ESYN 10-K
HWH International Inc. (ESYN)
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
For
the fiscal year ended
or
For the transition period from _________ to _________
Commission
File Number:
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐
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by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐
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by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
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has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
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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 | |
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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.
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by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness
of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C 7262(b)) by the registered
public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.
If
securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statement of the registrant
included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act): Yes ☐ No
Aggregate market value of voting and non-voting common
equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of May 31, 2023 based upon the closing price of the common stock as reported by the
Nasdaq Global Select Market on such date, was $
As of February 28, 2024, there were shares of Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share of the Company issued and outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
None.
HWH International Inc.
Form 10-K
For the Year Ended November 30, 2023
Table of Contents
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Throughout this Report on Form 10-K, the terms the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to HWH International Inc., and “our board of directors” refers to the board of directors of HWH International Inc.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements regarding, among other things, our future operating results and financial position, our business strategy, and other objectives for our future operations. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “intend,” “expect,” “may,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential” and similar expression are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. There are a number of important risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by forward-looking statements. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures or investments that we may make.
You should read this Report on Form 10-K and the documents that we have filed as exhibits to this Report on Form 10-K completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. The forward-looking statements contained in this Report on Form 10-K are made as of the date of this Report on Form 10-K, and we do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
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PART I
Item 1. Business.
General
HWH International Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware on October 20, 2021 under the name Alset Capital Acquisition Corp. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company consummated the Business Combination on January 9, 2024 and changed its name from “Alset Capital Acquisition Corp.” to “HWH International Inc.” The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
As of November 30, 2023, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from October 20, 2021 (inception) through November 30, 2023 relates to the Company’s formation and the initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”), which is described below and the pursuit of a suitable acquisition candidate. The Company did not generate any operating revenues prior to the completion of its initial Business Combination. The Company generated non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering. The Company initially selected November 30 as its fiscal year end, although subsequent to the period covered by this report, the Company changed its fiscal year end to December 31st.
On September 9, 2022, the Company entered into an agreement and plan of merger (the “Merger Agreement”) by and among the Company, HWH International Inc., a Nevada corporation (the “Target”) and HWH Merger Sub Inc., a Nevada corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”). The Company and Merger Sub are sometimes referred to collectively as the “ACAX Parties.” Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, a business combination between the Company and the Target was effected through the merger of Merger Sub with and into HWH Nevada, with the Target surviving the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Merger”). Upon the closing of the Merger (the “Closing”), the Company changed its name to “HWH International Inc.” The board of directors of the Company (i) approved and declared advisable the Merger Agreement, the Ancillary Agreements (as defined in the Merger Agreement) and the transactions contemplated thereby and (ii) resolved to recommend approval of the Merger Agreement and related transactions by the stockholders of the Company.
The Target was owned and controlled by certain member officers and directors of the Company and its sponsor. The Merger was consummated following the receipt of the required approval by the stockholders of the Company and the shareholders of the Target and the satisfaction of certain other customary closing conditions.
The total consideration to be paid at Closing (the “Merger Consideration”) by the Company to the Target’s shareholders was $125,000,000, and was payable in shares of the common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (“Company Common Stock”). The number of shares of the Company Common Stock paid to the shareholders of the Target as Merger Consideration was 12,500,000, with each share being valued at $10.00.
The registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering was declared effective on January 31, 2022. On February 3, 2022, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 8,625,000 units (“Units” and, with respect to the shares of common stock included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”), generating gross proceeds of $86,250,000, which includes the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase an additional 1,125,000 Units generating additional gross proceeds to the Company of $11,250,000, which is described in Note 3 of the Notes to the audited Consolidated Financial Statements for Fiscal Year ended November 30, 2023.
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the private sale of 473,750 units (the “Private Placement Units”) at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit in private placement to Alset Acquisition Sponsor, LLC (the “Sponsor”) generating gross proceeds to the Company in the amount of $4,737,500.
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The Company’s management had broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of Private Placement Units, although substantially all of the net proceeds were intended to be applied toward consummating a Business Combination. The Company was required to complete one or more initial Business Combinations with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the Trust Account). The Company would only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company would own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering, management agreed that an amount equal to at least $10.10 per Unit sold in the Initial Public Offering, including proceeds from the Private Placement Units, would be held in a trust account (“Trust Account”), located in the United States and invested only in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting certain conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds held in the Trust Account, as described below.
The Company provided the holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “Public Stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer in connection with the Business Combination. The decision as to whether the Company would seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer was be made by the Company. The Public Stockholders were entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account. There were no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants. The Public Shares subject to redemption were recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering in accordance with the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.”
All of the Public Shares contained a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such Public Shares in connection with the Company’s liquidation, if there was a stockholder vote or tender offer in connection with the Company’s Business Combination and in connection with certain amendments to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation. In accordance with the rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and its guidance on redeemable equity instruments, which has been codified in ASC 480-10-S99, redemption provisions not solely within the control of a company require common stock subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. Given that the Public Shares were issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., public warrants), the initial carrying value of Class A common stock classified as temporary equity will be the allocated proceeds determined in accordance with ASC 470-20. The Class A common stock was subject to ASC 480-10-S99. If it was probable that the equity instrument would become redeemable, we had the option to either (i) accrete changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance (or from the date that it becomes probable that the instrument will become redeemable, if later) to the earliest redemption date of the instrument or (ii) recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occurred and adjust the carrying amount of the instrument to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. We have elected to recognize the changes immediately. The accretion or remeasurement was treated as a deemed dividend (i.e., a reduction to retained earnings, or in absence of retained earnings, additional paid-in capital). The Public Shares were redeemable and were classified as such on the balance sheet until such date that a redemption event was to take place. Redemptions of the Company’s Public Shares may have been subject to the satisfaction of conditions, including minimum cash conditions, pursuant to an agreement relating to the Company’s Business Combination.
The Company did not redeem Public Shares in an amount that would cause its net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that it does not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to the Business Combination. The Company proceeded with a Business Combination since a majority of the outstanding shares voted were voted in favor of the Business Combination. Because stockholder approval of the transaction was required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, the Company offered to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. When the Company sought stockholder approval in connection with the Business Combination, the Sponsor agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each Public Stockholder has the opportunity to elect to redeem their Public Shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
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Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company sought stockholder approval of a Business Combination and it did not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Certificate of Incorporation provided that a Public Stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), would be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.
The holders of the Founder Shares agreed (a) to waive their redemption rights with respect to the Founder Shares and Public Shares held by them in connection with the completion of a Business Combination and (b) not to propose an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemptions in connection with a Business Combination or to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period (as defined below) or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, unless the Company provided the Public Stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment.
If the Company had not completed a Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or 15 months if we had filed a proxy statement, registration statement or similar filing for an initial Business Combination within 12 months from the consummation of Initial Public Offering but had not completed the initial Business Combination within such 12-month period, or up to 21 months if we extended the period of time to consummate a Business Combination, at the election of the Company by two separate three month extensions, subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $862,500 ($0.10 per unit in either case) for each three month extension, into the trust account, or as extended by the Company’s stockholders in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation), the Company would have (i) ceased all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeemed the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to pay taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption would completely extinguish Public Stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolved and liquidated, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There would have been no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which would have expired worthless if the Company had failed to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.
The holders of the Founders Shares have agreed to waive their liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the holders of Founder Shares acquire Public Shares in or after the Initial Public Offering, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission (see Note 6) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the Initial Public Offering price per Unit ($10.00).
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In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (i) $10.00 per Public Share or (ii) such lesser amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, if less than $10.00 per Public Share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (except for the Company’s independent registered accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.
Going Concern and Management’s Plan
The Company expects to incur significant costs in pursuit of its acquisition plans and will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial business combination, at the earliest. In addition, the Company expects to have negative cash flows from operations as it pursues an initial business combination target. In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, “Disclosures of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern” the Company does not currently have adequate liquidity to sustain operations, which consist solely of pursuing a Business Combination.
On January 9, 2024, the Company consummated the business combination (the “Closing”) contemplated by the previously announced Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of September 9, 2022 (the “Merger Agreement”). The Company’s common stock commenced trading on the Nasdaq Global Market LLC under the ticker symbol “HWH” on January 9, 2024, and the Company’s warrants are expected to commence trading under the symbol “HWHW” at a later date.
The Company has incurred continuing losses from its operations and has a working capital deficit of $134,421 as of November 30, 2023. The Company has no operating income and incurs continuing operating expenses. There are no assurances the Company will be able to raise capital on acceptable terms or that cash flows generated from its operations will be sufficient to meet its current operating costs. If the Company is unable to obtain sufficient amounts of additional capital, it may be required to reduce the scope of its business, which could harm its financial condition and operating results.
These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue ongoing operations. These consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of these uncertainties.
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New Business Overview
Since the Closing on January 9, 2024, we now own the Target company acquired pursuant to the Merger Agreement (references to “we”, “us” and “our” herein include our newly acquired business). Our newly acquired business started in Korea with a single-level membership marketing model with limited products for sale. We registered the business on April 1, 2019, and we started selling memberships on July 1, 2019. While we had been profitable and growing, the COVID-19 Pandemic had a material adverse effect on such growth and profits. Due to the decline in membership and revenue starting in 2020, we reorganized our internal staff by adding a broader team in each of the United States, Hong Kong and Singapore with direct selling and business development experience to head up and expand our operations across various geographies and revised our business plan to a multi-level membership tier model in 2022, with more products and services to be made available to our members. We created a new corporate structure, with subsidiaries in the U.S., Hong Kong and Singapore, that would allow for quick geographical expansion and turned our focus to the Hapi Café development. We currently have 9,811 members, all in a single initial tier of membership. These current members have paid for their yearly membership to have founder member status. This is a privileged class that will be able to enjoy continuous membership benefits in time to come given that they have trusted the company and joined at an early stage. Such benefits include the ability to purchase new memberships, in the model described below, at a discount to be determined by HWH. They will also continue to be able to earn affiliate commissions as they sell our products in the marketplace and enjoy discounted rates when visiting Hapi Cafés until further notice. The total number of founding members was capped at 10,000. The Company is in the midst of implementing the new membership model described below (the “New Model”), that operates on a yearly subscription basis. We intend to resume membership sales, albeit under the New Model, in approximately 2nd quarter of 2024.
HWH Members get exclusive discounts on HWH Marketplace products, priority invites to product launch events and other parties, and can earn passive income when a member’s referral signs up for membership or makes an initial purchase through the HWH Marketplace products through them.
Our segments include:
HWH Marketplace, which offers certain products manufactured by our affiliate companies, at a discounted price to our members. It is substantially in the development stage, as we have been in discussions regarding the import and export of these products internationally. The various aspects of the HWH Marketplace will be launched in phases across the various regions, each with their own timeline, depending on the completion of the establishment of the logistical aspects for implementation (i.e., payment gateway systems, business licenses, banking set up, import licenses, managerial resources, etc.) This will be an on-going process as we expand our product and service offering range. There are, however, certain limited products currently for sale at our Hapi Cafés, including spaghetti, a gig-economy business book and certain skincare products.
Hapi Cafés, which are, and will be, in-person, location-based social experiences, offer members the opportunity to build a sense of community with like-minded customers who share a potential interest in our products. The cafes expose our members to and educate them about the products and services of our affiliates, providing us with the chance to significantly increase our membership base as well as increase the amounts spent by our members on our affiliates’ products and services. Each of our cafés is a “Hapi Café.” We opened proof-of-concept Hapi Café locations in Seoul, the Republic of Korea and Singapore in May and July 2022, respectively, and plan to open additional Hapi Cafés as we beta test and further improve our business concept. We intend to grow our memberships as we grow the number of Hapi Cafés around the world. Currently, Hapi Cafe branded outlets span across Asia, including Singapore, Republic of China (Taiwan), Hong Kong, the People’s Republic of China, and South Korea, Hapi Cafe is positioned to be an integral part of HWH’s business model. As at the date of this filing, the Company is in the midst of closing the acquisition of 2nd Hapi Café outlet in Seoul, the Republic of Korea.
Hapi Travel is in the planning stage as we are working with our affiliates to determine the market-by-market services. Through Hapi Travel, we plan to offer exclusive access to unpublished rates and discounts on air travel, cruises, car rentals, hotels, and resorts for members. Hapi Travel offers vacation packages, hotels, cruises, and other travel products exclusively for HWH members.
Hapi Wealth Builder is also in the planning stage as we are exploring the options of providing services to our members through financial educational materials aimed at various types of investing opportunities. We have been establishing Hapi Cafés as venues and destinations that help build the credibility and reputation of the Company and its Hapi Wealth Builder business, which we intend to launch in 2024.
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Market Opportunity
Following the COVID-19 Pandemic, we believe people are looking for in-person community. By offering a social and business centric atmosphere at our Hapi Cafés, we plan to leverage this deeply-rooted desire and build a membership organization, increase their familiarity with and educate them about the products and services of our affiliates and how those products and services can help them in their own individual pursuits of health, wealth and happiness.
Growth Strategy
Our strategy is to continuously grow our membership base, while displaying to our members the added benefits of the higher tiers of membership. We will look to accomplish this by providing a comfortable in person setting of a Hapi Café for our customers in many more locations. We also plan to continually expand our product offerings and the services our affiliate companies can provide in the belief that this can serve to grow our membership base and have our members increasingly opt to avail themselves of membership options that offer them larger discounts and other benefits on the products and services of our affiliates
Our Organizational Chart:
Employees
At the present time, the Company has 19 employees. The Company had an agreement with Alset Management Group, Inc., pursuant to which, for a fee, Alset Management Group, Inc. provided the Company with secretarial and administrative services. This agreement expired at the time of closing of Business Combination.
Intellectual Property
We anticipate filing additional trademark applications as we expand into new areas of business.
Additional Information
The Company is subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act, and, in accordance therewith, files annual, quarterly, and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the Commission. The Commission maintains an internet website at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the Commission. The periodic reports, proxy statements and other information that the Company files with the Commission are available for inspection on the Commission’s website free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the Commission.
The Company maintains a website at https://www.hwhintl.com where you may also access these materials free of charge. We have included our website address as an inactive textual reference only and the information contained in, and that can be accessed through, our website is not incorporated into and is not part of this report on Form 10-K.
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Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Not applicable to smaller reporting companies.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
Not applicable to smaller reporting companies.
Item 2. Properties
Our executive offices are located at 4800 Montgomery Lane, Suite 210, Bethesda, MD 20814, and our telephone number is (301) 971-3955. The cost for our use of this space was included in the $10,000 per month fee we paid to Alset Management Group Inc. for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. Upon completion of the Initial Business Combination, the Company ceased paying these monthly fees. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
The Company is not a party to any material pending legal proceedings.
There are no material proceedings to which any director, officer or affiliate of the Company, or any owner of record or beneficially of more than five percent of any class of voting securities of the Company, or any associate of any such director, officer, affiliate of the Company, or security holder is a party adverse to the Company or any of its subsidiaries or has a material interest adverse to the Company or any of its subsidiaries.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
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PART II
Item 5. Market for Company’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Small Business Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market Information
From February 1, 2022 until the completion of the business combination, the principal market on which our unit was traded is the Nasdaq Capital Market. Our common share, warrant and right traded on the Nasdaq from March 24, 2022 until the completion of the business combination. The Company’s unit was trading under the symbol “ACAXU,” common stock was traded under symbol “ACAX,” our warrant was traded under the symbol “ACAXW,” and the right was traded under the symbol “ACAXR.” Subsequent to the completion of the business combination, our common stock has traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol “HWH”.
Prior to our listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market there was no public trading market for our securities.
Holders
As of February 28, 2024, the Company had five stockholders of record.
Dividends
Since inception we have not paid any dividends on our common stock. We currently do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future on our common stock. Although we intend to retain our earnings, if any, to finance the exploration and growth of our business, our board of directors will have the discretion to declare and pay dividends in the future. Payment of dividends in the future will depend upon our earnings, capital requirements, and other factors, which our board of directors may deem relevant.
Securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans.
The Company does not have securities authorized for issuance under any equity compensation plans
Performance graph
Not applicable to smaller reporting companies.
Recent sales of unregistered securities; use of proceeds from registered securities
On November 8, 2021, our Sponsor purchased 2,156,250 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.012 per share. Such securities were issued pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our Sponsor, the Company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the Company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after the Initial Public Offering (excluding the placement units and underlying securities).
On February 3, 2022, we consummated our Initial Public Offering (the “Offering”) of an aggregate of 8,625,000 units (“Units”) including the issuance of 1,125,000 Units as a result of the underwriter’s full exercise of its over-allotment option. The Units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $86,250,000.
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Simultaneously with the consummation of the Offering, the Company consummated the private placement of 473,750 units (the “Private Placement Units”) to the Sponsor, including the issuance of 33,750 Private Placement Units in connection with the underwriter’s full exercise of its over-allotment option, at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit, generating total gross proceeds of $4,735,500 (the “Private Placement”). The Private Placement was conducted as a non-public transaction and, as a transaction by an issuer not involving a public offering, is exempt from registration under the Securities Act in reliance upon Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
Of the gross proceeds received from the Offering, including the full exercise of the over-allotment option, and the Private Placement Units, $86.25 million and $4.7 million was placed in the Trust Account, respectively.
On February 3, 2022, the Company paid a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per Unit, or $1,725,000. In addition, the underwriters are entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $3,018,750 in the aggregate. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
On December 18, 2023, the Company entered into a Satisfaction and Discharge of Indebtedness Agreement (the “Satisfaction Agreement”) in connection with the Underwriting Agreement, dated January 31, 2022 (the “Underwriting Agreement”), with EF Hutton, LLC (“EF Hutton”), in which pursuant to that certain Underwriting Agreement the Company was due to pay $3,018,750 to EF Hutton as deferred underwriting commission (the “Deferred Underwriting Commission”) upon the closing of the business combination. In lieu of the Company tendering the full amount of Deferred Underwriting Commission, the Company and EF Hutton entered into the Satisfaction Agreement, pursuant to which EF Hutton will accept a combination of $325,000 in cash (the “Cash Payment”) upon the closing of the business combination, 149,443 shares of the Company’s common stock (the “Shares”) and a $1,184,375 promissory note (the “Promissory Note”) as full satisfaction of the Deferred Underwriting Commission. Satisfaction and discharge of the Deferred Underwriting Commission is dependent on the Company’s delivery of the Cash Payment, the Shares and the Promissory Note under the terms of the Satisfaction Agreement. Additionally, the Company has granted EF Hutton an irrevocable right of first refusal (the “ROFR”) to act as the sole investment banker, sole book-runner, and/or sole placement agent, at EF Hutton’s sole discretion, for each and every future public and private equity and debt offering, including all equity linked financing for a period commencing on the date of the satisfaction and ending twenty-four (24) months after the closing of the business combination.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the issuer and affiliated purchasers
The Company did not repurchase any shares of the Company’s common stock during 2023 and 2022.
Item 6. [RESERVED]
Not required for smaller reporting companies.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
This Form 10-K contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, any statements contained in this Form 10-K that are not statements of historical fact including, without limitation, statements under “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” regarding the Company’s financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations, may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, words such as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimate” or “continue” or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements by their nature involve substantial risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially depending on a variety of factors, many of which are not within our control. These factors include by are not limited to economic conditions generally and in the industries in which we may participate; competition within our chosen industry, including competition from much larger competitors; technological advances and failure to successfully develop business relationships. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company’s management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors detailed in our filings with the SEC.
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto contained elsewhere in this Report. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.
| 12 |
Overview
We were formed as a blank check company, incorporated as a Delaware corporation and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. The Company consummated the Business Combination on January 9, 2024 and changed its name from “Alset Capital Acquisition Corp.” to “HWH International Inc.” The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
As of November 30, 2023, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from October 20, 2021 (inception) through November 30, 2023 relates to the Company’s formation and the initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”), which is described below and the pursuit of a suitable acquisition candidate. The Company did not generate any operating revenues prior to the completion of its initial Business Combination. The Company generated non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering. The Company initially selected November 30 as its fiscal year end, although subsequent to the period covered by this report, the Company changed its fiscal year end to December 31st.
Our sponsor is Alset Acquisition Sponsor, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”). The registration statement for our initial public offering was declared effective on January 31, 2022. On February 3, 2022, we consummated our initial public offering (the “Initial Public Offering”) of 8,625,000 Units (“Units’), including the full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option to purchase 1,125,000 units, at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit.
On February 3, 2022, simultaneously with the consummation of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the private placement of 473,750 units (the “Private Placement Units”) to the Sponsor, which amount includes 33,750 Private Placement Units purchased by the Sponsor in connection with the underwriters’ exercise of the option in full, at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit, generating gross proceeds of approximately $4.7 million (the “Private Placement”) the proceeds of which were placed in the trust account. No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to the Private Placement. The Private Placement was conducted as a non-public transaction and, as a transaction by an issuer not involved in the Initial Public Offering, was exempt from registration under the Securities Act in reliance upon Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. The Private Placement Units are identical to the Units, except that (a) the Private Placement Units and their component securities will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination except to permitted transferees and (b) the warrants and rights included as a component of the Private Placement Units, so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees, will be entitled to registration rights, respectively.
Of the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering and the proceeds of the sale of the Private Placement Units, net of the underwriting commissions, discounts, and offering expenses, $87,112,500 was placed in the Trust Account (“Trust Account”) and $1,874,050 was delivered to the Company to cover operating expenses. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account that may be released to the Company to pay its taxes (less up to $100,000 interest to pay dissolution expenses), the funds held in the Trust Account shall only be released from the Trust Account pursuant to certain conditions.
The Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of February 2, 2022 provided that funds would not be released from the Trust Account until the earliest of (a) the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial Business Combination or certain amendments to our charter prior thereto or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial Business Combination within 12 months from the consummation of the Initial Public Offering (or 15 months if we have filed a proxy statement, registration statement or similar filing for an initial Business Combination within 12 months from the consummation of the Initial Public Offering but have not completed the initial Business Combination within such 12-month period, or up to 21 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a Business Combination, at our election by two separate three month extensions, subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $862,500 for each three month extension, into the Trust Account, or as extended by our stockholders in accordance with our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation) or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination within 12 months from the consummation of the Initial Public Offering (or 15 months if we have filed a proxy statement, registration statement or similar filing for an initial Business Combination within 12 months from the consummation of the Initial Public Offering but have not completed the initial Business Combination within such 12-month period, or up to 21 months if we extend the period of time to consummate a Business Combination, at our election by two separate three month extensions, subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $862,500 for each three month extension, into the Trust Account, or as extended by our stockholders in accordance with our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation), subject to applicable law.
| 13 |
As we have filed a registration statement for an initial Business Combination, we had 15 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or as extended by our stockholders in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation) to complete the initial Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). However, if were are unable to complete the initial Business Combination within the Combination Period (and our stockholders have not approved an amendment to our charter extending this time period), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
On May 1, 2023, the Company amended the Investment Management Trust Agreement (the “Trust Agreement”) with Wilmington Trust, National Association, a national banking association (“Wilmington Trust”), which was entered into on January 31, 2022 and on May 2, 2023 the Company filed an Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. The Trust Agreement and Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation are now amended, in part, so that the Company’s ability to complete a business combination may be extended in additional increments of one month up to a total of twenty-one (21) additional months from the closing date of the Offering, subject to the payment into the trust account by the Company of one-third of 1% of the funds remaining in the trust account following any redemptions in connection with the approval of the amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.
Additionally, the Sponsor has funded the first 30-day extension payment on May 3, 2023 and made subsequent extension payments on June 5th and July 6th totaling $205,305 payments during the year ended on November 30, 2023. The Sponsor is entitled to the repayment of these extension payments, without interest. If the Company completes its initial Business Combination, it will, at the option of the Sponsor, repay the extension payments out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to it or issue securities of the Company in lieu of repayment.
In connection with the Special Meeting on May 1, 2023, Class A Common Stock stockholders redeemed 6,648,964 shares for approximately $68.4 million held in the Trust Account.
On November 2, 2023, as approved by the stockholders of the Company at the special meeting of stockholders held on November 2, 2023, the Company and Wilmington Trust, National Association (the “Trustee”) entered into Amendment No. 2 to Investment Management Trust Agreement dated as of January 31, 2022, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to Investment Management Trust Agreement dated May 1, 2023, (collectively the “Trust Agreement”). The Trust Agreement, as amended, reflects the extension of the date before which the Company must complete a business combination from November 3, 2023, to February 3, 2024, and extends the date on which the Trustee must liquidate the Trust Account if the Company has not completed its initial business combination.
On November 2, 2023, as approved by the Company’s stockholders at a special meeting of stockholders, the Company amended the text of Paragraph (c) of Section 9.1 of the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to extend the date by which the Company has to consummate a business combination, such extension being for an additional three (3) month period from November 3, 2023, to February 3, 2024.
As of November 30, 2023 public stockholders who hold shares of Alset Class A Common Stock remain eligible to elect to have their shares of Alset Capital Class A Common Stock redeemed for cash in connection with the Special Meeting held on August 1, 2023.
Subsequent Events
On September 9, 2022, the Company entered into an agreement and plan of merger (the “Merger Agreement”) by and among the Company, HWH International Inc., a Nevada corporation (the “Target”) and HWH Merger Sub Inc., a Nevada corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”). The Company and Merger Sub are sometimes referred to collectively as the “ACAX Parties.” Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, a business combination between the Company and the Target was effected through the merger of Merger Sub with and into HWH Nevada, with the Target surviving the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Merger”). Upon the closing of the Merger (the “Closing”), the Company changed its name to “HWH International Inc.” The board of directors of the Company (i) approved and declared advisable the Merger Agreement, the Ancillary Agreements (as defined in the Merger Agreement) and the transactions contemplated thereby and (ii) resolved to recommend approval of the Merger Agreement and related transactions by the stockholders of the Company.
The Target was owned and controlled by certain member officers and directors of the Company and its sponsor. The Merger was consummated following the receipt of the required approval by the stockholders of the Company and the shareholders of the Target and the satisfaction of certain other customary closing conditions.
The total consideration to be paid at Closing (the “Merger Consideration”) by the Company to the Target’s shareholders was $125,000,000, and was payable in shares of the common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (“Company Common Stock”). The number of shares of the Company Common Stock paid to the shareholders of the Target as Merger Consideration was 12,500,000, with each share being valued at $10.00.
Since the Closing on January 9, 2024, we now own the Target company acquired pursuant to the Merger Agreement. A description of our new business model is set forth under New Business Overview, above.
| 14 |
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of November 30, 2023, we had $585,654 in cash and a working capital deficit of $134,421.
Our liquidity needs up to November 30, 2023 had been satisfied through funds deposited in our account following Initial Public Offering. After consummation of the Initial Public Offering on February 3, 2022, we had approximately $1.9 million in our operating bank account and working capital of approximately $1.65 million. In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, provide us Working Capital Loans. As of November 30, 2023, there were no amounts outstanding under any Working Capital Loans.
Based on the foregoing, management believes that we will have sufficient working capital to meet our needs through the earlier of the consummation of a Business Combination or one year from this filing. Over this time period, we will be using these funds for paying existing accounts payable, identifying and evaluating prospective initial Business Combination candidates, performing due diligence on prospective target businesses, paying for travel expenditures, selecting the target business to merge with or acquire, and structuring, negotiating and consummating the Business Combination.
Results of Operations
As of November 30, 2023, we had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from October 20, 2021 (inception) through November 30, 2023 relates to our formation and the Initial Public Offering. We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. We will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of our initial Business Combination, at the earliest. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering. We expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses.
For the years ended November 30, 2023 and 2022, we had net income of $548,873 and $113,541, respectively.
Contractual Obligations
As of November 30, 2023, we did not have any long-term debt obligations, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations, purchase obligations or long-term liabilities.
Administrative Services Agreement
We agreed to pay the Sponsor $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support services commencing on the date that our securities were first listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market. Upon completion of the initial Business Combination or our liquidation, we ceased paying these monthly fees.
| 15 |
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, the placement units (including securities contained therein) and warrants (including securities contained therein) that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans, and any shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the placement units and any shares of Class A common stock that may be issued upon exercise of the warrants issued upon conversion as part of the working capital loans and Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the founder shares, are entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement signed on the effective date of the Initial Public Offering, requiring us to register such securities for resale (in the case of the founder shares, only after conversion to our Class A common stock). The holders of the majority of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial Business Combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. The registration rights agreement does not contain liquidated damages or other cash settlement provisions resulting from delays in registering our securities. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
On February 3, 2022, the Company paid a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per Unit, or $1,725,000.
In addition, the underwriters are entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $3,018,750 in the aggregate. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
Critical Accounting Policies
The preparation of the consolidated financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and income and expenses during the periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates.
The Company has determined there are no critical accounting policies or estimates in the periods covered in this report.
Critical Accounting Estimate
An accounting estimate where (a) the nature of the estimate is material due to the levels of subjectivity and judgment necessary to account for highly uncertain matters or the susceptibility of such matters to change and (b) the impact of the estimate on financial condition or operating performance is material.
Critical Accounting Policies and Practices
A company’s accounting policies and practices that are both most important to the portrayal of the company’s financial condition and results, and require management’s most difficult, subjective, or complex judgments, often because of the need to make estimates about the effects of matters that are inherently uncertain.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of November 30, 2023, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements, as defined under applicable SEC rules.
Inflation
We do not believe that inflation had a material impact on our business, revenues or operating results during the period presented.
| 16 |
Emerging Growth Company Status
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart our Business Startups Act of 2012, (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, us, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our consolidated financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Not required for smaller reporting companies.
| 17 |
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
HWH International Inc.
(Formerly known as Alset Capital Acquisition Corp.)
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
November 30, 2023 and 2022
| 18 |
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of
HWH International Inc. (formerly known as Alset Capital Acquisition Corp.)
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of HWH International Inc. (formerly known as Alset Capital Acquisition Corp.) and its subsidiary (collectively, (the “Company”)) as of November 30, 2023 and 2022, and the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ deficit and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of November 30, 2023 and 2022, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for the years ended November 30, 2023 and 2022, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Going Concern Matter
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company has no operating income, working capital deficit and negative cash flow from operations which raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 1. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/
www.malonebailey.com
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.
February 28, 2024
| F-1 |
HWH INTERNATIONAL INC.
(Formerly
known as Alset Capital Acquisition Corp.)
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
| November 30, 2023 | November 30, 2022 | |||||||
| ASSETS | ||||||||
| Current assets: | ||||||||
| Cash | $ | $ | ||||||
| Due from Sponsor | ||||||||
| Other current assets | ||||||||
| Total current assets | ||||||||
| Cash and marketable securities held in Trust Account | ||||||||
| Total assets | $ | $ | ||||||
| LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT | ||||||||
| Current liabilities: | ||||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | $ | $ | ||||||
| Extension Loan – Related Party | ||||||||
| Total current liabilities | ||||||||
| Deferred underwriting compensation | ||||||||
| Total liabilities | ||||||||
| Commitments and contingencies (Note 6): | ||||||||
| Temporary equity: | ||||||||
| Class A common stock subject to possible redemption; and shares (at approximately $ and $ per share) as of November 30, 2023 and November 30, 2022, respectively | ||||||||
| Stockholders’ deficit: | ||||||||
| Preferred stock, $ par value; shares authorized; issued and outstanding | ||||||||
| Class A common stock, $ par value; shares authorized; issued and outstanding (excluding and shares subject to possible redemption) as of November 30, 2023 and November 30, 2022, respectively | ||||||||
| Class B common stock, $ par value; shares authorized; shares issued and outstanding as of November 30, 2023 and November 30, 2022, respectively | ||||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | ||||||||
| Accumulated deficit | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Total stockholders’ deficit | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Total liabilities and stockholders’ deficit | $ | $ | ||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
| F-2 |
HWH INTERNATIONAL INC.
(Formerly known as Alset Capital Acquisition Corp.)
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
| For the Year | For the Year | |||||||
| Ended | Ended | |||||||
| November 30, 2023 | November 30, 2022 | |||||||
| EXPENSES | ||||||||
| Administration fee - related party | $ | $ | ||||||
| General and administrative | ||||||||
| TOTAL EXPENSES | ||||||||
| OTHER INCOME | ||||||||
| Investment income earned on cash and marketable securities held in Trust Account | ||||||||
| TOTAL OTHER INCOME | ||||||||
| Pre-tax income | ||||||||
| Income tax expense | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Net income | $ | $ | ||||||
| Weighted average number of shares of Class A common stock outstanding, basic and diluted | ||||||||
| Basic and diluted net income per share of Class A common stock | $ | $ | ||||||
| Weighted average number of shares of Class B common stock outstanding, basic and diluted | ||||||||
| Basic and diluted net income per share of Class B common stock | $ | $ | ||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
| F-3 |
HWH INTERNATIONAL INC.
(Formerly known as Alset Capital Acquisition Corp.)
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
FOR THE YEARS ENDED NOVEMBER 30, 2023 AND 2022
Class A Common Stock | Class B Common Stock | Additional Paid-in | Accumulated | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at November 30, 2021 | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of Shares at Initial Public Offering | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deferred underwriting compensation | - | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sale of Private Placement Units | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Underwriter’s fees and other issuance costs | - | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Remeasurement of Class A common stock to redemption value | ( | ) | ( | ) | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Class A Common Stock Measurement Adjustment | - | - | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Remeasurement of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption to redemption amount | - | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at November 30, 2022 | $ | | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Remeasurement of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption to redemption amount | - | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Additional amount deposited into trust for loan extension | - | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at November 30, 2023 | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
| F-4 |
HWH INTERNATIONAL INC.
(Formerly
known as Alset Capital Acquisition Corp.)
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
| For the Year | For the Year | |||||||
| Ended | Ended | |||||||
| November 30, 2023 | November 30, 2022 | |||||||
| Cash Flows from Operating Activities: | ||||||||
| Net income | $ | $ | ||||||
| Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities: | ||||||||
| Investment income earned on cash and marketable securities held in Trust Account | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Formation and organization costs paid by related parties | ||||||||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||||||
| Other current assets | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | ||||||||
| Net Cash Used in Operating Activities | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Cash Flows from Investing Activities: | ||||||||
| Due from Sponsor | ( | ) | ||||||
| Cash withdrawn from Trust Account for taxes | ||||||||
| Cash withdrawn form Trust Account for redemptions | ||||||||
| Cash deposited into Trust Account | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Net Cash Provided By (Used in) Investing Activities | ( | ) | ||||||
| Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | ||||||||
| Proceeds from sale of Units in Public Offering, net of underwriting fee | ||||||||
| Repayment of Class A Common Stock | ( | ) | ||||||
| Proceeds from sale of Private Placement Units | ||||||||
| Proceeds from extension loan | ||||||||
| Proceeds from related party advances | ||||||||
| Repayment of related party advances | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Payment of offering costs | ( | ) | ||||||
| Net Cash (Used in) Provided by Financing Activities | ( | ) | ||||||
| Net change in cash | ( | ) | ||||||
| Cash at beginning of the year | ||||||||
| Cash at end of the year | $ | $ | ||||||
| Supplemental disclosure of non-cash financing activities: | ||||||||
| Deferred underwriters’ commissions charged to temporary equity in connection with the Initial Public Offering | $ | $ | ||||||
| Class A Common Stock measurement adjustment | $ | $ | ||||||
| Initial classification of Class A Common Stock subject to redemption | $ | $ | ||||||
| Remeasurement of Class A Common Stock subject to redemption | $ | $ | ||||||
| Extension funds attributable to common stock subject to redemption | $ | $ | ||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
| F-5 |
HWH INTERNATIONAL INC.
(Formerly known as Alset Capital Acquisition Corp.)
Notes to the CONSOLIDATED financial statements
FOR THE YEARS ENDED NOVEMBER 30, 2023 AND 2022
NOTE 1 — DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION, BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND LIQUIDITY
HWH International Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware on October 20, 2021 under the name Alset Capital Acquisition Corp. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company consummated the Business Combination on January 9, 2024 and changed its name from Alset Capital Acquisition Corp. to HWH International Inc. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
As of November 30, 2023, the Company has not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from October 20, 2021 (inception) through November 30, 2023 relates to the Company’s formation and the initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”), which is described below and the pursuit of a suitable acquisition candidate. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering. The Company has selected November 30 as its fiscal year end, which upon closing of Business Combination on January 9, 2024 has automatically changed to December 31.
On September 9, 2022, the Company entered into an agreement and plan of merger (the “Merger Agreement”) by and among the Company, HWH International Inc., a Nevada corporation (“HWH”) and HWH Merger Sub Inc., a Nevada corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”). The Company and Merger Sub are sometimes referred to collectively as the “ACAX Parties.” Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, a business combination between the Company and HWH was to be effected through the merger of Merger Sub with and into HWH, with HWH surviving the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Merger”). Upon the closing of the Merger (the “Closing”), the Company changed its name to “HWH International Inc.” Prior to the Closing, the board of directors of the Company (i) approved and declared advisable the Merger Agreement, the Ancillary Agreements (as defined in the Merger Agreement) and the transactions contemplated thereby and (ii) resolved to recommend approval of the Merger Agreement and related transactions by the stockholders of the Company.
HWH is wholly–owned by Alset International Limited, a public company listed on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited. Alset International Limited is majority-owned and controlled by certain officers and directors of the Company and its sponsor. The Company’s sponsor is owned by Alset International Limited and Alset Inc.; Alset Inc. is the majority stockholder of Alset International Limited, and Chan Heng Fai, the Company’s Chairman is also the majority stockholder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alset Inc., and the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of HWH and Alset International Limited. The Merger was consummated on January 9, 2024, following the receipt of the required approval by the shareholder of HWH and the satisfaction of certain other customary closing conditions. This transaction was approved by the stockholders of the Company at the Special Meeting of stockholders held on August 1, 2023.
The
total consideration paid at Closing (the “Merger Consideration”) by the Company to the HWH shareholders was $
The
registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering was declared effective on January 31, 2022. On February 3, 2022,
the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of units (“Units” and, with respect to the shares of common
stock included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”), generating gross proceeds of $
Simultaneously
with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the private sale of units (the “Private Placement
Units”) at a price of $ per Private Placement Unit in private placement to Alset Acquisition Sponsor, LLC (the “Sponsor”)
generating gross proceeds to the Company in the amount of $
| F-6 |
The
Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering
and the sale of Private Placement Units, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied toward consummating
a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company
must complete one or more initial Business Combinations with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal
to at least
The Company will provide the holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “Public Stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer in connection with the Business Combination. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company. The Public Stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $ per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest then in the Trust Account, net of taxes payable). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants. The Public Shares subject to redemption will be recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering in accordance with the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.”
All of the Public Shares contain a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such Public Shares in connection with the Company’s liquidation, if there is a stockholder vote or tender offer in connection with the Company’s Business Combination and in connection with certain amendments to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation. In accordance with the rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and its guidance on redeemable equity instruments, which has been codified in ASC 480-10-S99, redemption provisions not solely within the control of a company require common stock subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. Given that the Public Shares will be issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., public warrants), the initial carrying value of Class A common stock classified as temporary equity will be the allocated proceeds determined in accordance with ASC 470-20. The Class A common stock is subject to ASC 480-10-S99. If it is probable that the equity instrument will become redeemable, we have the option to either (i) accrete changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance (or from the date that it becomes probable that the instrument will become redeemable, if later) to the earliest redemption date of the instrument or (ii) recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying amount of the instrument to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. We have elected to recognize the changes immediately. The accretion or remeasurement will be treated as a deemed dividend (i.e., a reduction to retained earnings, or in absence of retained earnings, additional paid-in capital). The Public Shares are redeemable and will be classified as such on the balance sheet until such date that a redemption event takes place. Redemptions of the Company’s Public Shares may be subject to the satisfaction of conditions, including minimum cash conditions, pursuant to an agreement relating to the Company’s Business Combination.
If the Company seeks stockholder approval of the Business Combination, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination if a majority of the outstanding shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination, or such other vote as required by law or stock exchange rule. If a stockholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its second amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each Public Stockholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
| F-7 |
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company seeks stockholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Certificate of Incorporation provides that a Public Stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of % of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.
The holders of the Founder Shares have agreed (a) to waive their redemption rights with respect to the Founder Shares and Public Shares held by them in connection with the completion of a Business Combination and (b) not to propose an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemptions in connection with a Business Combination or to redeem % of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period (as defined below) or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, unless the Company provides the Public Stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment.
The
Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of February 2, 2022 provided that if the Company had not completed
a Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of Initial Public Offering (or 15 months if we had filed a proxy statement,
registration statement or similar filing for an initial Business Combination within 12 months from the consummation of Initial Public
Offering but had not completed the initial Business Combination within such 12-month period, or up to 21 months if we extend the period
of time to consummate a Business Combination, at the election of the Company by two separate three month extensions, subject to satisfaction
of certain conditions, including the deposit of up to $
The holders of the Founders Shares have agreed to waive their liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the holders of Founder Shares acquire Public Shares in or after the Initial Public Offering, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission (see Note 6) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the Initial Public Offering price per Unit ($).
In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (i) $ per Public Share or (ii) such lesser amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, if less than $ per Public Share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (except for the Company’s independent registered accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.
| F-8 |
On May 1, 2023, the Company amended the Investment Management Trust Agreement (the “Trust Agreement”) with Wilmington Trust, National Association, a national banking association (“Wilmington Trust”), which was entered into on January 31, 2022 and on May 2, 2023 the Company filed an Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. The Trust Agreement and Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation are now amended, in part, so that the Company’s ability to complete a business combination may be extended in additional increments of one month up to a total of twenty-one (21) additional months from the closing date of the Offering, subject to the payment into the trust account by the Company of one-third of 1% of the funds remaining in the trust account following any redemptions in connection with the approval of the amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.
In
connection with the Special Meeting on May 1, 2023, Class A Common Stock stockholders redeemed shares for approximately $
During
the year ended November 30, 2023, the Company withdrew $
Going Concern and Management’s Plan
The Company expects to incur significant costs in pursuit of its acquisition plans and will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial business combination, at the earliest. In addition, the Company expects to have negative cash flows from operations as it pursues an initial business combination target. In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, “Disclosures of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern” the Company does not currently have adequate liquidity to sustain operations, which consist solely of pursuing a Business Combination.
On January 9, 2024, the Company consummated the business combination (the “Closing”) contemplated by the previously announced Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of September 9, 2022 (the “Merger Agreement”). The Company’s common stock commenced trading on the Nasdaq Global Market LLC under the ticker symbol “HWH” on January 9, 2024, and the Company’s warrants are expected to commence trading under the symbol “HWHW” at a later date.
The
Company has incurred continuing losses from its operations and has a working capital deficit $
These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue ongoing operations. These consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of these uncertainties.
| F-9 |
NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions and balances between the Company and its subsidiaries are eliminated upon consolidation.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, as amended (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s consolidated financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the balance sheet.
Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the balance sheet, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The
Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.
The Company had cash of $
| F-10 |
Investments held in Trust Account
At
November 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company had approximately $
Offering Costs associated with the Initial Public Offering
The
Company complies with the requirements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff
Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) Topic 5A, Offering Costs. Offering costs of $
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption
The Company accounts for its common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance enumerated in ASC 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity”. Common stock subject to possible redemption are classified as a liability instrument and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including shares of common stock that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, shares of common stock are classified as stockholders’ equity. The Company’s Class A common stock features certain redemption rights that are considered by the Company to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to the occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, at November 30, 2023 and 2022, the Class A common stock subject to possible redemption in the amount of $ and $, respectively, are presented as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of the Company’s balance sheets.
Net income (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. The Company applies the two-class method in calculating earnings per share. Earnings and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of shares. The calculation of diluted income (loss) per share of common stock does not consider the effect of the warrants issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering because the warrants are contingently exercisable, and the contingencies have not yet been met. As a result, diluted earnings per common stock are the same as basic earnings per ordinary share for the periods presented.
For the Year Ended November 30, 2023 | ||||||||
| Class A | Class B | |||||||
| Basic and diluted net income per share of common stock | ||||||||
| Numerator: | ||||||||
| Allocation of net income | $ | $ | ||||||
| Denominator: | ||||||||
| Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding | ||||||||
| Basic and diluted net income per share of common stock | $ | $ | ||||||
| F-11 |
For the Year Ended November 30, 2022 | ||||||||
| Class A | Class B | |||||||
| Basic and diluted net income per share of common stock | ||||||||
| Numerator: | ||||||||
| Allocation of net income | $ | $ | ||||||
| Denominator: | ||||||||
| Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding | ||||||||
| Basic and diluted net income per share of common stock | $ | $ | ||||||
Income Taxes
The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under ASC 740, “Income Taxes.” Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statements’ recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of November 30, 2023 and 2022. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.
The
Inflation Reduction Act (“IR Act”) was enacted on August 16, 2022. The IR Act includes provisions imposing a
Delaware Franchise Tax
Delaware,
where the Company is incorporated, imposes a franchise tax that applies to most business entities that are formed or qualified to
do business, or which are otherwise doing business, in Delaware. Delaware franchise tax is based on authorized shares or on
assumed par and non-par capital, whichever yields a lower result. Under the authorized shares method, each share is taxed at a graduated
rate based on the number of authorized shares. During years ended November 30, 2023 and 2022 the company incurred $
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial
instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution,
which, at times, may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Coverage of $
The
Company had uninsured cash of $
| F-12 |
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for sale of an asset or paid to transfer of a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. US GAAP establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). These tiers include:
| ● | Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets; | |
| ● | Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and | |
| ● | Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable. |
Recent Accounting Standards
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
NOTE 3 — INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING
Pursuant
to the Initial Public Offering, the Company sold Units at a price of $ per Unit generating gross proceeds to the Company
in the amount of $
On
February 3, 2022, the underwriters purchased an additional Units pursuant to the full exercise of the over-allotment option.
The Units were sold at an offering price of $ per Unit, generating additional gross proceeds to the Company of $
NOTE 4 — PRIVATE PLACEMENTS
Simultaneously
with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of Private Placement Units at a price of
$ per Private Placement Unit generating gross proceeds in the amount of $
The proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Units were added to the net proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Units held in the Trust Account will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless. The Private Placement Warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of an Initial Business Combination, subject to certain exceptions.
| F-13 |
NOTE 5 — RELATED PARTIES
Founder Shares
On
November 8, 2021, the Sponsor received shares of the Company’s Class B common stock (the “Founder Shares”)
for $
The holder of the Founder Shares have agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of a Business Combination and (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $ per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Public Stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.
Promissory Note — Related Party
On
November 8, 2021, the Sponsor issued an unsecured promissory note to the Company (the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which
the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $
Advances from Related Party
The
Sponsor paid certain offering costs on behalf of the Company and advanced working capital to the Company. These advances are due on demand
and are non-interest bearing. During the year ended November 30, 2022, the Sponsor paid a total of $
General and Administrative Services
Commencing
on the date the Units are first listed on the Nasdaq, the Company has agreed to pay the Sponsor a total of $
| F-14 |
Related Party Loans
Working Capital Loans
In
order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain
of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working
Capital Loans”). Such Working Capital Loans would be evidenced by promissory notes. The notes may be repaid upon completion of
a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $
Extension Loan
On
May 1, 2023, the Company amended the Investment Management Trust Agreement (the “Trust Agreement”) with Wilmington Trust,
National Association, a national banking association (“Wilmington Trust”), which was entered into on January 31, 2022 and
on May 2, 2023 the Company filed an Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. The Trust Agreement and Amended
and Restated Certificate of Incorporation are now amended, in part, so that the Company’s ability to complete a business combination
may be extended in additional increments of one month up to a total of twenty-one (21) additional months from the closing date of the
Offering, subject to the payment into the trust account by the Company of one-third of 1% of the funds remaining in the trust account
following any redemptions in connection with the approval of the amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation. The Sponsor has funded the first 30-day extension payment on May 3, 2023 and made subsequent extension payments on June
5th and July 6th totaling $
Due from Sponsor
Due
from sponsor was $ and $
NOTE 6 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Registration Rights
The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of Initial Public Offering requiring the Company to register such securities for resale. The holders of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that the Company register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to completion of a Business Combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. However, the registration rights agreement provides that the Company will not be required to effect or permit any registration or cause any registration statement to become effective until the securities covered thereby are released from their lock-up restrictions. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
The
Company granted the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of Initial Public Offering to purchase up to additional Units
to cover over-allotments, if any, at the Initial Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions. On February 3,
2022, the underwriters elected to fully exercise their over-allotment option. The Units were sold at an offering price of $ per
Unit, generating additional gross proceeds to the Company of $
The
underwriters were paid a cash underwriting discount of $ per Unit, or $
| F-15 |
NOTE 7 — STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Preferred Stock — The Company is authorized to issue shares of preferred stock with a par value of $ per share. As of November 30, 2023 and 2022, there were shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.
Class A Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue shares of Class A common stock with a par value of $ per share. Holders of Class A common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. As of November 30, 2023 and 2022, there were shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding, respectively, (excluding and , respectively, shares of the Class A Common Stock subject to possible redemption that were classified as temporary equity in the accompanying balance sheets).
Class B Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue shares of Class B common stock with a par value of $ per share. Holders of Class B common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. As of November 30, 2023 and 2022, there were shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding.
Only holders of the Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to the Business Combination. Holders of Class A common stock and holders of Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders except as otherwise required by law. In connection with our initial Business Combination, we may enter into a stockholders’ agreement or other arrangements with the stockholders of the target or other investors to provide for voting or other corporate governance arrangements that differ from those that were in effect upon completion of the Initial Public Offering.
The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into Class A common stock at the time of a Business Combination, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in the Initial Public Offering and related to the closing of a Business Combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, to 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering (excluding the placement units and underlying securities).
Rights - Except in cases where the Company is not the surviving company in a Business Combination, each holder of a right will automatically receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share of common stock upon consummation of the initial Business Combination. The Company will not issue fractional shares in connection with an exchange of rights. Fractional shares will either be rounded to the nearest whole share or otherwise addressed in accordance with Section 155 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, as further described herein. We will make the determination of how we are treating fractional shares at the time of our initial Business Combination and will include such determination in the proxy materials we will send to stockholders for their consideration of such initial Business Combination.
Warrants — Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole warrants will trade. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination and (b) 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering. The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
| F-16 |
The Company will not be obligated to deliver any shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock is available, subject to the Company satisfying its obligations with respect to registration, or a valid exemption from registration is available. No warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and the Company will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of residence of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available.
The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of a Business Combination, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file, and within 60 business days following a Business Combination being declared effective, a registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed. Notwithstanding the above, if the Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company so elects, the Company will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
Redemption of Warrants When the Price per Share of Class A Common Stock Equals or Exceeds $18.00 — Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding Public Warrants:
| ● | in whole and not in part; | |
| ● | at
a price of $ | |
| ● | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, or the 30-day redemption period to each warrant holder; and | |
| ● | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $ per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganization, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to warrant holders. |
If and when the warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may exercise its redemption right even if it is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
If the Company calls the Public Warrants for redemption, as described above, its management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise the Public Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis,” as described in the warrant agreement. The exercise price and number of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, extraordinary dividend or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, except as described below, the Public Warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of common stock at a price below its exercise price. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the Public Warrants. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of Public Warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their Public Warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with respect to such Public Warrants. Accordingly, the Public Warrants may expire worthless.
The Private Placement Warrants will be identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units being sold in the Initial Public Offering except the Private Placement Warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of an Initial Business Combination, subject to certain exceptions.
| F-17 |
NOTE 8 — INCOME TAXES
The Company’s deferred tax assets are as follows at November 30, 2023 and 2022:
| November 30, 2023 | November 30, 2022 | |||||||
| Deferred tax asset | ||||||||
| Net operating loss | $ | $ | ||||||
| Startup/organizational costs | ||||||||
| Total deferred tax asset | ||||||||
| Valuation allowance | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Deferred tax asset, net of allowance | $ | $ | ||||||
The income tax provision (benefit) consists of the following for the year November 30, 2023 and November 30, 2022:
| November 30, 2023 | November 30, 2022 | |||||||
| Federal | ||||||||
| Current | $ | $ | ||||||
| Deferred | ||||||||
| State and Local | ||||||||
| Current | ||||||||
| Deferred | ||||||||
| Income tax provision / (benefit) | $ | $ | ||||||
In
assessing the realization of the deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion of all
of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of
future taxable income during the periods in which temporary differences representing net future deductible amounts become deductible.
Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies
in making this assessment. After consideration of all of the information available, management believes that significant uncertainty
exists with respect to future realization of the deferred tax assets and has therefore established a full valuation allowance. For
the year ended November 30, 2023 and 2022, the change in the valuation allowance was $
A reconciliation of the statutory tax rate to the Company’s effective tax rates for the year ended November 30, 2023 and 2022:
| Year Ended November 30, 2023 | Year Ended November 30, 2022 | |||||||
| Statutory federal income tax rate | % | % | ||||||
| State taxes, net of federal tax benefit | ||||||||
| Other | ||||||||
| Change in valuation allowance | ||||||||
| Income tax provision (benefit) | % | % | ||||||
NOTE 9 — SUBSEQUENT EVENT
On January 9, 2024, the Company announced the completion of its previously announced business combination. In connection with the Business Combination, Alset changed its name from Alset Capital Acquisition Corp. to HWH International Inc.
As a result of the Business Combination, each share of Class A common stock was cancelled and converted into shares of the Company’s common stock, on the terms set forth in the Merger Agreement, dated September 9, 2022. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, the aggregate number of shares of Company common stock that was delivered as consideration in the Business Combination was shares.
Also, as a result of the Business Combination, each outstanding share of Class B common stock, with par value of $ per share, of Alset (the “Class B Common Stock”), automatically converted into one share of Class A common stock, with $ par value per share, of Alset (the “Class A Common Stock”), and then subsequently converted into one share of Company common stock.
In
lieu of the Company tendering the full amount of Deferred Underwriting Commission, the Company and EF Hutton entered into the Satisfaction
Agreement, pursuant to which EF Hutton accepted a combination of $
shares of the Company’s common stock were redeemed in connection with the Business Combination at a redemption price of $ per share. Following the Business Combination, new shares of the Company’s common stock were issued in connection with the conversion of rights into HWH common shares.
| F-18 |
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
Not Applicable.
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
In connection with the preparation of our Report on Form 10-K, an evaluation was carried out by management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officers and Chief Financial Officers, of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act) as of November 30, 2023. Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including the Chief Executive Officers and Chief Financial Officers, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
During evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures as of November 30, 2023, conducted as part of our annual audit and preparation of our annual financial statements, management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operations of our disclosure controls and procedures and concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were ineffective for those reasons set forth below.
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements included in this annual report. The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and reflect management’s judgment and estimates concerning effects of events and transactions that are accounted for or disclosed.
Management is also responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that pertain to our ability to record, process, summarize and report reliable data. Management recognizes that there are inherent limitations in the effectiveness of any internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility of human error and the circumvention or overriding of internal control. Accordingly, even effective internal control over financial reporting can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement presentation. Further, because of changes in conditions, the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting may vary over time.
In order to ensure that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, management regularly assesses controls and did so most recently for its financial reporting as of November 30, 2023. This assessment was based on criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting described in the Internal Control Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) of the Treadway Commission. In connection with management’s evaluation of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of November 30, 2023, management determined that the Company did not maintain effective controls over financial reporting due to limited staff. This limited number of staff prevents us from segregating duties within our internal control system and restricts our ability to timely evaluate the accuracy and completeness of our financial statement disclosures. Management determined that the ineffective controls over financial reporting constitute a material weakness.
This annual report filed on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of the Company’s registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by our registered public accounting firm pursuant to temporary rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission that permit us to provide only management’s report in this annual report.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We continue taking steps to enhance and improve the design of our internal controls over financial reporting. During the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we have not been able to completely remediate the material weaknesses identified above. To remediate such weaknesses, we plan to appoint additional qualified personnel with financial accounting, GAAP, and SEC experience.
Item 9B. Other Information.
None
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections
None.
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PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
Identification of directors and executive officers
The name, age and position of our officers and directors are set forth below:
| Name | Age | Position(s) | ||
| Heng Fai Ambrose Chan | 79 | Executive Chairman, Director | ||
| John “J.T.” Thatch | 61 | Chief Executive Officer | ||
| Rongguo (Ronald) Wei | 52 | Chief Financial Officer | ||
| Lim Sheng Hon Danny | 32 | Chief Operating Officer | ||
| William Wu | 57 | Independent Director | ||
| Wong Shui Yeung | 53 | Independent Director | ||
| Wong Tat Keung | 53 | Independent Director |
The mailing address for each of the officers and directors named above is c/o of the Company at: 4800 Montgomery Lane, Suite 210, Bethesda, MD, 20814.
Business Experience
Heng Fai Ambrose Chan. Mr. Chan has served as our Chairman since October of 2021, and served as our Chief Executive Officer from October of 2021 to January of 2024. Mr. Chan has over forty-five years of experience in the financial and equity investment industry. Mr. Chan is the founder of Alset Inc. and has served as its Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer since that company’s inception in March 2018. Mr. Chan is an expert in banking and finance. He has restructured numerous companies in various industries and countries during the past 40 years. Mr. Chan has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Alset International Limited since April 2014. Mr. Chan joined the Board of Directors of Alset International Limited in May 2013. From 1995 to 2015, Mr. Chan served as Managing Chairman of Hong Kong-listed Zensun Enterprises Limited (formerly Heng Fai Enterprises Limited), an investment holding company. Mr. Chan had previously served as a member of the Board of Zensun Enterprises Limited since September 1992. Mr. Chan was formerly the Managing Director of SingHaiyi Group Ltd., a public Singapore property development, investment and management company (“SingHaiyi”), from March 2003 to September 2013, and the Executive Chairman of China Gas Holdings Limited, an investor and operator of the city gas pipeline infrastructure in China from 1997 to 2002. Mr. Chan has served as a non-executive director of DSS, Inc. (formerly known as Document Security Systems, Inc.) since January 2017 and as Chairman of the Board since March 2019. Mr. Chan has served as a member of the Board of Directors of OptimumBank Holdings, Inc. since June 2018. He has also served as a non-executive director of our indirect subsidiary LiquidValue Development Inc. since January 2017. Mr. Chan has served as a director of Alset Inc.’s 99.7%-owned subsidiary Hapi Metaverse Inc. since October 2014. Mr. Chan has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Sharing Services Global Corporation since April of 2020. Mr. Chan has served as a member of the Board of Value Exchange International, Inc. since December 2021. Mr. Chan also served as a non-executive director of Holista CollTech Ltd. from July 2013 until June 2021.
Mr. Chan was formerly a director of Global Medical REIT Inc., a healthcare facility real estate company, from December 2013 to July 2015. He also served as a director of Skywest Ltd., a public Australian airline company from 2005 to 2006. Mr. Chan served as a member of the Board of Directors of RSI International Systems, Inc., the developer of RoomKeyPMS, a web-based property management system, from June 2014 to February 2019.
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Mr. Chan is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alset Inc., the majority owner of HWH’s parent company, Alset International Limited, and Alset Investment Pte Ltd.; the owners of our sponsor. Mr. Chan also serves as the Executive Chairman, Director, and Hapi Wealth Builder Division Head of HWH, and the Executive Chairman of Sharing Services Global Corporation, a company partly owned by DSS, Inc., an entity in which Alset Inc. has a significant ownership stake.
Director Qualifications of Heng Fai Ambrose Chan:
The board of directors appointed Mr. Chan in recognition of his abilities to assist the Company in expanding its business and the contributions he can make to the Company’s strategic direction.
John “JT” Thatch. Mr. Thatch has served as HWH’s Chief Executive Officer since January 9, 2024. Mr. Thatch has also served as a director of DSS, Inc., a NYSE traded company, from May 2019 to October 2023, during which time he was their Lead Independent Director. Mr. Thatch is an accomplished, energetic, entrepreneur-minded executive who has the vision and knowledge to create growth and shareholder value any organization. Mr. Thatch has successfully started, owned and operated several sized businesses in various industries, including service, retail, wholesale, on-line learning, finance, real estate management and technology companies. Since March 2018, Mr. Thatch has served as the President, Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of Sharing Services Global Corporation, a publicly traded holding company focused in the direct selling and marketing industry. He is a minority member of Superior Wine & Spirits, a Florida-based wholesale company since February of 2016. Mr. Thatch served as Chief Executive Officer of Universal Education Strategies, Inc. from January 2009 to January 2016, an organization involved in the development and sales of educational products and services. From 2000 to 2005, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Onscreen Technologies, Inc., currently listed on NASDAQ as Orbital Energy Group “OEG”, once a global leader in the development of cutting-edge thermal management technologies for integrated LED technologies, circuits, superconductors and solar energy solutions. Mr. Thatch was responsible for all aspects of the company including board and stockholder communications, public reporting and compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley, structuring and managing the firm’s financial operations, and expansion initiatives for all corporate products and services. Mr. Thatch’s public company financial and management experience in the strategic growth and development of various companies qualify him to serve as Chief Executive Officer of HWH.
Rongguo (Ronald) Wei. Mr. Wei has served as our Chief Financial Officer since October of 2021. Mr. Wei is a finance professional with more than 15 years of experience working in public and private corporations in the United States. As the Co-Chief Financial Officer of Alset Inc., the majority shareholder of Alset International Limited, HWH’s owner, and Chief Financial Officer of SeD Development Management LLC, Mr. Wei is responsible for oversight of all finance, accounting, reporting and taxation activities for those companies. Prior to joining SeD Development Management LLC in August 2016, Mr. Wei worked for several different U.S. multinational and private companies including serving as Controller at American Silk Mill, LLC, a textile manufacturing and distribution company, from August 2014 to July 2016, serving as a Senior Financial Analyst at Air Products & Chemicals, Inc., a manufacturing company, from January 2013 to June 2014, and serving as a Financial/Accounting Analyst at First Quality Enterprise, Inc., a personal products company, from 2011 to 2012. Mr. Wei served as a member of the Board Directors of Amarantus Bioscience Holdings, Inc., a biotech company, from February to May 2017, and has served as Chief Financial Officer of that company from February 2017 until November 2017. Before Mr. Wei came to the United States, he worked as an equity analyst at Hong Yuan Securities, an investment bank in Beijing, China, concentrating on industrial and public company research and analysis. Mr. Wei is a certified public accountant and received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland and a Master of Business Taxation from the University of Minnesota. Mr. Wei also holds a Master in Business degree from Tsinghua University and a Bachelor’s degree from Beihang University.
Lim Sheng Hon Danny. Mr. Lim was appointed Chief Operating Officer of HWH International Inc. in February of 2024 and also serves as Chief Strategy Officer of the Company. Mr. Lim has also served as a director of Alset Inc. (NASDAQ: AEI) since October 2022, and has served as Senior Vice President, Business Development and as Executive Director of Alset Inc.’s subsidiary, Alset International Limited (SGX:40V), a publicly traded company on the Singapore Stock Exchange, since 2020. Mr. Lim has over 7 years of experience in business development, merger & acquisitions, corporate restructuring and strategic planning and execution. Mr. Lim graduated from Singapore Nanyang Technological University with a Bachelor’ Degree with Honors in Business, specializing in Banking and Finance.
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We have also assembled a group of independent directors who will provide public company governance, executive leadership, operational oversight, private equity investment management and capital markets experience. Included in this group is Mr. William Wu, Mr. Wong Shui Yeung (Frankie) and Mr. Wong Tat Keung (Aston).
William Wu. Mr. Wu has served as a member of our Board of Directors since January of 2022. Mr. Wu previously served as the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Power Financial Group Limited from November 2017 to January 2019. Mr. Wu has served on the Board of Directors of Alset Inc. since November of 2020. Mr. Wu has served as an independent non-executive director of JY Grandmark Holdings Limited since November 2019. Mr. Wu has served as a member of the Board of Directors of DSS, Inc. since October of 2019. Mr. Wu has served as a Director of Asia Allied Infrastructure Holdings Limited since February 2015. Mr. Wu previously served as a Director and Chief Executive Officer of RHB Hong Kong Limited from April 2011 to October 2017. Mr. Wu served as the Chief Executive Officer of SW Kingsway Capital Holdings Limited (now known as Sunwah Kingsway Capital Holdings Limited) from April 2006 to September 2010. Mr. Wu holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a Master of Business Administration degree of Simon Fraser University in Canada. He was qualified as a Chartered Financial Analyst of The Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts in 1996.
Mr. Wu previously worked for a number of international investment banks and possesses over 27 years of experience in the investment banking, capital markets, institutional broking and direct investment businesses. He is a registered license holder to carry out Type 6 (advising on corporate finance) and Type 9 (asset management) regulated activities under the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Chapter 571 of the Laws of Hong Kong). We believe that Mr. Wu’s knowledge of complex, cross-border financial matters is highly relevant to our business and qualifies him to serve as an independent member of the board.
Director Qualifications of Mr. Wu:
Mr. Wu demonstrates extensive knowledge of complex, cross-border financial matters highly relevant to our business, making him well-qualified to serve as an independent member of the board. Mr. Wu serves on our Audit Committee and Compensation Committee.
Wong Shui Yeung (Frankie). Mr. Wong has served as a member of our Board of Directors since January of 2022. Mr. Wong is a practicing member and fellow of Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He has over 25 years’ experience in accounting, auditing, corporate finance, corporate investment and development, and company secretarial practice. Mr. Wong has served as a director of Alset Inc. and DSS Inc. since November 2021 and July 2022 respectively, the shares of which are listed on NASDAQ, Value Exchange International, Inc. since April 2022, the shares of which are listed on the OTCQB. He has served as an independent non-executive director of Alset International Limited since June 2017, the shares of which are listed on the Catalist Board of the Singapore Stock Exchange and First Credit Finance Group Limited since February 2024, the shares of which are listed on the GEM Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited. . Mr. Wong was an Independent Non-Executive Director of SMI Holdings Group Limited from April 2017 to December 2020 and SMI Culture & Travel Group Holdings Limited from December 2019 to November 2020, the shares of which were listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited.
Director Qualifications of Mr. Wong:
Mr. Wong’s knowledge of complex, cross-border financial, accounting and tax matters highly relevant to our business, as well as working experience in internal corporate controls, qualify him to serve as an independent member of the board. Mr. Wong serves on our Audit Committee and Compensation Committee.
Wong Tat Keung (Aston). Mr. Wong has served as a member of our Board of Directors since January of 2022. Mr. Wong has over 20 years’ experience in audit, accounting, taxation and business advisory. Mr. Wong has served as a director of Alset Inc. since November 2020. Since 2010, Mr. Wong has served as the director of Aston Wong CPA Limited. He has been an independent non-executive director of Alset International since January 2017, and a director of Alset Inc. since November 2020. Mr. Wong has been an independent non-executive director of Roma Group Limited, a valuation and technical advisory firm, since March 2016, and has served as an independent non-executive director of Lerthai Group Limited, a property, investment, management and development company, since December 2018. Previously, he served as the director and sole proprietor of Aston Wong & Co., a registered certified public accounting firm, from January 2006 to February 2010. From January 2005 to December 2005, he was a Partner at Aston Wong, Chan & Co., Certified Public Accountants. From April 2003 to December 2004, he served at Gary Cheng & Co., Certified Public Accountants as Audit Senior. He served as an Audit Junior to Supervisor of Hui Sik Wing & Co., certified public accountants from April 1993 to December 1999. He served as an independent non-executive director of SingHaiyi from July 2009 to July 2013 and ZH Holdings from December 2009 to July 2015. Mr. Wong is a Certified Public Accountant admitted to practice in Hong Kong. He is a Fellow Member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and an Associate Member of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He holds a Master in Business Administration degree (financial services) from the University of Greenwich, London, England.
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Director Qualifications of Mr. Wong:
Mr. Wong demonstrates extensive knowledge of complex, cross-border financial, accounting and tax matters highly relevant to our business, as well as working experience in internal corporate controls, making him well-qualified to serve as an independent member of the board. Mr. Wong serves on our Audit Committee and Compensation Committee.
Family Relationships
There are no family relationships among the officers and directors, nor are there any arrangements or understanding between any of the directors or officers of the Company.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
To our knowledge, no director, officer or beneficial owner of more than ten percent of any class of our equity securities, failed to file on a timely basis reports required by Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act during the fiscal year ended November 30, 2023.
Code of Ethics
We adopted a code of ethics on January 31, 2022, that applies to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller or persons performing similar functions.
Corporate Governance
There have been no changes in any state law or other procedures by which security holders may recommend nominees to our board of directors. We do not have a standing nominating committee though we intend to form a corporate governance and nominating committee.
Board Committees
Our Board of Directors has an Audit Committee and a Compensation Committee. Each of these committees is currently composed of Wong Tat Keung, William Wu and Wong Shui Yeung.
Our Audit Committee and Compensation Committee will each comply with the listing requirements of the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules. At least one member of the Audit Committee will be an “audit committee financial expert,” as that term is defined in Item 407(d)(5)(ii) of Regulation S-K, and each member will be “independent” as that term is defined in Rule 5605(a) of the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules. Our Board of Directors has determined that each of Wong Tat Keung, William Wu and Wong Shui Yeung is independent.
Involvement in Certain Legal Proceedings
None of our directors, executive officers and control persons/promoters has been involved in any of the following events during the past ten years:
| ● | Any bankruptcy petition filed by or against any business of which such person was a general partner or executive officer either at the time of the bankruptcy or within two years prior to that time, |
| 23 |
| ● | Any conviction in a criminal proceeding or being subject to any pending criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations and other minor offenses); |
| ● | Being subject to any order, judgment or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any court of competent jurisdiction, permanently or temporarily enjoining, barring, suspending or otherwise limiting his or her involvement in any type of business, securities or banking activities; or |
| ● | Being found by a court of competent jurisdiction (in a civil action), the Commission or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to have violated a federal or state securities or commodities law, and the judgment has not been reversed, suspended, or vacated. |
Conflicts of Interest
In general, officers and directors of a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware are required to present business opportunities to a corporation if:
● the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity;
● the opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and
● it would not be fair to the corporation and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation.
Upon the closing of the initial business combination, the Company’s Code of Ethics will be amended to require it to avoid, wherever possible, all related party transactions that could result in actual or potential conflicts of interests, except under guidelines approved by the Board (or the audit committee). Related-party transactions are defined as transactions in which (1) the aggregate amount involved will or may be expected to exceed $120,000 in any calendar year, (2) the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a participant, and (3) any (a) executive officer, director or nominee for election as a director, (b) greater than 4% beneficial owner of the Company Common Stock, or (c) immediate family member of the persons referred to in clauses (a) and (b), has or will have a direct or indirect material interest (other than solely as a result of being a director or a less than 10% beneficial owner of another entity). A conflict of interest situation can arise when a person takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest may also arise if a person, or a member of his or her family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position. As a result of the close relationship between HWH and the Company, in the event that the initial business combination with HWH is consummated, it will not be possible to avoid such related party conflicts.
The Company’s audit committee, pursuant to its written charter, is responsible for reviewing and approving related-party transactions to the extent the Company enters into such transactions. The audit committee will consider all relevant factors when determining whether to approve a related party transaction, including whether the related party transaction is on terms no less favorable to the Company than terms generally available from an unaffiliated third-party under the same or similar circumstances and the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction. No director may participate in the approval of any transaction in which he is a related party, but that director is required to provide the audit committee with all material information concerning the transaction. The Company also requires each of its directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
As a result of the relationship between HWH and the Company, the Company obtained a fairness opinion in connection with the board’s approval of the Agreement and Plan of Merger with HWH.
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Item 11. Executive Compensation.
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references in this section to “we,” “our,” “us” and other similar terms refer to HWH International Inc. before the Business Combination.
None of our executive officers has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. We agreed to pay to our Alset Management Group Inc. a total of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we ceased paying these monthly fees. No compensation of any kind, including any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee or monies in respect of any payment of a loan, will be paid by us to our Sponsor, officers or directors or any affiliate of our Sponsor, officers or directors, prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee reviews on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our Sponsor, officers or directors or our or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the Trust Account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such payments, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and executive officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us or the Combined Company may be paid consulting or management fees, or other fees, from the Combined Company. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the Combined Company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed initial business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
There were no grants of stock options through the date of this report.
We do not have any long-term incentive plans that provide compensation intended to serve as incentive for performance.
The board of directors of the Company has not adopted a stock option plan. The Company has no plans to adopt it but may choose to do so in the future. If such a plan is adopted, this may be administered by the board or a committee appointed by the board (the “Committee”). The Committee would have the power to modify, extend or renew outstanding options and to authorize the grant of new options in substitution therefore, provided that any such action may not impair any rights under any option previously granted. The Company may develop an incentive-based stock option plan for its officers and directors.
Stock Awards Plan
The company has not adopted a Stock Awards Plan but may do so in the future. The terms of any such plan have not been determined.
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Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
Security Ownership
The following table and accompanying footnotes set forth certain information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of February 28, 2024, referred to in the table below as the “Beneficial Ownership Date,” by:
| ● | each person who is known to be the beneficial owner of 5% or more of the outstanding shares of our common stock; |
| ● | each member of our board of directors, director nominees and each of our named executive officers individually; and |
| ● | all of our directors, director nominees and executive officers as a group. |
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC. In computing the number of shares beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, shares of common stock subject to stock options or warrants held by that person that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of the Beneficial Ownership Date and shares of restricted stock subject to vesting until the occurrence of certain events, are deemed outstanding, but are not deemed outstanding for computing the percentage ownership of any other person (however, neither the stockholder nor the directors and officers listed below own any stock options or warrants to purchase shares of our common stock at the present time). The percentages of beneficial ownership are based on 16,223,301 shares of HWH International Inc. Common Stock outstanding as of the Beneficial Ownership Date.
To our knowledge, except as set forth in the footnotes to this table and subject to applicable community property laws, each person named in the table has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares set forth opposite such person’s name.
| Name and Address | Number of Common Shares Beneficially Owned | Percentage of Outstanding Common Shares (1) | ||||||
| Directors and Executive Officers (2): | ||||||||
| Heng Fai Ambrose Chan (3)(4) | 13,827,250 | 84.0 | % | |||||
| John “JT” Thatch | 0 | 0.00 | % | |||||
| Rongguo (Ronald) Wei | 0 | 0.00 | % | |||||
| Lim Sheng Hon Danny | 0 | 0.00 | % | |||||
| William Wu | 0 | 0.00 | % | |||||
| Wong Shui Yeung | 0 | 0.00 | % | |||||
| Wong Tat Keung | 0 | 0.00 | % | |||||
| All Directors and Officers (7 individuals) | 13,827,250 | 84.0 | % | |||||
| Alset Acquisition Sponsor, LLC (3) | 2,914,250 | 17.7 | % | |||||
| Alset International Limited | 10,900,000 | 67.2 | % | |||||
| Alset Inc. (3) | 13,814,250 | 83.9 | % | |||||
| Other Stockholders: None | ||||||||
| (1) | Based upon 16,223,301 shares of Common Stock outstanding as of February 28, 2024 |
| (2) | The mailing address for each individual and entity set forth above is c/o HWH International Inc., 4800 Montgomery Lane, Suite 210, MD 20814. |
| (3) | Alset Acquisition Sponsor, LLC, our sponsor, is the record holder of the securities reported herein. Alset Inc. and Alset International Limited are the owners of 55% and 45% respectively of Alset Acquisition Sponsor, LLC. Alset Inc. owns 85.4% of Alset International Limited. Heng Fai Ambrose Chan is the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Majority Stockholder of Alset Inc. Mr. Chan may be deemed to share beneficial ownership of the securities held of record by our sponsor. Mr. Chan disclaims any such beneficial ownership except to the extent of his pecuniary interest. |
| (4) | Heng Fai Ambrose Chan directly owns 13,000 shares of HWH International Inc. |
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Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
Family Relationships
Not applicable.
Policies and Procedures for Transactions with Related Persons
Following the initial business combination, the Company’s Code of Ethics will be amended to require it to avoid, wherever possible, all related party transactions that could result in actual or potential conflicts of interests, except under guidelines approved by the Board (or the audit committee). Related-party transactions are defined as transactions in which (1) the aggregate amount involved will or may be expected to exceed $120,000 in any calendar year, (2) the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a participant, and (3) any (a) executive officer, director or nominee for election as a director, (b) greater than 4% beneficial owner of the Company Common Stock, or (c) immediate family member of the persons referred to in clauses (a) and (b), has or will have a direct or indirect material interest (other than solely as a result of being a director or a less than 10% beneficial owner of another entity). A conflict of interest situation can arise when a person takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest may also arise if a person, or a member of his or her family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position. As a result of the relationship between HWH and the Company, in the event that the initial business combination with HWH is consummated, it will not be possible to avoid such related party conflicts.
The Company’s audit committee, pursuant to its written charter, is responsible for reviewing and approving related-party transactions to the extent the Company enters into such transactions. The audit committee will consider all relevant factors when determining whether to approve a related party transaction, including whether the related party transaction is on terms no less favorable to the Company than terms generally available from an unaffiliated third-party under the same or similar circumstances and the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction. No director may participate in the approval of any transaction in which he is a related party, but that director is required to provide the audit committee with all material information concerning the transaction. The Company also requires each of its directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
As a result of the relationship between the Company and HWH, the Company obtained a fairness opinion in connection with the board’s approval of the Agreement and plan of Merger with HWH.
Transactions with Related Persons, Promoters, and Certain Control Persons
Founder Shares
On November 8, 2021, the Sponsor received 2,156,250 shares of the Company’s Class B common stock (the “Founder Shares”) for $25,000. The Founder Shares include an aggregate of up to 281,250 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised in full or in part, so that the number of Founder Shares will equal, on an as-converted basis, to approximately 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares of common stock after the Initial Public Offering (excluding the placement units and underlying securities). In connection with the exercise of the underwriters’ overallotment option, these shares are no longer subject to forfeiture.
The holder of the Founder Shares have agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of a Business Combination and (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Public Stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.
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Promissory Note — Related Party
On November 8, 2021, the Sponsor issued an unsecured promissory note to the Company (the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $300,000. The Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) May 8, 2022, or (ii) the consummation of the Initial Public Offering. As of November 30, 2023 and 2022, there was no amount outstanding under the Promissory Note.
Advances from Related Party
The Sponsor paid certain offering costs on behalf of the Company and advanced working capital to the Company. These advances are due on demand and are non-interest bearing. During the year ended November 30, 2022, the Sponsor paid a total of $75,000 of offering and operating costs on behalf of the Company. During the year ended November 30, 2022, the Company repaid the outstanding balance of $211,153. During the year ended November 30, 2023, the Sponsor paid a total of $33,475 of operating costs on behalf of the Company. During the year ended November 30, 2023, the Company repaid the outstanding balance. As of November 30, 2023 and November 30, 2022, $0 and $0 was due to the related party, respectively.
General and Administrative Services
The Company agreed to pay the Alset Management Group Inc. a total of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support for up to 24 months commencing on the date the Units were first listed on the Nasdaq. Upon completion of the Initial Business Combination the Company ceased paying these monthly fees. During the years ended November 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company recorded a charge of $120,000 and $100,000, respectively, to the statement of operations pursuant to the agreement.
Related Party Loans
Working Capital Loans
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). Such Working Capital Loans would be evidenced by promissory notes. The notes may be repaid upon completion of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted upon completion of a Business Combination into units at a price of $10.00 per unit. Such units would be identical to the Private Placement Units. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. As of November 30, 2023 and 2022, there were no amounts outstanding under the Working Capital Loans.
Extension Loan
On May 1, 2023, the Company amended the Investment Management Trust Agreement (the “Trust Agreement”) with Wilmington Trust, National Association, a national banking association (“Wilmington Trust”), which was entered into on January 31, 2022 and on May 2, 2023 the Company filed an Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. The Trust Agreement and Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation are now amended, in part, so that the Company’s ability to complete a business combination may be extended in additional increments of one month up to a total of twenty-one (21) additional months from the closing date of the Offering, subject to the payment into the trust account by the Company of one-third of 1% of the funds remaining in the trust account following any redemptions in connection with the approval of the amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. The Sponsor has funded the first 30-day extension payment on May 3, 2023. The Sponsor has funded the first 30-day extension payment on May 3, 2023 and made subsequent extension payments on June 5th and July 6th totaling $205,305 payments during the year ended on November 30, 2023. The Sponsor is entitled to the repayment of these extension payments, without interest. If the Company completes its initial Business Combination, it will, at the option of the Sponsor, repay the extension payments out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to it or issue securities of the Company in lieu of repayment. As of November 30, 2023 and 2022 there was $205,305 and $0, respectively, outstanding under the extension loan.
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Due from Sponsor
Due from sponsor was $0 and $13,000 at November 30, 2023 and November 30, 2022, respectively, and represents expenses paid by the Company on behalf of the Sponsor.
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services
The following table indicates the fees paid by us for services performed for the years ended November 30, 2023 and November 30, 2022:
Year Ended November 30, 2023 | Year Ended November 30, 2022 | |||||||
| Audit Fees | $ | 47,500 | $ | 47,443 | ||||
| Audit-Related Fees | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | ||||
| Tax Fees | $ | 0 | $ | 27,400 | ||||
| All Other Fees | $ | 75,000 | $ | 0 | ||||
| Total | $ | 122,500 | $ | 74,843 | ||||
Audit Fees. This category includes the aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by the independent auditors during the years ended November 30, 2023 and November 30, 2022 for the audit of our consolidated financial statements and review of previous years’ Form 10-Qs.
Tax Fees. This category includes the aggregate fees billed for tax services rendered in the preparation of our federal and state income tax returns.
All Other Fees. This category includes the aggregate fees billed for all other services, exclusive of the fees disclosed above, rendered during the years ended November 30, 2023 and November 30, 2022.
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PART IV
Item 15. Exhibit and Financial Statement Schedules
(a)(1) List of Financial statements included in Part II hereof:
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of November 30, 2023 and November 30, 2022
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Years Ended November 30, 2023 and 2022
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended November 30, 2023 and 2022
(a)(2) List of Financial Statement schedules included in Part IV hereof:
None.
(a)(3) Exhibits
The following exhibits are filed with this report or incorporated by reference:
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* Filed herewith.
** Furnished herewith.
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary
None.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) 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.
| HWH International Inc. | ||
| Dated: February 28, 2024 | By: | /s/ Rongguo (Ronald) Wei |
| Name: | Rongguo (Ronald) Wei | |
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Signature | Title | Date | ||
| /s/ John Thatch | Chief Executive Officer | February 28, 2024 | ||
| John Thatch | (Principal Executive Officer) | |||
| /s/ Rongguo (Ronald) Wei | Chief Financial Officer | February 28, 2024 | ||
| Rongguo (Ronald) Wei | (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) |
|||
| /s/ Wong Shui Yeung (Frankie) | Director | February 28, 2024 | ||
| Wong Shui Yeung (Frankie) | ||||
| /s/ William Wu | Director | February 28, 2024 | ||
| William Wu | ||||
| /s/ Wong Tat Keung (Aston) | Director | February 28, 2024 | ||
| Wong Tat Keung (Aston) | ||||
| /s/ Heng Fai Ambrose Chan | Director | February 28, 2024 | ||
| Heng Fai Ambrose Chan |
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