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CBL International Ltd

For the period ended Dec 31, 2024. Filed Apr 16, 2025.

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About this filing

The yearly report of a company based outside the US. It covers much of what a 10-K does, and may follow accounting rules other than US ones.

FY2024 · Filed Apr 16, 2025

BANL$2.89-0.3%Stored close · as of Nov 6, 2026
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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

(Mark One)

☐REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR 12(g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

For the fiscal year ended December 31,2024

OR

☐TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

☐SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of event requiring this shell company report _________

For the transition period from _________to _________

Commission file number 001-41657

CBL INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Cayman Islands

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

Level 23-2 Permata Sapura

Kuala Lumpur City Centre

50088 Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

(Address of principal executive offices)

Teck Lim CHIA, Chief Executive Officer

Telephone:+60 3 2706 8280

Email: wchia@cbl-grp.com

At the address of the Company set forth above

(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each classTrading Symbol(s)Name of each exchange on which registered
Ordinary Shares, par value $0.0001 per shareBANLThe Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g): None

(Title of Class)

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act: None

None

(Title of Class)

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report.

27,500,000 ordinary shares were outstanding as of December 31, 2024

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. ☒Yes ☐ No

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. ☐ 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 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, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer☐Accelerated filer☐
Non-accelerated filer☐Emerging growth company☒

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

† The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

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 which basis of accounting the registration has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

U.S. GAAP ☒International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board ☐Other ☐

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which consolidated financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow. ☐ Item 17 ☐ Item 18

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934). ☐ Yes☒ No

(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court. ☐ Yes ☐ No

Table of Contents

Page
PART I.
ITEM 1.IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS1
ITEM 2.OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE1
ITEM 3.KEY INFORMATION1
ITEM 4.INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY16
ITEM 4A.UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS24
ITEM 5.OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS24
ITEM 6.DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES33
ITEM 7.MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS43
ITEM 8.FINANCIAL INFORMATION44
ITEM 9.THE OFFER AND LISTING44
ITEM 10.ADDITIONAL INFORMATION45
ITEM 11.QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK54
ITEM 12.DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES54
PART II.
ITEM 13.DEFAULTS, DIVIDEND ARREARAGES AND DELINQUENCIES55
ITEM 14.MATERIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE RIGHTS OF SECURITY HOLDERS AND USE OF PROCEEDS55
ITEM 15.CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES55
ITEM 16A.AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT56
ITEM 16B.CODE OF ETHICS56
ITEM 16C.PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES57
ITEM 16D.EXEMPTIONS FROM THE LISTING STANDARDS FOR AUDIT COMMITTEES57
ITEM 16E.PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS57
ITEM 16F.CHANGE IN REGISTRANT’S CERTIFYING ACCOUNTANT57
ITEM 16G.CORPORATE GOVERNANCE57
ITEM 16H.MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE58
ITEM 16IDISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS58
PART III.
ITEM 17.FINANCIAL STATEMENTS59
ITEM 18.FINANCIAL STATEMENTS59
ITEM 19.EXHIBITS59

i

CONVENTIONS THAT APPLY TO THIS ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 20-F

Unless we indicate otherwise, references in this report to:

●“Banle BVI” are to Banle International Group Limited, a company incorporated in the BVI with limited liability on July 2, 2020, and our direct wholly-owned subsidiary;
●“Banle China” are to Banle International (China) Limited, a company incorporated in Hong Kong with limited liability on March 31, 2021, and our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary;
●“Banle Energy HK” are to Banle Energy International Limited, a company incorporated in Hong Kong with limited liability on August 18, 2015, and our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary;
●“Banle Europe” are to Banle International (Europe) Limited, a company incorporated in Dublin of Ireland with limited liability on September 13, 2023, and our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary;
●“Banle Ireland” are to Banle International (Ireland) Limited, a company incorporated in Dublin of Ireland with limited liability on October 27, 2023, and our subsidiary being 55% held by us indirectly;
●“Banle Malaysia” are to Banle International (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, a private company limited by shares duly incorporated in Malaysia on July 16, 2020, and our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary;
●“Banle Marketing” are to Banle International Marketing Limited, a Labuan company limited by shares incorporated in the Federal Territory of Labuan, Malaysia on August 18, 2020, and our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary;
●“CAGR” are to compound annual growth rate;
●“CBL International” are to CBL International Limited, an exempted company incorporated with limited liability in the Cayman Islands on February 8, 2022;
●“China” and the “PRC” are to the People’s Republic of China, excluding, for the purposes of this report only, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region;
●“Companies Act” are to Companies Act, Cap.22 (Act 3 of 1961, as combined and revised) of the Cayman Islands;
● ●“FY2023” are to the financial year ended December 31, 2023 “FY2024” are to the financial year ended December 31, 2024
●“HK$” are to Hong Kong Dollars, the legal currency of Hong Kong;
●“Hong Kong” are to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region;
●“IPO” are to the Company’s initial public offering which was consummated on March 27, 2023;
●“Majestic Energy” are to Majestic Energy (Shenzhen) Co. Limited, a company established in the PRC with limited liability on April 29, 2021, and our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary;
●“Majestic Energy (Singapore)” are to Majestic Energy (Singapore) Pte Ltd, a company incorporated in Singapore with limited liability on January 11, 2022, and our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary;
●“MOPS” are to Mean of Platts Singapore, the average set of Singapore-based oil product price assessments published by Platts and the benchmark price in Asia for most refined products;
●“Operating Subsidiaries” are to Banle Marketing, Banle Energy HK, Majestic Energy (Singapore) and Banle Malaysia;
●“Ordinary shares” are to our ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value per share;
●“Reliance HK” are to Reliance (China) Limited, a company incorporated in Hong Kong with limited liability on April 1, 2012, and our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary;
●“RM” is to Malaysian ringgit, the legal currency of Malaysia;
●“$,” “U.S. dollars,” or “dollars” are to the legal currency of the United States; and
●“we,” “us,” “our Company,” “our Group” and “our” are to, prior to the reorganization, Banle BVI and, after the reorganization, CBL International, in each case together with its consolidated subsidiaries as a consolidated entity, as the context requires.

ii

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This annual report on Form 20-F contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements based on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about us and our industry. These forward-looking statements are made under the “safe harbor” provision under Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In some cases, these forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements included in this annual report relate to, among others:

●our goal and strategies;
●our expansion plans;
●our future business development, financial condition and results of operations;
●expected changes in our revenues, costs or expenditures;
●the trends in, and size of, the bunkering market in the Asia Pacific and Europe;
●our expectations regarding demand for, and market acceptance of, our products and services;
●our expectations regarding our relationships with customers, suppliers, third-party service providers, strategic partners and other stakeholders;
●competition in our industry;
●laws, regulations, and policies relating to the bunkering industry in the Asia Pacific and Europe; as well as those related to anti-corruption, economic sanction programs and environmental matters;
●general economic and business conditions;
●geopolitical risks including Red Sea crisis and broader middle east tensions, Gaza-Israel conflict, Russia-Ukraine conflict;
●trade policies and tariffs, and the potential expansion of trade restrictions could affect trade volumes and bunkering demand;
●upcoming elections and policy changes in the U.S. and other major economies may lead to changes in trade agreements, energy policies, and regulatory frameworks, impacting global shipping activity and fuel demand;
●greenhouse gas reduction programs and other environmental and climate change legislation adopted by governments around the world, including cap and trade regimes, carbon taxes, increased efficiency standards and mandates for renewable energy, each of which could increase our operating and compliance costs as well as adversely impact our sales of fuel products;
●and the rapid advancement and adoption of AI technologies in the maritime and logistics sectors could impact our business if competitors utilize AI-driven solutions for supply chain optimization, predictive analytics, or automated bunkering processes more effectively than us, potentially leading to reduced market share or increased pricing pressures.

You should read these statements in conjunction with the risks disclosed in “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors” of this annual report and other risks outlined in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risks may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of such risks on our business or the extent to which any risk, or combination of risks, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements made in this annual report relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this annual report. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this annual report and the documents that we have referred to in this annual report, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect.

iii

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The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.