X3 (XTKG) 20-F2020 FY Annual report (foreign)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

☐ REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

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

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

OR

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

OR

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

Date of event requiring this shell company report for the transition period from ____________to ____________ 

Commission file number: 001-38851

POWERBRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

N/A

(Translation of Registrant’s Name into English)

Cayman Islands

(Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)

1st Floor, Building D2, Southern Software Park

Tangjia Bay, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519080, China

Tel: +86-756-339-5666

(Address of principal executive offices)

Ban Lor, Co-Chief Executive Officer

1st Floor, Building D2, Southern Software Park

Tangjia Bay, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519080, China

Tel: +86-756-339-5666

(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

(Title of Class)

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act:

None

(Title of Class)

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report:

As of December 31, 2020, the issuer had 45,777,318 shares outstanding.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Yes ☐ No ☒

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 every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T 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 an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” accelerated filer,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. Yes ☐ No ☒ 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Unless otherwise indicated, numerical figures included in this Annual Report on Form 20-F (the “Annual Report”) have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, numerical figures shown as totals in various tables may not be arithmetic aggregations of the figures that precede them.

For the sake of clarity, this Annual Report follows the English naming convention of first name followed by last name, regardless of whether an individual’s name is Chinese or English. Numerical figures included in this Annual Report have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, numerical figures shown as totals in various tables may not be arithmetic aggregations of the figures that precede them. Certain market data and other statistical information contained in this Annual Report are based on information from independent industry organizations, publications, surveys and forecasts. Some market data and statistical information contained in this Annual Report are also based on management’s estimates and calculations, which are derived from our review and interpretation of the independent sources listed above, our internal research and our knowledge of the PRC information technology industry. While we believe such information is reliable, we have not independently verified any third-party information and our internal data has not been verified by any independent source.

Discrepancies in any table between the amounts identified as total amounts and the sum of the amounts listed therein are due to rounding.

This annual report on Form 20-F includes our audited consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.

Unless otherwise noted, all currency figures in this filing are in U.S. dollars. Any discrepancies in any table between the amounts identified as total amounts and the sum of the amounts listed therein are due to rounding. Our reporting currency is U.S. dollar and our functional currency is Renminbi. This Annual Report contains translations of certain foreign currency amounts into U.S. dollars for the convenience of the reader. Other than in accordance with relevant accounting rules and as otherwise stated, all translations of Renminbi into U.S. dollars in this Annual Report were made at the rate of RMB6.5250 to USD1.00, the noon buying rate on December 31, 2020, as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board. Where we make period-on-period comparisons of operational metrics, such calculations are based on the Renminbi amount and not the translated U.S. dollar equivalent. We make no representation that the Renminbi or U.S. dollar amounts referred to in this Annual Report could have been or could be converted into U.S. dollars or Renminbi, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all.

Part I

Item 1. IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS

Not Applicable.

Item 2. OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE

Not Applicable.

Item 3. KEY INFORMATION

A. Selected Financial Data  

The following table sets forth selected historical statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, and balance sheet data as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, which have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report. The consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. Historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results for any future periods.

The following table presents our summary consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Selected Consolidated Statement of Income and Comprehensive Income

* The shares and per share data are presented on a retroactive basis to reflect the nominal share issuance.

The following table presents our summary consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2020 and 2019.

Exchange Rate Information

The following table sets forth information concerning exchange rates between the RMB and the U.S. dollar for the periods indicated. On June 30, 2021, the buying rate announced by the Federal Reserve Statistical Release was RMB 6.4566 to $1.00.

Source: https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h10/hist/default.htm.

B. Capitalization and Indebtedness

Not applicable.

C. Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

Not applicable.

D. Risk Factors

You should carefully consider the following risk factors, together with all of the other information included in this Annual Report. Investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described below together with all of the other information included in this Annual Report before making an investment decision. The risks and uncertainties described below represent our known material risks to our business. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition or results of operations could suffer. In that case, you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

The Company’s business operations could be adversely affected by the continued outbreak of COVID-19.

The Company’s business operations could continue to be adversely affected by the recent outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 which was first reported in the City of Wuhan, Hubei, China. The Company’s corporate headquarter is located in Zhuhai, China with operation offices located in Wuhan, Changsha, Nanning and Hangzhou, where any outbreak of contagious diseases and other adverse public health developments could be materially adverse on the Company’s business operations. In response to the highly contagious and sometimes fatal coronavirus inflicting thousands of people in China, the local government imposed travel restrictions and quarantines order to help control the spread of COVID-19 in February 2020. Since May 2020, the situation in China has appeared to be on a path of slow recovery from the impact. While many of the restrictions on movement within China have been relaxed as of the date of this annual report, there is great uncertainty as to the future progress of the disease

The Company primarily engages in providing software application and technology solutions and services to corporate and government customers primarily located in China. Our customers are corporate and government organizations engaged in global trade, including import and export companies, manufacturers and logistics providers engaged in international trade, as well as customs, ports, terminals, and other government agencies that oversee the flow of goods and services across borders. The global outbreak of COVID-19 has significantly adversely impacted our business operations. In late January 2020, the Zhuhai government released a stop order on all activities that involved public gatherings and movement restrictions. As a result, we were forced to postpone most of our in-person business meetings. Although we were able to communicate with customers from home to provide software and cloud services, we failed to stick to the original timelines of certain on-premise projects due to strict movement restrictions. We also experienced a slowdown in our regular business activities, as a result of remote working requirements and travel restrictions. Given that the outbreak has been gradually controlled in China, all of the Company’s offices have started to resume their business. Our business was and has continued being adversely impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19. Any potential impact to the Company’s results will depend on, to a large extent, future developments and new information that may emerge regarding the duration and severity of the COVID-19 and the actions taken by government authorities and other entities to contain the COVID-19 or treat its impact, almost all of which are beyond the Company’s control.

Economic uncertainties or downturns could materially adversely affect our business.

Current or future economic uncertainties or downturns, including those caused by the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak (as discussed above), could adversely affect our business and operating results. Negative conditions in the general economy both in the China and abroad, including conditions resulting from changes in gross domestic product growth, the continued sovereign debt crisis, financial and credit market fluctuations, political deadlock, natural catastrophes, pandemics, warfare and terrorist attacks on the United States, Europe, the Asia Pacific region or elsewhere, could cause a decrease in business investments, including corporate spending on business intelligence software in general and negatively affect the rate of growth of our business.

General worldwide economic conditions may experience significant downturns and may be unstable. These conditions make it extremely difficult for our customers and us to forecast and plan future business activities accurately, and they could cause customers to reevaluate their decisions to subscribe to our platform, which could delay and lengthen our sales cycles or result in cancellations of planned purchases. Furthermore, during challenging economic times customers may tighten their budgets and face issues in gaining timely access to sufficient credit, which could result in an impairment of their ability to make timely payments to us. In turn, we may be required to increase our allowance for doubtful accounts, which would adversely affect our financial results.

For example, the rapid spread of coronavirus globally in 2020 and 2021 has resulted in travel restrictions and in some cases, prohibitions of non-essential travel, disruption and shutdown of businesses and greater uncertainty in global financial markets. Health concerns or political or governmental developments in countries in which we or our customers, partners and service providers operate could result in economic, social or labor instability, slow our sales process, result in customers not purchasing or renewing our products or failing to make payments, and could otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business and our results of operations and financial condition. The extent to which the coronavirus impacts our results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and will include emerging information concerning the severity of the coronavirus and the actions taken by governments and private businesses to attempt to contain the coronavirus. Any prolonged contractions in the industries in which our customers or partners operate could materially and adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

To the extent subscriptions to our system solutions are perceived by customers and potential customers to be discretionary, our revenue may be disproportionately affected by delays or reductions in general information technology spending. Moreover, competitors may respond to market conditions by lowering prices and attempting to lure away our customers. In addition, the increased pace of consolidation in certain industries may result in reduced overall spending on our system solutions.

We cannot predict the timing, strength or duration of any economic slowdown, instability or recovery, generally or within any particular industry. If the economic conditions of the general economy or industries in which we operate do not improve, or worsen from present levels, our business, operating results, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected.

The growth and success of our business depends on our ability to develop new services and enhance existing services in order to keep pace with rapid changes in technology.

The market for our services is characterized by rapid technological change, evolving industry standards, changing customer preferences and new product and service introductions. Our future growth and success depend significantly on our ability to anticipate developments in technologies, and develop and offer new services to meet our customers’ evolving needs. We may not be successful in anticipating or responding to these developments in a timely manner, or if we do respond, the services or technologies we develop may not be successful in the marketplace. The development of some of the services and technologies may involve significant upfront investments and the failure of these services and technologies may result in our being unable to recover these investments, in part or in full. Further, services or technologies that are developed by our competitors may render our services uncompetitive or obsolete. In addition, new technologies may be developed that allow our customers to more cost-effectively perform the services that we provide, thereby reducing demand for our services. Should we fail to adapt to the rapidly changing technologies or if we fail to develop suitable services to meet the evolving and increasingly sophisticated requirements of our customers in a timely manner, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Furthermore, our future growth and success could be adversely affected by conditions of potential business partners, which may cause delay or failure in development of the services or technologies.

If we do not succeed in attracting new customers for our services and or growing revenues from existing customers, we may not achieve our revenue growth goals.

We plan to significantly expand the number of customers we serve to diversify our customer base and grow our revenues. Obtaining new customers is important for us to achieve rapid revenue growth. We also plan to grow revenues from our existing customers by identifying and selling additional services to them. Our ability to attract new customers, as well as our ability to grow revenues from existing customers, depends on a number of factors, including our ability to offer high quality services at competitive prices, the strength of our competitors and the capabilities of our sales and marketing teams. If we are not able to continue to attract new customers or to grow revenues from our existing customers, we may not be able to grow our revenues as quickly as we anticipate or at all.

We may be unable to effectively manage our expansion for the anticipated growth, which could place significant strain on our management personnel, systems and resources. We may not be able to achieve anticipated growth, which could materially and adversely affect our business and prospects.

We have optimized our operations in 2020 fiscal year for the anticipated growth. The number of our total employees decreased from 287 in December 2019 to 236 in December 2020. As of the date of this Annual Report, we have 236 full-time employees. We have five branches, of which are located in China (Changsha, Wuhan, Nanning, Hangzhou, Jiujiang, and Xiamen)  and maintain offices in Changsha, Wuhan, Naning, and Hangzhou  to serve different customers in various geographic locations. In order to pursue existing and potential market opportunities, we plan to expand our business including (i) establishing new offices and expanding our current offices in China; (ii) exploring and expanding into international markets; and (iii) upgrading our existing services and introducing new services. We are facing the following challenges with respect to our planned expansion:

Moreover, as we introduce new services or enter into new markets, we may face new market, technological and operational risks and challenges with which we are unfamiliar, and it may require substantial management efforts and skills to mitigate these risks and challenges. As a result of any of these problems associated with expansion, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may not be able to achieve anticipated growth, which could materially and adversely affect our business and prospects.

We face risks associated with having an extended selling and implementation cycle for our services that require us to make significant resource commitments prior to realizing revenues for those services.

We have an extended selling cycle for certain of our software applications and technology services, which requires significant investment of capital, human resources and time by both our customers and us. Before committing to use our services, potential customers require us to expend substantial time and resources educating them on the value of our services and our ability to meet their requirements. Therefore, our selling cycle is subject to many risks and delays over which we have little or no control, including our customers’ decision to choose alternatives to our services (such as other providers or in-house resources) and the timing of our customers’ budget cycles and approval processes. Implementing our services, particularly for our application development services also involves a significant commitment of resources over an extended period of time ranging from three months to three years from both our customers and us. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a reduction in economic activity by adversely affecting the Company’s selling cycle. As a result, we may have a longer selling cycle and delay in business meetings, which could materially and adversely affect our business and our financials. Our customers may experience delays in obtaining internal approvals or delays associated with our services, thereby further delaying the implementation process. Our current and future customers may not be willing or able to invest the time and resources necessary to implement our services, and we may fail to close sales with potential customers to which we have devoted significant time and resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Adverse changes in the economic environment, either in China or globally, could reduce our customers’ purchases from us and increase pricing pressure, which could materially and adversely affect our revenues and results of operations.

The software application and technology service industry are particularly sensitive to the economic environment, both in China and globally, and tend to decline during general economic downturns. Accordingly, our results of operations, financial condition and prospects are subject to a significant degree to the economic environment, especially for regions in which we and our customers operate. During an economic downturn, our customers may cancel, reduce or defer their technology spending or change their technology strategy, and reduce their purchases from us. The recent global economic slowdown, any future economic slowdown, and the resulting diminution in technology spending, could also lead to increased pricing pressure from our customers. The trade war between the U.S. and China which may lead to higher percentage of tariff to be placed on Chinese and American goods and services could also lead to a reduction of import and export volume for some of our customers resulting in reduced purchases of our services from these customers. The occurrence of any of these events could materially and adversely affect our revenues and results of operations.

We generate a significant portion of our revenues from a relatively small number of major customers and loss of business from these customers could reduce our revenues and significantly harm our business.

We believe that in the foreseeable future we will continue to derive a significant portion of our revenues from a small number of major customers. For the year ended December 31, 2020, one customer accounted for 25.7% of the Company’s total revenues. For the year ended December 31, 2019, two customers accounted for 21.8% and 10.7% of the Company’s total revenues.

Our ability to maintain close relationships with major customers is essential to the growth and profitability of our business. However, the volume of work performed for a specific customer is likely to vary from year to year, especially since we are generally not our customers’ exclusive technology services provider and we do not have long-term commitments from any of our customer to purchase our services. A major customer in one year may not provide the same level of revenues for us in any subsequent year. The services we provide to our customers, and the revenues and income from those services, may decline or vary as the type and quantity of services we provide changes over time. In addition, our reliance on any individual customer for a significant portion of our revenues may give that customer a certain degree of pricing leverage against us when negotiating contracts and terms of service. In addition, a number of factors other than our performance could cause the loss of or reduction in business or revenues from a customers, and these factors are not predictable. These factors may include organization restructuring, pricing pressure, changes to its technology strategy, switching to another services provider or returning work in-house. The loss of any of our major customers could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We may be forced to reduce the prices of our services due to increased competition and reduced bargaining power with our customers, which could lead to reduced revenues and profitability.

The software application and technology service industry in China is developing rapidly and related technology trends are constantly evolving. This results in the frequent introduction of new services and significant price competition from our competitors. We may be unable to offset the effect of declining average sales prices through increased sales volumes and or reductions in our costs. Furthermore, we may be forced to reduce the prices of our services in response to offerings made by our competitors. Finally, we may not have the same level of bargaining power we have enjoyed in the past when it comes to negotiating for the prices of our services, all of which could lead to reduced revenues and profitability.

A portion of our income is generated, and will in the future continue to be generated, on a project basis with a fixed price;   we may not be able to accurately estimate costs and determine resource requirements in relation to our projects, which would reduce our margins and profitability.

A portion of our income is generated, and will continue to be generated, from fees we receive for our projects at a fixed price. Our projects often involve complex technologies, utilizing workforces with different skill sets and competencies, and must be completed within compressed timeframes and meet customer requirements that are subject to changes and increasingly stringent. In addition, some of our fixed-price projects are multi-year projects that require us to undertake significant projections and planning related to resource utilization and costs. If we fail to accurately assess the time and resources required for completing projects and to price our projects profitably, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Our revenues and results of operations are affected by seasonal trends.

Our business is affected by seasonal trends. In particular, our revenues are typically progressively higher in the second, third and fourth quarters of each year compared to the first quarter of each year due to seasonal trends, such as: (i) a general slowdown in business activities and a reduced number of working days during the first quarter of each year as a result of the Chinese New Year holiday period, and (ii) our customers in general tend to spend their technology and software budgets in the second half of the year and in particular the fourth quarter. Other factors that may cause our quarterly operating results to fluctuate include, among others, changes in general economic conditions in China and the impact of unforeseen events. We believe that our revenues will continue to be affected in the future by seasonal trends. As a result, you may not be able to rely on period to period comparisons of our operating results as an indication of our future performance, and we believe it is more meaningful to evaluate our business on an annual basis.

If we are unable to collect our receivables from our existing customers, our results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected.

Our business depends on our ability to successfully obtain payment from our customers of the amounts they owe us for our services. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, our accounts receivable balance, net of allowance, amounted to approximately $14.3 million and $11.2 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2020, no customers accounted for more than 10% of our accounts receivable . As of December 31, 2019, one customers accounted 12.8% of our accounts receivable . The significant outstanding accounts receivable balance was mainly related to certain projects for our government customers such as government agencies, authorities and state-owned enterprises. Due to multiple levels of the government approval process for payments, it could take extra time for us to collect the full proceeds from our government customers. The COVID-19 pandemic created significant economic uncertainty and volatility in the credit and capital markets since December 2019. Many of customers have delayed their payments to the Company, which caused the significant increase in the Company’s aged accounts receivable balance over one year and slow collection progress in 2020. In addition, since we generally do not require collateral or other security from our customers, we establish an allowance for doubtful accounts based upon estimates, historical experience and other factors surrounding the credit risk of specific customers. However, actual losses on customer receivables balance could differ from those that we anticipate and as a result we might need to adjust our allowance. There is no guarantee that we will accurately assess the creditworthiness of our customers. Macroeconomic conditions, including related turmoil in the global financial system, could also result in financial difficulties for our customers, including limited access to the credit markets, insolvency or bankruptcy, and as a result could cause customers to delay payments to us, request modifications to their payment arrangements that could increase our receivables balance, or default on their payment obligations to us. As a result, an extended delay or default in payment relating to a significant account will have a material and adverse effect on the aging schedule and turnover days of our accounts receivable. If we are unable to collect our receivables from our customers in accordance with the contracts with our customers, our results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected.

We face a number of risks in our strategy to target larger organizations for sales of our services, and if we do not manage these efforts effectively, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

A portion of our sales and marketing efforts is focusing on larger corporate and government organizations. As a result, we face a number of risks with respect to this strategy. For example, we expect to incur higher costs and longer sales cycles for larger organizations, and we may be less effective at predicting when we will complete these sales. In our industry, the decision to invest in our services may require a great number of product evaluations and multiple approvals within a potential customer’s organization, which may require us to invest more time educating these potential customers. In addition, larger organizations may demand more features and professional services. As a result, these sales opportunities would likely lengthen our typical sales cycle and may require us to devote greater research and development, sales, support, and professional services resources to individual customers. This could strain our resources and result in increased costs. Moreover, larger customers may demand discounts in pricing, which could lower the amount of revenue we generate from any particular service we offer. If an expected transaction is delayed until a subsequent period, or if we are unable to close one or more expected significant transactions with larger customers or potential new customers in a particular period, our results of operations for that period, and for any future periods in which revenue from such transaction would otherwise have been recognized, may be adversely affected. Our investments in marketing and selling to large organizations may not be successful, which could harm our results of operations and our overall ability to grow our customer base.

Our business depends, in part, on services to the public sector, and significant changes in the contracting or fiscal policies of the public sector could have an adverse effect on our business.

We derive a large portion of our revenue from our services to government organizations, and we believe that the success and growth of our business will continue to depend in part on our successful procurement of government contracts. Factors that could impede our ability to maintain or increase the amount of revenue derived from government contracts, include:

The occurrence of any of the foregoing could cause governmental organizations to delay or refrain from purchasing our services in the future or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Any failure to offer high-quality customer support may adversely affect our relationships with our customers.

Our ability to retain existing customers and attract new customers depends on our ability to maintain a consistently high level of customer service and technical support. Our customers depend on our service support team to assist them in utilizing our services effectively and to help them to resolve issues quickly and to provide ongoing support. If we are unable to hire and train sufficient support resources or are otherwise unsuccessful in assisting our customers effectively, it could adversely affect our ability to retain existing customers and could prevent prospective customers from adopting to our services. We may be unable to respond quickly enough to accommodate short-term increases in demand for customer support. We also may be unable to modify the nature, scope and delivery of our customer support to compete with changes in the support services provided by our competitors. Increased demand for customer support, without corresponding revenue, could increase our costs and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. Our sales are highly dependent on our business reputation and on positive recommendations from customers. Any failure to maintain high-quality customer support, or a market perception that we do not maintain high-quality customer support, could adversely affect our reputation, business, results of operations and financial condition.

Incorrect or improper implementation or use of our services could result in customer dissatisfaction and negatively affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, and growth prospects.

Our services are deployed in a wide variety of increasingly complex technology environments, including on premises, in the cloud or in hybrid environments. We believe our future success will depend on our ability to increase sales of our services for use in such deployments. We must often assist our customers in achieving successful implementations of our services, which we do through our professional consulting and technical support services. If our customers are unable to implement our services successfully, or unable to do so in a timely manner, customer perceptions of our services may be harmed, our reputation and brand may suffer, and customers may choose to cease usage of our services or not to expand their use of our services. Our customers may need training in the proper use of and the variety of benefits that can be derived from our services to maximize their benefits. If our services are not effectively implemented or used correctly or as intended, or if we fail to adequately train customers on how to efficiently and effectively use our services, our customers may not be able to achieve satisfactory outcomes. This could result in negative publicity and legal claims against us, which may cause us to generate fewer sales to new customers and reductions in renewals or expansions of the use of our services with existing customers, any of which would harm our business and results of operations.

Failure to adhere to regulations that govern our customers’ businesses could result in breaches of contracts with our customers. Failure to adhere to the regulations that govern our business could result in our being unable to effectively perform our services.

Our customers’ business operations are subject to certain rules and regulations in China or elsewhere. Our customers may contractually require that we perform our services in a manner that would enable them to comply with such rules and regulations. Failure to perform our services in such manner could result in breaches of contract with our customers and, in some limited circumstances, civil fines and criminal penalties for us. In addition, we are required under various Chinese laws to obtain and maintain permits and licenses to conduct our business. If we do not maintain our licenses or other qualifications to provide our services, we may not be able to provide services to existing customers or be able to attract new customers and could lose revenues, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

If our new enhancements to our services do not achieve sufficient market acceptance, our financial results and competitive position will suffer.

We spend substantial amounts of time and money to research and develop new enhancements of our services to incorporate additional features, improve functionality or other enhancements in order to meet our customers’ rapidly evolving demands. When we develop an enhancement to our services, we typically incur expenses and expend resources upfront to develop, market and promote the new enhancements. Therefore, when we develop and introduce new enhancements to our services, they must achieve high levels of market acceptance in order to justify the amount of our investment in developing and bringing them to market. If our new enhancements to our services do not garner widespread market adoption and implementation, our growth prospects, future financial results and competitive position could suffer.

If we cause disruptions to our customers’ businesses or provide inadequate service, our customers may have claims for substantial damages against us, and as a result our profits may be substantially reduced.

If we make errors in the course of delivering services to our customers or fail to consistently meet service requirements of a customer, these errors or failures could disrupt the customer’s business, which could result in a reduction in our net revenues or a claim for substantial damages against us. In addition, a failure or inability to meet a contractual requirement could seriously damage our reputation and affect our ability to attract new business.

The services we provide are often critical to our customers’ businesses. We generally provide customer support after our customized application is delivered. Certain of our customer contracts require us to comply with security obligations including maintaining system security, ensuring our system is virus-free, maintaining business continuity procedures, and verifying the integrity of employees that work with our customers by conducting background checks. Any failure in a customer’s system or breach of security relating to the services we provide to the customer could damage our reputation or result in a claim for substantial damages against us. Any significant failure of our systems could impede our ability to provide services to our customers, have a negative impact on our reputation, cause us to lose customers, reduce our revenues and harm our business.

Unauthorized disclosure, destruction or modification of data, through cybersecurity breaches, computer viruses or otherwise or disruption of our services could expose us to liability, protracted and costly litigation and damage our reputation.

Our business involves the collection, storage, processing and transmission of customers’ business data. An increasing number of organizations, including large merchants and businesses, other large technology companies, financial institutions and government institutions, have disclosed breaches of their information technology systems, some of which have involved sophisticated and highly targeted attacks, including on portions of their websites or infrastructure. We could also be subject to breaches of security by hackers. Threats may derive from human error, fraud or malice on the part of employees or third parties, or may result from accidental technological failure. Concerns about security are increased when we transmit information. Electronic transmissions can be subject to attack, interception or loss. Also, computer viruses and malware can be distributed and spread rapidly over the internet and could infiltrate our systems or those of our associated participants, which can impact the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information, and the integrity and availability of our products, services and systems, among other effects. Denial of service or other attacks could be launched against us for a variety of purposes, including interfering with our services or creating a diversion for other malicious activities. These types of actions and attacks could disrupt our delivery of products and services or make them unavailable, which could damage our reputation, force us to incur significant expenses in remediating the resulting impacts, expose us to uninsured liability, subject us to lawsuits, fines or sanctions, distract our management or increase our costs of doing business.

Our encryption of data and other protective measures may not prevent unauthorized access or use of sensitive data. A breach of our system or that of one of our associated participants may subject us to material losses or liability. A misuse of such data or a cybersecurity breach could harm our reputation and deter customers from using our products and services, thus reducing our revenue. In addition, any such misuse or breach could cause us to incur costs to correct the breaches or failures, expose us to uninsured liability, increase our risk of regulatory scrutiny, subject us to lawsuits, result in the imposition of material penalties and fines under applying laws or regulations.

We cannot assure that there are written agreements in place with every associated participant or that such written agreements will prevent the unauthorized use, modification, destruction or disclosure of data or enable us or our customers to obtain reimbursement in the event we should suffer incidents resulting in unauthorized use, modification, destruction or disclosure of data. Any unauthorized use, modification, destruction or disclosure of data could result in protracted and costly litigation, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Cybersecurity incidents are increasing in frequency and evolving in nature and include, but are not limited to, installation of malicious software, unauthorized access to data and other electronic security breaches that could lead to disruptions in systems, unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information and the corruption of data. Given the unpredictability of the timing, nature and scope of information technology disruptions, there can be no assurance that the procedures and controls we employ will be sufficient to prevent security breaches from occurring and we could be subject to manipulation or improper use of our systems and networks or financial losses from remedial actions, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Interruptions or performance problems associated with our technology and infrastructure may adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Our continued growth depends in part on the ability of our existing customers and new customers to access our SaaS services, at any time and within an acceptable amount of time. We may in the future experience, service disruptions, outages and other performance problems due to a variety of factors, including infrastructure changes, human or software errors or capacity constraints. In some instances, we may not be able to identify the cause or causes of these performance problems within an acceptable period of time. It may become increasingly difficult to maintain and improve our performance as our SaaS services become more complex. If our services are unavailable or if our customers are unable to access features of our services within a reasonable amount of time or at all, our business would be negatively affected.

We currently provide our SaaS services via designated data centers and we intend to outsource our cloud infrastructure to commercial available cloud infrastructure as a service providers (“IaaS”), which can host our services. Our customers need to be able to access our services at any time, without interruption or degradation of performance. IaaS providers run their own platforms that we access, and we are, therefore, vulnerable to service interruptions.   We expect that in the future we may experience interruptions, delays and outages in service and availability from time to time due to a variety of factors, including infrastructure changes, human or software errors, website hosting disruptions and capacity constraints. Capacity constraints could be due to a number of potential causes including technical failures, natural disasters, fraud or security attacks. In addition, if our security, or that of IaaS providers, is compromised, our services are unavailable or our customers are unable to use our services within a reasonable amount of time or at all, then our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected. In some instances, we expect that we may not be able to identify the cause or causes of these performance problems within a period of time acceptable to our customers. It may become increasingly difficult to maintain and improve our service performance, especially during peak usage times, as the features of our services become more complex and the usage of our services increases. Any of the above circumstances or events may harm our reputation, cause customers to stop using our services, impair our ability to increase revenue from existing customers, impair our ability to grow our customer base and otherwise harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

The market for our BaaS (blockchain-as-a-service) services is new and unproven, which could result in limited customer adoption of our services, limited customer retention, or weaker customer expansion.

We currently provide our BaaS services as pilot projects on a limited basis to selected customers. While we believe that, over time, the concept of a BaaS services will become fundamental to an organization’s core operations involving global trade, the market for BaaS services is largely unproven and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties.

The market for BaaS services is new and less mature than traditional on-premises software applications, and the adoption rate for BaaS services may be slower among customers with business practices requiring highly customizable application software. Our success with BaaS services will depend to a substantial extent on the widespread adoption of BaaS services in general, but we cannot be certain that the trend of adoption of BaaS services will continue in the future. In particular, many organizations have invested substantial personnel and financial resources in integrating traditional software into their businesses over time, and some may be reluctant or unwilling to migrate to BaaS. It is difficult to predict customer adoption rates and demand for our BaaS services, the future growth rate and size of the BaaS services market or the entry of competitive applications. The expansion of the BaaS services market depends on a number of factors, including the cost, performance and perceived value associated with BaaS. If BaaS services do not continue to achieve market acceptance, or there is a reduction in demand for BaaS services caused by a lack of customer acceptance, technological challenges, weakening economic conditions, data security or privacy concerns, governmental regulation, competing technologies and services or decreases in information technology spending, it would result in decreased revenues and our business would be adversely affected.

It is difficult to predict our future operating results.

Our ability to accurately forecast our future operating results is limited and subject to a number of uncertainties, including planning for and modeling future growth. We have encountered, and will continue to encounter, risks, and uncertainties frequently experienced by growing companies in rapidly changing industries. If our assumptions regarding these risks and uncertainties, which we use to plan our business, are incorrect or change due to industry or market developments, or if we do not address these risks successfully, our operating results could differ materially from our expectations and our business could suffer.

If we have overestimated the size of our total addressable market, our future growth rate may be limited.

We have estimated the size of our total addressable market based on data published by third parties and internally generated data and assumptions. We have not independently verified any third-party information and cannot be assure of its accuracy or completeness. While we believe our market size estimates are reasonable, such information is inherently imprecise. In addition, our projections, assumptions and estimates of opportunities within our market are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including but not limited to those described in this Annual Report. If this third-party or internally generated data prove to be inaccurate or we make errors in our assumptions based on that data, our actual market may be more limited than our estimates. In addition, these inaccuracies or errors may cause us to misallocate capital and other critical business resources, which could harm our business.

Even if our total addressable market meets our size estimates and experiences growth, we may not continue to grow our share of the market. Our growth is subject to many factors, including our success in implementing our business strategy, which is subject to many risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, the estimates of our total addressable market included in this Annual Report should not be taken as indicative of our ability to grow our business. For more information regarding the estimates of market opportunity and the forecasts of market growth included in this Annual Report, see the sections titled “Industry Background” and “Business—Our Opportunity.”

We face intense competition from onshore and offshore software application and technology service providers, and, if we are unable to compete effectively, we may lose customers and our revenues may decline.

The market for software application and technology services is highly competitive and we expect competition to persist and intensify. We believe that the principal competitive factors in our markets are domain knowledge and industry expertise, breadth and depth of service offerings, quality of the services offered, reputation and track record, marketing and selling skills, scalability of technology infrastructure and price. In the software application and technology services market, customers tend to engage multiple service providers instead of using an exclusive service provider, which could reduce our revenues to the extent that customers obtain services from other competing providers. Our ability to compete also depends in part on a number of factors beyond our control, including the ability of our competitors to recruit, train, develop and retain highly skilled professionals, the price at which our competitors offer comparable services and our competitors’ responsiveness to customer needs. Therefore, we cannot assure you that we will be able to retain our customers while competing against such competitors. Increased competition, our inability to compete successfully against competitors, pricing pressures or loss of market share could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our corporate culture has contributed to our success, and if we cannot maintain this culture as we grow, we could lose the innovation, creativity and teamwork fostered by our culture, which could harm our business.

We believe that our culture has been and will continue to be a key contributor to our success. We have optimized our operations in 2020 fiscal year for the anticipated growth and the number of our total employees decreased from 287 in December 2019 to 236 in December 2020. We expect to continue to adjust our workforce according to operational needs. If we do not continue to maintain our corporate culture as we grow, we may be unable to foster the innovation, creativity, and teamwork we believe we need to support our growth. Our substantial anticipated headcount growth and our transition from a private company to a public company may result in a change to our corporate culture, which could harm our business.

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

Our future success heavily depends upon the continued services of our senior executives and other key employees. If one or more of our senior executives or key employees are unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, it could disrupt our business operations, and we may not be able to replace them easily or at all. In addition, competition for senior executives and key personnel in our industry is intense, and we may be unable to retain our senior executives and key personnel or attract and retain new senior executive and key personnel in the future, in which case our business may be severely disrupted, and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. If any of our senior executives or key personnel joins a competitor or forms a competing company, we may lose customers, suppliers, know-how and key professionals and staff members to them. Also, if any of our business development managers, who generally keep a close relationship with our customers, joins a competitor or forms a competing company, we may lose customers, and our revenues may be materially and adversely affected. Additionally, there could be unauthorized disclosure or use of our technical knowledge, practices or procedures by such personnel. All of our executives and key personnel have entered into employment agreements with us that contain non-competition provisions, non-solicitation and nondisclosure covenants. However, if any dispute arises between our executive officers and key personnel and us, such non-competition, non-solicitation and nondisclosure provisions might not provide effective protection to us, especially in China, where most of these executive officers and key employees reside, in light of the uncertainties with China’s legal system.

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

The software application and technology service industry rely on skilled personnel, and our success depends to a significant extent on our ability to recruit, train, develop and retain qualified personnel, especially experienced middle and senior level management. There is significant competition for skilled personnel, especially experienced middle and senior level management, with the skills necessary to perform the services we offer to our customers. Increased competition for these personnel, in the software application and technology service industry or otherwise, could have an adverse effect on us. We have established certain programs to increase our human capital and employee loyalty, however, a significant increase in our attrition rate could decrease our operating efficiency and productivity and could lead to a decline in demand for our services. Additionally, failure to recruit, train, develop and retain personnel with the qualifications necessary to fulfill the needs of our existing and future customers or to assimilate new personnel successfully could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Failure to retain our key personnel on customer projects or find suitable replacements for key personnel upon their departure may lead to termination of some of our customer contracts or cancellation of some of our projects, which could materially and adversely affect our business.

Our profitability will suffer if we are not able to maintain our resource utilization levels and continue to improve our productivity levels.

Our gross margin and profitability are significantly impacted by our utilization levels of human resources as well as our ability to increase our productivity levels. We have expanded our operations in recent years through organic growth, which has resulted in a significant increase in our headcount and fixed overhead costs.   We may face difficulties maintaining high levels of utilization. Although we try to use all commercially reasonable efforts to accurately estimate service and resource requirements from our customers, we may overestimate or underestimate, which may result in unexpected cost and strain or redundancy of our human capital and adversely impact our utilization levels. In addition, some of our professionals are specially trained to work for specific customers or on specific projects and some of our sales are dedicated to specific customers or specific projects. Our ability to continually increase our productivity levels depends significantly on our ability to recruit, train, develop and retain high-performing professionals and project staffs appropriately and optimize our mix of services and delivery methods. If we experience a slowdown or stoppage of service for any customer or on any project for which we have dedicated professionals or project staffs, we may not be able to efficiently reallocate these professionals and project staffs to other customers and projects to keep their utilization and productivity levels high. If we are not able to maintain high resource utilization levels without corresponding cost reductions or price increases, our profitability will suffer.

If we are not able to maintain a strong brand for our services and increase market awareness of our company and our services, then our business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.

We believe that we have a strong brand in our industry and the continuing success of our services will depend in part on our ability to develop and sustain a strong brand identity for our services and to increase the market awareness of our services and their capabilities. The successful promotion of our brand will depend largely on our continued marketing efforts and our ability to offer high quality services to our customers. Our brand promotion activities may not be successful or produce increased revenue. In addition, independent industry analysts may provide reviews of our services and of competing products and services, which may significantly influence the perception of our services in the marketplace. If these reviews are negative or not as positive as reviews of our competitors’ products and services, then our brand may be harmed.

The promotion of our brand also requires us to make substantial expenditures, and we anticipate that these expenditures will increase as our industry becomes more competitive and as we seek to expand into new markets. These higher expenditures may not result in any increased revenue or incremental revenue that is sufficient to offset the higher expense levels. If we do not successfully maintain and enhance our brand, then our business may not grow, we may see our pricing power reduced relative to competitors and we may lose customers, all of which would adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We may be unsuccessful in entering into strategic alliances or identifying and acquiring suitable acquisition candidates, which could impede our growth and negatively affect our revenues and net income.

We have pursued strategic alliances and intend to pursue strategic acquisition opportunities to increase our scale and geographic presence, expand our service offerings and capabilities and enhance our industry and technical expertise. However, it is possible that in the future we may not succeed in identifying suitable alliances or acquisition candidates. Even if we identify suitable candidates, we may not be able to consummate these arrangements on terms commercially acceptable to us or to obtain necessary regulatory approvals in the case of acquisitions. Challenges we face in the potential acquisition and integration process include:

Furthermore, many of our competitors are likely to be seeking to enter into similar arrangements or acquire the same targets that we are looking to enter into or acquire. Such competitors may have substantially greater financial resources than we do and may be more attractive to our strategic partners or be able to outbid us for the acquisition targets. In addition, we may also be unable to timely deploy our existing cash balances to effect a potential acquisition, as use of cash balances located onshore in China may require specific governmental approvals or result in withholding and other tax payments. If we are unable to enter into suitable strategic alliances or complete suitable acquisitions, our growth strategy may be impeded and our revenues and net income could be negatively affected.

Some of our technology incorporates “open source” software, which could negatively affect our ability to sell our services and subject us to possible litigation.

Some aspects of our technology platforms from which we develop our services, are built using open source software, and we intend to continue to use open source software in the future. The terms of certain open source licenses to which we are subject have not been interpreted by U.S., China or foreign courts  , and there is a risk that open source software licenses could be construed in a manner that imposes unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to monetize our services. Additionally, we may from time to time face claims from third parties claiming ownership of, or demanding release of, the open source software or derivative works that we developed using such software, which could include our proprietary source code, or otherwise seeking to enforce the terms of the applicable open source license. These claims could result in litigation and could require us to make our software source code freely available, purchase a costly license or cease offering the implicated services unless and until we can re-engineer them to avoid infringement. This re-engineering process could require significant additional research and development resources, and we may not be able to complete it successfully. In addition to risks related to license requirements, use of certain open source software can lead to greater risks than use of third-party commercial software, as open source licensors generally do not provide warranties or controls on the origin of software. Any of these risks could be difficult to eliminate or manage, and if not addressed, could have a negative effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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

We are typically required to manage, utilize and store sensitive or confidential customer data in connection with the services we provide. Under the terms of our customer contracts, we are required to keep such information strictly confidential. We use system and network security technologies and other methods to protect sensitive and confidential customer data. We also require our employees and subcontractors to enter into confidentiality agreements to limit access to and distribution of our customers’ sensitive and confidential information as well as our own trade secrets. We can give no assurance that the steps taken by us in this regard will be adequate to protect our customers’ confidential information. If our customers’ proprietary rights are misappropriated by our employees or our subcontractors or their employees, in violation of any applicable confidentiality agreements or otherwise, our customers may consider us liable for those acts and seek damages and compensation from us. Any such acts could cause us to lose existing and future business and damage our reputation in the market. In addition, we currently do not have any insurance coverage for mismanagement or misappropriation of such information by our subcontractors or employees. Any litigation with respect to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive and confidential information might result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.

We may not be able to prevent others from unauthorized use of our intellectual property, which could cause a loss of customers, reduce our revenues and harm our competitive position.

We rely on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark, software registration, anti-unfair competition and trade secret laws, as well as confidentiality agreements and other methods to protect our intellectual property rights. To protect our trade secrets and other proprietary information, employees, customers, subcontractors, consultants, advisors and collaborators are required to enter into confidentiality agreements. These agreements might not provide effective protection for the trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information in the event of any unauthorized use, misappropriation or disclosure of such trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information. Implementation of intellectual property-related laws in China has historically been lacking, primarily because of ambiguities in the PRC laws and difficulties in enforcement. Accordingly, intellectual property rights and confidentiality protections in China may not be as effective as those in the United States or other developed countries, and infringement of intellectual property rights continues to pose a serious risk of doing business in China. Our patent applications may not issue as patents or may not issue as patents that provide meaningful protection against third parties. Policing unauthorized use of proprietary technology is difficult and expensive. The steps we have taken may be inadequate to prevent the misappropriation of our proprietary technology. Reverse engineering, unauthorized copying, other misappropriation, or negligent or accidental leakage of our proprietary technologies could enable third parties to benefit from our technologies without obtaining our consent or paying us for doing so, which could harm our business and competitive position. Though we are not currently involved in any litigation with respect to intellectual property, we may need to enforce our intellectual property rights through litigation. Litigation relating to our intellectual property may not prove successful and might result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.

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

Our success largely depends on our ability to use and develop our technology and services without infringing the intellectual property rights of third parties, including copyrights, trade secrets and trademarks. We may be subject to litigation involving claims of violation of other intellectual property rights of third parties. The holders of other intellectual property rights potentially relevant to our service offerings may make it difficult for us to acquire a license on commercially acceptable terms. Also, we may be unaware of intellectual property registrations or applications relating to our services that may give rise to potential infringement claims against us. There may also be technologies licensed to and relied on by us that are subject to infringement or other corresponding allegations or claims by third parties which may damage our ability to rely on such technologies. We are subject to additional risks as a result of our recent and proposed acquisitions and the hiring of new employees who may misappropriate intellectual property from their former employers. Parties making infringement claims may be able to obtain an injunction to prevent us from delivering our services or using technology involving the allegedly infringing intellectual property. Intellectual property litigation is expensive and time-consuming and could divert management’s attention from our business. A successful infringement claim against us, whether with or without merit, could, among others things, require us to pay substantial damages, develop non-infringing technology, or re-brand our name or enter into royalty or license agreements that may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all, and cease making, licensing or using products that have infringed a third party’s intellectual property rights. Protracted litigation could also result in existing or potential customers deferring or limiting their purchase or use of our products until resolution of such litigation, or could require us to indemnify our customers against infringement claims in certain instances. Any intellectual property claim or litigation in this area, whether we ultimately win or lose, could damage our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

We use third-party licensed software in or with our services, and the inability to maintain these licenses or errors in the software services we provide could result in increased costs or reduced service levels, which would adversely affect our business.

Our services incorporate certain third-party software obtained under licenses from other companies. We anticipate that we will continue to rely on such third-party software and development tools in the future. Such third-party companies may discontinue their products, go out of business or otherwise cease to make support available for such third-party software. Although we believe that there are commercially reasonable alternatives to the third-party software we currently license, this may not always be the case, or it may be difficult or costly to replace. In addition, integration of the software used in our services with new third-party software may require significant work and substantial investment of our time and resources. Also, to the extent that our services depends upon the successful operation of third-party software in conjunction with our software, any undetected errors or defects in such third-party software could prevent the deployment or impair the functionality of our services, delay new feature introductions, result in a failure of our services and injure our reputation. Our use of additional or alternative third-party software would require us to enter into license agreements with third parties. In the event that we are not able to maintain our licenses to third-party software, or cannot obtain licenses to new software as needed to enhance our services, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.

We may need additional capital and any failure by us to raise additional capital on terms favorable to us, or at all, could limit our ability to grow our business and develop or enhance our service offerings to respond to market demand or competitive challenges.

We believe that our current cash and cash flow from operations would be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for at least the next 12 months from the date of this Annual Report. However, in order to capitalize on the growing needs of global trade software applications and technology services as a result of the growth in China’s global trade and rapid advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative of China, or B&R, we intend to expand to capture additional market shares. Thus, we may however, require additional cash resources for our research and development, sales and market and potential strategic alliances and acquisitions. If these cash resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may seek to sell additional equity or debt securities or obtain a credit facility. The sale of additional equity securities could result in dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations and could require us to agree to operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations. Our ability to obtain additional capital on acceptable terms is subject to a variety of uncertainties, including:

In the event that we are in need of additional financing, such financing may not be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all. Any failure by us to raise additional funds on terms favorable to us, or at all, could limit our ability to grow our business and develop or enhance our solution and service offerings to respond to market demand or competitive challenges.

Failure to comply with anti-bribery, anti-corruption, and anti-money laundering laws could subject us to penalties and other adverse consequences.

We are subject to anti-corruption, anti-bribery and anti-money laundering laws in China and various other jurisdictions. From time to time, we leverage third party partners and intermediaries, including channel partners, to sell our services. We and our third-party intermediaries may have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies or state-owned or affiliated organizations and may be held liable for the corrupt or other illegal activities of these third-party business partners and intermediaries, our employees, representatives, contractors, channel partners, and agents, even if we do not explicitly authorize such activities. While we have policies and procedure to address compliance with such laws, we cannot assure you that all of our employees and agents will not take actions in violation of our policies and applicable law, for which we may be ultimately held responsible. Any violation of the applicable anti-bribery, anti-corruption laws, and anti-money laundering laws could result in whistleblower complaints, adverse media coverage, investigations, severe criminal or civil sanctions, or suspension or debarment from government contracts, all of which may have an adverse effect on our reputation, business, operating results and prospects.

Fluctuation in the value of the Renminbi and other currencies may have a material adverse effect on the value of your investment.

Our financial statements are expressed in U.S. dollars. However, a majority of our revenues and expenses are denominated in Renminbi. Our exposure to foreign exchange risk primarily relates to the limited cash denominated in currencies other than the functional currencies of each entity. We do not believe that we currently have any significant direct foreign exchange risk and have not hedged exposures denominated in foreign currencies or any other derivative financial instruments. However, the value of your investment in our Ordinary Shares will be affected by the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollars and RMB because the primary value of our business is effectively denominated in RMB, while the Ordinary Shares will be traded in U.S. dollars.

The value of the RMB against the U.S. dollar and other currencies is affected by, among other things, changes in China’s political and economic conditions and China’s foreign exchange policies. The People’s Bank of China regularly intervenes in the foreign exchange market to limit fluctuations in RMB exchange rate and achieve certain exchange rate targets, and through such intervention kept the U.S. dollar-RMB exchange rate relatively stable.

As we may rely on dividends paid to us by our PRC subsidiaries and branches, any significant revaluation of the RMB may have a material adverse effect on our revenues and financial condition, and the value of any dividends payable on our Ordinary Shares in foreign currency terms. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars we received from offerings into for our operations, appreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the RMB amount we received from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert our RMB into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our Ordinary Shares or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the RMB would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us. Furthermore, appreciation or depreciation in the value of the RMB relative to the U.S. dollar would affect our financial results reported in U.S. dollar terms without giving effect to any underlying change in our business or results of operations. We cannot predict the impact of future exchange rate fluctuations on our results of operations and may incur net foreign exchange losses in the future. In addition, our foreign currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert into foreign currencies. 

As we plan to expand internationally, our business will become more susceptible to risks associated with international operations.

Historically, we have generated all of our revenue from customers in PRC. We plan to expand our market coverage internationally, with a focus on B&R countries, including countries in Asia and Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa and South America. Conducting international operations subjects us to risks that we have not generally faced in the PRC. These risks include:

Any of these risks could adversely affect our business. For example, compliance with laws and regulations applicable to our international operations increases our cost of doing business in foreign jurisdictions. We may be unable to keep current with changes in government requirements as they change from time to time. Failure to comply with these regulations could have adverse effects on our business. In addition, in many foreign countries it is common for others to engage in business practices that are prohibited by our internal policies and procedures or applicable PRC laws and regulations. As we grow, we continue to implement compliance procedures designed to prevent violations of these laws and regulations. There can be no assurance that all of our employees, contractors, resellers, and agents will comply with the formal policies we will implement, or applicable laws and regulations. Violations of laws or key control policies by our employees, contractors, resellers, or agents could result in delays in revenue recognition, financial reporting misstatements, fines, penalties, or the prohibition of the import or export of our software and services, and could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Further, our limited experience in operating our business internationally increases the risk that any potential future expansion efforts that we may undertake will not be successful. If we invest substantial time and resources to expand our international operations and are unable to do so successfully, or in a timely manner, our business and results of operations will suffer.

Our international operations may subject us to potential adverse tax consequences.

We plan to expand our international operations and staff to better support our growth into international markets. Our corporate structure and associated transfer pricing policies contemplate future growth into the international markets, and consider the functions, risks and assets of the various entities involved in the intercompany transactions. The amount of taxes we pay in different countries and jurisdictions may depend on the application of the tax laws of the various countries and jurisdictions, including the United States, to our international business activities, changes in tax rates, new or revised tax laws or interpretations of existing tax laws and policies and our ability to operate our business in a manner consistent with our corporate structure and intercompany arrangements. The taxing authorities of the countries and jurisdictions in which we operate may challenge our methodologies for pricing intercompany transactions pursuant to our intercompany arrangements or disagree with our determinations as to the income and expenses attributable to specific jurisdictions. If such a challenge or disagreement were to occur, and our position was not sustained, we could be required to pay additional taxes, interest and penalties, which could result in one-time tax charges, higher effective tax rates, reduced cash flows and lower overall profitability of our operations. Our financial statements could fail to reflect adequate reserves to cover such a contingency.

We’ve provided a certain amount of working capital support to Shenzhen Kezhi Technology Co., Ltd., which will be due in two years. If we are unable to collect the loan receivable or maintain low default rate, our business and results of operations may be materially adversely affected  

In October 2020, we started to implement our plan to build a network of digital displays such as LCD screens and operate an advertisement platform in Shenzhen, China, initially, and then expand to the Greater Bay Area of China. On September 25, 2020, Shenzhen Honghao Internet Technology Co. Ltd. (“Honghao”), the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into a leasing agreement (the “Original Leasing Agreement”) with Shenzhen Kezhi Technology Co., Ltd., a company incorporated under the PRC laws (“Kezhi”), pursuant to which, Kezhi agreed to transfer the right to operate and publish advertisements at certain advertising space it leases or controls in certain shopping centers in Shenzhen, Guangdong, to Honghao. On November 20, 2020, Honghao and Kezhi entered into a supplemental agreement to the Original Leasing Agreement (the “First Supplemental Agreement”), pursuant to which, Kezhi agreed to transfer the right to operate and publish advertisements at certain additional advertising space it leased or controls in several urban villages in Shenzhen, Guangdong, to Honghao. However, due to uncertainties caused by COVID-19 on media business in China, the Company entered into a second and third supplemental agreement to the Original Leasing Agreement with Kezhi on May 12, 2021 and May 16, 2021 (the “Second Supplemental Agreement” and the “Third Supplemental Agreement”). Pursuant to such supplemental agreements, both parties agreed that all the prepayments paid by the Company in aggregated of approximately $68.1 million to Kezhi shall be considered as the Company’s working capital support loan to Kezhi for a term of two years with specific annual repayment plan. The repayment of loan is guaranteed by a third party. If we are unable to collect this loan receivable from Kezhi on timely basis, we might incur significant loss, which is also harmful to our liquidity and future cash flow.

Advertising is particularly sensitive to changes in economic conditions and advertising trends.

Demand for advertising time slots and advertising frame space on our networks, and the resulting advertising spending by our clients, is particularly sensitive to changes in general economic conditions and advertising spending typically decreases during periods of economic downturn. Advertisers may reduce the money they spend to advertise on our networks for a number of reasons, including:

A decrease in demand for advertising media in general and for our advertising services in particular would materially and adversely affect our ability to generate revenue from our advertising services, and our financial condition and results of operations.

Our operating results of our advertising and media business are difficult to predict and may fluctuate significantly from period to period in the future.

The operating results of advertising and media business of Kezhi are difficult to predict and may fluctuate significantly from period to period based on the seasonality of consumer spending and corresponding advertising trends in China. As a result, you may not be able to rely on period to period comparisons of our operating results as an indication of our future performance. Factors that are likely to cause our operating results to fluctuate include the seasonality of advertising spending in China, a deterioration of economic conditions in China and potential changes to the regulation of the advertising industries in China. If Kezhi fails to return the working capital as scheduled, we may be unable to reduce our operating expenses for that quarter by a corresponding amount, which would harm our overall operating results for that quarter relative to our operating results from other quarters.

The out-of-home advertising market is intensely competitive. In addition, we might face competitive pressure from well-established internet companies, marketing agencies and traditional media.

With the introduction of new technologies and the influx of new entrants, we expect competition to continue and intensify, which could harm our ability to increase revenue and attain or sustain profitability. We believe the principal competitive factors in this industry include:

In addition, independent online marketing technology platforms face competitive pressure from large and well-established internet companies which have established stronger and broader presence across the online marketing ecosystem and have significantly more financial, technical, marketing and other resources, more extensive client base, and longer operating histories and greater brand recognition than we do. These companies may also leverage their positions to make changes to their systems, platforms, exchanges, networks or other products or services that could be harmful to our business and results of operations. In addition, these large and well-established companies control content distribution channels and would directly compete with us should we vertically expand our business to own or operate content distribution channels in the future. Further, some of these companies are, or may also become, our content distribution channels and may enter into other types of strategic arrangements with us. We also face competition from marketing agencies, who may have their own relationships with content distribution channels and can directly connect marketers with such channels. Furthermore, we continue to compete with traditional media including direct marketing, television, radio, cable and print advertising companies.

New technologies and methods of online marketing present an evolving competitive challenge, as market participants upgrade or expand their service offerings to capture more marketing spend from marketers. In addition to existing competitors and their existing service offerings, we expect to face competition from new entrants to the online marketing technology industry and new service offerings from existing competitors. If existing or new companies develop, market or resell competitive high-value marketing technology solutions, acquire one of our competitors or strategic partners, form a strategic alliance or enter into exclusivity arrangement with one of our competitors or strategic partners, our ability to compete effectively could be significantly compromised and our business, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

If our advertising business do not achieve widespread market acceptance, our business, growth prospects and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected. And we may change our strategy in advertising business.

The market for out-of-home advertising is evolving in China and may not achieve or sustain high levels of demand and market acceptance as we expect because we may face competition from mobile and social media. While marketing via search engines or display channels has been established for several years, marketing via new digital channels such as mobile and social media is not as well established and under quick development. The future growth of our out-of-home advertising business could be constrained by our competitors in out-of-home digital display business and competitors from emerging online marketing channels and social media.

Expansion of our outdoor advertising business depends on a number of factors, including the growth of new digital advertising channels such as mobile and social media and the cost, as well as the performance and perceived value associated with online marketing technology solutions. If we do not achieve widespread acceptance, or there is a reduction in demand for out-of-home advertising caused by weakening economic conditions, decreases in corporate spending, technological challenges, data security or privacy concerns, governmental regulation, competing technologies and solutions or otherwise, our business, growth prospects and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected, and therefore, we may seek a new business strategy in operating these out-of-door digital displays.

If Kezhi fails to maintain existing relationships or obtain new relationships, it may harm or reverse our growth potential and our ability to increase our revenues.

Kezhi’s ability to repay the working capital loans may depend on generate revenues from advertising sales depending largely upon its ability to provide large networks of flat-panel displays placed in desirable building, commercial and store locations, of advertising poster frames placed in residential complexes, to secure desirable locations of large outdoor LED digital billboards, throughout major urban areas in China. Kezhi also depend on the ability of our third-party location provider to secure desirable LED digital billboard locations for our outdoor LED network. This, in turn, requires that we develop and maintain business relationships with real estate developers, landlords, property managers, hypermarkets, retailers and other businesses and locations in which we rent space for our displays and digital billboards.

We may need additional capital and we may not be able to obtain it, which could adversely affect our liquidity and financial position.

We believe that our current cash and cash equivalents and cash flow from operations will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs including for working capital and capital expenditures, for the foreseeable future. We may, however, require additional cash resources due to changed business conditions or other future developments. If these sources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may seek to sell additional equity or debt securities or obtain a credit facility. The sale of convertible debt securities or additional equity securities could result in additional dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations and could result in operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations and liquidity.

Our ability to obtain additional capital on acceptable terms is subject to a variety of uncertainties, including:

We cannot assure you that financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all. Any failure by us to raise additional funds on terms favorable to us could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and financial condition.

We do not maintain any business liability disruption or litigation insurance coverage for our operations, and any business liability, disruption or litigation we experience might result in our incurring substantial costs and the diversion of resources.

While business disruption insurance is available to a limited extent in China, we have determined that the risks of disruption, cost of such insurance and the difficulties associated with acquiring such insurance on commercially reasonable terms make it impractical for us to have such insurance. As a result, we do not have any business liability, disruption or litigation insurance coverage for our operations of advertising and media business in China. Any business disruption or litigation may result in our incurring substantial costs and the diversion of resources.

Any negative publicity with respect to us in general or our partners may materially and adversely affect our reputation, business and results of operations.

Complaints, litigation, regulatory actions or other negative publicity that arise about the advertising industry in general or our company in particular, including on the quality, effectiveness and reliability of privacy and security practices, and advertising content, even if inaccurate, could adversely affect our reputation and client confidence in, and the use of, our solutions. Harm to our reputation and client confidence can also arise for many other reasons, including employee misconduct, misconduct of our data and content distribution channel partners, data center providers or other counterparties, failure by these persons or entities to meet minimum quality standards or otherwise fulfill their contractual obligations or to comply with applicable laws and regulations. Additionally, negative publicity with respect to our data or content distribution channel partners could also affect our business and results of operation to the extent that we rely on these partners or if marketers or marketing agencies associate our company with such partners.

If we fail to promote or maintain our brand in a cost-efficient manner, our business and results of operations may be harmed.

We believe that developing and maintaining awareness of our brand in a cost-effective manner is critical to achieving widespread acceptance of our platforms, and is an important element in attracting new clients and partners. Furthermore, we believe that the importance of brand recognition will increase as competition in our market increases. Successful promotion of our brand will depend largely on our ability to deliver value propositions to marketers and on the effectiveness of our marketing efforts If we fail to successfully promote and maintain our brand, or incur substantial expenses in an unsuccessful attempt to promote and maintain our brand, we may fail to attract enough new clients or retain our existing clients and our business and results of operations can be materially and adversely affected.

We may need additional capitals for our business and future sales of our ordinary shares could cause the market price of our ordinary shares to decline.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our ordinary shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, may depress the market price for our ordinary shares. These sales could also impair our ability to raise additional capital through the sale of our equity securities in the future. We may issue additional ordinary shares in the future and our shareholders may elect to sell large numbers of shares held by them from time to time. Our amended and restated articles of incorporation authorize us to issue up to 300,000,000 ordinary shares.

In March 2021, we filed with the SEC prospectus to issue and sell, in an at-the-market (“ATM”) offering through A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners, ordinary shares having an aggregate offering price of up to $30 million. From March 22, 2021 through May 14, 2021, we issued and sold 1,626,327 ordinary shares through the ATM offering for net proceeds of approximately $5.32 million. We may issue more ordinary shares through the ATM offering in the future and, therefore, it may cause the market price of our ordinary shares to decline.

Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure

We are a Cayman Islands company and, because judicial precedent regarding the rights of shareholders is more limited under Cayman Islands law than under U.S. law, shareholders may have less protection for their shareholder rights than they would under U.S. law.

Our corporate affairs are governed by our Fourth Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Cayman Islands Companies Law (Revised) (the “Companies Law”) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as that from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws than the United States. In addition, some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. There is no statutory recognition in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, although the courts of the Cayman Islands will in certain circumstances recognize and enforce a non-penal judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits. As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management or members of the board of directors than they would as shareholders of a U.S. public company.

Judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable.

We are a Cayman Islands company and all of our assets are located outside of the United States. Our current operations are based in China. In addition, the majority of our current directors and executive officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the United States. Substantially all of the assets of these persons are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the United States in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the United States federal securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and of China may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers.

We may lose our foreign private issuer status in the future, which could result in significant additional costs and expenses.

The determination of our status as a foreign private issuer is made annually on the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter and, accordingly, the next determination will be made with respect to us on or after June 30, 2021. We would lose our foreign private issuer status if (1) a majority of our outstanding voting securities are directly or indirectly held of record by U.S. residents, and (2) a majority of our shareholders or a majority of our directors or management are U.S. citizens or residents, a majority of our assets are located in the United States, or our business is administered principally in the United States. If we were to lose our foreign private issuer status, the regulatory and compliance costs to us under U.S. securities laws as a U.S. domestic issuer may be significantly higher. We may also be required to modify certain of our policies to comply with corporate governance practices associated with U.S. domestic issuers, which would involve additional costs.

Our disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent or detect all errors or acts of fraud.

Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to reasonably assure that information required to be disclosed by us in reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, and recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC.

We believe that any disclosure controls and procedures, or internal controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met.

These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by an unauthorized override of the controls. Accordingly, because of the inherent limitations in our control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected, which would likely cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information. This could in turn limit our access to capital markets, harm our results of operations, and lead to a decline in the trading price of our Ordinary Shares. Additionally, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could expose us to increased risk of fraud or misuse of corporate assets and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which we list, regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions. We may also be required to restate our financial statements from prior periods.

If we fail to establish and maintain proper internal financial reporting controls, our ability to produce accurate financial statements or comply with applicable regulations could be impaired.

Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we are required to file a report by our management on our internal control over financial reporting, including an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm. However, while we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to include an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm and due to a transition period established by rules of the SEC for newly public companies, we are not required to include a report of management’s assessment regarding internal control over financial reporting in this annual report. The presence of material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting could result in financial statement errors which, in turn, could lead to errors in our financial reports and/or delays in our financial reporting, which could require us to restate our operating results. The material weakness identified consisted of (i) a lack of accounting staff and resources with appropriate knowledge of U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting and compliance requirements; (ii) a lack of sufficient documented financial closing policies and procedures, specifically those related to period-end expenses cut-off and accruals; (iii) inadequate controls with respect to the maintenance of sufficient documentation for, and the evaluation of the accounting implications of, significant and non-routine payment transactions. (iv) a lack of sufficient documented financial closing policies and procedures, specifically those related to period-end expenses cut-off and accruals., as defined in the standards established by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board of the United States.

We have already taken some steps and have continued to implement measures to remediate the material weakness identified, including but not limited to providing trainings to staff, changing to a new and well-established accounting system, and continuing to monitor the internal control over financial reporting. However, we cannot assure you that we will not identify additional material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in the future.

Due to the material weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting, we conclude that our internal controls over financial reporting are ineffective and therefore investors may lose confidence in our operating results, the price of the Ordinary Shares could decline and we may be subject to litigation or regulatory enforcement actions. In addition, if we are unable to meet the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Ordinary Shares may not be able to remain listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market.

We will likely not pay dividends in the foreseeable future.

Dividend policy is subject to the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our earnings, financial condition, capital requirements and other factors. We have never declared a dividend. There is no assurance that our board of directors will declare dividends even if we are profitable. The payment of dividends by entities organized in China is subject to limitations as described herein. Under Cayman Islands law, we may only pay dividends from profits of the Company, or credits standing in the Company’s share premium account, and we must be solvent before and after the dividend payment in the sense that we will be able to satisfy our liabilities as they become due in the ordinary course of business; and the realizable value of assets of our Company will not be less than the sum of our total liabilities, other than deferred taxes as shown on our books of account, and our capital. Pursuant to the Chinese enterprise income tax law, dividends payable by a foreign investment entity to its foreign investors are subject to a withholding tax of 10%. Similarly, dividends payable by a foreign investment entity to its Hong Kong investor who owns 25% or more of the equity of the foreign investment entity is subject to a withholding tax of 5%. The payment of dividends by entities organized in China is subject to limitations, procedures and formalities. Regulations in China currently permit payment of dividends only out of accumulated profits as determined in accordance with accounting standards and regulations in China. The transfer to this reserve must be made before distribution of any dividend to shareholders.

Our business may be materially and adversely affected if our Chinese subsidiary declare bankruptcy or become subject to a dissolution or liquidation proceeding.

The Enterprise Bankruptcy Law of China provides that an enterprise may be liquidated if the enterprise fails to settle its debts as and when they fall due and if the enterprise’s assets are, or are demonstrably, insufficient to clear such debts. Our Chinese subsidiaries hold certain assets that are important to our business operations. If any of our Chinese subsidiary undergo a voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceeding, unrelated third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of these assets, thereby hindering our ability to operate our business, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

As an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from the Nasdaq listing standards; these practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with such corporate governance listing standards.

As a Cayman Islands exempted company listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market, we are subject to the Nasdaq listing standards. However, the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules permit a foreign private issuer like us to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country. Currently, we rely on home country practice with respect to certain aspects of our corporate governance. See “Item 16G. Corporate Governance.” Our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they would otherwise enjoy under the Nasdaq listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers given our reliance on the home country practice exception.  

Risks Related to Doing Business in China

Adverse changes in political, economic and other policies of the Chinese government could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of China, which could materially and adversely affect the growth of our business and our competitive position.

Currently, all of our business operations are conducted in China. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects are affected significantly by economic, political and legal developments in China. Although the PRC economy has been transitioning from a planned economy to a more market-oriented economy since the late 1970s, the PRC government continues to exercise significant control over China’s economic growth through direct allocation of resources, monetary and tax policies, and a host of other government policies such as those that encourage or restrict investment in certain industries by foreign investors, control the exchange between the Renminbi and foreign currencies, and regulate the growth of the general or specific market. While the Chinese economy has experienced significant growth in the past 30 years, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. Furthermore, the current global economic crisis is adversely affecting economies throughout the world. As the PRC economy has become increasingly linked with the global economy, China is affected in various respects by downturns and recessions of major economies around the world. The various economic and policy measures enacted by the PRC government to forestall economic downturns or bolster China’s economic growth could materially affect our business. Any adverse change in the economic conditions in China, in policies of the PRC government or in laws and regulations in China could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of China and market demand for our outsourcing services. Such developments could adversely affect our businesses, lead to reduction in demand for our services and adversely affect our competitive position.

Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could have a material adverse effect on us.

The PRC legal system is based on written statutes. Prior court decisions may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value. Since the late 1970s, the PRC government has been building a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect has been to significantly enhance the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investments in China. We conduct our business primarily through our subsidiary established in China. This subsidiary is generally subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign investment in China. However, since these laws and regulations are relatively new and the PRC legal system continues to rapidly evolve, the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules are not always uniform and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involves uncertainties, which may limit legal protections available to us. In addition, some regulatory requirements issued by certain PRC government authorities may not be consistently applied by other government authorities (including local government authorities), thus making strict compliance with all regulatory requirements impractical, or in some circumstances impossible. For example, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce the legal protection that we enjoy either by law or contract. However, since PRC administrative and court authorities have discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to predict the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. These uncertainties may impede our ability to enforce the contracts we have entered into with our business partners, customers and suppliers. In addition, such uncertainties, including any inability to enforce our contracts, together with any development or interpretation of PRC law that is adverse to us, could materially and adversely affect our business and operations. Furthermore, intellectual property rights and confidentiality protections in China may not be as effective as in the United States or other more developed countries. We cannot predict the effect of future developments in the PRC legal system, including the promulgation of new laws, changes to existing laws or the interpretation or enforcement thereof, or the preemption of local regulations by national laws. These uncertainties could limit the legal protections available to us and other foreign investors, including you. In addition, any litigation in China may be protracted and result in substantial costs and diversion of our resources and management attention.

U.S. regulators’ ability to conduct investigations or enforce rules in China is limited.

Currently, all of our operations conducted outside of the U.S. As a result, it may not be possible for the U.S. regulators to conduct investigations or inspections, or to effect service of process within the U.S. or elsewhere outside China on us, our subsidiaries, officers, directors and shareholders, and others, including with respect to matters arising under U.S. federal or state securities laws. China does not have treaties providing for reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments of courts with the U.S. and many other countries. As a result, recognition and enforcement in China of these judgments in relation to any matter, including U.S. securities laws and the laws of the Cayman Islands, may be difficult or impossible.

We face uncertainty regarding the PRC tax reporting obligations and consequences for certain indirect transfers of the stock of our operating company.

Pursuant to the Notice on Strengthening Administration of Enterprise Income Tax for Share Transfers by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises issued by the PRC State Administration of Taxation on December 10, 2009, or Circular 698, where a foreign investor transfers the equity interests of a PRC resident enterprise indirectly by way of the sale of equity interests of an overseas holding company, or an Indirect Transfer, and such overseas holding company is located in a tax jurisdiction that: (i) has an effective tax rate less than 12.5% or (ii) does not tax foreign income of its residents, the foreign investor should report such Indirect Transfer to the competent tax authority of the PRC resident enterprise. The PRC tax authority will examine the true nature of the Indirect Transfer, and if the tax authority considers that the foreign investor has adopted an abusive arrangement in order to avoid PRC tax, they will disregard the existence of the overseas holding company and re-characterize the Indirect Transfer and as a result, gains derived from such Indirect Transfer may be subject to PRC withholding tax at the rate of up to 10%. In addition, the PRC resident enterprise is supposed to provide necessary assistance to support the enforcement of Circular 698. At present, the PRC tax authorities will neither confirm nor deny that they would enforce Circular 698, in conjunction with other tax collection and tax withholding rules, to make claims against our PRC subsidiary as being indirectly liable for unpaid taxes, if any, arising from Indirect Transfers by shareholders who did not obtain their shares in the IPO of our shares.

On February 3, 2015, the PRC State Administration of Taxation issued a Public Notice Regarding Certain Corporate Income Tax Matters on Indirect Transfer of Properties by Non-Tax Resident Enterprises, or SAT Public Notice 7. SAT Public Notice 7 supersedes the rules with respect to the Indirect Transfer under SAT Circular 698, but does not touch upon the other provisions of SAT Circular 698, which remain in force. SAT Public Notice 7 has introduced a new tax regime that is significantly different from the previous one under SAT Circular 698. SAT Public Notice 7 extends its tax jurisdiction to not only Indirect Transfers set forth under SAT Circular 698 but also transactions involving transfer of other taxable assets through offshore transfer of a foreign intermediate holding company. In addition, SAT Public Notice 7 provides clearer criteria than SAT Circular 698 for assessment of reasonable commercial purposes and has introduced safe harbors for internal group restructurings and the purchase and sale of equity through a public securities market. SAT Public Notice 7 also brings challenges to both foreign transferor and transferee (or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer) of taxable assets. Where a non-resident enterprise transfers taxable assets indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, which is an Indirect Transfer, the non-resident enterprise as either transferor or transferee, or the PRC entity that directly owns the taxable assets, may report such Indirect Transfer to the relevant tax authority. Using a “substance over form” principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such Indirect Transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise. Both the transferor and the transferee may be subject to penalties under PRC tax laws if the transferee fails to withhold the taxes and the transferor fails to pay the taxes.

We face uncertainties as to the reporting and other implications of certain past and future transactions where PRC taxable assets are involved, such as offshore restructuring, sale of the shares in our offshore subsidiaries or investments. Our company may be subject to filing obligations or taxed if our company is transferor in such transactions, and may be subject to withholding obligations if our company is transferee in such transactions, under SAT Circular 698 and SAT Public Notice 7. For transfer of shares in our company by investors that are non-PRC resident enterprises, our PRC subsidiary may be requested to assist in the filing under SAT Circular 698 and SAT Public Notice 7. As a result, we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with SAT Circular 698 and SAT Public Notice 7 or to request the relevant transferors from whom we purchase taxable assets to comply with these circulars, or to establish that our company should not be taxed under these circulars, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

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

In July 2014, China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange (“SAFE”) has promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents’ Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment Through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, to replace the Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Residents’ Financing and Roundtrip Investment Through Offshore Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 75, which ceased to be effective upon the promulgation of SAFE Circular 37. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents (including PRC individuals and PRC corporate entities) to register with local branches of SAFE in connection with their direct or indirect offshore investment activities. SAFE Circular 37 is applicable to our shareholders who are PRC residents and may be applicable to any offshore acquisitions that we make in the future.

Under SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who make, or have prior to the implementation of SAFE Circular 37 made, direct or indirect investments in offshore special purpose vehicles, or SPVs, will be required to register such investments with the SAFE or its local branches. In addition, any PRC resident who is a direct or indirect shareholder of an SPV, is required to update its filed registration with the local branch of SAFE with respect to that SPV, to reflect any material change. Moreover, any subsidiaries of such SPV in China is required to urge the PRC resident shareholders to update their registration with the local branch of SAFE. If any PRC shareholder of such SPV fails to make the required registration or to update the previously filed registration, the subsidiaries of such SPV in China may be prohibited from distributing its profits or the proceeds from any capital reduction, share transfer or liquidation to the SPV, and the SPV may also be prohibited from making additional capital contribution into its subsidiary in China. On February 28, 2015, the SAFE promulgated a Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Foreign Exchange Administration Policy on Direct Investment, or SAFE Notice 13, which became effective on June 1, 2015. Under SAFE Notice 13, applications for foreign exchange registration of inbound foreign direct investment and outbound overseas direct investment, including those required under the SAFE Circular 37, will be filed with qualified banks instead of the SAFE. The qualified banks will directly examine the applications and accept registrations under the supervision of the SAFE.

Messrs. Ban Lor and Stewart Lor are not PRC resident, thus, they are not subject to SAFE Circular 37. We have requested our shareholders that we know are PRC residents and hold direct or indirect interests in us to make the necessary applications, filings and amendments as required under SAFE Circular 37 and other related rules. As of the date of this Annual Report, all of those shareholders have completed the Circular 37 registration. However, we may not at all times be fully aware or informed of the identities of all our beneficial owners who are PRC residents, and we may not always be able to compel our beneficial owners to comply with the SAFE Circular 37 requirements. As a result, we cannot assure you that all of our shareholders or beneficial owners who are PRC residents will at all times comply with, or in the future make or obtain any applicable registrations or approvals required by, SAFE Circular 37 or other related regulations. Failure by any such shareholders or beneficial owners to comply with SAFE Circular 37 could subject us to fines or legal sanctions, restrict our overseas or cross-border investment activities, limit our PRC subsidiary’s ability to make distributions or pay dividends or affect our ownership structure, which could adversely affect our business and prospects.

Furthermore, as these foreign exchange regulations are still relatively new and their interpretation and implementation has been constantly evolving, it is unclear how these regulations, and any future regulation concerning offshore or cross-border transactions, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant governmental authorities. For example, we may be subject to a more stringent review and approval process with respect to our foreign exchange activities, such as remittance of dividends and foreign-currency-denominated borrowings, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if we decide to acquire a PRC domestic company, we cannot assure you that we or the owners of such company, as the case may be, will be able to obtain the necessary approvals or complete the necessary filings and registrations required by the foreign exchange regulations. This may restrict our ability to implement our acquisition strategy and could adversely affect our business and prospects.

PRC regulation of loans and direct investment by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of the offerings to make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

In utilizing the proceeds from the offerings or any future offerings, as an offshore holding company of our PRC subsidiary, we may make loans to our PRC subsidiary and controlled PRC affiliate, or we may make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary. Any loans to our PRC subsidiary or controlled PRC affiliate are subject to PRC regulations and approvals. For example, loans by us to our PRC subsidiary in China, each of which is a foreign-invested enterprise, to finance their activities cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with SAFE or its local counterpart.

We may also decide to finance our PRC subsidiary through capital contributions. These capital contributions must be approved by the Ministry of Commerce in China or its local counterpart. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain these government registrations or approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans by us to our PRC subsidiary or controlled PRC affiliate or capital contributions by us to our subsidiaries or any of their respective subsidiaries. If we fail to receive such registrations or approvals, our ability to use the proceeds of the IPO and to capitalize our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could adversely and materially affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

In 2015, SAFE promulgated Circular 19, a notice regulating the conversion by a foreign-invested enterprise of foreign currency into Renminbi by restricting how the converted Renminbi may be used. Circular 19 requires that Renminbi converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital of a foreign-invested enterprise may only be used for purposes within the business scope approved by the applicable governmental authority and may not be used for equity investments within the PRC unless specifically provided for otherwise in its business scope. In addition, SAFE strengthened its oversight of the flow and use of Renminbi funds converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital of a foreign-invested enterprise. The use of such Renminbi may not be changed without approval from SAFE and may not be used to repay Renminbi loans if the proceeds of such loans have not yet been used for purposes within the foreign-invested enterprise’s approved business scope.

We cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary government registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans by us to our PRC subsidiary or controlled PRC affiliate or with respect to future capital contributions by us to our PRC subsidiary. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to use the proceeds we receive from the offerings and to capitalize or otherwise fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could adversely and materially affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to use our revenues effectively and the ability of our PRC subsidiary to obtain financing.

The PRC government imposes control on the convertibility of the RMB into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We receive a majority of our revenues in Renminbi, which currently is not a freely convertible currency. Restrictions on currency conversion imposed by the PRC government may limit our ability to use revenues generated in Renminbi to fund our expenditures denominated in foreign currencies or our business activities outside China. Under China’s existing foreign exchange regulations, Renminbi may be freely converted into foreign currency for payments relating to current account transactions, which include among other things dividend payments and payments for the import of goods and services, by complying with certain procedural requirements. Our PRC subsidiary are able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to us without prior approval from SAFE, by complying with certain procedural requirements. Our PRC subsidiary may also retain foreign currency in their respective current account bank accounts for use in payment of international current account transactions. However, we cannot assure you that the PRC government will not take measures in the future to restrict access to foreign currencies for current account transactions.

Conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies, and of foreign currencies into Renminbi, for payments relating to capital account transactions, which principally includes investments and loans, generally requires the approval of SAFE and other relevant PRC governmental authorities. Restrictions on the convertibility of the Renminbi for capital account transactions could affect the ability of our PRC subsidiary to make investments overseas or to obtain foreign currency through debt or equity financing, including by means of loans or capital contributions from us.

We may be classified as a “resident enterprise” for PRC enterprise income tax purposes; such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders.

The Enterprise Income Tax Law provides that enterprises established outside of China whose “de facto management bodies” are located in China are considered PRC tax resident enterprises and will generally be subject to the uniform 25% PRC enterprise income tax rate on their global income. In addition, a tax circular issued by the State Administration of Taxation on April 22, 2009 regarding the standards used to classify certain Chinese-invested enterprises established outside of China as resident enterprises clarified that dividends and other income paid by such resident enterprises will be considered to be PRC source income, subject to PRC withholding tax, currently at a rate of 10%, when recognized by non-PRC enterprise shareholders. This recent circular also subjects such resident enterprises to various reporting requirements with the PRC tax authorities. Under the implementation rules to the Enterprise Income Tax Law, a de facto management body is defined as a body that has material and overall management and control over the manufacturing and business operations, personnel and human resources, finances and other assets of an enterprise. In addition, the tax circular mentioned above details that certain Chinese-invested enterprises will be classified as resident enterprises if the following are located or resident in China: senior management personnel and departments that are responsible for daily production, operation and management; financial and personnel decision making bodies; key properties, accounting books, company seal, and minutes of board meetings and shareholders’ meetings; and half or more of the senior management or directors having voting rights.

Currently, there are no detailed rules or precedents governing the procedures and specific criteria for determining de facto management bodies which are applicable to our company or our overseas subsidiaries. We do not believe that Powerbridge meets all of the conditions required for PRC resident enterprise. The Company is a company incorporated outside the PRC. As a holding company, its key assets are its ownership interests in its subsidiaries, and its key assets are located, and its records (including the resolutions of its board of directors and the resolutions of its shareholders) are maintained, outside the PRC. For the same reasons, we believe our other entities outside of China are not PRC resident enterprises either. However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term “de facto management body.” There can be no assurance that the PRC government will ultimately take a view that is consistent with ours.

However, if the PRC tax authorities determine that Powerbridge is a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, we may be required to withhold a 10% withholding tax from dividends we pay to our shareholders that are non-resident enterprises. Such 10% tax rate could be reduced by applicable tax treaties or similar arrangements between China and the jurisdiction of our shareholders. For example, for shareholders eligible for the benefits of the tax treaty between China and Hong Kong, the tax rate is reduced to 5% for dividends if relevant conditions are met. In addition, non-resident enterprise shareholders may be subject to a 10% PRC tax on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ordinary shares, if such income is treated as sourced from within the PRC. It is unclear whether our non-PRC individual shareholders would be subject to any PRC tax on dividends or gains obtained by such non-PRC individual shareholders in the event we are determined to be a PRC resident enterprise. If any PRC tax were to apply to such dividends or gains, it would generally apply at a rate of 20% unless a reduced rate is available under an applicable tax treaty. However, it is also unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of the Company would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that the Company is treated as a PRC resident enterprise.

Provided that our Cayman Islands holding company, Powerbridge, is not deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise, our shareholders who are not PRC residents will not be subject to PRC income tax on dividends distributed by us or gains realized from the sale or other disposition of our shares. However, under Circular 7, where a non-resident enterprise conducts an “indirect transfer” by transferring taxable assets, including, in particular, equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise, indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, the non-resident enterprise, being the transferor, or the transferee or the PRC entity which directly owned such taxable assets may report to the relevant tax authority such indirect transfer. Using a “substance over form” principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee would be obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise. We and our non-PRC resident investors may be at risk of being required to file a return and being taxed under Circular 7, and we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with Bulletin 37, or to establish that we should not be taxed under Circular 7 and Bulletin 37.

In addition to the uncertainty in how the new resident enterprise classification could apply, it is also possible that the rules may change in the future, possibly with retroactive effect. If we are required under the Enterprise Income Tax law to withhold PRC income tax on our dividends payable to our foreign shareholders, or if you are required to pay PRC income tax on the transfer of our shares under the circumstances mentioned above, the value of your investment in our shares may be materially and adversely affected. These rates may be reduced by an applicable tax treaty, but it is unclear whether, if we are considered a PRC resident enterprise, holders of our shares would be able to claim the benefit of income tax treaties or agreements entered into between China and other countries or areas. Any such tax may reduce the returns on your investment in our shares.

The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for some acquisitions of Chinese companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China.

The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in August 2006 and amended in 2009, requires an overseas special purpose vehicle formed for listing purposes through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies and controlled by PRC companies or individuals to obtain the approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. In September 2006, the CSRC published a notice on its official website specifying documents and materials required to be submitted to it by a special purpose vehicle seeking CSRC approval of its overseas listings. The application of the M&A Rules remains unclear. These M&A Rules and some other regulations and rules concerning mergers and acquisitions established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time consuming and complex, including requirements in some instances that the China’s Commerce Ministry (“MOC”) be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise. Moreover, the Anti-Monopoly Law requires that the MOC shall be notified in advance of any concentration of undertaking if certain thresholds are triggered. In addition, the security review rules issued by the MOC that became effective in September 2011 specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors that raise “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions through which foreign investors may acquire de facto control over domestic enterprises that raise “national security” concerns are subject to strict review by the MOC, and the rules prohibit any activities attempting to bypass a security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions could be time consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the MOC or its local counterparts may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share.

Any failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration requirements for employee stock incentive plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.

In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notices on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plans of Overseas Publicly-Listed Companies, replacing earlier rules promulgated in March 2007. Pursuant to these rules, PRC citizens and non-PRC citizens who reside in China for a continuous period of not less than one year who participate in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company, subject to a few exceptions, are required to register with SAFE through a domestic qualified agent, which could be the PRC subsidiaries of such overseas listed company, and complete certain other procedures. In addition, an overseas entrusted institution must be retained to handle matters in connection with the exercise or sale of stock options and the purchase or sale of shares and interests. We and our executive officers and other employees who are PRC citizens or who have resided in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year and who are granted options or other awards under the equity incentive plan are subject to these regulations as our company has become an overseas listed company. Failure to complete the SAFE registrations may subject them to fines and legal sanctions and may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital into our PRC subsidiary and limit our PRC subsidiary’ ability to distribute dividends to us. We also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional incentive plans for our directors, executive officers and employees under PRC law.

Failure to make adequate contributions to various mandatory social security plans as required by PRC regulations may subject us to penalties.

PRC laws and regulations require us to pay several statutory social welfare benefits for our employees, including pensions, medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance and housing provident fund contributions. Local governments usually implement localized requirements as to mandatory social security plans considering differences in economic development in different regions. Our failure in making contributions to various mandatory social security plans and in complying with applicable PRC labor-related laws may subject us to late payment penalties. We may be required to make up the contributions for these plans as well as to pay late fees and fines. If we are subject to late fees or fines in relation to the underpaid employee benefits, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

Our current employment practices may be restricted under the PRC Labor Contract Law and our labor costs may increase as a result.

The PRC Labor Contract Law and its implementing rules impose requirements concerning contracts entered into between an employer and its employees and establishes time limits for probationary periods and for how long an employee can be placed in a fixed-term labor contract. Because there is lack of clarity with respect to the implementation and potential penalties and fines provided in the Labor Contract Law and tis implementing rules, it is uncertain how it will impact our current employment policies and practices. We cannot assure you that our employment policies and practices do not, or will not, violate the Labor Contract Law or its implementing rules and that we will not be subject to related penalties, fines or legal fees. If we are subject to large penalties or fees related to the Labor Contract Law or its implementing rules, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. In addition, according to the Labor Contract Law and its implementing rules, if we intend to enforce the non-compete provision with an employee in a labor contract or non-competition agreement, we have to compensate the employee on a monthly basis during the term of the restriction period after the termination or ending of the labor contract, which may cause extra expenses to us. Furthermore, the Labor Contract Law and its implementation rules require certain terminations to be based upon seniority rather than merit, which significantly affects the cost of reducing workforce for employers. In the event we decide to significantly change or decrease our workforce in the PRC, the Labor Contract Law could adversely affect our ability to enact such changes in a manner that is most advantageous to our circumstances or in a timely and cost-effective manner, thus our results of operations could be adversely affected.

If the chops of our PRC company and branches are not kept safely, are stolen or are used by unauthorized persons or for unauthorized purposes, the corporate governance of these entities could be severely and adversely compromised.

In China, a company chop or seal serves as the legal representation of the company towards third parties even when unaccompanied by a signature. Each legally registered company in China is required to maintain a company chop, which must be registered with the local Public Security Bureau. In addition to this mandatory company chop, companies may have several other chops which can be used for specific purposes. The chops of our PRC subsidiary are generally held securely by personnel designated or approved by us in accordance with our internal control procedures. To the extent those chops are not kept safely, are stolen or are used by unauthorized persons or for unauthorized purposes, the corporate governance of these entities could be severely and adversely compromised and those corporate entities may be bound to abide by the terms of any documents so chopped, even if they were chopped by an individual who lacked the requisite power and authority to do so. In addition, if the chops are misused by unauthorized persons, we could experience disruption to our normal business operations. We may have to take corporate or legal action, which could involve significant time and resources to resolve while distracting management from our operations.

You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments, or bringing actions in China against us or our management named in the prospectus supplement based on foreign laws. It may also be difficult for you or overseas regulators to conduct investigations or collect evidence within China.

We are a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, and we conduct our operations in China and our assets are located in China. In addition, most of our senior executive officers reside within China for a significant portion of the time. As a result, it may be difficult for you to effect service of process upon us or those persons inside mainland China. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands or the PRC would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against us or such persons predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the U.S. or any state.

The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other forms of written arrangement with the U.S. that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, the PRC courts will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC laws or national sovereignty, security, or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the U.S. See “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities.”

It may also be difficult for you or overseas regulators to conduct investigations or collect evidence within China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to obtaining information needed for shareholder investigations or litigation outside China or otherwise with respect to foreign entities. Although the authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with its counterparts of another country or region to monitor and oversee cross-border securities activities, such regulatory cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the United States may not be efficient in the absence of a practical cooperation mechanism. Furthermore, according to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law, or “Article 177,” which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigations or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC. Article 177 further provides that Chinese entities and individuals are not allowed to provide documents or materials related to securities business activities to foreign agencies without prior consent from the securities regulatory authority of the PRC State Council and the competent departments of the PRC State Council. While detailed interpretation of or implementing rules under Article 177 have yet to be promulgated, the inability for an overseas securities regulator to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within China may further increase difficulties faced by you in protecting your interests.

Recent joint statement by the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or the “PCAOB,” proposed rule changes submitted by Nasdaq, and the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act all call for additional and more stringent criteria to be applied to emerging market companies upon assessing the qualification of their auditors, especially the non-U.S. auditors who are not inspected by the PCAOB. These developments could add uncertainties to our offering.

On April 21, 2020, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton and PCAOB Chairman William D. Duhnke III, along with other senior SEC staff, released a joint statement highlighting the risks associated with investing in companies based in or have substantial operations in emerging markets including China. The joint statement emphasized the risks associated with lack of access for the PCAOB to inspect auditors and audit work papers in China and higher risks of fraud in emerging markets.

On May 18, 2020, Nasdaq filed three proposals with the SEC to (i) apply a minimum offering size requirement for companies primarily operating in a “Restrictive Market,” (ii) adopt a new requirement relating to the qualification of management or the board of directors for Restrictive Market companies, and (iii) apply additional and more stringent criteria to an applicant or listed company based on the qualifications of the company’s auditors.

On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act requiring a foreign company to certify it is not owned or controlled by a foreign government if the PCAOB is unable to audit specified reports because the company uses a foreign auditor not subject to PCAOB inspection. If the PCAOB is unable to inspect the company’s auditors for three consecutive years, the issuer’s securities are prohibited to trade on a national exchange. On December 2, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. On December 18, 2020, the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act was signed into law.

The lack of access to the PCAOB inspection in China prevents the PCAOB from fully evaluating audits and quality control procedures of the auditors based in China. As a result, investors may be deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of these accounting firms’ audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to the PCAOB inspections, which could cause existing and potential investors in our Ordinary Shares to lose confidence in our audit procedures and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.

Our auditor, Onestop Assurance PAC, the independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report incorporated by reference in this Annual Report, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. However, the recent developments would add uncertainties to our continued listing in the U.S. and we cannot assure you whether Nasdaq or regulatory authorities would apply additional and more stringent criteria to us after considering the effectiveness of our auditor’s audit procedures and quality control procedures, adequacy of personnel and training, or sufficiency of resources, geographic reach, or experience as it relates to the audit of our financial statements. 

Item 4. INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY

A. History and Development of the Company

Corporate History and Background

Powerbridge is a company that was established under the laws of the Cayman Islands on July 27, 2018 as a holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, is a provider of software application and technology services to corporate and government customers engaged in global trade.

For the purpose of the IPO and listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market, a reorganization of the Company’s legal structure was completed on August 27, 2018. The reorganization involved the incorporation of Powerbridge, a Cayman Islands holding company, and its wholly owned subsidiary, Powerbridge HK, a holding company incorporated on July 27, 2018 under the laws of Hong Kong; and the transfer of all equity ownership of Powerbridge Zhuhai to Powerbridge HK from the former shareholders of Powerbridge Zhuhai through an investment holding company.

Prior to the reorganization, Powerbridge Zhuhai’s equity interests were held by the former shareholders through an investment holding company. Powerbridge Zhuhai was incorporated on October 30, 1997 in Zhuhai, Guangdong province under the laws of the People’s Republic of China. Powerbridge Zhuhai is an operating subsidiary that provides global trade software application and technology services to corporate and government customers located in China.

On August 7, 2018, the former shareholders transferred their 100% ownership interest in Powerbridge Zhuhai to Powerbridge HK, which is 100% owned by Powerbridge. After the reorganization, Powerbridge owns 100% equity interests of Powerbridge HK and Powerbridge Zhuhai. All shareholders have the same ownership interest in Powerbridge as in Powerbridge Zhuhai prior to the reorganization.

As of the date of this Annual Report, Zhuhai Powerbridge has five branches, which are located in China (Changsha, Wuhan, Nanning, Hangzhou, Jiujiang, and Xiamen)  and maintain offices in Changsha, Wuhan, Naning, and Hangzhou  to serve different customers in various geographic locations.

Powerbridge Cayman is the sole shareholder of Powerbridge Hong Kong, incorporated in Hong Kong on July 27, 2018, and Hongding Hong Kong, incorporated in Hong Kong on August 19, 2020. Powerbridge Hong Kong is the sole shareholder of Powerbridge Zhuhai. Powerbridge Zhuhai was incorporated on October 30, 1997 under the laws of the People’s Republic of China, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Powerbridge Hong Kong and a wholly foreign-owned entity under the PRC laws. Hongding Shenzhen was incorporated on  October 21, 2020   under the laws of the People’s Republic of China, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hongding Hong Kong and a wholly foreign-owned entity under the PRC laws. As of the date of this Annual Report, Hongding Hong Kong and Hongding Shenzhen have no business operations.

Neither Powerbridge Cayman, Powerbridge Hong Kong, nor Hongding Hong Kong is currently engaged in any active business other than acting as holding companies. We conduct our business mainly through Powerbridge Zhuhai and Hongding Shenzhen. As of the date of this Annual Report, Honding Shenzhen has no business operations.

On April 2, 2019, our ordinary shares commenced trading on Nasdaq under the symbol “PBTS.”

On June 21, 2019, the Company incorporated Wuhan Honggang Technology Co. Ltd. (“Wuhan Honggang”) in Hubei province under the law of the PRC. Wuhan Honggang is 60% owned by Powerbridge Zhuhai, one of the wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company, and 40% owned by a third party. Wuhan Honggang is engaged in application development service and Internet of Things (“IOT”) system developments.

On June 28, 2019, Powerbridge Zhuhai entered into a joint venture agreement (the “JV Agreement”) with Guangdong Guangrui Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Gaungrui”) to form the joint venture through a newly-formed corporation named Shantou Hongrui Information Technology Co., Ltd. (“Hongrui”) to undertake exploration for technology information services in the area of Shantou and Guangdong. Powerbridge Zhuhai and Guangrui each initially owned 51% and 49% equity interest in Hongrui. On July 1, 2019, Powerbridge Zhuhai, Guangrui, and Haoqing Su entered into a supplemental agreement to the JV Agreement for equity interest alternation, pursuant to which Hongrui was 51% owned by Powerbridge Zhuhai, 43% owned by Guangrui, and 6% owned by Qaoqing Su. On August 19, 2019, Hongrui was established in Guangdong province under the law of the PRC. On January 14, 2020, Haoqing Su entered into certain share transfer agreements with Xiaoyu Liu and Hengqin Baisheng Investment Partnership (General Partnership) (“Hengqin”), pursuant to each of which, Haoqing Su agreed to transfer 3% equity interest of Hongrui for RMB 150,000. On the same day, Guangrui entered into a certain share transfer agreement with Xiaoyu Liu to transfer 18% equity interest of Hongrui for RMB 900,000. As a result of the share transfer agreements, Hongrui was 51% owned by Powerbridge Zhuhai, 25% owned by Guangrui, 3% owned by Hengqin, and 21% owned by Xiaoyu Liu. On May 21, 2020, Powerbridge Zhuhai, Guangrui, Hengqin, and Xiaoyu Liu entered into another supplemental agreement to the JV Agreement for equity interest alternation, pursuant to which Hongrui is currently 38% owned by Powerbridge Zhuhai, 35% owned by Guangrui, 15% owned by Hengqin, and 12% owned by Xiaoyu Liu. Shantou Hongrui is engaged in IT system development and integration service.

On September 2, 2019, Powerbridge Zhuhai, together with two unrelated entities, incorporated Chongqing Powerbridge Zhixin Technology Co., Ltd (“Chongqing Powerbridge”) with Powerbridge Zhuhai holding 45% equity interest in Chongqing Powerbridge. By the date of this report, Chongqing Powerbridge has not commenced its operations and Powerbridge Zhuhai has not injected any capital to the business. Chongqing Powerbridge is engaged in IT system development and technical consulting service.

On September 29, 2019, Powerbridge Zhuhai incorporated Ningbo Powerbridge Pet Products E-commerce Co. Ltd. (“Ningbo Powerbridge”) in Zhejiang province under the law of the PRC. Ningbo Powerbridge is 60% owned by the Powerbridge Zhuhai and 40% owned by two unrelated entities. Ningbo Powerbridge is engaged in development of e-commerce systems for pet industry. As of the date of this Annual Report, Ningbo Powerbridge is dormant and has no operation.  

On July 28, 2020, Powerbridge Zhuhai incorporated Shenzhen Honghao Internet Technology Co., Ltd. (“Shenzhen Powerbridge”) in Guangdong province under the law of the PRC. Shenzhen Powerbridge is 100% owned by the Powerbridge Zhuhai. Shenzhen Honghao  is engaged in the outdoor advertising business. Powerbridge Hong Kong, incorporated a fully owned subsidiary -Shenzhen Hongding Interconnect Technology Co., Ltd in Guangdong province under the law of the PRC.

The Company is subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and will file reports, registration statements and other information with the SEC. The Company’s reports, registration statements and other information can be inspected on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and such information can also be inspected and copies ordered at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC at the following location: 100 F Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also visit us on the World Wide Web at www.powerbridge.com. However, information contained on our website does not constitute a part of this annual report.

Corporate Information

Our principle executive offices are located at 1st Floor, Building D2, Southern Software Park, Tangjia Bay, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519080, China. Our telephone number is +86-756-339-5666. Our principle website address is www.powerbridge.com. The information on our website is not part of this Annual Report.

The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure as of the date of this Annual Report.

Compliance with Foreign Investment

All limited liability companies formed and operating in the PRC are governed by the Company Law of the People’s Republic of China, or the Company Law, which was amended and promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on October 26, 2018 and came into effect on the same day. Foreign invested enterprises must also comply with the Company Law, with exceptions as specified in the relevant foreign investment laws. Under our corporate structure as of the date of this Annual Report, 100% of the equity interests of Powerbridge Zhuhai are entirely and indirectly held by our company through Powerbridge HK. Therefore, Powerbridge Zhuhai, a wholly foreign-owned enterprise (“WFOE”) of Powerbridge HK, should be regarded as a foreign-invested enterprise and comply with both the Company Law and other applicable foreign investment laws.

With respect to the establishment and operation of WFOEs, the MOFCOM, and the National Development and Reform Commission, or NDRC, promulgated the Catalogue of Industries for Guiding Foreign Investment, or the Catalogue (2017 Version), as amended on June 28, 2017, which came into effect on August 28, 2017. The Catalogue divides industries for foreign investment into three categories: encouraged, restricted and prohibited. Those industries not set out in the Catalogue shall be classified as industries permitted for foreign investment. The Catalogue serves as the main basis for management and guidance for the MOFCOM to manage and supervise foreign investments to PRC. In addition, in June 2018, MOFCOM and NDRC promulgated the Special Management Measures (Negative List) for the Access of Foreign Investment, or the Negative List, effective July 2018. The Negative List expands the scope of permitted industries by foreign investment by reducing the number of industries that fall within the Negative List where restrictions on the shareholding percentage or requirements on the composition of board or senior management still exists. According to the Catalogue and the Negative List, IT services, the main business that our PRC subsidiary presently conduct, are neither restricted nor prohibited.

Emerging Growth Company Status

As a company with less than $1.07 billion in revenue during our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, or JOBS Act, enacted in April 2012, and may take advantage of reduced reporting requirements that are otherwise applicable to public companies. These provisions include, but are not limited to:

We may take advantage of these provisions until the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of our common equity securities pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. However, if certain events occur before the end of such five-year period, including if we become a “large accelerated filer,” our annual gross revenues exceed $1.07 billion or we issue more than $1.00 billion of non-convertible debt in any three-year period, we will cease to be an emerging growth company before the end of such five-year period.

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. We have elected to take advantage of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards and acknowledge such election is irrevocable pursuant to Section 107 of the JOBS Act.

Foreign Private Issuer Status

We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Less than 50% of our outstanding voting securities are held by U.S. residents   and none of the following three circumstances applies: the majority of our executive officers or directors are U.S. citizens or residents; more than 50% of our assets are located in the United States; or our business is administered principally in the United States. Therefore, we are a “foreign private issuer,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act and Rule 3b-4(c) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”). As a result, we are not subject to the same requirements as U.S. domestic issuers. Under the Exchange Act, we will be subject to reporting obligations that, to some extent, are more lenient and less frequent than those of U.S. domestic reporting companies. For example, we will not be required to issue quarterly reports or proxy statements. We will not be required to disclose detailed individual executive compensation information. Furthermore, our directors and executive officers will not be required to report equity holdings under Section 16 of the Exchange Act and will not be subject to the insider short-swing profit disclosure and recovery regime.

The Initial Public Offering 

On April 4, 2019, the Company completed its initial public offering of 1,750,000 Ordinary Shares, $0.00166667 par value per share. The Ordinary Shares were sold at an offering price of $5.00 per share, generating gross proceeds of approximately $8.75 million, and net proceeds of approximately $7.8 million. The registration statement relating to the IPO also covered the underwriters’ common stock purchase warrants and the Ordinary Shares issuable upon the exercise thereof in the total amount of 122,500 Ordinary Shares. Each five-year warrant entitles the warrant holder to purchase the Company’s shares at the exercise price of $5.50 per share and is not be exercisable for a period of 180 days from March 28, 2019. Our Ordinary Shares began trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market on April 2, 2019 under the ticker symbol “PBTS”.

On May 10, 2019, the Company closed on the exercise in full of the over-allotment option to purchase an additional 262,500 Ordinary Shares of the Company by Maxim Group LLC and The Benchmark Company, LLC, the representatives of the underwriters in connection with and the joint book running managers of the Company’s IPO (“Underwriters”), at the IPO price of $5.00 per share. As a result, the Company has raised gross proceeds of approximately $1.31 million, in addition to the IPO gross proceeds of $8.75 million, or combined gross proceeds in this IPO of approximately $10.06 million, before underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses.

B. Business Overview

Overview

We are a provider of software application and technology solutions and services to corporate and government customers primarily located in China. We introduced global trade software applications when we launched our operations in 1997 with a vision to make global trade operations easier for our customers. Since our inception, we have continued to innovate by developing technologies that enable us to successfully deliver a series of solutions and services that address the evolving and changing needs of our corporate and government customers. Our mission is to make global trade easier by empowering all players in the ecosystem.

Our customers are corporate and government organizations engaged in global trade. Our corporate customers are import and export companies, manufacturers engaged in international trade, as well as logistics and other service providers. Our government customers include customs and other government agencies that oversee the flow of goods and services across borders, as well as government authorities and organizations that manage and operate free trade and bonded trade zones, ports and terminals, and other international trade facilities.

Global trade involves complicated and cumbersome processing, manual handling of voluminous documents, extended and complex cross-organization workflows as well as a great number of business and government players in the global trade ecosystem. We estimated that a typical process for an export shipment in China may involve 1 exporter, 8 government agencies and authorities and 12 various logistics and financial service providers with more than 60 persons engaged in 13 different work processes that generate more than 55 regulatory compliance and trade logistics documents and 150 information   or message exchanges.

Our customers are facing increasing challenges as the world’s trade ecosystems continue to grow in size and complexity. Costs associated with global trade, such as logistics performance, border control and international connectivity remain high. Potential savings from more collaborative and efficient trade processes could reduce the costs of global trade significantly. The need for greater efficiency and cost savings are driving the transformative shift for participants in global trade to become more connected and collaborative.

Our comprehensive and robust solutions and services include Powerbridge System Solutions and Powerbridge SaaS Services with more than 40   solutions and services deployable on premise and in the cloud. Leveraging our deep domain knowledge and strong industry experience, we provide a series of differentiated and robust solutions and services that address the mission critical needs of our corporate and government customers, enabling them to handle and simplify the complexities of global trade operations, logistics and compliance.

Powerbridge System Solutions

We provide Powerbridge System Solutions to our corporate and government customers engaged in global trade, including businesses and manufacturers across a broad range of industries, government agencies and regulatory authorities, as well as global trade logistics and other service providers. Powerbridge System Solutions enable our customers to streamline their trade operations, trade logistics and regulatory compliance, consisting of Trade Enterprise Solutions and Trade Compliance Solutions which have been in service since our first introduction twenty years ago and Import & Export Loan and Insurance Processing which have recently been introduced to a selected group of customers.

Powerbridge SaaS Services

We began offering our Powerbridge SaaS Services (software-as-a-service) in 2016 and are continually developing and expanding our SaaS services that provide our corporate and government customers with significant benefits, including better use of resources, a lower cost of operations, easier document handling, faster processing time as well as higher logistics and compliance connectivity and efficiency. Powerbridge SaaS Services include Logistics Service Cloud and Trade Zone Operations Cloud which are in service, and Inward Processed Manufacturing Cloud, Cross-Border eCommerce Cloud and Import & Export Loan and Insurance Processing Service Cloud which are in development.

Powerbridge BaaS Services

We have begun offering our cloud-based Powerbridge BaaS Services (blockchain-as-a-service) with designated use case for limited government customer in June 2019 and we have generated limited revenue from it.   We continue developing our BaaS Services for market commercialization. Blockchain technology is emerging as a major disruptive force across many industries including those involved in global trade. We believe that blockchain technology could allow our customers to conduct business in more synchronized and collaborative ways to substantially increase operational efficiency and reduce trade costs across the global trade supply chain. Powerbridge BaaS Service includes Compliance Blockchain Services and Supply Chain Blockchain Services. 

Our solutions and services are built from our multiple proprietary technology platforms which are developed based on industry leading open source infrastructure technologies. Our technology platforms include Powerbridge System Platform and Powerbridge SaaS Platform, which are designed for high-performance reliability, flexibility and scalability, allowing us to expand our solutions and services rapidly and efficiently to consistently address the needs of our corporate and government customers. Our Powerbridge BaaS Platform became available in June 2019. 

Powerbridge System Platform consists of modular technology and business components that enable us to provide mission critical applications and solutions in trade operations, trade logistics and regulatory compliance to our corporate and government customers.

Powerbridge SaaS Platform is the technology infrastructure upon which we are developing our SaaS services designed to provide on-demand services in trade operations, trade logistics and regulatory compliance with a multi-tenant and microservice architecture.

Our BaaS services are built on top of our Powerbridge Blockchain Platform that is designed to allow the customs agency to increase the effectiveness of risk assessments and interventions in monitoring and controlling the flow of goods, documents, and vendors for cross border trade events and transactions, with an enhanced level of regulatory information transparency and synchronization among customs agencies and other government authorities. 

We intend to continue leveraging our industry expertise and product knowledge with the best use of emerging and disruptive technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence and Internet of Things to enhance our core technology capabilities and continually increase the scope of our solutions and services to our customers.

Our corporate and government customers include (i) international trade businesses and manufacturers, (ii) government agencies and authorities, and (iii) logistics and other various service providers. We currently derive our revenues from three sources: (1) revenue from application development services generated from Powerbridge System Solutions, which require us to perform services including project planning, project design, application development and system integration based on customers’ specific needs. These services also require significant production and customization; (2) revenue from consulting and technical support services primarily generated from Powerbridge System Solutions, and (3) revenue from subscription services generated from Powerbridge SaaS Services. We currently generate most of our revenues from application development services, which represented 82.5% and 78.2% of total revenue in fiscal 2020 and 2019, respectively. Revenue from consulting and technical support services represented 14.2% and 16.5% of total revenue in fiscal 2020 and 2019, respectively. Revenue from subscription services represented 3.3% and 5.3% of total revenue in fiscal 2020 and 2019, respectively. For the fiscal years ending December 31, 2020 and 2019, our revenues were $26.7 million and US$20.1 million, respectively.

Expansion Into Advertising and Media

Since October 2020, we started to implement our plan to build a network of digital display such as LCD screens and operate an advertisement platform in Shenzhen, China initially, and then expand to the Greater Bay Area of China. We believe that there is a substantial market opportunity to operate an advertising and media technology platform in the Greater Bay Area of China. We will pivot on new media business with display advertising in various high traffic advertising locations such as residential and office buildings, commercial parking garages, and elevators in residential and office buildings.

As of the date of this Annual Report, we have not started the management of digital displays and have not generated any revenue under the outdoor advertising business. Due to uncertainties of COVID-19 in the media business development, the Company entered into the Second Supplemental Agreement and the Third Supplemental Agreement to the with Kezhi on May 12, 2021, and May 16, 2021. Pursuant to the Third Supplemental Agreement, both parties agreed that we would not acquire the management rights and advertising publishing rights previously granted under the relevant agreement over the outdoor advertisement space and the amount paid to Kezhi shall be deemed as the Company’s working capital loan to Kezhi over two years and the repayment of loan is guaranteed by a third party and is required to be repaid with a specific annual payment plan over two years. Nevertheless, we will continue prudently to explore any possibilities in the media segment,

As of the date of this Annual Report, we had a total of 236 full-time employees, of which 106 are in research and development, 39 are in sales and marketing, 52 are in technical and customer services, and 39 are in general administration. 

Our Opportunity

We believe the need for global trade software application and technology services will continue to grow, driven by the continuing growth in China’s global trade volume and the rapid advancement of the Belt & Road Initiative (“B&R”). The convergence of disruptive technologies and emergence of blockchain technology will accelerate the drive for organizations engaged in global trade to increasingly adapt at scale to new technologies as they mature and become more widely available.

We intend to address the subsets of three technology markets: the traditional enterprise software market in China which we have been servicing since our inception, the SaaS application market in China which we began servicing in 2016, and the blockchain applications market for which we have begun to implemented the BaaS services with designated use since June 2019. 

According to Techvio, an industry research and consulting firm with offices located around the world, the market size in global trade management software of 2019 is $334.5 million and is expected to grow to $416.23 million in 2024.¹ 

According to the market report entitled “Blockchain Technology Market Size By Providers (Infrastructure Provider, Application Provider, Operators), By Application (Smart Contract, Payment & Wallet, Digital Identity, Exchange, Compliance & Risk Management), By End-use (BFSI, Government, Healthcare, IT Service, Media & Entertainment, Transportation & Logistics) Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Growth Potential, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2019 – 2025” published in November 2019, blockchain technology market size surpassed USD 488 million in 2018 and is predicted to grow at more than 69% CAGR between 2019 and 2025².

Our Competitive Strengths

We believe that the following competitive strengths contribute to our success and differentiate us from our competitors:

Our Growth Strategy  

We plan to grow and expand our business by pursuing the following growth strategies:

Our Solutions

We provide software applications and technology solutions and services to corporate and government organizations involved in global trade. We introduced our first global trade software application in 1998 and have since substantially expanded the scope of our solutions and services to address deeper and broader customer needs.

Our solutions and services currently include Powerbridge System Solutions and Powerbridge SaaS Services; we are also designing and developing Powerbridge BaaS Services.

We have been servicing our corporate and government customers with Powerbridge System Solutions since our introduction of this solution series twenty years ago. Our comprehensive solutions and services address the mission critical needs in global trade for our customers, enabling them to optimize and streamline their trade operations, trade logistics and regulatory compliance.

In 2016, we introduced Powerbridge SaaS Services and are continually expanding the scope our SaaS services. Powerbridge SaaS Services is a software-as-a-service designed to enable businesses and government organizations with significant benefits, including better use of resources, lower cost of operations, easier documentation handling, faster processing time as well as higher logistics and compliance and connectivity and efficiency.

We began offering our cloud-based Powerbridge BaaS Services (blockchain-as-a-service) with designated use case for limited government customer in June 2019 and have not generated any revenue from it yet. We continue developing our BaaS Services for market commercialization. Blockchain technology is emerging as a major disruptive force across many industries, including those involved in global trade. We believe that blockchain technology could allow our customers to conduct business in more synchronized and collaborative ways to substantially increase operational efficiency and reduce trade costs across the global trade supply chain. Powerbridge BaaS Service  includes Compliance Blockchain Services and Supply Chain Blockchain Services.

Our solutions and services are built from our multiple proprietary technology platforms: Powerbridge System Platform and Powerbridge SaaS Platform, which are designed for high-performance reliability, flexibility and scalability, allowing us to expand our solutions and services rapidly and efficiently to consistently address the needs of our corporate and government customers. Our Powerbridge BaaS Platform became available in June 2019. 

Powerbridge System Solutions

Overview of Powerbridge System Solutions

We provide Powerbridge System Solutions to our corporate and government customers engaged in global trade, including import and export businesses, manufacturers, government agencies and regulatory authorities, as well as trade logistics and other service providers.

Powerbridge System Solutions include Trade Compliance Solutions and Trade Enterprise Solutions which have been in service since our first introduction twenty years ago and Import & Export Loan and Insurance Processing which have recently been introduced to a selected group of customers.

Trade Compliance Solutions and Trade Enterprise Solutions are implemented and deployed on premises largely as customized services capable of integrating with applications, systems, equipment and facilities from customers and third-party providers.

Import & Export Loan and Insurance Processing are deployed on browser/server and client/server environments.

Strengths of Powerbridge System Solutions:

We believe Powerbridge System Solutions provide the following core benefits for our customers:

Trade Compliance Solutions

Trade Compliance Solutions are a series of regulatory compliance solutions and services for government agencies and regulatory authorities for managing trade zones, optimizing port control, streamlining customs clearance, accelerating cross-border processing, and expanding Chinaport services, which include the following:

Trade Zone Compliance. We provide Trade Zone Compliance to government agencies and authorities such as customs for regulating cross-border flow of goods and services and trade facility authorities for managing the trade zones, including bonded traded zones, free trade zones and other regulated trade zones. Our solution allows our government customers to streamline compliance and business processes and automate document processing and exchange as well as manage and regulate all operational activities in the trade zones, including goods and cargo flows, logistics and warehousing, and inward processing manufacturing.

Port Compliance & Logistics. Import and export ports include ocean, air, rail, river, highway and cross-border ports. Port operations involve complex and cumbersome processes with many players involved, including port and terminal authorities, customs and other government agencies, import and export businesses and cargo owners, transport vessels and vehicle operators, customs and forwarding agents and various logistics service providers. We provide Port Compliance & Logistics to all players to streamline compliance and logistics processes, which enables rapid and efficient handling of goods and documents.

Customs Clearance. We provide Customs Clearance to customs and other government agencies such as customs and inspections to regulate cross-border flow of goods and services for regulatory compliance operations and control. Our solution enables our government customers to streamline customs clearance processes, increase fraud detection capabilities, and enhance duty collections, with featured applications including single window operations, clearance compliance and processing, import and export goods inspection, inward processed manufactured goods clearance, cross-border clearance as well as risk and security control and duty processing.

Cross-Border Processing. We provide Cross Border Processing to the customs agency, quarantine and inspection agency and other government agencies and authorities for managing and regulating commodity and merchandise trades at designated trade markets or areas at cross-borders between China and its neighboring countries. Our solution enables government agencies and authorities to effectively and efficiently manage all cross-border trade operations, including trader registration, merchandise inspection, customs processing, vehicle control and checkpoint operations.

Chinaport Services. Chinaport is an import and export technology and data platform supported by sixteen major government ministries and bureaus, including China Customs, MOC, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Transportation and State Administration of Foreign Exchange. Chinaport provides services to port authorities for data sharing and online verifications and to trade businesses for import and export processing. We offer customized solutions and services to Chinaport organizations at national and local levels, engaging in project designing and planning, system and platform development, system maintenance and customer service for multiple Chinaport strategic initiatives and programs.

Smart Command. Government agencies and authorities such as customs and trade facility authorities use Smart Command for more effective managing and regulating trade compliance and trade logistics activities under their supervision. Our smart command dashboard integrates key performance data from structured and unstructured data sources. Our visualization applications enable data display in real time on a single large multi-screen interface with three-dimensional features. Our solution provides intelligent data in an intuitive and timely manner to enable the operators and decision makers to make informed decisions.

Trade Enterprise Solutions

We provide Trade Enterprise Solutions to businesses, manufacturers and inward processed manufacturing companies involved in global trade. Our solutions provides a suite of enterprise management applications that allow our customers to streamline their global trade business and operations with features and functionalities including business and process operations, inventory and warehousing control, project execution and management, customs clearance processing and all other compliance and logistics processing.

Inward processed manufacturing companies use imported raw materials, components and parts, packing and other materials to produce finished products for exporting. Inward processed manufacturing is a complicated and extended process that is highly regulated. We provide a series of applications specific to inward processed manufacturing companies to help streamline and automate their operations with features and functionalities including bonded goods verification, bonded logistics record keeping, digital manual processing and customs data management.

Import & Export Loan and Insurance Processing

We are introducing Loan Processing Service to import and export businesses, financial institutions such as commercial banks and technology-enabled financial service providers to facilitate and expedite the transaction and execution process for trade related loans. Our service are designed for document handling, loan application and approval, contract management, lending and repayment processing, and collateralized asset processing. The various types of loan processing services include trade credit loans, factoring loans, bonded goods loans, and duty refund loans.

Our Insurance Processing Service is newly introduced to facilitate and streamline the import and export related insurance processing and executing process for businesses and trade insurance providers involved in global trade. Our service facilitates the processing for insurance selection, insurance estimation, application processing and approval, customs declaration verification, insurance policy issuance, and policy modification and cancellation for a variety of global trade insurance policies including trade duty guarantee insurance, export risk insurance, transportation and logistics insurance.

Powerbridge SaaS Services

Overview of Powerbridge SaaS Services

In 2016, we introduced Powerbridge SaaS Services (software-as-a-service) designed for corporate and government organizations involved in global trade, including import and export businesses and manufacturers, government agencies and regulatory authorities, cross-border eCommerce operators, as well as logistics and other service providers.

Our services are designed to be deployed rapidly via internet browsers and mobile devices, and can be supported through designated data centers and commercially available cloud platform services that provide infrastructure as a service for servers, storage, networking and database.

Strengths of Powerbridge SaaS Services

We believe our services encompass the following core advantages:

Logistics Service Cloud

Logistics Service Cloud services are used by import and export logistics service providers such as freight forwarding agent companies who organize and arrange for air, ocean or land shipments. Our services allow our logistics service customers to minimize paperwork handling, reduce processing time, simplify workflow and increase performance efficiency by streamlining the import and export freight forwarding process and by facilitating digital exchange of information and documents among all players engaged in the freight forwarding process.

Our services enable our customers to connect and synchronize with the applications and systems of cargo owners, cargo depots and terminals, transportation and carrier companies and regional customs agencies for rapid exchange and sharing of information and data. Our customers can complete the freight arrangement process to minimize paper document handling that is often tedious, error-prone and time consuming. Electronic processing of customs declaration, reporting and approval through our data exchange system further expedites the freight forwarding process.

We are continually expanding the features and functionalities of our services to reach a broader range of our logistics service customers. Our core services provide features and functionalities including digital document exchange and processing among freight forwarders, cargo owners, cargo terminals, transportation carriers and local customs for a variety of tasks, including transport booking confirmation, cargo manifests and waybills processing, cargo status reporting at regulated depots and terminals, unloading and loading reporting, document receipt and message handling.

Trade Zone Operations Cloud

Our newly introduced Trade Zone Operations Cloud is designed for all businesses operating in regulated bonded and free trade zones, including importers and exporters, manufacturers engaged in global trade, inward processed manufacturers, cross-border eCommerce operators and logistics service providers as well as government zone management authorities. Our services are designed to enable businesses to streamline their operations in the zones and allow authorities to effectively manage the zones. Our services are integrated with the systems from businesses, government authorities, logistics service providers and other third parties.

Businesses and logistics service providers use our services to run and manage their daily operational, compliance and logistics activities, including commodity flows of bonded and non-bonded goods, operations record declaration and verification, goods display and business transaction, bonded to non-bonded conversion, inward processed operations and materials management, zone in-and-out processing, cross-border eCommerce operations and compliance as well as customs declaration and clearance processing.

Our services are provided to government zone management and operating authorities as a supplement to their management and operations systems for a variety of regulatory and management operations, including checkpoint verification and release, logistics planning and allocation, contract and settlement management as well as document handling and performance data analysis. We are expanding our services using artificial intelligence and IoT technologies and applications to enhance the government’s capabilities in checkpoint and zone security, vehicle monitoring and control, and smart command operations.

Inward Processed Manufacturing Cloud

We are developing our Inward Processed Manufacturing Cloud services designed for inward processed manufacturing and trade companies who use imported raw materials, components and parts, packing and other materials to produce finished products for exporting. Our services are being developed to allow our customers to streamline and optimize their logistics and compliance operations in bonded or non-bonded environments. Our services are being designed to integrate with the systems from inward processed businesses, government authorities and agencies, and logistics service providers. Our services have recently been made available to selected customers.

Inward processed manufacturing and trade businesses may use our services to perform a variety core logistics and compliance works, including digital handbook and manual declaration, material and component usage management, customs code revision and update, ledger maintenance, authorized economic operators services, production related work order based declaration, import and export customs declaration and processing, bonded goods operations and compliance as well as material and warehousing logistics management.

Our services are designed to connect and synchronize with regional customs and other authorities through their localized single window platforms, customs compliance and clearance systems, and Chinaport systems and applications, allowing us not only service our inward processed and trade businesses effectively, but also offer value-added services to the government authorities by streamlining the work order based manufacturing data verification process as well as providing insightful inward processed manufacturing related operational and compliance analytics using big data technologies.

Cross-Border eCommerce Cloud

Our Cross-Border eCommerce Cloud is being developed for cross-border eCommerce operators, logistics service providers and payment and settlement service providers for rapid and efficient handling of the import and export process for couriered consumer merchandise and products. Our services are aimed at addressed the unique and challenging logistics, compliance and settlement needs of our customers, allowing them to reduce workflow complexities, minimize processing time all the while increase customs clearance and overall productivity. Our services have currently been available for Zhuhai-Macao cross border trade only and we have been working to realize the commercialization of our cross-border eCommerce services.

Our services are being designed to integrate with the platforms, systems and applications from all players involved in the cross-border eCommerce process, including those from cross-border eCommerce operators, logistics service providers, payment and settlement service providers as well as government agencies and authorities. Our services should enable the players to exchange and share information and data for streamlining the cross-border process as well as to derive intelligent insight from the trade data for better performance and decision making.

Our services are being designed to encompass all core steps throughout the entire cross-border eCommerce process with features and functionalities, including identity authentication of eCommerce operators, customs declaration and verification, merchandise inspection and approval, data verification and exchange, customs clearance declaration and processing, logistics handling and tracking, compliance status inquiry and notification via mobile devices, duty payment and tariff refund processing, government data analytics as well as regulatory information announcements.

Import & Export Loan and Insurance Processing Cloud

Import & Export Loan and Insurance Processing Cloud is being designed and developed for import and export businesses, commercial banks, technology-enabled financial service providers and trade insurance providers. Our services will enable us to facilitate and simplify the trade related loan and insurance processes as well as optimize the value of matching trade businesses to financial and insurance products to provide credit and risk assessment services for the financial service providers. We plan to incorporate the use of big data, artificial intelligence and other technologies into our services.

Global trade businesses, financial service providers, and trade insurance companies may use our services to streamline the entire loan and insurance approval and execution process. Our services will enable our customers to save time and effort in handling the complicated and cumbersome processing tasks for a variety of trade related loans and insurances, with features and functionalities including identity verification and authentication, document exchange and handling, application and approval, and contract execution and management, among other tasks.

Powerbridge BaaS Services 

Overview of Powerbridge BaaS Services

We began offering our cloud-based Powerbridge BaaS Services (blockchain-as-a-service) with designated use case for limited government customer in June 2019 and have not generated any revenue from it yet. We continue developing our BaaS Services for market commercialization. Blockchain technology is emerging as a major disruptive force across many industries, including those involved in global trade. We believe that blockchain technology could allow our customers to conduct business in more synchronized and collaborative ways to substantially increase operational efficiency and reduce trade costs across the global trade supply chain. Powerbridge BaaS Service  includes Compliance Blockchain Services and Supply Chain Blockchain Services.

Our blockchain technology-enabled compliance applications and services are designed to allow the customs agency to increase the effectiveness of risk assessments and interventions in monitoring and controlling the flow of goods, documents, and vendors for cross border trade events and transactions, with an enhanced level of regulatory information transparency and synchronization among customs agencies and other government authorities.

Global trade is generally characterized by its extended workflows with complicated compliance and logistics processes, voluminous documentation and time-consuming paper handling, cumbersome and costly peer-to-peer messaging and a great number of players from many different disciplines.

We estimated that a typical process for an export shipment in China may involve 1 exporter, 8 government agencies and authorities and 12 various logistics and financial service providers with more than 60 persons involved in 13 different work processes that generate more than 55 trade compliance and logistics documents and 150 information or message exchanges.

Conventional and traditional applications have enhanced the functional performance of global trade organizations, but are limited at establishing trusted relationships, allowing transparency because of inconsistent information sharing, and enabling collaboration across organizational boundaries among all players.

We believe blockchain technologies can not only address the shortfalls of conventional and traditional applications, but will disrupt the global trade industry and change how global trade is conducted with a collaborative model that can drastically enhance overall efficiency and reduce trade cost for all players in the global trade ecosystem.

Strengths of Powerbridge BaaS Services

We are designing and developing our Powerbridge BaaS Services to provide corporate and government organizations involved in global trade with significant improvements in workflow performance, reduction in document handling, optimization of synchronized peer-to-peer exchange of information, and enhancement of overall productivity and efficiency, with the following potential core attributes and advantages:

We offer our cloud-based BaaS services through commercial cloud platform services that provide infrastructure as a service for servers, storage, networking and database. We currently plan to generate our revenue on a subscription basis with single use, group and enterprise editions and from professional service fees.  

We began designing and developing our Powerbridge BaaS Services infrastructure and services in 2017. We have our own development teams and work with third-party providers of infrastructure technologies. We recently introduced our services as pilot projects on a limited basis to selected customers.

We used a portion of the proceeds from the IPO to accelerate our R&D in order to expedite our service offerings to drive product adoption. We believe our domain knowledge, product expertise and customer relationships will enable us to capture significant market share with Powerbridge BaaS Services.

Our BaaS Services

Corporate and government organizations involved in global trade are facing increasing challenges with existing available technology and applications which hinder their productivity and efficiency. Conventional and traditional applications are inadequate and ineffective in addressing challenges which include:

We believe our Powerbridge BaaS Services will address the imminent challenges faced by corporate and government organizations in global trade. Our services are being developed to offer potential benefits including:

Our services are provided as consortium blockchain networks designed for all players in the global trade ecosystem including import and export businesses and manufacturers, logistics service providers, financial service providers, and government agencies and authorities with the following potential benefits to each group of players: 

Our services are designed to be built on an open and extensible blockchain infrastructure. This will enable us to efficiently add and expand our services over time. We intend to offer our services in sequence starting with regional or functional blockchain networks with fewer players and gradually expanding to larger ones and eventually covering the entire global trade supply chain.

We believe this approach of targeting subsets of the global trade ecosystem by leveraging our deep domain knowledge and strong customer relationships will allow us to continually test and fine-tune our services and incrementally drive product and market adoption which may take considerable time and effort. We plan to initially offer the following services on a regional or functional basis:

Government agencies will be able to use our services to increase the effectiveness of risk assessments and interventions in monitoring and controlling the flow of goods and documents with increased level of transparency and assurance of provenance. Trade zone and port authorities will be able to increase their service and operations efficiency with enhanced transparency and visibility, faster processing time and higher cargo throughput. Our blockchain services will be capable of integrating with the software systems from government agencies and authorities for real time monitoring and synchronization and from global trade businesses and logistics service providers for the government agencies and authorities to better service them.

Our services will allow all involved participants operating in the customs and freight forwarding process to better connect and synchronize on the blockchain networks. Our customers will use our services to streamline cross-organizational workflows and have real time access to monitor and manage progress throughout the process. Our blockchain networks will be capable of connecting and integrating with the software systems from permissioned trade businesses and logistics service providers, with features and functionalities including automated contract execution, expedited service remittance, streamlined document handling, and synchronized information exchange.

Our services will provide secured information and message exchanges on the blockchain networks that enable all players to have real time access to flows of documents and goods along the supply chain, allowing them to synchronize and collaborate across organizational boundaries in order to efficiently handle the complicated and cumbersome compliance and logistics processes. Our customers can use our services to track goods and documents, identity and manage milestone exceptions, trace the provenance of goods, and share information with their trade partners and customers. We intend to first offer our services in China and subsequently expand to integrate the international players on the global trade supply chain.

Through our services, transaction events or activities among businesses on the global supply chain, such as sales and invoicing, purchasing and ordering, and shipping and receiving are programmed or encoded with pre-defined business rules and contractual conditions, allowing for validated and automated transactions to occur. These transaction events and records on the secured blockchain networks will be authenticated and time-stamped, thus bringing substantial proof and immutable evidence to the financial service providers for effective credit and risk assessment when offering their loans and other services to the businesses.

Our Technology

Our solutions and services are built from our multiple proprietary technology platforms which are developed based on industry leading open source infrastructure technologies. Our technology platforms are designed for high performance reliability, flexibility and scalability, allowing us to expand our solutions and services rapidly and efficiently to consistently address the needs of our global trade customers.

Our technology platforms include Powerbridge System Platform for our Powerbridge System Solutions, Powerbridge SaaS Platform for our Powerbridge SaaS Services, and Powerbridge BaaS Platform for our Powerbridge BaaS Services.

We are developing our own technologies as well as working with other third-party technology infrastructure partners to expand the scope of our solutions and services with the best use of big data, artificial intelligence and Internet of Things.

Powerbridge System Platform

Powerbridge System Platform is our proprietary technology platform from which we develop our Powerbridge System Solutions. Our platform is built on Java Spring and Microsoft .Net frameworks as well as other open source technologies.

Powerbridge System Platform consists of modular technology and business components that enable us to provide mission critical applications and solutions in trade operations, trade logistics and regulatory compliance to our corporate and government customers. Our platform’s core capabilities include:

Powerbridge SaaS Platform

Powerbridge SaaS Platform is built based on the open source Spring Cloud and other industry leading technologies for developing, deploying and operating our software-as-a-service. It is capable of running in multiple designated data centers and cloud environments on commercially available infrastructure as a service platforms.

Powerbridge SaaS Platform is the technology infrastructure upon which we are developing our Powerbridge SaaS Services designed to provide on-demand services in trade operations, trade logistics and regulatory compliance with a multi-tenant and microservice architecture. Our core technology capabilities include:

Powerbridge BaaS Platform

We are designing and developing our proprietary Powerbridge BaaS Platform based on the open source Hyperledger Fabric framework and other third-party frameworks that provide the blockchain infrastructure for shared ledger, smart contract, consensus algorithm, distributed storage, encryption and security, and network operations. 

Powerbridge BaaS Services are built on top of our blockchain platform that is designed to provide high scalability and performance characteristics, consisting of multiple technology engines that support the various business component models specific for trade transaction, trade logistics and regulatory compliance in global trade:

We are continuing to enhance the technology capabilities of Powerbridge BaaS Platform while it is under development.  We believe our platform offers all of the governance and operations benefits derived from blockchain technology with the following differentiated and distinctive advantages:

Our BaaS services will be supported by our business components which are stacked on top of and driven by our technology engines. Our business components will include trade transaction, trade operations, trade logistics and regulatory compliance, which are designed to address the mission critical needs of global trade businesses, government agencies and authorities, and logistics and other service providers with comprehensive services from document handling to customs processing to transaction processing.

We intend to further separate the smart contract blockchains and workflow blockchains. Smart contract blockchains and the corresponding contract codes and hash values are recorded and stored on the shared ledgers as the contract codes can be called and used numerous times. Data generated from the workflow blockchains and the smart contract blockchains can be designated as on or off the shared ledgers. This further ensures data security and reduce data storage on the blockchains.

Other Technologies and Applications 

We intend to continue leveraging our industry expertise and product knowledge with the use of disruptive technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence and Internet of Things to enhance our core technology capabilities and continually increase the scope of our solutions and services to our customers.

We intend to use ETL (extract, transform and load) technologies for acquiring and processing massive volumes of data such as customs declarations and shipping manifests from various government and commercial sources. We intend to build our big data platform based on a distributed data warehouse architecture using the open source Hadoop and Spark frameworks, allowing for high performance in multi-dimensional correlation analytics, real-time complex event processing, and distributed data query and retrieval.

Our correlation analytics are being designed for multi-dimensional and real-time correlation of large quantities of structured, semi-structured and unstructured data from different data sources. Our complex event processing technology is designed to monitor and track data relating to events as they occur in real time and provide data insights based on pre-defined business rules. Our data query and retrieval is intended to support query and retrieval from multiple data sets and provide multi-dimensional data displays.

Our data visualization and interactive data mining technologies is designed to provide intuitive and interactive visualization tools and dashboards that are easy to use and can be customized for displaying critical business performance data or metrics. Our visualization tools and dashboards are designed to support interactive data mining and a variety of display formats including charts, graphs and tables as well as three-dimensional displays and geographic information system mappings.

Our biometric face recognition application is used for security and enforcement measures typically at checkpoints of cross-border trade operations and regulated trade zone facilities for identifying and verifying a person from a digital image or a video frame by comparing distinct facial features with given facial images extracted from our database. Our applications are designed to support concurrent processing of multiple persons. Our fingerprint recognition application is also applied for security measures in some cross-border trade settings.

Our object recognition application is designed to identify and verify transportation vehicles at ports and terminals, regulated trade zones and cross-border checkpoints by capturing, processing, and identifying still images and video images. Further, through machine learning computation, transportation vehicles in these facilities can be automatically directed with optimized routes to their designated destinations such as a warehouse or a container depot.

We plan to enhance our technology capabilities in machine learning algorithms that learn from experience, identify patterns and make predictions driven by a large set of global trade data. We intend to leverage our domain knowledge and industry experience to design and develop machine learning algorithms and distributed computing that can optimize the efficiency in the matching of trade logistics services among trade businesses and service providers.

Trucking vehicles, weighting stations and shipping containers are tightly regulated at ports and terminals, regulated trade facilities and cross-border facilities. Our IoT applications are used by government authorities to monitor and control these objects. Our applications are able to authenticate objects, facilitate data exchanges, connect through gateways and application programming interfaces, and provide event-based IoT data processing, analysis and visualization.

Our IoT applications allows fast and accurate identification of trucking vehicles as they pass through the checkpoints at regulated areas with a high throughput capacity and rapid data transmission, which facilitates efficient control and fast checkpoint release. Our IoT applications can combine with the use of global positioning systems, global system for mobile communication and global information system to enable government authorities complete monitoring and control of the trucking vehicles.

Our IoT applications are capable of acquiring and processing a high volume of IoT enabled data from radio frequency identification and other types of sensor devices installed on intermodal shipping containers operating in many different trade facilities or settings such as container yards, shipping ports, bonded warehouses and air terminals. Our IoT applications can also process IoT data from electronic locks on the containers for automated container lock handling.

Our Customers

Our customers are international trade businesses and manufacturers, government agencies and authorities, logistics service and other providers, primarily located in China.

Our international trade business and manufacturer customers are import and export companies, manufacturers engaged in import and export, inward processed manufacturers who use imported raw materials, components and parts, packing and other materials to produce finished products for exporting, and cross-border eCommerce operators who conduct cross-border business for air packaged consumer products.

Our government customers are provincial and regional government agencies, government authorities and government-owned organizations. Government agencies include customs, inspection and quarantine, border enforcement, maritime affair, transportation and commerce. Government authorities include authorities for ports, bonded and free trade zones and government-owned organizations include Chinaport and other international trade related organizations.

Our logistics service and other provider customers include freight forwarding and shipping agent firms, customs and inspection brokers, warehouse operators, transportation companies and other international trade related service organizations as well as financial and insurance service providers engaged in global trade services.

Our customers include (i) international trade businesses and manufacturers, (ii) government agencies and authorities, and (iii) logistics and other various service providers. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, we generated revenue from a total of 602 customers, of which 373 are international trade businesses and manufacturers, 33 are government agencies and authorities, and 196 are logistics and other service providers. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, we generated revenue from a total of 488 customers, of which 312 are international trade businesses and manufacturers, 29 are government agencies and authorities, and 147 are logistics and other service providers.   During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, we generated revenue from a total of 589 customers, of which 104 are international trade businesses and manufacturers, 30 are government agencies and authorities, and 455 are logistics and other service providers.

We plan to expand our market coverage to international markets to service customers in different B&R countries. We also intend to provide our solutions and services to corporate and government customers in the countries or markets we intend to target.

Sales and Marketing

Our sales and marketing teams work closely together to drive market awareness, develop and manage leads, and develop and build customer relationships to increase revenue growth. We sell our solutions and services to corporate and government customers through our direct sales organization, indirect channel partners and strategic government partners.

Our sales team is organized by customer type and geography. Our direct sales force is supported by sales engineers and service consultants. Our indirect channel partners include value added resellers, system integrators, software and application providers, system hardware providers and other referral partners. As of the date of this Annual Report, our sales teams consisted of 39 full-time sales and marketing personnel respectively. During fiscal years 2020, 2019 and 2018, our sales and marketing expense were approximately $2.7 million, $3.6 million and $2.1 million, respectively, representing 10.0%, 17.7% and 9.3% of our total revenues for fiscal years 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

We generate customer leads, accelerate sales opportunities and build brand awareness through our marketing programs. Our marketing programs target management and technology executives of global trade businesses, government agencies and authorities, and various service providers, including user conferences, sponsored events and product promotions.

We continue to develop strategic partnerships with provincial and local government agencies, technology organizations, trade zone authorities and other government organizations, i.e., regional customs and commerce agencies, bonded and other trade facilities, and Chinaport and other state-owned entities, to drive sales by leveraging their strengths and resources in targeted customer base, strong regional market influence and extensive government and industry resources.

As part of our overall strategy, we plan to expand into international markets to provide global trade software solutions and services by “piggybacking” with the infrastructure builders and other Chinese organizations who participate in the B&R’s development of global trade infrastructures in the B&R partnering countries.

Research and Development (“R&D”)

Our R&D organizations consist of dedicated engineering and technology employees, who are responsible for the design, development, testing and delivery of all aspects of our technologies, solutions and services. As of the date of this Annual Report, our team consists of 106 full-time R&D personnel. We incurred expenses of $2,780,944 and $2,163,658 in R&D in fiscal year 2020 and 2019, respectively.

The majority of our R&D team is based in our Zhuhai office and to a lesser degree in our branch offices. Our team is further apportioned into smaller agile development groups to foster continuous innovation and rapid delivery.

We believe we have a strong R&D culture that rapidly and consistently delivers high quality products. We plan to continue to invest substantial resources in R&D to drive core technology innovation and bring new solutions and services to market.

Competition

The market for global trade software application and system integration services is highly competitive and fragmented. We face intensive competition. Our main sources of current and potential competition fall into the following categories:

We believe the following competitive attributes are necessary for us to compete successfully in our industry:

We believe we compete favorably on the basis of the competitive factors listed above. Some of our competitors have substantially greater financial, technical and other resources, greater name recognition, larger sales and marketing budgets, broader distribution channels and larger or more intellectual property portfolios.

Intellectual Property

The PRC has domestic laws for the protection of rights in copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets. The PRC is also a signatory to all of the world’s major intellectual property conventions, including:

The PRC Trademark Law, adopted in 1982 and revised in 2013, with its implementation rules adopted in 2014, protects registered trademarks. The Trademark Office of the State Administration of Industry and Commerce of the PRC, handles trademark registrations and grants trademark registrations for a term of ten years.

We rely on a combination of trademark, fair trade practice, copyright and trade secret protection laws and patent protection in China and other patent jurisdictions, as well as contractual restrictions, to protect our intellectual property. We entered into comprehensive confidentiality agreements with our management and consultants. We have standard confidentiality terms with all other employees. We also control access to and distribution of our documentation and other licensed information.

Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary technology and our intellectual property rights, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy or obtain and use our technology to develop applications with the same functionality as our products. Policing unauthorized use of our technology and intellectual property rights is difficult. Our patent applications may not issue as patents, and if they do issue as patents, they may not provide meaningful protection against competitors. We expect that software in our industry may be subject to third-party infringement claims as the number of competitors grows and the functionality of applications in different industry segments overlaps. Any of these third parties might make a claim of infringement against us at any time. We require our employees to enter into non-disclosure agreements to limit access to and distribution of our proprietary and confidential information. These agreements generally provide that any confidential or proprietary information developed by us or on our behalf must be kept confidential. These agreements also provide that any confidential or proprietary information disclosed to third parties in the course of our business must be kept confidential by such third parties. In the event of trademark infringement, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce has the authority to fine the infringer and to confiscate or destroy the infringing products.

As of the date of this Annual Report, we have 2 registered patent, 103 registered software copyrights, and 12 registered trademarks in the PRC. In addition, we own five URL designations and domain names, including powerbridge.com, erp-china.com, pbtcloud.com, pbtyun.com, and pbtco.cn. 

We do not have applications pending in any jurisdiction other than China. We do not know if these applications will be granted as patents, and if they are granted as patents whether they will provide meaningful protection against their party competitors.

Facilities

Our headquarters and executive offices are located in Zhuhai, China and consist of approximately 1,200 square meter of office space under one lease which will expire in December of 2021. In addition to our headquarters, we lease space in Zhuhai, Wuhan, Changsha, Nanning, and Hangzhou. Rent expenses amounted to $305,832 and $492,530 and $386,076 for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

We lease all of our facilities and do not own any real property. We intend to procure additional space as we add employees and expand geographically. We believe our facilities are adequate and suitable for our current needs and that, should it be needed, suitable additional or alternative space will be available to accommodate any such expansion of our operations. As of May 10, 2021, we maintain following facilities in China.

Employees

As of the date of this Annual Report, we had a total of 236 full-time employees, of which 106 are in research and development, 39 are in sales and marketing, 52 are in technical and customer services, and 39 are in general administration.  

We have standard employment, comprehensive confidentiality and non-compete agreements with our management and standard confidentiality and non-compete terms with all other employees. As required by laws and regulations in China, we participate in various social security plans that are organized by municipal and provincial governments, including pension insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance, job-related injury insurance and housing fund. We are required by PRC laws to make contributions to employee social security plans at specified percentages of the salaries, bonuses and certain allowances of our employees, up to a maximum amount specified by the local government from time to time.

We believe that we maintain a good working relationship with our employees, and we have not experienced any labor disputes. None of our employee is represented by a labor union or covered by collective bargaining agreements. We have not experienced any work stoppages.

Legal Proceedings

From time to time we may become involved in legal proceedings or be subject to claims arising in the ordinary course of our business. We are not currently a party to any legal proceedings that in the opinion of the management, if determined adversely to us, would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results or cash flows. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources and other factors.    

Government Regulation Relating to Our Business

Regulations Related to Foreign Investment

Investment activities in China by foreign investors are principally governed by the Catalogue for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries, which was promulgated by MOFCOM and the National Development and Reform Commission, as amended from time to time. Industries listed in the catalogue are divided into three categories: encouraged, restricted and prohibited. Industries not listed in the catalogue are generally open to foreign investment unless specifically restricted by other PRC regulations. Establishment of wholly foreign-owned enterprises is generally allowed in encouraged industries. For some restricted industries, foreign investors can only conduct investment activities through equity or contractual joint ventures, while in some cases PRC partners are required to hold the majority interests in such joint ventures. In addition, projects in the restricted category are subject to higher-level governmental approvals. Foreign investors are not allowed to invest in industries in the prohibited category.

Regulations Relating to PRC Information Technology Service Industry

According to the Catalog on Foreign Invested Industries (2017 Revision) issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce, IT services fall into the category of industries in which foreign investment is encouraged. In 2018, The National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce launched Special Administrative Measures for Access of Foreign Investment (Negative List) (Version 2018)(“the 2018 Negative List”) to replace part of the Catalog on Foreign Invested Industries (2017 Revision) in respect of the category of industries in which foreign investment is restricted or prohibited, and foreign investment in IT services is neither restricted nor prohibited according to the 2018 Negative List. The State Council has promulgated several notices since 2000 to launch favorable policies for IT services, such as preferential tax treatments and credit support.

Under rules and regulations promulgated by various Chinese government agencies, enterprises that have met specified criteria and are recognized as software enterprises by the relevant government authorities in China are entitled to preferential treatment, including financing support, preferential tax rates, export incentives, discretion and flexibility in determining employees’ welfare benefits and remuneration. Software enterprise qualifications are subject to annual examination. Enterprises that fail to meet the annual examination standards will lose the favorable enterprise income tax treatment. Enterprises exporting software or producing software products that are registered with the relevant government authorities are also entitled to preferential treatment including governmental financial support, preferential import, export policies and preferential tax rates.

Companies in China engaging in information systems integration were used to be required to obtain qualification certificates from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. “Information systems integration” means plan, design, development, implementation, service and safeguard of computer system and network system. Currently the Company does not engage in information system integration business, therefore the Company is not required to have such qualification certificates. Companies planning to set up computer information systems may only retain systems integration companies with appropriate qualification certificates. The qualification certificate is subject to review every two years and is renewable every four years. In June 2015, the China Information Technology Industry Federation (CITIF) promulgated the Appraisal Condition for Qualification Grade of Information Systems Integration (Provisional) to elaborate the conditions for appraising each of the four qualification grades of systems integration companies. Companies applying for qualification are graded depending on the scale of the work they undertake. The grades range from Grade 1 (highest) to Grade 4 (lowest) in the scale of the work the respective companies can undertake.

In 2009, the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly promulgated a rule aiming to protect a fair competition environment in the PRC service outsourcing industry. This rule requires that each of the domestic enterprises which provides IT and technological BPO services and each of its shareholders, directors, supervisors, managers and employees should not violate the service outsourcing contract to disclose, use or allow others to use the confidential information of its customer. Such enterprises are also required to establish an information protection system and take various measures to protect customers’ confidential information, including causing their employees and third parties who have access to customers’ confidential information to sign confidentiality agreements and or non-competition agreements.

Regulations Related to Labor and Social Security

Pursuant to the Labor Law, promulgated by National People’s Congress in January 1995, and the Labor Contract Law, promulgated by Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress in June 2007 and amended in December 2012, employers must execute written labor contracts with full-time employees. If an employer fails to enter into a written employment contract with an employee within one year from the date on which the employment relationship is established, the employer must rectify the situation by entering into a written employment contract with the employee and pay the employee twice the employee’s salary for the period from the day following the lapse of one month from the date of establishment of the employment relationship to the day prior to the execution of the written employment contract. All employers must comply with local minimum wage standards. Violation of the Labor Law and the Labor Contract Law may result in the imposition of fines and other administrative and criminal liability in the case of serious violation.

On December 28, 2012, the PRC Labor Contract Law was amended with effect on July 1, 2013 to impose more stringent requirements on labor dispatch. Under such law, dispatched workers are entitled to pay equal to that of full-time employees for equal work, but the number of dispatched workers that an employer hires may not exceed a certain percentage of its total number of employees as determined by the labor administrative department of the State Council. Additionally, dispatched workers are only permitted to engage in temporary, auxiliary or substitute work. According to the Interim Provisions on Labor Dispatching promulgated by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on January 24, 2014, which became effective on March 1, 2014, the number of dispatched workers hired by an employer shall not exceed 10% of the total number of its employees (including both directly hired employees and dispatched workers). The Interim Provisions on Labor Dispatching require employers which are not in compliance with the PRC Labor Contract Law in this regard to reduce the number of its dispatched workers to below 10% of the total number of its employees prior to March 1, 2016. In addition, an employer is not permitted to hire any new dispatched worker until the number of its dispatched workers has been reduced to below 10% of the total number of its employees.

Enterprises in China are required by PRC laws and regulations to participate in certain employee benefit plans, including social insurance funds, namely a pension plan, a medical insurance plan, an unemployment insurance plan, a work-related injury insurance plan and a maternity insurance plan, and a housing provident fund, and contribute to the plans or funds in amounts equal to certain percentages of salaries of the employees as specified by the local government from time to time at locations where they operate their businesses or where they are located. According to the Social Insurance Law, an employer that fails to make social insurance contributions may be ordered to rectify the noncompliance and pay the required contributions within a stipulated deadline and be subject to a late fee of up to 0.05% or 0.2% per day, as the case may be. If the employer still fails to rectify the failure to make social insurance contributions within the stipulated deadline, it may be subject to a fine ranging from one to three times the amount overdue. According to the Regulations on Management of Housing Fund, an enterprise that fails to make housing fund contributions may be ordered to rectify the noncompliance and pay the required contributions within a stipulated deadline; otherwise, an application may be made to a local court for compulsory enforcement. Our PRC operating entities have not made adequate employee benefit payments and we may be required to make up the contributions for these plans as well as to pay late fees and fines. See “Risks Related to Doing Business in China--Failure to make adequate contributions to various mandatory social security plans as required by PRC regulations may subject us to penalties”.

Regulations on Intellectual Property Rights

The PRC Copyright Law, as amended, together with various regulations and rules promulgated by the State Council and the National Copyright Administration, protect software copyright in China. These laws and regulations establish a voluntary registration system for software copyrights administered by the Copyright Protection Center of China. Unlike patent and trademark registration, copyrighted software does not require registration for protection. Although such registration is not mandatory under PRC law, software copyright owners are encouraged to go through the registration process and registered software may receive better protection. The PRC Trademark Law, as amended, together with its implementation rules, protect registered trademarks. The Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce handles trademark registrations and grants a renewable protection term of 10 years to registered trademarks.

Regulation of Foreign Currency Exchange and Dividend Distribution

Foreign Currency Exchange. The principal regulations governing foreign currency exchange in China are the Foreign Exchange Administration Regulations, most recently amended in August 2008. Payments of current account items, such as profit distributions and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can usually be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, by complying with certain procedural requirements. By contrast, approval from or registration with appropriate governmental authorities is required where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of foreign currency-denominated loans.

On March 30, 2015, SAFE issued the Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming the Management Approach regarding the Settlement of Foreign Exchange Capital of Foreign-invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 19. Pursuant to SAFE Circular 19, the foreign exchange capital of foreign-invested enterprises is subject to the discretional foreign exchange settlement, which means the foreign exchange capital in the capital account of foreign-invested enterprises upon the confirmation of rights and interests of monetary contribution by the local foreign exchange bureau (or the book-entry registration of monetary contribution by the banks) may be settled at the banks based on the actual operation needs of the enterprises. The proportion of discretionary settlement of foreign exchange capital of foreign-invested enterprises is currently 100%. SAFE can adjust such proportion in due time based on the circumstances of international balance of payments.

The dividends paid by the subsidiaries to its shareholder are deemed shareholder income and are taxable in China. Pursuant to the Administration Rules of the Settlement, Sale and Payment of Foreign Exchange (1996), foreign-invested enterprises in China may purchase or remit foreign exchange, subject to a cap approved by SAFE, for settlement of current account transactions without the approval of SAFE. Foreign exchange transactions under the capital account are still subject to limitations and require approvals from, or registration with, SAFE and other relevant PRC governmental authorities.

Dividend Distribution. The principal regulations governing the distribution of dividends by foreign holding companies include the Company Law of the PRC (1993), as amended in 2013, the Foreign Investment assets or interests to a SPV, but failed to complete foreign exchange registration of overseas investments as required prior Enterprise Law (1986), as amended in 2016, and the Administrative Rules under the Foreign Investment Enterprise Law (1990), as amended in 2001 and 2014 respectively.

Under these regulations, wholly foreign-owned investment enterprises in China may pay dividends only out of their retained profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, wholly foreign-owned investment enterprises in China are required to allocate at least 10% of their respective retained profits each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds unless these reserves have reached 50% of the registered capital of the enterprises. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends, and a wholly foreign-owned enterprise is not permitted to distribute any profits until losses from prior fiscal years have been offset.

Circular 37. On July 4, 2014, SAFE issued Circular 37, which became effective as of July 4, 2014. According to Circular 37, PRC residents shall apply to SAFE and its branches for going through the procedures for foreign exchange registration of overseas investments before contributing the domestic assets or interests to a SPV. An amendment to registration or filing with the local SAFE branch by such PRC resident is also required if the registered overseas SPV’s basic information such as domestic individual resident shareholder, name, operating period, or major events such as domestic individual resident capital increase, capital reduction, share transfer or exchange, merger or division has changed. Although the change of overseas funds raised by overseas SPV, overseas investment exercised by overseas SPV and non-cross-border capital flow are not included in Circular 37, we may be required to make foreign exchange registration if required by SAFE and its branches.

Moreover, Circular 37 applies retroactively. As a result, PRC residents who have contributed domestic to implementation of Circular 37, are required to send a letter to SAFE and its branches for explanation. Under the relevant rules, failure to comply with the registration procedures set forth in Circular 37 may result in receiving a warning from SAFE and its branches, and may result in a fine of up to RMB 300,000 for an organization or up to RMB 50,000 for an individual. In the event of failing to register, if capital outflow occurred, a fine up to 30% of the illegal amount may be assessed. PRC residents who control our company are required to register with SAFE in connection with their investments in us. If we use our equity interest to purchase the assets or equity interest of a PRC company owned by PRC residents in the future, such PRC residents will be subject to the registration procedures described in Circular 37.

New M&A Regulations and Overseas Listings

On August 8, 2006, six PRC regulatory agencies, including the Ministry of Commerce, the State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Administration for Taxation, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, CSRC and SAFE, jointly issued the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the New M&A Rule, which became effective on September 8, 2006 and was amended on June 22, 2009. This New M&A Rule, among other things, includes provisions that purport to require that an offshore special purpose vehicle formed for purposes of overseas listing of equity interests in PRC companies and controlled directly or indirectly by PRC companies or individuals obtain the approval of CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange.

On September 21, 2006, CSRC published on its official website procedures regarding its approval of overseas listings by special purpose vehicles. The CSRC approval procedures require the filing of a number of documents with the CSRC and it would take several months to complete the approval process. The application of this new PRC regulation remains unclear with no consensus currently existing among leading PRC law firms regarding the scope of the applicability of the CSRC approval requirement.

Our PRC counsel has advised us that, based on their understanding of the current PRC laws and regulations, that the corporate structure of the Group Companies shall not be deemed as “a foreign investor’s merger and acquisition of a domestic enterprise” as specified in the Article 2 of the New M&A Rule, so the Company is not required to obtain approval from the CSRC for listing and trading of its shares. However, uncertainties still exist as to how the New M&A Rule will be interpreted and implemented and our opinion stated above is subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the New M&A Rule.

Regulations on Offshore Parent Holding Companies’ Direct Investment in and Loans to Their PRC subsidiary

An offshore company may invest equity in a PRC company, which will become the PRC subsidiary of the offshore holding company after investment. Such equity investment is subject to a series of laws and regulations generally applicable to any foreign-invested enterprise in China, which include the Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise Law, the Sino-foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-foreign Contractual Joint Venture Enterprise Law, all as amended from time to time, and their respective implementing rules; the Administrative Provisions on Foreign Exchange in Domestic Direct Investment by Foreign Investors; and the Notice of the State Administration on Foreign Exchange on Further Improving and Adjusting Foreign Exchange Administration Policies for Direct Investment. Under the aforesaid laws and regulations, the increase of the registered capital of a foreign-invested enterprise is subject to the prior approval by the original approval authority of its establishment. In addition, the increase of registered capital and total investment amount shall both be registered with SAIC and SAFE. Shareholder loans made by offshore parent holding companies to their PRC subsidiary are regarded as foreign debts in China for regulatory purpose, which is subject to a number of PRC laws and regulations, including the PRC Foreign Exchange Administration Regulations, the Interim Measures on Administration on Foreign Debts, the Tentative Provisions on the Statistics Monitoring of Foreign Debts and its implementation rules, and the Administration Rules on the Settlement, Sale and Payment of Foreign Exchange. Under these regulations, the shareholder loans made by offshore parent holding companies to their PRC subsidiary shall be registered with SAFE. Furthermore, the total amount of foreign debts that can be borrowed by such PRC subsidiary, including any shareholder loans, shall not exceed the difference between the total investment amount and the registered capital amount of the PRC subsidiary, both of which are subject to the governmental approval.

C. Our Structure

See “Item 4. Information on the Company – A. History and Development of the Company.”

D. Property, Plants and Equipment

Information regarding our property, plants and equipment is described “Item 4. B. Business Overview.”

Item 4A. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not applicable.

Item 5. OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results and the timing of selected events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report.

Overview

Powerbridge Technologies Co., Ltd. is a company that was established under the laws of the Cayman Islands on July 27, 2018 as a holding company.

We are a provider of software application and technology solutions and services to corporate and government customers engaged in global trade. All of our customers are located in China. We currently generate most of our revenues from application development services, which represent 82.5%, 78.2% and 86.5% of total revenue in fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. We also generate revenue from consulting and technical support services, which represent 14.2%, 16.5% and 10.3% of our revenue in fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Further, we also earn subscription service revenue from customers accessing our SaaS. For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, our revenues were approximately $26.7 million, $20.1 million and $23.2 million, respectively. 

Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) updates

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions to our operations starting in December 2019. During the first quarter of 2020, our operations were closed in February due to China government mandates and we moved quickly to transition our colleague base to a fully remote working environment in all our locations. At the beginning of March 2020, substantially all of our employee were back to work in our offices. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic not only adversely impacted our operations but business of our customers. We experienced delayed customer payments and rescheduled customer orders, which adversely impacts the Company’s results of operations, cash flows and financial position.  Since the COVID-19 pandemic has been gradually contained in China, our revenue and gross margin for the year ended December 31, 2020 has not been adversely affected.

The extent of the impact on our 2021fiscal year results will be dependent on future developments such as the length and severity of the crisis, the potential resurgence of the crisis, future government actions in response to the crisis and the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy and capital markets, among many other factors, all of which remain highly uncertain and unpredictable. The Company continues taking actions to help mitigate, as best we can, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and well-being of our employees, the communities in which we operate and our partners, as well as the impact on our operations and business as a whole.

Recent Developments

Since October 2020, we started to implement our plan to build a network of digital display such as LCD screens and operate an advertisement platform in Shenzhen, China initially, and then expand to the Greater Bay Area of China. Since February 2021, we found delivery of the outdoor advertising space could not be made as scheduled pursuant to the First Supplemental Agreement. Therefore, management does not expect our proposed outdoor advertisement business will be launched as previously planned. Upon intensive negotiation with Kezhi, we entered into a second supplemental agreement to the Original Leasing Agreement and Supplemental Agreement (the “March Supplemental Agreement”). Pursuant to the March Supplemental Agreement, we converted the paid leasing fees and contract bonds as a working capital support loan  to Kezhi, with 5% annual interest rate, and the Company would not acquire the management rights and advertising publishing rights under the First Supplemental Agreement and the Original Agreement. The term of the working capital support loan  was six years. On May 12, 2021, we entered into a void confirmation agreement with Kezhi, pursuant to which both parties agreed to void the March Supplemental Agreement. On May 17, 2021, Guangdong Huafa Law Firm (the “PRC Legal Counsel”) issued a legal opinion regarding the legal effect of the March Supplement Agreement and the void confirmation agreement. The PRC Legal Counsel confirmed that the parties’ rights and obligations under the March Agreement have been terminated upon the effectiveness of the void confirmation agreement.

On May 12, 2021, we entered into a second supplemental agreement to the Original Leasing Agreement (the “Second Supplemental Agreement”) with Kezhi. Pursuant to the Second Supplemental Agreement, we would not acquire the management rights and advertising publishing rights over the outdoor advertisement space and extended the paid leasing fees and contract bonds in aggregated of $68,095,019 as a secured working capital support to Kezhi with expected annual returns over six years and coupon interest rate of 5% (the “Secured Working Capital”). Additionally, Kezhi agreed to use the Secured Working Capital in its outdoor advertisement business and other investment activities approved by us. Under the Second Supplemental Agreement, Kezhi guaranteed that it would fulfill its obligation of return of the Secured Working Capital, including the coupon interest payment, through cash generated from its business with Nanjing Jinjiahu Culture Media Co., Ltd (“Nanjing Jinjiahu”) and Guangzhou Hongtan Commercial Real Estate Investment Partnership (limited partnership) (“Guangzhou Hongtan”) in the next six years. Furthermore, if Kezhi, Nanjing Jinjiahu, and Guangzhou Hongtan can meet the milestones for asset value increase, we shall have the right of first refusal to acquire the three companies at a purchase price based on an independent valuation report.

On May 16, 2021, we entered into a third supplemental agreement to the Original Leasing Agreement with Kezhi (the “Third Supplemental Agreement”), pursuant to which the Secured Working Capital will not be used in Kezhi’s business nor its business with Nanjing Jinjiahu and Guangzhou Hongtan. The Secured Working Capital shall be returned in two years. Under the Third Supplemental Agreement, in the event that Kezhi fails to return the Secured Working Capital as scheduled, Shenzhen Qinghaihuai Construction Material Co., Ltd. will provide guarantee over the return of the working capital for Kezhi. We also released the mortgage of certain chattel provided by Kezhi under the Third Supplemental Agreement.

Key Factors that Affect Operating Results

We currently derive a majority of revenues from our application development services, consulting and technical support services, and subscription services. We intend to continually enhance our services and cross-sell new services to our existing customers and acquire new customers by increasing our market penetration with a deeper market coverage and a broader geographical reach. Our ability to maintain and expand our customer base with our application development services significantly affects our operating results.

We intend to expand the scope of our offerings to service existing customers and acquire new customers by continually making significant investments in R&D as well as sales marketing activities to increase our subscription revenue and profit. Our ability to drive increased customer adoption and usage of our SaaS services affects our operating results.

Our business of providing global trade software application and technology services requires highly skilled professionals with specialized domain knowledge and technology expertise in order to develop and perform the services offered to our customers. Our ability to recruit, train, develop and retain our professionals with the skills and qualifications necessary to fulfill the needs of our existing and new customers has a significant effect on our operating results.

We intend to pursue strategic acquisitions and investments in selective technologies and businesses that will enhance our technology capabilities, expand our offerings and increase our market penetration. We believe our strategic acquisition and investment strategy is critical for us to accelerate our growth and strengthen our competitive position. Our ability to identify and execute strategic acquisitions and investments will have an effect on our operating results.

Results of Operations

For the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019

The following table summarizes the results of our operations for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and provides information regarding the dollar and percentage increase or (decrease) during such periods.

Revenues

We derive revenues from three sources: (1) revenue from application development services, (2) revenue from consulting and technical support services, and (3) revenue from subscription services.

The Company is focusing on developing global trade applications and solutions equipped with the Company’s new technology in SaaS platform, Big Data, AI and IoT applications and BaaS platform. The Company believes new technology development is the key driver for the Company’s future growth. In fiscal 2020, our revenue related to deploying our new technology including SaaS and big data analysis services accounted for 5.8% of our total revenue (or approximately $1.5 million) compared to 14.8% of our total revenue (or approximately $3.0 million) in fiscal 2019.

For the year ended December 31, 2020, our total revenue was approximately $26.7 million as compared to $20.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The Company’s total revenue increased by approximately $6.6 million, or 32.7%. The overall increase in total revenue was primarily attributable to $6.3 million increase in revenue from application development services.

Revenue from application development services

The Company’s application development service contracts are primarily on a fixed-price basis, which require the Company to perform services including project planning, project design, application development and system integration based on customers’ specific needs. These services also require significant production and customization. Revenue from application development service is recognized as work is performed based on the ratio of costs incurred to date to the total estimated costs at completion of the performance obligations.  

For the year ended December 31, 2020, our application development service revenue was approximately $22.0 million as compared to $15.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase in application development service revenue was approximately $6.3 million or 39.8% due to the fact that certain multiple large size project agreements secured between fiscal 2019 and 2020 was rescheduled and executed in fiscal 2020. In certain application development service arrangements, the contacts included sales of IT equipment. Such revenue was $6,299,982 in fiscal 2020, significantly increased from $1,554,428 of the related revenue in fiscal 2019. On the other side, 1.2% (or approximately $0.3 million) of revenue from application development service were related to SaaS platform development and big data analysis applications in fiscal 2020, comparing to 6.8% (or approximately $1.1 million) of the related revenue in fiscal 2019. Despite to the temporary slowdown in SaaS platform and big data analysis related application development service revenue in fiscal 2020, we intend to continue investing for long-term growth in the SaaS development and big data analysis market and we plan to continue to expand our ability to sell our applications by investing in product development and customer support to address the business needs of local markets and continuous growth for these services.

Revenue from consulting and Technical Support Services

Revenue from consulting and technical support services is primarily comprised of fixed-fee contracts, which require the Company to provide professional consulting and technical support services over contract terms beginning on the commencement date of each contract, which is the date its service is made available to customers. Billings to the customers are generally on a monthly or quarterly basis over the contract term, which is typically 12 to 24 months. The consulting and technical support services contracts typically include a single performance obligation. The revenue from consulting and technical support services is recognized over the contract term on a straight-line basis as customers receive and consume benefits of such services.

For the year ended December 31, 2020, our consulting and technical support service revenue was approximately $3.8 million as compared to $3.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, representing an increase of $0.5 million or 14.8%, which was due to more technical consulting services requests from our existing clients. In addition, by providing application development services, we gain extensive understanding and knowledge of each customer’s unique business needs, often resulting in opportunities for us to cross-sell our consulting and technical support services.

Revenue from subscription services

Revenue from subscription services is comprised of subscription fees from customers accessing the Company’s software-as-a-service applications. The Company’s monthly or quarterly billing to customer is on the basis of number of uses or the actual usage by the customers. The subscription services contracts typically include a single performance obligation. The revenue from subscription services is recognized over the contract term on a straight-line basis or based on the actual usage as customers receive and consume benefits of such services.

For the year ended December 31, 2020, our subscription service revenue was approximately $0.9 million as compared to $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, representing a decrease of $0.2 million or 17.4%. The slightly decrease in subscription service revenue was mainly due to delayed reopening schedule of company’s customers under the impact of COVID-19. We introduced our SaaS subscription services in fiscal 2016 and continue to expand the scope of our services and enhance the features and functionalities of our applications and improve our marketing efforts, we expect our subscription service revenue will grow with an expanded offering and increased market awareness.

Cost of Revenues

Our cost of revenues mainly consists of compensation benefit expenses for our professionals, material cost and travel expenses related to revenue contracts.

Our cost of revenues increased by $3.2 million or 23.1% to approximately $17.3 million in fiscal 2020 from approximately $14.0 million in fiscal 2019, which was mainly attributable to an increase of $2.8 million in cost of revenue from application development services in line with the increased application development service revenue. Our cost of revenue from consulting and technical support services was approximately $1.8 million in fiscal 2020, representing an increase of $0.5 million from $1.3 million in fiscal 2019. The increase was primarily due to extra outsourcing maintenance service expense incurred during COVID-19 pandemic. Our cost of revenue from subscription services was approximately $0.1 million in both fiscal 2020 and 2019. We have established a stable SaaS development and service team and expect to expand the scope of our services and enhance the features and functionalities of our applications and improve our marketing efforts. 

Gross profit

Our gross profit increased by $3.3 million or 54.9% from $6.1 million in fiscal 2019 to $9.4 million in fiscal 2020. Gross margin as a percent of overall revenue for fiscal 2020 and 2019 was 35.2% and 30.2%, respectively.

Gross profit for application development services increased by $3.5 million or 110.4% from $3.2 million in 2019 to $6.7 million in fiscal 2020 mainly due to more application development service revenue in fiscal 2020. Gross profit margin for fiscal 2020 and 2019 was 30.3% and 20.1%, respectively. The increase in gross margin was primarily due to that we completed several high-value contracts in fiscal 2020, which brought economies of scale.

Gross profit for consulting and technical support services kept constant at approximately $2.0 million for both fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019. Mainly due to increased cost resulted from the outsourcing of maintenance service for the purpose of fulfilling scheduled maintenance and operating plan when we reducing staff and incorporating workforce optimization practices during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and spreading. Gross profit margin for fiscal 2020 and 2019 was 52.5% and 59.5%, respectively.

Gross profit for subscription services decreased by $0.2 million or 21.0% from $0.9 million in 2019 to $0.7 million in fiscal 2020, which is due to decreased revenue but maintaining stable level of payroll benefit packages for employees. As a result, gross profit margin for fiscal 2020 was 83.3%, decreased from 87.1% in fiscal 2019.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses consist of selling and marketing, general and administrative, research and development (“R&D”) expenses, provision for doubtful accounts and stock-based compensation. Operating expenses decreased by approximately $4.6 million, or 26.8%, from approximately $17.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 to $12.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The decrease in our operating expenses was primarily due to $3.1 million decrease in provision for doubtful accounts, $0.9 million decrease in selling and marketing expense, $0.4 million decrease in general and administrative expense and $0.9 million decrease in share-based compensation.

Selling and marketing expenses primarily consisted of salary and compensation expenses relating to our sales and marketing personnel, and also included entertainment, travel and transportation, and other expenses relating to our sales and marketing activities. Selling and marketing expenses decreased by $0.9 million or 24.9% from $3.6 million in fiscal 2019 to $2.7 million in fiscal 2020. The decrease was primarily attributable to less marketing consulting fees and marketing and promotional activities in fiscal 2020. 

General and administrative expenses primarily consisted of salary and compensation expenses relating to our accounting, human resources and executive office personnel, and included rental expenses, depreciation and amortization expenses, office overhead, professional service fees and travel and transportation costs. General and administrative expenses decreased by $0.4 million or 6.5% from approximately $5.9 million in fiscal 2019 to approximately $5.6 million in fiscal 2020, due to less professional and consulting fees incurred relating to capital market development. As a percentage of revenues, general and administrative expenses were 20.8% and 29.6% of our total revenue in fiscal 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Provision for doubtful accounts decreased by approximately $3.1 million from approximately $3.3 million in fiscal 2019 to approximately $0.2 million in fiscal 2020. In early 2020, Chinese government took strict and efficient measures to control and eliminate the spreading of COVID-19 pandemic and many of our customers started to reopen business and bring operation to normal level in the second half of 2020. After evaluating the age of the balance, the customer’s payment history, current credit-worthiness, and current economic trends, we reduced the provision for doubtful accounts for fiscal 2020.

R&D expenses primarily consisted of compensation and benefit expenses relating to our R&D personnel as well as office overhead and other expenses relating to our R&D activities. Our R&D expenses increased by $0.6 million from $2.2 million in fiscal 2019 to $2.8 million in fiscal 2020, representing 10.4% and 10.8% of our total revenues for fiscal 2020 and 2019, respectively. We expect to continue to invest in R&D. We expect that our ability to effectively utilize our R&D capabilities significantly affect our results of operations in the future.

Stock-based compensation decreased by approximately $0.9 million from approximately $2.4 million in fiscal 2019 to approximately $1.5 million in fiscal 2020.

Other Income (Expense)

Other income (expense) primarily consists of government subsidy income, interest income net of interest expense and other expenses. Our net other expense was approximately $15.2 million in fiscal 2020, compared with a net other income of approximately $0.3 million in fiscal 2019. The increase in net other expense is substantially attributable to a $15.3 million loss from change in the fair value of the convertible loan. The Company elected the fair value option to account for its convertible loans. The Group engaged an independent valuation firm to assess the fair value of the convertible loan using the binomial tree model. The convertible loans are classified as level 3 instruments as the valuation was determined based on unobservable inputs which are supported by little or no market activity and reflect the Company’s own assumptions in measuring fair value. Significant estimates used in developing the fair value of the convertible loans include time to maturity, risk-free interest rate, straight debt discount rate, probability to convert and expected timing of conversion.

The following is a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances for convertible loans measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) as of December 31, 2020:

Provision for Income Taxes

Income tax benefit was approximately $0.08 million in fiscal 2020, compared to income tax benefit of approximately $0.2 million in fiscal 2019. Under the Income Tax Laws of the PRC, companies are generally subject to income tax at a rate of 25%. However, our major operating subsidiary - Powerbridge Zhuhai was recognized as the “high-tech enterprise” status, which reduced its statutory income tax rate to 15%. The rest of our subsidiaries in PRC are subject to income tax rate of 25%.

Net Loss

As a result of the foregoing, our net loss increased by $7.6 million, or 70.2%, from $10.8 million in fiscal 2019 to $18.4 million in fiscal 2020. The increased net loss is mainly attributed to a $15.3 million loss in change of fair value of the convertible loan, offset by an increase of $3.3 million gross profit and a decrease of $4.6 million total operating expenses.

Other comprehensive income (loss)

Foreign currency translation adjustments amounted to an income of approximately $0.8 million and a loss of $0.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The balance sheet amounts with the exception of equity as of December 31, 2020 were translated at RMB6.5250 to USD1.00 as compared to RMB6.9618 to USD1.00 as of December 31, 2019. The equity accounts were stated at their historical rate. The average translation rates applied to the income statements accounts for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 were RMB6.9042 to USD1.00 and RMB6.9081 to USD1.00, respectively. The change in the value of the RMB relative to the U.S. dollar may affect our financial results reported in the U.S, dollar terms without giving effect to any underlying change in our business or results of operation.

For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018

The following table summarizes the results of our operations for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and provides information regarding the dollar and percentage increase or (decrease) during such periods.

Revenues

We derive revenues from three sources: (1) revenue from application development services, (2) revenue from consulting and technical support services, and (3) revenue from subscription services. Please refer to the Revenue portion of the table above for the dollar and percentage increase or (decrease) of our revenues by our service lines ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

The Company is focusing on developing global trade applications and solutions equipped with the Company’s new technology in SaaS platform, Big Data, AI and IoT applications and BaaS platform. The Company believes new technology development is the key driver for the Company’s future growth. In fiscal 2019, our revenue related to deploying our new technology including SaaS and big data analysis services accounted for 14.8% of our total revenue (or approximately $3.0 million) compared to 17.4% of our total revenue (or approximately $4.0 million) in fiscal 2018.

For the year ended December 31, 2019, our total revenue was approximately $20.1 million as compared to $23.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. The Company’s total revenue decreased by approximately $3.1 million, or 13.2%. The overall decrease in total revenue was primarily attributable to $4.3 million decrease in revenue from application development services, in which, 6.8% of revenue from application development services service is attributable to the Company’s SaaS and big data analysis related application development services in fiscal 2019, which was decreased from 15.6% in fiscal 2018.

Revenue from application development services

The Company’s application development service contracts are primarily on a fixed-price basis, which require the Company to perform services including project planning, project design, application development and system integration based on customers’ specific needs. These services also require significant production and customization. Revenue from application development service is recognized as work is performed based on the ratio of costs incurred to date to the total estimated costs at completion of the performance obligations.  

For the year ended December 31, 2019, our application development service revenue was approximately $15.7 million as compared to $20.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. The decrease in application development service revenue was approximately $4.3 million or 21.5% due to less projects completed in fiscal 2019 and reduced individual project size. In certain application development service arrangements, the Company sold IT equipment prior to the delivery of the services. Such revenue was $1,554,428 in fiscal 2019, significantly decreased from $8,069,594 of related revenue in fiscal 2018. In addition, in fiscal 2019, 6.8% (or approximately $1.1 million) of revenue from application development service were related to SaaS platform development and big data analysis applications, comparing to 15.6% (or approximately $3.1 million) of the related revenue in fiscal 2018. Despite to the temporary slowdown in SaaS platform and big data analysis related application development service revenue in fiscal 2019, we intend to continue investing for long-term growth in the SaaS development and big data analysis market and we plan to continue to expand our ability to sell our applications by investing in product development and customer support to address the business needs of local markets and continuous growth for these services.

Revenue from consulting and Technical Support Services

Revenue from consulting and technical support services is primarily comprised of fixed-fee contracts, which require the Company to provide professional consulting and technical support services over contract terms beginning on the commencement date of each contract, which is the date its service is made available to customers. Billings to the customers are generally on a monthly or quarterly basis over the contract term, which is typically 12 to 24 months. The consulting and technical support services contracts typically include a single performance obligation. The revenue from consulting and technical support services is recognized over the contract term on a straight-line basis as customers receive and consume benefits of such services.

For the year ended December 31, 2019, our consulting and technical support service revenue was approximately $3.3 million as compared to $2.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, representing an increase of $0.9 million or 38.3%, which was due to more technical consulting services requests from our existing clients. In addition, by providing application development services, we gain extensive understanding and knowledge of each customer’s unique business needs, often resulting in opportunities for us to cross-sell our consulting and technical support services.

Revenue from subscription services

Revenue from subscription services is comprised of subscription fees from customers accessing the Company’s software-as-a-service applications. The Company’s monthly or quarterly billing to customer is on the basis of number of uses or the actual usage by the customers. The subscription services contracts typically include a single performance obligation. The revenue from subscription services is recognized over the contract term on a straight-line basis or based on the actual usage as customers receive and consume benefits of such services.

For the year ended December 31, 2019, our subscription service revenue was approximately $1.1 million as compared to $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. We introduced our SaaS subscription services in fiscal 2016 and continue to expand the scope of our services and enhance the features and functionalities of our applications and improve our marketing efforts, we expect our subscription service revenue will grow with an expanded offering and increased market awareness.

Cost of Revenues

Our cost of revenues mainly consists of compensation benefit expenses for our professionals, material cost and travel expenses related to revenue contracts. Please refer to the Cost of Revenue portion of the table above for the dollar and percentage increase or (decrease) of our cost of revenues ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Our cost of revenues decreased by $1.3 million or 8.4% to approximately $14.0 million in fiscal 2019 from approximately $15.3 million in fiscal 2018, which was mainly attributable to a decrease of $1.6 million in of cost of revenue from application development services in line with the reduced application development service revenue. Our cost of revenue from consulting and technical support services was approximately $1.3 million in fiscal 2019, representing an increase of $0.2 million from $1.1 million in fiscal 2018. The increase was primarily due to more headcount in the expanded technical service team to support the related growth in revenue. Our cost of revenue from subscription services was approximately $0.1 million in both fiscal 2019 and 2018. We have established a stable SaaS development and service team and expect to expand the scope of our services and enhance the features and functionalities of our applications and improve our marketing efforts. 

Gross profit

Our gross profit decreased by $1.8 million or 22.6% from $7.8 million in 2018 to $6.1 million in fiscal 2019. Gross margin as a percent of overall revenue for fiscal 2019 and 2018 was 30.2% and 33.8%, respectively.

Gross profit for application development services decreased by $2.7 million or 46.3% from $5.9 million in 2018 to $3.2 million in fiscal 2019 mainly due to less application development service revenue in fiscal 2019. Gross profit margin for fiscal 2019 and 2018 was 20.1% and 29.4%, respectively. The decrease in gross margin was primary due to increased headcount in developers during the year and expanded office facilities with the related expense in fiscal 2019.

Gross profit for consulting and technical support services increased by $0.7 million or 51.7% from $1.3 million in 2018 to $2.0 million in fiscal 2019 mainly due to increased revenue from growing demands for our new SaaS and big data analysis services from our existing customers. Gross profit margin for fiscal 2019 and 2018 was 59.5% and 54.3%, respectively.

Gross profit for subscription services increased by $0.3 million or 45.5% from $0.6 million in 2018 to $0.9 million in fiscal 2019, which is in line with subscription services revenue growth. Gross profit margin for fiscal 2019 and 2018 was 87.1% and 88.3%, respectively.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses consist of selling and marketing, general and administrative, research and development (“R&D”) expenses and stock based compensation. Operating expenses increased by approximately $10.5 million, or 153.9%, from approximately $6.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $17.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase in our operating expenses was primarily due to $3.6 million increase in general and administrative expense, $2.9 million increase in provision for doubtful accounts, $1.4 million increase in selling and marketing expense and $2.4 million increase in share-based compensation.

Selling and marketing expenses primarily consisted of salary and compensation expenses relating to our sales and marketing personnel, and also included entertainment, travel and transportation, and other expenses relating to our sales and marketing activities. Selling and marketing expenses increased by $1.4 million or 66.1% from $2.1 million in fiscal 2018 to $3.6 million in fiscal 2019. The increase was primarily attributable to additional marketing consulting fees and marketing expense to support our expansion.

General and administrative expenses primarily consisted of salary and compensation expenses relating to our accounting, human resources and executive office personnel, and included rental expenses, depreciation and amortization expenses, office overhead, professional service fees and travel and transportation costs. General and administrative expenses increased by $3.6 million or 156.7% from approximately $2.3 million in fiscal 2018 to approximately $5.9 million in fiscal 2019, substantially all of which were attributable to the additional consulting fees was incurred relating to capital market development and promotions. As a percentage of revenues, general and administrative expenses were 29.6% and 10.0% of our total revenue in fiscal 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Provision for doubtful accounts increased by approximately $2.9 million from approximately $0.4 million in fiscal 2018 to approximately $3.3 million in fiscal 2019. In December 2019 and following in the first quarter of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and the actions taken by various governments and our customers to combat the spread of COVID-19 (including, in some cases, mandatory quarantines and other suspensions of non-essential business operations) have led to extensive temporary disruptions of businesses. Many of our customers have delayed their payments to us, which caused the significant increase in our aged accounts receivable balance over one year and slow collection progress in the first quarter of 2020. Given the uncertainties in the timing of the ultimate collection, we increased the estimated probability of default and credit loss, as a result, our provision for doubtful accounts increased to $3.3 million in 2019 and we also wrote off approximately $2.0 million accounts receivable after our exhaustive collection efforts.

R&D expenses primarily consisted of compensation and benefit expenses relating to our R&D personnel as well as office overhead and other expenses relating to our R&D activities. Our R&D expenses increased by $0.2 million from $2.0 million in fiscal 2018 to $2.2 million in fiscal 2019, representing 10.8% and 8.6% of our total revenues for fiscal 2019 and 2018, respectively. We expect to continue to invest in R&D. We expect that our ability to effectively utilize our R&D capabilities significantly affect our results of operations in the future.

Other Income (Expense)

Other income (expense) primarily consists of government subsidy income, interest income net of interest expense and other expenses. Our net other income was approximately $0.3 million in fiscal 2019, compared with a net other income of approximately $0.6 million in fiscal 2018. The decrease of other income is attributable to a $0.2 million decrease in other income offset by a $0.1 million increase in financing expense.

Provision for Income Taxes

Our provision for income tax was approximately $(0.2) million in fiscal 2019, decreased by $0.3 million comparing to fiscal 2018 due to loss before taxes in fiscal 2019. Under the Income Tax Laws of the PRC, companies are generally subject to income tax at a rate of 25%. However, our major operating subsidiary - Powerbridge Zhuhai was recognized as the “high-tech enterprise” status, which reduced its statutory income tax rate to 15%. The rest of our subsidiaries in PRC are subject to income tax rate of 25%.

Net Income (Loss)

As a result of the foregoing, we incurred a net loss of approximately $10.8 million, compared with a net income of approximately $1.6 million for fiscal 2018.

Other comprehensive income (loss)

Foreign currency translation adjustments amounted to a loss of approximately $102,000 and $339,000 for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The balance sheet amounts with the exception of equity as of December 31, 2019 were translated at RMB6.9618 to USD1.00 as compared to RMB6.8755 to USD1.00 as of December 31, 2018. The equity accounts were stated at their historical rate. The average translation rates applied to the income statements accounts for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 were RMB6.9081 to USD1.00 and RMB6.6090 to USD1.00, respectively. The change in the value of the RMB relative to the U.S. dollar may affect our financial results reported in the U.S, dollar terms without giving effect to any underlying change in our business or results of operation. 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Substantially all of our operations are conducted in China and all of our revenue, expenses, and cash are denominated in RMB. RMB is subject to the exchange control regulation in China, and, as a result, we may have difficulty distributing any dividends outside of China due to PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert RMB into U.S. dollars. As of December 31, 2020, cash of approximately $8.4 million were fully held by the Company and its subsidiary in mainland PRC.

The Cayman holding company is a holding company with no material operations of its own. We conduct our operations primarily through our subsidiary in China. As a result, the Company's ability to pay dividends depends upon dividends paid by our subsidiary. Our subsidiary in China are permitted to pay dividends to us only out of its retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. Under PRC law, our subsidiary is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year based on PRC accounting standards, if any, to fund certain statutory reserve funds until such reserve funds reach 50% of its registered capital. The statutory reserve funds are not distributable as cash dividends. Remittance of dividends by our subsidiary out of China is subject to examination by the banks designated by SAFE. Our subsidiary has not paid dividends and will not be able to pay dividends until it generates accumulated profits and meet the requirements for statutory reserve funds. In addition, we would need to accrue and pay withholding taxes if we were to distribute funds from our subsidiary in China to us. We do not intend to repatriate such funds in the foreseeable future, as we plan to use existing cash balance in PRC for general corporate purposes.

On April 4, 2019, the Company consummated its initial public offering (“IPO”) of 2,012,500 Ordinary Shares at a price of $5.00 per shares including the exercise in full of the underwriters' over-allotment option of 262,500 ordinary shares at IPO price of $5.00 per share. The gross proceeds from the IPO was $10,062,500 and the net proceeds was $8,021,987. As a result of the IPO, the Ordinary Shares now trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “PBTS.”

For the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company had working capital of $1.3 million and incurred a net loss of $18.4 million. For fiscal 2020, the Company had operation cash flow of $1.1 million. The Company has historically funded its working capital needs primarily from public offering, operations, bank loans, advance payments from customers and shareholders. The working capital requirements are affected by the efficiency of operations, the numerical volume and dollar value of revenue contracts, the progress or execution on customer contracts, and the timing of accounts receivable collections. The COVID-19 pandemic created significant economic uncertainty and volatility in the credit and capital markets since December 2019. Many customers have delayed their payments to the Company, which caused the significant increase in the Company’s aged accounts receivable balance over one year in fiscal 2019. In early 2020, Chinese government took strict and efficient measures to control and eliminate the spreading of COVID-19 pandemic and many of our customers started to reopen business and bring operation to normal level in the second half of 2020. After evaluating the age of the balance, the customer’s payment history, current credit-worthiness, and current economic trends, the Company reduced the provision for doubtful accounts for fiscal 2020.

In assessing its liquidity, the Company monitors and analyzes its cash on hand, its ability to generate sufficient revenue sources in the future and its operating and capital expenditure commitments. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had cash of approximately $8.4 million. To support its working capital, the Company entered into several securities purchase agreement in 2021. On January 8, 2021, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with Uptown Capital, LLC, pursuant to which the Company issued an unsecured promissory note on in the original principal amount of $1,650,000, convertible into ordinary shares, par value $0.00166667 per share, of the Company, for $1,500,000 in gross proceeds. On February 23, 2021, the Company entered into a Sales Agreement with A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners, as sales agent, pursuant to which the Company may offer and sell up to $30,000,000 of its ordinary shares, par value $0.00166667 per share. On April 9, 2021, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with YA II PN, LTD., pursuant to which the Company sells convertible notes in the principal amount of US$7,000,000 and a warrant to purchase 571,429 Ordinary Shares, for gross proceeds of approximately US$6,790,000. The Company believes that its cash on hand and financing cash flows will be sufficient to fund its operations over at least the next 12 months from the date of this report. However, the Company may need additional cash resources in the future if the Company experiences changed business conditions or other developments, and may also need additional cash resources in the future if the Company wishes to pursue opportunities for investment, acquisition, strategic cooperation or other similar actions. If it is determined that the cash requirements exceed the Company’s amounts of cash on hand, the Company may seek to issue debt or equity securities or obtain a credit facility.

The following summarizes the key components of our cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities was approximately $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to approximately $3.3 million net cash used in operating activities for fiscal 2019. Cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 mainly consisted of approximately $18.4 million of net loss, adjustment of $18.3 million non-cash items, an increase of approximately $3.0 million in accounts payable due to more purchase in 2020, offset by an increase of approximately $2.0 million in accounts receivable, an increase of $1.2 million prepayment, deposits and other assets due to increasing purchase from our venders, and an increase of approximately $0.8 million in contract costs incurred for the customer contracts.

Net cash used in operating activities was approximately $3.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2019 mainly consisted of approximately $10.8 million of net loss, adjustment of $6.4 million non-cash items, and an increase of approximately $3.0 million in contract assets, offset by an increase of approximately $3.8 million in accounts payable due to increased purchase for our projects.

Cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2018 mainly consisted of approximately $1.6 million of net income, the increase of approximately $4.9 million of accounts payable, offset by the increase of approximately $3.5 million in accounts receivable due to increase of revenue, the payments of approximately $0.8 million of prepayments, deposits and other assets.

Our accounts payable balance significantly increased from approximately $19.8 million as of December 31, 2019 to $24.3 million as of December 31, 2020. The increase in accounts payable was mainly due to increased purchase from our suppliers and subcontractors for the ongoing projects with our customers. 84.5% and 72.2% of our accounts payable balances with suppliers are due when the Company received customer payment on the projects as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Based on the long-term relationship, we might be able to slow down payments based on the Company’s working capital. We have never entered into any long-term financing arrangements with our suppliers.

The significant account receivable balances as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 was because of the increasing contract volume and contract progress for certain large contracts with our customers. During fiscal 2020, the Company recognized revenue from 138 major contracts, compared with 133 major contracts in fiscal 2019. Most of large contracts are government related customized application development service contracts. The Company enters into fixed-fee arrangements in standard multiple-phase customized application development service contracts with government related agencies and state-owned companies. The billing term can vary depending on each specific project. Generally speaking, the Company bills the customer 20% to 30% of total fee upon signing the contract, 20% to 30% of total fee upon completion of developing, implementing and testing the customized applications and the remaining 30% to 50% of total fee is billed after the customer internally approves the project and signs off the acceptance form. The Company does not specify the payment term in all contracts with customers, but, in practice, the Company’s billing term with customers are generally within 90 days. For these large government related customized application development service contracts, the government’s acceptance and payment process requires multiple levels of government officials’ approvals, including but not limited to approvals from ten national government bureaus at national level then final approval from local government level. The timing of receiving the final approval and payment might be longer than the Company’s expectation. The billing terms are typically agreed by the parties at the inception of the contract, not subsequently negotiated or modified. In most cases, the Company are entitled to payments for the work performed and such payment are not conditioned on the final acceptance by our customer while under certain contracts with government related agencies and stated-owned companies, customer acceptance is a condition to final payments. Nevertheless, in practice, the Company tends to satisfy customers and is willing to perform additional work to receive a final acceptance from customers. Additional performance is considered inconsequential or perfunctory, because the Company always implements the customized applications at the customers’ sites and complete the testing prior to the customers’ acceptance. From past experience, the Company has never received rejections from its customers. The Company also has never entered into extended payment terms or concessions with any of its customers for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.

The aging of accounts receivables are as follows:

The net total accounts receivables increased by $3.1 million, or 27.3%, from $11.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 to $14.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, which is mainly due to billings for multiple large size project contracts which was secured in prior to fiscal 2020 and rescheduled and executed in fiscal 2020.

The significant outstanding accounts receivable balances were mainly related to certain government customers. Due to multiple levels of the government approval process for payments, from our past experience, it could take extra time for us to collect the full proceeds from government customers. They generally negotiated to pay us in three or less phases through the contract term and a significant portion (50%) of contract amount usually is billed in the last phase upon the completion of the related projects. The average accounts receivable turnover in days for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 was 192 days and 261 days, respectively. 

As of March 31, 2021, approximately $2.1 million (or 13.5%) of total accounts receivable as of December 31, 2020 was collected. It represented 23% of billed accounts receivable balance and 3% of unbilled accounts receivable balance as of December 31, 2020 were subsequently collected, respectively.

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities was approximately $65.9 million for fiscal 2020, as compared to approximately $3.6 million for fiscal 2019. Cash used in investing activities for fiscal 2020 was mainly due to $1.6 million spending on purchases of property and equipment and $64.3 million increase in working capital loan provided to Kezhi Technology Co., Ltd.(“Kezhi”) which will be repaid in two years and the repayment of the loan is guaranteed by a third party.

Cash used in investing activities for fiscal 2019 was mainly due to approximately $2.9 million spending on capitalized development costs and purchase of office equipment and furniture and approximately $0.7 million loan to third parties.

Cash used in investing activities for fiscal 2018 was mainly due to approximately $2.2 million spending on capitalized development costs and purchase of office equipment and furniture, offset by approximately $0.8 million collection on loan to others.

Financing Activities

Net cash from financing activities was approximately $70.0 million for fiscal 2020, as compared to approximately $7.9 million for fiscal 2019. Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 was mainly from the proceeds of $50 million from issuance of convertible note and $17.6 million from private placement, $6.5 million proceeds from bank loan, offset by repayment of $3.8 million on bank loan, and $0.3 million repayment to related party.

Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2019 mainly included $8.0 million net proceeds from IPO, $1.6 million proceeds from bank loan, offset by repayment of $1.6 million bank loan.

Net cash from financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2018 was mainly due to proceeds from bank loan of $1.6 million offset by repayment of bank loan of $0.2 million and repayment of related party advance of $0.8 million.

Capital Expenditures

The Company made capital expenditures of $1.6 million, $2.9 million and $2.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. In these periods, our capital expenditures were mainly used for purchases of office equipment, furniture and payments for capitalized development cost. The Company will continue to make capital expenditures to meet the expected growth of its business.

Contractual Obligations

The Company had an outstanding bank loan of approximately $4.6 million as of December 31, 2020. The Company has also entered into non-cancellable operating lease agreements for several offices and dormitory spaces for its employees. The leases are expiring through 2022.

The following table sets forth our contractual obligations and commercial commitments as of December 31, 2020:

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

There were no off-balance sheet arrangements for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 that have or that in the opinion of management are likely to have, a current or future material effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

Critical Accounting Policies

We prepare our consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP, which requires us to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect our reported amount of assets, liabilities, revenue, costs and expenses, and any related disclosures. Although there were no material changes made to the accounting estimates and assumptions in the past two years, we continually evaluate these estimates and assumptions based on the most recently available information, our own historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Since the use of estimates is an integral component of the financial reporting process, actual results could differ from our expectations as a result of changes in our estimates.

We believe that the following accounting policies involve a higher degree of judgment and complexity in their application and require us to make significant accounting estimates. Accordingly, these are the policies we believe are the most critical to understanding and evaluating our consolidated financial condition and results of operations.

Use of estimates

The preparation of 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 disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the periods presented. Significant accounting estimates reflected in the Company’s consolidated financial statements include but not limited to the useful lives of property and equipment and capitalized development cost, impairment of long-lived assets, valuation of accounts receivables, loans to third parties, revenue recognition and realization of deferred tax assets and uncertain tax positions. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

Foreign currency translation

The functional currencies of the Company are the local currency of the county in which the subsidiaries operates. The Company’s financial statements are reported using U.S. Dollars. The results of operations and the consolidated statements of cash flows denominated in foreign currencies are translated at the average rates of exchange during the reporting period. Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies at the balance sheet date are translated at the applicable rates of exchange in effect at that date. The equity denominated in the functional currencies is translated at the historical rates of exchange at the time of capital contributions. Because cash flows are translated based on the average translation rates, amounts related to assets and liabilities reported on the consolidated statements of cash flows will not necessarily agree with changes in the corresponding balances on the consolidated balance sheets. Translation adjustments arising from the use of different exchange rates from period to period are included as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) included in consolidated statements of changes in equity. Gains and losses from foreign currency transactions are included in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss).

Fair value measurement

ASC 825-10 requires certain disclosures regarding the fair value of financial instruments. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. A three-level fair value hierarchy prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. The hierarchy requires entities to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The three levels of inputs used to measure fair value are as follows:

Unless otherwise disclosed, the fair value of the Company’s financial instruments including cash, notes and accounts receivable, due from related parties, prepayments, deposits and other current assets, notes and accounts payable, customer deposits, salaries and benefits payables, due to related party and taxes payable approximates their recorded values due to their short-term maturities. The fair value of the long-term prepayments, deposits and other assets and loans to third parties approximate their carrying amounts because the deposits were paid in cash.

The Company elected the fair value option to account for its convertible loan. The Company engaged an independent valuation firm to perform the valuation. The fair value of the convertible loans is calculated using the binomial tree model. The convertible loans are classified as level 3 instruments as the valuation was determined based on unobservable inputs which are supported by little or no market activity and reflect the Company’s own assumptions in measuring fair value. Significant estimates used in developing the fair value of the convertible loans include time to maturity, risk-free interest rate, straight debt discount rate, probability to convert and expected timing of conversion. Refer to Note 10 for additional information.

As the inputs used in developing the fair value for level 3 instruments are unobservable, and require significant management estimate, a change in these inputs could result in a significant change in the fair value measurement.

The following is a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances for convertible loans measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) as of December 31, 2020:

Accounts receivable, net

Accounts receivable, net, is stated at the original invoiced amount net of write-offs and allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company reviews the accounts receivable on a periodic basis and makes allowances when there is doubt as to the collectability of individual balances. Past-due balances over 90 days are reviewed individually for collectability. In evaluating the collectability of individual accounts receivable balances, the Company considers several factors, including the age of the balance, the customer’s payment history, current credit-worthiness, and current economic trends. Accounts receivable balances are written off after all collection efforts have been exhausted. Typically, the Company includes unbilled receivables in accounts receivable for contracts on which revenue has been recognized, but for which the customer has not yet been billed. Unbilled receivables, substantially all of which are expected to be billed within one year are stated at their estimated realizable value and consist of costs and fees billable on contract completion or the occurrence of contractual payment phase.

Prepayments, deposit and other assets

Prepayment, deposit and other assets, net, primarily consists of advances to suppliers for purchasing goods or services that have not been received or provided; security deposits made to our customers; advances to employees and loan receivables from business partners. Prepayment, deposit and other assets are classified as either current or non-current based on the terms of the respective agreements. These advances are unsecured and are reviewed periodically to determine whether their carrying value has become impaired.

Property and equipment, net

Property and equipment, net, are mainly comprising furniture and furniture, vehicles, computer and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment. Property and equipment are depreciated over the estimated useful lives of the assets on a straight-line basis, after considering the estimated residual value. 

The estimated useful lives are as follows: