As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December
21, 2022
Registration No. 333-[ ]
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
ATIF HOLDINGS LIMITED
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
British Virgin
Islands |
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Not Applicable |
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization) |
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(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)
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25391 Commercentre Dr., Ste 200,
Lake Forest, CA 92630
308-888-8888
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area
code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Jun Liu
Chief Executive Officer
ATIF Holdings Limited
25391 Commercentre Dr., Ste 200,
Lake Forest, CA 92630
308-888-8888
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including
area code, of agent for service)
With a Copy to:
Huan Lou, Esq.
David Manno, Esq.
Sichenzia Ross Ference LLP
1185 Avenue of the Americas, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10036
(212) 930-9700
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the
public: From time to time after the effective date of this
registration statement.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being
offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please
check the following box: ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be
offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under
the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in
connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plants, check the
following box: ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an
offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please
check the following and list the Securities Act registration
statement number of the earlier effective registration statement
for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule
462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list
the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier
effective registration statement for the same offering.
☐
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General
Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall
become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule
462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box.
☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration
statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to
register additional securities or additional classes of securities
pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the
following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is 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.
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Large accelerated filer |
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Non-accelerated filer |
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Accelerated filer |
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Smaller reporting company |
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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 7(a)(2)(B) of Securities
Act. ☐
The registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such
date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until
the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically
states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become
effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of
1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on
such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a),
may determine.
The information in this prospectus is not
complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until
the registration statement relating to these securities that has
been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is
effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities
and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any
state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Subject to Completion, dated December 21,
2022
PROSPECTUS
$100,000,000

ATIF Holdings Limited
Ordinary Shares
Preferred shares
Warrants
Rights
Units
ATIF Holdings Limited, a British Virgin Islands corporation (“ATIF
BVI”), may from time to time, in one or more offerings at prices
and on terms that ATIF BVI may determine at the time of each
offering, sell ordinary shares, preferred shares, warrants to
purchase ordinary shares, rights to purchase ordinary shares, or a
combination of these securities, or units composed of any
combination of our ordinary shares, preferred shares, rights and
warrants, for an aggregate initial offering price of up to
$100,000,000. This prospectus describes the general manner in which
our securities may be offered using this prospectus. Each time ATIF
BVI offers and sells securities, ATIF BVI will provide you with a
prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about
the terms of that offering. Any prospectus supplement may also add,
update, or change information contained in this prospectus. You
should carefully read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus
supplement as well as the documents incorporated or deemed to be
incorporated by reference in this prospectus before you purchase
any of the securities offered hereby.
This prospectus may not be used to offer and sell securities unless
accompanied by a prospectus supplement.
ATIF BVI’s ordinary shares, par value US$0.001 per share (“ordinary
shares”) are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol
“ATIF.” On December 19, 2022, the closing price of ATIF BVI’s
ordinary shares was $1.84 per share. As of the date of this
prospectus, none of the other securities that ATIF BVI may offer by
this prospectus is listed on any national securities exchange or
automated quotation system.
As of December 5, 2022, the aggregate market value of ATIF BVI’s
outstanding ordinary shares held by non-affiliates is
approximately $6,246,622, based on 9,627,452 ordinary shares issued
and outstanding as of December 5, 2022, of which 4,359,122 shares
were held by non-affiliates, and based on the closing price of our
ordinary shares of $1.433 per share on December 5, 2022. ATIF BVI
has not sold any securities pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6
of Form S-3 during the 12 calendar months prior to and including
the date of this prospectus. Pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6
of Form S-3, in no event will we sell securities in a public
primary offering with a value exceeding more than one-third of our
public float in any 12-month period so long as our public float
remains below $75.0 million.
The securities offered by this prospectus involve a high degree of
risks. ATIF BVI is a holding company incorporated in British Virgin
Islands. As a holding company with no material operations of its
own, ATIF BVI conducts a substantial amount of its operations
through its subsidiaries in U.S. We conduct our operations in the
U.S. through our 100% ownership interest in ATIF USA, a California
corporation and 76.6% limited partnership interest in ATIF-1, L.P.,
a Delaware limited partnership. ATIF USA also holds a 100%
membership interest in ATIF-1 GP, LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability
Company.
Since our inception in 2015, no transfers, dividends, or
distributions to U.S. investors have been made to date.
Our ordinary shares may be prohibited from trading on a national
exchange or “over-the-counter” markets under the Holding Foreign
Companies Accountable Act (the “HFCAA”) if the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) determines that it is unable
to inspect or fully investigate our auditor and as a result the
exchange where our securities are traded may delist our securities.
Furthermore, on June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the
Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the
“AHFCAA”), which, if signed into law, would amend the HFCAA and
require the SEC to prohibit an issuer’s securities from trading on
any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB
inspections for two consecutive years instead of three consecutive
years. Pursuant to the HFCAA, the PCAOB issued a Determination
Report on December 16, 2021, which found that the PCAOB was unable
to inspect or investigate completely certain named registered
public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong
Kong. Our independent registered public accounting firm is
headquartered in Denver, Colorado and has been inspected by the
PCAOB on a regular basis and as such, it is not affected by or
subject to the PCAOB’s Determination Report.
ATIF BVI is a holding company incorporated in British Virgin
Islands. You will be purchasing the ordinary shares of ATIF BVI,
the holding company with U.S. and offshore subsidiaries and
affiliates pursuant to this registration statement. You are not
directly investing in any of our Affiliated Entities. “ATIF USA”
means ATIF Inc., a California corporation and a wholly-owned
subsidiary of ATIF BVI. “ATIF Investment” shall hereinafter refer
to ATIF Investment Limited, a BVI company and wholly-owned
subsidiary of ATIF BVI. “ATIF LP” shall hereinafter refer to ATIF
-1, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership and majority-owned
subsidiary of ATIF BVI. “ATIF BD” shall hereinafter refer to ATIF
BD LLC, a California limited liability company and wholly-owned
subsidiary of ATIF USA. ATIF Southern US, LLC (“ATIF Southern”), a
California limited liability company is a majority-owned subsidiary
of ATIF BVI. ATIF Business Consulting LLC, a California limited
liability company (“ATIF Consulting”) is a wholly-owned subsidiary
of ATIF USA. ATIF Business Management LLC, a California limited
liability company (“ATIF Management”), is a wholly-owned subsidiary
of ATIF USA. All references to the “we,” “us,” “our,” “Company,”
“Group,” “registrant” or similar terms used in this registration
statement refer to ATIF BVI, ATIF USA, ATIF Investment, ATIF LP,
ATIF Southern, ATIF Consulting, ATIF Management, and ATIF BD,
unless the context otherwise indicates. “Affiliated Entities” shall
refer to the ATIF USA, ATIF Southern, ATIF Consulting, ATIF
Management, ATIF Investment, ATIF LP, and ATIF BD.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state
securities commission has approved or disapproved of these
securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or
complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.
ATIF BVI may offer the securities directly or through agents or to
or through underwriters or dealers. If any agents or underwriters
are involved in the sale of the securities, their names, and any
applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement
between or among them, will be set forth, or will be calculable
from the information set forth, in an accompanying prospectus
supplement. ATIF BVI can sell the securities through agents,
underwriters, or dealers only with the delivery of a prospectus
supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of such
securities. See “Plan of Distribution.”
This prospectus is dated , 2022
Table of Contents
You should rely only on the information contained or
incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus
supplement. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with
information different from that contained or incorporated by
reference into this prospectus. If any person does provide you with
information that differs from what is contained or incorporated by
reference in this prospectus, you should not rely on it. No dealer,
salesperson, or other person is authorized to give any information
or to represent anything not contained in this prospectus. You
should assume that the information contained in this prospectus or
any prospectus supplement is accurate only as of the date on the
front of the document and that any information contained in any
document we have incorporated by reference is accurate only as of
the date of the document incorporated by reference, regardless of
the time of delivery of this prospectus or any prospectus
supplement or any sale of a security. These documents are not an
offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities
by anyone in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation
is not authorized, or in which the person is not qualified to do so
or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or
solicitation.
ABOUT THIS
PROSPECTUS
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that ATIF BVI
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the “SEC,”
using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration
process, ATIF BVI may sell any combination of the securities
described in this prospectus in one of more offerings up to a total
dollar amount of $100,000,000. This prospectus describes the
general manner in which our securities may be offered by this
prospectus. Each time ATIF BVI sells securities, ATIF BVI will
provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific
information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus
supplement may also add, update, or change information contained in
this prospectus or in documents incorporated by reference in this
prospectus. The prospectus supplement that contains specific
information about the terms of the securities being offered may
also include a discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax
consequences and any risk factors or other special considerations
applicable to those securities. To the extent that any statement
that ATIF BVI make in a prospectus supplement is inconsistent with
statements made in this prospectus or in documents incorporated by
reference in this prospectus, you should rely on the information in
the prospectus supplement. You should carefully read both this
prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with the
additional information described under “Where You Can Find
Additional Information” before buying any securities in this
offering.
Other Pertinent Information
ATIF BVI is a holding company incorporated in British Virgin
Islands. You will be purchasing the ordinary shares of ATIF BVI,
the holding company with U.S. and offshore subsidiaries and
affiliates pursuant to this registration statement. You are not
directly investing in any of our Affiliated Entities.
Unless otherwise indicated or the context requires otherwise,
references in this prospectus to:
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“ATIF BVI” shall hereinafter refer
to ATIF Holdings Limited, a British Virgin Islands
corporation. |
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“ATIF
USA” shall hereinafter refer to ATIF Inc., a California corporation
and a wholly-owned subsidiary of ATIF BVI. |
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“ATIF
Investment” shall hereinafter refer to ATIF Investment Limited, a
BVI company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of ATIF BVI. |
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“ATIF
LP” shall hereinafter refer to ATIF -1, L.P., a Delaware limited
partnership and a majority-owned subsidiary of ATIF
BVI. |
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“ATIF
BD” shall hereinafter refer to ATIF BD LLC, a California limited
liability company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of ATIF
USA. |
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“ATIF
Southern” shall hereinafter refer to ATIF Southern US, LLC, a
California LLC and a majority-owned subsidiary of ATIF
BVI. |
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“ATIF
Consulting” shall hereinafter refer to ATIF Business Consulting
LLC, a California LLC and a wholly-owned subsidiary of ATIF
USA. |
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“ATIF
Management” shall hereinafter refer to ATIF Business Management
LLC, a California LLC and wholly-owned subsidiary of ATIF
USA. |
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“we,”
“us,” “Company,” “Group,” or the “registrant” or similar terms used
in this registration statement refer to ATIF BVI, ATIF USA, ATIF
Investment, ATIF LP, ATIF Southern, ATIF Consulting, ATIF
Management, and ATIF BD, unless the context otherwise
indicates. |
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“Affiliated Entities” shall refer to the ATIF
USA, ATIF Southern, ATIF Consulting, ATIF Management, ATIF
Investment, ATIF LP, and ATIF BD. |
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus and the documents and information incorporated by
reference in this prospectus include forward-looking statements
within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, or the “Securities Act,” and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the “Exchange Act.” These
statements are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions
and on information currently available to our management. Such
forward-looking statements include those that express plans,
anticipation, intent, contingency, goals, targets, or future
development and/or otherwise are not statements of historical
fact.
All statements in this prospectus and the documents and information
incorporated by reference in this prospectus that are not
historical facts are forward-looking statements. We may, in some
cases, use terms such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,”
“estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,”
“predicts,” “projects,” “should,” “will,” “would,” or similar
expressions or the negative of such items that convey uncertainty
of future events or outcomes to identify forward-looking
statements.
Forward-looking statements are made based on management’s beliefs,
estimates, and opinions on the date the statements are made and
ATIF BVI undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking
statements if these beliefs, estimates, and opinions or other
circumstances should change, except as may be required by
applicable law. Although ATIF BVI believes that the expectations
reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, ATIF
BVI cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity,
performance, or achievements.
THE COMPANY
Overview
We are a British Virgin
Islands business company. We are a business consulting
company providing financial consulting services to small and
medium-sized enterprises (“SMEs”) and prior to August 1, 2022, our
Affiliated Entity ATIF USA, managed a private equity fund with
approximately $1.3 million assets under management (“AUM”). Since
our inception in 2015, the main focus of our consulting business
has been providing comprehensive going public consulting services
designed to help SMEs become public companies on suitable stock
markets and exchanges. Our goal is to become an international
financial consulting company with clients and offices throughout
North America and Asia. In order to expand our business with a
flexible business concept and reach our goal of high growth revenue
and strong profit growth, on January 4, 2021, we opened an office
in California, USA, through our wholly owned subsidiary ATIF USA.
Our clients located within
United States are serviced by ATIF USA. ATIF BVI relies on a
professional service team, who is rich in business consulting
experiences, extensive social relations, and international
integrated services, to make the IPO process as easy as possible
for its clients. We operate with competitive fee schedules and in
the cases of clients with attractive financial performance and/or
great growth potential, we would offer the option of paying no fees
upfront.
To mitigate the potential risks arising from the PRC government
provision of new guidance to and restrictions on China-based
companies raising capital offshore, we decided to divest our PRC
subsidiaries. As of May 31, 2022, we completed the transfer of our
equity interest in ATIF Limited, a Hong Kong corporation (“ATIF
HK”) and Huaya Consulting (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., corporation formed
under the laws of the PRC (“Huaya”) to Mr. Pishan Chi, our former
director and CEO, for no consideration.
We have primarily focused on helping clients going public on the
OTC markets and national stock exchanges in the U.S.
Recent Developments
On January 4, 2021, we announced the relocation of our operating
headquarter to California, USA, through our wholly owned subsidiary
ATIF USA. As part of this relocation, we transitioned our services
from the variable interest entity (“VIE”), Qianhai Asia Times
(Shenzhen) International Financial Services Co., Ltd. (“Qianhai”),
to ATIF USA and Huaya by terminating the VIE agreements between the
Company and Qianhai on February 3, 2021. We did this to simplify
the management chain and improve management control, with the goal
of lowering costs. We believe that this streamlined management
model and strategic partnership strategy is in line with the
current fast-changing and competitive business environment and will
provide us with strong growth capability. The termination of the
VIE agreement with Qianhai did not adversely affect Huaya, our
business, financial condition, and results of operations.
On January 14, 2021, the Company entered into the sales and
purchase agreement (the “Sales and Purchase Agreement”) with the
majority shareholders of Leaping Group Co., Ltd. (“LGC”)
consisting of Jiang Bo, Jiang Tao and Wang Di (collectively the
“LGC Buyers”) to sell our 51.2% equity interest in LGC. Pursuant to
the Sales and Purchase Agreement, the Company sold 10,217,230
ordinary shares of LGC in exchange for (i) 5,555,548 ordinary
shares of the Company owned by the LGC Buyers, and (ii) a cash
payment of US$2,300,000 payable by January 14, 2023 at an interest
rate of 10% per annum. As of the date of this prospectus, the
5,555,548 ordinary shares owned by the LGC Buyers have been
returned to the Company and the $2.3 million cash payment has not
yet been received from the LGC Buyers. The Company recognized an
estimated loss of approximately $6.1 million from this transaction,
which were reflected in the pro forma financial information as
included in the Company’s form 6-K as filed with SEC on February 4,
2021, and was recognized in the audited financial statements and
included in our annual report for the year ended July 3, 2022.
As a result of termination of the VIE agreements and sale of all
our equity interests in LGC, we currently do not have a VIE
structure.
On February 16, 2021, we established ATIF-1, LP (“ATIF LP”) as a
private equity fund, with ATIF USA as the investment manager and
ATIF-1 GP, LLC (“ATIF GP”), a Delaware limited liability company,
as the general partner of ATIF LP. As of July 31, 2022, we own a
76.6% interest in ATIF LP as a limited partner. As of July 31,
2022, ATIF LP had approximately $1.3 million assets under
management (“AUM”). ATIF LP’s investment strategy involves
directional long and short investments in equity securities,
primarily issued by large cap U.S. companies, and American
Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) related to Chinese companies of
various sizes, including private companies. Due to significant
volatility in stock market, the private equity fund lost $1.5
million in fiscal year 2022 as compared to gain $0.2 million in
fiscal year 2021. On August 1, 2022, ATIF USA entered into and
closed a sales and purchase agreement (the “ATIF GP Agreement”)
with Asia Time (HK) International Finance Service Limited (the
“Buyer”) pursuant to which ATIF USA sold all of its membership
interests in ATIF GP to the Buyer for cash consideration of
US$50,000. Upon the closing of the Agreement on August 1, 2022,
ATIF GP is no longer our subsidiary and ATIF USA ceased to be the
investment manager of ATIF LP.
On August 23, 2021, we completed a five (5) for one (1) reverse
stock split of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares.
On December 22, 2021, we established ATIF BD which is engaged in
consultancy and information technology support services.
On April 25, 2022, we established ATIF Investment which is engaged
in consultancy and information technology support services.
On May 31, 2022, we completed the transfer of our equity interest
in ATIF HK and Huaya to Mr. Pishan Chi, our former director and
CEO, for $nil consideration. The transfer of equity interest was to
mitigate the potential risks arising from the PRC government
provision of new guidance to and restrictions on China-based
companies raising capital offshore.
On October 3, 2022, we established ATIF Southern which is engaged
in equity investment business in Texas.
On October 6, 2022, we established ATIF Consulting which is engaged
in IPO consulting services in North America.
On October 7, 2022, we established ATIF Management which plans to
provide comprehensive services, such as investors’ relationships
and secretarial services in North America in future.
Corporate Structure
The following diagram illustrates our current corporate
structure:

Competitive Strengths
We believe that the following strengths enable us to stand out in
the financial service industry and differentiate us from our
competitors:
Experienced and Highly Qualified Team
We have a highly qualified professional service team with extensive
experience in going public consulting services. Our professional
team members have an average of five years of experience in their
respective fields of international finance, capital market,
cross-border and domestic listing services, and marketing. The
majority of the members of our team previously worked in the
technology or finance industries. We highly value members of our
qualified professional team and are on the constant lookout for new
talents to join our team.
Recognition and Reputation Achieved from Our Previous
Success
Since our inception in 2015, we have successfully helped eight
clients to be quoted on the U.S. OTC markets and one client listed
on the U.S Nasdaq market, respectively. We believe we are one of
the few going public consulting service providers that possess the
necessary resources and expertise to provide comprehensive
personalized one-stop going public consulting services to
clients.
Long-Term Cooperation Relationship with Third-Party Professional
Providers
We have established long-term professional relationships with a
group of well-known third-party professional providers both
domestically and in the U.S., such as investment banks, certified
public accounting firms, law firms, and investor relations
agencies, whose services and support are necessary for us to
provide high-quality one-stop going public consulting service to
our clients. It took us years of hard work to demonstrate to these
professional organizations that we are a worthy partner capable of
providing high-quality professional services that conforms to their
high standards. As a result, our clients are able to gain direct
access to and obtain high-quality professional services from our
third-party professional providers.
COVID-19 Impact
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the implementation of
significant governmental measures, including lockdowns, closures,
quarantines, and travel bans, intended to control the spread of the
virus. Even though the COVID-19 situation is now normalizing
internationally, we are continuing to assess our business plans and
the impact COVID-19 may have on our ability to provide financial
consulting services to SMEs and to the SMEs’ businesses, but there
can be no assurance that this analysis will enable us to avoid part
or all of any impact from the spread of COVID-19 or its
consequences, including downturns in business sentiment generally
or in our sector in particular. In addition, no assurance can be
given that there would not be a future outbreak of COVID-19 which
may result in additional quarantine and other measures taken to try
to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which may materially and
adversely affect our financial condition and results of
operations.
Recent Regulatory Development
We are subject to a wide variety of complex laws and regulations in
the United States and other jurisdictions in which we operate. The
laws and regulations govern many issues related to our business
practices, including those regarding consumer protection, worker
classification, wage and hour, sick pay and leaves of absence,
anti-discrimination and harassment, whistleblower protections,
background checks, privacy, data security, intellectual property,
health and safety, environmental, competition, fees and payments,
pricing, product liability and disclosures, property damage,
communications, employee benefits, taxation, unionization and
collective bargaining, contracts, arbitration agreements, class
action waivers, terms of service, and accessibility of our
website.
These laws and regulations are constantly evolving and may be
interpreted, applied, created, superseded, or amended in a manner
that could harm our business. These changes may occur immediately
or develop over time through judicial decisions or as new guidance
or interpretations are provided by regulatory and governing bodies,
such as federal, state and local administrative agencies. As we
expand our business into new markets or introduce new features or
offerings into existing markets, regulatory bodies or courts may
claim that we are subject to additional requirements, or that we
are prohibited from conducting business in certain jurisdictions.
This section summarizes the principal regulations applicable to our
business.
Regulation on Intellectual Property Rights
Regulations on trademarks
The Trademark Law of the People’s Republic of China was adopted at
the 24th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Fifth National
People’s Congress on August 23, 1982. Three amendments were
made on February 22, 1993, October 27, 2001, and
August 30, 2013, respectively. The last amendment was
implemented on May 1, 2014. The regulations on the
implementation of the trademark law of the People’s Republic of
China were promulgated by the State Council of the People’s
Republic of China on August 3, 2002, and took effect on
September 15, 2002. It was revised on April 29, 2014 and
April 23, 2019. The PRC Trademark Office under the State
Administration of Market Regulation handles trademark registrations
and grants a term of 10 years to registered trademarks and another
10 years if requested upon expiration of the first or any renewed
10-year term. Trademark license agreements must be filed with the
PRC Trademark Office for record. The PRC Trademark Law has adopted
a “first-to-file” principle with respect to trademark registration.
Where a trademark to be registered is identical or similar to
another trademark which has already been registered or been subject
to a preliminary examination and approval for use on the same kind
of or similar goods or services, the application for registration
of such trademark may be rejected. Any person applying for the
registration of a trademark may not prejudice the existing right
first obtained by others, nor may any person register in advance a
trademark that has already been used by another party and has
already gained a “sufficient degree of reputation” through such
party’s use. After receiving an application, the PRC Trademark
Office will make a public announcement if the relevant trademark
passes the preliminary examination. During the three months after
this public announcement, any person entitled to prior rights and
any interested party may file an objection against the trademark.
The PRC Trademark Office’s decisions on rejection, objection, or
cancellation of an application may be appealed to the PRC Trademark
Review and Adjudication Board, whose decision may be further
appealed through judicial proceedings. If no objection is filed
within three months after the public announcement or if the
objection has been overruled, the PRC Trademark Office will approve
the registration and issue a registration certificate, at which
point the trademark is deemed to be registered and will be
effective for a renewable 10-year period, unless otherwise revoked.
For licensed use of a registered trademark, the licensor shall file
record of the licensing with the PRC Trademark Office, and the
licensing shall be published by the PRC Trademark Office. Failure
of the licensing of a registered trademark shall not be contested
against a good faith third party. For a detailed description of our
trademark registrations, please refer to “—Intellectual
Property.”
Regulations on domain names
In accordance with the Measures for the Administration of Internet
Domain Names, which was promulgated by the Ministry of Industry and
Information Technology (the “MIIT”) on August 24, 2017 and came
into effect on November 1, 2017, the Implementing Rules of China
Internet Network Information Center on Domain Name Registration,
which was promulgated by China Internet Network Information Center
(the “CNNIC”) on May 28, 2012 and came into effect on May 29, 2012,
and the Measures of the China Internet Network Information Center
on Domain Name Dispute Resolution, which was promulgated by CNNIC
on September 1, 2014 and came into effect on the same date, domain
name registrations are handled through domain name service agencies
established under relevant regulations, and an applicant becomes a
domain name holder upon successful registration, and domain name
disputes shall be submitted to an organization authorized by CNNIC
for resolution. Besides, the MIIT is in charge of the
administration of PRC internet domain names. The domain name
registration follows a first-to-file principle. Applicants for
registration of domain names shall provide true, accurate, and
complete information of their identities to domain name
registration service institutions. In accordance with the Notice
from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on
Regulating the Use of Domain Names in Internet Information
Services, which was promulgated by the MIIT on November 27, 2017
and came into effect on January 1, 2018, Internet access service
providers shall verify the identity of each Internet information
service provider, and shall not provide services to any Internet
information service provider which fails to provide real identity
information. The applicant will become the holder of such domain
names upon completion of the registration procedure. As of
July 31, 2020, we had completed registration of five domain
names, “ipoex.com,” “chinacnnm.com,” “atifchina.com,”
“atifus.com,” and “dpoex.com,” in the PRC and became
the legal holder of such domain names.
PRC Laws and Regulations Relating to Foreign
Exchange
General administration of foreign exchange
The principal regulation governing foreign currency exchange in the
PRC is the Administrative Regulations of the PRC on Foreign
Exchange (the “Foreign Exchange Regulations”), which were
promulgated on January 29, 1996, became effective on
April 1, 1996, and were amended on January 14, 1997, and
August 1, 2008. Under these rules, RMB is generally freely
convertible for payments of current account items, such as trade-
and service-related foreign exchange transactions and dividend
payments, but not freely convertible for capital account items,
such as capital transfer, direct investment, investment in
securities, derivative products, or loans unless prior approval and
prior registration by competent authorities for the administration
of foreign exchange is obtained and made. Under the Foreign
Exchange Regulations, foreign-invested enterprises in the PRC may
purchase foreign exchange under the current accounts without the
approval of SAFE to pay dividends by providing certain evidentiary
documents, including board resolutions, tax certificates, or for
trade- and services-related foreign exchange transactions, by
providing commercial documents evidencing such transactions.
Circular No. 75, Circular No. 37, and Circular
No. 13
Circular 37 was released by SAFE on July 4, 2014, and
abolished Circular 75 which had been in effect since
November 1, 2005. Pursuant to Circular 37, a PRC resident
should apply to SAFE for foreign exchange registration of overseas
investments prior to the establishment or control of an offshore
special purpose vehicle, or SPV, using his or her legitimate
domestic or offshore assets or interests. SPVs are offshore
enterprises directly established or indirectly controlled by
domestic residents for the purpose of investment and financing by
utilizing domestic or offshore assets or interests they legally
hold. Following any significant change in a registered offshore
SPV, such as capital increase, reduction, equity transfer or swap,
consolidation or division involving domestic resident individuals,
the domestic individuals shall amend the registration with SAFE.
Where an SPV intends to repatriate funds raised after completion of
offshore financing to the PRC, it shall comply with relevant PRC
regulations on foreign investment and foreign debt management. A
foreign-invested enterprise established through return investment
shall complete relevant foreign exchange registration formalities
in accordance with the prevailing foreign exchange administration
regulations on foreign direct investment and truthfully disclose
information on the actual controller of its shareholders.
If any shareholder who is a PRC resident (as determined by Circular
37) holds any interest in an offshore SPV and fails to fulfil the
required foreign exchange registration with the local SAFE
branches, the PRC subsidiaries of that offshore SPV may be
prohibited from distributing their profits and dividends to their
offshore parent company or from carrying out other subsequent
cross-border foreign exchange activities. The offshore SPV may also
be restricted in its ability to contribute additional capital to
its PRC subsidiaries. Where a domestic resident fails to complete
relevant foreign exchange registration as required, fails to
truthfully disclose information on the actual controller of the
enterprise involved in the return investment or otherwise makes
false statements, the foreign exchange control authority may order
them to take remedial actions, issue a warning, and impose a fine
of less than RMB300,000 (approximately $43,000) on an institution
or less than RMB50,000 (approximately $7,300) on an individual.
Circular 13 was issued by SAFE on February 13, 2015, and
became effective on June 1, 2015. Pursuant to Circular 13, a
domestic resident who makes a capital contribution to an SPV using
his or her legitimate domestic or offshore assets or interests is
no longer required to apply to SAFE for foreign exchange
registration of his or her overseas investments. Instead, he or she
shall register with a bank in the place where the assets or
interests of the domestic enterprise in which he or she has
interests are located if the domestic resident individually seeks
to make a capital contribution to the SPV using his or her
legitimate domestic assets or interests; or he or she shall
register with a local bank at his or her permanent residence if the
domestic resident individually seeks to make a capital contribution
to the SPV using his or her legitimate offshore assets or
interests. The qualified bank will directly examine the
applications and accept registrations under the supervision of
SAFE.
As of the date of this prospectus, our shareholders have not
completed registrations in accordance with Circular 37, they are
currently working on their registrations in the local
Administration of Exchange Control. The failure of our shareholders
to comply with the registration procedures may subject each of our
shareholders to warnings and fines. If the registration formalities
cannot be processed retrospectively, then the repatriation of the
financing funds, profits, or any other interests of our
shareholders obtained through special purpose vehicles, for use in
China, would be prohibited. As a result, any cross-border capital
flows between our PRC subsidiary and its offshore parent company,
including dividend distributions and capital contributions, would
be illegal
Circular 19 and Circular 16
Circular 19 was promulgated by SAFE on March 30, 2015, and
became effective on June 1, 2015. According to Circular 19,
foreign exchange capital of foreign-invested enterprises shall be
granted the benefits of Discretional Foreign Exchange Settlement
(“Discretional Foreign Exchange Settlement”). With Discretional
Foreign Exchange Settlement, foreign exchange capital in the
capital account of a foreign-invested enterprise for which the
rights and interests of monetary contribution has been confirmed by
the local foreign exchange bureau, or for which book-entry
registration of monetary contribution has been completed by the
bank, can be settled at the bank based on the actual operational
needs of the foreign-invested enterprise. The allowed Discretional
Foreign Exchange Settlement percentage of the foreign exchange
capital of a foreign-invested enterprise has been temporarily set
to be 100%. The RMB converted from the foreign exchange capital
will be kept in a designated account and if a foreign-invested
enterprise needs to make any further payment from such account, it
will still need to provide supporting documents and to complete the
review process with its bank.
Furthermore, Circular 19 stipulates that foreign-invested
enterprises shall make bona fide use of their capital for their own
needs within their business scopes. The capital of a
foreign-invested enterprise and the RMB if obtained from foreign
exchange settlement shall not be used for the following
purposes
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directly or indirectly used for expenses beyond
its business scope or prohibited by relevant laws or
regulations; |
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directly or indirectly used for investment in
securities unless otherwise provided by relevant laws or
regulations; |
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directly or indirectly used for entrusted loan in
RMB (unless within its permitted scope of business), repayment of
inter-company loans (including advances by a third party) or
repayment of bank loans in RMB that have been sub-lent to a third
party; and |
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directly or indirectly used for expenses related
to the purchase of real estate that is not for self-use (except for
foreign-invested real estate enterprises). |
Circular 16 was issued by SAFE on June 9, 2016. Pursuant to
Circular 16, enterprises registered in the PRC may also convert
their foreign debts from foreign currency to RMB on a
self-discretionary basis. Circular 16 provides an integrated
standard for conversion of foreign exchange capital items
(including but not limited to foreign currency capital and foreign
debts) on a self-discretionary basis applicable to all enterprises
registered in the PRC. Circular 16 reiterates the principle that an
enterprise’s RMB converted from foreign currency-denominated
capital may not be directly or indirectly used for purposes beyond
its business scope or purposes prohibited by PRC laws or
regulations, and such converted RMB shall not be provided as loans
to non-affiliated entities.
Circulars 16 and 19 address foreign direct investments into the
PRC, and stipulate the procedures applicable to foreign exchange
settlement. As we do not plan to transfer any proceeds raised to
our subsidiaries in the PRC, such proceeds would not be subject to
Circular 19 or Circular 16. However, if and when circumstances
require funds to be transferred to our subsidiaries in the PRC from
our offshore entities, then any such transfer would be subject to
Circulars 16 and 19.
Laws and Regulations Relating to Employment and Social
Welfare in the U.S. and PRC
U.S. Labor and Employment Laws
Various federal and state labor laws govern our
relationship with our employees and affect operating costs. These
laws include minimum wage requirements, overtime pay, unemployment
tax rates, workers’ compensation rates, citizenship requirements
and sales taxes. Additional government-imposed increases in minimum
wages, overtime pay, paid leaves of absence and mandated health
benefits such as those to be imposed by recently enacted
legislation in California, increased tax reporting and tax payment
requirements for employees who receive gratuities, or a reduction
in the number of states that allow tips to be credited toward
minimum wage requirements could harm our operating results.
The Federal Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits
discrimination on the basis of disability in public accommodations
and employment. Although our office is designed to be accessible to
the disabled, we could be required to make modifications to our
office to provide service to, or make reasonable accommodations
for, disabled persons.
Labor Law of the PRC
Pursuant to the Labor Law of the PRC, which was promulgated by the
Standing Committee of the NPC on July 5, 1994, with an
effective date of January 1, 1995, and was last amended on
December 29, 2018, and the Labor Contract Law of the PRC, which was
promulgated on June 29, 2007, became effective on
January 1, 2008, and was last amended on December 28,
2012, with the amendments coming into effect on July 1, 2013,
enterprises and institutions shall ensure the safety and hygiene of
a workplace, strictly comply with applicable rules and
standards on workplace safety and hygiene in China, and educate
employees on such rules and standards. Furthermore, employers
and employees shall enter into written employment contracts to
establish their employment relationships. Employers are required to
inform their employees about their job responsibilities, working
conditions, occupational hazards, remuneration, and other matters
with which the employees may be concerned. Employers shall pay
remuneration to employees on time and in full accordance with the
commitments set forth in their employment contracts and with the
relevant PRC laws and regulations. Until May 31, 2022, before we
transfer all our equity interest in Huaya, Huaya has entered into
written employment contracts with all its employees and performed
its obligations required under the relevant PRC laws and
regulations.
PRC Social Insurance and Housing Fund
As required under the Regulation of Insurance for Labor Injury
implemented on January 1, 2004, and amended in 2010, the
Provisional Measures for Maternity Insurance of Employees of
Corporations implemented on January 1, 1995, the Decisions on the
Establishment of a Unified Program for Pension Insurance of the
State Council issued on July 16, 1997, the Decisions on the
Establishment of the Medical Insurance Program for Urban Workers of
the State Council promulgated on December 14, 1998, the
Unemployment Insurance Measures promulgated on January 22, 1999,
the Interim Regulations Concerning the Collection and Payment of
Social Insurance Premiums implemented on January 22, 1999, and the
Social Insurance Law of the PRC, which was promulgated by the
Standing Committee of the NPC on October 28, 2010, became
effective on July 1, 2011, and last amended on December 29,
2018, employers in the PRC shall provide their employees with
welfare schemes covering basic pension insurance, basic medical
insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance, and
occupational injury insurance. Huaya has deposited the social
insurance fees in full for all the employees in compliance with the
relevant regulations since June 2019 to May 31,2022.
In accordance with the Regulations on Management of Housing
Provident Fund, which were promulgated by the State Council on
April 3, 1999, and last amended on March 24, 2019,
employers must register at the designated administrative centers
and open bank accounts for depositing employees’ housing funds.
Employer and employee are also required to pay and deposit housing
funds, with an amount no less than 5% of the monthly average salary
of the employee in the preceding year in full and on time.
U.S. Data Protection and Privacy Laws
California has several laws protecting the literary works read by
California residents. The California Reader Privacy Act protects
information about the books California residents read from
electronic services. Such information cannot be disclosed except
pursuant to an individual’s affirmative consent, a warrant or court
order with limited exceptions, such as imminent danger of serious
injury. California Education Code Section 99122 requires for-profit
postsecondary educational institutions to post a social media
privacy policy on their website.
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) provides relief for
claims of circumvention of copyright protected technologies and
includes a safe harbor intended to reduce the liability of online
service providers for hosting, listing, or linking to third-party
content that infringes copyrights of others.
The Communications Decency Act provides that online service
providers will not be considered the publisher or speaker of
content provided by others, such as individuals who post content on
an online service provider’s website.
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which went into effect
on January 1, 2020, provides consumers the right to know what
personal data companies collect, how it is used, and the right to
access, delete, and opt out of the sale of their personal
information to third parties. It also expands the definition of
personal information and gives consumers increased privacy rights
and protections for that information. The CCPA also includes
special requirements for California consumers under the age of
16.
The California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), Virginia Consumer Data
Protection Act (CDPA) and Colorado Privacy Act (CPA) all will come
into effect on January 1, 2023. These laws provide consumers with
the right to know what personal data companies collect, how it is
used, and the right to access, delete, and opt out of the sale of
their personal information to third parties. The CPRA also includes
special requirements for California consumers under the age of
16.
The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act
On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the Holding Foreign
Companies Accountable Act (“HFCAA”) requiring a foreign company to
certify it is not owned or controlled by a foreign government if
the PCAOB is unable to audit specified reports because the company
uses a foreign auditor not subject to PCAOB inspection. On December
18, 2020, the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act or HFCAA
was signed into law. On September 22, 2021, the PCAOB adopted a
final rule implementing the HFCAA, which became law in December
2020 and prohibits foreign companies from listing their securities
on U.S. exchanges if the company has been unavailable for PCAOB
inspection or investigation for three consecutive years. As a
result of the HFCAA, trading in ATIF BVI’s securities may be
prohibited if the PCAOB determines that it cannot inspect or fully
investigate ATIF BVI’s auditor. Furthermore, in June 2021, the
Senate passed the AHFCAA, which, if signed into law, would reduce
the time period for the delisting of foreign companies under the
HFCAA to two consecutive years, instead of three years.
Our independent registered public accounting firm has been
inspected by the PCAOB on a regular basis and as such, it is not
subject to the PCAOB Determination Report.
The recent developments would add uncertainties to our offering and
we cannot assure you whether Nasdaq would apply additional and more
stringent criteria to us after considering the effectiveness of our
auditor’s audit procedures and quality control procedures, adequacy
of personnel and training, or sufficiency of resources, geographic
reach, or experience as it relates to our audit.
RISK FACTORS
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before
making an investment decision, you should consider carefully the
risks, uncertainties and other factors described in our most recent
Annual Report on Form 10-K, as supplemented and updated by
subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on
Form 8-K that we have filed or will file with the SEC, which are
incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Additionally you
should also consider the risks set forth below.
We depend heavily on a limited number of clients.
We have derived, and believe that we will continue to derive, a
significant portion of our revenue from a limited number of clients
for which we perform large projects. In addition, revenue from a
large client may constitute a significant portion of our total
revenue in any particular quarter. The loss of any of our large
clients for any reason, including as a result of the acquisition of
that client by another entity, our failure to meet that client’s
expectations, the client’s decision to reduce spending on projects,
or failure to collect amounts owed to us from our client could have
a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and
results of operations.
We rely on information management systems and any damage,
interruption or compromise of our information management systems or
data could disrupt and harm our business.
We rely upon information technology systems and networks, some of
which are managed by third parties, to process, transmit, and store
electronic information in connection with the operation of our
business. Additionally, we collect and store data that is sensitive
to our company. Operating these information technology systems and
networks and processing and maintaining this data, in a secure
manner, are critical to our business operations and strategy. Our
information management systems and the data contained therein may
be vulnerable to damage, including interruption due to power loss,
system and network failures, operator negligence and similar
causes.
The techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or
degrade service or sabotage systems are constantly evolving and
often are not recognized until launched against a target, or even
some time after. We may be unable to anticipate these techniques,
implement adequate preventative measures or remediate any intrusion
on a timely or effective basis even if our security measures are
appropriate, reasonable, and/or comply with applicable legal
requirements. Certain efforts may be state-sponsored and supported
by significant financial and technological resources, making them
even more sophisticated and difficult to detect. Insider or
employee cyber and security threats are also a significant concern
for all companies, including ours. Given the unpredictability of
the timing, nature and scope of such disruptions, we could
potentially be subject to production downtimes, operational delays,
other detrimental impacts on our operations or ability to provide
products and services to our customers, the compromising,
misappropriation, destruction or corruption of data, security
breaches, other manipulation or improper use of our systems or
networks, financial losses from remedial actions, loss of business
or potential liability, and/or damage to our reputation, any of
which could have a material adverse effect on our competitive
position, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
Any significant compromise of our information management systems or
data could impede or interrupt our business operations and may
result in negative consequences including loss of revenue, fines,
penalties, litigation, reputational damage, inability to accurately
and/or timely complete required filings with government entities
including the SEC and the Internal Revenue Service, unavailability
or disclosure of confidential information (including personal
information) and negative impact on our stock price.
We may not be successful in the implementation of our
business strategy or our business strategy may not be successful,
either of which will impede our development and growth.
We do not know whether we will be able to continue successfully
implementing our business strategy or whether our business strategy
will ultimately be successful. In assessing our ability to meet
these challenges, a potential investor should take into account our
lack of operating history, our management’s relative inexperience,
the competitive conditions existing in our industry and general
economic conditions. Our growth is largely dependent on our ability
to successfully implement our business strategy. Our revenues may
be adversely affected if we fail to implement our business strategy
or if we divert resources to a business strategy that ultimately
proves unsuccessful.
Our service offerings may not be accepted.
We constantly seek to modify our service offerings to the
marketplace. As is typically the case evolving service offerings,
anticipation of demand and market acceptance are subject to a high
level of uncertainty. The success of our service offerings
primarily depends on the interest of our customers. In general,
achieving market acceptance for our services will require
substantial marketing efforts and the expenditure of significant
funds, which we may not have available, to create awareness and
demand among customers.
These risks could materially affect our business, results of
operation or financial condition and affect the value of our
securities. Additional risks and uncertainties that are not yet
identified may also materially harm our business, operating results
and financial condition and could result in a complete loss of your
investment. You could lose all or part of your investment. For more
information, see “Where You Can Find More Information.”
USE OF PROCEEDS
Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, we intend to
use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities under this
prospectus for general corporate purposes, which may include, among
other things, repayment of debt, repurchases of ordinary shares,
capital expenditures, the financing of possible acquisitions or
business expansions, increasing our working capital and the
financing of ongoing operating expenses and overhead.
DESCRIPTION OF
SECURITIES TO BE REGISTERED
We may offer, from time to time, our ordinary shares, preferred
shares, warrants to purchase ordinary shares, rights to purchase
ordinary shares or a combination of these securities, or units
consisting of a combination of any or all of these securities, in
amounts we will determine from time to time, under this prospectus
at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the
time of offering. This prospectus provides you with a general
description of the securities we may offer. See “Description of
Shares ,” “Description of Warrants,” “Description of Rights,” and
“Description of Units,” below. Each time we offer a type or
series of securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that
will describe the specific amounts, prices and other important
terms of the securities, including, to the extent applicable:
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Designation or
classification; |
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Aggregate principal amount or
aggregate offering price; |
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Rates and times of payment of
interest or dividends, if any; |
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Redemption, conversion or sinking
fund terms, if any; |
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Voting or other rights, if
any; |
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Conversion prices, if any;
and |
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Important federal income tax
considerations. |
The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus
also may supplement, or, as applicable, add, update or change
information contained in this prospectus or in documents we have
incorporated by reference. However, no prospectus supplement or
free writing prospectus will offer a security that is not
registered and described in this prospectus at the time of the
effectiveness of the registration statement of which this
prospectus is a part.
The terms of any particular offering, the offering price and the
net proceeds to us will be contained in the prospectus supplement,
information incorporated by reference or free writing prospectus
relating to such offering.
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES
We are a British Virgin Islands company with limited liability and
our affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and
articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time,
and the BVI Business Companies Act of 2004, as amended, which is
referred to as the BVI Act below, and the common law of the British
Virgin Islands.
We are authorized to issue up to 100,000,000,000 ordinary shares
and Class A preferred shares, with a par value of $0.001 each. As
of the date of this prospectus, there are 9,627,452 ordinary shares
issued and outstanding. There are no Class A preferred shares
outstanding. The following are summaries of material provisions of
our current amended and restated memorandum and articles of
association which are currently effective and the BVI Act insofar
as they relate to the material terms of our ordinary shares. You
should read the forms of our current memorandum and articles of
association, which was filed as an exhibit to our current report on
Form 6-K filed with the commission on September 8, 2021. For
information on how to obtain copies of our current memorandum and
articles of association, see “Where You Can Find Additional
Information.”
Ordinary Shares
General
All of our issued ordinary shares are fully paid and
non-assessable. There are no limitations imposed by our memorandum
and articles of association on the rights of non-resident or
foreign shareholders to hold or exercise voting rights on our
ordinary shares. In addition, there are no provisions in our
memorandum and articles of association governing the ownership
threshold above which shareholder ownership must be disclosed.
Under the BVI Act, the ordinary shares are deemed to be issued when
the name of the shareholder is entered in our register of members.
If (a) information that is required to be entered in the register
of members is omitted from the register or is inaccurately entered
in the register, or (b) there is unreasonable delay in entering
information in the register, a shareholder of the company, or any
person who is aggrieved by the omission, inaccuracy or delay, may
apply to the British Virgin Islands Courts for an order that the
register be rectified, and the court may either refuse the
application or order the rectification of the register, and may
direct the company to pay all costs of the application and any
damages the applicant may have sustained.
Distributions
Shareholders holding ordinary shares in the Company are entitled to
receive a pro rata share of such dividends as may be declared by
our board of directors subject to the BVI Act and the memorandum
and articles of association.
Voting rights
Any action required or permitted to be taken by the shareholders
must be effected at a duly called meeting of the shareholders
entitled to vote on such action or may be effected by a resolution
of members in writing, each in accordance with the memorandum and
articles of association. At each meeting of shareholders, each
shareholder who is present in person or by proxy (or, in the case
of a shareholder being a corporation, by its duly authorized
representative) will have one vote for each share that such
shareholder holds.
Election of directors
BVI law permits cumulative voting for the election of directors
only if expressly authorized in the memorandum and articles of
association. There is nothing under BVI law which specifically
prohibits or restricts the creation of cumulative voting rights for
the election of our directors. Our memorandum and articles of
association do not provide for cumulative voting for elections of
directors.
Meetings
Under our memorandum and articles of association, a copy of the
notice of any meeting of shareholders shall be given in writing not
less than seven (7) days before the date of the proposed meeting to
those persons whose names appear as shareholders in the register of
members on the date of the notice and are entitled to vote at the
meeting. Our board of directors shall call a meeting of
shareholders upon the written request of shareholders holding at
least 30% of our outstanding voting shares. In addition, our board
of directors may call a meeting of shareholders on its own motion.
A meeting of shareholders may be called on short notice if at least
90% of the shares entitled to vote on the matters to be considered
at the meeting have agreed to short notice of the meeting, or if
all members holding shares entitled to vote on all or any matters
to be considered at the meeting have waived notice and presence at
the meeting shall be deemed to constitute waiver for this
purpose.
At any meeting of shareholders, a quorum will be present if there
are shareholders present in person or by proxy representing not
less than one-third of the issued shares entitled to vote on the
resolutions to be considered at the meeting. Such quorum may be
represented by only a single shareholder or proxy. If no quorum is
present within two hours of the start time of the meeting, the
meeting shall be dissolved if it was requested by shareholders. In
any other case, the meeting shall be adjourned to the next business
day, and if shareholders representing not less than one-third of
the votes of the common shares or each class of shares entitled to
vote on the matters to be considered at the meeting are present
within one (1) hour of the start time of the adjourned meeting, a
quorum will be present. If not, the meeting will be dissolved. No
business may be transacted at any meeting of shareholders unless a
quorum is present at the commencement of business. If present, the
chair of our board of directors shall be the chair presiding at any
meeting of the shareholders. If the chair of our board is not
present then the members present shall choose a shareholder to act
to chair the meeting of the shareholders. If the shareholders are
unable to choose a chairman for any reason, then the person
representing the greatest number of voting shares present in person
or by proxy shall preside as chairman, failing which the oldest
individual member or member representative shall take the
chair.
A corporation that is a shareholder shall be deemed for the purpose
of our memorandum and articles of association to be present in
person if represented by its duly authorized representative. This
duly authorized representative shall be entitled to exercise the
same powers on behalf of the corporation which he represents as
that corporation could exercise if it were our individual
shareholder.
Protection of minority shareholders
British Virgin Islands law permits a minority shareholder to
commence a derivative action in our name, or an unfair prejudice
claim, or seek a restraining or compliance order, as appropriate,
to challenge, for example (1) an act which is ultra vires or
illegal, (2) an act which is likely to be oppressive, unfairly
discriminatory or unfairly prejudicial to a shareholder, (3) an act
which constitutes an infringement of individual rights of
shareholders, such as the right to vote, (4) conduct of the Company
or a director which contravenes the BVI Act or our memorandum and
articles of association or (5) an irregularity in the passing of a
resolution which requires a majority of the shareholders.
Pre-emptive rights
Our memorandum and articles of association dis-apply the
pre-emptive rights provisions of the BVI Act and do not provide for
any other pre-emptive rights. Accordingly, there are no pre-emptive
rights applicable to the issue by us of new shares.
Transfer of shares
Subject to the restrictions in our memorandum and articles of
association, and applicable securities laws, any of our
shareholders may transfer all or any of his or her shares by an
instrument of transfer in the usual or common form, or in any other
form which our directors may approve, or, in the case of listed
shares, in any manner permitted by and in accordance with the rules
of the relevant exchange.
Liquidation
As permitted by the BVI Act and our memorandum and articles of
association, we may be voluntarily liquidated under Part XII of the
BVI Act by resolution of directors or resolution of shareholders if
our assets exceed our liabilities and we are able to pay our debts
as they fall due. We also may be wound up in circumstances where we
are insolvent in accordance with the terms of the BVI Insolvency
Act, 2003 (as amended).
If we are wound up and the assets available for distribution among
our shareholders are more than sufficient to repay all amounts paid
to us on account of the issue of shares immediately prior to the
winding up, the excess shall be distributable pari passu among the
shareholders.
Calls on ordinary shares and forfeiture of ordinary
shares
Our board of directors may, on the terms established at the time of
the issuance of such ordinary shares or as otherwise agreed, make
calls upon shareholders for any amounts unpaid on their ordinary
shares in a notice served to such shareholders at least fourteen
(14) days prior to the specified time of payment. The ordinary
shares that have been called upon and remain unpaid are subject to
forfeiture.
Redemption of shares
Subject to the provisions of the BVI Act, we may issue ordinary
shares on terms that are subject to redemption, at our option or at
the option of the holders, on such terms and in such manner as may
be determined by our memorandum and articles of association and
subject to any applicable requirements imposed from time to time
by, the BVI Act, the SEC, the NASDAQ Capital Market, or by any
recognized stock exchange on which our securities may be
listed.
Modifications of class rights
If at any time, the Company is authorized to issue more than one
(1) class of ordinary shares, all or any of the rights attached to
any class of ordinary shares may be amended only with the consent
in writing of or by a resolution passed at a meeting of not less
than fifty percent (50%) of the shares of the class to be
affected.
Changes in the number of ordinary shares we are authorized to
issue and those in issue
We may from time to time by resolution of our board of directors,
subject to our memorandum and articles of association:
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● |
amend
our memorandum and articles of association to increase or decrease
the maximum number of ordinary shares we are authorized to
issue; |
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● |
divide our authorized and issued ordinary shares
into a larger number of shares; |
|
● |
combine our authorized and issued ordinary shares
into a smaller number of shares; and |
|
● |
create new classes of shares with preferences to
be determined by resolution of the board of directors to amend the
memorandum and articles of association to create new classes of
shares with such preferences at the time of
authorization. |
Inspection of books and records
Under the BVI Act, members of the general public, on payment of a
nominal fee, can obtain copies of the public records of a company
available at the office of the Registrar of Corporate Affairs which
will include the company’s certificate of incorporation, its
memorandum and articles of association (with any amendments) and
records of license fees paid to date and will also disclose any
articles of dissolution, articles of merger and a register of
charges if the company has elected to file such a register.
A member of the Company is also entitled, upon giving written
notice to us, to inspect (i) our memorandum and articles of
association, (ii) the register of members, (iii) the register of
directors, and (iv) minutes of meetings and resolutions of members
and of those classes of members of which that member is a member,
and to make copies and take extracts from the documents and records
referred to in (i) to (iv) above. However, our directors may, if
they are satisfied that it would be contrary to the company’s
interests to allow a member to inspect any document, or part of a
document specified in (ii) to (iv) above, refuse to permit the
member to inspect the document or limit the inspection of the
document, including limiting the making of copies or the taking of
extracts or records. See “Where You Can Find More Information.”
Where a company fails or refuses to permit a member to inspect a
document or permits a member to inspect a document subject to
limitations, that member may apply to the BVI court for an order
that he should be permitted to inspect the document or to inspect
the document without limitation.
Rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders
There are no limitations imposed by our memorandum and articles of
association on the rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders
to hold or exercise voting rights on our shares. In addition, there
are no provisions in our memorandum and articles of association
governing the ownership threshold above which shareholder ownership
must be disclosed.
Issuance of additional shares
Our memorandum and articles of association authorizes our board of
directors to issue additional shares from authorized but unissued
shares, to the extent available, from time to time as our board of
directors shall determine.
Preferred Shares
Our memorandum and articles of association authorizes the creation
and issuance without shareholder approval preferred shares up to
the maximum number of authorized but unissued shares, divided into
a single class, Class A preferred shares, with such designation,
rights and preferences as may be determined by a resolution of our
board of directors to amend the memorandum and articles of
association to create such designations, rights and preferences.
Under BVI law, all shares of a single class must be issued with the
same rights and obligations. No preferred shares are currently
issued or outstanding. Accordingly, our board of directors is
empowered, without shareholder approval, to issue preferred shares
with dividend, liquidation, redemption, voting or other rights,
which could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of
the holders of ordinary shares. The preferred shares could be
utilized as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a
change in control of us. Although we do not currently intend to
issue any preferred shares, we may do so in the future.
The rights of preferred shareholders, once the preferred shares are
in issue, may only be amended by a resolution to amend our
memorandum and articles of association provided such amendment is
also approved by a separate resolution of a majority of the votes
of preferred shareholders who being so entitled attend and vote at
the class meeting of the relevant preferred class. If our preferred
shareholders want us to hold a meeting of preferred shareholders
(or of a class of preferred shareholders), they may requisition the
directors to hold one upon the written request of preferred
shareholders entitled to exercise at least thirty percent (30%) of
the voting rights in respect of the matter (or class) for which the
meeting is requested. Under British Virgin Islands law, we may not
increase the required percentage to call a meeting above thirty
percent (30%).
Differences in Corporate Law
The BVI Act and the laws of the British Virgin Islands affecting
British Virgin Islands companies like us and our shareholders
differ from laws applicable to U.S. corporations and their
shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the significant
differences between the provisions of the laws of the British
Virgin Islands applicable to us and the laws applicable to
companies incorporated in the United States and their
shareholders.
Mergers and similar arrangements
Under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, two or more companies
may merge or consolidate in accordance with Section 170 et
seq. of the BVI Act. A merger means the merging of two or more
constituent companies into one of the constituent companies (the
“surviving company”) and a consolidation means the uniting of two
or more constituent companies into a new company (the “consolidated
company”). The procedure for a merger or consolidation between the
company and another company (which need not be a BVI company, and
which may be the company’s parent or subsidiary, but need not be)
is set out in the BVI Act. In order to merge or consolidate, the
directors of each constituent company must approve a written plan
of merger or consolidation, which with the exception of a merger
between a parent company and its subsidiary, must also be approved
by a resolution of a majority of the shareholders voting at a
quorate meeting of shareholders or by written resolution of the
shareholders of the BVI company or BVI companies which are to
merge. While a director may vote on the plan of merger or
consolidation, or any other matter, even if he has a financial
interest in the plan, the interested director must disclose the
interest to all other directors of the company promptly upon
becoming aware of the fact that he is interested in a transaction
entered into or to be entered into by the company. A transaction
entered into by our company in respect of which a director is
interested (including a merger or consolidation) is voidable by us
unless the director’s interest was (a) disclosed to the board prior
to the transaction or (b) the transaction is (i) between the
director and the company and (ii) the transaction is in the
ordinary course of the company’s business and on usual terms and
conditions. Notwithstanding the above, a transaction entered into
by the company is not voidable if the material facts of the
interest are known to the shareholders and they approve or ratify
it or the company received fair value for the transaction. In any
event, all shareholders must be given a copy of the plan of merger
or consolidation irrespective of whether they are entitled to vote
at the meeting to approve the plan of merger or consolidation. A
foreign company which is able under the laws of its foreign
jurisdiction to participate in the merger or consolidation is
required by the BVI Act to comply with the laws of that foreign
jurisdiction in relation to the merger or consolidation. The
shareholders of the constituent companies are not required to
receive shares of the surviving or consolidated company but may
receive debt obligations or other securities of the surviving or
consolidated company, other assets, or a combination thereof.
Further, some or all of the shares of a class or series may be
converted into a kind of asset while the other shares of the same
class or series may receive a different kind of asset. As such, not
all the shares of a class or series must receive the same kind of
consideration. After the plan of merger or consolidation has been
approved by the directors and authorized, if required, by a
resolution of the shareholders, articles of merger or consolidation
are executed by each company and filed with the Registrar of
Corporate Affairs in the British Virgin Islands. The merger or
consolidation is effective on the date that the articles of merger
or consolidation are registered with the Registrar or on such
subsequent date, not exceeding thirty days, as is stated in the
articles of merger or consolidation.
As soon as a merger or consolidation becomes effective: (a) the
surviving company or consolidated company (so far as is consistent
with its memorandum and articles of association, as amended or
established by the articles of merger or consolidation) has all
rights, privileges, immunities, powers, objects and purposes of
each of the constituent companies; (b) in the case of a merger, the
memorandum and articles of association of any surviving company are
automatically amended to the extent, if any, that changes to its
memorandum and articles of association are contained in the
articles of merger or, in the case of a consolidation, the
memorandum and articles of association filed with the articles of
consolidation are the memorandum and articles of the consolidated
company; (c) assets of every description, including
choses-in-action and the business of each of the constituent
companies, immediately vest in the surviving company or
consolidated company; (d) the surviving company or consolidated
company is liable for all claims, debts, liabilities and
obligations of each of the constituent companies; (e) no
conviction, judgment, ruling, order, claim, debt, liability or
obligation due or to become due, and no cause existing, against a
constituent company or against any member, director, officer or
agent thereof, is released or impaired by the merger or
consolidation; and (f) no proceedings, whether civil or criminal,
pending at the time of a merger or consolidation by or against a
constituent company, or against any member, director, officer or
agent thereof, are abated or discontinued by the merger or
consolidation; but: (i) the proceedings may be enforced,
prosecuted, settled or compromised by or against the surviving
company or consolidated company or against the member, director,
officer or agent thereof; as the case may be; or (ii) the surviving
company or consolidated company may be substituted in the
proceedings for a constituent company. The Registrar of Corporate
Affairs shall strike off the register of companies each constituent
company that is not the surviving company in the case of a merger
and all constituent companies in the case of a consolidation. If
the directors determine it to be in the best interests of the
company, it is also possible for a merger or consolidation to be
approved as a Court approved plan of arrangement or scheme of
arrangement in accordance with the BVI Act.
A shareholder may dissent from (a) a merger if the company is a
constituent company, unless the company is the surviving company
and the member continues to hold the same or similar shares; (b) a
consolidation if the company is a constituent company; (c) any
sale, transfer, lease, exchange or other disposition of more than
fifty percent (50%) in value of the assets or business of the
company if not made in the usual or regular course of the business
carried on by the company but not including: (i) a disposition
pursuant to an order of the court having jurisdiction in the
matter, (ii) a disposition for money on terms requiring all or
substantially all net proceeds to be distributed to the members in
accordance with their respective interest within one year after the
date of disposition, or (iii) a transfer pursuant to the power of
the directors to transfer assets for the protection thereof; (d) a
compulsory redemption of ten percent (10%), or fewer of the issued
shares of the company required by the holders of ninety percent
(90%), or more of the shares of the company pursuant to the terms
of the BVI Act; and (e) a plan of arrangement, if permitted by the
British Virgin Islands Court (each, an Action). A shareholder
properly exercising his dissent rights is entitled to a cash
payment equal to the fair value of his shares.
A shareholder dissenting from an Action must object in writing to
the Action before the vote by the shareholders on the merger or
consolidation, unless notice of the meeting was not given to the
shareholder. If the merger or consolidation is approved by the
shareholders, the company must give notice of this fact to each
shareholder within twenty (20) days who gave written objection.
Such objection shall include a statement that the member proposes
to demand payment for his or her shares if the Action is taken.
These shareholders then have twenty (20) days to give to the
company their written election in the form specified by the BVI Act
to dissent from the Action, provided that in the case of a merger,
the twenty (20) days starts when the plan of merger is delivered to
the shareholder. Upon giving notice of his election to dissent, a
shareholder ceases to have any shareholder rights except the right
to be paid the fair value of his shares. As such, the merger or
consolidation may proceed in the ordinary course notwithstanding
his dissent. Within seven (7) days of the later of the delivery of
the notice of election to dissent and the effective date of the
merger or consolidation, the company shall make a written offer to
each dissenting shareholder to purchase his shares at a specified
price per share that the company determines to be the fair value of
the shares. The company and the shareholder then have thirty (30)
days to agree upon the price. If the company and a shareholder fail
to agree on the price within the thirty (30) days, then the company
and the shareholder shall, within twenty (20) days immediately
following the expiration of the 30-day period, each designate an
appraiser and these two appraisers shall designate a third
appraiser. These three appraisers shall fix the fair value of the
shares as of the close of business on the day prior to the
shareholders’ approval of the transaction without taking into
account any change in value as a result of the transaction.
Shareholders’ suits
There are both statutory and common law remedies available to our
shareholders as a matter of British Virgin Islands law. These are
summarized below.
Prejudiced members
A shareholder who considers that the affairs of the company have
been, are being, or are likely to be, conducted in a manner that
is, or any act or acts of the company have been, or are, likely to
be oppressive, unfairly discriminatory or unfairly prejudicial to
him in that capacity, can apply to the court under Section 184I of
the BVI Act, inter alia, for an order that his shares be acquired,
that he be provided compensation, that the Court regulate the
future conduct of the company, or that any decision of the company
which contravenes the BVI Act or our memorandum and articles of
association be set aside.
Derivative actions
Section 184C of the BVI Act provides that a shareholder of a
company may, with the leave of the Court, bring an action in the
name of the company in certain circumstances to redress any wrong
done to it. Such actions are known as derivative actions. The BVI
Court may only grant permission to bring a derivative action where
the following circumstances apply:
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● |
the
company does not intend to bring, diligently continue or defend or
discontinue proceedings; and |
|
● |
it is
in the interests of the company that the conduct of the proceedings
not be left to the directors or to the determination of the
shareholders as a whole. |
When considering whether to grant leave, the British Virgin Islands
Court is also required to have regard to the following matters:
|
● |
whether the shareholder is acting in good
faith; |
|
● |
whether a derivative action is in the company’s
best interests, taking into account the directors’ views on
commercial matters; |
|
● |
whether the action is likely to
proceed; |
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● |
the
costs of the proceedings; and |
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● |
whether an alternative remedy is
available. |
Restraining or compliance order
If a BVI company or a director of a BVI company engages in,
proposes to engage in or has engaged in, conduct that contravenes
the BVI Act or the memorandum or articles of the company, the Court
may, on the application of a shareholder of the company pursuant to
Section 184B of the BVI Act, make an order directing the company or
director to comply with, or restraining the company or director
from engaging in conduct that contravenes, the BVI Act or the
company's memorandum or articles.
Just and equitable winding up
In addition to the statutory remedies outlined above, shareholders
can also petition the BVI Court for the winding up of a company
under the BVI Insolvency Act, 2003 (as amended), for the
appointment of a liquidator to liquidate the company and the court
may appoint a liquidator for the company if it is of the opinion
that it is just and equitable for the court to so order. Save in
exceptional circumstances, this remedy is generally only available
where the company has been operated as a quasi-partnership and
trust and confidence between the partners has broken down.
Indemnification of directors and executive officers and
limitation of liability
Our memorandum and articles of association provide that, subject to
certain limitations, we indemnify against all expenses, including
legal fees, and against all judgments, fines and amounts paid in
settlement and reasonably incurred in connection with legal,
administrative or investigative proceedings for any person who:
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● |
is or
was a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened,
pending or completed proceedings, whether civil, criminal,
administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that the
person is or was our director; or |
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● |
is or
was, at our request, serving as a director or officer of, or in any
other capacity is or was acting for, another body corporate or a
partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise |
These indemnities only apply if the person acted honestly and in
good faith with a view to our best interests and, in the case of
criminal proceedings, the person had no reasonable cause to believe
that his conduct was unlawful. The decision of the directors as to
whether the person acted honestly and in good faith and with a view
to the best interests of the company and as to whether the person
had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful
and is, in the absence of fraud, sufficient for the purposes of the
memorandum and articles of association, unless a question of law is
involved. The termination of any proceedings by any judgment,
order, settlement, conviction or the entering of a nolle prosequi
does not, by itself, create a presumption that the person did not
act honestly and in good faith and with a view to the best
interests of the company or that the person had reasonable cause to
believe that his conduct was unlawful.
This standard of conduct is generally the same as permitted under
the Delaware General Corporation Law for a Delaware corporation.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers or
persons controlling us under the foregoing provisions, we have been
advised that in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is
against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is
therefore unenforceable.
Anti-takeover provisions in our Memorandum and Articles of
Association
Some provisions of our articles of association may discourage,
delay or prevent a change in control of our company or management
that shareholders may consider favorable. Under the BVI Act there
are no provisions which specifically prevent the issuance of
preferred shares or any such other ‘poison pill’ measures. The
memorandum and articles of association of the company also do not
contain any express prohibitions on the issuance of any preferred
shares. Therefore, the directors without the approval of the
holders of ordinary shares may issue preferred shares that have
characteristics that may be deemed to be anti-takeover.
Additionally, such a designation of shares may be used in
connection with plans that are poison pill plans. However, under
British Virgin Islands law, our directors, in the exercise of their
powers granted to them under our memorandum and articles of
association and performance of their duties, are required to act
honestly and in good faith in what the director believes to be in
the best interests of our company.
Directors’ fiduciary duties
Under Delaware corporate law, a director of a Delaware corporation
has a fiduciary duty to the corporation and its shareholders. This
duty has two components: the duty of care and the duty of loyalty.
The duty of care requires that a director act in good faith, with
the care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise under
similar circumstances. Under this duty, a director must inform
himself of, and disclose to shareholders, all material information
reasonably available regarding a significant transaction.
The duty of loyalty requires that a director act in a manner he
reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation.
He must not use his corporate position for personal gain or
advantage. This duty prohibits self-dealing by a director and
mandates that the best interest of the corporation and its
shareholders take precedence over any interest possessed by a
director, officer or controlling shareholder and not shared by the
shareholders generally. In general, actions of a director are
presumed to have been made on an informed basis, in good faith and
in the honest belief that the action taken was in the best
interests of the corporation. However, this presumption may be
rebutted by evidence of a breach of one of the fiduciary duties.
Should such evidence be presented concerning a transaction by a
director, a director must prove the procedural fairness of the
transaction and that the transaction was of fair value to the
corporation.
Under British Virgin Islands law, our directors owe fiduciary
duties to the company both at common law and under statute
including, among others, a statutory duty to act honestly, in good
faith, for a proper purpose and with a view to what the directors
believe to be in the best interests of the company. Our directors
are also required, when exercising powers or performing duties as a
director, to exercise the care, diligence and skill that a
reasonable director would exercise in comparable circumstances,
taking into account without limitation, the nature of the company,
the nature of the decision and the position of the director and the
nature of the responsibilities undertaken. In the exercise of their
powers, our directors must ensure neither they nor the company acts
in a manner which contravenes the BVI Act or our memorandum and
articles of association. The directors owe their duties to the
company itself as distinct body rather than to the shareholders of
the company (either collectively or individually) so, where there
has been a breach of fiduciary duty by a director, it would
typically be for the company to raise proceedings against the
director for the breach. Only in special circumstances would the
directors of a company become subject to a fiduciary duty to the
shareholders of the company such that a shareholder would be able
to raise proceedings against the director.
Pursuant to the BVI Act and our memorandum and articles of
association, a director of a company who has an interest in a
transaction and who has declared such interest to the other
directors, may:
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(a) |
vote
on a matter relating to the transaction; |
|
(b) |
attend a meeting of directors at which a matter
relating to the transaction arises and be included among the
directors present at the meeting for the purposes of a quorum;
and |
|
(c) |
sign
a document on behalf of the Company, or do any other thing in his
capacity as a director, that relates to the
transaction. |
Shareholder action by written consent
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may
eliminate the right of shareholders to act by written consent by
amendment to its certificate of incorporation. British Virgin
Islands law provides that, subject to the memorandum and articles
of association of a company, an action that may be taken by members
of the company at a meeting may also be taken by a resolution of
members consented to in writing.
Shareholder proposals
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a shareholder has the
right to put any proposal before the annual meeting of
shareholders, provided it complies with the notice provisions in
the governing documents. A special meeting may be called by the
board of directors or any other person authorized to do so in the
governing documents, but shareholders may be precluded from calling
special meetings. British Virgin Islands law and memorandum and
articles of association allow our shareholders holding thirty
percent (30%) or more of the votes of the outstanding voting shares
to requisition a shareholders’ meeting. There is no requirement
under BVI law to hold shareholders’ annual general meetings, but
our memorandum and articles of association do permit the directors
to call such a meeting. The location of any shareholders’ meeting
can be determined by the board of directors and can be held
anywhere in the world.
Cumulative voting
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, cumulative voting for
elections of directors is not permitted unless the corporation’s
certificate of incorporation specifically provides for it.
Cumulative voting potentially facilitates the representation of
minority shareholders on a board of directors since it permits the
minority shareholder to cast all the votes to which the shareholder
is entitled on a single director, which increases the shareholder’s
voting power with respect to electing such director. As permitted
under British Virgin Islands law, our memorandum and articles of
association do not provide for cumulative voting. As a result, our
shareholders are not afforded any less protections or rights on
this issue than shareholders of a Delaware corporation.
Removal of directors
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a director of a
corporation with a classified board may be removed only for cause
with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled
to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides
otherwise. Under our memorandum and articles of association,
directors can be removed from office, with or without cause, by a
resolution of shareholders. Directors can also be removed by a
resolution of directors passed at a meeting of directors called for
the purpose of removing the director or for purposes including the
removal of the director.
Transactions with interested shareholders
The Delaware General Corporation Law contains a business
combination statute applicable to Delaware public corporations
whereby, unless the corporation has specifically elected not to be
governed by such statute by amendment to its certificate of
incorporation, it is prohibited from engaging in certain business
combinations with an “interested shareholder” for three (3) years
following the date that such person becomes an interested
shareholder. An interested shareholder generally is a person or
group who or which owns or owned fifteen percent (15%) or more of
the target’s outstanding voting shares within the past three (3)
years. This has the effect of limiting the ability of a potential
acquirer to make a two-tiered bid for the target in which all
shareholders would not be treated equally. The statute does not
apply if, among other things, prior to the date on which such
shareholder becomes an interested shareholder, the board of
directors approves either the business combination or the
transaction which resulted in the person becoming an interested
shareholder. This encourages any potential acquirer of a Delaware
public corporation to negotiate the terms of any acquisition
transaction with the target’s board of directors. British Virgin
Islands law has no comparable statute and our memorandum and
articles of association does not expressly provide for the same
protection afforded by the Delaware business combination
statute.
Dissolution; Winding Up
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, unless the board of
directors approves the proposal to dissolve, dissolution must be
approved by shareholders holding one hundred percent (100%) of the
total voting power of the corporation. Only if the dissolution is
initiated by the board of directors may it be approved by a simple
majority of the corporation’s outstanding shares. Delaware law
allows a Delaware corporation to include in its certificate of
incorporation a supermajority voting requirement in connection with
dissolutions initiated by the board. Under the BVI Act and our
memorandum and articles of association, we may appoint a voluntary
liquidator by a resolution of the shareholders or a resolution of
the directors, provided that the directors have made a declaration
of solvency that the company is able to discharge its debts as they
fall due and that the value of the company’s assets exceed its
liabilities.
Variation of rights of shares
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may vary
the rights of a class of shares with the approval of a majority of
the outstanding shares of such class, unless the certificate of
incorporation provides otherwise. Under our memorandum and articles
of association, if at any time our shares are divided into
different classes of shares, the rights attached to any class may
only be varied, whether or not our company is in liquidation, with
the consent in writing of or by a resolution passed at a meeting by
a majority of the votes cast by those entitled to vote at a meeting
of the holders of the issued shares in that class. For these
purposes the creation, designation or issue of preferred shares
with rights and privileges ranking in priority to an existing class
of shares is deemed not to be a variation of the rights of such
existing class and may in accordance with our memorandum and
articles of association be effected by resolution of directors
without shareholder approval.
Amendment of governing documents
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation’s
governing documents may be amended with the approval of a majority
of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate
of incorporation provides otherwise. As permitted by British Virgin
Islands law, our memorandum and articles of association may be
amended by a resolution of shareholders and, subject to certain
exceptions, by a resolution of directors. An amendment is effective
from the date it is registered at the Registry of Corporate Affairs
in the British Virgin Islands.
Anti-Money Laundering Laws
In order to comply with legislation or regulations aimed at the
prevention of money laundering we are required to adopt and
maintain anti-money laundering procedures, and may require
subscribers to provide evidence to verify their identity. Where
permitted, and subject to certain conditions, we also may delegate
the maintenance of our anti-money laundering procedures (including
the acquisition of due diligence information) to a suitable
person.
We reserve the right to request such information as is necessary to
verify the identity of a subscriber. In the event of delay or
failure on the part of the subscriber in producing any information
required for verification purposes, we may refuse to accept the
application, in which case any funds received will be returned
without interest to the account from which they were originally
debited.
If any person resident in the British Virgin Islands knows or
suspects that another person is engaged in money laundering or
terrorist financing and the information for that knowledge or
suspicion came to their attention in the course of their business
the person will be required to report his belief or suspicion to
the Financial Investigation Agency of the British Virgin Islands,
pursuant to the Proceeds of Criminal Conduct Act 1997 (as amended).
Such a report shall not be treated as a breach of confidence or of
any restriction upon the disclosure of information imposed by any
enactment or otherwise.
DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS
General
We may issue warrants to purchase ordinary shares, preferred
shares, rights or units representing a combination thereof. We may
issue the warrants independently or together with any underlying
securities, and the warrants may be attached or separate from the
underlying securities. We may also issue a series of warrants under
a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and a
warrant agent. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in
connection with the warrants of such series and will not assume any
obligation or relationship of agency for or with holders or
beneficial owners of warrants.
The following description is a summary of selected provisions
relating to the warrants that we may issue. The summary is not
complete. When warrants are offered in the future, a prospectus
supplement, information incorporated by reference or a free writing
prospectus, as applicable, will explain the particular terms of
those securities and the extent to which these general provisions
may apply. The specific terms of the warrants as described in a
prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference, or
free writing prospectus will supplement and, if applicable, may
modify or replace the general terms described in this section.
This summary and any description of warrants in the applicable
prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference or
free writing prospectus is subject to and is qualified in its
entirety by reference to all the provisions of any specific warrant
document or agreement, if applicable. We will file each of these
documents, as applicable, with the SEC and incorporate them by
reference as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this
prospectus is a part on or before the time we issue a series of
warrants. See “Where You Can Find Additional Information” and
“Incorporation of Information by Reference” above for information
on how to obtain a copy of a warrant document when it is filed.
When we refer to a series of warrants, we mean all warrants issued
as part of the same series under the applicable warrant
agreement.
Terms
The applicable prospectus supplement, information incorporated by
reference or free writing prospectus, may describe the terms of any
warrants that we may offer, including, but not limited to, the
following:
|
● |
The
title of the warrants; |
|
● |
The
total number of warrants; |
|
● |
The
price or prices at which the warrants will be issued; |
|
● |
The
price or prices at which the warrants may be exercised; |
|
● |
The
currency or currencies that investors may use to pay for the
warrants; |
|
● |
The
date on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and
the date on which the right will expire; |
|
● |
Whether the warrants will be issued in registered
form or bearer form; |
|
● |
Information with respect to book-entry
procedures, if any; |
|
● |
If
applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of warrants that may be
exercised at any one time; |
|
● |
If
applicable, the designation and terms of the underlying securities
with which the warrants are issued and the number of warrants
issued with each underlying security; |
|
● |
If
applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and the
related underlying securities will be separately
transferable; |
|
● |
If
applicable, a discussion of material United States federal income
tax considerations; |
|
● |
If
applicable, the terms of redemption of the warrants; |
|
● |
The
identity of the warrant agent, if any; |
|
● |
The
procedures and conditions relating to the exercise of the warrants;
and |
|
● |
Any
other terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures, and
limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the
warrants. |
Warrant Agreement
We may issue the warrants in one or more series under one or more
warrant agreements, each to be entered into between us and a bank,
trust company, or other financial institution as warrant agent. We
may add, replace, or terminate warrant agents from time to time. We
may also choose to act as our own warrant agent or may choose one
of our subsidiaries to do so.
The warrant agent under a warrant agreement will act solely as our
agent in connection with the warrants issued under that agreement.
Any holder of warrants may, without the consent of any other
person, enforce by appropriate legal action, on its own behalf, its
right to exercise those warrants in accordance with their
terms.
Form, Exchange and Transfer
We may issue the warrants in registered form or bearer form.
Warrants issued in registered form, i.e., book-entry form, will be
represented by a global security registered in the name of a
depository, which will be the holder of all the warrants
represented by the global security. Those investors who own
beneficial interests in a global warrant will do so through
participants in the depository’s system, and the rights of these
indirect owners will be governed solely by the applicable
procedures of the depository and its participants. In addition, we
may issue warrants in non-global form, i.e., bearer form. If any
warrants are issued in non-global form, warrant certificates may be
exchanged for new warrant certificates of different denominations,
and holders may exchange, transfer, or exercise their warrants at
the warrant agent’s office or any other office indicated in the
applicable prospectus supplement, information incorporated by
reference or free writing prospectus.
Prior to the exercise of their warrants, holders of warrants
exercisable for ordinary shares will not have any rights of holders
of ordinary shares and will not be entitled to dividend payments,
if any, or voting rights of the ordinary shares.
Exercise of Warrants
A warrant will entitle the holder to purchase for cash an amount of
securities at an exercise price that will be stated in, or that
will be determinable as described in, the applicable prospectus
supplement, information incorporated by reference or free writing
prospectus. Warrants may be exercised at any time up to the close
of business on the expiration date set forth in the applicable
offering material. After the close of business on the expiration
date, unexercised warrants will become void. Warrants may be
redeemed as set forth in the applicable offering material.
Warrants may be exercised as set forth in the applicable offering
material. Upon receipt of payment and the warrant certificate
properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office
of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the
applicable offering material, we will forward, as soon as
practicable, the securities purchasable upon such exercise. If less
than all of the warrants represented by such warrant certificate
are exercised, a new warrant certificate will be issued for the
remaining warrants.
DESCRIPTION OF
RIGHTS
We may issue rights to purchase our securities. The rights may or
may not be transferable by the persons purchasing or receiving the
rights. In connection with any rights offering, we may enter into a
standby underwriting or other arrangement with one or more
underwriters or other persons pursuant to which such underwriters
or other persons would purchase any offered securities remaining
unsubscribed for after such rights offering. Each series of rights
will be issued under a separate rights agent agreement to be
entered into between us and one or more banks, trust companies or
other financial institutions, as rights agent, that we will name in
the applicable prospectus supplement. The rights agent will act
solely as our agent in connection with the rights and will not
assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or
with any holders of rights certificates or beneficial owners of
rights.
The prospectus supplement relating to any rights that we offer will
include specific terms relating to the offering, including, among
other matters:
• |
|
the date of determining the
security holders entitled to the rights distribution; |
• |
|
the aggregate number of rights
issued and the aggregate amount of securities purchasable upon
exercise of the rights; |
• |
|
the conditions to completion of the
rights offering; |
• |
|
the date on which the right to
exercise the rights will commence and the date on which the rights
will expire; and |
• |
|
any applicable federal income tax
considerations. |
Each right would entitle the holder of the rights to purchase for
cash the principal amount of securities at the exercise price set
forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Rights may be
exercised at any time up to the close of business on the expiration
date for the rights provided in the applicable prospectus
supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, all
unexercised rights will become void.
If less than all of the rights issued in any rights offering are
exercised, we may offer any unsubscribed securities directly to
persons other than our security holders, to or through agents,
underwriters or dealers or through a combination of such methods,
including pursuant to standby arrangements, as described in the
applicable prospectus supplement.
DESCRIPTION OF UNITS
We may issue units composed of any combination of our ordinary
shares, preferred shares, rights and warrants. We will issue each
unit so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each
security included in the unit. As a result, the holder of a unit
will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included
security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may
provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or
transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a
specified date.
The following description is a summary of selected provisions
relating to units that we may offer. The summary is not complete.
When units are offered in the future, a prospectus supplement,
information incorporated by reference or a free writing prospectus,
as applicable, will explain the particular terms of those
securities and the extent to which these general provisions may
apply. The specific terms of the units as described in a prospectus
supplement, information incorporated by reference, or free writing
prospectus will supplement and, if applicable, may modify or
replace the general terms described in this section.
This summary and any description of units in the applicable
prospectus supplement, information incorporated by reference or
free writing prospectus is subject to and is qualified in its
entirety by reference to the unit agreement, collateral
arrangements and depositary arrangements, if applicable. We will
file each of these documents, as applicable, with the SEC and
incorporate them by reference as an exhibit to the registration
statement of which this prospectus is a part on or before the time
we issue a series of units. See “Where You Can Find Additional
Information” and “Incorporation of Information by Reference” above
for information on how to obtain a copy of a document when it is
filed.
The applicable prospectus supplement, information incorporated by
reference or free writing prospectus may describe:
|
● |
The
designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising
the units, including whether and under what circumstances those
securities may be held or transferred separately; |
|
● |
Any
provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer, or
exchange of the units or of the securities composing the
units; |
|
● |
Whether the units will be issued in fully
registered or global form; and |
|
● |
Any
other terms of the units. |
The applicable provisions described in this section, as well as
those described under “Description of Capital Share,” and
“Description of Warrants” above, will apply to each unit and to
each security included in each unit, respectively.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our ordinary shares is
Transhare Corporation, Bayside Center 1, 17755 US Highway 19 N,
Suite 140, Clearwater FL 33764, and its telephone number is (303)
662-1112.
NASDAQ Capital Market Listing
Our ordinary shares is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market under
the symbol “ATIF.”
PLAN OF
DISTRIBUTION
We may sell the securities offered through this prospectus (i) to
or through underwriters or dealers, (ii) directly to purchasers,
including our affiliates, (iii) through agents, or (iv) through a
combination of any of these methods. The securities may be
distributed at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed,
market prices prevailing at the time of sale, prices related to the
prevailing market prices, or negotiated prices. The prospectus
supplement will include the following information:
|
● |
the
terms of the offering; |
|
|
|
|
● |
the
names of any underwriters or agents; |
|
|
|
|
● |
the
name or names of any managing underwriter or
underwriters; |
|
● |
the
purchase price of the securities; |
|
|
|
|
● |
any
over-allotment options under which underwriters may purchase
additional securities from us; |
|
|
|
|
● |
the
net proceeds from the sale of the securities; |
|
|
|
|
● |
any
delayed delivery arrangements; |
|
|
|
|
● |
any
underwriting discounts, commissions and other items constituting
underwriters’ compensation; |
|
|
|
|
● |
any
offering price; |
|
|
|
|
● |
any
discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to
dealers; |
|
|
|
|
● |
any
commissions paid to agents; and |
|
|
|
|
● |
any
securities exchange or market on which the securities may be
listed. |
Sale Through Underwriters or Dealers
Only underwriters named in the prospectus supplement are
underwriters of the securities offered by the prospectus
supplement. If underwriters are used in the sale, the underwriters
will acquire the securities for their own account, including
through underwriting, purchase, security lending, or repurchase
agreements with us. The underwriters may resell the securities from
time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated
transactions. Underwriters may sell the securities in order to
facilitate transactions in any of our other securities (described
in this prospectus or otherwise), including other public or private
transactions and short sales. Underwriters may offer securities to
the public either through underwriting syndicates represented by
one or more managing underwriters or directly by one or more firms
acting as underwriters. Unless otherwise indicated in the
prospectus supplement, the obligations of the underwriters to
purchase the securities will be subject to certain conditions, and
the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all the offered
securities if they purchase any of them. The underwriters may
change from time to time any offering price and any discounts or
concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers.
If dealers are used in the sale of securities offered through this
prospectus, we will sell the securities to them as principals. They
may then resell those securities to the public at varying prices
determined by the dealers at the time of resale. The prospectus
supplement will include the names of the dealers and the terms of
the transaction.
We will provide in the applicable prospectus supplement any
compensation we will pay to underwriters, dealers, or agents in
connection with the offering of the securities, and any discounts,
concessions, or commissions allowed by underwriters to
participating dealers.
Direct Sales and Sales Through Agents
We may sell the securities offered through this prospectus
directly. In this case, no underwriters or agents would be
involved. Such securities may also be sold through agents
designated from time to time. The prospectus supplement will name
any agent involved in the offer or sale of the offered securities
and will describe any commissions payable to the agent. Unless
otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, any agent will
agree to use its reasonable best efforts to solicit purchases for
the period of its appointment.
We may sell the securities directly to institutional investors or
others who may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of
the Securities Act with respect to any sale of those securities.
The terms of any such sales will be described in the prospectus
supplement.
Delayed Delivery Contracts
If the prospectus supplement indicates, we may authorize agents,
underwriters, or dealers to solicit offers from certain types of
institutions to purchase securities at the offering price under
delayed delivery contracts. These contracts would provide for
payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. The
contracts would be subject only to those conditions described in
the prospectus supplement. The applicable prospectus supplement
will describe the commission payable for solicitation of those
contracts.
Market Making, Stabilization, and Other Transactions
Unless the applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise, other
than our ordinary shares, all securities we offer under this
prospectus will be a new issue and will have no established trading
market. We may elect to list offered securities on an exchange or
in the over-the-counter market. Any underwriters that we use in the
sale of offered securities may make a market in such securities,
but may discontinue such market making at any time without notice.
Therefore, we cannot assure you that the securities will have a
liquid trading market.
Any underwriter may also engage in stabilizing transactions,
syndicate covering transactions, and penalty bids in accordance
with Rule 104 under the Exchange Act. Stabilizing transactions
involve bids to purchase the underlying security in the open market
for the purpose of pegging, fixing, or maintaining the price of the
securities. Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of
the securities in the open market after the distribution has been
completed in order to cover syndicate short positions.
Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling
concession from a syndicate member when the securities originally
sold by the syndicate member are purchased in a syndicate covering
transaction to cover syndicate short positions. Stabilizing
transactions, syndicate covering transactions, and penalty bids may
cause the price of the securities to be higher than it would be in
the absence of the transactions. The underwriters may, if they
commence these transactions, discontinue them at any time.
General Information
Agents, underwriters, and dealers may be entitled, under agreements
entered into with us, to indemnification by us against certain
liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Our
agents, underwriters, and dealers, or their affiliates, may be
customers of, engage in transactions with, or perform services for
us, in the ordinary course of business.
LEGAL MATTERS
We are being represented by Sichenzia Ross Ference LLP with respect
to legal matters of United States federal securities law and New
York State law. Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable
prospectus supplement, the validity of the securities offered by
this prospectus, and any supplement thereto, and certain other
legal matters as to British Virgin Islands law will be passed upon
for us by Ogier. The legality of the securities for any
underwriters, dealers, or agents will be passed upon by counsel as
may be specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.
EXPERTS
ZH CPA, LLC. (“ZH CPA”), an independent registered public
accounting firm, audited our financial statements for the fiscal
years ended July 31, 2021 and 2022 included in our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended July 31, 2022, as set forth in their
report included therein, which is incorporated by reference in this
prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our
financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on
ZH CPA’s report, given on their authority as experts in accounting
and auditing.
MATERIAL
CHANGES
Except as otherwise described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022, in our Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q for the three months ended October 31, 2022 filed under
the Exchange Act and incorporated by reference herein, and as
disclosed in this prospectus or the applicable prospectus
supplement, no reportable material changes have occurred since July
31, 2022.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We file annual, quarterly, and special reports, along with other
information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the
public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at
http://www.sec.gov; you can also find our filings on our company
website: www.ir.atifchina.com.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3
that we filed with the SEC to register the securities offered
hereby under the Securities Act. This prospectus does not contain
all of the information included in the registration statement,
including certain exhibits and schedules. You may obtain the
registration statement and exhibits to the registration statement
from the SEC at the address listed above or from the SEC’s internet
site.
INFORMATION
INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the information we
file with them under certain conditions, which means that we can
disclose important information to you by referring you to those
documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered
to be a part of this prospectus and any information that we file
subsequent to this prospectus with the SEC will automatically
update and supersede this information. The documents we are
incorporating by reference are as follows:
|
(a) |
our
Annual Report for the year ended July 31, 2022 on
Form 10-K filed on November 2, 2022; |
|
|
|
|
(b) |
our Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q for the three months ended October 31,2022 filed on
December 15, 2022; |
|
(c) |
the
description of the ordinary shares, $0.001 par value per share,
contained in our registration statement on
Form 8-A filed with the Commission on April 18, 2019 pursuant
to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act and all amendments or reports
filed by us for the purpose of updating those
descriptions. |
All documents filed by us pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or
15(d) of the Exchange Act after the initial filing date of this
prospectus, through the date declared effective, until the
termination of the offering of securities contemplated by this
prospectus shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into
this prospectus. These documents that we file later with the SEC
and that are incorporated by reference in this prospectus will
automatically update information contained in this prospectus or
that was previously incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
You will be deemed to have notice of all information incorporated
by reference in this prospectus as if that information was included
in this prospectus.
We will provide to any person, including any beneficial owner, to
whom this prospectus is delivered, a copy of any or all of the
information that has been incorporated by reference in this
prospectus but not delivered with this prospectus (excluding
exhibits, unless the exhibits are specifically incorporated), at no
cost to the requesting party, upon request to us in writing or by
telephone using the following information:
ATIF HOLDINGS LIMITED
25391 Commercentre Dr., Ste 200,
Lake Forest, CA 92630
Attn: Mr. Jun Liu
308-888-8888
ATIF HOLDINGS LIMITED
$100,000,000
Ordinary Shares
Preferred shares
Warrants
Rights
Units
, 2022
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and
Distribution.
The following table sets forth the costs and expenses payable by
the registrant in connection with this offering, other than
underwriting commissions and discounts, all of which are estimated
except for the SEC registration fee.
Securities and Exchange
Commission registration fee |
|
$ |
11,020.00 |
|
Accounting fees and expenses |
|
$ |
5,000 |
|
Legal fees and expenses |
|
$ |
* |
|
Miscellaneous
expenses |
|
$ |
* |
|
Total |
|
$ |
* |
|
* These fees will depend on
the type of securities offered and number of offerings and,
therefore, cannot be estimated at this time. In accordance with
Rule 430B under
the Securities Act,
additional information regarding estimated fees and expenses will
be provided at the time information as to an offering is included
in a prospectus supplement.
Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and
Officers.
To the extent permitted by law, we shall indemnify each existing or
former secretary, director (including alternate director), and any
of our other officers (including an investment adviser or an
administrator or liquidator) and their personal representatives
against:
|
(a) |
all
actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or
liabilities incurred or sustained by the existing or former
secretary or officer in or about the conduct of our business or
affairs or in the execution or discharge of the existing or former
secretary’s or officer’s duties, powers, authorities or
discretions; and |
|
(b) |
without limitation to paragraph (a) above, all
costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by the existing or
former secretary or officer in defending (whether successfully or
otherwise) any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative
proceedings (whether threatened, pending or completed) concerning
us or our affairs in any court or tribunal, whether in the BVI or
elsewhere. |
These indemnities will only apply if the person acted honestly and
in good faith with a view to our best interests and, in the case of
criminal proceedings, the person had no reasonable cause to believe
that his conduct was unlawful.
To the extent permitted by law, we may make a payment, or agree to
make a payment, whether by way of advance, loan or otherwise, for
any legal costs incurred by an existing or former secretary or any
of our officers in respect of any matter identified in above on
condition that the secretary or officer must repay the amount paid
by us to the extent that it is ultimately found not liable to
indemnify the secretary or that officer for those legal costs.
Item 16. Exhibits.
The following documents are filed as exhibits to this registration
statement, including those exhibits incorporated herein by
reference to a prior filing under the Securities Act or the
Exchange Act, as indicated in parentheses:
(1) |
If
applicable, to be filed by amendment or by a report filed under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and incorporated
herein by reference. |
Item 17. Undertakings
(a) |
The
undersigned registrant hereby undertakes: |
|
(1) |
To file, during any period in which offers or
sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this
registration statement: |
|
(i) |
to include any prospectus required by Section
10(a)(3) of the Securities Act; |
|
(ii) |
to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events
arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or
the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which,
individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in
the information set forth in this registration statement.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in the
volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of
securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and
any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum
offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed
with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the
changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in
the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation
of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement;
and |
|
(iii) |
to include any material information with respect
to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this
registration statement or any material change to such information
in this registration statement; |
provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i),
(a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) above do not apply if the information
required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those
paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the
SEC by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of
the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this
registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus
filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of this registration
statement.
|
(2) |
That, for the purpose of determining any
liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective
amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of
such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof. |
|
(3) |
To remove from registration by means of a
post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered
which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
|
(4) |
That, for the purpose of determining liability
under the Securities Act to any purchaser: |
|
(i) |
Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant
to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of this registration
statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of
and included in this registration statement; and |
|
(ii) |
Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to
Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5) or (b)(7) as part of a registration
statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made
pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii) or (x) for the purpose of
providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the
Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in this
registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of
prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the
first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in
the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of
the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such
date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration
statement relating to the securities in the registration statement
to which the prospectus relates, and the offering of such
securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide
offering thereof; provided, however, that no statement made in a
registration statement or prospectus that is part of this
registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed
incorporated by reference into this registration statement or
prospectus that is part of this registration statement will, as to
a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective
date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in this
registration statement or prospectus that was part of this
registration statement or made in any such document immediately
prior to such effective date. |
|
(5) |
That, for the purpose of determining liability of
the registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser
in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned
registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of
the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement,
regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities
to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such
purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the
undersigned Registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will
be considered to offer or sell such securities to such
purchaser: |
|
(i) |
any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the
undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be
filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
|
(ii) |
any free writing prospectus relating to the
offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or
used or referred to by such undersigned registrant; |
|
(iii) |
the portion of any other free writing prospectus
relating to the offering containing material information about such
undersigned Registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf
of the undersigned registrant; and |
|
(iv) |
any other communication that is an offer in the
offering made by the undersigned registrant to the
purchaser. |
(b) |
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes
that, for purposes of determining any liability under
the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual
report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange
Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit
plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act)
that is incorporated by reference in this registration statement
shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the
securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at
that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof. |
(c) |
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities
arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to
directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant
pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant
has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such
indemnification is against public policy as expressed in
the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In
the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities
(other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or
paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant
in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is
asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in
connection with the securities being registered, the registrant
will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been
settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is
against public policy as expressed in the Securities
Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such
issue. |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that
it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has
duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Lake
Forest on December 21, 2022.
|
ATIF HOLDINGS LIMITED |
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Jun
Liu |
|
Name: |
Jun
Liu |
|
Title: |
Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
|
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Yue Ming |
|
Name: |
Yue
Ming |
|
Title: |
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer)
|
KNOW ALL BY
THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below
hereby constitutes and appoints Jun Liu and Yue Ming and each of
them, his or her true and lawful agent, proxy and attorney-in-fact,
with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for and in his
or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to
(1) act on, sign and file with the Securities and Exchange
Commission any and all amendments (including post-effective
amendments) to this Registration Statement together with all
schedules and exhibits thereto and any subsequent registration
statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended, together with all schedules and exhibits
thereto, (2) act on, sign and file such certificates,
instruments, agreements and other documents as may be necessary or
appropriate in connection therewith, (3) act on and file any
supplement to any prospectus included in this Registration
Statement or any such amendment or any subsequent registration
statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended, and (4) take any and all actions
which may be necessary or appropriate to be done, as fully for all
intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person,
hereby approving, ratifying and confirming all that such agent,
proxy and attorney-in-fact or any of his or her substitutes may
lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in
the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature |
|
Title |
|
Date |
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Jun Liu |
|
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman
of the Board |
|
December 21, 2022 |
Jun
Liu |
|
(Principal Executive Officer) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Yue Ming |
|
Chief
Financial Officer and Director |
|
December 21, 2022 |
Yue
Ming |
|
(Principal Financial and
Accounting Officer) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Kwong Sang
Liu |
|
Director |
|
December 21, 2022 |
Kwong
Sang Liu |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Yongyuan Chen |
|
Director |
|
December 21, 2022 |
Yongyuan Chen |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Lei Yang |
|
Director |
|
December 21, 2022 |
Lei
Yang |
|
|
|
|
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