CREG 10-Q
Smart Powerr Corp. (CREG)
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
For the quarterly period ended:
or
For the transition period from ________________ to ________________
Commission file number:
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) |
4/F, Tower C
(Address of principal executive offices)
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant
(1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the past 12 months (or for such shorter
period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Yes ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant
has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405
of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes
☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ |
| ☐ | Smaller reporting company | ||
| Emerging Growth Company |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as
defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No
As of June 20, 2023, there
were
SMART POWERR CORP.
FORM 10-Q
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| PAGE | ||
| PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION | 1 | |
| Item 1. | Consolidated Financial Statements | 1 |
| Item 2. | Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations | 22 |
| Item 3. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk | 31 |
| Item 4. | Controls and Procedures | 31 |
| PART II - OTHER INFORMATION | 32 | |
| Item 1. | Legal Proceedings | 32 |
| Item 1A. | Risk Factors | 33 |
| Item 2. | Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds | 33 |
| Item 3. | Defaults Upon Senior Securities | 33 |
| Item 4. | Mine Safety Disclosures | 33 |
| Item 5. | Other Information | 33 |
| Item 6. | Exhibits | 34 |
| SIGNATURES | 39 | |
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PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
SMART POWERR CORP
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
| MARCH 31, 2023 |
DECEMBER 31, 2022 |
|||||||
| (UNAUDITED) | ||||||||
| ASSETS | ||||||||
| CURRENT ASSETS | ||||||||
| Cash | $ | $ | ||||||
| VAT receivable | ||||||||
| Prepaid expenses | ||||||||
| Operating lease right-of-use assets, net | ||||||||
| Short term loan | ||||||||
| Other receivables | ||||||||
| Total current assets | ||||||||
| NON-CURRENT ASSETS | ||||||||
| Fixed assets, net | ||||||||
| Total non-current assets | ||||||||
| TOTAL ASSETS | $ | $ | ||||||
| LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||||
| CURRENT LIABILITIES | ||||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | $ | ||||||
| Taxes payable | ||||||||
| Accrued interest on notes | ||||||||
| Notes payable, net of unamortized OID of $ |
||||||||
| Accrued liabilities and other payables | ||||||||
| Operating lease liability | ||||||||
| Payable for purchase of |
||||||||
| Interest payable on entrusted loans | ||||||||
| Entrusted loan payable | ||||||||
| Total current liabilities | ||||||||
| NONCURRENT LIABILITIES | ||||||||
| Income tax payable | ||||||||
| Total noncurrent liabilities | ||||||||
| Total liabilities | ||||||||
| CONTINGENCIES AND COMMITMENTS | ||||||||
| STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||||
| Common stock, $ |
||||||||
| Additional paid in capital | ||||||||
| Statutory reserve | ||||||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive loss | ( |
) | ( |
) | ||||
| Accumulated deficit | ( |
) | ( |
) | ||||
| Total Company stockholders’ equity | ||||||||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY | $ | $ | ||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
1
SMART POWERR CORP
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(UNAUDITED)
| THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, | ||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Revenue | ||||||||
| Contingent rental income | $ | $ | ||||||
| Interest income on sales-type leases | ||||||||
| Total operating income | ||||||||
| Operating expenses | ||||||||
| General and administrative | ||||||||
| Total operating expenses | ||||||||
| Loss from operations | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Non-operating income (expenses) | ||||||||
| Gain (loss) on note conversion | ( | ) | ||||||
| Interest income | ||||||||
| Interest expense | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Other income (expenses), net | ( | ) | ||||||
| Total non-operating expenses, net | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Loss before income tax | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Income tax expense | ||||||||
| Net loss | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Other comprehensive item | ||||||||
| Foreign currency translation income | ||||||||
| Comprehensive income | $ | $ | ||||||
| $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | |||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
2
SMART POWERR CORP
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2023 AND 2022
(UNAUDITED)
| Common Stock | Additional Paid in | Statutory | Accumulated Other Comprehensive |
Accumulated | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Capital | Reserves | (Loss) / Income | Deficit | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2022 | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( |
) | $ | ( |
) | $ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Net loss for the period | - | ( |
) | ( |
) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conversion of long-term notes into common shares | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transfer to statutory reserves | - | ( |
) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Foreign currency translation gain | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at March 31, 2023 | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( |
) | $ | ( |
) | $ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Common Stock | Paid in | Statutory | Other Comprehensive |
Accumulated | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Capital | Reserves | (Loss) / Income | Deficit | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2021 | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( |
) | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Net loss for the period | - | ( |
) | ( |
) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conversion of long-term notes into common shares | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transfer to statutory reserves | - | ( |
) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Foreign currency translation gain | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at March 31, 2022 | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( |
) | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
3
SMART POWERR CORP
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(UNAUDITED)
| THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, |
||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES: | ||||||||
| Net loss | $ | ( |
) | $ | ( |
) | ||
| Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: | ||||||||
| Amortization of OID and debt issuing costs of notes | ||||||||
| Operating lease expenses | ||||||||
| Loss (gain) on note conversion | ( |
) | ||||||
| Changes in assets and liabilities: | ||||||||
| Prepaid expenses | ( |
) | ||||||
| Other receivables | ( |
) | ||||||
| Accounts payable | ||||||||
| Taxes payable | ( |
) | ||||||
| Payment of lease liability | ( |
) | ||||||
| Accrued liabilities and other payables | ||||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | ( |
) | ( |
) | ||||
| CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES: | ||||||||
| Short term loan | ( |
) | ||||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | ( |
) | ||||||
| EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGE ON CASH | ||||||||
| NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH | ( |
) | ||||||
| CASH, BEGINNING OF PERIOD | ||||||||
| CASH, END OF PERIOD | $ | $ | ||||||
| Supplemental cash flow data: | ||||||||
| Income tax paid | $ | $ | ||||||
| Interest paid | $ | $ | ||||||
| Supplemental disclosure of non-cash financing activities | ||||||||
| Conversion of notes into common shares | $ | $ | ||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
4
SMART POWERR CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
MARCH 31, 2023 (UNAUDITED) AND DECEMBER 31, 2022
1. ORGANIZATION AND DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS
Smart Powerr Corp. (the “Company” or “SPC”) was incorporated in Nevada, and was formerly known as China Recycling Entergy Corporation. The Company, through its subsidiaries, provides energy saving solutions and services, including selling and leasing energy saving systems and equipment to customers, and project investment in the Peoples Republic of China (“PRC”).
The Company’s organizational chart as of March 31, 2023 is as follows:
Erdos TCH – Joint Venture
On April 14, 2009, the Company
formed a joint venture (the “JV”) with Erdos Metallurgy Co., Ltd. (“Erdos”) to recycle waste heat from Erdos’
metal refining plants to generate power and steam to be sold back to Erdos. The name of the JV was Inner Mongolia Erdos TCH Energy Saving
Development Co., Ltd. (“Erdos TCH”) with a term of
5
Chengli Waste Heat Power Generation Projects
On July 19, 2013, Xi’an
TCH formed a new company, “Xi’an Zhonghong New Energy Technology Co., Ltd.” (“Zhonghong”), of which it owns
On July 24, 2013, Zhonghong entered into a Cooperative Agreement of CDQ and CDQ WHPG Project (Coke Dry Quenching Waste Heat Power Generation Project) with Boxing County Chengli Gas Supply Co., Ltd. (“Chengli”). The parties entered into a supplement agreement on July 26, 2013. Pursuant to these agreements, Zhonghong will design, build and maintain a 25 MW CDQ system and a CDQ WHPG system to supply power to Chengli, and Chengli will pay energy saving fees (the “Chengli Project”).
On December 29, 2018, Xi’an
Zhonghong, Xi’an TCH, HYREF, Guohua Ku, and Mr. Chonggong Bai entered into a CDQ WHPG Station Fixed Assets Transfer Agreement, pursuant
to which Xi’an Zhonghong transferred Chengli CDQ WHPG station (‘the Station”) as the repayment for the loan of RMB
Formation of Zhongxun
On March 24, 2014, Xi’an
TCH incorporated a subsidiary, Zhongxun Energy Investment (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (“Zhongxun”) with registered capital of $
Formation of Yinghua
On February 11, 2015, the Company
incorporated a subsidiary, Shanghai Yinghua Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. (“Yinghua”) with registered capital of $
Other Events
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) was reported, and the World Health Organization declared the outbreak to constitute a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” This contagious disease outbreak, which continues to spread to additional countries, and disrupts supply chains and affecting production and sales across a range of industries as a result of quarantines, facility closures, and travel and logistics restrictions in connection with the outbreak. The COVID-19 outbreak impacted the Company’s operations for the first quarter of 2020. However, as a result of PRC government’s effort on disease control, most cities in China were reopened in April 2020, the outbreak in China is under the control. From April 2020 to the end of 2021, there were some new COVID-19 cases discovered in a few provinces of China, however, the number of new cases are not significant due to PRC government’s strict control. In 2022, COVID-19 cases fluctuated and increased in many cities of China including Xi’an Province where the Company is located; as a result of such increases, there have been periodic short-term lockdowns and restrictions on travel in Xi’an Province and other areas of China, the Company’s operations have been adversely impacted by the travel and work restrictions imposed on a temporary basis in China to limit the spread of COVID-19. In January 2023, China dropped all COVID restrictions.
On July 27, 2021, the Company
filed a certificate of change to the Company’s Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada to increase
the total number of the Company’s authorized shares of common stock from
On March 3, 2022, the Company filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada a Certificate of Amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to change our corporate name from China Recycling Energy Corporation to Smart Powerr Corp, effective March 3, 2022.
6
2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited financial information as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 was prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“US GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. In the opinion of management, such financial information includes all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, unless otherwise indicated) considered necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position at such date and the operating results and cash flows for such periods. Operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2023 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the entire year or for any other subsequent interim period. The interim consolidated financial information should be read in conjunction with the Financial Statements and the notes thereto, included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, previously filed with the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on May 8, 2023.
Basis of Consolidation
The Consolidated
Financial Statements
Uses and Sources of Liquidity
For the three months ended March
31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had a net loss of $
Use of Estimates
In preparing these CFS in accordance with US GAAP, management makes estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the balance sheets as well as revenues and expenses during the period reported. Actual results may differ from these estimates. On an on-going basis, management evaluates its estimates, including those allowances for bad debt and inventory obsolescence, impairment loss on fixed assets and construction in progress, income taxes, and contingencies and litigation. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other resources.
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Revenue Recognition
A) Sales-type Leasing and Related Revenue Recognition
The Company follows Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 842. The Company’s sales type lease contracts for revenue recognition fall under ASC 842. During the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company did not sell any new power generating projects.
The Company constructs and leases waste energy recycling power generating projects to its customers. The Company typically transfers legal ownership of the waste energy recycling power generating projects to its customers at the end of the lease.
The Company finances construction of waste energy recycling power generating projects. The sales and cost of sales are recognized at the inception of the lease, which is when control is transferred to the lessee. The Company accounts for the transfer of control as a sales type lease in accordance with ASC 842-10-25-2. The underlying asset is derecognized, and revenue is recorded when collection of payments is probable. This is in accordance with the revenue recognition principle in ASC 606 - Revenue from contracts with customers. The investment in sales-type leases consists of the sum of the minimum lease payments receivable less unearned interest income and estimated executory cost. Minimum lease payments are part of the lease agreement between the Company (as the lessor) and the customer (as the lessee). The discount rate implicit in the lease is used to calculate the present value of minimum lease payments. The minimum lease payments consist of the gross lease payments net of executory costs and contingent rentals, if any. Unearned interest is amortized to income over the lease term to produce a constant periodic rate of return on net investment in the lease. While revenue is recognized at the inception of the lease, the cash flow from the sales-type lease occurs over the course of the lease, which results in interest income and reduction of receivables. Revenue is recognized net of value-added tax.
B) Contingent Rental Income
The Company records income from actual electricity generated of each project in the period the income is earned, which is when the electricity is generated. Contingent rent is not part of minimum lease payments.
Operating Leases
The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease or contains a lease at inception. Operating lease liabilities are recognized based on the present value of the remaining lease payments, discounted using the discount rate for the lease at the commencement date. As the rate implicit in the lease is not readily determinable for an operating lease, the Company generally uses an incremental borrowing rate based on information available at the commencement date to determine the present value of future lease payments. Operating lease right-of-use (“ROU assets”) assets represent the Company’s right to control the use of an identified asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent the Company’s obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. ROU assets are generally recognized based on the amount of the initial measurement of the lease liability. Lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
ROU assets are reviewed for impairment when indicators of impairment are present. ROU assets from operating and finance leases are subject to the impairment guidance in ASC 360, Property, Plant, and Equipment, as ROU assets are long-lived nonfinancial assets.
ROU assets are tested for impairment individually or as part of an asset group if the cash flows related to the ROU asset are not independent from the cash flows of other assets and liabilities. An asset group is the unit of accounting for long-lived assets to be held and used, which represents the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other groups of assets and liabilities. The Company recognized no impairment of ROU assets as of March 31, 2023 or December 31, 2022.
Operating leases are included in operating lease ROU and operating lease liabilities (current and non-current), on the consolidated balance sheets.
8
Cash
Cash includes cash on hand, demand deposits placed with banks or other financial institutions and all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less as of the purchase date.
Accounts Receivable
The Company’s policy is to maintain an allowance for potential credit losses on accounts receivable. Management reviews the composition of accounts receivable and analyzes historical bad debts, customer concentrations, customer credit worthiness, current economic trends and changes in customer payment patterns to evaluate the adequacy of these reserves. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had no accounts receivable.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Cash includes cash on hand and
demand deposits in accounts maintained within China. Balances at financial institutions and state-owned banks within the PRC
are covered by insurance up to RMB
Certain other financial instruments, which subject the Company to concentration of credit risk, consist of accounts and other receivables. The Company does not require collateral or other security to support these receivables. The Company conducts periodic reviews of its customers’ financial condition and customer payment practices to minimize collection risk on accounts receivable.
The operations of the Company are in the PRC. Accordingly, the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations may be influenced by the political, economic and legal environments in the PRC.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred; additions, renewals and betterments are capitalized. When property and equipment are retired or otherwise disposed of, the related cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the respective accounts, and any gain or loss is included in operations. Depreciation of property and equipment is provided using the straight-line method over the estimated lives as follows:
| Vehicles | ||
| Office and Other Equipment | ||
| Software |
Impairment of Long-lived Assets
In accordance with FASB ASC Topic 360, “Property, Plant, and Equipment,” the Company reviews its long-lived assets, including property and equipment, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts of the assets may not be fully recoverable. If the total expected undiscounted future net cash flows are less than the carrying amount of the asset, a loss is recognized for the difference between the fair value (“FV”) and carrying amount of the asset. The Company did not record any impairment for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.
Cost of Sales
Cost of sales consists primarily of the direct material of the power generating system and expenses incurred directly for project construction for sales-type leasing and sales tax and additions for contingent rental income.
9
Income Taxes
Income taxes are accounted for using an asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred income taxes are recognized for the tax consequences in future years of differences between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their financial reporting amounts at each period end based on enacted tax laws and statutory tax rates, applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
The Company follows FASB ASC Topic 740, which prescribes a more-likely-than-not threshold for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. ASC Topic 740 also provides guidance on recognition of income tax assets and liabilities, classification of current and deferred income tax assets and liabilities, accounting for interest and penalties associated with tax positions, accounting for income taxes in interim periods, and income tax disclosures.
Under FASB
ASC Topic 740, when tax returns are filed, it is likely that some positions taken would be sustained upon examination by the taxing authorities,
while others are subject to uncertainty about the merits of the position taken or the amount of the position that would be ultimately
sustained. The benefit of a tax position is recognized in the CFS in the period during which, based on all available evidence, management
believes it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination, including the resolution of appeals or litigation
processes, if any. Tax positions taken are not offset or aggregated with other positions. Tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not
recognition threshold are measured as the largest amount of tax benefit that is more than
Statement of Cash Flows
In accordance with FASB ASC Topic 230, “Statement of Cash Flows,” cash flows from the Company’s operations are calculated based upon the local currencies. As a result, amounts related to assets and liabilities reported on the statement of cash flows may not necessarily agree with changes in the corresponding balances on the balance sheet.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
For certain of the Company’s financial instruments, including cash and equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable, other receivables, accounts payable, accrued liabilities and short-term debts, the carrying amounts approximate their FVs due to their short maturities. Receivables on sales-type leases are based on interest rates implicit in the lease.
FASB ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” requires disclosure of the FV of financial instruments held by the Company. FASB ASC Topic 825, “Financial Instruments,” defines FV, and establishes a three-level valuation hierarchy for disclosures of FV measurement that enhances disclosure requirements for FV measures. The carrying amounts reported in the consolidated balance sheets for receivables and current liabilities each qualify as financial instruments and are a reasonable estimate of their FV because of the short period of time between the origination of such instruments and their expected realization and their current market rate of interest. The three levels of valuation hierarchy are defined as follows:
| ● | Level 1 inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets. |
| ● | Level 2 inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, and inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the financial instrument. |
| ● | Level 3 inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to FV measurement. |
10
The Company analyzes all financial instruments with features of both liabilities and equity under FASB ASC 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity,” and ASC 815, “Derivatives and Hedging.”
As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company did not have any long-term debt; and the Company did not identify any assets or liabilities that are required to be presented on the balance sheet at FV.
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company accounts for share-based compensation awards to employees in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, “Compensation – Stock Compensation”, which requires that share-based payment transactions with employees be measured based on the grant-date FV of the equity instrument issued and recognized as compensation expense over the requisite service period.
The Company accounts for share-based compensation awards to non-employees in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718 and FASB ASC Subtopic 505-50, “Equity-Based Payments to Non-employees”. Share-based compensation associated with the issuance of equity instruments to non-employees is measured at the FV of the equity instrument issued or committed to be issued, as this is more reliable than the FV of the services received. The FV is measured at the date that the commitment for performance by the counterparty has been reached or the counterparty’s performance is complete.
The Company follows ASU 2018-07, “Compensation — Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting,” which expands the scope of ASC 718 to include share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from non-employees. An entity should apply the requirements of ASC 718 to non-employee awards except for specific guidance on inputs to an option pricing model and the attribution of cost. ASC 718 applies to all share-based payment transactions in which a grantor acquires goods or services to be used or consumed in a grantor’s own operations by issuing share-based payment awards.
Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share
The Company presents net income (loss) per share (“EPS”) in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 260, “Earning Per Share.” Accordingly, basic income (loss) per share is computed by dividing income (loss) available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of shares outstanding, without consideration for common stock equivalents. Diluted EPS is computed by dividing the net income by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding as well as common share equivalents outstanding for the period determined using the treasury-stock method for stock options and warrants and the if-converted method for convertible notes. The Company made an accounting policy election to use the if-converted method for convertible securities that are eligible to receive common stock dividends, if declared. Diluted EPS reflect the potential dilution that could occur based on the exercise of stock options or warrants or conversion of convertible securities using the if-converted method.
For the three months ended March
31, 2023 and 2022, the basic and diluted income (loss) per share were the same due to the anti-dilutive features of the warrants and options.
For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022,
Foreign Currency Translation and Comprehensive Income (Loss)
The Company’s functional currency is the Renminbi (“RMB”). For financial reporting purposes, RMB were translated into U.S. Dollars (“USD” or “$”) as the reporting currency. Assets and liabilities are translated at the exchange rate in effect at the balance sheet date. Revenues and expenses are translated at the average rate of exchange prevailing during the reporting period. Translation adjustments arising from the use of different exchange rates from period to period are included as a component of stockholders’ equity as “Accumulated other comprehensive income.” Gains and losses resulting from foreign currency transactions are included in income.
The Company follows FASB ASC Topic 220, “Comprehensive Income.” Comprehensive income is comprised of net income and all changes to the statements of stockholders’ equity, except those due to investments by stockholders, changes in paid-in capital and distributions to stockholders.
11
Segment Reporting
FASB ASC Topic 280, “Segment Reporting,” requires use of the “management approach” model for segment reporting. The management approach model is based on the way a company’s management organizes segments within the company for making operating decisions and assessing performance. Reportable segments are based on products and services, geography, legal structure, management structure, or any other manner in which management disaggregates a company. FASB ASC Topic 280 has no effect on the Company’s CFS as substantially all of the Company’s operations are conducted in one industry segment. All of the Company’s assets are located in the PRC.
New Accounting Pronouncements
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which requires entities to measure all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. ASU 2016-13 replaces the probable, incurred loss model and is applicable to the measurement of credit losses on financial assets measured at amortized cost basis. An entity should apply ASU 2016-13 on a modified-retrospective transition approach that would require a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening retained earnings in the balance sheets as of the date of adoption. In March 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-02, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures, which eliminates the accounting guidance for trouble debt restructurings by creditors and enhances the disclosure requirements for modifications of loans to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty. Additionally, ASU 2022-02 requires disclosure of gross write-offs by year of origination for receivables within the scope of Subtopic 326-20, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses - Measured at Amortized Cost, which should be applied prospectively. Both ASU 2016-13 and ASU 2022-02 are effective for smaller reporting companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company adopted ASU 2016-13 and ASU 2022-02 on January 1, 2023. The adoption of ASU 2016-13 and ASU 2022-02 did not have any impact on the Company’s CFS.
In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. The guidance removes Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test, which requires a hypothetical purchase price allocation. A goodwill impairment will now be the amount by which a reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its FV, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. The guidance should be adopted on a prospective basis. As a smaller reporting company, the standard was effective for the Company for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2022, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted ASU 2017-04 for its interim and annual goodwill impairment tests on January 1, 2023. The adoption of ASU 2017-04 did not have any impact on the Company’s CFS.
Other recent accounting pronouncements issued by the FASB, including its Emerging Issues Task Force, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the SEC did not or are not believed by management to have a material impact on the Company’s present or future CFS.
3. OTHER RECEIVABLES
As of March 31, 2023,
As of December
31, 2022, other receivables mainly consisted of (i) advance to third parties of $
On August 2, 2021, the Company
entered a Research and Development (“R&D”) Cooperation Agreement with a software development company to design, establish,
upgrade and maintenance of Smart Energy Management Cloud Platform for energy storage and remote-site monitoring; upon completion, the
Company will provide such platform to its customers at a fee. Total contracted R&D cost is $
On August 23, 2021, the
Company entered a Market Research and Project Development Service Agreement with a consulting company in Xi’an for a service period
of 12 months. The consulting company will perform market research for new energy industry including photovoltaic and energy storage, develop
potential new customers and due diligence check, assisting the Company for business cooperation negotiation and relevant agreements preparation.
Total contract amount is $
12
4. SHORT-TERM LOAN
As of March
31, 2023, the Company had $
5. ASSET SUBJECT TO BUYBACK
The Chengli project finished
construction, and was transferred to the Company’s fixed assets at a cost of $
On April 9, 2021, Xi’an
TCH, Xi’an Zhonghong, Guohua Ku, Chonggong Bai and HYREF entered a Termination of Fulfillment Agreement (termination agreement).
Under the termination agreement, the original buyback agreement entered on December 19, 2019 was terminated upon signing of the termination
agreement. HYREF will not execute the buy-back option and will not ask for any additional payment from the buyers other than keeping the
CDQ WHPG station. As a result of the termination of the buy-back agreement, the Company recorded a gain of approximately $
6. ACCRUED LIABILITIES AND OTHER PAYABLES
Accrued liabilities and other payables consisted of the following as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022:
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Education and union fund and social insurance payable | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accrued payroll and welfare | ||||||||
| Accrued litigation | ||||||||
| Other | ||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | ||||||
Accrued litigation was mainly for court enforcement fee, fee to lawyer, penalty and other fees (see Note 15).
7. TAXES PAYABLE
Taxes payable consisted of the following as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022:
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Income tax | $ | $ | ||||||
| Other | ||||||||
| Total | ||||||||
| Current | ||||||||
| Noncurrent | $ | $ | ||||||
As of March
31, 2023, income tax payable included $
13
8. DEFERRED TAX, NET
Deferred tax assets resulted from asset impairment loss which was temporarily non-tax deductible for tax purposes but expensed in accordance with US GAAP; interest income in sales-type leases which was recognized as income for tax purposes but not for book purpose as it did not meet revenue recognition in accordance with US GAAP; accrued employee social insurance that can be deducted for tax purposes in the future, and the difference between tax and accounting basis of cost of fixed assets which was capitalized for tax purposes and expensed as part of cost of systems in accordance with US GAAP. Deferred tax liability arose from the difference between tax and accounting basis of net investment in sales-type leases.
As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, deferred tax assets consisted of the following:
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Accrued expenses | $ | $ | ||||||
| Write-off Erdos TCH net investment in sales-type leases * | ||||||||
| Impairment loss of Xi’an TCH’s investment into the HYREF fund | ||||||||
| US NOL | ||||||||
| PRC NOL | ||||||||
| Total deferred tax assets | ||||||||
| Less: valuation allowance for deferred tax assets | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Deferred tax assets, net | $ | $ | ||||||
| * |
9. LOAN PAYABLE
Entrusted Loan Payable (HYREF Loan)
The HYREF Fund was established
in July 2013 with a total fund of RMB
The term of this loan was for
60 months from July 31, 2013 to July 30, 2018, with interest of
14
Repayment of HYREF loan
1. Transfer of Chengli project as partial repayment
On December 29, 2018, Xi’an
Zhonghong, Xi’an TCH, HYREF, Guohua Ku, and Chonggong Bai entered into a CDQ WHPG Station Fixed Assets Transfer Agreement, pursuant
to which Xi’an Zhonghong transferred Chengli CDQ WHPG station as the repayment for the loan of RMB
Xi’an TCH is a secondary limited partner of HYREF. The FV of the CDQ WHPG station applied in the transfer was determined by the parties based upon the appraisal report issued by Zhonglian Assets Appraisal Group (Shaanxi) Co., Ltd. as of August 15, 2018. However, per the discussion below, Xi’an Zhonghong, Xi’an TCH, Guohua Ku and Chonggong Bai (the “Buyers”) entered into a Buy Back Agreement, also agreed to buy back the Station when conditions under the Buy Back Agreement are met. Due to the Buy Back agreement, the loan was not deemed repaid, and therefore the Company recognized Chengli project as assets subject to buyback and kept the loan payable remained recognized under ASC 405-20-40-1 as of December 31, 2020. The Buy Back agreement was terminated in April 2021 (see 2 below for detail).
2. Buy Back Agreement
On December 29, 2018, Xi’an TCH, Xi’an Zhonghong, HYREF, Guohua Ku, Chonggong Bai and Xi’an Hanneng Enterprises Management Consulting Co. Ltd. (“Xi’an Hanneng”) entered into a Buy Back Agreement.
Pursuant to the Buy Back Agreement,
the Buyers jointly and severally agreed to buy back all outstanding capital equity of Xi’an Hanneng which was transferred to HYREF
by Chonggong Bai (see 3 below), and a CDQ WHPG station in Boxing County which was transferred to HYREF by Xi’an Zhonghong. The buy-back
price for the Xi’an Hanneng’s equity was based on the higher of (i) the market price of the equity shares at the time of buy-back;
or (ii) the original transfer price of the equity shares plus bank interest. The buy-back price for the Station was based on the higher
of (i) the FV of the Station on the date transferred; or (ii) the loan balance at the date of the transfer plus interest accrued through
that date. HYREF could request that the Buyers buy back the equity shares of Xi’an Hanneng and/or the CDQ WHPG station if one of
the following conditions is met: (i) HYREF holds the equity shares of Xi’an Hanneng until December 31, 2021; (ii) Xi’an Huaxin
New Energy Co., Ltd., is delisted from The National Equities Exchange And Quotations Co., Ltd., a Chinese over-the-counter trading system
(the “NEEQ”); (iii) Xi’an Huaxin New Energy, or any of the Buyers or its affiliates has a credit problem, including
not being able to issue an auditor report or standard auditor report or any control person or executive of the Buyers is involved in crimes
and is under prosecution or has other material credit problems, to HYREF’s reasonable belief; (iv) if Xi’an Zhonghong fails
to timely make repayment on principal or interest of the loan agreement, its supplemental agreement or extension agreement; (v) the Buyers
or any party to the Debt Repayment Agreement materially breaches the Debt Repayment Agreement or its related transaction documents, including
but not limited to the Share Transfer Agreement, the Pledged Assets Transfer Agreement, the Entrusted Loan Agreement and their guarantee
agreements and supplemental agreements. Due to halted trading of Huaxin stock by NEEQ for not filing its 2018 annual report, on December
19, 2019, Xi’an TCH, Xi’an Zhonghong, Guohua Ku and Chonggong Bai jointly and severally agreed to buy back all outstanding
capital equity of Xi’an Hanneng which was transferred to HYREF by Chonggong Bai earlier. The total buy back price was RMB
On April 9, 2021, Xi’an
TCH, Xi’an Zhonghong, Guohua Ku, Chonggong Bai and HYREF entered a Termination of Fulfillment Agreement (termination agreement).
Under the termination agreement, the original buyback agreement entered on December 19, 2019 was terminated upon signing of the termination
agreement. HYREF will not execute the buy-back option and will not ask for any additional payment from the buyers other than keeping the
CDQ WHPG station. The Company recorded a gain of approximately $
15
3. Transfer of Xuzhou Huayu Project and Shenqiu Phase I & II project to Mr. Bai for partial repayment of HYREF loan
On January 4, 2019, Xi’an
Zhonghong, Xi’an TCH, and Mr. Chonggong Bai entered into a Projects Transfer Agreement, pursuant to which Xi’an Zhonghong
transferred a CDQ WHPG station (under construction) located in Xuzhou City for Xuzhou Huayu Coking Co., Ltd. (“Xuzhou Huayu Project”)
to Mr. Bai for RMB
On February 15, 2019, Xi’an Zhonghong completed the transfer of the Xuzhou Huayu Project and Xi’an TCH completed the transfer of Shenqiu Phase I and II Projects to Mr. Bai, and on January 10, 2019, Mr. Bai transferred all the equity shares of his wholly owned company, Xi’an Hanneng, to HYREF as repayment of Xi’an Zhonghong’s loan to HYREF as consideration for the transfer of the Xuzhou Huayu Project and Shenqiu Phase I and II Projects.
Xi’an Hanneng is a holding
company and was supposed to own
On December
19, 2019, Xi’an TCH, Xi’an Zhonghong, Guohua Ku and Chonggong Bai jointly and severally agreed to buy back all outstanding
capital equity of Xi’an Hanneng which was transferred to HYREF by Chonggong Bai earlier. The total buy back price was RMB
4. The lender agreed to extend
the repayment of RMB
Xi’an TCH had investment
RMB
10. NOTE PAYABLE, NET
Promissory Notes in December 2020
On December
4, 2020, the Company entered into a Note Purchase Agreement with an institutional investor, pursuant to which the Company issued the Purchaser
a Promissory Note of $
16
During the year ended December
31, 2021, the Company entered into several Exchange Agreements with the lender, pursuant to the Agreements, the Company and Lender partitioned
new Promissory Notes of $
Promissory Notes in April 2021
On April
2, 2021, the Company entered into a Note Purchase Agreement with an institutional investor, pursuant to which the Company issued to the
Purchaser a Promissory Note of $
11. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Warrants
Following is a summary of the activities of warrants that were issued from equity financing for the three months ended March 31, 2023:
| Number of Warrants | Average Exercise Price | Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term in Years | ||||||||||
| Outstanding at January 1, 2023 | $ | |||||||||||
| Exercisable at January 1, 2023 | $ | |||||||||||
| Granted | ||||||||||||
| Exchanged | ||||||||||||
| Forfeited | ||||||||||||
| Expired | ||||||||||||
| Outstanding at March 31, 2023 | $ | |||||||||||
| Exercisable at March 31, 2023 | $ | |||||||||||
17
12. STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION PLAN
Options to Employees and Directors
On June 19, 2015, the stockholders
of the Company approved the China Recycling Energy Corporation Omnibus Equity Plan (the “Plan”) at its annual meeting. The
total shares of Common Stock authorized for issuance during the term of the Plan is
The following table summarizes option activity with respect to employees and independent directors for the three months ended March 31, 2023:
| Number of Shares | Average Exercise Price per Share | Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term in Years | ||||||||||
| Outstanding at January 1, 2023 | $ | |||||||||||
| Exercisable at January 1, 2023 | $ | |||||||||||
| Granted | ||||||||||||
| Exercised | ||||||||||||
| Forfeited | ||||||||||||
| Outstanding at March 31, 2023 | $ | |||||||||||
| Exercisable at March 31, 2023 | $ | |||||||||||
13. INCOME TAX
The Company’s Chinese subsidiaries
are governed by the Income Tax Law of the PRC concerning privately-run enterprises, which are generally subject to tax at
The Company’s subsidiaries
generate all of their income from their PRC operations. All of the Company’s Chinese subsidiaries’ effective income tax rate
for 2023 and 2022 was
There is no income tax for companies domiciled in the Cayman Islands. Accordingly, the Company’s CFS do not present any income tax provisions related to Cayman Islands tax jurisdiction, where Sifang Holding is domiciled.
The US parent company, SPC
is taxed in the US and, as of March 31, 2023, had net operating loss (“NOL”) carry forwards for income taxes of $
As of March 31, 2023, the Company’s
PRC subsidiaries had $
18
The following table reconciles the U.S. statutory rates to the Company’s effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022:
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| U.S. statutory rates expense (benefit) | ( | )% | ( | )% | ||||
| Tax rate difference – current provision | % | % | ||||||
| Permanent differences | % | % | ||||||
| Change in valuation allowance | % | % | ||||||
| Tax expense (benefit) per financial statements | % | % | ||||||
The provision for income tax expense (benefit) for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 consisted of the following:
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) – current | $ | $ | ||||||
| Income tax expense – deferred | ||||||||
| Total income tax expense (benefit) | $ | $ | ||||||
14. STATUTORY RESERVES
Pursuant to the corporate law of the PRC effective January 1, 2006, the Company is only required to maintain one statutory reserve by appropriating from its after-tax profit before declaration or payment of dividends. The statutory reserve represents restricted retained earnings.
Surplus Reserve Fund
The Company’s Chinese subsidiaries
are required to transfer
The surplus reserve fund is non-distributable
other than during liquidation and can be used to fund previous years’ losses, if any, and may be utilized for business expansion
or converted into share capital by issuing new shares to existing shareholders in proportion to their shareholding or by increasing the
par value of the shares currently held by them, provided that the remaining reserve balance after such issue is not less than
The maximum statutory reserve amount has not been reached for any subsidiary. The table below discloses the statutory reserve amount in the currency type registered for each Chinese subsidiary as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022:
| Name of Chinese Subsidiaries | Registered Capital | Maximum Statutory Reserve Amount | Statutory reserve at March 31, 2023 | Statutory reserve at December 31, 2022 | ||||||||||||
| Shanghai TCH | $ | $ | ¥ | ¥ | ||||||||||||
| Xi’an TCH | ¥ | ¥ | ¥ | ¥ | ||||||||||||
| Erdos TCH | ¥ | ¥ | ¥ | ¥ | ||||||||||||
| Xi’an Zhonghong | ¥ | ¥ | ||||||||||||||
| Shaanxi Huahong | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
| Zhongxun | ¥ | ¥ | ||||||||||||||
Common Welfare Fund
The common welfare fund is a
voluntary fund to which the Company can transfer
19
15. CONTINGENCIES
China maintains a “closed” capital account, meaning companies, banks, and individuals cannot move money in or out of the country except in accordance with strict rules. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) and State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) regulate the flow of foreign exchange in and out of the country. For inward or outward foreign currency transactions, the Company needs to make a timely declaration to the bank with sufficient supporting documents to declare the nature of the business transaction. The Company’s sales, purchases and expense transactions are denominated in RMB and all of the Company’s assets and liabilities are also denominated in RMB. The RMB is not freely convertible into foreign currencies under the current law. Remittances in currencies other than RMB may require certain supporting documentation in order to make the remittance.
The Company’s operations in the PRC are subject to specific considerations and significant risks not typically associated with companies in North America and Western Europe. These include risks associated with, among others, the political, economic and legal environments and foreign currency exchange. The Company’s results may be adversely affected by changes in governmental policies with respect to laws and regulations, anti-inflationary measures, currency conversion and remittance abroad, and rates and methods of taxation, among other things.
Litigation
In November 2019, Beijing Hongyuan
Recycling Energy Investment Center (“BIPC”), or Hongyuan, filed a lawsuit with the Beijing Intermediate People’s Court
against Xi’an TCH to compel Xi’an TCH to repurchase certain stock pursuant to a stock repurchase option agreement. On April
9, 2021, the court rendered a judgment in favor of Hongyuan. Xi’an TCH filed a motion for retrial to High People’s Court of
Beijing on April 13, 2022, because Xi’an TCH paid RMB
As of this
report date, Xi’an Zhonghong is waiting for Court’s decision on retrial petition that was submitted in April 2022. During
this waiting period, BIPC entered the execution procedure, and there is a balance of RMB
On June 28, 2021, Beijing No.4
Intermediate People’s Court of Beijing entered into a judgement that Xi’an Zhonghong Technology Co., Ltd. should pay the loan
principal of RMB
16. COMMITMENTS
Lease Commitment
20
The components of lease costs, lease term and discount rate with respect of the office lease with an initial term of more than 12 months are as follows:
| Three Months Ended | ||||
| March 31, 2023 | ||||
| Operating lease cost – amortization of ROU | $ | |||
| Operating lease cost – interest expense on lease liability | $ | |||
| Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term - Operating leases | ||||
| Weighted Average Discount Rate - Operating leases | % | |||
| Three Months Ended | ||||
| March 31, 2022 | ||||
| Operating lease cost– amortization of ROU | $ | |||
| Operating lease cost – interest expense on lease liability | $ | |||
The following is a schedule, by years, of maturities of the office lease liabilities as of March 31, 2023:
| For the year ended March 31, 2024, | $ | |||
| Total undiscounted cash flows | ||||
| Less: imputed interest | ( | ) | ||
| Present value of lease liabilities | $ |
Employment Agreement
On May 8, 2020, the Company entered
an employment agreement with Yongjiang Shi, the Company’s CFO for 24 months. The monthly salary was RMB
On May 6, 2022, the Company entered
another employment agreement with Mr. Shi for 24 months with monthly salary of RMB
17. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
On May 11, 2023, Company entered
into an Exchange Agreement with the lender. Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company and Lender partitioned a new Promissory Notes of $
21
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
OVERVIEW
The Company was incorporated on May 8, 1980 as Boulder Brewing Company under the laws of the State of Colorado. On September 6, 2001, the Company changed its state of incorporation to the State of Nevada. In 2004, the Company changed its name from Boulder Brewing Company to China Digital Wireless, Inc. and on March 8, 2007, again changed its name from China Digital Wireless, Inc. to its current name, China Recycling Energy Corporation. On March 3, 2022, the Company changed its name to Smart Powerr Corp. The Company, through its subsidiaries, provides energy saving solutions and services, including selling and leasing energy saving systems and equipment to customers, project investment, investment management, economic information consulting, technical services, financial leasing, purchase of financial leasing assets, disposal and repair of financial leasing assets, consulting and ensuring of financial leasing transactions in the Peoples Republic of China (“PRC”).
The Company is in the process of transforming and expanding into an energy storage integrated solution provider. We plan to pursue disciplined and targeted expansion strategies for market areas we currently do not serve. We actively seek and explore opportunities to apply energy storage technologies to new industries or segments with high growth potential, including industrial and commercial complexes, large scale photovoltaic (“PV”) and wind power stations, remote islands without electricity, and cities with multi-energy supplies.
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) was reported, and the World Health Organization declared the outbreak to constitute a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” This contagious disease outbreak, which continues to spread to additional countries, and disrupts supply chains and affecting production and sales across a range of industries as a result of quarantines, facility closures, and travel and logistics restrictions in connection with the outbreak. The COVID-19 outbreak impacted the Company’s operations for the first quarter of 2020. However, as a result of PRC government’s effort on disease control, most cities in China were reopened in April 2020, the outbreak in China is under the control. From April 2020 to the end of 2021, there were some new COVID-19 cases discovered in a few provinces of China, however, the number of new cases is not significant due to PRC government’s strict control. In 2022, COVID-19 cases fluctuated and increased again in many cities of China including Xi’an Province where the Company is located. As a result of such increases, there have been periodic short-term lockdowns and restrictions on travel in Xi’an Province and other areas of China, the Company’s operations have been adversely impacted by the travel and work restrictions imposed on a temporary basis in China to limit the spread of COVID-19. From January 2023, China has dropped all COVID restrictions.
For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had net loss of $89,504 and $441,459, respectively. The Company has an accumulated deficit of $59.82 million as of March 31, 2023.
On March 31, 2023, the Company had $39,406 cash on hand, and loan receivable of $140,614,361 (RMB 966.0 million), a short term loan to Jinan Youkai Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd (“Youkai”), who is an unrelated party of the Company. The short-term borrowing was for five days with capital utilization fee of $43,657 (RMB 300,000) per day for total of $218,287 (RMB 1.5 million). The Company received the repayment of $140.6 million in full and capital utilization fee of $218,287 on April 3rd, 2023. This satisfies the Company’s estimated liquidity needs for 12 months from the issuance of the financial statements. The Company believes the business transformation and expansion discussed above are probable of occurring and the occurrence, as well as the cash flow discussed, mitigate the substantial doubt raised by the Company’s historical operating results.
Management also intends to raise additional funds by way of a private or public offering, or by obtaining loans from banks or others. While the Company believes in the viability of its strategy to generate sufficient revenue and in its ability to raise additional funds on reasonable terms and conditions, there can be no assurances to that effect. The ability of the Company to continue as a going concern depends upon the Company’s ability to further implement its business plan and generate sufficient revenue and its ability to raise additional funds by way of a public or private offering, or debt financing including bank loans.
22
Our Subsidiaries and Projects
Our business is primarily conducted through our wholly-owned subsidiaries, Yinghua and Sifang, Sifang’s wholly-owned subsidiaries, Huahong and Shanghai TCH, Shanghai TCH’s wholly-owned subsidiaries, Xi’an TCH, Xi’an TCH’s wholly-owned subsidiary Erdos TCH and Xi’an TCH’s 90% owned and Shanghai TCH’s 10% owned subsidiary Xi’an Zhonghong New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., and Zhongxun. Shanghai TCH was established as a foreign investment enterprise in Shanghai under the laws of the PRC on May 25, 2004, and currently has registered capital of $29.80 million. Xi’an TCH was incorporated in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province under the laws of the PRC in November 2007. Erdos TCH was incorporated in April 2009. Huahong was incorporated in February 2009. Xi’an Zhonghong New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. was incorporated in July 2013. Xi’an TCH owns 90% and Shanghai TCH owns 10% of Zhonghong. Zhonghong provides energy saving solutions and services, including constructing, selling and leasing energy saving systems and equipment to customers.
Zhongxun was incorporated in March 2014 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Xi’an TCH. Zhongxun will be mainly engaged in project investment, investment management, economic information consulting, and technical services. Zhongxun has not yet commenced operations nor has any capital contribution been made as of the date of this report.
Yinghua was incorporated on February 11, 2015 by the U.S. parent company. Yinghua will be mainly engaged in financial leasing, purchase of financial leasing assets, disposal and repair of financial leasing assets, consulting and ensuring of financial leasing transactions, and related factoring business. Yinghua has not yet commenced operations nor has any capital contribution been made as of the date of this report.
The Company’s organizational chart as of March 31, 2023 is as follows:
23
Erdos TCH – Joint Venture
On April 14, 2009, the Company formed a joint venture (the “JV”) with Erdos Metallurgy Co., Ltd. (“Erdos”) to recycle waste heat from Erdos’ metal refining plants to generate power and steam to be sold back to Erdos. The name of the JV was Inner Mongolia Erdos TCH Energy Saving Development Co., Ltd. (“Erdos TCH”) with a term of 20 years. Erdos contributed 7% of the total investment of the project, and Xi’an TCH Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (“Xi’an TCH”) contributed 93%. On June 15, 2013, Xi’an TCH and Erdos entered into a share transfer agreement, pursuant to which Erdos sold its 7% ownership interest in the JV to Xi’an TCH for $1.29 million (RMB 8 million), plus certain accumulated profits. Xi’an TCH paid the $1.29 million in July 2013 and, as a result, became the sole stockholder of the JV. Erdos TCH currently has two power generation systems in Phase I with a total of 18 MW power capacity, and three power generation systems in Phase II with a total of 27 MW power capacity. On April 28, 2016, Erdos TCH and Erdos entered into a supplemental agreement, effective May 1, 2016, whereby Erdos TCH cancelled monthly minimum lease payments from Erdos, and started to charge Erdos based on actual electricity sold at RMB 0.30 / KWH. The selling price of each KWH is determined annually based on prevailing market conditions. In May 2019, Erdos TCH ceased its operations due to renovations and furnace safety upgrades of Erdos, and the Company initially expected the resumption of operations in July 2020, but the resumption of operations was further delayed due to government’s mandate for Erdos to significantly lower its energy consumption per unit of GDP by implementing a comprehensive technical upgrade of its ferrosilicon production line to meet the City’s energy-saving targets. Erdos is currently researching the technical rectification scheme. Once the scheme is determined, Erdos TCH will carry out supporting technical transformation for its waste heat power station project. During this period, Erdos will compensate Erdos TCH RMB 1 million ($145,460) per month, until operations resume. The Company has not recognized any income due to the uncertainty of collection.
In addition, Erdos TCH has 30% ownership in DaTangShiDai (BinZhou) Energy Savings Technology Co., Ltd. (“BinZhou Energy Savings”), 30% ownership in DaTangShiDai DaTong Recycling Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (“DaTong Recycling Energy”), and 40% ownership in DaTang ShiDai TianYu XuZhou Recycling Energy Technology Co, Ltd. (“TianYu XuZhou Recycling Energy”). These companies were incorporated in 2012 but have not had any operations since then nor has any registered capital contribution been made.
Chengli Waste Heat Power Generation Projects
On July 19, 2013, Xi’an TCH formed a new company, “Xi’an Zhonghong New Energy Technology Co., Ltd.” (“Zhonghong”), of which it owns 90% of Zhonghong, with HYREF owning the other 10%. Zhonghong provides energy saving solution and services, including constructing, selling and leasing energy saving systems and equipment to customers. On December 29, 2018, Shanghai TCH entered into a Share Transfer Agreement with HYREF, pursuant to which HYREF transferred its 10% ownership in Zhonghong to Shanghai TCH for RMB 3 million ($0.44 million). The transfer was completed on January 22, 2019. The Company owns 100% of Xi’an Zhonghong after the transaction.
On July 24, 2013, Zhonghong entered into a Cooperative Agreement of CDQ and CDQ WHPG Project (Coke Dry Quenching Waste Heat Power Generation Project) with Boxing County Chengli Gas Supply Co., Ltd. (“Chengli”). The parties entered into a supplement agreement on July 26, 2013. Pursuant to these agreements, Zhonghong will design, build and maintain a 25 MW CDQ system and a CDQ WHPG system to supply power to Chengli, and Chengli will pay energy saving fees (the “Chengli Project”).
On December 29, 2018, Xi’an Zhonghong, Xi’an TCH, HYREF, Guohua Ku, and Mr. Chonggong Bai entered into a CDQ WHPG Station Fixed Assets Transfer Agreement, pursuant to which Xi’an Zhonghong transferred Chengli CDQ WHPG station (‘the Station”) as the repayment for the loan of RMB 188,639,400 ($27.54 million) to HYREF. Xi’an Zhonghong, Xi’an TCH, Guohua Ku and Chonggong Bai also agreed to a Buy Back Agreement for the Station when certain conditions are met (see Note 9). The transfer of the Station was completed on January 22, 2019, the Company recorded a $624,133 loss. However, because the loan was not deemed repaid due to the buyback provision (See Note 9 for detail), the Company kept the loan and the Chengli project recognized in its consolidated financial statements (“CFS”) until April 9, 2021. The Buy Back Agreement was terminated on April 9, 2021, HYREF did not execute the buy-back option and did not ask for any additional payment from the buyers other than keeping the CDQ WHPG station.
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CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements (“CFS”), which were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”). The preparation of these CFS requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements as well as the reported net sales and expenses during the reporting periods. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and assumptions. We base our estimates on historical experience and various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
While our significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 2 to our CFS, we believe the following accounting policies are the most critical to assist you in fully understanding and evaluating this management discussion and analysis.
Basis of Presentation
These accompanying CFS were prepared in accordance with US GAAP and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC for financial statements.
Basis of Consolidation
The CFS include the accounts of CREG and, its subsidiary, Sifang Holdings and Yinghua; Sifang Holdings’ wholly-owned subsidiaries, Huahong and Shanghai TCH; Shanghai TCH’s wholly-owned subsidiary Xi’an TCH; and Xi’an TCH’s subsidiaries, Erdos TCH, Zhonghong, and Zhongxun. Substantially all of the Company’s revenues are derived from the operations of Shanghai TCH and its subsidiaries, which represent substantially all of the Company’s consolidated assets and liabilities as of March 31, 2023. All significant inter-company accounts and transactions were eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates
In preparing the CFS, management makes estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the balance sheets as well as revenues and expenses during the year reported. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Cash includes cash on hand and demand deposits in accounts maintained within China. Balances at financial institutions within China are not covered by insurance. The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts.
Certain other financial instruments, which subject the Company to concentration of credit risk, consist of accounts and other receivables. The Company does not require collateral or other security to support these receivables. The Company conducts periodic reviews of its customers’ financial condition and customer payment practices to minimize collection risk on accounts receivable.
The operations of the Company are located in the PRC. Accordingly, the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations may be influenced by the political, economic and legal environments in the PRC.
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Revenue Recognition
Sales-type Leasing and Related Revenue Recognition
The Company follows Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 842 (See Operating lease below as relates to the Company as a lessee). The Company’s sales type lease contracts for revenue recognition fall under ASC 842.
The Company constructs and leases waste energy recycling power generating projects to its customers. The Company typically transfers ownership of the waste energy recycling power generating projects to its customers at the end of the lease.
The Company finances construction of waste energy recycling power generating projects. The sales and cost of sales are recognized at the inception of the lease, which is when the control is transferred to the lessee. The Company accounts for the transfer of control as a sales type lease in accordance with ASC 842-10-25-2. The underlying asset is derecognized, and revenue is recorded when collection of payments is probable. This is in accordance with the revenue recognition principle in ASC 606 -Revenue from contracts with customers. The investment in sales-type leases consists of the sum of the minimum lease payments receivable less unearned interest income and estimated executory cost. Minimum lease payments are part of the lease agreement between the Company (as the lessor) and the customer (as the lessee). The discount rate implicit in the lease is used to calculate the present value of minimum lease payments. The minimum lease payments consist of the gross lease payments net of executory costs and contingent rentals, if any. Unearned interest is amortized to income over the lease term to produce a constant periodic rate of return on net investment in the lease. While revenue is recognized at the inception of the lease, the cash flow from the sales-type lease occurs over the course of the lease, which results in interest income and reduction of receivables. Revenue is recognized net of value-added tax.
Contingent Rental Income
The Company records income from actual electricity generated of each project in the period the income is earned, which is when the electricity is generated. Contingent rent is not part of minimum lease payments.
Foreign Currency Translation and Comprehensive Income (Loss)
The Company’s functional currency is RMB. For financial reporting purposes, RMB figures were translated into USD as the reporting currency. Assets and liabilities are translated at the exchange rate in effect on the balance sheet date. Revenues and expenses are translated at the average rate of exchange prevailing during the reporting period. Translation adjustments arising from the use of different exchange rates from period to period are included as a component of stockholders’ equity as “Accumulated other comprehensive income.” Gains and losses from foreign currency transactions are included in income. There has been no significant fluctuation in exchange rate for the conversion of RMB to USD after the balance sheet date.
The Company uses “Reporting Comprehensive Income” (codified in FASB ASC Topic 220). Comprehensive income is comprised of net income and all changes to the statements of stockholders’ equity, except those due to investments by stockholders, changes in paid-in capital and distributions to stockholders.
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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Comparison of Results of Operations for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022
The following table sets forth the results of our operations for the periods indicated as a percentage of net sales. Certain columns may not add due to rounding.
| 2023 | % of Sales | 2022 | % of Sales | |||||||||||||
| Sales | $ | - | - | % | $ | - | - | % | ||||||||
| Cost of sales | - | - | % | - | - | % | ||||||||||
| Gross profit | - | - | % | - | - | % | ||||||||||
| Interest income on sales-type leases | - | - | % | - | - | % | ||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 84,828 | - | % | 195,780 | - | % | ||||||||||
| Loss from operations | (84,828 | ) | - | % | (195,780 | ) | - | % | ||||||||
| Total non-operating expenses, net | (142 | ) | - | % | (227,972 | ) | - | % | ||||||||
| Loss before income tax | (84,970 | ) | - | % | (423,752 | ) | - | % | ||||||||
| Income tax expense | 4,534 | - | % | 17,707 | - | % | ||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (89,504 | ) | - | % | $ | (441,459 | ) | - | % | ||||||
SALES. Total sales for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 were $0.
COST OF SALES. Cost of sales (“COS”) for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 were $0.
GROSS PROFIT. Gross profit for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 were $0 with gross margin of 0%.
OPERATING EXPENSES. Operating expenses consisted of general and administrative expenses (“G&A”) totaling $84,828 for the three months ended March 31, 2023, compared to $195,780 for the three months ended March 31, 2022, a decrease of $110,952 or 56.7%. The decrease in operating expenses was mainly due to decreased legal expense by $64,000 and decreased amortization on long term convertible note by $69,350 which was partly offset by increased other G&A expenses by $22,400.
NET NON-OPERATING EXPENSES. Net non-operating expenses consisted of gain or loss on note conversion, interest income, interest expenses, and miscellaneous expenses. For the three months ended March 31, 2023, net non-operating expense was $142 compared to $227,972 for the three months ended March 31, 2022. For the three months ended March 31, 2023, we had $88,195 interest income, gain on note conversion of $10,482 and other income of $12,285, which was offset by $111,104 interest expense on note payable. For the three months ended March 31, 2022, we had $114,330 interest income but the amount was offset by $120,576 interest expense on note payable, loss on note conversion of $121,121, and other expenses of $100,605.
INCOME TAX EXPENSE. Income tax expense was $4,534 for the three months ended March 31, 2023, compared with $17,707 for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The consolidated effective income tax rates for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 were 5.3% and 4.2%, respectively.
NET LOSS. Net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2023 was $89,504 compared to $441,459 for the three months ended March 31, 2022, an decrease of net loss of $351,955. This decrease in net loss was mainly due to decreased G&A expenses by $110,950, decreased loss on note conversion by $131,600 and decreased other expense by $112,890 as described above.
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LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Comparison of Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 and 2022
As of March 31, 2023, the Company had cash and equivalents of $39,406, other current assets of $140.89 million, current liabilities of $24.10 million, working capital of $116.83 million, a current ratio of 5.85:1 and a liability-to-equity ratio of 0.25:1.
The following is a summary of cash provided by or used in each of the indicated types of activities during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022:
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Cash provided by (used in): | ||||||||
| Operating Activities | $ | (70,282 | ) | $ | (38,420 | ) | ||
| Investing Activities | (141,070,591 | ) | - | |||||
Net cash used in operating activities was $70,282 during the three months ended March 31, 2023, compared to $38,420 for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The increase in net cash outflow for the three months ended March 31, 2023 was mainly due to increased cash outflow on other receivable by $3,715, increased cash outflow on prepaid expense by $4,082, increased cash outflow on payment of lease liability by $32,014, decreased cash inflow on accrued liabilities and other payables by $123,973 and decreased cash inflow on taxes payable by $13,421 which was partly offset by decreased net loss and noncash adjustment to net loss totaling $149,744.
Net cash used in investing activities was $141,070,591 and $0, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022. For the three months ended March 31, 2023, investing activities mainly consists of short-term loan receivable of $141,070,591. On March 30, 2023, the Company loaned $141.00 million (RMB 966.0 million) to Jinan Youkai Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd, an unrelated party of the Company. The short-term loan was for five days with a capital utilization fee of $43,657 (RMB 300,000) per day for total of $218,287 (RMB 1.5 million). The Company received the repayment of $140.6 million in full and capital utilization fee of $218,287 from Youkai on April 3rd, 2023.
We do not believe inflation has had or will have a significant negative impact on our results of operations in 2023.
Transfers of Cash to and from Our Subsidiaries
The PRC has currency and capital transfer regulations that require us to comply with certain requirements for the movement of capital. The Company is able to transfer cash (USD) to its PRC subsidiaries through: (i) an investment (by increasing the Company’s registered capital in a PRC subsidiary), or (ii) a stockholder loan. The Company’s subsidiaries in the PRC have not transferred any earnings or cash to the Company to date. The Company’s business is primarily conducted through its subsidiaries. The Company is a holding company and its material assets consist solely of the ownership interests held in its PRC subsidiaries. The Company relies on dividends paid by its subsidiaries for its working capital and cash needs, including the funds necessary: (i) to pay dividends or cash distributions to its stockholders, (ii) to service any debt obligations and (iii) to pay operating expenses. As a result of PRC laws and regulations (noted below) that require annual appropriations of 10% of after-tax income to be set aside in a general reserve fund prior to payment of dividends, the Company’s PRC subsidiaries are restricted in that respect, as well as in others respects noted below, in their ability to transfer a portion of their net assets to the Company as a dividend.
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With respect to transferring cash from the Company to its subsidiaries, increasing the Company’s registered capital in a PRC subsidiary requires the filing of the local commerce department, while a stockholder loan requires a filing with the state administration of foreign exchange or its local bureau.
With respect to the payment of dividends, we note the following:
| 1. | PRC regulations currently permit the payment of dividends only out of accumulated profits, as determined in accordance with accounting standards and PRC regulations (an in-depth description of the PRC regulations is set forth below); |
| 2. | Our PRC subsidiaries are required to set aside, at a minimum, 10% of their net income after taxes, based on PRC accounting standards, each year as statutory surplus reserves until the cumulative amount of such reserves reaches 50% of their registered capital; |
| 3. | Such reserves may not be distributed as cash dividends; |
| 4. | Our PRC subsidiaries may also allocate a portion of their after-tax profits to fund their staff welfare and bonus funds; except in the event of a liquidation, these funds may also not be distributed to stockholders; the Company does not participate in a Common Welfare Fund; |
| 5. | The incurrence of debt, specifically the instruments governing such debt, may restrict a subsidiary’s ability to pay stockholder dividends or make other cash distributions; and |
| 6. | The Company is subject to covenants and consent requirements. |
If, for the reasons noted above, our subsidiaries are unable to pay stockholder dividends and/or make other cash payments to the Company when needed, the Company’s ability to conduct operations, make investments, engage in acquisitions, or undertake other activities requiring working capital may be materially and adversely affected. However, our operations and business, including investment and/or acquisitions by our subsidiaries within China, will not be affected as long as the capital is not transferred in or out of the PRC.
PRC Regulations
In accordance with PRC regulations on Enterprises with Foreign Investment and their articles of association, a foreign-invested enterprise (“FIE”) established in the PRC is required to provide statutory reserves, which are appropriated from net profit, as reported in the FIE’s PRC statutory accounts. A FIE is required to allocate at least 10% of its annual after-tax profit to the surplus reserve until such reserve has reached 50% of its respective registered capital (based on the FIE’s PRC statutory accounts). The aforementioned reserves may only be used for specific purposes and may not be distributed as cash dividends. Until such contribution of capital is satisfied, the FIE is not allowed to repatriate profits to its stockholders, unless approved by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. After satisfaction of this requirement, the remaining funds may be appropriated at the discretion of the FIE’s board of directors. Our subsidiary, Shanghai TCH, qualifies as a FIE and is therefore subject to the above-mandated regulations on distributable profits.
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Additionally, in accordance with PRC corporate law, a domestic enterprise is required to maintain a surplus reserve of at least 10% of its annual after-tax profit until such reserve has reached 50% of its respective registered capital based on the enterprise’s PRC statutory accounts. The aforementioned reserves can only be used for specific purposes and may not be distributed as cash dividends. Xi’an TCH, Huahong, Zhonghong and Erdos TCH were established as domestic enterprises; therefore, each is subject to the above-mentioned restrictions on distributable profits.
As a result of PRC laws and regulations that require annual appropriations of 10% of after-tax income to be set aside, prior to payment of dividends, in a general reserve fund, the Company’s PRC subsidiaries are restricted in their ability to transfer a portion of their net assets to the Company as a dividend or otherwise.
Chart of the Company’s Statutory Reserve
Pursuant to PRC corporate law, effective January 1, 2006, the Company is required to maintain a statutory reserve by appropriating from its after-tax profit before declaration or payment of dividends. The statutory reserve is restricted retained earnings. Our restricted and unrestricted retained earnings under US GAAP are set forth below:
| As of | ||||||||
| March 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||||
| Unrestricted accumulated deficit | $ | (59,819,037 | ) | $ | (59,726,943 | ) | ||
| Restricted retained earnings (surplus reserve fund) | 15,170,593 | 15,168,003 | ||||||
| Total accumulated deficit | $ | (44,648,444 | ) | $ | (44,558,940 | ) | ||
OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS
We have not entered into any other financial guarantees or other commitments to guarantee the payment obligations of any third parties. We have not entered into any derivative contracts that are indexed to our shares and classified as stockholders’ equity or that are not reflected in our CFS. Furthermore, we do not have any retained or contingent interest in assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity that serves as credit, liquidity or market risk support to such entity. We do not have any variable interest in any unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk or credit support to us or engages in leasing, hedging or research and development services with us.
CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS
The Company’s contractual obligations as of March 31, 2023 are as follows:
| 1 year or | More than | See Note | ||||||||||
| Contractual Obligation | less | 1 year | (for details) | |||||||||
| Notes payable including accrued interest of $55,907 | $ | 5,601,075 | $ | - | 10 | |||||||
| Entrusted loan including interest payable of $351,943 | $ | 11,557,322 | $ | - | 9 | |||||||
| Total | $ | 17,158,397 | $ | - | ||||||||
The Company believes it has sufficient cash as of March 31, 2023, and a sufficient channel to commercial institutions to obtain any loans that may be necessary to meet its working capital needs. Historically, we have been able to obtain loans or otherwise achieve our financing objectives due to the Chinese government’s support for energy-saving businesses with stable cash inflows, good credit ratings and history.
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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
Exchange Rate Risk
Our operations are conducted mainly in the PRC. As such, our earnings are subject to movements in foreign currency exchange rates when transactions are denominated in RMB, which is our functional currency. Accordingly, our operating results are affected by changes in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and those currencies.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures.
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures which are designed to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in the Company’s periodic SEC reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to its principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. The Company’s management, with the participation of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), has evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s “disclosure controls and procedures,” as such term is defined in Rules 13a - 15(e) and 15d - 15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”) at the end of the period covered by the report. Based upon that evaluation, our CEO and CFO concluded that, as of March 31, 2023, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were not effective.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
With the participation of the Company’s management, including its CEO and CFO, the Company also conducted an evaluation of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (“ICFR”) to determine whether any changes occurred during the Company’s fiscal quarter ended as of March 31, 2023, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s ICFR. Based on such evaluation, management concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this report, there have not been any changes in the Company’s ICFR (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the fiscal quarter to which this report relates that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s ICFR.
Inherent Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls
Our management, including the CEO and CFO, does not expect that our disclosure controls or our ICFR will prevent or detect all error and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. The design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Further, because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected. The design of any system of controls is based in part on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of controls to future periods are subject to risks. Over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or deterioration in the degree of compliance with policies or procedures.
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PART II - OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
From time to time, we may be subject to legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of business. We are not currently a party to any material legal proceedings, and to our knowledge none is threatened. There can be no assurance that future legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business or otherwise will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
In November 2019, Beijing Hongyuan Recycling Energy Investment Center, or Hongyuan, filed a lawsuit with the Beijing Intermediate People’s Court against Xi’an TCH to compel Xi’an TCH to repurchase certain stocks pursuant to a stock repurchase option agreement. On April 9, 2021, the court rendered a judgment in favor of Hongyuan. Xi ‘an TCH filed a motion for retrial to High People’s Court of Beijing on April 13, 2022, on the basis that Xi’an TCH already paid RMB 267 million to Hongyuan as an out-of-court settlement. On August 10, 2022, Beijing No.1 Intermediate People’s Court of Beijing issued a Certificate of Active Performance, proving that Xi’an Zhonghong New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. Had fulfilled its buyback obligations.
On April 9, 2021, Xi’an TCH, Xi’an Zhonghong, Guohua Ku, Chonggong Bai and HYREF entered a Termination of Fulfillment Agreement (termination agreement). Under the termination agreement, the original buyback agreement entered on December 19, 2019 was terminated upon signing of the termination agreement. HYREF will not execute the buy-back option and will not ask for any additional payment from the buyers other than keeping the CDQ WHPG station.
As of this report date, Xi’an Zhonghong is waiting for Court’s decision on retrial petition that was submitted in April 2022. During this waiting period, Beijing Intermediate People’s Court entered the execution procedure, and there is a balance of RMB 14,204,317 ($2.20 million) between the amount executed by the court and the liability recognized by Xi ‘an TCH, which was mainly the enforcement fee, legal and penalty fee for the original judgement, and was automatically generated by the toll collection system of the People’s court. The Company accrued $2.20 million litigation expense as of March 31, 2022.
In February 2016, Xuzhou Intermediate People’s Court of Jiangsu Province, or the Xuzhou Court, accepted an execution proceeding request from Zhongrong International Trust Co. Ltd., or Zhongrong, against Mr. Guohua Ku, Xi’an TCH, Xuzhou Taifate Steel Co., Ltd., or Xuzhou Taifate, to satisfy the obligation arising out of a loan agreement and guarantee agreement among the parties. On March 21, 2018 and March 20, 2019, the Xuzhou Court ordered a deduction from the bank accounts of Mr. Ku and Xi’an TCH of RMB 371,470 and RMB 254,824, respectively. On August 21, 2020, the Xuzhou Court reopened the case in response to Zhongrong’s request against Xuzhou Taifa for the resolution of an additional loan in the amount of RMB 145,356,100, which was paid in full in settlement. The Xuzhou Court concluded and closed the case on December 21, 2020.
On June 28, 2021, Beijing No.4 Intermediate People’s Court of Beijing entered into a judgement that Xi’an Zhonghong Technology Co., Ltd. should pay the loan principal of RMB 77 million ($11.06 million) with loan interest of RMB 2,418,229 ($0.35 million) to Beijiang Hongyuan Recycling Energy Investment Center (Limited Partnership). In the end of 2022, Beijing No.4 Intermediate People’s Court of Beijing entered into the judgment enforcement procedure, which, in addition to the loan principal with interest amount, Xi’an Zhonghong Technology Co., Ltd. was to pay judgment enforcement fee, late fee and other fees of RMB 80,288,184 ($11.53 million) in total.
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Item 1A. Risk Factors
There have been no material changes in our risk factors from those disclosed in Part I, Item 1A, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K as of and for the year ended December 31, 2022. An investment in our common stock involves various risks. When considering an investment in our company, you should consider carefully all of the risk factors described in our most recent Form 10-K and the registration statement as referenced above. If any of those risks, incorporated by reference in this Form 10-Q, occur, the market price of our shares of common stock could decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment. These risks and uncertainties are not the only ones facing us and there may be additional matters that we are unaware of or that we currently consider immaterial. All of these could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows and, thus, the value of an investment in our company.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
None.
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities
None.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not Applicable.
Item 5. Other Information
Nome
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ITEM 6. EXHIBITS
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
| SMART POWERR CORP. | ||
| Date: June 21, 2023 | By: | /s/ Guohua Ku |
| Guohua Ku | ||
|
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer | ||
| Date: June 21, 2023 | By: | /s/ Yongjiang Shi |
| Yongjiang Shi | ||
| Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | ||
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