterly dividend was   paid on   April 15, 2016   to stockholders of record as of the close of business on   March 31, 2016.

On May 4, 2016, our board of directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of   $6. 6 million (or   $0.150   per share) on our   outstanding   shares of common stock. This quarterly cash dividend was paid on   July   15 , 2016   to stockholders of record as of the close of business on   June 30, 2016.

On August 2, 2016 , our board of directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of   $6,624   thousands (or   $0.150   per share) on our   outstanding   shares of common stock. This quarterly cash dividend is payable on  October  14 , 2016   to stockholders of record as of the close of business on   September 30, 2016.

We currently expect to continue paying comparable cash dividends on a quarterly basis. However, any future determination as to the declaration of dividends on our common stock will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our earnings, operating and financial condition, capital requirements and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors, including the applicable requirements of the Delaware General Corporation Law .  

Capital expenditures

Our capital expenditures (comprised by our payments for property and equipment, intangible assets and acquired business) for the six -month periods ended June 30, 2016 and 2015   amounted to $44.9 million and $70.2  million, respectively.

During the six -month period ended June 30 , 2016 we invested $ 15 . 8 million in our Brazilian , Colombian   and Argentinean offices, and $ 16 . 2 million in Information Technology in Argentina and Brazil.

During 2015, our Venezuelan subsidiary acquired five offices under construction, in Caracas, Venezuela for a total purchase price of BsF $4,645.6 million, or $23.4 million, for investment purposes and included in non-current other assets. Our Venezuelan subsidiary paid the purchase price in BsF, and funded the transaction with funds from its own operations and with a mortgage loan amounting to BsF $1,000 million to be paid in monthly installments over five years, and included in current and non-current liabilities under the caption “Loans payable and other financial liabilities”. The mortgage loan bears a fixed interest rate of 24% per annum. The amount of the loan was BsF $877 million, or $3 million as of June 30, 2016. The offices are expected to be completed in October 2016.

During April 2016, our Venezuelan subsidiary acquired commercial properties in process of construction for a total of 135.81 square meters, in Caracas, Venezuela for a total purchase price of approximately BF$1,359 million, or $3.7 million , for investment purposes and included in non-current other assets. The Venezuelan subsidiary paid the purchase price in Bolivares Fuertes. According to the purchase agreements, t he commercial properties will be delivered in September 2017 .

 

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On February 12, 2016, through our subsidiaries Meli Participaciones S.L. and Marketplace Investment LLC,   we acquired 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock   of Monits S.A., a software development company located a nd organized under the laws of Buenos Aires, Argentina , for the purchase price of $3.1 million, measured at its fair value. We believe this acquisition will allow us to enhance our software development capabilities.

On June 1 , 2016, through our subs idiary Ebazar.com.br Ltda., we acquired 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of Axado, a company that develops logistic software for the e-commerce industry in Brazil , for the purchase price of $5.5 million, measured at its fair value. We believe this acquisition will allow us to enhance our software development capabilities on Transportation Management System and will contribute to our shipping business performance.

We are permanently increasing the level of investment on hardware and software licenses necessary to improve and update the technology of our platform and cost of computer software developed internally. We anticipate continued investments in capital expenditures related to information technology in the future as we strive to maintain our position in the Latin American e-commerce market.

We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents, including the sale of credit card receivables and cash generated from operations will be sufficient to fund our operating activities, property and equipment expenditures and to pay or repay obligations going forward.

Off-balance sheet arrangements

As of June 30 , 201 6 , we had no off-balance sheet arrangements that have, or are reasonably likely to have, a current or future material effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.

Recently issued accounting pronouncements

On March 8, 2016 the FASB issued the ASU 2016-04. When an entity sells a prepaid stored-value product (such as gift cards, telecommunication cards, and traveler’s checks), it recognizes a financial liability for its obligation to provide the product holder with the ability to purchase goods or services at a third-party merchant. When a prepaid stored-value product goes unused wholly or partially for an indefinite time period, the amount that remains on the product is referred to as breakage. There currently is diversity in the methodology used to recognize breakage. Subtopic 405-20 includes derecognition guidance for both financial liabilities and nonfinancial liabilities, and Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, includes authoritative breakage guidance but excludes financial liabilities.   The amendments in this Update provide a narrow scope exception to the guidance in Subtopic 405-20 to require that breakage be accounted for consistent with the breakage guidance in Topic 606. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. We are assessing the effects that the adoption of this accounting pronouncement may have on our financial statements.

On March 14, 2016 the FASB issued the ASU 2016-06. Topic 815 requires that embedded derivatives be separated from the host contract and accounted for separately as derivatives if certain criteria are met, including the “clearly and closely related” criterion. The amendments in this Update clarify the requirements for assessing whether contingent call (put) options that can accelerate the payment of principal on debt instruments are clearly and closely related to their debt hosts. An entity performing the assessment under the amendments is required to assess the embedded call (put) options solely in accordance with the four-step decision sequence. The amendments apply to all entities that are issuers of or investors in debt instruments (or hybrid financial instruments that are determined to have a debt host) with embedded call (put) options.   The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. We are assessing the effects that the adoption of this accounting pronouncement may have on our financial statements .

On March 17, 2016 the FASB issued the ASU 2016-08. This update releases Accountin g Standards Update No. 2016-08 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net). The amendments in this Update will clarify the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. We are assessing the effects that the adoption of this accounting pronouncement may have on our financial statements.

On March 30, 2016 the FASB issued the ASU 2016-09. The Board is issuing this Update as part of its initiative to reduce complexity in accounting standards. The areas for simplification in this Update involve several aspects of the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. Some of the areas for simplification apply only to nonpublic entities. In addition, the amendments in this Update eliminate the guidance in Topic 718 that was indefinitely deferred shortly after the issuance of FASB Statement No. 123 (revised 2004), Share-Based Payment.   This Accounting Standards Update is the final version of Proposed Accounting Standards Update—Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment

 

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Accounting, which has been deleted. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. We are assessing the effects that the adoption of this accounting pronouncement may have on our financial statements.

On April 14, 2016 the FASB issued the ASU 2016-10. This update releases Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-10—Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing. This Update clarifies guidance related to identifying performance obligations and licensing implementation guidance contained in the new revenue recognition standard.   The Update includes targeted improvements based on input the Board received from the Transition Resource Group for Revenue Recognition and other stakeholders. The Update seeks to proactively address areas in which diversity in practice potentially could arise, as well as to reduce the cost and complexity of applying certain aspects of the guidance both at implementation and on an ongoing basis . The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. We are assessing the effects that the adoption of this accounting pronouncement may have on our financial statements.

On May 3, 2016 the FASB issued the ASU 2016-11 on Revenue Recognition (Topic 605) and Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815).  The amendments in this Update eliminate some guidance related to revenue recognition and derivatives. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. We are assessing the effects that the adoption of this accounting pronouncement may have on our financial statements.

On May 9, 2016 the FASB issued the ASU 2016-12 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)—Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients”. The amendments in this update address narrow-scope improvements to the guidance on collectability, noncash consideration, and completed contracts at transition. Additionally, the amendments in this update provide a practical expedient for contract modifications at transition and an accounting policy election related to the presentation of sales taxes and other similar taxes collected from customers.   The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. We are assessing the effects that the adoption of this accounting pronouncement may have on our financial statements.

On June 16, 2016 the FASB issued the ASU 2016-13 “Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of credit losses on financial instruments”. This update amends guidance on reporting credit losses for assets held at amortized cost basis and available for sale debt securities.   For assets held at amortized cost basis, this update eliminates the probable initial recognition threshold in current GAAP and, instead, requires an entity to reflect it’s current estimate of all expected credit losses. For available for sale debt securities, credit losses should be measured in a manner similar to current GAAP, however this topic will require that credit losses be presented as an allowance rather than as a write-down. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. We are assessing the effects that the adoption of this accounting pronouncement may have on our financial statements

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement our condensed consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, we use free cash flows and foreign exchange   (“FX”) neutral measures, adjusted net income before income / asset tax, adjusted income / asset tax, adjusted net income, adjusted blended tax rate and adjusted earnings per share   as non-GAAP measures.

These non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. In addition, these non-GAAP measures are not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles. Non-GAAP measures have limitations in that they do not reflect all of the amounts associated with our results of operations as determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures should only be used to evaluate our results of operations in conjunction with the most comparable U.S. GAAP financial measures.

Reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable U.S. GAAP financial measures can be found in the tables included in this quarterly report.

F ree cash flow provides useful information to both management and investors by excluding payments for the acquisition of property, equipment, of intangible assets net of financial liabilities and of b usinesses net of cash acquired that may not be indicative of our core operating results. In addition, we report free cash flows to investors because we believe that the inclusion of this measure provides consistency in our financial reporting.

Free cash flow represents cash from operating activities less payment and advances for the acquisition of property, equipment and intangible assets net of financial liabilities and acquired businesses net of cash acquired. We consider free cash flow to be a liquidity measure that provides useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash generated by our operations after the purchases of property, and equipment, of intangible assets and of acquired businesses net of cash acquired. A limitation of the utility of free cash flow as a measure of financial performance is that it does not represent the total increase or decrease in our cash balance for the period.

 

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The following table shows a r econciliation of Operating Cash Flows to Free Cash Flows :





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Six-month Periods Ended

 

Three-month Periods Ended



 

 

 

June 30,

 

June 30,

(In millions)

 

 

 

2016

 

2015

 

2016

 

2015



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Cash provided by Operating Activities

 

 

 

$           44.9

 

$           96.8

 

$           56.7

 

$             58.6

Payment for acquired business, net of cash acquired

 

 

 

(7.3)

 

(45.0)

 

(5.5)

 

(45.0)

Advance for property and equipment

 

 

 

(5.0)

 

(7.5)

 

(4.1)

 

(7.5)

Purchase of intangible assets

 

 

 

(0.0)

 

(1.4)

 

(0.0)

 

(0.5)

Purchase of property and equipment

 

 

 

(32.6)

 

(16.3)

 

(18.0)

 

(9.0)

Free cash flow

 

 

 

(0.0)

 

26.7 

 

29.1 

 

(3.3)



(*) The table above may not total due to rounding.

W e believe that   reconciliation of FX neutral measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measure provides investors an overall understanding of our current financial performance and its prospects for the future. Specifically, we believe these non-GAAP measures provide useful information to both management and investors by excluding the foreign currency exchange rate impact that may not be indicative of our core operating results and business outlook.

The FX neutral measures were calculated by using the average monthly exchange rates for each month during 201 5 and applying them to the corresponding months in 201 6 ,   so as to calculate what our results would have been had exchange rates remained stable from one year to the next. The table below excludes intercompany allocation FX effects. Finally, these measures do not include any other macroeconomic effect such as local currency inflation effects, the impact on impairment calculations or any price adjustment to compensate local currency inflation or devaluations.

The following table se ts forth the FX neutral measures   related to our reported results of the operations for the six and three-month period ended June 30, 2016 :







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Six-months Periods Ended
June 30, (*)



 

As reported

 

FX Neutral Measures

(In millions, except percentages)

 

2016

 

2015

 

Percentage Change

 

2016

 

2015

 

Percentage Change

Net revenues

 

$           357.3

 

$           302.4

 

18.1% 

 

$           525.4

 

$           302.4

 

73.7% 

Cost of net revenues

 

(128.8)

 

(95.0)

 

35.5% 

 

(181.9)

 

(95.0)

 

91.4% 

Gross profit

 

228.5 

 

207.4 

 

10.2% 

 

343.5 

 

207.4 

 

65.6% 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

 

(152.1)

 

(131.0)

 

16.1% 

 

(247.3)

 

(131.0)

 

88.8% 

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

 

(13.7)

 

(16.2)

 

-100.0%

 

(13.7)

 

(16.2)

 

-15.4%

Total operating expenses

 

(165.8)

 

(147.2)

 

12.7% 

 

(261.0)

 

(147.2)

 

77.3% 

Income from operations

 

62.7 

 

60.2 

 

4.1% 

 

82.6 

 

60.2 

 

37.1% 





(*) The table above may not total due to rounding.

 

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Three-months Periods Ended
June 30, (*)



 

As reported

 

FX Neutral Measures

(In millions, except percentages)

 

2016

 

2015

 

Percentage Change

 

2016

 

2015

 

Percentage Change

Net revenues

 

$           199.6

 

$           154.3

 

29.4% 

 

$              266.2

 

$           154.3

 

72.5% 

Cost of net revenues

 

(73.3)

 

(50.3)

 

45.7% 

 

(97.5)

 

(50.3)

 

93.7% 

Gross profit

 

126.3 

 

104.0 

 

21.5% 

 

168.8 

 

104.0 

 

62.3% 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

 

(80.4)

 

(69.4)

 

15.9% 

 

(135.8)

 

(69.4)

 

95.8% 

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

 

(13.7)

 

 —

 

-100.0%

 

(13.7)

 

 —

 

-100.0%

Total operating expenses

 

(94.1)

 

(69.4)

 

35.7% 

 

(149.5)

 

(69.4)

 

115.5% 

Income from operations

 

32.2 

 

34.6 

 

-7.1%

 

19.3 

 

34.6 

 

-44.4%



Moreover, we believe that adjusted net income before income / asset tax, adjusted income / asset tax, adjusted net income, adjusted blended tax rate and adjusted earnings per share provide useful information to both management and investors by excluding the foreign exchange loss attributable to the devaluation in Venezuela and the impairment of long-lived assets, because it may not be indicative of the ordinary course of our business. In addition, we report adjusted net income before income / asset tax, adjusted income / asset tax, adjusted net income, adjusted blended tax rate and adjusted earnings per share to investors because we believe that the inclusion of these measures provides consistency in the Company’s financial reporting and because these financial measures provide useful information to management and investors about what our adjusted net income before income / asset tax, adjusted income / asset tax, adjusted net income, adjusted blended tax rate and adjusted earnings per share, would have been, had the foreign exchange loss in Venezuela and the impairment of long-lived assets not occurred. A limitation of the utility of adjusted net income before income / asset tax, adjusted income / asset tax, adjusted net income, adjusted blended tax rate and adjusted earnings per share, as measures of financial performance, is that these measures do not represent the total foreign exchange effect in our Income Statement for the six and   three-month periods   ended June   3 0 , 201 6 and 201 5 :





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Six-months periods ended (**)

 

Three-months periods ended (**)

   

June 30, 2016

June 30, 2015

 

June 30, 2016

 

June 30, 2015

Net income before income / asset tax expense

$

65.4 

$

49.8 

 

$

28.2 

 

$

33.5 

 

Devaluation loss in Venezuela

 

7.2 

 

20.4 

 

 

4.9 

 

 

 —

 

Impairment of long-lived assets in Venezuela

 

13.7 

 

16.2 

 

 

13.7 

 

 

 —

 

Adjusted Net income before income / asset tax expense

$

86.3 

$

86.5 

 

$

46.8 

 

$

33.5 

 

Income and asset tax expense

$

(19.3)

$

(28.7)

 

$

(12.4)

 

$

(14.0)

 

Income tax effect on devaluation loss in Venezuela

 

(4.8)

 

(3.8)

 

 

(1.7)

 

 

 —

(1)

Adjusted Income and asset tax

$

(24.1)

$

(32.5)

 

$

(14.1)

 

$

(14.0)

 

Net Income

$

46.1 

$

21.2 

 

$

15.9 

 

$

19.5 

 

Devaluation loss in Venezuela

 

7.2 

 

20.4 

 

 

4.9 

 

 

 —

 

Impairment of long-lived assets in Venezuela

 

13.7 

 

16.2 

 

 

13.7 

 

 

 —

 

Income tax effect on devaluation loss in Venezuela

 

(4.8)

 

(3.8)

 

 

(1.7)

 

 

 —

(1)

Adjusted Net Income

$

62.2 

$

54.0 

 

$

32.7 

 

$

19.5 

 

Weighted average of outstanding common shares

 

44,157,151 

 

44,155,035 

 

 

44,157,341 

 

 

44,155,271 

 

Adjusted Earnings per share

$

1.41 

$

1.22 

 

$

0.74 

 

$

0.44 

 

Adjusted Blended Tax Rate (2)

 

28.0% 

 

37.5% 

 

 

30.1% 

 

 

41.9% 

 



(**)    Stated in millions of U.S. dollars, except for share dat a. The table above may not total due to rounding.



 

 

 



(1)

 

Deferred i ncome tax charge related to the Venezuela devaluation under local tax norms.



(2)

 

Adjusted Income and asset tax over Adjusted Net income before income / asset tax expense.





 

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It em 3 — Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosure About Market Risk

We are exposed to market risks arising from our business operations. These market risks arise m ainly from the possibility that changes in interest rates and the U.S. dollar exchange rate with local currencies, particularly the Brazilian r eal and Argentine p eso due to Brazil’s and Argentine’s respective share of our revenues, may affect the value of our financial assets and liabilities.

Foreign currencies

As of June 30 , 201 6 , we hold cash and cash equivalents in local currencies in our subsidiaries, and have receivables denominated in local currencies in all of our operations. Our subsidiaries generate revenues and incur most of their expenses in the respective local currencies   of the countries in which they operate . As a result, our subsidiaries use their local currency as their functional currency, except for our Venezuelan subsidiaries , which use the U.S. dollar as if it is the functional currency due to Venezuela being a highly inflationary environment .   As of June 30 , 201 6 , the total cash and cash equivalents denominated in foreign currencies totaled $ 98.2  million, short-term investments denominated in foreign currencies totaled $ 98.9  million and accounts receivable and credit cards receivables in foreign currencies totaled $34.9  million. As of June 30 , 201 6 , we had no long-term investments denominated in foreign currencies. To manage exchange rate risk, our treasury policy is to transfer most cash and cash equivalents in excess of working capital requirements into U.S. dollar-denominated accounts in the United States. As of June 30 , 201 6 , our U.S. dollar-denominated cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments totaled $ 198 . 3  million and our U.S. dollar-denominated l ong-term investments totaled $157.8  million.

For the six -month period ended June 30 , 201 6 , we had a consolidated loss on foreign currency of $0.2   million primarily as a result of a $7.2 million loss arising from the U.S. Dollar revaluation over our Bolivares Fuertes net asset position in Venezuela, partially offset by a $5.5 million gain arising from the Argentine Peso devaluation over our U.S. Dollar net asset position in Argentina and a $1.3 million gain arising from the Reais revaluation over our U.S. Dollar net liability position in Brazil.

If the U.S. dollar weakens against foreign currencies, the translation of these foreign-currency-denominated transactions will result in increased net revenues, operating expenses, and net income while the re-measurement of our net asset position in U.S. dollars will have a negative impact in our Statement of Income. Similarly, our net revenues, operating expenses and net income will decrease if the U.S. dollar strengthens against foreign currencies, while the re-measurement of our net asset position in U.S. dollars will have a positive impact in our Statement of Income.

The following table sets forth the percentage of consolidated net revenues by segment for the six and three-month periods ended June  3 0 , 201 6 and 201 5 :





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Six-months Periods Ended

 

Three-month Periods Ended

 



 

June 30,

 

June 30,

 

(% of total consolidated net revenues) (*)

 

2016

 

2015

 

2016

 

2015

 

Brazil

 

50.5 

%

 

46.7 

%

 

51.5 

%

 

47.2 

%

 

Argentina

 

32.4 

 

 

34.5 

 

 

33.9 

 

 

36.8 

 

 

Mexico

 

6.3 

 

 

6.4 

 

 

5.7 

 

 

6.5 

 

 

Venezuela

 

5.5 

 

 

6.5 

 

 

3.7 

 

 

3.7 

 

 

Other Countries

 

5.3 

 

 

5.9 

 

 

5.1 

 

 

5.8 

 

 



(*) Percentages have been calculated using whole -dollar amounts .  

 

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Foreign Currency Sensitivity Analysis

The table below shows the impact on our net revenues, expenses, other expenses and income tax, net income and equity for a positive and a negative 10% fluctuation on all the foreign currencies to which we are exposed to for the six-month period ended June 30, 2016 :





 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

Foreign Currency Sensitivity Analysis (*)

(In millions)

 

 

-10%

Actual

+10%



 

 

(1)

 

(2)

Net revenues

 

 

$            396.9

$           357.3

$           324.8

Expenses

 

 

(325.8) (294.6) (266.8)

Income from operations

 

 

71.1  62.7  58.0 



 

 

 

 

 

Other expenses and income tax related to P&L items

 

 

(17.4) (16.3) (15.4)



 

 

 

 

 

Foreign Currency impact related to the remeasurement of our Net Asset position

 

 

(0.3) (0.2) (0.2)

Net income

 

 

53.3  46.1  42.4 



 

 

 

 

 

Total Shareholders' Equity

 

 

$            349.6

$           364.6

$           330.2







(1)

Appreciation of the subsidiaries local currency against U.S. Dollar

(2)

Depreciation of the subsidiaries local currency against U.S. Dollar

(*)  The table above may not total due to rounding.

The table above shows an increase in our net income w hen the U.S. dollar weakens against foreign currencies because the re-measurement of our net asset position in U.S. dollars has a lesser impact than the increase in our net revenues, operating expenses, and other expenses, net and income tax lines related to the translation effect. Similarly, the table above shows a decrease in our net income when the U.S. dollar strengthens against foreign currencies because the re-measurement of our net asset position in U.S. dollars has a lesser impact than the decrease in our net revenues, operating expenses, and other expenses, net and income tax lines related to the translation effect.

D uring the six and three-month period ended June 30 , 201 6, we did not enter into any such hedging transactions.

Venezuelan Segment

In accordance with U.S. GAAP, we have classified our Venezuelan operations as highly inflationary since January 1, 2010 , using the U.S. dollar as the functional currency for purposes of reporting our financial statements. Therefore, no translation effect has been accounted for in other comprehensive income related to our Venezuelan operations. As of June  3 0 , 201 6 , monetary assets and liabilities in BsF were re-measured to the U.S. dollar using the SIMADI closing exchange rate of 628 BsF per U.S. dollar .

The following table sets forth the assets, liabilities and net assets of the our Venezuelan subsidiaries, before intercompany eliminations of a net liability of $ 34 . 3 million and $ 24.6 million , as of June  3 0 , 201 6 and December 31, 201 5, respectively and net revenues for the six -month periods ended June 3 0 , 201 6 and 201 5 :





 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 



 

Six-month Periods Ended June 30,



 

2016

 

2015

Venezuelan operations

 

(In millions)

Net Revenues

 

$               19.6

 

$               19.7



 



 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 



 

June 30,

 

December 31,



 

2016

 

2015



 

(In millions)

Assets

 

54.5 

 

65.4 

Liabilities

 

(39.8)

 

(36.3)

Net Assets

 

$               14.7

 

$               29.1





 

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As of June  3 0 , 201 6 , the net assets of our Venezuelan subsidiaries amount ed to approximately 4 . 0% of our consolidated net assets, and cash and investments of our Venezuelan subsidiaries held in local currency in Venez uela amounted to approximately 1.0 % of our consolidated cash and investments.

O n Februa ry 10, 2015, the Venezuelan government issued a decree that unified the two previous foreign exchange systems “SICAD 1 and SICAD 2” into a new single system denominated SICAD, with an initial public foreign exchange   rate   of 12 BsF per U.S. dollar. The SICAD auction process remains available only to obtain foreign currency to pay for a limited list of goods considered to be of high priority by the Venezuelan government, which does not include those relating to the Company’s business. In the same decree the Venezuelan government created the “Sistema Marginal de Divisas” (“SIMADI”), a new foreign exchange system that is separate from SICAD, which publishes a foreign exchange rate from the BCV on a daily basis.

In light of the disappearance of SICAD 2, and we inability to gain access to U.S. dollars through the new single system under SICAD, we started requesting and was granted U.S. dollars through SIMADI. As a result, we from that moment expected to settle its transactions through SIMADI and concluded that the SIMADI exchange rate should be used to re-measure its bolivar-denominated monetary assets and liabilities and to re-measure the revenues and expenses of the Venezuelan subsidiaries effective as of March 31, 2015. In connection with this re-measurement, we reco rded a foreign exchange loss of $20.4 million during the first quarter of 2015.

Considering this change in facts and circumstances and the lower U.S. dollar-equivalent cash flows then expected from the Venezuelan business, we reviewed our long-lived assets, goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful life for impairment and concluded that the carrying value of certain real estate investments in Venezuela as of March 31, 2015 would not be fully recoverable. As a result, we recorded an impai rment of long-lived assets of $ 16.2 million on March 31, 2015. The carrying amount was adjusted to its estimated fair value as of March 31, 2015, by using the market approach, and considering prices for similar assets.

On March 9, 2016 the Central Bank of Venezuela (“ BCV ”) issued the Exchange Agreement No.35, which is effective as from March 10, 2016. The agreement established a “protected” exchange rate ( DIPRO ) for certain transactions, such as but not limited to: imports of goods of the food and health sectors, as well as supplies associated with the production of said sectors; expenses relating to health treatments, sports, culture, scientific research, and other urgent matters defined by the exchange regulations. All foreign currency transactions not expressly provided in Exchange Agreement No.35 will be processed on the alternate foreign currency markets governed by the exchange regulations, at the floating supplementary market exchange rate ( DICOM ).   Additionally, the agreement established that the alternate foreign currency markets referred to in Exchange Agreement No.33 of February 10, 2015 (SIMADI) will continue to operate until replaced by others. As of the date of issuance of these interim condensed consolidated financial statements, the SIMADI has not been replaced and for that reason, we continued using SIMADI. From March 31, 2016 through June 30, 2016, the SIMADI exchange rate increased from 273 BsF per U.S. dollar to 628 BsF per U.S. dollar, a 130% increase in the exchange rate.   As a consequence of the local currency devaluation , the Company recorded a foreign exchange loss of $ 4.9 million during the second quarter of 201 6 .  

Considering the significant devaluation and the lower U.S. dollar-equivalent cash flows then expected from the Venezuelan business, we reviewed our long-lived assets (including non-current other assets), goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful life for impairment and concluded that the carrying value of certain real estate investments in Venezuela as of June 30, 2016 would not be fully recoverable. As a result, on June 30, 2016, we recorded an impairment of offices under construction included within non-current other assets of $13.7 million. The carrying amount of offices under construction was adjusted to its estimated fair value of approximately $12.5 million as of June 30, 2016, by using the market approach, and considering prices for similar assets.

Until 2010 we were able to obtain U.S. dollars for any purpose, including dividend distributions, using alternative mechanisms other than through the Commission for the Administration of Foreign Exchange Control (CADIVI). Those U.S. dollars, obtained at a higher exchange rate than the one offered by CADIVI and held in balance at U.S. bank accounts of our Venezuelan subsidiaries, were used for dividend distributions from our Venezuelan subsidiaries. Our Venezuelan subsidiaries have not requested authorization since 2012 to acquire U.S. dollars to make dividend distributions and we have not distributed dividends from our Venezuelan subsidiaries since 2011 .

Although the current mechanisms available to obtain U.S. dollars for dividend distributions to shareholders outside of Venezuela imply increased restrictions, we do not expect that the current restrictions to purchase U.S. dollars will have a significant adverse effect on our business strategy with regard to the investment in Venezuela.

In order to assist investors in their overall understanding of the impact on our Venezuelan segment reporting, we developed a scenario that considers a 60 % additional devaluation over the SIMADI rate as of the date of this report, applied for the period starting on January 1, 2016 to June 30, 2016 .   These disclosures may help investors to project sensitivities, on segment information captions, to devaluations of whatever order of magnitude they choose by simple arithmetic calculations. The information is just a scenario and does not represent a forward-looking statement about our expectations or projections related to future events in Venezuela. The investors and other readers or users of the financial information presented in this caption are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this scenario. This information is not a guarantee of future events.

 

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The information disclosed below does not include any inflation effect, nor the devaluation impact related to the assumed devaluation or any other effect derived from the assumed devaluation , such as further impairments of long-lived assets . The information below should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. In addition, this information is not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles.

The evolution of the Venezuelan economy and any future governmental interventions in the Venezuelan economy are beyond our ability to control or predict. New events could happen in the future in Venezuela and it is not possible for management to predict all such events, nor can it assess the impact of all such events on our Venezuelan business.

The table below provides specific sensitivity information of our Venezuelan segment reporting for the period indicated assuming  approximately a 60% additional devaluation over the SIMADI rate as of the date of this report, applied for the period starting on January 1, 2016 to June 30, 2016 :







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Six-month period ended
June 30, 2016

 

 

 

Three-month period ended June 30, 2016



Actual (*)

 

Sensitivity (**)

 

 

 

Actual (*)

 

Sensitivity (**)



(In million)

 

 

 

(In million)

Net revenues

$19.6 

 

$5.7 

 

 

 

$7.5 

 

$3.2 

Direct costs

(9.2)

 

(4.5)

 

 

 

(4.1)

 

(2.6)

Direct contribution

$10.3 

 

$1.2 

 

 

 

$3.4 

 

$ .6

Direct Contribution Margin before impairment %

52.9% 

 

21.1% 

 

 

 

45.2% 

 

18.8% 

Non-current other assets impairment

$(13.7)

 

$(13.7)

 

 

 

$(13.7)

 

$(13.7)

Direct Contribution Margin after impairment %

$(3.4)

 

$(12.5)

 

 

 

$(10.3)

 

$(13.1)



-17.3%

 

-219.6%

 

 

 

-138.7%

 

-409.9%









(*) As reported.

(**) Computing a hypothetical devaluation of the Venezuelan segment from January 1 to June 30 , 2016 assuming an exchange rate of 1,0 05 . 35 BsF per U.S. dollar (60 % of the exchange rate as of June 30 , 2016).

Despite the continued uncertainty and restrictions relating to foreign currency exchange in Venezuela as described above, we believe that our underlying business in that country is competitively well-positioned and continues to exhibit solid growth, in terms of units sold, even while economic conditions in the Venezuelan economy remain difficult. As economic conditions in that country improve, we expect that our business in Venezuela will benefit accordingly. Although during the first half of 2016, we experienced a strong devaluation of our business in Venezuela, we cannot assure you that the BsF will not experience further devaluations or that the Venezuelan government will not default on its obligations to creditors in the future, which may be significant and could have a material negative impact on our future financial results of our Venezuela segment and value of our bolivar denominated net assets. However, for the reasons stated at the beginning of this paragraph, we remain strongly committed to our business and investment in Venezuela.

Argentine Segment

During December 2015 the Argentine peso exchange rate increased by approximately 37% against the U.S. dollar, to 13.30 Argentine pesos per U.S. dollar as of December 31, 2015. Due to such increase in the Argentine peso exchange rate against the U.S. dollar, during the fourth quarter of 2015, we recognized a foreign exchange gain of $18.2 million   (as a result of having a net asset position in U.S. dollars)   and the reported Other Comprehensive Loss increased by $22.8   million (as a result of having a net asset position in Argentine pesos).   As of June 30 , 2016 , the Argentine Peso exchange rate against the U.S. dollar was 1 5 . 0 .  

In Argentina , access to the local foreign exchange market without requiring prior Central Bank approval is allowed for all of the following: real estate investments abroad, loans granted to non-Argentine residents, Argentine residents’ contributions of direct investments abroad, portfolio investment of Argentine individuals abroad, certain other investments abroad of Argentine residents, portfolio investments of Argentine legal entities abroad, purchase of foreign currency bills to be held in Argentina, as well as purchase of traveler checks. The total amount of foreign currency purchased for all the above mentioned items cannot exceed $5 .0 million per month in the aggregate.

Had a hypothetical devaluation of 10% of the Argentine peso against the U.S. dollar occurred on June  3 0 , 201 6 , the reported net assets in our Argentine subsidiaries would have decreased by approximately $ 9.7 million with a related impact on Other

 

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Comprehensive Income. Additionally, we would have recorded a foreign exchange gain amounting to approximately $ 4 . 6 million in our Argentine subsidiaries.

Brazilian Segment

During   2015, the   Brazilian real   exchange rate against the U.S. dollar increased in approximately   47%, from   2.66   Brazilian Reais   per U.S.dollar as of December 31, 2014   to   3.90   Brazilian Reais   per U.S. dollar   as of December 31, 2015. Due to the abovementioned devaluation, during the       year ended December 31, 2015, the reported Other Comprehensive Loss of the Brazilian segment   increased   in   $9.0   million as a result of having a net asset position in Brazilian Reais; and we recognized a foreign exchange gain of   $14.6   million during the same period.   As of June   30 , 2016 , the Brazilian   Reais exchange rate against the U.S. dollar was 3 . 2 .

Had a hypothetical devaluation of 10% of the Brazilian Reais against the U.S. dollar occurred on June  3 0 , 201 6 , the reported net assets in our Brazilian subsidiaries would have decreased by approximately $ 4.9 million with the related impact in Other Comprehensive Income. Additionally, we would have recorded a foreign exchange gain amounting to approximately $ 0.9 million in our Brazilian subsidiaries.



Interest

Our earnings and cash flows are also affected by changes in interest rates. These changes could have an impact on the interest rates that financial institutions charge us prior to the time we sell our MercadoPago receivables. As of June  3 0, 2016 , MercadoPago’s funds receivable from customers totaled $ 215 . 4  million. Interest rate fluctuations could also negatively affect certain of our fixed rate and floating rate investments comprised primarily of time deposits, money market funds, investment grade corporate debt secur ities and sovereign debt securities. Investments in both fixed rate and floating rate interest earning products carry a degree of interest rate risk. Fixed rate securities may have their fair market value adversely impacted due to a rise in interest rates, while floating rate securities may produce less income than predicted if interest rates fall.

Under our current policies, we do not use interest rate derivative instruments to manage exposure to interest rate changes. As of June  3 0 , 201 6 , the average duration of our available for sale securities, defined as the approximate percentage change in price for a 100-basis-point change in yield, was 1. 24 %. If interest rates were to instantaneously increase (decrease) by 100 basis points, the fair market value of our available for sale securities as of June 3 0 , 201 6 could decrease (increase) by approximately $4. 0  million.

As of June  3 0 , 201 6 , our short-term investments amounted to $ 251 . 4  million and our long-term investments amounted to $ 157 . 8  million . These investments can be readily converted at any time into cash or into securities with a shorter remaining time to maturity. We determine the appropriate classification of our investments at the time of purchase and re-evaluate such designations as of each balance sheet date.  

Equity Price Risk

Our board of directors adopted the 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 long-term retention plans (the “2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 LTRPs”, respectively), under which certain eligible employees receive awards (“LTRP Awards”), which are payable as follows:

·

eligible employees will receive a fixed payment equal to 6.25% of his or her LTRP Award under the 2009, 2010,  2011, and/or 2012 LTRP, respectively, once a year for a period of eight years.  The 2009 LTRP awards began paying out starting in 2010, the 2010 LTRP Awards starting in 2011, the 2011 LTRP Awards starting in 2012 and the 2012 LTRP Awards starting in 2013(the “2009, 2010, 2011 or 2012 Annual Fixed Payment”, respectively ); and

·

on each date we pay the respective Annual Fixed Payment to an eligible employee, he or she will also receive a payment (the “2009, 2010, 2011 or 2012 Variable Payment”, respectively) equal to the product of (i) 6.25% of the applicable 2009, 2010, 2011 and/or 2012 LTRP Award and (ii) the quotient of (a) divided by (b), where (a), the numerator, equals the Applicable Year Stock Price (as defined below) and (b), the denominator, equals the 2008 (with respect to the 2009 LTRP), 2009 (with respect to the 2010 LTRP), 2010 (with respect to the 2011 LTRP) and 2011 (with respect to the 2012 LTRP) Stock Price, ($13.81, $45.75, $65.41 and $77.77 for the 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 LTRP, respectively, which was the average closing price of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final 60 trading days of 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively. The “Applicable Year Stock Price” equals the average closing price of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final 60 trading days of the year preceding the applicable payment date.

The 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 LTRPs are filed as Exhibits 10.01, 10.02, 10.03 and 10.04, respectively, to this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein, and the above description of such LTRPs is qualified in its entirety by reference to such exhibits.

 

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On September 27, 2013, our Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of the compensation committee, approved the 2013 Long Term Retention Plan (the “2013 LTRP”), on March 31, 2014, the Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of the compensation committee, approved the 2014 employee retention plan (the “2014 LTRP”) and on August 4, 2015, the Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of the compensation committee, approved the 2015 employee retention plan (the “2015 LTRP”).

In order to receive an award under the 2013, 2014 and/or 2015 LTRP, each eligible employee must satisfy the performance conditions established by the Board of Directors for such employee. If these conditions are satisfied, the eligible employee will, subject to his or her continued employment as of each applicable payment date, receive the full amount of his or her 2013, 2014 and/or 2015 LTRP award, payable as follows:

·

the eligible employee will receive a fixed payment, equal to 8.333% of his or her 2013, 2014 and/or 2015 LTRP bonus once a year for a period of six years starting in March 2014, 2015 and/or 2016 respectively (the “2013, 2014 or 2015 Annual Fixed Payment”, respectively); and

·

on each date we pay the Annual Fixed Payment to an eligible employee, he or she will also receive a payment (the “2013, 2014 or 2015 Variable Payment”, respectively) equal to the product of (i) 8.333% of the applicable 2013, 2014 and/or 2015 LTRP award and (ii) the quotient of (a) divided by (b), where (a), the numerator, equals the Applicable Year Stock Price (as defined below) and (b), the denominator, equals the 2012 (with respect to the 2013 LTRP), 2013 (with respect to the 2014 LTRP) and 2014 (with respect to the 2015 LTRP) Stock Price, d efined as $79.57, $118.48 and $127.29 for the 2013, 2014 and 2015 LTRP, respectively, which was the average closing price of our common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final 60 trading days of 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively. The “Applicable Year Stock Price” shall equal the average closing price of our common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final 60 trading days of the year preceding the applicable payment date.

The 2013, 2014 and 2015 LTRPs are filed as Exhibits 10.05, 10.06 and 10.07, respectively, to this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein, and the above description of such LTRPs is qualified in its entirety by reference to such exhibits.

On August 2, 2016, the Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of the Compensation Committee, adopted the 2016 LTRP which provides for the grant to eligible employees of a fixed award (the 2016 LTRP Fixed Award) and a variable award (the 2016 LTRP Variable Award). In order to receive awards under the 2016 LTRP, each eligible employee must satisfy the performance conditions established by the Board of Directors for such employee, which generally are expected to be based on pre-set goals for the Company’s financial and operational performance. If these conditions are satisfied, the eligible employee will, subject to his or her continued employment as of each applicable payment date, receive the full amount of his or her 2016 LTRP Awards, payable as follows:

·

Fixed award: The eligible employee will receive a fixed payment equal to 16.66% of his or her 2016 LTRP Fixed Award once a year for a period of six years starting in March 2017 (the “Annual Fixed Payment”); and



·

Variable award: On each date the Company pays the Annual Fixed Award to the eligible employee, he or she will also receive the 2016 LTRP Variable Award payment equal to the product of (i) 16.66% of the applicable 2016 LTRP Variable Award and (ii) the quotient of (a) divided by (b), where (a), the numerator, equals the Applicable Year Stock Price (as defined below) and (b), the denominator, equals the 2015 Stock Price (as defined below). For purposes of the 2016 LTRP, the “2015 Stock Price” shall equal $111.02 (the average closing price of the Company´s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final 60 -trading days of 2015) and the “Applicable Year Stock Price” shall equal the average closing price of the Company´s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final 60-trading days of the year preceding the applicable payment date for so long as the Company´s common stock is listed on the NASDAQ.



The 2016 LTRP is filed as Exhibit 10.08 to this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein, and the description of the 2016 LTRP above is qualified in its entirety by reference to such exhibit.

The 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 variable payment LTRP liability subjects us to equity price risk. The following table shows a sensitivity analysis of the risk associated with our contractual obligations related to the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 Variable Payments if our common stock price per share were to increase or decrease by up to 40%:

 

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As of June 30, 2016



 

MercadoLibre, Inc

 

2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016



 

Equity Price

 

variable LTRP liability

(In thousands, except equity price)

 

 

Change in equity price in percentage

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

40% 

 

182.85 

 

50,422 
30% 

 

169.79 

 

46,820 
20% 

 

156.73 

 

43,219 
10% 

 

143.67 

 

39,617 

Static

(*)

130.61 

 

36,016 

-10%

 

117.55 

 

32,414 

-20%

 

104.49 

 

28,812 

-30%

 

91.43 

 

25,211 

-40%

 

78.37 

 

21,609 





(*) Average closing stock price for the last 60 trading days of the closing date.

It em 4 — Controls and Procedures

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the   time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures

Based on the evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) required by Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(b) or 15d-15(b), our chief executive officer and our chief financial officer have concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this report, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

Changes in Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the six-month period ended June 30 , 201 6 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.  

PA RT II. OTHER INFORMATION

It em 1 — Legal Proceedings

From time to time, we are involved in disputes that arise in the ordinary course of our business. The number and significance of these disputes is increasing as our business expands and our Company grows. Any claims against us, whether meritorious or not, may be time consuming, result in costly litigation, require significant amounts of management time, result in the diversion of significant operational resources or require expensive implementations of changes to our business methods to respond to these claims. See “Item 1A — Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 26, 2016.

As of June 30, 2016, our total reserves for proceeding-related contingencies and other estimated contingencies were approximately $ 5 . 4 million to cover legal actions against us in which we have determined that a loss is probable. The proceeding-related reserve is based on developments to date and historical information related to actions filed against us. We do not reserve for losses we determine to be possible or remote. Expected legal costs related to litigations are accrued when the legal service is actually provided.

As of June 30, 2016, there were 677 lawsuits pending against our Brazilian subsidiaries in the Brazilian ordinary courts. In addition, as of June 30, 2016 , there were 2,566 lawsuits pending against our Brazilian subsidiaries in the Brazilian consumer courts, where a lawyer is not required to file or pursue a claim.

 

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As of June 30, 2016, there were 56 lawsuits pending against our Argentine subsidiaries in the Argentine ordinary courts and 1,307 pending claims in the Argentine Consumer Protection Agencies, where a lawyer is not required to file or pursue a claim.

As of June 30, 2016, there were six claims pending against our Mexican subsidiaries in the Mexican ordinary courts and 102 claims pending against our Mexican subsidiaries in the Mexican Consumer Protection Agencies, where a lawyer is not required to file or pursue a claim.

In most of these cases, the plaintiffs asserted that we were responsible for fraud committed against them, or responsible for damages suffered when purchasing an item on our website, when using MercadoPago, or when we invoiced them. We believe we have meritorious defenses to these claims and intend to continue defending them.

Set forth below is a description of the legal proceedings that we have determined to be material to our business. We have excluded ordinary routine legal proceedings incidental to our business. In each of these proceedings we also believe we have meritorious defenses, and intend to continue defending ourselves in these actions. We have established a reserve for those proceedings which we have considered that a loss is probable. The disclosure below updates and supplements the information set forth in “Item 3 — Legal Proceedings” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,  2 015:

On August 25, 2010, Citizen Watch do Brasil S/A, or Citizen, sued Brazilian subsidiaries in the 31th Central Civil Court State of São Paulo, Brazil. Citizen alleged that the Brazilian subsidiaries were infringing Citizen’s trademarks as a result of users selling allegedly counterfeit Citizen watches through the Brazilian page of the Brazilian subsidiaries’ website. Citizen sought an order enjoining the sale of Citizen-branded watches on the Brazilian su bsidiaries’ Marketplace with a  $6,000 daily non-compliance penalty. On September 23, 2010, the Brazilian subsidiaries were summoned of an injunction granted to prohibit the offer of Citizen products on its platform, but the penalty was established at  $6,000 per day. On September 26, 2010, the Brazilian subsidiaries presented their defense and appealed the decision of the injunction relief to the State Court of Appeals of São Paulo on September 27, 2010. On October 22, 2010 the injunction granted to Citizen was suspended. On March 23, 2011, the Company’s appeal regarding the injunction granted to Citizen was ruled in favor of the Brazilian subsidiaries. On May 4, 2011, Citizen presented a motion to clarify the decision but it was dismissed on March 14, 2012. On May 28, 2012, the Plaintiff filed a special recourse related to the injunction relief to the State Court of Appeals, and the Brazilian subsidiaries presented their defense on August 16, 2012 which was not admitted. In September 2012, the Plaintiff filed a legal action against the Brazilian subsidiaries with same arguments alleged in the injunction request and seeking for compensatory and statutory damages and defenses were presented on March 20, 2013. On January 9, 2013, Citizen presented a motion to request the appeal to be ruled by the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice (Superior Tribunal de Justiça). On March 1, 2013, the Company presented its response to that appeal. On August 27, 2013, the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice ruled against Citizen’s appeal. The Superior Court of Justice ruled that the Brazilian subsidiaries were not responsible for alleged infringement of intellectual property rights by its users and that they should comply with the “notice and take down” procedure it already have in place.

On October 4, 2013, Citizen presented a motion to clarify mentioned decision issued by the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice and such motion was denied on November 11, 2013. Citizen then filed, on November 25, 2013, an Extraordinary Appeal aiming the decision rendered by Brazilian Superior Court of Justice to be reviewed by Brazilian Federal Supreme Court. On February 21, 2014, Brazilian subsidiaries presented its response to Citizen’s Extraordinary Appeal. On March 10, 2014, Citizen’s extraordinary appeal was not accepted by the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice and, on March 26, 2014, Citizen filed an appeal against such decision, aiming at its Extraordinary Appeal to be accepted and ruled by Brazilian Federal Supreme Court. On May 5, 2014 the Company presented its response to Citizen’s appeal to The Brazilian Federal Supreme Court. On December, 19, 2014 Brazilian Federal Supreme Court overruled Citizen’s Extraordinary Appeal, ending the discussion regarding the injunction sought by Citizen which was definitely not granted. On February 19, 2015 the judge presiding the 31st Central Civil Court of the City of São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil ruled the case in its merits totally in favor of the Brazilian subsidiary, stating that MercadoLivre shall not be held responsible for any of Citizen’s pleas and allegations. Citizen did not appeal the mentioned decision. On February 19, 2016 a final decision on the injunction was issued in favor of the Brazilian Subsidiary and therefore the case was closed.

In 2007 São Paulo tax authorities have asserted taxes and fines against our Brazilian subsidiary relating to the period from 2005 to 2007 in an approximate amount of $5.9 million according to the exchange rate in effect at that time. In 2007, the Company presented administrative defenses against the authorities’ claim and the tax authorities ruled against the Brazilian subsidiary. In 2009, the Company presented an appeal to the Conselho Municipal de Tributos or São Paulo Municipal Council of Taxes which reduced the fine. On February 11, 2011, the Company appealed this decision to the Câmaras Reunidas do Egrégio Conselho Municipal de Tributos or Superior Chamber of the São Paulo Municipal Council of Taxes which affirmed the reduction of the fine. As of the date of these consolidated financial statements, the total amount of the claim is approximately $4.1 million including surcharges and interest. With this decision the administrative stage is finished. On August 15, 2011, the Company made a deposit in court of R$9.5 million, which including accrued interests amounted to R$1 3.2 million or $4,1 million, according to the exchange rate at June 30, 2016, and filed a lawsuit in 8th Public Treasury Court of the County of São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil, to contest the taxes and fines asserted by the Tax Authorities. On May 31, 2016, a lower court judge ruled in favor of the Company and the São Paulo Municipal Council presented a motion to clarify mentioned decision. As of the date of this report, the Company is still waiting for a decision.  

 

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On November 6, 2014 the Company’s Brazilian subsidiaries requested a preliminary injunction against Receita Federal Do Brasil in order to avoid the income tax withholding over payments remitted by Brazilian subsidiaries to the Argentine subsidiary for the provision of IT support and assistance services; and requested the reimbursement of the amounts improperly withheld in the last five years. The injunction was granted considering that such withholding violates the provisions of the convention signed between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Argentine Republic to prevent double taxation. In August 2015, such injunction was revoked by the first instance judge decision of merit, which was favorable to Receita Federal Do Brasil. The Company presented an appeal in September, 2015 and as of June 30, 2016, the Company is waiting fo r the second instance decision. As a result, the Company started making deposits in court for the controversial amounts. As of June 30 , 2016, the Company recorded in the balance sheet deposits in court for R12.5 million or $ 3.9 million, according to the exchange rate at June 30 , 2 016 under the caption n on-current other assets.

Intellectual Property Claims

In the past third parties have from time to time claimed, and others may claim in the future, that we have infringed their intellectual property rights. We have been notified of several potential third-party claims for intellectual property infringement through our website. These claims, whether meritorious or not, are time consuming, can be costly to resolve, could cause service upgrade delays, and could require expensive implementations of changes to our business methods to respond to these claims.



Item 1A — Risk Factors

As of June 30, 2016, there have been no material changes in our risk factors from those disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 and in our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2016.



Item 5- Other Information

Executive compensation Program

On August 2 , 201 6 , our board of directors, upon the recommendation of the compensation committee, finalized the Company’s executive compensation program for 201 6 by (i) establishing the performance criteria applicable to determine eligibility for annual cash bonuses for 201 6 and (ii) adopting the 201 6 Long-Term Retention Plan (the “201 6 LTRP”).

The following table includes the 201 6 base salary, annual cash bonus range and target 201 6 LTRP bonus of each named executive officer effective January 1, 201 6 .





 

 

 

 

 



Elements of Compensation



2016 Base

2016 Annual

Target 2016



Salary  (1)

Bonus Range  (1) (2)

LTRP Bonus  (3)



In thousands

Marcos Galperin
President and Chief Executive Officer

$625.95  $431.77 

-

$719.62  $5,946.40 

Pedro Arnt
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

$236.74  $163.80 

-

$273.00  $1,120.00 

Osvaldo Giménez
Executive Vice President — Payments

$248.16  $171.70 

-

$286.16  $1,120.00 

Daniel Rabinovich
Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer

$236.74  $163.80 

-

$273.00  $1,500.00 

Stelleo Tolda
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

$215.23  $148.57 

-

$247.61  $1,120.00 





(1)

For 2016, the base salary and annual cash bonus range for each of Messrs. Galperin, Arnt, Giménez and Rabinovich have been fixed in Argentine pesos, while the base salary and annual cash bonus range for Mr. Tolda has been fixed in Brazilian reais. Accordingly, the base salary and annual cash bonus range in U.S. dollars are approximations based on the respective exchange rates.

(2)

See the section below entitled “Annual Cash Bonuses” below for a detailed discussion of the payment methodology for the annual cash bonuses.

(3)

The target 2016 LTRP bonus is determined in U.S. dollars, and paid in Argentine pesos or Brazilian reais (as applicable), at the applicable exchange rate as of the payment date. See the section entitled “2016 LTRP” below for a detailed discussion on the 2016 LTRP. Actual amounts to be paid under the 2016 LTRP may be more or less than the target amount shown in this table.

 

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Annual Cash Bonuses

The annual cash bonus for each named executive officer will be based upon the Company’s achievement of pre ‑set goals for financial and operational performance, as well as, in the case of each named executive officer other than the Chief Executive Officer, qualitative assessment of individual performance, as set out in the following table:





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Marcos Galperin

 

Pedro 

 

Stelleo Tolda

 

Osvaldo Gimenez

 

Daniel Rabinovich

Consolidated Performance ― Constant Dollars  (1)



Net Revenues Minus Bad Debt (excluding Venezuela)  (2)

54%

 

54%

 

54%

 

54%

 

54%



Net Revenues Minus Bad Debt (Venezuela)  (2)

3%

 

3%

 

3%

 

3%

 

3%



Net Income (excluding Venezuela)  (3)

36%

 

36%

 

36%

 

36%

 

36%



Net Income (Venezuela)  (3)

2%

 

2%

 

2%

 

2%

 

2%



NPS  (4)

5%

 

5%

 

5%

 

5%

 

5%



Weighted average

100%

 

100%

 

100%

 

50%

 

100%

Payments Performance



TPV On/GMVe (excluding Venezuela)  (5)

-

 

-

 

-

 

24.5%

 

-



TPV On/GMVe (Venezuela)  (5)

-

 

-

 

-

 

0.5%

 

-



Payments Net Revenues – Charge backs  (6)

-

 

-

 

-

 

25%

 

-



Weighted average

-

 

-

 

-

 

50%

 

-

Overall Performance  (7)

100% 

 

100% 

 

100% 

 

100% 

 

100% 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Individual Performance Multiplier  (8)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Above Expectations

-

 

1.2

 

1.2

 

1.2

 

1.2



Meet Expectations

-

 

1.0

 

1.0

 

1.0

 

1.0



Below Expectations

-

 

0.5

 

0.5

 

0.5

 

0.5



(1)

Constant Dollars: financial metrics translated to US dollars at the previous year’s applicable exchange rate, which is intended to isolate the operational performance from fluctuations in local currencies.

(2)

Net Revenues Minus Bad Debt is defined as the Company’s net revenues for 2016, less bad debt charges and after adjustments for unusual items, if any, as determined by the Compensation Committee.

(3)

Net Income is defined as the Company’s net income in 2016 after adjustments for unusual items, if any, as determined by the Compensation Committee.

(4)

NPS stands for Net Promoter Score and is a measure of our customers’ satisfaction, calculated as the percentage of promoters (customer scoring our service from 9 to 10) minus the percentage of detractors (customers scoring our service from 0 to 6).

(5)

TPV On/GMVe is defined as Payments penetration in MercadoLibre measured as the Company’s Total Payment Volume (“TPV”) on the MercadoLibre e ‑commerce website in 2016 in U.S. Dollars divided by the Company’s Gross Merchandise Volume in 2016 in U.S. Dollars.

(6)

Payments Net Revenues – Chargebacks  is defined as the Company net revenues generated by our Financing and Off-platform transactions for 2016 in Constant Dollars, minus the chargebacks generated by credit and debit cards payments for 2016 in Constant Dollars. Refer to footnote 7 for Constant Dollars calculation methodology.

(7)

Overall Performance for Messrs. Galperin,  Arnt , Tolda and  Rabinovich  is equal to the  Weighted Average for the Consolidated Performance ― Constant Dollars.  The  Overall Performance for Mr.  Gimenez  is equal to the simple average between  Weighted Average for the Consolidated Performance ― Constant Dollars  and  Weighted Average for the Payments Performance.

(8)

Individual Performance Multiplier is set as a multiplier for the annual bonus for each executive officer based on the qualitative assessment of individual performance for the 2016 fiscal year.



For a named executive officer to be eligible to receive an annual bonus, the Company must achieve 50% of the weighted average planned growth in the Consolidated Performance ― Constant Dollars and in Overall Performance, as set out in the table above (the “Annual Bonus Minimum Eligibility Conditions”).

If the Annual Bonus Minimum Eligibility Conditions are met for a named executive officer, a prorated formula will be applied to the annual cash bonus ranges described in the “Elements of Compensation” table above.  Such formula is based on the officer’s total performance tally and it is consistent with the Company’s 201 6 annual cash bonus program.  In addition, the Individual Performance Multiplier, which is a qualitative assessment for each named executive officer, will be applied to the annual cash bonus of each officer.  For example, if a named executive officer meets the Annual Bonus Minimum Eligibility Conditions and his Individual Performance is set as “meet expectations”, the officer would receive 1.0x the minimum annual cash bonus set forth in the annual bonus

 

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range included in the Elements of Compensation table above.  If, on the other hand, a named executive officer achieves 75% of the weighted average planned growth in the Consolidated Performance ― Constant Dollars and in Overall Performance applicable to the named executive officer, and his Individual Performance is set as “meet expectations”, then the named executive officer would receive an annual cash bonus equal to 1.0x the midpoint of the annual bonus range included in the Elements of Compensation table above.  Finally, if a named executive officer achieves 100% of the weighted average planned growth in the Consolidated Performance ― Constant Dollars and in Overall Performance applicable to the named executive officer, and his Individual Performance is set as “meet expectations”, then the named executive officer would receive 1.0x the maximum cash bonus set forth in the annual bonus range included in the Elements of Compensation table above.  In all of the situations described above, if the Individual Performance is set as “above expectations” or “below expectations,” the annual cash bonus would be multiplied by 1.2 or by 0.5, respectively.

 

201 6 LTRP

On August 2, 2016, the Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of the Compensation Committee, adopted the 2016 Long-Term Retention Plan, which provides for the grant to eligible employees of a cash-settled fixed award (the “2016 LTRP Fixed Award”) and a cash-settled variable award (the “2016 LTRP Variable Award”). Each eligible employee will be granted both a 2016 LTRP Fixed Award and a 2016 LTRP Variable Award, in addition to receiving their annual salary and bonus. In order to receive awards under the 2016 LTRP, each eligible employee must satisfy the performance conditions established by the Board of Directors for such employee, which generally are expected to be based on pre-set goals for the Company’s financial and operational performance. If these conditions are satisfied, the eligible employee will, subject to his or her continued employment as of each applicable payment date, receive the full amount of his or her 2016 LTRP Awards, payable as follows:

·

2016 LTRP Fixed Award: The eligible employee will receive a fixed payment equal to 16.66% of his or her 2016 LTRP Fixed Award once a year for a period of six years starting in March 2017 (the “Annual Fixed Payment”); and



·

2016 LTRP Variable Award: On each date the Company pays the Annual Fixed Payment to the eligible employee, he or she will also receive a 2016 LTRP Variable Award payment equal to the product of (i) 16.66% of the applicable 2016 LTRP Variable Award and (ii) the quotient of (a) divided by (b), where (a), the numerator, equals the Applicable Year Stock Price (as defined below) and (b), the denominator, equals the 2015 Stock Price (as defined below). For purposes of the 2016 LTRP, the “2015 Stock Price” shall equal $111.02 (the average closing price of the Company´s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final 60-trading days of 2015) and the “Applicable Year Stock Price” shall equal the average closing price of the Company´s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final 60-trading days of the year preceding the applicable payment date for so long as the Company´s common stock is listed on the NASDAQ.



The 2016 LTRP is filed as Exhibit 10.08 to this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein, and the description of the 2016 LTRP above is qualified in its entirety by reference to such exhibit.

It em 6 — Exhibits

 

The information set forth under “Index to Exhibits” below is incorporated herein by reference.





 

66


 

Sign atures

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

MERCADOLIBRE, INC.



 

 

 

Registrant



 

 

 

Date: August 5, 2016.

 

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Marcos Galperin



 

 

 

 

 

Marcos Galperin



 

 

 

 

 

President and Chief Executive Officer



 

 

 



 

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Pedro Arnt



 

 

 

 

 

Pedro Arnt



 

 

 

 

 

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer





 

 

67


 

Mer cadoLibre, Inc.

INDEX TO EXHIBITS

 



 

3.1

Registrant’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. (1)

3.2

Registrant’s Amended and Restated Bylaws. (1)

4.1

Form of Specimen Certificate for the Registrant’s Common Stock. (2)

4.2

Second Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement, dated September 24, 2001, by and among the Registrant and the investors named therein. (1)

4. 3

Indenture with respect to the Registrant’s 2.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2019, dated as of June 30, 2014, between the Registrant and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee. (3)

10.01

Amended and Restated 2009 Long-Term Retention Plan*

10.02

Amended and Restated 2010 Long-Term Retention Plan*

10.03

Amended and Restated 2011 Long-Term Retention Plan*

10.04

Amended and Restated 2012 Long-Term Retention Plan*

10.05

Amended and Restated 2013 Long-Term Retention Plan*

10.06

Amended and Restated 2014 Long-Term Retention Plan*

10.07

Amended and Restated 2015 Long-Term Retention Plan*

10.08

2016 Long-Term Retention Plan*

10.09

MercadoLibre, Inc. 2016 Director Compensation Program*

31.1

Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rule 13a-14, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. *

31.2

Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rule 13a-14, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. *

32.1

Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. *

32.2

Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. *

101.INS

XBRL Instance Document

101.SCH

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

101.CAL

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

101.LAB

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document

101.PRE

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

101.DEF

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase



 



 

*

Filed or furnished herewith, as applicable.

(1)

Incorporated by reference to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on May 11, 2007.

(2)

Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 filed on February 27, 2009.

(3)

Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s   C urrent R eport on form 8-K filed on June 30, 2014.



 



 

68


MERCADOLIBRE, INC. 2009 LONG TERM RETENTION PROGRAM



















Effective as of January 1, 2009

Amended and Restated

Effective January 1, 201 6



Contents



MercadoLibre, Inc. 2009 Long Term Retention Program

Article 1. ........................................................................................................................... Purpose 1

Article 2. ................................................................................................................. Definitions 1

Article 3. Participation; Performance Goals and Award Opportunities 4

Article 4. ................................................... Review of Participant’s Performance 5

Article 5. ........................................................................................... Payment of Awards 5

Article 6. ........................................... Termination of Employment; Forfeitures 6

Article 7. ............................................................................. Administrative Provisions 7







 

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MERCADOLIBRE, INC. 2009 LONG TERM RETENTION PROGRAM

Article 1. Purpose

The MercadoLibre, Inc. 2009 Long Term Retention Program (the “Plan”) was effective as of January 1, 2009, w as amended and restated effective January 1, 2013   and effective January 1, 2015 , and is furt her amended and re stated as set forth herein effective as of January 1, 2016 .  The principal purpose of the Plan is to assist the Company in the retention of key employees that have valuable industry experience and developed competencies by rewarding Participants in relation to their individual results and their contributions to the organization, as well as overall Company goals and performance.

Article 2. Definitions

When used in the Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

Award means a specified amount, calculated in accordance with Article V, payable to a Participant under this Plan for services provided to the Company in 2009   as determined by the Award Committee from time to time in its sole discretion in the form of cash only.  Award payments hereunder shall be contingent on the attainment of one or more Performance Goals.  The timing and conditions of the payment of an Award are subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan , and subject to Article 7 of the Plan, any other terms and conditions determined by the Award Committee to be appropriate .  An Award may, but is not required to, be evidenced by a separate agreement executed by the Participant. 

Award Committee means the Compensation Committee of the Board, or such other committee that the Board appoints to administer this Plan, which shall have general administrative authority concerning the Plan, and shall, subject to Article 7, have the sole and absolute authority and discretion to resolve any and all terms and conditions of any Awards and disputes concerning the Plan and any Awards hereunder.

Board ” means the board of directors of the Company.

Cause ” means “cause” or a similar term set forth in the Participant’s employment agreement with the Company or, if no such agreement is then in effect, shall mean (A) the Participant’s material disregard of his responsibilities, authorities , powers, functions or duties or failure to act, (B) repeated or material negligence or misconduct by the Participant in the performance of his duties, (C) appropriation (or attempted appropriation) of a business opportunity of the Company, including attempting to secure or securing any personal profit in connection with any transaction entered into on behalf of the Company, (D) the commission by the Participant of any act of fraud, theft or financial dishonesty with respect to the Company, or any felony or criminal act involving moral turpitude or dishonesty on the part of the Participant, (E) the Participant’s habitual drunkenness or excessive absenteeism not related to sickness, and/or (F) the material breach by the Participant of any provision of his employment agreement that is not cured by the Participant within thirty (30) days after written notice of breach has been delivered to the Participant by the Company, unless such breach is incapable of cure (in which case

1


 

the Participant shall not be entitled to an opportunity to cure), in each case of clauses   (A) through (F) above, as determined by the Board in good faith.

Change in Control ” shall mean a change in control of the Company which will be deemed to have occurred after the date hereof if:

(a) any “person” as such term is used in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act, as modified and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, is or becomes the beneficial owner, as such term is defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing at least fifty percent ( 50% ) of the combined voting power or S hares of the Company; provided, however, that such term shall not include (A) the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (B) any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or any of its affiliates, (C) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to an offering of such securities, (D) any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company’s S hares, or (E) any person or group as used in Rule 13d-1(b) under the Exchange Act;

(b) there is consummated a merger or consolidation of the Company or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries with any other corporation, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or any parent thereof) more than fifty percent ( 50% ) of the combined voting power and   S hares of the Company or such surviving entity or any parent thereof outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation; or

(c) there is completed a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets (or any transaction having a similar effect, including a liquidation) other than a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets to an entity, more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power and common shares of which is owned by shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the S hares of the Company immediately prior to such sale.

Company means MercadoLibre, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, and MercadoLibre, Inc.’s successors or assigns.

Covered Termination ” means (i) a termination of a Participant’s employment by the Company without Cause and for a reason other than the Participant’s death or disability (as determined under Article 6( a )) or (ii) a Participant’s resignation from the Company with Good Reason.

Eligible Employee means an individual who is designated by the Award Committee as eligible for this Plan and who is employed by the Company as determined by the Award Committee.

2


 

Good Reason ” means (i) a material diminution in the Participant’s duties, functions and responsibilities to the Company without the Participant’s consent or the Company preventing the Participant from fulfilling or exercising the Participant’s materials duties, functions and responsibilities to the Company without the Participant’s consent; (ii) a material reduction in the Participant’s base salary or bonus opportunity or (iii) a requirement that the Participant relocate the Participant’s employment more than fifty (50) miles from the location of the Participant’s principal office without the consent of the Participant.  A Participant’s resignation shall not be a resignation with Good Reason unless the Participant gives the Company written notice (delivered within thirty (30) days after the Participant knows of the event, action, etc. that the Participant asserts constitutes Good Reason), the event, action, etc. that the Participant asserts constitutes Good Reason is not cured, to the reasonable satisfaction of the Participant, within thirty (30) days after such notice and the Participant resigns effective not later than thirty (30) days after the expiration of such cure period.

Market Value   of a Share, as of any date, means (i) the average closing sale price of one Share as reported on a national stock exchange, including, but not limited to, the NASDAQ Global Market (a “National Stock Exchange”) during the sixty ( 60 )   trading day period (or such shorter period as the Shares are so listed) ending on the last trading day immediately preceding such date; (ii) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period but are quoted on the Over-the-Counter-Bulletin Board (the “OTCBB”), the mean between the closing bid and closing asked prices for the Shares as quoted on the OTCBB during the sixty ( 60 )   trading day period (or such shorter period as the Shares are so quoted) ending on the last trading day immediately preceding such date, (iii) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange or quoted on the OTCBB during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period and the S hares were last traded on a National Stock Exchange, the average closing sale price of one Share as reported on the National Stock Exchange during the ninety ( 90 )   trading day period ending on the last day the Shares were listed for trading on such Exchange or (iv) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange or quoted on the OTCBB during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period and the S hares were last traded on the OTCBB, the mean between the closing bid and closing asked prices for the Shares as quoted on the OTCBB during the ninety ( 90 )   trading day period ending on the last day the Shares were quoted on the OTCBB.  For purposes of calculating the benefits and valuing Shares for the single cash payment payable within fifteen (15) days after a Change in Control, the term “Market Value” means the amount determined under the preceding sentence determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs.  For purposes of calculating benefits and valuing Shares for other payments payable after a Change of Control, the term “Market Value” means, (x) in the event the Company is not the surviving entity in the Change in Control, the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs, or, (y) in the event the Company is the surviving entity in the Change in Control, the greater of (A) the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date the benefit is  payable ( e.g. , as of March 31 of the appropriate year or the date of a Participant’s Covered Termination , as applicable) or (B) the amount determined under the first

3


 

sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs.

Minimum Eligibility Conditions shall mean the minimum conditions established by the Award Committee and approved by the Board that a Participant must meet in order to be eligible to receive payments under any Award hereunder.

Participant means an Eligible Employee who is designated as eligible to receive an Award for services provided in 2009.  The designation of an individual as a Participant under this Plan shall not provide the individual with any rights to any future participation for any subsequent long term retention plans that may be adopted by the Company in future years but, subject to the terms of the Plan, an individual shall remain a Participant for purposes of receiving a payment of an Award until such individual ceases to be an Eligible Employee.

Performance Goals means any goals, metrics or other performance measures established for a Participant for services provided in 2009, the attainment of which will result in an Award becoming payable to the Participant, subject to the terms of the Plan.  It is currently anticipated that Performance Goals generally will be based on, and support, both individual and Company goals and may also include goals established for the particular division, affiliate or country in which the Participant is located.

Shares ” means shares of c ommon s tock of the Company, $0.001 par value per share.

Article 3. Participation; Performance Goals and Award Opportunities

The amount of the Award for each Plan Participant and the Performance Goals applicable to such Award will be established by the Award Committee and communicated to each Plan Participant.  The amount of each Award may be different for each Participant or levels of Participants as determined by the Award Committee.

The amount of each Award shall be enumerated as a specified amount, calculated in accordance with Article V hereof, of United States dollars, unless the Award Committee determines the amount of any such Award in a local currency.  The amount of each Award, to the extent it becomes payable, shall be paid in the form of cash only. 

Article 4. Review of Participant’s Performance

Performance Goals will generally be set and determined for the 2009 calendar year by the Award Committee .  The Award Committee, with input from the Company officer responsible for each Participant, will evaluate such Participant’s performance relative to the Performance Goals.

Article 5. Payment of Awards

(a) If a Participant does not satisfy the Minimum Eligibility Conditions, then any Award granted to such Participant and subject to such Minimum Eligibility Conditions shall be forfeited , and shall not become payable to such Participant under this Plan.  If the Participant meets the Minimum Eligibility Conditions, the n any Award granted to such Participant and

4


 

subject to such Minimum Eligibility Conditions shall become payable to the Participant in accordance with and subject to the terms of this Article 5 and Article 6.

Subject to the following paragraphs and Article 6, only if the Participant is employed as an Eligible Employee on the date each portion of the Award is to be paid to such Participant, the Award shall be payable as follows:

(1) Six and a quarter percent ( 6.25% ) of the Award shall be payable to the Participant on or about March 31 of each calendar year for a period of eight (8) years starting in 2010; and

(2) the Participant shall receive on or about March 31 of each calendar year for a period of eight (8) years starting in 2010, an Award payment equal in value to the product of (i) multiplied by (ii), where (i) equals six and a quarter percent ( 6.25% ) of the Award and (ii) equals the quotient of (a) divided by (b), where (a), the numerator, equals the Market Value as of the applicable payment date and (b), the denominator, equals $13.81 (the average closing price of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final sixty ( 60 ) trading days of 2008).

(b) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any other agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) Each Participant who is employed by the Company on the date a Change in Control occurs shall be vested in the right to receive fifty percent (50%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid thereafter.

(2) As soon as practicable after the date a Change in Control occurs, but in no event more than fifteen (15) days after the date a Change in Control occurs, each Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph shall receive a single cash payment equal to fifty percent (50%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid after the Change in Control (based on the Market Value on the date the Change in Control occurs).

(3) Each Award payment scheduled to be paid after the Change in Control shall be reduced by fifty percent (50%), i.e. , to reflect the single cash payment under clause (2) of this paragraph, and shall continue to be paid on each March 31 in accordance with the preceding paragraph, subject to the Participant’s continued employment; provided, however, that if a Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph experiences a Covered Termination on or after Change in Control, then any Award payments scheduled to be paid after the Covered Termination shall be paid in a single cash payment (based on the Market Value on the date of the Covered Termination) within fifteen (15) days after the Covered Termination.

5


 

(c) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) The portion of any Award under this Plan that was forfeited or forfeitable upon the Participant’s Covered Termination before a Change in Control shall be reinstated (or if not yet forfeited, retained) as of the date of the Change in Control if such date is not more than one hundrd and twenty ( 120 ) days after the date of the Covered Termination.

(2) As soon as practicable after the date a Change in Control occurs, but in no event more than fifteen (15) days after the date a Change in Control occurs, each Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph shall receive a single cash payment equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid after the date of the Participant’s Covered Termination.  With respect to any Award payment originally scheduled to have been paid before the date of the Change in Control, the amount of such payment will be based on the Market Value on the date of the Covered Termination.  With respect to any Award payments scheduled to be paid on or after the Change in Control, the amount of such payment will be based on the Market Value on the date the Change in Control occurs.

(d) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any other agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) I f any portion of an Award received or to be received by a Participant (either alone or together with other payments or benefits which such Participant received or realized or is then entitled to receive or realize from the Company under   any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement in connection with a Change in Control or a Participant’s termination of employment) (all such payments and benefits, being hereinafter referred to as the “Total Payments”) would be subject (in whole or part), to any excise tax imposed under section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”, and such excise tax, the “Excise Tax”), then, after taking into account any reduction in the Total Payments provided by reason of section 280G of the Code in any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement, the Company will reduce the payment of the Award to the extent necessary so that no portion of the Total Payments is subject to the Excise Tax (but in no event to less than zero); provided ,   however , that the Award will only be reduced if (i) the net amount of any Total Payments, as so reduced (and after subtracting the net amount of United States federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such reduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out, if any, of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such reduced Total Payments), is greater than or equal to (ii) the net amount of such Total Payments without such reduction (but after subtracting the net amount of federal, state, municipal and local income

6


 

taxes on such Total Payments and the amount of Excise Tax to which the Participant would be subject in respect of such unreduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out, if any, of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such unreduced Total Payments) .

(2) If (A) any portion of the Total Payments other than an Award (the “Other Payments”) is required to be reduced pursuant to a provision substantially similar to this Article 5(d), (B) any portion of an Award is required to be reduced pursuant to this Article 5(d); and (C) there is no other provision in any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement governing the payment of the Other Payments which dictates the order of the reduction in the Other Payments, then the Total Payments will be reduced in the following order: (i) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a) will be reduced (if necessary, to zero), with amounts that are payable last reduced first; (ii) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a), with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; (iii) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with amounts that are payable last reduced first, will next be reduced; (iv) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; and (v) all other non-cash benefits not otherwise described in clauses (ii) or (iv) will be next reduced pro-rata. Any reductions made pursuant to each of clauses (i)-(v) above will be made in the following manner: first, a pro-rata reduction of cash payment and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity not subject to section 409A of the Code, and second, a pro-rata reduction of cash payments and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity subject to section 409A of the Code as deferred compensation .  

(3) For purposes of determining whether and the extent to which the Award will be subject to the Excise Tax and the amount of such Excise Tax: (i) no portion of the Award the receipt or enjoyment of which the Participant shall have waived at such time and in such manner as not to constitute a “payment” within the meaning of section 280G(b) of the Code will be taken into account; and (ii) no portion of the Award will be taken into account which, in the opinion of the accounting firm which was, immediately prior to the Change in Control, the Company’s independent auditor, does not constitute a “parachute payment” within the meaning of section 280G(b)(2) of the Code (including by reason of section 280G(b)(4)(A) of the Code) and, in calculating the Excise Tax, no portion of such Award will be taken into account which constitutes reasonable compensation for services actually rendered, within the meaning of section

7


 

280G(b)(4)(B) of the Code, in excess of the Base Amount (as defined in section 280G(b)(3) of the Code) allocable to such reasonable compensation.

( 4 ) The fact that the Participant’s right to payments or benefits may be reduced by reason of the limitations contained in this Article 5will not of itself limit or otherwise affect any other rights of the Participant under the Plan. The Participant and the Company shall each reasonably cooperate with the other in connection with any administrative or judicial proceedings concerning the existence or amount of liability for Excise Tax with respect to the Award.

Article 6. Termination of Employment; Forfeitures

(a) Except as provided in Article 5 with respect to a Covered Termination within one hundred and twenty   ( 120 ) days before a Change in Control or a Covered Termination on or after a Change in Control, participation in the Plan shall cease immediately upon a Participant’s retirement, resignation or termination of employment as an Eligible Employee for any reason or, if determined by the Award Committee, upon the Participant’s death or disability.  Disability will be determined under the Company’s long term disability plan, if any, or upon receipt of a letter of determination or similar of the Participant’s complete disability by the applicable governmental authority under local applicable law, which complete disability entitles the Participant to disability payments under local law.

(b) Except as provided in Article 5 with respect to a Covered Termination within one hundred and twenty ( 120 ) days before a Change in Control or a Covered Termination on or after a Change in Control, the portion of any Award under this Plan that has not been actually paid to the Participant prior to the date of such resignation or other termination of employment shall be forfeited, except that the Award Committee, in its discretion, may pay all or part of the amount that remains payable under an Award upon the disability or death of the Participant in accordance with such rules or procedures established by the Award Committee; provided, however, that any amount of the Award payment that the Award Committee determines to pay shall be paid no later than March 15 of the year following the year that the Participant’s employment ends on account of disability or death.  Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, any Award paid to the Participant shall be subject to recovery by the Company in the event that the Participant is terminated for Cause and shall, to the extent permitted by law, be subject to recovery from any amounts owed by the Company to the Participant, including, but not limited to, offsetting any amounts owed under the Plan to the Company against any amounts otherwise owed to the Participant by the Company.

(c) If the Award Committee decides to pay all or part of an Award after the death of a Participant in accordance with this Article 6, the Participant may designate in writing one or more persons (“beneficiary”) to receive any unpaid portion of the Participant’s Award upon the death of the Participant.  By similar action, the Participant may designate a change of beneficiary at any time, which change shall be effective only upon receipt by the Award Committee of said notice.  The last such designation form filed with the Award Committee prior to the Participant’s death shall control.  The Award Committee may establish a form or other requirements for such

8


 

designation.  If the Participant designates his spouse as a beneficiary, the divorce of Participant shall automatically revoke that designation of his spouse as beneficiary except to the extent otherwise provided in a subsequent beneficiary designation filed by the Participant with the Award Committee.  In the absence of a written designation, or in the event the Participant dies without a beneficiary surviving him, any amount payable on account of his death shall be paid to the surviving spouse of the Participant or if none, to the Participant’s estate.  A beneficiary of a Participant shall have no interest or rights hereunder during the lifetime of the Participant.

Article 7. Administrative Provisions

A. The Plan was approved by the Board on July 15, 2009 to be effective as of January 1, 2009 for all services provided by Participants in 2009 ,   was amended and restated effective January 1, 2013 and effective January 1, 2015 , and is further amended and restated as set forth herein effective as of January 1, 2016 .

B. Unless the Board provides otherwise, the Plan shall be administered and interpreted by the Award Committee, which has been provided absolute authority hereunder to administer the Plan.  The Board and its members, the members of the Award Committee and any other individual who may, from time to time, have been delegated responsibility with respect to the administration of this Plan (collectively, “Authorized Persons”), shall have the full authority, discretion and power necessary or desirable to administer and interpret this Plan, in accordance with the Plan terms.  Benefits under the Plan shall be payable only if the Authorized Persons in their respective sole and absolute discretion determine that any such benefits are properly payable under the Plan.  Without in any way limiting the foregoing, all Authorized Persons shall have complete authority, sole discretion and power to: (i) determine the Participants; (ii) determine the Performance Goals applicable to each Participant, as well as the relative weighting of each such Performance Goals to determine eligibility for payment of an Award hereunder; (iii) evaluate and determine the performance of Participants; (iv) determine the amount of the Award for each Participant; (v) interpret the provisions of this Plan and any other documentation used in connection with this Plan, including documentation specifying individual Participant Performance Goals, Award opportunities and the like; (vi) establish and interpret rules, regulations and procedures (written or by practice) for the administration of the Plan; and (vii) make all other determinations and take all other actions necessary or desirable for the administration or interpretation of this Plan.  The express grant in the Plan of any specific power to Authorized Persons shall not be construed as limiting any power or authority of such Authorized Person.  All actions, decisions and interpretations of the Authorized Persons shall be final, conclusive and binding on all parties.  All expenses of administering the Plan shall be borne by the Company.

C. Nothing in this Plan shall be deemed by implication, action or otherwise to constitute a contract of employment or otherwise to impose any limitation on any right of the Company to terminate a Participant’s employment at any time for any or no reason.

9


 

D. A Participant shall have no right to anticipate, alienate, sell, transfer, assign, pledge or encumber any right to receive any Award made under the Plan, nor will any Participant have any lien on any assets of the Company by reason of any Award made under the Plan.

E. The Company shall have the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, any taxes required by law to be withheld from Awards made under this Plan.

F. The Plan may be amended, suspended or terminated at any time and from time to time, by action of the Board or the Award Committee, but in any event, the Plan will be terminated no later than upon the last date the Company pays all Participants any and all amounts that may due under the Plan and no amounts remain due and payable under the Plan to any person as determined by Award Committee.  The preceding sentence to the contrary notwithstanding, on and after a Change in Control, no amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan that adversely affects the rights of a Participant (or the beneficiary of a deceased Participant who has not received payment of an amount approved by the Award Committee under Article 6), shall be effective without the written consent of that Participant or beneficiary.

G. The adoption of the Plan does not imply any commitment to continue to maintain the Plan, or any modified version of the Plan, or any other plan for incentive compensation for such Participant for any period of time.  Neither the adoption of this Plan, its operation, nor any documents describing or referring to this Plan (or any part thereof) shall confer upon any employee any right to continue in the employ of the Company or in any way affect any right and power of the Company to terminate the employment of any employee at any time without assigning a reason therefor.

H. This Plan, insofar as it provides for Awards, shall be unfunded, and the Company shall not be required to segregate any assets that may at any time be represented by Awards under the Plan.  Any liability of the Company to any person with respect to any Awards under this Plan shall be based solely upon any contractual obligations which may be created pursuant to this Plan.  No such obligation of the Company shall be deemed to be secured by any pledge of, or other encumbrance on, any property of the Company.

I. In order to be effective, any amendment of this Plan or any Award must be in writing and made by the Award Committee.  No oral statement, representation, written presentation or the like shall have the effect of amending or modifying this Plan or any Award, or otherwise have any binding effect on the Company, the Board, the Chief Executive, the Award Committee or any individual who has been delegated authority to administer this Plan.

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J. The Plan shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the substantive laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to principles of conflicts of law.

K. In case any provision of the Plan shall be held illegal or void, such illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining provisions of this Plan, but shall be fully severable, and the Plan shall be construed and enforced as if said illegal or invalid provisions had never been inserted herein.

L. Except for their own gross negligence or gross misconduct regarding the performance of the duties specifically assigned to them under, or their willful breach of the terms of this Plan, the Company (and its affiliates), Board and its members, the Award Committee and its members, and any other entity or individual administering any aspect of this Plan shall be held harmless by the Participants and their respective representatives, heirs, successors, and assigns, against liability or losses occurring by reason of any act or omission under the Plan.

M. Should the Company effect one or more stock dividends, stock splits, subdivisions or consolidations of Shares or other similar changes in capitalization, then the terms of outstanding Awards shall be adjusted as the Award Committee shall determine to be equitably required.  Any determination made under this Article 7( M ) by the Award Committee shall be final and conclusive.  The issuance by the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, for cash or property, or for labor or services, either upon direct sale or upon the exercise of rights or warrants to subscribe therefor, or upon conversion of shares or obligations of the Company convertible into such shares or other securities, shall not affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, Awards.

Executed on the 2 nd day of August , 201 6 to be effective as of the 1 st day of January, 201 6 .

MercadoLibre, Inc.









By:



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MERCADOLIBRE, INC. 2010 LONG TERM RETENTION PROGRAM



















Effective as of January 1, 2010

As Amended and Restated

Effective January 1, 201 6



Contents



MercadoLibre, Inc. 2010 Long Term Retention Program

Article 1. ....................................................................................................................... Purpose 1

Article 2. ............................................................................................................. Definitions 1

Article 3. Participation; Performance Goals and Award Opportunities 5

Article 4. ........................................... Review of Participant’s Performance 6

Article 5. ....................................................................................... Payment of Awards 6

Article 6. ................................. Termination of Employment; Forfeitures 8

Article 7. ....................................................................... Administrative Provisions 10





 

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MERCADOLIBRE, INC. 2010 LONG TERM RETENTION PROGRAM

Article 1. Purpose

The MercadoLibre, Inc. 2010 Long Term Retention Program (the “Plan”) was effective as of January 1, 2010, amended and restated effective as of January 1, 2013 and January 1, 2015 , and is further amended and restated as set forth herein effective as of January 1, 2016 .  The principal purpose of the Plan is to assist the Company in the retention of key employees that have valuable industry experience and developed competencies by rewarding Participants in relation to their individual results and their contributions to the organization, as well as overall Company goals and performance.

Article 2. Definitions

When used in the Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

Affiliate ” means with respect to any Person, a Person that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with such Person (it being understood, that a Person shall be deemed to “control” another Person, for purposes of this definition, if such Person directly or indirectly has the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such other Person, whether through holding ownership interests in such other Person, through agreements or otherwise, and that direct or indirect ownership of ten percent (10%) or more of the voting interests of another Person shall always be deemed to constitute “control”).

Award ” means a specified amount, calculated in accordance with Article 5, payable to a Participant under this Plan for services provided to the Company in 2010 as determined by the Award Committee from time to time in its sole discretion in the form of cash only.  Award payments hereunder shall be contingent on the attainment of one or more Performance Goals.  The timing and conditions of the payment of an Award are subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan , and subject to Article 7 of the Plan, any other terms and conditions determined by the Award Committee to be appropriate .  An Award may, but is not required to, be evidenced by a separate agreement executed by the Participant. 

Award Committee ” means the Compensation Committee of the Board, or such other committee that the Board appoints to administer this Plan, which shall have general administrative authority concerning the Plan, and shall, subject to Article 7, have the sole and absolute authority and discretion to resolve any and all terms and conditions of any Awards and disputes concerning the Plan and any Awards hereunder.

Board ” means the board of directors of the Company.

Cause ” means “cause” or a similar term set forth in the Participant’s employment agreement with the Company or, if no such agreement is then in effect, shall mean (A) the Participant’s material disregard of his responsibilities, authorities, powers, functions or duties or failure to act, (B) repeated or material negligence or misconduct by the Participant in the performance of his duties, (C) appropriation (or attempted

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appropriation) of a business opportunity of the Company, including attempting to secure or securing any personal profit in connection with any transaction entered into on behalf of the Company, (D) the commission by the Participant of any act of fraud, theft or financial dishonesty with respect to the Company, or any felony or criminal act involving moral turpitude or dishonesty on the part of the Participant, (E) the Participant’s habitual drunkenness or excessive absenteeism not related to sickness, and/or (F) the material breach by the Participant of any provision of his employment agreement that is not cured by the Participant within thirty (30) days after written notice of breach has been delivered to the Participant by the Company, unless such breach is incapable of cure (in which case the Participant shall not be entitled to an opportunity to cure), in each case of clauses (A) through (F) above, as determined by the Board in good faith.

Change in Control ” shall mean a change in control of the Company which will be deemed to have occurred after the date hereof if:

(a) any “person” as such term is used in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act, as modified and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, is or becomes the beneficial owner, as such term is defined in Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing at least fifty percent ( 50% ) of the combined voting power or S hares of the Company; provided, however, that such term shall not include (A) the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (B) any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or any of its affiliates, (C) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to an offering of such securities, (D) any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company’s S hares, or (E) any person or group as used in Rule 13d-1(b) under the Exchange Act, is or becomes the Beneficial Owner, as such term is defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act;

(b) there is consummated a merger or consolidation of the Company or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries with any other corporation, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or any parent thereof) more than fifty percent ( 50% ) of the combined voting power and S hares of the Company or such surviving entity or any parent thereof outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation; or

(c) there is completed a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets (or any transaction having a similar effect, including a liquidation) other than a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets to an entity, more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power and common shares of which is owned by shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the S hares of the Company immediately prior to such sale.

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Company ” means MercadoLibre , Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, and MercadoLibre, Inc.’s successors or assigns.

Covered Termination ” means (i) a termination of a Participant’s employment by the Company without Cause and for a reason other than the Participant’s death or disability (as determined under Article 6( a )) or (ii) a Participant’s resignation from the Company with Good Reason.

Eligible Employee ” means an individual who is designated by the Award Committee as eligible for this Plan and who is employed by the Company as determined by the Award Committee.

Good Reason ” means (i) a material diminution in the Participant’s duties, functions and responsibilities to the Company without the Participant’s consent or the Company preventing the Participant from fulfilling or exercising the Participant’s materials duties, functions and responsibilities to the Company without the Participant’s consent; (ii) a material reduction in the Participant’s base salary or bonus opportunity or (iii) a requirement that the Participant relocate the Participant’s employment more than fifty (50) miles from the location of the Participant’s principal office without the consent of the Participant.  A Participant’s resignation shall not be a resignation with Good Reason unless the Participant gives the Company written notice (delivered within thirty (30) days after the Participant knows of the event, action, etc. that the Participant asserts constitutes Good Reason), the event, action, etc. that the Participant asserts constitutes Good Reason is not cured, to the reasonable satisfaction of the Participant, within thirty (30) days after such notice and the Participant resigns effective not later than thirty (30) days after the expiration of such cure period.

Market Value ” of a Share, as of any date, means (i) the average closing sale price of one Share as reported on a national stock exchange, including, but not limited to, the NASDAQ Global Market (a “National Stock Exchange”) during the sixty ( 60 )   trading day period (or such shorter period as the Shares are so listed) ending on the last trading day immediately preceding such date; (ii) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period but are quoted on the Over-the-Counter-Bulletin Board (the "OTCBB"), the mean between the closing bid and closing asked prices for the Shares as quoted on the OTCBB during the sixty ( 60 )   trading day period (or such shorter period as the Shares are so quoted) ending on the last trading day immediately preceding such date, (iii) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange or quoted on the OTCBB during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period and the S hares were last traded on a National Stock Exchange, the average closing sale price of one Share as reported on the National Stock Exchange during the ninety ( 90 )   trading day period ending on the last day the Shares were listed for trading on such Exchange or (iv) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange or quoted on the OTCBB during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period and the S hares were last traded on the OTCBB, the mean between the closing bid and closing asked prices for the Shares as quoted on the OTCBB during the ninety ( 90 )   trading day period ending on the last day the Shares were quoted on the OTCBB.  For purposes of calculating the benefits and valuing Shares for the single cash

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payment payable within fifteen (15) days after a Change in Control, the term “Market Value” means the amount determined under the preceding sentence determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs.  For purposes of calculating benefits and valuing Shares for other payments payable after a Change of Control, the term “Market Value” means, (x) in the event the Company is not the surviving entity in the Change in Control, the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs, or, (y) in the event the Company is the surviving entity in the Change in Control, the greater of (A) the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date the benefit is payable ( e.g. , as of March 31 of the appropriate year or the date of a Participant’s Covered Termination , as applicable) or (B) the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs.

MercadoLibre Business ” means an y activities directly or indirectly related to Online Transactional Platforms, Onlin e Classified Advertisements and/or Payment Platforms.

Minimum Eligibility Conditions ” means the minimum conditions established by the Award Committee and approved by the Board that a Participant must meet in order to be eligible to receive payments under any Award hereunder.

Online Classified Advertisements ” means listings of goods, products or services on Internet sites, which listings (1) serve the same purpose as the listings appearing in the classifieds section of printed newspapers , (2) include direct contact information of the seller via telephone, e-mail or any offline method, which contact information is readily and continuously available to any visitor without restriction or special action required from the visitor, or provide for a method to contact the seller so that the seller may then respond providing direct contact information, and (3) are on Internet sites the operator or administrator of which does not (x) play any role in consummating the transaction to which the listing relates, or (y) provide any information (other than contact information) to the seller regarding the potential buyer or interested party, or otherwise serve as middle-man between a potential buyer and seller (other than for the limited purposes expressly set forth in this paragraph), or (z) charge any fee or commission for such transaction (including, without limitation, any fees for completion of transactions and/or fees based on number of users contacting another user) other than a listing fee, which is a fee for placing the listing on the website and is chargeable before or at the time such listing appears.  Examples of Online Classifieds Advertisements include Craigslist.com, Kijiji.com, and olx.com.

Online Transactional Platforms ” means online transactional platforms or similar as determined by the Award Committee including, but not limited to, (a) any online platform offering a wide variety of product lines and/or services, operating in a manner similar to Amazon .com or Submarino.com as of the date hereof and/or (b) online transactional marketplaces located on websites in which sellers and potential buyers transact for any kinds of goods and/or services, which goods and/or services are displayed on such website, and in which the sellers’ and potential buyers’ initial contact can only be made through such website (for purposes of initial contact, direct contact

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information of another user is not made available to users, in accordance with the terms of use of such website), such as eBay.com, MercadoLibre.com, DeRemate.com, etc. (and any such domain name with country suffixes).

Participant ” means an Eligible Employee who is designated as eligible to receive an Award for services provided in 2010.  The designation of an individual as a Participant under this Plan shall not provide the individual with any rights to any future participation for any subsequent long term retention plans that may be adopted by the Company in future years but, subject to the terms of the Plan, an individual shall remain a Participant for purposes of receiving a payment of an Award until such individual ceases to be an Eligible Employee.

Payments Platforms ” means websites or platforms enabling the sending, receipt, holding and/or transfer of money from one user to another user through an account that is funded by, among other things , traditional payment methods and then used to transact with another user electronically, such as PayPal.com, MercadoPago.com, or Dineromail.com (and any such domain name with country suffixes).

Performance Goals ” means any goals, metrics or other performance measures established for a Participant for services provided in 2010, the attainment of which will result in an Award becoming payable to the Participant, subject to the terms of the Plan.  It is currently anticipated that Performance Goals generally will be based on, and support, both individual and Company goals and may also include goals established for the particular division, affiliate or country in which the Participant is located.

Person ” means and includes a natural person, a corporation, an association, a partnership, a limited liability company, a trust, a joint venture, an unincorporated organization or any other similar entity or a governmental or quasi-governmental body.

Shares ” means shares of c ommon   s tock of the Company, $0.001 par value per share.

Territory ” means the United States of America and each country and territory in Latin America and the Caribbean, including, without limitation, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia , Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Article 3. Participation; Performance Goals and Award Opportunities

The amount of the Award for each Plan Participant and the Performance Goals applicable to such Award will be established by the Award Committee and communicated to each Plan Participant.  The amount of each Award may be different for each Participant or levels of Participants as determined by the Award Committee.

The amount of each Award shall be enumerated as a specified amount calculated in accordance with Article 5 hereof, of United States dollars, unless the Award Committee determines the amount of any such Award in a local currency.  The amount of each Award, to the extent it becomes payable, shall be paid in the form of cash only. 

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Article 4. Review of Participant’s Performance

Performance Goals will generally be set and determined for the 2010 calendar year by the Award Committee.  The Award Committee, with input from the Company officer responsible for each Participant, will evaluate such Participant’s performance relative to the Performance Goals.

Article 5. Payment of Awards

(a) If a Participant does not satisfy the Minimum Eligibility Conditions, then any Award granted to such Participant and subject to such Minimum Eligibility Conditions shall be forfeited, and shall not become payable to such Participant under this Plan.  If the Participant meets the Minimum Eligibility Conditions, the n any Award granted to such Participant and subject to such Minimum Eligibility Conditions shall become payable to the Participant in accordance with and subject to the terms of this Article 5 and Article 6.

Subject to the following paragraphs and Article 6, only if the Participant is employed as an Eligible Employee on the date each portion of the Award is to be paid to such Participant, the Award shall be payable as follows:

(1) Six and a quarter percent ( 6.25% ) of the Award shall be payable to the Participant on or about March 31 of each calendar year for a period of eight (8) years starting in 2011; and

(2) the Participant shall receive on or about March 31 of each calendar year for a period of eight (8) years starting in 2011, an Award payment equal to the product of (i) multiplied by (ii), where (i) equals six and a quarter percent ( 6.25% ) of the Award and (ii) equals the quotient of (a) divided by (b), where (a), the numerator, equals the Market Value as of the applicable payment date and (b), the denominator, equals $45.75 (the average closing price of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final sixty ( 60 ) trading days of 2009).

(b) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any other agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) Each Participant who is employed by the Company on the date a Change in Control occurs shall be vested in the right to receive fifty percent (50%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid thereafter.

(2) As soon as practicable after the date a Change in Control occurs, but in no event more than fifteen (15) days after the date a Change in Control occurs, each Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph shall receive a single cash payment equal to fifty percent (50%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid after the Change in Control (based on the Market Value on the date the Change in Control occurs).

(3) Each Award payment scheduled to be paid after the Change in Control shall be reduced by fifty percent (50%), i.e. , to reflect the single cash

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payment under clause (2) of this paragraph, and shall continue to be paid on each March 31 in accordance with the preceding paragraph, subject to the Participant’s continued employment; provided, however, that if a Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph experiences a Covered Termination on or after Change in Control, then any Award payments scheduled to be paid after the Covered Termination shall be paid in a single cash payment (based on the Market Value on the date of the Covered Termination) within fifteen (15) days after the Covered Termination.

(c) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) The portion of any Award under this Plan that was forfeited or forfeitable upon the Participant’s Covered Termination before a Change in Control shall be reinstated (or if not yet forfeited, retained) as of the date of the Change in Control if such date is not more than one hundred and twenty ( 120 ) days after the date of the Covered Termination.

(2) As soon as practicable after the date a Change in Control occurs, but in no event more than fifteen (15) days after the date a Change in Control occurs, each Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph shall receive a single cash payment equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid after the date of the Participant’s Covered Termination.  With respect to any Award payment originally scheduled to have been paid before the date of the Change in Control, the amount of such payment will be based on the Market Value on the date of the Covered Termination.  With respect to any Award payments scheduled to be paid on or after the Change in Control, the amount of such payment will be based on the Market Value on the date the Change in Control occurs.

(d) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any other agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) I f any portion of an Award received or to be received by a Participant (either alone or together with other payments or benefits which such Participant received or realized or is then entitled to receive or realize from the Company under   any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement in connection with a Change in Control or a Participant’s termination of employment) (all such payments and benefits, being hereinafter referred to as the “Total Payments”) would be subject (in whole or part), to any excise tax imposed under section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”, and such excise tax, the “Excise Tax”), then, after taking into account any reduction in the Total Payments provided by reason of section 280G of the Code in any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement, the Company will reduce the

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payment of the Award to the extent necessary so that no portion of the Total Payments is subject to the Excise Tax (but in no event to less than zero); provided ,   however , that the Award will only be reduced if (i) the net amount of any Total Payments, as so reduced (and after subtracting the net amount of United States federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such reduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out, if any, of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such reduced Total Payments), is greater than or equal to (ii) the net amount of such Total Payments without such reduction (but after subtracting the net amount of federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such Total Payments and the amount of Excise Tax to which the Participant would be subject in respect of such unreduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out, if any, of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such unreduced Total Payments) .

(2) If (A) any portion of the Total Payments other than an Award (the “Other Payments”) is required to be reduced pursuant to a provision substantially similar to this Article 5(d), (B) any portion of an Award is required to be reduced pursuant to this Article 5(d); and (C) there is no other provision in any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement governing the payment of the Other Payments which dictates the order of the reduction in the Other Payments, then the Total Payments will be reduced in the following order: (i) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a) will be reduced (if necessary, to zero), with amounts that are payable last reduced first; (ii) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a), with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; (iii) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with amounts that are payable last reduced first, will next be reduced; (iv) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; and (v) all other non-cash benefits not otherwise described in clauses (ii) or (iv) will be next reduced pro-rata. Any reductions made pursuant to each of clauses (i)-(v) above will be made in the following manner: first, a pro-rata reduction of cash payment and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity not subject to section 409A of the Code, and second, a pro-rata reduction of cash payments and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity subject to section 409A of the Code as deferred compensation .  

(3) For purposes of determining whether and the extent to which the Award will be subject to the Excise Tax and the amount of such Excise Tax: (i) no portion of the Award the receipt or enjoyment of which the Participant

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shall have waived at such time and in such manner as not to constitute a “payment” within the meaning of section 280G(b) of the Code will be taken into account; and (ii) no portion of the Award will be taken into account which, in the opinion of the accounting firm which was, immediately prior to the Change in Control, the Company’s independent auditor, does not constitute a “parachute payment” within the meaning of section 280G(b)(2) of the Code (including by reason of section 280G(b)(4)(A) of the Code) and, in calculating the Excise Tax, no portion of such Award will be taken into account which constitutes reasonable compensation for services actually rendered, within the meaning of section 280G(b)(4)(B) of the Code, in excess of the Base Amount (as defined in section 280G(b)(3) of the Code) allocable to such reasonable compensation.

( 4 ) The fact that the Participant’s right to payments or benefits may be reduced by reason of the limitations contained in this Article 5will not of itself limit or otherwise affect any other rights of the Participant under the Plan. The Participant and the Company shall each reasonably cooperate with the other in connection with any administrative or judicial proceedings concerning the existence or amount of liability for Excise Tax with respect to the Award.



Article 6. Termination of Employment; Forfeitures

(a) Except as provided in Article 5 with respect to a Covered Termination within one hundred and twenty ( 120 ) days before a Change in Control or a Covered Termination on or after a Change in Control, participation in the Plan shall cease immediately upon a Participant’s retirement, resignation or termination of employment as an Eligible Employee for any reason (with or without Cause), or if determined by the Award Committee, upon the Participant’s death or disability.  Disability will be determined under the Company’s long term disability plan, if any, or upon receipt of a letter of determination or similar of the Participant’s complete disability by the applicable governmental authority under local applicable law, which complete disability entitles the Participant to disability payments under local law.

(b) In the event that:

(1) while the Participant is employed by the Company, he or she engages in, directly or indirectly, any other business or activity that could materially or adversely affect the Company’s business or his or her ability to perform his or her duties for the Company, including, but not limited to, any activities adversely affecting the MercadoLibre Business anywhere in the Territory;

(2) while the Participant is employed by the Company or during the one-year period following the termination of the Participant’s employment for any

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reason, he or she directly or indirectly, on his or her own behalf or on behalf of another Person or entity, hires or solicits for hire any employees of the Company or its Affiliates or in any manner attempts to influence or induce any employee of the Company or its Affiliates to leave their employment; or

(3) while the Participant is employed by the Company or during the one-year period following the termination of the Participant’s employment for any reason, he or she alone (or in association with any other Person) directly or indirectly, in any capacity, owns, operates, manages, controls, engages in, invests in, becomes employed by, acts as a consultant or advisor to, or provides services for, or otherwise assists any other Person in activities that are competitive with the MercadoLibre Business anywhere in the Territory,

he or she will automatically forfeit any and all benefits received under the Plan and any and all benefits which the Participant may otherwise be entitled to receive under the Plan.  If the Participant terminates employment with the Company for any reason (with or without Cause) and he or she alone (or in association with any other Person) takes any of the action set forth in subparagraph (1), (2) or (3) above, the Participant will be required to immediately, and in no event more than five (5) days following the termination of the Participant’s employment, return all amounts which the Participant has received under the terms of the Plan (the “Recovery Amount”), and the Participant and the Company hereby agree to the following, notwithstanding any Plan provision to the contrary:

(i) that the Company may withhold all or a portion of the Recovery Amount from any salary, wages or other amounts due to the Participant from the Company; and

(ii) in addition to the Recovery Amount, the Company may also recover any fees incurred by the Company in seeking to collect the Recovery Amount, including, but not limited to, the Company’s reasonable attorneys’ fees.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, ownership of less than five percent (5%) of the outstanding capital stock of any Person whose securities are registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, in and of itself shall not be cause for automatic forfeiture under Article 6(b)(3), whether or not the subject Person is competitive with the Company.

(c) Except as provided in Article 5 with respect to a Covered Termination within one hundred and twenty ( 120 ) days before a Change in Control or a Covered Termination on or after a Change in Control, the portion of any Award under this Plan that has not been actually paid to the Participant prior to the date of such resignation or other termination of employment shall be forfeited, except that the Award Committee, in its discretion, may pay all or part of the amount that remains payable under an Award upon the disability or death of the Participant in accordance with such rules or procedures established by the Award Committee; provided, however, that any amount of the Award payment that the Award Committee determines to pay shall be paid no later than March 15 of the year following the year in which the Participant’s

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employment ends on account of disability or death.  Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, any Award paid to the Participant shall be subject to recovery by the Company in the event that the Participant is terminated for Cause and shall, to the extent permitted by law, be subject to recovery from any amounts owed by the Company to the Participant, including, but not limited to, offsetting any amounts owed under the Plan to the Company against any amounts otherwise owed to the Participant by the Company.

(d) If the Award Committee decides to pay all or part of an Award after the death of a Participant in accordance with this Article 6, the Participant may designate in writing one or more persons (“beneficiary”) to receive any unpaid portion of the Participant’s Award upon the death of the Participant.  By similar action, the Participant may designate a change of beneficiary at any time, which change shall be effective only upon receipt by the Award Committee of said notice.  The last such designation form filed with the Award Committee prior to the Participant’s death shall control.  The Award Committee may establish a form or other requirements for such designation.  If the Participant designates his spouse as a beneficiary, the divorce of Participant shall automatically revoke that designation of his spouse as beneficiary except to the extent otherwise provided in a subsequent beneficiary designation filed by the Participant with the Award Committee.  In the absence of a written designation, or in the event the Participant dies without a beneficiary surviving him, any amount payable on account of his death shall be paid to the surviving spouse of the Participant or if none, to the Participant’s estate.  A beneficiary of a Participant shall have no interest or rights hereunder during the lifetime of the Participant.

Article 7. Administrative Provisions

A. The Plan was approved by the Board on June 25, 2010 to be effective as of January 1, 2010 for all services provided by Participants in 2010 and was amended and restated effective as of January 1, 2013 and   effective as of January 1, 2015 , and is further amended and restated as set forth herein effective as of January 1, 2016 .

B. Unless the Board provides otherwise, the Plan shall be administered and interpreted by the Award Committee, which has been provided absolute authority hereunder to administer the Plan.  The Board and its members, the members of the Award Committee and any other individual who may, from time to time, have been delegated responsibility with respect to the administration of this Plan (collectively, “Authorized Persons”), shall have the full authority, discretion and power necessary or desirable to administer and interpret this Plan, in accordance with the Plan terms.  Benefits under the Plan shall be payable only if the Authorized Persons in their respective sole and absolute discretion determine that any such benefits are properly payable under the Plan.  Without in any way limiting the foregoing, all Authorized Persons shall have complete authority, sole discretion and power to:  (i) determine the Participants; (ii) determine the Performance Goals applicable to each Participant, as well as the relative weighting of each such Performance Goals to determine eligibility for payment of an Award hereunder; (iii) evaluate and determine the performance of Participants; (iv) determine the amount of the Award for each Participant; (v) interpret the provisions of this Plan and any other documentation used in connection with this Plan, including documentation specifying individual Participant Performance Goals, Award opportunities and the

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like; (vi) establish and interpret rules, regulations and procedures (written or by practice) for the administration of the Plan; and (vii) make all other determinations and take all other actions necessary or desirable for the administration or interpretation of this Plan.  The express grant in the Plan of any specific power to Authorized Persons shall not be construed as limiting any power or authority of such Authorized Person.  All actions, decisions and interpretations of the Authorized Persons shall be final, conclusive and binding on all parties.  All expenses of administering the Plan shall be borne by the Company.

C. Nothing in this Plan shall be deemed by implication, action or otherwise to constitute a contract of employment or otherwise to impose any limitation on any right of the Company to terminate a Participant’s employment at any time for any or no reason.

D. A Participant shall have no right to anticipate, alienate, sell, transfer, assign, pledge or encumber any right to receive any Award made under the Plan, nor will any Participant have any lien on any assets of the Company by reason of any Award made under the Plan.

E. The Company shall have the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, any taxes required by law to be withheld from Awards made under this Plan.

F. The Plan may be amended, suspended or terminated at any time and from time to time, by action of the Board or the Award Committee, but in any event, the Plan will be terminated no later than upon the last date the Company pays all Participants any and all amounts that may due under the Plan and no amounts remain due and payable under the Plan to any person as determined by Award Committee.  The preceding sentence to the contrary notwithstanding, on and after a Change in Control, no amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan that adversely affects the rights of a Participant (or the beneficiary of a deceased Participant who has not received payment of an amount approved by the Award Committee under Article 6), shall be effective without the written consent of that Participant or beneficiary.

G. The adoption of the Plan does not imply any commitment to continue to maintain the Plan, or any modified version of the Plan, or any other plan for incentive compensation for such Participant for any period of time.  Neither the adoption of this Plan, its operation, nor any documents describing or referring to this Plan (or any part thereof) shall confer upon any employee any right to continue in the employ of the Company or in any way affect any right and power of the Company to terminate the employment of any employee at any time without assigning a reason therefor.

H. This Plan, insofar as it provides for Awards, shall be unfunded, and the Company shall not be required to segregate any assets that may at any time be represented by Awards under the Plan.  Any liability of the Company to any person

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with respect to any Awards under this Plan shall be based solely upon any contractual obligations which may be created pursuant to this Plan.  No such obligation of the Company shall be deemed to be secured by any pledge of, or other encumbrance on, any property of the Company.

I. In order to be effective, any amendment of this Plan or any Award must be in writing and made by the Award Committee.  No oral statement, representation, written presentation or the like shall have the effect of amending or modifying this Plan or any Award, or otherwise have any binding effect on the Company, the Board, the Chief Executive, the Award Committee or any individual who has been delegated authority to administer this Plan.

J. The Plan shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the substantive laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to principles of conflicts of law.

K. In case any provision of the Plan shall be held illegal or void, such illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining provisions of this Plan, but shall be fully severable, and the Plan shall be construed and enforced as if said illegal or invalid provisions had never been inserted herein.

L. Except for their own gross negligence or gross misconduct regarding the performance of the duties specifically assigned to them under, or their willful breach of the terms of this Plan, the Company (and its affiliates), Board and its members, the Award Committee and its members, and any other entity or individual administering any aspect of this Plan shall be held harmless by the Participants and their respective representatives, heirs, successors, and assigns, against liability or losses occurring by reason of any act or omission under the Plan.

M. Should the Company effect one or more stock dividends, stock splits, subdivisions or consolidations of Shares or other similar changes in capitalization, then the terms of outstanding Awards shall be adjusted as the Award Committee shall determine to be equitably required.  Any determination made under this Article 7( M ) by the Award Committee shall be final and conclusive.  The issuance by the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, for cash or property, or for labor or services, either upon direct sale or upon the exercise of rights or warrants to subscribe therefor, or upon conversion of shares or obligations of the Company convertible into such shares or other securities, shall not affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, Awards.

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Executed on the 2 nd day of August ,   2016 to be effective as of the 1 st day of January, 2016 .

MercadoLibre, Inc.







By:



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MERCADOLIBRE, INC. 2011 LONG TERM RETENTION PROGRAM



















Effective as of January 1, 2011

As Amended and Restated

Effective January 1, 2016



Contents



MercadoLibre, Inc. 2011 Long Term Retention Program

Article 1. Purpose 1

Article 2. Definitions 1

Article 3. Participation; Performance Goals and Award Opportunities 5

Article 4. Review of Participant’s Performance 6

Article 5. Payment of Awards 6

Article 6. Termination of Employment; Forfeitures 8

Article 7. Administrative Provisions 10

 

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MERCADOLIBRE, INC. 2011 LONG TERM RETENTION PROGRAM

Article 1. Purpose

The MercadoLibre, Inc. 2011 Long Term Retention Program (the “Plan”) was effective as of January 1, 2011, amended and restated effective January 1, 2013 and January 1, 2015 , and is further amended and restated as set forth herein effective as of January 1, 2016 .  The principal purpose of the Plan is to assist the Company in the retention of key employees that have valuable industry experience and developed competencies by rewarding Participants in relation to their individual results and their contributions to the organization, as well as overall Company goals and performance.

Article 2. Definitions

When used in the Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

Affiliate ” means with respect to any Person, a Person that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with such Person (it being understood, that a Person shall be deemed to “control” another Person, for purposes of this definition, if such Person directly or indirectly has the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such other Person, whether through holding ownership interests in such other Person, through agreements or otherwise, and that direct or indirect ownership of ten percent (10%) or more of the voting interests of another Person shall always be deemed to constitute “control”).

Award ” means a specified amount, calculated in accordance with Article 5, payable to a Participant under this Plan for services provided to the Company in 2011 as determined by the Award Committee from time to time in its sole discretion in the form of cash only.  Award payments hereunder shall be contingent on the attainment of one or more Performance Goals.  The timing and conditions of the payment of an Award are subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan , and subject to Article 7 of the Plan, any other terms and conditions determined by the Award Committee to be appropriate .  An Award may, but is not required to, be evidenced by a separate agreement executed by the Participant. 

Award Committee ” means the Compensation Committee of the Board, or such other committee that the Board appoints to administer this Plan, which shall have general administrative authority concerning the Plan, and shall, subject to Article 7, have the sole and absolute authority and discretion to resolve any and all terms and conditions of any Awards and disputes concerning the Plan and any Awards hereunder.

Board ” means the board of directors of the Company.

Cause ” means “cause” or a similar term set forth in the Participant’s employment agreement with the Company or, if no such agreement is then in effect, shall mean (A) the Participant’s material disregard of his responsibilities, authorities, powers, functions or duties or failure to act, (B) repeated or material negligence or misconduct by the Participant in the performance of his duties, (C) appropriation (or attempted

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appropriation) of a business opportunity of the Company, including attempting to secure or securing any personal profit in connection with any transaction entered into on behalf of the Company, (D) the commission by the Participant of any act of fraud, theft or financial dishonesty with respect to the Company, or any felony or criminal act involving moral turpitude or dishonesty on the part of the Participant, (E) the Participant’s habitual drunkenness or excessive absenteeism not related to sickness, and/or (F) the material breach by the Participant of any provision of his employment agreement that is not cured by the Participant within thirty (30) days after written notice of breach has been delivered to the Participant by the Company, unless such breach is incapable of cure (in which case the Participant shall not be entitled to an opportunity to cure), in each case of clauses (A) through (F) above, as determined by the Board in good faith.

Change in Control ” shall mean a change in control of the Company which will be deemed to have occurred after the date hereof if:

(a) any “person” as such term is used in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act, as modified and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, is or becomes the beneficial owner, as such term is defined in Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing at least fifty percent ( 50% ) of the combined voting power or S hares of the Company; provided, however, that such term shall not include (A) the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (B) any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or any of its affiliates, (C) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to an offering of such securities, (D) any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company’s S hares, or (E) any person or group as used in Rule 13d-1(b) under the Exchange Act, is or becomes the Beneficial Owner, as such term is defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act;

(b) there is consummated a merger or consolidation of the Company or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries with any other corporation, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or any parent thereof) more than fifty percent ( 50% ) of the combined voting power and S hares of the Company or such surviving entity or any parent thereof outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation; or

(c) there is completed a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets (or any transaction having a similar effect, including a liquidation) other than a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets to an entity, more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power and common shares of which is owned by shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the S hares of the Company immediately prior to such sale.

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Company ” means MercadoLibre, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, and MercadoLibre, Inc.’s successors or assigns.

Covered Termination ” means (i) a termination of a Participant’s employment by the Company without Cause and for a reason other than the Participant’s death or disability (as determined under Article 6(a)) or (ii) a Participant’s resignation from the Company with Good Reason.

Eligible Employee ” means an individual who is designated by the Award Committee as eligible for this Plan and who is employed by the Company as determined by the Award Committee.

Good Reason ” means (i) a material diminution in the Participant’s duties, functions and responsibilities to the Company without the Participant’s consent or the Company preventing the Participant from fulfilling or exercising the Participant’s materials duties, functions and responsibilities to the Company without the Participant’s consent; (ii) a material reduction in the Participant’s base salary or bonus opportunity or (iii) a requirement that the Participant relocate the Participant’s employment more than fifty (50) miles from the location of the Participant’s principal office without the consent of the Participant.  A Participant’s resignation shall not be a resignation with Good Reason unless the Participant gives the Company written notice (delivered within thirty (30) days after the Participant knows of the event, action, etc. that the Participant asserts constitutes Good Reason), the event, action, etc. that the Participant asserts constitutes Good Reason is not cured, to the reasonable satisfaction of the Participant, within thirty (30) days after such notice and the Participant resigns effective not later than thirty (30) days after the expiration of such cure period.

Market Value ” of a Share, as of any date, means (i) the average closing sale price of one Share as reported on a national stock exchange, including, but not limited to, the NASDAQ Global Market (a “National Stock Exchange”) during the sixty ( 60 )   trading day period (or such shorter period as the Shares are so listed) ending on the last trading day immediately preceding such date; (ii) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period but are quoted on the Over-the-Counter-Bulletin Board (the “OTCBB”), the mean between the closing bid and closing asked prices for the Shares as quoted on the OTCBB during the sixty ( 60 )   trading day period (or such shorter period as the Shares are so quoted) ending on the last trading day immediately preceding such date, (iii) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange or quoted on the OTCBB during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period and the S hares were last traded on a National Stock Exchange, the average closing sale price of one Share as reported on the National Stock Exchange during the ninety ( 90 )   trading day period ending on the last day the Shares were listed for trading on such Exchange or (iv) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange or quoted on the OTCBB during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period and the S hares were last traded on the OTCBB, the mean between the closing bid and closing asked prices for the Shares as quoted on the OTCBB during the ninety ( 90 )   trading day period ending on the last day the Shares were quoted on the OTCBB.  For purposes of calculating the benefits and valuing Shares for the single cash

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payment payable within fifteen (15) days after a Change in Control, the term “Market Value” means the amount determined under the preceding sentence determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs.  For purposes of calculating benefits and valuing Shares for other payments payable after a Change in Control, the term “Market Value” means, (x) in the event the Company is not the surviving entity in the Change in Control, the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs, or, (y) in the event the Company is the surviving entity in the Change in Control, the greater of (A)  the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date the benefit is payable ( e.g. , as of March 31 of the appropriate year or the date of a Participant’s Covered Termination, as applicable) or (B) the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs.

MercadoLibre Business ” means any activities directly or indirectly related to Online Transactional Platforms, Online Classified Advertisements and/or Payment Platforms.

Minimum Eligibility Conditions ” means the minimum conditions established by the Award Committee and approved by the Board that a Participant must meet in order to be eligible to receive payments under any Award hereunder.

Online Classified Advertisements ” means listings of goods, products or services on Internet sites, which listings (1) serve the same purpose as the listings appearing in the classifieds section of printed newspapers, (2) include direct contact information of the seller via telephone, e-mail or any offline method, which contact information is readily and continuously available to any visitor without restriction or special action required from the visitor, or provide for a method to contact the seller so that the seller may then respond providing direct contact information, and (3) are on Internet sites the operator or administrator of which does not (x) play any role in consummating the transaction to which the listing relates, or (y) provide any information (other than contact information) to the seller regarding the potential buyer or interested party, or otherwise serve as middle-man between a potential buyer and seller (other than for the limited purposes expressly set forth in this paragraph), or (z) charge any fee or commission for such transaction (including, without limitation, any fees for completion of transactions and/or fees based on number of users contacting another user) other than a listing fee, which is a fee for placing the listing on the website and is chargeable before or at the time such listing appears.  Examples of Online Classifieds Advertisements include Craigslist.com, Kijiji.com, and olx.com.

Online Transactional Platforms ” means online transactional platforms or similar as determined by the Award Committee including, but not limited to, (a) any online platform offering a wide variety of product lines and/or services, operating in a manner similar to Amazon.com or Submarino.com as of the date hereof and/or (b) online transactional marketplaces located on websites in which sellers and potential buyers transact for any kinds of goods and/or services, which goods and/or services are displayed on such website, and in which the sellers’ and potential buyers’ initial contact can only be made through such website (for purposes of initial contact, direct contact

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information of another user is not made available to users, in accordance with the terms of use of such website), such as eBay.com, MercadoLibre.com, DeRemate.com, etc. (and any such domain name with country suffixes).

Participant ” means an Eligible Employee who is designated as eligible to receive an Award for services provided in 2011.  The designation of an individual as a Participant under this Plan shall not provide the individual with any rights to any future participation for any subsequent long term retention plans that may be adopted by the Company in future years but, subject to the terms of the Plan, an individual shall remain a Participant for purposes of receiving a payment of an Award until such individual ceases to be an Eligible Employee.

Payments Platforms ” means websites or platforms enabling the sending, receipt, holding and/or transfer of money from one user to another user through an account that is funded by, among other things, traditional payment methods and then used to transact with another user electronically, such as PayPal.com, MercadoPago.com, or Dineromail.com (and any such domain name with country suffixes).

Performance Goals ” means any goals, metrics or other performance measures established for a Participant for services provided in 2011, the attainment of which will result in an Award becoming payable to the Participant, subject to the terms of the Plan.  It is currently anticipated that Performance Goals generally will be based on, and support, both individual and Company goals and may also include goals established for the particular division, affiliate or country in which the Participant is located.

Person ” means and includes a natural person, a corporation, an association, a partnership, a limited liability company, a trust, a joint venture, an unincorporated organization or any other similar entity or a governmental or quasi-governmental body.

Shares ” means shares of c ommon s tock of the Company, $0.001 par value per share.

Territory ” means the United States of America and each country and territory in Latin America and the Caribbean, including, without limitation, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Article 3. Participation; Performance Goals and Award Opportunities

The amount of the Award for each Plan Participant and the Performance Goals applicable to such Award will be established by the Award Committee and communicated to each Plan Participant.  The amount of each Award may be different for each Participant or levels of Participants as determined by the Award Committee.

The amount of each Award shall be enumerated as a specified amount, calculated in accordance with Article 5 hereof, of United States dollars, unless the Award Committee determines the amount of any such Award in a local currency.  The amount of each Award, to the extent it becomes payable, shall be paid   in the form of cash only.   

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Article 4. Review of Participant’s Performance

Performance Goals will generally be set and determined for the 2011 calendar year by the Award Committee.  The Award Committee, with input from the Company officer responsible for each Participant, will evaluate such Participant’s performance relative to the Performance Goals.

Article 5. Payment of Awards

(a) If a Participant does not satisfy the Minimum Eligibility Conditions, then any Award granted to such Participant and subject to such Minimum Eligibility Conditions shall be forfeited, and shall not become payable to such Participant under this Plan.  If the Participant meets the Minimum Eligibility Conditions, the n any Award granted to such Participant and subject to such Minimum Eligibility Conditions shall become payable to the Participant in accordance with and subject to the terms of this Article 5 and Article 6.

Subject to the following paragraphs and Article 6, only if the Participant is employed as an Eligible Employee on the date each portion of the Award is to be paid to such Participant, the Award shall be payable as follows:

(1) Six and a quarter percent ( 6.25% ) of the Award shall be payable to the Participant on or about March 31 of each calendar year for a period of eight (8) years starting in 2012; and

(2) the Participant shall receive on or about March 31 of each calendar year for a period of eight (8) years starting in 2012, an Award payment equal in value to the product of (i) multiplied by (ii), where (i) equals six and a quarter percent ( 6.25% ) of the Award and (ii) equals the quotient of (a) divided by (b), where (a), the numerator, equals the Market Value as of the applicable payment date and (b), the denominator, equals $65.42 (the average closing price of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final sixty ( 60 ) trading days of 2010).

(b) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any other agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) Each Participant who is employed by the Company on the date a Change in Control occurs shall be vested in the right to receive fifty percent (50%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid thereafter.

(2) As soon as practicable after the date a Change in Control occurs, but in no event more than fifteen (15) days after the date a Change in Control occurs, each Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph shall receive a single cash payment equal to fifty percent (50%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid after the Change in Control (based on the Market Value on the date the Change in Control occurs).

(3) Each Award payment scheduled to be paid after the Change in Control shall be reduced by fifty percent (50%), i.e. , to reflect the single cash

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payment under clause (2) of this paragraph, and shall continue to be paid on each March 31 in accordance with the preceding paragraph, subject to the Participant’s continued employment; provided, however, that if a Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph experiences a Covered Termination on or after a Change in Control, then any Award payments scheduled to be paid after the Covered Termination shall be paid in a single cash payment (based on the Market Value on the date of the Covered Termination) within fifteen (15) days after the Covered Termination.

(c) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) The portion of any Award under this Plan that was forfeited or forfeitable upon the Participant’s Covered Termination before a Change in Control shall be reinstated (or if not yet forfeited, retained) as of the date of the Change in Control if such date is not more than one hundred and twenty ( 120 ) days after the date of the Covered Termination.

(2) As soon as practicable after the date a Change in Control occurs, but in no event more than fifteen (15) days after the date a Change in Control occurs, each Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph shall receive a single cash payment equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid after the date of the Participant’s Covered Termination.  With respect to any Award payment originally scheduled to have been paid before the date of the Change in Control, the amount of such payment will be based on the Market Value on the date of the Covered Termination.  With respect to any Award payments scheduled to be paid on or after the Change in Control, the amount of such payment will be based on the Market Value on the date the Change in Control occurs. (d) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any other agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) I f any portion of an Award received or to be received by a Participant (either alone or together with other payments or benefits which such Participant received or realized or is then entitled to receive or realize from the Company under   any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement in connection with a Change in Control or a Participant’s termination of employment) (all such payments and benefits, being hereinafter referred to as the “Total Payments”) would be subject (in whole or part), to any excise tax imposed under section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”, and such excise tax, the “Excise Tax”), then, after taking into account any reduction in the Total Payments provided by reason of section 280G of the Code in any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement, the Company will reduce the payment of the Award to the extent necessary so that no portion of the Total Payments is subject to the Excise Tax (but in no event to less than zero); provided ,   however , that the Award will only be reduced if (i) the net amount of any Total Payments, as so reduced (and after subtracting the net

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amount of United States federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such reduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out, if any, of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such reduced Total Payments), is greater than or equal to (ii) the net amount of such Total Payments without such reduction (but after subtracting the net amount of federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such Total Payments and the amount of Excise Tax to which the Participant would be subject in respect of such unreduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out, if any, of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such unreduced Total Payments) .

(2) If (A) any portion of the Total Payments other than an Award (the “Other Payments”) is required to be reduced pursuant to a provision substantially similar to this Article 5(d), (B) any portion of an Award is required to be reduced pursuant to this Article 5(d); and (C) there is no other provision in any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement governing the payment of the Other Payments which dictates the order of the reduction in the Other Payments, then the Total Payments will be reduced in the following order: (i) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a) will be reduced (if necessary, to zero), with amounts that are payable last reduced first; (ii) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a), with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; (iii) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with amounts that are payable last reduced first, will next be reduced; (iv) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; and (v) all other non-cash benefits not otherwise described in clauses (ii) or (iv) will be next reduced pro-rata. Any reductions made pursuant to each of clauses (i)-(v) above will be made in the following manner: first, a pro-rata reduction of cash payment and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity not subject to section 409A of the Code, and second, a pro-rata reduction of cash payments and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity subject to section 409A of the Code as deferred compensation .  

(3) For purposes of determining whether and the extent to which the Award will be subject to the Excise Tax and the amount of such Excise Tax: (i) no portion of the Award the receipt or enjoyment of which the Participant shall have waived at such time and in such manner as not to constitute a “payment” within the meaning of section 280G(b) of the Code will be taken into account; and (ii) no portion of the Award will be taken into account which, in the opinion of the accounting firm which was,

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immediately prior to the Change in Control, the Company’s independent auditor, does not constitute a “parachute payment” within the meaning of section 280G(b)(2) of the Code (including by reason of section 280G(b)(4)(A) of the Code) and, in calculating the Excise Tax, no portion of such Award will be taken into account which constitutes reasonable compensation for services actually rendered, within the meaning of section 280G(b)(4)(B) of the Code, in excess of the Base Amount (as defined in section 280G(b)(3) of the Code) allocable to such reasonable compensation.

( 4 ) The fact that the Participant’s right to payments or benefits may be reduced by reason of the limitations contained in this Article 5will not of itself limit or otherwise affect any other rights of the Participant under the Plan. The Participant and the Company shall each reasonably cooperate with the other in connection with any administrative or judicial proceedings concerning the existence or amount of liability for Excise Tax with respect to the Award.

Article 6. Termination of Employment; Forfeitures

(a) Except as provided in Article 5 with respect to a Covered Termination within one hundred and twenty ( 120 ) days before a Change in Control or a Covered Termination on or after a Change in Control, participation in the Plan shall cease immediately upon a Participant’s retirement, resignation or termination of employment as an Eligible Employee for any reason, or if determined by the Award Committee, upon the Participant’s death or disability.  Disability will be determined under the Company’s long term disability plan, if any, or upon receipt of a letter of determination or similar of the Participant’s complete disability by the applicable governmental authority under local applicable law, which complete disability entitles the Participant to disability payments under local law.

(b) In the event that:

(1) while the Participant is employed by the Company, he or she engages in, directly or indirectly, any other business or activity that could materially or adversely affect the Company’s business or his or her ability to perform his or her duties for the Company, including, but not limited to, any activities adversely affecting the MercadoLibre Business anywhere in the Territory;

(2) while the Participant is employed by the Company or during the one-year period following the termination of the Participant’s employment for any reason, he or she directly or indirectly, on his or her own behalf or on behalf of another Person or entity, hires or solicits for hire any employees of the Company or its Affiliates or in any manner attempts to influence or induce any employee of the Company or its Affiliates to leave their employment; or

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(3) while the Participant is employed by the Company or during the one-year period following the termination of the Participant’s employment for any reason, he or she alone (or in association with any other Person) directly or indirectly, in any capacity, owns, operates, manages, controls, engages in, invests in, becomes employed by, acts as a consultant or advisor to, or provides services for, or otherwise assists any other Person in activities that are competitive with the MercadoLibre Business anywhere in the Territory,

he or she will automatically forfeit any and all benefits received under the Plan and any and all benefits which the Participant may otherwise be entitled to receive under the Plan.  If the Participant terminates employment with the Company for any reason (with or without Cause) and he or she alone (or in association with any other Person) takes any of the action set forth in subparagraph (1), (2) or (3) above, the Participant will be required to immediately, and in no event more than five (5) days following the termination of the Participant’s employment, return all amounts which the Participant has received under the terms of the Plan (the “Recovery Amount”), and the Participant and the Company hereby agree to the following, notwithstanding any Plan provision to the contrary:

(i) that the Company may withhold all or a portion of the Recovery Amount from any salary, wages or other amounts due to the Participant from the Company; and

(ii) in addition to the Recovery Amount, the Company may also recover any fees incurred by the Company in seeking to collect the Recovery Amount, including, but not limited to, the Company’s reasonable attorneys’ fees.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, ownership of less than five percent (5%) of the outstanding capital stock of any Person whose securities are registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, in and of itself shall not be cause for automatic forfeiture under Article 6(b)(3), whether or not the subject Person is competitive with the Company.

(c) Except as provided in Article 5 with respect to a Covered Termination within one hundred and twenty ( 120 )   days   before a Change in Control or a Covered Termination on or after a Change in Control, the portion of any Award under this Plan that has not been actually paid to the Participant prior to the date of such resignation or other termination of employment shall be forfeited, except that the Award Committee, in its discretion, may pay all or part of the amount that remains payable under an Award upon the disability or death of the Participant in accordance with such rules or procedures established by the Award Committee; provided, however, that any amount of the Award payment that the Award Committee determines to pay shall be paid no later than March 15 of the year following the year that the Participant’s employment ends on account of disability or death.  Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, any Award paid to the Participant shall be subject to recovery by the Company in the event that the Participant is terminated for Cause and shall, to the extent permitted by law, be subject to recovery from any amounts owed by the Company to the Participant, including, but not limited to, offsetting any amounts owed under the Plan to the Company against any amounts otherwise owed to the Participant by the Company.

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(d) If the Award Committee decides to pay all or part of an Award after the death of a Participant in accordance with this Article 6, the Participant may designate in writing one or more persons (“beneficiary”) to receive any unpaid portion of the Participant’s Award upon the death of the Participant.  By similar action, the Participant may designate a change of beneficiary at any time, which change shall be effective only upon receipt by the Award Committee of said notice.  The last such designation form filed with the Award Committee prior to the Participant’s death shall control.  The Award Committee may establish a form or other requirements for such designation.  If the Participant designates his spouse as a beneficiary, the divorce of Participant shall automatically revoke that designation of his spouse as beneficiary except to the extent otherwise provided in a subsequent beneficiary designation filed by the Participant with the Award Committee.  In the absence of a written designation, or in the event the Participant dies without a beneficiary surviving him, any amount payable on account of his death shall be paid to the surviving spouse of the Participant or if none, to the Participant’s estate.  A beneficiary of a Participant shall have no interest or rights hereunder during the lifetime of the Participant.

Article 7. Administrative Provisions

A. The Plan was approved by the Board on August 1, 2011 to be effective as of January 1, 2011 for all services provided by Participants in 2011, w as amended and restated effective January 1, 2013 and January 1, 2015 and is further amended and restated as set forth herein effective as of January 1, 2016 .

B. Unless the Board provides otherwise, the Plan shall be administered and interpreted by the Award Committee, which has been provided absolute authority hereunder to administer the Plan.  The Board and its members, the members of the Award Committee and any other individual who may, from time to time, have been delegated responsibility with respect to the administration of this Plan (collectively, “Authorized Persons”), shall have the full authority, discretion and power necessary or desirable to administer and interpret this Plan, in accordance with the Plan terms.  Benefits under the Plan shall be payable only if the Authorized Persons in their respective sole and absolute discretion determine that any such benefits are properly payable under the Plan.  Without in any way limiting the foregoing, all Authorized Persons shall have complete authority, sole discretion and power to:  (i) determine the Participants; (ii) determine the Performance Goals applicable to each Participant, as well as the relative weighting of each such Performance Goals to determine eligibility for payment of an Award hereunder; (iii) evaluate and determine the performance of Participants; (iv) determine the amount of the Award for each Participant; (v) interpret the provisions of this Plan and any other documentation used in connection with this Plan, including documentation specifying individual Participant Performance Goals, Award opportunities and the like; (vi) establish and interpret rules, regulations and procedures (written or by practice) for the administration of the Plan; and (vii) make all other determinations and take all other actions necessary or desirable for the administration or interpretation of this Plan.  The express grant in the Plan of any specific power to Authorized Persons shall not be construed as limiting any power or authority of such Authorized Person.  All actions, decisions and interpretations of the

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Authorized Persons shall be final, conclusive and binding on all parties.  All expenses of administering the Plan shall be borne by the Company.

C. Nothing in this Plan shall be deemed by implication, action or otherwise to constitute a contract of employment or otherwise to impose any limitation on any right of the Company to terminate a Participant’s employment at any time for any or no reason.

D. A Participant shall have no right to anticipate, alienate, sell, transfer, assign, pledge or encumber any right to receive any Award made under the Plan, nor will any Participant have any lien on any assets of the Company by reason of any Award made under the Plan.

E. The Company shall have the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, any taxes required by law to be withheld from Awards made under this Plan.

F. The Plan may be amended, suspended or terminated at any time and from time to time, by action of the Board or the Award Committee, but in any event, the Plan will be terminated no later than upon the last date the Company pays all Participants any and all amounts that may due under the Plan and no amounts remain due and payable under the Plan to any person as determined by Award Committee.  The preceding sentence to the contrary notwithstanding, on and after a Change in Control, no amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan that adversely affects the rights of a Participant (or the beneficiary of a deceased Participant who has not received payment of an amount approved by the Award Committee under Article 6), shall be effective without the written consent of that Participant or beneficiary.

G. The adoption of the Plan does not imply any commitment to continue to maintain the Plan, or any modified version of the Plan, or any other plan for incentive compensation for such Participant for any period of time.  Neither the adoption of this Plan, its operation, nor any documents describing or referring to this Plan (or any part thereof) shall confer upon any employee any right to continue in the employ of the Company or in any way affect any right and power of the Company to terminate the employment of any employee at any time without assigning a reason therefor.

H. This Plan, insofar as it provides for Awards, shall be unfunded, and the Company shall not be required to segregate any assets that may at any time be represented by Awards under the Plan.  Any liability of the Company to any person with respect to any Awards under this Plan shall be based solely upon any contractual obligations which may be created pursuant to this Plan.  No such obligation of the Company shall be deemed to be secured by any pledge of, or other encumbrance on, any property of the Company.

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I. In order to be effective, any amendment of this Plan or any Award must be in writing and made by the Award Committee.  No oral statement, representation, written presentation or the like shall have the effect of amending or modifying this Plan or any Award, or otherwise have any binding effect on the Company, the Board, the Chief Executive, the Award Committee or any individual who has been delegated authority to administer this Plan.

J. The Plan shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the substantive laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to principles of conflicts of law.

K. In case any provision of the Plan shall be held illegal or void, such illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining provisions of this Plan, but shall be fully severable, and the Plan shall be construed and enforced as if said illegal or invalid provisions had never been inserted herein.

L. Except for their own gross negligence or gross misconduct regarding the performance of the duties specifically assigned to them under, or their willful breach of the terms of this Plan, the Company (and its affiliates), Board and its members, the Award Committee and its members, and any other entity or individual administering any aspect of this Plan shall be held harmless by the Participants and their respective representatives, heirs, successors, and assigns, against liability or losses occurring by reason of any act or omission under the Plan.

M. Should the Company effect one or more stock dividends, stock splits, subdivisions or consolidations of Shares or other similar changes in capitalization, then the terms of outstanding Awards shall be adjusted as the Award Committee shall determine to be equitably required.  Any determination made under this Article 7( M ) by the Award Committee shall be final and conclusive.  The issuance by the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, for cash or property, or for labor or services, either upon direct sale or upon the exercise of rights or warrants to subscribe therefor, or upon conversion of shares or obligations of the Company convertible into such shares or other securities, shall not affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, Awards.

Executed on the 2 nd day of August , 201 6 to be effective as of the 1st day of January, 2016 .

MercadoLibre, Inc.







By:

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MERCADOLIBRE, INC. 2012
LONG TERM RETENTION PROGRAM



















Effective as of January 1, 2012

As Amended and Restated

Effective January 1, 201 6



Contents



MercadoLibre, Inc. 2012 Long Term Retention Program

Article 1. Purpose ................................................................................................................... 1

Article 2. Definitions ............................................................................................................... 1

Article 3. Participation; Performance Goals and Award Opportunities ................................................. 5

Article 4. Review of Participant’s Performance ............................................................................. 6

Article 5. Payment of Awards ................................................................................................... 6

Article 6. Termination of Employment; Forfeitures ......................................................................... 8

Article 7. Administrative Provisions ......................................................................................... 10







 

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MERCADOLIBRE, INC. 2012 LONG TERM RETENTION PROGRAM

Article 1. Purpose

The MercadoLibre, Inc. 2012 Long Term Retention Program (the “Plan”) was effective as of January 1, 2012, w as amended and restated effective as of January 1, 2013 and January 1, 2015 and is further amended and restated as set forth herein effective as of January 1, 2016 .  The principal purpose of the Plan is to assist the Company in the retention of key employees that have valuable industry experience and developed competencies by rewarding Participants in relation to their individual results and their contributions to the organization, as well as overall Company goals and performance.

Article 2. Definitions

When used in the Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

Affiliate means with respect to any Person, a Person that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with such Person (it being understood, that a Person shall be deemed to “control” another Person, for purposes of this definition, if such Person directly or indirectly has the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such other Person, whether through holding ownership interests in such other Person, through agreements or otherwise, and that direct or indirect ownership of ten percent (10%) or more of the voting interests of another Person shall always be deemed to constitute “control”).

Award ” means a specified amount, calculated in accordance with Article 5, payable to a Participant under this Plan for services provided to the Company in 2012 as determined by the Award Committee from time to time in its sole discretion in the form of cash only.  Award payments hereunder shall be contingent on the attainment of one or more Performance Goals.  The timing and conditions of the payment of an Award are subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan , and subject to Article 7 of the Plan, any other terms and conditions determined by the Award Committee to be appropriate .  An Award may, but is not required to, be evidenced by a separate agreement executed by the Participant. 

Award Committee means the Compensation Committee of the Board, or such other committee that the Board appoints to administer this Plan, which shall have general administrative authority concerning the Plan, and shall, subject to Article 7, have the sole and absolute authority and discretion to resolve any and all terms and conditions of any Awards and disputes concerning the Plan and any Awards hereunder.

Board means the board of directors of the Company.

Cause ” means “cause” or a similar term set forth in the Participant’s employment agreement with the Company or, if no such agreement is then in effect, shall mean (A) the Participant’s material disregard of his responsibilities, authorities, powers, functions or duties or failure to act, (B) repeated or material negligence or misconduct by the Participant in the performance of his duties, (C) appropriation (or attempted

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appropriation) of a business opportunity of the Company, including attempting to secure or securing any personal profit in connection with any transaction entered into on behalf of the Company, (D) the commission by the Participant of any act of fraud, theft or financial dishonesty with respect to the Company, or any felony or criminal act involving moral turpitude or dishonesty on the part of the Participant, (E) the Participant’s habitual drunkenness or excessive absenteeism not related to sickness, and/or (F) the material breach by the Participant of any provision of his employment agreement that is not cured by the Participant within thirty (30) days after written notice of breach has been delivered to the Participant by the Company, unless such breach is incapable of cure (in which case the Participant shall not be entitled to an opportunity to cure), in each case of  clauses (A)  through  (F)  above, as determined by the Board in good faith.

Change in Control ” shall mean a change in control of the Company which will be deemed to have occurred after the date hereof if:

(a) any “person” as such term is used in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act, as modified and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, is or becomes the beneficial owner, as such term is defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing at least fifty percent ( 50% ) of the combined voting power or S hares of the Company; provided, however, that such term shall not include (A) the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (B) any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or any of its affiliates, (C) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to an offering of such securities, (D) any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company’s S hares, or (E) any person or group as used in Rule 13d-1(b) under the Exchange Act;

(b) there is consummated a merger or consolidation of the Company or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries with any other corporation, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or any parent thereof) more than fifty percent ( 50% ) of the combined voting power and S hares of the Company or such surviving entity or any parent thereof outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation; or

(c) there is completed a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets (or any transaction having a similar effect, including a liquidation) other than a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets to an entity, more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power and common shares of which is owned by shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the S hares of the Company immediately prior to such sale.

Company means MercadoLibre, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, and MercadoLibre, Inc.’s successors or assigns.

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Covered Termination ” means (i) a termination of a Participant’s employment by the Company without Cause and for a reason other than the Participant’s death or disability (as determined under Article 6(a)) or (ii) a Participant’s resignation from the Company with Good Reason.

Eligible Employee means an individual who is designated by the Award Committee as eligible for this Plan and who is employed by the Company as determined by the Award Committee.

Good Reason ” means (i) a material diminution in the Participant’s duties, functions and responsibilities to the Company without the Participant’s consent or the Company preventing the Participant from fulfilling or exercising the Participant’s materials duties, functions and responsibilities to the Company without the Participant’s consent; (ii) a material reduction in the Participant’s base salary or bonus opportunity or (iii) a requirement that the Participant relocate the Participant’s employment more than fifty (50) miles from the location of the Participant’s principal office without the consent of the Participant.  A Participant’s resignation shall not be a resignation with Good Reason unless the Participant gives the Company written notice (delivered within thirty (30) days after the Participant knows of the event, action, etc. that the Participant asserts constitutes Good Reason), the event, action, etc. that the Participant asserts constitutes Good Reason is not cured, to the reasonable satisfaction of the Participant, within thirty (30) days after such notice and the Participant resigns effective not later than thirty (30) days after the expiration of such cure period.

Market Value ” of a Share, as of any date, means (i) the average closing sale price of one Share as reported on a national stock exchange, including, but not limited to, the NASDAQ Global Market (a “National Stock Exchange”) during the sixty ( 60 )   trading day period (or such shorter period as the Shares are so listed) ending on the last trading day immediately preceding such date; (ii) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period but are quoted on the Over-the-Counter-Bulletin Board (the "OTCBB"), the mean between the closing bid and closing asked prices for the Shares as quoted on the OTCBB during the sixty ( 60 )   trading day period (or such shorter period as the Shares are so quoted) ending on the last trading day immediately preceding such date, (iii) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange or quoted on the OTCBB during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period and the S hares were last traded on a National Stock Exchange, the average closing sale price of one Share as reported on the National Stock Exchange during the ninety ( 90 )   trading day period ending on the last day the Shares were listed for trading on such Exchange or (iv) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange or quoted on the OTCBB during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period and the S hares were last traded on the OTCBB, the mean between the closing bid and closing asked prices for the Shares as quoted on the OTCBB during the ninety ( 90 )   trading day period ending on the last day the Shares were quoted on the OTCBB.  For purposes of calculating the benefits and valuing Shares for the single cash payment payable within fifteen (15) days after a Change in Control, the term “Market Value” means the amount determined under the preceding sentence determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs.  For purposes of calculating benefits and

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valuing Shares for other payments payable after a Change of Control, the term “Market Value” means, (x) in the event the Company is not the surviving entity in the Change in Control, the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs, or, (y) in the event the Company is the surviving entity in the Change in Control, the greater of (A) the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date the benefit is payable ( e.g. , as of March 31 of the appropriate year or the date of a Participant’s Covered Termination , as applicable) or (B) the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs.

MercadoLibre Business means any activities directly or indirectly related to Online Transactional Platforms, Online Classified Advertisements and/or Payment Platforms.

Minimum Eligibility Conditions means the minimum conditions established by the Award Committee and approved by the Board that a Participant must meet in order to be eligible to receive payments under any Award hereunder.

Online Classified Advertisements means listings of goods, products or services on Internet sites, which listings (1) serve the same purpose as the listings appearing in the classifieds section of printed newspapers, (2) include direct contact information of the seller via telephone, e-mail or any offline method, which contact information is readily and continuously available to any visitor without restriction or special action required from the visitor, or provide for a method to contact the seller so that the seller may then respond providing direct contact information, and (3) are on Internet sites the operator or administrator of which does not (x) play any role in consummating the transaction to which the listing relates, or (y) provide any information (other than contact information) to the seller regarding the potential buyer or interested party, or otherwise serve as middle-man between a potential buyer and seller (other than for the limited purposes expressly set forth in this paragraph), or (z) charge any fee or commission for such transaction (including, without limitation, any fees for completion of transactions and/or fees based on number of users contacting another user) other than a listing fee, which is a fee for placing the listing on the website and is chargeable before or at the time such listing appears.  Examples of Online Classifieds Advertisements include Craigslist.com, Kijiji.com, and olx.com.

Online Transactional Platforms means online transactional platforms or similar as determined by the Award Committee including, but not limited to, (a) any online platform offering a wide variety of product lines and/or services, operating in a manner similar to Amazon.com or Submarino.com as of the date hereof and/or (b) online transactional marketplaces located on websites in which sellers and potential buyers transact for any kinds of goods and/or services, which goods and/or services are displayed on such website, and in which the sellers’ and potential buyers’ initial contact can only be made through such website (for purposes of initial contact, direct contact information of another user is not made available to users, in accordance with the terms of use of such website), such as eBay.com, MercadoLibre.com, DeRemate.com, etc. (and any such domain name with country suffixes).

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Participant means an Eligible Employee who is designated as eligible to receive an Award for services provided in 2012.  The designation of an individual as a Participant under this Plan shall not provide the individual with any rights to any future participation for any subsequent long term retention plans that may be adopted by the Company in future years but, subject to the terms of the Plan, an individual shall remain a Participant for purposes of receiving a payment of an Award until such individual ceases to be an Eligible Employee.

Payments Platforms means websites or platforms enabling the sending, receipt, holding and/or transfer of money from one user to another user through an account that is funded by, among other things, traditional payment methods and then used to transact with another user electronically, such as PayPal.com, MercadoPago.com, or Dineromail.com (and any such domain name with country suffixes).

Performance Goals means any goals, metrics or other performance measures established for a Participant for services provided in 2012, the attainment of which will result in an Award becoming payable to the Participant, subject to the terms of the Plan.  It is currently anticipated that Performance Goals generally will be based on, and support, both individual and Company goals and may also include goals established for the particular division, affiliate or country in which the Participant is located.

Person means and includes a natural person, a corporation, an association, a partnership, a limited liability company, a trust, a joint venture, an unincorporated organization or any other similar entity or a governmental or quasi-governmental body.

Shares ” means shares of c ommon s tock of the Company, $0.001 par value per share.

Territory means the United States of America and each country and territory in Latin America and the Caribbean, including, without limitation, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Article 3. Participation; Performance Goals and Award Opportunities

The amount of the Award for each Plan Participant and the Performance Goals applicable to such Award will be established by the Award Committee and communicated to each Plan Participant.  The amount of each Award may be different for each Participant or levels of Participants as determined by the Award Committee.

The amount of each Award shall be enumerated as a specified amount, calculated in accordance with Article 5 hereof, of United States dollars, unless the Award Committee determines the amount of any such Award in a local currency.  The amount of each Award, to the extent it becomes payable, shall be paid in the form of cash only. 

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Article 4. Review of Participant’s Performance

Performance Goals will generally be set and determined for the 2012 calendar year by the Award Committee.  The Award Committee, with input from the Company officer responsible for each Participant, will evaluate such Participant’s performance relative to the Performance Goals.

Article 5. Payment of Awards

(a) If a Participant does not satisfy the Minimum Eligibility Conditions, then any Award granted to such Participant and subject to such Minimum Eligibility Conditions shall be forfeited, and shall not become payable to such Participant under this Plan.  If the Participant meets the Minimum Eligibility Conditions, the n any Award granted to such Participant and subject to such Minimum Eligibility Conditions shall become payable to the Participant in accordance with and subject to the terms of this Article 5 and Article 6.

Subject to the following paragraphs and Article 6, only if the Participant is employed as an Eligible Employee on the date each portion of the Award is to be paid to such Participant, the Award shall be payable as follows:

(1) Six and a quarter percent ( 6.25% ) of the Award shall be payable to the Participant on or about March 31 of each calendar year for a period of eight (8) years starting in 2013; and

(2) the Participant shall receive on or about March 31 of each calendar year for a period of eight (8) years starting in 2013, an Award payment equal in value to the product of (i) multiplied by (ii), where (i) equals six and a quarter percent ( 6.25% ) of the Award and (ii) equals the quotient of (a) divided by (b), where (a), the numerator, equals the Market Value as of the applicable payment date and (b), the denominator, equals $77.77 (the average closing price of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final sixty ( 60 ) trading days of 2011).

(b) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any other agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) Each Participant who is employed by the Company on the date a Change in Control occurs shall be vested in the right to receive fifty percent (50%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid thereafter.

(2) As soon as practicable after the date a Change in Control occurs, but in no event more than fifteen (15) days after the date a Change in Control occurs, each Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph shall receive a single cash payment equal to fifty percent (50%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid after the Change in Control (based on the Market Value on the date the Change in Control occurs).

(3) Each Award payment scheduled to be paid after the Change in Control shall be reduced by fifty percent (50%), i.e. , to reflect the single cash

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payment under clause (2) of this paragraph, and shall continue to be paid on each March 31 in accordance with the preceding paragraph, subject to the Participant’s continued employment; provided, however, that if a Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph experiences a Covered Termination on or after Change in Control, then any Award payments scheduled to be paid after the Covered Termination shall be paid in a single cash payment (based on the Market Value on the date of the Covered Termination) within fifteen (15) days after the Covered Termination.

(c) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) The portion of any Award under this Plan that was forfeited or forfeitable upon the Participant’s Covered Termination before a Change in Control shall be reinstated (or if not yet forfeited, retained) as of the date of the Change in Control if such date is not more than one hundred and twenty   ( 120 ) days after the date of the Covered Termination.

(2) As soon as practicable after the date a Change in Control occurs, but in no event more than fifteen (15) days after the date a Change in Control occurs, each Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph shall receive a single cash payment equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid after the date of the Participant’s Covered Termination.  With respect to any Award payment originally scheduled to have been paid before the date of the Change in Control, the amount of such payment will be based on the Market Value on the date of the Covered Termination.  With respect to any Award payments scheduled to be paid on or after the Change in Control, the amount of such payment will be based on the Market Value on the date the Change in Control occurs.

(d) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any other agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) I f any portion of an Award received or to be received by a Participant (either alone or together with other payments or benefits which such Participant received or realized or is then entitled to receive or realize from the Company under   any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement in connection with a Change in Control or a Participant’s termination of employment) (all such payments and benefits, being hereinafter referred to as the “Total Payments”) would be subject (in whole or part), to any excise tax imposed under section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”, and such excise tax, the “Excise Tax”), then, after taking into account any reduction in the Total Payments provided by reason of section 280G of the Code in any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement, the Company will reduce the

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payment of the Award to the extent necessary so that no portion of the Total Payments is subject to the Excise Tax (but in no event to less than zero); provided ,   however , that the Award will only be reduced if (i) the net amount of any Total Payments, as so reduced (and after subtracting the net amount of United States federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such reduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out, if any, of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such reduced Total Payments), is greater than or equal to (ii) the net amount of such Total Payments without such reduction (but after subtracting the net amount of federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such Total Payments and the amount of Excise Tax to which the Participant would be subject in respect of such unreduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out, if any, of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such unreduced Total Payments) .

(2) If (A) any portion of the Total Payments other than an Award (the “Other Payments”) is required to be reduced pursuant to a provision substantially similar to this Article 5(d), (B) any portion of an Award is required to be reduced pursuant to this Article 5(d); and (C) there is no other provision in any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement governing the payment of the Other Payments which dictates the order of the reduction in the Other Payments, then the Total Payments will be reduced in the following order: (i) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a) will be reduced (if necessary, to zero), with amounts that are payable last reduced first; (ii) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a), with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; (iii) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with amounts that are payable last reduced first, will next be reduced; (iv) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; and (v) all other non-cash benefits not otherwise described in clauses (ii) or (iv) will be next reduced pro-rata. Any reductions made pursuant to each of clauses (i)-(v) above will be made in the following manner: first, a pro-rata reduction of cash payment and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity not subject to section 409A of the Code, and second, a pro-rata reduction of cash payments and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity subject to section 409A of the Code as deferred compensation .  

(3) For purposes of determining whether and the extent to which the Award will be subject to the Excise Tax and the amount of such Excise Tax: (i) no portion of the Award the receipt or enjoyment of which the Participant

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shall have waived at such time and in such manner as not to constitute a “payment” within the meaning of section 280G(b) of the Code will be taken into account; and (ii) no portion of the Award will be taken into account which, in the opinion of the accounting firm which was, immediately prior to the Change in Control, the Company’s independent auditor, does not constitute a “parachute payment” within the meaning of section 280G(b)(2) of the Code (including by reason of section 280G(b)(4)(A) of the Code) and, in calculating the Excise Tax, no portion of such Award will be taken into account which constitutes reasonable compensation for services actually rendered, within the meaning of section 280G(b)(4)(B) of the Code, in excess of the Base Amount (as defined in section 280G(b)(3) of the Code) allocable to such reasonable compensation.

( 4 ) The fact that the Participant’s right to payments or benefits may be reduced by reason of the limitations contained in this Article 5will not of itself limit or otherwise affect any other rights of the Participant under the Plan. The Participant and the Company shall each reasonably cooperate with the other in connection with any administrative or judicial proceedings concerning the existence or amount of liability for Excise Tax with respect to the Award.

Article 6. Termination of Employment; Forfeitures

(a) Except as provided in Article 5 with respect to a Covered Termination within one hundred and twenty ( 120 ) days before a Change in Control or a Covered Termination on or after a Change in Control, participation in the Plan shall cease immediately upon a Participant’s retirement, resignation or termination of employment as an Eligible Employee for any reason (with or without Cause), or if determined by the Award Committee, upon the Participant’s death or disability.  Disability will be determined under the Company’s long term disability plan, if any, or upon receipt of a letter of determination or similar of the Participant’s complete disability by the applicable governmental authority under local applicable law, which complete disability entitles the Participant to disability payments under local law.

(b) In the event that:

(1) while the Participant is employed by the Company, he or she engages in, directly or indirectly, any other business or activity that could materially or adversely affect the Company’s business or his or her ability to perform his or her duties for the Company, including, but not limited to, any activities adversely affecting the MercadoLibre Business anywhere in the Territory;

(2) while the Participant is employed by the Company or during the one-year period following the termination of the Participant’s employment for any reason, he or she directly or indirectly, on his or her own behalf or on behalf of another Person or entity, hires or solicits for hire any employees

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of the Company or its Affiliates or in any manner attempts to influence or induce any employee of the Company or its Affiliates to leave their employment; or

(3) while the Participant is employed by the Company or during the one-year period following the termination of the Participant’s employment for any reason, he or she alone (or in association with any other Person) directly or indirectly, in any capacity, owns, operates, manages, controls, engages in, invests in, becomes employed by, acts as a consultant or advisor to, or provides services for, or otherwise assists any other Person in activities that are competitive with the MercadoLibre Business anywhere in the Territory,

he or she will automatically forfeit any and all benefits received under the Plan and any and all benefits which the Participant may otherwise be entitled to receive under the Plan.  If the Participant terminates employment with the Company for any reason (with or without Cause) and he or she alone (or in association with any other Person) takes any of the action set forth in subparagraph (1), (2) or (3) above, the Participant will be required to immediately, and in no event more than five (5) days following the termination of the Participant’s employment, return all amounts which the Participant has received under the terms of the Plan (the “Recovery Amount”), and the Participant and the Company hereby agree to the following, notwithstanding any Plan provision to the contrary:

(i) that the Company may withhold all or a portion of the Recovery Amount from any salary, wages or other amounts due to the Participant from the Company; and

(ii) in addition to the Recovery Amount, the Company may also recover any fees incurred by the Company in seeking to collect the Recovery Amount, including, but not limited to, the Company’s reasonable attorneys’ fees.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, ownership of less than five percent (5%) of the outstanding capital stock of any Person whose securities are registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, in and of itself shall not be cause for automatic forfeiture under Article 6(b)(3), whether or not the subject Person is competitive with the Company.

(c) Except as provided in Article 5 with respect to a Covered Termination within one hundred and twenty   ( 120 ) days before a Change in Control or a Covered Termination on or after a Change in Control, the portion of any Award under this Plan that has not been actually paid to the Participant prior to the date of such resignation or other termination of employment shall be forfeited, except that the Award Committee, in its discretion, may pay all or part of the amount that remains payable under an Award upon the disability or death of the Participant in accordance with such rules or procedures established by the Award Committee provided, however, that any amount of the Award payment that the Award Committee determines to pay shall be paid no later than March 15 of the year following the year that the Participant’s employment ends on account of disability or death.  Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, any Award paid to the Participant shall be subject to recovery by the Company in

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the event that the Participant is terminated for Cause and shall, to the extent permitted by law, be subject to recovery from any amounts owed by the Company to the Participant, including, but not limited to, offsetting any amounts owed under the Plan to the Company against any amounts otherwise owed to the Participant by the Company.

(d) If the Award Committee decides to pay all or part of an Award after the death of a Participant in accordance with this Article 6, the Participant may designate in writing one or more persons (“beneficiary”) to receive any unpaid portion of the Participant’s Award upon the death of the Participant.  By similar action, the Participant may designate a change of beneficiary at any time, which change shall be effective only upon receipt by the Award Committee of said notice.  The last such designation form filed with the Award Committee prior to the Participant’s death shall control.  The Award Committee may establish a form or other requirements for such designation.  If the Participant designates his spouse as a beneficiary, the divorce of Participant shall automatically revoke that designation of his spouse as beneficiary except to the extent otherwise provided in a subsequent beneficiary designation filed by the Participant with the Award Committee.  In the absence of a written designation, or in the event the Participant dies without a beneficiary surviving him, any amount which would otherwise be payable on account of his death shall be paid to the surviving spouse of the Participant or if none, to the Participant’s estate.  A beneficiary of a Participant shall have no interest or rights hereunder during the lifetime of the Participant.

Article 7. Administrative Provisions

A. The Plan was approved by the Board on June 5, 2012 to be effective as of January 1, 2012 for all services provided by Participants in 2012 ,   was amended and restated effective January 1, 2013 and January 1, 2015 , and is further amended and restated as set forth herein effective as of January 1, 2016 .

B. Unless the Board provides otherwise, the Plan shall be administered and interpreted by the Award Committee, which has been provided absolute authority hereunder to administer the Plan.  The Board and its members, the members of the Award Committee and any other individual who may, from time to time, have been delegated responsibility with respect to the administration of this Plan (collectively, “Authorized Persons”), shall have the full authority, discretion and power necessary or desirable to administer and interpret this Plan, in accordance with the Plan terms.  Benefits under the Plan shall be payable only if the Authorized Persons in their respective sole and absolute discretion determine that any such benefits are properly payable under the Plan.  Without in any way limiting the foregoing, all Authorized Persons shall have complete authority, sole discretion and power to: (i) determine the Participants; (ii) determine the Performance Goals applicable to each Participant, as well as the relative weighting of each such Performance Goals to determine eligibility for payment of an Award hereunder; (iii) evaluate and determine the performance of Participants; (iv) determine the amount of the Award for each Participant; (v) interpret the provisions of this Plan and any other documentation used in connection with this Plan, including documentation specifying individual Participant Performance Goals, Award opportunities and the like; (vi) establish and interpret rules, regulations and procedures (written or by

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practice) for the administration of the Plan; and (vii) make all other determinations and take all other actions necessary or desirable for the administration or interpretation of this Plan.  The express grant in the Plan of any specific power to Authorized Persons shall not be construed as limiting any power or authority of such Authorized Person.  All actions, decisions and interpretations of the Authorized Persons shall be final, conclusive and binding on all parties.  All expenses of administering the Plan shall be borne by the Company.

C. Nothing in this Plan shall be deemed by implication, action or otherwise to constitute a contract of employment or otherwise to impose any limitation on any right of the Company to terminate a Participant’s employment at any time for any or no reason.

D. A Participant shall have no right to anticipate, alienate, sell, transfer, assign, pledge or encumber any right to receive any Award made under the Plan, nor will any Participant have any lien on any assets of the Company by reason of any Award made under the Plan.

E. The Company shall have the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, any taxes required by law to be withheld from Awards made under this Plan.

F. The Plan may be amended, suspended or terminated at any time and from time to time, by action of the Board or the Award Committee, but in any event, the Plan will be terminated no later than upon the last date the Company pays all Participants any and all amounts that may due under the Plan and no amounts remain due and payable under the Plan to any person as determined by Award Committee.  The preceding sentence to the contrary notwithstanding, on and after a Change in Control, no amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan that adversely affects the rights of a Participant (or the beneficiary of a deceased Participant who has not received payment of an amount approved by the Award Committee under Article 6), shall be effective without the written consent of that Participant or beneficiary.

G. The adoption of the Plan does not imply any commitment to continue to maintain the Plan, or any modified version of the Plan, or any other plan for incentive compensation for such Participant for any period of time.  Neither the adoption of this Plan, its operation, nor any documents describing or referring to this Plan (or any part thereof) shall confer upon any employee any right to continue in the employ of the Company or in any way affect any right and power of the Company to terminate the employment of any employee at any time without assigning a reason therefor.

H. This Plan, insofar as it provides for Awards, shall be unfunded, and the Company shall not be required to segregate any assets that may at any time be represented by Awards under the Plan.  Any liability of the Company to any person with respect to any Awards under this Plan shall be based solely upon any

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contractual obligations which may be created pursuant to this Plan.  No such obligation of the Company shall be deemed to be secured by any pledge of, or other encumbrance on, any property of the Company.

I. In order to be effective, any amendment of this Plan or any Award must be in writing and made by the Award Committee.  No oral statement, representation, written presentation or the like shall have the effect of amending or modifying this Plan or any Award, or otherwise have any binding effect on the Company, the Board, the Chief Executive, the Award Committee or any individual who has been delegated authority to administer this Plan.

J. The Plan shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the substantive laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to principles of conflicts of law.

K. In case any provision of the Plan shall be held illegal or void, such illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining provisions of this Plan, but shall be fully severable, and the Plan shall be construed and enforced as if said illegal or invalid provisions had never been inserted herein.

L. Except for their own gross negligence or gross misconduct regarding the performance of the duties specifically assigned to them under, or their willful breach of the terms of this Plan, the Company (and its affiliates), Board and its members, the Award Committee and its members, and any other entity or individual administering any aspect of this Plan shall be held harmless by the Participants and their respective representatives, heirs, successors, and assigns, against liability or losses occurring by reason of any act or omission under the Plan.

M. Should the Company effect one or more stock dividends, stock splits, subdivisions or consolidations of Shares or other similar changes in capitalization, then the terms of outstanding Awards shall be adjusted as the Award Committee shall determine to be equitably required.  Any determination made under this Article 7( M ) by the Award Committee shall be final and conclusive.  The issuance by the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, for cash or property, or for labor or services, either upon direct sale or upon the exercise of rights or warrants to subscribe therefor, or upon conversion of shares or obligations of the Company convertible into such shares or other securities, shall not affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, Awards.

Executed on the 2 nd day of August , 201 6 to be effective as of the 1 st day of January, 2016 .

MercadoLibre, Inc.







By:

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MERCADOLIBRE, INC. 2013 LONG TERM RETENTION PROGRAM



















Effective as of January 1, 2013

As Amended and Restated

Effective January 1, 2016





Contents



MercadoLibre, Inc. 2013 Long Term Retention Program

Article 1. ....................................................................................................................... Purpose 1

Article 2. ............................................................................................................. Definitions 1

Article 3. Participation; Performance Goals and Award Opportunities 5

Article 4. ........................................... Review of Participant’s Performance 6

Article 5. ....................................................................................... Payment of Awards 6

Article 6. ................................. Termination of Employment; Forfeitures 8

Article 7. ....................................................................... Administrative Provisions 10





 

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MERCADOLIBRE, INC. 2013 LONG TERM RETENTION PROGRAM

Article 1. Purpose

The MercadoLibre, Inc. 2013 Long Term Retention Program (the “Plan”) was effective as of January 1, 2013 ,   amended and restated effective as of January 1, 2015 and is further amended and restated as set forth herein effective as of January 1, 2016 .  The principal purpose of the Plan is to assist the Company in the retention of key employees that have valuable industry experience and developed competencies by rewarding Participants in relation to their individual results and their contributions to the organization, as well as overall Company goals and performance.

Article 2. Definitions

When used in the Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

Affiliate means with respect to any Person, a Person that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with such Person (it being understood, that a Person shall be deemed to “control” another Person, for purposes of this definition, if such Person directly or indirectly has the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such other Person, whether through holding ownership interests in such other Person, through agreements or otherwise, and that direct or indirect ownership of ten percent (10%) or more of the voting interests of another Person shall always be deemed to constitute “control”).

Award ”   means a specified amount, calculated in accordance with Article 5, payable to a Participant under this Plan for services provided to the Company in 2013 as determined by the Award Committee from time to time in its sole discretion in the form of cash only.  Award payments hereunder shall be contingent on the attainment of one or more Performance Goals.  The timing and conditions of the payment of an Award are subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan , and subject to Article 7 of the Plan, any other terms and conditions determined by the Award Committee to be appropriate .  An Award may, but is not required to, be evidenced by a separate agreement executed by the Participant. 

Award Committee means the Compensation Committee of the Board, or such other committee that the Board appoints to administer this Plan, which shall have general administrative authority concerning the Plan, and shall, subject to Article 7, have the sole and absolute authority and discretion to resolve any and all terms and conditions of any Awards and disputes concerning the Plan and any Awards hereunder.

Board means the board of directors of the Company.

Cause ” means “cause” or a similar term set forth in the Participant’s employment agreement with the Company or, if no such agreement is then in effect, shall mean (A) the Participant’s material disregard of his responsibilities, authorities, powers, functions or duties or failure to act, (B) repeated or material negligence or misconduct by the Participant in the performance of his duties, (C) appropriation (or attempted appropriation) of a business opportunity of the Company, including attempting to secure

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or securing any personal profit in connection with any transaction entered into on behalf of the Company, (D) the commission by the Participant of any act of fraud, theft or financial dishonesty with respect to the Company, or any felony or criminal act involving moral turpitude or dishonesty on the part of the Participant, (E) the Participant’s habitual drunkenness or excessive absenteeism not related to sickness, and/or (F) the material breach by the Participant of any provision of his employment agreement that is not cured by the Participant within thirty (30) days after written notice of breach has been delivered to the Participant by the Company, unless such breach is incapable of cure (in which case the Participant shall not be entitled to an opportunity to cure), in each case of clauses (A) through (F) above, as determined by the Board in good faith.

Change in Control shall mean a change in control of the Company which will be deemed to have occurred after the date hereof if:

(a) any “person” as such term is used in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act, as modified and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, is or becomes the beneficial owner, as such term is defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing at least fifty percent ( 50% ) of the combined voting power or S hares of the Company; provided, however, that such term shall not include (A) the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (B) any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or any of its affiliates, (C) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to an offering of such securities, (D) any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company’s S hares, or (E) any person or group as used in Rule 13d-1(b) under the Exchange Act;

(b) there is consummated a merger or consolidation of the Company or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries with any other corporation, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or any parent thereof) more than fifty percent ( 50% ) of the combined voting power and S hares of the Company or such surviving entity or any parent thereof outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation; or

(c) there is completed a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets (or any transaction having a similar effect, including a liquidation) other than a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets to an entity, more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power and common shares of which is owned by shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the S hares of the Company immediately prior to such sale.

Company means MercadoLibre, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, and MercadoLibre, Inc.’s successors or assigns.

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Covered Termination means (i) a termination of a Participant’s employment by the Company without Cause and for a reason other than the Participant’s death or disability (as determined under Article 6(a)) or (ii) a Participant’s resignation from the Company with Good Reason.

Eligible Employee means an individual who is designated by the Award Committee as eligible for this Plan and who is employed by the Company as determined by the Award Committee.

Good Reason means (i) a material diminution in the Participant’s duties, functions and responsibilities to the Company without the Participant’s consent or the Company preventing the Participant from fulfilling or exercising the Participant’s materials duties, functions and responsibilities to the Company without the Participant’s consent; (ii) a material reduction in the Participant’s base salary or bonus opportunity or (iii) a requirement that the Participant relocate the Participant’s employment more than fifty (50) miles from the location of the Participant’s principal office without the consent of the Participant.  A Participant’s resignation shall not be a resignation with Good Reason unless the Participant gives the Company written notice (delivered within thirty (30) days after the Participant knows of the event, action, etc. that the Participant asserts constitutes Good Reason), the event, action, etc. that the Participant asserts constitutes Good Reason is not cured, to the reasonable satisfaction of the Participant, within thirty (30) days after such notice and the Participant resigns effective not later than thirty (30) days after the expiration of such cure period.

Market Value ” of a Share, as of any date, means (i) the average closing sale price of one Share as reported on a national stock exchange, including, but not limited to, the NASDAQ Global Market (a “National Stock Exchange”) during the sixty ( 60 )   trading day period (or such shorter period as the Shares are so listed) ending on the last trading day immediately preceding such date; (ii) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period but are quoted on the Over-the-Counter-Bulletin Board (the “OTCBB”), the mean between the closing bid and closing asked prices for the Shares as quoted on the OTCBB during the sixty ( 60 )   trading day period (or such shorter period as the Shares are so quoted) ending on the last trading day immediately preceding such date, (iii) if the Shares are  not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange or quoted on the OTCBB during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period and the S hares were last traded on a National Stock Exchange, the average closing sale price of one Share as reported on the National Stock Exchange during the ninety ( 90 )   trading day period ending on the last day the Shares were listed for trading on such Exchange or (iv) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange or quoted on the OTCBB during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period and the S hares were last traded on the OTCBB, the mean between the closing bid and closing asked prices for the Shares as quoted on the OTCBB during the ninety ( 90 )   trading day period ending on the last day the Shares were quoted on the OTCBB.  For purposes of calculating the benefits and valuing Shares for the single cash payment payable within fifteen (15) days after a Change in Control, the term “Market Value” means the amount determined under the preceding sentence determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs.  For purposes of calculating benefits and

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valuing Shares for other payments payable after a Change of Control, the term “Market Value” means, (x) in the event the Company is not the surviving entity in the Change in Control, the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs, or, (y) in the event the Company is the surviving entity in the Change in Control, the greater of (A) the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date the benefit is payable ( e.g. , as of March 31 of the appropriate year or the date of a Participant’s Covered Termination , as applicable) or (B) the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs.

MercadoLibre Business means any activities directly or indirectly related to Online Transactional Platforms, Online Classified Advertisements and/or Payment Platforms.

Minimum Eligibility Conditions means the minimum conditions established by the Award Committee and approved by the Board that a Participant must meet in order to be eligible to receive payments under any Award hereunder.

Online Classified Advertisements means listings of goods, products or services on Internet sites, which listings (1) serve the same purpose as the listings appearing in the classifieds section of printed newspapers, (2) include direct contact information of the seller via telephone, e-mail or any offline method, which contact information is readily and continuously available to any visitor without restriction or special action required from the visitor, or provide for a method to contact the seller so that the seller may then respond providing direct contact information, and (3) are on Internet sites the operator or administrator of which does not (x) play any role in consummating the transaction to which the listing relates, or (y) provide any information (other than contact information) to the seller regarding the potential buyer or interested party, or otherwise serve as middle-man between a potential buyer and seller (other than for the limited purposes expressly set forth in this paragraph), or (z) charge any fee or commission for such transaction (including, without limitation, any fees for completion of transactions and/or fees based on number of users contacting another user) other than a listing fee, which is a fee for placing the listing on the website and is chargeable before or at the time such listing appears.  Examples of Online Classifieds Advertisements include Craigslist.com, Kijiji.com, and olx.com.

Online Transactional Platforms means online transactional platforms or similar as determined by the Award Committee including, but not limited to, (a) any online platform offering a wide variety of product lines and/or services, operating in a manner similar to Amazon.com or Submarino.com as of the date hereof and/or (b) online transactional marketplaces located on websites in which sellers and potential buyers transact for any kinds of goods and/or services, which goods and/or services are displayed on such website, and in which the sellers’ and potential buyers’ initial contact can only be made through such website (for purposes of initial contact, direct contact information of another user is not made available to users, in accordance with the terms of use of such website), such as eBay.com, MercadoLibre.com, DeRemate.com, etc. (and any such domain name with country suffixes).

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Participant means an Eligible Employee who is designated as eligible to receive an Award for services provided in 2013.  The designation of an individual as a Participant under this Plan shall not provide the individual with any rights to any future participation for any subsequent long term retention plans that may be adopted by the Company in future years but, subject to the terms of the Plan, an individual shall remain a Participant for purposes of receiving a payment of an Award until such individual ceases to be an Eligible Employee.

Payments Platforms ” means websites or platforms enabling the sending, receipt, holding and/or transfer of money from one user to another user through an account that is funded by, among other things, traditional payment methods and then used to transact with another user electronically, such as PayPal.com, MercadoPago.com, or Dineromail.com (and any such domain name with country suffixes).

Performance Goals ” means any goals, metrics or other performance measures established for a Participant for services provided in 2013, the attainment of which will result in an Award becoming payable to the Participant, subject to the terms of the Plan.  It is currently anticipated that Performance Goals generally will be based on, and support, both individual and Company goals and may also include goals established for the particular division, affiliate or country in which the Participant is located.

Person means and includes a natural person, a corporation, an association, a partnership, a limited liability company, a trust, a joint venture, an unincorporated organization or any other similar entity or a governmental or quasi-governmental body.

Shares ” means shares of c ommon s tock of the Company, $0.001 par value per share.

Territory means the United States of America and each country and territory in Latin America and the Caribbean, including, without limitation, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Article 3. Participation; Performance Goals and Award Opportunities

The amount of the Award for each Plan Participant and the Performance Goals applicable to such Award will be established by the Award Committee and communicated to each Plan Participant.  The amount of each Award may be different for each Participant or levels of Participants as determined by the Award Committee.

The amount of each Award shall be enumerated as a specified amount, calculated in accordance with Article 5 hereof, of United States dollars, unless the Award Committee determines the amount of any such Award in a local currency.  The amount of each Award, to the extent it becomes payable, shall be paid in the form of cash only. 

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Article 4. Review of Participant’s Performance

Performance Goals will generally be set and determined for the 2013 calendar year by the Award Committee.  The Award Committee, with input from the Company officer responsible for each Participant, will evaluate such Participant’s performance relative to the Performance Goals.

Article 5. Payment of Awards

(a) If a Participant does not satisfy the Minimum Eligibility Conditions, then any Award granted to such Participant and subject to such Minimum Eligibility Conditions shall be forfeited, and shall not become payable to such Participant under this Plan.  If the Participant meets the Minimum Eligibility Conditions, the n any Award granted to such P articipant and subject to such Minimum Eligibility C onditions shall become payable to the Participant in accordance with and subject to the terms of this Article 5 and Article 6.

Subject to the following paragraphs and Article 6, only if the Participant is employed as an Eligible Employee on the date each portion of the Award is to be paid to such Participant, the Award shall be payable as follows:

(1) Eight and one-third percent ( 8.33% ) of the Award shall be payable to the Participant on or about March 31 of each calendar year for a period of six (6) years starting in 2014; and

(2) the Participant shall receive on or about March 31 of each calendar year for a period of six (6) years starting in 2014, an Award payment equal in value to the product of (i) multiplied by (ii), where (i) equals eight and one-third percent ( 8.33% ) of the Award and (ii) equals the quotient of (a) divided by (b), where (a), the numerator, equals the Market Value as of the applicable payment date and (b), the denominator, equals $79.57 (the average closing price of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final sixty ( 60 ) trading days of 2012).

(b) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any other agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) Each Participant who is employed by the Company on the date a Change in Control occurs shall be vested in the right to receive fifty percent (50%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid thereafter.

(2) As soon as practicable after the date a Change in Control occurs, but in no event more than fifteen (15) days after the date a Change in Control occurs, each Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph shall receive a single cash payment equal to fifty percent (50%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid after the Change in Control (based on the Market Value on the date the Change in Control occurs).

(3) Each Award payment scheduled to be paid after the Change in Control shall be reduced by fifty percent (50%), i.e. , to reflect the single cash

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payment under clause (2) of this paragraph, and shall continue to be paid on each March 31 in accordance with the preceding paragraph, subject to the Participant’s continued employment; provided, however, that if a Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph experiences a Covered Termination on or after Change in Control, then any Award payments scheduled to be paid after the Covered Termination shall be paid in a single cash payment (based on the Market Value on the date of the Covered Termination) within fifteen (15) days after the Covered Termination.

(c) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) The portion of any Award under this Plan that was forfeited or forfeitable upon the Participant’s Covered Termination before a Change in Control shall be reinstated (or if not yet forfeited, retained) as of the date of the Change in Control if such date is not more than one hundred and twenty ( 120 ) days after the date of the Covered Termination.

(2) As soon as practicable after the date a Change in Control occurs, but in no event more than fifteen (15) days after the date a Change in Control occurs, each Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph shall receive a single cash payment equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid after the date of the Participant’s Covered Termination.  With respect to any Award payment originally scheduled to have been paid before the date of the Change in Control, the amount of such payment will be based on the Market Value on the date of the Covered Termination.  With respect to any Award payments scheduled to be paid on or after the Change in Control, the amount of such payment will be based on the Market Value on the date the Change in Control occurs.

(d) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any other agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) I f any portion of an Award received or to be received by a Participant (either alone or together with other payments or benefits which such Participant received or realized or is then entitled to receive or realize from the Company under   any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement in connection with a Change in Control or a Participant’s termination of employment) (all such payments and benefits, being hereinafter referred to as the “Total Payments”) would be subject (in whole or part), to any excise tax imposed under section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”, and such excise tax, the “Excise Tax”), then, after taking into account any reduction in the Total Payments provided by reason of section 280G of the Code in any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement, the Company will reduce the

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payment of the Award to the extent necessary so that no portion of the Total Payments is subject to the Excise Tax (but in no event to less than zero); provided ,   however , that the Award will only be reduced if (i) the net amount of any Total Payments, as so reduced (and after subtracting the net amount of United States federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such reduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out, if any, of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such reduced Total Payments), is greater than or equal to (ii) the net amount of such Total Payments without such reduction (but after subtracting the net amount of federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such Total Payments and the amount of Excise Tax to which the Participant would be subject in respect of such unreduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out, if any, of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such unreduced Total Payments) .

(2) If (A) any portion of the Total Payments other than an Award (the “Other Payments”) is required to be reduced pursuant to a provision substantially similar to this Article 5(d), (B) any portion of an Award is required to be reduced pursuant to this Article 5(d); and (C) there is no other provision in any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement governing the payment of the Other Payments which dictates the order of the reduction in the Other Payments, then the Total Payments will be reduced in the following order: (i) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a) will be reduced (if necessary, to zero), with amounts that are payable last reduced first; (ii) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a), with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; (iii) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with amounts that are payable last reduced first, will next be reduced; (iv) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; and (v) all other non-cash benefits not otherwise described in clauses (ii) or (iv) will be next reduced pro-rata. Any reductions made pursuant to each of clauses (i)-(v) above will be made in the following manner: first, a pro-rata reduction of cash payment and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity not subject to section 409A of the Code, and second, a pro-rata reduction of cash payments and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity subject to section 409A of the Code as deferred compensation .  

(3) For purposes of determining whether and the extent to which the Award will be subject to the Excise Tax and the amount of such Excise Tax: (i) no portion of the Award the receipt or enjoyment of which the Participant

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shall have waived at such time and in such manner as not to constitute a “payment” within the meaning of section 280G(b) of the Code will be taken into account; and (ii) no portion of the Award will be taken into account which, in the opinion of the accounting firm which was, immediately prior to the Change in Control, the Company’s independent auditor, does not constitute a “parachute payment” within the meaning of section 280G(b)(2) of the Code (including by reason of section 280G(b)(4)(A) of the Code) and, in calculating the Excise Tax, no portion of such Award will be taken into account which constitutes reasonable compensation for services actually rendered, within the meaning of section 280G(b)(4)(B) of the Code, in excess of the Base Amount (as defined in section 280G(b)(3) of the Code) allocable to such reasonable compensation.

( 4 ) The fact that the Participant’s right to payments or benefits may be reduced by reason of the limitations contained in this Article 5will not of itself limit or otherwise affect any other rights of the Participant under the Plan. The Participant and the Company shall each reasonably cooperate with the other in connection with any administrative or judicial proceedings concerning the existence or amount of liability for Excise Tax with respect to the Award.

Article 6. Termination of Employment; Forfeitures

(a) Except as provided in Article 5 with respect to a Covered Termination within one hundred and twenty ( 120 ) days before a Change in Control or a Covered Termination on or after a Change in Control, participation in the Plan shall cease immediately upon a Participant’s retirement, resignation or termination of employment as an Eligible Employee for any reason (with or without Cause), or if determined by the Award Committee, upon the Participant’s death or disability.  Disability will be determined under the Company’s long term disability plan, if any, or upon receipt of a letter of determination or similar of the Participant’s complete disability by the applicable governmental authority under local applicable law, which complete disability entitles the Participant to disability payments under local law.

(b) In the event that:

(1) while the Participant is employed by the Company, he or she engages in, directly or indirectly, any other business or activity that could materially or adversely affect the Company’s business or his or her ability to perform his or her duties for the Company, including, but not limited to, any activities adversely affecting the MercadoLibre Business anywhere in the Territory;

(2) while the Participant is employed by the Company or during the one-year period following the termination of the Participant’s employment for any reason, he or she directly or indirectly, on his or her own behalf or on behalf of another Person or entity, hires or solicits for hire any employees

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of the Company or its Affiliates or in any manner attempts to influence or induce any employee of the Company or its Affiliates to leave their employment; or

(3) while the Participant is employed by the Company or during the one-year period following the termination of the Participant’s employment for any reason, he or she alone (or in association with any other Person) directly or indirectly, in any capacity, owns, operates, manages, controls, engages in, invests in, becomes employed by, acts as a consultant or advisor to, or provides services for, or otherwise assists any other Person in activities that are competitive with the MercadoLibre Business anywhere in the Territory,

he or she will automatically forfeit any and all benefits received under the Plan and any and all benefits which the Participant may otherwise be entitled to receive under the Plan.  If the Participant terminates employment with the Company for any reason (with or without Cause) and he or she alone (or in association with any other Person) takes any of the action set forth in subparagraph (1), (2) or (3) above, the Participant will be required to immediately, and in no event more than five (5) days following the termination of the Participant’s employment, return all amounts which the Participant has received under the terms of the Plan (the “Recovery Amount”), and the Participant and the Company hereby agree to the following, notwithstanding any Plan provision to the contrary:

(i) that the Company may withhold all or a portion of the Recovery Amount from any salary, wages or other amounts due to the Participant from the Company; and

(ii) in addition to the Recovery Amount, the Company may also recover any fees incurred by the Company in seeking to collect the Recovery Amount, including, but not limited to, the Company’s reasonable attorneys’ fees.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, ownership of less than five percent (5%) of the outstanding capital stock of any Person whose securities are registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, in and of itself shall not be cause for automatic forfeiture under Article 6(b)(3), whether or not the subject Person is competitive with the Company.

(c) Except as provided in Article 5 with respect to a Covered Termination within one hundred and twenty ( 120 ) days before a Change in Control or a Covered Termination on or after a Change in Control, the portion of any Award under this Plan that has not been actually paid to the Participant prior to the date of such resignation or other termination of employment shall be forfeited, except that the Award Committee, in its discretion, may pay all or part of the amount that remains payable under an Award upon the disability or death of the Participant in accordance with such rules or procedures established by the Award Committee provided, however, that any amount of the Award payment that the Award Committee determines to pay shall be paid no later than March 15 of the year following the year that the Participant’s employment ends on account of disability or death.  Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, any Award paid to the Participant shall be subject to recovery by the Company in

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the event that the Participant is terminated for Cause and shall, to the extent permitted by law, be subject to recovery from any amounts owed by the Company to the Participant, including, but not limited to, offsetting any amounts owed under the Plan to the Company against any amounts otherwise owed to the Participant by the Company.

(d) If the Award Committee decides to pay all or part of an Award after the death of a Participant in accordance with this Article 6, the Participant may designate in writing one or more persons (“beneficiary”) to receive any unpaid portion of the Participant’s Award upon the death of the Participant.  By similar action, the Participant may designate a change of beneficiary at any time, which change shall be effective only upon receipt by the Award Committee of said notice.  The last such designation form filed with the Award Committee prior to the Participant’s death shall control.  The Award Committee may establish a form or other requirements for such designation.  If the Participant designates his spouse as a beneficiary, the divorce of Participant shall automatically revoke that designation of his spouse as beneficiary except to the extent otherwise provided in a subsequent beneficiary designation filed by the Participant with the Award Committee.  In the absence of a written designation, or in the event the Participant dies without a beneficiary surviving him, any amount which would otherwise be payable on account of his death shall be paid to the surviving spouse of the Participant or if none, to the Participant’s estate.  A beneficiary of a Participant shall have no interest or rights hereunder during the lifetime of the Participant.

Article 7. Administrative Provisions

A. The Plan was approved by the Board on September 27, 2013 to be effective as of January 1, 2013 for all services provided by Participants in 2013 ,     was amended and restated effective as of January 1, 2015 , and is further amended and restated as set forth herein effective as of January 1, 2016 .

B. Unless the Board provides otherwise, the Plan shall be administered and interpreted by the Award Committee, which has been provided absolute authority hereunder to administer the Plan.  The Board and its members, the members of the Award Committee and any other individual who may, from time to time, have been delegated responsibility with respect to the administration of this Plan (collectively, “Authorized Persons”), shall have the full authority, discretion and power necessary or desirable to administer and interpret this Plan, in accordance with the Plan terms.  Benefits under the Plan shall be payable only if the Authorized Persons in their respective sole and absolute discretion determine that any such benefits are properly payable under the Plan.  Without in any way limiting the foregoing, all Authorized Persons shall have complete authority, sole discretion and power to: (i) determine the Participants; (ii) determine the Performance Goals applicable to each Participant, as well as the relative weighting of each such Performance Goals to determine eligibility for payment of an Award hereunder; (iii) evaluate and determine the performance of Participants; (iv) determine the amount of the Award for each Participant; (v) interpret the provisions of this Plan and any other documentation used in connection with this Plan, including documentation specifying individual Participant Performance Goals, Award opportunities and the like; (vi) establish and interpret rules, regulations and procedures (written or by

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practice) for the administration of the Plan; and (vii) make all other determinations and take all other actions necessary or desirable for the administration or interpretation of this Plan.  The express grant in the Plan of any specific power to Authorized Persons shall not be construed as limiting any power or authority of such Authorized Person.  All actions, decisions and interpretations of the Authorized Persons shall be final, conclusive and binding on all parties.  All expenses of administering the Plan shall be borne by the Company.

C. Nothing in this Plan shall be deemed by implication, action or otherwise to constitute a contract of employment or otherwise to impose any limitation on any right of the Company to terminate a Participant’s employment at any time for any or no reason.

D. A Participant shall have no right to anticipate, alienate, sell, transfer, assign, pledge or encumber any right to receive any Award made under the Plan, nor will any Participant have any lien on any assets of the Company by reason of any Award made under the Plan.

E. The Company shall have the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, any taxes required by law to be withheld from Awards made under this Plan.

F. The Plan may be amended, suspended or terminated at any time and from time to time, by action of the Board or the Award Committee, but in any event, the Plan will be terminated no later than upon the last date the Company pays all Participants any and all amounts that may due under the Plan and no amounts remain due and payable under the Plan to any person as determined by Award Committee.  The preceding sentence to the contrary notwithstanding, on and after a Change in Control, no amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan that adversely affects the rights of a Participant (or the beneficiary of a deceased Participant who has not received payment of an amount approved by the Award Committee under Article 6), shall be effective without the written consent of that Participant or beneficiary.

G. The adoption of the Plan does not imply any commitment to continue to maintain the Plan, or any modified version of the Plan, or any other plan for incentive compensation for such Participant for any period of time.  Neither the adoption of this Plan, its operation, nor any documents describing or referring to this Plan (or any part thereof) shall confer upon any employee any right to continue in the employ of the Company or in any way affect any right and power of the Company to terminate the employment of any employee at any time without assigning a reason therefor.

H. This Plan, insofar as it provides for Awards, shall be unfunded, and the Company shall not be required to segregate any assets that may at any time be represented by Awards under the Plan.  Any liability of the Company to any person with respect to any Awards under this Plan shall be based solely upon any

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contractual obligations which may be created pursuant to this Plan.  No such obligation of the Company shall be deemed to be secured by any pledge of, or other encumbrance on, any property of the Company.

I. In order to be effective, any amendment of this Plan or any Award must be in writing and made by the Award Committee.  No oral statement, representation, written presentation or the like shall have the effect of amending or modifying this Plan or any Award, or otherwise have any binding effect on the Company, the Board, the Chief Executive, the Award Committee or any individual who has been delegated authority to administer this Plan.

J. The Plan shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the substantive laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to principles of conflicts of law.

K. In case any provision of the Plan shall be held illegal or void, such illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining provisions of this Plan, but shall be fully severable, and the Plan shall be construed and enforced as if said illegal or invalid provisions had never been inserted herein.

L. Except for their own gross negligence or gross misconduct regarding the performance of the duties specifically assigned to them under, or their willful breach of the terms of this Plan, the Company (and its affiliates), Board and its members, the Award Committee and its members, and any other entity or individual administering any aspect of this Plan shall be held harmless by the Participants and their respective representatives, heirs, successors, and assigns, against liability or losses occurring by reason of any act or omission under the Plan.

M. Should the Company effect one or more stock dividends, stock splits, subdivisions or consolidations of Shares or other similar changes in capitalization, then the terms of outstanding Awards shall be adjusted as the Award Committee shall determine to be equitably required.  Any determination made under this Article 7( M ) by the Award Committee shall be final and conclusive.  The issuance by the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, for cash or property, or for labor or services, either upon direct sale or upon the exercise of rights or warrants to subscribe therefor, or upon conversion of shares or obligations of the Company convertible into such shares or other securities, shall not affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, Awards.

Executed on the 2 nd   day of August , 201 6 to be effective as of the 1 st day of January, 2016 .

MercadoLibre, Inc.







By:

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MERCADOLIBRE, INC. 2014 LONG TERM RETENTION PROGRAM



















Effective as of January 1, 2014

As Amended and Restated

Effective January 1, 201 6





Contents



MercadoLibre, Inc. 2014 Long Term Retention Program

Article 1. ........................................................................................................................... Purpose 1

Article 2. ................................................................................................................. Definitions 1

Article 3. Participation; Performance Goals and Award Opportunities 5

Article 4. ................................................... Review of Participant’s Performance 6

Article 5. ........................................................................................... Payment of Awards 6

Article 6. ........................................... Termination of Employment; Forfeitures 8

Article 7. ............................................................................. Administrative Provisions 10



 

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MERCADOLIBRE, INC. 2014 LONG TERM RETENTION PROGRAM

Article 1. Purpose

The MercadoLibre, Inc. 2014 Long Term Retention Program (the “Plan”) was effective as of January 1, 2014 , amended and restated effective as of January 1, 2015 and is further amended and restated as set forth herein effective as of January 1, 201 6 .  The principal purpose of the Plan is to assist the Company in the retention of key employees that have valuable industry experience and developed competencies by rewarding Participants in relation to their individual results and their contributions to the organization, as well as overall Company goals and performance.

Article 2. Definitions

When used in the Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

Affiliate means with respect to any Person, a Person that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with such Person (it being understood, that a Person shall be deemed to “control” another Person, for purposes of this definition, if such Person directly or indirectly has the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such other Person, whether through holding ownership interests in such other Person, through agreements or otherwise, and that direct or indirect ownership of ten percent (10%) or more of the voting interests of another Person shall always be deemed to constitute “control”).

Award ” means a specified amount, calculated in accordance with Article 5, payable to a Participant under this Plan for services provided to the Company in 2014   as determined by the Award Committee from time to time in its sole discretion in the form of cash only.  Award payments hereunder shall be contingent on the attainment of one or more Performance Goals.  The timing and conditions of the payment of an Award are subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan , and subject to Article 7 of the Plan, any other terms and conditions determined by the Award Committee to be appropriate .  An Award may, but is not required to, be evidenced by a separate agreement executed by the Participant.

Award Committee means the Compensation Committee of the Board, or such other committee that the Board appoints to administer this Plan, which shall have general administrative authority concerning the Plan, and shall, subject to Article 7, have the sole and absolute authority and discretion to resolve any and all terms and conditions of any Awards and disputes concerning the Plan and any Awards hereunder.

Board means the board of directors of the Company.

Cause ” means “cause” or a similar term set forth in the Participant’s employment agreement with the Company or, if no such agreement is then in effect, shall mean (A) the Participant’s material disregard of his responsibilities, authorities, powers, functions or duties or failure to act, (B) repeated or material negligence or misconduct by the Participant in the performance of his duties, (C) appropriation (or attempted appropriation) of a business opportunity of the Company, including attempting to secure

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or securing any personal profit in connection with any transaction entered into on behalf of the Company, (D) the commission by the Participant of any act of fraud, theft or financial dishonesty with respect to the Company, or any felony or criminal act involving moral turpitude or dishonesty on the part of the Participant, (E) the Participant’s habitual drunkenness or excessive absenteeism not related to sickness, and/or (F) the material breach by the Participant of any provision of his employment agreement that is not cured by the Participant within thirty (30) days after written notice of breach has been delivered to the Participant by the Company, unless such breach is incapable of cure (in which case the Participant shall not be entitled to an opportunity to cure), in each case of  clauses (A) through (F) above, as determined by the Board in good faith.

Change in Control ” shall mean a change in control of the Company which will be deemed to have occurred after the date hereof if:

(a) any “person” as such term is used in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act, as modified and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, is or becomes the beneficial owner, as such term is defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing at least fifty pe r cent ( 50% ) of the combined voting power or S hares of the Company; provided, however, that such term shall not include (A) the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (B) any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or any of its affiliates, (C) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to an offering of such securities, (D) any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company’s S hares, or (E) any person or group as used in Rule 13d-1(b) under the Exchange Act;

(b) there is consummated a merger or consolidation of the Company or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries with any other corporation, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or any parent thereof) more than fifty percent ( 50% ) of the combined voting power and S hares of the Company or such surviving entity or any parent thereof outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation; or

(c) there is completed a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets (or any transaction having a similar effect, including a liquidation) other than a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets to an entity, more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power and common shares of which is owned by shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the S hares of the Company immediately prior to such sale.

Company means MercadoLibre, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, and MercadoLibre, Inc.’s successors or assigns.

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Covered Termination ” means (i) a termination of a Participant’s employment by the Company without Cause and for a reason other than the Participant’s death or disability (as determined under Article 6(a)) or (ii) a Participant’s resignation from the Company with Good Reason.

Eligible Employee means an individual who is designated by the Award Committee as eligible for this Plan and who is employed by the Company as determined by the Award Committee.

Good Reason ” means (i) a material diminution in the Participant’s duties, functions and responsibilities to the Company without the Participant’s consent or the Company preventing the Participant from fulfilling or exercising the Participant’s materials duties, functions and responsibilities to the Company without the Participant’s consent; (ii) a material reduction in the Participant’s base salary or bonus opportunity or (iii) a requirement that the Participant relocate the Participant’s employment more than fifty (50) miles from the location of the Participant’s principal office without the consent of the Participant.  A Participant’s resignation shall not be a resignation with Good Reason unless the Participant gives the Company written notice (delivered within thirty (30) days after the Participant knows of the event, action, etc. that the Participant asserts constitutes Good Reason), the event, action, etc. that the Participant asserts constitutes Good Reason is not cured, to the reasonable satisfaction of the Participant, within thirty (30) days after such notice and the Participant resigns effective not later than thirty (30) days after the expiration of such cure period.

Market Value ” of a Share, as of any date, means (i) the average closing sale price of one Share as reported on a national stock exchange, including, but not limited to, the NASDAQ Global Market (a “National Stock Exchange”) during the sixty ( 60 )   trading day period (or such shorter period as the Shares are so listed) ending on the last trading day immediately preceding such date; (ii) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period but are quoted on the Over-the-Counter-Bulletin Board (the “OTCBB”), the mean between the closing bid and closing asked prices for the Shares as quoted on the OTCBB during the sixty  ( 60 )   trading day period (or such shorter period as the Shares are so quoted) ending on the last trading day immediately preceding such date, (iii) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange or quoted on the OTCBB during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period and the S hares were last traded on a National Stock Exchange, the average closing sale price of one Share as reported on the National Stock Exchange during the ninety ( 90 )   trading day period ending on the last day the Shares were listed for trading on such Exchange or (iv) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange or quoted on the OTCBB during any day in that sixty ( 60 ) trading day period and the S hares were last traded on the OTCBB, the mean between the closing bid and closing asked prices for the Shares as quoted on the OTCBB during the ninety ( 90 )   trading day period ending on the last day the Shares were quoted on the OTCBB.  For purposes of calculating the benefits and valuing Shares for the single cash payment payable within fifteen (15) days after a Change in Control, the term “Market Value” means the amount determined under the preceding sentence determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs.  For purposes of calculating benefits and

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valuing Shares for other payments payable after a Change of Control, the term “Market Value” means, (x) in the event the Company is not the surviving entity in the Change in Control, the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs, or, (y) in the event the Company is the surviving entity in the Change in Control, the greater of (A) the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date the benefit is payable ( e.g. , as of March 31 of the appropriate year or the date of a Participant’s Covered Termination , as applicable) or (B) the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs.

MercadoLibre Business means any activities directly or indirectly related to Online Transactional Platforms, Online Classified Advertisements and/or Payment Platforms.

Minimum Eligibility Conditions means the minimum conditions established by the Award Committee and approved by the Board that a Participant must meet in order to be eligible to receive payments under any Award hereunder.

Online Classified Advertisements means listings of goods, products or services on Internet sites, which listings (1) serve the same purpose as the listings appearing in the classifieds section of printed newspapers, (2) include direct contact information of the seller via telephone, e-mail or any offline method, which contact information is readily and continuously available to any visitor without restriction or special action required from the visitor, or provide for a method to contact the seller so that the seller may then respond providing direct contact information, and (3) are on Internet sites the operator or administrator of which does not (x) play any role in consummating the transaction to which the listing relates, or (y) provide any information (other than contact information) to the seller regarding the potential buyer or interested party, or otherwise serve as middle-man between a potential buyer and seller (other than for the limited purposes expressly set forth in this paragraph), or (z) charge any fee or commission for such transaction (including, without limitation, any fees for completion of transactions and/or fees based on number of users contacting another user) other than a listing fee, which is a fee for placing the listing on the website and is chargeable before or at the time such listing appears.  Examples of Online Classifieds Advertisements include Craigslist.com, Kijiji.com, and olx.com.

Online Transactional Platforms means online transactional platforms or similar as determined by the Award Committee including, but not limited to, (a) any online platform offering a wide variety of product lines and/or services, operating in a manner similar to Amazon.com or Submarino.com as of the date hereof and/or (b) online transactional marketplaces located on websites in which sellers and potential buyers transact for any kinds of goods and/or services, which goods and/or services are displayed on such website, and in which the sellers’ and potential buyers’ initial contact can only be made through such website (for purposes of initial contact, direct contact information of another user is not made available to users, in accordance with the terms of use of such website), such as eBay.com, MercadoLibre.com, DeRemate.com, etc. (and any such domain name with country suffixes).

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Participant means an Eligible Employee who is designated as eligible to receive an Award for services provided in 2014.  The designation of an individual as a Participant under this Plan shall not provide the individual with any rights to any future participation for any subsequent long term retention plans that may be adopted by the Company in future years but, subject to the terms of the Plan, an individual shall remain a Participant for purposes of receiving a payment of an Award until such individual ceases to be an Eligible Employee.

Payments Platforms means websites or platforms enabling the sending, receipt, holding and/or transfer of money from one user to another user through an account that is funded by, among other things, traditional payment methods and then used to transact with another user electronically, such as PayPal.com, MercadoPago.com, or Dineromail.com (and any such domain name with country suffixes).

Performance Goals means any goals, metrics or other performance measures established for a Participant for services provided in 2014, the attainment of which will result in an Award becoming payable to the Participant, subject to the terms of the Plan.  It is currently anticipated that Performance Goals generally will be based on, and support, both individual and Company goals and may also include goals established for the particular division, affiliate or country in which the Participant is located.

Person means and includes a natural person, a corporation, an association, a partnership, a limited liability company, a trust, a joint venture, an unincorporated organization or any other similar entity or a governmental or quasi-governmental body.

Shares ” means shares of c ommon s tock of the Company, $0.001 par value per share.

Territory means the United States of America and each country and territory in Latin America and the Caribbean, including, without limitation, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Article 3. Participation; Performance Goals and Award Opportunities

The amount of the Award for each Plan Participant and the Performance Goals applicable to such Award will be established by the Award Committee and communicated to each Plan Participant.  The amount of each Award may be different for each Participant or levels of Participants as determined by the Award Committee.     The amount of each Award shall be enumerated as a specified amount, calculated in accordance with Article 5 hereof, of United States dollars, unless the Award Committee determines the amount of any such Award in a local currency.  The amount of each Award, to the extent it becomes payable, shall be paid in the form of cash only.

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Article 4.   Review of Participant’s Performance

Performance Goals will generally be set and determined for the 2014 calendar year by the Award Committee .  The Award Committee, with input from the Company officer responsible for each Participant, will evaluate such Participant’s performance relative to the Performance Goals.

Article 5. Payment of Awards

(a) If a Participant does not satisfy the Minimum Eligibility Conditions, then any Award granted to such Participant and subject to such Minimum Eligibility Conditions shall be forfeited, and shall not become payable to such Participant under this Plan.  If the Participant meets the Minimum Eligibility Conditions, the n any Award granted to such Participant and subject to such Minimum Eligibility Conditions shall become payable to the Participant in accordance with and subject to the terms of this Article 5 and Article 6.

Subject to the following paragraphs and Article 6, only if the Participant is employed as an Eligible Employee on the date each portion of the Award is to be paid to such Participant, the Award shall be payable as follows:

(1) Eight and one-third percent ( 8.33% ) of the Award shall be payable to the Participant on or about March 31 of each calendar year for a period of six (6) years starting in 2015; and

(2) the Participant shall receive on or about March 31 of each calendar year for a period of six (6) years starting in 2015, an Award payment equal in value to the product of (i) multiplied by (ii), where (i) equals eight and one-third percent ( 8.33% ) of the Award and (ii) equals the quotient of (a) divided by (b), where (a), the numerator, equals the Market Value as of the applicable payment date and (b), the denominator, equals $118.48 (the average closing price of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final sixty ( 60 ) trading days of 2013).

(b) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any other agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) Each Participant who is employed by the Company on the date a Change in Control occurs shall be vested in the right to receive fifty percent (50%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid thereafter.

(2) As soon as practicable after the date a Change in Control occurs, but in no event more than fifteen (15) days after the date a Change in Control occurs, each Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph shall receive a single cash payment equal to fifty percent (50%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid after the Change in Control (based on the Market Value on the date the Change in Control occurs).

(3) Each Award payment scheduled to be paid after the Change in Control shall be reduced by fifty percent (50%), i.e. , to reflect the single cash

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payment under clause (2) of this paragraph, and shall continue to be paid on each March 31 in accordance with the preceding paragraph, subject to the Participant’s continued employment; provided, however, that if a Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph experiences a Covered Termination on or after Change in Control, then any Award payments scheduled to be paid after the Covered Termination shall be paid in a single cash payment (based on the Market Value on the date of the Covered Termination) within fifteen (15) days after the Covered Termination.

(c) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) The portion of any Award under this Plan that was forfeited or forfeitable upon the Participant’s Covered Termination before a Change in Control shall be reinstated (or if not yet forfeited, retained) as of the date of the Change in Control if such date is not more than one hundred and twenty ( 120 ) days after the date of the Covered Termination.

(2) As soon as practicable after the date a Change in Control occurs, but in no event more than fifteen (15) days after the date a Change in Control occurs, each Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph shall receive a single cash payment equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid after the date of the Participant’s Covered Termination.  With respect to any Award payment originally scheduled to have been paid before the date of the Change in Control, the amount of such payment will be based on the Market Value on the date of the Covered Termination.  With respect to any Award payments scheduled to be paid on or after the Change in Control, the amount of such payment will be based on the Market Value on the date the Change in Control occurs.

(d) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any other agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) I f any portion of an Award received or to be received by a Participant (either alone or together with other payments or benefits which such Participant received or realized or is then entitled to receive or realize from the Company under   any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement in connection with a Change in Control or a Participant’s termination of employment) (all such payments and benefits, being hereinafter referred to as the “Total Payments”) would be subject (in whole or part), to any excise tax imposed under section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”, and such excise tax, the “Excise Tax”), then, after taking into account any reduction in the Total Payments provided by reason of section 280G of the Code in any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement, the Company will reduce the

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payment of the Award to the extent necessary so that no portion of the Total Payments is subject to the Excise Tax (but in no event to less than zero); provided ,   however , that the Award will only be reduced if (i) the net amount of any Total Payments, as so reduced (and after subtracting the net amount of United States federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such reduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out, if any, of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such reduced Total Payments), is greater than or equal to (ii) the net amount of such Total Payments without such reduction (but after subtracting the net amount of federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such Total Payments and the amount of Excise Tax to which the Participant would be subject in respect of such unreduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out, if any, of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such unreduced Total Payments) .

(2) If (A) any portion of the Total Payments other than an Award (the “Other Payments”) is required to be reduced pursuant to a provision substantially similar to this Article 5(d), (B) any portion of an Award is required to be reduced pursuant to this Article 5(d); and (C) there is no other provision in any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement governing the payment of the Other Payments which dictates the order of the reduction in the Other Payments, then the Total Payments will be reduced in the following order: (i) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a) will be reduced (if necessary, to zero), with amounts that are payable last reduced first; (ii) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a), with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; (iii) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with amounts that are payable last reduced first, will next be reduced; (iv) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; and (v) all other non-cash benefits not otherwise described in clauses (ii) or (iv) will be next reduced pro-rata. Any reductions made pursuant to each of clauses (i)-(v) above will be made in the following manner: first, a pro-rata reduction of cash payment and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity not subject to section 409A of the Code, and second, a pro-rata reduction of cash payments and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity subject to section 409A of the Code as deferred compensation .  

(3) For purposes of determining whether and the extent to which the Award will be subject to the Excise Tax and the amount of such Excise Tax: (i) no portion of the Award the receipt or enjoyment of which the Participant

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shall have waived at such time and in such manner as not to constitute a “payment” within the meaning of section 280G(b) of the Code will be taken into account; and (ii) no portion of the Award will be taken into account which, in the opinion of the accounting firm which was, immediately prior to the Change in Control, the Company’s independent auditor, does not constitute a “parachute payment” within the meaning of section 280G(b)(2) of the Code (including by reason of section 280G(b)(4)(A) of the Code) and, in calculating the Excise Tax, no portion of such Award will be taken into account which constitutes reasonable compensation for services actually rendered, within the meaning of section 280G(b)(4)(B) of the Code, in excess of the Base Amount (as defined in section 280G(b)(3) of the Code) allocable to such reasonable compensation.

( 4 ) The fact that the Participant’s right to payments or benefits may be reduced by reason of the limitations contained in this Article 5will not of itself limit or otherwise affect any other rights of the Participant under the Plan. The Participant and the Company shall each reasonably cooperate with the other in connection with any administrative or judicial proceedings concerning the existence or amount of liability for Excise Tax with respect to the Award.

Article 6. Termination of Employment; Forfeitures

(a) Except as provided in Article 5 with respect to a Covered Termination within one hundred and twenty ( 120 ) days before a Change in Control or a Covered Termination on or after a Change in Control, participation in the Plan shall cease immediately upon a Participant’s retirement, resignation or termination of employment as an Eligible Employee for any reason (with or without Cause), or if determined by the Award Committee, upon the Participant’s death or disability.  Disability will be determined under the Company’s long term disability plan, if any, or upon receipt of a letter of determination or similar of the Participant’s complete disability by the applicable governmental authority under local applicable law, which complete disability entitles the Participant to disability payments under local law.

(b) In the event that:

(1) while the Participant is employed by the Company, he or she engages in, directly or indirectly, any other business or activity that could materially or adversely affect the Company’s business or his or her ability to perform his or her duties for the Company, including, but not limited to, any activities adversely affecting the MercadoLibre Business anywhere in the Territory;

(2) while the Participant is employed by the Company or during the one-year period following the termination of the Participant’s employment for any reason, he or she directly or indirectly, on his or her own behalf or on behalf of another Person or entity, hires or solicits for hire any employees

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of the Company or its Affiliates or in any manner attempts to influence or induce any employee of the Company or its Affiliates to leave their employment; or

(3) while the Participant is employed by the Company or during the one-year period following the termination of the Participant’s employment for any reason, he or she alone (or in association with any other Person) directly or indirectly, in any capacity, owns, operates, manages, controls, engages in, invests in, becomes employed by, acts as a consultant or advisor to, or provides services for, or otherwise assists any other Person in activities that are competitive with the MercadoLibre Business anywhere in the Territory,

he or she will automatically forfeit any and all benefits received under the Plan and any and all benefits which the Participant may otherwise be entitled to receive under the Plan.  If the Participant terminates employment with the Company for any reason (with or without Cause) and he or she alone (or in association with any other Person) takes any of the action set forth in subparagraph (1), (2) or (3) above, the Participant will be required to immediately, and in no event more than five (5) days following the termination of the Participant’s employment, return all amounts which the Participant has received under the terms of the Plan (the “Recovery Amount”), and the Participant and the Company hereby agree to the following, notwithstanding any Plan provision to the contrary:

(i) that the Company may withhold all or a portion of the Recovery Amount from any salary, wages or other amounts due to the Participant from the Company; and

(ii) in addition to the Recovery Amount, the Company may also recover any fees incurred by the Company in seeking to collect the Recovery Amount, including, but not limited to, the Company’s reasonable attorneys’ fees.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, ownership of less than five percent (5%) of the outstanding capital stock of any Person whose securities are registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, in and of itself shall not be cause for automatic forfeiture under Article 6(b)(3), whether or not the subject Person is competitive with the Company.

(c) Except as provided in Article 5 with respect to a Covered Termination within one hundred and twenty ( 120 ) days before a Change in Control or a Covered Termination on or after a Change in Control, the portion of any Award under this Plan that has not been actually paid to the Participant prior to the date of such resignation or other termination of employment shall be forfeited, except that the Award Committee, in its discretion, may pay all or part of the amount that remains payable under an Award upon the disability or death of the Participant in accordance with such rules or procedures established by the Award Committee provided, however, that any amount of the Award payment that the Award Committee determines to pay shall be paid no later than March 15 of the year following the year that the Participant’s employment ends on account of disability or death.  Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, any Award paid to the Participant shall be subject to recovery by the Company in

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the event that the Participant is terminated for Cause and shall, to the extent permitted by law, be subject to recovery from any amounts owed by the Company to the Participant, including, but not limited to, offsetting any amounts owed under the Plan to the Company against any amounts otherwise owed to the Participant by the Company.

(d) If the Award Committee decides to pay all or part of an Award after the death of a Participant in accordance with this Article 6, the Participant may designate in writing one or more persons (“beneficiary”) to receive any unpaid portion of the Participant’s Award upon the death of the Participant.  By similar action, the Participant may designate a change of beneficiary at any time, which change shall be effective only upon receipt by the Award Committee of said notice.  The last such designation form filed with the Award Committee prior to the Participant’s death shall control.  The Award Committee may establish a form or other requirements for such designation.  If the Participant designates his spouse as a beneficiary, the divorce of Participant shall automatically revoke that designation of his spouse as beneficiary except to the extent otherwise provided in a subsequent beneficiary designation filed by the Participant with the Award Committee.  In the absence of a written designation, or in the event the Participant dies without a beneficiary surviving him, any amount which would otherwise be payable on account of his death shall be paid to the surviving spouse of the Participant or if none, to the Participant’s estate.  A beneficiary of a Participant shall have no interest or rights hereunder during the lifetime of the Participant.

Article 7. Administrative Provisions

A. The Plan was approved by the Board on March 28, 2014 to be effective as of January 1, 2014 for all services provided by Participants in 2014 , was amended and restated effective as of January 1, 201 5 and is further amended and restated as set forth herein effective as of January 1, 201 6 .

B. Unless the Board provides otherwise, the Plan shall be administered and interpreted by the Award Committee, which has been provided absolute authority hereunder to administer the Plan.  The Board and its members, the members of the Award Committee and any other individual who may, from time to time, have been delegated responsibility with respect to the administration of this Plan (collectively, “Authorized Persons”), shall have the full authority, discretion and power necessary or desirable to administer and interpret this Plan, in accordance with the Plan terms.  Benefits under the Plan shall be payable only if the Authorized Persons in their respective sole and absolute discretion determine that any such benefits are properly payable under the Plan.  Without in any way limiting the foregoing, all Authorized Persons shall have complete authority, sole discretion and power to: (i) determine the Participants; (ii) determine the Performance Goals applicable to each Participant, as well as the relative weighting of each such Performance Goals to determine eligibility for payment of an Award hereunder; (iii) evaluate and determine the performance of Participants; (iv) determine the amount of the Award for each Participant; (v) interpret the provisions of this Plan and any other documentation used in connection with this Plan, including documentation specifying individual Participant Performance Goals, Award opportunities and the like; (vi) establish and interpret rules, regulations and procedures (written or by

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practice) for the administration of the Plan; and (vii) make all other determinations and take all other actions necessary or desirable for the administration or interpretation of this Plan.  The express grant in the Plan of any specific power to Authorized Persons shall not be construed as limiting any power or authority of such Authorized Person.  All actions, decisions and interpretations of the Authorized Persons shall be final, conclusive and binding on all parties.  All expenses of administering the Plan shall be borne by the Company.

C. Nothing in this Plan shall be deemed by implication, action or otherwise to constitute a contract of employment or otherwise to impose any limitation on any right of the Company to terminate a Participant’s employment at any time for any or no reason.

D. A Participant shall have no right to anticipate, alienate, sell, transfer, assign, pledge or encumber any right to receive any Award made under the Plan, nor will any Participant have any lien on any assets of the Company by reason of any Award made under the Plan.

E. The Company shall have the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, any taxes required by law to be withheld from Awards made under this Plan.

F. The Plan may be amended, suspended or terminated at any time and from time to time, by action of the Board or the Award Committee, but in any event, the Plan will be terminated no later than upon the last date the Company pays all Participants any and all amounts that may due under the Plan and no amounts remain due and payable under the Plan to any person as determined by Award Committee.  The preceding sentence to the contrary notwithstanding, on and after a Change in Control, no amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan that adversely affects the rights of a Participant (or the beneficiary of a deceased Participant who has not received payment of an amount approved by the Award Committee under Article 6), shall be effective without the written consent of that Participant or beneficiary.

G. The adoption of the Plan does not imply any commitment to continue to maintain the Plan, or any modified version of the Plan, or any other plan for incentive compensation for such Participant for any period of time.  Neither the adoption of this Plan, its operation, nor any documents describing or referring to this Plan (or any part thereof) shall confer upon any employee any right to continue in the employ of the Company or in any way affect any right and power of the Company to terminate the employment of any employee at any time without assigning a reason therefor.

H. This Plan, insofar as it provides for Awards, shall be unfunded, and the Company shall not be required to segregate any assets that may at any time be represented by Awards under the Plan.  Any liability of the Company to any person with respect to any Awards under this Plan shall be based solely upon any

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contractual obligations which may be created pursuant to this Plan.  No such obligation of the Company shall be deemed to be secured by any pledge of, or other encumbrance on, any property of the Company.

I. In order to be effective, any amendment of this Plan or any Award must be in writing and made by the Award Committee.  No oral statement, representation, written presentation or the like shall have the effect of amending or modifying this Plan or any Award, or otherwise have any binding effect on the Company, the Board, the Chief Executive, the Award Committee or any individual who has been delegated authority to administer this Plan.

J. The Plan shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the substantive laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to principles of conflicts of law.

K. In case any provision of the Plan shall be held illegal or void, such illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining provisions of this Plan, but shall be fully severable, and the Plan shall be construed and enforced as if said illegal or invalid provisions had never been inserted herein.

L. Except for their own gross negligence or gross misconduct regarding the performance of the duties specifically assigned to them under, or their willful breach of the terms of this Plan, the Company (and its affiliates), Board and its members, the Award Committee and its members, and any other entity or individual administering any aspect of this Plan shall be held harmless by the Participants and their respective representatives, heirs, successors, and assigns, against liability or losses occurring by reason of any act or omission under the Plan.

M. Should the Company effect one or more stock dividends, stock splits, subdivisions or consolidations of Shares or other similar changes in capitalization, then the terms of outstanding Awards shall be adjusted as the Award Committee shall determine to be equitably required.  Any determination made under this Article 7( M ) by the Award Committee shall be final and conclusive.  The issuance by the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, for cash or property, or for labor or services, either upon direct sale or upon the exercise of rights or warrants to subscribe therefor, or upon conversion of shares or obligations of the Company convertible into such shares or other securities, shall not affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, Awards.

Executed on the 2 nd   day of August ,   2016 to be effective as of the 1 st day of January, 2016 .

MercadoLibre, Inc.







By:

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MERCADOLIBRE, INC. 2015 LONG TERM RETENTION PROGRAM



















Effective as of January 1, 2015

As Amended and Restated

Effective January 1, 2016





Contents



MercadoLibre, Inc. 2015 Long Term Retention Program

Article 1. ........................................................................................................................... Purpose 1

Article 2. ................................................................................................................. Definitions 1

Article 3. Participation; Performance Goals and Award Opportunities 5

Article 4. ................................................... Review of Participant’s Performance 6

Article 5. ........................................................................................... Payment of Awards 6

Article 6. ........................................... Termination of Employment; Forfeitures 8

Article 7. ............................................................................. Administrative Provisions 10



 

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MERCADOLIBRE, INC. 2015 LONG TERM RETENTION PROGRAM

Article 1. Purpose

The MercadoLibre, Inc. 2015 Long Term Retention Program (the “Plan”) was effective as of January 1, 2015 and is further amended and restated as set forth herein effective as of January 1, 2016 .  The principal purpose of the Plan is to assist the Company in the retention of key employees that have valuable industry experience and developed competencies by rewarding Participants in relation to their individual results and their contributions to the organization, as well as overall Company goals and performance.

Article 2. Definitions

When used in the Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

Affiliate means with respect to any Person, a Person that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with such Person (it being understood, that a Person shall be deemed to “control” another Person, for purposes of this definition, if such Person directly or indirectly has the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such other Person, whether through holding ownership interests in such other Person, through agreements or otherwise, and that direct or indirect ownership of ten percent (10%) or more of the voting interests of another Person shall always be deemed to constitute “control”).

Award ” means a specified amount, calculated in accordance with Article 5, payable to a Participant under this Plan for services provided to the Company in 2015 as determined by the Award Committee from time to time in its sole discretion in the form of cash only.  Award payments hereunder shall be contingent on the attainment of one or more Performance Goals.  The timing and conditions of the payment of an Award are subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan , and subject to Article 7 of the Plan, any other terms and conditions determined by the Award Committee to be appropriate .  An Award may, but is not required to, be evidenced by a separate agreement executed by the Participant. 

Award Committee means the Compensation Committee of the Board, or such other committee that the Board appoints to administer this Plan, which shall have general administrative authority concerning the Plan, and shall, subject to Article 7, have the sole and absolute authority and discretion to resolve any and all terms and conditions of any Awards and disputes concerning the Plan and any Awards hereunder.

Board means the board of directors of the Company.

Cause ” means “cause” or a similar term set forth in the Participant’s employment agreement with the Company or, if no such agreement is then in effect, shall mean (A) the Participant’s material disregard of his responsibilities, authorities, powers, functions or duties or failure to act, (B) repeated or material negligence or misconduct by the Participant in the performance of his duties, (C) appropriation (or attempted appropriation) of a business opportunity of the Company, including attempting to secure

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or securing any personal profit in connection with any transaction entered into on behalf of the Company, (D) the commission by the Participant of any act of fraud, theft or financial dishonesty with respect to the Company, or any felony or criminal act involving moral turpitude or dishonesty on the part of the Participant, (E) the Participant’s habitual drunkenness or excessive absenteeism not related to sickness, and/or (F) the material breach by the Participant of any provision of his employment agreement that is not cured by the Participant within thirty (30) days after written notice of breach has been delivered to the Participant by the Company, unless such breach is incapable of cure (in which case the Participant shall not be entitled to an opportunity to cure), in each case of  clauses (A) through (F) above, as determined by the Board in good faith.

Change in Control ” shall mean a change in control of the Company which will be deemed to have occurred after the date hereof if:

(a) any “person” as such term is used in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act, as modified and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, is or becomes the beneficial owner, as such term is defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing at least fifty percent ( 50% ) of the combined voting power or S hares of the Company; provided, however, that such term shall not include (A) the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (B) any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or any of its affiliates, (C) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to an offering of such securities, (D) any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company’s S hares, or (E) any person or group as used in Rule 13d-1(b) under the Exchange Act;

(b) there is consummated a merger or consolidation of the Company or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries with any other corporation, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or any parent thereof) more than fifty percent ( 50% ) of the combined voting power and S hares of the Company or such surviving entity or any parent thereof outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation; or

(c) there is completed a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets (or any transaction having a similar effect, including a liquidation) other than a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets to an entity, more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power and common shares of which is owned by shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the S hares of the Company immediately prior to such sale.

Company means MercadoLibre, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, and MercadoLibre, Inc.’s successors or assigns.

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Covered Termination ” means (i) a termination of a Participant’s employment by the Company without Cause and for a reason other than the Participant’s death or disability (as determined under Article 6(a)) or (ii) a Participant’s resignation from the Company with Good Reason.

Eligible Employee means an individual who is designated by the Award Committee as eligible for this Plan and who is employed by the Company as determined by the Award Committee.

Good Reason ” means (i) a material diminution in the Participant’s duties, functions and responsibilities to the Company without the Participant’s consent or the Company preventing the Participant from fulfilling or exercising the Participant’s materials duties, functions and responsibilities to the Company without the Participant’s consent; (ii) a material reduction in the Participant’s base salary or bonus opportunity or (iii) a requirement that the Participant relocate the Participant’s employment more than fifty (50) miles from the location of the Participant’s principal office without the consent of the Participant.  A Participant’s resignation shall not be a resignation with Good Reason unless the Participant gives the Company written notice (delivered within thirty (30) days after the Participant knows of the event, action, etc. that the Participant asserts constitutes Good Reason), the event, action, etc. that the Participant asserts constitutes Good Reason is not cured, to the reasonable satisfaction of the Participant, within thirty (30) days after such notice and the Participant resigns effective not later than thirty (30) days after the expiration of such cure period.

Market Value ” of a Share, as of any date, means (i) the average closing sale price of one Share as reported on a national stock exchange, including, but not limited to, the NASDAQ Global Market (a “National Stock Exchange”) during the sixty ( 60 )   trading day period (or such shorter period as the Shares are so listed) ending on the last trading day immediately preceding such date; (ii) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period but are quoted on the Over-the-Counter-Bulletin Board (the “OTCBB”), the mean between the closing bid and closing asked prices for the Shares as quoted on the OTCBB during the sixty ( 60 )   trading day period (or such shorter period as the Shares are so quoted) ending on the last trading day immediately preceding such date, (iii) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange or quoted on the OTCBB during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period and the S hares were last traded on a National Stock Exchange, the average closing sale price of one Share as reported on the National Stock Exchange during the ninety ( 90 )   trading day period ending on the last day the Shares were listed for trading on such Exchange or (iv) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange or quoted on the OTCBB during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period and the S hares were last traded on the OTCBB, the mean between the closing bid and closing asked prices for the Shares as quoted on the OTCBB during the ninety ( 90 )   trading day period ending on the last day the Shares were quoted on the OTCBB.  For purposes of calculating the benefits and valuing Shares for the single cash payment payable within fifteen (15) days after a Change in Control, the term “Market Value” means the amount determined under the preceding sentence determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs.  For purposes of calculating benefits and

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valuing Shares for other payments payable after a Change of Control, the term “Market Value” means, (x) in the event the Company is not the surviving entity in the Change in Control, the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs, or, (y) in the event the Company is the surviving entity in the Change in Control, the greater of (A) the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date the benefit is a payable ( e.g. , as of March 31 of the appropriate year or the date of a Participant’s Covered Termination , as applicable) or (B) the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs.

MercadoLibre Business means any activities directly or indirectly related to Online Transactional Platforms, Online Classified Advertisements and/or Payment Platforms.

Minimum Eligibility Conditions means the minimum conditions established by the Award Committee and approved by the Board that a Participant must meet in order to be eligible to receive payments under any Award hereunder.

Online Classified Advertisements means listings of goods, products or services on Internet sites, which listings (1) serve the same purpose as the listings appearing in the classifieds section of printed newspapers, (2) include direct contact information of the seller via telephone, e-mail or any offline method, which contact information is readily and continuously available to any visitor without restriction or special action required from the visitor, or provide for a method to contact the seller so that the seller may then respond providing direct contact information, and (3) are on Internet sites the operator or administrator of which does not (x) play any role in consummating the transaction to which the listing relates, or (y) provide any information (other than contact information) to the seller regarding the potential buyer or interested party, or otherwise serve as middle-man between a potential buyer and seller (other than for the limited purposes expressly set forth in this paragraph), or (z) charge any fee or commission for such transaction (including, without limitation, any fees for completion of transactions and/or fees based on number of users contacting another user) other than a listing fee, which is a fee for placing the listing on the website and is chargeable before or at the time such listing appears.  Examples of Online Classifieds Advertisements include Craigslist.com, Kijiji.com, and olx.com.

Online Transactional Platforms means online transactional platforms or similar as determined by the Award Committee including, but not limited to, (a) any online platform offering a wide variety of product lines and/or services, operating in a manner similar to Amazon.com or Submarino.com as of the date hereof and/or (b) online transactional marketplaces located on websites in which sellers and potential buyers transact for any kinds of goods and/or services, which goods and/or services are displayed on such website, and in which the sellers’ and potential buyers’ initial contact can only be made through such website (for purposes of initial contact, direct contact information of another user is not made available to users, in accordance with the terms of use of such website), such as eBay.com, MercadoLibre.com, DeRemate.com, etc. (and any such domain name with country suffixes).

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Participant means an Eligible Employee who is designated as eligible to receive an Award for services provided in 2015.  The designation of an individual as a Participant under this Plan shall not provide the individual with any rights to any future participation for any subsequent long term retention plans that may be adopted by the Company in future years but, subject to the terms of the Plan, an individual shall remain a Participant for purposes of receiving a payment of an Award until such individual ceases to be an Eligible Employee.

Payments Platforms means websites or platforms enabling the sending, receipt, holding and/or transfer of money from one user to another user through an account that is funded by, among other things, traditional payment methods and then used to transact with another user electronically, such as PayPal.com, MercadoPago.com, or Dineromail.com (and any such domain name with country suffixes).

Performance Goals ” means any goals, metrics or other performance measures of the Company in 2015 that is established for a Participant, the attainment of which will result in an Award becoming payable to the Participant, subject to the terms of the Plan.  It is currently anticipated that Performance Goals generally will be based on pre-set goals for financial and operational performance of the Company.

Person means and includes a natural person, a corporation, an association, a partnership, a limited liability company, a trust, a joint venture, an unincorporated organization or any other similar entity or a governmental or quasi-governmental body.

Shares ” means shares of c ommon s tock of the Company, $0.001 par value per share.

Territory means the United States of America and each country and territory in Latin America and the Caribbean, including, without limitation, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Article 3. Participation; Performance Goals and Award Opportunities

The amount of the Award for each Plan Participant and the Performance Goals applicable to such Award will be established by the Award Committee and communicated to each Plan Participant.  The amount of each Award may be different for each Participant or levels of Participants as determined by the Award Committee.

The amount of each Award shall be enumerated as a specified amount, calculated in accordance with Article 5 hereof, of United States dollars, unless the Award Committee determines the amount of any such Award in a local currency.  The amount of each Award, to the extent it becomes payable, shall be paid   in the form of cash only. 

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Article 4. Review of Participant’s Performance

Performance Goals will generally be set and determined for the 2015 calendar year by the Award Committee .  The Award Committee, with input from the Company officer responsible for each Participant, will evaluate such Participant’s performance relative to the Performance Goals.

Article 5. Payment of Awards

(a) If a Participant does not satisfy the Minimum Eligibility Conditions, then any  Award granted to such Participant and subject to such Minimum Eligibility Conditions shall be forfeited, and shall not become payable to such Participant under this Plan.  If the Participant meets the Minimum Eligibility Conditions, the n any Award granted to such Participant and subject to such Minimum Eligibility Conditions shall become payable to the Participant in accordance with and subject to the terms of this Article 5 and Article 6.

Subject to the following paragraphs and Article 6, only if the Participant is employed as an Eligible Employee on the date each portion of the Award is to be paid to such Participant, the Award shall be payable as follows:

(1) Eight and one-third percent ( 8.33% ) of the Award shall be payable to the Participant on or about March 31 of each calendar year for a period of six (6) years starting in 2016; and

(2) the Participant shall receive on or about March 31 of each calendar year for a period of six (6) years starting in 2016, an Award payment equal in value to the product of (i) multiplied by (ii), where (i) equals eight and one-third percent ( 8.33% ) of the Award and (ii) equals the quotient of (a) divided by (b), where (a), the numerator, equals the Market Value as of the applicable payment date and (b), the denominator, equals $127.29 (the average closing price of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final sixty ( 60 ) trading days of 2014).

(b) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any other agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) Each Participant who is employed by the Company on the date a Change in Control occurs shall be vested in the right to receive fifty percent (50%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid thereafter.

(2) As soon as practicable after the date a Change in Control occurs, but in no event more than fifteen (15) days after the date a Change in Control occurs, each Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph shall receive a single cash payment equal to fifty percent (50%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid after the Change in Control (based on the Market Value on the date the Change in Control occurs).

(3) Each Award payment scheduled to be paid after the Change in Control shall be reduced by fifty percent (50%), i.e. , to reflect the single cash

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payment under clause (2) of this paragraph, and shall continue to be paid on each March 31 in accordance with the preceding paragraph, subject to the Participant’s continued employment; provided, however, that if a Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph experiences a Covered Termination on or after Change in Control, then any Award payments scheduled to be paid after the Covered Termination shall be paid in a single cash payment (based on the Market Value on the date of the Covered Termination) within fifteen (15) days after the Covered Termination.

(c) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) The portion of any Award under this Plan that was forfeited or forfeitable upon the Participant’s Covered Termination before a Change in Control shall be reinstated (or if not yet forfeited, retained) as of the date of the Change in Control if such date is not more than one hundred and twenty ( 120 ) days after the date of the Covered Termination.

(2) As soon as practicable after the date a Change in Control occurs, but in no event more than fifteen (15) days after the date a Change in Control occurs, each Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph shall receive a single cash payment equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid after the date of the Participant’s Covered Termination.  With respect to any Award payment originally scheduled to have been paid before the date of the Change in Control, the amount of such payment will be based on the Market Value on the date of the Covered Termination.  With respect to any Award payments scheduled to be paid on or after the Change in Control, the amount of such payment will be based on the Market Value on the date the Change in Control occurs.

(d) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any other agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) I f any portion of an Award received or to be received by a Participant (either alone or together with other payments or benefits which such Participant received or realized or is then entitled to receive or realize from the Company under   any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement in connection with a Change in Control or a Participant’s termination of employment) (all such payments and benefits, being hereinafter referred to as the “Total Payments”) would be subject (in whole or part), to any excise tax imposed under section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”, and such excise tax, the “Excise Tax”), then, after taking into account any reduction in the Total Payments provided by reason of section 280G of the Code in any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement, the Company will reduce the

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payment of the Award to the extent necessary so that no portion of the Total Payments is subject to the Excise Tax (but in no event to less than zero); provided ,   however , that the Award will only be reduced if (i) the net amount of any Total Payments, as so reduced (and after subtracting the net amount of United States federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such reduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out, if any, of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such reduced Total Payments), is greater than or equal to (ii) the net amount of such Total Payments without such reduction (but after subtracting the net amount of federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such Total Payments and the amount of Excise Tax to which the Participant would be subject in respect of such unreduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out, if any, of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such unreduced Total Payments) .

(2) If (A) any portion of the Total Payments other than an Award (the “Other Payments”) is required to be reduced pursuant to a provision substantially similar to this Article 5(d), (B) any portion of an Award is required to be reduced pursuant to this Article 5(d); and (C) there is no other provision in any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement governing the payment of the Other Payments which dictates the order of the reduction in the Other Payments, then the Total Payments will be reduced in the following order: (i) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a) will be reduced (if necessary, to zero), with amounts that are payable last reduced first; (ii) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a), with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; (iii) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with amounts that are payable last reduced first, will next be reduced; (iv) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; and (v) all other non-cash benefits not otherwise described in clauses (ii) or (iv) will be next reduced pro-rata. Any reductions made pursuant to each of clauses (i)-(v) above will be made in the following manner: first, a pro-rata reduction of cash payment and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity not subject to section 409A of the Code, and second, a pro-rata reduction of cash payments and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity subject to section 409A of the Code as deferred compensation .  

(3) For purposes of determining whether and the extent to which the Award will be subject to the Excise Tax and the amount of such Excise Tax: (i) no portion of the Award the receipt or enjoyment of which the Participant

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shall have waived at such time and in such manner as not to constitute a “payment” within the meaning of section 280G(b) of the Code will be taken into account; and (ii) no portion of the Award will be taken into account which, in the opinion of the accounting firm which was, immediately prior to the Change in Control, the Company’s independent auditor, does not constitute a “parachute payment” within the meaning of section 280G(b)(2) of the Code (including by reason of section 280G(b)(4)(A) of the Code) and, in calculating the Excise Tax, no portion of such Award will be taken into account which constitutes reasonable compensation for services actually rendered, within the meaning of section 280G(b)(4)(B) of the Code, in excess of the Base Amount (as defined in section 280G(b)(3) of the Code) allocable to such reasonable compensation.

( 4 ) The fact that the Participant’s right to payments or benefits may be reduced by reason of the limitations contained in this Article 5will not of itself limit or otherwise affect any other rights of the Participant under the Plan. The Participant and the Company shall each reasonably cooperate with the other in connection with any administrative or judicial proceedings concerning the existence or amount of liability for Excise Tax with respect to the Award.

Article 6. Termination of Employment; Forfeitures

(a) Except as provided in Article 5 with respect to a Covered Termination within one hundred and twenty ( 120 ) days before a Change in Control or a Covered Termination on or after a Change in Control, participation in the Plan shall cease immediately upon a Participant’s retirement, resignation or termination of employment as an Eligible Employee for any reason (with or without Cause), or if determined by the Award Committee, upon the Participant’s death or disability.  Disability will be determined under the Company’s long term disability plan, if any, or upon receipt of a letter of determination or similar of the Participant’s complete disability by the applicable governmental authority under local applicable law, which complete disability entitles the Participant to disability payments under local law.

(b) In the event that:

(1) while the Participant is employed by the Company, he or she engages in, directly or indirectly, any other business or activity that could materially or adversely affect the Company’s business or his or her ability to perform his or her duties for the Company, including, but not limited to, any activities adversely affecting the MercadoLibre Business anywhere in the Territory;

(2) while the Participant is employed by the Company or during the one-year period following the termination of the Participant’s employment for any reason, he or she directly or indirectly, on his or her own behalf or on behalf of another Person or entity, hires or solicits for hire any employees

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of the Company or its Affiliates or in any manner attempts to influence or induce any employee of the Company or its Affiliates to leave their employment; or

(3) while the Participant is employed by the Company or during the one-year period following the termination of the Participant’s employment for any reason, he or she alone (or in association with any other Person) directly or indirectly, in any capacity, owns, operates, manages, controls, engages in, invests in, becomes employed by, acts as a consultant or advisor to, or provides services for, or otherwise assists any other Person in activities that are competitive with the MercadoLibre Business anywhere in the Territory,

he or she will automatically forfeit any and all benefits received under the Plan and any and all benefits which the Participant may otherwise be entitled to receive under the Plan.  If the Participant terminates employment with the Company for any reason (with or without Cause) and he or she alone (or in association with any other Person) takes any of the action set forth in subparagraph (1), (2) or (3) above, the Participant will be required to immediately, and in no event more than five (5) days following the termination of the Participant’s employment, return all amounts which the Participant has received under the terms of the Plan (the “Recovery Amount”), and the Participant and the Company hereby agree to the following, notwithstanding any Plan provision to the contrary:

(i) that the Company may withhold all or a portion of the Recovery Amount from any salary, wages or other amounts due to the Participant from the Company; and

(ii) in addition to the Recovery Amount, the Company may also recover any fees incurred by the Company in seeking to collect the Recovery Amount, including, but not limited to, the Company’s reasonable attorneys’ fees.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, ownership of less than five percent (5%) of the outstanding capital stock of any Person whose securities are registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, in and of itself shall not be cause for automatic forfeiture under Article 6(b)(3), whether or not the subject Person is competitive with the Company.

(c) Except as provided in Article 5 with respect to a Covered Termination within one hundred and twenty ( 120 ) days before a Change in Control or a Covered Termination on or after a Change in Control, the portion of any Award under this Plan that has not been actually paid to the Participant prior to the date of such resignation or other termination of employment shall be forfeited, except that the Award Committee, in its discretion, may pay all or part of the amount that remains payable under an Award upon the disability or death of the Participant in accordance with such rules or procedures established by the Award Committee provided, however, that any amount of the Award payment that the Award Committee determines to pay shall be paid no later than March 15 of the year following the year that the Participant’s employment ends on account of disability or death.  Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, any Award paid to the Participant shall be subject to recovery by the Company in

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the event that the Participant is terminated for Cause and shall, to the extent permitted by law, be subject to recovery from any amounts owed by the Company to the Participant, including, but not limited to, offsetting any amounts owed under the Plan to the Company against any amounts otherwise owed to the Participant by the Company.

(d) If the Award Committee decides to pay all or part of an Award after the death of a Participant in accordance with this Article 6, the Participant may designate in writing one or more persons (“beneficiary”) to receive any unpaid portion of the Participant’s Award upon the death of the Participant.  By similar action, the Participant may designate a change of beneficiary at any time, which change shall be effective only upon receipt by the Award Committee of said notice.  The last such designation form filed with the Award Committee prior to the Participant’s death shall control.  The Award Committee may establish a form or other requirements for such designation.  If the Participant designates his spouse as a beneficiary, the divorce of Participant shall automatically revoke that designation of his spouse as beneficiary except to the extent otherwise provided in a subsequent beneficiary designation filed by the Participant with the Award Committee.  In the absence of a written designation, or in the event the Participant dies without a beneficiary surviving him, any amount which would otherwise be payable on account of his death shall be paid to the surviving spouse of the Participant or if none, to the Participant’s estate.  A beneficiary of a Participant shall have no interest or rights hereunder during the lifetime of the Participant.

Article 7. Administrative Provisions

A. The Plan was approved by the Board on August 4 , 2015 to be effective as of January 1, 2015 for all services provided by Participants in 2015 and is further amended and restated as set forth herein effective as of January 1, 2016 .

B. Unless the Board provides otherwise, the Plan shall be administered and interpreted by the Award Committee, which has been provided absolute authority hereunder to administer the Plan.  The Board and its members, the members of the Award Committee and any other individual who may, from time to time, have been delegated responsibility with respect to the administration of this Plan (collectively, “Authorized Persons”), shall have the full authority, discretion and power necessary or desirable to administer and interpret this Plan, in accordance with the Plan terms.  Benefits under the Plan shall be payable only if the Authorized Persons in their respective sole and absolute discretion determine that any such benefits are properly payable under the Plan.  Without in any way limiting the foregoing, all Authorized Persons shall have complete authority, sole discretion and power to: (i) determine the Participants; (ii) determine the Performance Goals applicable to each Participant, as well as the relative weighting of each such Performance Goals to determine eligibility for payment of an Award hereunder; (iii) evaluate and determine the performance of Participants; (iv) determine the amount of the Award for each Participant; (v) interpret the provisions of this Plan and any other documentation used in connection with this Plan, including documentation specifying individual Participant Performance Goals, Award opportunities and the like; (vi) establish and interpret rules, regulations and procedures (written or by practice) for the administration of the Plan; and (vii) make all other determinations

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and take all other actions necessary or desirable for the administration or interpretation of this Plan.  The express grant in the Plan of any specific power to Authorized Persons shall not be construed as limiting any power or authority of such Authorized Person.  All actions, decisions and interpretations of the Authorized Persons shall be final, conclusive and binding on all parties.  All expenses of administering the Plan shall be borne by the Company.

C. Nothing in this Plan shall be deemed by implication, action or otherwise to constitute a contract of employment or otherwise to impose any limitation on any right of the Company to terminate a Participant’s employment at any time for any or no reason.

D. A Participant shall have no right to anticipate, alienate, sell, transfer, assign, pledge or encumber any right to receive any Award made under the Plan, nor will any Participant have any lien on any assets of the Company by reason of any Award made under the Plan.

E. The Company shall have the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, any taxes required by law to be withheld from Awards made under this Plan.

F. The Plan may be amended, suspended or terminated at any time and from time to time, by action of the Board or the Award Committee, but in any event, the Plan will be terminated no later than upon the last date the Company pays all Participants any and all amounts that may due under the Plan and no amounts remain due and payable under the Plan to any person as determined by Award Committee.  The preceding sentence to the contrary notwithstanding, on and after a Change in Control, no amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan that adversely affects the rights of a Participant (or the beneficiary of a deceased Participant who has not received payment of an amount approved by the Award Committee under Article 6), shall be effective without the written consent of that Participant or beneficiary.

G. The adoption of the Plan does not imply any commitment to continue to maintain the Plan, or any modified version of the Plan, or any other plan for incentive compensation for such Participant for any period of time.  Neither the adoption of this Plan, its operation, nor any documents describing or referring to this Plan (or any part thereof) shall confer upon any employee any right to continue in the employ of the Company or in any way affect any right and power of the Company to terminate the employment of any employee at any time without assigning a reason therefor.

H. This Plan, insofar as it provides for Awards, shall be unfunded, and the Company shall not be required to segregate any assets that may at any time be represented by Awards under the Plan.  Any liability of the Company to any person with respect to any Awards under this Plan shall be based solely upon any contractual obligations which may be created pursuant to this Plan.  No such

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obligation of the Company shall be deemed to be secured by any pledge of, or other encumbrance on, any property of the Company.

I. In order to be effective, any amendment of this Plan or any Award must be in writing and made by the Award Committee.  No oral statement, representation, written presentation or the like shall have the effect of amending or modifying this Plan or any Award, or otherwise have any binding effect on the Company, the Board, the Chief Executive, the Award Committee or any individual who has been delegated authority to administer this Plan.

J. The Plan shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the substantive laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to principles of conflicts of law.

K. In case any provision of the Plan shall be held illegal or void, such illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining provisions of this Plan, but shall be fully severable, and the Plan shall be construed and enforced as if said illegal or invalid provisions had never been inserted herein.

L. Except for their own gross negligence or gross misconduct regarding the performance of the duties specifically assigned to them under, or their willful breach of the terms of this Plan, the Company (and its affiliates), Board and its members, the Award Committee and its members, and any other entity or individual administering any aspect of this Plan shall be held harmless by the Participants and their respective representatives, heirs, successors, and assigns, against liability or losses occurring by reason of any act or omission under the Plan.

M. Should the Company effect one or more stock dividends, stock splits, subdivisions or consolidations of Shares or other similar changes in capitalization, then the terms of outstanding Awards shall be adjusted as the Award Committee shall determine to be equitably required.  Any determination made under this Article 7( M ) by the Award Committee shall be final and conclusive.  The issuance by the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, for cash or property, or for labor or services, either upon direct sale or upon the exercise of rights or warrants to subscribe therefor, or upon conversion of shares or obligations of the Company convertible into such shares or other securities, shall not affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, Awards.

Executed on the 2 nd day of August , 201 6 to be effective as of the 1 st day of January, 201 6 .

MercadoLibre, Inc.







By:



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MERCADOLIBRE, INC. 2016   LONG TERM RETENTION PROGRAM



















Effective as of January 1, 2016





Contents



MercadoLibre, Inc. 2016   Long Term Retention Program

Article 1. ........................................................................................................................... Purpose 1

Article 2. ................................................................................................................. Definitions 1

Article 3. Participation; Performance Goals and Award Opportunities 5

Article 4. ................................................... Review of Participant’s Performance 6

Article 5. ........................................................................................... Payment of Awards 6

Article 6. ........................................... Termination of Employment; Forfeitures 8

Article 7. ............................................................................. Administrative Provisions 10



 

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MERCADOLIBRE, INC. 2016   LONG TERM RETENTION PROGRAM

Article 1. Purpose

The MercadoLibre, Inc. 2016 Long Term Retention Program (the “Plan”) is effective as of January 1, 2016 .  The principal purpose of the Plan is to assist the Company in the retention of key employees that have valuable industry experience and developed competencies by rewarding Participants in relation to their individual results and their contributions to the organization, as well as overall Company goals and performance.

Article 2. Definitions

When used in the Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

Affiliate means with respect to any Person, a Person that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with such Person (it being understood, that a Person shall be deemed to “control” another Person, for purposes of this definition, if such Person directly or indirectly has the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such other Person, whether through holding ownership interests in such other Person, through agreements or otherwise, and that direct or indirect ownership of ten percent (10%) or more of the voting interests of another Person shall always be deemed to constitute “control”).

Award ” means   any Fixed Award or any Variable Award.

Award Committee means the Compensation Committee of the Board, or such other committee that the Board appoints to administer this Plan, which shall have general administrative authority concerning the Plan, and shall, subject to Article 7, have the sole and absolute authority and discretion to resolve any and all terms and conditions of any Awards and disputes concerning the Plan and any Awards hereunder.

Board means the board of directors of the Company.

Cause ” means “cause” or a similar term set forth in the Participant’s employment agreement with the Company or, if no such agreement is then in effect, shall mean (A) the Participant’s material disregard of his responsibilities, authorities, powers, functions or duties or failure to act, (B) repeated or material negligence or misconduct by the Participant in the performance of his duties, (C) appropriation (or attempted appropriation) of a business opportunity of the Company, including attempting to secure or securing any personal profit in connection with any transaction entered into on behalf of the Company, (D) the commission by the Participant of any act of fraud, theft or financial dishonesty with respect to the Company, or any felony or criminal act involving moral turpitude or dishonesty on the part of the Participant, (E) the Participant’s habitual drunkenness or excessive absenteeism not related to sickness, and/or (F) the material breach by the Participant of any provision of his employment agreement that is not cured by the Participant within thirty (30) days after written notice of breach has been delivered to the Participant by the Company, unless such breach is incapable of cure (in which case

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the Participant shall not be entitled to an opportunity to cure), in each case of clauses (A) through (F) above, as determined by the Board in good faith.

Change in Control ” shall mean a change in control of the Company which will be deemed to have occurred after the date hereof if:

(a) any “person” as such term is used in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act, as modified and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, is or becomes the beneficial owner, as such term is defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing at least fifty percent ( 50% ) of the combined voting power or S hares of the Company; provided, however, that such term shall not include (A) the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (B) any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or any of its affiliates, (C) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to an offering of such securities, (D) any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company’s S hares, or (E) any person or group as used in Rule 13d-1(b) under the Exchange Act;

(b) there is consummated a merger or consolidation of the Company or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries with any other corporation, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or any parent thereof) more than fifty percent ( 50% ) of the combined voting power and S hares of the Company or such surviving entity or any parent thereof outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation; or

(c) there is completed a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets (or any transaction having a similar effect, including a liquidation) other than a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets to an entity, more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power and S hares of which is owned by shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the S hares of the Company immediately prior to such sale.

Company means MercadoLibre, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, and MercadoLibre, Inc.’s successors or assigns.

Covered Termination ” means (i) a termination of a Participant’s employment by the Company without Cause and for a reason other than the Participant’s death or disability (as determined under Article 6(a)) or (ii) a Participant’s resignation from the Company with Good Reason ) .

Eligible Employee means an individual who is designated by the Award Committee as eligible for this Plan and who is employed by the Company as determined by the Award Committee.

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Fixed   Award ” means a specified cash award , calculated in accordance with Article 5, payable to a Participant under this Plan for services provided to the Company in 2016, as determined by the Award Committee from time to time in its sole discretion.  Fixed   A ward payments shall be contingent on the attainment of one or more Performance Goals.  The timing and conditions of the payment of the Fixed Award   are subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and, subject to Article 7 of the Plan, a ny other terms and conditions determined by the Award Committee to be appropriate .  The Fixed Award may, but is not required to, be evidenced by a separate agreement executed by the Participant. 

  Good Reason ” means (i) a material diminution in the Participant’s duties, functions and responsibilities to the Company without the Participant’s consent or the Company preventing the Participant from fulfilling or exercising the Participant’s materials duties, functions and responsibilities to the Company without the Participant’s consent; (ii) a material reduction in the Participant’s base salary or bonus opportunity or (iii) a requirement that the Participant relocate the Participant’s employment more than fifty (50) miles from the location of the Participant’s principal office without the consent of the Participant.  A Participant’s resignation shall not be a resignation with Good Reason unless the Participant gives the Company written notice (delivered within thirty (30) days after the Participant knows of the event, action, etc. that the Participant asserts constitutes Good Reason), the event, action, etc. that the Participant asserts constitutes Good Reason is not cured, to the reasonable satisfaction of the Participant, within thirty (30) days after such notice and the Participant resigns effective not later than thirty (30) days after the expiration of such cure period.

Market Value ” of a Share, as of any date, means (i) the average closing sale price of one Share as reported on a national stock exchange, including, but not limited to, the NASDAQ Global Market (a “National Stock Exchange”) during the sixty ( 60 )   trading day period (or such shorter period as the Shares are so listed) ending on the last trading day immediately preceding such date; (ii) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period but are quoted on the Over-the-Counter-Bulletin Board (the “OTCBB”), the mean between the closing bid and closing asked prices for the Shares as quoted on the OTCBB during the sixty ( 60 )   trading day period (or such shorter period as the Shares are so quoted) ending on the last trading day immediately preceding such date, (iii) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange or quoted on the OTCBB during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period and the S hares were last traded on a National Stock Exchange, the average closing sale price of one Share as reported on the National Stock Exchange during the ninety ( 90 )   trading day period ending on the last day the Shares were listed for trading on such Exchange or (iv) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange or quoted on the OTCBB during any day in that sixty ( 60 )   trading day period and the  S hares were last traded on the OTCBB, the mean between the closing bid and closing asked prices for the Shares as quoted on the OTCBB during the ninety ( 90 )   trading day period ending on the last day the Shares were quoted on the OTCBB.  For purposes of calculating the benefits and valuing Shares for the single cash payment payable within fifteen (15) days after a Change in Control, the term “Market Value” means the amount determined under the preceding sentence determined as of the

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date on which the Change in Control occurs.  For purposes of calculating benefits and valuing Shares for other payments payable after a Change of Control, the term “Market Value” means, (x) in the event the Company is not the surviving entity in the Change in Control, the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs, or, (y) in the event the Company is the surviving entity in the Change in Control, the greater of (A) the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date the benefit is payable ( e.g. , as of March 31 of the appropriate year or the date of a Participant’s Covered Termination, as applicable) or (B) the amount determined under the first sentence of this paragraph and determined as of the date on which the Change in Control occurs.

MercadoLibre Business means any activities directly or indirectly related to Online Transactional Platforms, Online Classified Advertisements and/or Payment Platforms.

Minimum Eligibility Conditions means the minimum conditions established by the Award Committee and approved by the Board that a Participant must meet in order to be eligible to receive payments under any Award hereunder.

Online Classified Advertisements means listings of goods, products or services on Internet sites, which listings (1) serve the same purpose as the listings appearing in the classifieds section of printed newspapers, (2) include direct contact information of the seller via telephone, e-mail or any offline method, which contact information is readily and continuously available to any visitor without restriction or special action required from the visitor, or provide for a method to contact the seller so that the seller may then respond providing direct contact information, and (3) are on Internet sites the operator or administrator of which does not (x) play any role in consummating the transaction to which the listing relates, or (y) provide any information (other than contact information) to the seller regarding the potential buyer or interested party, or otherwise serve as middle-man between a potential buyer and seller (other than for the limited purposes expressly set forth in this paragraph), or (z) charge any fee or commission for such transaction (including, without limitation, any fees for completion of transactions and/or fees based on number of users contacting another user) other than a listing fee, which is a fee for placing the listing on the website and is chargeable before or at the time such listing appears.  Examples of Online Classifieds Advertisements include Craigslist.com, Kijiji.com, and olx.com.

Online Transactional Platforms means online transactional platforms or similar as determined by the Award Committee including, but not limited to, (a) any online platform offering a wide variety of product lines and/or services, operating in a manner similar to Amazon.com or Submarino.com as of the date hereof and/or (b) online transactional marketplaces located on websites in which sellers and potential buyers transact for any kinds of goods and/or services, which goods and/or services are displayed on such website, and in which the sellers’ and potential buyers’ initial contact can only be made through such website (for purposes of initial contact, direct contact information of another user is not made available to users, in accordance with the terms

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of use of such website), such as eBay.com, MercadoLibre.com, DeRemate.com, etc. (and any such domain name with country suffixes).

Participant means an Eligible Employee who is designated as eligible to receive an Award for services provided in 2016 .  The designation of an individual as a Participant under this Plan shall not provide the individual with any rights to any future participation for any subsequent long term retention plans that may be adopted by the Company in future years but, subject to the terms of the Plan, an individual shall remain a Participant for purposes of receiving a payment of an Award until such individual ceases to be an Eligible Employee.

Payments Platforms means websites or platforms enabling the sending, receipt, holding and/or transfer of money from one user to another user through an account that is funded by, among other things, traditional payment methods and then used to transact with another user electronically, such as PayPal.com, MercadoPago.com, or Dineromail.com (and any such domain name with country suffixes).

Performance Goals ” means any goals, metrics or other performance measures of the Company in 2016 that is established for a Participant, the attainment of which will result in an Award becoming payable to the Participant, subject to the terms of the Plan.  It is currently anticipated that Performance Goals generally will be based on pre-set goals for financial and operational performance of the Company.

Person means and includes a natural person, a corporation, an association, a partnership, a limited liability company, a trust, a joint venture, an unincorporated organization or any other similar entity or a governmental or quasi-governmental body.

Shares ” means shares of c ommon  s tock of the Company, $0.001 par value per share.

Territory means the United States of America and each country and territory in Latin America and the Caribbean, including, without limitation, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Variable   Award ” means  a specified cash award , calculated in accordance with Article 5, payable to a Participant under this Plan for services provided to the Company in 2016, as determined by the Award Committee from time to time in its sole discretion.  Variable award payments hereunder shall be contingent on the attainment of one or more Performance Goals.  The timing  and conditions of the payment of the Variable Award are subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and any other terms and conditions determined by the Award Committee to be appropriate in accordance with Article 7 of the Plan .  The Variable Award may, but is not required to, be evidenced by a separate agreement executed by the Participant. 

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Article 3. Participation; Performance Goals and Award Opportunities

The amount of the Award s for each Plan Participant and the Performance Goals applicable to such Award s will be established by the Award Committee and communicated to each Plan Participant.  The amount of each Award may be different for each Participant or levels of Participants as determined by the Award Committee.

The amount of each Award shall be enumerated as a specified amount, calculated in accordance with Article 5 hereof, of United States dollars, unless the Award Committee determines the amount of any such Award in a local currency.  The amount of each Award, to the extent it becomes payable, shall be paid in the form of cash only. 

Article 4. Review of Participant’s Performance

Performance Goals will generally be set and determined for the 2016 calendar year by the Award Committee .  The Award Committee, with input from the Company officer responsible for each Participant, will evaluate such Participant’s performance relative to the Performance Goals.

Article 5. Payment of Awards

(a) If a Participant does not satisfy the Minimum Eligibility Conditions, then any Award granted to such Participant and subject to such Minimum Eligibility Conditions shall be forfeited, and shall not become payable to such Participant under this Plan.  If the Participant meets the Mini mum Eligibility Conditions, then any Award granted to such Participant and subject to such Minimum Eligibility Conditions shall become payable to the Participant in accordance with and subject to the terms of this Article 5 and Article 6.

Subject to the following paragraphs and Article 6, only if the Participant is employed as an Eligible Employee on the date each portion of the Fix ed and the Variable Award s , as applicable,   are to be paid to such Participant, any such Award s shall be payable as follows:

If a Participant has been granted a Fixed Award :

(1) Sixteen and two -third s percent ( 16 . 6 6 % ) of such   Fixed Award shall be payable to the Participant on or about March 31 of each calendar year for a period of six (6) years starting in 2017 ; and

If a Participant has been granted a Variable Award :  

(2) the Participant shall receive on or about March 31 of each calendar year for a period of six (6) years starting in 2017 , a Variable Award payment equal in value to the product of (i) multiplied by (ii), where (i) equals   sixteen and two -third s percent   ( 16 . 6 6 % ) of the Variable Award and (ii) equals the quotient of (a) divided by (b), where (a), the numerator, equals the Market Value as of the applicable payment date and (b), the denominator, equals $111.02  ( the average closing price of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market during the final sixty ( 60 ) trading days of 2015 ).

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(b)   Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any other agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) Each Participant who is employed by the Company on the date a Change in Control occurs shall be vested in the right to receive fifty percent (50%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid thereafter.

(2) As soon as practicable after the date a Change in Control occurs, but in no event more than fifteen (15) days after the date a Change in Control occurs, each Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph shall receive a single cash payment equal to fifty percent (50%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid after the Change in Control (based on the Market Value on the date the Change in Control occurs).

(3) Each Award payment scheduled to be paid after the Change in Control shall be reduced by fifty percent (50%), i.e. , to reflect the single cash payment under clause (2) of this paragraph, and shall continue to be paid on each March 31 in accordance with the preceding paragraph, subject to the Participant’s continued employment; provided, however, that if a Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph experiences a Covered Termination on or after Change in Control, then any Award payments scheduled to be paid after the Covered Termination shall be paid in a single cash payment (based on the Market Value on the date of the Covered Termination) within fifteen (15) days after the Covered Termination.

(c) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan:

(1) The portion of any Award under this Plan that was forfeited or forfeitable upon the Participant’s Covered Termination before a Change in Control shall be reinstated (or if not yet forfeited, retained) as of the date of the Change in Control if such date is not more than one hundred and twenty ( 120 ) days after the date of the Covered Termination.

(2) As soon as practicable after the date a Change in Control occurs, but in no event more than fifteen (15) days after the date a Change in Control occurs, each Participant described in clause (1) of this paragraph shall receive a single cash payment equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Award payments scheduled to be paid after the date of the Participant’s Covered Termination.  With respect to any Award payment originally scheduled to have been paid before the date of the Change in Control, the amount of such payment will be based on the Market Value on the date of the Covered Termination.  With respect to any Award payments scheduled to be paid on or after the Change in Control, the amount of such payment will be based on the Market Value on the date the Change in Control occurs.

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(d)   Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any other agreement entered into in connection with or pursuant to the Plan :

(1) I f any portion of an Award received or to be received by a Participant (either alone or together with other payments or benefits which such Participant received or realized or is then entitled to receive or realize from the Company under   any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement in connection with a Change in Control or a Participant’s termination of employment ) (all such payments and benefits, being hereinafter referred to as the “Total Payments”) would be subject (in whole or part), to any excise tax imposed under section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 ( the “Code”, and such excise tax, the “Excise Tax”) , then, after taking into account any reduction in the Total Payments provided by reason of section 2 80G of the Code in any other plan, program, arrangeme n t or a greement, the Company will reduce the payment of the Award to the extent necessary so that no portion of the Total Payments is subject to the Excise Tax (but in no event to less than zero); provided ,   however , that the Award will only be reduced if (i) the net amount of any Total Payments, as so reduced (and after subtracting the net amount of United States federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such reduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out, if any, of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such reduced Total Payments), is greater than or equal to (ii) the net amount of such Total Payments without such reduction (but after subtracting the net amount of federal, state, municipal and local income taxes on such Total Payments and the amount of Excise Tax to which the Participant would be subject in respect of such unreduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out, if any, of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such unreduced Total Payments) .

(2) If (A) any portion of the Total Payments other than an Award (the “Other Payments”) is required to be reduced pursuant to a provision substantially similar to this Article 5(d), (B) any portion of an Award is required to be reduced pursuant to this Article 5(d) ; and (C) there is no other provision in any other plan, program, arrangement or agreement governing the payment of the Other Payments which dictates the order of the reduction in the Other Payments , then the Total Payments will be reduced in the following order: (i) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a) will be reduced (if necessary, to zero), with amounts that are payable last reduced first; (ii) payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24(a), with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; (iii) payments that are payable in cash that are valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with amounts that are payable last reduced first, will next be reduced; (iv)

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payments and benefits due in respect of any equity valued at less than full value under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24, with the highest values reduced first (as such values are determined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.280G-1, Q&A 24) will next be reduced; and (v) all other non-cash benefits not otherwise described in clauses (ii) or (iv) will be next reduced pro-rata. Any reductions made pursuant to each of clauses (i)-(v) above will be made in the following manner: first, a pro-rata reduction of cash payment and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity not subject to section 409A of the Code, and second, a pro-rata reduction of cash payments and payments and benefits due in respect of any equity subject to section 409A of the Code as deferred compensation .  

(3) For purposes of determining whether and the extent to which the Award will be subject to the Excise Tax and the amount of such Excise Tax: (i) no portion of the Award the receipt or enjoyment of which the Participant shall have waived at such time and in such manner as not to constitute a “payment” within the meaning of section 280G(b) of the Code will be taken into account; and (ii) no portion of the Award will be taken into account which, in the opinion of the accounting firm which was, immediately prior to the Change in Control, the Company’s independent auditor, does not constitute a “parachute payment” within the meaning of section 280G(b)(2) of the Code (including by reason of section 280G(b)(4)(A) of the Code) and, in calculating the Excise Tax, no portion of such Award will be taken into account which constitutes reasonable compensation for services actually rendered, within the meaning of section 280G(b)(4)(B) of the Code, in excess of the Base Amount (as defined in section 28 0G(b)(3) of the Code) allocable to such reasonable compensation.

( 4 ) The fact that the Participant’s right to payments or benefits may be reduced by reason of the limitations contained in this Article 5will not of itself limit or otherwise affect any other rights of the Participant under the Plan. The Participant and the Company shall each reasonably cooperate with the other in connection with any administrative or judicial proceedings concerning the existence or amount of liability for Excise Tax with respect to the Award.

Article 6. Termination of Employment; Forfeitures

(a) Except as provided in Article 5 with respect to a Covered Termination within one hundred and twenty   ( 120 ) days before a Change in Control or a Covered Termination on or after a Change in Control, participation in the Plan shall cease immediately upon a Participant’s retirement, resignation or termination of employment as an Eligible Employee for any reason (with or without Cause), or if determined by the Award Committee, upon the Participant’s death or disability.  Disability will be determined under the Company’s long term disability plan, if any, or upon receipt of a letter of determination or similar of the Participant’s complete disability

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by the applicable governmental authority under local applicable law, which complete disability entitles the Participant to disability payments under local law.

(b) In the event that:

(1) while the Participant is employed by the Company, he or she engages in, directly or indirectly, any other business or activity that could materially or adversely affect the Company’s business or his or her ability to perform his or her duties for the Company, including, but not limited to, any activities adversely affecting the MercadoLibre Business anywhere in the Territory;

(2) while the Participant is employed by the Company or during the one-year period following the termination of the Participant’s employment for any reason, he or she directly or indirectly, on his or her own behalf or on behalf of another Person or entity, hires or solicits for hire any employees of the Company or its Affiliates or in any manner attempts to influence or induce any employee of the Company or its Affiliates to leave their employment; or

(3) while the Participant is employed by the Company or during the one-year period following the termination of the Participant’s employment for any reason, he or she alone (or in association with any other Person) directly or indirectly, in any capacity, owns, operates, manages, controls, engages in, invests in, becomes employed by, acts as a consultant or advisor to, or provides services for, or otherwise assists any other Person in activities that are competitive with the MercadoLibre Business anywhere in the Territory,

he or she will automatically forfeit any and all benefits received under the Plan and any and all benefits which the Participant may otherwise be entitled to receive under the Plan.  If the Participant terminates employment with the Company for any reason (with or without Cause) and he or she alone (or in association with any other Person) takes any of the action set forth in subparagraph (1), (2) or (3) above, the Participant will be required to immediately, and in no event more than five (5) days following the termination of the Participant’s employment, return all amounts which the Participant has received under the terms of the Plan (the “Recovery Amount”), and the Participant and the Company hereby agree to the following, notwithstanding any Plan provision to the contrary:

(i) that the Company may withhold all or a portion of the Recovery Amount from any salary, wages or other amounts due to the Participant from the Company; and

(ii) in addition to the Recovery Amount, the Company may also recover any fees incurred by the Company in seeking to collect the Recovery Amount, including, but not limited to, the Company’s reasonable attorneys’ fees.

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Notwithstanding the foregoing, ownership of less than five percent (5%) of the outstanding capital stock of any Person whose securities are registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, in and of itself shall not be cause for automatic forfeiture under Article 6(b)(3), whether or not the subject Person is competitive with the Company.

(c) Except as provided in Article 5 with respect to a Covered Termination within one hundred and twenty   ( 120 ) days before a Change in Control or a Covered Termination on or after a Change in Control, the portion of any Award under this Plan that has not been actually paid to the Participant prior to the date of such resignation or other termination of employment shall be forfeited, except that the Award Committee, in its discretion, may pay all or part of the amount that remains payable under an Award upon the disability or death of the Participant in accordance with such rules or procedures established by the Award Committee provided, however, that any amount of the Award payment that the Award Committee determines to pay shall be paid no later than March 15 of the year following the year that the Participant’s employment ends on account of disability or death.  Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, any Award paid to the Participant shall be subject to recovery by the Company in the event that the Participant is terminated for Cause and shall, to the extent permitted by law, be subject to recovery from any amounts owed by the Company to the Participant, including, but not limited to, offsetting any amounts owed under the Plan to the Company against any amounts otherwise owed to the Participant by the Company.

(d) If the Award Committee decides to pay all or part of an Award after the death of a Participant in accordance with this Article 6, the Participant may designate in writing one or more persons (“beneficiary”) to receive any unpaid portion of the Participant’s Award upon the death of the Participant.  By similar action, the Participant may designate a change of beneficiary at any time, which change shall be effective only upon receipt by the Award Committee of said notice.  The last such designation form filed with the Award Committee prior to the Participant’s death shall control.  The Award Committee may establish a form or other requirements for such designation.  If the Participant designates his spouse as a beneficiary, the divorce of Participant shall automatically revoke that designation of his spouse as beneficiary except to the extent otherwise provided in a subsequent beneficiary designation filed by the Participant with the Award Committee.  In the absence of a written designation, or in the event the Participant dies without a beneficiary surviving him, any amount which would otherwise be payable on account of his death shall be paid to the surviving spouse of the Participant or if none, to the Participant’s estate.  A beneficiary of a Participant shall have no interest or rights hereunder during the lifetime of the Participant.

Article 7. Administrative Provisions

(a) The Plan was approved by the Board on August 2 nd ,   2016 to be effective as of January 1, 2016 for all services provided by Participants in 2016 .

(b) Unless the Board provides otherwise, the Plan shall be administered and interpreted by the Award Committee, which has been provided absolute authority hereunder to administer the Plan.  The Board and its members, the members of the Award Committee and any other individual who may, from time to time, have been delegated responsibility with respect to the administration of this Plan (collectively, “Authorized Persons”), shall have the full authority,

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discretion and power necessary or desirable to administer and interpret this Plan, in accordance with the Plan terms.  Benefits under the Plan shall be payable only if the Authorized Persons in their respective sole and absolute discretion determine that any such benefits are properly payable under the Plan.  Without in any way limiting the foregoing, all Authorized Persons shall have complete authority, sole discretion and power to: (i) determine the Participants; (ii) determine the Performance Goals applicable to each Participant, as well as the relative weighting of each such Performance Goals to determine eligibility for payment of an Award hereunder; (iii) evaluate and determine the performance of Participants; (iv) determine the amount of the Award for each Participant; (v) interpret the provisions of this Plan and any other documentation used in connection with this Plan, including documentation specifying individual Participant Performance Goals, Award opportunities and the like; (vi) establish and interpret rules, regulations and procedures (written or by practice) for the administration of the Plan; and (vii) make all other determinations and take all other actions necessary or desirable for the administration or interpretation of this Plan.  The express grant in the Plan of any specific power to Authorized Persons shall not be construed as limiting any power or authority of such Authorized Person.  All actions, decisions and interpretations of the Authorized Persons shall be final, conclusive and binding on all parties.  All expenses of administering the Plan shall be borne by the Company.

(c) Nothing in this Plan shall be deemed by implication, action or otherwise to constitute a contract of employment or otherwise to impose any limitation on any right of the Company to terminate a Participant’s employment at any time for any or no reason.

(d)              A Participant shall have no right to anticipate, alienate, sell, transfer, assign, pledge or encumber any right to receive any Award made under the Plan, nor will any Participant have any lien on any assets of the Company by reason of any Award made under the Plan.

(e) The Company shall have the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, any taxes required by law to be withheld from Awards made under this Plan.

(f) The Plan may be amended, suspended or terminated at any time and from time to time, by action of the Board or the Award Committee, but in any event, the Plan will be terminated no later than upon the last date the Company pays all Participants any and all amounts that may due under the Plan and no amounts remain due and payable under the Plan to any person as determined by Award Committee.  The preceding sentence to the contrary notwithstanding, on and after a Change in Control, no amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan that adversely affects the rights of a Participant (or the beneficiary of a deceased Participant who has not received payment of an amount approved by the Award Committee under Article 6), shall be effective without the written consent of that Participant or beneficiary.

(g) The adoption of the Plan does not imply any commitment to continue to maintain the Plan, or any modified version of the Plan, or any other plan for incentive compensation for such Participant for any period of time.  Neither the adoption of this Plan, its operation, nor any documents describing or referring to this Plan (or any part thereof) shall confer upon any employee any right to continue in the employ of the Company or in any way

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affect any right and power of the Company to terminate the employment of any employee at any time without assigning a reason therefor.

(h) This Plan, insofar as it provides for Awards, shall be unfunded, and the Company shall not be required to segregate any assets that may at any time be represented by Awards under the Plan.  Any liability of the Company to any person with respect to any Awards under this Plan shall be based solely upon any contractual obligations which may be created pursuant to this Plan.  No such obligation of the Company shall be deemed to be secured by any pledge of, or other encumbrance on, any property of the Company.

(i) In order to be effective, any amendment of this Plan or any Award must be in writing and made by the Award Committee.  No oral statement, representation, written presentation or the like shall have the effect of amending or modifying this Plan or any Award, or otherwise have any binding effect on the Company, the Board, the Chief Executive, the Award Committee or any individual who has been delegated authority to administer this Plan.

(j) The Plan shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the substantive laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to principles of conflicts of law.

(k) In case any provision of the Plan shall be held illegal or void, such illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining provisions of this Plan, but shall be fully severable, and the Plan shall be construed and enforced as if said illegal or invalid provisions had never been inserted herein.

(l) Except for their own gross negligence or gross misconduct regarding the performance of the duties specifically assigned to them under, or their willful breach of the terms of this Plan, the Company (and its affiliates), Board and its members, the Award Committee and its members, and any other entity or individual administering any aspect of this Plan shall be held harmless by the Participants and their respective representatives, heirs, successors, and assigns, against liability or losses occurring by reason of any act or omission under the Plan.

(m) Should the Company effect one or more stock dividends, stock splits, subdivisions or consolidations of Shares or other similar changes in capitalization, then the terms of outstanding Awards shall be adjusted as the Award Committee shall determine to be equitably required.  Any determination made under this Article 7( m ) by the Award Committee shall be final and conclusive.  The issuance by the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, for cash or property, or for labor or services, either upon direct sale or upon the exercise of rights or warrants to subscribe therefor, or upon conversion of shares or obligations of the Company convertible into such shares or other securities, shall not affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, Awards.







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Executed on the 2 nd day of August ,   2016 to be effective as of the 1 st day of January, 2016 .

MercadoLibre, Inc.







By:



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MerCadoLibre, Inc. 2016 DIRECTOR COMPENSATION PROGRAM





























E ffective as of June 10 ,   2016

 


 

Contents







MercadoLibre , Inc.   2016 Director   Compensation Program



Article 1. Effective Date ........................................................................................................... 1

Article 2. Definitions ............................................................................................................... 1

Article 3. Awards ..................................................................................................................... 3

Article 4. Termination of Service as a Director; Forfeitures ................................................................... 3

Article 5. Administrative Provisions ............................................................................................. 4





 

1


 

MerCADOLiBRE, INc. 2016 director   LONG TERM compensation PROGRAM

Article 1.

Effective Date

The Mercado Libre , Inc.   2016 Director   Compensation Program (the “Plan”) is effective as of J une  1 0 ,   2016

Article 2.

Definitions

When used in the Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

A.

Adjustable Award means a fixed amount, subject to adjustment in accordance with Article 3, payable to a Participant under this Plan in each of 201 7 ,   201 8   and 201 9   for services provided to the Company in 201 6 ,   201 7   and 201 8 , r espectively in the form of cash Subject to adjustment in accordance with Article 3, the amount of the Adjustable Award payable to each Participant in each of 201 7 ,   2018 and 2019 is $ 10 0,000   respectively .  The timing of the payment of an Adjustable Award , as well as the conditions of such payment, is subject to the Plan terms.  A n Adjustable Award may, but is not required to, be evidenced by a separate agreement executed by the Participant.  Subject to Article 4 , a n Adjustable Award will be subject to such terms and conditions which the Award Committee determine are appropriate.

B.

“Award” means, with respect to any Participant, the sum of the Adjustable Award, Non-Adjustable Board Service Award and Non-Adjustable Chair Service Award, if any, payable in any one year under the Plan.

C.

“Award Committee” means the Compensation C ommittee of the Board , or such other committee that the Board appoints to administer this Plan, which shall have general administrative authority concerning the Plan, and shall , subject to Article 5 , have the sole and absolute authority and discretion to resolve any and all terms and conditions of any Awards and disputes concerning the Plan and any Awards hereunder.

D.

“Board” means the board of directors of the Company .

E.

“Company” means MercadoLibre, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries ,   and   MercadoLibre, Inc.’s successor s or assigns .

F.

Market Value ” of a Share, as of any date, means (i) the average closing sale price of one Share as reported on a national stock exchange, including, but not limited to, the NASDAQ Global Market (a “National Stock Exchange”) during the 30-trading day period (or such shorter period as the Shares are so listed) ending on the last trading day preceding such date; (ii) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange during any day in that 30-trading day period but are quoted on the Over-the-Counter-Bulletin Board (the "OTCBB"), the mean between the closing bid and closing asked prices for the Shares as quoted on the OTCBB

1


 

during the 30-trading day period (or such shorter period as the Shares are so quoted) ending on the last trading day preceding such date, (iii) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange or quoted on the OTCBB during any day in that 30-trading day period and the shares were last traded on a National Stock Exchange, the average closing sale price of one Share as reported on the National Stock Exchange during the 90-trading day period ending on the last day the Shares were listed for trading on such Exchange or (iv) if the Shares are not listed for trading on a National Stock Exchange or quoted on the OTCBB during any day in that 30-trading day period and the shares were last traded on the OTCBB, the mean between the closing bid and closing asked prices for the Shares as quoted on the OTCBB during the 90-trading day period ending on the last day the Shares were quoted on the OTCBB.

G.

Non-Adjustable Board Service Award means a fixed amount payable to a Participant under this Plan in each of 201 7 , 201 8 and 201 9   for services provided to the Company as a Board member in 201 6 , 201 7 and 201 8 , respectively in the form of cash.  The amount of the Non-Adjustable Board Service Award payable to each Participant in each of 201 7 , 201 8 and 201 9   is $60,000 respectively.  The timing of the payment of a   Non-Adjustable Board Service Award , as well as the conditions of such payment, is subject to the Plan terms.  A Non-Adjustable Board Service Award may, but is not required to, be evidenced by a separate agreement executed by the Participant.  Subject to Article 4, a Non-Adjustable Board Service Award will be subject to such terms and conditions which the Award Committee determine are appropriate.

H.

Non-Adjustable Chair Service Award means a fixed amount payable to a Participant under this Plan in each of 201 7 , 201 8 and 201 9   for services provided to the Company as the Chairman of a Board committee or as the Lead Independent Director in 201 6 , 201 7 and 201 8 , respectively in the form of cash.  The amount of the Non-Adjustable Chair Service Award payable to the Chairman of the Audit Committee in each of 201 7 , 201 8 and 201 9 is $21,913   respectively.  The amount of the Non-Adjustable Chair Service Award payable to the Chairman of the Compensation Committee in each of 201 7 , 201 8 and 201 9   is $21,913 respectively.  The amount of the Non-Adjustable Chair Service Award payable to the Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee in each of 201 7 , 201 8 and 201 9 is $ 7,304 respectively.  The amount of the Non-Adjustable Chair Service Award payable to the Lead Independent Director in each of 201 7 , 201 8 and 201 9   is $14,609 , respectively.  The timing of the payment of a   Non-Adjustable Chair Service Award , as well as the conditions of such payment, is subject to the Plan terms.  A Non-Adjustable Chair Service Award may, but is not required to, be evidenced by a separate agreement executed by the Participant.  Subject to Article 4, a Non-Adjustable Chair Service Award will be subject to such terms and conditions which the Award Committee determine are appropriate.

I.

“Participant” means a person who is designated as an “outside director” by the Board.  The designation of an individual as a Participant under this Plan shall not provide the individual with any rights to any future participation for any subsequent

2


 

long term compensation plans that may be adopted by the Company in future years but, subject to the terms of the Plan, an individual shall remain a Participant for purposes of receiving a payment of Award until such individual ceases to be a Participant .

J.

Shares ” means shares of Common Stock of the Company, $0.001 par value per share.

Article 3.

Award s

Subject to Article 4 , i mmediately following the date of the annual meeting of the Company’s stockholders in each of 201 7 , 201 8 and 201 9   ( each, the “Annual Meeting”) , the Company shall pay to each Participant :



(1) a cash payment equal to the product of (i) multiplied by (ii), where (i) equals the Adjustable Award for such year and (ii) equals the quotient of (a) divided by (b), where (a), the numerator, equals the Market Value as of the date of the subject Annual Meeting and (b), the denominator, equals the Market Value as of the date of the prior year’s Annual Meeting;



(2) a cash payment equal to the Non-Adjustable Board Service Award for such year; and



(3) if applicable, a cash payment equal to the Non-Adjustable Chair Service Award for such year.



Each Award shall be paid in United States dollars, unless the Award Committee determines to pay the amount of any such Award in a local currency. 

 



Article 4.

Termination of Service as a Director ; Forfeitures

(a) Participation in the Plan shall cease immediately upon a Participant’s   resignation or removal from the Board for any reason, or if determined by the Award Committee, upon the Participant’s death or disability Disability will be determined upon receipt of a letter of determination or similar of the Participant’s complete disability by the applicable governmental authority under local applicable law , which complete disability entitles the Participant to disability payments under local law .     Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event a Participant has served as a member of the Board from one Annual Meeting to the next Annual Meeting but is not re-elected to the Board at the latter Annual Meeting , the subject Participant shall be entitled to rec eive the Award for service during the subject year but shall not be entitled to receive any Awards for services in years he did not serve as a member of the Board.  As an example, if a Participant serves a member of the Board from the 2010 Annual Meeting until the 2011 Annual Meeting, he or she will be entitled to receive the Award   for services in 2010.  However, if the subject Participant is not re-elected at the 2011 Annual Meeting, h e or she shall not receive the Award for 2011.  Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in the event of Participant’s resignation from the Board before the end of any year-long period between Annual Meetings, the Company shall pay to Participant an amount equal to the product of (i) multiplied by (ii), where (i) equals the

3


 

proportion of the year that such Participant served as a member of the Board and (ii) equals the Award that such Participant would have been entitled to receive had the Participant served the entire year (the “Proportional Award”).  If a Participant is removed from the Board, such Participant will not be entitled to receive a Proportional Award.

( b ) Subject to Article 4 (a), a ny Award under this Plan that has not been actually paid to the Participant prior to the date of the   Participant’s death or disability   shall be forfeited , except that the Award Committee may pay an Award which is not then otherwise due and payable upon the disability or death of the Participant in accordance with such rules or procedures established by the Award Committee .    

( c ) T he Participant may designate in writing one or more persons (“ b eneficiary”) in the event the Award Committee decides to pay an Award after the death of a Participant in accordance with this Section 4, to receive any unpaid portion of the Participant’s Award upon the death of the Participant By similar action, the Participant may designate a change of beneficiary at any time, which change shall be effective only upon receipt by the Award Committee of said notice.  The last such designation form filed with the Award Committee prior to the Participant’s death shall control.  The Award Committee may establish a form or other requirements for such designation.  If the Particip ant designates his spouse as a b eneficiary, the divorce of Participant shall automatically revoke that designation of his spouse as beneficiary except to the extent otherwise provided in a subsequent beneficiary designation filed by the Participant with the Award Committee.  In the absence of a written designation, or in the event the Participant dies without a beneficiary surviving him, the amount which would otherwise be payable to his beneficiary shall be paid to the surviving spouse of the Participant or if none, to the Participant’s estate.  A beneficiary of a Participant shall have no interest or rights hereunder during the lifetime of the Participant.

Article 5.

Administrative Provisions

A.

The Plan was approved by the Board on August 2 ,   2016 to be effective as of June  1 0 ,   2016 .

B.

Unless the Board provides otherwise, t he Plan shall be administered and interpreted by the Award Committee, which has been provided absolute authority hereunder to administer the Plan.  The Board and its members, the members of the Award Committee   and any other individual who may, from time to time, have been delegated responsibility with respect to the administration of this Plan  ( collectively, “Authorized Persons”) , shall have the full authority, discretion and power necessary or desirable to administer and interpret this Plan, in accordance with the Plan terms.  Benefits under the Plan shall be payable only if the Authorized Persons in their respective sole and absolute discretion determine that any such benefits are properly payable under the Plan.  Without in any way limiting the foregoing, all Authorized Persons shall have complete authority, sole discretion and power to: (i determine the Performance Goals applicable to each Participant, as well as the relative weighting of each such Performance Goals to determine eligibility for payment of an Award hereunder ;   (v)   interpret the provisions of this Plan and any other documentation us ed in connection with this Plan; (ii i)   establish and interpret rules ,  

4


 

regulations and procedures (written or by practice) for the admi nistration of the Plan; and (iv )   make all other determinations and take all other actions necessary or desirable for the administration or interpretation of this Plan.  The express grant in the Plan of any specific power to Authorized Persons shall not be construed as limiting any power or authority of such Authorized Person.  All actions, decisions and interpretations of the Authorized Persons shall be final, conclusive and binding on all parties.  All expenses of administering the Plan shall be borne by the Company.

C.

Nothing in this Plan shall be deemed by implication, action or otherwise to constit ute a contract of employment.

D.

A Participant shall have no right to anticipate, alienate, sell, transfer, assign, pledge or encumber any right to receive any Award made under the Plan, nor will any Participant have any lien on any assets of the Company   by reason of any A ward made under the Plan.

E.

The Company shall have the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, any taxes required by law to be withheld from Awards made under this Plan.

F.

The Plan may be amended, suspended or terminated at any time and from time to time, by action of the Board or the Award Committee , but in any event, the Plan will be terminated no later than upon the last date the Company pays all Participants any and all amounts that may due under the Plan and no amounts remain due and payable under the Plan to any person as determined by Award Committee. 

G.

The adoption of the Plan does not imply any commitment to continue to maintain the Plan, or any modified version of the Plan, or any other plan for incentive compensation for such Participant for any period of time .  Neither the adoption of this Plan, its operation, nor any documents describing or referring to this Plan (or any part thereof) shall confer upon any person any right to continue as a member of the Board or in any way affect any right and power of the Company or the shareholders to remove the director from the Board in accordance with the charter documents of the Company. 

H.

This Plan, insofar as it provides for Awards, shall be unfunded, and the Company shall not be required to segregate any assets that may at any time be represented by Awards under the Plan.  Any liability of the Company to any person with respect to any Awards under this Plan shall be based solely upon any contractual obligations which may be created pursuant to this Plan.  No such obligation of the Company shall be deemed to be secured by any pledge of, or other encumbrance on, any property of the Company.  

I.

In order to be effective, any amendment of this Plan or any Award must be in writing and made by the Award Committee .  No oral statement, representation, written presentation or the like shall have the effect of amending or modifying this

5


 

Plan or any Award, or otherwise have any binding effect on the Company, the Board, the Chief Executive , the Award Committee or any individual who has been delegated authority to administer this Plan.

J.

The Plan shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the substantive laws of the State of Delaware , without regard to principles of conflicts of law .

K.

In case any provision of the Plan shall be held illegal or void, such illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining provisions of this Plan, but shall be fully severable, and the Plan shall be construed and enforced as if said illegal or invalid provisions had never been inserted herein.

L.

Except for their own gross negligence or gross misconduct regarding the performance of the duties specifically assigned to them under, or their willful breach of the terms of this Plan, the Company (and its affiliates) , Board and its members, the Award Committee and its members, and any other entity or individual administering any aspect of this Plan shall be held harmless by the Participants and their respective representatives, heirs, successors, and assigns, against liability or losses occurring by reason of any act or omission under the Plan .

Executed effective as of the 1 0 t h day of J une ,   2016 .

MercadoLibre, Inc.









By: _____________________________________



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Exhibit 31.1

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

RULE 13A-14 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Marcos Galperin, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of MercadoLibre, Inc. (the “registrant”);

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

 

(a)

Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;



(b)

Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;



(c)

Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and



(d)

Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of registrant’s Board of Directors (or persons performing the equivalent function):

 

(a)

All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and



(b)

Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

August   5 , 201 6 .

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ Marcos Galperin



 

 

 

 

 

Marcos Galperin



 

 

 

 

 

President and Chief Executive Officer



 


Exhibit 31.2

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

RULE 13A-14 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Pedro Arnt, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of MercadoLibre, Inc. (the “registrant”);

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

 

(a)

Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;



(b)

Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;



(c)

Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and



(d)

Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of registrant’s Board of Directors (or persons performing the equivalent function):

 

(a)

All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and



(b)

Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.



 



 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

August   5 , 201 6 .

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ Pedro Arnt



 

 

 

 

 

Pedro Arnt



 

 

 

 

 

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer




 

Exhibit 32.1

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

In connection with the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of MercadoLibre, Inc. (the “Company”) for the period ended June  3 0 , 2016   as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Marcos Galperin, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:



(1)

the Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 , as amended ; and



(2)

the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

 

 



/s/ Marcos Galperin

Marcos Galperin

President and Chief Executive Officer

(Principal Executive Officer)

August   5 , 2016 .

The foregoing certification is being furnished solely to accompany this report pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350, and is not being filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and is not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of the Company whether made before or after the date hereof, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing. A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906, or other document authenticating, acknowledging, or otherwise adopting the signature that appears in typed form within the electronic version of this written statement required by Section 906, has been provided to the Company and will be retained by the Company and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff upon request.







 


 

Exhibit 32.2

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

In connection with the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of MercadoLibre, Inc. (the “Company”) for the period ended June  3 0 , 2016 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Pedro Arnt, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:

 

(1)

the Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 , as amended ; and



(2)

the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.



 





/s/ Pedro Arnt

Pedro Arnt

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial Officer)



August 5 , 201 6 .

The foregoing certification is being furnished solely to accompany this report pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350, and is not being filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and is not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of the Company whether made before or after the date hereof, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing. A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906, or other document authenticating, acknowledging, or otherwise adopting the signature that appears in typed form within the electronic version of this written statement required by Section 906, has been provided to the Company and will be retained by the Company and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff upon request.