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ZW Data Action Technologies Inc.

For the period ended Dec 31, 2024. Filed Apr 15, 2025.

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A company's yearly report to the SEC, with audited financial statements. It is the fullest account a company gives of its business, its finances and the risks it sees.

FY2024 · Filed Apr 15, 2025

CNET$0.90+0.2%Stored close · as of Nov 6, 2026
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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

OR
☐TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
For the transition period from ____ to ____

COMMISSION FILE NO.001-34647

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Nevada20-4672080
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

8/F. 29 Des Voeux Road Central, Central,

Hong Kong****Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China

(Address of principal executive offices)

+852 2669-8078

(Issuer’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of Each ClassTrading Symbol(s)Name of Exchange On which Registered
Common Stock, par value $0.001CNETNasdaq Capital Market

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 ☐No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act.

Yes ☐No ☒

Indicate 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 Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

Yes ☒ No ☐

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 definition 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 ☐
Non-Accelerated Filer ☒Smaller Reporting Company ☒
Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant 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 statements 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 Act).

Yes☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of 1,621,039 shares of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the Registrant was approximately $4,927,959 on the last business day of the Registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, based on the last sale price of the registrant’s common stock on such date of $3.04 per share, as reported on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

The number of shares outstanding of the Registrant’s common stock, $0.001 par value as of April 15, 2025 was 2,301,205.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I1
ITEM 1BUSINESS1
ITEM 1A.RISK FACTORS18
ITEM 1B.UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS46
ITEM 1CCYBERSECURITY47
ITEM 2PROPERTIES47
ITEM 3LEGAL PROCEEDINGS48
ITEM 4MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES48
PART II.48
ITEM 5MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES48
ITEM 6[RESERVED]49
ITEM 7MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS49
ITEM 7A.QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK64
ITEM 8FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA64
ITEM 9CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE64
ITEM 9A.CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES65
ITEM 9B.OTHER INFORMATION65
ITEM 9C.DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS65
PART III.66
ITEM 10DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE66
ITEM 11EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION71
ITEM 12SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS73
ITEM 13CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE74
ITEM 14PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEE AND SERVICES75
PART IV.75
ITEM 15EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES75

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance. We have attempted to identify forward-looking statements by terminology including “anticipates”, “believes”, “expects”, “can”, “continue”, “could”, “estimates”, “expects”, “intends”, “may”, “plans”, “potential”, “predict”, “should” or “will” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions. Uncertainties and other factors, including the risks outlined under Risk Factors contained in Item 1A of this Form 10-K, may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels or activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Our expectations are as of the date this Form 10-K is filed, and we do not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements after the filing date to conform these statements to actual results, unless required by law.

We file annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and proxy and information statements and amendments to reports filed or furnished pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The SEC also maintains a website*(http://www.sec.gov)* that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding us and other companies that file materials with the SEC electronically. You may also obtain copies of reports filed with the SEC, free of charge, via a link included on our website at www.zdat.com.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the“PCAOB”) had historically been unable to inspect our auditor in relation to their audit work performed for our financial statements and the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections over our auditor has deprived our investors with the benefits of such inspections.

Our auditor, the independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report in our SEC filings, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. Our auditor is located in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the PRC ("Hong Kong"), China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB was unable to conduct inspections and investigations before 2022. As a result, we and investors in our securities were deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB announced that it was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in China mainland and Hong Kong in 2022. However, the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in Hong Kong in the past made it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our independent registered public accounting firm’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China mainland and Hong Kong that have been subject to the PCAOB inspections, which could cause investors and potential investors in our securities to lose confidence in our audit procedures and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.

Our common stock may be delisted and prohibited from trading in the United States under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCAA, as amended by the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely auditors located in China mainland and Hong Kong. The delisting of our common stock or the threat of their being delisted could cause the value of our common stock to significantly decline or be worthless, and thus you could lose all or substantial portion of your investment.

On December 18, 2020, the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCAA, was signed into law that states if the SEC determines that issuers have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to PCAOB inspection for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, the SEC shall prohibit its common stock from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. Furthermore, on June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, to prohibit securities of any registrant from being listed on any of the U.S. securities exchanges or traded over-the-counter if the auditor of the registrant’s financial statements is not subject to PCAOB inspection for two consecutive years, instead of three consecutive years as enacted in the HFCAA. On December 2, 2021, the SEC adopted final amendments implementing the disclosure and submission requirements of the HFCAA, pursuant to which the SEC will identify an issuer as a “Commission-Identified Issuer” if the issuer has filed an annual report containing an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that the PCAOB has determined it is unable to inspect or investigate completely, and will then impose a trading prohibition on an issuer after it is identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for three consecutive years. On December 29, 2022, the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act was signed into law.

On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a HFCAA Determination Report (the “2021 PCAOB Determinations”) to notify the SEC of its determination that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in China mainland and Hong Kong because of positions taken by the Chinese authorities, and our auditor was subject to this determination. On May 13, 2022, the SEC conclusively identified us as a Commission-Identified Issuer under the HFCAA following the filing of our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.

On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB signed a Statement of Protocol on agreement governing on inspections of audit firms based in mainland China and Hong Kong, with China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”) and Ministry of Finance (“MOF”) of the PRC, in regarding to governing inspections and investigations of audit firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong (the “Agreement”). As stated in the Agreement, the Chinese authorities committed that the PCAOB has direct access to view complete audit work papers under its inspections or investigations and has sole discretion to the selected audit firms and audit engagements. The Agreement opens access for the PCAOB to inspect and investigate the registered public accounting firms in mainland China and Hong Kong completely. The PCAOB then thoroughly tested compliance with every aspect of the Agreement necessary to determine complete access. This included sending a team of PCAOB staff to conduct on-site inspections and investigations in Hong Kong over a nine-week period from September to November 2022.

On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB issued its 2022 HFCAA Determination Report to notify the SEC of its determination that the PCAOB was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in China mainland and Hong Kong completely in 2022. The PCAOB Board vacated its 2021 PCAOB Determinations that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in China mainland and Hong Kong. For this reason, we do not expect to be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer following the filing of our annual report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. However, whether the PCAOB will continue to be able to satisfactorily conduct inspections of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in China mainland and Hong Kong is subject to uncertainty and depends on a number of factors out of our, and our auditor’s, control.

The PCAOB is continuing to demand complete access in China mainland and Hong Kong moving forward and is already making plans to resume regular inspections in early 2023 and beyond, as well as to continue pursuing ongoing investigations and initiate new investigations as needed. The PCAOB does not have to wait another year to reassess its determinations. Should the PRC authorities obstruct the PCAOB’s access to inspect or investigate completely in any way and at any point, the PCAOB will act immediately to consider the need to issue new determinations consistent with the HFCAA.

We cannot assure you that our auditor will not be determined as a register public accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely for two consecutive years because of positions taken by the Chinese authorities and/or any other causes in the future. If the PCAOB in the future again determines that it is unable to inspect and investigate completely auditors in China mainland and Hong Kong, we may be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer accordingly. If this happens, Nasdaq may determine to delist our common stock, and there is no certainty that we will be able to continue listing our common stock on other non-U.S. stock exchanges or that an active market for our common stock will immediately develop outside of the U.S. The prohibiting from trading in the United States or delisting of our common stock or the threat of their being delisted could cause the value of our common stock to significantly decline or be worthless, and thus you could lose all or substantial portion of your investment.

Our Holding Company Structure and Contractual Arrangements with Our Consolidated Variable Interest Entities (“VIEs”) and Their Respective Individual Shareholders

ZW Data Action Technologies Inc. is not an operating company in China, but a Nevada holding company with no equity ownership in its VIEs. We conduct our operations in China through our PRC subsidiaries, our VIEs, with which we have maintained contractual arrangements, and their subsidiaries in China. PRC laws and regulations impose certain restrictions or prohibitions on foreign ownership of companies that engage in value-added telecommunication services. Accordingly, we operate these businesses in China through our VIEs, and rely on contractual arrangements among our PRC subsidiaries, our VIEs and their shareholders to control the business operations of our VIEs. As used in this annual report, “we,” “us,” “our company,” “the Company” or “our” refers to ZW Data Action Technologies Inc., a Nevada company, its subsidiaries, and, in the context of describing its operations and consolidated financial information, its consolidated affiliated entities in China, including, but not limited to, Business Opportunity Online (Beijing) Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Business Opportunity Online”) and Beijing CNET Online Advertising Co., Ltd. (“Beijing CNET Online”). Investors of our common stock are not purchasing equity interest in our operating entities in China but instead are purchasing equity interest in a Nevada holding company.

A series of contractual agreements, including exclusive business cooperation agreements, exclusive option agreements, equity pledge agreements, and irrevocable powers of attorney, have been entered into by and among our PRC subsidiaries, our VIEs and their respective shareholders. Terms contained in each set of contractual arrangements with our PRC subsidiaries, our VIEs and their respective shareholders are substantially similar. For more details of these contractual arrangements, see “Item 1. Business—Our subsidiaries and our VIE Structure.”

The contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over our consolidated VIEs and we may incur substantial costs to enforce the terms of the arrangements. Please refer to the discussion of uncertainties and risks in relation to our VIE Structure on page 12 under Business-Government Regulation contained in Item 1 and page 23 under Risk Factors-Risks Relating to Regulation of Our Business and to Our Structure contained in Item 1A of this Annual Report.

Our corporate structure is subject to risks associated with our contractual arrangements with our VIEs. Investors may never directly hold equity interests in our VIEs. If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating our business do not comply with PRC laws and regulations, or if these regulations or their interpretations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations. Our holding company, our PRC subsidiaries, our VIEs, and investors of our company face uncertainty about potential future actions by the PRC government that could affect the enforceability of the contractual arrangements with our VIEs and, consequently, significantly affect the financial performance of our VIEs and our company as a whole.

There are also substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules regarding the status of the rights of our Nevada holding company with respect to its contractual arrangements with our VIEs and their respective shareholders. It is uncertain whether any new PRC laws or regulations relating to variable interest entity structures will be adopted or if adopted, what they would provide. If we or any of our VIEs is found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion to take action in dealing with such violations or failures. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business and to Our Structure—If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating our businesses in China do not comply with PRC governmental restrictions on foreign investment in industries in which we operate, or if these regulations or their interpretation change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties.”

We face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties associated with being based in or having our operations primarily in China and the complex and evolving PRC laws and regulations. For example, we face risks associated with regulatory approvals on offerings conducted overseas by, and foreign investment in China-based issuers, the use of our VIEs, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, and oversight on cybersecurity and data privacy. Our auditor is headquartered in Hong Kong, China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB was unable to conduct inspections and investigations before 2022. We face risks associated with whether Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or the PCAOB, will continue to be able to satisfactorily conduct inspections of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in China mainland and Hong Kong, which is subject to uncertainty and depends on a number of factors out of our, and our auditor’s, control. This may impact our ability to conduct certain businesses, accept foreign investments, or list on United States or other foreign exchange outside of China. These risks could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our common stock, significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, or cause the value of such securities to significantly decline. For a detailed description of risks related to doing business in China, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Associated With Doing Business in China.”

PRC government’s significant authority in regulating our operations and its oversight and control over offerings conducted overseas by, and foreign investment in, China-based issuers could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors. Implementation of industry-wide regulations in this nature may cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be of little or no value. For more details, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Associated With Doing Business in China—The PRC government’s significant oversight and discretion over our business operation could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our listed securities.”

Risks and uncertainties arising from the legal system in China, including risks and uncertainties regarding the enforcement of laws and quickly evolving rules and regulations in China, could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our common stock. For more details, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors— Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to you and us.”

Permissions Required from the PRC Authorities for Our Operations

We conduct our business primarily through our subsidiaries, our VIEs and their subsidiaries in China. Our operations in China are governed by PRC laws and regulations. As of the date of this annual report, our consolidated affiliated Chinese entities have obtained the requisite licenses and permits from the PRC government authorities that are material for the business operations of our holding company, our subsidiaries and our VIEs in China, including, among others, the ICP permits held by our PRC operating VIEs. However, given the uncertainties of interpretation and implementation of relevant laws and regulations and the enforcement practice by government authorities, we cannot assure you that we have obtained all the permits or licenses required for conducting our business in China. In addition, we may be required to obtain additional licenses, permits, filings or approvals for the services of our Internet platform in the future. For more detailed information, see “Item 1A. Risks Associated With Doing Business in China—We may be adversely affected by the complexity, uncertainties and changes in PRC licensing and regulation of internet businesses.”

In connection with our previous issuance of securities to foreign investors, under current PRC laws, regulations and regulatory rules, as of the date of this annual report, we, our PRC subsidiaries and our VIEs, (i) are not required to obtain permissions from the CSRC, (ii) are not required to go through cybersecurity review by the Cyberspace Administration of China, or the CAC, and (iii) have not received or were denied such requisite permissions by any PRC authority.

However, on February 17, 2023, the CSRC released the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies and a series of associated regulatory guidelines (collectively, the “Filing Rules”), which came into effect on March 31, 2023. In accordance with the Filing Rules, both direct listing and indirect listing activities of China based enterprises become subject to a unified filing requirement with the CSRC. In addition, an overseas listed company must also submit the filing with respect to its follow-on offerings, issuance of convertible corporate bonds and exchangeable bonds, and other equivalent offering activities, within a specific time frame required by the Filing Rules. Therefore, we will be required to file with the CSRC for our overseas offering of equity and equity linked securities in the future within the applicable scope of the Filing Rules. For more detailed information, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Associated With Doing Business in China—The approval of and the filing with the CSRC or other PRC government authorities may be required in connection with our future offshore offerings under PRC law, and, if required, we cannot predict whether or for how long we will be able to obtain such approval or complete such filing.”

Cash and Asset Flows through Our Organization

ZW Data Action Technologies Inc. transfers cash to its wholly-owned Hong Kong subsidiary, namely, CNET Online Technology Co. Limited, by making capital contributions or providing loans, and the Hong Kong subsidiary transfer cash to the subsidiaries in China by making capital contributions or providing loans to them. Because ZW Data Action Technologies Inc. and its subsidiaries control our VIEs through contractual arrangements, they are not able to make direct capital contribution to our VIEs and their subsidiaries. However, they may transfer cash to our VIEs by loans or by making payment to the VIEs for inter-group transactions.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, we transferred US$0.48 million in cash to our operating subsidiaries. For the year ended December 31, 2023, we did not transfer any cash to our operating subsidiaries; however, one of our subsidiaries paid US$0.79 million operating expenses in cash on behalf of us to the service providers, as a repayment of the shareholder loans provided by us to this subsidiary in previous years.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, our consolidated VIEs transferred US$0.02 million to our consolidated subsidiaries as repayment of loans. For the year ended December 31, 2023, our consolidated subsidiaries transferred US$0.55 million in cash to the consolidated VIEs in form of loans.

Our VIEs may transfer cash to our wholly foreign-owned enterprises (“WFOEs”) by paying service fees according to the exclusive business cooperation agreements. For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, our VIEs did not pay any service fees to our Rise King WFOE under the exclusive business cooperation agreements.

For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, no dividends or distributions were made to ZW Data Action Technologies Inc. by our subsidiaries. Under PRC laws and regulations, our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs are subject to certain restrictions with respect to paying dividends or otherwise transferring any of their net assets to us. Remittance of dividends by a wholly foreign-owned enterprise out of China is also subject to examination by the banks designated by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or the SAFE. The total restricted net assets of our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs were approximately US$13.23 million and US$13.41 million as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Furthermore, cash transfers from our PRC subsidiaries to entities outside of China are subject to PRC government control of currency conversion. Shortages in the availability of foreign currency may temporarily delay the ability of our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs to remit sufficient foreign currency to pay dividends or other payments to us, or otherwise satisfy their foreign currency denominated obligations. For risks relating to the fund flows of our operations in China, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Associated With Doing Business in China—Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs to make payments to us, or the tax implications of making payments to us, could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business or our financial condition.”

For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, no assets other than cash were transferred through our organization.

ZW Data Action Technologies Inc. has not declared or paid any cash dividends, nor does it have any present plan to pay any cash dividends on its common stock in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to operate and expand our business. See “Item 5. Market For Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities—Dividend.”

See also “Item 7. Management’ Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations —B. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Cash Transfer within Our Organization and the Related Restrictions.”

Financial Information Related to the VIEs

For more detailed information, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Regulation of Our Business and to Our Structure—Condensed Consolidating Schedules.”

SUMMARY OF RISK FACTORS

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described in the section titled“Risk Factors,”* alone or in combination with other events or circumstances, may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Such risks include, but are not limited to:*

Risks Related to Our Business

We are susceptible to general economic conditions, natural catastrophic events and public health crises, and a potential downturn in advertising and marketing spending by advertisers could adversely affect our operating results in the near future.

We face significant competition, and if we do not compete successfully against new and existing competitors, we may lose our market share, and our profitability may be adversely affected.

Privacy and data security concerns, laws, or other regulations could expose us to liability or impair our operations.

The occurrence of security breaches and cyber-attacks could negatively impact our business.

Risks Relating to Regulation of Our Business and to Our Structure

Our operations are substantially conducted through our PRC Operating Entities, or VIEs, and through our contractual agreements with each of our PRC Operating Entities and their shareholders in China. If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating our business in China do not comply with PRC governmental restrictions on foreign investment in industries in which we operate, or if these regulations or their interpretation change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties.

We rely on contractual arrangements with our PRC Operating Entities and their shareholders for our China operations, which may not be as effective in providing operational control as direct ownership.

Risks Associated With Doing Business In China

Our operations and assets in China are subject to significant political and economic uncertainties.

The PRC government’s significant oversight and discretion over our business operation could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our listed securities.

Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to you and us.

The approval of and the filing with the CSRC or other PRC government authorities may be required in connection with our future offshore offerings under PRC law, and, if required, we cannot predict whether or for how long we will be able to obtain such approval or complete such filing.

Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of cybersecurity related regulations and cybersecurity review as well as any impact these may have on our business operations.

Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with the Anti-Monopoly Guidelines for Internet Platforms Economy Sector and other PRC anti-monopoly laws and regulations may result in governmental investigations or enforcement actions, litigation or claims against us and could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our PRC operating VIEs engaged in ICP business have obtained their respective ICP permits and comply with the annual inspection and other related provisions. We may be adversely affected by the complexity, uncertainties and changes in PRC licensing and regulation of internet businesses.

As substantially all of our operations are conducted through our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs, as a Nevada holding company, our ability to pay dividends is primarily dependent on receiving distributions of funds from our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs to make payments to us, or the tax implications of making payments to us, could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business or our financial condition.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) had historically been unable to inspect our auditor in relation to their audit work performed for our financial statements and the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections over our auditor has deprived our investors with the benefits of such inspections.

Our common stock may be delisted and prohibited from trading in the United States under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCAA, as amended by the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely auditors located in China mainland and Hong Kong. The delisting of our common stock or the threat of their being delisted could cause the value of our common stock to significantly decline or be worthless, and thus you could lose all or substantial portion of your investment.

Risks Related to our Securities

The Nasdaq may delist our securities from quotation on its exchange which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.

Insiders have substantial control over us, and they could delay or prevent a change in our corporate control even if our other stockholders wanted it to occur.

The market price of our Common Stock has been volatile, and will be likely continue to be highly volatile, which is beyond our control and may result in substantial losses to our investors.

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