UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

(Mark One)

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

OR

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

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023

OR

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

OR

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

Date of event requiring this shell company report _____________

For the transition period from _____________ to _____________

Commission File Number: 001-35755

Bit Brother Limited

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

___________________________________________

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

British Virgin Islands

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

15/F, Block A, Kineer Business Centre

53 Binjiang Road, Yuelu District

Changsha, Hunan Province, China 410023

(Address of principal executive offices)

Xianlong Wu

Chief Executive Officer

15/F, Block A, Kineer Business Centre

53 Binjiang Road, Yuelu District

Changsha, Hunan Province, China 410023

People’s Republic of China

Tel: +86 0731-85133570

Email: jack.wu@bitbrother.com

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

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

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act.

Not Applicable

(Title of Class)

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act.

Not Applicable

(Title of Class)

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

As of October 11, 2023 the issuer had  210,379,804 Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding and 880,001 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding.

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

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. ☐ Yes ☒ No

Note – Checking the box above will not relieve any registrant required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 from their obligations under those Sections.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ☒ Yes ☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). ☒ Yes ☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” accelerated filer,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

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

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

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

☐ Item 17   ☐ Item 18

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

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTORY NOTES

Except as otherwise indicated by the context and for the purposes of this report only, references in this report to:

Our financial statements are expressed in U.S. dollars, which is our reporting currency. Certain financial data in this annual report on Form 20-F is converted into U.S. dollars solely for the reader’s convenience. Unless otherwise noted, all conversions from Renminbi to U.S. dollars in this annual report on Form 20-F were made at a rate of RMB 6.9415 to US$1.00, the average exchange rate for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 as set forth at www.x-rates.com. We make no representation that any Renminbi or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or Renminbi, as the case may be, at any particular rate, at the rate stated above, or at all.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

In addition to historical information, this report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. We use words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “target,” “plan,” “optimistic,” “intend,” “aim,” “will” or similar expressions which are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements include, among others, those concerning market and industry segment growth and demand and acceptance of new and existing products; any projections of sales, earnings, revenue, margins or other financial items; any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; and any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance, as well as all assumptions, expectations, predictions, intentions or beliefs about future events. You are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions, which, if they were to ever materialize or prove incorrect, could cause the results of the Company to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the possibility that we may not be able to maintain or increase our net revenues and profits due to our failure to anticipate market demand and develop new products, our failure to execute our business expansion plan, changes in domestic and foreign laws, regulations and taxes, changes in economic conditions, uncertainties related to China’s legal system and economic, political and social events in China, a general economic downturn, a downturn in the securities markets, and other risks and uncertainties which are generally set forth under Item 3 “Key information—D. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report.

Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by us in this report and our other filings with the SEC. These reports attempt to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and prospects. The forward-looking statements made in this report speak only as of the date hereof and we disclaim any obligation, except as required by law, to provide updates, revisions or amendments to any forward-looking statements to reflect changes in our expectations or future events.

PART I

We are an offshore holding company conducting part of our operations in China through Hunan Ming Yun Tang Brand Management Co., Ltd., or Hunan MYT, and Hunan Bit Brothers Holding Co., Ltd., or Hunan BTB, the variable interest entities, and their subsidiaries. You are not investing in Hunan MYT, or Hunan BTB, the VIEs. Neither we nor our subsidiaries own any share in Hunan MYT or Hunan BTB. Instead, we control and receive the economic benefits of Hunan MYT and Hunan BTB’s business operation through a series of contractual arrangements, also known as VIE Agreements, dated November 19, 2018 and May 13, 2021, respectively. The VIE Agreements are designed to provide our wholly-foreign owned entities, Mingyuntang (Shanghai) Tea Co., Ltd. and Qingdao Ether Continent Digital Technology Co., Ltd., with the power, rights, and obligations equivalent in all material respects to those it would possess as the principal equity holders of Hunan MYT and Hunan BTB, including absolute control rights and the rights to the assets, property, and revenues of Hunan MYT and Hunan BTB. As a result of our direct ownership in the WFOEs and the VIE Agreements, we are regarded as the primary beneficiary of the VIEs. See “Business — Contractual Agreements between WFOEs and Hunan MYT and Hunan BTB” for a summary of these VIE Agreements.

Because of our corporate structure, we are subject to risks due to uncertainty of the interpretation and the application of the PRC laws and regulations, including but not limited to the validity and enforcement of the VIE Agreements. We are also subject to the risks of uncertainty about any future actions of the PRC government in this regard. The VIE Agreements may not be effective in providing control over the VIEs. We may also subject to sanctions imposed by PRC regulatory agencies including Chinese Securities Regulatory Commission if we fail to comply with their rules and regulations. We may also be subject to PRC laws relating to, among others, data security and restrictions over foreign investments due to the complexity of the regulatory regime in China, and the recent statements and regulatory actions by the PRC government relating to data security may affect our remaining business operations in China or even our ability to offer securities in the United States. Neither we nor any of our subsidiaries has obtained the approval from either the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”) or the Cyberspace Administration of China (the “CAC”) for any offering we may have in the future, and we do not intend to obtain the approval from either the CSRC or the CAC in connection with any such offering, since we do not believe, based upon advice of our PRC counsel, Taihang Law Firm, that such approval is required under these circumstances or for the time being. We cannot assure you, however, that regulators in China will not take a contrary view or will not subsequently require us to undergo the approval procedures and subject us to penalties for non-compliance. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Recent regulatory developments in China may subject us to additional regulatory review and disclosure requirement, expose us to government interference, or otherwise restrict our ability to offer securities and raise capitals outside China, all of which could materially and adversely affect our business and the value of our securities.”

ITEM 1. IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS

Not applicable.

ITEM 2. OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE

Not applicable.

ITEM 3. KEY INFORMATION

Implications of Being a Foreign Private Issuer and a China based company.

We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers. Moreover, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. In addition, as a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from the Nasdaq listing standards. These practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with the Nasdaq listing standards.

We are an offshore holding company conducting part of our operations in China through the VIEs and their subsidiaries. You are not investing in the VIEs. Neither we nor our subsidiaries own any share in the VIEs. Instead, we control and receive the economic benefits of the VIEs’ business operations through a series of contractual arrangements, also known as VIE Agreements, dated November 19, 2018, and May 13, 2021. The VIE Agreements are designed to provide our WFOEs, Mingyuntang (Shanghai) Tea Co., Ltd., or Shanghai MYT, and Qingdao Ether Continent Digital Technology Co., Ltd., or Qingdao ECDT, with the power, rights, and obligations equivalent in all material respects to those it would possess as the principal equity holders of the VIEs, including absolute control rights and the rights to the assets, property, and revenues of the VIEs. As a result of our direct ownership in the WFOE and the VIE Agreements, we are regarded as the primary beneficiary of the VIEs. See “Business — Contractual Agreements between WFOEs and Hunan MYT, and Hunan BTB” for a summary of these VIE Agreements.

Because of our corporate structure, we are subject to risks due to uncertainty of the interpretation and the application of the PRC laws and regulations, including but not limited to the validity and enforcement of the VIE Agreements. We are also subject to the risks of uncertainty about any future actions of the PRC government in this regard. Our VIE Agreements may not be effective in providing control over the VIEs. We may also subject to sanctions imposed by PRC regulatory agencies including Chinese Securities Regulatory Commission if we fail to comply with their rules and regulations. We may also be subject to PRC laws relating to, among others, data security and restrictions over foreign investments due to the complexity of the regulatory regime in China, and the recent statements and regulatory actions by the PRC government relating to data security may affect our remaining business operations in China or even our ability to offer securities in the United States. Neither we nor any of our subsidiaries has obtained the approval from either the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”) or the Cyberspace Administration of China (the “CAC”) for any offering we may have in the future, and we do not intend to obtain the approval from either the CSRC or the CAC in connection with any such offering, since we do not believe, based upon advice of our PRC counsel, Taihang Law Firm, that such approval is required under these circumstances or for the time being. We cannot assure you, however, that regulators in China will not take a contrary view or will not subsequently require us to undergo the approval procedures and subject us to penalties for non-compliance. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Recent regulatory developments in China may subject us to additional regulatory review and disclosure requirement, expose us to government interference, or otherwise restrict our ability to offer securities and raise capitals outside China, all of which could materially and adversely affect our business and the value of our securities.”

The following are summaries of the VIE Agreements:

On November 19, 2018, Shanghai MYT entered into a series of VIE agreements with Hunan MYT and its shareholder Peng Fang. The VIE agreements are designed to provide Shanghai MYT with the power, rights and obligations equivalent in all material respects to those it would possess as the sole equity holder of Hunan MYT, including absolute control rights and the rights to the management, operations, assets, property and revenue of Hunan MYT. The purpose of the VIE agreements is solely to give Shanghai MYT the exclusive control over Hunan MYT’s management and operations. Hunan MYT commenced operations in December 2018, and was engaged in the specialty tea product distribution and retail business by provision of high-quality tea beverages in its tea shop chain.

On May 13, 2021, Qingdao ECDT entered into a series of VIE agreements with Hunan BTB and its shareholders. The VIE agreements are designed to provide Qingdao ECDT with the power, rights and obligations equivalent in all material respects to those it would possess as the controlling equity holder of Hunan BTB, including absolute control rights and the rights to the management, operations, assets, property and revenue of Hunan BTB. The purpose of the Hunan BTB VIE agreements is solely to give Qingdao ECDT the exclusive control over Hunan BTB’s management and operations. Hunan BTB commenced operations in May, 2021, and has begun conducting research and development of its digital asset distribution platform and application solutions.

As of June 30, 2023 and 2022, the consolidated VIEs accounted for an aggregate of 42.4% and 44.2% of our total assets, respectively. As of June 30 and 2023 and 2022, $1.02 million and $0.92 million of cash and cash equivalents were denominated in RMB, respectively.

Our ability to pay dividends depends upon dividends paid by our operating entities. If the operating entity incurs debt on its own behalf, the instruments governing its debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends to us.

The operating entity in China will be permitted to pay dividends to us only out of its retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with the Accounting Standards for Business Enterprise as promulgated by the Ministry of Finance of the PRC, or PRC GAAP. In accordance with PRC company laws, any consolidated VIEs in China must make appropriations from its after-tax profits to non-distributable reserve funds including (i) statutory surplus fund and (ii) discretionary surplus fund. The appropriation to the statutory surplus fund must be at least 10% of the after-tax profits calculated in accordance with PRC GAAP. Appropriation is not required if the statutory surplus fund has reached 50% of the registered capital of the consolidated VIEs. Appropriation to discretionary surplus fund will be made at the discretion of the consolidated VIEs.

Pursuant to the law applicable to China’s foreign investment enterprises, an operating entity that is a foreign investment enterprise in the PRC has to make appropriation from its after-tax profit, as determined under PRC GAAP, to reserve funds including (i) general reserve fund, (ii) enterprise expansion fund and (iii) staff bonus and welfare fund. The appropriation to the general reserve fund must be at least 10% of the after-tax profits calculated in accordance with PRC GAAP. Appropriation is not required if the reserve fund has reached 50% of the registered capital of the operating company. Appropriation to the other two reserve funds is at the discretion of the operating company in China.

As an offshore holding company, we will be permitted under PRC laws and regulations to provide funding from the proceeds of our offshore fund-raising activities to the operating entities (as a subsidiary) in China only through loans or capital contributions, and to the consolidated affiliated entity only through loans, in each case subject to the satisfaction of the applicable government registration and approval requirements. Before providing loans to the onshore entities (i.e. the PRC subsidiaries and VIE entities), we will be required to make filings about details of the loans with SAFE in accordance with relevant PRC laws and regulations. The PRC subsidiaries and VIE entities that receive the loans are only allowed to use the loans for the purposes set forth in these laws and regulations.

As of the date of this report, there have not been any dividends or distributions made to the holding company, nor have there been any dividends or distributions made to U.S. investors. We are subject to restrictions on foreign exchange and our ability to transfer cash between entities, across borders, and to U.S. investors. We are also subject to restrictions and limitations on our ability to distribute earnings from our businesses, including subsidiaries and/or consolidated VIEs, to our holding company and U.S. investors as well as the ability to settle amounts owed under the VIE agreements. See “Risks Related to Doing Business in China — Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to utilize our net revenue effectively and our ability to transfer cash between our PRC subsidiaries and us, across borders, and to investors and affect the value of your investment”

The following financial information of the VIEs in the PRC was recorded in the accompanying consolidated financial statements:

PCAOB Inspection

The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCA Act, was enacted on December 18, 2020. The HFCA Act states if the SEC determines that a company has filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspection by the PCAOB for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, the SEC shall prohibit such ordinary shares from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S.

The audit report included in this Form 20-F for the year ended June 30, 2023, was issued by our auditors, Audit Alliance LLP, and the audit report included in this Form 20-F for the years ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, was issued by our former auditors Centurion ZD CPA & Co. (“CZD CPA”), an audit firm headquartered in Hong Kong. CZD CPA are among those audit firms listed by the PCAOB Hong Kong Determination, a determination announced by the PCAOB on December 16, 2021, that it was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in Hong Kong. The PCAOB made this determination pursuant to PCAOB Rule 6100, which provides a framework for how the PCAOB fulfills its responsibilities under the HFCA Act. On August 26, 2022, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”), the Ministry of Finance of the PRC (the “MOF”), and the PCAOB signed a Statement of Protocol (the “Protocol”), governing inspections and investigations of audit firms based in mainland China and Hong Kong, taking the first step toward opening access for the PCAOB to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong. Pursuant to the fact sheet with respect to the Protocol disclosed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), the PCAOB shall have independent discretion to select any issuer audits for inspection or investigation and has the unfettered ability to transfer information to the SEC. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB Board determined that the PCAOB was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong and voted to vacate its previous determinations to the contrary. However, should PRC authorities obstruct or otherwise fail to facilitate the PCAOB’s access in the future, the PCAOB Board will consider the need to issue a new determination. On December 29, 2022, a legislation entitled “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023” (the “Consolidated Appropriations Act”), was signed into law by President Biden, which amended the HFCA Act by reducing the number of consecutive non-inspection years required for triggering the prohibitions under the HFCA Act from three years to two. In the event it is later determined that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely our auditor, then such lack of inspection could cause trading in our securities to be prohibited under the HFCA Act, as amended, and ultimately result in a determination by the Nasdaq Capital Market to delist our securities.

Our current auditors, Audit Alliance LLP, is headquartered in Singapore, not mainland China or Hong Kong and was not identified in this report as a firm subject to the PCAOB’s determination. Therefore, our auditor is not currently subject to the determinations announced by the PCAOB on December 16, 2021, and it is currently subject to the PCAOB inspections.

While our current auditor is based in Singapore and is registered with the PCAOB and subject to inspection by the PCAOB on a regular basis, in the event it is later determined that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely our auditor because of a position taken by an authority in a foreign jurisdiction, then such lack of inspection could cause trading in the our securities to be prohibited under the HFCA Act, and ultimately result in a determination by a securities exchange to delist our securities. In addition, the recent developments would add uncertainties to the listing and trading of our Class A ordinary shares and we cannot assure you whether Nasdaq or regulatory authorities 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 the audit of our financial statements. It remains unclear what the SEC’s implementation process related to the above rules will entail or what further actions the SEC, the PCAOB or Nasdaq will take to address these issues and what impact those actions will have on U.S. companies that have significant operations in the PRC and have securities listed on a U.S. stock exchange (including a national securities exchange or over-the-counter stock market). In addition, the above amendments and any additional actions, proceedings, or new rules resulting from these efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could create some uncertainty for investors, the market price of our Ordinary Shares could be adversely affected, and we could be delisted if we and our auditor are unable to meet the PCAOB inspection requirement or being required to engage a new audit firm, which would require significant expense and management time.

Risk Factors Summary

Investing in our ordinary shares involves a high degree of risk. Below is a summary of material factors that make an investment in our ordinary shares speculative or risky. Importantly, this summary does not address all of the risks that we face. Please refer to the information contained in and incorporated by reference under the heading “Risk Factors” on page 5 of this annual report for additional discussion of the risks summarized in this risk factor summary as well as other risks that we face. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:

Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure 

Risks Relating to the Blockchain and Digital asset Mining Business

Risks Relating to our Tea and Light Foods Business

Risks Relating to Doing Business in the PRC

Risks Relating to Our Securities

Risk Relating to British Virgin Islands

A. [Reserved]

B. Capitalization and indebtedness.

Not applicable.

C. Reasons for the offer and use of proceeds.

Not applicable.

D. Risk factors.

You should carefully consider the following risk factors in addition to the other information included or incorporated by reference in this report, including matters addressed in the section entitled “Forward-Looking Statements”. We caution you not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this report, which speak only as of the date hereof.

The risks and uncertainties described below include all of the material risks applicable to us; however, they are not the only risks and uncertainties that we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations.

Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure 

We do not have direct ownership of our operating entities in China, but have control rights and the rights to the assets, property, and revenue of the VIEs through VIE Agreements, which may not be effective in providing control over the VIEs.

We do not have direct ownership of our operating entities in China, but have control rights and the rights to the assets, property, and revenue of the VIEs through VIE Agreements. A portion of our current revenue is derived from the VIEs in China. To comply with PRC laws and regulations, we do not intend to have an equity ownership interest in the VIEs but rely on VIE Agreements with the VIEs to control and operate its businesses. However, as discussed above, these VIE Agreements may not be effective from PRC laws in providing us with the necessary control over the VIEs and its operations. Any deficiency in these VIE Agreements may result in our loss of control over the management and operations of the VIEs, which will result in a significant loss in the value of an investment in our company. Because of the practical restrictions on direct foreign equity ownership imposed by the Hunan provincial government authorities, we must rely on contractual rights through our VIE structure to effect control over and management of the VIEs, which exposes us to the risk of potential breach of contract by the shareholders of the VIEs.

Because we are an offshore holding company and conduct our business the VIEs in China, if we fail to comply with applicable PRC law, we could be subject to severe penalties and our business could be adversely affected.

We are an offshore holding company and operate a portion of our business through the VIEs in China through VIE Agreements, as a result of which, under United States generally accepted accounting principles, the assets and liabilities of the VIEs are treated as our assets and liabilities and the results of operations of the VIEs are treated in all respects as if they were the results of our operations. There are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws, rules and regulations, including but not limited to the laws, rules and regulations governing the validity and enforcement of the VIE Agreements between the WFOEs and the VIEs.

The Provisions Regarding Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Projects by Foreign Investors (the “M&A Rules”) requires an overseas special purpose vehicle that are controlled by PRC companies or individuals formed for the purpose of seeking a public listing on an overseas stock exchange through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies using shares of such special purpose vehicle or held by its shareholders as considerations to obtain the approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. However, the application of the M&A Rules remains unclear. If CSRC approval is required, it is uncertain whether it would be possible for us to obtain the approval. Any failure to obtain or delay in obtaining CSRC approval for our offerings would subject us to sanctions imposed by the CSRC and other PRC regulatory agencies.

Furthermore, on December 28, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China (“CAC”) and other relevant PRC governmental authorities jointly promulgated the Cybersecurity Review Measures, which became effective on February 15, 2022. According to the Cybersecurity Review Measures, a cybersecurity review assesses potential national security risks that may be brought about by any procurement, data processing, or overseas listing. The Cybersecurity Review Measures require that an online platform operator which possesses the personal information of at least one million users must apply for a cybersecurity review by the CAC if it intends to be listed in foreign countries. Although the CAC Revised Measures provides no further explanation on the extent of “network platform operator” and “foreign” listing, we do not believe we are obligated to apply for a cybersecurity review pursuant to the CAC Revised Measures, considering that (i) we are not in possession of or otherwise holding personal information of over one million users and it is also very unlikely that we will reach such threshold in the near future; (ii) as of the date of this this annual report, we have not received any notice or determination from applicable PRC governmental authorities identifying it as a critical information infrastructure operator.   

That being said, the CAC Revised Measures empowers the cybersecurity review office to initiate cybersecurity review when they believe any particular data processing activities “affect or may affect national security”. In addition, on November 14, 2021, the CAC promulgated the Regulations on the Administration of Cyber Data Security (Draft for Comments) (the “Draft CAC Regulations”), and according to the Draft CAC Regulations, any data processors shall, in accordance with relevant state provisions, apply for a cybersecurity review when carrying out, among other things, “other data processing activities that affect or may affect national security”. However, neither the CAC Revised Measures nor the Draft CAC Regulations provides for any further explanation or interpretation over what constitutes activities that “affect or may affect national security”. Therefore, if any competent government authorities deem that our PRC subsidiaries’ data processing activities may affect national security, we may be subject cybersecurity review, and in that scenario, failure to pass such cybersecurity review and/or to comply with the data privacy and data security requirements raised during such cybersecurity review could subject our PRC subsidiaries to penalties, damage its reputation and brand, and harm its business and results of operations.

In summary, we and our PRC subsidiaries are not required to obtain permission or approval from the PRC authorities including CSRC or CAC for our PRC subsidiaries, nor have we or our PRC subsidiaries, received any denial for our PRC subsidiaries’ operation. We are subject to the risks of uncertainty of any future actions of the PRC government in this regard including the risk that we inadvertently conclude that the permission or approvals discussed here are not required, that applicable laws, regulations or interpretations change such that we or any of our PRC subsidiaries are required to obtain approvals in the future, or that the PRC government could disallow our holding company structure, which would likely result in a material change in our operations, including our ability to continue our existing holding company structure, carry on our current business, accept foreign investments, and continue to offer securities to our investors. These adverse actions could cause the value of our Class A ordinary shares to significantly decline or become worthless. We may also be subject to penalties and sanctions imposed by the PRC regulatory agencies, including the CSRC, if we fail to comply with such rules and regulations, which would likely adversely affect the ability of our securities to be listed on the U.S. exchange, which would likely cause the value of our Class A ordinary shares to significantly decline or become worthless.

If WFOEs, the VIEs or their ownership structure or the VIE Agreements are determined to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws, rules or regulations, or WFOEs or the VIEs fail to obtain or maintain any of the required governmental permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion in dealing with such violations, including:

We cannot assure you that the PRC courts or regulatory authorities may not determine that our corporate structure and VIE Agreements violate PRC laws, rules or regulations. If the PRC courts or regulatory authorities determine that our contractual arrangements are in violation of applicable PRC laws, rules or regulations, our VIE Agreements will become invalid or unenforceable, and the VIEs will not be treated as VIE entities and we will not be entitled to treat the VIEs’ assets, liabilities and results of operations as our assets, liabilities and results of operations, which could effectively eliminate the assets, revenue and net income of the VIEs from our balance sheet, which would most likely require us to cease conducting our business and would result in the delisting of our Class A Ordinary Shares from Nasdaq Capital Market and a significant impairment in the market value of our Class A Ordinary Shares.

We may have difficulty in enforcing any rights we may have under the VIE Agreements in PRC.

As all of the VIE Agreements with the VIEs are governed by the PRC laws and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in the PRC, they would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal environment in the PRC is not as developed as in the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could further limit our ability to enforce these VIE Agreements. Furthermore, these VIE Agreements may not be enforceable in China if PRC government authorities or courts take a view that such VIE Agreements contravene PRC laws and regulations or are otherwise not enforceable for public policy reasons. In the event we are unable to enforce these VIE Agreements, we may not be able to exert effective control over the VIEs, and our ability to conduct our business may be materially and adversely affected.

Risks Relating to the Blockchain and Digital asset Mining Business 

Investment in our new line of business could present risks not originally contemplated.

The Company plans on investing in its planned expansion into the blockchain and digital asset mining  business. New ventures are inherently risky and may not be successful. In evaluating such endeavors, we are required to make difficult judgments regarding the value of business strategies, opportunities, technologies and other assets, and the risks and cost of potential liabilities. Furthermore, these investments involve certain other risks and uncertainties, including the risks involved with entering new competitive categories or regions, the difficulty in integrating the new business, and the challenges in achieving strategic objectives and other benefits expected from our investment. 

If we are unable to successfully execute our planned blockchain and digital asset mining business plan, it would affect our financial and business condition and results of operations.

Our previously announced growth strategy included the expansion of our operations to include a blockchain and digital asset mining business. There are various risks related to these efforts, including the risk that these efforts may not provide the expected benefits in our anticipated time frame, if at all, and may prove costlier than expected; and the risk of adverse effects to our business, results of operations and liquidity if past and future undertakings, and the associated changes to our business, do not prove to be cost effective or do not result in the cost savings and other benefits at the levels that we anticipate. Our intentions and expectations with regard to the execution of our business plan, and the timing of any related initiatives, are subject to change at any time based on management’s subjective evaluation of our overall business needs. If we are unable to successfully execute our business plan, whether due to failure to realize the anticipated benefits from our business initiatives in the anticipated time frame or otherwise, we may be unable to achieve our financial targets.

Digital asset mining relies on a steady and inexpensive power supply for operating mining farms and running mining hardware. Failure to access a large quantity of power at reasonable costs could significantly increase our operating expenses and adversely affect our demand for our mining machines.

Digital asset mining consumes a significant amount of energy power to process the computations and cool down the mining hardware. Therefore, a steady and inexpensive power supply is critical to digital asset mining. There can be no assurance that the operations of our planned digital asset mining business will not be affected by power shortages or an increase in energy prices in the future. In addition, as we intend to establish and operate mining machines and engage in key mainstream digital assets mining activities, such as Bitcoin, in the near future, any increase in energy prices or a shortage in power supply in the area of our mining machines may be located will increase our potential mining costs and reduce the expected economic returns from our mining operation significantly.

In particular, the power supply could be disrupted by natural disasters, such as floods, mudslides and earthquakes, or other similar events beyond our control. Further, we may experience power shortages due to seasonal variations in the supply of certain types of power such as hydroelectricity. Power shortages, power outages or increased power prices could adversely affect our mining businesses. Under such circumstances, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

Shortages in, or rises in the prices of mining machines may adversely affect our business

Given the long production period to manufacture and assemble mining machines, there is no assurance that we can acquire enough mining machines for our planned digital asset mining. We may rely on third parties to supply mining machines to us, and shortages of mining machines or any delay in delivery of our orders could seriously interrupt our operations. The scale of our digital asset mining capacity depends on obtaining adequate mining machines on a timely basis and at competitive prices. Shortages of mining machines could result in reduced mining capacity, as well as an increase in operation costs, which could materially delay the completion of our mining capacity and commencement of our mining. As a result, our business, results of operations and reputation could be materially and adversely affected.

We may not be able to develop our digital asset mining capacity because we may fail to anticipate or adapt to technology innovations in a timely manner, or at all.

The digital assets mining industry is experiencing rapid technological changes. Failure to anticipate technology innovations or adapt to such innovations in a timely manner, or at all, may result in our research becoming obsolete at sudden and unpredictable intervals and, accordingly, we may not successfully develop our mining capacity at all. To establish our digital asset mining capacity, we will invest heavily in technology research and development. The process of research and developing new technologies in digital asset is inherently complex and involves significant uncertainties. There are a number of risks, including the following:

Our research and development efforts may not yield the expected results, or may prove to be futile due to the lack of market demand. Further, any failure to anticipate the next-generation technology roadmap or changes in the mainstream markets or to timely develop new or enhanced technologies in response could result in loss of our business.

It is now illegal to engage in digital asset transactions including bitcoin mining operations in the PRC, the ruling of which may adversely affect us.

The PRC has now taken harsh regulatory action to ban digital asset mining operations and to severely restrict the right to acquire, own, hold, sell or use these bitcoin assets or to exchange them for fiat currency. Such restrictions may adversely affect us as the large-scale use of digital assets as a means of exchange is presently confined to certain regions globally. Ongoing and future regulatory actions may impact our ability to continue to operate, and such actions could affect our ability to continue as a going concern or to pursue our business strategy at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects or operations.

On May 21, 2021, the Financial Stability and Development of the State Council in China proposed to “crack down on bitcoin mining and trading.” After that, the related local governments began to issue corresponding measures in succession to respond to the central government, including Xinjiang Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture Development and Reform Commission issuing a notice on the immediate shutdown of enterprises engaged in digital asset mining on June 9, 2021, and Sichuan Provincial Development and Reform Commission and Sichuan Energy Bureau issuing a notice on the shutdown of digital asset mining projects. On September 3, 2021, the Notification on Rectification of the Virtual Currency “Mining” Activities (or the Notification Fa Gai Yun Xing [2021] No. 1283) was issued. On September 24, 2021, the newly issued Notification of Overhauling the Mining Activity of Digital asset (or the Notification No. 1283) banned all new digital asset operations in China.

In consideration of the PRC government’s attitude and our business plan, we will not conduct any digital asset mining operations or digital asset trading operations in the PRC.

We may face intense industry competition.

Digital asset mining, security, and insurance is in a highly competitive environment. Our competitors include companies that may have a longer history, larger market share, greater brand recognition, greater financial resources in research or other competitive advantages. We anticipate that competition will increase as digital assets gain greater acceptance and more players join the market of digital asset mining and mining farm operations.

Strong competition in the market may require us to increase our marketing expenses and sales expenses, if any, or otherwise invest greater resources to gain market shares and expand our mining capacities as needed to adequately compete. Such efforts may negatively impact our profitability. If we are unable to effectively meet our business plans in the competitive landscape, our business, financial conditions and results of operations may be adversely affected.

Because digital assets may be determined to be investment securities, we may inadvertently violate the Investment Company Act and incur large losses as a result and potentially be required to register as an investment company or terminate operations and we may incur third party liabilities.

In recent years, the SEC has ruled that the two most valuable digital assets —Bitcoin and Ethereum—are not securities. We therefore believe that we will not be deemed to be engaged in the business of investing, reinvesting, or trading in securities, and we shall not hold ourselves out as being engaged in those activities. However, under the Investment Company Act a company may be deemed an investment company under section 3(a)(1)(C) thereof if the value of its investment securities is more than 40% of its total assets (exclusive of government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis.

As a result of our planned investments and our mining activities, including investments in which we do not have a controlling interest, the investment securities we hold could exceed 40% of our total assets, exclusive of cash items and, accordingly, we could determine that we have become an inadvertent investment company. The bitcoins we own, acquire or mine may be deemed an investment security by the SEC, although we do not believe any of the digital assets we own, acquire or mine are securities. An inadvertent investment company can avoid being classified as an investment company if it can rely on one of the exclusions under the Investment Company Act. One such exclusion, Rule 3a-2 under the Investment Company Act, allows an inadvertent investment company a grace period of one year from the earlier of (a) the date on which an issuer owns securities and/or cash having a value exceeding 50% of the issuer’s total assets on either a consolidated or unconsolidated basis and (b) the date on which an issuer owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of such issuer’s total assets (exclusive of government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. We may take actions to cause the investment securities held by us to be less than 40% of our total assets, which may include acquiring assets with our cash and bitcoin on hand or liquidating our investment securities or bitcoin or seeking a no-action letter from the SEC if we are unable to acquire sufficient assets or liquidate sufficient investment securities in a timely manner.

As the Rule 3a-2 exception is available to a company no more than once every three years, and assuming no other exclusion were available to us, we would have to keep within the 40% limit for at least three years after we cease being an inadvertent investment company. This may limit our ability to make certain investments or enter into joint ventures that could otherwise have a positive impact on our earnings. In any event, we do not intend to become an investment company engaged in the business of investing and trading securities.

Classification as an investment company under the Investment Company Act requires registration with the SEC. If an investment company fails to register, it would have to stop doing almost all business, and its contracts would become voidable. Registration is time consuming and restrictive and would require a restructuring of our operations, and we would be very constrained in the kind of business we could do as a registered investment company. Further, we would become subject to substantial regulation concerning management, operations, transactions with affiliated persons and portfolio composition, and would need to file reports under the Investment Company Act regime. The cost of such compliance would result in the Company incurring substantial additional expenses, and the failure to register if required would have a materially adverse impact to conduct our operations.

Risks Relating to our Tea and Light Foods Business

We may not be able to successfully implement our growth strategy on a timely basis or at all, which could harm our results of operations.

Our continued growth depends, in large part, on our ability to open new stores and to operate those stores successfully.

Our ability to successfully open and operate new stores depends on many factors, including:

Unavailability of attractive store locations, delays in the acquisition or opening of new stores, delays or costs resulting from a decrease in commercial development due to capital constraints, difficulties in staffing and operating new store locations or lack of customer acceptance of stores in new market areas may negatively impact our new store growth and the costs or the profitability associated with new stores.

Additionally, some of our new stores may be located in areas where we have little experience or a lack of brand recognition. Those markets may have different competitive conditions, market conditions, consumer tastes and discretionary spending patterns than our existing markets, which may cause these new stores to be less successful than stores in our existing markets. Other new stores may be located in areas where we have existing stores. Although we have experience in these markets, increasing the number of locations in these markets may result in inadvertent over-saturation of markets and temporarily or permanently divert customers and sales from our existing stores, thereby adversely affecting our overall financial performance.

Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will achieve our planned growth or, even if we are able to grow our store base as planned, that any new stores will perform as planned. If we fail to successfully implement our growth strategy, we will not be able to sustain the rapid growth in sales and profits that we expect, which would likely have an adverse impact on the price of our Class A ordinary shares.

Our business largely depends on a strong brand image, and if we are unable to maintain and enhance our brand image, particularly in new markets where we have limited brand recognition, we may be unable to increase or maintain our level of sales.

We believe that our brand image and brand awareness has contributed significantly to the success of our business. We also believe that maintaining and enhancing our brand image, particularly in new markets where we have limited brand recognition, is important to maintaining and expanding our customer base. Our ability to successfully integrate new stores into their surrounding communities, to expand into new markets or to maintain the strength and distinctiveness of our brand in our existing markets will be adversely impacted if we fail to connect with our target customers. Maintaining and enhancing our brand image may require us to make substantial investments in areas such as merchandising, marketing, store operations, community relations, store graphics and employee training, which could adversely affect our cash flow and which may ultimately be unsuccessful. Furthermore, our brand image could be jeopardized if we fail to maintain high standards for merchandise quality, if we fail to comply with local laws and regulations or if we experience negative publicity or other negative events that affect our image and reputation. Some of these risks may be beyond our ability to control, such as the effects of negative publicity regarding our suppliers. Failure to successfully market and maintain our brand image in new and existing markets could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our limited operating experience and limited brand recognition in other regions may limit our expansion strategy and cause our business and growth to suffer.

Our future growth depends, to a considerable extent, on our expansion efforts outside of Hunan province and New York City into other regions of the PRC and the U.S. Our current operations are based largely in the Hunan province and New York City. We have a limited number of customers and limited experience in operating outside of Hunan and New York City. We also have limited experience with market practices outside of Hunan and New York City and cannot guarantee that we will be able to penetrate or successfully operate in any market outside of Hunan and New York City. We may also encounter difficulty expanding in other regions’ markets because of limited brand recognition. In particular, we have no assurance that our marketing efforts will prove successful outside of the narrow geographic regions in which they have been used. In addition, because tea consumption is greater in Hunan than some other regions of the PRC on a per capita basis, we may encounter challenges in those regions in establishing consumer awareness and loyalty or interest in our products and our brand to a different degree than in Hunan. The expansion into other regions may also present competitive, merchandising, forecasting and distribution challenges that are different from or more severe than those we currently face. Failure to develop new markets outside of Hunan and New York City or disappointing growth outside of Hunan and New York City may harm our business and results of operations.

We face significant competition from other specialty tea and beverage retailers and retailers of grocery products, which could adversely affect us and our growth plans.

The Chinese tea market is highly fragmented. We compete directly with a large number of relatively small independently owned tea retailers and a number of regional and national tea retailers, as well as retailers of grocery products, including loose-leaf tea and tea bags and other beverages. We compete with these retailers on the basis of taste, quality and price of product offered, atmosphere, location, customer service and overall customer experience. We must spend considerable resources to differentiate our customer experience. Some of our competitors may have greater financial, marketing and operating resources than we do. Therefore, despite our efforts, our competitors may be more successful than us in attracting customers. In addition, as we continue to drive growth in our category in Hunan, our success, combined with relatively low barriers to entry, may encourage new competitors to enter the market. As we continue to expand geographically, we expect to encounter additional regional and local competitors.

We plan to use primarily cash from our prior offering as well as our operations to finance our growth strategy, and if we are unable to maintain sufficient levels of cash flow we may not meet our growth expectations.

We intend to finance our growth through the cash flows generated by our existing stores and the net proceeds from our previous and future financings. Our primary source of financing for our growth will be cash from our prior offering as well as our operations. However, if our stores are not profitable or if our store profits decline, we may not have the cash flow necessary in order to pursue or maintain our growth strategy. We may also be unable to obtain any necessary financing on commercially reasonable terms to pursue or maintain our growth strategy. If we are unable to pursue or maintain our growth strategy, the market price of our Class A ordinary shares could decline and our results of operations and profitability could suffer.

The planned addition of a significant number of new stores each year will require us to continue to expand and improve our operations and could strain our operational, managerial and administrative resources, which may adversely affect our business.

Our growth strategy calls for the opening of a significant number of new stores each year and our continued expansion will place increased demands on our operational, managerial, administrative and other resources, which may be inadequate to support our expansion. Our senior management team may be unable to effectively address challenges involved with expansion forecasts for years ended on June 30, 2023 and 2024. Managing our growth effectively will require us to continue to enhance our store management systems, financial and management controls and information systems and to hire, train and retain regional directors, district managers, store managers and other personnel. Implementing new systems, controls and procedures and these additions to our infrastructure and any changes to our existing operational, managerial, administrative and other resources could negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition.

Any decrease in customer traffic in the shopping malls or other locations in which our stores are located could cause our sales to be less than expected.

Our stores are located in shopping malls, other shopping centers and street locations. Sales at these stores are derived, to a significant degree, from the volume of customer traffic in those locations and in the surrounding area. Our stores benefit from the current popularity of shopping malls and centers as shopping destinations and their ability to generate customer traffic in the vicinity of our stores. Our sales volume and customer traffic may be adversely affected by, among other things:

A reduction in customer traffic as a result of these or any other factors could have a material adverse effect on us.

In addition, severe weather conditions and other catastrophic occurrences in areas in which we have stores may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. Such conditions may result in physical damage to our stores, loss of inventory, decreases in customer traffic and closure of one or more of our stores. Any of these factors may disrupt our business and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

If we are unable to attract, train, assimilate and retain employees that embody our culture, including store personnel, store and district managers and regional directors, we may not be able to grow or successfully operate our business.

Our success depends in part upon our ability to attract, train, assimilate and retain a sufficient number of employees, including store managers, district managers and regional directors, who understand and appreciate our culture, are able to represent our brand effectively and establish credibility with our customers. If we are unable to hire and retain store personnel capable of consistently providing a high level of customer service, as demonstrated by their enthusiasm for our culture, understanding of our customers and knowledge of tea beverages, light meals, baked goods, tea accessories and other tea-related merchandise we offer, our ability to open new stores may be impaired, the performance of our existing and new stores could be materially adversely affected and our brand image may be negatively impacted. In addition, the rate of employee turnover in the retail industry is typically high and finding qualified candidates to fill positions may be difficult. Our planned growth will require us to attract, train and assimilate even more personnel. Any failure to meet our staffing needs or any material increases in team member turnover rates could have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations. We also rely on temporary or seasonal personnel to staff our stores and distribution centers, especially during Chinese New Year. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to find adequate temporary or seasonal personnel to staff our operations when needed, which may strain our existing personnel and negatively impact our operations.

Because our tea and light meals business is highly concentrated on a single, discretionary product category, which includes tea beverages, light meals, baked goods, tea accessories and other tea-related merchandise, we are vulnerable to changes in consumer preferences and in economic conditions affecting disposable income that could harm our financial results.

Our tea and light meals business is not diversified and consists primarily of developing, sourcing, producing, marketing and selling tea beverages, light meals, baked goods and tea-related gifts and accessories. Consumer preferences often change rapidly and without warning, moving from one trend to another among many retail concepts. Therefore, our business is substantially dependent on our ability to educate consumers on the many positive attributes of tea and anticipate shifts in consumer tastes. Any future shifts in consumer preferences away from the consumption of tea beverages would also have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. In particular, there has been an increasing focus on health and wellness by consumers, which we believe has increased demand for products, such as our teas, that are perceived to be healthier than other beverage alternatives. If such consumer preference trends change, or if our teas are not perceived to be healthier than other beverage alternatives, our financial results could be adversely affected.

Consumer purchases of specialty retail products, including our products, are historically affected by economic conditions such as changes in employment, salary and wage levels, the availability of consumer credit, inflation, interest rates, tax rates, fuel prices and the level of consumer confidence in prevailing and future economic conditions. These discretionary consumer purchases may decline during recessionary periods or at other times when disposable income is lower. Our financial performance may become susceptible to economic and other conditions in regions or states where we have a significant number of stores. Our continued success will depend, in part, on our ability to anticipate, identify and respond quickly to changing consumer preferences and economic conditions.

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to source, develop and market new varieties of teas and tea blends, tea accessories and other tea-related merchandise that meet our high standards and customer preferences.

We currently offer approximately 30 varieties of tea beverages, including 10 to 15 new teas and tea blends each year, and a wide assortment of light meals, baked goods, tea accessories and other tea-related merchandise. Our success depends in part on our ability to continually innovate, develop, source and market new varieties of tea beverages, light meals, baked goods, tea accessories and other tea-related merchandise that both meet our standards for quality and appeal to customers’ preferences. Failure to innovate, develop, source and market new varieties of tea beverages, light meals, baked goods, tea accessories and other tea-related merchandise that consumers want to buy could lead to a decrease in our sales and profitability.

We may experience negative effects to our brand and reputation from real or perceived quality or safety issues with our tea beverages, light meals, baked goods, tea accessories and other tea-related merchandise, which could have an adverse effect on our operating results.

We believe our customers rely on us to provide them with high-quality tea beverages, light meals, baked goods, tea accessories and other tea-related merchandise. Concerns regarding the safety of our tea beverages, light meals, baked goods, tea accessories and other tea-related merchandise or the safety and quality of our supply chain could cause consumers to avoid purchasing certain products from us or to seek alternative sources of tea, even if the basis for the concern has been addressed or is outside of our control. Adverse publicity about these concerns, whether or not ultimately based on fact, and whether or not involving tea beverages, light meals, baked goods, tea accessories and other tea-related merchandise sold at our stores, could discourage consumers from buying our tea beverages, light meals, baked goods, tea accessories and other tea-related merchandise and have an adverse effect on our brand, reputation and operating results.

Furthermore, the sale of tea beverages, light meals, baked goods, tea accessories and other tea-related merchandise entails a risk of product liability claims and the resulting negative publicity. For example, tea supplied to us may contain contaminants that, if not detected by us, could result in illness or death upon their consumption. Similarly, light meals, baked goods, tea accessories and other tea-related merchandise could contain contaminants or contain design or manufacturing defects that could result in illness, injury or death. We cannot assure you that product liability claims will not be asserted against us or that we will not be obligated to perform product recalls in the future.

Any loss of confidence on the part of our customers in the safety and quality of our tea beverages, light meals, baked goods, tea accessories and other tea-related merchandise would be difficult and costly to overcome. Any such adverse effect could be exacerbated by our position in the market as a purveyor of quality tea beverages, light meals, baked goods, tea accessories and other tea-related merchandise and could significantly reduce our brand value. Issues regarding the safety of any teas, tea accessories or other tea-related merchandise sold by us, regardless of the cause, could have a substantial and adverse effect on our sales and operating results.

Use of social media may adversely impact our reputation or subject us to fines or other penalties.

There has been a substantial increase in the use of social media platforms and similar devices, including blogs, social media websites, and other forms of Internet-based communications, which allow individuals access to a broad audience of consumers and other interested persons. As laws and regulations rapidly evolve to govern the use of these platforms and devices, the failure by us, our employees or third parties acting at our direction to abide by applicable laws and regulations in the use of these platforms and devices could adversely affect our reputation or subject us to fines or other penalties.

Consumers value readily available information concerning retailers and their goods and services and often act on such information without further investigation and without regard to its accuracy. Information concerning us may be posted on social media platforms and similar devices by unaffiliated third parties, whether seeking to pass themselves off as us or not, at any time, which may be adverse to our reputation or business. The harm may be immediate without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction.

While we do not rely on a limited number of third-party suppliers and manufacturers, we may not be able to obtain quality products on a timely basis or in sufficient quantities.

We do not rely on a limited number of vendors to supply us with our raw materials on a continuous basis. However, our financial performance depends in large part on our ability to purchase tea in sufficient quantities at competitive prices from vendors. In general, we do not have long-term purchase contracts or other contractual assurances of continued supply, pricing or exclusive access to products from these vendors.

Any of our suppliers or manufacturers could discontinue supplying us with teas in sufficient quantities for a variety of reasons. The benefits we currently experience from our supplier and manufacturer relationships could be adversely affected if they:

More generally, if we experience significant increased demand for our teas, tea accessories and other tea-related merchandise, or need to replace an existing vendor, there can be no assurance that additional supplies or additional manufacturing capacity will be available when required on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, or that any vendor would allocate sufficient capacity to us in order to meet our requirements, fill our orders in a timely manner or meet our strict quality requirements. In the event we are required to find new sources of supply, we may encounter delays in production, inconsistencies in quality and added costs as a result of the time it takes to train our suppliers and manufacturers in our methods, products and quality control standards. Any delays, interruption or increased costs in the supply of raw materials could have an adverse effect on our ability to meet customer demand for our products and result in lower sales and profitability both in the short and long term.

A shortage in the supply, a decrease in the quality or an increase in the price of tea as a result of weather conditions, earthquakes, crop disease, pests or other natural or manmade causes could impose significant costs and losses on our business.

The supply and price of tea is subject to fluctuation, depending on demand and other factors outside of our control. The supply, quality and price of our teas can be affected by multiple factors, including political and economic conditions, civil and labor unrest, adverse weather conditions, including floods, drought and temperature extremes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other natural disasters and related occurrences. In extreme cases, entire tea harvests may be lost or may be negatively impacted in some geographic areas. These factors can increase costs and decrease sales, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Tea may be vulnerable to crop disease and pests, which may vary in severity and effect. The costs to control disease and pest damage vary depending on the severity of the damage and the extent of the plantings affected. Moreover, there can be no assurance that available technologies to control such conditions will continue to be effective. These conditions can increase costs and decrease sales, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We rely significantly on information technology systems and any failure, inadequacy, interruption or security failure of those systems could harm our ability to operate our business effectively.

We rely on our information technology systems to effectively manage our business data, communications, point-of-sale, supply chain, order entry and fulfillment, inventory and distribution centers and other business processes. The failure of our systems to perform as we anticipate could disrupt our business and result in transaction errors, processing inefficiencies and the loss of sales, causing our business to suffer. Despite any precautions we may take, our information technology systems may be vulnerable to damage or interruption from circumstances beyond our control, including fire, natural disasters, systems failures, power outages, viruses, security breaches, cyber-attacks and terrorism, including breaches of our transaction processing or other systems that could result in the compromise of confidential company, customer or employee data. Any such damage or interruption could have a material adverse effect on our business, cause us to face significant fines, customer notice obligations or costly litigation, harm our reputation with our customers, require us to expend significant time and expense developing, maintaining or upgrading our information technology systems or prevent us from paying our vendors or employees, receiving payments from our customers or performing other information technology, administrative or outsourcing services on a timely basis. Furthermore, our ability to conduct our website operations may be affected by changes in foreign, state, provincial and federal privacy laws and we could incur significant costs in complying with the multitude of foreign, state, provincial and federal laws regarding the unauthorized disclosure of personal information. Although we carry business interruption insurance, our coverage may not be sufficient to compensate us for potentially significant losses in connection with the risks described above.

Our marketing programs, e-commerce initiatives and use of consumer information are governed by an evolving set of laws and enforcement trends and unfavorable changes in those laws or trends, or our failure to comply with existing or future laws, could substantially harm our business and results of operations. 

We collect, maintain and use data, including personally identifiable information, provided to us through online activities and other customer interactions in our business. Our current and future marketing programs depend on our ability to collect, maintain and use this information, and our ability to do so is subject to evolving international and China laws and enforcement trends with respect to the foregoing. We strive to comply with all applicable laws and other legal obligations relating to privacy, data protection and consumer protection, including those relating to the use of data for marketing purposes. It is possible, however, that these requirements may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another, may conflict with other rules or may conflict with our significant amounts to defend our practices, distract our management, increase our costs of doing business and result in monetary liability.

In addition, as data privacy and marketing laws change, we may incur additional costs to ensure we remain in compliance. If applicable data privacy and marketing laws become more restrictive, our compliance costs may increase, our ability to effectively engage customers via personalized marketing may decrease, our opportunities for growth may be curtailed by our compliance capabilities or reputational harm and our potential liability for security breaches may increase.

Data security breaches and attempts thereof could negatively affect our reputation, credibility and business.

We collect and store personal information relating to our customers and employees, including their personally identifiable information, and rely on third parties for the operation of the various social media tools and websites we use as part of our marketing strategy. Consumers are increasingly concerned over the security of personal information transmitted over the Internet (or through other mechanisms), consumer identity theft and user privacy. Any perceived, attempted or actual unauthorized disclosure of personally identifiable information regarding our employees or customers could harm our reputation and credibility, reduce our ability to attract and retain customers and could result in litigation against us or the imposition of significant fines or penalties. We cannot assure you that any of our third-party service providers with access to such personally identifiable information will maintain policies and practices regarding data privacy and security in compliance with all applicable laws, or that they will not experience data security breaches or attempts thereof which could have a corresponding adverse effect on our business.

Recently, data security breaches suffered by well-known companies and institutions have attracted a substantial amount of media attention, prompting new foreign legislative proposals addressing data privacy and security, as well as increased data protection obligations imposed on merchants by credit card issuers. As a result, we may become subject to more extensive requirements in the future to protect the customer information that we process in connection with the purchase of our products, resulting in increased compliance costs.

Third-party failure to deliver merchandise from our distribution centers to our stores could result in lost sales or reduced demand for our teas, tea accessories and other tea-related merchandise.

We currently partly rely upon third-party transportation providers for all of our product shipments from our distribution centers to our stores. Our utilization of third-party delivery services for shipments is subject to risks, including increases in fuel prices, which would increase our shipping costs, and employee strikes and inclement weather, which may impact third parties’ abilities to provide delivery services that adequately meet our shipping needs. If we change shipping companies, we could face logistical difficulties that could adversely affect deliveries, and we would incur costs and expend resources in connection with such change. Moreover, we may not be able to obtain terms as favorable as those we receive from the third-party transportation providers that we currently use, which in turn would increase our costs and thereby adversely affect our operating results.

Our business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected by global public health epidemics, including the strain of coronavirus known as COVID-19.

In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus causing respiratory illness, or COVID-19, has surfaced in Wuhan, China, spreading at a fast rate in January and February of 2020, and confirmed cases were also reported in other parts of the world. The COVID-19 situations improved in China after the first quarter of 2020, but the ultimate impacts of the pandemic are highly uncertain and subject to change, even though conditions have been gradually improving. Variations of the COVID-19 virus, including notably the Omicron variant, have caused new outbreaks in China and across the world. For example, the recent resurgence of the Omicron variant in China since the beginning of 2022 resulted in city-wide lockdowns in a number of Chinese cities with heightened prevention measures adopted across China to curb the outbreak. This caused disruptions to varying degrees to normal business activities in China.

As affected by the outbreak of COVID-19, we closed certain tea shops through the date of this report. Currently the Company has three tea shops based in Hunan Province, China, among which two are flagship stores and one is general stores. In addition, we opened our first oversea tea shop in August 2020 in Manhattan, New York City, through our joint venture. As affected by COVID-19 pandemic, our existing tea shops suffered decreased revenues by $0.23 million for the year ended June 30, 2022. Management may have to adjust or change our business plan in response to the prolonged pandemic and change of social behavior.

The extent to which COVID-19 negatively impacts our business is highly uncertain and cannot be accurately predicted. We believe that the coronavirus outbreak and the measures taken to control it may have a significant negative impact on not only our business, but economic activities globally. The magnitude of this negative effect on the continuity of our business operation in China and U.S. remains uncertain. These uncertainties impede our ability to conduct our daily operations and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, and as a result affect our share price and create more volatility.

Litigation may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Our business is subject to the risk of litigation by employees, consumers, vendors, competitors, intellectual property rights holders, shareholders, government agencies and others through private actions, class actions, administrative proceedings, regulatory actions or other litigation. The outcome of litigation, particularly class action lawsuits, regulatory actions and intellectual property claims, is inherently difficult to assess or quantify. Plaintiffs in these types of lawsuits may seek recovery of very large or indeterminate amounts, and the magnitude of the potential loss relating to these lawsuits may remain unknown for substantial periods of time. In addition, certain of these lawsuits, if decided adversely to us or settled by us, may result in liability material to our financial statements as a whole or may negatively affect our operating results if changes to our business operation are required. Regardless of the outcome or merit, the cost to defend future litigation may be significant and result in the diversion of management and other company resources. There also may be adverse publicity associated with litigation that could negatively affect customer perception of our business, regardless of whether the allegations are valid or whether we are ultimately found liable. As a result, litigation may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Our failure to comply with existing or new regulations in the PRC, or an adverse action regarding product claims or advertising could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Our business operations, including labeling, advertising, sourcing, distribution and sale of our products, are subject to regulation by the Food Safety Law and Product Quality Law of the PRC. From time to time, we may be subject to challenges to our marketing, advertising or product claims in litigation or governmental, administrative or other regulatory proceedings. Failure to comply with applicable regulations or withstand such challenges could result in changes in our supply chain, product labeling, packaging or advertising, loss of market acceptance of the product by consumers, additional recordkeeping requirements, injunctions, product withdrawals, recalls, product seizures, fines, monetary settlements or criminal prosecution. Any of these actions could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

In addition, consumers who allege that they were deceived by any statements that were made in advertising or labeling could bring a lawsuit against us under consumer protection laws. If we were subject to any such claims, while we would defend ourselves against such claims, we may ultimately be unsuccessful in our defense. Defending ourselves against such claims, regardless of their merit and ultimate outcome, would likely result in a significant distraction for management, be lengthy and costly and could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, the negative publicity surrounding any such claims could harm our reputation and brand image.

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property adequately, which could harm the value of our brand and adversely affect our business.

We believe that our intellectual property has substantial value and has contributed significantly to the success of our business. In particular, our trademarks, including our registered Buoyance Manor, Your Ladyship Tea, and Meet Honey trademarks and the unregistered names of a significant number of the varieties of tea beverages that we sell, are valuable assets that reinforce the distinctiveness of our brand and our customers’ favorable perception of our stores.

We also strive to protect our intellectual property rights by relying on PRC laws, as well as contractual restrictions with our employees, contractors (including those who develop, source, manufacture, store and distribute our tea beverages, light meals, baked goods, tea accessories and other tea-related merchandise), vendors and other third parties. However, we may not enter into confidentiality and/or invention assignment agreements with every employee, contractor and service provider to protect our proprietary information and intellectual property ownership rights. Those agreements that we do execute may be breached, resulting in the unauthorized use or disclosure of our proprietary information. Individuals not subject to invention assignments agreements may make adverse ownership claims to our current and future intellectual property, and even the existence of executed confidentiality agreements may not deter independent development of similar intellectual property by others. Unauthorized disclosure of or claims to our intellectual property or confidential information may adversely affect our business.

From time to time, third parties may our trade dress and/or sell our products using our name without our consent, and, we believe, may infringe or misappropriate our intellectual property rights. We will respond to these actions on a case-by-case basis and where appropriate may commence litigation to protect our intellectual property rights. However, we may not be able to detect unauthorized use of our intellectual property or to take appropriate steps to enforce, defend and assert our intellectual property in all instances.

Effective trade secret, patent, copyright, trademark and domain name protection is expensive to obtain, develop and maintain, both in terms of initial and ongoing registration or prosecution requirements and expenses and the costs of defending our rights. Our trademark rights and related registrations may be challenged in the future and could be opposed, canceled or narrowed. Our failure to register or protect our trademarks could prevent us in the future from using our trademarks or challenging third parties who use names and logos similar to our trademarks, which may in turn cause customer confusion, impede our marketing efforts, negatively affect customers’ perception of our brand, stores and products, and adversely affect our sales and profitability. Moreover, intellectual property proceedings and infringement claims brought by or against us could result in substantial costs and a significant distraction for management and have a negative impact on our business. We cannot assure you that we are not infringing or violating, and have not infringed or violated, any third-party intellectual property rights, or that we will not be accused of doing so in the future.

In addition, although we have also taken steps to protect our intellectual property rights in the PRC, other entities may have rights to trademarks that contain portions of our marks or may have registered similar or competing marks in foreign countries. There may also be other prior registrations in other foreign countries of which we are not aware. We may need to expend additional resources to defend our trademarks in these countries, and the inability to defend such trademarks could impair our brand or adversely affect the growth of our business internationally.

We are subject to the risks associated with leasing substantial amounts of space and are required to make substantial lease payments under our operating leases. Any failure to make these lease payments when due would likely harm our business, profitability and results of operations.

We do not own any real estate. Instead, we lease all of our store locations, corporate offices and distribution center. Our store leases typically have three to five-year terms and generally require us to pay total rent per square foot that is reflective of our small average store square footage and premium locations. Many of our lease agreements have defined escalating rent provisions over the initial term and any extensions. As our stores mature and as we expand our store base, our lease expense and our cash outlays for rent under our lease agreements will increase. Our substantial operating lease obligations could have significant negative consequences, including:

We depend on cash flow from operations and cash from our prior offering to pay our lease expenses, finance our growth capital requirements and fulfill our other cash needs. If our business does not generate sufficient cash flow from operating activities to fund these requirements or we use up the proceeds from our prior offering, we may not be able to achieve our growth plans, fund our other liquidity and capital needs or ultimately service our lease expenses, which would harm our business.

If an existing or future store is not profitable, and we decide to close it, we may nonetheless remain committed to perform our obligations under the applicable lease including, among other things, paying the base rent for the balance of the lease term. Moreover, even if a lease has an early cancellation clause, we may not satisfy the contractual requirements for early cancellation under that lease. In addition, as our leases expire, we may fail to negotiate renewals on commercially acceptable terms or at all, which could cause us to close stores in desirable locations. Even if we are able to renew existing leases, the terms of such renewal may not be as attractive as the expiring lease, which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations. Our inability to enter into new leases or renew existing leases on terms acceptable to us or be released from our obligations under leases for stores that we close could materially adversely affect us.

Our development and launch of the Mingyuntang stores will require a significant investment and commitment of resources, is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, and ultimately may not prove successful.

We intend to invest significantly in the development and launch of our Mingyuntang brand tea beverage stores. Such endeavor involves significant risks and uncertainties, including insufficient revenues to offset liabilities and expenses associated with developing, launching and growing the new line of business, inadequate return of capital on our investments, not accurately predicting consumer tastes and the market opportunity for tea stores, inability to respond in a timely manner to consumer desires and demands, and unidentified issues not discovered in our due diligence and planning. Because the introduction of and investment in a new line of business is inherently risky, no assurance can be given that the Mingyuntang brand will ultimately be successful or that it will not materially adversely affect our reputation, financial condition, and operating results.

Continued innovation and the successful development and timely launch of new products are critical to our financial results and achievement of our growth strategy.

Achievement of our growth strategy is dependent, among other things, on our ability to extend the product offerings of our Mingyuntang brand and introduce innovative new products, including new tea beverages or light foods. Although we devote significant focus to the development of new products, we may not be successful in developing innovative new products or our new products may not be commercially successful. Additionally, our new product introductions are often time sensitive, and thus failure to deliver innovations on schedule could be detrimental to our ability to successfully launch such new products, in addition to potentially harming our reputation and customer loyalty. Our financial results and our ability to maintain or improve our competitive position will depend on our ability to effectively gauge the direction of our key marketplaces and successfully identify, develop, manufacture, market and sell new or improved products in these changing marketplaces.

Due to the seasonality of many of our products and other factors such as adverse weather conditions, our operating results are subject to fluctuations.

Because of the seasonality of our business, results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of the results that maybe achieved for the full fiscal year. The impact on sales volume and operating results due to the timing and extent of these factors can significantly impact our business. For these reasons, quarterly operating results should not be relied upon as indications of our future performance.

The sales of our products are influenced to some extent by weather conditions in the geographies in which we operate. Unusually cold weather during the winter months or unusually hot weather during the summer months may have a temporary decrease on the demand for some of our products and contribute to lower sales, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations for such periods.

Changes in the beverage environment and retail landscape could impact our financial results.

The beverage environment is rapidly evolving as a result of, among other things, changes in consumer preferences; shifting consumer tastes and needs; changes in consumer lifestyles; and competitive product and pricing pressures. In addition, the beverage retail landscape is dynamic and constantly evolving, not only in emerging and developing marketplaces, where modern trade is growing at a faster pace than traditional trade outlets, but also in developed marketplaces, where discounters and value stores, as well as the volume of transactions through e-commerce, are growing at a rapid pace. If we are unable to successfully adapt to the rapidly changing environment and retail landscape, our share of sales, volume growth and overall financial results could be negatively affected.

Price increases may not be sufficient to offset cost increases and maintain profitability or may result in sales volume declines.

We may be able to pass some or all ingredient, energy and other input cost increases to customers by increasing the selling prices of our products or decreasing the size of our products; however, higher product prices or decreased product sizes may also result in a reduction in sales volume and/or consumption. If we are not able to increase our selling prices or reduce product sizes sufficiently to offset increased raw material, energy or other input costs, including packaging, direct labor, overhead and employee benefits, or if our sales volume decreases significantly, there could be a negative impact on our results of operations and financial condition.

Our long-term purchase commitments for certain strategic ingredients critical for the production of our products could impair our ability to be flexible in our business without penalty.

In order to ensure a continuous supply of high quality ingredients, some of our future inventory purchase obligations may include long-term purchase commitments for certain strategic raw materials critical for the manufacture of pods and appliances. The timing of these may not always coincide with the period in which we need the supplies to fulfill customer demand. This could lead to higher and more variable inventory levels and/or higher ingredient costs.

Investment in our new line of business could present risks not originally contemplated.

The Company will invest in its new tea business line, Mingyuntang. New ventures are inherently risky and may not be successful. In evaluating such endeavors, we are required to make difficult judgments regarding the value of business strategies, opportunities, technologies and other assets, and the risks and cost of potential liabilities. Furthermore, these investments involve certain other risks and uncertainties, including the risks involved with entering new competitive categories or regions, the difficulty in integrating the new business, and the challenges in achieving strategic objectives and other benefits expected from our investment.

Our failure to accurately forecast customer demand for our products, or to quickly adjust to forecast changes, could adversely affect our business and financial results.

There is inherent risk in forecasting demand due to the uncertainties involved in assessing the current level of maturity of the tea and light foods component of our business. We will be setting target levels for the production of our beverages and foods in advance of customer orders based upon our forecasts of customer demand.

If our forecasts exceed demand, we could experience excess inventory in the short-term, excess manufacturing capacity in the short and long-term, and/or price decreases, all of which could impact our financial performance. In addition, we may be contractually bound to minimum purchase commitments over a period of time which exceed customer demand. Alternatively, if demand exceeds our forecasts significantly beyond our current production capacity, we may not be able to satisfy customer demand, which could result in a loss of market share if our competitors are able to meet customer demands. A failure to accurately predict the level of demand for our products could adversely affect our net revenues and net income.

We may not be able to oversee the new joint venture efficiently.

We may not be able to oversee our new joint venture, efficiently, realize anticipated profits or effectively implement our growth and operating strategies. As we begin our operations in the U.S. through our joint venture, we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other known and unknown factors. We will need to transition from a company with our primary operations in China to a company capable of supporting operations in both China and the United States. We might not be successful in such a transition. There can be no guarantee that the addition of the new joint venture will not cause us to incur additional debt and increase our exposure to market and other risks. Our failure to successfully pursue our strategies or effectively operate the joint venture entity could also have a material adverse effect on our rate of growth and operating performance.

There may be integration issues between MYT, T&O Management Group LLC and Guokui Management Inc.

The tea kitchen’s technologies, overall operation planning, and guidance for the “Your Ladyship Tea” provided by MYT from China will need to be integrated with T&O Management Group LLC and Guokui Management Inc.’s existing business resources and business culture in New York so as to achieve our operating strategies. If we are unable to achieve a successful integration with our tea making operation and New York business demand, we may not be successful in developing and marketing our new services and courses and our operating results will materially suffer. In addition, if the integrated services and courses we offer do not achieve acceptance by the marketplace, our operating results will materially suffer.

We may experience negative effects to our brand and reputation from real or perceived quality or safety issues with our tea, tea accessories, and food and beverages, which could have an adverse effect on our operating results.

We believe our customers rely on us to provide them with high-quality teas, food and tea beverages. Concerns regarding the safety of our teas, food, and tea beverages or the safety and quality of our supply chain could cause consumers to avoid purchasing certain products from us or to seek alternative sources of tea, food, and tea beverages, even if the basis for the concern has been addressed or is outside of our control. Adverse publicity about these concerns, whether or not ultimately based on fact, and whether or not involving teas, tea accessories, and food and beverages sold at our stores, could discourage consumers from buying our teas, food, and tea beverages and have an adverse effect on our brand, reputation and operating results.

Furthermore, the sale of teas, food, and tea beverages entail a risk of product liability claims and the resulting negative publicity. For example, tea supplied to the U.S. stores could contain contaminants that, if not detected by us, could result in illness or death upon their consumption. Similarly, food and tea beverages could contain contaminants or contain design or manufacturing defects that could result in illness, injury or death. It is possible that product liability claims will be asserted against us in the future.

We may also be subject to involuntary product recalls or may voluntarily conduct a product recall. The costs associated with any future product recall could, individually and in the aggregate, be significant in any given fiscal year. In addition, any product recall, regardless of direct costs of the recall, may harm consumer perceptions of our teas, tea accessories, and food and beverages and have a negative impact on our future sales and results of operations.

Any loss of confidence on the part of our customers in the safety and quality of our teas, tea accessories, and food and beverages would be difficult and costly to overcome. Any such adverse effect could be exacerbated by our position in the market as a purveyor of quality teas, tea accessories, and food and beverages and could significantly reduce our brand value. Issues regarding the safety of any teas, tea accessories, and food and beverages sold by us, regardless of the cause, could have a substantial and adverse effect on our sales and operating results.

Incidents involving food or beverage-borne illnesses, tampering, adulteration, contamination or mislabeling, whether or not accurate, as well as adverse public or medical opinions about the health effects of consuming our products, could harm our business

Instances or reports, whether true or not, of unclean water supply or food-safety issues, such as food or beverage-borne illnesses, tampering, adulteration, contamination or mislabeling, either during growing, manufacturing, packaging, storing or preparation, have in the past severely injured the reputations of companies in the food and tea beverage processing, grocery and quick-service restaurant sectors. Any report linking us to such instances could severely hurt our sales and could possibly lead to product liability claims, litigation (including class actions) and/or temporary store closures. Clean water is critical to the preparation of tea beverages, as well as ice for our cold beverages, and our ability to ensure a clean water and ice supply to our stores can be limited, particularly in some international locations. We are also continuing to incorporate more products in our food and tea beverage lineup that require freezing or refrigeration, which increases the risk of food safety related incidents if correct temperatures are not maintained due to mechanical malfunction or human error.

We also face risk by relying on third-party food and tea suppliers to provide and transport ingredients and finished products to our stores. We monitor the operations of certain of these business partners, but the product quality and service they deliver may be diminished by any number of factors beyond our control and it may be difficult to detect contamination or other defect in these products.

Additionally, we are evolving our product lineup to include more local or smaller suppliers for some of our products who may not have as rigorous quality and safety systems and protocols as larger or more national suppliers. In addition, instances of food or beverage-safety issues, even those involving solely the restaurants or stores of competitors or of suppliers or distributors (regardless of whether we use or have used those suppliers or distributors), could, by resulting in negative publicity about us or the foodservice industry in general, adversely affect our sales on a regional or global basis. A decrease in customer traffic as a result of food-safety concerns or negative publicity, or as a result of a temporary closure of any of our stores, product recalls or food or beverage-safety claims or litigation, could materially harm our business and results of operations.

Risks Relating to Doing Business in the PRC

Violation of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or China anti-corruption law could subject us to penalties and other adverse consequences.

We are subject to the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which generally prohibits United States public companies from bribing or making prohibited payments to foreign officials to obtain or retain business. PRC law also strictly prohibits bribery of government officials. While we take precautions to educate our employees about the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Chinese anti-corruption law, there can be no assurance that we or the employees or agents of our subsidiaries will not engage in such conduct, for which we may be held responsible. If that were to occur, we could suffer penalties that may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our former independent registered public accounting firm’s audit documentation related to their audit reports included in this annual report may be located in the People’s Republic of China. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board currently cannot inspect audit documentation located in China and, as such, you may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection.

Auditors of companies whose shares are registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and traded publicly in the United States, including our independent registered public accounting firm, must be registered with the U.S. PCAOB and are required by the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess their compliance with the laws of the United States and professional standards applicable to auditors. Our financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended June 30, 2023 have been audited by Audit Alliance LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm that is headquartered in Singapore. Our financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 20-F for the years ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 have been audited by our former auditor CZD CPA, an independent registered public accounting firm that is headquartered in Hong Kong. CZD CPA were among those audit firms listed by the PCAOB Hong Kong Determination, a determination announced by the PCAOB on December 16, 2021, that it was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in Hong Kong. The PCAOB made this determination pursuant to PCAOB Rule 6100, which provides a framework for how the PCAOB fulfills its responsibilities under the HFCA Act. On August 26, 2022, the CSRC, the MOF, and the PCAOB signed the Protocol, governing inspections and investigations of audit firms based in mainland China and Hong Kong, taking the first step toward opening access for the PCAOB to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong. Pursuant to the fact sheet with respect to the Protocol disclosed by the SEC, the PCAOB shall have independent discretion to select any issuer audits for inspection or investigation and has the unfettered ability to transfer information to the SEC. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB Board determined that the PCAOB was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong and voted to vacate its previous determinations to the contrary. However, should PRC authorities obstruct or otherwise fail to facilitate the PCAOB’s access in the future, the PCAOB Board will consider the need to issue a new determination. On December 29, 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, was signed into law by President Biden, which amended the HFCA Act by reducing the number of consecutive non-inspection years required for triggering the prohibitions under the HFCA Act from three years to two. In the event it is later determined that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely our auditor, it would make it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our auditor’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China and Hong Kong that are subject to PCAOB inspections. Investors may lose confidence in our reported financial information and procedures and the quality of our financial statements. In addition, our securities may be prohibited from trading under the HFCA Act, as amended, and ultimately result in a determination by the Nasdaq Capital Market to delist our securities.  Our current auditors, Audit Alliance LLP, is headquartered in Singapore, not mainland China or Hong Kong and was not identified in this report as a firm subject to the PCAOB’s determination. Therefore, our auditor is not currently subject to the determinations announced by the PCAOB on December 16, 2021, and it is currently subject to the PCAOB inspections.

While our current auditor is based in Singapore and is registered with the PCAOB and subject to inspection by the PCAOB on a regular basis, in the event it is later determined that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely our auditor because of a position taken by an authority in a foreign jurisdiction, then such lack of inspection could cause trading in the our securities to be prohibited under the HFCA Act, and ultimately result in a determination by a securities exchange to delist our securities. In addition, the recent developments would add uncertainties to the listing and trading of our Class A ordinary shares and we cannot assure you whether Nasdaq or regulatory authorities 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 the audit of our financial statements. It remains unclear what the SEC’s implementation process related to the above rules will entail or what further actions the SEC, the PCAOB or Nasdaq will take to address these issues and what impact those actions will have on U.S. companies that have significant operations in the PRC and have securities listed on a U.S. stock exchange (including a national securities exchange or over-the-counter stock market). In addition, the above amendments and any additional actions, proceedings, or new rules resulting from these efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could create some uncertainty for investors, the market price of our Ordinary Shares could be adversely affected, and we could be delisted if we and our auditor are unable to meet the PCAOB inspection requirement or being required to engage a new audit firm, which would require significant expense and management time.

In light of recent events indicating greater oversight by the Cyberspace Administration of China, or CAC, over data security, particularly for companies seeking to list or listed on a foreign exchange, we are subject to a variety of laws and other obligations regarding cybersecurity and data protection, and any failure to comply with applicable laws and obligations could have a material and adverse effect on our business, our listing on Nasdaq, financial condition, results of operations, and the offering.

We are subject to various risks and costs associated with to the collection, use, sharing, retention, security, and transfer of confidential and private information, such as personal information and other data. This data is wide ranging and relates to our investors, employees, contractors and other counterparties and third parties. Our compliance obligations include those relating to the relevant PRC laws in this regard. These PRC laws apply not only to third-party transactions, but also to transfers of information between us and our subsidiaries in China, and among us, our PRC subsidiaries, and other parties with which we have commercial relations. These laws continue to develop, and the PRC government may adopt other rules and restrictions in the future. Non-compliance could result in penalties or other significant legal liabilities.

Pursuant to the PRC Cybersecurity Law, promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on November 7, 2016 and took effect on June 1, 2017, personal information and important data collected and generated by a critical information infrastructure operator in the course of its operations in China must be stored in China, and if a critical information infrastructure operator purchases internet products and services that affects or may affect national security, it should be subject to cybersecurity review by the CAC. Due to the lack of further interpretations, the exact scope of “critical information infrastructure operator” remains unclear. On December 28, 2021, the CAC published the CAC Revised Measures which further restates and expands the applicable scope of the cybersecurity review. The CAC Revised Measures took effect on February 15, 2022. Pursuant to the CAC Revised Measures, if a network platform operator holding personal information of over one million users seeks for “foreign” listing, it must apply for the cybersecurity review. In addition, operators of critical information infrastructure purchasing network products and services are also obligated to apply for the cybersecurity review for such purchasing activities. Although the CAC Revised Measures provides no further explanation on the extent of “network platform operator” and “foreign” listing, as confirmed by our PRC counsel, Allbright Law Offices, we are not subject to cybersecurity review with the CAC , because (i) we are not in possession of or otherwise holding personal information of over one million users and it is also very unlikely that it will reach such threshold in the near future; (ii) as of the date of this annual report, our data processing activities (including the collection, storage, usage, transmission and publicity of data) do not damage national security; and (iii) as of the date of this annual report, we have not received any notice or determination from applicable PRC governmental authorities identifying it as a critical information infrastructure operator.  However, we cannot guarantee that we will not be subject to cybersecurity review in the future. During such review, we may be required to suspend our operation experience other disruptions to our operations. Cybersecurity review could also result in negative publicity with respect to our company and diversion of our managerial and financial resources.

Furthermore, if we were found to be in violation of applicable laws and regulations in China during such review, we could be subject to administrative penalties, such as warnings, fines, or service suspension. Therefore, cybersecurity review could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

In addition, the PRC Data Security Law, promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on June 10, 2021 and took effect on September 1, 2021, requires data collection to be conducted in a legitimate and proper manner, and stipulates that, for the purpose of data protection, data processing activities must be conducted based on data classification and hierarchical protection system for data security. As the Data Security Law was recently promulgated, we may be required to make further adjustments to our business practices to comply with this law. If our data processing activities were found to be not in compliance with this law, we could be ordered to make corrections, and under certain serious circumstances, such as severe data divulgence, we could be subject to penalties, including the revocation of our business licenses or other permits. Furthermore, the recently issued Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down Illegal Securities Activities in Accordance with the Law require (i) speeding up the revision of the provisions on strengthening the confidentiality and archives management relating to overseas issuance and listing of securities and (ii) improving the laws and regulations relating to data security, cross-border data flow, and management of confidential information. As there remain uncertainties regarding the further interpretation and implementation of those laws and regulations, we cannot assure you that we will be compliant such new regulations in all respects, and we may be ordered to rectify and terminate any actions that are deemed illegal by the regulatory authorities and become subject to fines and other sanctions. As a result, we may be required to suspend our relevant businesses, shut down our website, take down our operating applications, or face other penalties, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

On August 20, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China promulgated the Personal Information Protection Law of the PRC, or the PIPL, which took effect in November 2021. As the first systematic and comprehensive law specifically for the protection of personal information in the PRC, the PIPL provides, among others, that (i) an individual’s consent shall be obtained to use sensitive personal information, such as biometric characteristics and individual location tracking, (ii) personal information operators using sensitive personal information shall notify individuals of the necessity of such use and impact on the individual’s rights, and (iii) where personal information operators reject an individual’s request to exercise his or her rights, the individual may file a lawsuit with a People’s Court. As uncertainties remain regarding the interpretation and implementation of the PIPL, we cannot assure you that we will comply with the PIPL in all respects, we may become subject to fines and/or other penalties which may have material adverse effect on our business, operations and financial condition.

While we take measures to comply with all applicable data privacy and protection laws and regulations, we cannot guarantee the effectiveness of the measures undertaken by us and our business partners. However, compliance with any additional laws could be expensive, and may place restrictions on our business operations and the manner in which we interact with our users. In addition, any failure to comply with applicable cybersecurity, privacy, and data protection laws and regulations could result in proceedings against us by government authorities or others, including notification for rectification, confiscation of illegal earnings, fines, or other penalties and legal liabilities against us, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and the value of our Ordinary Shares. In addition, any negative publicity on our website or platform’s safety or privacy protection mechanism and policy could harm our public image and reputation and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We are subject to risks related to the laws and regulations of the PRC and the interpretation and implementation thereof.

Our business and operations, as well as those of our customers and suppliers in the PRC, are subject to the laws and regulations promulgated by relevant PRC governmental authorities. The PRC government is still in the process of developing a comprehensive set of laws and regulations in the course of the PRC’s transformation from a centrally planned economy to a market-oriented economy. As the legal system in the PRC is still in flux, laws and regulations or their interpretation may be subject to change. Furthermore, any change in the political and economic policy of the PRC government may also result in similar changes in the laws and regulations or the interpretation thereof. Such changes may adversely affect our operations and business in the PRC. The PRC legal system is a codified legal system comprising written laws, regulations, circulars, administrative directives, and internal guidelines as well as judicial interpretations. Decided cases do not form part of the legal structure of the PRC and thus have no binding effect. As such, the administration of PRC laws and regulations may be subject to a certain degree of discretion by the authorities. This has resulted in the outcome of dispute resolutions not having the level of consistency or predictability as in other countries with more developed legal systems. Due to such inconsistency and unpredictability, if we should be involved in any legal dispute in the PRC, we may experience difficulties in obtaining legal redress or in enforcing our legal rights. From time to time, changes in law, registration requirements, and regulations or the implementation thereof may also require us to obtain additional approvals and licenses from the PRC authorities for carrying out our operations in the PRC which would require us to incur additional expenses in order to comply with such requirements and in turn affect our financial performance with the increase in our business costs. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that approvals, registrations, or licenses will be granted to us promptly or at all. If we experience delays in obtaining or are unable to obtain such required approvals, registrations, or licenses, our operations and business in the PRC, and hence our overall financial performance will be adversely affected.

Introduction of new laws or changes to existing laws by the PRC government may adversely affect our business.

With the regulations concerning data privacy and cybersecurity are developing in China, we may be subject to new laws and regulations when we operate our business. 

On June 10, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the Data Security Law of the PRC, which took effect on September 1, 2021. The Data Security Law clarifies the scope of data to cover a wide range of information records generated from all aspects of production, operation and management of government affairs and enterprises in the process of the gradual transformation of digitalization and requires that data collection shall be conducted in a legitimate and proper manner, and theft or illegal collection of data is not permitted. Data processors shall establish and improve the whole-process data security management rules, organize and implement data security trainings as well as take appropriate technical measures and other necessary measures to protect data security. In addition, data processing activities shall be conducted on the basis of the graded protection system for cybersecurity.

On July 30, 2021, the State Council promulgated the Regulations on Protection of Security of Critical Information Infrastructure, effective on September 1, 2021, under which, a “critical information infrastructure” refers to critical network facilities and information systems involved in important industries and sectors, such as public communication and information services, energy, transportation, water conservancy, finance, public services, governmental digital services, science and technology related to national defense industry, as well as those which may seriously endanger national security, national economy and citizen’s livelihood or public interests if damaged or malfunctioned, or if any leakage of data in relation thereto occurs. The competent governmental departments and supervision and management departments of the aforementioned important industries will be responsible for (i) organizing the identification of critical information infrastructures in their respective industries in accordance with relevant identification rules, and (ii) promptly notifying the identified operators and the public security department of the State Council of the identification results. In the event of occurrence of any major cybersecurity incident or discovery of any major cybersecurity threat for the critical information infrastructure, the operator shall report to the protection authorities and the public security authorities as required.

On July 7, 2022, the CAC promulgated the Measures on Security Assessment of Cross-border Data Transfer which has become effective on September 1, 2022. Such data export measures requires that any data processor which processes or exports personal information exceeding certain volume threshold under such measures shall apply for security assessment by the CAC before transferring any personal information abroad, including the following circumstances: (i) important data will be provided overseas by any data processor; (ii) personal information will be provided overseas by any operator of critical information infrastructure or any data processor who processes the personal information of more than 1,000,000 individuals; (iii) personal information will be provided overseas by any data processor who has provided the personal information of more than 100,000 individuals in aggregate or has provided the sensitive personal information of more than 10,000 individuals in aggregate since January 1 of last year; and (iv) other circumstances where the security assessment is required as prescribed by the CAC. A data processor shall, before applying for the security assessment of an outbound data transfer, conduct a self-assessment of the risks in the outbound data transfer. The security assessment of a cross-border data transfer shall focus on assessing risks that may be brought about by the cross-border data transfer to national security, public interests, or the lawful rights and interests of individuals or organizations.

On December 28, 2021, the CAC, the NDRC, the MIIT and several other PRC governmental authorities jointly issued the Cybersecurity Review Measures, which became effective on February 15, 2022 and replaced the Measures for Cybersecurity Review published on April 13, 2020. Pursuant to Cybersecurity Review Measures, critical information infrastructure operators that purchase network products and services and network platform operators engaging in data processing activities that affect or may affect national security are subject to cybersecurity review under the Cybersecurity Review Measures. According to the Cybersecurity Review Measures, before purchasing any network products or services, a critical information infrastructure operator shall assess potential national security risks that may arise from the launch or use of such products or services, and apply for a cybersecurity review with the cybersecurity review office of CAC if national security will or may be affected. In addition, network platform operators who possess personal information of more than one million users and intend to be listed at a foreign stock exchange shall go through the cybersecurity review. As advised by our PRC counsel, Allbright Law Offices, we are not subject to cybersecurity review with the CAC in accordance with the CAC Revised Measures, because (i) we are not in possession of or otherwise holding personal information of over one million users and it is also very unlikely that it will reach such threshold in the near future; (ii) as of the date of this annual report, our data processing activities (including the collection, storage, usage, transmission and publicity of data) do not damage national security; and (iii) as of the date of this annual report, we have not received any notice or determination from applicable PRC governmental authorities identifying it as a critical information infrastructure operator. However, since these statements and regulatory actions are new, it is highly uncertain how soon legislative or administrative regulation making bodies will respond and what existing or new laws or regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations will be modified or promulgated, if any, and the potential impact such modified or new laws and regulations will have on our daily business operation, the ability to accept foreign investments and list on an U.S. exchange.

In addition, given the lack of oversight of many offshore issuers with China-based operating companies, CSRC promulgated a package of rules and regulations to enhance the regulations on such companies.

On February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, or the Trial Measures, and five supporting guidelines, which came into effect on March 31, 2023. The Trial Measures clarified that enterprises that have been listed overseas prior to March 31, 2023 constitute “Existing Issuers” and are not required to conduct the overseas listing filing procedure immediately, but shall carry out filing procedures as required if they conduct refinancing or are involved in other circumstances required by CSRC.

On February 24, 2023, the CSRC and certain other PRC regulatory authorities jointly published the revised Provisions on Strengthening Confidentiality and Archives Administration in Respect of Overseas Issuance and Listing of Securities by Domestic Enterprises, or the Confidentiality and Archives Administration Provisions, which came into effect on March 31, 2023. The Confidentiality and Archives Administration Provisions, among other things, (i) require PRC enterprises to comply with confidentiality obligations under applicable PRC rules and regulations when providing documents and materials to securities companies and securities service institutions; (ii) mandate that working papers created within the PRC by securities companies and securities service institutions in connection with their services for overseas securities offerings and listing of PRC enterprises shall be retained within the territory of the PRC; and (iii) prohibit the cross-border transfer of the aforementioned working papers outside the PRC absent prior examination and approval from competent PRC regulatory authorities. The Confidentiality and Archives Administration Provisions, together with Trial Measures, also emphasize that the investigation and evidence collection in relation to the overseas securities offering and listing by the domestic companies conducted by overseas securities regulator and the relevant competent authorities shall go through the cross-border regulatory cooperation mechanism and the CSRC or the relevant authorities shall provide the requisite assistance pursuant to the bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanism.

The PRC legal system is based on the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and is made up of written laws, regulations, circulars and directives. With the PRC’s entry into the WTO, the PRC government is in the process of developing its legal system so as to encourage foreign investments and to meet the needs of investors. As the PRC economy is developing at a generally faster rate than its legal system, some degree of uncertainty exists in connection with whether and how existing laws and regulations will apply to certain events or circumstances. Some of the laws and regulations, and the interpretation, implementation and enforcement thereof, are still at the experimental stage and therefore subject to policy changes. There is no assurance that the introduction of new laws or regulations, changes to existing laws and regulations and the interpretation or application thereof or the delays in obtaining approvals from the relevant PRC authorities will not have an adverse impact on our business or prospects. In particular, on August 8, 2006, the Ministry of Commerce, the CSRC, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Administration of Taxation, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange promulgated the “Rules on the Mergers and Acquisition of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors” which came into effect on September 8, 2006, or “the M&A Rules.” Foreign investors should comply with the rules when they purchase shareholding equities of a PRC domestic non-foreign-funded enterprise, or Domestic Company, or subscribe to the increased capital of a Domestic Company, and thus changing the nature of the Domestic Company into a foreign investment enterprise. The rules stipulate, inter alia, (i) that the acquisition of a Domestic Company by an affiliated foreign enterprise established or controlled by PRC entities or individuals must be approved by the Ministry of Commerce; (ii) that the incorporation of a special purpose vehicle, which is directly or indirectly controlled by PRC entities for the purpose of an overseas listing of the equity interest of a Domestic Company, must be subject to the approval of the Ministry of Commerce; (iii) that the acquisition of a Domestic Company by a special purpose vehicle shall be subject to approval of the Ministry of Commerce and (iv) the offshore listing of a special purpose vehicle shall be subject to the prior approval from China Securities Regulatory Commission. As Hengda was incorporated as a FIE and Antelope Enterprises does not fall within the scope of being classified as a special purpose vehicle directly or indirectly established or controlled by PRC entities or individuals, the M&A Rules did not apply to the Business Combination, and we were not required to obtain the approval from the Ministry of Commerce, the approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission and/or any other approvals from PRC government authorities as stipulated by the M&A Rules. There is however no assurance that the PRC authorities will not issue further directives, regulations, clarifications or implementation rules, which may require us or other relevant parties to obtain further approvals with respect to the Business Combination. If new laws are promulgated or the existing laws are reinterpreted, our structure could be determined to be in violation of such laws and subject to sanction by applicable government authorities.

Failure to comply with laws and regulations applicable to our business could subject us to fines and penalties and could also cause us to lose customers or otherwise harm our business.

Our business is subject to regulation by various governmental agencies in China, including agencies responsible for monitoring and enforcing compliance with various legal obligations, such as intellectual property laws, employment and labor laws, workplace safety, environmental laws, consumer protection laws, governmental trade laws, import and export controls, anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws, and tax laws and regulations. In certain jurisdictions, these regulatory requirements may be more stringent than in China. These laws and regulations impose added costs on our business. Noncompliance with applicable regulations or requirements could subject us to:

If any governmental sanctions are imposed, or if we do not prevail in any possible civil or criminal litigation, our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be adversely affected. In addition, responding to any action will likely result in a significant diversion of our management’s attention and resources and an increase in professional fees. Enforcement actions and sanctions could materially harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Any reviews by regulatory agencies or legislatures may result in substantial regulatory fines, changes to our business practices, and other penalties, which could negatively affect our business and results of operations. Changes in social, political, and regulatory conditions or in laws and policies governing a wide range of topics may cause us to change our business practices. Further, our expansion into a variety of new fields also could raise a number of new regulatory issues. These factors could negatively affect our business and results of operations in material ways.

Moreover, we are exposed to the risk of misconduct, errors and failure to functions by our management, employees and parties that we collaborate with, who may from time to time be subject to litigation and regulatory investigations and proceedings or otherwise face potential liability and penalties in relation to noncompliance with applicable laws and regulations, which could harm our reputation and business.

If we cease to qualify as a foreign private issuer, we would be required to comply fully with the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, and we would incur significant additional legal, accounting and other expenses that we would not incur as a foreign private issuer.

We expect to continue to qualify as a foreign private issuer as of the date of this report. As a foreign private issuer, we will remain exempt from the rules under the Exchange Act prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our officers, directors and principal shareholders will be exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we will not be required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as United States domestic issuers, and we will not be required to disclose in our periodic reports all of the information that United States domestic issuers are required to disclose. While we currently expect to continue to qualify as a foreign private issuer, we may cease to qualify as a foreign private issuer in the future.

Our PRC subsidiaries, main operations and assets are located in the PRC. Shareholders may not be accorded the same rights and protection that would be accorded under the US law. In addition, it would be difficult to enforce a U.S. judgment against our PRC subsidiaries and our officers and directors.

We are a holding company and the majority of our operations and assets are held in overseas subsidiaries. Our PRC subsidiaries and the variable interest entities were established in the PRC, and their main operations and assets are located in the PRC. Our PRC subsidiaries, the VIEs, main operations and assets are therefore subject to the relevant laws and regulations of the PRC. In addition, a majority of our officers and directors are non-residents of the United States and substantially all their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it could be more difficult for investors to effect service of process in the United States, or to enforce a judgment obtained in the United States against any of our PRC subsidiaries or any of these persons.

Changes in China’s economic, political, or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on the PRC operating entities’ business and operations.

Substantially all of the PRC operating entities’ assets and operations are currently located in China. Accordingly, the PRC operating entities’ business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects may be influenced to a significant degree by political, economic, and social conditions in China generally. The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the level of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange, and allocation of resources. Although the Chinese government has implemented measures emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, including the reduction of state ownership of productive assets and the establishment of improved corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of productive assets in China is still owned by the government. In addition, the Chinese government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The Chinese government also exercises significant control over China’s economic growth by allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy, and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.

While the Chinese economy has experienced significant growth over the past decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. Any adverse changes in economic conditions in China, in the policies of the Chinese government, or in the laws and regulations in China could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of China. Such developments could adversely affect the PRC operating entities’ business and operating results, reduce demand for their products, and weaken their competitive position. The Chinese government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures may benefit the overall Chinese economy, but may have a negative effect on the PRC operating entities. For example, the PRC operating entities’ financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations. In addition, in the past the Chinese government has implemented certain measures, including interest rate adjustments, to control the pace of economic growth. These measures may cause decreased economic activities in China, which may adversely affect the PRC operating entities’ business and operating results.

Furthermore, our Company, the PRC operating entities, and our investors may face uncertainty about future actions by the government of China that could significantly affect the PRC operating entities’ financial performance and operations, including the enforceability of the VIE Agreements. As of the date of this annual report, neither our Company nor the VIE has received or was denied permission from Chinese authorities to list on U.S. exchanges. However, there is no guarantee that our Company or the VIE will receive or not be denied permission from Chinese authorities to list on U.S. exchanges in the future.

Our business is subject to certain PRC laws and regulations.

Our business and operations in the PRC are subject to government rules and regulations, including environmental, working safety, road transportation and health regulations. Any changes in such government regulations may have a negative impact on our business.

Breaches or non-compliance with these PRC laws and regulations may result in the suspension, withdrawal or termination of our business licenses or permits, or the imposition of penalties, by the relevant authorities. Our PRC subsidiaries’ business licenses are also granted for a finite period and any extension thereof is subject to the approval of the relevant authorities. Any suspension, withdrawal, termination or refusal to extend our PRC subsidiaries’ business licenses or permits would cause the cessation of production of certain or all of our products, and this would adversely affect our PRC subsidiaries’ business, financial performance and prospects.

Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations and changes in policies, rules, and regulations in China, which may be quick with little advance notice, could limit the legal protection available to you and us, and may make it difficult for us to predict the outcome of any disputes that we may be involved in.

There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations including, but not limited to, the laws and regulations governing our business and the enforcement and performance of our arrangements with third parties in certain circumstances. The laws and regulations are sometimes vague and may be subject to future changes, and their official interpretation and enforcement could be unpredictable, with little advance notice. The effectiveness and interpretation of newly enacted laws or regulations, including amendments to existing laws and regulations, may be delayed, and our business may be affected if we rely on laws and regulations which are subsequently adopted or interpreted in a manner different from our current understanding of these laws and regulations. New laws and regulations that affect existing and proposed future businesses may also be applied retroactively. We cannot predict what effect the interpretation of existing or new PRC laws or regulations may have on our business.

The PRC legal system is based on the PRC Constitution and is made up of written laws, regulations, circulars and directives. The PRC government is still in the process of developing its legal system, so as to meet the needs of investors and to encourage foreign investment. As the PRC economy is generally developing at a faster pace than its legal system, some degree of uncertainty exists in connection with whether and how existing laws and regulations will apply to certain events or circumstances.

Some of the laws and regulations, and the interpretation, implementation and enforcement thereof, are still subject to policy changes. There is no assurance that the introduction of new laws, changes to existing laws and the interpretation or application thereof or the delays in obtaining approvals from the relevant authorities will not have an adverse impact on our PRC subsidiaries’ business, financial performance and prospects. Further, precedents on the interpretation, implementation and enforcement of the PRC laws and regulations are limited, and unlike other common law countries such as the United States, decisions on precedent cases are not binding on lower courts. As such, the outcome of dispute resolutions may not be consistent or predictable as in the other more developed jurisdictions and it may be difficult to obtain swift or equitable enforcement of the laws in the PRC, or obtain enforcement of judgment by a court of another jurisdiction.

From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. Any administrative and court proceedings in the PRC may be protracted, resulting in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention. Since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, however, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy in the legal system in the PRC than in more developed legal systems. Furthermore, the legal system in the PRC is based in part on government policies, internal rules, and regulations (some of which are not published in a timely manner or at all) that may have retroactive effect and may change quickly with little advance notice. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Such uncertainties, including uncertainties over the scope and effect of our contractual, property (including intellectual property), and procedural rights, and any failure to respond to changes in the regulatory environment in the PRC could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.

Such uncertainties, including the promulgation of new laws, or changes to existing laws or the interpretation or enforcement thereof, could limit the legal protections available to us and our investors, including you.

Given the Chinese government’s significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of our business, the Chinese government may intervene or influence our operations at any time, which could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of our securities.

The Chinese government has exercised and continues to exercise substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through regulation and state ownership. Substantially all of our operations are located in the PRC. Our ability to operate in the PRC may be harmed by changes in its laws and regulations, including those relating to taxation, foreign investment, information security, Internet, and other matters. The central or local governments of the PRC may impose new, stricter regulations or interpretations of existing regulations that would require additional expenditures and efforts on our part to ensure our compliance with such regulations or interpretations. Accordingly, government actions in the future, including any decision not to continue to support recent economic reforms and to return to a more centrally planned economy or regional or local variations in the implementation of economic policies, could have a significant effect on economic conditions in the PRC or particular regions thereof, and could require us to divest ourselves of any interest we then hold in Chinese properties.

For example, the Chinese cybersecurity regulator announced on July 2, 2021, that it had begun an investigation of Didi Global Inc. and two days later ordered that the company’s app be removed from smartphone app stores. On July 24, 2021, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly released the Guidelines for Further Easing the Burden of Excessive Homework and Off-campus Tutoring for Students at the Stage of Compulsory Education, pursuant to which foreign investment in such firms via mergers and acquisitions, franchise development, and variable interest entities are banned from this sector. We cannot rule out the possibility that the Chinese government will in the future release regulations or policies regarding our industry that could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

As such, the PRC operating entities’ business segments may be subject to various government and regulatory interference, and they could be subject to new regulation by various political and regulatory entities, including various local and municipal agencies and government sub-divisions. The PRC operating entities may incur increased costs necessary to comply with existing and newly adopted laws and regulations or penalties for any failure to comply. As a result, we face uncertainty about future actions by the PRC government that could significantly affect our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless.

Any actions by the Chinese government, including any decision to intervene or influence the operations of the PRC operating entities or to exert control over any offering of securities conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers, may cause us to make material changes to the operations of the PRC operating entities, may limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, and may cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.

The Chinese government has exercised and continues to exercise substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through regulation and state ownership. The ability of the PRC operating entities to operate in China may be impaired by changes in its laws and regulations, including those relating to taxation, environmental regulations, land use rights, foreign investment limitations, and other matters. The central or local governments of China may impose new, stricter regulations or interpretations of existing regulations that would require additional expenditures and efforts on our part to ensure the PRC operating entities’ compliance with such regulations or interpretations. As such, the PRC operating entities may be subject to various government and regulatory interference in the provinces in which they operate. They could be subject to regulation by various political and regulatory entities, including various local and municipal agencies and government sub-divisions. They may incur increased costs necessary to comply with existing and newly adopted laws and regulations or penalties for any failure to comply.

Furthermore, it is uncertain when and whether we will be required to obtain permission from the PRC government to list on U.S. exchanges in the future, and even when such permission is obtained, whether it will be denied or rescinded. Although we believes our Company and the PRC operating entities are currently not required to obtain permission from any Chinese authorities and have not received any notice of denial of permission to list on the U.S. exchange, our operations could be adversely affected, directly or indirectly, by existing or future laws and regulations relating to our business or industry, particularly in the event permission to list on U.S. exchanges may be later required, or withheld or rescinded once given.

Accordingly, government actions in the future, including any decision to intervene or influence the operations of the PRC operating entities at any time or to exert control over an offering of securities conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers, may cause us to make material changes to the operations of the PRC operating entities, may limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, and/or may cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.

Failure of our PRC resident shareholders to comply with regulations on foreign exchange registration of overseas investment by PRC residents could cause us to lose our ability to contribute capital to our PRC subsidiaries and remit profits out of the PRC as dividends.

The Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Residents to Engage in Overseas Financing and Round Trip Investment via Overseas Special Purpose Vehicles (“Circular 75”), issued by the SAFE and effective on November 1, 2005, regulates the foreign exchange matters in relation to the use of a “special purpose vehicle” by PRC residents to seek offshore equity financing and conduct a “round trip investment” in China. Under Circular 75, a “special purpose vehicle” refers to an offshore entity directly established or indirectly controlled by PRC resident natural or legal persons (“PRC residents”) for the purpose of seeking offshore equity financing using assets or interests owned by such PRC residents in onshore companies, while “round trip investment” refers to the direct investment in China by such PRC residents through the “special purpose vehicles,” including, without limitation, establishing foreign-invested enterprises and using such foreign-invested enterprises to purchase or control onshore assets through contractual arrangements. Circular 75 requires that, before establishing or controlling a “special purpose vehicle”, PRC residents and PRC entities are required to complete a foreign exchange registration with the competent local branches of the SAFE for their overseas investments. After the completion of a round-trip investment or the overseas equity financing, the PRC residents are required to go through foreign exchange registration alteration formalities of overseas investment in respect of net assets of special purpose vehicles that such PRC residents hold and the variation thereof.

In addition, an amendment to the registration is required if there is a material change in the “special purpose vehicle,” such as increase or reduction of share capital and transfer of shares. Failure to comply with the registration procedures set forth in Circular 75 may result in restrictions on the foreign exchange activities of the relevant foreign-invested enterprises, including the payment of dividends and other distributions, such as proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation, to its offshore parent or affiliate and the capital inflow from the offshore parent, and may also subject the relevant PRC residents to penalties under PRC foreign exchange administration regulations.

We have requested our current PRC resident shareholders and/or beneficial owners to disclose whether they or their shareholders or beneficial owners fall within the scope of the Circular 75 and urged PRC residents to register with the local SAFE branch as required under the Circular 75. The failure of our PRC resident shareholders and/or beneficial owners to timely amend their SAFE registrations pursuant to the Circular 75 or the failure of our future shareholders and/or beneficial owners who are PRC residents to comply with the registration requirement set forth in the Circular 75 may subject such shareholders, beneficial owners and/or our PRC subsidiaries to fines and legal sanctions. Any such failure may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital into our PRC subsidiaries, limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends to us or otherwise adversely affect our business.

The PRC government could restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currency to satisfy our currency demands, we may not be able to pay certain expenses as they come due or may restrict which limit the payment of dividends from the Company.

Our results and financial conditions are highly susceptible to changes in the PRC’s political, economic and social conditions as our revenue is currently wholly derived from our operations in the PRC.

Since 1978, the PRC government has undertaken various reforms of its economic systems. Such reforms have resulted in economic growth for the PRC in the last three decades. However, many of the reforms are unprecedented or experimental, and are expected to be refined and modified from time to time. Other political, economic and social factors may also lead to further readjustment of the reform measures. This refinement and adjustment process may consequently have a material impact on our operations in the PRC or a material adverse impact on our financial performance. Our results and financial condition may be adversely affected by changes in the PRC’s political, economic and social conditions and by changes in policies of the PRC government or changes in laws, regulations or the interpretation or implementation thereof.

Dividends payable to us by our PRC subsidiaries may be subject to PRC withholding taxes, dividends distributed to our non-PRC investors and gains realized by our non-PRC shareholders from the transfer of our securities may be subject to PRC withholding taxes under the Enterprise Income Tax Law.

The Enterprise Income Tax Law (“EIT Law”) imposes a 10% withholding income tax on dividends generated on or after January 1, 2008 and distributed by a resident enterprise to its foreign investors, if such foreign investors are considered as non-resident enterprises without any establishment or place of business within China or if the received dividends have no connection with such foreign investors’ establishment or place of business within China, unless such foreign investors’ jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty with China that provides for a different withholding arrangement. The British Virgin Islands, where we are incorporated, does not have such tax treaty with China. According to the Arrangement between Mainland of China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income in August 2006, dividends paid by a foreign invested enterprise, or FIE, to its foreign investors in Hong Kong will be subject to withholding tax at a preferential rate of no more than 5% (if the foreign investor owns directly at least 25% of the shares of the FIE). The State Administration of Taxation further promulgated a circular, or Circular 601, on October 27, 2009, which provides that tax treaty benefits will be denied to “conduit” or shell companies without business substance and that a beneficial ownership analysis will be used based on a “substance-over-form” principle to determine whether or not to grant the tax treaty benefits. Our subsidiaries in China are directly invested in and held by a Hong Kong registered entity. If we are regarded as a non-resident enterprise and our Hong Kong entity regarded as resident enterprise, then our Hong Kong entity may be required to pay a 10% withholding tax on any dividends payable to it. If our Hong Kong entity is regarded as non-resident enterprises, then our subsidiaries in China will be required to pay a 5% withholding tax for any dividends payable to our Hong Kong entities provided that specific conditions are met. However, it is still unclear at this stage whether Circular 601 applies to dividends from our PRC subsidiaries paid to our Hong Kong subsidiary and if our Hong Kong subsidiary were not considered as “beneficial owner” of any dividends from our PRC subsidiaries, the dividends payable to our Hong Kong subsidiary would be subject to withholding tax at a rate of 10%. In either case, the amount of funds available to us, including the payment of dividends to our shareholders, could be materially reduced. In addition, because there remains uncertainty regarding the concept of “the place of de facto management body,” if we are regarded as a resident enterprise, under the EIT Law, any dividends to be distributed by us to our non-PRC shareholders will be subject to PRC withholding tax. We also cannot guarantee that any gains realized by such non-PRC shareholders from the transfer of our shares will not be subject to PRC withholding tax. If we are required under the EIT Law to withhold PRC income tax on dividends payable to our non-PRC shareholders or any gains realized by our non-PRC shareholders from transfer of our shares, their investment in our shares may be materially and adversely affected.

We may be subject to a significant withholding tax should equity transfers by our non-resident enterprises be determined to have been done without a reasonable business purpose.

In December 2009, the State Administration of Tax in China issued a circular on strengthening the management of proceeds from equity transfers by non-resident enterprises and requires foreign entities to report indirect sales of resident enterprises. If the existence of the overseas intermediary holding company is disregarded due to lack of reasonable business purpose or substance, gains on such sale are subject to PRC withholding tax. Due to limited guidance and implementation history of the circular, significant judgment is required in determining the existence of a reasonable business purpose by considering multiple factors, such as the form and substance of the arrangement, time of establishment of the foreign entity, relationship between each step of the arrangement, relationship between each component of the arrangement, implementation of the arrangement and the changes in the financial position of all parties involved in the transaction. Although we believe that our transactions during all the periods presented would be determined to have reasonable business purposes, should this not be the case, we would be subject to a significant withholding tax that could materially and adversely impact our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Uncertainty in the interpretation of PRC tax regulations may have a negative impact on our business operations, our acquisition or restructuring strategy or the value of our investment in it.

The SAT released a circular on December 15, 2009 that addresses the transfer of shares by nonresident companies, generally referred to as Circular 698. Circular 698, which became effective retroactively to January 1, 2008, may have a significant impact on many companies that use offshore holding companies to invest in China. Circular 698 has the effect of taxing foreign companies on gains derived from the indirect sale of a PRC company. Where a foreign investor indirectly transfers equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise by selling the shares in an offshore holding company, and the latter is located in a country or jurisdiction that has an effective tax rate less than 12.5% or does not tax foreign income of its residents, the foreign investor must report this indirect transfer to the tax authority in charge of that PRC resident enterprise. Using a “substance over form” principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of avoiding PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of up to 10.0%.

SAT subsequently released public notices to clarify issues relating to Circular 698, including the Announcement on Several Issues concerning the EIT on the Indirect Transfers of Properties by Nonresident Enterprises (《关于非居民企业间接转让财产企业所得税若干问题的公告》) (the “SAT Notice 7”), which became effective on February 3, 2015. SAT Notice 7 abolished the compulsive reporting obligations originally set out in Circular 698. Under SAT Notice 7, if a non-resident enterprise transfers its shares in an overseas holding company, which directly or indirectly owns PRC taxable properties, including shares in a PRC company, via an arrangement without reasonable commercial purpose, such transfer shall be deemed as indirect transfer of the underlying PRC taxable properties. Accordingly, the transferee shall be deemed as a withholding agent with the obligation to withhold and remit the EIT to the competent PRC tax authorities. Factors that may be taken into consideration when determining whether there is a “reasonable commercial purpose” include, among other factors, the economic essence of the transferred shares, the economic essence of the assets held by the overseas holding company, the taxability of the transaction in offshore jurisdictions, and economic essence and duration of the offshore structure. SAT Notice 7 also sets out safe harbors for the “reasonable commercial purpose” test.

On October 17, 2017, the SAT released the Notice on Several Issues concerning the Withholding and Collection of Income Tax of Non-resident Enterprises from the Source (《关于非居民企业所得税源泉扣缴有关问题的公告》) (the “SAT Notice 37”). SAT Notice 37 clarifies: (1) matters concerning the withholding and collection of corporate income tax, and property transfer of non-resident enterprises based on the EIT Law; (2) the currencies required to be used by the withholding agents (when the payments is made in a currency rather than RMB), as well as the time, venue and business for the performance of the withholding and collection obligations; and (3) the abolishment of Circular 698.

There is little guidance and practical experience regarding the application of SAT Notice 7 and SAT Notice 37 and the related SAT notices. Moreover, the relevant authority has not yet promulgated any formal provisions or formally declared or stated how to calculate the effective tax rates in foreign tax jurisdictions. As a result, due to our complex offshore restructuring, we may become at risk of being taxed under SAT Notice 7 and SAT Notice 37 and we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with SAT Notice 7 and SAT Notice 37 or to establish that we should not be taxed under SAT Notice 7 and SAT Notice 37, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

PRC regulation of loans and direct investment by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds from the offerings of any securities to make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC operating subsidiaries.

As an offshore holding company, our ability to make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC operating subsidiaries is subject to PRC regulations and approvals. These regulations and approvals may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds we received in the past or will receive in the future from the offerings of securities to make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC operating subsidiaries, and impair our ability to fund and expand our business which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and result of operations.

In 2008, the SAFE promulgated the Circular on the Relevant Operating Issues Concerning the Improvement of the Administration of the Payment and Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 142, which used to regulate the conversion by foreign-invested enterprises of foreign currency into Renminbi by restricting the usage of converted Renminbi. On April 8, 2015, the SAFE promulgated the Circular on Reforming the Management Approach Regarding the Foreign Exchange Capital Settlement of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 19. SAFE Circular 19 took effect as of June 1, 2015 and superseded SAFE Circular 142 on the same date. SAFE Circular 19 launched a nationwide reform of the administration of the settlement of the foreign exchange capitals of foreign-invested enterprises and allows foreign-invested enterprises to settle their foreign exchange capital at their discretion, but continues to prohibit foreign-invested enterprises from using the Renminbi fund converted from their foreign exchange capitals for expenditures beyond their business scopes. On June 15, 2016, the SAFE promulgated the Circular on Reforming and Standardizing the Administrative Provisions on Capital Account Foreign Exchange, or SAFE Circular 16. SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 continue to prohibit foreign-invested enterprises from, among other things, using RMB fund converted from its foreign exchange capitals for expenditure beyond its business scope, investment and financing (except for guarantee products issued by banks), providing loans to non-affiliated enterprises or constructing or purchasing real estate not for self-use. SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 may significantly limit our ability to transfer to and use in China the net proceeds from our offerings, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. 

Currency fluctuations and restrictions on currency exchange may adversely affect our business, including limiting our ability to convert RMB into foreign currencies and, if RMB were to decline in value, reducing our revenues and profits in U.S. dollar terms.

Our reporting currency is the U.S. dollar and our operations in China use RMB as functional currencies. The majority of our revenues derived and expenses incurred are in Chinese RMB with a relatively small amount in U.S. dollars. We are subject to the effects of exchange rate fluctuations with respect to any of these currencies. For example, the value of the RMB depends to a large extent on Chinese government policies and China’s domestic and international economic and political developments, as well as supply and demand in the local market. Starting July 2005, the Chinese government changed its policy of pegging the value of the RMB to the U.S. dollar. Under the new policy, the RMB has fluctuated within a narrow and managed band against a basket of certain foreign currencies. It is possible that the Chinese government will adopt a more flexible currency policy, which could result in more significant fluctuations of the RMB against the U.S. dollar.

The income statements of our China operations are translated into U.S. dollars at the average exchange rates in each applicable period. To the extent the U.S. dollar strengthens against foreign currencies, the translation of these foreign currency-denominated transactions results in reduced revenues, operating expenses and net income for our non-U.S. operations. Similarly, to the extent the U.S. dollar weakens against foreign currencies, the translation of RMB denominated transactions results in increased revenues, operating expenses and net income for our non-U.S. operations. We are also exposed to foreign exchange rate fluctuations as we convert the financial statements of our non-U.S. subsidiaries into U.S. dollars in consolidation. If there is a change in foreign currency exchange rates, the conversion of the non-U.S. subsidiaries’ financial statements will similarly be affected.

We have not entered into agreements or purchased instruments to hedge our exchange rate risks, although we may do so in the future. The availability and effectiveness of any hedging transaction may be limited and we may not be able to successfully hedge our exchange rate risks.

Although Chinese governmental policies were introduced in 1996 to allow the convertibility of RMB into foreign currency for current account items, conversion of RMB into foreign exchange for most of the capital items, such as foreign direct investment, loans or securities, requires the approval of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE. These approvals, however, do not guarantee the availability of foreign currency. We cannot be sure that we will be able to obtain all required conversion approvals for our operations or that Chinese regulatory authorities will not impose greater restrictions on the convertibility of RMB in the future. Because a significant amount of our future revenues are in the form of RMB, our inability to obtain the requisite approvals or any future restrictions on currency exchanges could limit our ability to utilize revenue generated in RMB to fund our business activities outside China, or to repay non-RMB-denominated obligations, including our debt obligations, which would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Restrictions on paying dividends or making other payments to us by our subsidiaries in China.

We are a holding company and do not have any assets or conduct any business operations in China other than our investments in our subsidiaries in China. As a result, if our non-China operations require cash from China, we would depend on dividend payments from our subsidiaries in China. We cannot make any assurance that we can continue to receive payments from our subsidiaries in China. In addition, under Chinese law, our subsidiaries are only allowed to pay dividends to us out of their distributable earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. Moreover, our Chinese subsidiaries are required to set aside at least 10% of their respective after-tax profit each year, if any, to fund certain mandated reserve funds, unless these reserves have reached 50% of their registered capital. These reserve funds are not payable or distributable as cash dividends. For Chinese subsidiaries with after-tax profits for the periods presented, the difference between after-tax profits as calculated under PRC accounting standards and U.S. GAAP relates primarily to share-based compensation expenses and intangible assets amortization expenses, which are not pushed down to our subsidiaries under PRC accounting standards. In addition, under the EIT Law and its implementing Rules, dividends generated from our PRC subsidiaries after January 1, 2008 and payable to their immediate holding company incorporated in Hong Kong generally will be subject to a withholding tax rate of 10% (unless the PRC tax authorities determine that our Hong Kong subsidiary is a resident enterprise). If certain conditions and requirements under the Arrangement between the Mainland of China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income entered into between Hong Kong and the PRC and other related PRC laws and regulations are met, the withholding rate could be reduced to 5%.

The Chinese government also imposes controls on the convertibility of RMB into foreign currencies and the remittance of currency out of China in certain cases. We have experienced and may continue to experience difficulties in completing the administrative procedures necessary to obtain and remit foreign currency. If we or any of our subsidiaries are unable to receive substantially all of the economic benefits from our operations through these contractual or dividend arrangements, we may be unable to effectively finance our operations or pay dividends on our ordinary shares.

PRC laws and regulations establish more complex procedures for some acquisitions of Chinese companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China.

A number of PRC laws and regulations, including the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006, or the M&A Rules, the Antimonopoly Law, and the Rules of Ministry of Commerce on Implementation of Security Review System of Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors promulgated by the Ministry of Commerce in August 2011, or the Security Review Rules, have established procedures and requirements that are expected to make merger and acquisition activities in China by foreign investors more time consuming and complex. These include requirements in some instances that the Ministry of Commerce be notified in advance of any change of control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise, or that the approval from the Ministry of Commerce be obtained in circumstances where overseas companies established or controlled by PRC enterprises or residents acquire affiliated domestic companies. PRC laws and regulations also require certain merger and acquisition transactions to be subject to merger control review or security review.

The Security Review Rules were formulated to implement the Notice of the General Office of the State Council on Establishing the Security Review System for Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, also known as Circular 6, which was promulgated in 2011. Under these rules, a security review is required for mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors having “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions by which foreign investors may acquire the “de facto control” of domestic enterprises have “national security” concerns. In addition, when deciding whether a specific merger or acquisition of a domestic enterprise by foreign investors is subject to the security review, the Ministry of Commerce will look into the substance and actual impact of the transaction. The Security Review Rules further prohibit foreign investors from bypassing the security review requirement by structuring transactions through proxies, trusts, indirect investments, leases, loans, control through contractual arrangements or offshore transactions.

There is no requirement for foreign investors in those mergers and acquisitions transactions already completed prior to the promulgation of Circular 6 to submit such transactions to the Ministry of Commerce for security review. As we have already obtained the “de facto control” over our affiliated PRC entities prior to the effectiveness of these rules, we do not believe we are required to submit our existing contractual arrangements to the Ministry of Commerce for security review.

However, as these rules are relatively new and there is a lack of clear statutory interpretation on the implementation of the same, there is no assurance that the Ministry of Commerce will not apply these national security review-related rules to the acquisition of equity interest in our PRC subsidiaries. If we are found to be in violation of the Security Review Rules and other PRC laws and regulations with respect to the merger and acquisition activities in China, or fail to obtain any of the required approvals, the relevant regulatory authorities would have broad discretion in dealing with such violation, including levying fines, confiscating our income, revoking our PRC subsidiaries’ business or operating licenses, requiring us to restructure or unwind the relevant ownership structure or operations. Any of these actions could cause significant disruption to our business operations and may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Further, if the business of any target company that we plan to acquire falls into the ambit of security review, we may not be able to successfully acquire such company either by equity or asset acquisition, capital contribution or through any contractual arrangement. We may grow our business in part by acquiring other companies operating in our industry. Complying with the requirements of the relevant regulations to complete such transactions could be time consuming, and any required approval processes, including approval from the Ministry of Commerce, may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share.

The PRC Labor Contract Law and its implementing rules may adversely affect our business and results of operations.

The PRC Labor Contract Law became effective and was implemented on January 1, 2008. The PRC Labor Contract Law has reinforced the protection for employees who, under the PRC Labor Contract Law, have the right, among others, to have written labor contracts, to enter into labor contracts with no fixed terms under certain circumstances, to receive overtime wages and to terminate or alter terms in labor contracts. Furthermore, the PRC Labor Contract Law establishes additional restrictions and increases the costs involved with dismissing employees. As the PRC Labor Contract Law is relatively new, there remains significant uncertainty as to its interpretation and application by the PRC Government. In the event that we decide to significantly reduce our workforce, the PRC Labor Contract Law could adversely affect our ability to do so in a timely and cost effective manner, and our results of operations could be adversely affected. In addition, for employees whose contracts include non-competition terms, the Labor Contract Law requires us to pay monthly compensation after such employment is terminated, which will increase our operating expenses.

Failure by our PRC shareholders or beneficial owners to make required foreign exchange filings and registrations may prevent us from distributing dividends and expose us to liabilities under the PRC laws.

The Circular on Relevant Issues concerning Foreign Exchange Administration of Overseas Investment and Financing and Return Investments Conducted by Domestic Residents through Overseas Special Purpose Vehicles (“SAFE Circular No. 37”), which was promulgated by SAFE and became effective on July 14, 2014, requires a PRC individual resident (“PRC Resident”) to register with the local SAFE branch before he or she contributes assets or equity interests in an overseas special purpose vehicle (“Offshore SPV”) that is directly established or controlled by the PRC Resident for the purpose of conducting investment or financing. Following the initial registration, the PRC Resident is also required to register with the local SAFE branch for any major change in respect of the Offshore SPV, including, among other things, any major change of a PRC Resident shareholder, name or term of operation of the Offshore SPV, or any increase or reduction of the Offshore SPV’s registered capital, share transfer or swap, merger or division. Failure to comply with the registration procedures of SAFE Circular No. 37 may result in penalties and sanctions, including the imposition of restrictions on the ability of the Offshore SPV’s PRC subsidiary to distribute dividends to its overseas parent.

Our existing PRC Resident shareholders and beneficial owners currently are subject to the registration procedures under SAFE Circular No. 37. However, as SAFE Circular No. 37 was recently promulgated, it is unclear how this regulation and any future regulation concerning offshore or cross-border transactions will be interpreted, amended or implemented by the relevant government authorities. It cannot be predicted that how these regulations will affect our business operations or future strategies. Any failure by our PRC Resident shareholders or beneficial owners to make the updates with SAFE may subject the relevant PRC Resident shareholders or beneficial owners to penalties, restrict our overseas or cross-border investment activities, limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to make distributions or pay dividends, or affect our ownership structure and capital inflow from our offshore subsidiaries. As such, our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity as well as our ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to our shareholders may be materially and adversely affected.

We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property rights, and any failure to protect our intellectual property rights could adversely affect our revenues and competitive position.

We believe that trademarks, trade secrets, patents, copyrights, and other intellectual property we use are important to our business. We rely on a combination of trademark, copyright, patent and trade secret protection laws in China and other jurisdictions, as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions to protect our intellectual property and our brand. We have invested significant resources to develop our own intellectual property and acquire licenses to use and distribute the intellectual property of others. A failure to maintain or protect these rights could harm our business. In addition, any unauthorized use of our intellectual property by third parties may adversely affect our current and future revenues and our reputation.

The validity, enforceability and scope of protection available under intellectual property laws in the PRC are uncertain and still evolving. Implementation and enforcement of PRC intellectual property-related laws have historically been deficient and ineffective. Accordingly, protection of intellectual property rights in the PRC may not be as effective as in the United States or other western countries. Furthermore, policing unauthorized use of proprietary technology is difficult and expensive, and we may need to resort to litigation to enforce or defend patents issued to us or our other intellectual property or to determine the enforceability, scope and validity of our proprietary rights or those of others. Such litigation and an adverse determination in any such litigation, if any, could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.

There are defects in our titles of or rights to use our properties.

We have not received the record of completion acceptance from the relevant authority for our facilities used in our production and storage (“Properties”). We do not have valid title or right to the said Properties. Any dispute or claim in relation to the title to the Properties, including any litigation involving allegations of illegal or unauthorized use of the Properties, may materially and adversely affect our operations, financial condition, reputation and future growth. However, we are in the process of applying to the relevant authority to obtain the completion acceptance for the Properties.

Risks Relating to Our Securities

The market price of our Class A ordinary shares is volatile, leading to the possibility of its value being depressed at a time when you want to sell your holdings.

The market price of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants is volatile, and this volatility may continue. Numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, may cause the market price of our Class A ordinary shares to fluctuate significantly. These factors include:

Securities class action litigation is often instituted against companies following periods of volatility in their share price. This type of litigation could result in substantial costs to us and divert our management’s attention and resources. Moreover, securities markets may from time to time experience significant price and volume fluctuations for reasons unrelated to operating performance of particular companies. For example, in July 2008, the securities markets in the United States, China and other jurisdictions experienced the largest decline in share prices since September 2001. These market fluctuations may adversely affect the price of our Class A ordinary shares, warrants and other interests in our company at a time when you want to sell your interest in us.

If we fail to comply with the continued listing requirements of NASDAQ, we would face possible delisting, which would result in a limited public market for our shares and make obtaining future debt or equity financing more difficult for us.

On May 16, 2023, the Company received a notification letter from the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Staff of The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) notifying the Company that the minimum bid price per share for its common shares has been below $1.00 for a period of 30 consecutive business days and the Company therefore no longer meets the minimum bid price requirements set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) (the “Deficiency”).

Under the Nasdaq Listing Rules, the Company had until November 13, 2023 to regain compliance, and may be eligible for an extension of an additional 180 calendar days, provided that the Company meets the continued listing requirement for market value of publicly held shares and all other initial listing standards for Nasdaq except for Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), and provide a written notice of its intention to cure this deficiency during the second compliance period, by effecting a reverse stock split, if necessary.

If the Company fails to regain compliance with the bid price deficiency or any other listing rules when required in the future, we could be subject to suspension and delisting proceedings. If our securities lose their status on The NASDAQ Capital Market, our securities would likely trade in the over-the-counter market. If our securities were to trade on the over-the-counter market, selling our securities could be more difficult because smaller quantities of securities would likely be bought and sold, transactions could be delayed, and security analysts’ coverage of us may be reduced. In addition, in the event our securities are delisted, broker-dealers have certain regulatory burdens imposed upon them, which may discourage broker-dealers from effecting transactions in our securities, further limiting the liquidity of our securities. These factors could result in lower prices and larger spreads in the bid and ask prices for our securities. Such delisting from The NASDAQ Capital Market and continued or further declines in our share price could also greatly impair our ability to raise additional necessary capital through equity or debt financing, and could significantly increase the ownership dilution to shareholders caused by our issuing equity in financing or other transactions.

While we believe that we currently have adequate internal control procedures in place, we are still exposed to potential risks from legislation requiring companies to evaluate controls under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, we have evaluated our internal controls systems in order to allow management to report on the system and process evaluation and testing required in an effort to comply with the management certification and auditor attestation requirements of Section 404. As a result, we have incurred additional expenses and a diversion of management’s time.

If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, a material misstatement of our financial statements may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. In addition, we may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404. This could in turn result in the loss of investor confidence in the reliability of our financial statements and negatively impact the trading price of our shares. Furthermore, if we are not able to continue to meet the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or with adequate compliance, we might be subject to sanctions or investigation by regulatory authorities, such as the SEC or the NASDAQ. Any such action could adversely affect our financial results and the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants.

As a foreign private issuer, we have limited reporting requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which makes us less transparent than a United States issuer.

As a foreign private issuer, the rules and regulations under the Exchange Act provide us with certain exemptions from the reporting obligations of United States issuers. We are exempt from the rules prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our officers, directors and principal stockholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions. Also, we are not required to publish financial statements as frequently, as promptly or containing the same information as United States companies. The result is that we will be less transparent than a U.S. issuer.

As a foreign private issuer, we are not subject to certain NASDAQ corporate governance rules applicable to public companies organized in the United States.

We rely on a provision in the NASDAQ Stock Market’s Listed Company Manual that allows us to follow BVI law with regard to certain aspects of corporate governance. This allows us to follow certain corporate governance practices that differ in significant respects from the corporate governance requirements applicable to U.S. companies listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market.

For example, we are exempt from regulations of the NASDAQ Stock Market that require listed companies organized in the United States to:

As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to follow home country practice in lieu of the above requirements. Accordingly, our shareholders may not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to these NASDAQ Stock Market requirements.

We may be classified as a passive foreign investment company for United States federal income tax purposes, which could result in adverse United States federal income tax consequences to U.S. Holders.

Based on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares, the value of our assets, and the composition of our assets and income, we do not believe that we were a passive foreign investment company (a “PFIC”) for United States federal income tax purposes for our taxable year ended June 30, 2020 and we do not expect to be one for our taxable year ending June 30, 2021 or to become one in the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, the application of the PFIC rules is subject to ambiguity in several respects and, in addition, we must make a separate determination each year as to whether we are a PFIC (after the close of each taxable year). Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will not be a PFIC for the current or any other taxable year. Moreover, although we do not believe we would be treated as a PFIC, we have not engaged any U.S. tax advisers to determine our PFIC status. In addition, if you owned our Class A ordinary shares at any time prior to our acquisition of Elite, you may be considered to own stock of a PFIC by virtue of the fact that we may have been a PFIC during the period prior to our acquisition of Elite, unless you made certain elections to opt out of PFIC treatment, as described in Item 10. E. – “Taxation – U.S. Federal Income Taxation.”

A non-United States corporation, such as us, will be classified as a PFIC for United States federal income tax purposes for any taxable year, if either (1) 75% or more of its gross income for such year consists of certain types of “passive” income, or (2) 50% or more of its average quarterly assets as determined on the basis of fair market value during such year produce or are held for the production of passive income. Because there are uncertainties in the application of the relevant rules and PFIC status is a fact-intensive determination made on an annual basis, no assurance can be given with respect to our PFIC status for the current or any other taxable year.

If we are characterized as a PFIC for any year, a U.S. holder may incur significantly increased United States income tax on gain recognized on the sale or other disposition of our Class A ordinary shares and on the receipt of distributions on our Class A ordinary shares to the extent such gain or distribution is treated as an “excess distribution” under the United States federal income tax rules.

We have outstanding exercisable securities that may dilute your holdings.

Our outstanding exercisable securities may adversely affect the market price of our shares.

As of the date of this report, we have issued and outstanding securities exercisable into 210,379,804 Class A ordinary shares (warrants for the purchase of 23,541,660 Class A ordinary shares). The sale or possibility of sale of the shares underlying these securities could have an adverse effect on the market price for its securities or its ability to obtain future financing. If and to the extent these securities are converted or exercised, you may experience dilution to your holdings.

Risk Relating to British Virgin Islands

Rights of shareholders under British Virgin Islands law differ from those under United States law, and, accordingly, our shareholders may have fewer protections.

Our corporate affairs are governed by our Memorandum and Articles of Association, the BVI Business Companies Act, 2004 (as amended, the “BVI Act”) and the common law of the British Virgin Islands. The rights of shareholders to take legal action against our directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under British Virgin Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the British Virgin Islands and by the BVI Act. The common law of the British Virgin Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the British Virgin Islands as well as from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the British Virgin Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under British Virgin Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedents in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the British Virgin Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and some states (such as Delaware) have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. As a result of the foregoing, holders of our ordinary shares may have more difficulty in protecting their interests through actions against our management, directors or major shareholders than they would as shareholders of a U.S. company. 

The laws of the British Virgin Islands provide limited protection for minority shareholders, so minority shareholders will have limited or no recourse if they are dissatisfied with the conduct of our affairs.

Under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, there is limited statutory law for the protection of minority shareholders other than the provisions of the BVI Act dealing with shareholder. The principal protection under statutory law is that shareholders may bring an action to enforce the constituent documents of a British Virgin Islands company and are entitled to have the affairs of the company conducted in accordance with the BVI Act and the memorandum and articles of association of the company. As such, if those who control the company have persistently disregarded the requirements of the BVI Act or the provisions of the company’s memorandum and articles of association, then the courts will likely grant relief. Generally, the areas in which the courts will intervene are the following: (i) an act complained of which is outside the scope of the authorized business or is illegal or not capable of ratification by the majority; (ii) acts that constitute fraud on the minority where the wrongdoers control the company; (iii) acts that infringe on the personal rights of the shareholders, such as the right to vote; and (iv) acts where the company has not complied with provisions requiring approval of a special or extraordinary majority of shareholders, which are more limited than the rights afforded to minority shareholders under the laws of many states in the United States.

It may be difficult to enforce judgments against us or our executive officers and directors in jurisdictions outside the United States.

Under our Memorandum and Articles of Association, as amended, we may indemnify and hold our directors harmless against all claims and suits brought against them, subject to limited exceptions. Furthermore, to the extent allowed by law, the rights and obligations among or between us, any of our current or former directors, officers and employees and any current or former shareholder will be governed exclusively by the laws of the British Virgin Islands and subject to the jurisdiction of the British Virgin Islands courts, unless those rights or obligations do not relate to or arise out of their capacities as such. Although there is doubt as to whether United States courts would enforce these provisions in an action brought in the United States under United States securities laws, these provisions could make judgments obtained outside of the British Virgin Islands more difficult to enforce against our assets in the British Virgin Islands or jurisdictions that would apply British Virgin Islands law.

British Virgin Islands companies may not be able to initiate shareholder derivative actions, thereby depriving shareholders of one avenue to protect their interests.

British Virgin Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States. The circumstances in which any such action may be brought, and the procedures and defenses that may be available in respect of any such action, may result in the rights of shareholders of a British Virgin Islands company being more limited than those of shareholders of a company organized in the United States. Accordingly, shareholders may have fewer alternatives available to them if they believe that corporate wrongdoing has occurred. The British Virgin Islands courts are also unlikely to recognize or enforce judgments of courts in the United States based on certain liability provisions of United States securities law or to impose liabilities, in original actions brought in the British Virgin Islands, based on certain liability provisions of the United States securities laws that are penal in nature. There is no statutory recognition in the British Virgin Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, although the courts of the British Virgin Islands will generally recognize and enforce the non-penal judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits. This means that even if shareholders were to sue the Company successfully, they may not be able to recover anything to make up for the losses suffered.

ITEM 4. INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY

A. History and development of the company.

Bit Brother Limited (formerly known as Urban Tea, Inc., Delta Technology Holdings Ltd, and prior to that as CIS Acquisition Ltd.) was incorporated in the British Virgin Islands as a company with limited liability on November 28, 2011. We have become a retailer and distributor of specialty tea products in China (also referred to as “PRC”) since November 2018, and have fully completed the disposition of our fine and specialty chemical manufacturing business in April 2019. We began the research and development of our digital asset distribution platform and application solution in May 2021. We are in the process of re-locating our digital asset mining business to North America from mainland China since it was banned by the Chinese authorities there in June 2021. We plan to provide digital asset mining hosting services at our host sites in the U.S. We expect our hosting sites will be powered by local grid and other power sources to provide long-term stable power supply for digital asset miners as well as holistic hosting and maintenance services for our clients. We began our operations in blockchain technology and digital asset mining and hosting services in January, 2023. Our blockchain technology and digital asset mining business is conducted through Bit Brother New York Inc. (“BTB NY”), our wholly owned subsidiary, and consists of conducting research and development of digital asset mining distribution and installation of mining farms, a digital currency wallet, the integrated operation and management of supercomputer servers, and payment center as well as financial services, targeting both individual and institutional users based on blockchain technology.

Prior to November 2018, we were solely a fine and specialty chemical manufacturer, primarily engaged in the Chemical Business. We started sales of tea products, beverages and light meals in retail shop chains through the VIE Hunan Mingyuntang Brand Management Company (“Hunan MYT”) since November 2018. Hunan MYT was controlled by Mingyuntang (Shanghai) Tea Co., Ltd. (“Shangai MYT”), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company via a series of contractual agreements described below. We have begun the research and development of our digital asset distribution platform and application solution through the VIE Hunan Bit Brother Holding Limited (“BTB Hunan”) since May 2021. BTB Hunan is controlled by Qingdao Ether Continent Digital Technology Co., Ltd. (“BTB Qingdao”), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company via a series of contractual arrangements described below.

Contractual Agreements between WFOEs and Hunan MYT, 39Pu and BTB Hunan

On November 19, 2018, Mingyuntang (Shanghai) Tea Co., Ltd. (“Shangai MYT”), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company incorporated in the PRC, entered into a series of variable interest entity (“VIE”) agreements with Hunan Mingyuntang Brand Management Company (“Hunan MYT”) and its shareholder Peng Fang. The VIE Agreements are designed to provide Shanghai MYT with the power, rights and obligations equivalent in all material respects to those it would possess as the sole equity holder of Hunan MYT, including absolute control rights and the rights to the management, operations, assets, property and revenue of Hunan MYT. The purpose of the VIE Agreements is solely to give Shanghai MYT the exclusive control over Hunan MYT’s management and operations. Hunan MYT commenced the operation in December 2018, which was engaged in specialty tea product distribution and retail business by provision of high-quality tea beverages in its tea shop chain.

On October 2, 2019, Shanghai MYT entered into a series of variable interest entity agreements (“39Pu VIE Agreements”) with Hunan 39 Pu Tea Co., Ltd. (“39Pu”) and three shareholders who collectively owned 51% equity interest in 39Pu. The 39Pu VIE Agreements are designed to provide Shanghai MYT with the power, rights and obligations equivalent in all material respects to those it would possess as the controlling equity holder of 39Pu, including absolute control rights and the rights to the management, operations, assets, property and revenue of 39Pu. The purpose of the 39Pu VIE Agreements is solely to give Shanghai MYT the exclusive control over 39Pu’s management and operations. In exchange for the controlling interest in 39Pu, the Company is obliged to pay a cash consideration of $2.4 million and a share consideration of 1,000,000 ordinary shares of the Company, no par value (“Ordinary Shares”).

On August 3, 2022, the Company and Guangzhou Baogu Trading Co., Ltd. entered into certain share purchase agreement, pursuant to which Guangzhou Baogu agreed to purchase 51% of the issued and outstanding shares of 39Pu. which is controlled by the Company through a series of contractual agreements in exchange for cash consideration of RMB 8 million. The disposition of 39Pu closed on August 4, 2022.

On May 13, 2021, Qingdao Ether Continent Digital Technology Co., Ltd. (“BTB Qingdao”), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company incorporated in the PRC, entered into a series of variable interest entity agreements (“BTB VIE Agreements”) with Hunan Bit Brother Holding Limited (“BTB Hunan”) and Hunan Bit Brothers Digital Technology Co., Ltd (“BTB Hunan Digital”) and all of their shareholders. The BTB VIE Agreements are designed to provide BTB Qingdao with the power, rights and obligations equivalent in all material respects to those it would possess as the controlling equity holder of both BTB Hunan and BTB Hunan Digital, including absolute control rights and the rights to the management, operations, assets, property and revenue of both BTB Hunan and BTB Hunan Digital. The purpose of both BTB Hunan and BTB Hunan Digital VIE Agreements is solely to give BTB Qingdao the exclusive control over both BTB Hunan and BTB Hunan Digital’s management and operations.

B. Business Overview. 

The Company is transforming its business from the sales of tea products, beverages and light meals in retail shop chains to the formation of a blockchain ecosystem and the generation of digital assets. Digital asset mining revenue was first generated by the Company in January 2023. The Company’s strategy is to produce and hold bitcoin (after paying for cash operating costs of production) as a long term investment. Holding bitcoin is a strategy to act as a store of value, supported by a robust and public open source architecture, that is not linked to any country’s monetary policy and can therefore serve as a store of value outside of government control. We believe that bitcoin offers additional opportunity for appreciation in value with increasing adoption due to its limited supply.

For the years ended June 30, 2023 and June 30, 2022, the Company generated revenues of $1,065,667 and $765,094 from its sales of tea products, and $1,939,468 and $nil from its blockchain and digital asset mining business. The Company launched its new blockchain and digital asset mining business in May 2021. As the Chinese authorities banned digital asset mining in later June 2021, the Company did not have any operations or generate any revenues from digital asset mining for the year ended June 30, 2022. 

The chart below presents our corporate structure as of the date of this report. 

Blockchain and Digital Asset Mining Business

Our blockchain technology and digital asset mining business is conducted through BTB NY. It consists of conducting research and development of a digital currency wallet, and the integrated operation and management of supercomputer servers, targeting both individual and institutional users. We have re-located our crypto mining business to North America from mainland China since it was banned by the Chinese authorities there in 2021. We plan to provide digital asset mining hosting services at our host sites in the U.S. We expect our hosting sites to be powered by local grid and other power sources to provide long-term stable power supply for digital asset miners as well as holistic hosting and maintenance services to our clients. We have mined 67.9 units of BTC for the twelve months ended June 30, 2023 and the setting up of hosting service is still in progress.

On December 13, 2022, BTB NY and Bolt Mining, LLC (“Bolt Mining”), a Delaware limited liability company engaged in the business of providing digital asset mining equipment and infrastructure, entered into an asset purchase agreement, pursuant to which BTB NY purchased certain identified assets and liabilities of Bolt Mining from them for a total purchase price of $2,100,000.

On December 13, 2022, BTB NY, as a subtenant entered into a site sublease (the “Site Lease”) with Bolt Mining as a sublessor and Acme Commercial Properties LLC for the sublease of approximately 3,000 square feet of space located at 1968 N Access Rd, Clyde, TX 79510 (the “Site”), having a 47-month term beginning on January 13, 2023. Pursuant to the assets purchase agreement, the Site shall have the capability of running 6 MW of electrical power, and the power shall be at a fixed power block price not to exceed an average of $50.00 per MWh exclusive of adders, TDSP pass-through charges, taxes and assessments.

On December 13, 2022, BTB NY entered into a retail power sales agreement (the “Energy Service Agreement”) with Pumpjack Power, LLC, for the supply of electrical energy to BTB NY to operate its facilities in the Texas ERCOT region. The parties may, but are not obligated to, enter into one or more Energy Transactions (“Energy Transactions”) for the purchase and sale of electricity (“Energy”) subject to the Energy Service Agreement. Each Energy Transaction shall identify service delivery point(s) that require Energy and the quantity of Energy to be purchased.

On December 22, 2022, BTB NY entered into a purchase and sale agreement with Grand Flourish Inc. (“Grand Flourish”), pursuant to which BTB NY shall purchase certain digital asset mining hardware and other equipment from time to time, in each case, pursuant to an order to be placed by BTB NY and confirmed by Grand Flourish according to the terms provided in the purchase and sale agreement. On the same day, BTB NY purchased 1,400 S19J Pro digital asset mining servers for an aggregate purchase price of US$2,329,600.

We plan to develop and market super mobile mining boxes which utilize a water curtain cooling system that not only provide an efficient water-cooling system but also retains a large capacity for installing more machines. We expect it to be customized according to each customer’s requirements and needs and is suitable for a variety of brand and model mining machines. BTBOX is still in its R&D stage and no products have been delivered yet during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023.

Trademarks, Copyrights, Patents and Domain Names

We regard our future trademarks, domain names, know-how, proprietary technologies and similar intellectual property as critical to our success, and we will rely on trademark and trade secret law and confidentiality and invention assignment with our employees and others to protect our proprietary rights.

Research and Development  

Currently in addition to development of the BTBOX, our R&D department is also conducting research and feasibility study of a mining farm distribution platform, which would enable mining operators to trade mining machines, escrow mining machines in custody service and maintenance centers, track electricity billing, monitor and roam the farming via virtual reality (“VR”). As part of our plan to develop and commercialize blockchain-based software and applications, we are also conducting feasibility study of a decentralized, user-friently crypto currency wallet, which would support multi-chain, multi-currency management and exchange to better integrate mining machine transactions and mining revenue. The R&D team currently consists of 18 individuals with applicable professional background and relevant experience.

Property, Plant and Equipment

We have leased office space at the location of 15/F, Block A, Kineer Business Centre, 53 Binjiang Road, Yuelu District, Changsha, Hunan Province, China, as our corporate headquarters.

We have leased warehouse space at the location of 1968 N I-20 Access Rd, Clyde, TX 79510, United States, as our first crypto mining site.

We have purchased a piece of land at the location of 5418 Lockheed Way, Abilene, TX 79603, United States. Currently constructing this location as our second crypto mining site.

Licenses, Permits and Government Regulations

As digital assets have grown in both popularity and market size, governments around the world have reacted differently to digital assets; certain governments have deemed them illegal, and others have allowed their use and trade without restriction, while in some jurisdictions, such as in the U.S., there are overlapping, unclear and evolving regulatory requirements. Ongoing and future regulatory actions may impact our ability to continue to operate, and such actions could affect our ability to continue as a going concern or to pursue our new strategy at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects or operations.

As we expect our blockchain and digital assets operations will be in U.S.in the near future, if the U.S. changes its policy or regulations to prevent or limit the development of Bitcoin or digital assets generally, the price of Bitcoin or digital assets as well as the future development of our digital asset related business would decrease or fail, and our business operations and financial results could be adversely affected. Therefore, our ability to comply with government policies and regulations, and to anticipate and respond to potential changes in government policies and regulations will have a significant impact on our business operations and our overall results of operations.

Tea and Light Foods Business

Products 

As of June 30, 2023, we marketed a wide range of trendy tea drinks, light meals, pastries and recently coffee targeting China’s new urban generation in Hunan province. Our products are focused on not only their taste but also their aesthetic presentation and health benefits. Our products except coffee are currently being offered via our flagship and general stores while we offer coffee and coffee related beverage through a chain store brand called “One Coffee” with one shop opens in Guangzhou Guangdong Province.

The tea drinks we are currently offering are developed on various tea bases, among which is our featured Anhua dark tea base. These tea-based beverages include fresh milk tea, fruit tea, milk cap tea, etc. The light meals offered include selections such as salads, sandwiches, pasta, steak, burritos and other healthy options. The pastries we are offering include fresh baked bread, fresh baked cakes, frosting cakes, etc.

Our goal is to be a leading management platform for tea & light food brands of tea, coffee & other beverages in each city in which we currently and plan to operate, by selling the finest quality tea, coffee and other beverages and related products, as well as complementary food offerings, and by providing each customer with a pleasant and comfortable environment. 

Since our expansion into the U.S. in August 2020, we have also begun offering tea and coffee products inspired by the menu of our “Buoyance Manor” stores in China through MENO, customized to fit the New Yorkers’ palate and aesthetic. Since our acquisition of Guokui Management Inc. and the CROP CIRCLE restaurant in New York City, we have also begun offering light Chinese meals and snacks through CROP CIRCLE. CROP CIRCLE’s menu includes items such as dumplings and rice noodle rolls, and features “guokui,” which is a flatbread baked in a clay oven with various choices of flavorful fillings such as shrimp, beef, pork, chicken, preserved vegetables and brown sugar, a popular street snack originating from northern China’s Shanxi province. In October 2020, we invested in two joint ventures, Chuangyeying Brand Management Co., Ltd. (“CYY”) and Changsha Store Master Food Trading Co., Ltd. (“Store Master”). The Company plans to collaborate with the management team of the CYY to promote its brands, Buoyance Manor (“浮力庄园”) and Your Ladyship Tea (“小主的茶”), through tea beverages franchisees owned by CYY. The acquisition will also strengthen and upgrade the Company’s supply chain and lower the costs of its production and transportation by integrating Store Master’s existing logistics network and warehousing capabilities.

Sales Channels

Generally, in one given city, we plan to operate one flagship store, which usually covers a floor area of 80-150 square meters (about 860-1,615 square feet), and a number of general stores, which usually cover a floor area of 60-80 square meters (about 646-860 square feet). The mix of flagship stores and general stores in a given market varies based on several factors, including our ability to access desirable local retail space, the complexity, profitability and expected ultimate size of the market for us and our ability to leverage the support infrastructure within a geographic region.

A flagship store can only be a managed store while a general store can be either a managed store or JV store.

Flagship Stores

Each of our flagship stores usually covers a floor area of 80-150 square meters (about 860-1,615 square feet) which offers all kinds of our products including tea drinks, light meals and pastries.

We plan to promote our brand recognition in each city by the flagship store in that city. We seek to maintain our flagship stores in strategic locations that support the brand image, targeting high customer traffic locations including shopping malls, lifestyle centers and outlets. We regularly review our store portfolio, identifying new store locations and monitoring existing locations for sufficient levels of customer traffic to maintain high exposure. We actively monitor and manage the performance of our stores and seek to incorporate information learned through the monitoring process into our analytic process and future site selection and store retention decisions.

General stores

Our general stores mainly offer tea beverages and light meals only, and cover a smaller floor area of 40-80 square meters (about 430-860 square feet) each. If a general store desires to expand the product offerings to include pastries, the store must acquire more equipment from us. The decision to offer baking products varies upon the location of general stores.

Online Delivery

We have also teamed up with China’s leading online food ordering and delivery platforms—meituan.com (“美团”) and ele.me (“饿了么”)—to allow consumers to order drinks, light meals, and pastries through the Internet from the closest stores. Consumers, however, can order only products that are suitable for delivery, such as bread with long expiration periods, light snacks, and certain tea beverages. Some tea beverages, such as milk foam cap tea, are not offered online due to its unsuitability for delivery. After a customer places an order with these online platforms, our products will be produced in the stores and delivered by professional deliverymen. The production and delivery process is typically completed in forty (40) minutes. The online platforms will charge us sixteen percent (16%) to twenty percent (20%) of the total sales amount.

Since our expansion into the U.S. in August 2020, we have also entered into agreements with the U.S.’s leading online food ordering and delivery platforms, including GrubHub, UberEats, HungryPanda, ChowBus and YBB.

Below is a summary of flagship and general stores operated by us as of June 30, 2023:

In light of the current effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, we plan to slow down the expansion of the Company’s managed stores.

Suppliers

We work with many suppliers in the sourcing of raw materials, baking equipment, furniture and decoration, utensils etc. We are not dependent on any particular suppliers.

Branding and Marketing Strategy  

As of June 30, 2023, our products are  offered under two brands, Buoyance Manor (“浮力庄园”) and Your Ladyship Tea (“小主的茶”). Since the expansion of our operations into the United States in August 2020, we have also begun offering our products under MENO and CROP CIRCLE as of the date of this report. We plan to offer snacks and accessories, including peanut nougat gift boxes, cookies, coffee mugs, and tea cups under a new brand Meet Honey. We have entered into a series of trademark assignment and license agreements with the owners of these trademarks. For details, please refer to the section of Trademarks, Copyrights, Patents and Domain Names.

Each brand has its own market position. Buoyance Manor mainly focuses on selling coffee drinks and varieties of bread originating from Europe. Your Ladyship Tea mainly focuses on selling tea beverages and light meals. Meet Honey will mainly focus on selling snacks and accessories, including peanut nougat gift boxes, cookies, coffee mugs, and teacups.

We have implemented the following marketing strategies to promote our brands: utilizing Baidu Ads, on-site promotion, advertising in shopping malls and commercial complexes, setting up road advertising flags, and posting adverting posters in elevators and grocery stores. We plan to also advertise in residential complexes and public transport system, and sponsor sports events.

Trademarks, Copyrights, Patents and Domain Names

We regard our trademarks, domain names, know-how, proprietary technologies and similar intellectual property as critical to our success, and we rely on trademark and trade secret law and confidentiality and invention assignment with our employees and others to protect our proprietary rights.

In the PRC, we have entered into trademark assignment agreements with Jinhou Group (Zhongguo) Limited (“Jinhou”), Hunan 39 Tea Limited (“39 Tea”), and Shanghai Guoranmei Commerce & Trade Limited, the owners of the registered trademarks Buoyance Manor (“浮力庄园”), Your Ladyship Tea (“小主的茶”) and Meet Honey, respectively. Pursuant to these trademark assignment agreements, we have acquired all the rights and interests in each respective trademark. We have submitted these trademark assignment agreements to the Trademark Office of State Administration for Industry and Commerce for review and registration and have received all relevant approvals as of the date of this report.

In the U.S., we have submitted our trademarks MENO and CROP CIRCLE to the United States Patents and Trademark Office on August 31, 2020, and are currently pending examination and approval.

Our intellectual property includes our domain name www.h-n-myt.com, brand names of “One Coffee” and “Easy May.”

Property, Plant and Equipment

We have leased office space at the location of 15/F, Block A, Kineer Business Centre, 53 Binjiang Road, Yuelu District, Changsha, Hunan Province, China, as our corporate headquarters.

In addition, we lease spaces from different real estate entities for our flagship stores and general stores, with average lease term between three and five years.

Research and Development  

Tea-based Beverages – we have developed more than twenty types of tea-based beverages, including fruit coffee, milk foam cap tea, fresh milk tea, and fresh fruit tea.

Baking Products – we have developed more than twenty types of baking products, including danish bread, soft European bread, room-temperature cakes, frosting cakes, and toasts.

Light Meals – we have developed more than twenty types of light meal products, including steam boat called “牛生鲜” ，sandwiches, steak, baked cheese rice, salad, burritos, et cetera.

Coffee Drink - We serve coffee and related drinks by the brand name called “One Coffee” and we plan to add another brand “拾光” to it later.

We try to tailor our product offering based on market demand and reacts to changing customer tastes.

Insurance

As required by laws and regulations in China, we participate in various employee social security plans that are organized by municipal and provincial governments, including housing, pension, medical insurance and unemployment insurance programs. The Company is required under Chinese law to make contributions to employee benefit plans at specified percentages of the salaries, bonuses and certain allowances of our employees, up to a maximum amount specified by the local government from time to time. All of our full-time employees are fully covered by those employee social security plans.

Seasonality

The sale of baking products and light meals is not subject to seasonal changes, however, the sale of tea-based beverages is. The period from April to October is the top season for the sale of tea-based beverages, whereas the rest of a year is the off-season. We, however, have developed and begun to offer hot milk foam tea product offerings to mitigate the impact of seasonal fluctuations in sales.

Management, Culture and Training

We are guided by a philosophy that recognizes customer service and the importance of delivering optimal performance, allowing us to identify and reward teams that meet our high performance standards. We use store-level scorecards that report key performance indicators. We provide our store managers with a number of analytical tools to support our store operations and assist them in attaining optimum store performance. These tools include key performance indicator reports, coaching logs for one-on-one meetings, weekly one-on-one meetings between our store managers and district managers and annual evaluations. While our focus is on the overall performance of the team and our stores, we provide incentives to team members, store managers and district managers.

Our core values and distinctive corporate culture allow us to attract passionate and friendly employees who share a vision of making tea fun and accessible. We have a strong focus on community engagement, and our culture reflects our belief in doing right by our customers and our communities. We provide our employees with extensive training, career development, individual enrichment, and empowerment, which we believe is a key contributor for our success.

Business Management Services

In August 2023, we launched a new line of business in China to provide business management services and license trademarks to retail store owners. Our consolidated affiliates in China have entered into Cooperation Agreement and Entrusted Business Management Agreement with certain store owners who operate coffee shops, restaurants and beauty salons. According to the terms of the into Cooperation Agreement and Entrusted Business Management Agreement, our consolidated affiliates shall license our own trademarks to the store owners, provide business management services including operational management advisory services, human resources management services, accounting and payment solutions etc. In exchange of these services, the store owners shall pay a lump sum amount as well as pay 10% of the confirmed revenue to us. In addition, in the event the store owner achieves a certain aggregate profit threshold, he or she shall pay 20% of the confirmed revenue to us.

In the PRC, we have licensed our own trademarks “Easy May” (“医小美”) and One Coffee (“一万次被爱” ) to the store owners as of the date of this annual report. We have submitted our trademarks “Hour Coffee” (“拾光咖啡”) and “Niu Sheng Xian”(“牛升鲜”)   to the Trademark Office of State Administration for Industry and Commerce for review and registration. The two trademarks are pending approval as of the date of this report. We also supply digital POS (Point of Sales) technology dubbed “Palm Control” (“掌控数智”) to the store owners as part of our payment solutions services.

Management of Beverages from Various Brands

We have integrated a coffee shop brands known as “One Coffee” and “Hour Coffee ” (“拾光”) and a steam boat brand “Niu Sheng Xian” (牛鲜生) as of the date of this report. The Company will generate revenues by charging one-time upfront franchise fees and a certain percentage of commission revenue based on franchisee’s total revenue.

Digital POS (Point of Sales)

We have supplied Digital POS technology dubbed “Palm Control” (“掌控数智”) to the store owners as part of our payment solutions services. The Company intends to supply POS to every shop owner within and beyond our ecosystem to facilitate payment convenience for business. The Company will generate revenue by selling hardware, software by SAAS (Software as a service) and charging service fees by customizing client’s system.

Easy May

We provide a non-surgical aesthetic medical service via a chain under our trademark “Easy May” (“医小美”). Easy May offers minimally invasive diagnostics and treatments without surgical incisions, significantly minimizing intrusion into human tissues. The Company will generate revenue by charging one-time and upfront franchise fees and a certain percentage of commission revenue based on franchisee’s total revenue.

Employees

We currently have 65 full-time employees in the U.S. and China for our digital asset business, 41 full-time employees in China for our tea business  8 employees in China for our management service business.

We have employment contracts with all of our employees in China and the U.S. in accordance with relevant PRC and U.S. laws. There are no collective bargaining contracts covering any of our employees. We believe our relationship with our employees is satisfactory.

We have made employee benefit contributions in accordance with relevant Chinese regulations, including retirement insurance, unemployment insurance, medical insurance, housing fund, work injury insurance and birth insurance.

Competition

Blockchain and Digital Asset Mining Business

Digital asset mining, hosting and security is in a highly competitive environment. Our competitors include companies that may have a longer history, larger market share, greater brand recognition, greater financial resources in research or other competitive advantages. We anticipate that competition will increase as digital assets gain greater acceptance and more players join the market of digital asset mining and mining farm operations.

Tea and Light Foods Business

In almost all markets in which we operate our specialty tea beverage business, there are numerous competitors . We believe that our customers choose among specialty tea beverage brands primarily on the basis of product quality, service and convenience, as well as price. We also experience competition from large fast-food restaurants and ready-to-drink tea beverage manufacturers. We also compete with restaurants and other specialty retailers for prime retail locations and qualified personnel to operate both new and existing stores.

As of the date of this report, our major competitors in the Hunan province are: Maiji (“麦吉”), Luosennina (“罗森尼娜”), NAYUKI (“奈雪的茶”), and Chayanyuese (“茶颜悦色”), and our major competitors in New York are: Gong Cha, Debutea, The Alley, Moge Tee and Tiger Sugar.

Business Management Services

For our newly-launched business management services, we compete with established franchisers and other management services. In the beverage industry, we will compete with companies such as Luckin Coffee, Coasta Coffee and Starbucks. For non-surgical aesthetic medical services industry, we have well-established chain including Sweet Orange and So Yong. In the POS payment industry we will face fierce competition with companies such as Jialian, Alipay and Jindong.

Strong competition in the market may require us to increase our marketing expenses and sales expenses, if any, or otherwise invest greater resources to gain market shares and expand our mining capacities as needed to adequately compete. Such efforts may negatively impact our profitability. If we are unable to effectively meet our business plans in the competitive landscape, our business, financial conditions and results of operations may be adversely affected.

Competitive Advantages

The fact that we are a public company listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market provides us with an edge over our competitors through enhancing the consumers’ confidence in us and our products. We are well-endowed with capital, positioning us perfectly to offer comprehensive financial backing to our various operations. This allows for swift, large-scale expansion. Beyond finances, we extend our support through resource integration, encompassing areas such as supply chain management, logistics, and prime store location negotiations, all tailored to maximize economic returns and minimize costs.

For our newly launched business management services, we built on our experience in operating the tea and light meal business and have developed a seasoned professional and technical team ready to provide management and technical guidance to the store owners. This includes assistance with brand standard operating procedures (SOPs), digital system innovations for business operations, insightful evaluations for store locations, and strategic talent sourcing and training—all geared towards propelling brand growth and innovation.

Licenses, Permits and Government Regulations

PRC Laws and Regulations Relating to Our Business

PRC Legal System

The PRC legal system is based on the PRC Constitution and is made up of written laws, regulations and directives. Decided court cases do not constitute binding precedents.

The National People’s Congress of the PRC (“NPC”) and the Standing Committee of the NPC are empowered by the PRC Constitution to exercise the legislative power of the state. The NPC has the power to amend the PRC Constitution and to enact and amend primary laws governing the state organs and civil and criminal matters. The Standing Committee of the NPC is empowered to interpret, enact and amend laws other than those required to be enacted by the NPC.

The State Council of the PRC is the highest organ of state administration and has the power to enact administrative rules and regulations. Ministries and commissions under the State Council of the PRC are also vested with the power to issue orders, directives and regulations within the jurisdiction of their respective departments. Administrative rules, regulations, directives and orders promulgated by the State Council and its ministries and commissions must not be in conflict with the PRC Constitution or the national laws and, in the event that any conflict arises, the Standing Committee of the NPC has the power to annul such administrative rules, regulations, directives and orders.

At the regional level, the people’s congresses of provinces and municipalities and their standing committees may enact local rules and regulations and the people’s government may promulgate administrative rules and directives applicable to their own administrative area. These local laws and regulations may not be in conflict with the PRC Constitution, any national laws or any administrative rules and regulations promulgated by the State Council.

Rules, regulations or directives may be enacted or issued at the provincial or municipal level or by the State Council of the PRC or its ministries and commissions in the first instance for experimental purposes. After sufficient experience has been gained, the State Council may submit legislative proposals to be considered by the NPC or the Standing Committee of the NPC for enactment at the national level.

The power to interpret laws is vested by the PRC Constitution in the Standing Committee of the NPC. According to the Decision of the Standing Committee of the NPC Regarding the Strengthening of Interpretation of Laws passed on 10 June 1981, the Supreme People’s Court has the power to give general interpretation on application of laws in judicial proceedings apart from its power to issue specific interpretation in specific cases. The State Council and its ministries and commissions are also vested with the power to give interpretation of the rules and regulations which they promulgated. At the regional level, the power to give interpretation of regional laws is vested in the regional legislative and administration organs which promulgate such laws. All such interpretations carry legal effect.

Judicial System

The People’s Courts are the judicial organs of the PRC. Under the PRC Constitution and the Law of Organization of the People’s Courts of the PRC, the People’s Courts comprise the Supreme People’s Court, the local people’s courts, military courts and other special people’s courts. The local people’s courts are divided into three levels, namely, the basic people’s courts, intermediate people’s courts and higher people’s courts. The basic people’s courts are divided into civil, criminal and administrative divisions. The intermediate people’s courts have divisions similar to those of the basic people’s courts and, where the circumstances so warrant, may have other special divisions (such as intellectual property divisions). The judicial functions of people’s courts at lower levels are subject to supervision of people’s courts at higher levels. The people’s procuratorates also have the right to exercise legal supervision over the proceedings of people’s courts of the same and lower levels. The Supreme People’s Court is the highest judicial organ of the PRC. It supervises the administration of justice by the people’s courts of all levels.

The people’s courts adopt a two-tier final appeal system. A party may before the taking effect of a judgment or order appeal against the judgment or order of the first instance of a local people’s court to the people’s court at the next higher level. Judgments or orders of the second instance of the same level and at the next higher level are final and binding. Judgments or orders of the first instance of the Supreme People’s Court are also final and binding if no appeals are made before they take effect. If, however, the Supreme People’s Court or a people’s court at a higher level finds an error in a final and binding judgment which has taken effect in any people’s court at a lower level, or the presiding judge of a people’s court finds an error in a final and binding judgment which has taken effect in the court over which he presides, a retrial of the case may be conducted according to the judicial supervision procedures.

The PRC civil procedures are governed by the Civil Procedure Law of the People’s Republic of China (the “Civil Procedure Law”) adopted on April 9, 1991 and amended on October 28, 2007 and August 31, 2012. The Civil Procedure Law contains regulations on the institution of a civil action, the jurisdiction of the people’s courts, the procedures in conducting a civil action, trial procedures and procedures for the enforcement of a civil judgment or order. All parties to a civil action conducted within the territory of the PRC must comply with the Civil Procedure Law. A civil case is generally heard by a court located in the defendant’s place of domicile. The jurisdiction may also be selected by express agreement by the parties to a contract provided that the jurisdiction of the people’s court selected has some actual connection with the dispute, that is to say, the plaintiff or the defendant is located or domiciled, or the contract was executed or implemented in the jurisdiction selected, or the subject-matter of the proceedings is located in the jurisdiction selected. A foreign national or foreign enterprise is accorded the same litigation rights and obligations as a citizen or legal person of the PRC. If any party to a civil action refuses to comply with a judgment or order made by a people’s court or an award made by an arbitration body in the PRC, the aggrieved party may apply to the people’s court to enforce the judgment, order or award. The time limit on the right to apply for such enforcement is two years.

A party seeking to enforce a judgment or order of a people’s court against a party who or whose property is not within the PRC may apply to a foreign court with jurisdiction over the case for recognition and enforcement of such judgment or order. A foreign judgment or ruling may also be recognized and enforced according to PRC enforcement procedures by the people’s courts in accordance with the principle of reciprocity or if there exists an international or bilateral treaty with or acceded to by the foreign country that provides for such recognition and enforcement, unless the people’s court considers that the recognition or enforcement of the judgment or ruling will violate fundamental legal principles of the PRC or its sovereignty, security or social or public interest.

Arbitration and Enforcement of Arbitral Awards

The Arbitration Law of the PRC (the “Arbitration Law”) was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the NPC on 31 August 1994 and came into effect on 1 September 1995. It is applicable to, among other matters, trade disputes involving foreign parties where the parties have entered into a written agreement to refer the matter to arbitration before an arbitration committee constituted in accordance with the Arbitration Law. Under the Arbitration Law, an arbitration committee may, before the promulgation by the PRC Arbitration Association of arbitration regulations, formulate interim arbitration rules in accordance with the Arbitration Law and the PRC Civil Procedure Law. Where the parties have by an agreement provided arbitration as a method for dispute resolution, the parties are not permitted to institute legal proceedings in a people’s court.

Under the Arbitration Law, an arbitral award is final and binding on the parties and if a party fails to comply with an award, the other party to the award may apply to the people’s court for enforcement. A people’s court may refuse to enforce an arbitral award made by an arbitration committee if there were mistakes, an absence of material evidence or irregularities over the arbitration proceedings, or the jurisdiction or constitution of the arbitration committee.

A party seeking to enforce an arbitral award of a foreign affairs arbitration body of the PRC against a party who or whose property is not within the PRC may apply to a foreign court with jurisdiction over the case for enforcement. Similarly, an arbitral award made by a foreign arbitration body may be recognized and enforced by the PRC courts in accordance with the principles of reciprocity or any international treaty concluded or acceded to by the PRC.

In respect of contractual and non-contractual commercial-law-related disputes which are recognized as such for the purposes of the PRC laws, the PRC has acceded to the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Award (the “New York Convention”) adopted on 10 June 1958 pursuant to a resolution of the Standing Committee of the NPC passed on 2 December 1986. The New York Convention provides that all arbitral awards made by a state which is a party to the New York Convention shall be recognized and enforced by other parties to the New York Convention subject to their right to refuse enforcement under certain circumstances including where the enforcement of the arbitral award is against the public policy of the state to which the application for enforcement is made. It was declared by the Standing Committee of the NPC at the time of the accession of the PRC that (1) the PRC would only recognize and enforce foreign arbitral awards on the principle of reciprocity; and (2) the PRC would only apply the New York Convention in disputes considered under PRC laws to be arising from contractual and non-contractual mercantile legal relations.

Foreign Exchange Control

Prior to 31 December 1993, enterprises in the PRC requiring foreign currency were required to obtain approval from the State Planning Committee and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation before it could convert RMB into foreign currency, and such conversion had to be effected at the official rate prescribed by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (“SAFE”). RMB reserved by Foreign Investment Enterprises (“FIEs”) could also be converted into foreign currency at swap centers with the prior examination and verification by SAFE. The exchange rates used by swap centers were largely determined by the supply of and demand for foreign currencies and RMB.

On December 28, 1993, the People’s Bank of China (“PBOC”) announced that the dual exchange rate system for RMB against foreign currencies would be abolished with effect from January 1, 1994 and be replaced by the unified exchange rate system. Under the new system, the PBOC publishes the RMB exchange rate against the United States dollar daily. The daily exchange rate is set by reference to the RMB/US$ trading price on the previous day on the “inter-bank foreign exchange market”.

On April 1, 1996, the Foreign Exchange Control Regulations of the PRC (as amended on January 14, 1997) came into effect. On 20 June 1996, the Regulations on Sale and Purchase of and Payment in Foreign Exchange were promulgated by the People’s Bank of China and came into effect on 1 July 1996.

On October 25, 1998, the PBOC and SAFE issued a Joint Announcement on Abolishment of Foreign Exchange Swap Business which stated that from December 1, 1998, foreign exchange transactions for FIEs may only be conducted at designated banks.

On August 12, 2007, SAFE promulgated the Notice on the Retaining of Foreign Exchange Earnings by Domestic Entity, which provides that from August 12, 2007, domestic entity may retain its recurrent foreign exchange earnings according to their needs for operation.

On August 1, 2008, the revised Foreign Exchange Control Regulations of the PRC was adopted by the State Council and was promulgated for implementation on August 5, 2008. In summary, taking into account the promulgation of the recent new regulations and to the extent the existing provisions stipulated in previous regulations do not contradict these new regulations, the present position under the PRC law relating to foreign exchange control are as follows:

The Circular on Relevant Issues concerning Foreign Exchange Administration of Overseas Investment and Financing and Return Investments Conducted by Domestic Residents through Overseas Special Purpose Vehicles (“SAFE Circular No. 37”), which was promulgated by SAFE and became effective on July 14, 2014, requires a PRC individual resident (“PRC Resident”) to register with the local SAFE branch before he or she contributes assets or equity interests in an overseas special purpose vehicle (“Offshore SPV”) that is directly established or controlled by the PRC Resident for the purpose of conducting investment or financing. Following the initial registration, the PRC Resident is also required to register with the local SAFE branch for any major change in respect of the Offshore SPV, including, among other things, any major change of a PRC Resident shareholder, name or term of operation of the Offshore SPV, or any increase or reduction of the Offshore SPV’s registered capital, share transfer or swap, merger or division. Failure to comply with the registration procedures of SAFE Circular No. 37 may result in penalties and sanctions, including the imposition of restrictions on the ability of the Offshore SPV’s PRC subsidiary to distribute dividends to its overseas parent.

In addition, according to the SAFE Circular No. 37, a PRC Resident that participates in an employee share incentive plan of a non-listed Offshore SPV could, by submitting required documents, apply for registration with the local SAFE branch before exercising stock options.

Strict supervision and control by foreign exchange control administration has been imposed upon FIEs established in the manner of acquisitions of the PRC enterprises by foreign enterprises with PRC residents as shareholders.

Taxation

Income Tax

The New Income Tax Law was promulgated by NPC on March 16, 2007 and came into effect on January 1, 2008. The Chinese domestic enterprises and FIEs are treated equally on the income tax rate, and the enterprise income tax rate shall be 25%. In accordance with the New Income Tax Law and its implementing regulations, the non-resident enterprise which has not set up institutions or establishments in China, or has set up institutions or establishments but the income has no relationship with such institutions or establishments, it shall pay enterprise income tax on such income sourced from China, and the income tax rate shall be 20%, subject to reduction as provided by any applicable double taxation treaty, unless the relevant income is specially exempted from tax under the applicable tax laws, regulations, notices and decisions which relate to FIEs and their investors.

The enterprises that were approved and established prior to the promulgation hereof and that, in accordance with the effective tax laws and administrative regulations, enjoy a special lower tax rate shall, in accordance with the provisions of the State Council, progressively transit to the tax rate specified herein within 5 years following the implementation hereof. Those enterprises that enjoy a fixed-term tax exemption or tax reduction shall, in accordance with the provisions of the State Council, continue to enjoy such exemption or reduction after the implementation hereof until the expiration of the term of such exemption or reduction. However, if an enterprise did not enjoy such preferential treatment because it has not yet achieved profitability, the term of such preferential treatment shall be calculated from 1 January 2008 until the expiration of the term of such exemption or reduction.

According to the Notice on Strengthening Administration of Enterprise Income Tax for Share Transfers by Non-PRC Resident Enterprise (Circular Guoshuihan [2009] No. 698) implemented on January 1, 2008, except for the purchase and sale of equity through a public securities market, where a foreign corporate investor indirectly transfers the equity of a PRC resident enterprise by disposing the equity of an overseas holding company (the “Indirect Transfer”) located in a tax jurisdiction that (i) has an effective tax rate of less than 12.5%, or (ii) does not tax its residents on their foreign income, the foreign corporate investor shall report the Indirect Transfer to the competent PRC tax authority within 30 days from the date when the equity transfer agreement was made. In this case, the PRC tax authority will examine the true nature of the Indirect Transfer. Should it deem the foreign investor to have made the Indirect Transfer without reasonable commercial purpose and in order to avoid the PRC tax, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company that is used for tax planning purpose and re-characterize the Indirect Transfer. As a result, gains derived from such Indirect Transfer by the foreign investor may be subject to the EIT Law.

Value-Added Tax

Pursuant to the Provisional Regulations on Value-added Tax of PRC, last amended on November 5, 2008 and took effect from January 1, 2009, and its implementation rules which were revised on December 15, 2008 and took effect from January 1, 2009, all entities or individuals in PRC engaging in the sale of goods, the provision of processing services, repairs and replacement services, and the import of goods are required to pay value-added tax (“VAT”). The amount of VAT payable in the sale or import of goods except as otherwise provided by paragraph (2) and paragraph (3) of Article 2 of the Provisional Regulations on Value-added Tax of PRC. The tax rate is also 17% for those providing processing services repairs and replacement services.

In November 2011, the Ministry of Finance (“MOF”) and the State Administration of Tax (“SAT”) promulgated the Pilot Plan for Imposition of Value-Added Tax to Replace Business Tax (the “Pilot Plan”). Since January 1, 2012, the PRC government has been implementing a pilot program in certain provinces and municipalities, to levy a 6% VAT on revenue generated from certain kinds of services in lieu of the 5% business tax. According to the Notice Regarding the Nationwide Implementation of B2V Transformation Pilot Program in respect of Transportation and Certain Modern Service Industries jointly issued by the MOF and SAT effective from August 1, 2013 (the “B2V Circular 37”), such policy has been implemented nationwide. In addition, the MOF and SAT released the Notice on Including Railway Transportation and Postal Services Sectors into the Pilot Scheme on Switching from Business Tax to VAT on December 12, 2013, which further expanded the scope of taxable services for value-added tax and replaced the B2V Circular 37 as of January 1, 2014.

Business Tax

Pursuant to the Interim Regulation of the People’s Republic of China on Business Tax (“Business Tax Regulation”) last amended on November 10, 2008 and took effect from 1 January, 2009, business that provide services (including entertainment business), assign intangible assets or sell immovable property became liable to business tax at a rate ranging from 3% to 20% of the charges of the services provided, intangible assets assigned or immovable property sold, as the case may be.

Tax on Dividends from PRC Enterprise with Foreign Investment

According to the New Income Tax Law and the Implementation Rules, income such as dividends and profits distribution from the PRC derived from a foreign enterprise which has no establishment in the PRC is subject to a 10% withholding tax, subject to reduction as provided by any applicable double taxation treaty.

Stamp Duty

Under the PRC Interim Regulations on Stamp Duty promulgated by the State Council on August 6, 1988 and amended in January 6, 2011, for building property transfer instruments, including those in respect of property ownership transfer, the duty rate shall be 0.05% of the amount stated therein; for permits and certificates relating to rights, including real estate title certificates and land use right certificates, stamp duty shall be levied on an item basis at an annual rate of RMB5 per item.

Urban Maintenance Tax

Under the PRC Interim Regulations on Urban Maintenance Tax promulgated by the State Council on February 8, 1985 and amended on January 8, 2011, any taxpayer, whether an individual or otherwise, of product tax, value-added tax or business tax shall be required to pay urban maintenance tax. The tax rate shall be 7% for a taxpayer whose domicile is in an urban area, 5% for a taxpayer whose domicile is in a county and a town, and 1% for a taxpayer whose domicile is not in any urban area or county or town.

Education Surcharge

Under the Interim Provisions on Imposition of Education Surcharge promulgated by the State Council on April 28, 1986 (last amended by the State Council on August 20, 2005), any taxpayer, whether an individual or otherwise, of product tax, value-added tax or business tax shall pay an education surcharge, unless such obliged taxpayer is instead required to pay a rural area education surcharge as provided by the Notice of the State Council on Raising Funds for Schools in Rural Areas. Education surcharge shall be calculated and levied at a rate of 1% on the actual amount of product tax, value-added tax and business tax paid by the taxpayer.

According to the Circular on Issues Concerning Policies on Unifying Local Education Surtax promulgated by ministry of finance on November 17, 2010, the rate at which local education surtax is levied should be 2% of the value-added tax, the business tax or the consumption tax actually paid by entities and individuals (including foreign-invested enterprises, foreign enterprises and foreign individuals).

Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise(WFOEs)

WFOE is governed by the Law of the People’s Republic of China Concerning Enterprises with Sole Foreign Investments, which was promulgated on April 12, 1986 and was subsequently amended on October 31, 2000, and its Implementation Regulations promulgated on December 12, 1990 and was subsequently amended on April 12, 2001 (together the “Foreign Enterprises Law”).

Procedures for Establishment of a WFOE

The establishment of a WFOE will have to be approved by Ministry of Commerce (or its delegated authorities) (the “MOC”). If two or more foreign investors jointly apply for the establishment of a WFOE, a copy of the contract between the parties must also be submitted to MOC (or its delegated authorities) for its record. A WFOE must also obtain a business license from the State Administration of Industry and Commerce (or its delegated authorities) before it can commence business.

Nature

A WFOE is a limited liability company under the Foreign Enterprise Law. It is a legal entity which may independently assume civil obligations, enjoy civil rights and has the right to own, use and dispose of property. It is required to have a registered capital contributed by the foreign investor(s). The liability of the foreign investor(s) is limited to the amount of registered capital contributed. The foreign investor may make its contributions by installments and the registered capital must be contributed within the period as approved by the MOC (or its delegated authorities) in accordance with relevant regulations.

Profit Distribution

The Foreign Enterprise Law provides that after payment of taxes, a WFOE must make contributions to a reserve fund and at least 10% of the after-tax profits must be allocated to the reserve fund. If the accumulative amount of allocated reserve funds reaches 50% of an enterprise’s registered capital, the WFOE will not be required to make any additional contribution. The WFOE is prohibited from distributing dividends unless the losses (if any) of previous years have been made up.

In accordance with the Notice of the Ministry of Finance on the Issue of Handling Financial Issues by Relevant Enterprises after the Implementation of the Company Law promulgated by the Ministry of Finance on March 15, 2006 and effective April 1, 2006, from January 1, 2006 on, enterprises established in accordance with the Company Law shall distribute profits pursuant to Article 167 of the Company Law and shall no longer make contributions to the reserve fund. After an enterprise ceases to make contributions to the reserve fund, it may continue to make contributions to the employee bonus and welfare fund as decided by the board of directors if the purpose, use conditions, and procedures thereof shall be made clear, and such funds shall be manage as debts.

Company Law

The establishment and operation of corporate entities in China is governed by the PRC Company Law, which was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the NPC on December 29, 1993 and became effective on July 1, 1994 (“1993 PRC Company Law”). It was subsequently amended on December 25, 1999, August 28, 2004, October 27, 2005 and December 28, 2013.

The PRC Company Law generally governs 2 types of companies — limited liability companies and joint stock limited companies. Both types of companies have the status of legal persons, and the liability of a company to its debtors is limited to the value of assets owned by the company. Liabilities of shareholders of a limited liability company are limited to the amount of registered capital they have contributed.

The amendments to the PRC Company Law adopted in October 2005 seek to reform various aspects of the 1993 PRC Company Law and simplify the establishment and operation of companies incorporated in China by lowering capitalization requirements, increasing shareholder and creditor protection, improving corporate governance, and relaxing rules regarding the establishment of subsidiaries. Further, the restriction relating to the total investment of a company in other entities exceeding 50% of its net assets has been removed, the incorporation of one shareholder limited liability companies in addition to wholly State-owned enterprises is permitted, and the Chinese Company Law shall apply to foreign invested limited liability companies. Where laws on foreign investment have other stipulations, such stipulations shall apply.

The amendments to the PRC Company Law adopted in December 2013 took effect on March 1, 2014. These amendments cover three aspects: (a) replacing the paid-up capital registration system by subscribed capital registration system; (b) relaxing the requirements for registered capital registration; and (c) streamlining the registration items and requirements for registration documents.

PRC Laws and Regulations Relating to Foreign Investment

On October 31, 2007, the National Development and Reform Commission (“NDRC”) and MOC, jointly promulgated the Catalogue of Industries for Guiding Foreign Investment (as amended in 2007), which came into effect on December 1, 2007 (the “Catalogue”), as amended on December 24, 2011 and came into effect on January 30, 2012. The Catalogue lists out the industries and economic activities which are encouraged, restricted or prohibited by the PRC government for foreign investment. The Catalogue does not specify which business activities are in the permitted category. Instead, if the business activities are not listed in any of the encouraged, restricted or the prohibited categories, they shall be construed as being in the permitted category. Pursuant to the Catalogue, the wholesale of refined oil falls under the restricted category. None of our Group’s business activities are listed in the prohibited category.

Labor Law

Pursuant to the Labor Law of the PRC promulgated by Standing Committee of the NPC on July 5, 1994 and was subsequently amended on August 27, 2009, the Labor Contract Law of the PRC promulgated by Standing Committee of the NPC on June 29, 2007 and was subsequently amended on December 28, 2012 and the Labour Contract Law Implementation Rules of the PRC promulgated by the State Council on September 18, 2008, companies must enter into employment contracts with their employees, based on the principles of equality, consent and agreement through consultation. Companies must establish and effectively implement system of ensuring occupational safety and health, educating employees on occupational safety and health, preventing work-related accidents and reducing occupational hazards. Companies must also pay for their employees’ social insurance premium.

Social Insurance Law

Employers in China are required to contribute, on behalf of their employees, to a number of social security funds, including funds for basic pension insurance, unemployment insurance, basic medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, maternity insurance, and housing provident funds. These payments are made to local administrative authorities and an employer who fails to contribute may be fined and be ordered to make-up for the missed contributions. The various laws and regulations that govern the employers’ obligation to contribute to the social security funds include PRC Social Insurance Law promulgated by the Standing Committee of the NPC on October 28, 2010 and became effective July 1, 2011; the Interim Regulations on the Collection and Payment of Social Security Funds, which were promulgated by the State Council and became effective on January 22, 1999; the Interim Measures concerning the Maternity Insurance, which were promulgated by the Ministry of Labor on December 14, 1994 and became effective on January 1, 1995; the Regulations on Occupational Injury Insurance, which were promulgated by the State Council on April 27, 2003 and became effective on January 1, 2004 and was amended on December 20, 2010; the Regulations on Management of the Housing Provident Fund, which were promulgated and became effective on April 3, 1999 and was amended on March 24, 2002.

Where the enterprises fail to pay the full amount of the social insurance premiums, the relevant department aforesaid has the authority to check and decide on the amount of social insurance premiums that the enterprises should pay as the supplementary payment. If the enterprises does not pay for the social insurance premiums after the relevant department has charged the full amount of the supplementary payment, the relevant department is authorized to either inquire about the deposit account of such enterprises, or apply to the related department at or above the county level for making the decision of the allocation of social insurance premiums. The relevant department can also inform the bank or other financial institution to execute the allocation by written notice. If the amount of the deposit account is smaller than the amount of social insurance premiums required to pay by the enterprises, the enterprises may provide a security and delay the date to pay the social insurance premiums. If the amount of the deposit account is smaller than the amount of the social insurance premiums needed to pay by the enterprises, and the enterprises fails to provide a security, the relevant department shall apply to the court for the levying, sealing and auctioning of the property of such enterprises.

If the enterprises do not pay the full amount of social insurance premiums as scheduled, the social insurance premium collection institution shall order them to make the payment or make up the difference within a stipulated period and impose a daily fine equivalent to 0.05% of the overdue payment from the date on which the payment is overdue. If payment is not made within the stipulated period, the relevant administration department shall impose a fine from one to three times the amount of overdue payment.

Governmental Regulations in Relation to the Company’s Businesses

Regulations Related to Franchise

The State Council promulgated the Administrative Regulations on Commercial Franchising, or Franchise Regulations, on February 6, 2007. The Ministry of Commerce (“MOFCOM”) promulgated the Administrative Measures on Filing of Commercial Franchise, or the Franchise Filling Measures, on April 30, 2007, as amended on December 12, 2011, as well as the Administrative Measures on Information Disclosure of Commercial Franchise, or Franchise Information Disclosure Measures, on April 30, 2007, as amended on February 23, 2012.

Under the above regulations, franchise operations refer to a license by an enterprise owner of registered trademarks, enterprise logos, patents, proprietary technologies or other business resources, or franchisor, to another business operator, or franchisee, to use such business resources owned by the franchisor through a contractual arrangement, where the franchisee operates the business according to a uniform business model stipulated under the contract and pay the franchisor franchising fees.

When engaging in a franchise operation, a franchisor and a franchisee shall enter into a written franchise contract containing several key elements such as basic information of the franchisor and the franchisee, terms and conditions of the franchise operation. A franchisor shall file with MOFCOM or its local office within 15 days from the date of entering into a franchise contract with a franchisee for the first time, and shall report to the filing agency on information on franchise contracts executed, revoked, terminated or renewed in the preceding year before March 31 of each year.

Before obtaining the franchise license from MOFCOM, the Company may engage in commercial activities with franchising characteristics with its partners by sharing intellectual property rights such as company trademarks, patents, trade secrets, etc., in accordance with either of the two relevant provisions of PRC Corporate and Contract Law as described below:

Regulations Related to Retail

There are no separate mandatory legal provisions on the retail business model in the PRC. Companies and individual businesses may engage is the retail business as long as they have registered with the commerce departments in accordance with the laws such as the Regulation on Individual Industrial and Commercial Households and Administration of the Registration of Enterprises As Legal Persons, and include “retail” in the business scope on their business license.

Regulations Related to Food Safety

The Food Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China, which was effective as from June 2009 and amended by the SCNPC in April 2015 and became effective in October 2015, and the Implementation Regulations of the Food Safety Law of the PRC, which took effect as from July 2009 and were amended by the State Council in 2016, regulate food safety and set up a system of the supervision, monitoring and evaluation of food safety and adopt food safety standards. The scope of the Food Safety Law covers food production and processing; food sales and catering services; production and management of tools and equipment used for food production and management; use of by food additives, food-related products; storage and transportation of food; safety management of food, food additives, food-related products. The quality and safety management of primary products originating from agriculture is subject to the provisions of other laws and the Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Law of the PRC.

Food producers and business operators must operate legally and are responsible for the safety of their food and beverage business operations. The local government at or above the county level is responsible for the food safety supervision and administration of the region, and determines the responsibilities of the food and drug supervision and management departments, the health departments, and other relevant departments at that level.

Food safety standards cover the following: food, food additives, pathogenic microorganisms in food-absorbing steel pipe products, pesticide residues, veterinary drug residues, biomycin, heavy metal pollutants and other restriction on human health substances; variety of food additives, scope of use and dosage; nutrient requirements for primary and secondary foods for infants and other specific populations; requirements for labels, signs, and instructions related to food safety requirements such as hygiene and nutrition; food production and management, and hygienic requirements for the process; food inspection methods and procedures related to food safety; other content that needs to be established as food safety standards.

Food production must meet specific requirements, such as requirements for its location, health standards, professional and technical personnel, processing, food containers, disinfection, pollution prevention, safety, etc.

Food operations shall not occur in any of the following situations: use of non-food raw materials for the production of food, pathogenic microorganisms, pesticide residues, veterinary drug residues, use of food materials beyond its expiration, violation of inspection and quarantine standards, marketing false production dates, etc.

The State Council implements a licensing system for the food production and transaction. To engage in food production, sale or catering services, the business operator shall obtain a license in accordance with the laws. Agricultural products are exempt from obtaining the license and are instead verified and licensed on-site by the local government at or above the county level.

According to the Product Quality Law of the People’s Republic of China, which was effective as from September 1993 and amended by the SCNPC in 2000 and 2009 respectively, products for sale must satisfy relevant safety standards and sellers shall adopt measures to maintain the quality of products for sale. Sellers may not sell mix impurities or imitations into products, or substitute fake products for genuine ones, or substitute defective products for good ones or substitute substandard products for standard ones. For sellers, any violation of state or industrial standards for health and safety or other requirements may result in civil liabilities and administrative penalties, such as compensation for damages, fines, confiscation of products illegally sold and the proceeds from such sales and even revoking business license; in addition, severe violations may subject the responsible individual or enterprise to criminal liabilities.

Save as otherwise disclosed, we are not subject to any special legislation or regulatory controls in the PRC other than those generally applicable to companies and businesses in the PRC, which will have a material effect on our business operations. Changes in the PRC governmental rules and regulations will have a significant impact on our business, and Foreign exchange control and tax policies in the PRC may limit our ability to utilize our revenue effectively and affect our ability to receive dividends and other payments from our subsidiaries in the PRC.

Please also refer to the Section “Risk Factors – Risks Relating to Doing Business in the PRC” of this report for details on the applicable PRC laws and regulations.

Recent Developments

Registered Direct Offering

On July 14, 2023, the Company entered into certain securities purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with certain non-affiliated institutional investors (the “Purchasers”) pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell 200,000,000 of its Class A ordinary shares (“Ordinary Shares”) in a registered direct offering (the “Offering”), for gross proceeds of approximately $50 million. The purchase price for each Ordinary Share is $0.25.

The Company agreed in the Purchase Agreement that it would not issue any Ordinary Shares, or ordinary share equivalents for thirty (30) calendar days following the closing of the Offering subject to certain exceptions.

The Company currently intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for working capital and general corporate purposes. The Offering closed on July 21, 2023. 

Stock Ticker Symbol Change

The Company’s ticker symbol was changed from “BTB” to “BETS” effective September 8, 2023. The Company's Class A Ordinary Shares are currently trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the new symbol “BETS” and the CUSIP will remain unchanged.

Corporate Information

Our principal executive office is located at 15/F, Block A, Kineer Business Centre, 53 Binjiang Road, Yuelu District Changsha, Hunan Province, China. Our telephone number at that address is +86 0731-82290658. Our company website is http://bitbrother.pc.voinance.com:81/. Our NASDAQ symbol is BTB, and we make our SEC filings available on the Investor Relations page of our website, http://www.bitbrother.com/. Information contained on our website is not part of this annual report. Our agent for service in the United States is VStock Transfer, LLC, the current transfer agent of the Company, with a mailing address of 18 Lafayette Place Woodmere, NY 11598.

C. Organizational structure

Information regarding our organizational structure is described “Item 4. B. Business Overview.” 

D. Property, Plants and Equipment

Information regarding our property, plants and equipment is described “Item 4. B. Business Overview.”

ITEM 4A. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not required.

ITEM 5. OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS

Consolidation

Substantially all of the Company’s revenues, costs and net income in China are directly or indirectly generated through the Company’s consolidated VIEs. The Company has signed the VIE Agreements with the VIEs and legal shareholders of the VIEs to allow the transfer of economic benefits from the VIEs to the Company and to direct the activities of the VIEs.

Total assets and liabilities presented on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets and revenue, expense, net income presented on consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income as well as the cash flow from operating, investing and financing activities presented on the consolidated statement of cash flows are substantially the financial position, operation and cash flow of the Company’s consolidated VIEs. The Company has not provided any financial support to the consolidated VIEs for the years ended at June 30, 2023 and 2022. As of June 30, 2023 and 2022, the consolidated VIEs accounted for an aggregate of 42.4% and 44.2% of our total assets, respectively. As of June 30 and 2023 and 2022, $1.02 million and $0.92 million of cash and cash equivalents were denominated in RMB, respectively.   The following table sets forth the assets, liabilities, results of operations and changes in cash, cash equivalents of the consolidated VIEs taken as a whole, which were included in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets and statements of comprehensive income and statements of cash flows with intercompany transactions eliminated:

The following financial information of the VIEs in the PRC was recorded in the accompanying consolidated financial statements:   

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The information in this report contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact made in this report are forward looking. In particular, the statements herein regarding industry prospects and future results of operations or financial position are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “believes,” “estimates,” “could,” “possibly,” “probably,” anticipates,” “projects,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” or “should” or other variations or similar words. No assurances can be given that the future results anticipated by the forward-looking statements will be achieved. Forward-looking statements reflect management’s current expectations and are inherently uncertain. Our actual results may differ significantly from management’s expectations.

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our financial statements, included herewith. This discussion should not be construed to imply that the results discussed herein will necessarily continue into the future, or that any conclusion reached herein will necessarily be indicative of actual operating results in the future. Such discussion represents only the best present assessment of our management.

A. Operating Results

As of June 30, 2023, the Company had two operating segments, 1) blockchain business started operation in January 2023, and 2) retail business by provision of high-quality tea beverages and light meals in its tea shop chain business

Digital assets

Digital assets (bitcoin) are included in current and other assets in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. Digital assets awarded to the Company through its mining activities are accounted for in accordance with the Company’s revenue recognition policy below.

Digital assets are accounted for as intangible assets with indefinite useful lives and are recorded at cost less impairment in accordance with ASC 350 – “Intangibles-Goodwill and Other” (“ASC 350”). An intangible asset with an indefinite useful life is not amortized but assessed for impairment annually, or more frequently, when events or changes in circumstances occur indicating that it is more likely than not that the indefinite-lived asset is impaired. Whenever the exchange-traded price of digital assets declines below its carrying value, the Company has determined that it is more likely than not that an impairment exists and records impairment equal to the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value at that point in time. The Company has deemed the price of digital assets to be a level two input under the ASC 820 - “Fair Value Measurement” (“ASC 820”) hierarchy as there are multiple observable inputs (exchanges) that provide slightly differing benchmarks of digital asset value. Subsequent reversal of impairment losses is not permitted.

For the years ended June 30, 2023, the Company generated $1,773,684 from its blockchain and digital asset mining business.

Tea Shop Chain Business

As affected by the outbreak of COVID-19, we closed certain tea shops through the date of this report. Currently the Company has three tea shops based in Hunan Province, China, among which two are flagship stores and one is a general store. In addition, we opened our first overseas tea shop in August 2020 in Manhattan, New York City, through our joint venture. The Company sells tea products, beverages and light meals. The tea drinks we are currently offering are developed on various tea bases, among which is our featured Anhua dark tea base. These tea-based beverages include fresh milk tea, fruit tea, milk cap tea, etc. The light meals offered include selections such as salads, sandwiches, pasta, steak, burritos and other healthy options. The pastries we are offering include fresh baked bread, fresh baked cakes, frosting cakes, etc.

Customers place orders and pay for tea products, beverages and light meals in the Company’s tea shop chains. Revenues are recognized at the point of delivery to customers. Customers that purchase prepaid cards are issued additional points for free at the time of purchase.

We have also teamed up with China’s leading online food ordering and delivery platforms—meituan.com (“美团”) and ele.me (“饿了么”)—to allow consumers to order drinks, light meals, and pastries through the Internet from the closest stores. Consumers, however, can order only products that are suitable for delivery, such as bread with long expiration periods, light snacks, and certain tea beverages. Some tea beverages, such as milk foam cap tea, are not offered online due to its unsuitability for delivery. After a customer places an order with these online platforms, our products will be produced in the stores and delivered by professional deliverymen. The production and delivery process is typically completed in forty (40) minutes.

On August 3, 2022, the Company and Guangzhou Baogu Trading Co., Ltd. (the “Purchaser”) entered into certain share purchase agreement (the “Disposition SPA”). Pursuant to the Disposition SPA, the Purchaser agreed to purchase 51% of the issued and outstanding shares of Hunan 39 Pu Tea Co., Ltd., a PRC limited company (“39 Pu”), which is controlled by the Company through a series of contractual agreements (the “VIE Agreements”), in exchange for cash consideration of RMB 8 million (the “Purchase Price”). Upon the closing of the transaction (the “Disposition”) contemplated by the Disposition SPA, the Purchaser will become the majority shareholder of 39 Pu and as a result, assume all assets and liabilities of 39 Pu. The Disposition closed on August 4, 2022.

In accordance with ASC 205-20, Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity, a disposal of a component of an entity or a group of components of an entity is required to be reported as discontinued operations if the disposal represents a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results when the components of an entity meets the criteria in paragraph 205-20-45-1E to be classified as held for sale. The disposition of 39Pu met the criteria in paragraph 205-20-45-1E and was reported as a discontinued operation.

For the years ended June 30, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company earned income from the tea shop chain business of $1,073,269, $765,094, $358,515, respectively.

Branding and Marketing Strategy

Our products are currently offered under two brands, Buoyance Manor (“浮力庄园”) and Your Ladyship Tea (“小主的茶”). We plan to offer snacks and accessories, including peanut nougat gift boxes, cookies, coffee mugs, and tea cups under a new brand Meet Honey. We have entered into a series of trademark assignment and license agreements with the owners of these trademarks. For details, please refer to the section of Trademarks, Copyrights, Patents and Domain Names.