The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and we are not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS (Subject to Completion)
Dated June 23, 2022
16,000,000 American Depositary Shares
AMTD Digital Inc.
Representing 6,400,000 Class A Ordinary Shares
This is the initial public offering of 16,000,000 American depositary shares, or ADSs, of AMTD Digital Inc. Every five ADSs represent two of our Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share. We anticipate that the initial public offering price per ADS will be between US$6.80 and US$8.20.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the ADSs or our Class A ordinary shares. We have applied for listing the ADSs on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “HKD.”
We are an “emerging growth company” under applicable U.S. federal securities laws and are eligible for reduced public company reporting requirements.
AMTD Digital Inc. was incorporated in September 2019 by our Controlling Shareholder as a holding company of our businesses. Upon the completion of the Offering, we will be a “controlled company” as defined under the NYSE Listed Company Manual because our Controlling Shareholder will hold, directly and indirectly, more than 50% of the voting power for the election of directors.
As of the date of this prospectus, our outstanding share capital consists of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, and our Controlling Shareholder and certain other affiliates beneficially own all of our issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares. These Class B ordinary shares will constitute approximately 88.7% of our total issued and outstanding ordinary shares and 99.4% of the aggregate voting power of our total issued and outstanding ordinary shares immediately after the completion of this offering, assuming that the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs. Holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. Each Class A ordinary share is entitled to one vote, and is not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Each Class B ordinary share is entitled to twenty votes, and is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof.
Investing in the ADSs involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 23.
We face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties relating to our operations. Although we do not have any material operation or maintain any office or personnel in Mainland China and we do not have any variable interest entities structure in place, we face risks and uncertainties associated with the complex and evolving PRC laws and regulations and as to whether and how the recent PRC government statements and regulatory developments, such as those relating to variable interest entities, data and cyberspace security, and anti-monopoly concerns, would apply to us. Should these statements or regulatory actions apply to us, including our Hong Kong operations, in the future, or if we expand our business operations into Mainland China leveraging our fusion-in program, through AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem or in some other ways such that we become subject to them to a greater extent, our ability to conduct our business, invest into Mainland China as foreign investments or accept foreign investments, or list on a U.S. or other overseas exchange may be restricted. For example, PRC regulators have been increasingly focused on regulation in areas of data security and data protection and the PRC regulatory requirements regarding cybersecurity are constantly evolving. Various regulatory bodies in China, specifically the Cyberspace Administration of China, have enforced data privacy and protection laws and regulations with varying and evolving standards and interpretations. As of the date of this prospectus, we do not have any material operation in Mainland China and we have not collected, stored, or managed any personal information in Mainland China. Our management have conducted an analysis of the status and scope of our operations, including data compliance, and have concluded that currently we do not expect that laws and regulations in Mainland China on data security, data protection or cybersecurity to be applied to us or that the oversight of the Cyberspace Administration of China will be extended to our operations outside of Mainland China. However, we still face uncertainties regarding the interpretation and implementation of these laws and regulations in the future and if the recent PRC regulatory actions on data security or other data-related laws and regulations were to apply to us, we could become subject to certain cybersecurity and data privacy obligations, including the potential requirement to conduct a cybersecurity review for our public offerings at a foreign stock exchange, and the failure to meet such obligations could result in penalties and other regulatory actions against us and may materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations. These risks could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs, significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to continue to offer securities to investors, or cause the value of such securities to significantly decline. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in Mainland China and Hong Kong—Failure to comply with cybersecurity, data privacy, data protection, or any other laws and regulations related to data may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.”
The PRC government has significant authority to regulate, influence or intervene in the Mainland China operations of an offshore holding company at any time. It also oversees and controls and may exert more control over offerings conducted outside China by, and foreign investment in, China-based issuers. We cannot assure you that such oversight and control will not be extended to companies operating in Hong Kong such as us. These risks, together with uncertainties in the legal system and the interpretation and enforcement of laws, regulations, and policies in Mainland China, could hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer the ADSs, result in a material adverse change to our business operations, and damage our reputation, which could cause the ADSs to significantly decline in value or become worthless. For a detailed description of risks relating to doing business in Mainland China and Hong Kong, see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in Mainland China and Hong Kong.”
We face risks relating to the lack of inspection from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) on our auditor, which may cause our securities to be delisted from the NYSE or prohibited from being traded over-the-counter in the future under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, if the SEC determines that we have filed annual report containing an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that the PCAOB has determined it is unable to inspect or investigate completely for three consecutive years, or two consecutive years if proposed changes to the law, i.e. the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, are enacted, beginning in 2021. The delisting or the cessation of trading of our ADS, or the threat of their being delisted or prohibited from being traded, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report to notify the SEC its determinations that it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in Mainland China and Hong Kong, respectively, and identifies the registered public accounting firms in Mainland China and Hong Kong that are subject to such determinations. Our auditor is identified by the PCAOB and is subject to the determination. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in Mainland China and Hong Kong—The PCAOB is currently unable to inspect our auditor in relation to their audit work performed for our financial statements and the inability of the