Guardforce AI Co., Limited (GFAI) 20-F2021 FY Annual report (foreign)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

(Mark One)

☐ REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR 12(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, 2021

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: 001-40848

GUARDFORCE AI CO., LIMITED 

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Not Applicable

(Translation of Registrant’s Name Into English)

Cayman Islands

(Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)

10 Anson Road, #28-01 International Plaza, Singapore 079903

Tel: +65 6702 1179

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

Lei Wang, CEO

+65 6702 1179

olivia.wang@guardforceai.com

10 Anson Road, #28-01 International Plaza, Singapore 079903

(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 (December 31, 2021): There were 21,201,842 shares of the registrant’s ordinary shares outstanding, par value $0.003 per share.

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 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 such files).

Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer.

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 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. ☐

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

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow.

☐ Item 17 ☐ Item 18

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 ☒

Annual Report on Form 20-F

Year Ended December 31, 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTORY NOTES

Use of Certain Defined Terms

Except as otherwise indicated by the context and for the purposes of this report only, references in this report to:

Forward-Looking Information

In addition to historical information, this annual report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. We use words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “target,” “plan,” “optimistic,” “intend,” “aim,” “will” or similar expressions which are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements include, among others, those concerning market and industry segment growth and demand and acceptance of new and existing products; any projections of sales, earnings, revenue, margins or other financial items; any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; and any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance, as well as all assumptions, expectations, predictions, intentions or beliefs about future events. You are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions, which, if they were to ever materialize or prove incorrect, could cause the results of the Company to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the possibility that third parties hold proprietary rights that preclude us from marketing our products, the emergence of additional competing technologies, changes in domestic and foreign laws, regulations and taxes, changes in economic conditions, uncertainties related to legal system and economic, political and social events in Thailand, a general economic downturn, a downturn in the securities markets, and other risks and uncertainties which are generally set forth under Item 3 “Key information—D. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this annual report.

Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by us in this report and our other filings with the SEC. These reports attempt to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and prospects. The forward-looking statements made in this report speak only as of the date hereof and we disclaim any obligation, except as required by law, to provide updates, revisions or amendments to any forward-looking statements to reflect changes in our expectations or future events.

PART I

ITEM 1. IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS

Not applicable for annual reports on Form 20-F.

ITEM 2. OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE

Not applicable for annual reports on Form 20-F.

ITEM 3. KEY INFORMATION

A. [RESERVED]

Not applicable.

B. Capitalization and Indebtedness

Not applicable.

C. Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

Not applicable.

D. Risk Factors 

An investment in our securities involve a high degree of risk and our ordinary shares and warrants should be purchased only by persons who can afford to lose the entire amount invested. Before purchasing any of our securities, you should carefully consider the following factors relating to our business and prospects. You should pay particular attention to the fact that we currently conduct a significant portion of our operations in Thailand and are governed by a legal and regulatory environment that in some respects differs significantly from the environment that may prevail in the U.S. and other countries. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition or operating results will suffer, the value of our shares could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Summary of Risk Factors

Investing in our company involves significant risks. These risks include the following:

Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry

Risks and uncertainties related to our business and industry include, but are not limited to, the following:

Risks Relating to our Corporate Structure

Risks and uncertainties related to our corporate structure include, but are not limited to, the following:

Risks Relating to Doing Business in Thailand

Risks and uncertainties related to doing business in Thailand include, but are not limited to, the following:

Risks Relating to Doing Business in China

Risks and uncertainties related to doing business in China include, but are not limited to, the following:

Risks Relating to Our Ordinary Shares and Warrants

Risks and uncertainties related to our ordinary shares and warrants include, but are not limited to, the following:

Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry

The effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 or the perception of its effects, on our operations and the operations of our customers and suppliers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We have been closely monitoring the coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, pandemic that has been spreading all over the world, including to Thailand. The duration and extent of the coronavirus pandemic and related government actions may impact many aspects of our business, including creating workforce limitations, travel restrictions and impacting our customers and suppliers. If a significant percentage of our workforce is unable to work, either because of illness or travel or government restrictions in connection with the coronavirus outbreak, our operations may be negatively impacted. The Company’s response strategy in areas of high impact may result in a temporary reduced workforce as a result of self-isolation or other government or Company imposed measures to quarantine impacted employees and prevent infections at the workplace.

In addition, the coronavirus may result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets of many countries, including Thailand, resulting in an economic downturn that could affect demand for our products and services. Imposed government regulations could adversely impact the Company’s results of operations, business, financial condition, or prospects derived from its operations in Thailand or other affected areas. Further, the outbreak of the coronavirus may negatively impact our customers and related service providers, which would likely impact our revenues and operating results. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Given the ongoing and dynamic nature of the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, it is difficult to predict how COVID-19, including any responses to it, will impact the global economy and our business or for how long any disruptions are likely to continue. The extent of such impact will depend on future developments, which are uncertain, evolving and difficult to predict, including, but not limited to, new information which may emerge concerning, additional variants of COVID-19 that may be able to circumvent the protections afforded by existing vaccines and/or may be more transmissible (like the Omicron variant) or result in more severe sickness (like the Delta variant), additional actions which may be taken to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, such as re-imposing previously lifted measures or putting in place additional restrictions, and the availability, pace of distribution and social acceptance of effective vaccines and of government efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Our negative operating profits may raise substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern.

As of December 31, 2021, our operating losses raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our ability to continue as a going concern will require us to obtain additional financing to fund our operations. The perception of our ability to continue as a going concern may make it more difficult for us to obtain financing or obtain financing on favorable terms for the continuation of our operations and could result in the loss of confidence by investors, suppliers and employees. If we are not successful in raising capital through equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, licensing arrangements or any other means or are not successful in reducing our expenses, we may exhaust our cash resources and be unable to continue our operations. If we cannot continue as a viable entity, our shareholders would likely lose most or all of their investment in us.

We operate in highly competitive industries.

We compete in industries that are subject to significant competition and pricing pressures in most markets.

Secure logistics:

Our competition mainly comes from international companies like Brinks and Armaguard. There are also a number of local CIT companies having very good relationships with their customers. Additionally, we are facing potential competition from the commercial banks which market their own cash management solutions to their customers and hire CIT companies as their subcontracted CIT suppliers. Furthermore, many banks have their own captive CIT subsidiaries to serve them exclusively.

Our business model requires significant fixed costs associated with offering many of our services including, but not limited to, costs to operate a fleet of armored vehicles. Because we believe we have competitive advantages such as brand name recognition and a reputation for a high level of service and security, we resist competing on price alone. However, continued pricing pressure from competitors or failure to achieve pricing based on the competitive advantages identified above could result in lost volume of business and could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, given the highly competitive nature of our industry, it is important to develop new solutions and product and service offerings to help retain and expand our customer base. Failure to develop, sell and execute new solutions and offerings in a timely and efficient manner could also negatively affect our ability to retain our existing customer base or pricing structure and have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Robotics Solutions:

The robotics industries in Thailand, China, the United States and globally are still in their infancy. Within the robotics manufacturing space, the competition is high as most competitors are engaged in selling robots as a stand-alone product. The majority of our competitors are Chinese and Japanese robotics manufacturers. Our business model requires us to build a service model business based upon the robots manufactured by third-party robotics manufacturers. There can be no assurance that these robotics manufacturers will not change their business model to offer robotics as a service solution globally and compete against us. Should this occur, it will negatively affect our ability to compete effectively and, as a result, this may have an adverse effect on our business strategy and plans for rolling out our robotics solution.

Information Security:

The information security industry in Thailand and within the rest of the Asia Pacific region is extremely fragmented with numerous start-ups targeting niche segments of the information security market and established information security service providers competing in the government and large company segments. Our business model requires us to quickly expand the information security service offerings in Thailand, Hong Kong and the rest of the Asia Pacific region. Failure to develop and execute our service offerings in a timely and efficient manner could negatively affect our ability to expand our customer base and, as a result, this could have an adverse effect on our business, financial conditions and results of operations and cash flows.

We have substantial customer concentration, with a limited number of customers accounting for a substantial portion of our recent revenues.

Historically, we have derived a significant portion of our revenues from our top five customers, four of which are commercial banks and one of which is a state-owned bank. For the year ended December 31, 2021, the revenue derived from the state-owned bank (the Government Savings Bank) was approximately $9.6 million, which accounted for approximately 27.3% of our revenue.

For the year ended December 31, 2021, revenues from the next four largest customers combined were approximately $15.7 million or 44.6% of our revenue. Our top five customers combined accounted for approximately 71.9% of our revenue. We have four customers that accounted for 10% or more of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 (See Note 23 “Concentrations” in our audited consolidated financial statements for details).

There are inherent risks whenever a large percentage of total revenues are concentrated with a limited number of customers. It is not possible for us to predict the future level of demand for our services that will be generated by these customers. In addition, revenues from these larger customers may fluctuate from time to time based on the commencement and completion of projects, the timing of which may be affected by market conditions or other facts, some of which may be outside of our control. Further, some of our contracts with these larger customers permit them to terminate our services at any time (subject to notice and certain other provisions). If any of these customers experience declining or delayed sales due to market, economic or competitive conditions, we could be pressured to reduce the prices we charge for our services which could have an adverse effect on our margins and financial position, and could negatively affect our revenues and results of operations and/or trading price of our ordinary shares and warrants. If any of these largest customers terminates our services, such termination would negatively affect our revenues and results of operations and/or trading price of our ordinary shares and warrants.

We currently report our financial results under IFRS, which differs in certain significant respect from U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We report our financial statements under IFRS. There have been and there may in the future be certain significant differences between IFRS and United States generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP, including differences related to revenue recognition, intangible assets, share-based compensation expense, income tax and earnings per share. As a result, our financial information and reported earnings for historical or future periods could be significantly different if they were prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. In addition, we do not intend to provide a reconciliation between IFRS and U.S. GAAP unless it is required under applicable law. As a result, you may not be able to meaningfully compare our financial statements under IFRS with those companies that prepare financial statements under U.S. GAAP.

Changes to legislation in Thailand may negatively affect our business.

The legislation in Thailand relating to the security industry is not fully developed and may evolve depending on the government in place. For example, new security acts launched in 2017 resulted in an increase in stricter control on staff issues such as recruitment standards, training criteria and firearms. This increased the cost of recruitment, training and retention. The government of Thailand may introduce additional regulations in the future which could have a negative impact our costs and thus profitability of our operations and cash flow. These developments could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Unexpected increases in minimum wages in Thailand would reduce our net profits.

The government of Thailand does not have a regular system to review minimum wages and may enact, on very short notice, when, for example, the local political environment changes or there is a new prime minister, new laws and regulations to increase minimum wages. Any material increase in minimum wages will directly impact the cost of services of the Company and reduce net profits.

Increases in fuel cost would negatively impact our cost of operations.

The CIT industry relies on a large consumption of fuel for the operation of its vehicles. Although we conduct price comparisons and enter into three-year supply contracts at fixed and discounted rates, an increase in oil prices will, most likely, negatively impact the operating costs of the Company.

Our strategy may not be successful.

If we are unable to achieve our strategic objectives and anticipated operating profit improvements, our results of operations and cash flows may be adversely affected.

We might not have sufficient cash to fully execute our growth strategy.

We expect that we will have sufficient cash on hand and cash in the bank, generated from our initial public offering, our annual cash flows, to fund our planned growth strategy capital expenditures. We believe our existing cash, cash equivalents and cash flow from future operations and cash borrowings will be sufficient to fund our operations for the next 12 months. To the extent that there may be shortfalls in internal cash available for our growth plans, we expect to be able to access commercial banking credit facilities as the need arises. There can be no assurance, however, that we will have or be able to acquire the necessary capital to accomplish our listed strategic objectives. If we are not able to fully execute our growth strategy, our business could suffer.

We might not have sufficient cash to repay a related party loan obligation.

As discussed elsewhere in this report, we have a loan outstanding in the principal amount of $13.51 million due and payable in full on December 31, 2022, to Profit Raider Investment Limited, or Profit Raider. We will require an extension of the maturity date of this loan, and we cannot be sure whether or not Profit Raider will extend the maturity date of the loan, or if it does, under what terms. If Profit Raider does not extend the loan, we will (i) seek an alternative source of funding to replace the loan; and/or (ii) seek further negotiation with Profit Raider to convert the loan to shares for mutually beneficial development; and/or (iii) seek support from our largest shareholder, Mr. Tu Jingyi, who owns 40.55% of our ordinary shares, for repayment. There can be no assurance, however, that we would be able to find such alternative funding on terms acceptable to us, if at all. If we cannot obtain an extension of the maturity date of the loan and are not otherwise able to refinance the loan, we may default on the loan and such default would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations and could result in an action by Profit Raider against us to collect the amount due under the loan along with interest, fees and any other applicable chargers.

Our business success depends on retaining our leadership team and attracting and retaining qualified personnel.

Our future success depends, in part, on the continuing services and contributions of our leadership team to execute on our strategic plan and to identify and pursue new opportunities. Our future success also depends, in part, on our continued ability to attract and retain highly skilled and qualified personnel. Any turnover in senior management or inability to attract and retain qualified personnel could have a negative effect on our results of operations. We do not maintain key life insurance on any members of management or key employees. Turnover in key leadership positions within the Company may adversely affect our ability to manage the company efficiently and effectively, could be disruptive and distracting to management and may lead to additional departures of current personnel, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

In the future we may not be able to use the Guardforce trademark, which could have a negative impact on our business.

We license the “Guardforce” name and trademark from Guardforce Security Thailand Company Limited, or THAI SP, under the terms of a binding memorandum of understanding effective March 2, 2020 between GF Cash (CIT) and THAI SP. Under the terms of this license we can use in Thailand only, at no cost and on a non-exclusive, non-transferable basis, the “Guardforce” name and related trademark(s) in promoting GF Cash (CIT)’s business and selling any goods and services solely related to the business of cash-in-transit and other ancillary services provided by GF Cash (CIT) in Thailand, solely in the manner approved by THAI SP from time to time. This license has a term of three years and will renew automatically for additional three-year periods unless either party gives written notice to terminate the agreement no less than 30 days prior to the next upcoming renewal period start date. Additionally, the license may be cancelled by either party at any time with six months’ prior written notice to the other party.

If for any reason our license with THAI SP is terminated or expires, our business may suffer and the value that we believe we have built in our brand name throughout Thailand will be lost. In such event, we would have to market our business under a new brand, and it may take significant time before our existing customers and future customers recognize our new brand. The loss of our ability to continue to utilize the Guardforce name and related trademarks could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We may be subject to service quality or liability claims, which may cause us to incur litigation expenses and to devote significant management time to defending such claims, and if such claims are determined adversely to us we may be required to pay significant damage awards.

We may be subject to legal proceedings and claims from time to time relating to the quality of our services. The defense of these proceedings and claims could be both costly and time-consuming and significantly divert the efforts and resources of our management. An adverse determination in any such proceeding could subject us to significant liability. In addition, any such proceeding, even if ultimately determined in our favor, could damage our reputation and prevent us from maintaining or increasing revenues and market share. Protracted litigation could also result in our customers or potential customers limiting their use of our service.

Decreasing use of cash could have a negative impact on our business.

The proliferation of payment options other than cash, including credit cards, debit cards, stored-value cards, mobile payments and on-line purchase activity and digital currencies, could result in a reduced need for cash in the marketplace and a decline in the need for physical bank branches and retail stores. To mitigate this risk, we are developing new lines of business, including, among other things, cash management solutions for retail chains and banks, multi-function machines (for cash and digital cash) and coins solutions for minting facilities. In addition, we are developing non-cash security technology related solutions such as robotics, information security and data analytics (including artificial intelligence) but there is a risk that these initiatives may not offset the risks associated with our traditional cash-based business and that our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be negatively impacted.

Implementation of our robotics solution has required, and may continue to require, significant capital and other expenditures, which we may not recoup.

We have made, and intend to continue to make, capital investments to develop and launch our robotics solution. In 2021, we utilized our existing resources to build and develop our robotics solution. We plan to make further capital investments related to our robotics solution in the future. Our robotics related investment plans are subject to change, and will depend, in part, on market demand for robotic services, the competitive landscape for provision of such services and the development of competing technologies. There is no assurance of the success of our entry into the robotics business as there may not be sufficient demand for our robotics solution, as a result of competition or otherwise, to permit us to recoup or profit from our robotics related capital investments.

We may fail to successfully integrate our acquisitions of Handshake, Shenzhen GFAI, and Guangzhou GFAI and may fail to realize the anticipated benefits.

In March 2021, we completed the acquisition of 51% of Handshake. While we are hoping to benefit from a range of synergies from this acquisition, including by offering our customers bundled physical and information security services, we may not be able to integrate this new business and may fail to realize the expected benefits in the near term, or at all. Handshake operates in a highly competitive information security industry. Its business success will depend, in part, on market demand for its information security services, the competitive landscape for the provision of such service and the development of competing technologies. Our business and financial condition may be adversely affected if the business of Handshake fails or we fail to manage our investment in Handshake successfully.

In March 2022, we completed acquisitions for 100% of Shenzhen GFAI and 100% of Guangzhou GFAI. While we are hoping to benefit from a range of synergies from these acquisitions, including using them as our gateway into the Chinese robotics market, we may not be able to integrate these new businesses and may fail to realize the expected benefits in the near term, or at all. These companies operate in the highly competitive robotics industry. Their business success will depend, in part, on market demand for their robotics solutions services, the competitive landscape for the provision of such services and the development of competing technologies. Our business and financial condition may be adversely affected if either business fails or we fail to manage our investment in them successfully.

We may experience a financial loss due to our planned acquisition of subsidiaries of Shenzhen Kewei Robot Technology Co., Limited and Shenzhen Yeantec Co., Limited.

On March 21, 2022, we signed a non-binding letter of intent (the “LOI”) with Shenzhen Kewei Robot Technology Co., Limited and Shenzhen Yeantec Co., Limited (together, the “Kewei Group”) to purchase up to 36 of the Kewei Group’s subsidiaries located in China. As a condition of this LOI, we will be required to pay Kewei Group the 10% cash component ($3,000,000) of the purchase price as a deposit. If this acquisition is not profitable for us, we will be unable to recoup the cost of this acquisition, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—A. History and Development of the Company—Corporate History” for more information related to this acquisition.

We may not be able to obtain the necessary funding for our future capital or refinancing needs.

We may be required to raise additional funds for our future capital needs or to refinance our current indebtedness and future indebtedness through public or private financing, strategic relationships or other arrangements. There can be no assurance that the funding, if needed, will be available to us or provided on acceptable terms.

Any compromise of the information security of our platform could materially and adversely affect our business, operations and reputation.

Our products and services involve the storage and transmission of users’ and other customers’ information, and security breaches expose us to a risk of loss of this information, litigation and potential liability. Our security measures may also be breached due to employee error, malfeasance or otherwise. Additionally, outside parties may attempt to fraudulently induce employees, users or other customers to disclose sensitive information in order to gain access to our data or our users’ or other customers’ data or accounts, or may otherwise obtain access to such data or accounts. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service or sabotage systems change frequently and often are not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. If an actual or perceived breach of our security occurs, the market perception of the effectiveness of our security measures could be harmed, we could lose users and other customers, and may be exposed to significant legal and financial risks, including legal claims and regulatory fines and penalties. Any of these actions could have a material and adverse effect on our business, reputation and results of operations.

Our transfer pricing decisions may result in uncertain tax exposures for our group.

We have entered into transfer pricing arrangements that establish transfer prices for our inter-company operations in relations to the purchase of robotics equipment for our robotics solutions businesses in the region. However, our transfer pricing procedures are not binding on the applicable taxing authorities. No official authority in any countries has made a binding determination as to whether or not we are operating in compliance with its transfer pricing laws. Accordingly, taxing authorities in any of the countries in which we operate could challenge our transfer prices and require us to adjust them to reallocate our income and potentially to pay additional taxes for prior tax periods. We expect that the issue of the validity of our transfer pricing procedures will become of greater importance as we continue our expansion in markets in which we currently have a limited presence and attempt to penetrate new markets. Any change to the allocation of our income as a result of reviews by taxing authorities could have a negative effect on our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, there may be challenges involved in complying with local pertinent tax rules and regulations. 

We are currently operating in a period of economic uncertainty and capital markets disruption, which has been significantly impacted by geopolitical instability due to the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected by any negative impact on the global economy and capital markets resulting from the conflict in Ukraine or any other geopolitical tensions.

U.S. and global markets are experiencing volatility and disruption following the escalation of geopolitical tensions and the start of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops was reported. Although the length and impact of the ongoing military conflict is highly unpredictable, and although we currently have no operations or sales in either Russia or Ukraine, the conflict in Ukraine could lead to market disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets. We are continuing to monitor the situation in Ukraine and globally and assessing its potential impact on our business.

Governments in the United States and many other countries, or the Sanctioning Bodies, have imposed economic sanctions on certain Russian individuals, including politicians, and Russian corporate and banking entities. The Sanctioning Bodies, or others, could also institute broader sanctions on Russia, including banning Russia from global payments systems that facilitate cross-border payments. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and liquidity of Russian securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the global economy.

The current war in Ukraine, and geopolitical events stemming from such conflicts, could cause consumer confidence and spending to decrease or result in increased volatility in the United States and worldwide financial markets and economy. The extent and duration of the military action, resulting sanctions and resulting future market disruptions in the region are impossible to predict, but could be significant and have a severe adverse effect worldwide financial markets and economy.

Any of the abovementioned factors could affect our ability to search for a target and consummate a business combination. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial. Any such disruptions may also magnify the impact of other risks described in this report.

Risks Relating to our Corporate Structure

We rely upon structural arrangements to establish control over certain entities and government authorities may determine that these arrangements do not comply with existing laws and regulations.

The laws and regulations in Thailand place restrictions on foreign investment in and ownership of entities engaged in a number of business activities. The Thai Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542 (1999), or FBA, requires foreigners to obtain approval under the FBA in order to engage in most service businesses. A company registered in Thailand will be considered a foreigner under the FBA if foreigners hold 50% or more of the shares in the company. The Security Guard Business Act B.E. 2558 (2015), or SGBA, also requires that companies applying for approval to engage in the business of providing security guard services by providing licensed security guards to protect people or personal property must have more than half of its shares owned by shareholders of Thai nationality and must have more than half of its directors being of Thai nationality.

We conduct our business activities in Thailand using a tiered shareholding structure in which direct foreign ownership in each Thai entity is less than 50%. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—C. Organizational Structure—Thailand Shareholding Structure.” The FBA considers the immediate level of shareholding of a company to determine the number of shares held by foreigners in that company for the purposes of determining whether the company is a foreigner within the meaning of the FBA, and will have regard to the shareholdings of a corporate shareholder which holds shares in that company to determine whether that corporate shareholder is a foreigner, however no cumulative calculation is applied to determine the foreign ownership status of a company when it has several levels of foreign shareholding. Such shareholding structure has allowed us to consolidate our Thai operating entities as our subsidiaries.

We have engaged legal counsel Watson Farley & Williams (Thailand) Limited in Thailand, and they are of the opinion that the shareholding structure of GF Cash (CIT) does not result in GF Cash (CIT) being a foreigner within the meaning of the FBA or failing to comply with the nationality requirements imposed by the SGBA. However, the local or national authorities or regulatory agencies in Thailand may reach a different conclusion, which could lead to an action being brought against us by administrative orders or in local courts. The FBA prohibits Thai nationals and non-foreigner companies from assisting, aiding and abetting or participating in the operation of a foreigner’s business if the foreigner would require approval under the FBA to engage in that business, or to act as a nominee in holding shares in a company to enable a foreigner to operate a business in contravention of the FBA. The FBA does not provide detailed guidance on what degree of assistance contravenes the FBA, however Thai shareholders are likely to be regarded as nominees under the FBA if they do not have sufficient funds to acquire their shares or did not pay for their shares, or if they have agreed to not to be paid the dividends to which they would be entitled under the company’s articles of association.

Documentation filed with the Ministry of Commerce includes supporting evidence that the Thai nationals holding shares in AI Thailand had sufficient financial resources to acquire their shares and confirms that AI Thailand has received the amount payable for those shares. If the authorities in Thailand find that our arrangements do not comply with their prohibition or restrictions on foreign investment in our lines of business, or if the relevant government entity otherwise finds that we or any of our subsidiaries is in violation of the relevant laws or regulations or lack the necessary registrations, permits or licenses to operate our businesses in Thailand, they would have broad discretion in dealing with such violations or failures, including:

Any of these actions could cause significant disruption to our business operations and severely damage our reputation, which would in turn materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If any of these occurrences results in our inability to direct the activities of our Thai subsidiaries that most significantly impact their economic performance, or prevent us from receiving the economic benefits or absorbing losses from these entities, we may not be able to consolidate these entities in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with IFRS.

Risks Relating to Doing Business in Thailand

A severe or prolonged downturn in the global economy or the markets that we primarily operate in could materially and adversely affect our revenues and results of operations.

We primarily operate in Thailand. Weak economic conditions as a result of a global economic downturn and decreased demand and prices due to the increased popularity of digital cash across the world may have a negative impact on our business. Decreased demand and prices would reduce our income and weaken our business. There are still great uncertainties regarding economic conditions and the demand for cash processing services. Any turbulence in global economies and prolonged declines in demand and prices in Thailand may adversely affect our business, revenues and results of operations. Apart from the above, the following factors may also affect our business: (1) the threat of terrorism is high within Thailand; (2) the political situation is not stable especially under the military rule and governance; (3) currency exchange rates; (4) bribery and corruption; (5) high tax rates; and (6) unstable energy prices.

We are vulnerable to foreign currency exchange risk exposure.

The value of the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate and is affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions.

Our consolidated financial statements are expressed in U.S. dollars, which is our reporting currency. Most of the revenues and expenses of GF Cash (CIT) are denominated in the THB. Meanwhile, our functional currency of our various other subsidiaries, is the U.S. dollar. To the extent that we need to convert THB into U.S. dollars for our operations, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the THB would adversely affect the U.S. dollar amounts we recognize from the conversion. Fluctuations in the exchange rate will also affect the relative value of the U.S. dollar-denominated loan that we have borrowed from a related party.

The ability of our subsidiaries to distribute dividends to us may be subject to restrictions under the laws of their respective jurisdictions.

We are a holding company, and our main operating subsidiary is located in Thailand. Part of our primary internal sources of funds to meet our cash needs is our share of the dividends, if any, paid by our subsidiaries. The distribution of dividends to us from the subsidiaries in these markets as well as other markets where we operate is subject to restrictions imposed by the applicable laws and regulations in these markets. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Thailand—Regulations on Dividend Distributions.” Companies remitting payments to recipients outside of Thailand must obtain approval from the Bank of Thailand at the time of the remittance if the remittance exceeds the equivalent of $50,000. In practice, this approval is managed by the Bank of Thailand and is typically granted if copies of the supporting documentation showing the need for the transaction can be provided. In addition, although there are currently no foreign exchange control regulations which restrict the ability of our subsidiaries in Thailand to distribute dividends to us, the relevant regulations may be changed and the ability of these subsidiaries to distribute dividends to us may be restricted in the future.

Risks Related to Doing Business in China

Changes in China’s economic, political or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.

We have recently acquired, are in the process of acquiring, and may acquire in the future, subsidiaries which are located in China. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be influenced by political, economic and social conditions in China generally. The PRC economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including with regard to the level of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. Although the PRC government has implemented measures emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduction of state ownership of productive assets, and the establishment of improved corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of productive assets in China is still owned by the government. In addition, the PRC government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies.

The PRC government also exercises significant control over China’s economic growth through allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy, and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.

While the PRC economy has experienced significant growth over the past decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy, and the rate of growth has been slowing since 2012. Any adverse changes in economic conditions in China, in the policies of the PRC government or in the laws and regulations in China could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of China. Such developments could adversely affect our business and operating results, lead to reduction in demand for our services and adversely affect our competitive position. The PRC government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures may benefit the overall PRC economy, but may have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations. In addition, in the past the PRC government has implemented certain measures, including interest rate adjustment, to control the pace of economic growth. These measures may cause decreased economic activity in China, which may adversely affect our business and operating results.

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

The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions under the civil law system may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value. 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 the enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involves uncertainties.

In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past three decades has significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investments in China. However, China has not developed a fully integrated legal system, and recently enacted laws and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in China. In particular, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations involve uncertainties. Since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory provisions and contractual terms, it may be difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy. These uncertainties may affect our judgment on the relevance of legal requirements and our ability to enforce our contractual rights or tort claims. In addition, the regulatory uncertainties may be exploited through unmerited or frivolous legal actions or threats in attempts to extract payments or benefits from us.

Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules, some of which are not published on a timely basis or at all and may have retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of any of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. In addition, any administrative and court proceedings in China may be protracted, resulting in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.

In addition, we are subject to risks and uncertainties of the interpretations and applications of PRC laws and regulations, including but not limited to, limitations on foreign ownership in our industry. We are also subject to the risks and uncertainties about any future actions of the PRC government. If any future action of the PRC government results in a material change in our subsidiaries’ operations, the value of our ordinary shares may depreciate significantly or become worthless.

The PRC government exerts substantial influence over the manner in which our PRC subsidiaries must conduct their business activities. If the Chinese government significantly changes the regulations related to the business operations of our PRC subsidiaries in the future and our PRC subsidiaries are not able to substantially comply with such regulations, the business operations of our PRC subsidiaries may be materially and adversely affected and the value of our ordinary shares may significantly decrease.

The PRC government has exercised, and continues to exercise, substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through regulation and state ownership, including technology and robotics sector. Any government decisions or actions to change the way technology or robotics are regulated, or any decisions the government might make to cut spending, could adversely impact our PRC subsidiaries and results of operations. In addition, the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to operate in China may be harmed by changes in PRC laws and regulations, including those relating to taxation, artificial intelligence, and other matters. The central or local governments of these jurisdictions may impose new, stricter regulations or interpretations of existing regulations that would require additional expenditures and efforts on our part to ensure our compliance with such regulations or interpretations. Accordingly, government actions in the future, including any decision not to continue to support recent economic reforms and to return to a more centrally planned economy or regional or local variations in the implementation of economic policies, could have a significant effect on economic conditions in China or particular regions thereof, and could require us to divest ourselves of our PRC subsidiaries.

We believe that our PRC subsidiaries’ operations in China are in material compliance with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements. However, the central or local governments of the jurisdictions in which we operate may impose new, stricter regulations or interpretations of existing regulations with little advance notice that would require additional expenditures and efforts on our part to ensure our compliance with such regulations or interpretations.

Our PRC subsidiaries may incur increased costs necessary to comply with existing and newly adopted laws and regulations or penalties for any failure to comply. In the event that our PRC subsidiaries are not able to substantially comply with any existing or newly adopted laws and regulations, our business operations may be materially adversely affected and the value of our ordinary shares may significantly decrease.

Our business is subject to complex and evolving laws and regulations regarding privacy and data protection. Compliance with China’s new Data Security Law, Cybersecurity Review Measures, Personal Information Protection Law, as well as additional laws, regulations and guidelines that the Chinese government promulgates in the future may entail significant expenses and could materially affect our business.

Regulatory authorities in China have implemented and are considering further legislative and regulatory proposals concerning data protection. China’s new Data Security Law went into effect on September 1, 2021. The Data Security Law provides that the data processing activities must be conducted based on “data classification and hierarchical protection system” for the purpose of data protection and prohibits entities in China from transferring data stored in China to foreign law enforcement agencies or judicial authorities without prior approval by the Chinese government. The Data Security Law sets forth the legal liabilities of entities and individuals found to be in violation of their data protection obligations, including rectification order, warning, fines of up to RMB5 million, suspension of relevant business, and revocation of business permits or licenses.

In addition, the PRC Cybersecurity Law provides that personal information and important data collected and generated by operators of critical information infrastructure in the course of their operations in the PRC should be stored in the PRC, and the law imposes heightened regulation and additional security obligations on operators of critical information infrastructure. According to the Cybersecurity Review Measures promulgated by the Cyberspace Administration of China and certain other PRC regulatory authorities in April 2020, which became effective in June 2020, operators of critical information infrastructure must pass a cybersecurity review when purchasing network products and services which do or may affect national security. Any failure or delay in the completion of the cybersecurity review procedures may prevent the critical information infrastructure operator from using or providing certain network products and services and may result in fines of up to ten times the purchase price of such network products and services. The PRC government recently launched cybersecurity reviews against a number of mobile apps operated by several U.S.-listed Chinese companies and prohibiting these apps from registering new users during the review periods. We do not believe that we constitute a critical information infrastructure operator under the Cybersecurity Review Measures that took effect in June 2020.

On July 10, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China issued the Cybersecurity Review Measures (revised draft for public comments), which proposed to authorize the relevant government authorities to conduct cybersecurity review on a range of activities that affect or may affect national security. The PRC National Security Law covers various types of national security, including technology security and information security. The revised Cybersecurity Review Measures took effect on February 15, 2022. The revised Cybersecurity Review Measures expand the cybersecurity review to data processing operators in possession of personal information of over 1 million users if the operators intend to list their securities in a foreign country. Under the revised Cybersecurity Review Measures, the scope of entities required to undergo cybersecurity review to assess national security risks that arise from data processing activities would be expanded to include all critical information infrastructure operators who purchase network products and services and all data processors carrying out data processing activities that affect or may affect national security. In addition, such reviews would focus on the potential risk of core data, important data, or a large amount of personal information being stolen, leaked, destroyed, illegally used or exported out of China, or critical information infrastructure being affected, controlled or maliciously used by foreign governments after such a listing. An operator that violates these measures shall be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the PRC Cybersecurity Law and the PRC Data Security Law. We believe that the cybersecurity review requirement under the revised Cybersecurity Review Measures for online platform operators in possession of personal information of over one million users going public in a foreign country does not apply to us or any of our PRC subsidiaries, because we are not an online platform operator and we became a public company with shares listed on Nasdaq before such Measures entered into force on February 15, 2022. However, there remains uncertainty as to the interpretation and implementation of the revised Cybersecurity Review Measures and we cannot assure you that the CAC will reach the same conclusion as us.

On November 14, 2021, the CAC released the Regulations on Network Data Security (draft for public comments) and accepted public comments until December 13, 2021. The draft Regulations on Network Data Security provide more detailed guidance on how to implement the general legal requirements under legislations such as the Cybersecurity Law, Data Security Law and the Personal Information Protection Law. The draft Regulations on Network Data Security follow the principle that the state will regulate based on a data classification and multi-level protection scheme. We believe that we or any of our PRC subsidiaries do not constitute an online platform operator under the draft Regulations on Network Data Security as proposed, which is defined as a platform that provides information publishing, social network, online transaction, online payment and online audio/video services.

On August 20, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China promulgated the Personal Information Protection Law which became effective on November 1, 2021. The Personal Information Protection Law provides a comprehensive set of data privacy and protection requirements that apply to the processing of personal information and expands data protection compliance obligations to cover the processing of personal information of persons by organizations and individuals in China, and the processing of personal information of persons in China outside of China if such processing is for purposes of providing products and services to, or analyzing and evaluating the behavior of, persons in China. The Personal Information Protection Law also provides that critical information infrastructure operators and personal information processing entities who process personal information meeting a volume threshold to be set by Chinese cyberspace regulators are also required to store in China personal information generated or collected in China, and to pass a security assessment administered by Chinese cyberspace regulators for any export of such personal information. Lastly, the Personal Information Protection Law contains proposals for significant fines for serious violations of up to RMB 50 million or 5% of annual revenues from the prior year and may also be ordered to suspend any related activity by competent authorities. We have access to certain information of our customers in providing services and may be required to further adjust our business practice to comply with new regulatory requirements.

Interpretation, application and enforcement of these laws, rules and regulations evolve from time to time and their scope may continually change, through new legislation, amendments to existing legislation or changes in enforcement. Compliance with the PRC Cybersecurity Law and the PRC Data Security Law could significantly increase the cost to us of providing our service offerings, require significant changes to our operations or even prevent us from providing certain service offerings in jurisdictions in which we currently operate or in which we may operate in the future. Despite our efforts to comply with applicable laws, regulations and other obligations relating to privacy, data protection and information security, it is possible that our practices or service offerings could fail to meet all of the requirements imposed on us by the PRC Cybersecurity Law, the PRC Data Security Law and/or related implementing regulations. Any failure on our part to comply with such law or regulations or any other obligations relating to privacy, data protection or information security, or any compromise of security that results in unauthorized access, use or release of personally identifiable information or other data, or the perception or allegation that any of the foregoing types of failure or compromise has occurred, could damage our reputation, discourage new and existing counterparties from contracting with us or result in investigations, fines, suspension or other penalties by Chinese government authorities and private claims or litigation, any of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Even if our practices are not subject to legal challenge, the perception of privacy concerns, whether or not valid, may harm our reputation and brand and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, the legal uncertainty created by the Data Security Law and the recent Chinese government actions could materially adversely affect our ability, on favorable terms, to raise capital, including engaging in follow-on offerings of our securities in the U.S. market.

PRC regulation of loans to, and direct investments in, PRC entities by offshore holding companies may delay or prevent us from using proceeds from our future financing activities to make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries.

As an offshore holding company with PRC subsidiaries, we may transfer funds to our PRC subsidiaries or finance our operating entity by means of loans or capital contributions. Any capital contributions or loans that we, as an offshore entity, make to our Company’s PRC subsidiaries, are subject to PRC regulations. Any loans to our PRC subsidiaries, which are foreign-invested enterprises, cannot exceed statutory limits based on the difference between the amount of our investments and registered capital in such subsidiaries, and shall be registered with State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, or its local counterparts. Furthermore, any capital increase contributions we make to our PRC subsidiaries, which are foreign-invested enterprises, are subject to the requirement of making necessary filings in Foreign Investment Comprehensive Management Information System, and registration with other government authorities in China. We may not be able to obtain these government registrations or approvals on a timely basis, if at all. If we fail to obtain such approvals or make such registration, our ability to make equity contributions or provide loans to our PRC subsidiaries or to fund their operations may be negatively affected, which may adversely affect their liquidity and ability to fund their working capital and expansion projects and meet their obligations and commitments. As a result, our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business may be negatively affected.

We may rely on dividends paid by our subsidiaries for our cash needs, and any limitation on the ability of our subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct business.

As a holding company, we conduct business through our subsidiaries, including are newly acquired subsidiaries in China. We may rely on dividends paid by these PRC subsidiaries for our cash needs, including the funds necessary to pay any dividends and other cash distributions to our shareholders, to service any debt we may incur and to pay our operating expenses. The payment of dividends by entities established in China is subject to limitations. Regulations in China currently permit payment of dividends only out of accumulated profits as determined in accordance with accounting standards and regulations in China. In accordance with the Article 166, 168 of the Company Law of the PRC (Amended in 2018), each of our PRC subsidiaries is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profit based on PRC accounting standards each year to its general reserves or statutory capital reserve fund until the aggregate amount of such reserves reaches 50% of its respective registered capital. A company may discontinue the contribution when the aggregate sum of the statutory surplus reserve is more than 50% of its registered capital. The statutory common reserve fund of a company may only be used to cover the losses of the company, expand the business and production of the company or be converted into additional capital. As a result, our PRC subsidiaries are restricted in their ability to transfer a portion of their net assets to us in the form of dividends. In addition, if any of our PRC subsidiaries incurs debt on its own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict such subsidiary’s ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us. Any limitations on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to transfer funds to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends and otherwise fund and conduct our business.

Under the Enterprise Income Tax Law, we may be classified as a “Resident Enterprise” of China. Any classification as such will likely result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders.

Under the Enterprise Income Tax Law (“the “EIT Law”), an enterprise established outside of China with “de facto management bodies” within China is considered a “resident enterprise”, meaning that it can be subject to an enterprise income tax, or EIT, rate of 25.0% on its global income. In April 2009, the State Administration of Taxation (the “SAT”) promulgated a circular, known as Circular 82, and partially amended by Circular 9 promulgated in January 2014, to clarify the certain criteria for the determination of the “de facto management bodies” for foreign enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups. Under Circular 82, a foreign enterprise is considered a PRC resident enterprise if all of the following apply: (1) the senior management and core management departments in charge of daily operations are located mainly within China; (2) decisions relating to the enterprise’s financial and human resource matters are made or subject to approval by organizations or personnel in China; (3) the enterprise’s primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholders’ meeting minutes are located or maintained in China; and (4) 50.0% or more of voting board members or senior executives of the enterprise habitually reside in China. Further to Circular 82, the SAT issued a bulletin, known as Bulletin 45, effective in September 2011 and amended on June 1, 2015 and October 1, 2016, to provide more guidance on the implementation of Circular 82 and clarify the reporting and filing obligations of such “Chinese controlled offshore incorporated resident enterprises.” Bulletin 45 provides for, among other matters, procedures for the determination of resident status and administration of post-determination matters. Although Circular 82 and Bulletin 45 explicitly provide that the above standards apply to enterprises that are registered outside China and controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, Circular 82 may reflect the SAT’s criteria for determining the tax residence of foreign enterprises in general.

At the current time, none of the above factors apply to our Company. However, if the PRC tax authorities determine that we are a “resident enterprise” for PRC enterprise income tax purposes, a number of unfavorable PRC tax consequences could follow. First, we may be subject to the enterprise income tax at a rate of 25% on our worldwide taxable income as well as PRC enterprise income tax reporting obligations. In our case, this would mean that income such as non-China source income would be subject to PRC enterprise income tax at a rate of 25%. Second, under the EIT Law and its implementing rules, dividends paid to us from our PRC subsidiaries would be deemed as “qualified investment income between resident enterprises” and therefore qualify as “tax-exempt income” pursuant to the clause 26 of the EIT Law. Finally, it is possible that future guidance issued with respect to the new “resident enterprise” classification could result in a situation in which the dividends we pay with respect to our ordinary shares, or the gain our non-PRC shareholders may realize from the transfer of our ordinary shares, may be treated as PRC-sourced income and may therefore be subject to a 10% PRC withholding tax. The EIT Law and its implementing regulations are, however, relatively new and ambiguities exist with respect to the interpretation and identification of PRC-sourced income, and the application and assessment of withholding taxes. If we are required under the EIT Law and its implementing regulations to withhold PRC income tax on dividends payable to our non-PRC shareholders, should there be a determination in the future to pay dividends, or if non-PRC shareholders are required to pay PRC income tax on gains on the transfer of their ordinary shares, our business could be negatively impacted and the value of your investment may be materially reduced. Further, if we were treated as a “resident enterprise” by PRC tax authorities, we would be subject to taxation in both China and such countries in which we have taxable income, and our PRC tax may not be creditable against such other taxes.

You may be subject to PRC income tax on dividends from us or on any gain realized on the transfer of our ordinary shares.

Under the EIT Law and its implementation rules, subject to any applicable tax treaty or similar arrangement between the PRC and your jurisdiction of residence that provides for a different income tax arrangement, PRC withholding tax at the rate of 10.0% is normally applicable to dividends from PRC sources payable to investors that are non-PRC resident enterprises, which do not have an establishment or place of business in China, or which have such establishment or place of business if the relevant income is not effectively connected with the establishment or place of business. Any gain realized on the transfer of shares by such investors is subject to 10.0% PRC income tax if such gain is regarded as income derived from sources within China unless a treaty or similar arrangement otherwise provides. Under the Individual Income Tax Law of the PRC and its implementation rules, dividends from sources within China paid to foreign individual investors who are not PRC residents are generally subject to a PRC withholding tax at a rate of 20% and gains from PRC sources realized by such investors on the transfer of shares are generally subject to 20% PRC income tax, in each case, subject to any reduction or exemption set forth in applicable tax treaties and PRC laws.

There is a risk that we will be treated by the PRC tax authorities as a PRC tax resident enterprise. In that case, any dividends we pay to our shareholders may be regarded as income derived from sources within China and we may be required to withhold a 10.0% PRC withholding tax for the dividends we pay to our investors who are non-PRC corporate shareholders, or a 20.0% withholding tax for the dividends we pay to our investors who are non-PRC individual shareholders, including the holders of our Shares. In addition, our non-PRC shareholders may be subject to PRC tax on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of our ordinary shares, if such income is treated as sourced from within China. It is unclear whether our non-PRC shareholders would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their tax residence and China in the event that we are considered as a PRC resident enterprise. If PRC income tax is imposed on gains realized through the transfer of our ordinary shares or on dividends paid to our non-resident investors, should there be a determination in the future to pay dividends, the value of your investment in our ordinary shares may be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, our shareholders whose jurisdictions of residence have tax treaties or arrangements with China may not qualify for benefits under such tax treaties or arrangements.

PRC laws and regulations establish complex procedures in connection with certain acquisitions of China-based companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions or mergers in China. 

On August 8, 2006, six PRC regulatory authorities, including Ministry of Commerce (the “MOFCOM”), the State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the SAT, the Administration for Industry and Commerce (the “SAIC”), China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”), and SAFE, jointly issued the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors (the “M&A Rules”), which became effective on September 8, 2006 and were amended in June 2009. The M&A Rules, governing the approval process by which a PRC company may participate in an acquisition of assets or equity interests by foreign investors, requires the PRC parties to make a series of applications and supplemental applications to the government agencies, depending on the structure of the transaction. In some instances, the application process may require presentation of economic data concerning a transaction, including appraisals of the target business and evaluations of the acquirer, which are designed to allow the government to assess the transaction. The regulations also established additional procedures and requirements that are expected to make merger and acquisition activities in China by foreign investors more time consuming and complex, including requirements in some instances that the Ministry of Commerce be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise, or that the approval from the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC (“MOFCOM”) be obtained in circumstances where overseas companies established or controlled by PRC enterprises or residents acquire affiliated domestic companies. The M&A Rules also prohibit a transaction at an acquisition price obviously lower than the appraised value of the business or assets in China and in certain transaction structures, require that consideration must be paid within defined periods, generally not in excess of a year.

Moreover, according to the Anti-Monopoly Law of the People’s Republic of China promulgated on August 30, 2007 and the Provisions on Thresholds for Reporting of Concentrations of Undertakings (the “Prior Reporting Rules”) issued by the State Council in August 2008 and amended in September 2018, the concentration of business undertakings by way of mergers, acquisitions or contractual arrangements that allow one market player to take control of or to exert decisive impact on another market player must also be notified in advance to the anti-monopoly enforcement agency of the State Council when the applicable threshold is crossed and such concentration shall not be implemented without the clearance of prior reporting. In addition, the Regulations on Implementation of Security Review System for the Merger and Acquisition of Domestic Enterprise by Foreign Investors (the “Security Review Rules”) issued by the MOFCOM that became effective in September 2011 specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors that raise “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions through which foreign investors may acquire de facto control over domestic enterprises that raise “national security” concerns are subject to strict review by the MOFCOM, and the rules prohibit any activities attempting to bypass a security review by structuring the transaction through, among other things, trusts, entrustment or contractual control arrangements.

We may grow our business in part by acquiring other companies operating in our industry. Compliance with the requirements of the regulations to complete such transactions could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including approval from the Ministry of Commerce, may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share.

Fluctuations in exchange rates could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

The conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies, including U.S. dollars, is based on rates set by the People’s Bank of China. The Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. The value of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate and is affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions in China and by China’s foreign exchange policies, among other things. We cannot assure you that Renminbi will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the future. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future.

Significant fluctuation of the Renminbi may have a material adverse effect on your investment. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into Renminbi for our operations, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert our Renminbi 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 Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us.

Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. To date, we have not entered into any material hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert Renminbi into foreign currency.

Risks Relating to Our Ordinary Shares and Warrants

The price of our ordinary shares and warrants might fluctuate significantly and if our ordinary shares fall below $1.00 for an extended period of time, we may not satisfy the continued listing requirements of NASDAQ.

Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) requires listed securities to maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share, and Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A) provides that a failure to meet the minimum bid price requirement exists if the deficiency continues for a period of 30 consecutive business days. On March 15, 2022, the Company announced that it has received a notification letter from the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) dated March 9, 2022 notifying the Company that, for the last 30 consecutive business days, the closing bid price for the Company’s ordinary share has been below the minimum $1.00 per share required for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) and the Company has been given 180 calendar days, or until September 6, 2022 to regain compliance. The Company intends to monitor the closing bid price of its ordinary shares and may, if appropriate, consider implementing available options to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement under the Nasdaq Listing Rules. Though we intend to regain the compliance with the minimum bid price requirement, we cannot assure you that our ordinary shares will regain in compliance with the Nasdaq listing rules. If our ordinary shares are delisted from the Nasdaq, the liquidity and value of an investment in our ordinary shares will be materially and adversely affected.

Future issuances of our securities would dilute the interests of existing shareholders.

Following the share consolidation and changes to our capitalization, we are authorized to issue a total of 300,000,000 ordinary shares. As of the date of this report, we have an aggregate of 31,534,691 outstanding ordinary shares. In addition, we currently have 16,217,342 warrants issued and outstanding, which include: (i) warrants to purchase 4,156,626 ordinary shares and these warrants are exercisable at an exercise price of $1.30 per share with the expiration date of September 28, 2026; (ii) warrants to purchase 11,879,993 ordinary shares, at an initial exercise price of $1.30 per share with the expiration date of January 20, 2027; and (iii) 180,723 warrants that were issued to the assignee of the representative of the underwriters in our initial public offering.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, we issued the remaining 187,594 ordinary shares on March 19, 2021 with the merger with VCAB. In addition, 43,700 ordinary shares were issued in connection with our acquisition of 51% controlling interest in Handshake on February 4, 2021. On October 1, 2021, we issued 3,614,458 units in connection with our initial public offering. Each unit consists of one ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one ordinary share.

In January 2022, we issued 7,919,997 ordinary shares in a private placement consummated on January 20, 2022. On January 25, 2022, we granted 260,000 restricted ordinary shares under our Guardforce AI Co., Limited 2022 Equity Incentive Plan. On February 25, 2022, we issued 10,000 restricted ordinary shares for the investor relations services provided by a third party vendor. On March 22, 2022, we issued 2,142,852 shares in connection with our acquisition of Shenzhen GFAI and Guangzhou GFAI.

We may determine to issue additional shares in the future. The issuance of a substantial number of shares would have the effect of substantially diluting the interests of our shareholders. In addition, the sale of a substantial number of shares in the public market, either in the initial issuance or in a subsequent resale could have an adverse effect on the market price of our shares.

Acquisitions in the future may result in the demand for significant additional funding which may result in substantial dilution to existing shareholders.

If we engage in any acquisition activity in the future, we may require funding generated through the sale of additional shares or other equity which could result in significant dilution to our existing shareholders. The financial results of acquired businesses may not achieve expectations which may have a significant impact on our per share earnings, and thus, the value of our shares.

Future acquisitions or divestitures could materially change our business and materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

We plan to focus our efforts on future strategic priorities in pursuing strategic acquisitions and strategic partnerships. Presented with appropriate opportunities, we may acquire businesses or assets that we believe complement our existing business. Any such acquisitions are invariably subject to associated execution risk including issues relating to the integration of new operations and personnel, geographical coordination, retention of key management personnel, systems integration and the integration of corporate cultures. The acquisition and integration could cause the diversion of management’s attention or resources from our existing business or cause a temporary interruption of, or loss of momentum in, our current business. We could also lose key personnel from the acquired companies. There may be unforeseen or unknown liabilities, or we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue to offset new costs of any acquisitions and strategic partnerships. The execution of international expansion of our operations exposes us to a number of additional risks including difficulties in staffing and managing overseas operations, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, increased costs associated with maintaining the ability to understand local trends, difficulties and costs relating to compliance with the different commercial, legal and regulatory requirements of the overseas locations in which we operate, failure to develop appropriate risk management and internal control structures tailored to overseas operations, inability to obtain, maintain or enforce intellectual property rights, unanticipated changes in economic conditions and regulatory requirements in overseas operations. These risks associated with strategic repositioning, future acquisitions and strategic partnerships could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.

We have no plans to pay dividends.

To date, we have paid no cash dividends on our shares. For the foreseeable future, earnings generated from our operations will be retained for use in our business and not to pay dividends.

You may have difficulty enforcing judgments obtained against us.

We are a Cayman Islands company and substantially all of our assets are located outside of the United States. Virtually all of our assets and a substantial portion of our current business operations are conducted in Thailand. In addition, almost all of our directors and officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the United States. A substantial portion of the assets of these persons are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for you to effect service of process within the United States upon these persons. It may also be difficult for you to enforce the U.S. courts judgments obtained in U.S. courts including judgments based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against us and our officers and directors, many of whom are not residents in the United States, and whose significant assets are located outside of the United States. The courts of the Cayman Islands would recognize as a valid judgment, a final and conclusive judgment in personam obtained in the federal or state courts in the United States against the Company, under which a sum of money is payable (other than a sum of money payable in respect of multiple damages, taxes or other charges of a like nature or in respect of a fine or other penalty) or, in certain circumstances, an in personam judgment for non-monetary relief, and would give a judgment based thereon provided that (a) such courts had proper jurisdiction over the parties subject to such judgment, (b) such courts did not contravene the rules of natural justice of the Cayman Islands, (c) such judgment was not obtained by fraud, (d) the enforcement of the judgment would not be contrary to the public policy of the Cayman Islands, (e) no new admissible evidence relevant to the action is submitted prior to the rendering of the judgment by the courts of the Cayman Islands, and (f) there is due compliance with the correct procedures under the laws of the Cayman Islands. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands or Thailand, respectively, 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 United States or any state. In addition, it is uncertain whether such Cayman Islands or Thailand courts would entertain original actions brought in the courts of the Cayman Islands or Thailand, against us or such persons predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state.

Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, it may be more difficult for our shareholders to protect their rights than it would be for a shareholder of a corporation incorporated in another jurisdiction.

Our corporate affairs are governed by our Memorandum and Articles of Association, by the Companies Act and by the common law of the Cayman Islands. Principles of law relating to such matters as the validity of corporate procedures, the fiduciary duties of management, and the rights of our shareholders differ from those that would apply, if we were incorporated in the United States or another jurisdiction. The rights of shareholders under Cayman Islands law may not be as clearly established as the rights of shareholders are in the United States or other jurisdictions. Under the laws of most jurisdictions in the United States, majority and controlling shareholders generally have certain fiduciary responsibilities to the minority shareholders. Shareholders’ actions must be taken in good faith. Obviously unreasonable actions by controlling shareholders may be declared null and void. Cayman Islands law protecting the interests of minority shareholders may not be as protective in all circumstances as the law protecting minority shareholders in United States or other jurisdictions. Although a shareholder of a Cayman Islands company may sue the company derivatively, the procedures and defenses available to the company may result in the rights of shareholders of a Cayman Islands company being more limited than those of shareholders of a company organized in the United States. Furthermore, our directors have the power to take certain actions without shareholders’ approval, or which would require shareholders’ approval under the laws of most of the states in the United States or other jurisdictions. Thus, our shareholders may have more difficulty protecting their interests in the face of actions by our board of directors or our controlling shareholders than they would have as shareholders of a corporation incorporated in another jurisdiction.

There was no public market for our warrants prior to our initial public offering, and an active market in which investors can resell their shares may not develop.

Our ordinary shares under the symbol “GFAI” and our warrants under the symbol “GFAIW,” both on the Nasdaq Capital Market, commenced trading on September 29, 2021. A liquid public market for our ordinary shares and warrants may not develop notwithstanding the approval for listing of our ordinary shares and warrants on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The initial public offering price for our securities has been determined by negotiation between us and the underwriters based upon several factors, including prevailing market conditions, our historical performance, estimates of our business potential and earnings prospects, and the market valuations of similar companies. The price at which the ordinary shares and warrants are traded may decline below the initial public offering price, meaning that you may experience a decrease in the value of your ordinary shares and warrants regardless of our operating performance or prospects.

The market price of our ordinary shares and warrants may fluctuate, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

The market price of our ordinary shares and warrants may fluctuate significantly in response to several factors, most of which we cannot control, including:

Volatility in the market price of our ordinary shares and warrants may prevent investors from being able to sell their ordinary shares and warrants at or above the initial public offering price. As a result, you may suffer a loss on your investment.

We may not be able to satisfy listing requirements of the Nasdaq Capital Market or obtain or maintain a listing of our ordinary shares and warrants.

Because our ordinary shares and warrants are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market we must meet certain financial and liquidity criteria to maintain such listing. If we violate Nasdaq listing requirements, our ordinary shares and warrants may be delisted. If we fail to meet any of Nasdaq’s listing standards, our ordinary shares and warrants may be delisted. In addition, our board of directors may determine that the cost of maintaining our listing on a national securities exchange outweighs the benefits of such listing. A delisting of our ordinary shares and warrants may materially impair our shareholders’ ability to buy and sell our ordinary shares and warrants and could have an adverse effect on the market price of, and the efficiency of the trading market for, our ordinary shares and warrants. The delisting of our ordinary shares and warrants could significantly impair our ability to raise capital and the value of your investment.

The warrants may not have any value.

The warrants are exercisable for five years from the date of initial issuance at an initial exercise price of $1.30. There can be no assurance that the market price of our ordinary shares will ever equal or exceed the exercise price of the warrants. In the event that the stock price of our ordinary shares does not exceed the exercise price of the warrants during the period when the warrants are exercisable, the warrants may not have any value.

Holders of warrants purchased in our initial public offering will have no rights as shareholders until such holders exercise their warrants and acquire our ordinary shares.

Until holders of the warrants purchased in our initial public offering acquire ordinary shares upon exercise thereof, such holders will have no rights with respect to the ordinary shares underlying the warrants. Upon exercise of the warrants, the holders will be entitled to exercise the rights of an ordinary shareholder only as to matters for which the record date occurs after the date they were entered in the register of members of the Company as a shareholder.

We do not expect to declare or pay dividends in the foreseeable future.

We do not expect to declare or pay dividends in the foreseeable future, as we anticipate that we will invest future earnings in the development and growth of our business. Therefore, holders of our Securities will not receive any return on their investment unless they sell their securities, and holders may be unable to sell their securities on favorable terms or at all.

If securities industry analysts do not publish research reports on us, or publish unfavorable reports on us, then the market price and market trading volume of our securities could be negatively affected.

Any trading market for our securities may be influenced in part by any research reports that securities industry analysts publish about us. We do not currently have and may never obtain research coverage by securities industry analysts. If no securities industry analysts commence coverage of us, the market price and market trading volume of our securities could be negatively affected. In the event we are covered by analysts, and one or more of such analysts downgrade our shares, or otherwise reports on us unfavorably, or discontinues coverage of us, the market price and market trading volume of our securities could be negatively affected.

You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing actions against us or our management named in the report based on foreign laws.

We are incorporated under the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands. We conduct our operations outside the United States and substantially all of our assets are located outside the United States. In addition, except for one director, all of our other directors and our executive officers and the experts named in this report reside outside the United States, and a significant amount of their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, service of process upon such persons may be difficult or impossible to effect within the United States. Furthermore, because a substantial portion of our assets, and substantially all the assets of our directors and officers are located outside of the United States, any judgment obtained in the United States, including a judgment based upon the civil liability provisions of United States federal securities laws, against us or any of such persons may not be collectible within the United States.

We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to U.S. domestic public companies.

Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including:

We are required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, we intend to publish our results on a semi-annual basis as press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of Nasdaq Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information that would be made available to you were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.

We will be subject to ongoing public reporting requirements that are less rigorous than Exchange Act rules for companies that are not emerging growth companies and our shareholders could receive less information than they might expect to receive from more mature public companies.

We qualify as an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act. As a result, we will be permitted to, and intend to, rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 in the assessment of the emerging growth company’s internal control over financial reporting. In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period. Our financial statements may therefore not be comparable to those of companies that comply with such new or revised accounting standards.

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year during which we have total annual gross revenues of at least $1.07 billion; (ii) the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of the initial public offering; (iii) the date on which we have, during the preceding three year period, issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt; or (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” under the Exchange Act, which could occur if the market value of our securities that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter. Once we cease to be an emerging growth company, we will not be entitled to the exemptions provided in the JOBS Act discussed above.

Because we will be subject to ongoing public reporting requirements that are less rigorous than Exchange Act rules for companies that are not emerging growth companies, our shareholders could receive less information than they might expect to receive from more mature public companies. We cannot predict if investors will find our securities less attractive if we elect to rely on these exemptions, or if taking advantage of these exemptions would result in less active trading or more volatility in the price of our securities.

As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to rely on exemptions from certain Nasdaq corporate governance standards applicable to domestic U.S. issuers. This may afford less protection to holders of our shares.

We are exempted from certain corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq by virtue of being a foreign private issuer. As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to follow the governance practices of our home country in lieu of certain corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq. As result, the standards applicable to us are considerably different than the standards applied to domestic U.S. issuers. For instance, we are not required to:

We currently follow our home country practice that (i) does not require us to hold an annual meeting of shareholders no later than one year after the end of its fiscal year; (ii) does not require us to seek shareholder approval for amending our share incentive plans; (iii) a nominating/corporate governance committee does not need to compose entirely of independent directors and a written nominating/corporate governance committee charter meeting the requirements of Nasdaq Capital Market; and (iv) a compensation committee does not need to compose entirely of independent directors and a written compensation committee charter meeting the requirements of Nasdaq Capital Market. Consequently, we are exempt from independent director requirements of Rule 5605 (d) and (e) of Nasdaq Capital Market listing standards, except for the requirements under subsection (b)(2) thereof pertaining to executive sessions of independent directors and those under subsection (c) thereof pertaining to the Audit Committee. Accordingly, our investors may not be provided with the benefits of certain corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq. As a result, our shareholders may not be provided with the benefits of certain corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq.

Future issuances of our ordinary shares or securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, our ordinary shares, or the expiration of lock-up agreements that restrict the issuance of new ordinary shares or the trading of outstanding ordinary shares, could cause the market price of our Securities to decline and would result in the dilution of your holdings.

Future issuances of our ordinary shares or securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, our ordinary shares, or the expiration of lock-up agreements that restrict the issuance of new ordinary shares or the trading of outstanding ordinary shares, could cause the market price of our Securities to decline. We cannot predict the effect, if any, of future issuances of our Securities, or the future expirations of lock-up agreements, on the price of our Securities. In all events, future issuances of our Securities would result in the dilution of your holdings. In addition, the perception that new issuances of our Securities could occur, or the perception that locked-up parties will sell their securities when the lock-ups expire, could adversely affect the market price of our Securities. In connection with our initial public offering, we entered into a lock-up agreement that prevents us, subject to certain exceptions, from offering additional shares for up to 180 days after the closing of the initial public offering. In addition to any adverse effects that may arise upon the expiration of these lock-up agreements, the lock-up provisions in these agreements may be waived, at any time and without notice. If the restrictions under the lock-up agreements are waived, our Securities may become available for resale, subject to applicable law, including without notice, which could reduce the market price for our securities.

Future issuances of debt securities, which would rank senior to our ordinary shares upon our bankruptcy or liquidation, and future issuances of preferred shares, which could rank senior to our ordinary shares for the purposes of dividends and liquidating distributions, may adversely affect the level of return you may be able to achieve from an investment in our securities.

In the future, we may attempt to increase our capital resources by offering debt securities. Upon bankruptcy or liquidation, holders of our debt securities, and lenders with respect to other borrowings we may make, would receive distributions of our available assets prior to any distributions being made to holders of our ordinary shares. Moreover, if we issue preferred shares, the holders of such preferred shares could be entitled to preferences over holders of ordinary shares in respect of the payment of dividends and the payment of liquidating distributions. Because our decision to issue debt or preferred shares in any future offering, or borrow money from lenders, will depend in part on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of any such future offerings or borrowings. Holders of our Securities must bear the risk that any future offerings we conduct or borrowings we make may adversely affect the level of return, if any, they may be able to achieve from an investment in our Securities.

There is a risk that we will be a passive foreign investment company for any taxable year, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors in our shares.

In general, a non-U.S. corporation is a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for any taxable year in which (i) 75% or more of its gross income consists of passive income or (ii) 50% or more of the average quarterly value of its assets consists of assets that produce, or are held for the production of, passive income. For purposes of the above calculations, a non-U.S. corporation that owns at least 25% by value of the shares of another corporation is treated as if it held its proportionate share of the assets of the other corporation and received directly its proportionate share of the income of the other corporation. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents, royalties and certain gains. Cash is a passive asset for these purposes.

Based on the expected composition of our income and assets and the value of our assets, including goodwill, we do not expect to be a PFIC for our current taxable year. However, the proper application of the PFIC rules to a company with a business such as ours is not entirely clear. Because the proper characterization of certain components of our income and assets is not entirely clear, because we hold a substantial amount of cash following our initial public offering, and because our PFIC status for any taxable year will depend on the composition of our income and assets and the value of our assets from time to time (which may be determined, in part, by reference to the market price of our shares, which could be volatile), there can be no assurance that we will not be a PFIC for our current taxable year or any future taxable year.

If we were a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. investor holds shares, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could apply to such U.S. investor. See “Material Income Tax Considerations—U.S. Federal Income Taxation Considerations—Passive Foreign Investment Company Consequences” for additional information.

ITEM 4. INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY

A. History and Development of the Company

General Information

Our corporate address is 10 Anson Road, #28-01 International Plaza, Singapore 079903. Our company email address is info@guardforceai.com.

Our agent for service of process in the United States is Cogency Global Inc., located at 122 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10168.

Our website can be found at https://www.guardforceai.com. The information contained on our website is not a part of this report, nor is such content incorporated by reference herein, and should not be relied upon in determining whether to make an investment in our Securities. 

Corporate History

GF Cash (CIT), Guardforce AI’s legacy business, was incorporated in 1982 in Thailand and has been operating in the cash-in-transit, or CIT, industry since inception. Guardforce was incorporated on April 20, 2018, in the Cayman Islands as a holding company with a goal to acquire the business of GF Cash (CIT) which operates as our indirect subsidiary.

Upon our organization, on April 20, 2018, we issued 16,666,663 ordinary shares to our founders and initial officers and directors, for a total purchase price of $50,000.

On December 16, 2019, we entered into the Merger Agreement with VCAB. Upon the closing of the Merger which became effective March 10, 2020, VCAB merged with and into the Company and the separate existence of VCAB ceased. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, on or about March 10, 2020, we issued 689,427 to approximately 670 designated and Bankruptcy Court approved Claim Holders. On March 19, 2021, we issued the remaining 187,594 to the Claim Holders. In the aggregate, we have issued an aggregate of 877,021 Plan Shares to VCAB’s holders of Class 5 Claims. We issued the Plan Shares in reliance on the exemption provided by Section 1145 of the United States Bankruptcy Code.

On January 8, 2020, Guardforce AI Service Ltd. entered into two agreements with, and transferred 833,333 ordinary shares each to Mr. Terence Wing Khai Yap, our Chairman and Ms. Lei Wang, our Chief Executive officer. The shares, deemed as issuances by us, were transferred to Mr. Yap and Ms. Wang as compensation for serving in their roles as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, respectively.

On February 4, 2021, we entered into a purchase and sale agreement to acquire a 51%, or majority, interest in Handshake in exchange for 43,700 ordinary shares valued at HK$2,550,000 ($325,904). This acquisition was completed on March 25, 2021. The restricted ordinary shares that we issued to the seller of his Handshake interest (“Consideration Shares”) are subject to a two-year lockup and certain share claw back provisions as follows: (i) 25% of the issued shares must be returned to us if Handshake does not meet a 2021 revenue target of HK$5,000,000 ($642,674); (ii) 25% of the issued shares must be returned to us if Handshake does not meet a 2021 net profit target of HK$200,000 ($25,707); (iii) 25% of the issued shares must be returned to us if Handshake does not meet a 2022 revenue target of HK$7,500,000 ($964,010); and (iv) the remaining 25% of the issued shares must be returned to us if Handshake does not meet a 2022 net profit target of HK$750,000 ($96,401). During the year ended December 31, 2021, Handshake did not meet the net profit target of HK$200,00. In consideration of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 17, 2022, we entered into a second supplemental agreement to revise the claw back provisions on the net profit target for 2022 as follows: (i) 25% of the Consideration Shares shall be subject to the net profit target of Handshake in the fiscal year of 2022 (HK$750,000) ($95,854); and (ii) the remaining 25% of the Consideration Shares shall be subject to the over achievement of HK$200,000 ($25,561) above the net profit target of Handshake in the fiscal year of 2022 (i.e., HK$750,000 + HK$200,000 = HK$950,000) ($95,854 + $25,561 = $121,415). Except for the target (iii), the difference between the targets above and the final respective revenue and net profit figures as reflected in the audited accounts shall be the amount of Consideration Shares to be clawed back.

On September 28, 2021, we entered into an underwriting agreement with EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC, as the representative for the underwriters listed on Schedule 1 thereto, relating to the initial public offering of 3,614,458 units of the Company, at a price to the public of $4.15 per unit, with each unit consisting of one ordinary share of the Company, par value $0.003 per share , and a warrant to purchase one ordinary share, before underwriting discounts and commissions. Each ordinary share is being sold together with one warrant to purchase one ordinary share. Each whole share exercisable pursuant to the warrants have an exercise price per share at $1.30, as adjusted pursuant to Section 3(b) of the ordinary share purchase warrant. The warrants were immediately exercisable and will expire on the fifth anniversary of the original issuance date. The units were not certificated.

On October 1, 2021, we closed our initial public offering. The initial public offering was made pursuant to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-258054) that was filed with the SEC and became effective on September 28, 2021.

On November 1, 2021, we entered into a Transfer Agreement (the “Singapore Agreement”) to acquire 100% of the equity interests in AI Singapore. Pursuant to the Singapore Agreement, AI Singapore became a wholly owned subsidiary of our Company.

On November 18, 2021, we entered into a Transfer Agreement (the “Macau Agreement”) to acquire 100% of the equity interests in Macau GF. Pursuant to the Macau Agreement and upon the closing of the acquisition, Macau GF became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. The acquisition was closed on February 9, 2022.

On November 18, 2021, the Company entered into another Transfer Agreement (the “Malaysia Agreement”) to acquire 100% of the equity interests in Malaysia GF. Pursuant to the Malaysia Agreement and upon the closing of the acquisition, Malaysia GF became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. The acquisition was closed on January 20, 2022. The acquisitions of Macau GF and Malaysia GF provide the Company entry into the Macau and Malaysia markets with a focus on education, hospitality, retail and corporate sectors.

On January 20, 2022, we completed a private placement with several investors, wherein a total of 7,919,997 ordinary shares were issued at a purchase price of $1.30 per share, with each investor also receiving a warrant to purchase up to a number of ordinary shares equal to 150% of the number of ordinary shares purchased by such investor in the private placement, at an exercise price of $1.30 per share (the “Purchaser Warrants”), for a total purchase price of approximately $10.3 million. The Purchaser Warrants are immediately exercisable on the date of issuance, expire five years from the date of issuance and have certain downward pricing adjustment mechanisms, including with respect to any subsequent equity sale that is deemed a dilutive issuance, in which case the warrants will be subject to a floor price of $0.238 per share.

On January 25, 2022, we adopted the Guardforce AI Co., Limited 2022 Equity Incentive Plan, or the Plan. The purposes of the Plan are to (a) promote the long-term growth and profitability of the Company, and any affiliate to attract and retain the types of employees, consultants and directors who will contribute to the Company’s long-term success; (b) provide incentives that align the interests of employees, consultants and directors with those of the shareholders of the Company; and (c) promote the success of the Company’s business. The Plan provides for an aggregate of 3,180,000 ordinary shares, in the form of incentive share options, non-qualified share options, restricted shares, restricted share units, share appreciation rights, performance Share awards and performance compensation awards to employees, directors, and consultants of the Company or any affiliates of the Company and the Plan would expire on January 25, 2032. See the Report on Form 6-K furnished on January 27, 2022 for more information of the Plan.

As of the date of this report, 260,000 restricted ordinary shares are currently issued and outstanding, and 2,920,000 of our ordinary shares remain available for grant under the Plan.

On February 8, 2022, we entered into a Commissioned Development Agreement with Shenzhen Kewei Robot Technology Co., Limited (“Shenzhen Kewei”), wherein Shenzhen Kewei will develop a robotics management platform named GFAI Intelligent Cloud Platform V2.0 for us. The initial term of the Commissioned Development Agreement will be from February 8, 2022 until December 31, 2024, in accordance with certain development milestones listed in an exhibit to this report. We agreed to deliver payment to Shenzhen Kewei in the amount of USD$5,000,000, discounted to USD$3,000,000 provided the Company were to issue a one-time, lump sum payment within five (5) business days of the execution of the Agreement, which $3,000,000 amount the Company will be required to pay. We will be the sole owner of all intellectual property rights in the GFAI Intelligent Cloud Platform V2.0. The Agreement is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Hong Kong.

Although Shenzhen Kewei is affiliated with the Company, after careful consideration, the board of directors of the Company unanimously determined that the quotation received from Shenzhen Kewei was just, equitable and fair to the Company and that it would be in the best interests of the Company to enter into the Agreement with Kewei.

On February 28, 2022, we entered into a Strategic Partnership Agreement with SBC Global Holdings Inc. (“SBC”), wherein the Company and SBC will collaborate on the sale and leasing of robots in the United States. The strategic partnership is in lieu of the previously proposed acquisition. As part of the partnership the Company will establish a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary and will commit additional resources to develop the business to meet demand while working closely with SBC to accelerate overall U.S. market penetration. As part of the Agreement, SBC will refer clients to the Company. The Company and SBC will work together on a non-exclusive basis and each of the Company and SBC may enter into similar arrangements and agreements with any other parties. Management team of our Company believes that the Strategic Partnership Agreement with SBC was made in the ordinary course of business.

On March 9, 2022, we received a written notification from the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Department (the “Notification Letter”) of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) notifying the Company that, for the last 30 consecutive business days, the closing bid price for the Company’s ordinary share has been below the minimum $1.00 per share required for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) (“Rule 5550(a)(2)”).

Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) requires listed securities to maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share, and Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A) provides that a failure to meet the minimum bid price requirement exists if the deficiency continues for a period of 30 consecutive business days. Based on the closing bid price of the Company’s ordinary shares for the 30 consecutive business days from January 25, 2022 to March 8, 2022, the Company no longer meets the minimum bid price requirement.

The Notification Letter does not impact the Company’s listing of its ordinary shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market at this time. In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), the Company was given 180 calendar days, or until September 6, 2022 to regain compliance with Rule 5550(a)(2). To regain compliance, the Company’s ordinary shares must have a closing bid price of at least $1.00 for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days. If the Company does not regain compliance during such 180-day period, the Company may be eligible for an additional 180 calendar days, provided that the Company meets the continued listing requirement for market value of publicly held shares and all other initial listing standards for Nasdaq except for Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), and provide a written notice of its intention to cure this deficiency during the second compliance period, by effecting a reverse stock split, if necessary. If the Company does not qualify for the second compliance period or fails to regain compliance during the second 180-day period, then Nasdaq will notify the Company of its determination to delist the Company’s ordinary shares, at which point the Company will have an opportunity to appeal the delisting determination to a Hearings Panel. If at any time before September 6, 2022, the bid price of the shares closes at or above $1.00 per share for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days, Nasdaq will provide written notification that the company has achieved compliance with the minimum bid price requirement and will consider such deficiency matters closed.

We intend to monitor the closing bid price of its ordinary shares and may, if appropriate, consider implementing available options to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement under the Nasdaq Listing Rules.

On March 11, 2022, the Company entered into a Sale and Purchase Agreement with Shenzhen Kewei to acquire 100% of the equity interests in Shenzhen GFAI and Guangzhou GFAI. This acquisition was completed on March 22, 2022. The acquisition purchase price of $10,000,000 were paid in a mix of cash (10%) and restricted ordinary shares of the Company (90%). On March 22, 2022, we issued 2,142,852 restricted ordinary shares to the sellers’ designated parties.

On March 21, 2022, we signed a non-binding letter of intent (the “LOI”) with Shenzhen Kewei and Shenzhen Yeantec Co., Limited (together, the “Kewei Group”) to purchase up to 36 of the Kewei Group’s subsidiaries located in China. Under the LOI, in the first of two phases, we will acquire eight of the Kewei Group companies. The second phase provides us with the right of first refusal to purchase the remaining 28 companies within a period of 24 months from the date of the signing of the LOI. The purchase of the additional 28 companies will be dependent on the Company’s operational plans. The Company expects to sign the definitive agreement for the phase one acquisitions before the end of May.

The purchase price for the eight phase one companies will be based upon a valuation that is equal to one-time (from 2022 to 2026) projected average revenues for the eight companies estimated to be $30 million and will be paid in a mix of cash (10%) and Company restricted shares (90%) at a price of $2.00 per share. The Company will be required to pay Kewei Group the 10% cash component ($3,000,000) of the purchase price as a deposit and Kewei Group will deliver to the Company 100% of the outstanding share capital of the eight phase one companies as a pledge, within 10 days of the signing of the LOI. The acquisition is subject to, among other things, the satisfactory completion of due diligence by the Company, the entry into definitive agreements and any required third-party consents.

On January 20, 2022, we ceased to be a “controlled company” under the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market, or Nasdaq. As a foreign private issuer, we have the option to follow certain Cayman Islands corporate governance practices, except to the extent that such laws would be contrary to U.S. securities laws, and provided that we disclose the requirements we are not following and describe the Cayman Islands practices we follow instead. We are currently electing to follow home country practices in Cayman Islands with regard to certain corporate governance matters. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Common Shares and this Offering.”

Corporate Structure

The chart below presents our current corporate structure, as of the date of this report:

B. Business Overview

General

We were founded in 2018 with the purpose to acquire our operating subsidiary GF Cash (CIT) and develop complementary technology related solutions and services.

In 2020, we established a Robotics Solution business with a goal of diversifying our revenue base, proven to be well timed as the global COVID-19 pandemic soon followed.

In March 2021, we acquired 51% of Handshake Networking Ltd in Hong Kong as part of our strategy to enter into the Information Security business.

The principal executive office of our Company was changed to Singapore from Bangkok, Thailand in November 2021.

On March 22, 2022, we acquired 100% of the equity interests in Shenzhen GFAI and Guangzhou GFAI in Greater Bay Area of China. This acquisition is expected to serve an integral role in the growth of Guardforce AI’s robotics as a service (RaaS) business initiative. 

Our businesses are categorized into three main units:

[i] Secure Logistics Business;

[ii] Robotics Solution Business; and

[iii] Information Security Business.

Secure Logistics Business

We are a market leader with nearly 40 years of experience in the cash logistics business in Thailand. Our services include cash-in-transit, dedicated vehicles to banks, ATM management, cash center operations, cash processing, coin processing, cheque center, and cash deposit machine solutions (cash deposit management and express cash service). Our customers include local commercial banks, chain retailers, coin manufacturing mints, and government authorities. Our five major customers are Government Savings Bank, Bank of Ayudhya, TTB Bank Public Company (Thanachart Bank Public Company was one of our five major customers in fiscal year 2020 which had merged with TMB Bank Public Company in June 2021 to become TTB Bank Public Company), CP All Public Company and Big C Super Center Public Company. A few global customers also retain our services under temporary contract. As of the date of this report, we employed 1,738 staff located in GF Cash (CIT) and had 473 vehicles.

Our operating subsidiary, GF Cash (CIT), was founded in 1982 (the Company was formerly named Securicor (Thailand) Limited) and was renamed G4S Cash Service (Thailand) Limited in 2005. The Company was renamed again as Guardforce Cash Solution (Thailand) Limited in 2016 and the name was further changed to Guardforce Cash Solution Security (Thailand) Company Limited in 2017. The principal office of GF Cash (CIT) is located in Bangkok, Thailand.

Substantially all of our revenues are derived from GF Cash (CIT)’s secure logistic business and gross revenue for our secure logistic business years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 was approximately $34.3 million, $37.4 million and $38.6 million, respectively.

In 2020, in addition to our secure cash logistics business, we strategically began to develop other non-cash related solutions and services in an effort to diversify our revenue streams. In view of the pace of global robotics development and in response to the more automated requirements, driven in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have begun to rollout robotic solutions for our customers in Thailand and across the Asia Pacific region. As of December 31, 2021, we had generated approximately $0.4 million in revenue from our robotics solutions business.

In addition, we acquired Handshake on March 25, 2021, which contributed approximately $0.5 million to our consolidated revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Our Products and Services of Secure Logistics Business

As of the date of this report, the large majority of our revenues are derived from our principal business, which is Secure Logistics Solutions. This primarily includes: (i) Cash-In-Transit – Non-Dedicated Vehicle (Non-DV); (ii) Cash-In-Transit – Dedicated Vehicle (DV); (iii) ATM management; (iv) Cash Processing (CPC); (v) Cash Center Operations (CCT); (vi) Consolidate Cash Center Operations (CCC); (vii) Cheque Center Service (CDC); (viii) Express Cash; (ix) Coin Processing Service; (x) Cash Deposit Management Solutions (GDM).

Secure Logistics Solutions collects cash from its customers’ main business operations, then delivers the collected cash to its cash processing centers for counting, checking and packing in bundles, after which the cash is transported to the customers’ designated depository banks and deposited into the customers’ bank accounts. We enter into contracts with our customers to establish pricing and other terms of service. We charge customers based on activities (service performed) as well as based on the value of the consignment.

Core Services

Our Core Services include CIT (Non-DV), CIT (DV), ATM Management, CPC, CCT, CCC, CDC and GDM. For the year ended December 31, 2021, Core Services represented 97.6% of our total revenues.

The charts below show the breakdown of our core secure logistics business services by sector for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. These business sectors are discussed below.

Revenue by Services (For the year ended December 31, 2021):

Revenue by Services (For the year ended December 31, 2020):

Revenue by Services (For the year ended December 31, 2019):

Cash-In-Transit – Non-Dedicated Vehicles (Non-DV)

CIT (Non-DV) includes the secure transportation of cash and other valuables between commercial banks and the Bank of Thailand, Thailand’s central bank. CIT (Non-DV) also includes the transportation of coins between the commercial banks, the Thai Royal Mints and the Bank of Thailand. As such, the main customers for this service are the local commercial banks. Charges to the customers are dependent on the value of the consignment; condition of the cash being collected (for example, seal bag collection, piece count collection, bulk count collection, or loose cash collection); and the volume of the transaction. Vehicles used for the delivery of this service are not dedicated to the specific customers.

For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, CIT (Non-DV) revenues were approximately $11.2 million (31.9%), $12.0 million (32.0%) and $12.1 million (31.2%), respectively.

Cash-In-Transit - Dedicated Vehicle to Banks (DV)

CIT (DV) includes the secure transportation of cash and other valuables between commercial banks. As part of this service, dedicated vehicles are assigned specifically to the contracted customer for their dedicated use between the contracted designated bank branches. As this is a dedicated vehicle service, customers will submit direct schedules to our CIT teams for the daily operational arrangements and planning. Charges to the customers are on a per vehicle per month basis.

For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, CIT (DV) revenues were approximately $4.6 million (13.0%), $4.8 million (12.8%) and $5.0 million (12.9%), respectively.

ATM Management

ATM management includes cash replenishment services and first and second line of maintenance services for the ATM machines. First line of maintenance services (FLM) includes rectification of issues related to jammed notes, dispenser failures and transaction record print-out issues. Second line of maintenance services (SLM) includes all other issues that cannot be rectified under the FLM. SLM includes complete machine failure, damage to hardware and software, among other things.

For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, ATM Management revenues were approximately $10.8 million (30.7%), $12.5 million (33.3%) and $14.0 million (36.4%), respectively.

Cash Processing (CPC)

Cash processing (CPC) services include counting, sorting, counterfeit detection and vaulting services. We provide these services to commercial banks in Thailand.

For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, CPC revenues were approximately $3.0 million (8.6%), $2.8 million (7.5%) and $2.3 million (5.9%), respectively.

Cash Center Operations (CCT)

Cash Center Operations (CCT) is an outsourced cash center management service. We operate the cash center on behalf of the customer, which includes note counting, sorting, storage, inventory management and secured transportation of the notes and coins to the various commercial banks in Thailand.

For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, CCT revenues were approximately $2.8 million (8.0%), $3.3 million (8.6%) and $3.7 million (9.5%), respectively.

Consolidate Cash Center (CCC)

Consolidate Cash Center (CCC) is a new business commencing in 2021 to provide an outsourced cash center management service. We operate the cash center which includes note counting, sorting, storage, inventory management and secured transportation of the notes and coins on behalf of for Bank of Thailand (BOT).

For the years ended December 31, 2021, CCC revenues were approximately $0,2 million (0.5%).

Cheque Center Service (CDC)

Cheque Center Service (CDC) includes secured cheque pickup and delivery service.

For the year ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, CDC revenues were approximately $0.05 million (0.1%), $0.1 million (0.2%) and $0.4 million (1%), respectively.

Express Cash

The express cash service is an expansion of our Guardforce Digital Machine, or GDM, solution. We work with commercial banks to have a mobile GDM installed in our CIT vehicles to collect cash from retail customers at the retailers’ sites. The cash is immediately processed inside the CIT vehicle and the cash counting results are immediately transmitted to GF Cash (CIT) headquarters and to the commercial bank. That bank will then credit the counted amount to its customers’ bank accounts. We launched the Express Cash service in 2019.

For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, express cash service revenues were $nil (nil %), $0.1 million (0.3%) and $nil (nil %), respectively.

Coin Processing Service

The Coin Processing Service includes the secure collection of coins from retail businesses and banks. The coins are stored and then delivered to the Royal Thai Mint, a sub-division of the Thai Treasury Department, Ministry of Finance. We deploy manpower to work at the Royal Thai Mint as cashier services. Additionally, we use our existing vehicle fleet to deliver coins from the Royal Thai Mint to bank branches, and vice versa.

For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, coin processing service revenues were $nil, $0.3 million (0.8%) and $0.04 million (0.1%), respectively.

International Shipment

International shipment provides secured delivery service that we receive and deliver high valued items such as diamonds and jewelries on behalf of our customers. We receive the consignment by air and delivers to local customers in Thailand or vice versa.

For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, international shipment revenues were $0.05 million (0.1%), $0.06 million (0.0%) and $nil (nil %), respectively.

Cash Deposit Management Solutions (GDM)

Cash Deposit Management Solutions are currently delivered by our Guardforce Digital Machine (GDM). The GDM product is deployed at customer sites to provide secured retail cash deposit services. Customers use our GDM product to deposit daily cash receipts. We then collect the daily receipts from our GDM in accordance to the agreed schedules. All cash receipts are then securely collected and delivered to our cash processing center for further handling and processing.

For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, GDM revenues were approximately $1.6 million (4.7%), $1.5 million (3.9%) and $1.2 million (3%), respectively.

Our Fee Structure for the Secure Logistics Business

We have several fee models based on the services provided. Our fees for dedicated vehicles service are based on the allocation of cost of manpower deployment, vehicle and consumable items. Fees for fixed collections or on-call services are based on a pre-agreed amount per delivery, which varies by such factors as collection time, pick-up and delivery locations and the processing time.

Our Fleet of Vehicles for the Secured Logistics Business

We operate a fleet of 473 vehicles. Our fleet includes armored vehicles – pickup, armored vehicles – van, armored vehicles – truck 6 wheels, maintenance soft skin vehicles – pickup, coin trucks soft skin – pickup, security patrol soft skin – pickup trucks and administrative vehicles.

Our vehicles are maintained to the highest commercial standards to ensure our quality of service. We operate dedicated garages for the repair and maintenance of our vehicles, staffed with a team of in-house auto mechanics. Our vehicle repair facilities are located at our head office location in Laksi and at other major branch locations. We also have a well-established logistics department which monitors the operations of our garages and the maintenance of our vehicle operations standards.

Robotic Solutions Business

Our Robotics Solutions business was established in 2020 as part of our revenue diversification efforts. We do not manufacture the robots, but we operate on a Robots as a Service (RaaS) business model and purchase the robots from equipment manufacturers. We integrate various value add applications and offer these as a recurring revenue service. As part of our market penetration strategy, we have adopted a mass adoption strategy by providing the robots on a trial basis with an option to purchase or rent. In February 2022, we announced that the Company had reached a strategic milestone deploying more than 1,400 robots in the Asia Pacific region. The majority of these robots are still on a free trial basis with our key consideration being the collection of usage patterns and market intelligence allowing us to further develop applications and features that are suitable to our customers. In October 2021, we announced the launch of our Intelligent Cloud Platform (ICP) to help better manage the remotely deployed robots and to facilitate the development of additional features and applications. We plan to provide access to the ICP to all our clients through a browser-based interface that allows clients real-time data access. We are working continuously to improve and upgrade the robots and the ICP and their precise specifications may change over time.

We currently have 3 robotics products:

[1] Reception Robot (T - Series) for indoor stationary applications.

[2] Disinfection Robots (S - Series) for indoor applications.

[3] Delivery Robot (D - Series) for indoor applications.

Reception Robot (T – Series)

The T – Series robot is designed for indoor deployment at ingress/egress points for access control management. The T – Series robots are used primarily at shopping malls, residential buildings, educational institutions, corporate buildings, hospitals, supermarkets, transportation stations, hotels and entertainment venues. The T – Series features include:

The specifications of the T-Series are as follows:

Disinfection Robots (S – Series)

The S – Series robot is designed to be deployed indoors with disinfection capabilities and is used primarily at shopping malls, residential buildings, educational institutions, corporate buildings, hospitals, supermarkets, transportation stations, hotels and entertainment venues. The S – Series current features include:

The specifications for the S – Series are as follows:

Delivery Robot (D – Series)

The D – Series robot is designed for indoor applications for autonomous delivery capabilities and is used primarily at hotels, hospitals, restaurants and office environments. The current D – Series features include:

The specifications for the D – Series are as follows:

In addition, all of our robots include several communications features - the units can transfer data over both 4G LTE networks and Wi-Fi and will be able to incorporate future 5G capabilities.

For the year ended December 31, 2021, robotics solutions revenues were approximately $0.37 million or approximately 1.0% of the company’s total revenues.

Our Fee Structure for the Robotics Solutions Business

Our Robotics Solution Business has two fee structures:

Information Security Business

We acquired a majority stake in Handshake Networking (Handshake) on March 25, 2021, in furtherance of our strategy to diversify into information security as part of our portfolio of services. The purpose of this acquisition was to provide us with the experience, expertise and creditability to capitalize on the growing information security market. The Asia Pacific market for cybersecurity is expected to grow to approximately $51.42 billion by 2026.
https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/asia-pacific-cyber-security-market.

Handshake has been providing professional information security consultancy services since 2004 within the Asia Pacific region.

Handshake is the only certified and approved scanning vendor in Hong Kong by the PCI Security Standard Council (PCI ASV).

The services offered under our Information Security business include:

For the year ended December 31, 2021, Information Security revenues were approximately $0.48 million, or 1.4% of the company’s total revenues.

Our Fee Structure for the Information Security Business

Our Information Security Business has three fee structures:

Performance obligations for each of our service types are as follows:

Disaggregation information of revenue by service type is as follows:

Sales and Marketing

Secure Logistics Business Sales & Marketing

During the 2022 fiscal year, for our secure logistics business we will endeavor to ensure that all of our existing customer contracts will be renewed, to protect our major sources of existing income. In addition, we plan to undertake the following activities to promote our businesses:

Secure Logistics Customers

Since 2008, the major customer of our secure logistics business has been the Government Savings Bank, a state-owned Thai bank located in Bangkok.

For the year ended December 31, 2021, the revenue derived from the Government Savings Bank was approximately $9.6 million, which accounted for approximately 27.3% of our revenue.

For the year ended December 31, 2021, our next four largest customers were the Bank of Ayudhya Public Company, CP All Public Company, TTB Bank Public Company (Thanachart Bank Public Company was one of our five major customers in fiscal year 2020 which had merged with TMB Bank Public Company in June 2021 to become TTB Bank Public Company) and Big C Super Center Public Company. The total revenue derived from these four customers was approximately $15.7 million or 44.6% of our revenue. Our top five customers combined accounted for approximately 71.9% of our revenue. We have four customers that accounted for 10% or more of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 (See Note 23 “Concentrations” in our audited consolidated financial statements for details).

For the year ended December 31, 2021, substantially all of our revenues are derived from secure logistic customers of approximately $35.15 million. 64% of our revenue was generated from bank customers, while retail customers and others such as hospitality, corporate and logistics sectors accounted for 36% of these revenues.

We are now starting to diversify our customer portfolio by acquiring more retail customers and entering other new service sectors in order to balance our portfolio and better protect our business.

Our business development and customer service teams actively participate in all contract renewal processes in order to retain the contracts that are up for renewal and to establish and maintain good relationships with our customers.

Secure Logistics Competition

Our principal business is secure logistics. The chart below references GF Cash (CIT) as “GFCTH” and names GF Cash (CIT)’s competitors showing relative market share in 2021.

THAILAND MARKET SHARE 2021

Source: Thailand Revenue Department

The secure logistics industry in Thailand is subject to significant competition and pricing pressure. The main competitors are the international companies such as Brinks, and there are also many local CIT competitors in Thailand having very good relationships with their customers. We expect our secure logistics competition to increase and this could affect our pricing strategies in the future.

Additionally, several banks have their own CIT subsidiaries which serve these banks exclusively.

We also face potential competition from certain commercial banks that market their own cash management solutions to their customers and hire CIT companies as their CIT suppliers.

Across the CIT industry, most CIT companies want to have a footprint in the retail sector and they use lower pricing as a competitive strategy.

Despite the high competition in the CIT industry in Thailand, we believe that we have significant competitive advantages, including:

Robotics Solutions Business Sales & Marketing

During the 2022 fiscal year, we plan to undertake the following activities to promote our Robotics Solutions business:

Robotics Solutions Customers

Since the inception of our Robotics Solutions business, the deployment of our robots (free trial, service fee basis and sales) has primarily been at hospitals, educational institutions, entertainment venues, government buildings, and shopping malls in Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau and other markets across Asia.

Robotics Solutions Competition

The robotics industry globally is still in its infancy. Competition is high as most competitors are engaged in selling robots as a stand-alone product. The majority of our competitors are Chinese and Japanese robotics manufacturers. At present, there is no clear market leader.

Despite the highly competitive environment, we believe we have the following competitive advantages:

Information Security Business (Sales & Marketing)

During the 2022 fiscal year, we plan to undertake the following activities to promote our Information Security business:

Information Security Customers

Our customers in the Information Security business are primarily within the financial, logistics, retail, hospitality, and corporate services segments. Our business managers are in constant contact with customers to ensure that all service requests are delivered on a timely basis. The majority of service requests are based on annual penetration test requirements by the customers.

Information Security Competition

The information security industry globally is extremely fragmented with numerous start-ups targeting niche segments of the information security market. We expect that with the growing transformation of existing business to online platforms, the demand for various Information Security solutions will grow significantly. Competition is high as existing dominant players in the US and Europe try to gain market share within the Asia Pacific region. However, we believe that there will be a merging of physical security and Information Security as customers will require not only physical security but also the Information Security solutions.

Despite the high competition, we believe that we have significant advantages in our information security solutions, including;

Growth Strategy

We believe that trends in the security industry during the next decade will be characterized by rapid technological change, continual convergence between physical security and Information Security and increased competition. Against the backdrop of these industry trends, we aim to enhance shareholder value by maintaining our leading position in the Thailand secure logistics services market as well as leveraging our competitive strengths to exploit new opportunities identified from the increasing physical and cyber convergence and the growth in regional security demand.

Our principal growth strategies are to:

We expect to use the majority of the net proceeds from our private placement that closed in January to fund our planned capital expenditures to achieve the above itemized growth strategies.

As of December 31, 2021, our cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash was approximately $15.9 million. (See Note “Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash” in our audited consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2021, and 2020 on page F-23 for details on our cash position.) To the extent that there may be shortfalls in internal cash available for our growth plans, we expect to be able to access commercial banking credit facilities as the need arises.

There can be no assurance, however, that we will be able to accomplish any of the above listed strategic objectives or to acquire the necessary capital on terms acceptable to us, if at all. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Business—We might not have sufficient cash to fully execute our growth strategy.”

Organizational Structure

See “Corporate History and Structure—History and Development of the Company—Corporate History and Structure” above for details of our current organizational structure.

Property, Plant and Equipment

GF Cash (CIT) leases all of its existing operating facilities. GF Cash (CIT)’s main facility is in Laksi, Bangkok where it leases a 12,244 sqm (40,171 square feet) facility that serves as its head office with all supporting functions. The Laksi facility is the major operating site and covers all GF Cash (CIT) services within the Bangkok area. This facility is currently utilized at full capacity. The Laksi facility has operated for more than 20 years and is located near the Don Muang Airport. GF Cash (CIT)’s major operating equipment such as vehicles and machinery are operated out of this facility. The current lease is for 3 years and the monthly lease payment is THB2,625,000 (approximately $82,000).

GF Cash (CIT) is planning to lease a new, additional facility (about one-half of the existing Laksi facility size) in the next 3-5 years, to split the existing Laksi site into two facilities to operate in parallel, to improve operational efficiency. This new planned site is also expected to be under a lease arrangement rather than purchased. Currently, the Laksi facility is located in the north part of Bangkok which, because of its distance to GF Cash (CIT)’s main service areas, requires extra traveling time between such service areas and the main operating site, thus creating extra labor cost and fuel consumption on a daily basis. The expected expenses for the new operating site are estimated to be approximately THB 1.5 million – 2.0 million (approximately $46,350 - $61,800) under a monthly rental/leasing contract. GF Cash (CIT) has not yet made any expenditures for the new facility.

GF Cash (CIT) has a total of 21 branches operated in Thailand under the Guardforce name as follows: