Biddance AI Systems, Inc F-3, filed Aug 22, 2024
Biddance AI Systems, Inc. (BDAI)
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 22, 2024
Registration No. 333-_________
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
FORM F-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
| HITEK GLOBAL INC. | ||
| (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) |
| Cayman Islands | Not Applicable | |
| (State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.) |
Unit 304, No. 30 Guanri Road, Siming District
Xiamen City, Fujian Province, People’s Republic of China
+86 592-5395967
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Puglisi& Associates
850 Library Avenue, Suite 204
Newark, Delaware 19711
+1- (302) 738-6680 — telephone
(Name, address including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
With a copy to:
Bradley A. Haneberg, Esq.
Haneberg Hurlbert PLC
1111 East Main Street, Suite 2010
Richmond, Virginia 23219
+1-804-814-2209 — telephone
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement as determined by the registrant.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box: ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.C. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.C. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933.
Emerging growth company ☒
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 accounting standards provided to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission acting pursuant to said section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this 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 prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Subject to Completion, dated August 22, 2024
PROSPECTUS
Up to 14,907,000 Shares of Class A Ordinary Shares
Up to 14,907,000 Shares of Class A Ordinary Shares Issuable Upon Exercise of Warrants
Offered by the Selling Shareholders of
HITEK GLOBAL INC.
This prospectus relates to the resale, from time to time, by the selling shareholders (the “Selling Shareholders”) identified in this prospectus under the caption “Selling Shareholders,” of up to (i) 14,907,000 of our Series A Ordinary Shares, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Class A Ordinary Shares”) and (ii) 14,907,000 Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of certain outstanding warrants (the “Warrants”).
The Class A Ordinary Shares and the Warrants were issued to the Selling Shareholders pursuant to the terms of that certain Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of July 29, 2024. The Selling Shareholders purchased the Class A Ordinary Shares for an aggregate of $8,200,000 ($0.55 per Class A Ordinary Share). The Warrants, which we issued to the Selling Shareholders for nominal consideration, are exercisable for $0.55 per share and also contain a cashless exercise provision.
We are not selling any Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants under this prospectus and will not receive any proceeds from the sale of Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants by the Selling Shareholders. We will receive proceeds from cash exercise of the Warrants which, if exercised for cash with respect to all of the Class A Ordinary Shares, would result in gross proceeds of $8,198,850 to us. The Selling Shareholders will bear all commissions and discounts, if any, attributable to the sale of the Class A Ordinary Shares.
The Selling Shareholders may sell the Class A Ordinary Shares offered by this prospectus from time to time on terms to be determined at the time of sale through ordinary brokerage transactions or through any other means described in this prospectus under the caption “Plan of Distribution.” The Class A Ordinary Shares may be sold at fixed prices, at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to prevailing market price or at negotiated prices.
Our Class A Ordinary Shares are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “HKIT.” On August 22, 2024, the last reported sale price of our Class A Ordinary Shares on Nasdaq was $1.54 per share.
Investing in our securities being offered pursuant to this prospectus involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully read and consider the risk factors beginning on page 4 of this prospectus, as well as those included in the periodic and other reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission before you make your investment decision.
Neither the United States Securities and Exchange Commission nor any United States state securities commission, has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is August 22, 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS
i
You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized any person to provide you with different or additional information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus is not an offer to sell securities, and it is not soliciting an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, as well as information we have previously filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference, is accurate as of the date on the front of those documents only. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
This prospectus describes the general manner in which the Selling Shareholders may offer from time to time up to an aggregate of 29,814,000 Class A Ordinary Shares (including 14,907,000 Class A Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants). You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus and the related exhibits, any prospectus supplement or amendment thereto and the documents incorporated by reference, or to which we have referred you, before making your investment decision. Neither we nor the Selling Shareholders have authorized anyone to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus, any prospectus supplement or amendments thereto do not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase, the Class A Ordinary Shares offered by this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or amendments thereto in any jurisdiction to or from any person to whom or from whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation of an offer in such jurisdiction. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or amendments thereto, or the information we have previously filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front cover of the applicable document.
If necessary, the specific manner in which the Class A Ordinary Shares may be offered and sold will be described in a supplement to this prospectus, which supplement may also add, update or change any of the information contained in this prospectus. To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus and the prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement, provided that if any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date - for example, a document incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement - the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement.
Neither the delivery of this prospectus nor any distribution of Class A Ordinary Shares pursuant to this prospectus shall, under any circumstances, create any implication that there has been no change in the information set forth or incorporated by reference into this prospectus or in our affairs since the date of this prospectus. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since such date.
As permitted by SEC rules and regulations, the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part includes additional information not contained in this prospectus. You may read the registration statement and the other reports we file with the SEC at its website, as described below under “Where You Can Find More Information.”
Except as otherwise indicated by the context, references in this prospectus to “we,” “us,” the “Company,” and “our” refer to HiTek Global, Inc., a Cayman Islands (“BVI”) company limited by shares, and its consolidated subsidiaries.
ii
INFORMATION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein contain statements of a forward-looking nature. All statements other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made under the “safe harbor” provision under Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In some cases, these forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements relate to, among others:
| ● | future financial and operating results, including revenues, income, expenditures, cash balances and other financial items; | |
| ● | impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows; | |
| ● | our ability to execute our growth, expansion and acquisition strategies, including our ability to meet our goals; |
| ● | current and future economic and political conditions; | |
| ● | the response of participants using ACTCS (as such term is defined herein) tax device or its supporting services to any difficulties encountered by companies filing VAT (as such term is defined herein) through these systems; | |
| ● | changes in the regulations of PRC government bodies and agencies relating to VAT collection procedure and ACTCS business; | |
| ● | our ability to provide participants in projects using our services with a secure and acceptable payment method; | |
| ● | our ability to continue to operate through the VIE structure; | |
| ● | our capital requirements and our ability to raise any additional financing which we may require; | |
| ● | our ability to protect our intellectual property rights and secure the right to use other intellectual property that we deem to be essential or desirable to the conduct of our business; | |
| ● | our ability to hire and retain qualified management personnel and key employees in order to enable us to develop our business; | |
| ● | our ability to retain the services of Ms. Xiaoyang Huang, our Chief Executive Officer; | |
| ● | overall industry and market performance; and | |
| ● | other assumptions described in this prospectus underlying or relating to any forward-looking statements. |
We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs.
You should read these statements in conjunction with the risks discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” included in the applicable prospectus supplement or under similar headings in other documents which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus. Moreover, we operate in an emerging and evolving environment. New risks may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of such risks on our business or the extent to which any risk, or combination of risks, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements made in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this prospectus and such incorporated documents. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein and have filed as exhibits to this prospectus and the incorporated documents, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect.
iii
We are an offshore holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. As a holding company with no material operations, our operations were conducted in China by (i) Haitian Weilai, our indirect subsidiary, (ii) the VIE, HiTek and the VIE’s subsidiaries, Huasheng and Huoerguosi. Neither we nor our subsidiaries own any equity interests in the VIE. WFOE, the VIE and the shareholders of the VIE entered into a series of contractual arrangements (the “VIE Agreements”) pursuant to which we are able to consolidate the financial results of the VIE in our consolidated financial statements because we are deemed as the primary beneficial of the VIE under generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. (“U.S. GAAP”), and this structure involves unique risks to investors.
The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure as of August 22, 2024. All percentages in the following diagram reflect the voting ownership interests instead of the equity interests held by each of our shareholders given that each holder of Class B Ordinary Shares will be entitled to 15 votes per one Class B Ordinary Share, and each holder of Class A Ordinary Shares will be entitled to one vote per one Class A Ordinary Share:
Business Overview
We are an information technology (“IT”) consulting and solutions service provider focusing on delivering services to business in various industry sectors in China. As of the date of prospectus, we have two lines of businesses—1) services to small and medium businesses, which consists of Anti-Counterfeiting Tax Control System (“ACTCS”) tax devices, including Golden Tax Disk (“GTD”) and printers, ACTCS services, and IT services, and 2) services to large businesses, which consists of hardware sales and software sales. We expect to actively develop our system integration services and online service platform in the near future. Our vision is to become a one-stop consulting destination for holistic IT and other business consulting services in China.
The VIE is authorized to carry out the sales of GTD and a market leader in the Xiamen metropolitan area with respect to ACTCS tax devices and services since 1996. We provide our customers with the necessary ACTCS for their value added tax (“VAT”) reporting, collection and processing. VAT reporting is mandatory for all business enterprises in China. The ACTCS is one of the two major VAT control systems that a business entity may choose to comply with the VAT reporting requirements. Developed by the PRC government, ACTCS was intended to effectively eliminate counterfeit invoices, providing accurate and complete tax information for the regional and national audit system. We are authorized by the State Taxation Bureau, Xiamen Branch, as one of the first ACTCS service providers in the Xiamen metropolitan area. GTD is an ACTCS device necessary for normal operation of ACTCS software. The purchase of GTD is allowed only in conjunction with the use of the ACTCS software and its supporting services. Since 1996, we have been the number one ACTCS services provider for Xiamen business enterprises according to the data compiled by Xiamen Province Taxation Bureau.
1
Complementing our physical service center, we started developing online service center in 2018 to enable tens of thousands of businesses in the Xiamen metropolitan area to securely process VAT reporting and payment from their desktop virtually anytime and anywhere. Currently, our customers range from small, medium to large enterprises across industries in the Xiamen metropolitan area.
In April 2021, WFOE established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Xiamen Haitian Weilai Technology Co., Ltd. (“Haitian Weilai”) under the laws of the PRC. The strategy purpose of establishing the new subsidiary is for the integration of tax invoicing management services from the VIE to Haitian Weilai.
As part of the services provided to large businesses, the VIE currently sells its Communication Interface System (“CIS”), its self-developed software which provides embedded system interface solutions for large businesses. CIS is a universal embedded interface system used in petrochemical and coal businesses to collect industrial, electricity, facility pressure and temperature statistics and convert to readable format for analytical purposes.
As part of our services provided to large businesses, Huasheng sold hardware such as laptops, printers, desktop computers and associated accessories, together with certain internet servers, cameras and monitors. Huasheng’s major business strategy in its market was to connect and source through exclusive relationships with manufacturers so that Huasheng could offer competitively priced hardware. Huasheng has established its online support system in the beginning of 2018. The online system further enhanced Huasheng’s customer experience, which is complemented by highly trained professionals and attractive physical store environment. From the beginning of 2022, Huasheng transferred the above business to the VIE.
Corporate Information
Our principal executive offices are located at Unit 304, No. 30 Guanri Road, Siming District, Xiamen City, Fujian Province, PRC. Our telephone number at this address is +86 592-5395967. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at the offices of Maples Corporate Services Limited, PO Box 309, Ugland House, Grand Cayman, KY1-1104, Cayman Islands. Our agent for service of process in the United States is Puglisi & Associates, located at 850 Library Avenue, Suite 204, Newark, Delaware 19711.
The SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov. You can also find information on our website at http://www.xmhitek.com. The information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus.
As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt under the Exchange Act from, among other things, the rules prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our executive officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we will not be required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act.
2
| Class A Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding as of August 22, 2024 | 21,107,364 Class A Ordinary Shares. | |
| Class A Ordinary Shares offered by the Selling Shareholders | Up to 29,814,000 Class A Ordinary Shares, including 14,907,000 Class A Ordinary Shares and 14,907,000 Class A Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants. | |
| Class A Ordinary Shares to be outstanding immediately after this offering | 36,014,354 Class A Ordinary Shares, assuming the exercise of all of the Warrants. | |
| Terms of the offering | The Selling Shareholders, including their transferees, donees, pledgees, assignees and successors-in-interest, may sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of any or all of the Class A Ordinary Shares offered by this prospectus from time to time on Nasdaq or any other stock exchange, market or trading facility on which the shares are traded or in private transactions. The Class A Ordinary Shares may be sold at fixed prices, at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. | |
| Use of proceeds | The Selling Shareholders will receive all of the proceeds from the sale of any Ordinary Shares sold by them pursuant to this prospectus. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the Ordinary Shares by the Selling Shareholders. We may receive proceeds in the event that any of the Warrants are exercised at their respective exercise prices per share which may result in gross proceeds of up to an aggregate of $8,198,850. Any proceeds that we receive from the exercise of the Warrants will be used for general corporate purposes. See “Use of Proceeds” in this prospectus. | |
|
Listing
|
Our Class A Ordinary Shares are listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “HKIT.” There is no established trading market for the Warrants and we do not intend to list the Warrants on any exchange or other trading system. | |
|
Risk factors
|
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” below, beginning on page 4, and in our Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023, which is incorporated by reference herein, to read about the risks you should consider before investing in our securities. |
3
Before you make a decision to invest in our securities, you should consider carefully the risks described below, together with other information in this prospectus and the information incorporated by reference herein and therein, including our 2023 Form 20-F. If any of the following events actually occur, our business, operating results, prospects or financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. This could cause the trading price of our Class A Ordinary Shares to decline and you may lose all or part of your investment. The risks described below are not the only ones that we face. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also significantly impair our business operations and could result in a complete loss of your investment.
Risks Related to this Offering
You may experience dilution to the extent that our Class A Ordinary Shares are issued upon the exercise of outstanding Warrants or other securities that we may issue in the future.
You may experience dilution to the extent that our Class A Ordinary Shares are issued upon the exercise of our outstanding Warrants, and if we issue additional equity securities, or there are any issuances and subsequent exercises of stock options issued in the future. Up to 14,907,000 Class A Ordinary Shares may be issued with the exercise of Warrants at a per share exercise price of $0.55 issued to the Selling Shareholders in a private placement (the “July 2024 Private Placement”). These Warrants also bear anti-dilution protections in the event of stock dividends or splits, business combination, sale of assets, similar recapitalization transactions, or other similar transactions.
A large number of Class A Ordinary Shares may be sold in the market following this offering, which may depress the market price of our Ordinary Shares.
The Class A Ordinary Shares sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act. As a result, a substantial number of our Class A Ordinary Shares may be sold in the public market following this offering. If there are significantly more Class A Ordinary Shares offered for sale than buyers are willing to purchase, then the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares may decline to a market price at which buyers are willing to purchase the offered Class A Ordinary Shares and sellers remain willing to sell our Class A Ordinary Shares.
On July 29, 2024, we issued and sold (a) 14,907,000 Class A Ordinary Shares and (b) Warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 14,907,000 Class A Ordinary Shares at an exercise price equal to $0.55 per share in a private placement (the “Private Placement”).
In accordance with the Securities Purchase Agreement relating to the Private Placement, we are required to file a registration statement providing for the resale of the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Class A Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants. We are complying this requirement by filing this registration statement.
You should review a copy of the Securities Purchase Agreement which is included as an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 6-K that we furnished with the SEC on August 12, 2024, for a complete description of the terms and conditions of such agreements and documents, the Private Placement, this offering and all related transaction agreements.
4
We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the Class A Ordinary Shares or the Class A Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants by the Selling Shareholders pursuant to this prospectus. We may receive up to $8,198,850 in aggregate gross proceeds from cash exercises of the Warrants, based on the per share exercise price of the Warrants. Any proceeds we receive from the exercise of the Warrants will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes. The Selling Shareholders will pay any agent’s commissions and expenses they incur for brokerage, accounting, tax or legal services or any other expenses that they incur in disposing of such Class A Ordinary Shares. We will bear all other costs, fees and expenses incurred in effecting the registration of such Class A Ordinary Shares covered by this prospectus and any prospectus supplement. These may include, without limitation, all registration and filing fees, SEC filing fees and expenses of compliance with state securities or “blue sky” laws.
We cannot predict when or if the Warrants will be exercised, and it is possible that the Warrants may expire and never be exercised. As a result, we may never receive meaningful, or any, cash proceeds from the exercise of the Warrants, and we cannot plan on any specific uses of any proceeds we may receive beyond the purposes described herein.
See “Plan of Distribution” elsewhere in this prospectus for more information.
The information in this table should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto and other financial information incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement. Our historical results do not necessarily indicate our expected results for any future periods.
| As of December 31, 2023 | ||||||||
| Shareholders’ Equity | Actual | As adjusted* | ||||||
| (Unaudited) | ||||||||
| Ordinary Shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 490,000,000 shares authorized; 14,392,364 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2023** | 1,439 | 2,930 | ||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | 16,721,551 | 24,902,060 | ||||||
| Statutory reserves | 836,215 | 836,215 | ||||||
| Retained earnings | 11,387,748 | 11,387,748 | ||||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive loss | (609,367 | ) | (609,367 | ) | ||||
| Total Shareholders’ Equity | 28,337,586 | 36,519,586 | ||||||
| Total Capitalization | $ | 28,337,586 | $ | 36,519,586 | ||||
| * | Reflects the sale of 14,907,000 Class A Ordinary Shares in the Private Placement at price of $0.55 per share on July 29, 2024. Ordinary shares and additional paid-in capital reflect the net proceeds we expect to receive, after deducting the attorney fees. We estimate that such net proceeds will be $8,182,000. |
| ** | On February 5, 2024, the 2024 annual general meeting of shareholders adopted the resolutions that the issued 14,392,364 ordinary shares of par value of US$0.0001 each are re-designated and re-classified into 6,200,364 Class A Ordinary Shares of par value US$0.0001 each with one vote per share and 8,192,000 Class B Ordinary Shares of par value US$0.0001 each with 15 votes per share on a one for one basis. |
You should read this information together with our financial statements and the notes to those statements incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
We are a Cayman Islands company and our affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association and the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, which we refer to as the Companies Act below. The following description of our memorandum and articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time, are summaries and do not purport to be complete.
As of May 16, 2024, our authorized share capital consists of $50,000 divided into 500,000,000 shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, comprised of 431,808,000 Class A Ordinary Shares, 58,192,000 Class B Ordinary Shares, and 10,000,000 preference shares.
Our directors may, in their absolute discretion and without the approval of our shareholders, create and designate out of the unissued preference shares of our company one or more classes or series of preference shares, comprising such number of preference shares, and having such designations, powers, preferences, privileges and other rights, including dividend rights, voting rights, conversion rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, as our directors may determine. As of the date hereof, there are 6,200,364 Class A Ordinary Shares and 8,192,000 Class B Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding. The following are summaries of material provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the Companies Act insofar as they relate to the material terms of our Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares.
5
Ordinary shares
Dividends. Subject to any rights and restrictions of any other class or series of shares, our board of directors may, from time to time, declare dividends on the shares issued and authorize payment of the dividends out of our lawfully available funds. No dividends shall be declared by the board out of our company except the following:
| ● | profits; or |
| ● | “share premium account,” which represents the excess of the price paid to our company on issue of its shares over the par or “nominal” value of those shares, which is similar to the U.S. concept of additional paid in capital. |
However, no dividend shall bear interest against the Company.
Voting Rights. Holders of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights as set forth in our memorandum and articles of association. In respect of matters requiring a vote of all shareholders, each holder of Class A Shares will be entitled to one vote per one Class A Share and each holder of Class B Ordinary Shares will be entitled to 15 votes per one Class B Ordinary Share. The Class B Ordinary Shares are convertible into Class A Ordinary Shares at any time after issuance at the option of the holder on a one-to-one basis.
On a show of hands, every shareholder who is present in person and every person representing a shareholder by proxy shall have one vote for each Class A Ordinary Share and 15 votes for each Class B Ordinary Share of which he or the person represented by proxy is the holder. On a poll, a Class A shareholder shall have one vote for each Class A Ordinary Share he holds whereas a Class B Ordinary shareholder shall have 15 votes for each Class B Ordinary Share he holds, unless any share carries special voting rights. In addition, all shareholders holding shares of a particular class are entitled to vote at a meeting of the holders of that class of shares. Votes may be given either personally or by proxy.
Any ordinary resolution to be made by the shareholders requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the votes cast in a general meeting, while a special resolution requires the affirmative vote of no less than two-thirds of the votes cast.
Under Cayman Islands law, some matters, such as amending the memorandum and articles of association, changing the name or resolving to be registered by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands, require approval of shareholders by a special resolution.
There are no limitations on non-residents or foreign shareholders in the memorandum and articles of association to hold or exercise voting rights on the Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares imposed by foreign law or by the charter or other constituent document of our company. However, no person will be entitled to vote at any general meeting or at any separate meeting of the holders of the Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares unless the person is registered as of the record date for such meeting and unless all calls or other sums presently payable by the person in respect of Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares in the Company have been paid.
Winding Up; Liquidation. Upon the winding up of our company, after the full amount that holders of any issued shares ranking senior to the Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares as to distribution on liquidation or winding up are entitled to receive has been paid or set aside for payment, the holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares are entitled to receive any remaining assets of the Company available for distribution as determined by the liquidator. The assets received by the holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares in a liquidation may consist in whole or in part of property, which is not required to be of the same kind for all shareholders.
Calls on Ordinary Shares and Forfeiture of Ordinary Shares. Our board of directors may from time to time make calls upon shareholders for any amounts unpaid on their Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares in a notice served to such shareholders at least 14 days prior to the specified time and place of payment. Any Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares that have been called upon and remain unpaid are subject to forfeiture.
Redemption of Ordinary Shares. We may issue shares that are, or at its option or at the option of the holders are, subject to redemption on such terms and in such manner as it may, before the issue of the shares, determine. Under the Companies Act, shares of a Cayman Islands company may be redeemed or repurchased out of profits of the company, out of the proceeds of a fresh issue of shares made for that purpose or out of capital, provided the memorandum and articles of association authorize this and it has the ability to pay its debts as they come due in the ordinary course of business.
6
No Preemptive Rights. Holders of Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares will have no preemptive or preferential right to purchase any securities of our company.
Variation of Rights Attaching to Shares. If at any time the share capital is divided into different classes of shares, the rights attaching to any class (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class) may, subject to the memorandum and articles of association, be varied or abrogated with the consent in writing of the holders of three-fourth of the issued shares of that class or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a general meeting of the holders of the shares of that class.
Anti-Takeover Provisions. Some provisions of our current memorandum and articles of association may discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including provisions that authorize our board of directors to issue preference shares in one or more Class And to designate the price, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of such preference shares without any further vote or action by our shareholders.
Exempted Company. We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act. The Companies Act distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except that an exempted company:
| ● | does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies; | |
| ● | is not required to open its register of members for inspection; | |
| ● | does not have to hold an annual general meeting; | |
| ● | may issue shares with no par value; | |
| ● | may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 20 years in the first instance); | |
| ● | may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands; | |
| ● | may register as a limited duration company; and | |
| ● | may register as a segregated portfolio company. |
“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).
7
Register of Members
Under Cayman Islands law, we must keep a register of members and there shall be entered therein:
| (a) | the names and addresses of the members, a statement of the shares held by each member, and of the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member; |
| (b) | the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; |
| (c) | the date on which any person ceased to be a member; and |
| (d) | whether voting rights are attached to the share in issue. |
Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e. the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a member registered in the register of members shall be deemed as a matter of Cayman Islands law to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the closing of this public offering, the register of members shall be immediately updated to reflect the issue of shares by us. Once our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members shall be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name.
However, there are certain limited circumstances where an application may be made to a Cayman Islands court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position. Further, the Cayman Islands court has the power to order that the register of members maintained by a company should be rectified where it considers that the register of members does not reflect the correct legal position. If an application for an order for rectification of the register of members were made in respect of our Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares, then the validity of such shares may be subject to re-examination by a Cayman Islands court.
Preference shares
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorizes the issuance of 10,000,000 preference shares with such designation, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by our board of directors. Accordingly, our board of directors is empowered, without shareholder approval, to issue preference shares with dividend, liquidation, redemption, voting or other rights which could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares. We may issue some or all of the preference shares to effect a business combination. In addition, the preference shares could be utilized as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change in control of us. Although we do not currently intend to issue any preference shares, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future.
Warrants
As of the date of this prospectus, there are outstanding Warrants to purchase up to 14,907,000 Class A Ordinary Shares of the Company. The Warrants have an exercise price of $0.55 per Class A Ordinary Share. The Warrants became exercisable on July 29, 2024 and will expire on January 28, 2026. The exercise price and number of Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is subject to appropriate adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events, including, but not limited to, stock dividends or splits, business combination, sale of assets, similar recapitalization transactions or other similar transactions. The Warrants also have a cashless exercise provision.
8
Certain Differences in Corporate Law
Cayman Islands companies are governed by the Companies Act. The Companies Act is modeled on English Law but does not follow recent English Law statutory enactments, and differs from laws applicable to United States corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the material differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.
Mergers and Similar Arrangements.
In certain circumstances, the Companies Act allows for mergers or consolidations between two Cayman Islands companies, or between a Cayman Islands company and a company incorporated in another jurisdiction (provided that is facilitated by the laws of that other jurisdiction).
Where the merger or consolidation is between two Cayman Islands companies, the directors of each company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation containing certain prescribed information. That plan or merger or consolidation must then be authorized by either (a) a special resolution (usually a majority of 66.6% in value) of the shareholders of each company; or (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. No shareholder resolution is required for a merger between a parent company (i.e., a company that owns at least 90% of the issued shares of each class in a subsidiary company) and its subsidiary company. The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest of a constituent company must be obtained unless the court waives such requirement. If the Cayman Islands Registrar of Companies is satisfied that the requirements of the Companies Act (which includes certain other formalities) have been complied with, the Registrar of Companies will register the plan of merger or consolidation.
Where the merger or consolidation involves a foreign company, the procedure is similar, save that with respect to the foreign company, the director of the Cayman Islands company is required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, he is of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the merger or consolidation is permitted or not prohibited by the constitutional documents of the foreign company and by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the foreign company is incorporated, and that those laws and any requirements of those constitutional documents have been or will be complied with; (ii) that no petition or other similar proceeding has been filed and remains outstanding or order made or resolution adopted to wind up or liquidate the foreign company in any jurisdictions; (iii) that no receiver, trustee, administrator or other similar person has been appointed in any jurisdiction and is acting in respect of the foreign company, its affairs or its property or any part thereof; (iv) that no scheme, order, compromise or other similar arrangement has been entered into or made in any jurisdiction whereby the rights of creditors of the foreign company are and continue to be suspended or restricted.
Where the surviving company is the Cayman Islands company, the director of the Cayman Islands company is further required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, he is of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the foreign company is able to pay its debts as they fall due and that the merger or consolidated is bona fide and not intended to defraud unsecured creditors of the foreign company; (ii) that in respect of the transfer of any security interest granted by the foreign company to the surviving or consolidated company (a) consent or approval to the transfer has been obtained, released or waived; (b) the transfer is permitted by and has been approved in accordance with the constitutional documents of the foreign company; and (c) the laws of the jurisdiction of the foreign company with respect to the transfer have been or will be complied with; (iii) that the foreign company will, upon the merger or consolidation becoming effective, cease to be incorporated, registered or exist under the laws of the relevant foreign jurisdiction; and (iv) that there is no other reason why it would be against the public interest to permit the merger or consolidation.
9
Where the above procedures are adopted, the Companies Act provides for a right of dissenting shareholders to be paid a payment of the fair value of his shares upon their dissenting to the merger or consolidation if they follow a prescribed procedure. In essence, that procedure is as follows (a) the shareholder must give his written objection to the merger or consolidation to the constituent company before the vote on the merger or consolidation, including a statement that the shareholder proposes to demand payment for his shares if the merger or consolidation is authorized by the vote; (b) within 20 days following the date on which the merger or consolidation is approved by the shareholders, the constituent company must give written notice to each shareholder who made a written objection; (c) a shareholder must within 20 days following receipt of such notice from the constituent company, give the constituent company a written notice of his intention to dissent including, among other details, a demand for payment of the fair value of his shares; (d) within seven days following the date of the expiration of the period set out in paragraph (b) above or seven days following the date on which the plan of merger or consolidation is filed, whichever is later, the constituent company, the surviving company or the consolidated company must make a written offer to each dissenting shareholder to purchase his shares at a price that the company determines is the fair value and if the company and the shareholder agree the price within 30 days following the date on which the offer was made, the company must pay the shareholder such amount; if the company and the shareholder fail to agree a price within such 30 day period, within 20 days following the date on which such 30 day period expires, the company (and any dissenting shareholder) must file a petition with the Cayman Islands Grand Court to determine the fair value and such petition must be accompanied by a list of the names and addresses of the dissenting shareholders with whom agreements as to the fair value of their shares have not been reached by the company. At the hearing of that petition, the court has the power to determine the fair value of the shares together with a fair rate of interest, if any, to be paid by the company upon the amount determined to be the fair value. Any dissenting shareholder whose name appears on the list filed by the company may participate fully in all proceedings until the determination of fair value is reached. These rights of a dissenting shareholder are not available in certain circumstances, for example, to dissenters holding shares of any class in respect of which an open market exists on a recognized stock exchange or recognized interdealer quotation system at the relevant date or where the consideration for such shares to be contributed are shares of any company listed on a national securities exchange or shares of the surviving or consolidated company.
Moreover, Cayman Islands law also has separate statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction or amalgamation of companies in certain circumstances, schemes of arrangement will generally be more suited for complex mergers or other transactions involving widely held companies, commonly referred to in the Cayman Islands as a “scheme of arrangement” which may be tantamount to a merger. In the event that a merger was sought pursuant to a scheme of arrangement (the procedure of which are more rigorous and take longer to complete than the procedures typically required to consummate a merger in the United States), the arrangement in question must be approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made and who must in addition represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meeting summoned for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the terms of the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder would have the right to express to the court the view that the transaction should not be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it satisfies itself that:
| ● | we are not proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of our corporate authority and the statutory provisions as to majority vote have been complied with; |
| ● | the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question; |
| ● | the arrangement is such as a businessman would reasonably approve; and |
| ● | the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act or that would amount to a “fraud on the minority.” |
If a scheme of arrangement or takeover offer (as described below) is approved, any dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights, which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of U.S. corporations, providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares.
Squeeze-out Provisions.
When a takeover offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares to whom the offer relates within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands but this is unlikely to succeed unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith, collusion or inequitable treatment of the shareholders.
Further, transactions similar to a merger, reconstruction and/or an amalgamation may in some circumstances be achieved through other means to these statutory provisions, such as a share capital exchange, asset acquisition or control, through contractual arrangements, of an operating business.
10
Shareholders’ Suits.
Maples and Calder (Cayman ) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, is not aware of any reported class action having been brought in a Cayman Islands court. Derivative actions have been brought in the Cayman Islands courts, and the Cayman Islands courts have confirmed the availability for such actions. In most cases, we will be the proper plaintiff in any claim based on a breach of duty owed to us, and a claim against (for example) our officers or directors usually may not be brought by a shareholder. However, based both on Cayman Islands authorities and on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority and be applied by a court in the Cayman Islands, exceptions to the foregoing principle apply in circumstances in which:
| ● | a company is acting, or proposing to act, illegally or beyond the scope of its authority; |
| ● | the act complained of, although not beyond the scope of the authority, could be effected if duly authorized by more than the number of votes which have actually been obtained; or |
| ● | those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.” |
A shareholder may have a direct right of action against us where the individual rights of that shareholder have been infringed or are about to be infringed.
Enforcement of civil liabilities.
The Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States and may provide less protection to investors. Additionally, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the Federal courts of the United States.
We were advised by Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the U.S. predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the U.S. or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the U.S. or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the U.S., the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, and or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
11
Special Considerations for Exempted Companies.
We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act. The Companies Act distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except for the exemptions and privileges listed below:
| ● | annual reporting requirements are minimal and consist mainly of a statement that the company has conducted its operations mainly outside of the Cayman Islands and has complied with the provisions of the Companies Act; |
| ● | an exempted company’s register of members is not open to inspection; |
| ● | an exempted company does not have to hold an annual general meeting; |
| ● | an exempted company may issue negotiable or bearer shares or shares with no par value; |
| ● | an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 20 years in the first instance); |
| ● | an exempted company may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands; |
| ● | an exempted company may register as a limited duration company; and |
| ● | an exempted company may register as a segregated portfolio company. |
“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).
Vstock Transfer, LLC is the transfer agent and registrar for our Class A Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares. Its principal office is at 18 Lafayette Place, Woodmere, New York 11598.
The following summary of the material Cayman Islands, PRC and U.S. tax consequences of an investment in our Class A Shares is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date hereof, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. This summary is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as, legal or tax advice and is not exhaustive of all possible tax considerations. This summary also does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to an investment in our Class A Shares, such as the tax consequences under state, local, non-U.S., non-PRC, and non-Cayman Islands tax laws. Investors should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our Class A Ordinary Shares.
People’s Republic of China Enterprise Taxation (the “EIT Law”)
The following brief description of Chinese enterprise laws is designed to highlight the enterprise-level taxation on our earnings, which will affect the amount of dividends, if any, we are ultimately able to pay to our shareholders.
We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands and we gain substantial income by way of dividends paid to us from our subsidiaries in China. The EIT Law and its implementation rules provide that China-sourced income of foreign companies, such as dividends paid by a PRC subsidiary to its equity holders that are non-resident companies, will normally be subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of 10%, unless any such foreign investor’s jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty with China that provides for a preferential tax rate or a tax exemption.
Under the EIT Law, an enterprise established outside of China with a “de facto management body” within China is considered a “resident enterprise,” which means that it is treated in a manner similar to a Chinese enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes. Although the implementation rules of the EIT Law define “de facto management body” as a managing body that actually, comprehensively manage and control the production and operation, staff, accounting, property and other aspects of an enterprise, the only official guidance for this definition currently available is set forth in SAT Notice 82, which provides guidance on the determination of the tax residence status of a Chinese-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise, defined as an enterprise that is incorporated under the laws of a foreign country or territory and that has a PRC enterprise or enterprise group as its primary controlling shareholder. Although we do not have a PRC enterprise or enterprise group as our primary controlling shareholder and are therefore not a Chinese-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise within the meaning of SAT Notice 82, in the absence of guidance specifically applicable to us, we have applied the guidance set forth in SAT Notice 82 to evaluate the tax residence status of the Company and its subsidiaries organized outside the PRC.
12
According to SAT Notice 82, a Chinese-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having a “de facto management body” in China and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its worldwide income only if all of the following criteria are met: (i) the places where senior management and senior management departments that are responsible for daily production, operation and management of the enterprise perform their duties are mainly located within the territory of China; (ii) financial decisions (such as money borrowing, lending, financing and financial risk management) and personnel decisions (such as appointment, dismissal and salary and wages) are decided or need to be decided by organizations or persons located within the territory of China; (iii) main property, accounting books, corporate seal, the board of directors and files of the minutes of shareholders’ meetings of the enterprise are located or preserved within the territory of China; and (iv) one half (or more) of the directors or senior management staff having the right to vote habitually reside within the territory of China.
We believe we do not meet some of the conditions outlined in the immediately preceding paragraph. For example, as a holding company, the key assets and records of our company including the resolutions and meeting minutes of our board of directors and the resolutions and meeting minutes of our shareholders, are located and maintained outside the PRC. In addition, we are not aware of any offshore holding companies with a corporate structure similar to ours that has been deemed a PRC “resident enterprise” by the PRC tax authorities. Accordingly, we believe we and our offshore subsidiaries should not be treated as a “resident enterprise” for PRC tax purposes if the criteria for “de facto management body” as set forth in SAT Notice 82 were deemed applicable to us. However, as the tax residency status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term “de facto management body” as applicable to our offshore entities, we will continue to monitor our tax status.
The implementation rules of the EIT Law provide that, (i) if the enterprise that distributes dividends is domiciled in the PRC or (ii) if gains are realized from transferring equity interests of companies domiciled in the PRC, then such dividends or gains are treated as China-sourced income. It is not clear how “domicile” may be interpreted under the EIT Law, and it may be interpreted as the jurisdiction where the enterprise is a tax resident. Therefore, if we are considered as a PRC tax resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes, any dividends we pay to our overseas shareholders which are non-resident companies as well as gains realized by such shareholders from the transfer of our shares may be regarded as China-sourced income and as a result become subject to PRC withholding tax of up to 10%. We are unable to provide a “will” opinion because Jingtian & Gongcheng, our PRC counsel, believes it is possible but unlikely the Company and its offshore subsidiaries would be treated as a “resident enterprise” for PRC tax purposes because they do not meet some of the conditions outlined in SAT Notice 82. In addition, we are not aware of any offshore holding companies with a corporate structure similar to ours that has been deemed a PRC “resident enterprise” by the PRC tax authorities as of the date of this annual report. Therefore, it is possible but highly unlikely that the income received by our overseas shareholders will be regarded as China-sourced income.
Cayman Islands Tax Considerations
The following is a discussion on certain Cayman Islands income tax consequences of an investment in the securities of the Company. The discussion is a general summary of present law, which is subject to prospective and retroactive change. It is not intended as tax advice, does not consider any investor’s particular circumstances, and does not consider tax consequences other than those arising under Cayman Islands law.
13
Under Existing Cayman Islands Laws:
Payments of dividends and capital in respect of our securities will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of the securities nor will gains derived from the disposal of the securities be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporation tax. The Cayman Islands currently have no income, corporate or capital gains tax and no estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax.
No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of the warrants. An instrument of transfer in respect of a warrant is stampable if executed in or brought into the Cayman Islands.
No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of our Class A Shares or on an instrument of transfer in respect of such shares.
The Company has been incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability and, as such, has applied for and received an undertaking from the Financial Secretary of the Cayman Islands in the following form:
The Tax Concessions Act (As Revised)
Undertaking as to Tax Concessions
In accordance with the provision of Section 6 of The Tax Concessions Act (As Revised), the Financial Secretary undertakes with the Company:
| 1. | That no law which is hereafter enacted in the Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations shall apply to the Company or its operations; and |
| 2. | In addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax shall be payable: |
| a. | On or in respect of the shares, debentures or other obligations of the Company; or |
| b. | by way of the withholding in whole or part, of any relevant payment as defined in Section 6(3) of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised). |
These concessions shall be for a period of twenty years from the date hereof.
United States Federal Income Taxation
The following does not address the tax consequences to any particular investor or to persons in special tax situations such as:
| ● | banks; | |
| ● | financial institutions; | |
| ● | insurance companies; | |
| ● | regulated investment companies; |
| ● | real estate investment trusts; |
14
| ● | broker-dealers; | |
| ● | traders that elect to mark-to-market; | |
| ● | U.S. expatriates; | |
| ● | tax-exempt entities; | |
| ● | persons liable for alternative minimum tax; | |
| ● | persons holding our Class A Shares as part of a straddle, hedging, conversion or integrated transaction; | |
| ● | persons that actually or constructively own 10% or more of our voting shares; | |
| ● | persons who acquired our Class A Shares pursuant to the exercise of any employee share option or otherwise as consideration; or | |
| ● | persons holding our Class A Shares through partnerships or other pass-through entities. |
Prospective purchasers are urged to consult their own tax advisors about the application of the U.S. Federal tax rules to their particular circumstances as well as the state, local, foreign and other tax consequences to them of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our Class A Shares.
Taxation of Dividends and Other Distributions on our Class A Ordinary Shares
Subject to the passive foreign investment company rules discussed below, the gross amount of distributions made by us to you with respect to the Class A Shares (including the amount of any taxes withheld therefrom) will generally be includable in your gross income as dividend income on the date of receipt by you, but only to the extent that the distribution is paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). With respect to corporate U.S. Holders, the dividends will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction allowed to corporations in respect of dividends received from other U.S. corporations.
With respect to non-corporate U.S. Holders, including individual U.S. Holders, dividends will be taxed at the lower capital gains rate applicable to qualified dividend income, provided that (1) the Class A Shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the U.S., or we are eligible for the benefits of an approved qualifying income tax treaty with the U.S. that includes an exchange of information program, (2) we are not a passive foreign investment company (as discussed below) for either our taxable year in which the dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year, and (3) certain holding period requirements are met. Under U.S. Internal Revenue Service authority, Class A Shares are considered for purpose of clause (1) above to be readily tradable on an established securities market in the U.S. because they are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. You are urged to consult your tax advisors regarding the availability of the lower rate for dividends paid with respect to our Class A Shares, including the effects of any change in law after the date of this annual report.
Dividends will constitute foreign source income for foreign tax credit limitation purposes. If the dividends are taxed as qualified dividend income (as discussed above), the amount of the dividend taken into account for purposes of calculating the foreign tax credit limitation will be limited to the gross amount of the dividend, multiplied by the reduced rate divided by the highest rate of tax normally applicable to dividends. The limitation on foreign taxes eligible for credit is calculated separately with respect to specific classes of income. For this purpose, dividends distributed by us with respect to our Class A Shares will constitute “passive category income” but could, in the case of certain U.S. Holders, constitute “general category income.”
For the year ended December 31, 2023, we have not declared any dividends on our Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares. To the extent the distribution exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), it will be treated first as a tax-free return of your tax basis in your Class A Shares, and to the extent the distribution exceeds your tax basis, the excess will be taxed as capital gain. We do not intend to calculate our earnings and profits under U.S. federal income tax principles. Therefore, a U.S. Holder should expect that a distribution will be treated as a dividend even if that distribution would otherwise be treated as a non-taxable return of capital or as capital gain under the rules described above.
15
Taxation of Dispositions of Class A Shares
Subject to the passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) rules discussed below, you will recognize taxable gain or loss on any sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of a share equal to the difference between the amount realized (in U.S. dollars) for the share and your tax basis (in U.S. dollars) in the Class A Shares. The gain or loss will be capital gain or loss. If you are a non-corporate U.S. Holder, including an individual U.S. Holder, who has held the Class A Shares for more than one year, you will be eligible for (a) reduced tax rates of 0% (for individuals in the 10% or 15% tax brackets), (b) higher tax rates of 20% (for individuals in the 39.6% tax bracket) or (c) 15% for all other individuals. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations. Any such gain or loss that you recognize will generally be treated as United States source income or loss for foreign tax credit limitation purposes.
Passive Foreign Investment Company (PFIC) Consequences
Based on our current and anticipated operations and the composition of our assets, we do not expect to be treated as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for our current taxable year. PFIC status is a factual determination for each taxable year which cannot be made until the close of the taxable year. A non-U.S. corporation is considered a PFIC for any taxable year if either:
| ● | at least 75% of its gross income is passive income; or | |
| ● | at least 50% of the value of its assets (based on an average of the quarterly values of the assets during a taxable year) is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income (the “asset test”). |
We will be treated as owning our proportionate share of the assets and earning our proportionate share of the income of any other corporation in which we own, directly or indirectly, at least 25% (by value) of the stock.
We must make a separate determination each year as to whether we are a PFIC. As a result, our PFIC status may change from no to yes. In particular, because the value of our assets for purposes of the asset test will generally be determined based on the market price of our Class A Shares, our PFIC status will depend in large part on the market price of our Class A Shares. Accordingly, fluctuations in the market price of the Class A Shares may cause us to become a PFIC. In addition, the application of the PFIC rules is subject to uncertainty in several respects and the composition of our income and assets will be affected by how, and how quickly, we spend the cash we raise in our initial public offering. If we are a PFIC for any year during which you hold Class A Shares, we will continue to be treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which you hold Class A Shares. However, if we cease to be a PFIC, you may avoid some of the adverse effects of the PFIC regime by making a “deemed sale” election with respect to the Class A Shares.
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which you hold Class A Shares, you will be subject to special tax rules with respect to any “excess distribution” that you receive and any gain you realize from a sale or other disposition (including a pledge) of the Class A Shares, unless you make a “mark-to-market” election as discussed below. Distributions you receive in a taxable year that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions you received during the shorter of the three preceding taxable years or your holding period for the Class A Shares will be treated as an excess distribution. Under these special tax rules:
| ● | the excess distribution or gain will be allocated ratably over your holding period for the Class A Shares; |
| ● | the amount allocated to the current taxable year, and any taxable year prior to the first taxable year in which we were a PFIC, will be treated as ordinary income, and |
| ● | the amount allocated to each other year will be subject to the highest tax rate in effect for that year and the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the resulting tax attributable to each such year. |
16
The tax liability for amounts allocated to years prior to the year of disposition or “excess distribution” cannot be offset by any net operating losses for such years, and gains (but not losses) realized on the sale of the Class A Shares cannot be treated as capital, even if you hold the Class A Shares as capital assets.
A U.S. Holder of “marketable stock” (as defined below) in a PFIC may make a mark-to-market election for such stock to elect out of the tax treatment discussed above. If you make a mark-to-market election for the Class A Shares, you will include in income each year an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the Class A Shares as of the close of your taxable year over your adjusted basis in such Class A Shares. You are allowed a deduction for the excess, if any, of the adjusted basis of the Class A Shares over their fair market value as of the close of the taxable year. However, deductions are allowable only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains on the Class A Shares included in your income for prior taxable years. Amounts included in your income under a mark-to-market election, as well as gain on the actual sale or other disposition of the Class A Shares, are treated as ordinary income. Ordinary loss treatment also applies to the deductible portion of any mark-to-market loss on the Class A Shares, as well as to any loss realized on the actual sale or disposition of the Class A Shares, to the extent that the amount of such loss does not exceed the net mark-to-market gains previously included for such Class A Shares. Your basis in the Class A Shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts. If you make a valid mark-to-market election, the tax rules that apply to distributions by corporations which are not PFICs would apply to distributions by us, except that the lower applicable capital gains rate for qualified dividend income discussed above under “— Taxation of Dividends and Other Distributions on our Class A Shares” generally would not apply.
The mark-to-market election is available only for “marketable stock”, which is stock that is traded in other than de minimis quantities on at least 15 days during each calendar quarter (“regularly traded”) on a qualified exchange or other market (as defined in applicable U.S. Treasury regulations), including the Nasdaq Capital Market. Our Class A Shares started trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market on March 31, 2023. If the Class A Shares are regularly traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market and if you are a holder of Class A Shares, the mark-to-market election would be available to you were we to be or become a PFIC.
Alternatively, a U.S. Holder of stock in a PFIC may make a “qualified electing fund” election with respect to such PFIC to elect out of the tax treatment discussed above. A U.S. Holder who makes a valid qualified electing fund election with respect to a PFIC will generally include in gross income for a taxable year such holder’s pro rata share of the corporation’s earnings and profits for the taxable year. However, the qualified electing fund election is available only if such PFIC provides such U.S. Holder with certain information regarding its earnings and profits as required under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations. We do not currently intend to prepare or provide the information that would enable you to make a qualified electing fund election. If you hold Class A Shares in any year in which we are a PFIC, you will be required to file U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Form 8621 regarding distributions received on the Class A Shares and any gain realized on the disposition of the Class A Shares.
You are urged to consult your tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to your investment in our Class A Shares and the elections discussed above.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Dividend payments with respect to our Class A Shares and proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of our Class A Shares may be subject to information reporting to the IRS and possible U.S. backup withholding at a current rate of 24%. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to a U.S. Holder who furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and makes any other required certification on IRS Form W-9 or who is otherwise exempt from backup withholding. U.S. Holders who are required to establish their exempt status generally must provide such certification on IRS Form W-9. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of the U.S. information reporting and backup withholding rules.
17
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against your U.S. federal income tax liability, and you may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules by filing the appropriate claim for refund with the IRS and furnishing any required information. We do not intend to withhold taxes for individual shareholders.
Under the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act of 2010, certain U.S. Holders are required to report information relating to Class A Shares, subject to certain exceptions (including an exception for Class A Shares held in accounts maintained by certain financial institutions), by attaching a complete IRS Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets, with their tax return for each year in which they hold Class A Shares. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of the U.S. information reporting and backup withholding rules.
The 29,814,000 Class A Ordinary Shares being offered by the Selling Shareholders include (i) 14,907,000 Class A Ordinary Shares and (ii) 14,907,000 Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of all of the Warrants – both of which were issued in the Private Placement. For additional information regarding the issuance of these securities, see “The Private Placement” herein. We are registering the 29,814,000 Class A Ordinary Shares in order to permit the Selling Shareholders to offer such shares for resale from time to time. Except for the ownership of the Warrants or the transactions contemplated by the Securities Purchase Agreement, none of the Selling Shareholders have had any material relationship with us within the past three years.
The following table sets forth certain information with respect to each Selling Shareholder, including (i) the Class A Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by the Selling Shareholder prior to this offering, (ii) the number of Class A Ordinary Shares being offered by the Selling Shareholder pursuant to this prospectus and (iii) the Selling Shareholder’s beneficial ownership after completion of this offering. The registration of the 29,814,000 Class A Ordinary Shares does not necessarily mean that the Selling Shareholders will sell all or any of such Class A Ordinary Shares, but the number of Class A Ordinary Shares and percentages set forth in the final two columns below assume that all Class A Ordinary Shares being offered by the Selling Shareholders are sold. The final two columns also assume the exercise of all of the Warrants held by the Selling Shareholders as of August 22, 2024.
The table is based on information supplied to us by the Selling Shareholders, with beneficial ownership and percentage ownership determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC, and includes voting or investment power with respect to Class A Ordinary Shares. This information does not necessarily indicate beneficial ownership for any other purpose. In computing the number of Class A Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by a Selling Shareholder and the percentage ownership of that Selling Shareholder, Class A Ordinary Shares subject to Warrants held by that Selling Shareholder that are exercisable for Class A Ordinary Shares within 60 days after August 22, 2024, are deemed outstanding. Such Class A Ordinary Shares, however, are not deemed outstanding for the purposes of computing the percentage ownership of any other shareholder.
This prospectus covers the resale of up to an aggregate of 29,814,000 Class A Ordinary Shares that may be sold or otherwise disposed of by the Selling Shareholders. These Class A Ordinary Shares are issuable to the Selling Shareholders upon the exercise of the Warrants. The Warrants are currently exercisable at an exercise price of $0.55 per share and expire on July 28, 2026. See “The Private Placement” and “Description of Share Capital – Warrants” herein for further details relating to the Class A Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants and the Warrants.
18
| Selling Shareholder | Total Number | Total | Total Number of Class A Ordinary Shares Underlying the Warrants and Offered Hereby (2) | Number of | Percentage of | |||||||||||||||
| Canaan International Ltd. (4) | 3,636,000 | 1,818,000 | 1,818,000 | 0 | * | |||||||||||||||
| Apex Management Limited (5) | 4,000,000 | 2,000,000 | 2,000,000 | 0 | * | |||||||||||||||
| Grand Bright International Holdings Limited (6) | 4,360,000 | 2,180,000 | 2,180,000 | 0 | * | |||||||||||||||
| Fairview Eastern International Holdings Limited (7) | 4,000,000 | 2,000,000 | 2,000,000 | 0 | * | |||||||||||||||
| Rapid Proceed Limited (8) | 3,636,000 | 1,818,000 | 1,818,000 | 0 | * | |||||||||||||||
| Gold Ray Ventures Limited (9) | 4,000,000 | 2,000,000 | 2,000,000 | 0 | * | |||||||||||||||
| HK Red Sun Co., Limited (10) | 3,636,000 | 1,818,000 | 1,818,000 | 0 | * | |||||||||||||||
| Yong Lin (11) | 2,546,000 | 1,273,000 | 1,273,000 | 0 | * | |||||||||||||||
| TOTAL | 29,814,000 | 14,907,000 | 14,907,000 | 0 | * | |||||||||||||||
| * | Indicates less than 1%. |
| (1) | The number of Class A Ordinary Shares reflected in this column as beneficially owned by each Selling Shareholder includes the number of Class A Ordinary Shares subject to the Warrants exercisable for the Class A Ordinary Shares offered hereby which such Selling Shareholder has the right to acquire as of August 22, 20204 or within 60 days thereafter. |
| (2) | Represents the total number of Class A Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants owned by each of the Selling Shareholders, assuming full exercise of the Warrants offered hereby. |
| (3) | The number of shares owned and the percentage of beneficial ownership after this offering set forth in these columns are based on 21,107,364 Class A Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding as the date of this prospectus and assumes full exercise of the Warrants that are exercisable by each Selling Shareholder with respect to such Selling Shareholder and the sale of all of the Class A Ordinary Shares underlying such Warrants. |
19
| (4) | Yuanqiu Gao, as Director of Canaan International Ltd., has discretionary authority to vote and dispose of the shares held by Canaan International Ltd. and may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of these shares. Yuanqiu Gao disclaims any beneficial ownership of these shares. The address of Canaan International Ltd. is 4th Floor, Harbour Place, 103 South Church Street P.O. Box 10240, Grand Cayman KY1-1002. |
| (5) | Li Jian Hui, as Chief Executive Officer and Director of Apex Management Limited has discretionary authority to vote and dispose of the shares held by Apex Management Limited and may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of these shares. Li Jian Hui disclaims any beneficial ownership of these shares. The address of Apex Management Limited is Vistra Corporate Services Centre, Wickhams Cay II, Road Town, Tortola, BVI VG1110. |
| (6) | Ying Chang Yuan, as Director of Grand Bright International Holdings Limited has discretionary authority to vote and dispose of the shares held by Grand Bright International Holdings Limited and may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of these shares. Ying Chang Yuan disclaims any beneficial ownership of these shares. The address of Grand Bright International Holdings Limited is Vistra Corporate Services Centre, Wickhams Cay II, Road Town, Tortola, BVI VG1110. |
| (7) | Huan Liu, as Director of Fairview Eastern International Holdings Limited has discretionary authority to vote and dispose of the shares held by Fairview Eastern International Holdings Limited and may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of these shares. Huan Liu disclaims any beneficial ownership of these shares. The address of Fairview Eastern International Holdings Limited is Vistra Corporate Services Centre, Wickhams Cay II, Road Town, Tortola, BVI VG1110. |
| (8) | Huoyuan Chen, as Chairman and Director of Rapid Proceed Limited has discretionary authority to vote and dispose of the shares held by Rapid Proceed Limited and may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of these shares. Huoyuan Chen disclaims any beneficial ownership of these shares. The address of Rapid Proceed Limited is Vistra Corporate Services Centre, Wickhams Cay II, Road Town, Tortola, BVI VG1110. |
| (9) | Lin Li, as Director of Gold Ray Ventures Limited has discretionary authority to vote and dispose of the shares held by Gold Ray Ventures Limited and may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of these shares. Lin Li disclaims any beneficial ownership of these shares. The address of Gold Ray Ventures Limited is Vistra Corporate Services Centre, Wickhams Cay II, Road Town, Tortola, BVI VG1110. |
| (10) | Hongfei Wang, as Director of HK Red Sun Co., Limited has discretionary authority to vote and dispose of the shares held by HK Red Sun Co., Limited and may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of these shares. Hongfei Wang disclaims any beneficial ownership of these shares. The address of HK Red Sun Co., Limited is Flat 902, Sino Center, 582-592, Nathan Road, Mongkok, Hong Kong. |
| (11) | The address of Yong Lin is No. 93 Wenhua Street, Weiyuan, Sichuan, China. |
20
We are registering the shares offered by this prospectus on behalf of the Selling Shareholders. The Selling Shareholders, which, as used herein, includes donees, pledgees, transferees, or other successors-in-interest selling Class A Ordinary Shares received after the date of this prospectus from the Selling Shareholders as a gift, pledge, partnership distribution, or other non-sale related transfer, may, from time to time, sell, transfer, or otherwise dispose of any or all of their Class A Ordinary Shares on any stock exchange, market or trading facility on which the shares are traded or in private transactions. These dispositions may be at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of sale, at prices related to the prevailing market price, at varying prices determined at the time of sale, or at negotiated prices.
The Selling Shareholders may, from time to time, pledge or grant a security interest in some or all of the Class A Ordinary Shares owned by such shareholder and, if they default in the performance of their secured obligations, the pledgees or secured parties may offer and sell the Class A Ordinary Shares, from time to time, under this prospectus, or under an amendment to this prospectus under Rule 424(b)(3) or other applicable provision of the Securities Act amending the list of Selling Shareholders to include the pledgee, transferee, or other successors in interest as Selling Shareholders under this prospectus. The Selling Shareholders may use any one or more of the following methods when disposing of their shares:
| ● | ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker-dealer solicits purchasers; |
| ● | block trades in which the broker-dealer will attempt to sell the shares as agent, but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction; |
| ● | purchases by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for its account; |
| ● | an exchange distribution in accordance with the rules of the applicable exchange; |
| ● | privately negotiated transactions; |
| ● | short sales effected after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part; |
| ● | through the writing or settlement of options or other hedging transactions, whether through an options exchange or otherwise; |
| ● | broker-dealers may agree with the Selling Shareholders to sell a specified number of such shares at a stipulated price per share; |
| ● | a combination of any such methods of sale; and |
| ● | any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law. |
In connection with the sale of Class A Ordinary Shares or interests therein, the Selling Shareholders may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions, which may in turn engage in short sales of the Class A Ordinary Shares in the course of hedging the positions they assume. The Selling Shareholders may also sell Class A Ordinary Shares short and deliver these securities to close out their short positions, or loan or pledge the Class A Ordinary Shares to broker-dealers that in turn may sell these securities. The Selling Shareholders may also enter into option or other transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions or the creation of one or more derivative securities which require the delivery to such broker-dealer or other financial institution of shares offered by this prospectus, which shares such broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell pursuant to this prospectus (as amended to reflect such transaction).
If the Class A Ordinary Shares are sold through broker dealers, the Selling Shareholders will be responsible for discounts or commissions or agent’s commissions. The aggregate proceeds to the Selling Shareholders from the sale of the Class A Ordinary Shares offered by them will be the purchase price of the Class A Ordinary Shares less discounts or commissions, if any. The Selling Shareholders reserve the right to accept and, together with their respective agents from time to time, to reject, in whole or in part, any proposed purchase of Class A Ordinary Shares to be made directly or through agents. We will not receive any of the proceeds from this offering.
The Selling Shareholders also may resell all or a portion of the Class A Ordinary Shares in open market transactions in reliance upon Rule 144 under the Securities Act, provided that they meet the criteria and conform to the requirements of that rule.
The Selling Shareholders and any underwriters, broker-dealers, or agents that participate in the sale of our Class A Ordinary Shares or interests therein may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act. Any discounts, commissions, concessions, or profit they earn on any resale of the shares may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. If a Selling Shareholder is deemed an “underwriter” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act, he will be subject to the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act. We will make copies of this prospectus (as it may be amended from time to time) available to the Selling Shareholders for the purpose of satisfying the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act.
To the extent required, the Class A Ordinary Shares to be sold, the respective purchase prices and public offering prices, the names of any agents, dealers, or underwriters, and any applicable commissions or discounts with respect to a particular offer will be set forth, if appropriate, in a post-effective amendment to the registration statement that includes this prospectus.
The Selling Shareholders and any other person participating in a distribution of the Class A Ordinary Shares covered by this prospectus will be subject to the applicable provisions of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, including Regulation M, which may limit the timing of purchases and sales of any of the Class A Ordinary Shares by the Selling Shareholders and any other such person. To the extent applicable, Regulation M may also restrict the ability of any person engaged in the distribution of the Class A Ordinary Shares to engage in market-making activities with respect to the Class A Ordinary Shares.
21
Haneberg Hurlbert PLC is acting as counsel for us with respect to certain legal matters as to U.S. Federal securities law in this offering. Except as otherwise set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, certain legal matters in connection with the securities offered pursuant to this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP to the extent governed by the laws of the Cayman Islands. The address of Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP is P.O. Box 309, Ugland House, Grand Cayman, KY1-1104, Cayman Islands. Certain legal matters as to PRC law will be passed upon for us by Jingtian & Gongcheng. Additional legal matters may be passed on for us, or any underwriters, dealers or agents, by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.
The consolidated financial statements of our Company appearing in our annual report on Form 20-F for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 have been audited by Wei Wei & Co., LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in the reports thereon and incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such reports given on the authority of such firms as experts in accounting and auditing.
22
DISCLOSURE OF COMMISSION POSITION ON INDEMNIFICATION
FOR SECURITIES ACT LIABILITIES
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT US
We file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy, at prescribed rates, any documents we have filed with the SEC at its Public Reference Room located at 100 F Street, NE, Suite 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. We also file these documents with the SEC electronically. You can access the electronic versions of these filings on the SEC’s Internet website found at http://www.sec.gov. You can also obtain copies of materials we file with the SEC from our Internet website found at www.knology.com. The information contained in our website is not a part of this prospectus.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement and does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. Whenever a reference is made in this prospectus to any contract or other document of ours, you should refer to the exhibits that are a part of the registration statement or the prospectus supplement for a copy of the referenced contract or document. Statements contained in this prospectus concerning the provisions of any documents are necessarily summaries of those documents, and each statement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the copy of the document filed with the SEC.
23
INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with them. This means we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. Each document incorporated by reference is current only as of the date of such document, and the incorporation by reference of such documents shall not create any implication that there has been no change in our affairs since the date thereof or that the information contained therein is current as of any time subsequent to its date. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this prospectus and should be read with the same care. When we update the information contained in documents that have been incorporated by reference by making future filings with the SEC, the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus is considered to be automatically updated and superseded. In other words, in the case of a conflict or inconsistency between information contained in this prospectus and information incorporated by reference in this prospectus, you should rely on the information contained in the document that was filed later.
We incorporate by reference the following documents:
| ● | our annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed on April 5, 2024; |
| ● | our Current Report on Form 6-K, filed on August 12, 2024; |
| ● | the description of our securities contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on June 18, 2020, as updated by Exhibit 2.2 to our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the SEC on April 5, 2024, and including any amendments or reports filed for purposes of updating such descriptions; |
| ● | any future annual reports on Form 20-F filed with the SEC after the date of this prospectus and prior to the termination of the offering of the securities offered by this prospectus; and |
| ● | any future reports on Form 6-K that we furnish to the SEC after the date of this prospectus that are identified in such reports as being incorporated by reference in this prospectus. |
Our annual report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 contains a description of our business and audited consolidated financial statements with a report by our independent auditor. The consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
Unless expressly incorporated by reference, nothing in this prospectus shall be deemed to incorporate by reference information furnished to, but not filed with, the SEC. Copies of all documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, other than exhibits to those documents unless such exhibits are specially incorporated by reference in this prospectus, will be provided at no cost to each person, including any beneficial owner, who receives a copy of this prospectus on the written or oral request of that person made to:
HiTek Global Inc.
Unit 304, No. 30 Guanri Road, Siming District
Xiamen City, Fujian Province, People’s Republic of China
+86 592-5395967
Attn: Investor Relations
You should rely only on the information that we incorporate by reference or provide in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not making any offer of these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of those documents.
24
ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES
We are a Cayman Islands company incorporated on November 3, 2017 as an exempted company with limited liability. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies wishing to conduct business outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with section 6 of the Tax Concessions Law (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations shall apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax shall be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
All of our assets are located in the PRC. In addition, a majority of our directors and officers are nationals or residents of the PRC and all or a substantial portion of their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon us or these persons, or to enforce against us or them judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.
We have appointed Puglisi & Associates as our agent to receive service of process with respect to any action brought against us in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York under the Federal securities laws of the United States or of any state in the United States or any action brought against us in the Supreme Court of the State of New York in the County of New York under the securities laws of the State of New York.
We were advised by Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the U.S. predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the U.S. or any State; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the U.S. or any State, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the U.S., the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, and or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
PRC
Jingtian & Gongcheng, our counsel as to PRC law, has advised us that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of China would:
| ● | recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the U.S. or any state in the United States; or |
| ● | entertain original actions brought in each respective jurisdiction against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the securities laws of the U.S. or any state in the U.S. |
Jingtian & Gongcheng further advised us that the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the jurisdiction where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other form of reciprocity with the U.S. that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, courts in the PRC will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC law or national sovereignty, security or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the U.S. Under the PRC Civil Procedures Law, foreign shareholders may originate actions based on PRC law against us in the PRC, if they can establish sufficient nexus to the PRC for a PRC court to have jurisdiction, and meet other procedural requirements, including, among others, the plaintiff must have a direct interest in the case, and there must be a concrete claim, a factual basis and a cause for the suit. However, it would be difficult for foreign shareholders to establish sufficient nexus to the PRC by virtue only of holding our ordinary shares.
25
PROSPECTUS
Up to 14,907,000 Shares of Class A Ordinary Shares
Up to 14,907,000 Shares of Class A Ordinary Shares Issuable Upon Exercise of Warrants
Offered by the Selling Shareholders of
HITEK GLOBAL INC.
August 22, 2024
No dealer, salesperson, or other person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representation not contained in this prospectus, and, if given or made, such information and representation should not be relied upon as having been authorized by us. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities offered by this prospectus in any jurisdiction or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation. Neither the delivery of this prospectus nor any sale made hereunder shall under any circumstances create an implication that there has been no change in the facts set forth in this prospectus or in our affairs since the date hereof.
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 8. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated articles of association provide to the extent permitted by law, we shall indemnify each existing or former secretary, director (including alternate director), and any of our other officers (including an investment adviser or an administrator or liquidator) and their personal representatives against:
| ● | all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by the existing or former secretary or officer in or about the conduct of our business or affairs or in the execution or discharge of the existing or former secretary’s or officer’s duties, powers, authorities or discretions; and |
| ● | without limitation to paragraph (a) above, all costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by the existing or former secretary or officer in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative proceedings (whether threatened, pending or completed) concerning us or our affairs in any court or tribunal, whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere. |
No such existing or former secretary or officer, however, shall be indemnified in respect of any matter arising out of his own dishonesty.
To the extent permitted by law, we may make a payment, or agree to make a payment, whether by way of advance, loan or otherwise, for any legal costs incurred by an existing or former secretary or any of our officers in respect of any matter identified in above on condition that the secretary or officer must repay the amount paid by us to the extent that it is ultimately found not liable to indemnify the secretary or that officer for those legal costs.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Item 9. Exhibits
A list of exhibits filed with this registration statement on Form F-3 is set forth on the Exhibit Index and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 10. Undertakings
| (a)(1) | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
| (i) | To include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933; |
| (ii) | To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement. |
| (iii) | To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement; |
II-1
Provided however, that:
| A. | Paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) of this section do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-8, and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement; and |
| B. | Paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) of this section do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3 or Form F-3 and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement. |
| (2) | That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| (3) | To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
| (4) | To file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement to include any financial statements required by Item 8.A. of Form 20-F at the start of any delayed offering or throughout a continuous offering. Financial statements and information otherwise required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Act need not be furnished, provided that the registrant includes in the prospectus, by means of a post-effective amendment, financial statements required pursuant to this paragraph (a)(4) and other information necessary to ensure that all other information in the prospectus is at least as current as the date of those financial statements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to registration statements on Form F-3, a post-effective amendment need not be filed to include financial statements and information required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Act or Rule 3-19 of this chapter if such financial statements and information are contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the Form F-3. |
| (5) | That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser: |
| (i) | If the registrant is relying on Rule 430B: |
| (a) | Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and |
| (b) | Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date; or |
II-2
| (ii) | If the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use. |
| (6) | That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities: The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: |
| (i) | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
| (ii) | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant; |
| (iii) | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
| (iv) | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
| (b) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
II-3
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Company certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing this Registration Statement or Amendment thereto on Form F-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Xiamen, People’s Republic of China on August 22, 2024.
| HITEK GLOBAL INC. | ||
| By: | /s/ Xiaoyang Huang | |
| Name: | Xiaoyang Huang | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
| (Principal Executive Officer) | ||
| By: | /s/ Tianyu Xia | |
| Name: | Tianyu Xia | |
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |
| (Principal Accounting and Financial Officer) |
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Xiaoyang Huang and Tianyu Xia, and each of them, his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, each with full power of substitution and re-substitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any or all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement and any and all related registration statements pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the Securities Act, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated have signed this Registration Statement or Amendment thereto on Form F-3.
| Signature | Capacity | Date | ||
| /s/ Xiaoyang Huang | Chief Executive Officer | August 22, 2024 | ||
| Xiaoyang Huang | ||||
| /s/ Shenping Yin | Chairman of the Board | August 22, 2024 | ||
| Shenping Yin | ||||
| /s/ Tianyu Xia | Chief Financial Officer | August 22, 2024 | ||
| Tianyu Xia | ||||
| /s/ Bo Shi | Chief Technology Officer | August 22, 2024 | ||
| Bo Shi | ||||
| /s/ Wenhua Yang | Director | August 22, 2024 | ||
| Wenhua Yang | ||||
| /s/ Jianben Song | Director | August 22, 2024 | ||
| Jianben Song | ||||
| /s/ Lawrence Venick | Director | August 22, 2024 | ||
| Lawrence Venick |
II-4
SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REGISTRANT
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the undersigned, the duly authorized representative in the United States of HiTek Global Inc. has signed this registration statement or amendment thereto in Newark, Delaware, United States on August 22, 2024.
| Authorized U.S. Representative | ||
| Puglisi & Associates | ||
| By: | /s/ Donald J. Puglisi | |
| Name: | Donald J. Puglisi | |
| Title: | Managing Director | |
II-5
EXHIBIT INDEX
| * | To the extent applicable, to be filed by an amendment or as an exhibit to a document filed under the Exchange Act and incorporated by reference herein. |
| ** | Furnished herewith. |
| *** | Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 6-K, filed on August 12, 2024. |
II-6
Exhibit 5.1
| Our ref | MUL/742937-000001/79613878v1 |
Hitek Global Inc.
PO Box 309, Ugland House
Grand Cayman
KY1-1104
Cayman Islands
22 August 2024
Hitek Global Inc.
We have acted as counsel as to Cayman Islands law to Hitek Global Inc. (the “Company”) in connection with the Company’s registration statement on Form F-3, including all amendments or supplements thereto, filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”) (including its exhibits, the “Registration Statement”) relating to, among other things, the securities listed below which have been issued to, and which may be offered by, the selling shareholders identified in the Registration Statement (together, the “Selling Shareholders”):
| (a) | up to 14,907,000 Class A ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each of the Company (“Class A Ordinary Shares”); and |
| (b) | up to 14,907,000 Class A Ordinary Shares that may be issued upon exercise of warrants, each warrant exercisable to purchase one Class A Ordinary Share (“Warrants”). |
This opinion letter is given in accordance with the terms of the Legal Matters section of the Registration Statement.
| 1 | Documents Reviewed |
We have reviewed originals, copies, drafts or conformed copies of the following documents:
| 1.1 | The certificate of incorporation dated 3 November 2017 and the second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company as registered or adopted on 5 February 2024 (the “Memorandum and Articles”). |
| 1.2 | The written resolutions of the board of directors of the Company dated 19 June 2024 and 22 August 2024. |
| 1.3 | A certificate of good standing with respect to the Company issued by the Registrar of Companies (the “Certificate of Good Standing”). |
| 1.4 | A copy of an extract of the register of members of the Company received on 21 August 2024 (the “Register of Members”). |
Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP
PO Box 309 Ugland House Grand Cayman KY1-1104 Cayman Islands
Tel +1345 949 8066 Fax + 1345 949 8080 maples.com
| 1.5 | The Registration Statement. |
| 1.6 | The Securities Purchase Agreement dated as of 11 June 2024 between the Company and the Purchasers named therein (the “Document”) |
| 2 | Assumptions |
The following opinions are given only as to, and based on, circumstances and matters of fact existing and known to us on the date of this opinion letter. These opinions only relate to the laws of the Cayman Islands which are in force on the date of this opinion letter. In giving the following opinions, we have relied (without further verification) upon the completeness and accuracy, as at the date of this opinion letter, of the Certificate of Good Standing. We have also relied upon the following assumptions, which we have not independently verified:
| 2.1 | Copies of documents, conformed copies or drafts of documents provided to us are true and complete copies of, or in the final forms of, the originals. |
| 2.2 | No invitation has been or will be made by or on behalf of the Company to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for any of the Warrants or the Class A Ordinary Shares. |
| 2.3 | The completeness and accuracy of the Register of Members. |
| 2.4 | No monies paid to or for the account of any party under the Registration Statement or the Document or any property received or disposed of by any party to the Registration Statement or the Document in each case in connection with the Registration Statement or the Document or the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby represent or will represent proceeds of criminal conduct or criminal property or terrorist property (as defined in the Proceeds of Crime Act (As Revised) and the Terrorism Act (As Revised), respectively). |
| 2.5 | There is nothing under any law (other than the laws of the Cayman Islands) which would or might affect the opinions set out below. Specifically, we have made no independent investigation of the State of New York. |
Save as aforesaid we have not been instructed to undertake and have not undertaken any further enquiry or due diligence in relation to the transaction the subject of this opinion letter.
| 3 | Opinions |
Based upon, and subject to, the foregoing assumptions and the qualifications set out below, and having regard to such legal considerations as we deem relevant, we are of the opinion that:
| 3.1 | The Company has been duly incorporated as an exempted company with limited liability and is validly existing and in good standing with the Registrar of Companies under the laws of the Cayman Islands. |
| 3.2 | Based solely of our inspection of the Register of Members, the Selling Shareholders have valid title to their respective Class A Ordinary Shares and such Class A Ordinary Shares have been duly authorised, legally issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and there are no entries or notations indicating any third party interests, including any security interest as at the date hereof. |
| 4 | Qualifications |
The opinions expressed above are subject to the following qualifications:
| 4.1 | To maintain the Company in good standing with the Registrar of Companies under the laws of the Cayman Islands, annual filing fees must be paid and returns made to the Registrar of Companies within the time frame prescribed by law. |
2
| 4.2 | Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members (shareholders) is prima facie evidence of title to shares and this register would not record a third party interest in such shares. However, there are certain limited circumstances where an application may be made to a Cayman Islands court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position. Further, the Cayman Islands court has the power to order that the register of members maintained by a company should be rectified where it considers that the register of members does not reflect the correct legal position. As far as we are aware, such applications are rarely made in the Cayman Islands and for the purposes of the opinion given in paragraph 3.2, there are no circumstances or matters of fact known to us on the date of this opinion letter which would properly form the basis for an application for an order for rectification of the register of members of the Company, but if such an application were made in respect of the Class A Ordinary Shares, then the validity of such shares may be subject to re-examination by a Cayman Islands court. |
| 4.3 | Except as specifically stated herein, we make no comment with respect to any representations and warranties which may be made by or with respect to the Company in any of the documents or instruments cited in this opinion letter or otherwise with respect to the commercial terms of the transactions the subject of this opinion letter. |
| 4.4 | In this opinion letter the phrase “non-assessable” means, with respect to the issuance of shares, that a shareholder shall not, in respect of the relevant shares and in the absence of a contractual arrangement, or an obligation pursuant to the memorandum and articles of association, to the contrary, have any obligation to make further contributions to the Company’s assets (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil). |
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the references to our firm under the heading “Legal Matters” in the prospectus included in the Registration Statement. In providing our consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under section 7 of the Act or the Rules and Regulations of the Commission thereunder.
We express no view as to the commercial terms of the Document or whether such terms represent the intentions of the parties and make no comment with regard to warranties or representations that may be made by the Company.
The opinions in this opinion letter are strictly limited to the matters contained in the opinions section above and do not extend to any other matters. We have not been asked to review and we therefore have not reviewed any of the ancillary documents relating to the Document and express no opinion or observation upon the terms of any such document.
This opinion letter is addressed to you and may be relied upon by you, your counsel and purchasers of the Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement. This opinion letter is limited to the matters detailed herein and is not to be read as an opinion with respect to any other matter.
Yours faithfully
/s/ Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP
Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP
3
Exhibit 8.2
競天公誠津師事務所
JINGTIAN & GONGCHENG
34th Floor, Tower 3, China Central Place
77 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100025
| To: Haneberg Hurlbert PLC | August 22, 2024 |
Dear Sir/Madam,
We are qualified lawyers of the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”, for the purpose of issuing this opinion, excluding Hong Kong Special Administration Region, Macau Special Administration Region and Taiwan) and as such are qualified to issue this legal opinion (the “Opinion” with respect to all laws, regulations, statutes, rules, decrees, guidelines, notices, and judicial interpretations and other legislations of the PRC currently in force and publicly available as of the date hereof (hereinafter referred to as the “PRC Laws”).
We are acting as Hitek Global, Inc. (the “Company”) and the PRC Entities’ (hereinafter defined) PRC legal counsel as to the PRC laws in connection with the Registration Statement on Form F-3 filing by the Company as set forth in the Company’s registration statement on Form F-3 (the “Registration Statement”), to be filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission(the “SEC ”).
In addition to the terms defined in the context of this opinion, the following capitalized terms used in this opinion shall have the meanings ascribed to them as follows:
| “M&A Rules” | means the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, which was issued by six PRC regulatory agencies, namely, the Ministry of Commerce, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Administration for Taxation, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”)and the State Administration for Foreign Exchange, on August 8, 2006 and became effective on September 8, 2006, as amended by the Ministry of Commerce on June 22, 2009. |
| “Trial Measures and Circular” | means the Circular on the Administrative Arrangements for Filing of Securities Offering and Listing By Domestic Companies, and the set of regulations consisting of the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, and five supporting guidelines, issued by the CSRC, which came into effect on March 31, 2023. | |
| “PRC Entities” | means the PRC Subsidiary, Subsidiary of the PRC Subsidiary, the Variable Interest Entity and Subsidiaries of Variable Interest Entity collectively. | |
| “PRC Subsidiary” | means Tian Dahai (Xiamen) Information Technology Co., Ltd. (天达海(厦门)信息技术有限责任公司). | |
| “Subsidiary of the PRC Subsidiary” | means Xiamen Haitian Weilai Technology Co., Ltd. (厦门海天未来科技有限公司) | |
| “Subsidiaries of Variable Interest Entity” | means Xiamen Huasheng HiTek Computer Network Co., Ltd. (厦门华盛海天计算机网络有限公司) and Huoerguosi Hengda Information Technology Co., Ltd.(霍尔果斯亨达信息技术有限公司). | |
| “Variable Interest Entity” | means Xiamen Hengda HiTek Computer Network Co., Ltd. (厦门市亨达海天计算机网络有限公司) | |
| “VIE Agreements” | means the agreements listed in SCHEDULE I hereto. |
For the purpose of giving this opinion, we have examined the originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of corporate records, agreements, documents and other instruments provided to us and such other documents or certificates issued by governmental authorities or representations made by officials of government authorities or other public organizations and by officers or representatives of the Company as we have deemed necessary and appropriate as a basis for the opinions hereinafter set forth.
2
In rendering the opinions expressed below, we have assumed:
| (a) | the authenticity of the documents submitted to us as originals and the conformity to the originals of the documents submitted to us as copies; |
| (b) | the truthfulness, accuracy and completeness of all corporate minutes, resolutions and documents of or in connection with the PRC Entities as they were presented to us; |
| (c) | that the documents and the corporate minutes and resolutions which have been presented to us remain in full force and effect as of the date hereof and have not been revoked, amended, varied or supplemented, except as noted therein; |
| (d) | in response to our due diligence inquiries, requests and investigation for the purpose of this opinion, all the relevant information and materials that have been provided to us by the Company and the PRC Entities, including all factual statements in the documents and all other factual information provided to us by the Company and the PRC Entities, and the statements made by the Company, the PRC Entities and relevant government officials, are true, accurate, complete and not misleading, and that the Company has not withheld anything that, if disclosed to us, would reasonably cause us to alter this opinion in whole or in part. Where important facts were not independently established to us, we have relied upon certificates issued by governmental authorities and appropriate representatives of the Company and/or other relevant entities and/or upon representations made by such persons in the course of our inquiry and consultation; |
| (e) | that all parties to the documents provided to us in connection with the Opinion, other than the PRC Entities, have the requisite power and authority to enter into, and have duly executed, delivered and/or issued those documents to which they are parties, and have the requisite power and authority to perform their obligations there under; and |
| (f) | with respect to all parties, the due compliance with, and the legality, validity, effectiveness and enforceability under, all laws other than the laws of the PRC. |
In giving the Opinion, we have assumed and have not verified the accuracy as to financial or auditing matters of each document we have reviewed, and have relied upon opinions or reports issued by overseas legal advisers, auditors and reporting accountants of the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, we render no opinion as to and are not responsible for: (a) tax structuring or other tax matters; (b) financial, appraisal or accounting matters; and (c) review of technical or environmental issues.
We do not purport to be experts on and do not purport to be generally familiar with or qualified to express legal opinions on any laws other than the laws of the PRC and accordingly express no legal opinion herein on any laws of any jurisdiction other than the PRC.
3
Based on the foregoing and subject to the qualifications set out below, we are of the opinion that, as of the date hereof, so far as PRC Laws are concerned:
| 1. | Each of the PRC Entities has been duly organized and is validly existing as a limited liability company with full legal person status under the PRC Laws. The business license and articles of association of each of the PRC Entities comply with the requirements of the PRC Laws and are in full force and effect. The PRC Entities are in good standing in the PRC. |
| 2. | Based on our understanding of the current PRC Laws, (i) the ownership structures of the PRC Entities, both currently and immediately after giving effect to the Offering, do not and will not contravene any applicable PRC Laws currently in effect; and (ii) the arrangements among the PRC Subsidiary, the Variable Interest Entity and its shareholder(s) pursuant to the VIE Agreements set forth in SCHEDULE I governed by PRC Laws are valid and binding upon each party to such arrangements and enforceable against each party thereto in accordance with their terms and applicable PRC Laws currently in effect, and will not contravene any PRC Laws currently in effect. However, there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC Laws and future PRC laws and regulations, and there can be no assurance that the PRC regulatory authorities will not take a view that is contrary to or otherwise different from our opinion stated above. |
| 3. | On February 17, 2023, the CSRC released the Trial Measures and Circular, which came into effect on March 31, 2023. The Trial Measures and Circular refine the regulatory system by subjecting both direct and indirect overseas offering and listing activities to the CSRC filing-based administration. Under the Trial Measures and Circular, PRC domestic companies are required to file their overseas offering and listing with the CSRC under certain conditions. Based on our understanding of the Trial Measures and Circular, the Offering is expected to be considered a follow-on offering, PRC domestic company should submit filing materials to the CSRC within three working days after the completion of the offering. The required filing materials shall include, but not be limited to, (1) filing report and relevant commitment letter and (2) domestic legal opinions. The Trial Measures and Circular stipulates the legal consequences for breaches, including failure to fulfill filing obligations or engaging in fraudulent filing behavior, which may result in a fine ranging from RMB1 million to RMB10 million, and in cases of severe violations, the relevant responsible persons may also be barred from entering the securities market. |
| 4. | The M&A Rules, among other things, purport to require that an offshore special purpose vehicle controlled directly or indirectly by PRC domestic companies or individuals and formed for purposes of overseas listing through acquisition of PRC domestic interests held by such PRC companies or individuals obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. The CSRC has not issued any definitive rules or interpretations concerning whether offerings such as the Offering are subject to the CSRC approval procedures under the M&A Rules. Based on our understanding of the current PRC Laws, a prior approval from the CSRC is not required under the M&A Rules for this Offering, because, among other things, (A) the PRC Subsidiary was established by foreign direct investment, rather than through a merger or acquisition of a domestic company as defined under the M&A Rules; and (B) no explicit provision in the M&A Rules classifies the respective contractual arrangements among the PRC Subsidiary, the Variable Interest Entity and its shareholders as a type of acquisition transaction falling under the M&A Rules. However, uncertainties still exist as to how the M&A Rules will be interpreted and implemented and our opinion stated above is subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules. |
4
| 5. | Pursuant to the PRC Cybersecurity Law, personal information and important data collected and generated by a critical information infrastructure operator in the course of its operations in China must be stored in China, and if a critical information infrastructure operator purchases internet products and services that affects or may affect national security, it should be subject to cybersecurity review by the Cyberspace Administration of China (“CAC”). Pursuant to the CAC Revised Cybersecurity Review Measures, if critical information infrastructure operators purchase network products and services, or network platform operators conduct data processing activities that affect or may affect national security, they will be subject to cybersecurity review. Based on our understanding of the current PRC Laws, PRC Entities are not subject to cybersecurity review with the CAC in accordance with the CAC Revised Cybersecurity Review Measures, because (i) PRC Entities are not in possession of or otherwise holding personal information of over one million users and it is also very unlikely that it will reach such threshold in the near future; and (ii) as of the date of this legal opinion, PRC Entities have not received any notice or determination from applicable PRC governmental authorities identifying it as a critical information infrastructure operator. However, since these statements and regulatory actions are new, it is highly uncertain how soon legislative or administrative regulation making bodies will respond and what existing or new laws or regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations will be modified or promulgated, if any, and the potential impact such modified or new laws and regulations will have on PRC Entities’ daily business operation, the ability to accept foreign investments. |
The foregoing Opinion is further subject to the following qualifications:
| (a) | This Opinion relates only to PRC Laws and we express no opinion as to any laws other than PRC Laws. There is no guarantee that any of such PRC Laws will not be changed, amended, replaced or revoked in the immediate future or in the longer term with or without retroactive effect. |
| (b) | This Opinion is intended to be used in the context which is specifically referred to herein and each paragraph should be looked at as a whole and no part should be extracted and referred to independently. |
| (c) | This Opinion is provided solely to you for the purposes hereof only, and may not be relied upon by any other persons or corporate entities or used, circulated, quoted or otherwise referred to for any other purpose with out our prior written consent. |
[The remainder of this page intentionally left blank]
5
(No text, Signature Page of Closing PRC Legal Opinion)
| Yours faithfully, | |
| /s/ Jingtian & Gongcheng | |
| Jingtian & Gongcheng |
6
SCHEDULEI
List of VIE Agreements
| 1. | Exclusive Technical Consulting and Service Agreement entered into by Tian Dahai (Xiamen) Information Technology Co., Ltd. and Xiamen Hengda HiTek Computer Network Co., Ltd. dated as of March 31, 2018. |
| 2. | Exclusive Equity Interests Purchase Agreement entered into by Tian Dahai (Xiamen) Information Technology Co., Ltd., Xiamen Hengda HiTek Computer Network Co., Ltd. and its shareholders dated as of March 31, 2018. |
| 3. | Equity Interest Pledge Agreement entered into by Tian Dahai (Xiamen) Information Technology Co., Ltd., Xiamen Hengda HiTek Computer Network Co., Ltd. and its shareholders dated as of March 31, 2018. |
| 4. | Power of Attorney separately signed by each shareholders of Xiamen Hengda HiTek Computer Network Co., Ltd. as of March 31, 2018. |
Exhibit 23.1
 |
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM |
|
We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form F-3 of our report dated April 5, 2024, relating to the consolidated financial statements of Hitek Global Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2023, included in the Registrant’s 2023 annual report on Form 20-F filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 5, 2024.
We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in this Form F-3.
/s/ Wei, Wei & Co., LLP
Flushing, New York August 22, 2024 |
Exhibit 23.3
| 34/F, Tower 3, China Central Place, | 77 Jianguo Road, Beijing 100025, China |
| Telephone: (86-10)5809-1000 | Facsimile: (86-10)5809-1100 |
Jingtian & GongCheng LLP
34/F, Tower 3, China Central Place
77 Jianguo Road, Beijing 100025
People’s Republic of China
August 22, 2024
Re: Consent Letter on Hitek Global Inc.-Form F-3
We are qualified lawyers of the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC” or “China”, for the purpose of this consent only, the PRC shall not include the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan)
We act as the PRC counsel to Hitek Global Inc (the “Company”), a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands in connection with the filing on Form F-3 of a registration statement.
We hereby consent to the reference to our name in such registration statement.
This Consent is rendered solely to you for the filing on Form F-3 and may not be used for any other purpose. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the United States Securities Act of 1933 ,as amended, or the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder
| Sincerely yours, | |
| /s/ Jingtian & Gongcheng LLP | |
| Jingtian & Gongcheng LLP |
