The PRC government has significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of our business and may intervene with or influence our operations as the government deems appropriate to further regulatory, political and societal goals. The PRC government has recently published new policies that significantly affected certain industries such as the education and internet industries, and we cannot rule out the possibility that it will in the future release regulations or policies regarding our industry that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, the PRC government has recently indicated an intent to exert more oversight and control over overseas securities offerings and other capital markets activities and foreign investment in China-based companies like us. Any such action, once taken by the PRC government, could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or in extreme cases, become worthless. For additional information, see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system, including uncertainties regarding the interpretation and enforcement of laws, and sudden or unexpected changes of PRC laws and regulations with little advance notice could adversely affect us and limit the legal protections available to you and us, and the Chinese government may exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas, which changes could materially hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer our securities, and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or become worthless” on page 56 of this prospectus.
As of the date of this prospectus, we have one subsidiary in Hong Kong, Autozi Internet Technology (HK) Limited. Hong Kong is currently a separate jurisdiction from mainland China. The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, or the Basic Law, is a national law of the PRC and the constitutional document for Hong Kong, national laws and regulations of the PRC shall not apply to Hong Kong except for those listed in Annex III of the Basic Law, which is limited to laws relating to defense and foreign affairs, as well as other matters outside the autonomy of Hong Kong. As such, the legal and operational risks associated with our operations in the PRC apply to its operations in Hong Kong only to the extent applicable. We believe, without reliance on the opinion of Hong Kong legal counsel, that any regulatory actions related to data security or anti-monopoly concerns in Hong Kong may have very minimal impact or, if not none, on the Company’s ability to conduct its business, accept foreign investments, or list on a U.S. or foreign exchange because we currently do not and do not plan to have any substantive operations, including any data-related operations, in Hong Kong and Autozi Internet Technology (HK) Limited, our only subsidiary in Hong Kong, currently has no substantive operations and is expected to have the sole function of transferring funds within the corporate group in the future without playing any other roles in Hong Kong.
Furthermore, on May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCA Act, requiring a foreign company to certify it is not owned or controlled by a foreign government if the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or the PCAOB, is unable to audit specified reports because the company uses a foreign auditor not subject to PCAOB inspection. On March 28, 2021, the SEC issued interim measures implementing the HFCA Act which became effective on May 5, 2021. On December 2, 2021, the SEC adopted final amendments implementing the submission and disclosure requirements outlined in the HFCA Act, which went into effect on January 10, 2022. On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or Accelerating HFCA Act, which, if passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and signed into law, would decrease the number of non-inspection years for foreign companies to comply with PCAOB audits from three to two, thus reducing the time period before their securities may be prohibited from trading or delisted. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report on its determinations that it is unable to inspect or investigate completely PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and in Hong Kong because of positions taken by PRC authorities in those jurisdictions. In August 2022, the PCAOB, the CSRC, and the Ministry of Finance of the PRC signed a Statement of Protocol (the “Statement of Protocol”), which establishes a specific and accountable framework for the PCAOB to conduct inspections and investigations of PCAOB-governed accounting firms in mainland China and Hong Kong. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB announced that it was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong completely in 2022. The PCAOB Board vacated its previous 2021 determinations that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong. However, whether the PCAOB will continue to be able to satisfactorily conduct inspections of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong is subject to uncertainties and depends on a number of factors out of our and our auditor’s control. The PCAOB continues to demand complete access in mainland China and Hong Kong moving forward and is making plans to resume regular inspections in early 2023 and beyond, as well as to continue pursuing ongoing investigations and initiate new investigations as needed. The PCAOB has also indicated that it will act immediately to consider the need to issue new determinations with the HFCA Act, if needed. On February 24, 2023, the CSRC, the Ministry of Finance, the State Secrecy Administration, and the State Archives Bureau jointly issued the Provisions on Strengthening Confidentiality and Archives Administration in Respect of Overseas Issuance and Listing of Securities by Domestic Enterprises, or the Provisions, which aim to standardize confidentiality and archives administration in respect of direct or indirect overseas issuance of securities by domestic enterprises of the PRC and came into effect on March 31, 2023. Given that the Statement of Protocol and the Provisions have just been issued and that official guidance and related implementation rules of the Provisions have not been issued and the Provisions may be subject to further clarifications during subsequent implementation, should PRC authorities obstruct or otherwise fail to facilitate the PCAOB’s access in the future, the PCAOB may consider the need to issue a new determination. On December 29, 2022, the Accelerating HFCA Act was signed into law, which amended the HFCA Act by requiring the SEC to prohibit an issuer’ securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three. Our auditor, Marcum Asia CPAs LLP, which is based in New York, is currently subject to inspection by the PCAOB on a regular basis. Therefore, it is not subject to the determinations announced by the PCAOB on December 16, 2021 as it is not on the list published by the PCAOB. However, our auditor’s China affiliate is located in, and organized under the laws of the PRC. We cannot assure you that we will not be identified by the SEC under the HFCA Act as an issuer that has retained an auditor that has a branch or office located in a foreign jurisdiction that the PCAOB determines it is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in that foreign jurisdiction. If the PCAOB is unable to inspect and investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in China and we fail to retain another registered public accounting firm that the PCAOB is able to inspect and investigate completely in 2023 and beyond, or if we otherwise fail to meet the PCAOB’s requirements, our Class A ordinary shares will be delisted from the Nasdaq Stock Market, and our Class A ordinary shares will not be permitted for trading over the counter in the United States under the HFCA Act and related regulations. Should our Class A ordinary shares become not listed or tradeable in the United States, the value of the Class A ordinary shares could be materially affected. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China” from pages 54 to 78 of this prospectus for a detailed discussion.
Autozi Internet Technology (Global) Ltd. holds all of the equity interests in its PRC subsidiaries through subsidiaries incorporated in BVI and Hong Kong. As we have a direct equity ownership structure, we do not have any agreement or contract between our Company and any of its subsidiaries that are typically seen in a variable interest entity structure. Within our direct equity ownership structure, funds from foreign investors can be directly transferred to our PRC subsidiaries by way of capital injection or in the form of a shareholder loan from Autozi Internet Technology (Global) Ltd. following this offering. To transfer cash from our Hong Kong subsidiary to our PRC operating subsidiaries, our Hong Kong subsidiary may make capital injection to directly increase its registered capital in the PRC operating subsidiaries in which it holds equity interests, which requires a registration with the local administration for market regulation, a report with the local commerce department (which can be submitted along with the registration with administration for market regulation), and registration with a local bank authorized by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE. Our Hong Kong subsidiary may also provide a shareholder loan to our PRC operating subsidiaries, which requires a foreign loan registration with the SAFE or its local bureau. Aside from the aforesaid reports, filings or registrations to the relevant authorities, there is no other restriction or limitations on such cash transfer from our Hong Kong subsidiary to our PRC operating subsidiaries. If the Company plans to distribute dividends to its shareholders, our PRC operating subsidiaries will transfer the funds to the Company through our subsidiaries incorporated in Hong Kong, and the Company will then distribute dividends to all shareholders in proportion to the shares they hold, regardless of the citizenship or domicile of the shareholders. As entities incorporated in China, our PRC operating subsidiaries are subject to PRC regulations relating to foreign exchange, which may subject PRC resident beneficial owners of our PRC subsidiaries to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into these subsidiaries, limit the PRC subsidiaries’ ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits to the Company, or may otherwise adversely affect us. Current PRC regulations permit a PRC subsidiary to pay dividends to its offshore parent only out of its accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, a PRC subsidiary is required to set aside at least 10% of its accumulated profits each year, if